Free STARGATE SG-1: Do No Harm by Karen Miller Page B

various target dummies as Jaffa in drag.
    “So, first the zat,” said O’Neill. “Pressing this glyph
here
opens it for business — ” He demonstrated with a flick of his forefinger. The alien technology made a whirring sound and sprang open.
    Dixon stared. “You know, now I look at the thing a bit closer it kind of reminds me of — ”
    “Yeah,” said O’Neill. “We don’t talk about that. So. Once you’ve opened it, you hit the same button again and — ”
    A surge of blue electrical-type energy burst from the zat and hit Dixon square in the chest. He crashed to the floor before he even realized he was falling. It was like being tasered, only twenty times worse. Scarlet pain danced through his body, his nervous system going up like a roman candle. Blue lights exploded in front of his eyes. His limbs spasmed, his teeth chattered, he could breathe… but only just.
    Eventually the zat-induced seizure passed, leaving him limp and disoriented. He stared up at O’Neill, gasping.
    The thing about Jack
, Frank had also told him,
is
he never does anything without a reason. Even when he’s bei ng a bastard, when he’s completely outrageous, there’s always a reason. After a while you just start to trust that
.
    “Sucks, doesn’t it?” O’Neill said cheerfully. “Hurts like a bitch. But the thing is, if you have to you can work through it. And sometimes you have to. Believe it or not after the first few times you can even sort of get used to it.” He held out his arm. “Upsadaisy.”
    Dixon grasped O’Neill’s arm and let himself be hauled to his feet. Random nerve-endings were still firing, still lighting him up with squibs of pain. “How many times have you taken a zat hit?”
    O’Neill shrugged. “God knows. I’ve lost count. All that matters is not getting hit twice within fifteen minutes.”
    “Yeah. Two strikes and you’re dead. I know. How’d you come up with the fifteen minute window?”
    This time O’Neill’s brief smile was bleak. “We… experimented.”
    “Ah.” Not quite sure what he thought about that, or what he was feeling aside from the lingering pain, he looked O’Neill up and down. “You know, you could’ve given me a heads-up.”
    O’Neill rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Sure. ’Cause the Goa’uld do that a
lot
.”
    Fair point. He bared his teeth in what might be interpreted as a smile. “Do I get to shoot my zat gun now?”
    “Sure,” said O’Neill.
    “Can I practice it on you?”
    O’Neill snorted. “You can practice on your team when they get here. They need to know for real what they’re up against, Dixon, just like you. I mean, I hate to be the one to burst your bubble but this isn’t a Boy’s Own Adventure come to life.”
    Man, oh man, the guy was a piece of work. Snide, condescending…
How the hell did you put up with him, Frank
?
    O’Neill picked up his staff weapon and with arrogant ease kicked it into life. “So. Lesson two. This is what’s known as a Jaffa’s best friend…”
     
    “Oh, my God, Daniel,” said Sam, looking up from the report she’d been checking. “You
didn’t
.”
    Daniel had the grace to look slightly embarrassed. “Yeah. I did.”
    “But what were you
thinking
? What did you imagine the colonel was going to say? ‘Why yes, Daniel, I
am
completely stressed out by the thought of Frank Cromwell’s former wingman joining the SGC for an extended secondment. Step a little closer so I can weep on your shoulder!’ I’m surprised he didn’t knock you on your butt!”
    “Well…” Ruefully, Daniel rubbed his nose. “I think the thought crossed his mind.”
    “I’ll bet it did! Twice!”
    As Daniel pretended to be fascinated by a pencil she shook her head, torn between amusement and frustration.
    I don’t know why I’m surprised. I don’t know why I bothered trying to warn him
.
    They were in her lab, where she was working and he was interrupting. The bench was piled high with MALP recordings, UAV telemetry and other