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Plain Reactions

by Travelling One

email: travelling_one@yahoo.ca

website: http://www.travellingone.com/

Season: 4

Summary: These are missing scenes for Chain Reaction. General Bauer has taken over the base and SG-1 is being disbanded.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of MGM Global Holdings Inc, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Film Corp. I have written this story for entertainment purposes and no copyright infringement is intended. Any original characters, situations, and storylines are the property of the author.
Note: This story was written for the zine Stargate SG-1: Fragments, published by PyramidsPress and Stargatefan.com, May 2005.

Written November 2004

"You've been reassigned."

Daniel hadn't been concentrating that intently on Sam's dialogue with General Bauer, his own thoughts centered on the fact that Hammond had left much too abruptly and things were about to change around the SGC. Two brief minutes with the new general had told him more about the man's patience, concern, and camaraderie - or lack thereof - than any longer lecture could have ever done. Absorbed in his own thoughts until Bauer had begun using naquada and nuclear ordnance in the same sentence, those final three words off the tongue of the new commander struck a nerve, and Daniel's head shot up. Sam was being reassigned? "What??"

"As have you, Doctor Jackson. An archeologist has no place on a front line unit. From now on…" the man was casually getting coffee, as though the rest of Daniel's life was of less consequence than a three-word memo.

The lips continued moving, but Daniel had already stopped listening. No, Bauer couldn't mean that, couldn't mean he was off the team for good… couldn't mean…

"… you'll work as a consultant…"

Daniel vaguely heard Sam trying to argue on his behalf. Knowing the futility of his situation, his worst fears materializing, Daniel slipped back around the outer edge of the doorway and into the hall, his back against the wall.

Sam caught Daniel's shocked expression before the bowed head retreated around the corner. Taking "Now I suggest you get to work" as Bauer's form of dismissal, Carter turned her back on the general and hurried out of the room. Her own thoughts ablaze in raging turmoil, she desperately needed to be with Daniel right about now.

Sam found him leaning against the corridor wall, eyes shut.

Daniel heard the soft steps reach him, heard them stop, and knew she was waiting.

"We're off the team." Daniel's strained voice was low, disbelieving. His eyes slowly opened to stare past her, around her, through her.

"Daniel - "

"We're off the team, Sam!" Now his eyes glistened and she gently caught his arm, pulling him forward, forcing him to move.

"Come," her voice tried to sooth, "let's get away from here."

In a half daze, Daniel allowed Sam to guide him along. His legs were taking their automatic steps; his brain must have been doing something, but his thoughts could only repeat the same four words again and again.

Daniel pulled up abruptly. "God, we're off the team." His past was jumbling together in hurried memories, thoughts of the stargate, of SG-1, but his future appeared blank.

Carter glanced around quickly, knowing they had to talk now. Turning directly to her left she pulled Daniel into a storage room and shut the door. For a moment, in the light of the uncovered bulb, the two former teammates stood looking at each other, eyes wide, eyes hurting.

"You might still get back on the team some day. After you design that naquada device. But I'll never go through the gate again." Daniel could feel all the bitterness and pain building up in the back of his throat. "Oh, Sam." He had to get out of here before he broke down and let a know-it-all arrogant puppet of a general get the better of him.

"He didn't say never, Daniel." Sam tried her hand at optimism, for Daniel desperately needed something positive to latch onto, some sort of hope. "He said you might still go offworld when the need arises."

"What, when SG-11 needs an extra hand a couple times a year?" Daniel's voice wavered bitterly. "Why do you think he's keeping them together, Sam, and not putting me on a regular team?" Then a different realization struck, jarring him from his self-pity. "Oh God, Sam, he wants you to build naquada bombs! What are you going to do?"

With eyes turning bleak she let the file folder drop as she wrapped her arms around him, always and forever one of her dearest friends. No breakup of SG-1 would destroy what they had, what they'd shared all these years. Like that they stood, comforting each other, trying in their own minds to convince themselves that this was just a job, just a job, just another job.

No matter what happened, no matter what Bauer threw at them, they would stand firm as friends, forever remaining joined at the psyche.

_____

"We've been talking with Bauer." Daniel and Carter had finally released themselves from the stark solace of their storage room surroundings. Part two of their disagreeable afternoon meant telling Jack. They'd found the man contemplating a large pile of folders, staring into the realm of psychological nothingness.

Jack looked up disinterestedly. "Yeah? Fun guy?" He shook his head, gaze landing again on the mountain of paperwork but making no move to attack it.

No beating around the bush; let Jack hear the news in the abrupt unfeeling way that they had. There was no way they could soften the blow and no way they wanted to make the new general's job easier. "Sam and I are off the team."

Jack's head snapped up, eyes fired upon them in concern. That didn't sound like a joke. "What? Why?"

"Sam has to build a naquada-enhanced nuclear weapon. And I'm a civilian. Actually, Bauer didn't exactly use the word 'civilian'. An archeologist has no place on a front-line unit, apparently. Seems Hammond forgot to tell me that over the past four years." Daniel couldn't hide his sarcasm any longer; with Jack as a participating audience, he had a compassionate outlet for his hurt.

"Like hell. Has the man read any of our mission reports?" Jack's blood pressure was building, he could feel the flow through his pulsating veins. This was too unreal, too unexpected - and yet not surprising. "Get rid of the general, then break up SG-1. That sound familiar to either of you?"

"Sounds a bit like Senator Kinsey, Colonel," Carter admitted. "Are you thinking Major General Bauer might have been chosen by NID or the senator?"

Not impossible; with Maybourne out of the way, Jack still didn't put anything past Kinsey. And Makepeace had warned him that they'd ticked off the wrong people. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

"How?"

"I don't know." Jack frowned. "I'll start by talking to Bauer."

"Good luck, Jack. Let us know where he sends you." Perhaps Jack thought he was kidding, but Daniel wasn't so sure.

_____

Jack was seething. Fuming, and aware that he'd have to watch his mouth and keep his words in check. Anything was likely to spurt out, the way he was feeling. He held little hope of reasoning with this man, but maybe he could at least get some answers. Let the S.O.B explain why he thought Carter's time was more valuable building a bomb than studying technology on unknown planets; something was up that was more secret and classified than the big round transportation ring in the heart of this mountain. And dollars to donuts Bauer had no plausible reason for clipping Daniel's wings. The archeologist could hold a gun and aim as well as any of them, if the going got rough. He could still get them out of more jams than any qualified military personnel with his knowledge of linguistics and diplomacy. Just try to show Jack a fourth member from military ranks who could even try to match Daniel's skill and intelligence.

The door blocked his path and slowed his anger. Preparing to knock, Jack took a breath, counted to six, and rapped once - a single rapid shot signalling business and not friendship.

_____

Bullet-point summaries? SG-1 was out saving the world, one world after another to be exact, and the leader of the operation was concerned about bullet points? The bullet point that most suited this discussion ought to be administered solely from the point-blank position of a gun barrel. Damn good thing this man hadn't been in charge the other day when SG-1 had been ambushed offworld, for Jack had no doubt that Bauer would've closed the iris, and SG-1 would be dead.

Jack had already stifled and swallowed some unsavoury words, but "….. not your head up your ass" flew out beyond his control. What the hell anyway; it felt damn good and was worth the reprimand. You know where I stand, General. I don't - won't - take ruination of my team, of my job and workplace, of the Stargate program, and of this planet, lightly.

And now Bauer was suggesting he take some time off. No, more like throwing him in the penalty box.

He'd been trying to think of a way to talk to Hammond; maybe this was a blessing in disguise. Congratulate yourself you son of a bitch; go ahead, pat yourself on the back for pulling the carpet out from under me and showing me who's boss. You had this planned from the start. But I'm not done with you yet, Bauer; I don't give up that easily. Screw you. You should have read my file.

_____

Carter and Daniel found Teal'c working out with the weights. "Teal'c?"

"Major Carter, Daniel Jackson. Do you wish to join me?"

"No, we wish… want to talk to you."

Teal'c sat up, nodded towards an empty seat.

"Uh, we should probably go somewhere private."

With just a moment's questioning glance Teal'c rose, silently leading them towards his quarters. Wordlessly they followed.

The room felt different without lit candles.

Shutting the door behind them, Teal'c noticed that neither of his teammates made a move to sit.

"Teal'c," Daniel began, glancing once at Sam, "We need to tell you… Sam and I have been taken off SG-1."

Just a glimmer of a reaction graced Teal'c's features. "For what reason?"

"So Sam can build a bigger and better bomb and… um, I'm an archeologist." As if that explained everything. Anything. But Bauer had not explained himself, so why make the effort to clarify something that none of them agreed with anyway?

Teal'c was now frowning visibly. "I do not understand this reasoning."

And that pretty well summed it up for all of them.

"Colonel O'Neill's gone to talk to him."

"Which won't make a bit of difference." Disgust and resignation contorted Daniel's features.

""I will not remain at the SGC without your presences offworld."

"You've got to, Teal'c," Daniel countered. "That's what they want, for SG-1 to be disbanded."

"I will not. My allegiance is to SG-1."

"No, Teal'c," Carter agreed with Daniel. "Your allegiance is to Earth. You have to keep on fighting for us."

"I would prefer to fight with you."

"So would we, Teal'c. But the SGC needs you. And so will the colonel."

"Sam's right. You may have begun with us, Teal'c, but you can continue without us. You'll still be with Jack." Hopefully.

"I have learned much from you, Daniel Jackson, and from you, Major Carter." Yes; he had learned from this Tau'ri team. He had entered a new world with trepidation and hope, and come away with integrity, honesty, soul. With trust, acceptance, and kinship. He had learned to never leave anyone behind. He had learned how it felt to have someone fight for him when he himself had been ready to give up, both in body and in heart. He had learned the emotions involved in choosing to die for a comrade.

"Then honour us with it, Teal'c. Keep the heart of SG-1 intact."

Teal'c nodded. "I will take all I have learned from SG-1 and use it to protect your world. I will use it to someday teach and enlighten those living freely in my own."

Sam and Daniel faced the warrior, heaviness pervading the atmosphere. Bauer was breaking up something special, for no reason that they could understand save for political vengeance and jealousy.

_____

No one really wanted to ask what had ensued; they could already see it in Jack's face. They had waited in Teal'c's room, lighting the candles and sitting silently in each other's company, knowing that their team leader would show up when he was ready. In their connected way they knew Jack would come looking for them, and that it wouldn't take him long to find them.

"So?" Daniel finally ventured.

"I'm on leave."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "On who's request?" Yours?

"Bauer's." Jack pursed his lips. "But I figured it's as good a time as any to go talk to Hammond. See if I can entice him to come back." Home. To come home.

"I'll wash his car for a year," Daniel offered with an ingratiating grin.

"Yeah, I'll help, if that's all it takes." Jack shook his head, wishing not for the first time that there was a window out of which he could pretend to stare. "Maybe once he hears what Bauer's done to us…." If wishes could be packaged and dreams could be sold, he'd buy a dozen. "A nice guilt trip never hurts, and I'm not convinced he's all that happy with his decision."

"Want us to come?"

"No, Daniel. Keep an eye on things here. Let me know what's going on."

Daniel nodded, Sam accompanying the motion.

"Well, no sense in wasting time." Jack stood, slapping his hand against his leg. "No time like the present to get a job done." If only he could apply that sentiment to paperwork.

"Good luck."

"Yeah. You too." Jack connected with the unhappy expressions in the eyes of his teammates. This was so wrong, in oh so many ways. These were people who needed to be together, needed each other. And the SGC damn well needed them, more than ever now.

"Don't give up, kids. It's what they want." Whomever they were, but Jack would be damned if he would let it end this way. He was on a self-imposed mission now, and as far as he was concerned this could very well be the most important one of his career. "I'll keep in touch." Teal'c would be okay, going offworld with another team. Carter was a lab physicist; she'd be okay, going offworld when her work on the bomb was done. Daniel… Jack met the archeologist's troubled eyes. Daniel was no desk clerk; he needed the outdoors, needed exploration. This would affect him the hardest. For you, kiddo. This one's for you. Jack turned, leaving his team - and no matter what, they would always be his team - in the dim flickering candlelight of the room that bridged the gap between two warring worlds.

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