Painful Echoes
by Layton Colt
Trouble at the SGC sparks memories of a past mission for Jack.
Author's Notes: I just recently saw season two of Stargate . . . and until I had I don't think I realized just how cool Jack O'Neill really is. In the episode 'Secrets' he throws a knife at Heru-ur and it slices through the center of his ribbon device. Jack is truly an amazing character, and much as I love Daniel, I thought it was time I wrote something more focused on Jack.
Daniel is still a pretty big part of this story, and so is Sam but I don't think I put much of Teal'c in. I'm trying to get better at ignoring key characters in my stories but I've got to take it one step at a time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mission was simple. Simple. How could it have gone so wrong?
Jack dropped to the ground as shots flew past him. He brought his rifle off and fired of two shots. The sound of gunfire abruptly stopped. Jack stood back up, the two men he'd shot lie dead a couple of feet away.
And past them . . .
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. Why was it, that nothing could ever go as planned? He had a feeling that, that was a part of his life that wouldn't ever change.
"Come in! Captain O'Neill, are you there? Jack, answer me damn it!"
"I'm here Kowalski," Jack said tiredly. "The target is dead. So are a couple of his men and . . . they killed Meyers before I could get them."
"Jesus," Kowalski said. "David's dead?"
"Yes."
Jack walked over to the body of his friend. His eyes were closed peacefully in death. A single shot to the heart. Perfectly aimed. But Jack took little comfort in the fact his friend hadn't suffered -- dead was dead.
Meyers was just a kid, he thought angrily. Four years younger than Jack's twenty-three.
He heard footsteps behind him, and had turned and aimed his rifle in an instant.
Kowalski held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, don't shoot!"
Jack lowered the gun, but his defensive stance did not alter.
Kowalski looked over at their dead comrade, "Jesus," he said. "What happened? This was supposed to be in and out."
"They knew we were coming, Charlie," Jack said. "They knew we were here."
"What are you saying?" Kowalski asked.
"I think we've got a mole." Jack's tone was deadly and a shiver ran down Kowalski's spine.
Jack could make him laugh so hard and could always lighten the mood in an instant. Sometimes Kowalski forgot that Jack could become so cold . . . so deadly.
If there was a mole, he was responsible for Meyers's death. The death of Jack's self-appointed charge.
Kowalski turned and watched as Jack stormed off. God himself wouldn't be able to protect the poor bastard if Jack ever caught up with him.
When, Kowalski amended. There was no doubt in his mind Jack would find out who was responsible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack's eyes shot open and surveyed his office. He was disoriented by the memory. It had been a long time since he had thought of Meyers's death and the events that had followed.
He knew why he was remembering now. There was a spy in the SGC. One of Maybourne's people most likely, though they couldn't prove it.
Things had been going missing . . . reports have been misplaced. And the jerks at Nellis knew way more than they should. It was true that Area 51 had the same clearance as the SGC, but due to their lack of morals, Hammond and O'Neill chose what to tell them very carefully.
But now there was a spy. Jack hated spies. Not that he hadn't ever done reconnaissance himself . . . but he was always on the side of right. Whatever that was.
Jack looked up as someone tapped on his door, "Come in,"
Daniel entered and flopped into the chair across his desk. "You know that artifact we got from PP3834?"
"Ah . . . no, actually," Jack said. "Refresh my memory."
Daniel rolled his eyes, "Well, you described it as the small silver ball with the flashy blue thingies on it."
"Oh that," Jack smiled. "I remember that. What's the problem?"
"It's missing, Jack. I mean it just disappeared!" Daniel's voice rose as he talked. He was very protective of his rocks.
Jack frowned at this. He had an idea where it might have gone. NID's mole. But what in the world would they want with *that* of all things. "Did you ever find out what it was?" Jack asked.
Daniel spared Jack an impatient glance, "In three hours, Jack? If you remember I barely got to scratch the surface before we had another mission."
"We're a field unit, Daniel," Jack reminded for the second time in only that day.
"Yea, yea," he said frustrated. "I know that, but where has it gone? It was here when I left . . . you don't think they sent it over to Maybourne already, do you?" Daniel's eyes widened at the thought. "They won't have a clue what they're doing!"
"Hammond didn't say anything about transferring it to Nellis," Jack in a placating tone. "I'm sure it's still here somewhere."
Or not. Jack knew it had probably already been taken off base by the SGC's very own spy. But Hammond had told Jack not to tell anyone . . . including his team.
"Don't you have something else you can work on until it turns up?" Jack asked evasively.
"Jack! A potential dangerous alien device has just gone missing and you want me to work on something else?"
"Daniel, I'll handle this, alright?" Jack snapped. He instantly regretted his tone. Daniel hadn't done anything wrong. He was the one who had been ordered to lie.
"How exactly?" Daniel asked. "Jack you know as well as I do it's probably already at Area 51, right next to those death gliders you brought back from Apophis's ship and all the other things *we* found but aren't allowed to study."
Jack gave a long-suffering sigh. Sometimes Daniel was just to smart for his own damn good. "Or maybe it's still somewhere on base, I'll look into it alright?"
"Jack . . . what's wrong?"
Jack's head snapped up at the concern in the younger man's voice. Only Daniel could go from ranting to being worried in less than a second.
"Nothing's wrong," Jack said. His tone was light and casual. Sometimes he hated that he could lie so well.
"You sure?" Daniel asked. "You're acting kind of--"
"I'm fine, Daniel, you're always complaining about not having enough time to work on translations and here you are wasting it."
Daniel's lips quirked into a slight smile, "Is that your polite way of asking me to leave?"
"I have work to do, Daniel,"
"Well this is a switch," Daniel said with a grin as he stood and started for the door. "Jack, about that artifact, it's really important--"
"I'll find it, Daniel," Jack promised.
Daniel flashed Jack one of his rare smiles, "Thanks."
Jack leaned back in his chair as Daniel left. He'd find Daniel's missing rock, but first, he was going to find the one who had taken it.
to be continued . . .
I said I wasn't going to start anymore stories until I finished my others but this came to me after I'd watched the entire season two on DVD. I'll also be writing a story that's a sequel of sorts to Need. I'm going to be so busy . . . but as long as I just skip doing my school work, I should have plenty of time to write.
I'd really appreciate feedback on this, because I'm not sure I'm going to finish it, joking aside I do have lots of school work and I've got a new puppy . . . named Jack. Don't know where that name came from. Tell me if you think I should continue.
Trouble at the SGC sparks memories of a past mission for Jack.
Author's Notes: I just recently saw season two of Stargate . . . and until I had I don't think I realized just how cool Jack O'Neill really is. In the episode 'Secrets' he throws a knife at Heru-ur and it slices through the center of his ribbon device. Jack is truly an amazing character, and much as I love Daniel, I thought it was time I wrote something more focused on Jack.
Daniel is still a pretty big part of this story, and so is Sam but I don't think I put much of Teal'c in. I'm trying to get better at ignoring key characters in my stories but I've got to take it one step at a time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The mission was simple. Simple. How could it have gone so wrong?
Jack dropped to the ground as shots flew past him. He brought his rifle off and fired of two shots. The sound of gunfire abruptly stopped. Jack stood back up, the two men he'd shot lie dead a couple of feet away.
And past them . . .
Jack scrubbed a hand over his face. Why was it, that nothing could ever go as planned? He had a feeling that, that was a part of his life that wouldn't ever change.
"Come in! Captain O'Neill, are you there? Jack, answer me damn it!"
"I'm here Kowalski," Jack said tiredly. "The target is dead. So are a couple of his men and . . . they killed Meyers before I could get them."
"Jesus," Kowalski said. "David's dead?"
"Yes."
Jack walked over to the body of his friend. His eyes were closed peacefully in death. A single shot to the heart. Perfectly aimed. But Jack took little comfort in the fact his friend hadn't suffered -- dead was dead.
Meyers was just a kid, he thought angrily. Four years younger than Jack's twenty-three.
He heard footsteps behind him, and had turned and aimed his rifle in an instant.
Kowalski held up his hands in surrender. "Hey, don't shoot!"
Jack lowered the gun, but his defensive stance did not alter.
Kowalski looked over at their dead comrade, "Jesus," he said. "What happened? This was supposed to be in and out."
"They knew we were coming, Charlie," Jack said. "They knew we were here."
"What are you saying?" Kowalski asked.
"I think we've got a mole." Jack's tone was deadly and a shiver ran down Kowalski's spine.
Jack could make him laugh so hard and could always lighten the mood in an instant. Sometimes Kowalski forgot that Jack could become so cold . . . so deadly.
If there was a mole, he was responsible for Meyers's death. The death of Jack's self-appointed charge.
Kowalski turned and watched as Jack stormed off. God himself wouldn't be able to protect the poor bastard if Jack ever caught up with him.
When, Kowalski amended. There was no doubt in his mind Jack would find out who was responsible.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jack's eyes shot open and surveyed his office. He was disoriented by the memory. It had been a long time since he had thought of Meyers's death and the events that had followed.
He knew why he was remembering now. There was a spy in the SGC. One of Maybourne's people most likely, though they couldn't prove it.
Things had been going missing . . . reports have been misplaced. And the jerks at Nellis knew way more than they should. It was true that Area 51 had the same clearance as the SGC, but due to their lack of morals, Hammond and O'Neill chose what to tell them very carefully.
But now there was a spy. Jack hated spies. Not that he hadn't ever done reconnaissance himself . . . but he was always on the side of right. Whatever that was.
Jack looked up as someone tapped on his door, "Come in,"
Daniel entered and flopped into the chair across his desk. "You know that artifact we got from PP3834?"
"Ah . . . no, actually," Jack said. "Refresh my memory."
Daniel rolled his eyes, "Well, you described it as the small silver ball with the flashy blue thingies on it."
"Oh that," Jack smiled. "I remember that. What's the problem?"
"It's missing, Jack. I mean it just disappeared!" Daniel's voice rose as he talked. He was very protective of his rocks.
Jack frowned at this. He had an idea where it might have gone. NID's mole. But what in the world would they want with *that* of all things. "Did you ever find out what it was?" Jack asked.
Daniel spared Jack an impatient glance, "In three hours, Jack? If you remember I barely got to scratch the surface before we had another mission."
"We're a field unit, Daniel," Jack reminded for the second time in only that day.
"Yea, yea," he said frustrated. "I know that, but where has it gone? It was here when I left . . . you don't think they sent it over to Maybourne already, do you?" Daniel's eyes widened at the thought. "They won't have a clue what they're doing!"
"Hammond didn't say anything about transferring it to Nellis," Jack in a placating tone. "I'm sure it's still here somewhere."
Or not. Jack knew it had probably already been taken off base by the SGC's very own spy. But Hammond had told Jack not to tell anyone . . . including his team.
"Don't you have something else you can work on until it turns up?" Jack asked evasively.
"Jack! A potential dangerous alien device has just gone missing and you want me to work on something else?"
"Daniel, I'll handle this, alright?" Jack snapped. He instantly regretted his tone. Daniel hadn't done anything wrong. He was the one who had been ordered to lie.
"How exactly?" Daniel asked. "Jack you know as well as I do it's probably already at Area 51, right next to those death gliders you brought back from Apophis's ship and all the other things *we* found but aren't allowed to study."
Jack gave a long-suffering sigh. Sometimes Daniel was just to smart for his own damn good. "Or maybe it's still somewhere on base, I'll look into it alright?"
"Jack . . . what's wrong?"
Jack's head snapped up at the concern in the younger man's voice. Only Daniel could go from ranting to being worried in less than a second.
"Nothing's wrong," Jack said. His tone was light and casual. Sometimes he hated that he could lie so well.
"You sure?" Daniel asked. "You're acting kind of--"
"I'm fine, Daniel, you're always complaining about not having enough time to work on translations and here you are wasting it."
Daniel's lips quirked into a slight smile, "Is that your polite way of asking me to leave?"
"I have work to do, Daniel,"
"Well this is a switch," Daniel said with a grin as he stood and started for the door. "Jack, about that artifact, it's really important--"
"I'll find it, Daniel," Jack promised.
Daniel flashed Jack one of his rare smiles, "Thanks."
Jack leaned back in his chair as Daniel left. He'd find Daniel's missing rock, but first, he was going to find the one who had taken it.
to be continued . . .
I said I wasn't going to start anymore stories until I finished my others but this came to me after I'd watched the entire season two on DVD. I'll also be writing a story that's a sequel of sorts to Need. I'm going to be so busy . . . but as long as I just skip doing my school work, I should have plenty of time to write.
I'd really appreciate feedback on this, because I'm not sure I'm going to finish it, joking aside I do have lots of school work and I've got a new puppy . . . named Jack. Don't know where that name came from. Tell me if you think I should continue.