FICLET: The Walls of Jericho, Jack/Daniel. Partlet - 28

[icarus]

This is getting long, so the previous part is here.

The Walls of Jericho - 28 (from part 1 here)
by Icarus




"Indeed, Daniel Jackson. One cannot imagine SG-1 without you."

Sam yawned hugely and squeezed her eyes open and shut as she peered out of her tent around their camp, disconcerted by the dim light and stars. Her mental clock expected broad daylight, or at least some. It was morning after all.

"Oh for crying out loud…." Jack was saying. "That's completely out of context!"

Daniel was planted squarely in the middle of the campsite gazing up at the colonel with a mutinous glare. He looked like Cassandra after Janet had said no to getting her ears pierced. Only Sam didn't think Janet would want to deal with this. He vigorously stirred a sizzling skillet of reconstituted eggs with a spatula, though it was her turn to cook. Sam scratched the back of her head but had no argument with someone else - anyone else - cooking. Especially not Daniel. It might even be edible.

Reconstituted eggs… hmmm, well. Okay, maybe not 'edible.'

"And what would the appropriate context be, Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c had continued implacably. "I was merely confirming that Doctor Jackson is an invaluable member of the team and would be difficult to replace."

"Yeah, Jack, what would that context be exactly?" Daniel goaded.

"You're the one talking about dying here!"

"No," Daniel said slowly, drawing out the syllable and blinking. "I'm talking about the difficulty of finding someone with precisely my qualifications. Dying was simply mentioned as one of the possible extenuating circumstances."

"Yeah? Well don't."

"Let's see… I speak twenty-three earth-based languages… several Goa'uld dialects, Ancient…"

"Hey, I speak Ancient."

Daniel gave the colonel a dismal look.

"Some." Daniel continued his steady stare. "Philates. It means… head or something," the colonel spluttered, then quickly recovered. "The point is none of us is irreplaceable. Not even me."

"Yes, but we weren't talking about you, were we?" Daniel gave the colonel a cold look.

"Are we talking about replacing Daniel?" Sam ventured with a puzzled frown.

"No!" Jack and Daniel shouted at once, then turned on each other.

"Oh? Glad to hear it, Jack."

"No one likes lobbyists."

"Ooooh-kay." Sam stepped aside carefully. She knew when she wasn't wanted. "Cheery place around here this morning," Sam murmured, exchanging a meaningful look with Teal'c.

Daniel scraped some eggs into plastic bowl and handed it to her. "Good morning, Sam."

The colonel rolled his eyes and kicked a little in the direction of the skillet. "And you can't just buy them off with some eggs."

"Ummm, red bell pepper," Sam hummed around a bite.

"Fresh," Daniel ignored the colonel. "Figured we'd need the vitamin C without the," he gestured to the sky as he searched for the word, "natural sunlight."

"I'm bought. Show me where to sign in blood." Daniel grinned with grim determination and handed a heaping portion to Teal'c.

"As am I." He settled the massive plate on his lap as he sat cross-legged. "I will participate in your blood ritual."

"Ever hear the phrase 'The army travels on its stomach,' Jack?" Daniel said.

"This is the Air Force."

Sam's fork paused, mid-bite, as Daniel scooped out a bowl for himself. "Doesn't the colonel get any?"

"He already had his." Daniel said it with curious emphasis, and Sam glanced between them.

Both men looked noticeably embarrassed. The colonel dug at the ground with the toe of his boot while Daniel pursed his lips and studied the spatula. He finally dished out a bowl for the colonel, not meeting his eyes. Then the colonel sat on the ground gingerly as far away from Daniel as possible, gazing off in the distance as if he had some important military reason for doing so. They ate in tense silence.

Sam took a deep breath. "We're, um, chipper today." She kept her eyes carefully on her bowl, scraping up a last few peppers. The colonel gave her a sharp look.

"Yeah, well, I'm not looking forward to my meeting with the general." He studied her with narrow eyes. The group abruptly sobered with the reminder of their failed mission, although the colonel's manner didn't change. It seemed he hadn't forgotten.

"I don't suppose anyone's interested in hearing some good news," she ventured.

"It had better be great news, because I'm the one who's gonna get his ass chewed out."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "I think we all will, sir."

"That's before Hammond's door shuts." The colonel's lips pressed together in a thin line.

"Sir, I think… while I was on watch last night I started thinking. The aliens' caverns were just convenient for us, a way we could kill two birds with one stone: we could develop relations with them," everyone looked away at this point, so she hurried on, "- and we could get our core readings. But sir, all we really need is access to one of these magma vents."

"Great. There's one right down there." The colonel pointed to one of the flat lava pans in the valley below, looking both bemused and pleased. "Do your magic."

She smiled. "I'm afraid that's just lava flowing over open rock. It's considerably cooler. We need to get to one of these active volcanoes and find a way in."

"We need to go inside a volcano." Daniel's voice was deadpan and his jaw dropped. "An active volcano?"

"Well, like I said, the aliens' caverns were considerably more convenient."

"Okay," Jack stood and clapped his hands. "Pack up, kids. We'll stop at the MALP for an equipment we need to locate one of these…" he gestured vaguely, "… air vent things."

"Do you think this is wise?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not seeing a lot of options here, Daniel."

"I'm no geologist, but it should be relatively safe. Most of the volcanoes in this range are in the shield-building stage. Like Mauna Loa in Hawaii," Sam explained. "So long as we have the proper equipment and don't bumble into a lava flow, we should be okay."



The next part is here.

Comments

[kuteki.livejournal.com]

I love the continuation of the morning after, they are too cute and getting a bit obvious, I wonder how long it's going to take for Sam to know everything. And Teal'c, I love Teal'c, always have and you have him just right, this line: "I will participate in your blood ritual." kills me dead. I love the humour in this and am very intrigued by the return of the plot, which probably means the end is near. Which makes me sad, but I do hope it will be a nice and happy ending. :D

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

they are too cute and getting a bit obvious

Oh heck yeah. Of course, they do fight a lot in general.

And Teal'c, I love Teal'c, always have and you have him just right, this line: "I will participate in your blood ritual." kills me dead.

Teal'c is the greatest.

I love the humour in this and am very intrigued by the return of the plot

Oh yeah, well, the plot had to return sometime.

Icarus

[moojja.livejournal.com]

I love this part. I especially like the part where Daniel bribes them with eggs.
One of the reasons I think J/D works better than J/S is that Daniel is a stubborn bastard.

PS, what does the words, “we should be ok” scares me.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons I think J/D works better than J/S is that Daniel is a stubborn bastard.

Daniel's response caught me off guard actually. I expected him to talk to Jack later, in private, but instead he went for the full frontal assault.

Icarus

[moojja.livejournal.com]

Daniel had to fight to get on SG1, General Hammond was against him initially. Overall, we don’t see a lot of civilians on field teams. At least not permanent members, most of the time the civilians seem to come in for a specific mission, then leave.

PS, why does the words, “we should be ok” scares me?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Daniel had to fight to get on SG1, General Hammond was against him initially.

Yeah, Daniel's attitude about Jack's threat was, "Sure. And you'll replace me with who? Rothman?"

PS, why does the words, “we should be ok” scares me?

Because it's said immediately after the words "I'm no geologist." :p

Icarus

[queenofstars.livejournal.com]

"He already had his."
Heh. Jack is not the only one who can be a total bastard when his buttons are pushed. Lovely.

It seemed he hadn't forgotten.
He wouldn't be Jack if he had. Great characterization.

And, yay! Alien lava!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Heh. Jack is not the only one who can be a total bastard when his buttons are pushed. Lovely.

I tell you, these two have been at each other's throats the entire mission.

He wouldn't be Jack if he had. Great characterization.

*pleased smile* Thank you. No, Jack would never take his eye off the ball.

Icarus

[kres.livejournal.com]

Bioootiful.

Talking about team dynamics. Hehe. A marvelous morning after.

Where I went 'heeeee':

Reconstituted eggs

extenuating circumstance

as if he had some important military reason for doing so

everyone looked away at this point

I'm glad you're continuing this. The setting is really, really interesting, and now that our heroes, heh, did the deed, there are even more interesting things going to happen between them. *rubs hands in glee*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

The setting is really, really interesting,

Cool! We'll be getting more of the setting, soon.

and now that our heroes, heh, did the deed, there are even more interesting things going to happen between them. *rubs hands in glee*

Oh yes. It is veddy-veddy complicated now.

Icarus

[celestialseason.livejournal.com]

This part of the fight is even better than the last part. Daniel sure isn't cutting Jack any slack despite the fact that Teal'c and Sam are right there. I think I said it before but you really write all the characters perfectly.

And this made me laugh

"And you can't just buy them off with some eggs." ...
"I'm bought. Show me where to sign in blood." Daniel grinned with grim determination and handed a heaping portion to Teal'c.

"As am I." He settled the massive plate on his lap as he sat cross-legged. "I will participate in your blood ritual."

Another enjoyable part. I can't wait to see how things get worked out betweemn Jack and Daniel.

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

This part of the fight is even better than the last part. Daniel sure isn't cutting Jack any slack despite the fact that Teal'c and Sam are right there.

Oh yeah. Jack's pulled rank -- which Daniel always loves -- and threatened his job (or at least that's how Daniel views it), for a rule that Daniel thinks is pointless, over something that Jack initiated. As far as he's concerned Jack deserves zero leeway.

The eggs thing was not in my original notes, it just came out of the blue while I was typing. *snort*

Icarus

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Oh, by the way, the next part's up.

Icarus

Whee!

[sqkiwibird.livejournal.com]

Hi.

I can't believe I let this story languish for a while! I'd forgotten how brilliant your characterizations are. I'm not a big SG-1 fan, but boy do I love your writing. It's so addicting. I love it when Jack and Daniel fight dirty. Bless their stubborn hides. Also, Sam and Teal'c are perfect. All the characters mesh wonderfully. Thanks for sharing. I'd love to see some more of this fic.

-Oh, and I'm Matilda Baggins. :)

Re: Whee!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Matilda! When did you get a Live Journal? I hope you don't mind that I've friended you already (*pretty nest, fluffs feathers* has to be one of the most adorable opening lines ever).

Nothing's more enjoyable than a good stand-off between Jack and Daniel.

queenofstars has offered me effective bait to finish this story soon, and it's actually pretty close to the end. Roughly (very roughly) five more parts to go? No, waitaminute, five parts plus an epilogue. And you know, sometimes a new section or two pops up in the writing.

Not that there aren't more stories coming. It's ridiculous, I just got flooded with Stargate ideas in the fall and I'm only gradually catching up. To think the whole reason I started reading Stargate was to keep myself from getting hooked into writing more fanfic. *cough*

Icarus

Re: Whee!

[sqkiwibird.livejournal.com]

Whee! :) Well, my Live Journal is fairly new -- only a couple of weeks old, I think. I decided it was time to delurk since I was frequenting the place so much. I'm delighted that you've friended me. In fact, when I read that, I squealed and ran to tell Fuzzybeard, who was playing a game of Gauntlet II (old arcade game) on his computer. He thinks I'm insane, but there you go. I hope you don't mind that I've friended you back. *blush* I'm glad you like my nest.

Yes, Jack and Daniel are adorable. I love watching the show and slashing as I go. The poor boys have no chance.

Oooh, I'm glad the story is close to being finished. I must dash off to read the next part. *straining to go*

Heh. I know you're busy with classes and all (and they're important), but I'm so glad you haven't stopped writing. I love finding your stuff. Do keep writing please.

-Matilda

[tigerlilly2063.livejournal.com]

I so love their bickering and how Teal'c stays completely calm, as if there's nothing to discuss at all.

But it makes me really curious about their discussion before Sam woke up. This makes me all a bit confused and I hope to get enlightened during the next parts.
I still can't see what's Jack's point in this whole discussion... And sometimes I think he doesn't know it himself.

"Ever hear the phrase 'The army travels on its stomach,' Jack?" Daniel said.
"This is the Air Force."
*lol* So typical Jack. As if that's the most significant part.

"He already had his."
Now we all can think what we want about this. *smirks*

I like it how you find your way back to their mission. It somehow shows that Jack is more than a "one-dimensional" thinker. He's absolutely capable of "multi-tasking", even though he doesn't show it often.

Lovely addition!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

But it makes me really curious about their discussion before Sam woke up. This makes me all a bit confused and I hope to get enlightened during the next parts.

Ah. I may not have been clear. What's happened here is that once Teal'c woke up, Jack and Daniel had to cut off their debate. So Daniel's cleverly continued it by making it "hypothetical" and getting Teal'c's agreement that replacing him would be very difficult. Jack's now stuck defending himself without being able to explain the full situation.

*lol* So typical Jack. As if that's the most significant part.

Oh cool, I was worried about that line and almost cut it.

"He already had his."
Now we all can think what we want about this. *smirks*

Given Daniel hands him a bowl, we know exactly what he means by this. Jack's had his, and now Daniel's gonna pay for it with the threat of reassignment. Another dig at Jack's unfairness.

I like it how you find your way back to their mission. It somehow shows that Jack is more than a "one-dimensional" thinker. He's absolutely capable of "multi-tasking", even though he doesn't show it often.

Jack always has one eye out for threats, and one eye on the mission. No matter what. Those quick reflexes don't come from being fuzzy-headed and slack, even if he acts that way around the "geeky" parts. Part of his air of distraction is that he's always got one ear to the ground, so to speak.

Icarus

[tigerlilly2063.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the explanation. Now I got it.

Oh cool, I was worried about that line and almost cut it.
Oh, no! It fits simply perfect.

Another dig at Jack's unfairness.
And you really make sure that he gets plenty of it. ;)

*off to read the next part*

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

PS - the next part is up.

Yea!

[dustandroses.livejournal.com]

You made me laugh more than once...I love that.

reconstituted eggs/edible? made me giggle.

I will participate in your blood ritual made me laugh out loud.

Doesn't the colonel get any? He already had his. made me snort.

Then So long as we have the proper equipment and don't bumble into a lava flow, we should be okay. turned it around and made me moan...you've got me coming and going here! Can't wait for the next part!

Re: Yea!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

Man, hold out the right bait and I start writing like a fiend. I've had the whole thing in my notes for a long time.

Icarus *sheepish if hurried*

Re: Yea!

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

I will participate in your blood ritual -- forgot to answer: Teal'c keeps surprising me in this story. There's more with him coming up.

In the meantime, the next part is Sam's, and it's already up. (Look at what queenofstars has done. ;)

Icarus

Huh?

[dustandroses.livejournal.com]

I'm missing it...what did queenofstars do?

Re: Huh?

[icarusancalion.livejournal.com]

She has held out some very effective bait to get me to finish the story more quickly. Also, I've learned from my beta, cyanei that she's only available during a certain period so I'm sorta... hustling it along.

Icarus