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Looking For Answers

By Edna Phillips (Mrs Stargate Obsessed)

Status: Complete

Summary: O’Neill returns from a mission, injured, with no memory, and is experiencing black outs. Is there more here than meets the eye?

WARNING: This story does not end until you see the words THE END.

Category: Pure Stargate

Season: Season 6

Spoilers: None

Rating: PG13

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters belong to MGM/UA, Showtime/Viacom, SCI-FI Channel, Gekko, Double Secret Productions etc. and all the powers that be, not me. No copyright infringement intended. This story is written for fan entertainment only and no money has exchanged hands. The story is the property of the author and may not be posted anywhere without the authors consent.

Author’s Note: Written as a thank you for the actors of SG-1 for the hours of pleasure they have given me and for one actor in particular who made me laugh and taught me to “never give up.”

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ML 4996

“OK Carter let’s get these things back through the Gate shall we,” Colonel O’Neill said raising his voice above the wind that was becoming increasingly stronger.

“There are still two members of SG-3 who haven’t returned,” she answered as she placed another batch of instruments on the steps leading to the Stargate for an airman to take through the active wormhole to earth.

“I know that Major,” O’Neill shouted, as he too placed equipment on the steps. “You just make sure everyone is evacuated before this dam hurricane hits.”

“Yes Sir. Teal’c can you give those airman a hand with that case?” she asked as she watched them struggling. He nodded and headed in their direction.

“Right we’re off to find Sergeant Blake and Captain Evans. You get everybody home,” O’Neill ordered her.

“You have one hour at the most before the full force of that storm hits,” Major Carter told him as she picked up some things to take through the Gate.

“Shouldn’t take us too long to locate them,” O’Neill shouted back as he and Major White set off towards the distant hills. “Teal’c, please help Carter,” he asked as he left.

At that moment Jonus Quinn the newest member of the SG-1 team stepped out of the last remaining tent, which was in danger of falling down, carrying armfuls of equipment.

“Doesn’t he want Teal’c or I to go with him to find SG-3?” he asked Major Carter.

“He says it’s more than likely they’re already on their way back down. They’ve been up there for two days now and it’s three hours past the return time they were given. It’s a shame the radios don’t work past those trees,” Carter said as she looked up at the hills.

“I wonder what causes that,” said Jonus Quinn as he walked past her towards the active wormhole.

“Can’t wait for this storm to die down so we can return. It should be interesting to eventually find out,” she shouted back over the wind.

“There’s another hurricane following not too far behind this one,” Jonus told her. “You’re going to have a bit of a wait I’m afraid. Hope the Colonel keeps his eye on his watch.”

3 Days Later

“Jonus Quinn wants you to head for his position on the other side of those trees,” Captain Baker of SG-5 told Major Carter as he came to meet her and Teal’c.

“Has he found them?” she wanted to know.

“He’s found Colonel O’Neill,” the airman told her. “He’s sent me to get a stretcher.”

“The team behind has a stretcher with them,” she shouted above the noise of the incoming storm. “What’s he want a stretcher for?”

“He’s been hurt,” the airman shouted as he ran on.

“Who’s been hurt?” she asked loudly, but he was too far away to hear her question.

Fifteen minutes later Major Carter and Teal’c came upon Jonus Quinn’s search party. Three airmen were kneeling on the ground looking into a deep hole. At the bottom of this deep hole lying motionless and obviously unconscious was Colonel Jack O’Neill. Jonus Quinn had covered him with some blankets to try to keep him warm, but was looking worried.

“How is he?” Major Carter asked her voice barely audible over the wind.

“It looks bad,” Jonus answered. “There’s no sign of any of the others. Where the hell is that stretcher?” he asked just as the airman arrived and began lowering it down.

It took another twenty minutes before they had managed to secure Colonel O’Neill onto the stretcher and pull him vertically up through the hole he had fallen into. By the time they had also pulled up Jonus Quinn and Teal’c, who had gone down to help, the wind was making it hard to stand straight. Major Carter did what she could for the unconscious Colonel but her main aim was to get him back to earth as soon as possible.

“Locate the other search parties,” she told two of the airmen. “Tell them to stop looking and get back to the Gate immediately. That storm is coming in a lot faster than we anticipated and we don’t want any more people getting lost.”

Once she had done everything she could for the Colonel they headed in the direction of the Stargate, two airman at the front of the stretcher and Jonus Quinn and Teal’c at the back. Major Carter walked alongside.

“He doesn’t look too good, does he?” Jonus shouted through the wind. “I wonder how long he’s been down that hole.”

“Colonel O’Neill is extremely fit Jonus Quinn,” Teal’c told him as they walked on as quickly as they could. “I am certain he will be well.”

“Me too,” Major Carter added, though she gave Teal’c a worried smile.

“If the radios had worked up here he wouldn’t be in this mess and we wouldn’t be missing SG-3,” she shouted angrily above the storm.

“I’m wondering how the Colonel became separated from them,” said Jonus.

“Perhaps he never located them in the first place,” said Teal’c. “It is probable that he and Major White split up to look for them.”

“That’s a likely possibility,” said Major Carter. “But surely the Colonel would have arranged a meet up time to allow them to get back to the gate before the storm hit, even if they hadn’t located Evans and Blake. So why didn’t they?”

“Maybe the storm came in faster like this one is doing,” Teal’c said.

“What bothers me is if I hadn’t spotted the GDO lying on the ground we wouldn’t have found him, we’d have walked right past and not known it,” Jonus told them as they struggled through the ever increasing wind strength down the hillside towards the Stargate.

“And I still don’t understand where Major White and his missing team members have got too. There are some small caves they could have sheltered in if they had been trapped by the storm. But why didn’t they return home once it had gone?”

Debriefing

“How long do you estimate this hurricane will last?” General Hammond asked Jonus Quinn.

As they sat in the briefing room.

“I calculate about two days, maybe three,” he answered.

“Any ideas on what may have happened to SG-3 or Colonel O’Neill’s weapons?” he asked the team in general.

“Not really Sir,” Carter answered. “Major White said there were caves in the area so he, Colonel O’Neill, Evans and Blake should have been able to shelter in one when the first hurricane hit. But what happened to the Colonel’s weapons is a complete mystery. Dropping the GDO when he fell is one thing, but losing his weapons, never and it’s got me worried.”

“Well hopefully that mystery will be solved when he wakes up,” Hammond told her. “At the moment I’m concerned as to why the Major or Blake and Evans didn’t return when the hurricane died down. If they’d sheltered in the caves together or separate, they should have done so.”

“Perhaps they lost their GDO’s” Teal’c said.

“All of them?” Major Carter said in disbelief.

“Even if that were possible,” said General Hammond. “They should have been waiting by the Gate. They would have known someone would return for them once the storm let up, so why weren’t they there?”

“Well from our last look at the storm on ML 4996 through the MALP, before it turned over, we are going to have quite a wait before we can search again,” Jonus Quinn told them.

“Until that time SG-1 is on stand down. I want you all to get some rest, I’ve ordered the other teams to do the same,” Hammond said, and then turning to Major Carter added, “Go home.”

“If you don’t mind General,” she said getting to her feet. “I think I’ll stay on the base until I’m sure Colonel O’Neill is alright. If that’s OK Sir?”

General Hammond nodded and indicated she should stay behind as the others left.

“There is one thing puzzling me,” he told her when Teal’c and Quinn had gone.

“What’s that?” she asked sitting down at the table again.

“This business of the radios not working once you were in the hill area of the planet, could it be caused by the same energy indications the MALP sent back the first time. You still hadn’t found the source before you evacuated?”

“I’ve been thinking along those same lines myself,” Carter answered. “Whatever was interfering with our radio signals was pretty weird but we still hadn’t located the source.”

“Weird?” asked Hammond.

“Yes Sir,” she answered. “I couldn’t for the life of me work out why it didn’t affect the other instruments we’d set up. I know the effect stretched to our base camp because I registered it doing so. But it just knocked out our radios. It’s weird because it wasn’t there at first.”

“You’re sure there were no other life signs on the planet? Goa’uld for instance?” he asked.

“Pretty sure,” she answered. “If there were Goa’uld there and they are responsible for our missing airmen, they’d have attacked us before; after all we’d been there three days before the hurricane hit. If Jonus wasn’t such a weather freak we’d never have known the storms were on their way and we’d have lost a lot of equipment and maybe lives before we’d had a chance to evacuate. But our instruments didn’t indicate any complex life forms.” She looked towards the door. “Sir with your permission I’d like to check on the Colonel.”

“Doctor Fraiser will let you know when it’s OK to see him. At the moment as I understand it he’s still unconscious,” he told her.

As Major Carter stood up to leave he added. “Please tell Teal’c and Jonus Quinn what I’ve just said, as I’m sure they’re waiting for you downstairs.”

She smiled and left and General Hammond turned and looked down at the Gate, his face showing the concern he was feeling for his hurt and missing people.

The Infirmary

“Good to see you awake Sir,” the nurse said, as she turned and saw Colonel O’Neill looking at her from across the room. .

“How are you feeling?” Doctor Fraiser asked as she came to his bedside.

“My head hurts,” he answered, as he tried to sit up.

“Try not to move too much,” she told him, placing a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“I’m fine, just fine, just let me up for a moment. I feel sick,” he said as he struggled.

Doctor Fraiser indicated to the nurse to come and help, although she felt it was unwise for him to sit up. He felt dizzy as he did and gratefully lay back on the pillows they propped up behind him.

“I hope they got the number of the truck that hit me,” he told them as he looked around.

“I’ll get you something for the pain,” Doctor Fraiser said as she walked away.

“Where am I?” O’Neill asked the nurse quietly.

“You’re in the infirmary of course,” she answered.

“Infirmary? As in hospital?” he asked. The nurse gave him a puzzled look and nodded.

“Weird kind of hospital. No windows,” he whispered to her.

“What do you mean no windows?” she whispered back.

“It’s not important,” he said, as Doctor Fraiser returned carrying a syringe.

“If you don’t mind doctor,” O’Neill said looking at the syringe. “I’d rather not.”

“It will help with the pain,” she told him.

“Not just now,” he said. “At the moment all I want to know is what happened to me.”

“You fell down a hole on ML 4996,” Doctor Fraiser told him as she gently examined the back of his head.

“God that hurts,” he exclaimed pushing her hand away. “I did what? Where?”

“You fell down a hole on ML 4996,” she said and was about to continue speaking when he indicated she should stop.

“Wait! I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said emphatically.

“That sometimes happens after a head injury,” she answered.

“Right. So explain just once more, because I’m not following this too good.”

“You fell down a hole on ML 4966, when you were searching for Evans and Blake,” she said.

“Now you see. Besides not knowing about this hole business, I don’t recall this Evans and Blake you say I was searching for,” he said. “And where is MIL 49...?”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” she told him.

“Well I don’t understand what you talking about either so that makes two of us,” he said as she crossed the room and picked up the telephone receiver.

“Just a minute,” she told him then spoke into the telephone. “He’s awake. I think you should come.” Replacing the receiver, she came back to his bedside.

“Blake and Evans...SG-3?” He stared at her. “ML 4996?” He still stared at her.

“Are you OK Colonel?” she wanted to know.

“Of course I’m not OK,” he said. “My head hurts, along with the rest of my body, I feel sick and there’s a drip in my hand. So no. I’m not OK. OK!”

“I think it best you lie back down,” she told him.

“You’re probably right,” he said. “But let me think for a moment first,”

The alarm to indicate the Gate was activated sounded and he physically jumped.

“Please take it easy Sir,” Fraiser advised him as he started to get out of bed.

“I can’t stay here,” he said getting out on the opposite side to where she was standing. “I have to get...” He stopped and looked around, then grabbed onto the bed for support as his legs buckled slightly.

“Whatever it is you have to get, must wait,” Doctor Fraiser told him. “At the moment you’re in no fit state to do anything but get back into bed.”

“Surely I have a right to leave if I want too,” he told her, pulling the drip from his hand which began bleeding. “I have to get...” he stopped speaking again.

“I have to get...” he repeated, and then looked at her in panic.

“Get what Colonel?” she asked. “What do you have to get?”

For a moment, he didn’t answer, then as he began moving shakily past her towards the door he said.

“I can’t remember right this minute. Now where are my clothes or do I have to leave here in these?” As he said this Fraiser indicated to the guard outside to come into the room.

Colonel O’Neill stopped dead in his tracks as the airman entered and the Gate alarm stopped.

“OK Colonel,” she told him reassuringly stepping in front of him. “You get back into bed and we’ll talk.”

“How the hell did I? What is...? Soldiers? I thought you said this was a hospital,” he said, turning to the nurse who had come up behind him.

“And Colonel? Why does she keep calling me Colonel?”

“Because that’s what you are,” Doctor Fraiser told him.

He glared at her for a moment.

“Look, I’m leaving,” he said, moving her gently to one side, and then, staring at the airman added menacingly. “Get out of my way.”

The airman looked at Doctor Fraiser for instructions. A superior officer had given him an order and he wasn’t sure what to do. She shook her head to say he should stay where he was.

“I won’t tell you again soldier,” O’Neill said advancing on him. As he did so Doctor Fraiser pressed the infirmary alarm and it echoed around the room.

O’Neill glared at him. “Stop doing that,” he yelled. The airman looked puzzled. “I said stop doing that!” O’Neill yelled louder. Then throwing himself at the man, who was taken off guard, sent them both crashing to the floor where they landed at the feet of Major Carter and Jonus Quinn who had just entered the room. The two members of SG-1 immediately came to the young airman’s rescue.

“What on earth?” asked Quinn as he and Major Carter lifted Colonel O’Neill off the man.

“Janet?” Carter said questioningly to the doctor as O’Neill continued to struggle and demand they ‘let him go’.

“Just get him back into bed,” Fraiser told them. “And someone please turn off that dammed alarm,” she said as she dismissed the security guards that had now turned up, guns at the ready. The room fell silent and Colonel O’Neill stopped struggling.

“Who the hell?” he said, looking from Carter to Quinn holding tight to his arms.

“It’s just not my day is it?” he added, pulling his arm free of Jonus Quinn’s grasp.

Then looking at Major Carter with a puzzled expression said, ‘Excuse me’, to indicate she should let go. She reluctantly did so, but followed as he stumbled towards the bed.

“It’s alright, I can manage,” he told her as he got back into the bed. As he did so and before he had chance to stop her Doctor Fraiser pulled up his sleeve and gave him an injection.

“What was that?” he asked, glaring at her as she made him lay back against the pillows.

“Just a mild sedative,” she told him. “You’re quite safe here. No one is going to hurt you. You’re amongst friends.”

“Friends?” said O’Neill in disbelief.

“Amongst friends? No, this is a mad house, but hopefully it’s just a dream and I will wake up any moment now.” He paused and pinched his arm.

“So. Not a dream,” he said pinching his arm again. “Definitely not a dream.”

“Colonel? Are you OK?” asked Major Carter her expression full of puzzlement.

“Why does everyone want to know if I’m OK?” he said as he struggled to keep awake.

“You tell me! I wake up god knows where. My head hurts, my chest is sore. There are soldiers running around and...” He gave Doctor Fraiser an accusing look.

“This mad doctor, whom I’ve never seen in my life before keeps calling me Colonel, and now you’re doing it, she won’t let me go! If it was you, do you think you’d be OK?”

“You say you want to go. Go where? Where do you want to go?” Doctor Fraiser asked.

“Oh I don’t know,” he said. “Anywhere but here. How about home?”

“Do you know where home is?” Fraiser asked him as she bandaged his hand.

“Well that’s a stupid question,” he answered. “Of course I know where home is.”

“You said earlier you wanted to get...but couldn’t remember what it was you wanted to get. Perhaps you can’t remember where home is,” she said good-humouredly.

O’Neill went quiet for a moment. “Where I live is none of your business,” he told her.

“Ah but it is,” she said in reply. “I’m your doctor and I don’t think you know,”

“You’re not my doctor and why wouldn’t I know?” he said. “That’s stupid.”

“Well you just said you don’t know me. However, I know you. I’ve known you for years; you’ve worked here for a long time. How do you explain that?” she asked.

“I can’t,” he said. “But I’m sure I don’t know you or this place either for that matter.”

“And these people, do you know who they are?” she asked, indicating Carter and Quinn.

“Nope, never seen them before,” he replied, to their complete surprise.

“Now the big question is,” Fraiser said smiling at him. “Do you know who you are?”

He looked at those in the room, closed his eyes and said with a touch of humour in his voice as he fell asleep.

“I have absolutely no idea!”

Questions

“So he doesn’t know who he is?” General Hammond asked Doctor Fraiser as he stood in her office with the members of SG-1.

“As far as I can tell,” she answered. “Of course I won’t know how much of his long term memory is lost until he wakes up again, but from what I could gather he has no knowledge of who he is, what he is, or where he is.”

“Or who we are,” added Major Carter.

“This injury to his memory. Do you understand it to be permanent?” asked Teal’c who had been meditating in his room when Colonel O’Neill had woken up earlier.

“In amnesia cases it’s hard to say how long the memory loss will continue. Sometimes it’s as little as a couple of hours, sometimes weeks and in others the memory never returns,” Doctor Fraiser told him. “These are the x-rays I took while he was unconscious, when he was first brought back.” As she said this she turned on the lights to illuminate them.

“Is there something wrong with the machine, they’re a bit blurry aren’t they?” Jonus asked.

“To be honest they tell me absolutely nothing, nothing except the fact that there is considerable inter cranial swelling. But as you’ve said, they are blurry and I’m having the machine checked over,” Fraiser told them.

“Does this mean there’s been brain damage?” asked Jonus.

“Not necessarily,” Doctor Fraiser told him. “Besides the head injury, he is suffering from exposure, dehydration and quite extensive bruising to the chest area.”

“Caused by what?” asked General Hammond.

“It’s hard to say for sure,” she answered. “The fall maybe. But his jacket and under shirt were scorched in the same area and there were storms going on while he was on the planet.”

“Lightening. Are you saying you think he was hit by lightening?” Major Carter asked.

“Not exactly, but it does appear to have been made by some kind of electrical discharge,” she answered. “Still doing tests. I’ll let you know what I come up with.”

The room went quiet as they took in what she had told them.

“So now what?” asked General Hammond breaking the silence.

“Now we wait,” she answered. “See how he is when he wakes up.”

The Next Day

“OK,” Doctor Fraiser said to the three members of SG-1 standing before her in her office and watching the monitor showing Colonel O’Neill’s room. “We need to lay down some grounds rules here.” They all nodded in agreement. “As you can see he’s a lot quieter now because I’ve allowed him to stay sitting up slightly. He objects highly if I try to make him lie down, says it makes him feel trapped and in danger, and because of this I was unable to do a brain scan last night, but I’ve not forced the matter as I want him to stay calm.”

“He still doesn’t remember anything?” asked Major Carter looking at the sleeping Colonel on the monitor.

“Not a thing,” Doctor Fraiser answered. “I have of course told him who he is, what he is, as in he’s a Colonel in the United States Airforce and this is an airforce hospital. That it’s a top-secret base, so he doesn’t worry about the amount of personnel carrying weapons around here, if you get my meaning. About SG-1, as in who you guys are, i.e. his team and that he was hurt during an exercise when some airmen went missing. But that is all.”

“So how do we deal with him?” Jonus Quinn asked a concerned look on his face.

“Well the only advice I can give is that you treat him as you normally would. As the Colonel, but without mentioning the Stargate or anything to do with it.”

“Why is this necessary?” Teal’c asked her. “Is he not capable of understanding while he has no memory of himself?”

“About the Stargate? Definitely not,” Doctor Fraiser answered. “At the moment we need to keeps things as simple as possible, so regarding that, treat him as you would a civilian.

He’s experiencing some violent headaches and mood swings, so think before you speak. Teal’c you’ll need to cover your forehead. Just keep him calm and keep specific details to a minimum.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Major Carter said as she continued to watch the screen and saw the Colonel wake up and the nurse in the room hand him a drink. “He looks calm now.”

“He may well be,” Doctor Fraiser said as she watched the monitor. “But twice during the night he got really upset for some reason and tried to leave again. With a serious head injury like he has, along with the additional injuries to his chest and the dehydration, working himself up into that kind of a state is not a good idea.”

“I’m surprised he is able to get off the bed, let alone try to leave”, Major Carter said.

“He’s still Colonel O’Neill,” the doctor told her, “and instinct is instinct. When he feels threatened or trapped his training appears to kick in and... So just be careful.”

“You don’t think Colonel O’Neill; this Colonel O’Neill, would hurt someone do you?”

Jonus asked, feeling at a loss with the situation.

“There’s no way of knowing for sure,” Fraiser answered. “Hopefully not.”

“What do we do if he does get violent?” asked Major Carter still watching the screen.

“We can hardly shoot him, can we,” she laughed.

“At the moment I’m keeping him slightly sedated, which is why he’s sleeping a lot and that’s really all we can do until he’s more at ease with what’s happened to him. Actually I think he is coping quite well. I dread to think how I would react in the same situation,” Fraiser said.

“Probably exactly the way he’s done,” said Major Carter smiling. “I’d want out of here and quick.”

“Why?” asked Jonus.

“Why?” she answered. “Well for starters, to the uninitiated this place must look like something out of a horror film that’s why. Then there are airmen with guns everywhere, plus the fact there are no windows and the alarms are going off all the time. Me, I’d definitely want out. Wouldn’t you?”

Room 63

Doctor Fraiser, Teal’c and Jonus Quinn reached Colonel O’Neill’s room together, Major Carter being called away just before they got there. The two men appeared a little apprehensive as they stood outside the door feeling that perhaps they should wait for her return, an action that made Doctor Fraiser smile.

“Nervous?” she asked them.

“Just a little,” answered Jonus Quinn.

“Well think how he must be feeling,” she told them as she opened the door and waved them inside. Colonel O’Neill looked up as they entered.

“Hi kids,” he said in his usual way, which threw them for a moment so they stopped moving.

“And you are?” he asked glancing at Doctor Fraiser as they remained silent.

She introduced them. “This is Teal’c and Jonus Quinn of SG-1. Your team.”

“Just the two?” he said.

“Major Carter will be along shortly,” she told him. “She’s been called away but will be back soon.” O’Neill looked at both men who still hadn’t moved.

“Jonus,” he said holding out his hand to shake. “I believe we’re already acquainted.”

“And Teal’c,” he said, repeating the action. As Teal’c shook hands with him O’Neill pulled his away quickly and gave him a funny look. “So you’re my team,” he said, still giving Teal’c a strange look. Both men nodded.

“Well I’ll leave you three to it, shall I?” Doctor Fraiser said an amused look on her face.

“You’re not staying?” asked Jonus Quinn, his voice betraying a hint of panic.

“I think it’s best if I leave you on your own,” she told them, as she indicated to the nurse who had been keeping an eye on O’Neill to come with her. As they left the room all three men fidgeted nervously, then Jonus pulled up a stool near to the bed whilst Teal’c stood alongside.

“So we’re a team,” O’Neill said. The two men nodded. “And what exactly is it we do as this team?” he wanted to know. The two men looked at each other.

“We go on missions,” Jonus told him, as if it explained it all in one sentence.

“Well I gathered that,” O’Neill commented. “What sort of missions? Your Doctor Fraiser wasn’t too forthcoming on details.”

“Just missions,” Teal’c answered. “There are no details at this time.”

O’Neill shot him an amused look. “OK,” he said. “If this is an airforce base and I’m a Colonel in the airforce then it must have something to do with flying. Right?”

“It would not be correct to describe what we do as flying,” Teal’c told him.

“Then what do we do?” O’Neill asked.

“As Jonus Quinn has informed you O’Neill, we go on missions,” Teal’c answered.

“Let start from the beginning shall we?” O’Neill said puzzled. “I’m a Colonel and you are?”

“We are SG-1,” Teal’c answered looking towards Jonus Quinn for help.

“Yes we’ve established that,” O’Neill said even more puzzled. “I’m a Colonel and you are?”

“I am Teal’c,” answered Teal’c, not entirely sure what O’Neill was asking him.

“I’ll put it another way,” said O’Neill drawing a deep breath and wishing he hadn’t as it made his head hurt. “If I’m a Colonel, you are?” He waited.

“I’m am Teal’c,” said Teal’c. “Are you OK O’Neill?” he wanted to know.

“He wants to know what rank you are. I think,” said Jonus. O’Neill nodded and winced.

“I am not a rank, I am Jaff-. I am Teal’c,” said Teal’c.

“He’s not a rank?” said O’Neill his voice betraying his disbelief at Teal’s answer.

“He’s on loan,” Jonus answered hoping this would help. “He’s not really airforce; well he is in a way, but not really,” he offered, making things worse.

“And I thought I was the one with the head injury,” commented O’Neill. “Do you have a rank?” he asked in desperation.

“I’m on loan too,” Jonus answered, looking to the door and wishing Major Carter would hurry up before he or Teal’c said something they shouldn’t.

“So let’s see if I’ve got this right shall we?” O’Neill said holding his head. “We’re a team, SG-1, whatever that means and I’m the Colonel of this team. Do correct me if I’m wrong.”

Jonus and Teal’c nodded their agreement.

“Also in this team is Major Carter,” they nodded again. “And you two are not exactly part of the airforce, but are part of SG-1, but don’t have any military rank.” They nodded.

“Isn’t that a little unusual?” he asked, “not that I know anything about the airforce. Well nothing I can remember of course, but it seems a little unusual.”

“That is correct O’Neill. Now is there anything else we can explain?” asked Teal’c touching the Colonel on the shoulder as he did causing him to jump slightly.

“Nope. I think that about covers it,” he replied, throwing his hands up in despair.

“Then we will wait for Major Carter,” said Teal’c as he went to stand near the door.

Colonel O’Neill watched him for a moment then motioned to Jonus Quinn to come closer.

“Does he always wear that hat inside?” he asked, glancing across at the woollen hat Teal’c was wearing to hide the mark of Apothis on his forehead.

“Err, usually,” Jonus answered.

“It is required sometimes,” Teal’c commented, trying to sound casual.

“It is required sometimes? Why does he talk like that?” O’Neill asked.

“He’s foreign,” Jonus answered, hoping he was saying the correct thing.

“But neither you, nor he, are actually in the airforce and you’re both on loan,” O’Neill said.

Jonus nodded. “From where?” O’Neill asked.

“I’m foreign too,” Jonus answered, his voice now taking on its panicky tone once again as Major Carter, to his great relief, came into the room.

“Major Carter. I hope,” said O’Neill holding out his hand. We sort of met yesterday. Yes?” The offered handshake was unexpected but she took it anyway. He gave her a strange look as they shook hands.

“How are you all getting along?” she asked them.

“Oh great, just great,” O’Neill answered. “We got a little stuck with regard to who does what, but otherwise we’re getting along fine.” He grinned at both men.

“Who does what what?” asked Major Carter anxiously.

“He wants to know our ranks and what we do as SG-1,” Jonus told her worriedly.

“I see,” she said looking at Teal’c whom she could see was feeling extremely uncomfortable. “It’s just airforce stuff,” she told O’Neill. “Missions, things like that.”

“He wants to know what we do on these missions,” Jonus said.

“Things,” she told O’Neill and smiled.

“For crying out loud,” he said. “My headache was actually better when I woke up. However, it’s worse now, since you three showed up.” He paused. “Does this confusion happen a lot with us?”

“Quite a lot,” she said smiling.

“Oh good,” he answered. “Only I was beginning to think your Doctor Fraiser was right and I do have brain damage from this bang on the head, but if you say it’s usual, I’ll try not to worry too much.”

Major Carter smiled. ‘He may not remember who he is, but he still acts like the Colonel’, she thought to herself as she saw him wince in pain.

“General Hammond would like to see you both,” she told Teal’c and Quinn her eyes indicating that perhaps they should leave now. They waved their goodbyes, gave assurances of their return and left, carefully shutting the door behind them so he couldn’t see the guard.

“How are you feeling?” Major Carter asked when they’d gone. “Doctor Fraiser said she’s positive you’re getting a lot of pain, but not telling her how much.”

“Colonel?” she said, concern for him sounding in her voice as he didn’t answer.

“I was just wondering,” he said as he tried to get comfortable.

“Wondering what?” she asked as she adjusted his pillows, an action that made him jump.

“I was just wondering if you and that big fella, that Teal’c, are related in any way.”

“I’m not following you,” she answered. “Related? In what way?”

“Well it’s really weird,” he told her. “As if this situation isn’t already weird. But when either of you get close to me, it makes me feel strange.”

“Strange? How?” she asked curiously.

“When I shook hands with you, it felt like I was shaking hands with two people at once. The same thing happened when I shook hands with him,” he told her. Then realising how silly it must have sounded added, “Just forget I said anything. Put it down to my head OK.”

Major Carter smiled. “You look tired, do you want me to go?” she asked.

He didn’t speak just cringed and put his head in his hands.

“I’ll get Doctor Fraiser,” she said and made for the telephone on the wall.

“No wait!” he said stopping her. As she came back to his bedside he looked uncomfortable.

“We’re a team right? Are we friends as well?” he asked.

“Yes. We’re a team and we’re all friends,” she said.

“We go on missions, things like that?” he asked and she nodded once more.

“These missions, I gather they can be dangerous?” he asked. “The fact you all won’t tell me anything. My injuries and the scars I have tell me they can be very dangerous?” She smiled.

“On these missions we trust each other, rely on each other, right?” She nodded.

“So if I told you something in confidence, as a friend and you say you won’t tell anybody, I can trust you to keep your word?” She looked puzzled. “It’s just that I need to tell someone and well somehow I feel I can trust you. Don’t know why, just do.”

“It all depends on what you want to tell me,” she said suspiciously.

He took a deep breath.

“OK then, here we go,” he said indicating she should come closer and glancing up at the camera he knew was observing him.

“I keep having blackouts,” he said quietly, almost in a whisper.

“Keep having? How many have you had?” she asked, also glancing up at the camera.

“Well I had two after I first woke up, then two more, so that makes four.”

“What happens when you have a blackout?” she asked quietly.

“Well I black out of course,” he answered.

“No I mean how you know you’ve had a blackout?” she asked.

“Because one moment I’m here and the next moment I’m there,” he answered. She waited.

“OK, the first time it happened, one moment I was in a bed and the next I was in front of the door and there was this soldier. Then there was all this noise and suddenly you and...”

“Jonus,” she offered.

“Jonus. Were hanging onto my arms. Then last night, I think it was last night. As you can imagine I may have lost track of time, but I’m sure it was last night. One moment I’m in bed and the next moment I’m fighting with some nurses. The last time it happened I found myself struggling with your Doctor Fraiser who was trying to get me into one of those scan things.” He stopped talking and grimaced as pain shot through his head.

“You should tell her,” she told him, grimacing herself at the pain he was in.

“No way and promise you won’t either,” he answered. “Every time she comes near me she gives me an injection. I really hate having injections.”

“Yes, I know,” she answered. “OK. I promise I won’t say anything, unless I have too. But she’s really nice and is only trying to help. Please let me tell her.”

He shook his head and wished he hadn’t.

They chatted some more until he drifted off to sleep when she left quietly.

Shutting the door Major Carter turned to see Doctor Fraiser, Teal’c and Jonus Quinn heading down the corridor towards her.

“He’s asleep,” she told them. “He’s in a lot of pain Janet, but won’t say he is.”

Doctor Fraiser smiled and said, “You’re right there. Every time I ask, he says he’s alright.”

“Well that’s the Colonel for you, memory or not,” Carter laughed. “Oh and Janet,” she said before Fraiser opened the door. “No injections for a while, if you can possibly help it. He’s not over keen on them and I sort of promised.”

Doctor Fraiser nodded and went into Colonel O’Neill’s room smiling.

=======

Major Carter walked along with the other two members of SG-1 and for a moment no one spoke.

“Colonel O’Neill seems to be in much pain,” Teal’c said breaking the silence.

“Yes Teal’c I know,” she answered. “But I have seen him in worse so I’m trying not to worry.”

“I do not understand this loss of memory sickness,” said Teal’c coming to a halt.

“Why is that?” Carter asked. “We’ve had our memories erased before, what don’t you understand?”

“When we had our memories stamped, changed, we were given new memories, but our skills remained intact. We remembered them.” Major Carter nodded and waited.

“Colonel O’Neill has lost the memory of not only who he is, but what he is?” She nodded.

“But General Hammond said he fought like himself yesterday. I do not understand,” he said.

“I think he was acting on instinct, like Janet said,” she told him. “He felt trapped, threatened, his instincts took over and he reacted. With his memory gone there’s no way of predicting what he may do next. If he acts on instinct alone he could really hurt someone.”

“Well I get the feeling he wants out of here,” Jonus Quinn told them.

“I don’t think he knows what he wants at the moment,” said Major Carter looking at her watch. “Have you two any ideas on what may have happened to Blake and Evans?”

“I’ve been wondering about that,” Jonus said as they entered her lab. “If they found shelter and survived the storm over those three days, when there was a let up you’d think the first thing they would do is make for the Stargate and come home. They obviously hadn’t met up with Colonel O’Neill.”

“Perhaps they lost their GDO’s as I’ve said before,” Teal’c said.

“Even so,” said Major Carter, “they must have known we would come back for them and should have been wai