Page 60
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The Gate room seemed to twinkle as the vortex settled and a stable wormhole was successfully established.
Martouf listened closely as Samantha explained the G.D.O. device she was strapping onto his arm, knowing Jacob was
doing the same.
Lantash was divided between listening and staring at Daniel, wishing Jolinar would come forward again before they were gone.
*I am sure he will allow her to watch us leave.*
*It does not compare.*
*I know.*
As his arm was released and Samantha turned to strap her father's device on, Martouf found himself facing the Colonel.
They stared at each other for a moment and then slowly clasped arms,
never breaking eye contact.
Teal'c then stepped forward, simply nodding his head in farewell.
General Hammond shook his hand and then they stepped back, having already said their good-byes to Jacob.
Martouf's attention was drawn back to Daniel as he and Jacob shook hands.
Then Daniel was before him and the younger man extended his hand.
Martouf smiled and shook it, ignoring Lantash's impatience.
"Good-bye Daniel."
"Good-bye Martouf...Lantash."
Martouf nodded and then white fire flamed in Daniel's eyes for a moment before settling to a glow.
Jolinar turned the shake into more, entwining their fingers.
She brought his hand to her mouth for one brief kiss and then
released him, stepping back to stand beside the Colonel.
Lantash took over as Martouf started to crumble now that the moment was actually here.
He took one last look as different shades of blue light danced through the room,
and then nodded his good-bye.
Turning to face Jacob, he caught the wistful sadness in the other's eye.
Forcing themselves to take each step, Lantash and Jacob resolutely stepped through the Chaapa'ai.
Daniel took over, feeling Jolinar fall apart.
Her complete abandonment, fear, and bitterness washed over him.
He didn't try to fight it.
Her emotions slipped past his defenses and he felt the outside world fall away.
Sam stood there, frozen.
Janet, realizing Sam wasn't going to move without help, took over as gently as she could.
She placed Sam in a large feather bed with silk sheets and lots of body pillows.
She then turned her attention outward so Sam would have some privacy.
Janet turned toward the Colonel when he moved in her direction, but she wasn't his destination.
He took a step closer to Daniel, his hand checking for a pulse.
Alarm registered and his eyes narrowed.
Janet was already on her way and checked Daniel's pulse for herself.
"What's going on?"
Jack turned to the General.
"His pulse is too slow, almost as if he's going into a deep sleep or worse."
**I wonder if it's something Jolinar is doing.**
**No clue, but if it is, I want her to stop.**
"Dr. Jackson? Jolinar?"
Jack watched as the General reached out and shook Daniel's shoulder.
**What's he doing?**
**Not a ...*
**Anyway...find out.**
"Sir?"
"When Jacob was in my office earlier, Selmac told me to excuse them for a moment. They'd had a fight and were working it out. Whatever they did made the body go into a stand-by mode of some
type."
**That's fantastic. Get him to the infirmary so we can...**
**I think Janet's ahead of you.**
**She's not on duty, but we are. Just restricted to the base.**
**I don't think Fraiser would appreciate my...**
**She'd rather get yet another...oh forget it, by the time you move, they'll be gone
anyway.**
**Actually, I've been with them the entire time they've been moving.**
**Really?**
**Yeah. Last thing I need is for Daniel's ghost to haunt me for the rest of my life telling me he'd still be alive if I'd just learned to hold two conversations at
the same time.**
Jack smiled in spite of himself at the flash of Daniel in chains.
**You really have a problem there.**
**Ghostly chains, idiot.**
**Hey!...oh nevermind.**
**You're agreeing?**
**No, but the normal rules of conversing with your superior don't seem to
apply in this forum.**
**No, they don't...even if my superior ever did manage to get in here.**
**Lame, Amber. Very lame.**
**You're humor must be invading my own.**
**Considering your humor, that can only be an improvement.**
**Ha...ha...whatever. Okay, tell Janet a diagnostic table's ready for him and staff are standing
by."
"Doc?"
Janet turned a bit to him.
"Sir?"
"There's a diagnostic table ready and the infirmary staff are waiting."
Her eyes widened a bit and then she grinned.
"I completely forgot about your connection. Tell Corvores he's unresponsive to outside
stimulus, but is breathing regularly and slowly."
**I heard. Tell her we've got IVs set up and de-fib standing by in case that changes."
"Doc, IVs and de-fib are set up."
"Good."
Jack barely heard anything else as people were ushered out of the way.
**Has she been re-instated?**
**Nup, but I don't think anyone's paying attention to that.**
**Tell the General to re-instate her, or she goes out of here, too.**
**Amber...**
**Now. I'm following his orders. She goes unless he says she stays.**
Jack turned to the General as he approached the infirmary entrance.
"Sir, is there any reason why Dr. Fraiser can't be put back on duty?"
"Yes, Colonel, there is. For that matter, I'm not sure Dr. Corvores should be
on duty, either."
**Umm. I wasn't told not to, but Janet was.**
**Yeah, I got that. I also
got the itsy bit of fear that went through you a second before you came up with that.**
**Oh shush. I'm sending a very irate Janet Fraiser out to you now.**
**Great.**
**Welcome.**
"Sir, you actually removed Dr. Fraiser, but you didn't specifically remove Amber, so she's staying in there and taking care of Daniel."
Hammond turned to him, annoyance evident.
"I'll rectify that situation as soon as Dr. Jackson has returned to his body."
**Oh shut up. You would find that funny.**
**I want Daniel to be well and I know the Doc's the one to do that.**
**I'm a better surgeon than she is.**
**Umm...I'm figuring they mean gone from his body as in mentally gone. You don't need to cut him open and look for him.**
**Duh. Really?**
**Just...checking.**
Jack stepped back as a very upset Janet stepped out of the infirmary.
She took one look at the General and her eyes flashed.
Sam took over so Janet could yell everything she wanted to without getting in trouble for it.
"Where's Teal'c?"
The Colonel looked around, his brow furrowed.
Then, he grinned.
"He's in the
infirmary. Apparently he snuck in during the commotion and everyone's so used to seeing him stand against a wall they don't notice him anymore. He's been standing there the whole time and Amber just realized it."
Sam grinned.
The General frowned.
"How can you miss Teal'c?"
The Colonel just shrugged, smiling.
Sam winced at the cacophony Janet was creating in her head.
Mostly things about how unfair it was that a glazey-eyed, irritating statue-wannabe was in her
infirmary and was determined to be as difficult as possible.
Sam agreed with some, laughed silently at others, and recognized belatedly released jealousy in the rest.
"She okay?"
The Colonel had moved behind her so no one else could hear them.
"She's...upset. Sir, it's not fair that Corvores is in there..."
The Colonel held up a hand to stop her.
"That's being fixed as soon as Daniel's back. The General was not happy that Amber didn't just assume it applied to her, too, but she goes pretty much by specific orders. She then follows those orders
verbatim with...enthusiasm."
Sam watched him closely as he spoke, noting the emotions running through his eyes with each sentence.
*They're equal. No switching, just equal and simultaneous.*
*You sound envious.*
Sam couldn't miss the hurt in Janet's voice.
*I just miss having my own body. I'm still not used to the height
difference. I'm not just looking up a bit when I talk, I'm looking up a...*
*I get the picture. Thank you.*
The dry sarcasm hit Sam and she deliberately tuned Janet out, not noticing Janet's temper abruptly cooled.
*Sam, I'm sorry.*
*I haven't done anything to you.*
*I know.*
Story, graphics, and extra characters are © 1999-2000 StoneGarnets/Garnet Hyneman. Guestbook by Xoom. SG-1 and established canon characters are © MGM, etc...This is a non-profit fansite.
