Child of Ra -- Ch. 6
Summary: Harry accidentally falls through a portal in Voldemort's lair. On the other side of his one way trip he meets a very strange group of muggles, almost as strange as himself. And where ever Harry goes, trouble is soon to follow...
The days after the shopping trip began to tick by. And after all the excitement of the first few days they were very mild in comparison. Not that Harry was complaining. After three months of torture he was overdue for a quiet respite. Besides, he needed time to digest everything he had learned since coming here. Chiefly, that there was a group of muggles secretly opening portals between galaxies hundreds of light years away. That and the idea that he might actually be part of some 'alternate reality'.
'At least I'm probably not descended from an alien scientific experiment like we first assumed,’ Harry thought. He considered this a minor comfort.
But mostly he spent his time settling into his new surroundings. By what he could tell he was likely going to be there for a while, so he needed to set up for the long haul. That included putting up wards around his room that he built upon and strengthened for several days until Voldemort himself would have a time getting past them if Harry willed them alert. And they immediately activated as soon as he fell asleep or was other wise unconscious.
He also began stocking up on healing draughts and some minor sleep potions that while no where near as strong as dreamless sleep would none the less encourage nightmare-free rest. The idea to look into making potions came as they were passing by a greenhouse the day they went shopping in town. Though most of the stronger potions required magical plants that likely didn’t exist here, some of the basic potions he had learned during his first two years at Hogwarts merely required herbs and medicinal plants of the mundane variety, and a little magic from the brewer for potency. With his pledge to O’Neill to help out when able in mind, he had requested that they procure the ingredients necessary for a few useful potions that could be used by muggles as well as wizards. When he had explained all of this to Colonel Carter she had become quite interested and had what he called the ‘Hermione Look’ in her eyes. Before he knew it he was agreeing to allow her to watch and aid him in the brewing process; and true to his word, a few days after procuring the ingredients found him in his room brewing potions over a pot being used as a makeshift cauldron accompanied by one very excited Samantha Carter. She was intrigued by his technique and asked several question as she took notes. When she realized how much went into brewing a potion she offered Harry the use of her lab, which Harry quickly took her up on.
Though he really knew little about her, Harry immediately felt comfortable around her. He guessed it was probably because of how much she reminded him of Hermione. The thought was a comfort, but also left him a little homesick at times.
So the days went, and before he knew it five weeks had passed. And though they were quiet, they were not idle. Harry usually spent at least a couple hours doing research on the things that the SGC did and the alien cultures they interacted with, especially the ones called the gouald. To Harry they reminded him of an alien version of Voldemort. Then that led to the thought, 'What if one took over Voldemort?' Harry couldn't repress a shudder.
He also spent a good deal of time working out and sparring with others on the base, namely General O'Neill and Teal'c, though he would work out with others if both were busy or off world. As of yet he hadn't beat them (and he suspected he'd never be able to beat Teal'c), but he improved each time they fought and that was good. He could even beat several of the trained military officers he sparred occasionally. When he sparred with those outside of SG-1 and the General he didn't wear the robe portion of his battle robes (which he had gotten tailored a couple days after the trip). When he trained them he wore the loose cotton pants and a workout-T. Back at Hogwarts he would have worn the robe constantly, but here he suspected it would draw more attention to him, something both he and O'Neill felt they should avoid for now.
O'Neill-Harry wasn't sure what to make of him. Sometimes he was the picture of authority and Harry had no question they had chosen the right guy for the job. But then the man would turn around and say something so outrageous that it caused Harry to sometimes do a double take. He wasn't used to having leaders behave like that. Dumbledore was an oddball, but didn't tend to have immature regressions. Then again, Dumbledore was a little over 150 years old.
As far as Harry could tell O'Neill seemed to hold some kind of affectionate respect for him. Which Harry considered a step above Dumbledore who had affection but not always respect. Anytime he could, O'Neill would stop by and volunteer help with whatever Harry was working on. Though, they had learned the hard way that it was better that he not help with the potions.
And with all his studying Harry had even begun to learn and remember certain planet labels and coordinates. When O'Neill had noticed this he had ordered that Harry be given tutorials on gate coordinates and dial-ups. This had resulted in Harry's first off-world trip, and his first interaction with a gould lackey:
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You ready for this?" asked O'Neill.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded.
"Normally I would describe what the opening wormhole looks like or what it feels like to travel through the gate. But you know all that already. In fact, considering how much you've been pouring over that file, I'd also say you probably know as much or more about that site than just about anyone on this base, with the exception of the teams that have gone there."
"It doesn't feel like it, sir,"
"Don't worry, you're in good hands. Besides, it's an isolated site."
"So no one can hear you scream."
O'Neill sighed. Shortly after Harry had taken up his semi-permanent residence, O'Neill had found that Harry had a severe dislike-bordering on phobia-of isolated places. Sometimes it even warped into claustrophobia. He'd already had a handful of hyperventilating anxiety attacks. Finally they had decided that Harry would spend a little supervised time outside at intervals during the day to alleviate it.
Of course, this didn't help Harry now.
"Just do what Dr. Brightman told you to do."
"Breath in and out and count to ten. Visualize a bubble around myself. The bubble is my space and I am safe in my space. Huh, yeah right..."
"Now, now... the only voice of negativity here is going to be mine," said O'Neill, though he too agreed in the ridiculousness of that statement. War and torture tended to make you cynical like that. But he needed to help Harry now. "We've held this site for a long time," he said. "But if anything does happen, just remember what you've learned since you've gotten here and what we practice in sparing. And trust the team; they'll take care of you."
"But if something does happen, do you want me to use my magic?"
O'Neill paused as he considered.
"No," he finally said. "Not unless it is absolutely necessary. If they see you use something they've never seen and survive to tell, the gouald and who know who else will put the galactic version f a wanted poster on your head, and we want to avoid that kind of attention if at all possible."
At about this point a group of three soldiers as well as SG-1 walked up to them.
O'Neill turned his attention to them and began to speak.
"Just to make it official, we're going to go over everything one more time.
"You all will pass through the stargate in the following order- you three, then Teal'c, Daniel and Carter, with Harry taking up the end. Once there you can stay for a few moments for Harry to survey the nearby terrain. He is not to be left alone. I don't want any chance of injury to him. After he is done looking around Daniel will give Harry his tutorial on dialing up from a dhd. From there you will return immediately home. If anything goes wrong, you will immediately return home. And make sure Harry is protected. Teal'c, you're his guard. Daniel-make sure he gets the gist of the dial up. See you boys when you return. Good traveling Harry."
As they walked towards the ramp to the gate, Harry quietly asked Daniel, "Was all that really necessary? It’s only a short field trip..."
"In our line of work you tend to expect the unexpected. Or at least prepare for it. If something were to go wrong and the boys didn't have orders, thing would get worse. Like he said-at least now it's official."
"But he made me sound... I don't know..."
"Important?" asked Daniel, eyeing the boy closely.
Harry got an uncomfortable guilty look on his face and gave a small nod, not looking at him.
'He still hasn't gotten it yet,' thought Daniel sadly.
"Harry, you are important- to all of us, but Jack especially. And no it doesn't have anything to do with the wand on your arm or the scar on you forehead."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, perplexed by what Daniel was talking about.
"Just watch and listen. Now we need to step back just a bit..."
As they stepped back Harry watched as something like refracted light seen through water collected inside the giant ring burst forward and then backward in a sloshy motion before it ended back inside the gate.
"Let's go!" said the leader of the group accompanying them as they walked up the ramp and through the gate. Teal'c followed after them and then Carter and Daniel, who gave Harry a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before going through himself. Harry took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and walked through.
As he did, a ripple of the strange light that had been absent since his arrival flowed out from the point where he entered.
0-0-0
Harry felt himself rushing forward and saw only streaks of light flashing past, but then a brighter light spiraled around his disembodied self and he seemed to pick up speed. He passed a few bubbles of light and the next thing he knew he was thrown forward out of the stargate with a searing hiss as something like a puff of steam exited with him.
He gathered himself up and looked around for the group but no one was there.
'Oh shit...' Harry thought as a feeling of foreboding settled over him.
But then he heard the slosh of exiting travelers behind him and turned to find the soldiers who had gone first just exiting, also accompanied by steam.
"What the hell? Where did the steam come from?" exclaimed one of the soldiers.
"Does it not usually do that?" asked Harry.
The soldiers spun around, guns raised, and gave Harry a look of pure astonishment.
"How- how did you get here before us?!"
"What are you talking about? Jack sent me ahead to scout- wait no, that's not right..." Harry rubbed his temples. All of a sudden he had a bad headache coming on. And as he closed his eyes it was like watching two movie films at once. One second he saw General O'Neill talking to him about his first off-world visit, and in the next he was watching as a team was assembled in full gear with him leading them, going ahead to scout for a 'reception party' on the other side. And along with them his emotions felt like they were on a roller coaster. For instance, why had he called the General by his nickname 'Jack’?
By then SG-1 had come through and were just as confused as the soldiers as to how Harry had beaten them through the wormhole.
"What can you remember about the trip through the wormhole? Was there anything that caught your attention?"
"I- I don't know. Everything is jumbled... It's like I'm remembering two different events at once. But I'm pretty sure that one of them has never happened; at least, not yet at any rate."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm remembering something... like an attack of some sort. We're going off-world, full gear. I'm going ahead to scout for enemies on the other end of the wormhole..."
"Well, that certainly has never happened," said Daniel.
"I know, but it seems so real," said Harry with a shake of his head.
"But what about the trip through the wormhole?" asked Carter.
"I saw... light, blurs of light... I think I sped up at some point, and the lights grew... then there were about a handful of little globes of light that I passed, and the next thing I knew I was stepping out of the gate. I think that's all correct..." Harry massaged his temples again.
"You said you sped up while you were in the wormhole?" asked Carter.
"Yeah, it was strange... wait- could the globes of light have been you all as I past you?" asked Harry.
"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. But you could be right. You did say there were about 5," said Carter.
"Perhaps Harry's magic somehow affected the speed at which he went though the wormhole," said Daniel.
"But what about the memories?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Maybe the speed you were going thinned the separation in the timeline or you acquired memories from another parallel universe," said Carter.
"It may explain why you came into this one when you went through the portal in you own world," said Daniel.
"Maybe... wait, there's something else..."
Harry could only liken it to how an antenna would feel if it was cognitive. He went into a sort of hazy trance, and then he began to sense impressions. Suddenly pictures flickered past-an attack by enemy jaffa. They attacked when one of the soldiers passed in front of a large tree off to the side.
Harry came to from the memory just in time to see that very soldier pass in front of the tree he had seen.
"Watch out behind you!" Harry screamed to the soldier.
The man turned around and leapt to the side just in time to avoid a blaster shot.
Five jaffa entered the clearing around the stargate. Immediately Teal'c grabbed Harry and pushed him behind him, but Harry fought against him.
"I can fight!"
"Yes you can, but not now. O'Neill ordered me to protect you and protect you I will," said Teal'c as he pushed Harry farther back.
By now the soldiers had dispatched of two of the jaffa and Daniel was fighting with another. That left two of them who were making a charge at Teal'c and Harry, staves poised to shoot.
But in a brilliant move Teal'c took a step forward and to the left of the jaffa on his left and pushed the staff to the side, striking the other jaffa in the head before jerking the staff away from the jaffa, hitting the other on the back of the head, effectively knocking both out.
Teal’c kneeled over one of the jaffa to inspect his marking.
"These are the jaffa of Ba'al. We must get you out of here now in case more are sent."
"I couldn't agree more. But we'll need to make a return trip to check on the locals and find out why Ba'al is sending his men here," said Daniel, walking up clutching his side.
"Are you injured Dr. Jackson?" Harry asked, worried. He immediately went into medic mode and instructed Daniel to raise his shirt.
"It's alright, Dr. Lam-"
But Harry waved him silent and rested a hand over the blast wound. A white light emanated from it, covered the wound and soaked into his skin. In a matter of seconds Harry removed his hand to show Daniel his now unblemished side.
"Whoa," said Daniel, inspecting where the wound had been. Then he looked at Harry. "Was that hard?'
"No, that was a mere flesh wound. Internal injuries are far more difficult. But I'm a trained field medic so I can usually heal most wounds," said Harry, inspecting his handy-work one last time before nodding his head in acceptance and stepping back.
"So theoretically you could heal any wound. But what about illnesses?" asked Daniel.
"I hate to break this up, but we are in a potentially dangerous area," said a soldier.
"Oh, yeah... but maybe we could continue this discussion later?" asked Daniel as they moved towards the gate.
"Of course we can. Do we have enough time to give me that dial-up tutorial before we go?"
"We'll risk it. So, this is how it's done..."
0-0-0-0-0-0
Since then Harry hadn't been on any more off-world trips. And though it shouldn't bother him, it did. For two years he had been a front line fighter. And now he was stuck as a back line medic. He enjoyed his peace and quiet, but he was beginning to get restless.
Finally, Harry decided to approach O'Neill on the subject.
"No," O'Neil said immediately.
"Why? Is it clearance?"
"No, we could get clearance. We got Teal'c clearance we could get it for you."
"Then why?"
"Because it's too dangerous. You don't know what you're up against."
He saw Harry getting a closed expression on his face and inwardly groaned in frustration.
"Listen, it has nothing to do with whether you're able, but what if something happened? What if you weren't able to make it back to your world to fight your battles?"
Jack knew he had struck the right nerve as Harry looked down and considered the consequences of that. Obviously he hadn't thought of it before hand.
"If the situation were reversed I would be just as cautious sending my own men out because it would be a form of battle they were unfamiliar with. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. But then he took a deep breath and looked back, up straight into O'Neill's eyes. And in them Jack saw not acceptance, but a new strength.
"I understand. But I also know I can help. And besides, there's only so much lab training I can do before I need to go out into the field," Harry leaned forward. "Please General, I'll fight for you as if I were fighting for my own people. And in a way I will be. The stronger I become here, the stronger I'll be for them when I return. Please, let me fight."
Seeing the strength in the boy's eyes and hearing the resolve in his voice, Jack found that despite himself he was being won over.
He twirled a pen between his fingers as he considered.
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you go out into the field, but only with certain conditions."
He waited for a confirmation. Harry nodded.
"First, you have to beat someone of my choosing in a sparring match-"
"But not Teal'c, that would be unfair," said Harry.
'Damn! Oh well, at least I was going to try...'
Jack chuckled, "Fine, not Teal'c. But otherwise, do you agree?"
An affirmative.
"Second: for the first few missions you will only serve as support personnel-a medic. No, don't complain. I want you to get the feel of how an SG team works. And I'm not assigning you a team yet. We'll get you broke into the routine and go from there. Does all this sound reasonable to you?"
Harry wasn't happy about the terms, but he wasn't unhappy either. At least now he was a frontline medic with sight at a promotion.
"I find your terms reasonable. When will I learn who you've chosen for me to spar?"
"You’ll find out the day of the spar in the arena. You won't always know before hand who your opponent is on the field, Harry."
Harry nodded. General O'Neill really was testing him.
"Now that it's settled I have to draw up the paperwork," O'Neill groaned in frustration. "Speaking of paperwork, how's the table commin'?"
"I've been working on it sir, but it's proven to be quite a challenge."
"Don't worry about it. Just be sure I have it before our next inventory."
Harry got up to leave, but at the door he turned back.
"General O'Neill, will I be going on the return trip to planet PX39-52?"
"Maybe. I haven't decided exactly who and how many yet. But I'll consider you."
"And General…"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
It was the most heartfelt thank you Jack had heard in a long time. It was true thanks. A 'thank you' for all that Jack had done for him since his arrival; a thank you for taking him in for him alone, and not using him and kicking him to the curb.
Jack wondered how many of those the boy had given before, if any.
"Jack, Harry."
"What?"
“You may call me Jack."
"Thank you, sir. But I'm not sure-"
"You've been around me enough to know I don't give a rat's ass about protocol.
"Well, maybe just in private. Thank you again Gen- err- Jack."
With that Harry turned and left.
Jack gave a deep sigh. He had tried to keep Harry out of it. But his warrior training couldn't be squelched. He'd known that eventually he would come to him about joining a team. He had just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.
'Well, time to start looking for a team for him,' thought Jack.
But just then another knock came upon his door.
'Ugh, no peace and quiet for the weary…"
“Enter, " Jack said aloud, rubbing his temples.
This time it was Daniel. He gave his shy grin and a wave. Not a good sign.
"What are you wanting now? Permission to visit Ba'al's territory to translate Ancient artifacts?"
"No actually, though that would be nice. I'm here about Harry."
"What about Harry?"
"I think he might have foresight."
Daniel received a blank stare.
“I think Harry can see events before they happen," Daniel clarified.
That piqued Jack's interest. He sat up, "And what gives you the idea that he might?"
"I've been thinking about when we took him off world. You know of course about his speeding up in the wormhole and the false memories. But later after we were all there he went into a sort of trance for a moment and when he broke out of it he warned Tom of the Jaffa attacking behind him. I didn't think anything of it at first. But that coupled with the 'memories' make me wonder… What if the speeding up in the wormhole triggered some premonition ability in him? He saw the attack happen just before it did. What if the 'false memories' are in fact glimpses of the future?"
"But Harry said that they felt like memories, as if they had already happened…" said Jack.
"Somewhere down the timeline they have happened. It could easily be mistaken…" said Daniel.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. I'll talk it over with Harry and see if it's a possibility. Speaking of Harry, he just left here before you came in."
"Really, is something wrong?"
"He wants to join an SG team," said Jack bluntly.
A pause.
"No, no… I don't think-"
"I said yes."
Another pause.
"What? Jack are you insane?! He could-"
"Get hurt? What's much worse than being tortured by your mortal enemy for three months?"
"I don't know, but-"
"Daniel, I'm worried about him too," said Jack with a sigh. "But keeping him tucked away in bubble wrap won't help him any either. I've put some conditions on his joining the team as well. First he has to spar and beat someone of my choosing-"
"Teal'c."
"Other than Teal'c," said Jack. "And his first missions will be as a medic-"
"You know him as well as I do! He's too much like you; he'll jump off into the middle of a fight as soon as one pops up."
"Excuse me? How is that anything like me?"
"You're kidding right?" laughed Daniel.
"I'm not! I'm a level headed-"
"Ha! Since when?"
"Now you listen! I'm the senior officer-"
"In maturity or age?"
"You're pushing it!"
"When do I not? See! You're too hot headed!"
"I am not!"
"Are too! Look at you!"
"A poet now, huh?"
"At least I can string words together without guttural sound."
"Wanna take this outside?!"
"What are you two arguing about this time?" asked Carter with a resigned sigh as she walked into the office.
"He started it!" they both said at the same time, pointing at the other.
"Did not-!"
"Boys!" barked Sam.
"Jack here seems to think it would be a good idea to let Harry join an SG team-"
"I didn't say it was a good idea, but it is the best idea-!"
"Whoa! You're letting Harry join a team?" asked Carter wide eyed.
"Yes, but there are conditions! First he has to beat someone of my choice in a sparring match-!"
"Teal-"
"But not Teal'c. I tried to pull that one on him and he didn't fall for it. And I'm not throwing him to the forefront! He's starting out as a medic-"
"You know as well as we do that he'll abide by that for as much as a minute before he jumps into the fight. He's too much like you Jack," said Carter.
"Why do people keep saying that?! And as if it's a bad thing-?"
"What is wrong O'Neill?" asked Teal'c from the door.
"Jack wants to put Harry on a team!"
"I do not see what is wrong," said Teal'c, looking confusedly between them all.
Daniel and Carter stood flabbergasted while Jack smiled and came over to slap Teal'c on the back.
"Good man Teal'c, always knew I liked you." Then he turned to the others.
"Yes, I know you're worried. I am too. But putting him away for safe keeping isn't what the boy needs. He's been involved in a war since age 11, it's all he knows. And if he's willing to fight for us I would be an idiot to say no. Now if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork to fill out."
Else where in the base a green-eyed eavesdropper smiled.
The days after the shopping trip began to tick by. And after all the excitement of the first few days they were very mild in comparison. Not that Harry was complaining. After three months of torture he was overdue for a quiet respite. Besides, he needed time to digest everything he had learned since coming here. Chiefly, that there was a group of muggles secretly opening portals between galaxies hundreds of light years away. That and the idea that he might actually be part of some 'alternate reality'.
'At least I'm probably not descended from an alien scientific experiment like we first assumed,’ Harry thought. He considered this a minor comfort.
But mostly he spent his time settling into his new surroundings. By what he could tell he was likely going to be there for a while, so he needed to set up for the long haul. That included putting up wards around his room that he built upon and strengthened for several days until Voldemort himself would have a time getting past them if Harry willed them alert. And they immediately activated as soon as he fell asleep or was other wise unconscious.
He also began stocking up on healing draughts and some minor sleep potions that while no where near as strong as dreamless sleep would none the less encourage nightmare-free rest. The idea to look into making potions came as they were passing by a greenhouse the day they went shopping in town. Though most of the stronger potions required magical plants that likely didn’t exist here, some of the basic potions he had learned during his first two years at Hogwarts merely required herbs and medicinal plants of the mundane variety, and a little magic from the brewer for potency. With his pledge to O’Neill to help out when able in mind, he had requested that they procure the ingredients necessary for a few useful potions that could be used by muggles as well as wizards. When he had explained all of this to Colonel Carter she had become quite interested and had what he called the ‘Hermione Look’ in her eyes. Before he knew it he was agreeing to allow her to watch and aid him in the brewing process; and true to his word, a few days after procuring the ingredients found him in his room brewing potions over a pot being used as a makeshift cauldron accompanied by one very excited Samantha Carter. She was intrigued by his technique and asked several question as she took notes. When she realized how much went into brewing a potion she offered Harry the use of her lab, which Harry quickly took her up on.
Though he really knew little about her, Harry immediately felt comfortable around her. He guessed it was probably because of how much she reminded him of Hermione. The thought was a comfort, but also left him a little homesick at times.
So the days went, and before he knew it five weeks had passed. And though they were quiet, they were not idle. Harry usually spent at least a couple hours doing research on the things that the SGC did and the alien cultures they interacted with, especially the ones called the gouald. To Harry they reminded him of an alien version of Voldemort. Then that led to the thought, 'What if one took over Voldemort?' Harry couldn't repress a shudder.
He also spent a good deal of time working out and sparring with others on the base, namely General O'Neill and Teal'c, though he would work out with others if both were busy or off world. As of yet he hadn't beat them (and he suspected he'd never be able to beat Teal'c), but he improved each time they fought and that was good. He could even beat several of the trained military officers he sparred occasionally. When he sparred with those outside of SG-1 and the General he didn't wear the robe portion of his battle robes (which he had gotten tailored a couple days after the trip). When he trained them he wore the loose cotton pants and a workout-T. Back at Hogwarts he would have worn the robe constantly, but here he suspected it would draw more attention to him, something both he and O'Neill felt they should avoid for now.
O'Neill-Harry wasn't sure what to make of him. Sometimes he was the picture of authority and Harry had no question they had chosen the right guy for the job. But then the man would turn around and say something so outrageous that it caused Harry to sometimes do a double take. He wasn't used to having leaders behave like that. Dumbledore was an oddball, but didn't tend to have immature regressions. Then again, Dumbledore was a little over 150 years old.
As far as Harry could tell O'Neill seemed to hold some kind of affectionate respect for him. Which Harry considered a step above Dumbledore who had affection but not always respect. Anytime he could, O'Neill would stop by and volunteer help with whatever Harry was working on. Though, they had learned the hard way that it was better that he not help with the potions.
And with all his studying Harry had even begun to learn and remember certain planet labels and coordinates. When O'Neill had noticed this he had ordered that Harry be given tutorials on gate coordinates and dial-ups. This had resulted in Harry's first off-world trip, and his first interaction with a gould lackey:
0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0
"You ready for this?" asked O'Neill.
Harry took a deep breath and nodded.
"Normally I would describe what the opening wormhole looks like or what it feels like to travel through the gate. But you know all that already. In fact, considering how much you've been pouring over that file, I'd also say you probably know as much or more about that site than just about anyone on this base, with the exception of the teams that have gone there."
"It doesn't feel like it, sir,"
"Don't worry, you're in good hands. Besides, it's an isolated site."
"So no one can hear you scream."
O'Neill sighed. Shortly after Harry had taken up his semi-permanent residence, O'Neill had found that Harry had a severe dislike-bordering on phobia-of isolated places. Sometimes it even warped into claustrophobia. He'd already had a handful of hyperventilating anxiety attacks. Finally they had decided that Harry would spend a little supervised time outside at intervals during the day to alleviate it.
Of course, this didn't help Harry now.
"Just do what Dr. Brightman told you to do."
"Breath in and out and count to ten. Visualize a bubble around myself. The bubble is my space and I am safe in my space. Huh, yeah right..."
"Now, now... the only voice of negativity here is going to be mine," said O'Neill, though he too agreed in the ridiculousness of that statement. War and torture tended to make you cynical like that. But he needed to help Harry now. "We've held this site for a long time," he said. "But if anything does happen, just remember what you've learned since you've gotten here and what we practice in sparing. And trust the team; they'll take care of you."
"But if something does happen, do you want me to use my magic?"
O'Neill paused as he considered.
"No," he finally said. "Not unless it is absolutely necessary. If they see you use something they've never seen and survive to tell, the gouald and who know who else will put the galactic version f a wanted poster on your head, and we want to avoid that kind of attention if at all possible."
At about this point a group of three soldiers as well as SG-1 walked up to them.
O'Neill turned his attention to them and began to speak.
"Just to make it official, we're going to go over everything one more time.
"You all will pass through the stargate in the following order- you three, then Teal'c, Daniel and Carter, with Harry taking up the end. Once there you can stay for a few moments for Harry to survey the nearby terrain. He is not to be left alone. I don't want any chance of injury to him. After he is done looking around Daniel will give Harry his tutorial on dialing up from a dhd. From there you will return immediately home. If anything goes wrong, you will immediately return home. And make sure Harry is protected. Teal'c, you're his guard. Daniel-make sure he gets the gist of the dial up. See you boys when you return. Good traveling Harry."
As they walked towards the ramp to the gate, Harry quietly asked Daniel, "Was all that really necessary? It’s only a short field trip..."
"In our line of work you tend to expect the unexpected. Or at least prepare for it. If something were to go wrong and the boys didn't have orders, thing would get worse. Like he said-at least now it's official."
"But he made me sound... I don't know..."
"Important?" asked Daniel, eyeing the boy closely.
Harry got an uncomfortable guilty look on his face and gave a small nod, not looking at him.
'He still hasn't gotten it yet,' thought Daniel sadly.
"Harry, you are important- to all of us, but Jack especially. And no it doesn't have anything to do with the wand on your arm or the scar on you forehead."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, perplexed by what Daniel was talking about.
"Just watch and listen. Now we need to step back just a bit..."
As they stepped back Harry watched as something like refracted light seen through water collected inside the giant ring burst forward and then backward in a sloshy motion before it ended back inside the gate.
"Let's go!" said the leader of the group accompanying them as they walked up the ramp and through the gate. Teal'c followed after them and then Carter and Daniel, who gave Harry a reassuring squeeze of the shoulder before going through himself. Harry took a deep breath, let it out slowly, and walked through.
As he did, a ripple of the strange light that had been absent since his arrival flowed out from the point where he entered.
0-0-0
Harry felt himself rushing forward and saw only streaks of light flashing past, but then a brighter light spiraled around his disembodied self and he seemed to pick up speed. He passed a few bubbles of light and the next thing he knew he was thrown forward out of the stargate with a searing hiss as something like a puff of steam exited with him.
He gathered himself up and looked around for the group but no one was there.
'Oh shit...' Harry thought as a feeling of foreboding settled over him.
But then he heard the slosh of exiting travelers behind him and turned to find the soldiers who had gone first just exiting, also accompanied by steam.
"What the hell? Where did the steam come from?" exclaimed one of the soldiers.
"Does it not usually do that?" asked Harry.
The soldiers spun around, guns raised, and gave Harry a look of pure astonishment.
"How- how did you get here before us?!"
"What are you talking about? Jack sent me ahead to scout- wait no, that's not right..." Harry rubbed his temples. All of a sudden he had a bad headache coming on. And as he closed his eyes it was like watching two movie films at once. One second he saw General O'Neill talking to him about his first off-world visit, and in the next he was watching as a team was assembled in full gear with him leading them, going ahead to scout for a 'reception party' on the other side. And along with them his emotions felt like they were on a roller coaster. For instance, why had he called the General by his nickname 'Jack’?
By then SG-1 had come through and were just as confused as the soldiers as to how Harry had beaten them through the wormhole.
"What can you remember about the trip through the wormhole? Was there anything that caught your attention?"
"I- I don't know. Everything is jumbled... It's like I'm remembering two different events at once. But I'm pretty sure that one of them has never happened; at least, not yet at any rate."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm remembering something... like an attack of some sort. We're going off-world, full gear. I'm going ahead to scout for enemies on the other end of the wormhole..."
"Well, that certainly has never happened," said Daniel.
"I know, but it seems so real," said Harry with a shake of his head.
"But what about the trip through the wormhole?" asked Carter.
"I saw... light, blurs of light... I think I sped up at some point, and the lights grew... then there were about a handful of little globes of light that I passed, and the next thing I knew I was stepping out of the gate. I think that's all correct..." Harry massaged his temples again.
"You said you sped up while you were in the wormhole?" asked Carter.
"Yeah, it was strange... wait- could the globes of light have been you all as I past you?" asked Harry.
"I don't know. Nothing like this has ever happened before. But you could be right. You did say there were about 5," said Carter.
"Perhaps Harry's magic somehow affected the speed at which he went though the wormhole," said Daniel.
"But what about the memories?" Harry asked.
"I don't know. Maybe the speed you were going thinned the separation in the timeline or you acquired memories from another parallel universe," said Carter.
"It may explain why you came into this one when you went through the portal in you own world," said Daniel.
"Maybe... wait, there's something else..."
Harry could only liken it to how an antenna would feel if it was cognitive. He went into a sort of hazy trance, and then he began to sense impressions. Suddenly pictures flickered past-an attack by enemy jaffa. They attacked when one of the soldiers passed in front of a large tree off to the side.
Harry came to from the memory just in time to see that very soldier pass in front of the tree he had seen.
"Watch out behind you!" Harry screamed to the soldier.
The man turned around and leapt to the side just in time to avoid a blaster shot.
Five jaffa entered the clearing around the stargate. Immediately Teal'c grabbed Harry and pushed him behind him, but Harry fought against him.
"I can fight!"
"Yes you can, but not now. O'Neill ordered me to protect you and protect you I will," said Teal'c as he pushed Harry farther back.
By now the soldiers had dispatched of two of the jaffa and Daniel was fighting with another. That left two of them who were making a charge at Teal'c and Harry, staves poised to shoot.
But in a brilliant move Teal'c took a step forward and to the left of the jaffa on his left and pushed the staff to the side, striking the other jaffa in the head before jerking the staff away from the jaffa, hitting the other on the back of the head, effectively knocking both out.
Teal’c kneeled over one of the jaffa to inspect his marking.
"These are the jaffa of Ba'al. We must get you out of here now in case more are sent."
"I couldn't agree more. But we'll need to make a return trip to check on the locals and find out why Ba'al is sending his men here," said Daniel, walking up clutching his side.
"Are you injured Dr. Jackson?" Harry asked, worried. He immediately went into medic mode and instructed Daniel to raise his shirt.
"It's alright, Dr. Lam-"
But Harry waved him silent and rested a hand over the blast wound. A white light emanated from it, covered the wound and soaked into his skin. In a matter of seconds Harry removed his hand to show Daniel his now unblemished side.
"Whoa," said Daniel, inspecting where the wound had been. Then he looked at Harry. "Was that hard?'
"No, that was a mere flesh wound. Internal injuries are far more difficult. But I'm a trained field medic so I can usually heal most wounds," said Harry, inspecting his handy-work one last time before nodding his head in acceptance and stepping back.
"So theoretically you could heal any wound. But what about illnesses?" asked Daniel.
"I hate to break this up, but we are in a potentially dangerous area," said a soldier.
"Oh, yeah... but maybe we could continue this discussion later?" asked Daniel as they moved towards the gate.
"Of course we can. Do we have enough time to give me that dial-up tutorial before we go?"
"We'll risk it. So, this is how it's done..."
0-0-0-0-0-0
Since then Harry hadn't been on any more off-world trips. And though it shouldn't bother him, it did. For two years he had been a front line fighter. And now he was stuck as a back line medic. He enjoyed his peace and quiet, but he was beginning to get restless.
Finally, Harry decided to approach O'Neill on the subject.
"No," O'Neil said immediately.
"Why? Is it clearance?"
"No, we could get clearance. We got Teal'c clearance we could get it for you."
"Then why?"
"Because it's too dangerous. You don't know what you're up against."
He saw Harry getting a closed expression on his face and inwardly groaned in frustration.
"Listen, it has nothing to do with whether you're able, but what if something happened? What if you weren't able to make it back to your world to fight your battles?"
Jack knew he had struck the right nerve as Harry looked down and considered the consequences of that. Obviously he hadn't thought of it before hand.
"If the situation were reversed I would be just as cautious sending my own men out because it would be a form of battle they were unfamiliar with. Do you understand?"
Harry nodded. But then he took a deep breath and looked back, up straight into O'Neill's eyes. And in them Jack saw not acceptance, but a new strength.
"I understand. But I also know I can help. And besides, there's only so much lab training I can do before I need to go out into the field," Harry leaned forward. "Please General, I'll fight for you as if I were fighting for my own people. And in a way I will be. The stronger I become here, the stronger I'll be for them when I return. Please, let me fight."
Seeing the strength in the boy's eyes and hearing the resolve in his voice, Jack found that despite himself he was being won over.
He twirled a pen between his fingers as he considered.
"I'll make a deal with you. I'll let you go out into the field, but only with certain conditions."
He waited for a confirmation. Harry nodded.
"First, you have to beat someone of my choosing in a sparring match-"
"But not Teal'c, that would be unfair," said Harry.
'Damn! Oh well, at least I was going to try...'
Jack chuckled, "Fine, not Teal'c. But otherwise, do you agree?"
An affirmative.
"Second: for the first few missions you will only serve as support personnel-a medic. No, don't complain. I want you to get the feel of how an SG team works. And I'm not assigning you a team yet. We'll get you broke into the routine and go from there. Does all this sound reasonable to you?"
Harry wasn't happy about the terms, but he wasn't unhappy either. At least now he was a frontline medic with sight at a promotion.
"I find your terms reasonable. When will I learn who you've chosen for me to spar?"
"You’ll find out the day of the spar in the arena. You won't always know before hand who your opponent is on the field, Harry."
Harry nodded. General O'Neill really was testing him.
"Now that it's settled I have to draw up the paperwork," O'Neill groaned in frustration. "Speaking of paperwork, how's the table commin'?"
"I've been working on it sir, but it's proven to be quite a challenge."
"Don't worry about it. Just be sure I have it before our next inventory."
Harry got up to leave, but at the door he turned back.
"General O'Neill, will I be going on the return trip to planet PX39-52?"
"Maybe. I haven't decided exactly who and how many yet. But I'll consider you."
"And General…"
"Yes?"
"Thank you."
It was the most heartfelt thank you Jack had heard in a long time. It was true thanks. A 'thank you' for all that Jack had done for him since his arrival; a thank you for taking him in for him alone, and not using him and kicking him to the curb.
Jack wondered how many of those the boy had given before, if any.
"Jack, Harry."
"What?"
“You may call me Jack."
"Thank you, sir. But I'm not sure-"
"You've been around me enough to know I don't give a rat's ass about protocol.
"Well, maybe just in private. Thank you again Gen- err- Jack."
With that Harry turned and left.
Jack gave a deep sigh. He had tried to keep Harry out of it. But his warrior training couldn't be squelched. He'd known that eventually he would come to him about joining a team. He had just hoped it would be later rather than sooner.
'Well, time to start looking for a team for him,' thought Jack.
But just then another knock came upon his door.
'Ugh, no peace and quiet for the weary…"
“Enter, " Jack said aloud, rubbing his temples.
This time it was Daniel. He gave his shy grin and a wave. Not a good sign.
"What are you wanting now? Permission to visit Ba'al's territory to translate Ancient artifacts?"
"No actually, though that would be nice. I'm here about Harry."
"What about Harry?"
"I think he might have foresight."
Daniel received a blank stare.
“I think Harry can see events before they happen," Daniel clarified.
That piqued Jack's interest. He sat up, "And what gives you the idea that he might?"
"I've been thinking about when we took him off world. You know of course about his speeding up in the wormhole and the false memories. But later after we were all there he went into a sort of trance for a moment and when he broke out of it he warned Tom of the Jaffa attacking behind him. I didn't think anything of it at first. But that coupled with the 'memories' make me wonder… What if the speeding up in the wormhole triggered some premonition ability in him? He saw the attack happen just before it did. What if the 'false memories' are in fact glimpses of the future?"
"But Harry said that they felt like memories, as if they had already happened…" said Jack.
"Somewhere down the timeline they have happened. It could easily be mistaken…" said Daniel.
"Let's not jump to conclusions. I'll talk it over with Harry and see if it's a possibility. Speaking of Harry, he just left here before you came in."
"Really, is something wrong?"
"He wants to join an SG team," said Jack bluntly.
A pause.
"No, no… I don't think-"
"I said yes."
Another pause.
"What? Jack are you insane?! He could-"
"Get hurt? What's much worse than being tortured by your mortal enemy for three months?"
"I don't know, but-"
"Daniel, I'm worried about him too," said Jack with a sigh. "But keeping him tucked away in bubble wrap won't help him any either. I've put some conditions on his joining the team as well. First he has to spar and beat someone of my choosing-"
"Teal'c."
"Other than Teal'c," said Jack. "And his first missions will be as a medic-"
"You know him as well as I do! He's too much like you; he'll jump off into the middle of a fight as soon as one pops up."
"Excuse me? How is that anything like me?"
"You're kidding right?" laughed Daniel.
"I'm not! I'm a level headed-"
"Ha! Since when?"
"Now you listen! I'm the senior officer-"
"In maturity or age?"
"You're pushing it!"
"When do I not? See! You're too hot headed!"
"I am not!"
"Are too! Look at you!"
"A poet now, huh?"
"At least I can string words together without guttural sound."
"Wanna take this outside?!"
"What are you two arguing about this time?" asked Carter with a resigned sigh as she walked into the office.
"He started it!" they both said at the same time, pointing at the other.
"Did not-!"
"Boys!" barked Sam.
"Jack here seems to think it would be a good idea to let Harry join an SG team-"
"I didn't say it was a good idea, but it is the best idea-!"
"Whoa! You're letting Harry join a team?" asked Carter wide eyed.
"Yes, but there are conditions! First he has to beat someone of my choice in a sparring match-!"
"Teal-"
"But not Teal'c. I tried to pull that one on him and he didn't fall for it. And I'm not throwing him to the forefront! He's starting out as a medic-"
"You know as well as we do that he'll abide by that for as much as a minute before he jumps into the fight. He's too much like you Jack," said Carter.
"Why do people keep saying that?! And as if it's a bad thing-?"
"What is wrong O'Neill?" asked Teal'c from the door.
"Jack wants to put Harry on a team!"
"I do not see what is wrong," said Teal'c, looking confusedly between them all.
Daniel and Carter stood flabbergasted while Jack smiled and came over to slap Teal'c on the back.
"Good man Teal'c, always knew I liked you." Then he turned to the others.
"Yes, I know you're worried. I am too. But putting him away for safe keeping isn't what the boy needs. He's been involved in a war since age 11, it's all he knows. And if he's willing to fight for us I would be an idiot to say no. Now if you'll excuse me, I have paperwork to fill out."
Else where in the base a green-eyed eavesdropper smiled.