“Over my dead body,” Jack informed him.
“Jack, you know damned well I’m the only one who can do this,” Daniel said, knowing Jack was going to fight it.
“There is no way in hell I’d let you go without me and I’m not going anywhere until our baby is born,” Jack told him, his voice beginning to rise. “With five kids running around and one on the way, we … WE!…. cannot leave Sam to play mother-hen by herself. Absolutely not!”
“I’m not an asshole, of course I don’t want to leave them!” Daniel shouted back. “I’d be gone a week! No one else can get close to her except ME!”
The men around the table tried to look anywhere except at Jack and Daniel. “Uh.” Reynolds raised a hesitant hand. “I don’t mean to interrupt family stuff, but I might have an idea.”
Jack and Daniel scowled at each other for a moment. “What,” Jack snapped.
“Well, why do we have to actually go down to the planet?”
Everyone looked at Reynolds.
“Explain, Colonel,” Landry said.
“Well, sir, why can’t we just beam her up? From the surveillance, we know that she’s in her lab at certain hours so we set a wide beam and bring up anything registering body temp in the vicinity. We did the same thing in Korea and it worked there.”
Jack lost his scowl.
“And the Aschen?” Jack asked. Damned pirates were getting their fingers into everything out there.
“They seem to steer clear of that planet,” Reynolds said. “We still haven’t figured out why. We can plot a route to the planet that will get us around the Aschen once we check on their current shipping lanes.”
Jack drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. “I’m not happy,” he finally said. “Even if I consider allowing Daniel to go, and I do agree, however not happy I am about it, that he is the only one who can talk to her, I won’t let him go without me and I’m not going anywhere for the next seven months.”
Daniel folded his arms, shoving his hands peevishly under his pits. Bosco held up his hand. “Can I put a recommendation into the hat?” he asked. Jack grunted. “Why does the talking need to be done there? Why not beam her up, put her on ice, and bring her here?”
“Why didn’t you do that already?” Jack asked.
“Because kidnapping is not a nice thing to do,” Daniel reluctantly said. “We have a play-nice treaty and it doesn’t extend to that planet. We can’t take someone, legally, from a planet which doesn’t hold a treaty with the UW, and the citizens of that planet have not called a mayday.”
Jack thought about it, trying to remember the odds and ends of the treaty. He tapped on the computer, searching for the file.
“There’s a loophole in that,” he finally said. “Ke’ra is not wanted anywhere, but Linea is a criminal and there are who knows how many planets that she has wiped out. I’d say Linea has destroyed Ke’ra and escaped Vyus. For all we know, she’s the one who brought that snake to the planet. She’s open game.” While the evil scientist Linea had come down with a case of amnesia due to a planet-wide infection that caused all the inhabitants to have amnesia, she had reverted to a kind, gentle person who only wanted to help cure everyone. Taken back to the SGC, where, hopefully, the SGC scientists could help find the cure, Daniel had fallen in love with her. His heart was still aching over the death of his wife, Sha’re, and has fallen hard for the gentle scientist, Ke’ra, not realizing that she was the younger version of an evil scientist, Linea, who they had already had a run-in with on a prison planet. The more suspicious others had become of her, though, the harder it was for Daniel to admit to the facts being presented to him. He hurt for a while, after Ke'ra reverted to Linea, but he got past it.
He turned the computer toward Daniel for his own perusal of the treaty’s exact wording. Daniel considered it thoughtfully.
“Alright,” he said. “Just to keep things kosher, though, maybe run it by the council and make sure they’re reading it the same way. Jack, don’t look at me like that. Whatever her past, Linea has not harmed us so we cannot excuse a vigilante raid. Even with the Goa’uld hunting, it was for a specific System Lord, not an all-out extermination. We have a treaty that says we will follow certain rules, and since you’re the Big Cheese, it might be a good idea to set an example.”
Jack didn’t like it at all but he knew Daniel was right.
The teams were excused to make things happen while Daniel stood at the window, looking down at their old familiar friend. Landry glanced at him and then at Jack and got out of firing range, closing the door silently as he left them alone.
“I’m sorry,” Jack said, seeing the tightened muscles across Daniel’s back. “I didn’t mean to imply that you’re an asshole. I’m an asshole. And I think I understand how you were feeling when I went hunting last year. If you want to go with SG-1, I won’t argue. It’s been a long time since you’ve been on a mission. Go. Go play, bring the bitch home.”
Daniel took a breath, the window fogging for a moment. “You’re right. My responsibilities are here and I have no business being on the front line, not with our kids waiting for me. I’ll wait until the Prometheus gets back with K… Linea. Experiencing our new child growing is more important to me. And yes, you are an asshole.”
Jack’s mouth twitched. “Love you, too. Can we blame this on hormone changes?”
Daniel looked over his shoulder, a small smile warming Jack’s heart. Before Jack could respond, both men suddenly ran for the men’s room down the hall. When they finally lifted their faces from the toilets, they found Dr. Lam holding up the wall in the hallway. She gave them her famous inscrutable dark eyes and handed them each a package of crackers.
“We are not amused,” Jack informed her.
“Oh, but we are amused,” she told them. “Congratulations. Be sure you replace the liquids and keep your electrolytes balanced. I know you’ll be feeling tired and not wanting to even look at food, but rest any time you can and eat anyway. Lots of protein. Eat through the morning sickness and you should find that the nausea lessens. Keep crackers or dry cereal by your bed and eat something before getting up. It should help. Sometimes eating and drinking at the same time can trigger it, so try not to drink at mealtimes. Some women find that sniffing lemons, fresh grated ginger, or mint also helps when they feel it coming on.”
“We’re not women,” Daniel reminded her. Her stare told him to shut up. He wasn’t quite sure what Jerrie saw in her, only that Dr. Lam made Jerrie happy. According to Jerrie, Carolyn had a good sense of humor, a passion for life, and a romantic heart. Maybe being on base with her father, General Landry, put her on edge.
“It’s a proven fact that some men also experience some of the pregnancy symptoms,” she said. “We’re not sure why, only that it happens. As close as the three of you are, this should have been expected. Besides morning sickness, you might experience some sleeplessness and indigestion, hormones will fluctuate causing emotional upheavals including depression, and there is a possibility of postpartum depression. Read the baby books, talk to each other, and, above all, take it one day at a time. And considering the fact that one of you is the bio-Dad, if you think anything unusual is happening with Colonel Carter, bring her in. Otherwise, she should be fine with her regular OB/GYN.”
The men promised to behave and obey.
Instead of heading out, Jack side-tracked to the control room and had Walter dial out.
“Anyone home?” Jack asked into the mic when the channel was open.
“Are you alright, Dr. Jackson?” Walter asked whispered as Daniel sat and leaned forward until his head was between his knees.
“Morning sickness,” Daniel told him. Walter’s eyes opened in shock. “Sam is pregnant, not me,” Daniel said. “I don’t think the universe has gone that far out of whack.”
“Oh. Congratulations, sir. Sirs.”
Jack also had his head between his knees.
“Come on over,” they heard Ninurta from the speaker. The men reluctan
tly sat up, slowly, and headed to the gateroom.
“This is not going to be pretty,” Jack said under his breath, staring at the gate with apprehension. The moment they were on the other side, they immediately ran past a startled Ninurta and out of the building to find bushes. Ninurta followed them, watching, perplexed.
“Are you ill?” he asked.
Jack turned to look at him. “Alright, stupid question,” Ninurta acknowledged.
“Sam’s pregnant,” Jack told him.
“Congrat…. ahhhhh, yessss…. Jack, you are bonded to her. Bondings produce this level of sharing,” Ninurta said. He stepped up to the men and put a gentle hand on their backs for a moment. “Better?”
“A little,” Jack said, feeling the nausea subside with the redact. “Thanks.”
“Come,” the warrior said. “I will make a calming tea for you.”
They followed him into the modest manor house and through to the private family room. Ninurta spoke quietly to a servant who gave a nod and left them. The men sat gingerly into over-stuffed chairs and relaxed once they found that their stomachs weren’t going to go AWOL on them again.
“Papa!” A little boy ran into the room and climbed onto Jack’s lap. Jack winced as he accepted the hug around his neck.
“Easy, Daka,” Ninurta said. “Papa isn’t feeling well. His tummy is upset. Uncle Daniel’s, too, so sit gently.”
“He’s fine,” Jack said as the boy settled down beside him. “Where is everyone?”
“His fathers are on their way home,” Ninurta said, nodding toward Daka. “Aba is in his lab, everyone else is in the fields. Wheat harvest. I was here overseeing the silos when your call came in.” The servant came in carrying a tray which he placed on the table. Ninurta took the ingredients and began their tea.
“A bonding brings those involved closer than your average pairing,” Ninurta told them as he gently pressed the herbs into the hot water. “I will bet anything that the bond’s energy surrounded you during your lovemaking in which the baby was conceived.”
The men considered him and then each other. “Surrounded all three of us,” Daniel confirmed.
“Ah,” Ninurta smiled and nodded. “Which is why you are both experiencing it. And in the same waves, if you haven’t noticed. This pregnancy was planned.”
“Per Sam’s request,” Jack said. “She was ready.”
Ninurta handed the men each a cup. “Sip slowly.”
“Now, Daniel, about this possible Ancient site of yours,” Ninurta said, petting his beard thoughtfully. “We honestly don’t know what to tell you. Aba said that when he arrived on Earth, in his initial tour, there were only small pockets of primitives around. Barely out of the trees. Most of the Ancients had left by then, those who had not died in the plague, and a few stragglers were rounding up survivors for the final ship to the Pegasus galaxy. Our people, the Asgard, and the Nox were given the task of monitoring the life forms that seemed to be immune to whatever was killing the Ancients. They didn’t have high hopes for the primitive forms on primordial Earth. Not only were the brains of the primates not viable, but the planet was undergoing a major tectonic upheaval. The Ancients couldn’t have stayed there even if they wanted to; the planet was turning itself inside out."
"What about our theory that humans ARE the Ancients, and the Ancients came from our future?" Daniel insisted.
Ninurta tilted his head in thought. "We have been considering that," he said. "There is no precedent for it, though. Granted, you all went back in time, a couple of times, so to speak, but it wasn't really that far back. I don't know what would happen, if it's even possible, to travel millions of years back. We're pushing that one to the side, for now. The concept even managed to knock the Asgard on their little gray butts."
He stood to pace a few steps as he thought. “So Aba tinkered, amusing himself with a species that was about to become extinct anyway. I know, I know, not very humane of him. He’s mellowed in his old age. I think that my mother had a lot to do with ‘humanizing’ him. I think that once his own children began to be born, he realized the error of his ways. My own opinion, of course.
“Anyway. The Ancients eventually returned, checking out their old homestead, and you can imagine their surprise to find that not only had life remained, but it flourished. And it didn’t take them long to realize what was done with the proto-humans. They were angry about it. Not even the Ancients approved of tampering with natural evolution. But not too many Ancients were left to disapprove. In the long run, it proved to be a boon. There may not have been enough of them left to repopulate their species, but humans were advanced enough to be recognized as modern humans. Homo-sapiens.
“Our people weren’t around, at the time, I don’t know. Something about another project. So before the Ancients de-evolved back into the human race, where their DNA would at least be kept alive, they gave the Asgard the task of watching over the planet. The humans grew, the Ancients disappeared into the woodwork, so to speak, and when Aba and Nanna, Inanna's father, finally brought their troops in, your people were beginning to understand the concept of crops and villages. The Asgard returned the watch to Nanna and we spent time guiding your people. Until the Goa’uld, and you know the rest.”
Ninurta sipped from his own cup of what smelled like cinnamon as he contemplated his clan-son napping against Jack’s side.
“And the site in northern Scotland?” Daniel asked.
“We don’t know,” Ninurta said with a shrug. “At the time that site is dating, it would have been much further south. Perhaps near the equator. If so, it is possible that it is part of a larger Ancient site that has long since been turned back into molten rock. From the images you sent, it could be quarters for slaves and their families in attendance to a main house. Aba didn’t speculate much more than that. Don’t think it degrading to the primitive humans, Daniel; remember that the Ancients would not have brought them further than they were capable of understanding for their time. Considering the fact that most of your forebears were still camping out in caves and straw lean-tos, that kind of a structure would have been a castle to them.”
Whatever was in the tea, it was helping. The men were feeling halfway normal again. Except Jack’s brain which was trying to push an idea at him, and a sense of something that he’s missing. He hissed and put a hand to his head.
“Jack?” Daniel touched his arm. Jack leaned forward, holding his head. Daka slid from his resting place and looked confused.
“Time,” Jack muttered.
“What?”
“Something about….. time,” Jack said. He squeezed his head between his hands, trying to get the information out.
“Relax and center,” Daniel told him. “Just let the information come through. Talk. You can sort it out later.”
Jack breathed, forcing his awareness to the center of his being. A flood of concepts rushed over him, not offering definition only of being.
“Time,” he said again. “Something….. I don’t know… not being said.” He opened his eyes and looked at Ninurta. “You’re withholding again. I’m going to assume this is one of your games and I’m supposed to figure it out. Okay. Time. Timing….. timeline…. time…. travel. Enki isn’t hundreds of thousands of years old, only a few thousand. He went back to tinker with people, didn’t he?”
Daniel considered it and was stunned. Ninurta didn’t say anything, only sipped calmly at his tea.
“He changed our past,” Daniel guessed. “How much of the future did he see that caused him to change the past of an entire race?”
“Well, Daniel, I don’t particularly give a flying….” Jack looked down at his side, “you know what, I’m getting a little tired of word games and half-truths. In fact, I’m rather pissed about it.”
“Jack, I can’t give you anymore than you can access from your own brain,” Ninurta reminded him. “Go ahead and get angry with me, but there are things that I am unaware of myself. I give you clues when I can. If you would do as Aba contin
ually asks you to do, spend time excavating your head, you would figure these things out for yourself. The history is in there, dammit; quit being a turnip.”
Becoming furious with the know-it-all warrior, Jack opened his mouth to object.
“Okay, okay,” Daniel held up a calming hand. “We will work on in, right, Jack? Let’s back up a minute because I have a question.”
Jack crossed his arms in a fit of pique while Ninurta’s eyes narrowed and threatened daggers at him.
“I thought the Ancients invented time travel,” Daniel said.
Ninurta pursed his lips for a moment.
“It was a group effort,” Enki said from the doorway. The old man came in, wiping his hands on a cloth, and poured himself something to drink. “Look, Jack, I’m sorry you’re feeling a little in the dark, but it can’t be helped. We need you to do this yourself, and you know it. Now, putting the time relay into the ships was the Ancients idea. Why would they do that, if they weren’t going to use it? Why equip the seneschals with it and not the other ships? Have you thought to ask yourself that? That answer is in your head. Figure it out.”
Jack stormed out of the room. Daniel murmured an apology and thanked the men before following Jack. Once in the gateroom, “….put them back into that fucking phased whatever the hell…..! bring that fucking Goa’uld back and let him…..! fucking old con artist….! tired of his bullshit….!” The SF did their best to ignore the ranting as Daniel signaled up at the window and hurried to follow Jack who had stalked through the arch. “…who died and made him almighty creator….?! …..fucking around with our brains…..! creating an entire species and for what….?! why didn’t he just go back and get rid of those fucking snakes on their own planet…..? did we ask him to create us? I don’t recall asking him to play God….! go back into OUR past and play fucking Pinocchio….!”
“Jack!”
Jack slammed the refrigerator door, rattling the various bottled inside.
“What!”
“Geppetto, not Pinocchio,” Daniel told him. “And we seem to have guests.”
Unification: The Anunnaki Unification Book 5 Page 22
