Team's Day Out

And yet... something was still missing. The opportunity to spend the day honing his skills did not please him as it should. He wondered - idly, perhaps? - what his teammates would be doing until their planned meeting that evening.

Teal'c had just turned the corner into the commissary, breathing in the scent of fresh apple pie, when the world suddenly vanished in a blaze of light.

Reality reasserted itself quickly, and Teal'c found that he was standing on the deck of an unfamiliar ship. Earth twinkled below him, glowing with promise. He whirled, his hands automatically coming up in attack pose -

And found himself staring at Thor, Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet.

"Greetings, Teal'c," the Asgard said, looking at him with those huge, unblinking eyes.

"Thor," Teal'c said evenly, inclining his head briefly. He relaxed his battle stance and straightened. "Is there a problem?"

"There is not." Thor manipulated several of the runestones on his console. "The treaty with the System Lords has been finalized, and I am needed elsewhere. But I wish to speak to all of SG-1 before my departure."

"I see." Teal'c paced forward towards the console. "The other members of SG-1 are not located on the base at this time."

"So it would seem," Thor agreed. He paused with his hand on a single runestone. "Fortunately, I am able to pinpoint the locations of O'Neill, Doctor Jackson, and Major Carter."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "How can you locate three individual humans in a city of thirty-six thousand?"

"O'Neill is easiest." Thor tapped the runestone with a long finger. "I have brought him here before. I shall summon him first, then retrieve the others."

Teal'c frowned. "Thor, I believe you have been informed that most humans are unaware of the Stargate and the SGC."

"Yes." Large black eyes stared at Teal'c.

Teal'c reached out and prodded the runestone. "Then it should be apparent that any evidence of technology beyond the Tau'ri's own should not be displayed in public."

Thor actually blinked at this. "You are correct, Teal'c." He moved the runestone delicately to the right, then slightly downwards. "O'Neill is about to leave his solitary location. I will transport him here at once."

Teal'c looked up in time to see a burst of light resolve itself into O'Neill, dressed in blue jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket. He held his car keys in his left hand, while he reached out with his right hand for a doorknob that was no longer there.

"Gahhh!" O'Neill jumped back a pace and shuddered. "What was that?"

"Greetings, O'Neill," Thor said calmly.

"Thor. And - Teal'c?" O'Neill's face shuttered into that expressionless mask that Teal'c knew well. "I thought the treaty was a done deal?"

"It is, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "Thor wished to speak to us in private."

"In private." O'Neill scrubbed a hand through his hair. "Ah, Thor, you might want to work on your timing a bit. If you'd done that three minutes later, you would've left my truck without a driver and a lot of people could've been hurt."

Thor tilted his head to gaze at O'Neill's face. "I do not understand."

"Truck," O'Neill repeated. "Four-wheeled vehicle? Oh, forget it. Let's just say that it would be better if you only pulled us out of the SGC in the future." He hesitated, then added, "Is this going to happen again in the future?"

"It is unlikely," Thor said after a moment's thought. "But if the occasion does arise, I will make sure to retrieve you from within the confines of your Stargate Command." He looked back down at his console. "Now, however, I must locate Major Carter and Doctor Jackson."

"How are you going to do that?" O'Neill asked. He seemed more relaxed now that he was assured that there was no danger involved.

"For you and Teal'c, it was simple," Thor told him as he began to manipulate the runestones again. "I have what you would call your DNA signature locked into the computer's memory, and Teal'c is the only Jaffa on your planet."

"And Carter and Daniel?"

"I scanned their signatures at our first meeting at your Stargate Command," Thor explained. "However, since the computer has never retrieved them before this, the search is somewhat tedious." He stopped and looked intently at the console. "I have located Major Carter," he announced. "I shall retrieve her now."

Teal'c exchanged glances at O'Neill. "She's not outside her house, is she?" O'Neill demanded. "Because the last thing we need is someone complaining about alien abductions."

Thor blinked up at them, and Teal'c was surprised to see that he could actually detect a hint of emotion in that impassive face. Indignation? Insult, perhaps?

"There have not been any abductions of humans from this planet in fifteen revolutions around your sun," Thor declared.

"We call them 'years,' but - wait a minute, you mean there were abductions?" O'Neill looked alarmed.

Thor bent his head over his console again. "Major Carter is alone within an enclosed area, with no other humans nearby," he said flatly, the discussion clearly ended. "I am retrieving her now."

Teal'c blinked against the flash, then blinked again at the sight of Major Carter. She wore flannel pajamas underneath a terrycloth robe, and she had clearly been in the middle of brushing her teeth. She stared back at them, frozen, the toothbrush still in her mouth.

For a long moment, no one said anything. Then O'Neill broke the silence.

"Nice jammies, Carter."

Major Carter yanked out the toothbrush and sputtered, "What's going on here?" She wrapped her robe a little more tightly around herself and added, "And where is here?"

"Greetings, Major Carter," Thor piped up from behind O'Neill and Teal'c.

"Is this - wow, this is an Asgard ship!" Indignation and pajamas forgotten, Major Carter darted around her two teammates to peer eagerly at the console. "Those are just like the runestone you gave the colonel for communication. Can they be programmed for multiple uses, or are they all-purpose...?"

"Major!" O'Neill snapped behind her.

Major Carter turned, the delighted smile fading a little. "Oh. Sorry, sir." She seemed to remember her attire, for she frowned down at her pajamas. "Excuse me, Thor, but why are we here, exactly? And, uh, is there some way for me to get some regular clothing?"

The little alien blinked at her. "Your clothing seems sufficient."

As Major Carter tried to stammer a protest and O'Neill hastily turned away to cover a grin, Teal'c considered the problem. It seemed likely that the Asgard, who wore no clothing himself, genuinely did not comprehend the difference between the BDUs that Teal'c wore, O'Neill's blue jeans and leather jacket, and Major Carter's pajamas and bathrobe.

"Human have different attire for different functions," he interposed smoothly, cutting through the confusion. "What Major Carter is now wearing is not considered appropriate for a meeting with the Supreme Commander of the Asgard Fleet." Although Teal'c's perusal of the newspapers called "tabloids" would suggest that it was, indeed, wholly appropriate for "alien abductions."

"I... see." Thor swiveled his head to study Major Carter's pajamas more closely. She flushed, but raised her chin and did not retreat.

A soft chime from the console broke the tableau. Thor glanced down, then manipulated two of the stones. "I have located Doctor Jackson," he announced. "He is alone within a confined area." He turned to look at O'Neill. "Is it safe to retrieve him?"

"It should be, I guess," O'Neill said, frowning a little. "If you're talking about his apartment, and not his car. But the major's right, Thor. She needs clothing and -"

Daniel Jackson appeared before them, his hands still busy rubbing his wet hair with a towel. He was clad only in boxer shorts.

He seemed to be unaware of his new location until Major Carter's choked laugh alerted him to the presence of others. Teal'c watched with interest as Daniel Jackson's head snapped up and he discovered his audience; he had never realized that a human's entire body could change color so rapidly.

"Greetings, Doctor Jackson," Thor said, his voice almost cheerful.

"Wha...?" Daniel Jackson's hands dropped, still clutching the damp towel. "What is this?" His eyes narrowed. "Jack, if this is your idea of a stupid practical joke..."

"Not me," O'Neill said hastily. "Blame that great prankster of legend, Thor."

"That was Loki, not Thor," Daniel Jackson said, apparently automatically. By now, he had recovered his composure, if not his dignity. He edged around his teammates to address Thor. "Greetings, Thor. I'm, uh, sorry that I'm..." He waved a hand vaguely. "A little warning might have been useful."

Thor tilted his head at him. "I have no personal objection to your attire, Doctor Jackson. But Teal'c has explained the necessity of proper clothing for the Tau'ri. I can retrieve the necessary items, if you wish."

"That would be helpful, yes," Daniel Jackson said, his voice carrying an edge of bemusement. He looked back at the others, and Teal'c saw the corner of his mouth curl up at the sight of Major Carter's pajamas. "Looks like you did a little better than me, Sam."

Major Carter returned a wicked grin. "Oh, definitely, Daniel," she chirped. "And I get a better view, too!"

Teal'c prudently stepped between Major Carter and Daniel Jackson at that point. "Perhaps we could retrieve appropriate clothing now," he suggested firmly.

Thor nodded, and began to manipulate the runestones again. O'Neill leaned back against the console with a smirk, and Major Carter and Daniel Jackson continued to exchange cheerful insults.

Within five minutes, all four members of SG-1 were dressed to their own satisfaction. There were no chairs on the deck other than Thor's own, but they gathered around the console to listen to the Asgard's explanation for their summons.

"I must leave this galaxy within twelve of your hours," Thor began. "However, I wished to take the opportunity to discuss certain matters with you before my departure."

Teal'c watched O'Neill glance at the others, then shrug. "We were going to take the day off anyway," O'Neill told Thor. "What exactly did you want to talk about?"

"I thought it would be wise to show you some of the other protected planets in the treaty, so that you and the Tau'ri could better understand how the treaty works," Thor said. He did not seem capable of frowning, but his face looked downcast. "I regret that this will interfere with your plans to 'take the day off.'"

"Oh, I don't know, Thor," Daniel Jackson said, his eyebrows raised and his voice suddenly eager. "Catching up on the Journal of Archeology has its charms, but - these are all peaceful planets, right?"

"They are indeed, Doctor Jackson."

Beside Teal'c, Major Carter slowly smiled. "We were just going to do our own thing today, but exploring some new planets together sounds like a lot more fun. If Thor promises to get us home for dinner, sir...?" She looked hopefully at the colonel.

"Teal'c?" O'Neill glanced in his direction. "Would you mind switching your plans from on-world to off-world?"

"I would not," Teal'c declared, feeling a sudden swell of contentment at the prospect of spending the day with his teammates. "But I do not wish to miss this O'Malley's."

"You say there's a twelve hour limit, Thor?" O'Neill asked. His face, too, had brightened.

"That is correct, O'Neill. I must leave your galaxy and return to my own. I will transport you back to this planet within twelve hours."

"Excellent!" O'Neill rubbed his hands together. "So, off on a little jaunt of exploration, and back home in time for steak with all the trimmings!" He leaned closer to Thor and added confidentially, "Of course, if you get us back here a little earlier, we could order to go and bring a steak for you, too."

Thor blinked at him several times. "If I understand you correctly, O'Neill, you are offering me sustenance. Thank you, but that will not be necessary."

O'Neill looked slightly disappointed, but shrugged. "Suit yourself, Thor." He turned to the others. "Are we all agreed, then?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Sounds good to me, Jack."

"Indeed, O'Neill."

"Then let's go!" O'Neill pointed a finger dramatically in the direction of the sun. "To Oz!"

"We will actually enter hyperspace in the other direction, O'Neill," Thor pointed out calmly, even as he began to manipulate the stones on his console. "And we are visiting the planet Nidavellir. I am unaware of a planet called Oz. It is not among those protected by the treaty."