CHAPTER TWELVE
Daniel's eyes were glued to the images on the computer screen. The team at the Ancient outpost had sent some video and photos to him via satellite, and he was now pouring over the text. He really wished that he could be there in person. It was more than just the crumbling ruins of a city once inhabited by the Ancients. It was a fully functional outpost, and it was right here on Earth.
The archeologist began speaking the text aloud in Ancient, only half-aware that he was doing so. He was so engrossed in what he was reading that he didn't become aware that someone was approaching until the person had entered the room. Daniel turned to see Sam just inside the doorway, a look of horror on her pale face. Seeing the expression, Daniel immediately stood up.
"Sam? What's wrong?" he asked urgently.
"Y-you were speaking Ancient," she whispered.
"What?" Daniel glanced at the monitor, realizing what she must have thought. "Oh! No, Sam, it's okay!" He took a quick step forward. "The Antarctic team sent over some stuff, and I was reading it. Instead of translating it aloud, I ended up reading it in Ancient. I'm okay. Really."
Sam's body relaxed from its tense stance. "I thought. . . ."
"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."
Sam sighed. "I guess it's going to take time for me to get over the fear that, at any moment, it might start all over again." She moved further into the room. "It's like there's this . . . this time bomb inside your brain that could go off at any minute. And it's a little frightening. It's funny, but I never thought that I'd be unhappy about having a potential source for advanced technology, but I honestly wish that you didn't still have all that stuff inside your head. I've been thinking that, the next time we see Thor, you should ask him to remove it."
Knowing how excited Sam got over new technology, Daniel was a little surprised by her announcement. But then again, she had watched him 'die', so he could understand why she wouldn't want to take the chance of it happening again.
"Sam, though I can't say that I'm delighted by the knowledge that what happened to me could happen again, I can't throw this away. It's too important. We don't know when a time might come that we'll really need something that's in here." Daniel tapped on the side of his head. "At least, now, I know what to do if it does happen again. And, if all else failed, there is the stasis chamber at the outpost. It could keep me in stasis indefinitely, until Thor could be contacted and come to help. So, no matter what happens, I'm not going to die . . . well, at least not from this."
"Well, it still scares me." Sam sat in a chair. "Daniel, what was it like? The download didn't affect you exactly the same way it did the colonel. He didn't keep zoning out like you did, and he barely remembered any of the stuff he did."
"It's hard to describe. There were times when I felt so out of control, yet other times when I felt like . . . like my mind was wide open and free. Sometimes . . . sometimes, I felt like I wasn't even human anymore. The knowledge I had was so incredible, so vast. It's no wonder that our brains are incapable of consciously containing it all."
"But it can unconsciously contain it all?"
"Apparently so, or at least mine can."
"When did you begin to suspect that? I mean, you must have had some idea that was possible when you put yourself in stasis."
"I got to thinking about what happened those times that I fell asleep and what we talked about concerning it."
"About your subconscious blocking some of the knowledge from your conscious mind while you slept."
Daniel gave a nod. "It dawned on me that, each time that happened, my subconscious was safely holding all that knowledge. The problem was that the stuff kept leaking back out into my conscious mind. I realized that, if I could figure out a way to put it all back into my subconscious and somehow keep it there, I'd be okay. But I was pretty sure that, to do that, I'd have to be in the equivalent of an unconscious state. I knew that, with biofeedback, I could lower my brainwave pattern down to a low delta frequency."
"But you did a lot more than that."
"Yeah. I was dying, running out of time. I knew that the stasis pod would keep me alive, lower my body functions to a level that would allow me to survive, prevent more damage from happening. When I couldn't get to the pod, I chose to put myself in stasis until I'd managed to store the Ancients' knowledge in my subconscious. Even then, I wasn't certain that the knowledge wouldn't eventually start leaking back out. I'm pretty sure now that, as long as I don't start poking around in my brain for it, the knowledge will stay put where it is."
"Let's hope you're right."
The week off proved to be enjoyable for all the members of SG-1. They spent a great deal of it in each other's company, mainly because Daniel's teammates were still recovering from the emotional devastation of those hours that they thought he was dead and didn't want to have him out of their sight for long.
Sometimes, it was just one of Daniel's teammates who was with him, usually Jack or Sam. It was during one of his evenings with Sam that something happened. They had somehow gotten on the topic of all the dead Goa'uld that SG-1 had helped to bring down. Sam was busy talking about Nirrti when Daniel was hit full force with a memory.
"Daniel? What is it? What's wrong?" Sam asked anxiously.
For several seconds, the archeologist didn't reply, and Sam was starting to get worried. She was about to speak again when Daniel broke the silence.
"Oh, God," he whispered.
"What?"
Daniel abruptly got to his feet. He strode away a few paces. "I remember Nirrti, Sam," he said in a tight voice.
"What? What do you mean?"
Daniel turned back to her. "I was there! When Nirrti had you guys prisoner, t-the experiments!"
Sam's face paled. "You were there?"
Daniel spun away. "Dammit! She wouldn't let me help you! I wanted to-to-to heal you, to do something, even if it was just to make the pain go away, but Oma said no. She said I couldn't interfere. She wouldn't even let me talk to you. God, I was so angry. I wasn't trying to change something on a galactic scale! All I wanted to do was help you."
Daniel's last words were spoken in a pain-filled whisper. Sam immediately got to her feet and went to him. She laid a hand on his arm.
"It doesn't matter now, Daniel. All that matters is that you were there with me, with us, and that you wanted to help."
"I felt so useless, Sam. All that power, and I was useless."
"Which wasn't your fault. There is nothing but the stupid rules of the Ascended to blame for that. I know that, if it had been up to you, you'd have kicked the Goa'uld right out of the galaxy, their tails tucked between their legs."
Daniel let out a little laugh. He hugged Sam to him. "Thanks."
"There's nothing to thank me for." She gave him a smile. "Would you like some coffee or something?"
"Yes. Thanks."
Sam fixed the coffee as Daniel leaned against the kitchen counter, staring at the floor with a slight frown on his face.
"Want to talk about it?" Sam asked after a moment.
"What? Oh. No, I'm okay."
Sam didn't say anything more for a few seconds. "This is the second memory you've gotten back of that year in just the past few months."
"I know. I think that remembering about Jack and Baal was because of being in that place, which was so much like the cell he was in. But this time. . . . Ever since I came out of the stasis, I've been getting little . . . flashes."
"Flashes?"
"At first, I didn't understand what I was seeing, but I'm pretty sure now that I'm starting to get back my memories of that year I was ascended. I've been seeing quick flashes of images, stuff I didn't recognize, places and people I have no memory of seeing during my life before or after my ascension."
"Do you think it has something to do with the download?"
"It's possible. Maybe it jogged something loose, knocked through whatever wall Oma put around those memories. I mean, we knew that at least some of the memories had to be in there. If they weren't, I'd never have been able to remember about Erebus. But I'd given up on ever getting any more of them back." Daniel gazed off into the living room. "I don't think I want to remember them now."
Sam turned to him fully. "Why not?"
"Because every real memory that I've gotten back so far was one in which I failed one of you somehow. I'm afraid of what else my memories will show, what other people I let suffer and die as I just stood and watched. And I don't . . . I don't want to remember about Abydos, about how I failed them, too."
Sam stepped up to him and took his hands. "Daniel, look at me." The archeologist's eyes met hers. "It was not your fault," she said very slowly and firmly, "none of it. What did I say before? It's the rules of the Ascended that are to blame. If it hadn't been for them, you'd have broken the colonel out of that place. If it hadn't been for them, you'd have healed me, taken care of Nirrti, and gotten us all out of there. And, if it hadn't been for Oma or whomever it was that stopped you, you would have dealt with Anubis, and that weapon would never have been fired. Abydos would still be there. The other Ascended are to blame, not you. If you'd been allowed to, you would have used your power to save lives, to help people, just like you're doing now with the abilities you've gained. I am so proud of you, Daniel, of what you're doing. I know that Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c are, too."
Sam pulled Daniel into a tight hug, which he returned.
"So, I don't want to hear you saying anything more about failing us," Sam told him sternly. "You have never failed us."
"I wouldn't say that. There was the sarcopha—"
"Ah!" Sam interrupted as she pulled back, sounding very much like Jack. "The sarcophagus incident wasn't your fault either. Besides, even though you were addicted to that thing and your mind was all messed up, you still managed to get us free. You didn't forget about us and leave us in that mine to die. You came through for us in the end. I doubt that many others in that situation would have done the same."
Sam turned away and poured each of them a cup off coffee, which told Daniel that she wasn't going to listen to him talk like that anymore. He smiled secretly, grateful for her unfailing faith, trust and support.
It was the very next day that it all came back to Daniel, every moment of that year he was ascended. Some of the memories were good ones. There were so many amazing things that he'd learned and seen. But other memories were not so good. After the incident with Jack, he had become gradually more disillusioned with his ascension, the rules of the Others feeling like a yoke around his neck. He'd tried to accept it, to "go with the flow", but it had been so hard. And then he'd found out that Anubis was going after the Eye of Ra on Abydos. Even then, he'd tried not to break the rules, to just bend them a little, but it just wasn't working.
The hardest memory of all was Abydos. He now knew that he had tried to stop Anubis, had actually attacked the Goa'uld. But Oma had stopped him, pulled him away. Though he hadn't actually see Abydos destroyed, he had felt it. He sensed when the Abydonians all died and when Oma ascended them.
"She did it for me," Daniel told his teammates when they talked about it. "She ascended them for me because she knew that, if they had all really died, it would have killed me inside. And I think that she felt as if she owed them that. They were killed because she stopped me. She didn't want to stop me, but she had no choice. If she hadn't stepped in, the others would have, and, if they'd done it . . . well, I don't think I'd be here right now."
Sam stared at him in horror. "You mean they'd have killed you?"
"No, I don't think so. But, when they wiped my memory, it would have been permanent. I'd never have gotten it back." Daniel looked at Teal'c. "You were right. Oma cheated. I should never have remembered who I was. And, though I can't be certain, I have a strong suspicion that she somehow made sure that you guys found me."
Sam nodded. "That's very possible. Jonas' brainstorm about the Lost City came to him pretty suddenly."
"A brainstorm that turned out to be wrong. If he hadn't mistranslated 'lacun', you wouldn't have gone to Vis Uban, not until it finally came up on the schedule years from now."
"And you'd have been there for all those years, not knowing who you were," Jack said, that thought disturbing him deeply.
Daniel's teammates did their best to keep Daniel's mind off the unpleasant memories from that year he was ascended, encouraging him to talk about the good memories instead. The remainder of the week off passed quickly.
Shortly after SG-1 returned to duty Monday morning, Daniel was called to Hammond's office.
"While you were on leave, the NID contacted me by phone," the general told him. "They are very interested in the fact that the knowledge of the Ancients was downloaded into your brain. They want to know if you've retained any of that knowledge."
'Uh oh,' Daniel thought. 'This is what I was afraid of.'
"I do consciously remember some things, but none of it would be of much use to us," he said aloud. "I don't remember the plans to any weapons or other devices. I doubt that the NID would be interested in the agrarian society that lives on a planet called Nestraana or the fact that there's a solar system with four dwarf stars on the outer edge of the galaxy."
"No, they probably wouldn't. And those are the only things you remember?"
"There's other stuff, too, but, like I said, nothing that would be of much use to the NID or the SGC. The rest of it is all locked back up in my subconscious."
"I see. All right, I will let them know what you've told me. Hopefully, that will be the end of the matter."
"There is one thing, though, sir."
"What's that?"
"I've regained all of my memories from when I was ascended."
Hammond leaned forward in his chair. "That's good news. I can only imagine what those memories entail."
"Some of it is pretty amazing, sir. I do remember visiting a few planets that we might want to check out. It's possible that we could gain some valuable allies or forge some good trade agreements."
"Excellent. Put anything you think is relevant or important in a written report."
"I will, sir."
"I must also tell you that an issue has arisen in regards to the Ancient outpost in Antarctica. It seems that the other countries who are privy to the existence of the Stargate Program are . . . concerned."
"Concerned?"
"They are, to put it mildly, nervous about the power of the weapon that is there. They are insisting that control of the outpost not be placed in the hands of the U.S."
"And who do they want to have control?" asked Daniel.
"That is still being argued about. In the meantime, all research at the outpost has been suspended."
"They're afraid we'll find out something and not share it with them."
"That's basically what it amounts to."
"So, I guess I'm not going there."
"Not at the present time, I'm afraid."
"Do you think it would do any good if I talked to them?"
"I'm not sure. A Doctor Elizabeth Weir is representing us in the talks."
A startled look crossed Daniel's face.
"What's wrong, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked.
"Um . . . nothing. Nothing's wrong. I'm, uh, familiar with Doctor Weir's work. I referenced some of it when I was working on the treaty with the Tok'ra. She definitely knows her stuff. I doubt that anything I'd say would be better than what she can do."
"I will mention it to Doctor Weir anyway and see what she says."
"Okay."
Daniel left Hammond's office, his mind on Doctor Elizabeth Weir. He knew that she was the person that the president would have replaced Hammond with if he hadn't convinced Hayes not to. Hammond to knew nothing about how close he came to losing his position as the commander of Stargate Command, and Daniel didn't want him to.
It was no surprise that Jack had a few choice things to say about the NID when Daniel told him and his other teammates about that government agency's latest interest in him. It was also no surprise that the colonel wasn't broken up over the news that Daniel would not be going to Antarctica for a while. In fact, he was downright pleased, for once in his life happy that politics was messing something up.
Daniel and Sam's afternoon was spent on a project that they were both involved with. At the end of the day, they decided to get together for dinner at Daniel's house and put their heads together to work out their individual problems with the project.
Daniel picked up some takeout on the way home, and the two scientists ate while talking about the project. After they were finished eating and the trash thrown away, Sam took the beverage glasses into the kitchen to rinse them out while Daniel went to the living room to start laying out his papers on the project. As the major was running water into one of the glasses, it slipped from her hand and fell into the sink, breaking.
"What happened?" Daniel called.
"Oh, one of the glasses broke." She reached for it. "Ow!" Sam drew her right hand back sharply and clutched it, staring at the blood welling from the gash in her palm. "Damn!"
Daniel hurried in. Seeing the cut, he grabbed a towel and pressed it to the wound.
"Well, that was really stupid," Sam said, chastising herself.
"It was an accident, Sam."
"Yeah, but it's one that's probably going to keep me off missions for at least a week. Janet will say I can't use a P-90 or a sidearm."
Daniel carefully drew the towel away to look at the wound. It was still bleeding quite a bit and looked like it might need a couple of stitches. Seeing the pain in Sam's eyes and how mad at herself she was, he wished that he still had the power to heal. He'd just wish it away. . . .
Some instinct took Daniel over. Only half-aware of what he was doing, he placed his hand over Sam's and closed his eyes. He felt a current of warmth flow through his body, down his arm to his hand and then out into Sam's hand.
Wondering what was going on, Sam felt the pain in her hand fade away to nothing. After a few seconds, Daniel withdraw his hand and they both stared at hers. The cut was gone. All that remained was the blood.
"Oh . . . my," Sam whispered in a hushed voice.
Daniel just gaped at the place where the cut had been, thoughts whirling chaotically.
Sam looked up at him. "Daniel, you . . . you. . . ."
"Yeah," he breathed.
"Holy Hannah."
The archeologist stared down at his own hands. "I, uh . . . I guess I kept something else from the download."
"Daniel, this is amazing. You have the Ancients' power to heal, like Ayiana did."
Daniel didn't respond. He washed Sam's blood off his hands, then went into the living room. Sam quickly washed her own hands, then joined him on the couch.
"What's wrong?" she asked. "I would think that you'd be delighted. You could save even more lives with this."
"I know, and I am happy about that, but. . . ." Daniel met her eyes. "Sam, do you have any idea what this is going to cause? I'm already having trouble with the NID. This it going to make it even worse. In their eyes, this will be proof positive that I retained the stuff from the download. They'll think I'm lying about not remembering most of the Ancients' knowledge."
"Just because you retained the ability to heal people wouldn't mean that you consciously retained all the knowledge."
"You and I understand that, and most of the people at the SGC will understand or at least accept that, but the NID won't."
Sam sighed. "You're probably right. So, what are we going to do, keep it a secret?"
"We can't. Janet has to be told. There could come a time when she'd really need this for a patient."
"Then we'll just have to deal with the NID when the time comes."
The next morning, Daniel requested a meeting with his teammates, Janet and General Hammond. They were now all sitting at the table, looking at him expectantly, except for Sam, of course, who was watching him with an expression of encouragement.
"Um . . . last night, I discovered something," Daniel began. He looked at everyone. "I don't know how, but I've retained the Ancients' ability to heal others."
Both Jack and Janet exclaimed in surprise.
"How did you find out?" the doctor asked.
"I cut my hand on a piece of broken glass," Sam explained. "Daniel healed it. There's not a mark left."
"So, you just, what, looked at her hand and healed it?" Jack asked. "How'd you know to do that?"
"I didn't just look at it, Jack," Daniel replied. "And it was . . . instinct. No, that's not right. Some part of me just knew that I could do it. I didn't even think about it."
"This is extraordinary news, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said. "This ability could save many lives."
Janet shook her head. "It could save lives, yes, but we have to remember something. When Ayiana cured us of the Ancients' plague, it weakened her significantly. Chances are that, if Daniel used this ability extensively, the same thing would happen to him. He would have to be very careful."
"When he healed Teal'c, he almost passed out," Jack recalled.
"Exactly."
"This is going to cause a big problem, you know," Daniel told everyone. "The NID are going to suspect that, because I still have this ability, I must also still consciously have the Ancients' knowledge."
"Crap," Jack cursed. "You're right."
"They will believe that you are lying when you say that you do not," Teal'c stated.
"Can we keep this a secret?" Jack asked hopefully.
Hammond shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Colonel. This must be reported to my superiors."
"Even if they don't believe Daniel, what can they do. They can't prove that he's lying when he's not," Janet pointed out.
"No, they can just cause a lot of trouble and be an even bigger pain in the ass," Jack responded.
"They're already showing even more interest in me because of the download," Daniel said. He turned to the general. "What did they say when you told them that I didn't remember most of the knowledge?"
"Though they did not say so openly, I got the impression that they have doubts about your claim."
"Which doesn't surprise me," Jack said. "We'll just have to make it clear that Daniel's telling the truth." He smiled. "I just thought of something. There is another good thing about this healing stuff. Miss Eternal Bloom could heal herself, too, or at least from injuries. Considering how often Daniel gets hurt, that could really come in handy."
Daniel gave him a sarcastic smile. "Yeah, Jack. Maybe I'll stop dying so often now. That's a big plus."
"You got that right."
President Hayes shook his head in wonder as he read the latest report from General Hammond. The more time that passed, the more amazing Doctor Jackson revealed himself to be. Now, the archeologist had discovered that he had the ability to heal injuries. Hayes had to wonder what the next revelation would be.
The president leaned back in his chair. Ever since Daniel and the rest of SG-1 saved Earth from Anubis, he had been intending to send them all personal letters of commendation, but his duties as president had been especially heavy since the events in Antarctica because of having to deal with the fallout from those events. The Chinese, Russian, British, French and Canadian governments were all up in arms about the whole thing. Hayes did not envy Elizabeth Weir and the job she had trying to keep them calm and reasonable. But this is what she was trained for, and Hayes had confidence that she could handle it.
Nobody knew that Doctor Weir was one of the people Hayes had considered putting in command of the SGC before he decided that it would be best to keep Hammond there. Well, there was the chance that Daniel Jackson knew.
Hayes' thoughts turned fully to the archeologist. They all owed the man a great deal. He had saved the lives of everyone on Earth, almost at the cost of his own. A letter of commendation seemed a poorly inadequate reward.
The president recalled something that General Maynard had said. There was no doubt that Daniel Jackson deserved the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He had done more for this planet than any other civilian in history. But there was a problem. The list of Medal of Freedom recipients was public, and there was no way that an unclassified reason could be made up for Daniel being given the medal, which meant that it would have to be awarded in secret, at least from the rest of the world.
This was something he'd have to discuss with others. Though deciding who would receive the medal was his decision alone, there would be others who would have to be involved in the process, some of whom would have to be told about the Stargate Program. But, regardless of the unique difficulties that giving the medal to Daniel would cause, the archeologist was definitely worthy of the effort.
Hayes wrote a list of the people he knew would have to be involved in this, then pressed on the intercom button and told his aide to ask the vice president to come to his office. The president smiled upon thinking about what Kinsey's reaction was going to be when he told the man that he was going to give the Presidential Medal of Freedom to someone that Kinsey had reason to hate and fear.
A short while later, the vice president walked in. Hayes waved him to a seat.
"I wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about this year's recipients of the Medal of Freedom, one in particular," Hayes told him.
Kinsey nodded. "Yes, that is something that needs to be decided on within the next few months for the award ceremony in July."
"Actually, the particular recipient I'm thinking of wouldn't get his medal in the ceremony at the White House. It would be more of a . . . private affair."
Kinsey frowned. "I don't understand."
"I'm speaking of Doctor Jackson."
As Hayes watched closely, the face of the man sitting across from him darkened. "Mister President, you can't be serious."
"Why not? Doctor Jackson has repeatedly performed services to this country, to this planet, that fits well within the criteria laid down for the Medal of Freedom. If Bob Hope and Julia Child could be given the medal, you can't honestly say that someone like Doctor Jackson doesn't deserve it. The man deserves the Congressional Gold Medal, too, but, unfortunately, awarding that medal has to be passed by Congress, and since a huge chunk of the House of Representatives and Senate don't know about the Stargate, it'll be out of the question until the program goes public. But I and I alone decide who gets the Medal of Freedom, and I think it's way past time that Daniel Jackson is given one."
The sour expression remained on Kinsey's face. "It could not be made public."
"I am aware of that. There are a few people who will have to know, but it can be done." He handed the list of names to Kinsey. "These are the people who will have to be brought in on this. Some of them will need to be told about the Stargate Program. I want to get them together here and tell them all at once so that I don't have to repeat everything several times."
"When were you planning on giving him the medal?"
"As soon as it can be arranged." Hayes grinned. "I'd sort of like to do it before he dies yet again, not that it would make much of a difference since he'd likely pull another Lazarus."
Kinsey handed the slip of paper back to the president. "While I'm here, I wanted to ask you about your plans for Stargate Command. Now that the danger of Anubis has passed and we don't have to rush to find this Lost City of the Ancients, I think it would be an excellent time to find a replacement for General Hammond. You made a valid point about the political situation before, and—"
"Sorry, Bob. Not gonna happen," Hayes interrupted. "Hammond is staying right where he is, at least until the time comes that I choose to promote him."
"P-promote him? After all the ways he's screwed up as commander of the SGC?! Promote him to what?"
"Once we get this whole thing with the Ancient outpost straightened out, I am considering creating a new military-run organization that would oversee it, the Stargate Program, and the 302 program, everything that is connected to our . . . off-world interests. I'm thinking of calling it Homeworld Security. I thought that had a nice ring to it. General Hammond would be placed in charge since I can't think of another man more qualified for the job than he is."
Kinsey tried to hide how disturbed he was by this announcement. Such an organization would make it even harder for him and the people he was in league with to be in control of the Stargate.
"So, who would take over command of the SGC?"
"Actually, I was thinking of giving that command to Colonel O'Neill." Hayes almost smiled, waiting for the vice president's reaction.
"O'Neill?!" Kinsey squawked. "The man's an incompetent idiot! He and his team have put this planet at risk numerous times. How can you even consider giving command of the SGC to him?"
"Unlike you, Bob, I happen to think that Colonel O'Neill and the rest of his team have done a damn fine job in their position, considering what they're up against and all the strange and unique situations they have to deal with. I doubt that anyone else could have done better. But this isn't final. I'm still mulling it all over in my mind." He began riffling through a stack of papers on his desk. "That'll be all for now, Bob. I'll let you know when the meeting with those people has been arranged."
The president watched Kinsey stalk out of the Oval Office, chuckling after the door closed behind him. The truth was that, from a military standpoint, O'Neill really was the logical choice to take over command of the SGC. He was equally as experienced as Hammond was in dealing with the Goa'uld and other alien issues and dangers. The only major reservation Hayes had was the colonel's less than stellar record when it came to diplomacy. But, since talking with Doctor Jackson and after witnessing the events of the fight with Anubis, Hayes had come to realize that diplomacy was not the skill that was most needed at the SGC; it was knowledge of the Goa'uld, military experience and a keen mind for tactics and strategy, all of which Colonel O'Neill had in spades. Even so, Hayes was still not a hundred percent convinced that he would be the best man for the job. It was going to take a lot more thought before he could decide on this.
This brought the president's mind back to his original thought, the one about the commendations for SG-1. That's when an idea came into his head.
He picked up the phone and called a number it hadn't taken long to memorized. "George! How's it going?"
"Oh, pretty much the same as usual for this place, Mister President," General Hammond replied.
"Saved the planet again this week?"
"No, sir. Nothing that dramatic. Can I assume this call has to do with my report about Doctor Jackson?"
"Only partly. This newest information is astounding, that's for sure. I have to wonder what revelations are going to be made next. But the main reason for my call is that I've been wanting to send all the members of SG-1 letters of commendation for their actions in stopping Anubis, but it just hasn't gotten done. I decided that I'd like to give them the letters personally."
Hammond smiled, pleased. "They would be honored, sir."
"So, what is their mission schedule like?"
"They're not scheduled for anything important, nothing that can't be handled by another team."
"Good. Then how about Saturday? I'm planning on taking a little break this weekend and going to Camp David, have a bit of fun in the snow. I don't think that SG-1's ever been there."
"No, they haven't, sir, and, considering the problems you've had to deal with recently, I'd say you deserve a weekend off."
"My thoughts exactly. Okay then, it's settled. I will be expecting SG-1 to join me at Camp David on Saturday. Say around noon? We can all have a nice meal together before getting down to business. They can spend the night and head back home Sunday morning."
"I'm sure they'll enjoy it, sir."
"I'll have a helicopter waiting for them at the airport. Just give my aide their flight information when you have it." Hayes paused a moment. "I should tell you that there is another reason why I've decided to give them their commendations in person."
"Oh?"
"It's regarding Doctor Jackson." Hayes paused again. "I'm awarding him the Medal of Freedom, George."
Surprise and then absolute delight stilled Hammond's tongue for a moment. "I can't tell you how happy I am to hear that, Mister President. If there is any man on this planet who's earned it, it's him."
"I couldn't agree more. While I'd dearly love to surprise him with the presentation, that probably wouldn't be wise. We wouldn't want him to faint from the shock."
Hammond chuckled. "I doubt that he would, sir, but it would be best to warn him ahead of time."
"Which is what I'll be doing on Saturday."
"How were you planning on doing this, sir? The public does not know about Doctor Jackson's achievements, so the medal cannot be awarded publically."
"I know. How would you feel about a little presidential visit to the SGC?"
"We would be pleased and honored, sir."
"Good. I can't think of a more fitting place to award that medal than on the ramp to the gate that Doctor Jackson opened to us."
"Neither can I, Mister President."
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