Major General George Hammond walked as briskly as his feet would let him, trying to get to the briefing room with as much dignity as he could muster.
* * * * * * Col. Jack O'Neill entered the Commissary, looking for his team, trying to get his mind off a certain brunette.
* * * * * *
He had to get SG-1 prepped and out before catching a plane to Washington for a Presidential update on SGC operations.
He suppressed a sigh.
At least SG-1 wasn't likely to get in trouble on this mission and they'd have
SG-13 to back them up.
Maybe...just maybe, they'd found the technological find they needed to justify the rise in expenditures this year.
The briefing room was dim and he allowed himself a quick glare at the still unreplaced
light fixtures before glancing over the two teams present.
Colonel O'Neill looked to be in a rather touchy mood, but was trying to smile anyway.
George pushed that curiosity away, knowing he needed to just brief them and get
them going.
He inserted the video from the MALP footage, making sure everyone was looking at the screen before speaking.
"P4X-75H2 was only briefly surveyed
by SG-3 when they fled there from P39-MX1. They came back with the artifacts that have been keeping Capt. Carter and Dr. Jackson on cloud nine the past three days. We're going back. The planet doesn't seem to have any indigenous
plant life. There are large mud puddles that were avoided on the last mission and they didn't bring back any soil samples."
He saw Dr. Jackson was about to say
something and rushed forward, knowing they could be there for days if the scientists started talking.
"Dr. Fraiser has specifically asked for samples from the
mud puddles to be brought back. This is obviously a planet that used to have an advanced civilization. Many pieces of unfamiliar technology were seen. Bring back everything you deem safe and catalog everything you don't."
His voice lowered as he tried to make them see just how serious this was.
"There are a lot of
large buildings there that may actually have what we need to fight the Goa'uld. I don't need to tell you how important a find this could be. SG-13, you'll back up SG-1 in a fight, but otherwise, you work together. Canvass the area.
Report back regularly. You leave at 1300 hours. Questions?"
Capt. Dr. Syla Mason raised her hand and George nodded abruptly, hoping it was short.
"Sir, the accident that ruined the stocked MREs...have they been replaced?"
George just barely
refrained from sending his eyes upward at the reminder of the chemical fire that had damaged more than just stocked MREs...they were literally sending people to wholesalers nearby to get enough toilet paper and paper towels to last
until the next full shipment came.
"We were able to save some of the MREs, but since we are on a diminished supply, I want all of you to eat a good meal before
you go....I know, Colonel, but in this case, I'd rather you not be hungry. Just...meditate or something before you go through the Gate."
"We still may puke our guts out on the other side."
"I'm trusting you'll be professional about it if you do. Any other questions? No? Dismissed."
George walked even more briskly, seeing he might actually be only five minutes early with the President.
He did sigh this time, hating even taking a chance on
being late should any unforeseen anything mess up his plans.
His eyes lit on one Dr. Daniel Jackson
and he slowed his approach so as to not make much noise, knowing he'd found the perfect distraction.
Jack about fell over laughing when Daniel jumped and directed an outraged expression his way.
"Sheesh, Jack...you almost made me snort this."
"Daniel, if you can snort chicken out your nose, I'll pay you money."
Jack grinned at the
raised eyebrows they received from those seated nearby, knowing the Grapevine would come alive with the latest tidbit.
"Ha...ha...so funny, Jack. "
Daniel rolled his eyes as Jack grabbed the chair beside him, stealing a piece of toast.
Realizing two people were still missing, Jack looked around the room for a minute.
"You seen Carter, yet?"
"No, why?"
"Just checkin'."
Daniel shot him a
suspicious look, knowing Jack had been in a weird mood all week.
"You did something to her, didn't you?"
Jack's hurt expression was sabotaged by the boyish delight in his eyes.
Daniel didn't have a doubt in the world that something particularly embarrassing had either happened or would happen...and
probably to him.
"I can't believe you'd actually accuse me of being the one to put a microphone in the shower room before the ladies went in....and I'd
certainly never wire it into the PA system. Daniel, I'm hurt..."
"Jack! Sam was in there when that happened. She'll kill you when she finds out."
"No no...she's not gonna find out. I didn't do it myself...sheesh, hate just flipping
switches around here. I think I'm becoming allergic to my VCR nowadays."
"You're just letting Sam's finesse with computers to invade your mind. If you'd
just relax instead of concentrating so hard on how you're not a scientist when we talk to you, you'd understand more. You've stereotyped youself."
Jack just
leaned back in his chair, pretending not to think that through and motioned Daniel to finish eating.
Then, Jack froze, realizing he could distract Daniel nicely.
"Who are you?"
Daniel looked pained.
"What are you talking about?"
Jack grabbed Daniel's chin and examined his face.
"You're eating. Daniel never eats...not unless it's
a chocolate bar, anyway. He lives on chocolate and coffee. So...who are you?"
"Jack, stop being stupid."
Daniel pulled out of his grasp, wishing Teal'c would hurry up and get in there so he could be the butt of Jack's mood instead.
"I
promised Janet I'd eat real food before this mission so I am. Besides, Sam brought this chicken stuff and wanted my opinion on it. It's not bad. Want some?"
Daniel didn't miss the look that quickly passed over Jack's face at the mention of the SGC's chief medical officer.
At least Sam wasn't trying a new scheme to get Jack into the infirmary today since they had a mission.
Matchmaking was not as easy as she'd promised.
Jack looked skeptical as he prodded the chicken concoction on Daniel's plate.
"No thanks, I think I'd rather
wait until I'm sure it's dead. That can't possibly be fully cooked..."
Suddenly a chorus of wolf whistles rang out as SG-13 member, Capt. Nora Frome, and Capt.
Dr. Samantha Carter entered the Commissary.
Nora sent very annoyed looks around the room as some good-natured ribbing about SG-13's latest mission disaster was passed her way.
Col. O'Neill could have quieted the place down,
but he was obviously smirking too hard to think about being nice today.
"We're never going to live this down, are we?"
Carter sent her a commiserating glance as she pulled out the chair across from Daniel, hoping
she could eat quickly and get back to her notes.
She had been expressly forbidden to bring her work into the Commissary by the Colonel a few weeks before and wished she didn't have to take a break to eat.
"While I'm glad we're not the ones being teased this time, I wish your team had beaten our record in a different area. Most broken bones, most accidents, most ticked-off natives and living
to tell about it isn't a coveted position."
"I wish they'd just back off...it's not like we go out intending to replace SG-1 as the most busted team at
SGC."
Frome directed one last venomous glare at a particularly loud lieutenant before joining her team at their table across the room.
Sam sighed and sat down.
"Captain, you're looking decidedly flushed."
Carter gave her commanding officer a miserable look, giving up any hope of getting
back to her work sinc he'd obviously heard the latest news.
"Yes sir. Sir, is there any way I can avoid this?"
Jack gave her a truly evil grin that did nothing to alleviate her torment and she began to wonder when she'd started letting him make her feel so small again.
Just like when they'd first met.
He was just in a really awful mood this week.
"Carter, I was just going to mention..."
Carter's head ducked as her cheeks burned.
"Awww....Carter. Ok...I'll let you off easy this time."
Carter looked up at him with distrustful eyes.
"Really?"
"Really. I'm feeling magnaminous, today."
Daniel just stared at Jack.
"Jack, I can't believe you sometimes."
Daniel looked at Sam's surprised expression, unable to beleive she hadn't picked up on it already.
"Jack's the one that mphmphmphmphrgfdsfg."
"What Daniel means, is that I have a plan for getting back at the
person or persons responsible for broadcasting your ladies' amazing combined vocals skills all over the base."
Intense mortification turned Sam's face an even darker shade of red.
She hated to sing and had only done it as part of the group, but the microphone had been closest to her, so her pathetic voice had rung loud and clear through
the SGC corridors.
When she found out who had bribed Carriston into doing it, she'd nail 'em.
Women had a hard enough time on this base without losses of dignity of that magnitude.
"Sir, I appreciate the help, such as it is, but we've got that angle covered."
Daniel glared daggers at Jack and bit at the fingers covering his mouth.
"Ouch!"
Jack quickly leaned over and whispered some very specific threats in Daniel's ear.
Daniel's eyes widened and blanched a bit, refusing to meet Sam's startled, and not a little unsuspicious eyes.
"You sure, Carter? I'm positive we could..."
"I'm sure, sir. Thank you, sir."
Jack, satisfied, leaned back in his chair, smirking as Carter snitched a bite off Daniel's plate.
Sending Sam a mock glare, Daniel realized he was out of coffee and "borrowed" Sam's.
She wanted to be cute, well so could he.
Wasn't like he hadn't practically laid it out for her.
"Sooo...where's Teal'c?"
Carter, grinning, leaned over and swiped the last bite off of Daniel's plate before answering her commanding officer.
"Janet asked him to give some more blood. Apparently a new doctor's been cleared for access and has some ideas for boosting Teal'c's natural immune system."
"New doctor?"
"Dr. Corvores. Young, but she was specifically asked for by Dr. Warren and so she'll be working both in the
infirmary and the labs with us."
"Ah...lovely."
Sam met her CO's eyes for a
second, letting her comment rest there before looking at Daniel with an inquisitive look when she saw his furrowed brow.
Daniel saw the look and worried his lip a moment longer before asking what was on his mind.
"So, there might be a way to remove Teal'c's reliance on the Goa'uld?"
Sam sighed heavily, the sparkle in her eyes dimming at the question.
"Probably not, but at least if this works, what happened with that alien insect's venom
may be circumvented. If Teal'c's own immune system can help the Goa'uld, then the few things that do get past now, might be prevented."
Jack sobered at the
thought of the tranformation Teal'c had undergone because of their ignorance of what was going on until almost too late complicated with Col. Maybourne's intervention.
"Well kids...let's keep our fingers crossed. Now, I'm hungry."
Sam smiled, glad the locker room incident was forgotten for now.
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