SG Team MacGyver

Teal'c sees SG-1 as MacGyvers

When: 1969 (Season 2)

Sam Carter, greasy hand clutching a wrench and the other brushing the sweat from her forehead, eased her way out from under the hood of the mini-bus. "Okay, Michael, try it now."

The long-haired man behind the wheel smiled. Eagerly, he turned the key in the ignition while everyone in the group held their proverbial collective breath.

There was a momentary span of silence followed by several ashy coughs that evolved into a ragged, tentative growl from the engine.

Grimacing in frustration, Carter shouted, "Give it a little gas, Michael!"

Again Michael smiled and gently pressed the accelerator pedal. The engine threatened to stall until Carter firmly rapped the cranky part with the wrench. There was a roar, swiftly followed by customary racket of the engine.

"There!" Carter crowed triumphantly.

Jenny jumped up and down a few times, clapping her hands. "That was far out, Sam!" She hugged the older woman, who blushed with discomfort from the unexpected show of physical gratitude.

"Nice, Carter!" chimed in Jack O'Neill. "Okay, kids, time's a-wasting. Let's hit the road!"

"I'll get you something to wipe your face and hands, Sam," said Jenny. "Be right back." She ran, only to get stuck behind Jack who was herding Daniel back into the mini-bus. That left Sam alone with Teal'c.

"Most impressive, Samantha," the Jaffa said. "You have been successful at repairing a complex machine with wire, adhesive strips, and several other components."

"Thanks, Teal'c. It was really pretty easy. This engine isn't all that complex. And it was a simple repair, if you know how something works. With the right supplies, like this electrical tape," she said as she picked up the roll and passed it to Teal'c, "and a little ingenuity, you can MacGyver just about anything."

Teal'c's brow knitted as best it could, given the restraints the gold tattoo put on the use of those muscles. "I have heard you use that verb before."

"What verb?"

"MacGyver. I understand it because of the context in which you have used it but I do not understand its origin. I am most interested to learn this, as O'Neill will roll his eyes each time he hears you use the word."

Carter giggled while she returned the hood to its closed position. "Here comes Jenny. How about we go for a walk tonight, just the two of us, and I'll tell you then?"

"That is satisfactory, Samantha." He smiled and bowed his head slightly. "I look forward to it."

Over the next few years, Teal'c was able to catch episode reruns of the television series whose title Major Carter had turned into a verb. Though he didn't always understand the nuances of the storyline, he did enjoy watching the character get out of seemingly impossible situations using just his wits and whatever materiel was available, transforming the pieces into something useful.

It reminded him of his team. Each had his or her own way of MacGyvering. Daniel Jackson used words and empathy; O'Neill's ability to read people helped them determine who the team could trust and in turn, engendered trust and confidence in others; Major Carter's engineering skills were closest to that of the character. He like to think his own skills as a tracker as his MacGyver-ish contribution.

Sometimes, when calamity struck the team, he would think about the series and be glad they were in their own version.

When: The Lost City, Part 2 (Season 7)

Silently, letting the tears roll down his face, Teal'c watched O'Neill, the person he trusted most with his life and that of his family, continue to build some contraption whose purpose he could not determine.

Then it occurred to him that at this moment, they were living their own version of the series once again. He cleared his throat several times to settle the thickness that had settled there while he watched his brother being consumed by knowledge that would save all but him on this planet.

He stood and closed the short distance between them. He could tell O'Neill sensed him by the nearly imperceptible change in his head's position, though he didn't slow in his work.

Teal'c placed his fingertips lightly on his brother's shoulder. He could feel the muscles move beneath the clothing. Once more, he cleared his throat and said quietly, "I fear you will make MajorCarter jealous of your display of this degree of MacGyvering."

For the briefest of moments, Teal'c didn't feel movement except for the smallest rise of O'Neill's shoulder to more deeply meet the fingers that connected them. Then too soon, the muscles were back at work.

Teal'c granted himself the fantasy that O'Neill did indeed understand that remark.

the end

Thanks to CoriKay for her beta and suggestions. She always makes my stories better.

© August 2015