Dr. Sandburg Finds a Sentinel

[lit_gal]

Dr. Sandburg Finds a Sentinel
Gen/Pre-slash

Dr. Sandburg has a good life working on alien contact at Stargate Command; however, now he has news that his holy grail might just be out there in the strangest place possible--earth. Even worse, James Ellison has become the center of a vicious race that has pit Blair and the Stargate command against a rogue CIA operative, the NID, and the Chinese government.  And Blair is not sure how to convince Ellison that he's with the good guys.

( Dr. Sandburg of SG-16 gets some news... )( Dr. Sandburg gets his first look at his Sentinel, but Jim Ellison is not going down that easily )




Epilogue

The plane's engines made the runway vibrate and Jim could feel it in every cell. It was like the air was putting off ripples of sound, even. Blair dragged after him, his normally energy drained by the early hour.

"Last chance to back out, Sandburg," O'Neill said. He got a middle finger as an answer as Blair slogged toward the military plane. Two airmen stood near the open cargo door in back, watching them. Jim didn't have any luggage, but O'Neill handed him a small bag.

"Official paperwork, a new sidearm, ammo. The NID has been officially warned off because you are on the record as SGC personnel, and the legal issues are all cleared. We have some boots on the ground keeping an eye on the locals, but it looks like the feeding frenzy is over since you're the payroll." O'Neill paused for a second. "I'm just going to assume if you're taking one of the geeks that means you're coming back."

"I didn't realize I had a choice about taking the geek."

O'Neill laughed. "Yeah, well just don't let him know he's running the show. He'll start getting ideas, and the next thing you know, when an entire world is collapsing around your ears, he's going to be off translating some thousand year old recipes and refusing to follow an order to fall back."

"He tries it, and I'll drag him out by his hair," Jim answered honestly.

"You just might be worth pissing on if you're on fire, Ellison," O'Neill said. "Just bring Sandburg home in one piece. Last time I took him to Washington, this fugitive kidnapped him from me, and I'm still hearing from Reynolds about that one."

"I'll try and do a better job than you did," Jim agreed.

O'Neill shook his head, but he almost looked amused at the shit. If Jim did reactivate his commission, he suspected he was going to have to learn a whole new set of rules to work with SGC officers because they had a different ethic. "Watch it. Just you wait; that kid is going to get you in more trouble than you know how to get out of. The emergency bundle there also has a satellite phone, so if he manages to uncover a nest of goa'uld hiding under Cascade High School, just call."

"Yes, sir," Jim agreed. He didn't actually think he'd need it, but if O'Neill wanted to be a little paranoid about letting Blair out of his sight, Jim could understand that.

"You'll also find a file in there. Names and places are redacted, and the whole thing reads like fiction anyway, but try to keep it confidential. I'm out on a limb even giving it to you."

"A file?" Jim asked.

O'Neill nodded toward the plane. One of the airmen was helping Blair over the stack of cargo they were loading. Military planes were not built for passengers or comfort or men with really short legs. "You need to know what he's done, the treaties he's made happen, the intel we've gathered from sources that everyone else thought were too primitive to matter, the hidden weapons caches abandoned on worlds where the human culture hasn't progressed past spear throwing. He's too valuable to lose, Ellison."

Jim nodded. "Eric said the same thing."

"Eric is right. You and I can be replaced. General Hammond can be replaced. People like Daniel and Blair and Captain Carter cannot be replaced, not without losing this war. Did Blair tell you about the alternate universe Danny stumbled into?"

Jim looked over, hoping that O'Neill was playing some sort of practical joke because alternate universes was one science fiction gimmick too far into the Twilight Zone for him. Unfortunately, O'Neill looked dead serious.

"There was one change, Ellison. One. Danny turned down the chance to join the program. That meant he wasn't there to recruit Blair, he wasn't there to help us find Teal'c's world, and he wasn't there to talk the military minds into looking for solutions other than bigger bombs. That one change left an entire planet ravaged and burned--the few survivors enslaved to Apophis." O'Neill turned and looked at Jim, and Jim was struck with the realization that O'Neill would shoot him in the head without a second thought if that's what it took to protect Blair or Daniel or any of the others under his command.

"Understood, sir." Jim looked at O'Neill, waiting.

O'Neill sighed. "Bring him back in one piece, and trust me, if you have to tie him up to do that, no one is going to question it."

"Yes, sir." Jim smiled, and O'Neill turned and headed back to the car that had brought them here from the mountain. Tightening his hold on the small bag O'Neill had given him, Jim ran for the plane. The airmen still had cargo to shift, but they were down to the last of it, and Jim wanted to make sure Blair was settled some place other than right on top of the engines where he'd get shaken to pieces.

It felt weird being back on a military transport again. The BDU's he'd borrowed didn't have any rank insignia, but the two airmen didn't take a chance, they came to attention and offered him a salute. Jim returned it before heading into the plane.

"So, did O'Neill have fun threatening you?" Blair asked. He was waiting just inside the door.

"Yep, complete with the discussion about how important you are to national security."

"Man, if Naomi ever hears that..."

"Your hippy mother?" Jim clarified.

"Oh yeah. She would have a fit. A total fit. I mean, being in the government is one thing, but actually being good at being in the government? She would have to meditate for a century to get over that one."

Jim shook his head. Most people tended to have a little more ego showing through when they bragged about being good. Blair almost sounded embarrassed.

"She'd be proud if she really understood, Chief."

"I tell myself that," Blair said quietly as Jim took his arm and started steering Blair farther into the plane. "So, now that it's too late for O'Neill to do anything, are you really going to come back?"

"Can you see me leaving this mess for someone else?" Jim asked.

"Whoa. No way. Well, not unless O'Neill was so much of an asshole that he drove you away, but I was not ruling that out."

Jim shook his head and pushed Blair toward a bench. He'd forgotten how miserable these things were to travel in. "O'Neill's fine," Jim said. He understood O'Neill a hell of a lot better than Blair, in fact, but he didn't think Blair needed to hear that. "Just because he implied I wasn't worth pissing on if I was on fire, I'm not going to walk away from a good mission."

"He... what?" Instead of sounding amused, Blair looked absolutely furious.

"It was a joke, Chief." Sort of. Again, Jim was going to choose to not share certain things with Blair.

"Whoa. That is not cool. When we get back-"

"Drop it, Dershowitz."

"No way. He should-"

"Blair!"

"have some respect for-"

Jim reached over and went to hug Blair, only instead of putting his arm around Blair's shoulders, he put his arm around Blair's head and clamped his hand over Blair's mouth. "You handle the negotiations with locals, I handle the soldiers," Jim said firmly. "So, until O'Neill shakes a spear at you, he's my problem, and I'm dropping it."

Blair huffed, the warm air from his nose blowing over Jim's hand. But then, instead of trying to pull away or push Jim away-like a normal person-Blair just leaned in toward Jim. Jim loosened his hand, and Blair rested his head against Jim's shoulder.

"Yeah, yeah. Bully. I'm only giving in because it's too fucking early in the morning and you make a good pillow."

"Sure, Chief," Jim agreed. He smiled as Blair squirmed around some on the bench and ended up with his head resting more against Jim's chest than his shoulder. Jim draped his arm over Blair and leaned his head against the cargo net behind them.

Last time the service really hadn't worked out for him, but this time... this time things just might be different.

Yes, this is the end of "Dr. Sandburg finds a Sentinel." Of course, I'm having all kinds of thoughts, things like "Captain Ellison finds a Guide" and "Guide Sandburg finds a Spirit" and "Major Ellison finds a Goa'uld." However, for now, just know that their adventures are definitely going to continue, but I have other universes that are beginning to whisper for my muse.