brainofck: (DanielJackson)
brainofck ([personal profile] brainofck) wrote2007-09-26 11:16 pm

Worst Case

For [livejournal.com profile] zats_clear.

2. A dark and stormy story of angst and want and loss

Title: Worst Case
Author: [livejournal.com profile] muck_a_luck, posting in [livejournal.com profile] brainofck
Pairing: Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill
Rating: R
Summary: Bodies start coming back through the Gate. Hammond does what has to be done. So does Jack.
Content/warnings: Character Death
Words: 958
Disclaimer: If anybody is planning a script like this for SG-1, I'm certainly not going to claim any rights to it. However, I'd be delighted to work in a co-writing/consulting/first-reader/advisory-type capacity, with my fee to be negotiated at that time. :D
Archive rights: Absolutely none. My journals only. [livejournal.com profile] muck_a_luck and [livejournal.com profile] brainofck
The Matrix: Enemies. The Matrix is located here.




"The body came through the Gate almost an hour ago," Hutchins said breathlessly, trotting to keep up.

"Who?" Jack demanded.

"Paretski, SG-5," Hutchins supplied.

Jack knew it was SG-5. That was the reason he wasn't home resting his arm anymore. Getting dressed again in his uniform had been a bitch with the sling, but practice made perfect. SG-5 was escorting SG-1 to that pretty little pastoral planet with the pink flowers with the amazing medicinal applications.

The klaxon started. Walter announced the unscheduled off world activation. This would be whoever it was, delivering their demands. Jack ran flat out for the Gateroom.

"...Major Carter's IDC, sir," Walter said tensely.

"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.

Another body rolled through.

They kept the wormhole open with a communications feed to the MALP, trying to raise the missing team. The only thing coming in from the pretty planet of the pink flowers was static.

Exactly one hour later, the gate activated again.

"Major Carter's IDC, sir," Walter said, his voice cracking.

"The next thing through is gonna be dangerous," Hammond muttered, looking to his 2IC for confirmation. Jack nodded once, eyes glued to the iris.

It stayed closed.

There was a thud against the shield.

Number three, Jack thought.

Four more hours. Four more impacts against the iris. Then the Gate stayed still.

Jack couldn't sleep for days. He couldn't shut down the morbid questions in his head. Were they alive or dead when they were shoved through the event horizon? Were they killed as a group, then sent through one at a time as a message, or did the fuckers slaughter them like lambs just before they pushed them through? And who the hell were they? They certainly didn't act like goa'uld. But the SGC really didn't have that many other galactic enemies. Could something have gone wrong on the planet?

He wondered which thud had been Daniel.




Hammond called in his resignation the next day.

Jack was offered the promotion and the command, and he took them without a second's thought.

He ran the SGC like clockwork. He had a touch for it, despite his complaints about paperwork and meetings.

But he was just killing time. He had one goal now, and sure, it was great if they could make friends in the galaxy and kick some goa'uld ass, but mainly he wanted one thing.




They haunted him.

He missed Carter every single day that he had to deal with Lee and Felger and Coombs. They were competent. Sometimes brilliant. And never, ever as good as she was. Even when he briefly had McKay on staff before he couldn't stand the guy anymore and happily agreed to his transfer to Pegasus. Even McKay never quite met Jack's expectations.

It surprised him how much he missed Teal'c. It was good to work with an equal. Somebody who you could always depend on – who never let you down. Someone who knew better than you did how to handle the tactical issues so that you could focus on the strategic objective. Now Jack turned to Jacob and Bra'tac for tactical assistance. It was good to have motivated tactical staff.

Daniel's group was actually quite good, and during the usual day around the mountain, Jack missed Daniel the least. Nyan stepped up and did a fantastic job.

But alone in their house, Jack missed Daniel the most.

He kept their honeymoon picture by the bed. Sometimes, nights when he was feeling particularly maudlin, he would reach out and touch their kiss with his fingers.

He wished he could just pretend that Daniel wasn't really dead. They had never seen a body, after all. You could really never be sure Daniel would stay dead, even when you had seen the body.

Unfortunately, Jack could always separate fantasy from reality.




Jack hadn't spent years making friends in the Milky Way for nothing.

Boch found them. Not even real bad guys, Jack thought. Just a family of galactic psycho thrill killers who had heard of the SGC and just happened to be massacring the village when the SG teams had arrived.

They weren't even aliens, Jack thought. Just plain old humans.

Well.

Later Jacob sanitized the data and returned it to the SGC as "Tokra research."

Jacob and Bra'tac helped out. Boch took a few notes, too. They documented some quite interesting medical data as the virus from the quarantined sample jar Jack had brought with him blasted through Patient A, and quickly spread to Patients B, C and D. The progression of the disease caused the patients to linger painfully at the end.

Jack opened the wormhole and radioed the mountain.

"Sergeant, this is General O'Neill. It is vital that you do not open the iris. Do you understand?"

"Sir, yes, sir!" came the instant response.

"General?" came Reynolds' surprised voice.

"You heard me, Colonel. Some bad people are about to come through the Gate and you are not to let them enter the facility."

"Yes, sir! The iris is closed!"

The younger man had killed Carter. Jacob pitched him through with a few curses for good measure. Selmak, who had made a few t'sking sounds during the course of their medical observations, did nothing to stop him.

Bra'tac and Jack dispatched the old man and the even older woman.

The girl, though. The one who had dreamily and repeatedly described how she had threatened village children to make Daniel walk though the Gate under his own power, and then killed the 'little sweet ones' anyway. Jack buried her alive in a box.

Daniel had been impact seven.




It was storming when he dialed the Gate again. He gave them long enough to realize there was no code transmission. Then he stepped into the wormhole for the last time.

End.


UPDATE: Ahem. Please to follow this link to the happy ending thread. *giggles*

The third piece: Partner Betrayal

If you're interested, all my stories, in order, from one page. Also, my fiction recommendations.

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 04:31 am (UTC)(link)
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrggghh!!!

And then he woke up.

*sticks fingers in ears and hums, loudly*

[identity profile] whisper99.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 12:17 pm (UTC)(link)
He did indeed. And he clutched Daniel close to his heart, then had frantic sex with him. And then, just in case, he told him about the dream so Daniel would keep his eyes open for crazy psycho murderers on their next mission. Daniel privately swore he'd never let Jack watch Hostel again.

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 02:43 pm (UTC)(link)
Exactly! *clings*

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
Ahahahahaha!!!!!!! I told my 9 year old about this (no naughty bits. Whole team gets killed, Jack gets revenge then kills himself) and your fix (no naughty bits. Daniel found out about the dream and made sure Jack never watched Hostel again) and he thought it was hilarious, too! :D

[identity profile] whisper99.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
LOL! :)

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:46 am (UTC)(link)
It's *her* fault! *points at Zats accusingly*

[identity profile] green-grrl.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 02:18 am (UTC)(link)
*views trail of whumped and dead bodies winding through your fic journal*

Sorry, you don't get to play innocent with your history. :-)

[identity profile] melayneseahawk.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
Oh no! What is it will you and killing everyone these days?!

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
I know! But this time, I blame Zats for enabling me.

[identity profile] angiepen.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 09:49 am (UTC)(link)
:(

Angie

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
:'(

[identity profile] adafrog.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 12:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, ouch.

[identity profile] adafrog.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh suuuuure, blame it on someone else! lol
ext_2043: (Default)

[identity profile] zats-clear.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 01:36 pm (UTC)(link)
you have probably figured out, I love angst. A good cry is a good thing. Especially as fanfic can reset it with another story! And when I want a feel-good story, I thumb over to Hunt and Peck.

This so fit the bill. In less than 1000 words, you showed the painful reality of command decisions, the intense loss of those who mean so much to you, the cold comfort of revenge, and the cessation of emptiness. OW but perfect.

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. You are too kind. I'm very pleased that this suited you so well.

Heh. Meanwhile, I have been directing all complaints to you! *points up the thread* :D
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[identity profile] zats-clear.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 12:21 pm (UTC)(link)
*visions of "scape goat" go thru my mind*

[identity profile] cocoajava.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 04:25 pm (UTC)(link)
YAY MEEP.

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
I know!

[identity profile] seanchaidh.livejournal.com 2007-09-27 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Whoa. That was dark and intense. Bravo. :)

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks!

[identity profile] tresa-cho.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 12:20 am (UTC)(link)
D:

DDD:

DDDDDD:

;_;

Well written but guh. *cries*

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
:'( I tried to smash it between to fluffy ones!
seleneheart: (Default)

[personal profile] seleneheart 2007-09-28 01:29 am (UTC)(link)
That's effin' creepy. Not that I didn't like it, because you do angst and gruesome death quite well, it's one of your talents.

[identity profile] brainofck.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
You know, now I feel that I have come full circle! That's what everbody said about the first chapter of Dark Muse. Creepy! :D

it's one of your talents

That's so cool! Thanks!

ext_2043: (Default)

Mea Culpa

[identity profile] zats-clear.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 12:19 pm (UTC)(link)
I, Zats of the Valley-Girl-Vala icon, do lay claim to this particular CK Story of Death and Doom. To quote a song, it's my party, and I'll cry if I want to LOL

she is good at this, dontcha think?
ext_2043: (Default)

Re: Mea Culpa

[identity profile] zats-clear.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 05:39 pm (UTC)(link)
and by "lay claim" I do mean, "take the blame" LOL

[identity profile] captainlogic.livejournal.com 2007-09-28 11:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Whats the word Im looking for...

HOLYSHIT!!!

Must read happy ending version. MUST read happy ending....