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crossoverficPrevious chapters can be found in the archives of my LJ
Title: Dual Realities
Author:![[profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
erin_anderson
Fandoms: Babylon 5/Stargate SG-1
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set between ‘The Illusion of Truth” and “Atonement” in B5 Season 4 and set between “It’s Good to be King” and “Full Alert” SG-1 Season 8
Summary: Jack takes the time machined enhanced puddle jumper for a test drive round the universe and ends up, through a rip in space and time, taking a journey to the last, best hope for peace; Babylon 5!
Disclaimers: I don’t own any of the B5 universe or the Stargate universe, I am just playing, please don’t sue me, I love MGM and JMS!
Title: Dual Realities
Author:
erin_andersonFandoms: Babylon 5/Stargate SG-1
Rating: PG
Warnings: Set between ‘The Illusion of Truth” and “Atonement” in B5 Season 4 and set between “It’s Good to be King” and “Full Alert” SG-1 Season 8
Summary: Jack takes the time machined enhanced puddle jumper for a test drive round the universe and ends up, through a rip in space and time, taking a journey to the last, best hope for peace; Babylon 5!
Disclaimers: I don’t own any of the B5 universe or the Stargate universe, I am just playing, please don’t sue me, I love MGM and JMS!
Daniel rolled his head around on his neck, shoulders and muscles screaming from his lack of being able to move for god knows how many hours. His captors had long since left, leaving him to be covered by one man who was armed with nothing but a small pistol and was currently looking bored out of his skull. The man kept looking out into the corridor outside the room, apparently watching for someone. He obviously felt little need to keep a wary eye on the prisoner. Daniel surmised that was probably because he could barely move; they had tied him pretty securely to the chair. And with all the times that Daniel had been captured during his years on SG-1 he’d become quite the connoisseur of rope tying.
The man in the doorway’s bored expression finally shifted to something akin to excitement, as he must have seen someone coming down the hall. To Daniel’s dismay, it ended up being Jem, who was trailed by two very large, very smelly men. Jem motioned at Daniel and ordered the two men to cut him loose from the chair, but to keep an eye on him because he looked squirrelly.
“Why is it that people always think I look squirrelly?” Daniel asked, as the one of the men started to untie him and the other wrenched him unceremoniously to a standing position. Jem just stared hard at Daniel through squinting eyes and nodded imperceptibly at one of the men. Who then pulled back a fist and plowed it hard into Daniel’s abdomen, sending all the air whooshing out of him and doubling him over into the fetal position, which is how he fell hard onto the floor.
Daniel strained to bring air into burning lungs, his ribcage protesting sternly any movement. He vaguely heard Jem ordering his men to get Daniel up off the floor. He felt rough hands grab his arms and hoist him to a standing position, the pain and shock forcing tears to Daniel’s eyes as he almost blacked out. He strained to stay conscious as he was dragged from the room and down the corridor to an alcove by the back wall with an access panel set into the wall across from the chair that they dumped him into and tied him to. Jem came back into Daniel’s blurry field of vision he’d lost his glasses sometime during the short trip.
“Your friends are getting a little too close. They don’t seem to think we’re serious about the money. Think they can just barge on in and grab you. We need to show them we’re serious,” Jem said, as he stepped back and nodded again to one of his thugs. Who then drew a fist back and pummeled Daniel squarely across the face, opening a gash across his cheek and swelling his upper lip. Daniel felt blood blossom forth from cuts inside his mouth where his teeth gnashed together. Spitting it out, Daniel regarded Jem with hatred in his eyes, then winced as a flash went off. Apparently they were taking pictures now.
Daniel got hit again three more times, the third time finally busting his nose open and causing blood to flow copiously over his mouth and chin. He also had a cut over his left eye that was causing it to swell and making his vision even worse then it was before. Then they left again, leaving Daniel halfway conscious with the same bored looking guard. Daniel was vaguely reminded of his time in Honduras the year before, when he had been captured and beaten soundly by a band of local guerillas. This was starting to resemble that experience a little too closely for Daniel’s comfort.
Garibaldi guided the group along a corridor, winding their way deeper into down below. Jack hadn’t seen anyone come past them for several minutes now and was starting to get anxious, adrenaline pumping through his veins, his body instinctively knowing that battle was going to occur soon. He halted and dropped down to a crouch as Garibaldi motioned them to hide behind some crates. Peering around the obstruction, Jack saw two men come around a corner, one of them was shaking his hand and muttering about how hard someone’s head was. The other guy snickered and said something to the other guy, who shrugged and fell silent. Jack saw that both of the men’s hands were covered in blood and exchanged a worried glance with Sam. Her eyes told the story; that blood was most likely Daniel’s. Garibaldi knew it, too, as well as Teal’c. They waited for the two men to pass on before moving out from behind the crates.
Jack grabbed Garibaldi’s sleeve and spoke quietly. “We need to get to Daniel now,” he said, emphasizing the now with a yank on Michael’s sleeve.
“I’m doing the best that I can here!” Garibaldi said in response, yanking his sleeve out of Jack’s hand. “We’re close, but we have to move slowly. Sheridan’s team is probably in position on the other side. If we are able to coordinate our efforts, your friend might actually make it out with his skin intact. But we can’t risk communicating with them. Jem has no idea we’re down here,” Garibaldi said emphatically to Jack, turning and moving carefully down to the corridor.
The group reached the end of the corridor, there seemed to be nowhere else to go. Only by looking carefully would one see the seams and lines indicating a panel under the layers of dirt and grime. With Teal’c’s help, Garibaldi maneuvered the panel open, the hinges rusty from non-use, and Jack helped Sam crawl inside. The passage was very narrow, just barely wide enough for Teal’c to fit his broad shoulders in. It was a tight fit but it would have to do. Jack was the last one in, pulling the panel shut with his foot as best he could and hoping no one would look to closely at it. Farther along the tunnel widened and they were able to get to their hands and knees and shuffle along faster. Before too long Teal’c paused and Jack almost bumped into him. With his superior hearing, he had heard men talking before anyone else had. The group advanced slower now, narrow shafts of light coming from up ahead pierced the gloom of the tunnel.
The group came to a crossroads in the tunnel, access hatches splitting off in all four directions. But directly ahead and down a slight decline was a panel that opened up into a room down below. Through the grating Jack could see a bruised and battered Daniel Jackson strapped to a chair and barely conscious. Jack heard Sam suck in a breath at the sight of their teammate. He could feel the heat of Teal’c’s anger and had to restrain himself from bursting through and throttling the smug pretentious leader Jem, who was currently preening in front of his lackeys.
Garibaldi grimaced and muttered an expletive under his breath, as one of Jem’s grunts pulled an elaborate knife out of his belt and waved it in front of Daniel’s face. Jack started to lunge forward, determined to knock the man down before he harmed Daniel, but was snagged by Garibaldi before he could. Before Jack could wrestle out of the man’s vice like grip, Jem laid a warning hand on his thug’s arm. The man sheathed his knife with obvious disappointment and they left, along with a couple of other men, leaving Daniel with just one lone guard.
Jack glared at Garibaldi, who released him with a shrug. The group then retreated back a ways so they could talk without the guard overhearing them.
“Well, it looked like Jem is getting pretty close to taking out your friend. My guess is that Sheridan is probably just about ready to bring his security forces in. If we wait until we hear signs of a struggle, in the confusion we can probably take out that lone guard, grab your friend and be back out this way before anyone notices. But we can’t leave that guy alive. If we do, they’ll know where we’ve gone and track us down before we can get back up into the station proper,” Garibaldi said quietly. “Judging by the shape your friend is in, they’ve done a fairly good number on him. We have to make sure we aren’t followed.”
Jack nodded, glancing back down the corridor towards Daniel. “I’ll take care of it,” he said softly, putting his hand up to stop any protest before Teal’c could even open his mouth. Nodding, Teal’c acquiesced, watching silently as Jack took out his boot knife and scooted back down the hallway to lay prone on the floor, watching and listening for any signs of a possible firefight. He could feel the tension radiating off his team as they settled themselves down too. Trying to relax but also trying to stay ready too, they were going to have to be quick and be at their best if they were going to pull this feat off.
Chapter Seventeen
On the other side of Sector 89, Sheridan was becoming more and more convinced that Jack and the others had somehow found one of the other secret passages into that particular sector of down below. No one on the security team had been able to find any of the team members, and they couldn’t be located on any of the security cameras. There were very few places that they could possibly be. More than that, Sheridan’s gut instinct told him that he was going to get a little unexpected help and his gut instinct was almost never wrong. Glancing over at Zack and his security team, Sheridan felt some of his anxiety lift. He had some of the best guys in the entire whole of Earthforce serving under him. They would not fail, they could not fail. Looking around for Ivanova, Sheridan located her conferring quietly with Marcus and Delenn, her blue eyes cold and calculating, the consummate soldier, focused on the task at hand.
Breaking off her conversation, Ivanova approached Sheridan and they turned and walked over to the now deserted main corridor to sector 89, their steps falling neatly into synchrony, years of serving together evident in their mannerisms. “Everything set?” Sheridan asked, eyes taking in the quiet hallway.
“Security team is outfitted and ready to go, sir. They have all been briefed on the plan of attack, some of Jem’s men have been paid off by Marcus, but not all of them. The ones on the inner ring are the most devoted to him, they can’t be turned and are his best fighters,” Ivanova hesitated, her steps faltering as uncertainty seemed to take hold of her.
“What’s wrong?” Sheridan asked, concern crossing his face.
“Marcus says that one of his contacts saw Jack and the others in down below, on the other side of the sector. His contact thinks that he recognized who they were, before they disappeared down a hidden access hatchway,” she said nervously. “The contact thinks that they were with Mr. Garibaldi.” Ivanova didn’t want to tell Sheridan what Marcus had told her and Delenn. But Delenn hoped that maybe by hearing this good deed that Garibaldi had done, it might help to mend the broken ties that existed between the once good friends. Of course, like all things, it had completely the opposite effect.
“God damn it!” Sheridan said explosively, clenching his fists in frustration. “I should have known it! Sticking his nose in business that doesn’t involve him!” Sheridan turned and bellowed angrily for Zack, who quickly came to attention in front of his superior officer, an anxious look on his face.
“It seems that Mr. Garibaldi has insinuated himself into this very private security matter. When he comes out of down below, I would like him informed of his role as a private citizen and I want it made very clear to Mr. Garibaldi that he is not to interfere in private security matters again. Is that clear Mr. Allen?” Sheridan said, his anger barely kept under tight control. With a stiff nod Zack trotted back to the rest of the security team and resumed checking everyone’s plasma rifles and flak vests.
Turning back to a chagrined Ivanova, Sheridan sighed and flapped a hand at her. “I’m not mad at you, Susan. I am just irritated at myself. I should have figured it out right away that it was Garibaldi who they would have wandered off with. No one else knows this station like he does. It also means that I am right about them probably being on the other side of sector 89, probably in one of those hidden access tunnels that we don’t know about,” he said, noticing that the security team was armed and ready, just awaiting the go ahead order.
“Well, sir, if you are correct, that means that most likely they are just waiting for us to come in on this side. Garibaldi probably has them waiting to hear signs of a firefight before they bust in and take Daniel out during all the confusion. All we have to do is keep Jem’s men distracted for a few minutes, then make it look like we are sustaining too many losses and we pull out. Jem will have no idea who took Daniel and he’ll want to save face in front of the other gang leaders by acting like he does,” Ivanova theorized eagerly.
Sheridan nodded his agreement and walked over to where Zack waited expectantly, body held loose and relaxed, ready for battle.
“Okay, the plan has changed a little,” Sheridan said, addressing the squad of 15 men. “We need to cause a distraction, keep Jem and his men on this side of the sector. Try and shoot to injure, not to kill. We need to keep any possible reprisals to a minimum. When I give the order I need you all to pull back as quickly as possible, make it look chaotic and unorganized. Then we need to leave this sector alone for a little while, let things quiet down. We’ll take care of Jem and his men later,” Sheridan said, making it clear from his tone of voice that he meant it.
Zack and his men snapped off salutes before turning and moving stealthily down the corridor, rounding the bend and disappearing from sight. Walking just as quickly away, Sheridan and the others hurried to the security office, switching the cameras to the front views of sector 89 as soon as they entered, eyeing the screen intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of their visitors.
Before too long they heard the telltale signs of gunfire, super heated bolts of plasma flying across the screens from all directions. The location that Daniel was in was almost off the edge of the far screen and if it weren’t for Delenn’s sharp eyes they would have missed it.
“There they are!” she said excitedly, pointing at the screen. Ivanova brought that part of the screen into sharper relief, moving it into the center of the screen, the tiny figures scrambling around on it a relief to Sheridan. It was nice to be able to see what was going on down below. There weren’t nearly as many security cameras in down below as there were in other more inhabited parts of the station. Initially there hadn’t been any at all, but Sheridan insisted that some be installed in down below after he took command of the station. That installation had gone slowly, especially after they cut ties from Earth and had to focus on more basic maintenance issues. Thankfully there was at least one camera in that sector. It didn’t help them much besides assuaging some of their anxiety. They already knew where Daniel was, they just couldn’t get to him without a whole lot of bloodshed. Sheridan was hoping to avoid that.
On the other side of sector 89, Jack was almost relieved to hear the sound of gunfire, that interminable waiting was bad enough to make one want to grind their teeth. Moving explosively forward, all thought about his aches and pains gone in the rush of adrenaline Jack kicked the panel open and propelled himself into the back of the guard, who landed heavily on the ground, gun spinning off to land under Daniel’s chair. Wrenching the man’s head back, Jack deftly sliced his throat and slammed the man’s face harshly into the floor, not wanting to get drenched in the man’s blood. Pushing quickly up off the man’s body, Jack quickly started to cut into the ropes, Sam was beside him checking Daniel’s vital signs and speaking softly to him, trying to rouse him out of his semi-conscious state. Freeing Daniel, Jack turned and saw that the body was gone, Teal’c coming back from wherever he had stowed it, his face impassive as usual.
“I believe the gunfire is moving closer, O’Neill. We should be departing,” he said, looping one of Daniel’s arms around his neck, as Jack maneuvered to the other side.
“I’m with you on that one T. Let’s blow this party,” Jack said, heaving Daniel up into the hatchway, where Sam waited to grasp him under the arms and pull him forward. Scrambling in behind Teal’c, Jack pulled the hatch closed and moved quickly up to where Daniel sat slumped against the wall looking bleary eyed at Garibaldi.
“You’re new,” he stated simply, grimacing as he rubbed his swollen jaw.
“And you look like you’ve been run over by a Minbari war cruiser,” Garibaldi said, glancing down the corridor to their right. “Well this is where I leave you folks. This corridor will dump you out right by the security station. Which is probably where Sheridan and everyone are at right now.”
The group could hear the sounds of gunfire fading away and the sounds of voices coming closer to their location.
“From the sounds of things, they probably saw you on one of the security cameras too, which is why I didn’t come out. They’ll probably be waiting for you all to show up. Which is also why I am going the other direction,” Garibaldi said, giving the group a little wave, before crawling rapidly away on all fours.
Daniel looked askance at the receding figure of the former head of security. “Well that was a little weird. You guys will have to fill me on who that was….later,” he said, turning painfully and moving his battered body down the corridor. Helped along by Jack and Teal’c and led by Sam, it wasn’t long before the group arrived at the end. Kicking open the panel, they clambered out quite ungracefully, three out of four covered in dust and one covered in blood. They got a few strange looks from folks who happened to be traversing that part of the station but no one said anything to them. Apparently strange things happened all the time on Babylon 5.
Daniel managed to get to his feet with only Teal’c’s help that time, he seemed to be moving better, even though his eyes were still a little glassy. Well make that eye, the other one was so swollen that Jack couldn’t see if it was glassy or not. Heading down the corridor, it wasn’t long before they came across a transport tube. Jack considered just continuing until they reached the security office, but changed his mind when he saw Sam looking concernedly at Daniel. It was probably more important that they get Daniel to the med-bay and Dr. Franklin. So SG-1 trooped into the tube, the doors shut and they sent it on its way. As Jack leaned heavily against the wall, the weight of Daniel’s body heavy against his own he contemplated the one seemingly universal constant. If there were a med-bay to be had, Daniel Jackson would be in it.
Back in the security office, Sheridan clenched a fist in satisfaction as he watched the tiny figures of SG-1 dispose of the guard left to cover Daniel, retrieve their archeologist and scurry back up into the open hatch, pulling the panel shut behind them. Giving the order to cease fire and retreat, Sheridan watched as their forces pulled back quickly, knocking over crates and firing into light as they retreated, creating as much chaos as they could. Maintenance was going to be pissed that they would have to do so much work to put that sector back together, but it was worth it. Smiling, Sheridan squeezed Delenn’s hand as she smiled back at him, pleased that they were able to get Daniel out without anyone else being taken hostage.
“No sign of Garibaldi,” Ivanova observed quietly, as she paged through the security cameras. “Sir, we really have no reason to pull him in. All we have is Marcus’s contact’s word that he saw them with him,” she skeptically, her desire to protect her former friend evident in her tone.
Sheridan sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Fine then, he gets this one for free,” Sheridan said irritated. “Next time he better keep his nose out of business that doesn’t concern him. He got lucky this time. We can’t trust him anymore, next time he may not prove to be so helpful.”
Sheridan looked up as Zack entered the security office, still clad in his riot gear but sans helmet. “No casualties, sir, at least not on our side. A couple of Jem’s men were wounded, they’re headed up to med-bay now. We knocked down a few of their men, I don’t think anyone was killed though,” he said, unbuckling his tack vest and eyeing the security screens.
“My guess is that Garibaldi probably pointed our visitors in the direction of med-bay. If we took a little journey over there, a couple of wounded security guards aren’t the only people we’ll see,” Sheridan said, heading out the door to the nearest transport tube. Ivanova stayed with Marcus and Zack to coordinate things with sector 89 and Delenn decided to go with Sheridan. She was hopeful that Jem and his men had not harmed the quiet scholar too badly.
In med-bay, Dr. Franklin was busy checking the vital signs of one of the guards that had been knocked out when a PPG bolt had grazed the side of his shoulder when SG-1 came traipsing in. A wounded Daniel Jackson was clinging to Jack’s arm like it was a life preserver and he was drowning. Relief coursed through Franklin’s body, even as he took in the battered state of his former and again current patient. Handing off the care of the guard to one of the other doctors, Franklin quickly commandeered a bed and got Daniel onto it, wheeling it into the exam room, issuing orders to nurses as he went. Once in the exam room, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Jack, Sam and Teal’c clustering around the observation window, not wanting to leave their friend till they knew he was all right. Scanning Daniel quickly showed Stephen that his internal organs were pretty banged up again but thankfully not bleeding. He had two cracked ribs, a broken nose, a broken orbital bone above his left eye and a badly swollen lip and jaw, but miraculously the man seemed to be intact. Franklin quickly stuck his head out and informed the team that their friend would be fine after he had gotten patched up and allowed to rest for a few days.
Inside the exam room Daniel gave the trio a tight painful smile around swollen lips before closing his eyes and letting the nurses and Franklin do their job.
Sheridan and Delenn entered med-bay a few moments after SG-1 made their entrance but hung back until they were sure that Daniel was going to be okay. Jack turned and saw that the two of them were hanging back and approached them, feeling awkward and not quite knowing what to say.
“It’s all right. You don’t have to explain yourself or why you did what you did. He’s your man, it was your choice and you did what you had to do,” Sheridan said, filling the silence. “Your team is mighty extraordinary. I would be proud to have anyone like them serving under me.”
“You guys did your part too. If you hadn’t created the distraction, we wouldn’t have been able to extract Daniel,” Jack said, extending a hand to Sheridan, who took it with relief, the tension draining out of him leaving him more tired then he had been in days.
“Will he be okay?” Delenn asked, concern on her face.
“Dr. Franklin says he’ll be fine in a few days. Thankfully he didn’t suffer anymore internal injuries and most of the facial injuries are superficial,” Sam said, coming up alongside Jack, Teal’c right behind her, looking about as tired as Sheridan felt.
“That is good news. I am sure you are all very tired from the events of today,” Delenn said, gesturing towards the door. Seeing the looks on their faces, she quickly added. “Dr. Franklin will be sure to let you know if anything were to change with your friend. I am sure that he will soon be resting comfortably and would probably be much relieved if you all would do the same.”
“I am sure that Daniel Jackson would concur with you,” Teal’c said simply, his eyes glancing over at Daniel one more time before the group left.
The trip to their quarters was mercifully short. Since the adrenaline had died down Jack had become very aware of how much crawling and scrambling around he had done that day. His body was making it very clear that it was not as young as it used to be and that sort of behavior was no longer tolerated. A good hot shower was definitely the order of the day. Delenn and Sheridan left the group at their quarters and retired themselves. Sam headed into her room with just a smile and a quick goodnight, more likely then not she was going to spend several more hours trying to find a way back home before falling asleep over her research again. Teal’c settled into a corner of the room in the familiar Lotus position, quickly falling into a meditative state while Jack made for the shower. Tomorrow they would need to seriously reassess their status on the station and he knew he would have to sit through some long talk with Sam about whether there was even the slightest chance that they were going to get home. But tonight, he was going to shower and then sleep. Tomorrow was another day.
Chapter Eighteen
The next day saw Sam spending most of it huddled around the computer, scribbling down equations, drawing complex diagrams and then just as quickly scrunching the ball of paper up and tossing it on top of an ever increasing pile of crumpled paper. Delenn enlisted the help of several Minbari scientists, even help Sam tap into the great computer down on Epsilon 3 and talk to Draal, the Minbari who was the keeper down there, all to seemingly no avail. Every time Jack tried to talk to her all he got was a glare and a “Not now sir,” for his troubles.
Teal’c had gone down to med-bay early that morning right after Jack woke up and hadn’t come back since. Jack had called down there to check on him and had been informed by Dr. Franklin that Teal’c still felt some residual guilt over Daniel being kidnapped in the first time and was determined not to leave his side again until the group had traveled back to their own universe. In the background Jack could hear Daniel’s voice, primed and locked in lecture mode, as he droned on to some unsuspecting audience about the third Goa’uld dynasty. Jack bit back a laugh as Dr. Franklin told him that Vir had tried to sneak off three times and each time had been brought back by Teal’c, who seemed to feel that Daniel would be insulted if Vir didn’t stay and listen. Though Lennier seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, the doctor remarked.
Jack asked the good doctor to inform him if anything changes with Daniel’s prognosis and sat back with a sigh. He looked out the open door and contemplated going back over to Sam’s room to try and talk to her again, when the opening was filled with the immense form of the Narn G’Kar.
“I hope this is not a bad time,” the alien commented, as he took in Jack’s frustrated expression.
“No no, come on in G’Kar,” Jack said, waving him in and motioning for him to have a seat. “I was just thinking about going over and seeing how Sam is doing on our little problem.”
“I see. Is she any closer to devising a way to get you and your team home?” G’Kar asked, settling himself comfortably on the sofa and propping his feet up on the coffee table, managing to look imposing and relaxed, all at the same time.
“Not that I can see. Every time I try and talk to her about it I get told off. In the nicest and most respectful way possible of course,” Jack said ruefully as G’Kar nodded his understanding.
“Well I came here to visit with you and see how you were doing. I also came here to offer you a proposition. We have a Narn cruiser that is parked outside the station right now, undergoing a few repairs, minor work. I was wondering if you would like a tour? I am sure you don’t get the chance everyday to see the inside of an alien warship,” G’Kar said.
Jack leaned forward and looked once more at Carter’s closed door, contemplating G’Kar’s offer. “Why not,” he said, standing up and grabbing his jacket that had been slung over the back of a chair. “Teal’c is down with Daniel in med-bay and doesn’t look to be leaving any time soon. And I am sure Carter would probably get a whole lot more work done if I wasn’t bugging her every five minutes.”
“I am sure that she would agree with your assessment,” he said smiling as the two left Jack’s quarters and headed for docking bay 12, which is where G’Kar’s personal cruiser was docked.
Jack spent almost four hours touring the Narn war cruiser, G’Kar every now and again answering any questions the colonel might have had but for the most part staying silent and just letting Jack absorb the experience. The ship was really a technological wonder and Jack would give him right arm for some of the weapons systems and shielding that the ship possessed. When they headed back inside the station Jack suddenly decided that it would probably be a good idea to check on their own ship. G’Kar led the way to docking bay 4, but when they reached the area they had to wait for Zack to okay their entrance, the area was still being guarded by station security. Once cleared, Jack was shocked to notice that the frame was no longer buckled around the doorway, the maintenance personnel had seen to it that the ship had been repaired as best as it could be with the materials that they had available.
“It’s not an exact match, but the metals are pretty darn close. The ship is definitely space worthy,” G’Kar said after inspecting the ship and marveling at the unique design. “You say that these ships are meant to be used to travel through the Stargate? As well as travel in space and inside the atmospheres of planets?” G’Kar asked, amazed at the versatility of the outwardly ship.
“That’s what we think anyway. We just had taken this baby up for a test run when we got sucked inside that vortex and brought here,” Jack said, opening up the back hatch and entering the ship, surveying the chaotic inside. With G’Kar’s help Jack stowed most of the tossed around gear and righted the interior of the ship before taking a seat in the pilots chair. He wasn’t even aware he was holding his breath until the screen lit up a reassuring blue, his innate Ancient gene telling him that the ship was in fine working order and would get them home just fine, if they could figure out how to access the void again.
Leaving the jumper, Jack followed G’Kar back into the station proper and G’Kar said his goodnight at med-bay, Jack wanted to check on Daniel before heading to his own quarters and checking on Sam. Inside med-bay Teal’c was sitting quietly on a chair, reading silently from one of Daniel’s journals, the author asleep on a gurney in front of him, face still swollen but on the whole looking better then he had the day before. Teal’c looked up when Jack entered and quietly rose to meet him, setting the notebook on top of a well worn stack.
“How’s he doing?” Jack asked, jerking his heads towards the slumbering injured member of their team.
“He is improving. Dr. Franklin feels that he can be discharged tomorrow, provided we keep a very close eye on him and ensure that he does not overexert himself,” Teal’c said softly, not wanting to disturb any of the sleeping patients.
“That’s good, that’s real good,” Jack said, pausing and rubbing his hand across his face, unsure as how to phrase his next thought. “Ya know you don’t have to stay down here. Sheridan has security posted outside the doors, he made sure that Jem and his head lackeys were on the first shuttle out of here this morning when he planted a false rumor that security was going to send a Narn regiment after them in retaliation for kidnapping Daniel. Daniel is quite safe, I think he’s safer here then he ever was back home!”
“That may be so. However, I still owe Daniel Jackson a debt. He was still suffering from the injuries that he sustained upon our arrival here. Since I was quite well it was my responsibility to see to his well being. I failed in that endeavor. This is my way of repaying that failure,” Teal’c said, emotion coloring his voice.
“So it’s a Jaffa thing eh?” Jack asked. At Teal’c’s answering nod Jack just smiled and nodded back before taking his leave. He had one more stop before turning in for the night.
After pressing Carter’s door chime three times, she still hadn’t answered. Hoping fervently that she wasn’t in the middle of getting naked, Jack opened the door and was greeted with the sight of his eminent astrophysicist pressed face down and drooling in a pile of papers and a half eaten sandwich. Smirking to himself and wishing fervently that he had a camera handy, Jack shook his second awake and made sure she made it to her bed, not even sure if she would remember him coming to check on her, before heading to his own bed. He sure hoped that Carter’s resilience would pay off soon. He didn’t think his team’s morale could handle another day of disappointments.
The man in the doorway’s bored expression finally shifted to something akin to excitement, as he must have seen someone coming down the hall. To Daniel’s dismay, it ended up being Jem, who was trailed by two very large, very smelly men. Jem motioned at Daniel and ordered the two men to cut him loose from the chair, but to keep an eye on him because he looked squirrelly.
“Why is it that people always think I look squirrelly?” Daniel asked, as the one of the men started to untie him and the other wrenched him unceremoniously to a standing position. Jem just stared hard at Daniel through squinting eyes and nodded imperceptibly at one of the men. Who then pulled back a fist and plowed it hard into Daniel’s abdomen, sending all the air whooshing out of him and doubling him over into the fetal position, which is how he fell hard onto the floor.
Daniel strained to bring air into burning lungs, his ribcage protesting sternly any movement. He vaguely heard Jem ordering his men to get Daniel up off the floor. He felt rough hands grab his arms and hoist him to a standing position, the pain and shock forcing tears to Daniel’s eyes as he almost blacked out. He strained to stay conscious as he was dragged from the room and down the corridor to an alcove by the back wall with an access panel set into the wall across from the chair that they dumped him into and tied him to. Jem came back into Daniel’s blurry field of vision he’d lost his glasses sometime during the short trip.
“Your friends are getting a little too close. They don’t seem to think we’re serious about the money. Think they can just barge on in and grab you. We need to show them we’re serious,” Jem said, as he stepped back and nodded again to one of his thugs. Who then drew a fist back and pummeled Daniel squarely across the face, opening a gash across his cheek and swelling his upper lip. Daniel felt blood blossom forth from cuts inside his mouth where his teeth gnashed together. Spitting it out, Daniel regarded Jem with hatred in his eyes, then winced as a flash went off. Apparently they were taking pictures now.
Daniel got hit again three more times, the third time finally busting his nose open and causing blood to flow copiously over his mouth and chin. He also had a cut over his left eye that was causing it to swell and making his vision even worse then it was before. Then they left again, leaving Daniel halfway conscious with the same bored looking guard. Daniel was vaguely reminded of his time in Honduras the year before, when he had been captured and beaten soundly by a band of local guerillas. This was starting to resemble that experience a little too closely for Daniel’s comfort.
Garibaldi guided the group along a corridor, winding their way deeper into down below. Jack hadn’t seen anyone come past them for several minutes now and was starting to get anxious, adrenaline pumping through his veins, his body instinctively knowing that battle was going to occur soon. He halted and dropped down to a crouch as Garibaldi motioned them to hide behind some crates. Peering around the obstruction, Jack saw two men come around a corner, one of them was shaking his hand and muttering about how hard someone’s head was. The other guy snickered and said something to the other guy, who shrugged and fell silent. Jack saw that both of the men’s hands were covered in blood and exchanged a worried glance with Sam. Her eyes told the story; that blood was most likely Daniel’s. Garibaldi knew it, too, as well as Teal’c. They waited for the two men to pass on before moving out from behind the crates.
Jack grabbed Garibaldi’s sleeve and spoke quietly. “We need to get to Daniel now,” he said, emphasizing the now with a yank on Michael’s sleeve.
“I’m doing the best that I can here!” Garibaldi said in response, yanking his sleeve out of Jack’s hand. “We’re close, but we have to move slowly. Sheridan’s team is probably in position on the other side. If we are able to coordinate our efforts, your friend might actually make it out with his skin intact. But we can’t risk communicating with them. Jem has no idea we’re down here,” Garibaldi said emphatically to Jack, turning and moving carefully down to the corridor.
The group reached the end of the corridor, there seemed to be nowhere else to go. Only by looking carefully would one see the seams and lines indicating a panel under the layers of dirt and grime. With Teal’c’s help, Garibaldi maneuvered the panel open, the hinges rusty from non-use, and Jack helped Sam crawl inside. The passage was very narrow, just barely wide enough for Teal’c to fit his broad shoulders in. It was a tight fit but it would have to do. Jack was the last one in, pulling the panel shut with his foot as best he could and hoping no one would look to closely at it. Farther along the tunnel widened and they were able to get to their hands and knees and shuffle along faster. Before too long Teal’c paused and Jack almost bumped into him. With his superior hearing, he had heard men talking before anyone else had. The group advanced slower now, narrow shafts of light coming from up ahead pierced the gloom of the tunnel.
The group came to a crossroads in the tunnel, access hatches splitting off in all four directions. But directly ahead and down a slight decline was a panel that opened up into a room down below. Through the grating Jack could see a bruised and battered Daniel Jackson strapped to a chair and barely conscious. Jack heard Sam suck in a breath at the sight of their teammate. He could feel the heat of Teal’c’s anger and had to restrain himself from bursting through and throttling the smug pretentious leader Jem, who was currently preening in front of his lackeys.
Garibaldi grimaced and muttered an expletive under his breath, as one of Jem’s grunts pulled an elaborate knife out of his belt and waved it in front of Daniel’s face. Jack started to lunge forward, determined to knock the man down before he harmed Daniel, but was snagged by Garibaldi before he could. Before Jack could wrestle out of the man’s vice like grip, Jem laid a warning hand on his thug’s arm. The man sheathed his knife with obvious disappointment and they left, along with a couple of other men, leaving Daniel with just one lone guard.
Jack glared at Garibaldi, who released him with a shrug. The group then retreated back a ways so they could talk without the guard overhearing them.
“Well, it looked like Jem is getting pretty close to taking out your friend. My guess is that Sheridan is probably just about ready to bring his security forces in. If we wait until we hear signs of a struggle, in the confusion we can probably take out that lone guard, grab your friend and be back out this way before anyone notices. But we can’t leave that guy alive. If we do, they’ll know where we’ve gone and track us down before we can get back up into the station proper,” Garibaldi said quietly. “Judging by the shape your friend is in, they’ve done a fairly good number on him. We have to make sure we aren’t followed.”
Jack nodded, glancing back down the corridor towards Daniel. “I’ll take care of it,” he said softly, putting his hand up to stop any protest before Teal’c could even open his mouth. Nodding, Teal’c acquiesced, watching silently as Jack took out his boot knife and scooted back down the hallway to lay prone on the floor, watching and listening for any signs of a possible firefight. He could feel the tension radiating off his team as they settled themselves down too. Trying to relax but also trying to stay ready too, they were going to have to be quick and be at their best if they were going to pull this feat off.
Chapter Seventeen
On the other side of Sector 89, Sheridan was becoming more and more convinced that Jack and the others had somehow found one of the other secret passages into that particular sector of down below. No one on the security team had been able to find any of the team members, and they couldn’t be located on any of the security cameras. There were very few places that they could possibly be. More than that, Sheridan’s gut instinct told him that he was going to get a little unexpected help and his gut instinct was almost never wrong. Glancing over at Zack and his security team, Sheridan felt some of his anxiety lift. He had some of the best guys in the entire whole of Earthforce serving under him. They would not fail, they could not fail. Looking around for Ivanova, Sheridan located her conferring quietly with Marcus and Delenn, her blue eyes cold and calculating, the consummate soldier, focused on the task at hand.
Breaking off her conversation, Ivanova approached Sheridan and they turned and walked over to the now deserted main corridor to sector 89, their steps falling neatly into synchrony, years of serving together evident in their mannerisms. “Everything set?” Sheridan asked, eyes taking in the quiet hallway.
“Security team is outfitted and ready to go, sir. They have all been briefed on the plan of attack, some of Jem’s men have been paid off by Marcus, but not all of them. The ones on the inner ring are the most devoted to him, they can’t be turned and are his best fighters,” Ivanova hesitated, her steps faltering as uncertainty seemed to take hold of her.
“What’s wrong?” Sheridan asked, concern crossing his face.
“Marcus says that one of his contacts saw Jack and the others in down below, on the other side of the sector. His contact thinks that he recognized who they were, before they disappeared down a hidden access hatchway,” she said nervously. “The contact thinks that they were with Mr. Garibaldi.” Ivanova didn’t want to tell Sheridan what Marcus had told her and Delenn. But Delenn hoped that maybe by hearing this good deed that Garibaldi had done, it might help to mend the broken ties that existed between the once good friends. Of course, like all things, it had completely the opposite effect.
“God damn it!” Sheridan said explosively, clenching his fists in frustration. “I should have known it! Sticking his nose in business that doesn’t involve him!” Sheridan turned and bellowed angrily for Zack, who quickly came to attention in front of his superior officer, an anxious look on his face.
“It seems that Mr. Garibaldi has insinuated himself into this very private security matter. When he comes out of down below, I would like him informed of his role as a private citizen and I want it made very clear to Mr. Garibaldi that he is not to interfere in private security matters again. Is that clear Mr. Allen?” Sheridan said, his anger barely kept under tight control. With a stiff nod Zack trotted back to the rest of the security team and resumed checking everyone’s plasma rifles and flak vests.
Turning back to a chagrined Ivanova, Sheridan sighed and flapped a hand at her. “I’m not mad at you, Susan. I am just irritated at myself. I should have figured it out right away that it was Garibaldi who they would have wandered off with. No one else knows this station like he does. It also means that I am right about them probably being on the other side of sector 89, probably in one of those hidden access tunnels that we don’t know about,” he said, noticing that the security team was armed and ready, just awaiting the go ahead order.
“Well, sir, if you are correct, that means that most likely they are just waiting for us to come in on this side. Garibaldi probably has them waiting to hear signs of a firefight before they bust in and take Daniel out during all the confusion. All we have to do is keep Jem’s men distracted for a few minutes, then make it look like we are sustaining too many losses and we pull out. Jem will have no idea who took Daniel and he’ll want to save face in front of the other gang leaders by acting like he does,” Ivanova theorized eagerly.
Sheridan nodded his agreement and walked over to where Zack waited expectantly, body held loose and relaxed, ready for battle.
“Okay, the plan has changed a little,” Sheridan said, addressing the squad of 15 men. “We need to cause a distraction, keep Jem and his men on this side of the sector. Try and shoot to injure, not to kill. We need to keep any possible reprisals to a minimum. When I give the order I need you all to pull back as quickly as possible, make it look chaotic and unorganized. Then we need to leave this sector alone for a little while, let things quiet down. We’ll take care of Jem and his men later,” Sheridan said, making it clear from his tone of voice that he meant it.
Zack and his men snapped off salutes before turning and moving stealthily down the corridor, rounding the bend and disappearing from sight. Walking just as quickly away, Sheridan and the others hurried to the security office, switching the cameras to the front views of sector 89 as soon as they entered, eyeing the screen intently, hoping to catch a glimpse of their visitors.
Before too long they heard the telltale signs of gunfire, super heated bolts of plasma flying across the screens from all directions. The location that Daniel was in was almost off the edge of the far screen and if it weren’t for Delenn’s sharp eyes they would have missed it.
“There they are!” she said excitedly, pointing at the screen. Ivanova brought that part of the screen into sharper relief, moving it into the center of the screen, the tiny figures scrambling around on it a relief to Sheridan. It was nice to be able to see what was going on down below. There weren’t nearly as many security cameras in down below as there were in other more inhabited parts of the station. Initially there hadn’t been any at all, but Sheridan insisted that some be installed in down below after he took command of the station. That installation had gone slowly, especially after they cut ties from Earth and had to focus on more basic maintenance issues. Thankfully there was at least one camera in that sector. It didn’t help them much besides assuaging some of their anxiety. They already knew where Daniel was, they just couldn’t get to him without a whole lot of bloodshed. Sheridan was hoping to avoid that.
On the other side of sector 89, Jack was almost relieved to hear the sound of gunfire, that interminable waiting was bad enough to make one want to grind their teeth. Moving explosively forward, all thought about his aches and pains gone in the rush of adrenaline Jack kicked the panel open and propelled himself into the back of the guard, who landed heavily on the ground, gun spinning off to land under Daniel’s chair. Wrenching the man’s head back, Jack deftly sliced his throat and slammed the man’s face harshly into the floor, not wanting to get drenched in the man’s blood. Pushing quickly up off the man’s body, Jack quickly started to cut into the ropes, Sam was beside him checking Daniel’s vital signs and speaking softly to him, trying to rouse him out of his semi-conscious state. Freeing Daniel, Jack turned and saw that the body was gone, Teal’c coming back from wherever he had stowed it, his face impassive as usual.
“I believe the gunfire is moving closer, O’Neill. We should be departing,” he said, looping one of Daniel’s arms around his neck, as Jack maneuvered to the other side.
“I’m with you on that one T. Let’s blow this party,” Jack said, heaving Daniel up into the hatchway, where Sam waited to grasp him under the arms and pull him forward. Scrambling in behind Teal’c, Jack pulled the hatch closed and moved quickly up to where Daniel sat slumped against the wall looking bleary eyed at Garibaldi.
“You’re new,” he stated simply, grimacing as he rubbed his swollen jaw.
“And you look like you’ve been run over by a Minbari war cruiser,” Garibaldi said, glancing down the corridor to their right. “Well this is where I leave you folks. This corridor will dump you out right by the security station. Which is probably where Sheridan and everyone are at right now.”
The group could hear the sounds of gunfire fading away and the sounds of voices coming closer to their location.
“From the sounds of things, they probably saw you on one of the security cameras too, which is why I didn’t come out. They’ll probably be waiting for you all to show up. Which is also why I am going the other direction,” Garibaldi said, giving the group a little wave, before crawling rapidly away on all fours.
Daniel looked askance at the receding figure of the former head of security. “Well that was a little weird. You guys will have to fill me on who that was….later,” he said, turning painfully and moving his battered body down the corridor. Helped along by Jack and Teal’c and led by Sam, it wasn’t long before the group arrived at the end. Kicking open the panel, they clambered out quite ungracefully, three out of four covered in dust and one covered in blood. They got a few strange looks from folks who happened to be traversing that part of the station but no one said anything to them. Apparently strange things happened all the time on Babylon 5.
Daniel managed to get to his feet with only Teal’c’s help that time, he seemed to be moving better, even though his eyes were still a little glassy. Well make that eye, the other one was so swollen that Jack couldn’t see if it was glassy or not. Heading down the corridor, it wasn’t long before they came across a transport tube. Jack considered just continuing until they reached the security office, but changed his mind when he saw Sam looking concernedly at Daniel. It was probably more important that they get Daniel to the med-bay and Dr. Franklin. So SG-1 trooped into the tube, the doors shut and they sent it on its way. As Jack leaned heavily against the wall, the weight of Daniel’s body heavy against his own he contemplated the one seemingly universal constant. If there were a med-bay to be had, Daniel Jackson would be in it.
Back in the security office, Sheridan clenched a fist in satisfaction as he watched the tiny figures of SG-1 dispose of the guard left to cover Daniel, retrieve their archeologist and scurry back up into the open hatch, pulling the panel shut behind them. Giving the order to cease fire and retreat, Sheridan watched as their forces pulled back quickly, knocking over crates and firing into light as they retreated, creating as much chaos as they could. Maintenance was going to be pissed that they would have to do so much work to put that sector back together, but it was worth it. Smiling, Sheridan squeezed Delenn’s hand as she smiled back at him, pleased that they were able to get Daniel out without anyone else being taken hostage.
“No sign of Garibaldi,” Ivanova observed quietly, as she paged through the security cameras. “Sir, we really have no reason to pull him in. All we have is Marcus’s contact’s word that he saw them with him,” she skeptically, her desire to protect her former friend evident in her tone.
Sheridan sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Fine then, he gets this one for free,” Sheridan said irritated. “Next time he better keep his nose out of business that doesn’t concern him. He got lucky this time. We can’t trust him anymore, next time he may not prove to be so helpful.”
Sheridan looked up as Zack entered the security office, still clad in his riot gear but sans helmet. “No casualties, sir, at least not on our side. A couple of Jem’s men were wounded, they’re headed up to med-bay now. We knocked down a few of their men, I don’t think anyone was killed though,” he said, unbuckling his tack vest and eyeing the security screens.
“My guess is that Garibaldi probably pointed our visitors in the direction of med-bay. If we took a little journey over there, a couple of wounded security guards aren’t the only people we’ll see,” Sheridan said, heading out the door to the nearest transport tube. Ivanova stayed with Marcus and Zack to coordinate things with sector 89 and Delenn decided to go with Sheridan. She was hopeful that Jem and his men had not harmed the quiet scholar too badly.
In med-bay, Dr. Franklin was busy checking the vital signs of one of the guards that had been knocked out when a PPG bolt had grazed the side of his shoulder when SG-1 came traipsing in. A wounded Daniel Jackson was clinging to Jack’s arm like it was a life preserver and he was drowning. Relief coursed through Franklin’s body, even as he took in the battered state of his former and again current patient. Handing off the care of the guard to one of the other doctors, Franklin quickly commandeered a bed and got Daniel onto it, wheeling it into the exam room, issuing orders to nurses as he went. Once in the exam room, he noticed out of the corner of his eye Jack, Sam and Teal’c clustering around the observation window, not wanting to leave their friend till they knew he was all right. Scanning Daniel quickly showed Stephen that his internal organs were pretty banged up again but thankfully not bleeding. He had two cracked ribs, a broken nose, a broken orbital bone above his left eye and a badly swollen lip and jaw, but miraculously the man seemed to be intact. Franklin quickly stuck his head out and informed the team that their friend would be fine after he had gotten patched up and allowed to rest for a few days.
Inside the exam room Daniel gave the trio a tight painful smile around swollen lips before closing his eyes and letting the nurses and Franklin do their job.
Sheridan and Delenn entered med-bay a few moments after SG-1 made their entrance but hung back until they were sure that Daniel was going to be okay. Jack turned and saw that the two of them were hanging back and approached them, feeling awkward and not quite knowing what to say.
“It’s all right. You don’t have to explain yourself or why you did what you did. He’s your man, it was your choice and you did what you had to do,” Sheridan said, filling the silence. “Your team is mighty extraordinary. I would be proud to have anyone like them serving under me.”
“You guys did your part too. If you hadn’t created the distraction, we wouldn’t have been able to extract Daniel,” Jack said, extending a hand to Sheridan, who took it with relief, the tension draining out of him leaving him more tired then he had been in days.
“Will he be okay?” Delenn asked, concern on her face.
“Dr. Franklin says he’ll be fine in a few days. Thankfully he didn’t suffer anymore internal injuries and most of the facial injuries are superficial,” Sam said, coming up alongside Jack, Teal’c right behind her, looking about as tired as Sheridan felt.
“That is good news. I am sure you are all very tired from the events of today,” Delenn said, gesturing towards the door. Seeing the looks on their faces, she quickly added. “Dr. Franklin will be sure to let you know if anything were to change with your friend. I am sure that he will soon be resting comfortably and would probably be much relieved if you all would do the same.”
“I am sure that Daniel Jackson would concur with you,” Teal’c said simply, his eyes glancing over at Daniel one more time before the group left.
The trip to their quarters was mercifully short. Since the adrenaline had died down Jack had become very aware of how much crawling and scrambling around he had done that day. His body was making it very clear that it was not as young as it used to be and that sort of behavior was no longer tolerated. A good hot shower was definitely the order of the day. Delenn and Sheridan left the group at their quarters and retired themselves. Sam headed into her room with just a smile and a quick goodnight, more likely then not she was going to spend several more hours trying to find a way back home before falling asleep over her research again. Teal’c settled into a corner of the room in the familiar Lotus position, quickly falling into a meditative state while Jack made for the shower. Tomorrow they would need to seriously reassess their status on the station and he knew he would have to sit through some long talk with Sam about whether there was even the slightest chance that they were going to get home. But tonight, he was going to shower and then sleep. Tomorrow was another day.
Chapter Eighteen
The next day saw Sam spending most of it huddled around the computer, scribbling down equations, drawing complex diagrams and then just as quickly scrunching the ball of paper up and tossing it on top of an ever increasing pile of crumpled paper. Delenn enlisted the help of several Minbari scientists, even help Sam tap into the great computer down on Epsilon 3 and talk to Draal, the Minbari who was the keeper down there, all to seemingly no avail. Every time Jack tried to talk to her all he got was a glare and a “Not now sir,” for his troubles.
Teal’c had gone down to med-bay early that morning right after Jack woke up and hadn’t come back since. Jack had called down there to check on him and had been informed by Dr. Franklin that Teal’c still felt some residual guilt over Daniel being kidnapped in the first time and was determined not to leave his side again until the group had traveled back to their own universe. In the background Jack could hear Daniel’s voice, primed and locked in lecture mode, as he droned on to some unsuspecting audience about the third Goa’uld dynasty. Jack bit back a laugh as Dr. Franklin told him that Vir had tried to sneak off three times and each time had been brought back by Teal’c, who seemed to feel that Daniel would be insulted if Vir didn’t stay and listen. Though Lennier seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, the doctor remarked.
Jack asked the good doctor to inform him if anything changes with Daniel’s prognosis and sat back with a sigh. He looked out the open door and contemplated going back over to Sam’s room to try and talk to her again, when the opening was filled with the immense form of the Narn G’Kar.
“I hope this is not a bad time,” the alien commented, as he took in Jack’s frustrated expression.
“No no, come on in G’Kar,” Jack said, waving him in and motioning for him to have a seat. “I was just thinking about going over and seeing how Sam is doing on our little problem.”
“I see. Is she any closer to devising a way to get you and your team home?” G’Kar asked, settling himself comfortably on the sofa and propping his feet up on the coffee table, managing to look imposing and relaxed, all at the same time.
“Not that I can see. Every time I try and talk to her about it I get told off. In the nicest and most respectful way possible of course,” Jack said ruefully as G’Kar nodded his understanding.
“Well I came here to visit with you and see how you were doing. I also came here to offer you a proposition. We have a Narn cruiser that is parked outside the station right now, undergoing a few repairs, minor work. I was wondering if you would like a tour? I am sure you don’t get the chance everyday to see the inside of an alien warship,” G’Kar said.
Jack leaned forward and looked once more at Carter’s closed door, contemplating G’Kar’s offer. “Why not,” he said, standing up and grabbing his jacket that had been slung over the back of a chair. “Teal’c is down with Daniel in med-bay and doesn’t look to be leaving any time soon. And I am sure Carter would probably get a whole lot more work done if I wasn’t bugging her every five minutes.”
“I am sure that she would agree with your assessment,” he said smiling as the two left Jack’s quarters and headed for docking bay 12, which is where G’Kar’s personal cruiser was docked.
Jack spent almost four hours touring the Narn war cruiser, G’Kar every now and again answering any questions the colonel might have had but for the most part staying silent and just letting Jack absorb the experience. The ship was really a technological wonder and Jack would give him right arm for some of the weapons systems and shielding that the ship possessed. When they headed back inside the station Jack suddenly decided that it would probably be a good idea to check on their own ship. G’Kar led the way to docking bay 4, but when they reached the area they had to wait for Zack to okay their entrance, the area was still being guarded by station security. Once cleared, Jack was shocked to notice that the frame was no longer buckled around the doorway, the maintenance personnel had seen to it that the ship had been repaired as best as it could be with the materials that they had available.
“It’s not an exact match, but the metals are pretty darn close. The ship is definitely space worthy,” G’Kar said after inspecting the ship and marveling at the unique design. “You say that these ships are meant to be used to travel through the Stargate? As well as travel in space and inside the atmospheres of planets?” G’Kar asked, amazed at the versatility of the outwardly ship.
“That’s what we think anyway. We just had taken this baby up for a test run when we got sucked inside that vortex and brought here,” Jack said, opening up the back hatch and entering the ship, surveying the chaotic inside. With G’Kar’s help Jack stowed most of the tossed around gear and righted the interior of the ship before taking a seat in the pilots chair. He wasn’t even aware he was holding his breath until the screen lit up a reassuring blue, his innate Ancient gene telling him that the ship was in fine working order and would get them home just fine, if they could figure out how to access the void again.
Leaving the jumper, Jack followed G’Kar back into the station proper and G’Kar said his goodnight at med-bay, Jack wanted to check on Daniel before heading to his own quarters and checking on Sam. Inside med-bay Teal’c was sitting quietly on a chair, reading silently from one of Daniel’s journals, the author asleep on a gurney in front of him, face still swollen but on the whole looking better then he had the day before. Teal’c looked up when Jack entered and quietly rose to meet him, setting the notebook on top of a well worn stack.
“How’s he doing?” Jack asked, jerking his heads towards the slumbering injured member of their team.
“He is improving. Dr. Franklin feels that he can be discharged tomorrow, provided we keep a very close eye on him and ensure that he does not overexert himself,” Teal’c said softly, not wanting to disturb any of the sleeping patients.
“That’s good, that’s real good,” Jack said, pausing and rubbing his hand across his face, unsure as how to phrase his next thought. “Ya know you don’t have to stay down here. Sheridan has security posted outside the doors, he made sure that Jem and his head lackeys were on the first shuttle out of here this morning when he planted a false rumor that security was going to send a Narn regiment after them in retaliation for kidnapping Daniel. Daniel is quite safe, I think he’s safer here then he ever was back home!”
“That may be so. However, I still owe Daniel Jackson a debt. He was still suffering from the injuries that he sustained upon our arrival here. Since I was quite well it was my responsibility to see to his well being. I failed in that endeavor. This is my way of repaying that failure,” Teal’c said, emotion coloring his voice.
“So it’s a Jaffa thing eh?” Jack asked. At Teal’c’s answering nod Jack just smiled and nodded back before taking his leave. He had one more stop before turning in for the night.
After pressing Carter’s door chime three times, she still hadn’t answered. Hoping fervently that she wasn’t in the middle of getting naked, Jack opened the door and was greeted with the sight of his eminent astrophysicist pressed face down and drooling in a pile of papers and a half eaten sandwich. Smirking to himself and wishing fervently that he had a camera handy, Jack shook his second awake and made sure she made it to her bed, not even sure if she would remember him coming to check on her, before heading to his own bed. He sure hoped that Carter’s resilience would pay off soon. He didn’t think his team’s morale could handle another day of disappointments.
