both sides now

BS, N    (Both Sides, Now)
By Travelling One

Email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

Web: http://www.travellingone.com

Summary: In political games there are the players and the pawned.

Related episodes: Disclosure

Season: 7th

Disclaimer: Main characters are borrowed from the Stargate SG-1 tv series. This story has been written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.

June/03

The briefing room was already full by the time the members of SG1 began arriving, and Daniel's glance at Jack informed him that the team CO knew no more about what was going on than he did. The assortment of faces was causing substantial enough worry to create pessimistic assumptions, for already assembled were unfamiliar representatives from the various government and military agencies in Washington, Colorado, and Nevada.

Jack cast a peripheral glance at Daniel, noting that his teammate appeared as uneasy as he himself was feeling, only Daniel was worse at keeping his emotions hidden. Daniel would be highly uncomfortable in these surroundings, Jack knew, home territory not withstanding, and the presence of these men did not signal any good omens. This had to be news about the fate of the Stargate program… or that of SG1. Since the archaeologist had returned from dimensions experienced by no other human on Earth, the younger man always seemed to fear that he was the center of unwanted government attention. Not knowing whether or not these worries were unfounded, Jack was at a loss to put his friend's mind at ease. All they could do was roll with the punches and do their jobs as best they could.

Major Carter knew her CO was unnerved, as she herself was. This didn't look like good news. The expression on General Hammond's face, however, was giving nothing away.

Teal'c eyed each of the seven visitors in turn, noticing the levels of discomfort and arrogance. While there were those who refused to meet his glance, others were staring at him oddly, their attempted smiles appearing insincere.

All of SG1 kept silent as they took the remaining four seats and studied the solemn masks of those around them.

"Now that we are all present, we'll get started," General Hammond began. He knew his team would be wondering about their futures, about why they were here, and he wanted to clear this up as quickly as possible. Briefly introducing the visitors to the four interplanetary travellers, he continued.

"SG1, I know you're wondering what this is about, so I'll be brief. It seems that our government does not believe we can contain the secrecy of the Stargate program from the general public for much longer. With the disclosure of the Stargate to various governmental agencies around the world, there is fear that it won't be long before its presence here is leaked and the cover-up will result in the United States losing control of the entire program." Hammond tried to moderate his expression as he continued. "It has therefore been decided, by the representatives here today and the president himself, to reveal the presence of the Stargate to the press and scientific communities and to make it clear that the United States is in charge of this program and has the backing of countries around the world."

Three breaths were sucked in, and eyes were unnaturally wide at SG1's end of the table.

"In other words," General Rennick, Pentagon, elaborated, "We think it's best to disclose the nature of the program to the public before other countries do so and we're caught red-handed with our hands in the cookie jar."

"Convenient," Jack muttered. You do clichés better than I do.

"Colonel," Hammond cautioned, "it won't be as easy to persuade the press and general population worldwide to allow the United States military to remain in control of the Stargate program, as it was to convince the ambassadors of just a few nations. And we're not entirely sure how much of their support we actually do have."

"And you're positive this is the right time?" Jack looked around the table at the determined faces.

"Absolutely," responded General Kennerman. "It took us some time to make this decision, but we've decided it's for the best. The program will eventually become public no matter what, and we can't risk China or France revealing it before we do."

"Because we'll look bad," Jack remarked.

"Because we may also lose the program," Rennick reminded him.

"Some of us are not as convinced," interrupted Senator Connaught of Washington D.C, winning Jack's attention.

"You don't go along with this decision, Senator?" Jack squinted at the politician with whom he might actually agree.

"Oh, I'm going along with it. But let's just say there are those of us who think the declassification of the Stargate program might be a bit premature," he replied, tossing a reciprocated glance towards Colonel McNamara, "considering the ongoing… disagreements between certain countries at this time."

"Then…?" Jack paused, hoping his question would be understood because he really didn't know how to word it eloquently. Or even politely.

"It seems I've been outnumbered," Connaught responded, looking briefly down at his hands. "But if this is the decision that has been made, I intend to support it fully. With the SGC's experience and knowledge, it would be devastating to be forced to relinquish control of this program to so-called world representation. A world already in turmoil," he added.

"Which will end up happening sooner or later, unless we take the upper hand as soon as possible," Kennerman declared.

Jack grunted, noting that General Hammond had had very little to say in this predetermined discussion.

"What happens if they want us to relinquish control anyway?" Jack asked, looking around at the assortment of military personnel and politicians. Where's Major Davis? Outranked by Rennick and Ramsey?

"We hope to convince the relevant scientific communities of our knowledge, abilities, contacts, and experience in dealing with the matters the Stargate has opened up to us. We're counting on wide support from the American people."

"What about the rest of the world?"

"They'll eventually be swayed, if this is done properly."

"Brainwashing?"

"Colonel, this should be a good thing, from your team's perspective," General Ramsey, also from the Pentagon, spoke up, locking his stare on Jack's. "Dr. Jackson will finally get credit for his theories."

Jack looked at Daniel, who had glanced up at hearing his name. Staring straight ahead, the archaeologist appeared oblivious to the proceedings, but Jack knew better. His teammate was pensively considering the potentialities of this "declassification".

As was he. What would this mean for their missions? What would it mean for their allies? While having a world prepared for possible Goa'uld attack might be to everyone's benefit, perhaps even creating harmony among countries, more likely it would increase dissent and hostilities, sending Earth into a battle as aggressive as any they'd ever seen. Of course, if this could be presented as just another step in the space program, the only dissenters might be the tabloids.

Jack himself couldn't deny that this was what he'd always wanted for Daniel. When Daniel had di… ascended, he'd been unnerved with the realization that the archaeologist would never get a chance like this, would never be around to see his name reestablished, would never see the faces of his colleagues when his so-called absurd theories became fact, and it had hurt. He had hurt for Daniel, and he wanted more than anything for his friend to redeem himself before anything bad could happen to him again. Not that it would; not that he'd let it. Not that they had any control over it sometimes, though. The best laid plans…

"Will there be a press conference, then?" Carter interrupted his musings. They would all be present, no doubt. The public's reaction would be interesting, to say the least, and fairly intimidating. They'd be subjected to the harshest of judgements, press hounding, and might never have another private moment.

"Not as the first step," answered Major Dalton from Nellis Air Force base. "We want to gauge the public's response by first putting this before a group of scientists." He looked towards Daniel and Sam. "Your colleagues will be the most qualified to hear the initial reports. We're also expecting that they will cool the harshness of their criticisms if they know they're part of the original group to be informed, and will then be motivated to join in supporting us."

"Suck up to their egos," Jack declared.

Daniel looked at him blankly.

"Exactly." Dalton remained unphased by the colonel's sarcasm.

"The press will find out anyway. Reporters have a way of doing that," Jack scowled. He could see the headlines now. He'd known, of course, that eventually the Stargate would have to be made public; he'd never really wanted to think about facing that situation, however. It was never easy disclosing long-kept secrets to an unsuspecting public. And now, while they were in the midst of dealing with the most criminally insane Goa'ulds ever, might not be the best time to debate who ought to be in charge.

"They can't expect to know before the scientists in question do. We'll call a press conference right afterwards so that they don't feel... left out."

"Um, mind if I ask why you're telling us, instead of having a meeting with all SGC personnel? Shouldn't everyone here be made aware of this?" Daniel fiddled with his pen, confusion clouding his eyes.

Faces turned towards him. Was Jack's apprehension playing tricks, or had the tension in the air just increased a notch?

"Dr. Jackson, we don't want anyone here going home telling their spouses and relatives about the Stargate program and the work they've been doing all these years, just because they know it's about to be made public."

"Right, and none of us have any family to tell," Daniel tossed off a sarcastic grin.

"It's more than that, Dr. Jackson. We want you to be the one to present this news at a conference of your fellow archaeologists."

Daniel looked up sharply. "What?" Shouldn't Sam or Jack be sharing first with the astrophysical society? "The Stargate is more a part of the space program than of archaeology. I have no authority..."

Congressman Masters interrupted, smiling. "The Stargate was discovered by archaeologists, Dr. Jackson. It's only fair that you be the one to reveal the worlds that you yourself opened up for us," he explained. "Major Carter will be present to field the more technical questions, but we don't want to go into too much detail all at once. Just relate how the Stargate lends itself to anthropological and sociological impact." Something nice and mellow; don't mention enemies and warships just yet, doctor.

Still stunned, Daniel just stared at the group congregated before him.

"How do you manage to call a scientific conference without calling a press conference?" Jack asked skeptically, eyes narrowed.

"We don't. We're hoping Dr. Jackson can break the news at a small convention of archaeologists. We've noticed one or two scheduled for this side of the country."

"What's the catch?" Jack cut in.

"No catch, Colonel. It's been discussed amongst ourselves, and we all agree that Dr. Jackson deserves the chance to redeem himself amongst his colleagues. He deciphered the Stargate symbols; he should be the first one to explain this to the public."

As hard as Jack tried to think of a negative variable to this bit of news, for there were people here he neither knew nor wanted to trust quite so readily, he couldn't find any complaint to their reasoning. If government officials were to bring this news to the world, they would be the ones garnering the credit, and Daniel's contribution would get lost in the shuffle. His teammate, his friend, oh so loyal warrior and brilliant scientist, deserved this, at long last.

But if the response was negative, would Daniel be the recipient of the backlash? These people were afraid, the conniving little weasels, and were using Daniel as a defense shield. That had to be it. Sharing an archaeological find was so much less imposing than sharing a political military secret.

But Daniel had been thinking along different lines. "It won't work. I don't think I can get myself invited to present at an archaeological conference," he admitted.

"Dr. Jackson…just write it up as surprising new evidence to confirm your theories of aliens having built the pyramids."

Daniel stared in disbelief. "What?"

"We're serious, Dr. Jackson."

"They won't believe me."

"Don't worry, we'll back you up. After all, you do have this surprising new evidence." Ramsey smirked.

"And we're finally allowing you to share it."

"So, Doctor Jackson. What do you think? One way or another, our decision is final. We'd really like to let the scientific community in on this first; however, you're correct. We can always hold a meeting at NASA and open it to the space researchers and astrophysical community. We just thought," he paused, "that you'd like this to be yours."

Daniel slowly nodded. "Yes. I would."

The tension in the room dissipated in a breath, and suddenly Daniel's hand was being taken, shaken, and people were patting each other on the back. Fairly unnerving, Daniel thought, feeling bombarded and overwhelmed with the undue attention, but he was still too stunned from the news to fully appreciate the extent of what he'd just stepped into.

Jack touched his friend's forearm. "We'll be there with you, Daniel. No one will laugh or throw anything." His eyes almost twinkled. Still, Jack couldn't shake that feeling of unease.

Daniel nodded blankly. After all this time, this didn't seem real.

What were the implications for his team, for the SGC? What if he didn't do this well, and lost everything they'd worked for for the past seven years?

____

The briefing room had quickly cleared out, the politicians rapidly grabbing their briefcases and taking their leave; whether it was to catch their flights home or to avoid Jack's questions, SG1 was unsure.

"O'Neill. The people of other worlds know of the their Stargates and of the System Lords. Perhaps it is time for the world of the Tau'ri to find out as well."

Jack eyed Teal'c skeptically. "Normally I'd agree with you, Teal'c. But this world is complicated and confusing; you know, it can be funny that way."

"Perhaps it would not be such a bad decision to have representatives from all of Earth supervising this program."

"How long have you been here, Teal'c? Seven years? Don't you watch the news?"

"I just believe it may bring your world leaders together under a common goal."

"Right."

"Daniel?" Sam had noted the archaeologist's dazed expression. "Are you okay with this?"

Daniel looked up, focussing, and nodded. "I think I'd better go look up some conferences, Sam."

She squeezed his arm. This was the beginning of a new era, and none of them could predict what the future would hold. "It's time for you, Daniel. It'll be fine."

As Teal'c and Sam left the room, Daniel finally stood up.

"Jack?"

Jack hesitated a moment before responding to his friend. He knew Daniel had the same reservations as he did, along with a few of his own. "What, Daniel?"

Daniel paused. "A lot's changed here since I, um… died."

"Ascended. And not that much."

"Ascended," Daniel nodded slightly. "And yes, you've had a war. You've built a spaceship. They've told other countries about the Stargate. That's … that's new."

"Yeah, uh, that was a bit of a shock to me too." But you knew about that, Daniel, over a month ago.

"Do you agree with this?"

"Daniel, much as I'm tempted to say this is premature, we have kept the program secret for seven years. I mean, those science fiction shows are way out of date now. One of these days someone will notice something big hovering in the sky." Jack sighed. "We knew this was coming, Daniel. It's just a shocker that it's here already."

_____
"Jack, do you have a minute?"

Jack stopped, his rendezvous with the base's exercise equipment could wait a few more minutes. "What's up, Daniel?"

Daniel bit down on the edge of his lip, studying the smudges on the concrete floor of the tubular corridor. "Um, about the conference…"

"Couple of weeks, right? Salt Lake City?" That last-minute acceptance had nearly floored them all. This was a lot sooner than any of them had anticipated; no doubt someone from higher on up had played a part in that.

"Yes."

"So what's up?"

"I…" Daniel was nervous. He didn't think he could face all those people again, people who were just coming to tell him to get lost and change careers, people who would be there to tell him he was a black mark on their profession, people like Steven… "You'll be there, right?"

"We'll be there, Daniel. So will McNamara from the Pentagon, Robertson from the White House, and Senator Connaught. Daniel, don't worry. Steven will be leaving there with his mouth hanging open."

Daniel looked sheepish; Jack could still read him like a book. "When he finds out about Sarah..."

"Don't go there, Daniel."

"What if people demand the program be shut down? What if they ask questions I can't answer?"

"Daniel… you do a better job of answering questions than anyone I know." Jack concentrated on his friend's worried eyes. "But if anything at all comes up that you're not sure of, just say it's still classified."

At Daniel's scoff and shake of the head, Jack continued. "Hand the mic over to someone from Washington."

Daniel nodded. "That I can do."

"You'll be alright?" He hadn't intended that to come out as a question.

"Yeah. I guess."

"Daniel… if I can negotiate the fate of Earth with Goa'uld System Lords, you can negotiate the fate of the Stargate program with fellow humans."

Daniel tossed him the most unconvinced look he could manage.

_____

Daniel was more nervous than he'd ever remembered being before giving a lecture. He'd been slated into one of the larger rooms in this conference center; due to the nature of his talk, it had been assumed that most of the attendees would be interested in hearing what he had to say. This was a full-day conference, given by and for fellow archaeologists and anthropologists, and his time slot was last. Comic relief at the end of the day, he figured. If people walked out they could just head straight on home. At present the room was in use, and Daniel could be found in the garden, pacing.

"Daniel, are you okay?" Sam touched his arm.

"Not really."

"You're finally going to regain your rightful place in your profession, Daniel. Your colleagues won't be able to doubt you any more."

"First I have to get them to believe me."

"We'll back you up."

"And if they think it's all a hoax? If they don't believe either of us?"

"That'll be their loss, Daniel. They'll read it in the paper in a few days. Eventually the President will have to make a comment."

Daniel shrugged. "I suppose. I just wish Teal'c still had junior to show everyone."

Sam smiled. "He'd've been swarmed, Daniel." She paused, trying to imagine the scenario.

"I wish he'd come."

"It's not that he didn't want to support you, Daniel. You know he isn't comfortable with all this attention."

"Which he'll be getting soon enough anyway."

"I know. Who knows what this will do to him." Or what they'll do to him, as an alien on Earth; not something any of them wanted to think about. The colonel's suggestion that Teal'c might get himself a movie contract opposite that green hulk thing was the best scenario any of them could come up with.

Looking around at the few people milling about the lawn, paper plates filled with small items of food balanced in their hands, Sam inquired, "Have you seen anyone here you know?"

"A few familiar faces from long ago. Most of them have been ignoring me. A couple did come and said hi, then quickly excused themselves. I think they were more curious about me than anything. You know, wanted to see if I glowed." Thankfully they hadn't seen him a few months ago.

"Daniel…"

"Daniel! Where've ya been?"

"Hey, Jack."

"Daniel's nervous, sir."

"Why?"

"Why?"

"Okay, I know why. How much longer?"

"Fifteen minutes. The lecture in there right now will be letting out at any moment."

Jack could sense Daniel's apprehension; it was almost contagious. Jack found himself fidgeting nervously along with his friend. He'd looked at his watch three dozen times since lunch already. While Daniel might have the dubious honour of presenting the Stargate to these people, they were all a part of the program; whatever happened here today was obviously going to impact them all.

People were filing out the garden door, seeking air and sunshine. The lectures must be ending, the next presenters getting ready to set up. "Time to go, I guess." Daniel looked tense, stressed. Perspiration flickered off his forehead. That could be from Salt Lake City's 87 degree heat, Jack thought, but he doubted that was the reason.

He rubbed Daniel's arm. "Let's go in."

Daniel looked around. "Have you seen anyone from Washington yet?"

"I think they're inside. Geez, Daniel. I've never seen you like this. You're wrecking that perception I have of your calm cool exterior."

"My exterior is calm and cool. My interior wants to go home."

_____

There was nothing to do backstage. Nothing to do but pace for the twelve minutes before his lecture was to begin; twelve minutes to watch from backstage as the people filed in and took their seats. Daniel shuffled through his notes, not that he needed notes to explain the life he'd been living for the past several years, but it made him feel better having something to hold. Yes… the past several years; he was especially looking forward to disclosing the part about having been dead and turned into a giant lightbulb…

And then, out of nowhere, he heard his name being announced.

"Jack? Where are the people from Washington?" As the question left his lips, he saw Senator Connaught enter through the main doors, in casual clothes. The senator sat himself down in the middle row of the auditorium. Appearing backstage at that same moment was Colonel McNamara.

"Told you they'd be here," Jack whispered. He squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Knock 'em dead. Stun them with a zat gun."

"That would definitely be a lot easier," Daniel nodded.

Daniel walked out onto the stage, to the sound of a few hands clapping. They must not have known who he was, Daniel thought, or else they hadn't read the brochure. There were still a few empty seats in the auditorium, but those weren't the ones Daniel noticed.

Daniel stared at the faces in the audience, faces that either wanted to listen or condemn. Skeptical, curious, bored. It had been a long day for most of them, an even longer one for Daniel who had kept out of sight for most of it, not wishing to be engaged in any pre-lecture discussion of his previous seven years' whereabouts. Well, this would soon be over. Soon, the Stargate would be known to all. Unclassified. Public. For some reason Daniel had the impression that he was balancing the rest of his life on the tip of a spoon.

"Good afternoon. I'm Doctor Daniel Jackson." He cleared his throat, taking a sip of water and counting to five. "Some of you may remember my previous work on the cross-pollination of cultures, specifically between ancient Egypt and areas of Central America."

"Let's not forget your dating of the pyramids," shouted a voice from the front, "based on nothing."

"Not nothing," Daniel responded. "But that's not under debate here today. Today, I'm here to present you with evidence that not only did ancient civilizations on Earth communicate and share ideas, but they were influenced strongly by…" Daniel swallowed, pushing himself to go on, "…aliens of other worlds."

The chuckles were audible, and backstage his teammates cringed. McNamara in the sidelines was on his cell phone.

Daniel counted to seven this time, breathing slowly. He knew how to go on; he'd practiced in his office, in the shower, in his sleep. He was prepared.

And he wasn't alone in this. This was a real program, run by the military, and not a figment of a wild archaeological imagination. Looking out into the audience for the one man who's support he was expecting to find, Daniel noticed Connaught on his cell phone. The chatter in the audience died down when Daniel again began to speak in that calm soothing way known so well to his teammates.

"Long ago, two thousand years to be exact, an object was buried in Egypt, an object that was the gateway to the stars. Through it, aliens came and went, pretending to be the gods we've all heard of: Hathor, Ra, Osiris…"

"Jackson, are you a plant for Spielberg?" a faceless voice called amid the laughter of strangers.

Daniel paused, biting down on his lip. He'd get to the point, then get the Senator up here to confirm.

Backstage, Jack was watching his friend, his own face reddening and becoming hot. Shit, they should have just called a press conference. Jack was tempted to go out onstage in his fancy dress blues and tell the audience to cut the crap and listen to him, when McNamara pocketed his phone and passed Jack a note.

Jack froze, fury in his eyes, blood pressure skyrocketing.

A stagehand was sent to deliver a twin note to Daniel.

"I don't work for the movie industry," Daniel calmly continued. "I work for the Air Force…" he looked at the note that was set down before him on the podium, and froze.

'In light of the reaction sensed here today and relayed through his representatives, the President has temporarily rescinded his decision. It is the feeling among government high officials that it may indeed be premature to reveal the true nature of the Stargate program at this time. Please deny any allegations you have already unveiled. -- Washington.'

What? This has to be a joke. Daniel shot a panicked glance at Jack behind the curtains, and saw his friend's icy glare grinding into him. He had never seen Jack so infuriated, but the man was motionless, locking eyes with his civilian teammate.

The heckling continued from floor level.

"The Air Force, Dr. Jackson? Care to explain what they've got you working on?" Daniel's eyes shot up sharply. The question had come from Senator Connaught.

"I, um…I…I…I do translations and research. Senator."

"Into ancient alien civilizations from other planets?"

"Um… no." Daniel felt his face growing hot; he had to find a way out of this. They'd used him? Used him to gauge public readiness, never certain that they would let the cat out of the bag at all? Tested the climate by using him as a weather gauge, not expecting to find frost? But this didn't make sense; he'd told them he wouldn't be overwhelmingly welcomed, yet they hadn't even given him a chance here today. Had they intended only to drop hints, start rumours, so that when the program was indeed revealed sometime in the future they could say, we tried to tell you but you just laughed? Daniel couldn't make sense of his bewildering thoughts, now facing the politician who had voiced pathetic opposition to the disclosure of the stargate right from the start. "We do deep space telemetry, and I pass on the information to non-English-speaking countries such as Russia."

"Sir?" Carter's eyes held pain, her features tight. "He needs help."

"I know." Jack walked out onto the stage, in his fancy dress blues, charming all those naturally open-minded scientist types… "Dr. Jackson's work is classified. I'm sorry to break into this conference, but he's needed back at the base." Jack looked into Daniel's stinging eyes, and imperceptibly gave his head a nod towards the wings. Daniel led the way, and Jack followed.

Increasing his speed, Daniel kept walking. Anger and frustration, hurt and betrayal, overwhelming to the point of explosion, kept him moving, down the stairs and out through the chattering audience, brushing past those already making their way through the exit. The thunder in his head at least kept out the noises and banter of the crowd. Down the hallway, Jack and Carter tried to follow through the swarming attendees. Walking out the door facing the parking lot, Daniel stormed over to his vehicle, fumbling twice with his keys before inserting them into the keyhole.

"Daniel!"

He vaguely heard his name, knew somewhere in his mind that it was Jack.

Turning the key in the ignition, Daniel took off and was gone.

Sam and Jack stopped in the middle of the lot, ignored by convention attendees swarming out the exits eager to return home.

"Damn them. Damn them! Damn them!!" Jack fumed, turning to search out Sam's feelings, to see them in her face, hoping to witness them matching his own.

They did.

For a moment there was silence. Then, "How dare they do that to him!" Jack vented. He wanted to shout, but there were people around, and his rage was classified.

_____

They must have been standing there for fifteen minutes or more, for the parking lot was beginning to clear out. Unsure of what to do or how to feel, not knowing how to release their pain and rage and sense of betrayal, they had just stood, their eyes locked on each other and nothing. Daniel would be feeling even worse, and they had to find him. Had to wait for him to come back to them.

Carter nudged Jack. "Colonel." A lone man retreating hurriedly to his parked car had caught Sam's eye. They both recognized the individual as Senator Connaught.

Without a second thought, Jack picked up speed and ran at the senator. Grabbing his arm, the politician was swivelled sharply, his face a mask of surprise and shock until he recognized O'Neill and the woman behind him. "Colonel O'N…"

"You set him up! You never had any intention of letting Daniel go through with that!" Jack shouted, mindful of the leftover handful of people heading towards their own cars. "You malignant son of a bitch!"

"Careful, Colonel!" Connaught's eyes narrowed. "You and I both know this is not the time to reveal the program," he stated in a conspiratorial whisper.

"We could have found another way. You could have stopped it without putting Daniel through that!" Jack sneered, mere inches away from the senator's face.

"No, I couldn't, Colonel. The decision had been made, to the contrary opinions of many more than just myself, and the President was waiting to hear my impressions of potential acceptance of the program. I needed something tangible to relay."

"A couple of snide remarks? How was that enough?"

"Augmented and exaggerated. A small riot in the works is always enough to sway the best laid plans. My opinion carries weight, Colonel, and I wasn't alone in this."

Jack's fury was escalating, if that was possible. "Who else was in on this?" More than McNamara? His friend's sabotaged lecture had been planned from the start, in some nethermost backroom of the Whitehouse? Daniel was the pawn between two warring segments of his own government?

"There are many influential people in Washington, Colonel. But you should be thanking me; I could have let Jackson go on. I stopped it as soon as I thought I could feasibly get away with it." Bending to unlock the door of his car, Connaught straightened up again to look Jack in the eye. "Nothing has been lost by this, and you know it. No one would have believed Dr. Jackson anyway; he's no worse off than he was yesterday… or seven years ago."

Jack glared, his fury red-hot and rising. His tongue held onto the words that would have come out, for he was in a public place.

"He could have convinced them, Senator," Carter quietly spoke up from behind Jack. "He had slides. He had me."

The senator shook his head in exasperation. "Special effects. And you're missing the point, Major. We didn't want them to be convinced, now did we?" Connaught opened the car door and lowered himself into the driver's seat. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a flight to catch. Go have a drink. You'll feel better in the morning."

He pulled into reverse, leaving the two members of SG1 seething in the condescension as he drove away. The rage continued to boil deeply, their intellect knowing there was nothing left to do but heal Daniel.

_____

Daniel drove on, no destination in mind. He drove until he was past the city limits, drove until he was lost. He drove until his eyes could no longer see through their wetness. Then he pulled into a Burger King parking lot, leaned his head on the steering wheel, and let the rest of his tears fall.

After all these years, he wouldn't have imagined the insult, from both former colleagues and those for whom he presently worked, could hurt so much.

_____

Jack unlocked the door of the motel room he'd been sharing with Daniel, and stepped inside the darkened interior. Without drawing the curtains open, he threw his jacket over the back of the armchair and dropped down onto one of the beds, leaning against the headboard.

Carter followed in behind him, having been left to pay the cab driver, and wordlessly sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the room. She watched her CO stare aimlessly at the ceiling.

"Maybe we should fly home, sir. Daniel may be driving back by now."

Jack made no reply.

"Sir?"

"Do you think he'd drive back by himself?" Jack asked quietly, still not looking anywhere other than the ceiling. "His stuff is still here."

"What I think is he was upset enough to just keep on going."

"Then you may as well fly back, Carter. If Daniel shows up at his place or the SGC, let me know. I think I'll stay a while and see if he comes back here." Damn them for taking the jeep; Daniel had thought the drive would be relaxing, wanting the conversation and companionship one can't comfortably partake in on an airplane. Jack had just thought the guy had wanted to drag out the time before having to present this lecture; now, everything Daniel had stressed himself out about had become reality.

It was several minutes before Sam responded. "I want to stay too. I'll call Teal'c and have him keep an eye out."

"I'm going to call Hammond."

Jack sat up slowly, remaining on the bed staring at the blank TV screen. Finally, he reached over for the phone.

Carter rose from the chair and went out onto the front balcony. Gazing down the street, she nearly hoped to see Daniel returning, but the cars that sped by all seemed to have somewhere else to go. Daniel's jeep was nowhere to be seen. Finally she gave up and went back inside, intruding upon the conversation between Salt Lake City and Cheyenne Mountain.

"I'm sorry Jack, I heard that Dr. Jackson's seminar had been cancelled."

"No, General, it wasn't cancelled. They let him go on. They let him start his lecture and then pulled the carpet out from under his feet. They made him back out of all he'd already said but gave him no way to do it without looking like a fool, General." Jack's voice was rising, and he took a breath to calm himself. "General?"

General Hammond, twenty-eight levels underground in Cheyenne Mountain, was sitting with his eyes narrowed and lips tight. He'd probably never get to the bottom of this; upper level administration seemed damn good at passing the buck when it came to explanations.

_____

Daniel had sat for so long aimlessly watching the people pass, his view of the world limited to the boundaries of a windscreen, that he began to think he might get charged with loitering in a public place. The tears had since stopped, the anger had abated, and now he felt empty inside. The last place he wanted to go was back to the SGC; he didn't care whether he'd ever see that compound again. But he had nothing else; no career outside of gate travel, no profession that wanted him, and even among his own superiors he didn't know whom to trust. He had only five people whose faith he still held sacred; three were friends and teammates, one was a General of the Air Force, and the fifth was a military doctor.

He had nowhere else to go, and he needed his friends, two of whom he'd stranded at a convention center six hundred miles from home.

_____

The key jangled in the door, and Jack sat up abruptly, switching off the TV. Sam sat cross-legged in the middle of the other bed, her heart pounding. She worried at the state Daniel might be in, and knew she had no clue what to say to him.

The door opened, the day's fading light casting shadows on the worn green carpet. Daniel paused upon seeing his two teammates, then silently shut the door behind him.

Sam rose from the bed, and after making her way across the small room, she gently placed her arms around Daniel's neck.

For a moment he stiffened. He didn't want pity.

Closing his eyes, Daniel realized these people were hurting in their own way; he knew they could feel for him, as he would have been feeling for them. This wasn't pity; it was comfort and support. Silently he reciprocated, wrapping his arms around Sam, and they stood for many long moments. Finally, Daniel pulled away, seeing Jack's concerned look cast towards him.

"Glad you came back."

"You needed a ride."

"I don't know what to say, Daniel."

Daniel sat down on the edge of the bed Jack was still occupying, and Carter gently planted herself on the end, turning her body towards Daniel.

"They used me like a rag they wipe up their coffee spills with."

Sam reached around Daniel and grasped his hand in hers, then leaned her head against the back of his shoulder, uncertain as to whether it was herself or Daniel who needed the comfort the most.

"This sucks." Jack didn't take his eyes off his friend.

Daniel was staring at the closed yellow curtain. "I hate them."

"One day they'll have to make the Stargate public, Daniel. You will get the chance to redeem yourself."

This time, Daniel's red eyes met Jack's. "Jack, next time it's the politicians who'll reveal it, when they're sure they want to. And by then, anything I say will make me look like a bitter archaeologist trying to take the credit for something far beyond my credibility. Who will believe me now?"

Jack could feel the anger rising again, with the tangible reality of what Daniel was feeling, and had been feeling all afternoon. The man had just had his world crushed, again. A year ascended and a fall from grace hadn't changed him; Daniel could still be hurt.

"I'll be there, Daniel. And I'll back you up, I swear. They're not the only ones who know how to call press conferences."

"They're more powerful than us, Jack."

"I don't care."

"I'll look like an embittered employee."

Jack held Daniel's gaze, until Daniel himself was forced to look away. Carter sat up, her hand rubbing Daniel's shoulder. It seemed like there was only one thing left to do, now.

"Let's go home, Jack."

"In the morning. Tonight Daniel, Sam and I are taking you out to eat. Carter…look in the directory for a fancy Italian restaurant, one that's got maybe some violinists…I think we can call this a business expense, don't you? I know the perfect governmental agency that would love to pick up the tab. What kind of wine do you like, Daniel?"

"I'm sure I can find one on the list I've never tried, Jack."

"And you know, Italian desserts can be perfection…"

The words trailed off, each of them knowing that neither dinner nor a vengeful expense account could compensate for a trust being broken, for a friend being used by those he had proven himself loyal to time and time again. The hurt and pain would linger indefinitely, not just in Daniel's heart but in Jack's and Carter's as well. All they could offer was their own support, humour, and friendship, and these were in abundance. All they could hope for was that everything else would some day fall back into place, when Daniel could finally get the reception he'd been deserving of for the past seven years. They'd just have to make sure that this came about before anything else happened to him.

This time it was Jack who squeezed Daniel's shoulder. "Listen, last time no one was around to take you out to eat. At least now you have us. If that's any consolation." Right. But at least he nearly got Daniel to smile; that was a start.

Daniel nodded. "It is. More than you know." He remembered last time; wet, cold, discouraged, miserable. He looked at Sam, then turned and locked eyes with Jack. "Thanks for being here, both of you."

"Had to, you took the car." Jack shrugged in mock apathy. "And you know something else? You still can't trust politicians. I told you not a lot has changed since you've been gone."

Daniel did smile at that. Well, almost. "And your humour's still the same, Jack."

Jack gave Daniel's arm a pat. "Only since you've come back. Right, Carter?"

Sam rolled her eyes. "He was downright miserable for a year, Daniel. Thank goodness you came back."

"Hey, I wouldn't say miserable."

"Ferocious, sir."

"Ferocious? Come on, grumpy maybe."

"Sam's right, Jack. I saw you. I was around."

"You… what? You did not…. So what, you can't even remember."

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