Alphabet Soup: D
For the Teal'c Alphabet Soup held by sg_fignewton
D is for Daniel
1583 words
Gen
Early S1: post Enemies
One day of freedom--Teal'c had had that much among the Tau'ri. But today the loss of Major Kawalsky to a Goa'uld had been marked by their rituals, and Teal'c was not surprised when three soldiers closed on his flank, with three more in the narrow, gray hallway before him.
He stopped, regarded each in turn. Hard faces--mouths dragged down, eyes rimmed by red and loss. Head coming up, he could not stop the reaction. Muscles tensed, the response automatic--back, arms, legs. But he took a shallow breath, told his heart to slow. Perhaps they sought revenge--and perhaps he would find himself a just end after all. Atonement by blood was within their rights.
Folding his hands behind his back, he widened his stance. They fell into a ragged circle around him, and the one facing him took one step closer. Teal'c frowned. Unwise to reveal impatience--and to leave an opening. He could take this one down, slam the body into the two on his left, and take a fourth to the floor with a kick, leaving the remaining two confused and therefore easy prey. These Tau'ri had much to learn, and regret feathered into him that he would not be of use to them in that fashion. But guilt for other deaths, other wrongs--burned deep, buried by years--held him still.
This was their choice to make; his to allow.
The one before him--a man with thinning hair and pale eyes--gestured toward Teal'c's pouch. Teal'c knew this uniform--a marine, O'Neill had said. A jarhead, though that word made no sense.
"You've got one."
Teal'c lifted an eyebrow--ah, now he understood O'Neill's reference. Jar, perhaps, as in stuffed tight with an insufficient breadth of passage to allow a smooth flow between any contents inside and the opening. Since he saw no need to confirm the obvious, he continued to stare at the jarhead.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Damn snake--who's it after? The general? O'Neill? That what you here for--snake us all?"
With the muscle twitching in his cheek, Teal'c did not bother to hold back his words a second time. "It is impossible for a Goa'uld to take more than one host at a time--and that is well beyond the abilities of the infant I carry."
"So, we kill it before it grows--that'll take care of that. Won't it?"
This did not sound a question.
Tipping his head, Teal'c reconsidered his options. Blood justice he would allow--willful stupidity, however, could not be tolerated. Lack of thought led to a short fighting career--often for the others who were with that warrior.
Loosening his hands, letting them fall to his side, he saw fists clench around him. Shifting his weight to brace for the assault, he knew he had lost his initial opportunity. But he smiled. If death found him in this battle, it was no more than had learned to expect.
Then a voice from behind interrupted, high and clear and pushing into the circle, along with its owner--Daniel Jackson.
"Uh, 'cuse me...what's going on?"
Daniel Jackson stepped in front of Teal'c, glanced around the circle of men. He seemed oblivious to the violence hovering close like a thick, sour stench. But as Daniel Jackson kept staring at the others--expectation in his eyes and disapproval on his face--the air shifted. Daniel Jackson pushed back his open, loose bagging shirt, and put his hands on his hips, and made himself a presence that could not be ignored.
Around them, faces moved from hard to sheepish; glances dropped to the floor; hands opened and bare palms turned upwards. Daniel Jackson's frown tightened, and then he turned to Teal'c.
"Are these guys giving you a hard time?" he demanded.
Teal'c lifted an eyebrow, glanced at the others, glimpsed worry as well as irritation. And perhaps a desire not to be made to look foolish. He looked at Daniel Jackson. "We were about to discuss various methods of self-defense."
"Oh? Discuss?" Doubt lay heavy in Daniel Jackson's voice. Behind his glasses, his eyes widened, and he blinked. Then his stare sharpened and he asked, "Anything Jack needs to know about?"
O'Neill's name straightened backs, shifted feet, and had men angling away with muttered words that almost held apology. But the man in front of Teal'c stayed where he was, his face still hard, his eyes still dark.
Daniel Jackson turned and saw that look and pushed forward, forcing the man to look at him, which sent Teal'c's pulse high and fast. His symbiote stirred and Teal'c clenched his fists--he could not, by any rights, grab Daniel Jackson as he wished and shove the man to a place of safety.
Mouth dry, he waited for the first punch to fly--and from what he had witnessed until now, Daniel Jackson would not react with fast avoidance, nor with a strong defense. But all that flew were words, sharp and cutting, and startling in their speed.
"You are aware that Teal'c is a member of SG-1--an invaluable member. I thought Colonel O'Neill made that clear to everyone? Or is this something we need to take to General Hammond?" Daniel Jackson jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll be happy to go see him with you, since I was just in his office, asking if I could work with Teal'c to get a better understanding of the Goa'uld language. Which we're all going to need if we hope to have even a prayer of figuring out our enemies."
The marine's shoulders bunched, and Teal'c decided his rescuer now required rescuing.
Stepping closer, near to Daniel Jackson's right shoulder where he could intercept any offer of violence, Teal'c asked, his voice low and his tone unmistakable, "Perhaps we may spar later? When we can better determine who has the superior moves."
The man's eyebrows lifted and his head pulled back. For a moment, his jaw worked. Then his gaze shifted to Teal'c's pouch, and back up. The light in his eyes brightened, and he gave a sudden, sharp nod.
"Yeah--yeah, guess we can." He glanced once more at Daniel Jackson, offered him a two fingered salute that hovered between insolence and grudging respect. Then he turned, led the other three, who had not yet drifted away, with him.
Daniel Jackson shook his head, his mouth flattened as he turned to Teal'c. Then a smile flashed, quick and soft with regret. "Sorry. Y'know we're not all..." He waved a hand. "It's just today that...well, if you want, I can talk to Jack...."
"'Bout what?" O'Neill asked, striding down the hall, hands in his pockets. He twisted, glancing over his shoulder at the marines whose heavy boot tread could still be heard, then asked, "Party I missed?"
Daniel Jackson opened his mouth to speak, but Teal'c answered, "It is nothing."
Frown tight again, dragging his eyebrows down and furrowing lines between them, Daniel Jackson glared at him. Teal'c stared back. And then Daniel Jackson surprised him yet again by answering with a slow, very tiny, reluctant nod.
Turning to O'Neill, Daniel Jackson flashed another smile, so stiff it would fool no one, least of all O'Neill. "Yeah--nothing. Oh, damn, that reminds me--I told Sam... Captain... Doctor..."
"Carter? Go--do. Geek out?"
Daniel Jackson shot a frown at O'Neill over his shoulder as he hurried down the hall.
O'Neill turned to Teal'c, asking, "Did he just...?"
"Step between myself and those who wished me harm. Yes."
"Oy!" O'Neill winced and let out a breath. "We have so got to break him of that."
"Indeed. However, I suspect it will be difficult to train Daniel Jackson into an awareness that he is actually stepping into danger."
"Oh, he knows. He's too damn smart not to know. Which is why it's...but it's just...I mean he's...." O'Neill lifted his hands wide, and then scrubbed one across his face.
"He is?" Teal'c asked.
"Daniel. But you kind of get used to it."
"Ah. I see. That explains much, O'Neill."
"Good, I'm glad." O'Neill slapped his arm, tucked his hands back in his pockets, and strolled off toward General Hammond's office.
With a nod in O'Neill's direction--a small thank you for that grain of wisdom--Teal'c folded his hands behind his back. And then he resumed his walk, following the path Daniel Jackson had taken. He was unsure what to make of the fact that a Tau'ri, a scholar, a man with more honor than sense it seemed, would act as his defender. It was...unsettling. It was also--extraordinary. And it seemed it was...Daniel.
Teal'c considered O'Neill's words--his explanation--and found it wanting, and yet exact. And perhaps it was not wise to judge or label Daniel Jackson, beyond using all that was already provided in his name.
For the first time in a very, very long time, Teal'c found a smile.
He had found far more here than allies it seemed. He had found those who would stand beside him. Which meant that he could not aid O'Neill in his desire to change Daniel Jackson. No, his duty would be to act as guide--and perhaps as protector, since, judging by today's actions, Daniel Jackson would no doubt have other occasions when he might stand in need of more than fast, sharp words.
For now, however, Teal'c would seek out those marines to see if they indeed wished to exchange a display of fighting skills.
D is for Daniel
1583 words
Gen
Early S1: post Enemies
One day of freedom--Teal'c had had that much among the Tau'ri. But today the loss of Major Kawalsky to a Goa'uld had been marked by their rituals, and Teal'c was not surprised when three soldiers closed on his flank, with three more in the narrow, gray hallway before him.
He stopped, regarded each in turn. Hard faces--mouths dragged down, eyes rimmed by red and loss. Head coming up, he could not stop the reaction. Muscles tensed, the response automatic--back, arms, legs. But he took a shallow breath, told his heart to slow. Perhaps they sought revenge--and perhaps he would find himself a just end after all. Atonement by blood was within their rights.
Folding his hands behind his back, he widened his stance. They fell into a ragged circle around him, and the one facing him took one step closer. Teal'c frowned. Unwise to reveal impatience--and to leave an opening. He could take this one down, slam the body into the two on his left, and take a fourth to the floor with a kick, leaving the remaining two confused and therefore easy prey. These Tau'ri had much to learn, and regret feathered into him that he would not be of use to them in that fashion. But guilt for other deaths, other wrongs--burned deep, buried by years--held him still.
This was their choice to make; his to allow.
The one before him--a man with thinning hair and pale eyes--gestured toward Teal'c's pouch. Teal'c knew this uniform--a marine, O'Neill had said. A jarhead, though that word made no sense.
"You've got one."
Teal'c lifted an eyebrow--ah, now he understood O'Neill's reference. Jar, perhaps, as in stuffed tight with an insufficient breadth of passage to allow a smooth flow between any contents inside and the opening. Since he saw no need to confirm the obvious, he continued to stare at the jarhead.
The man's eyes narrowed. "Damn snake--who's it after? The general? O'Neill? That what you here for--snake us all?"
With the muscle twitching in his cheek, Teal'c did not bother to hold back his words a second time. "It is impossible for a Goa'uld to take more than one host at a time--and that is well beyond the abilities of the infant I carry."
"So, we kill it before it grows--that'll take care of that. Won't it?"
This did not sound a question.
Tipping his head, Teal'c reconsidered his options. Blood justice he would allow--willful stupidity, however, could not be tolerated. Lack of thought led to a short fighting career--often for the others who were with that warrior.
Loosening his hands, letting them fall to his side, he saw fists clench around him. Shifting his weight to brace for the assault, he knew he had lost his initial opportunity. But he smiled. If death found him in this battle, it was no more than had learned to expect.
Then a voice from behind interrupted, high and clear and pushing into the circle, along with its owner--Daniel Jackson.
"Uh, 'cuse me...what's going on?"
Daniel Jackson stepped in front of Teal'c, glanced around the circle of men. He seemed oblivious to the violence hovering close like a thick, sour stench. But as Daniel Jackson kept staring at the others--expectation in his eyes and disapproval on his face--the air shifted. Daniel Jackson pushed back his open, loose bagging shirt, and put his hands on his hips, and made himself a presence that could not be ignored.
Around them, faces moved from hard to sheepish; glances dropped to the floor; hands opened and bare palms turned upwards. Daniel Jackson's frown tightened, and then he turned to Teal'c.
"Are these guys giving you a hard time?" he demanded.
Teal'c lifted an eyebrow, glanced at the others, glimpsed worry as well as irritation. And perhaps a desire not to be made to look foolish. He looked at Daniel Jackson. "We were about to discuss various methods of self-defense."
"Oh? Discuss?" Doubt lay heavy in Daniel Jackson's voice. Behind his glasses, his eyes widened, and he blinked. Then his stare sharpened and he asked, "Anything Jack needs to know about?"
O'Neill's name straightened backs, shifted feet, and had men angling away with muttered words that almost held apology. But the man in front of Teal'c stayed where he was, his face still hard, his eyes still dark.
Daniel Jackson turned and saw that look and pushed forward, forcing the man to look at him, which sent Teal'c's pulse high and fast. His symbiote stirred and Teal'c clenched his fists--he could not, by any rights, grab Daniel Jackson as he wished and shove the man to a place of safety.
Mouth dry, he waited for the first punch to fly--and from what he had witnessed until now, Daniel Jackson would not react with fast avoidance, nor with a strong defense. But all that flew were words, sharp and cutting, and startling in their speed.
"You are aware that Teal'c is a member of SG-1--an invaluable member. I thought Colonel O'Neill made that clear to everyone? Or is this something we need to take to General Hammond?" Daniel Jackson jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I'll be happy to go see him with you, since I was just in his office, asking if I could work with Teal'c to get a better understanding of the Goa'uld language. Which we're all going to need if we hope to have even a prayer of figuring out our enemies."
The marine's shoulders bunched, and Teal'c decided his rescuer now required rescuing.
Stepping closer, near to Daniel Jackson's right shoulder where he could intercept any offer of violence, Teal'c asked, his voice low and his tone unmistakable, "Perhaps we may spar later? When we can better determine who has the superior moves."
The man's eyebrows lifted and his head pulled back. For a moment, his jaw worked. Then his gaze shifted to Teal'c's pouch, and back up. The light in his eyes brightened, and he gave a sudden, sharp nod.
"Yeah--yeah, guess we can." He glanced once more at Daniel Jackson, offered him a two fingered salute that hovered between insolence and grudging respect. Then he turned, led the other three, who had not yet drifted away, with him.
Daniel Jackson shook his head, his mouth flattened as he turned to Teal'c. Then a smile flashed, quick and soft with regret. "Sorry. Y'know we're not all..." He waved a hand. "It's just today that...well, if you want, I can talk to Jack...."
"'Bout what?" O'Neill asked, striding down the hall, hands in his pockets. He twisted, glancing over his shoulder at the marines whose heavy boot tread could still be heard, then asked, "Party I missed?"
Daniel Jackson opened his mouth to speak, but Teal'c answered, "It is nothing."
Frown tight again, dragging his eyebrows down and furrowing lines between them, Daniel Jackson glared at him. Teal'c stared back. And then Daniel Jackson surprised him yet again by answering with a slow, very tiny, reluctant nod.
Turning to O'Neill, Daniel Jackson flashed another smile, so stiff it would fool no one, least of all O'Neill. "Yeah--nothing. Oh, damn, that reminds me--I told Sam... Captain... Doctor..."
"Carter? Go--do. Geek out?"
Daniel Jackson shot a frown at O'Neill over his shoulder as he hurried down the hall.
O'Neill turned to Teal'c, asking, "Did he just...?"
"Step between myself and those who wished me harm. Yes."
"Oy!" O'Neill winced and let out a breath. "We have so got to break him of that."
"Indeed. However, I suspect it will be difficult to train Daniel Jackson into an awareness that he is actually stepping into danger."
"Oh, he knows. He's too damn smart not to know. Which is why it's...but it's just...I mean he's...." O'Neill lifted his hands wide, and then scrubbed one across his face.
"He is?" Teal'c asked.
"Daniel. But you kind of get used to it."
"Ah. I see. That explains much, O'Neill."
"Good, I'm glad." O'Neill slapped his arm, tucked his hands back in his pockets, and strolled off toward General Hammond's office.
With a nod in O'Neill's direction--a small thank you for that grain of wisdom--Teal'c folded his hands behind his back. And then he resumed his walk, following the path Daniel Jackson had taken. He was unsure what to make of the fact that a Tau'ri, a scholar, a man with more honor than sense it seemed, would act as his defender. It was...unsettling. It was also--extraordinary. And it seemed it was...Daniel.
Teal'c considered O'Neill's words--his explanation--and found it wanting, and yet exact. And perhaps it was not wise to judge or label Daniel Jackson, beyond using all that was already provided in his name.
For the first time in a very, very long time, Teal'c found a smile.
He had found far more here than allies it seemed. He had found those who would stand beside him. Which meant that he could not aid O'Neill in his desire to change Daniel Jackson. No, his duty would be to act as guide--and perhaps as protector, since, judging by today's actions, Daniel Jackson would no doubt have other occasions when he might stand in need of more than fast, sharp words.
For now, however, Teal'c would seek out those marines to see if they indeed wished to exchange a display of fighting skills.