"Geek."
The quietly spoken insult interrupted his train of thought. Daniel Jackson, archaeologist, linguist and member of SG-1 looked up from the journal he was reading as he wandered towards SG-C’s canteen.
His current nemesis leered down at him. The sergeant, Daniel supposed peering short-sightedly at the stripes on his arm, had something to do with supply. Daniel did not know what he had done to the man to engender such distaste, but then again, he knew from many years of experience that his very existence seemed to get up some people’s noses. He had only been at SG-Command for a few weeks and had, somehow, in that short period of time, annoyed the man.
"Yes?" he said easily.
"Geek."
Daniel sighed tiredly, as he really had better things to do. There was that cartouche recently unearthed at the old StarGate site at Giza that looked really interesting. "Yes. Geek. I am a geek. What gave it away? Was it the glasses? Or the long hair? I know," he sighed dramatically, "it was the tissues." He waved a mottled, damp handkerchief under the sergeant’s nose. His current bout of allergies were draining the energy from his bones, he really didn’t have time for this...
The sergeant leaned into his personal space, and Daniel resisted the temptation to lean back. His tormentor was easily six foot five and built like a brick wall. Daniel focused on the man’s thick neck, it seemed to be wider than his head.
"Dweeb."
Oh, God, why is this my life? Do I have victim tattooed on my forehead? I thought that you had to be intelligent to be in the Air Force.
"Yes, if I’m a dweeb, a geek, what was that other one? Nerd? That makes you a Neanderthal. No… that’s an insult to Neanderthals. How about lagamorph?"
The breath was forced from his lungs as he was slammed up against the corridor wall. The sergeant shook him like a terrier with a rat.
"What did you call me?" It was the longest sentence that he had ever heard the man utter.
Daniel wheezed in an asthmatic sounding breath. "Look… it up… in a dictionary. Put me down… or I’ll have you up on charges."
"Ooh, now he gets brave." The sergeant twisted his fingers in Daniel’s collar. "You gonna report me to Colonel O’Neill, wimp?"
"If I… have to, or General Hammond." Daniel stretched his toes and managed gain some relief from the throttling grasp.
"You should know in the Air Force we look out for our own. And we don’t like civilians coming in and acting as if they own the place," he finished contemptuously.
"Put. Me. Down," Daniel hissed.
"Indeed. Put DanielJackson down," a sombre voice interrupted.
Daniel fell back, sprawling on the floor as his attacker was lifted away. Teal’c held the sergeant at arms length a good two foot off the ground.
"Do you require medical assistance, DanielJackson?"
"No, no." The archaeologist coughed raucously. He found his feet and struggled upright.
Teal’c continued to look at him with that phlegmatic expression which gave nothing away. He didn’t know if the Jaffa was disappointed in him or concerned.
"What do you wish me to do, DanielJackson?" The sergeant remained suspended and he was turning an unpleasant shade of purple.
Daniel stepped back. "Put him down before he throws up on you or something."
Teal’c planted him on his feet with a bone jarring thump.
Daniel looked at Teal’c then at the sergeant. What to do? The obvious step was to call the MPs and report the man for insubordination and assault. But to what end? The man was right, he was one of the clique and Daniel Jackson was the interloper. He seriously doubted that the MPs would take one incident as grounds for disciplinary action, despite the subtle harassment he had received at the man’s hands over the last few weeks. Jack O’Neill would probably consider it simple hazing and think him a wimp and grade one geek if he squealed on the sergeant.
"Let him go," Daniel said disgustedly. "Maybe he’s learnt his lesson." He doubted it; bullies never did.
At his words Teal’c released his grip dumping the man on the floor in much the same way as he had Daniel moments ago.
The sergeant scowled up at him. "You’ll pay for that."
Teal’c growled, Daniel was sure that he heard the Jaffa actually growl. "I look forward to our next interaction."
Sullen, the sergeant stumbled to his feet and staggered away.
Teal’c continued to look at him with that composed expression. Trying to ignore it, and everything that he thought might be behind the façade, Daniel gestured in the direction of the canteen. He began to walk knowing that the alien would join him. They managed to walk a few steps in silence, before…
"Was that wise, DanielJackson?" Teal’c asked equably.
"What?" Daniel slowed his pace and walked beside the Jaffa.
"Letting Sergeant Krause go."
"Is that his name? I’ll have to remember that."
"Sergeant Krause does not like you."
"I noticed." Daniel pulled his glasses from his fatigues pocket and pushed them up his nose. His sinus headache made wearing his glasses painful, but he wanted to see the Jaffa’s face clearly.
"Why?" Teal’c asked in his curiously innocent way.
Daniel shrugged and then regretted the motion; his shoulder blades felt quite bruised from being flung against the wall.
"It’s not really a question that you can answer."
"Why?"
The archaeologist came to an abrupt halt. "I don’t fit in. I’m not into sports, I’m not into skirt chasing, and I can’t even hold my beer. I like to read books and I wear glasses. I sneeze a lot! I’m different to 99% of the people on this base." The young doctor garrotted his words, appalled by the stressed cadences in his voice. Empathy shone in the alien’s liquid brown eyes. "Oh, dear," Daniel hung his head. "I guess you can understand that."
"Indeed, DanielJackson. I do understand. But I do not understand why you let the gadfuui go."
"Gadfuui?" the linguist asked.
Teal’c’s brow furrowed as he thought. "A small scavenger who preys… It is a noxious beast."
"Rat?" Daniel ventured, wondering what Teal’c was not saying.
"Perhaps? I do not know. The ‘rat’ should be reprimanded."
Daniel rubbed his red nose, stalling for time as he strove to put his words diplomatically. "It doesn’t work like that. If I reported him, I’d just look like more of a geek and a dweeb that I actually am. That didn’t come out right. I have to work with these people. In the long run, reporting him would be counterproductive."
"So you are saying that this gadfuui should not be punished because he is a snake and his nest mates will turn on you?"
"When you put it like that, you make me sound like a coward." Daniel muttered.
Teal’c cocked his head to the side. "I did not intend to."
Daniel rubbed his forehead tiredly. Slowly he started towards the canteen. "All he has done is deliberately confound a few orders and pushed me against a wall. In the scheme of things it’s not really important. If it wasn’t him doing it, it would be someone else."
"If you expand that logic; why should we fight Apophis? When another shall take his place."
"It’s not the same, Teal’c." He would have continued but they had reached the canteen and Sam Carter was waving them towards her table.
~*~
"Daniel!" The linguist jumped as Captain Samantha Carter kicked open his laboratory door.
"What?" he had been working peacefully for several hours and had lost himself in the wonderful intricacies of Egyptian hieroglyphics.
The Captain’s pale face was flushed with anger. She began to pace beside his table. Daniel carefully moved a stone idol out of her immediate reach; she looked angry enough to throw the first thing she laid hands on against a wall.
"What’s the matter, Sam?"
She tried to speak several times before she grated out, "Teal’c been arrested."
"What?" Daniel asked, astonished.
"Some nerd of a supply chief has accused him of assault." She slammed her hands down on his desk, underscoring her anger.
Daniel sat stunned for a heartbeat. It was ridiculous. He hung his head; it was his fault.
"No!" He pushed back from his table, uncaring, as a journal and papers fell to the floor. "I’ve got to sort this out. Where are they?"
"Why?"
"Because… because," the linguist stuttered. "This isn’t right."
"Of course it’s not right." She raked her fingers through her short blond hair. "They’re in Hammond’s office."
Focused on one thing, Daniel ran from his lab.
"There’s nothing you can do, Daniel," she called after him.
~*~
The general’s secretary attempted to bar his way as he stormed into his office. He slammed open the door in much the same manner as Sam had exploded into his lab.
"Dr Jackson!" Hammond launched himself to his feet. "Kindly…"
"No," the linguist interrupted. Teal’c sat before the general’s desk his hands handcuffed on his lap, a Military Police Officer on either side of him. Colonel O’Neill stood to the side, arms crossed leaning against a filing cabinet.
"Teal’c didn’t do anything! He was protecting me." The young doctor patted his chest emphatically. "He did not assault Sergeant Krause."
"Danny, calm down," O’Neill finally uncurled from his lackadaisical pose. "This is just a…"
"NO! Krause is a bully. Look." He turned away from them, and yanked up his black t-shirt to reveal the dark purple bruises mottling his back.
"Shit!" O’Neill shot across the office in two long steps. "How the hell did this happen?"
Daniel craned his head over his shoulder. "Krause. Teal’c stopped him from doing worse."
"DanielJackson," Teal’c interrupted. "I have not been accused of assaulting Sergeant Krause, but of hurting one Corporal Volkman."
"Who?" Daniel asked, astounded.
"I do not know the man, but he is in the infirmary with a severe concussion."
The archaeologist dropped his t-shirt and stared at the military personnel, his eyes darting left and right. "Teal’c wouldn’t hurt anyone."
"We know that, son," the general said calmly. "Why don’t you sit down and we’ll see if we can settle this."
Reluctantly, the young man sat beside the Jaffa. "Why is he handcuffed?"
"Policy, he had been accused…"
"I think Daniel should go to the infirmary and get those bruises looked at," Colonel O’Neill interrupted.
Hammond shot him a quelling glance. The colonel retreated to his filing cabinet, without another word.
The general sat, leaning forward he folded his hands together. "Why don’t you start at the beginning, Dr Jackson," he said paternally.
~*~
"… so when I heard that Teal’c had been arrested for assault I assumed that Krause had brought charges up against him." Daniel raised his hands, imploringly. "I haven’t heard of this Volkman. You know that Teal’c wouldn’t do anything like that."
He had really put his foot in his mouth with the whole debacle, but his gut instinct told him that it had something to do with Krause’s attack.
"You need to talk to Krause. He probably had something to do with the attack on Volkman – and he’s trying to shift the blame onto Teal’c," he muttered into his chest.
"It would have been a lot easier to sort this out if you’d reported the attack on you at the start." O’Neill said sharply.
"I didn’t think that it was important."
"This guy’s been picking on you for weeks and culminates by throttling you, and you don’t think it’s important?" the colonel railed.
"DanielJackson believed that reporting the incident would instigate more trouble," Teal’c offered.
"You think!" O’Neill said sarcastically.
"Yes!" Daniel stood up to better defend himself. "I’ve been down this road before. You go to the headmaster and say that Big Bobby’s been picking on you and Bobby gets detention. And the next week he does exactly the same again and everybody in the school thinks you’re a baby. Or Fraser George systematically steals your work, your essays… your reports, and you try and explain to the lecturer and you’re whining. Ferretti, Kawalsky, Henderson all had their ‘ways’ of showing their utter contempt for me during the Abydos mission – did I come to you? No, because you thought exactly the same as your buddies."
O’Neill was struck dumb, Daniel couldn’t even begin to read his expression.
"I pick the battles that I can win and I endure what I can’t." Daniel slumped back into his chair.
"I… I…"
Daniel cast a perplexed look at the stammering colonel and then turned his attention to the general. "Is Volkman able to talk? I think we’ll find that Krause had something to do with this. I mean… I should have reported him but I didn’t think he was picking on anyone else."
Hammond consulted the report on his desk. "Dr Fraiser thinks that Volkman should be okay. We’ll be able to interview him in the morning. It was Sergeant Alan Krause who informed the MPs that Teal’c had attacked Volkman."
"Well, that’s a coincidence," Daniel said triumphantly.
"In light of what you’ve said, yes."
"So what about Teal’c? Are you going to release him?"
"Until we’ve interviewed Volkman, we really can’t…"
"No."
"Dr Jackson, given the severity of the charges…"
"I thought that we were innocent until proven guilty in this country, or doesn’t that apply to Jaffa?"
"You are out of order, Dr Jackson," Hammond said smartly.
The archaeologist reigned in his emotions.
"We need to sort this out a.s.a.p.," O’Neill finally spoke. "Or Maybourne and his cronies with probably come up with some excuse to take Teal’c off our hands saying he’s a threat to humans or something." He smiled ghoulishly. "I think I should interview Sergeant Krause. With your permission, sir?"
The colonel was standing to attention waiting for his orders.
Hammond regarded him silently. "Take two MPs with you. Given his attack on Dr Jackson he should be taken into custody. You are going to press charges?"
The Doctor looked like a trapped rat on realising that the question was aimed at him. Abruptly, he straightened. "Yes. I will. Press charges, that is. He shouldn’t be allowed to hurt anyone else."
"I thought that people were innocent until proven guilty, Danny Boy," O’Neill said sarcastically, before he left the office.
Daniel blinked at his team member, but O’Neill didn’t look back.
"Why is he annoyed?" he asked the world at large.
Hammond sighed deeply. He jerked his head at the two MPs who had been silent throughout the whole interview. They both exited in O’Neill’s wake. The general threw the handcuff key at the alien.
"Thank you, General Hammond."
"I’m just sad that it went this far."
"I’m sorry, sir. I just didn’t think that it would get worse…" Daniel struggled for words. "It was just normal bullying."
"There’s nothing normal about bullying," Hammond snapped.
Daniel thought that statement over, turned it sideways, looked at it from all angles. "I think that depends on where you are sitting, sir."
~*~
Several hours later Daniel Jackson PhD was back in his warm little lab comfortably ensconced in a translation of one of the cartouches dating back to Ra’s invasion of Earth. Absently reading the story of Menes, a slave who revolted against Ra and was cast through the Stargate into oblivion, he popped the cap off a jar of Tylenol and dry swallowed a couple of tablets.
"Have you been to the infirmary?" Jack demanded.
Daniel jumped, scattering tablets everywhere. "No," he muttered as he chased after the tablets.
Before he could protest, Jack had manhandled him out of the lab and into the corridor. Daniel resisted to being bundled down the corridor. O’Neill’s grip on his arm was bruisingly strong.
"You’re hurting me, Jack. Let go. What is the matter with you?" He wrenched his arm free.
"You have to go to the infirmary, Janet needs to document the abuse." The colonel’s expression was shuttered and angry.
"Abuse?" Jackson queried. He leaned to the side and rubbed his jarred back.
"When I find out a member of my team has sustained severe bruising I consider it to be abuse."
"Don’t you think you’re overreacting just a little bit?" He jerked back as O’Neill stepped so close that their noses were almost touching. "Why are you so annoyed? It’s all been sorted; Volkman confirmed that Teal’c didn’t beat him up and Krause admitted to everything."
"My problem is with a member of my team," O’Neill said venomously.
"What did I do?" Daniel asked defensively.
"You didn’t tell me what was happening, Danny. You believed that I wouldn’t care."
Jack flung himself away from the linguist. He stomped down the corridor.
"And tell me, Jack, how does it sound?" He said loudly. The colonel froze.
"What?"
"I know what you thought of me in the beginning. Does the word ‘dweeb’ ring a bell?"
Jack continued facing away, the cant of his shoulders spoke of anger.
Daniel sagged against the cold, hard wall and sunk down onto his haunches. "Jaaack," he said in a sing-song voice. "There’s a big, nasty guy down in supply who calls me a geek every time I talk to him. I think he’s deliberately confounding my orders, either that or he’s dyslexic."
Jack spun on his heel. "Those bruises aren’t names."
"No, they’re not. But if I came up to you and said that Krause threw me against a wall and bruised my back, and Teal’c had to rescue me, what would you say?" Daniel peered intently at his covert ops trained colleague. "Dweeb?"
"I would have been concerned that my friend had been hurt. Then I would have found Krause and ripped him a new one." O’Neill looked desperately hurt. "But you just assumed that I’d think you were a wimp."
"But you would." Daniel sagged until he was sitting on the floor. He sat, still, as O’Neill padded silently and angrily to his side.
The officer stood over him for the longest moment, plainly considering his next words.
"Yes," the colonel admitted reluctantly, "I would have once thought that. But that was before I knew you. You went up against Ra; you’re one of the bravest men I know." He gritted his teeth. "I don’t understand why you just ‘endured’ Krause. Why you assumed that I’d just dismiss it."
"Because it was petty; it’s what happens. Reporting it just makes it worse."
Daniel dropped his head onto his knees. "It’s about degrees. If Krause had pulled out a gun, I would have reported him. But I should be able to defend myself against hazing. And not defending myself, just makes me look pathetic."
"So why didn’t you?" O’Neill asked neutrally. "Defend yourself?"
"He moved too fast. I was winded before I could even think about it."
"Danny, a trained airman beat you up. He doesn’t need a gun to hurt you. You should have told me," he finished tightly.
Daniel finally heard the hurt in his friend’s voice. "I’m sorry. I didn’t want you to think less of me."
"You couldn’t tell me that Krause was making you miserable, because you thought that I’d laugh?"
Daniel lifted his head, his team mate still stood over him. On seeing the mute appeal in his eyes, a grimacing O’Neill joined him on the floor.
"I guess. It just sounded lame. He was just picking on me."
"You’ve probably got a point. Before I knew you," O’Neill hurriedly clarified, "I would have thought that, but not now."
"So why does that make it acceptable? A year ago, if I told you that Feretti threw all my text books down a ravine you would have rolled your eyes heavenward – and dropped the matter."
"That was before I knew you," O’Neill repeated.
"So you know me now – what difference does that make?"
"I know that you’re not pissing in the wind."
Jackson’s brows knitted together as he considered his comrade.
"Look, I know that it’s not fair, Danny," O’Neill spoke before Daniel could reply. "I had to get to know you first before I could take you seriously. Come on, you thought that I was a borderline nazi before you got to know me."
A small smile graced Daniel’s face. "Well, a bit closed minded."
"See -- you made assumptions. In fact you’re still making assumptions. You should have told me about Krause. I would have done something about this and I wouldn’t have thought less of you. You’re a member of SG-1; anything that affects you effects us all."
Daniel mulled over that statement. "A team?"
"Yes, we’re a team. Team members look after each other."
"I’ve never been a member of a team before."
"I can tell, Danny. That’s why you thought that you had to handle this on your own. And everyone else would laugh at you."
"But…" he stuttered.
O’Neill ruffled his hair. "Don’t worry, you’re learning. As soon as you heard that Teal’c was in trouble you were willing to kick ass."
"Of course, I was. Teal’c needed… my … help…. Ah."
"Finally," O’Neill mock exulted. "For a PhD you’re a bit dense."
Daniel had the grace to look embarrassed.
"We’re friends, Daniel. A team looks out for each other. All for one and one for all. That kind of stuff. You know the classics better than I do. You should have told me. Teal’c should have told me," his tone threatened dire retribution for the quiet Jaffa.
"I told him it wasn’t important." Daniel admitted.
"No wonder he looked like a cat on a hot tin roof during supper," Jack noted.
"Teal’c did not look perturbed."
"He looked positively constipated."
"Teal’c always looks constipated."
"He looked more constipated than normal."
"Okay, I’ll give you that."
"Do you require assistance, DanielJackson?" The Jaffa stood over them. There was possibly the slightest glimmer of a smile on his statue-like face. It was pretty amazing how such a big guy could creep up on you.
"Perfect timing as normal," Daniel grinned. He held out his hand, allowing the alien to lever him to his feet. "Thanks, Teal’c," he said seriously, imparting another message.
He smiled at Jack who had risen to his feet with the grace of a man half his age.
"Thanks, Jack."
Thanks for showing me I have a family.
"Come on, geek. Janet wants to see you." Jack bowed theatrically gesturing in the direction of the infirmary.
"I thought I wasn’t a geek," Daniel protested.
O’Neill levelled at direct gaze at the bespectacled archaeologist.
"Okay, I’m a geek."
"Yeah, but you’re SG-1’s geek."
Fin
© March 17, 2000 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa’uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.
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