Jack O'Neill ignored
Thor's outcry as his arm tightened its stranglehold around the scrawny
neck of the Asgard who thought he could use the material that had been
forcibly stolen from his body for his own ends. So much for being able
to trust their so-called allies, Jack thought with anger. There was
already one too many of him, thank you very much. There. Would. Be. No.
More.
Heimdall's body stiffened
in his grasp as the spindly legs bicycled frantically in mid-air.
Gradually, like an anorexic and bald Energizer Bunny with defective
batteries they slackened their frenetic pace and began to slow.
"O'Neill, do not do this!"
Jack ignored Thor, he was
the voice of reason and he was so not in the mood to listen to it. He
was too angry . . . no, that was too mild a term. He was beyond that,
pissed off, incensed, furious, yes - that might begin to describe his
feelings.
Though it didn't even
come close to describing his sense of betrayal by a race he'd thought he
could trust - an ally - someone who supposedly had the best interests of
their human friends at heart - if the bug-eyed refugee from a UFO
convention even had a heart.
But the Asgard were
supposed to be above that sort of thing, weren't they?
After all, with Baal and
his snaky pals, they were the bad guys in black hats - and Baal seemed
to take that appellation quite literally. You expected the bad guys to
do nasty things to you; they were supposed to do that. That's what bad
guys did.
And Baal was one of the
best - bad guys that is. He'd proven it by outlasting his former cronies
at the System Lords social club. Intelligence with absolutely no morals
whatsoever, that seemed to be the winning combination where the
snakeheads were concerned.
But the Asgard? They were
the guys in white hats, the ones who held the bad guys at bay and stuck
up for the underdog humans who were relative newcomers on the scene of
intergalactic politics.
Jack's chain of thought
hit a speed bump as he considered what had just run through his mind.
Wait a minute; Asgard didn't wear hats, or clothes for that matter.
Maybe that was a bad example - besides the fact that his mind couldn't
quite wrap itself around the picture of Thor wearing a white Stetson.
"Jack," Sam's face swam
into view and she laid her hand against his arm, the one that still
threatened to choke the crap out of Heimdall. "No."
Her blue eyes begged him,
and who was he to deny their request? When had he ever been able to do
so? The memory of their eyes locked onto each other across the barrier
of a shimmering force field while she begged him to leave her there
replayed inside his head.
Jack bit his lip - okay,
so he hadn't left her then, maybe that was another bad example. But he
knew what he meant, he thought . . . and she was right. Wringing
Heimdall's scrawny little neck would not help, though it would make him
feel better - much better.
O'Neill loosened his
chokehold on Heimdall's neck and lowered him so that the Asgard's feet
touched the floor. Then he patted the mad scientist wanna-be on the
shoulder and stretched his lips in a humorless grin, but his eyes
remained hard and unforgiving.
His hand still rested on
Heimdall's far shoulder - at another time it could have been interpreted
as a reassuring hug between comrades. However, now it served as a
warning that Jack was not a happy camper. Nope, not at all.
Heimdall gasped, his
black eyes slid shut and then opened as he tipped his head upwards to
gaze at Jack. One bony hand massaged his throat.
"Thank you, O'Neill, for
showing restraint and understanding in this matter," Thor seemed calm
but kept his distance from Jack as if he was not sure what the human
would do next. Well, that made two of them because Jack was still very
pissed off. Make that extremely pissed off.
Jack smiled and shrugged
but did not remove his proprietary hand from the Asgard's shoulder. "I'm
sure we can figure out what to do next - with Heimdall's full
cooperation. Right?"
Jack squeezed Heimdall's shoulder in warning.
"What?" Heimdall looked confused.
"Perhaps I should explain," Thor said.
"Thank you Thor, that
would be a wonderful idea," Sam took Jack's free hand in her own and
smiled encouragingly at him. "Right, Jack?"
"Ya think?" Jack spat and
then winced when Sam tightened her grip around his fingers. Dang, the
woman must be working out, he thought.
Thor didn't seem fazed by
their interplay and continued - either that or he missed it entirely,
but Jack would put his money on him choosing not to notice it. You
didn't become Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet by being a dummy.
"It was decided that
someone needed to search Baal's laboratory for any genetic material that
might have been left behind. Heimdall agreed to do this. While there he
discovered several vials that contained material from both O'Neill and
you. These vials were transported back to his laboratory onboard the
'Janet Fraiser'."
"Why couldn't you just
leave it there, huh?" Jack growled as his long fingers 'massaged'
Heimdall's shoulder and neck.
Heimdall winced and tried
to edge away from Jack. However, Jack's strong fingers prevented him
from going anywhere.
"It would be too
dangerous," Thor admonished Jack. "Believe me when I say this. I did not
make this decision lightly, and believed it would be far too dangerous
to risk it falling into the wrong hands."
"And your motives are
better . . . how?" Jack's wiry gray eyebrows rose in disbelief.
"I hoped to use your
genetic material to save the Asgard race from extinction." Heimdall's
voice was low and scratchy and his eyes were still wide with
surprise.
He looked like he'd bolt
from the room if he thought he could get away with it. As the Asgard
remained where he was, Jack could only conclude that he knew what might
happen if he tried.
"God save us from
meddling scientists who are out to save the universe," Jack muttered to
himself.
"Why don't I explain,
Jack." Sam laced her fingers with his. "Heimdall, do you realize how
this . . . genetic material was obtained?"
Heimdall blinked, "I am not."
"These . . . specimens
were taken by force from our bodies by Baal's technicians. Jack endured
excruciating pain during the process, and I was forced to watch. As for
me . . . I died from complications during the operation. And Jack had to
beg Baal to allow him to revive me in the sarcophagus." She took a deep
breath before continuing. "So you can imagine our anger when we learned
that you were using this material that was stolen from our bodies for
your experiments."
"I did not understand the
connotations . . ." Heimdall extended his hand toward Jack and Sam. "I
had thoughts only for my research. Please accept my apology. Believe me
when I say that no harm was meant."
"I know you'll understand
us when we insist that this material must be destroyed, and we want to
be the ones who do it," Jack ground out but ignored Heimdall's hand. He
was still too angry to risk the temptation of breaking all the bones in
that alien's skinny hand - body - whatever was handy.
"I will assist you in any
way I can," Heimdall let his empty hand drop to his side and sighed
loudly.
"As will I," Thor added.
"And in doing so all hint of misunderstanding will be avoided."
Jack nodded curtly but
did not relinquish his hold on the Heimdall's neck.
***
Sam watched carefully as
Heimdall preceded Jack whose hand remained laid casually across the
Asgard's neck as if to guide him. Sure, he was guiding him all right.
And the 'guide' was a not so subtle reminder of what could happen should
Heimdall attempt to hide anything from him.
She sighed and nibbled a
fingernail in need of a trim; she hadn't seen him that upset in quite a
while. Not that she could blame him considering that Heimdall had been
doing the same thing that Baal's goons had done; only he'd been able to
pretty it up a little. Still, it amounted to the same thing. Heimdall
had stolen genetic material that was quite literally ripped from their
bodies - stolen without their permission - to serve whatever whim the
Goa'uld might have.
Though, being a scientist
herself, she could almost sympathize with the enthusiasm that the Asgard
geneticist had felt when he realized what he had . . . and what might be
done with it.
However, since part of
the samples were from her own body - samples that had been taken at the
cost of her life - she had to side with Jack. Luckily, Thor believed as
they did and once they'd related their concerns to him, had been as
horrified as they were when he realized what Heimdall had done.
"You're sure that's all
of it?" Jack's voice sounded distrustful and his fingers could be seen
to tighten at the base of Heimdall's skull.
"Yes, that is all of it,"
Heimdall's voice squeaked with anxiety, or was it fear? "I swear it
is."
"And your research data?" Thor's voice was implacable.
"You would destroy that too?"
"Yes," Jack's voice was
flat with no compassion for the researcher's zeal whatsoever.
"But I was close to
solving the cloning problem . . ." Heimdall whined and then yipped.
"And I very nearly lost
one of my balls," Jack's voice took on a deceptively soft tone as he
bent down to whisper into the Asgard's ear. "Do you have any idea how
dearly I prize having a matching set?"
Heimdall shook his head,
his black eyes wide. There was no mistaking the terror in those large
black eyes.
Jack waved his free hand
toward Sam. "Carter? Explain to Heimdall about Dick and the twins."
Sam wet her lips.
"Besides being essential for reproduction, the male sexual organs
basically define who the individual human is, how they act, and how they
are treated by others of our species."
"And?" Jack's eyebrows rose suggestively.
"And, without them, the
male is unable to achieve arousal during the sexual act, preventing him
from aiding in the reproductive cycle."
"So, not only does it
make me feel really good when I make love with Carter, without the
twins, I cannot make babies with her. And I intend to make lots of
babies . . . lots." Jack waved his free arm expansively. "Now, since you
Asgard guys use cloning, I don't expect you to understand just how good
it feels, or the importance of keeping the set in working order . . .
but trust me - it's pretty high on my list of priorities. And on
Carter's too - right?"
Sam dimpled and blushed. "Absolutely, sir."
"And we want nothing to impede this endeavor," Thor added. "Do we,
Heimdall?"
Confused, Heimdall nodded
- and then cringed away from Jack's hand and shook his head violently.
"No, Thor. We do not." Then he seemed to do a double take as his whole
demeanor changed and he actually seemed to radiate with excitement.
"Offspring from O'Neill?"
"Yes, offspring from O'Neill," Jack smirked. "Only - not just yet."
"Definitely not yet," Sam blushed even more.
Then Jack added under his
breath, "Not that you're going to ever get your mitts on them."
"We would not think of such a thing," Thor said in a shocked voice.
Jack raised one eyebrow
and Sam grinned. She didn't believe Thor either.
***
Thor accompanied Colonel
Carter and O'Neill back to the medical pod that enclosed the deceased
child they called Jackie. O'Neill insisted on carrying the container
with the genetic specimens himself, though he assured him that they
would be safe in his care.
Apparently this
unfortunate incident had eroded the trust that they had hitherto enjoyed
with this remarkable human Thor thought sadly. His stiff demeanor
saddened him as he had always looked forward to partaking of O'Neill's
wit, even if it seemed to be at his expense. Thor realized that playing
'straight man' to his jokes did in no way lessen his authority as
Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet as some of the more prudish
members of the High Council had insisted on numerous occasions, instead
it accentuated it. If that easy camaraderie had been lost, Thor knew he
would miss it deeply.
Thor mentally composed
the entry he would put into his verbal log after when he had some
privacy. 'We go now to view the body of the one Carter named Jackie.
They have insisted, much to my surprise, that they need to say
'good-bye' to her. This is puzzling as they are both very intelligent
for humans, and must therefore realize that Jackie cannot hear anything
they might utter.'
Yes, that would describe
the scene and his reaction to it quite well, he thought to himself. And
since he had a perfect memory, he would have no difficulty in
reproducing those exact words later.
"Good to see ya back,"
Ernie piped at he met them at the door to the medical infirmary. "How's
Heimdall doing?"
"The little runt seems to
have a sore throat," Jack grunted. "He isn't talking much right now."
"That is most unusual for
him," Ernie observed. "You usually can't shut him up."
"Heimdall is not himself
at present," Thor said with a finality that even Ernie picked up on.
"And is not receiving visitors."
"We've come to say
good-bye to Jackie." Sam's arm was linked through Jack's free one.
"You've decided how you
want to dispose of the body?" Ernie asked as he led the way to the only
occupied medical pod.
"Yes, we will have her
body cremated and the ashes shot into a nebula. I think she would like
being out among the stars," Sam said with a sad smile. "Even if she
never had the chance to see them for herself."
"I can do that; just tell
me when and where." Ernie replied gravely, for once he moved at a more
sedate pace.
Thor lagged behind,
reluctant to intrude on O'Neill and Carter's private moment. Ernie
triggered the pod's opaque covering to slide open and then stepped
back.
"Eir," Thor beckoned to
him with one hand. "I wish to speak with you."
"Thanks, Ernie," O'Neill
gave him a tight smile and then stepped up to the pod with Carter.
"I believe they require
some privacy for this," Thor said in a whisper to the Asgard
physician.
"I am aware of that and
had already planned to give them whatever time alone they needed."
"Thank you for your
consideration of their feelings, Eir," Thor patted his Asgard companion
on the shoulder.
Ernie nodded but for once
said nothing; his attention was on the couple in front of them.
As Thor watched, Carter
wrapped her arms around O'Neill's waist as they both stood in front of
the pod that contained a child that should have never been. O'Neill's
arm tightened around her shoulder as she leaned into his body. Even so,
he did not relinquish his grasp on the container that hung from his
other hand.
Carter only released her
hold on her partner long enough to bow over their child's body for a
brief moment. Then, she returned to her former stance.
O'Neill cleared his throat, "We're ready now. Right Sam?"
Carter nodded.
"We'd also like this
container incinerated, along with the . . . body." Jack hefted the
container. "Can you do that for us?"
"Of course," Eir
exchanged a look in inquiry with Thor who only nodded his permission.
Together, Ernie and Thor
walked to the medical pod and stood next to O'Neill and Carter. "Place
the container in the pod with the body and I'll take care of the rest,"
Ernie instructed.
"Thanks for everything
you've done for us - and for Jackie too. Even though you couldn't save
her, I know you did your best," Jack added in a low husky voice.
"And I'm sorry for
everything that I said earlier," Carter added. "I guess I wasn't
thinking very clearly."
"That is to be expected
when one has lost someone dear to them," Ernie explained. "I did not
take it personally."
"That's a relief," Sam
smiled but her eyes were full of tears. "I wouldn't want you to think I
didn't appreciate everything you've done for us."
"We hold the deepest
respect for both of you," Thor said with a slight bow. "And wish our
mutually beneficial relationship to continue. It is my wish that you
have no ill feelings toward anyone of our race. And if so, will confide
your concerns to me."
"Give us some time,"
O'Neill said softly. "We both need to recover from this fiasco
first."
"I will give you all the
time you require," Thor extended his hand and O'Neill released his hold
on Carter so that he could take it in his own. Though his size and
strength dwarfed Thor's, the human's clasp was gentle.
"Are you ready?" Ernie asked.
"Just a minute," Jack
placed the container at Jackie's feet and then brushed her cheek with
his long fingers. Then he stood back and his arm encircled Carter's
shoulder. "Now I'm ready."
Carter nodded and Ernie's
fingers pressed several pads on the console. The lid slid shut and
turned a solid gray. "The process will take several minutes."
Thor touched O'Neill's
arm gently. "If you wish, you can transport to my vessel and the remains
can be disposed of on our return journey to your home world. I am sure
that the 'Janet Fraiser' is needed elsewhere as it has become the
primary medical research vessel for the Asgard."
"Really? Janet would be
honored to know that; don't you think so, Jack?"
"Absolutely. It just
scares me when I see Ernie acting so much like her."
"If it offends you, I
will stop, but I only do it to honor her memory." Ernie bobbed in
place.
"No, don't stop. It's
just a bit startling, that's all." Jack grinned, some of his usual humor
surfacing once again.
The medical pod console
beeped and Ernie turned to it. "I am transferring the ashes into a
suitable container."
"Thank you," Sam smiled, "I really appreciate your help."
"Think nothing of it;
we're friends, aren't we? And friends help each other out - right?"
Jack laid his hand on
Ernie's shoulder and grinned with some of his previous humor. "Yeah
sureyabetcha."
***
Jack watched as the
'Janet Fraiser' opened a warp window and disappeared. Had it only been a
couple of hours ago when he'd gladly throttled Heimdall - and reveled in
it? Without thinking, he flexed his fingers with the remembrance of that
- he'd come so close. It's what he'd wanted to do to Loki, but was never
given the chance.
However, what Sam had
said about scientists and their excitement at new routes of
investigation made sense; even if it did sound like most of them
willingly accepted ethical blinders to the ramifications of their
experimental research.
The little runt had
certainly sounded sincere when he came with Ernie to say goodbye. He had
to admire Heimdall; he could see that he was still fearful, carefully
standing just out of reach - that and his response when Ernie took his
leave. Jack could see those stringy little muscles quiver with
Heimdall's extreme desire to step back further, and had almost checked
to see if the exit was clear.
It was those few
deliberate steps to stand face to belly button that cinched it. Of
course, the words of undying fealty sounded good, but physical actions
always spoke louder than any words. It was enough to almost forgive the
little runt - almost - but not quite.
He guessed he'd have to
eventually, he could see the same look in Heimdall's eyes that Ernie
had. He had a new devotee whether he liked it or not.
The black of space
coalesced into streamers of blue, and he pulled Sam closer, she hugged
back in response.
"Thor said it would be only a few minutes," she whispered sadly.
Jack grunted in response.
Thor had given them a couple of choices, and somehow his recommendation
was exactly what he wanted. An old star had exploded and only a
relatively short time ago, in the galactic scheme of things. Its shock
wave lingered - still strong and spreading out. And in its wake was left
sparkling new stars. It was pretty now, but would be spectacular in
another dozen centuries or so.
Sam had agreed. Jackie
would be part of the new life and beauty that a stellar death had
brought forth. It was fitting.
"We're here." Sam's voice
broke Jack from his thoughts to look out over the view, it was even
better in person.
Jack didn't have to turn
around to know that Thor had entered the small observation chamber. He
would come, briefly and then leave. This was private and his little
buddy wasn't in the least bit stupid.
"All is ready, O'Neill."
And Thor left. He had to love the guy, he could doubt the Asgard till
the cows came home, but Thor always lived up to his expectations of a
friend, alien or not.
"It's beautiful."
"Yes, Sam. She'll love it
here." Jack felt his eyes prick, he was truly sad. He knew this had to
be, but it would have been nice . . .
Looking down into Sam's
eyes, he saw the same wistful look and knew she had the same thought. A
few tears slid down her face and he hugged her tighter.
"Some day, Sam."
"Lots and lots of kids,"
she smiled bravely up at him. Sometimes he just couldn't believe it.
This woman loved him. He was one lucky SOB.
Sam wiggled an arm loose;
her slender finger probed at his cheek and came way with a glistening
tear. He hadn't even felt it. And before he knew it she grasped the back
of his neck to bend his head down and stood on her tiptoes. Their lips
met, and he tasted that salty tear, quick and tender. He felt the next
tear.
Jack almost groaned when
she released him and broke off the sweetest kiss he'd ever known. He
watched as she took up his slack left hand in hers and guided it to the
small console panel before the transparent section of hull that stood
between them and the still expanding explosion of a star long dead.
Sam maneuvered his long
sturdy finger to the proper pad and pressed it down, both of their heads
riveted to the sight outside the ship. The flash of an Asgard transport
beam, closely followed by what looked like the biggest chrysanthemum
fireworks explosion he'd ever seen.
He and Sam pulled each
other close; both drew in a breath of awe at the display of flickering
flashes in hues to rival the bright nebula in the background. They held
on for a long, long time - lost in their own thoughts, but never so far
away as to forget the other.
Finally they looked at
each other, volumes passed between them. Words were so unnecessary
sometimes, and this one of those times.
"Thor?"
"Yes, O'Neill."
"We're finished. Take us home."
"As you wish."
"I wish," Jack whispered
to the walls. "I have a score to settle with a certain Bocce Baal."
Epilogue
Baal opened his eyes and
stared at the lit panels that surrounded him. Within seconds, the lid of
the sarcophagus split and ground apart with the sound of stone grinding
on stone. He blinked his eyes against the glare of overhead lights and
accepted the assistance of the burly arm that appeared in front of
him.
He sat up and then stood
- his dark eyes took in every detail of his surroundings - both who was
there to greet their god - and who was not.
Surprisingly, his queen
was there. Her loyalty would be rewarded later in the privacy of their
bedchamber.
"My Lord, Baal," she
intoned with a curl of her perfectly formed lips. "We have missed your
presence."
Baal smiled and his eyes
flashed. "As have I, my precious queen," he stepped out of the box; his
haughty bearing proclaimed that he held the power of life or death over
all present.
"Come with me," he took
her outstretched hand in his own, "We have much to plan once we return
to the home world of the Tau'ri."
Of course, my lord, your
clones will surely rejoice at your safe return," her eyes flashed as
they shared a private joke. They both knew the welcome the clones showed
toward their original would be less than cordial.
"And revenge?" Anat's
sculpted eyebrows rose with a question and spoiled her otherwise
beautiful face.
"But of course," Baal purred.
The End
Index