Determined

by Sherri

The mission to planet PBX-5 something or another, was supposed to be simple and straight forward.  The goal was to scout out the area and identify a structure hidden on the planet.  However it didn’t quite turn out the way they had planned, and Colonel Jack O’Neill, SG-1’s leader, wasn’t surprised.  By now, he was used to the unexpected. 

Their mission deteriorated as soon as he and his team had stepped through the gate.  Well, maybe not exactly after stepping out of the gate, but soon after.  As usual, they sent out the M.A.L.P. to check the readings on the planet, and there was nothing out of the ordinary to alert them to trouble. 

So by the time walked out on the other side of the wormhole, Jack was feeling fairly confident with this mission.  Shoot, he had been able to land feet first when the wormhole spit him out.  How often did that happen?  Not enough in his books.  Nothing like walking into thru the stargate on earth, and somewhere in transport something happens to thrust him out like a shot put.  And often times that meant landing face first in the dirt, and that happened only after a long tumble down the hard stone steps. 

As Jack walked steadily down the stone steps, he watched as Daniel Jackson, his team’s foremost and only archaeologist, stood at the base of the stone steps readjusting his glasses.  For awhile now, Jack had been trying to convince Daniel to invest in a sturdier pair of glasses, or at least a pair of contacts.  He couldn’t count the amount of times that those glasses had been twisted, broken or mangled.  Jack shrugged his shoulders, then scanned the area, turning his attention to his second in command on the team, whose gun was up and ready to face any unknown forces. 

The major, his second in command, was an air force member like himself, but the main distinction was that she was female.  Ok, so women could be an asset to the air force, but to be honest, back in the first briefing when the teams were being formed, he had not been very happy about being told she was on his team.  It galled him. But it was after the first mission to Abydos she had proven herself. 

A few steps away from the stargate, standing next to the DHD device the fourth member of their team stood alert, watching for any possible trouble. If having a geek and a scientist wasn’t enough, he figured that having an alien on his team would round out this group of odd-balls.  It was while trying to rescue the people of Abydos that Jack and his team came across Teal’c, Apophis’s first prime.  If someone had told him that this Jaffa would be the one who would save their lives by breaking them out of prison, he would not have believed them.  But it happened.  And now this Jaffa, known as Teal’c, was an integral part of the team.  He renounced Apophis as his god and willingly fought and worked alongside the SG-1 team.  To be honest, there was one thing about Teal’c that took Jack awhile to get used to and that was that damn snake that had permanent residence in Teal’c stomach.  Junior as Jack often referred to it.  But time had proven Teal’c to be a valuable team member and friend. 

This was his team, and he was proud of them.  They were his family. 

Back at Stargate Command, they had sat in briefings studying the images and discussing whether visiting the planet would be a viable option.  The image obtained from a flyover by the UAV showed that the majority of the planet was flat and barren.  However, not far from the gate, in a sand dune, there was some sort of unidentifiable structure.  It was enough to get Daniel excited.  Carter of course seconded the excitement and Jack had sat in the meeting, rolling his eyes.  While his team had waited in eager anticipation, waiting for the general’s go, Jack already knew the answer.  Hammond would declare the planet viable for a mission. 

Yep, he was right and now here they were on this barren planet of sand, standing in front of the stargate, their initial sweep of the area completed.  At least there were no trees, Jack thought belatedly.  Off in the distance they could see miniature dust devils dancing across the horizon.  

Carter had just finished walking around the area in front of the stargate, studying the scientific instrument that she held in her hand.  “Sir, there are no life forms, just as the M.A.L.P. indicated.”

Colonel O’Neill nodded, as he motioned towards the DHD device.  “Check it out Carter,” he ordered.

“It’s in good condition, sir, just a little dusty,” she called out after a quick examination of the device.

“Good,” Jack turned and motioned for Teal’c to take point.  “Carter you’re next, followed by Daniel and I’ll cover our six.”

In the blink of an eye it happened. 

Similar to the dust devils they had observed from across the landscape, new ones suddenly sprung up from the ground around them.  What triggered this anomaly, no one knew.  But without warning they were a part of it.  The sand rose up from the ground, swirling and twisting as it encircled Teal’c and wrapped him in a blanket of thick sand.  Jack was yelling out for him to pull back when he realized that he could no longer see the Jaffa.  He knew immediately they were in trouble when he watched the sand roll towards him and his team, like a fog bank, engulfing them completely in a whirl wind of tiny grains of sand. 

Feeling the sand swirling around his body, he could also feel the particles of sand digging into his skin and every open spot on his body.  He had to do something, and fast.  Jack dug into his vest pockets and pulled out his neck cloth, then wrapped it around his nose and mouth.  He hoped that everyone else had already followed through, as procedure dictated.  Hurriedly, he slipped on his goggles, and momentarily felt a moment of relief in not having to squint through the sand.  Jack looked up to see that Teal’c and Carter had followed through, both attired as he was.  Daniel however, was having trouble.

“Teal’c!  Get back to the gate,” he yelled over the dusty sand.  Then as he walked towards Daniel, he shouted out again, hoping to be heard over the roar. “Carter, start dialing home, NOW.” 

In one long stride, Jack was standing beside Daniel, adjusting the man’s goggles while snatching the neck cloth from the man’s vest, tying it around his face.  When the archaeologist started sneezing in quick succession of another, Jack realized that Daniel had already inhaled more than enough sand.  They needed to get off this planet and fast.  A sniggle of worry developed when he heard a heavy cough spring up from Daniel, the dust must be settling in his chest.

Damn. 

Jack looked up to see what was taking Major Carter so long to dial up the device.  Carter, who had started the dialing was now hunched over the dialing pad, sneezing.  She tried to finish the dialing sequence, her hands snaking towards the device, but the sneezing kept her from finishing. 

Double damn.

With his hand hooked onto Daniel’s vest, Jack dragged the man along with him as he strode over to the DHD, while at the same time he scanned the area for Teal’c.  The sand storm lifted slightly, enough for him to see the big Jaffa hunched over, standing near the gate, his arms clutched around his stomach.  Obviously junior was having just as much trouble with this sand storm as the rest of them.

Things weren’t looking good, Jack realized as he released his hold on Daniel.  “Stand right here,” he yelled over the rising sound of the sand as it danced heavily around them.  Then pushing aside Carter, who was still leaning against the DHD, sneezing, he finished the sequence of codes and was about to punch in the last code when he felt a tickle in his nose.  Without warning, he sneezed.  Again and again, the sneezes followed one another in quick succession.  Desperate to get off this planet, Jack forced himself to punch in the last code and then thrust his body forward so that it pressed the glowing orange device, activating the gate.  The whoosh of the gate opening let him know he had succeeded.  Somewhere, somehow in between sneezes, he punched in the GDO code then fell to the ground, alternating between sneezing and coughing

Jack’s head was aching and his nose was itching terribly, and then on top of that he could barely stop sneezing.  But he had to get his team home, no questions about it.  Rubbing his nose, he yelled out hoping he was heard above the dull roar of the sand storm. 

“Go! Go! Go!” Jack hollered, his eyes falling on Daniel and Carter who didn’t move. 

Jack scrambled to his feet, and grabbed Daniel’s and Carter’s vest.  Pushing them in front of him, he looked around to see Teal’c, struggling to stand, his arm still around his mid-rift.

“Teal’c!” Jack yelled as he pulled his two counterparts to the stone steps of the Stargate.  After making sure they made it up the steps, he turned around to help Teal’c when he felt his own body willfully reject his attempts to move.  Without warning, he felt his feet slip out from beneath him, as he landed with a thump to the stone steps below him.  It was then that the headache that had been dormant behind his eyes came forth with blinding intensity.  Jack cradled his head and moaned in pain.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.  

Teal’c.

From somewhere deep inside him, Jack found a source of energy that propelled him up from his rocky seat as he grabbed hold of Teal’c's arm, a source of stability.  Then together, warrior to warrior, they stepped through the shimmering blue horizon towards home.

What happened next was a whirlwind of activity.  He and Teal’c had come through the wormhole just before it had disengaged and found themselves under the capable hands of the medic team.  Dr. Frasier wasn’t there, which meant she was either with the rest of his team or on an emergency elsewhere. 

There was so much activity, and with him still sneezing things weren’t making a lot of sense.  Somehow he found himself laying on his back on the gurney, how he got there he didn’t remember.  To be honest, he wasn’t feeling too good at the moment and the chance to lean his head back and rest was welcoming.  With his goggles removed, his eyes felt like sandpaper every time he tried looking around.  So he did the next best thing, he closed his eyes.  Just as bad was the grittiness in his mouth, the sand he had collected while talking on the planet.  He tried to spit it out, but the medics next to him resisted his efforts to sit up.  Instead, he lay on the gurney listening to the sounds around him, while trying to ignore the sand castles his tongue was making inside his mouth.  One good thing though.  The blinding pain he had experienced before entering the gate was gone. 

Now he was in the infirmary feeling much better and ready to leave.  It felt like they had been there for hours, the usual gamut of tests were run.  At some point, someone had given him a rinse for his eyes, and after a few washes the grittiness was gone.  Thank God.  A cup of mouthwash had helped rid him of the disgusting grit that had been floating around in his mouth, although here and there, where he moved his tongue, he could feel a few stragglers. 

From a break in the curtain, Jack could see that Dr. Frasier was still with Daniel.  She had been hovering over him for the past thirty minutes, concerned with the sneezing the younger man was still experiencing.  Personally, Jack was happy that she was over there.  He had just received an all clear from the medic in front of him and he was desperate to get out of the there before being caught by Frasier.  He knew that was there was no way on earth she would have let him go, while knowing that there were tests outstanding waiting for review.  But at the moment, he was more than willing to take advantage of the medic’s inexperience. 

Quietly he slipped on his black t-shirt back and re-buckled his pants, then stood up next to the bed.  He pushed aside the curtain and looked around the room.  Four beds away, occupying a bed next to Daniel, was Carter talking to the doctor who at that precise moment was drawing blood from the archaeologist’s arm.  Jack pushed the curtain open further.  There was Teal’c obediently lying on his bed.  Jack grinned.  Sitting back on the bed, he hurriedly tied the laces on his boots, and then stealthily slipped out the back door of the infirmary, into the hallway.

Home free! 

Jack picked up the pace.  He was just rounding the corner, when he heard a loud clatter in the hallway in front of him.  Without warning, he walked straight into disaster.  Mops and brooms were scattered all over the floor and he was walking too fast to stop.    

THUD! 

His right foot had stepped inadvertently on a mop handle, and it twisted him around, throwing him unwillingly to the floor.  A string of expletives spilled out of his mouth as he landed unceremoniously on his butt.  As he struggled to his feet, kicking the renegade mop handle out of his way, he heard a noise above him. Looking up, Jack saw a red-faced airman hovering against the wall.

“Airman, what the hell,” he asked, glaring at the airman while sweeping the area with his hands.  “Are these things doing on the floor?”

At times the Colonel’s hard-ass attitude could cause a non-combat person to tremble, but this was a military man and he still trembled.  He tried to pick up a mop, but it slipped out of his hands.  The airman’s hands were shaking so much that he couldn’t concentrate enough to come up with a reply. 

“Uh, the uh, they uh…” the airman stuttered.

“They uh what?” Colonel O’Neill bellowed, glaring at the hapless airman. 

The airman pressed his back against the wall and swallowed hard before answering, “I’m sorry, sir; they fell before I could catch them.”

“Fine, just get them cleaned up,” O’Neill demanded. 

“Yes sir,” he answered, but he didn’t move.

Jack closed his eyes as he ran his hands through his hair, sending the strands every direction other than straight.  “Get it done now airman,” Jack less harshly.  “I don’t want anyone else tripping over these, causing a potentially serious injury.”

This time the airman saluted.  “Yes sir.” Then he bent down and started cleaning up the mops and brooms that had fallen across the length of the hallway.

Turning away from the mess, Jack could feel a slight ache in his ankle as he hobbled away from the scene.  There was no way on earth he was going back to the infirmary, even to get his ankle checked out.

“Colonel.”

Jack recognized that voice and audibly groaned. 

Dr. Frasier.  

He made a face as he pivoted around to face her.  Now what on earth was she doing here?

“Looking for you,” she replied.

He had spoken aloud.  “Damn.”

“Colonel,” stated Dr. Frasier.  She pointed to her ankle then motioned towards the clinic.  “You know procedure sir.  We need to get your ankle checked out.”

“It’s fine, doc.  Really it’s fine.”

She didn’t say a word, just crossed her arms and stared at the Colonel.  “I wasn’t finished with you anyway, and I think you knew that.”

“Damn mops,” O’Neill muttered under his breath.  “I almost made it.”

“I heard that,” Frasier said with a grin.

The silent figure behind the duo didn’t say a word as he watched the colonel and doctor walk away.  I heard that to, the airman thought silently, mortified by what had just happened. This had happened on a busy walkway and he knew there had been people around to watch the Colonel dress him down, people who looked at him with pity he was sure.  He didn’t like it one bit, no sir he didn’t.  And did the Colonel apologize?  Of course not!  The airman continued to mutter under his breath about the unfair treatment that had been directed towards him as he silently cleaned up the mess.

**********************

Days had passed since the incident on PBX-5 whatever, and the subsequent fall Jack had taken in the hallway.  Of course the result was that whenever Jack came across that particular airman he would mutter “Mop Boy” to no one but himself.   As for the consequences of his unauthorized pre-release from the infirmary, he had been forced to endure another round of tests.  He had a feeling that this was Dr. Frasier’s revenge on him for ignoring procedure, taking advantage of a medic’s inexperience.  While he was undergoing tests, his team was released from the infirmary, including Daniel to Jack’s surprise.  On their way out, they came past his bed offering words of sympathy, but he could see straight thru them.  Sympathy intermingled with laughter and smiles were not genuine, he told them with a snort. 

Just as he had expected his tests came out clean, which was no surprise to Jack.  Other than the grit in his mouth he felt fine, not even his ankle gave him trouble.  Finally after the doc had prodded and thoroughly checked out his ankle, which included an X-ray, Dr. Frasier declared that he was fine. Well, maybe not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it.  The worst that had happened, she had said, was that he had a slight twist, but it wasn’t something that required an overnight stay in the infirmary.  Needless to say, when he left the infirmary, slinging his fatigue shirt over his shoulder he was feeling a little too gleeful.  That probably explained his actions that followed later that afternoon.

The idea sprang up when he entered the locker room and discovered a magazine peeking out from beneath the lockers.  He bent down to retrieve it and glanced at the cover.  Jack was about to tuck it back where he found it, when he smiled.  An idea was forming.  Sticking the magazine in the back of his pants, he pulled on his fatigue shirt, allowing the tail to hang loosely over it.  A mission briefing was to occur in less than an hour so he didn’t have too much time to prepare.  He left the locker room and sauntered down the hallway, hoping that the major was still in her lab.  She was.

“Carter,” Jack called out as he entered into the lab, his eyes landing on a machine next to where the major was working.  The mechanism had flashing doo-dads on it that mesmerized him, lights flashing various vibrant colors.   He paused and stared at it, his hand snaking forward.

“Don’t touch that…sir” Carter exclaimed, adding the sir as an afterthought.  “That is what SG-11 brought back from their mission.  We are still trying to figure out the configurations, and we’d rather not start pushing buttons before we are prepared.”

Jack raised his hands as he made a detour around the fascinating object, and just watched it.  

Carter cleared her throat, “Sir?”

“What?” Jack was startled for a moment as he looked over at Carter, then shook his head when he remembered the reason for being down there.  “Oh yes,” he rubbed the side of his face, “I was wondering if you have the reports ready for the debriefing with General Hammond.”

“The reports, sir? Yes,” she said pointing to the folders on the edge of the table, “they’re right there.”

Jack walked over to the folders, fiddling with the top one.  “If you don’t mind, I’ll take them up to the briefing room for you,” he said, gathering the folders in his arms. 

Carter looked at him suspiciously.  “Why do you want the folders, sir?”

“No reason, just thought I’d help you out,” he answered with a slight shrug.  “Do you mind?”  Taking her silence as a no, he threw a quick wave her way and disappeared out of the lab.

“That was weird,” Carter said to herself.  Then she turned back to look at the figures she had been working on before being interrupted.

Whistling a tune down the hallway, Jack ducked into his office and shut the door, dropping the folders on the desk.  He opened the top folder, looking briefly at the contents, then reached behind him and pulled the magazine from its hiding place.  Flipping thru the pages, he found one he wanted and ripped it out.  He then slipped it behind a page of columns of reporting numbers.   Finished, Jack slammed the folder shut. 

Double checking to make sure that the doctored folder was on top, he grabbed the stack and left his office, just making it in time to the briefing.  Nodding at the General, then at Teal’c and Daniel he sank down in his seat, setting the folders down on the table in front of him.

“Where’s Carter?”  General Hammond asked as he glanced at his second in command.  Something was going on, but he couldn’t quite figure out what.  O’Neill sat at the table, a look of innocence on the colonel’s face as he tapped his fingers in a rhythm on the table.  Before he could make mention of it, Carter stepped into the room. 

“Sorry I’m late sir,” Carter apologized as she approached the table.  “I was looking for the folders, when I remembered that the Colonel had them.”

“Colonel?”  Hammond inquired.

“What?  Oh yes, the folder’s,” Jack answered distractedly.  Slipping the first one across the table to Daniel, he continued around the table until everyone in the room had one, then settled back in the chair and waited for the action to begin. 

They had made it halfway through the introduction of the briefing when the door opened to present Dr. Frasier.

General Hammond nodded at the petite doctor, and motioned her to the table.  “Dr. Frasier, glad you could make it.”

“Sorry I’m late sir, there was a small medical emergency in the infirmary.”

“Is everything ok?”

“Oh yes, sir,” Frasier answered as she pulled out a chair next to Daniel, “Everything’s under control.”

Jack turned his attention towards Carter’s who continued her monologue, never even noticing the folder Daniel slid over for the doctor to share with him.

“Now if you turn to following page, you’ll see the data on the tests that we ran on the samples we extracted from the planet. I had just enough time to gather some of the sand into a container before…”

“Oh my God!”

Carter jumped. 

She turned around in time to see Daniel fumbling with his folder, slamming it shut.  Dr. Frasier sat next to him, her face crimson.  What was going on?  She continued to look around the table to see what she was missing, when she caught the look on the Colonel’s face.  He looked flabbergasted and was trying to reach across the table to get Daniel’s folder.   Meanwhile, Teal’c sat next to O’Neill, observing the proceedings with an equally perplexed look on his face.

“Colonel? Daniel?” Carter asked obviously confused as to what was going on.

Daniel grabbed the folder from O’Neill’s outstretched hands and pulled it closer to his body, then looked over at the General with a flustered look on his face.  “Um, General, I uh, need to be excused for a moment.”

Hammond shook his head, “I don’t think so Dr. Jackson.  I need to know what is going on here, and why Dr. Frasier is sitting at the table in shock.”

All eyes turned to Frasier, who sat there not moving, just staring down at the table.  “Dr. Jackson?”

“Um, Sir, “Jack interjected, as he pushed away from the table his eyes were still on Daniel and the folder.  “Perhaps Daniel should be excused.”

“Colonel O’Neill, I think not.  Dr. Jackson,” Hammond said as he turned his attention away from his second in command.  Something was going on here and he was determined to find out what.  “Would you please hand me your folder.”

Jack quickly stood up.  “General, sir,” he cleared his throat, “I’m not sure if that is a good idea.  If you don’t mind sir, I’ll take the folder and examine the contents.”

“I do mind Colonel,” he answered sternly.  “You may sit down now.”

Jack paused, hesitating between obeying and arguing.

“Sit down,” Hammond repeated, this time with more force in his voice.

Jack let out a sigh and sank into his seat, burying his head in his hands. He didn’t want to know the General’s reaction to what was within that folder.

Teal’c and Carter exchanged looks, still at a complete loss as to what was happening.

Hesitantly Dr. Jackson approached Hammond, handing the folder to the general before stepping away.  He looked over at Dr. Frasier and blushed, then quickly looked down to the ground waiting for what was sure to be an explosion.

General Hammond sat straight up in his chair, and then motioned for Dr. Jackson to return to his seat.  He watched as Dr. Jackson sat back down, and waited a moment before setting the folder on the table.  He glanced around the room, studying everyone’s reactions. Teal’c and Carter still looked puzzled and obviously were out of the loop on this one, while O’Neill sat at the table, his face still buried in his hands.  On the other side of the table, Dr. Frasier and Dr. Jackson both sat nervously, fidgeting, neither one willing to raise their eyes.  Fortunately now Dr. Frasier’s normal color had finally returned to her face. 

Sighing to himself, Hammond opened the folder then slowly began flipping through the pages uncertain with what he was going to find.  There was the report that Carter had just finished telling them about, and just as he flipped the page he came to face with a full frontal image of a nude woman direct from the pages of Playboy.  Now he wasn’t a subscriber of the popular magazine amongst his men, but he still could recognize the tell-tale symbols of the Playboy emblem on the page.  He let out another sigh, and then slowly shut the folder.  There was no need to figure out who was at fault here, Hammond realized.  All it took was one look at his second in command to figure out the answer to that one. 

“Colonel.”

Jack raised his head and looked over the general.  “Yes sir?”

“I need to see you immediately following the briefing.”

“Yes sir,” he answered with resignation in his voice.  He dropped his head back onto his arms, the battle lost to keep his head upright.

Hammond turned to Carter, “Continue with your discussion Major Carter.”

Carter paused a moment, taking that opportunity to look at her team members, then shrugged her shoulders and continued.

To be honest, no one really heard what Carter was saying, each lost in their thoughts.  Daniel was mortified that he had flipped over the page to see that naked woman, in that pose.  To him, what made it the situation worse was that Dr. Frasier was there to see it.  While Daniel groused on that, on the other side of the table Jack was beginning to have some serious regrets.  He tried to guess what the general was going to do to him, and each situation wasn’t good. 

At the head of the table, Hammond sat zoned out trying to think of a way to handle this.  O’Neill was a special officer in his eyes, a bit of a handful, but a good officer despite that.  So intent in his thoughts, he never realized he was scowling until it was pointed out to him.

“Sir?”  Carter asked hesitantly.  She had been talking for the last fifteen minutes and could tell that no one was listening to her, except perhaps Teal’c.  Whatever it was that had been in the folder must have been something pretty big to reduce her team members into their current state.  And now the General sat in his chair scowling at her.  What had she done?

General Hammond sat up in his chair to attention, realizing he had no idea what Carter had been talking about for last fifteen minutes.  Clearing his throat, he apologized.  “I’m sorry Dr. Carter.  If you don’t mind, we’ll call a halt to this briefing and continue it at a later time. There is something I must attend to first.”  He pushed away from the table and stood, facing the SG-1 team and Dr. Frasier.  “Everyone’s dismissed, except Colonel O’Neill.  In my office please.”

Jack lifted his head and silently groaned.  He was almost hoping that he would escape the call into the “principals” office.  Ignoring Carter and Teal’c’s questioning looks, he waited until everyone left, then slowly stood up and went into General Hammond’s office.

“Sir?”

Hammond looked up and motioned towards the door.  “Close the door Colonel.”

This was going to be bad, Jack thought as he shut the door. Returning to stand in front of the General, he stood in an “at ease” stance while waiting for the general to speak.

“Colonel, what do you think you were doing?”

“Sir?”

“This material is obviously inappropriate for a mission briefing, yet you knowingly planted it there in Dr. Jackson’s folder,” the General said as he pulled the fateful folder out, opening it in front of the colonel.

Jack couldn’t look at the picture.  He knew what he had stuck there, and had relived it over and over since Dr. Jackson and Dr. Frasier’s reaction.  “I didn’t know that Daniel was going to share his folder with Dr. Frasier,” Jack mumbled.

“What did you say Colonel?”

The general was glaring at him, and it was making Jack extremely uncomfortable.  Any hopes of getting out of this easily were fading away.  Hammond looked mad, really mad.  “I’m sorry sir for my indiscretion,” Jack said, donning his strictly military voice. “I shouldn’t have put that picture in Dr. Jackson’s folder, sir.”

“No Colonel you shouldn’t have,” Hammond said.  He shut the folder closed with a quick snap and tossed it on the edge of his desk.  “I’ve been trying to think of a punishment that would be suitable for the infraction,” Hammond replied, clasping his hands in front of him.  He looked O’Neill directly in the eye.  “I decided that being as you want to act as one of the enlisted men, that I should give you a job that an enlisted man would be given if they did a similar trick.”

Jack felt his stomach tighten.  “Sir?”

“At 0600 hours tomorrow morning, Colonel Jack O’Neill, you are to report to First Lieutenant Airman Martin Boggs in the men’s latrine.”

“What?!”  Jack gasped out.

Hammond looked at his second in command.  “Do you have a problem with that Colonel?”

“The latrines, sir?”  Jack sputtered.  “That’s… that’s…”  He stopped his sputtering and looked at the General.  “What will the men think when they see a Colonel in the latrines cleaning, sir?”

Hammond looked directly at the Colonel as he answered him.  “Then they will know that a Colonel has no special favors of rank when it comes to punishment.  If you want to act like an enlisted man, then the punishment should fit.”

Jack stood there unwilling, unable to move.  Latrine duty?  Cleaning the latrines was a sick and disgusting job, one that he hadn’t had to do in years.  Shoot, he couldn’t remember the last time he had the duty.  And usually the men who were in charge of latrine duty were sick bastards, insisting that each and every speck of tile be cleaned, with a toothbrush.  He was soooo not looking forward to this.

“You’re dismissed Colonel.”

O’Neill jerked his head up, the look of misery evident on his face.  With a resigned sigh he saluted, “Yes sir, thank you sir.”  Then turned and opened the door behind him, leaving the office without another word.

Jack didn’t stop until he was in his office, the door closed, before letting his feelings known.  He leaned over and swept his hands across his desk, knocking everything off with one swipe.  Breathing heavily, he glanced at the clock, which lay tilted on its side on the floor.  The blinking LED light indicated that it was 1900 hours. He was tired, exhausted and peeved and all he wanted at the moment was to go home.    

Unwilling to spend the night on base, he wanted as far away from this underground prison as possible.  So without a backward glance at the mess on the floor, he left his office and headed for the men’s locker room.  As he was changing into his civilian clothing he could hear muted laughter just outside of the door.  Quickly lacing the ties on his boots he pushed the door open to see two airmen talking outside the door.  Both airmen stopped talking and saluted when the subject of their conversation appeared in front of them.

“Uh hi, sir,” stuttered one of the airman.

Jack looked at him.  He seemed familiar, then remembered this one the one he had labeled mop boy.  His patience was short, evident by his reply. “Uh, hi sir? Can you not talk without inserting the uh in every sentence?” Jack growled.  He was cranky and knowing that these two airmen had been talking about him, an officer to boot, it riled him up.

“Uh, er… yes sir.”

Jack threw a sloppy salute back to them then fluttered his hands in an effort to brush them aside.  He stalked past them to the elevator, never seeing the look of hate one of the airmen threw his way.

************

The next morning allowed Colonel O’Neill to discover that latrine duty had been as terrible as he had been expecting, if not worse.  What compounded to the problem were the stares and snickers thrown his way the airman who entered the area.  Oh no, they didn’t do it to his face because all it took was one bark from him before they’d scurry away.  Hours later he was finally relieved of the duty, and as it was the rest of the day he could smell the cleaner on his hands.  No matter how many times during the day that he washed his hands he couldn’t get rid of the smell. 

Thus the rest of his day had been spent in his office, cleaning up the mess he had created from the day before and avoiding people.  He had taken time at one point to go to lunch, but left without eating.  Back in his office, he spent the rest of the afternoon collecting the paperwork that was strewn across the floor, and putting the loose papers back into the appropriate folders. 

Once everything was in its proper place, he sat down at his desk and rested his head in his hands.  There was one thing he still needed to do and he had put it off long enough.  He had to go see Daniel and Dr. Frasier, both people he had been avoiding since the incident of yesterday, and apologize. 

Pushing away from the desk he pulled his door open and looked down the hallway trying to decide where to go first.  He was still in the midst of indecision when Carter appeared.

“Carter!”

“Sir,” Carter replied as she looked over at the Colonel.  The man looked terrible, dark circles under his tired eyes, his hair was a mess caused by his habit of continuously running his fingers through his hair.  “How are you doing?”

“Peachy,” he replied with a sigh.  He leaned up against the wall and closed his eyes before speaking again.  “Have you seen Daniel around?”

“Daniel? Yes sir, he’s down in his office.”  Carter watched the Colonel’s face twitch, obviously lost in thought.  “I’ll walk with you if you are headed that way, sir.”

“What?  Oh yes, okay,” Jack replied distractedly. 

Together they walked down the hallway to Daniel’s office, chatting some about an upcoming mission when before they knew it, they were standing in front of Daniel’s door.    

Jack reached out to open the door when it suddenly flew open, and the object of his visit appeared.

“Daniel!” Jack exclaimed.

“Jack,” he nodded when he noticed who was with the colonel.  “Sam.”

Sam smiled.  “Daniel.”

“Daniel,” Jack started then stopped, unsure of how to start.  Instead he traced a pattern with his forefinger on his thumb.

Daniel crossed his arms in front of him, waiting for Jack to speak.

Unable to find a way around it, Jack dropped his hands and went straight to the point. “Daniel, the picture in your folder yesterday,” he said, pausing.  “It was intended to be a joke.”

The younger man stood there, his arms still crossed in front of him trying to figure out how far to take this.  But having already heard of his punishment, he shrugged his shoulders and uncrossed his arms.  “I know,” Daniel replied with a slight smile. 

“You do?”  Jack said with a surprised look.

“Yeah,” he replied, “it’s just with Janet sitting there next to me I didn’t have a chance to hide it.  She got embarrassed and then I got embarrassed and well, you know the rest.”

“So you’re not upset?”

“Jack, I’m not upset,” Daniel replied as he pushed his glasses up on his nose, “although I do expect you to make it up to us.”

“Make it up to us? And who is us?”

“To the team, and oh yeah, Dr. Frasier,” Daniel replied with a look of innocence.  “Because it wasn’t fair that you had Carter and Teal’c out of the loop, they had no idea what was going on until they heard about your latrine duty.”  At that Daniel blushed, unwilling admitting that he knew of the Colonel’s punishment.  He actually felt bad for his friend.

Jack blanched.  “You know about that?”

“Jack, everyone knows about it.  People can’t help but hear things.”

Jack scowled. 

“Let it go Jack,” Daniel suggested, fearful of the good mood that the Colonel had appeared with would go away. 

“Let it go?”

“Shoot Jack,” Daniel argued, “at least you didn’t have to have Janet sitting next to you looking at… at… that picture!”

Jack thought for a moment then grinned, and then just as quickly choked back the grin.  “Shoot,” he said, reminded of the doctor’s role in the briefing.  “That reminds me, I need to see Dr. Frasier about that.”

“Oh, if you are going to see Janet, see if she’s interested in joining us over at your place this evening, your treat.”

“My treat?”

Carter tapped the Colonel on the shoulder. “I agree with Daniel.  You treat us to pizza tonight, and we’ll forget about what happened yesterday.”

“And today,” Jack grumbled.

“And today,” Daniel echoed.

Jack started backing away from Carter and Daniel, “I’m going to go see Dr. Frasier, if one of you would find Teal’c and tell him what is going.  I’ll go find out if Janet wants to join us.”

************      

It had been a long day for Jack O’Neill, especially since the day at started at 0600 hours in the latrines, cleaning them.  He wasn’t sure just how clean they were considering the airman who was in charge of him became backed away from him, after the first few yells that Jack threw towards him.  Beyond that the day had gone well, he realized, pulling his cell phone out of a pocket in his leather jacket.  Apologies had been made all around, and in turn he was to provide the meal of the night, pizza.  Personally all he wanted to do was go on home and collapse into bed, but a deal was a deal and he couldn’t get out of it.  Stifling a yawn, he pressed speed dial to the number to Mac’s Pizza Parlor and placed his order with the kid on the other end.    As he disconnected the call, he was returning his cell phone to his pocket when he passed by “mop boy” who appeared to be leaving the base also.  Jack realized that he didn’t even know the airman’s name.  All he did was refer to him as “mop boy”, but the he had to have a name.  He was just about to call out to him when Daniel appeared.

“Pizza’s ordered, Jack?”

“Just did it Daniel,” he answered patting the pocket on his jacket.  “Two large pineapple pizza specials.”

Daniel gasped.  “You didn’t. Jack!  You know I, no we, can’t stand pineapple on our pizza!”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh, just at Daniel’s reaction.  “Don’t worry, Daniel.  The one large pineapple pizza is for me.  I ordered the other pizza’s how you guys like them.”

“Did you order from Mac’s?”

“Yep, they have the best pizza in town,” Jack answered as he pivoted around towards the doors.  “And I need to leave now if I’m going to go get the pizza’s on time.”

Punching the button for the elevator, the doors quickly opened and Jack stepped in.  No one followed him in and there was no one on the elevator with him.  He leaned his head up against the wall and closed his eyes.  All too soon, the elevator landed on the surface level, and Jack checked out.

On his way over to his parking spot, Jack wrinkled his nose at the bird droppings that covered the top of his truck, used apparently as target practice.  It needed a good washing, one of these days, he thought as he slipped into his truck and brought it roaring to life.  Feeling the tension in his shoulders, he felt the need to work out his shoulder muscles, rolling his shoulders and stretching his arms against the steering wheels.  The windows were down and he was enjoying the fresh air, when halfway down the mountain a smell intermingled with the fresh mountain air caught his attention. 

He sniffed. 

Brake fluid. 

Jack quickly glanced down at the lighted panel and next to the speedometer he saw a red light announcing a problem.  Damn.  The brake light was on, and this was one item on his truck that he couldn’t ignore, especially when it endangered not only his life, but others around him.

Slowly he pulled his truck over to a wide spot alongside the road, and turned off the ignition.  He snagged the inside latch for his hood, pulling it to release the hood.  Pushing the door open, he stepped out and walked around to the front of his truck, lifting the hood and let it rest on the teetering pole that held it upright.  Jack peered down in the engine area.  After fiddling with a few objects, he finally admitted that there was nothing he could do, especially after he dropped to his knees and saw a puddle of liquid forming under the engine area.

Jack yanked the hood off the pole, dropping the thin rod in place before letting the hood slam shut.  With his back rested against the side of his truck he let out a sigh, and pulled his cell phone out of his pocket.  He began punching in numbers when the roar of a vehicle coming down the mountain caught his attention.  Could they help him?  He stepped away from the truck and tried to flag down the oncoming motorist, but whoever it was flew past him, spraying up the loose gravel from the side of the road.  Jack couldn’t help but shake his head.  The guy looked military and usually their own kind helped one another, but this guy looked in too big a hurry to stop and help. 

Speed dialing his auto club, he had a wrecker dispatched to pick up his truck when he remembered the pizza’s he was supposed to pick up.  A quick glance at his watch showed that it was past time for the pizzas to be ready, but he was no where near the place.  With cell phone still in hand, he punched another speed dial number and sighed with relief when he heard Daniel on the other end. 

Jack was sitting on his truck’s tailgate when Daniel arrived, his car slowing to a stop, idling while he waited for Jack to get in. 

“Thanks Daniel,” Jack said with a sigh, resting his head against the headrest.  “What a way to end the day.”

“No problem, to Mac’s then?”

Talk was minimal in the car while Daniel drove, each man lost in his own thoughts.  Less than twenty minutes later Daniel pulled up to the pizza parlor, dropping Jack off at the front door while he pulled away to find parking and wait in the car.

The first thing that Jack noticed as he walked into the pizza parlor was the loud music and the multitude of children who were running to and fro across the lobby. There was one person in front of him at the pick up line, so Jack was forced to wait patiently.  The aroma of fresh pizza aroused the hunger within Jack, causing his stomach to growl.  The older woman in front of him turned and stared at him.  He gave an embarrassed half-smile.  “I’m hungry.”

Finally it was his turn.  Jack leaned against the counter, resting his elbow on the hard surface. “I’m here to pick up an order of pizzas for Jack O’Neill,” he told the boy behind the counter.  The kid, who looked to be barely in his teens, turned away to check on his order.  Running his hand through his hair Jack waited, when the kid suddenly appeared empty handed.

“I’m sorry sir,” the kid said, “I can’t find your order.  Are you sure you called this store?”

Jack stared at him.  “Yes I’m sure.  This is Mac’s Pizza isn’t it?”

“It is, sir, but some people call MacMin’s Italian eatery by accident.”

“I didn’t call MacMin’s,” Jack said evenly.  “I called here.”

“Well, let me check one more time, but I know it isn’t here,” the kid said as he turned away.

It had already been a long day, and now he was getting increasingly irritated with the kid questioning his sanity.  He yanked out the cell phone out of his pocket and checked his dialed calls then hit the send button.  The phone rang twice behind the counter before the kid who was helping him came running up to the front to answer it.

“Mac’s Pizza Parlor, can I help you?”

“Yes, I was wondering if my pizza is ready,” Jack asked, irritation barely under control.

“What’s your last name sir?”

“O’Neill.”

“Let me go check…” the kid’s voice faded as he turned to face the man at the counter.  The boy hung up the phone and looked over at Jack who still had the phone up to his ear, shaking it towards him.  “Uh sir, if you wait a moment, let me go get the manager.”

Jack nodded then stepped away from the counter.  The place was busy and line behind him was growing, the people getting agitated in having to wait to pick up their own orders.

“Sir?”

Jack turned to see the kid had returned.  “Yes?”

“One of our drivers already delivered to your house.”

“To my house?” Jack asked incredulously.

“Uh yes sir,” the kid answered.  “We keep a file of everyone’s address on file, and one of our drivers already delivered yours, thinking that you meant to ask for delivery being as your order was here beyond pickup time.”

Jack shook his head.  “I was delayed.  Next time…”  He stopped, ready to say something else, but instead shook his head. He was tired and didn’t feel like making a scene in here, just for a couple of pizzas.  “Forget it.”

“Sorry for the mix up sir,” the kid said as he turned to snag a bag of hot, fresh bread sticks from the counter behind him.  “Please take these for the trouble.”

Jack said nothing as he took the offered breadsticks, waving away the apologies.  He was starving and exhausted, and really wishing now that the team bonding session was another night. 

Daniel, his hands tapping to music on the steering wheel, looked up in time to see Jack opening the car door.  Empty handed.  Well almost empty handed, he was carrying a bag but it obviously wasn’t the pizza.  He turned down his music as Jack slipped into the car. “Jack! Where’s the pizza?”

 

Slipping on the safety belt, Jack leaned back and tore open the bag, offering Daniel a breadstick from the bag.  “This is our consolation.  They already delivered the pizza to my house.”

“To your house?”

Nodding Jack rubbed his forehead. “They made a mistake and delivered it.”

“Oh.”

Nothing more was said as Daniel put the car into gear and headed to Jack’s place.  As they drove up into the driveway, the two of them saw the stack of pizzas sitting by the door, a taped note on top fluttering in the breeze. 

Untangling his legs out of Daniel’s car, Jack stalked over to his front porch and ripped off the note.  “Sorry for the delay in delivering your pizza’s, the order is on the house.”

“No charge, Jack?”

“Nope,” the older man answered as he unlocked the door, pushing the front door open.  He turned and was going to get the pizzas, but stepped aside when he saw that Daniel had them.  A sound out in the driveway caused him to crane his head around Daniel to see.  Carter had just pulled up and from what he could see, she had Teal’c with him. Good, the gang was here.  Jack waved as he walked into the house, leading the way into the kitchen by flipping on the hall, living room and kitchen lights for navigation.

Immediately Jack went to work clearing off a space on the counter for the pizzas.  Once finished, he turned to the refrigerator and began pulling out beer bottles while Daniel set the cartons down on the table. 

“Hi guys!” Sam chirped as she entered into the kitchen, setting down a bag of chips on the table.  Nodding towards Jack she asked, “Where’s your truck?”

“Brake trouble coming down Cheyenne Mountain.  Daniel here had to give me a lift home,” he replied, giving a nod of greeting towards Teal’c.

“Oh wait,” Sam exclaimed, “That must have been your truck that the wrecker was in the process of towing off.”

Jack nodded.  “Good, glad to know that it’s on the way to the shop,” he answered as he reached behind her to grab a stack of napkins from the counter. 

Sam was rummaging through his cupboards, looking for clean plates while Daniel collected silverware from the drawer.

“Daniel, I’ve told you before,” Jack said, as he made a face at the forks the younger man put on the table.  “This is pizza. We don’t need anything, just our fingers.”

Daniel shrugged, “I like to use a fork.”

“As do I, O’Neill,” Teal’c replied.

“You’ve ruined the man,” Jack complained, directing his comment towards Daniel.

Starved, Jack pulled the lid off the top pizza and looked down at the pizza in puzzlement.  It was his, but it had mushrooms on it.  When he had placed his order the kid had told him that they had been out of mushrooms.  Plucking a pineapple from the cheese, he popped it into his mouth.  “Oh yes, this is good.  And this time they put extra pineapples on it.”

Sam groaned.  “Jack, that is disgusting.  Pineapple is not supposed to be on a pizza.”

“I agree with Sam here,” Daniel said as he watched Jack pick up a slice, and take a bite into the pizza.  “What else do you have on there besides pineapple, Jack?”

“Olives, green peppers, beef, mushrooms, and this is,” Jack said, as he lifted it with his finger, “fresh tomato.” 

“Ugh.”

“I concur with you Daniel Jackson,” Teal’c stated.

“You guys just don’t know the makings of a good pizza,” Jack protested.

Daniel snorted as he opened the other two pizza boxes, one being a meat mixture and the second a vegetarian mix.  Neither had mushroom, for which Daniel was happy to note.  Of all the vegetables, eating a fungus wasn’t something he enjoyed eating.

Sam was sliding a piece on to her plate when she realized that Janet wasn’t there.  “Where’s Janet, sir?”

Quickly swallowing his bite, Jack took a swallow of beer before answering.  “She said she already had plans for tonight.”

The four continued to eat their pizza in silence, drinking their beers and munching on chips.  The pizzas were nearly obliterated even Jack’s pineapple pizza was almost gone, three slices remaining.

“My goodness Jack,” Daniel commented as he glanced over at the nearly empty box.  “You were hungry.”

Jack shrugged his shoulders.  “I didn’t eat much for lunch today.”

“O’Neill smelled of bathroom cleaner when he entered into the dinning hall and left without eating,” Teal’c stated solemnly.

Daniel snorted. 

Sam snickered. 

Jack glared.

Sam, quickly composing herself, moved away from the table and threw her trash into the trash can.  Moving over to where she had laid her purse, she pulled out two movies from the large bag.  “I have movies if anyone is interested in watching,” she announced.

“Let me find out what you brought before I give an answer to that,” Jack replied.  Glancing up at Sam, he couldn’t help but notice the devilish twinkle in her eyes before he turned away to put up the pizzas.  He combined the pizza into one box then strode over to the refrigerator, tucking it away onto a shelf.

“I have Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and...” Before Sam could say another word, Daniel started waving his hands.  “Oh!  Oh!  I haven’t seen that one in a long time!”

“And...?” Jack prompted from the kitchen.

“And this one is Shakespeare in Love.”

 “WHAT kind of choices are those?” Jack grumbled from the kitchen.

Sam studied the back of one of the DVD’s, “Shakespeare in Love is a movie that Janet lent me, but we can watch Indiana Jones.  I haven’t seen that one in awhile.  What do you think Teal’c?”

“I choose Temple of Doom.”

Jack groaned. 

“Um, Jack,” Daniel called out to him. “Remember this is our night.   You get to watch what we want to watch tonight.”

Opening his mouth to speak, Jack thought better of it and quickly closed it.  “Beer anyone?” he asked hovering near the refrigerator.

After bringing beers out for everyone Jack found a spot on the couch.  He plopped down, then spread his long legs out in front of him and rested his arm on the armrest next to him.  Grabbing a pillow from behind him, he rested it on his lap and waited for the movie to start.

The lights dimmed, thanks to Daniel’s thinking, and in no time they were involved in the film, Daniel making comments through out on the archaeologist facts and fiction within it. 

Midway through the movie Jack began to feel nauseous and his stomach wasn’t feeling quite right, small cramps tightening up within it.  He clenched his fists, closing his eyes, wishing for it to go away and after a few minutes it did, but left him hot and sweaty.  There were beads of sweat forming on his forehead, leaving him yearning to turn up the air or turn on the fan.  Opening his eyes, he fought the urge to follow through when he saw how Sam was wrapped in a blanket and Daniel had one tossed over his lap.  Apparently this heat wave was for him alone.  The rest of the movie passed by in a blur for Jack, his comments becoming noticeably less and less, until when the movie ended and lights were turned up his team discovered he was asleep.

“Should we wake him?” Daniel whispered.

Sam stared at O’Neill, uncertain with what they should do.  “No, I think we should just let him sleep.  We ought to go.”  She glanced over at Teal’c, “Are you ready Teal’c?”

“I am ready.”

The three of them quietly moved through the house, picking up their belongings, Sam popping the movie disk out of the player.  Leaving the kitchen in a somewhat clean state, they quietly walked through the living room, past the sleeping man, and went out of the house, locking the door behind them.

**********************

Jack woke up with a start.  Disoriented, he glanced around the room trying to place where he was when it finally dawned on him that he was in his living room, on the couch.  Everyone was gone, and a quick glance at the clock on the wall showed that they would have been gone for hours.  Leaning his head against the back of the couch, he wondered what woke him up when a sudden, painful cramp rolled through his stomach.

He couldn’t help but cry out. 

“Ow!”

Just as quickly as it started it departed, the sharp, stabbing pains gone.  Jack rested his hand on his stomach, rubbing while kneading it, hoping that whatever it was causing his discomfort was gone.  Slowly he pushed himself up from the couch and walked into the kitchen to pour a glass of water, when another spasm unexpectedly ripped through his body. 

“Argh!” 

He clutched his mid section and hunched over.  He had his one hand tapping against the wall rhythmically in pain, when Jack realized that heading to the kitchen wasn’t the direction he needed to go.  Changing course, he stumbled across the living room and carefully climbed the few steps to his hallway.  With one hand on his stomach and the other on the wall, he supported himself down to the hall bathroom.  

It was a vile feeling. 

He wanted to throw up.

But he also desperately needed the toilet. 

The only way he could do both at the same time, was to go into the bathroom and sit on the toilet, allowing nature to take its course.  The cramps were coming in greater numbers, rolling and crashing in his body.  Jack pulled the trash can in front of him, recognizing the signs.   The bile was building in his stomach, and was erupting into something he couldn’t control.  Suddenly, without warning, he had barely enough time to aim his mouth over the trash can, as the food spilled out of him.  Finally, the retching stopped and he was left with an overwhelming feeling of weakness.  His throat was sore from the path the acid had taken through his body. 

He moaned. 

What on earth was happening?  Other than the trip to the Sand planet, they hadn’t done anything to warrant an illness.  Jack grabbed a towel from the rack next to him and wiped his face with it, white at the same time wishing he could get rid of the putrid taste in his mouth. 

For how long he sat in the bathroom he didn’t know, but eventually the urge to throw up was gone as was the diarrhea, at least for now.  Shakily he washed his hands, splashing cool water onto his face and on the top of his head, feeling the heat drift away. It took some effort, but he reached into his cabinet and brought down the mouthwash, rinsing his mouth out.  A quick glance at his watch showed that he had another three hours before he had to report to duty. 

Jack flipped the light off in the bathroom, and slowly walked to his bedroom.  He shed his clothing, leaving them where they lay in a pile next to the door, then flopped his boxer clad body onto the bed.  The last thing he remembered was pulling the sheet up over his body before sleep overtook him.

***********

The next morning came way too soon for Jack.  The loud buzzing next to his ear woke him from the deep sleep that he had fallen into.  He slapped the annoying buzzer off, and leaned over to squint at the time.  It didn’t feel like he had slept any.  He had awakened one other time during the night, with the same results.  Diarrhea and vomiting, and he had literally collapsed into bed less than an hour ago. 

Quickly he showered and dressed, rinsing his mouth out several times.  Slightly unsteady on his feet, he attributed it to the lack of food and went directly into the kitchen.   He was hoping it was just a twenty-four hour bug that he had caught.  Opening the refrigerator door, he scanned the contents when his eyes flickered to the pizza box from the night before.  That looked good, he thought as he pulled it out and plucked out a slice, setting the box on the counter.

He was just biting into the pizza when he heard the dinging of the doorbell. Carrying the pizza with him to the front door, he unlocked the door and swung it open. 

“Daniel?”

“Good morning Jack,” Daniel replied, looking at the pizza in Jack’s hand.  “You’re eating that for breakfast?”

Raising an eyebrow, Jack looked at the younger man in front of him, “What’s wrong with that?”

Daniel made a face, “Nothing I guess, but at least it’s not your pineapple mix.  Anyway, are you ready?”

“Ready?” Jack asked in puzzlement.

“Your truck is in the shop, remember?”

Opening his mouth, then quickly shutting it Jack realized he had forgotten.  Good thing Daniel hadn’t.  “Yeah, I did forget.  Let me grab my jacket,” Jack replied as Daniel turned and headed back to the car.  Grabbing his jacket from the back of the chair, he returned to the kitchen to grab the pizza carton to take with him to the base.

In time they arrived at the base, time that would have been cut short if Daniel hadn’t spent his time talking, Jack realized.  The man couldn’t drive without using hand motions, and using hand motions meant that they tended to weave all over the road.  But to compensate for that Daniel would slow down.  When they began driving up the mountain Jack had finally insisted on his friend keeping his eyes on the road and not worry about discussing their upcoming mission.

After changing out of their civilian clothing and Jack had stowed away his pizza, the two headed into the briefing room to discuss the next planet they were to be visiting.  Carter and Teal’c were already there.   Carter was setting up the projector to present the scientific research that she and her science team had organized.  She looked up when she saw Daniel and O’Neill enter the room.

“Good morning sir, did you sleep well?”

“I did, until I realized I was sleeping on the couch,” O’Neill replied as he sat heavily down into his chair.

The Colonel didn’t look all that great, dark shadows took up residence under his eyes, but who was she to argue. “Oh well sir, you were asleep when we left.  We weren’t sure if we should wake you or not.”

“We did not,” added Teal’c.

O’Neill gave a half smile.  “Thanks.”

Just then Hammond entered the room, getting Carter started on the briefing.  Nearly two hours later, the SG1 team was dismissed, told to get ready for their next mission at 0700 hours the following morning. 

After the briefing, Jack went directly to his office to work on details for the mission, while the rest of his team went their separate directions to plan.  Settling down at his desk, Jack was soon lost in his paperwork and planning when his growling stomach reminded him of his lack of food for the day.  That is, other than the small slice of pizza he had this morning.  He hadn’t been bothered by any other stomach problems, so he reasoned that whatever it was that struck him down last night definitely must have been a twenty-four hour bug.  He was feeling pretty darn good despite an uncustomary weakness.  But he attributed that due to his lack of food.   

He glanced at his watch and was surprised to see that it was just after one.  He was just as surprised to realize that no one from his team had come by to see about lunch, they must have been just as busy.  It was as he was walking to the mess hall that he remembered the pizza he had brought in, stashed in Dr. Frasier’s office.  Ah ha!  That would taste better than whatever was being served today in the cafeteria.  He changed directions and entered the back door of the infirmary, going directly to the refrigerator housing his pizza. 

Pulling out the box from the bottom shelf he couldn’t help but notice that a few slices were missing.  Now normally that he wouldn’t care, but the ones that were taken were his favorite pineapple slices.  He was left with one, and for that he wasn’t happy.  Taking the box with him, he accidentally bumped into the doctor as he left.

“Ah, Dr. Frasier,” Jack said as he looked down at the petite woman.

“Colonel,” she acknowledged.  She noticed the box O’Neill was carrying out of her infirmary.  “Oh, I hope you don’t mind sir, but I helped myself to some of your pizza.  You had one of my favorites, the pineapple pizza.”

Startled, Jack looked down at the doctor.  “You like pineapple?”  He grinned.  “You have good taste, doc,” he said, slipping out a slice and biting into