DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters and property of Stargate SG-1 belong to MGM/UA, World Gekko Corp. and Double Secret Productions. This fan fiction was created solely for entertainment purposes and no money was made from it. Also, no copyright or trademark infringement was intended. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Any other characters, the storyline and the actual story are the property of the author. Not to be archived without permission of the author(s).
Sam was waiting in front of the museum when the cab bearing Jack O'Neill pulled up. She watched anxiously as he paid the driver, then unfolded from the back seat onto the pavement. He minced no words as he bore down on the young major. "You lost him?"
"Yes, sir. It appears that way."
"How the hell do you lose a six foot tall geek in a museum? No. Don't answer that question. Let me guess. He wandered away to look at rocks."
"Not exactly, sir." Sam was growing annoyed with the colonel's sarcastic rhetoric. Daniel was nowhere to be found. She really didn't have either the time or the patience for the colonel's tantrum.
"What happened?"
She quickly ran through their meeting with Damian Fielding, and Daniel's desire to get some air. As she spoke, the angry glint in the colonel's eyes changed to worry.
Jack took a deep breath, and straightened his cap. "Sorry, Carter. He should have stayed indoors. Dammit, Daniel."
"No, sir. You don't understand. According to Fielding's secretary, it was raining when Daniel left the office. I don't think he'd have gone outside. The last person I can find who saw him was the receptionist. And he was heading to the dinosaur exhibit when she last saw him. But no one in that room, including the security guard, remembers seeing him. Do you think he's been kidnapped?"
Jack glared at the sky as raindrops landed on the brim of his cap, then said. "Let's go inside. I need to talk to the receptionist. And Fielding."
Teal'c's conversation with the doorman at Daniel's security building was going nowhere fast. It simply did not matter to the doorman that Teal'c had been there on many occasions with Daniel Jackson. Dr. Jackson was not in the building, therefore, Teal'c could not enter. The Jaffa was puzzled, General Hammond had assured him that there would be no problem with his examining Daniel Jackson's personal abode. To the alien's amazement, the doorman had no knowledge of General Hammond nor did he appear to care that Hammond was Daniel Jackson's commanding officer. "Look, Mr. Teal or whatever your name is, I don't give a tinker's damn who this Hammond person is. Boss or not, a man's entitled to his privacy, and I'm not letting you in without a court order."
"How must I go about obtaining this court order?"
"You're kidding, right? First you get a lawyer. Then you give him all your worldly possessions, then he goes to a judge, then you get the order. Comprende?"
"How much time does this giving process usually take? This matter must not be delayed."
"God, I..." The doorman turned to answer the phone. "Jenkins. ... Yes, sir, he's here right now. ... The key? Sir, I... Yes, sir. No questions. Understood, sir." Turning back to Teal'c, the doorman sighed. "You must know some important people."
"Why?"
"My boss just told me to take you upstairs and let you into Jackson's apartment."
"My thanks to both you and your superior."
"Yeah, right. Whatever. Let's go."
Jack looked scathingly at the dinosaur fossils. "You would'a thought there'd be enough rocks in this museum for him. Major, you're sure no one saw him leave?"
"No one that I spoke with, sir. And..."
"Excuse me, uh, Colonel, Major?"
Sam and Jack whirled to face a nervous guard. "Are you looking for Dr. Jackson?"
"YES!" The twin replies caused the man to visibly wince.
"Well, I took him to the workrooms about two hours ago."
"The workrooms?" Jack's voice held more than a hint of steel. Daniel would be six feet under if he found the scientist looking at rocks in the workrooms while his friends frantically searched the public areas of the museum. "Why? What did he want to see?"
"I can't really say, sir. Major Carter asked him to meet her there."
Sam looked stunned. "No, I didn't."
It was the guard's turn to look surprised. "Your name is Carter, too?"
Jack groaned inwardly. This was bad, real bad. "Don't tell me. Some female in a major's uniform identified herself as Major Carter, and asked you to give Dr. Jackson the message?"
"Yes, sir."
"Would you show us where you took him?"
"No problem. And I apologize for not getting with you sooner. Had to run to the Post Office and that took longer than I'd planned. This way please."
The frigid temperature surrounding him was barely noticed as Daniel's eyes struggled to open. The ceiling swam above him, making him even more dizzy than he already was. Before he could even begin to take stock of his whereabouts, or anything else, his stomach lurched. Daniel lunged desperately to one side and barely managed to hang over the edge of whatever-the-hell-it-was-he-was-on. What little nourishment had been on his stomach was quickly expelled, but the dry heaves continued for far longer.
When at last the retching ceased, Daniel rolled onto his back and covered his eyes with his arm, praying for the room to just stop moving. As his stomach settled, and his head began to clear, he struggled to recall exactly what had happened. He mentally replayed his tour of the museum, cursing his stupidity for following the guard to the workrooms. If he hadn't been so angry at Fielding, he'd have realized that Sam would have sought him out before going anywhere. She'd never have sent a guard to find him. Groaning he opened his eyes, only to close them as the ceiling continued to vibrate. 'Maybe if I sit up, that'll help.' Keeping his eyes tightly closed he started to push himself upright, only to freeze as he discovered his left wrist was bound with something. Forcing himself to look, he was not terribly surprised to find handcuffs securing his left wrist to metal shelves. His eyes widened as he realized the shelves were vibrating. Taking a deep breath, he glanced around the room, only to find that it was not a room. He was in a van of some sort, obviously a prisoner of someone, being transported somewhere. Shivering slightly, he glanced back at the contents of the nearby shelves. 'What the hell? Ice? Oh shit!' This wasn't just a van, it was a refrigerated van, carrying frozen specimens. Wrapping his free arm around his now shivering body, he hoped he wouldn't be frozen by the time the van reached its destination.
Teal'c waited patiently for the doorman to unlock the door, and stood silently as the lock clicked. The man backed away from the door, looking expectantly at Teal'c as he did so. "Well? Aren't you going to open the door?"
"When you have departed."
"Oh. Yeah. Well, just remember I'm not responsible for this apartment if you forget to lock up when you leave."
"I will not forget."
The startled doorman stared for a short moment before shaking his head and walking away. Teal'c gave him a moment to leave, then opened the door. Brown eyes narrowed at the sight before him. The apartment had been thoroughly searched, and by someone who knew they would not be interrupted or discovered quickly. The Jaffa removed General Hammond's cell phone from his pocket, and calmly reported the ransacking of Daniel Jackson's apartment to SGC security. That task out of the way, Teal'c maneuvered his way through the wreckage in search of Colonel O'Neill's safe.