***
The neighborhood SF were all carefully watching as four-wheelers zoomed up and down the street. Kids and adults laughed and yelled to each other. A shop-owner from Denver showed up on Jack’s doorstep and asked if he could convince a few of his men to ride the four-wheelers in a commercial for the store. Jack said he’d think about it but first he wanted to give them a try. He called several SGC families, and twenty small buggies were soon racing around the neighborhood. Since most of the neighborhood had become the home to SGC and HomeSec families, there weren’t too many civilians who were complaining to the sheriff about the ruckus. Andy leaned against the hood of his car as he watched the kids playing. The small kids and the big kids. One 4-wheeler came to a stop a couple yards from Andy.
“Hi, sheriff!” Davy called out, waving excitedly. He sat in front of Jack, covered in protective gear and a helmet. He was tickled that daddy was letting him steer.
“Hello, David, how’s the ride?” Andy asked, returning the wave.
“It’s SWEET!” the boy declared. Andy laughed and nodded. Katie and Matthew had their own rides and were racing with Reynolds’ teenagers, while Stacey was riding carefully in front of Daniel and arguing with him to let her ride it herself. He was considering it; the other kids her age were doing it on their own, and she did have a helmet and padding. Even Jessie Bosco was riding her own 4-wheeler. Sam rode in close and said something to Daniel. He reluctantly stopped and got off the bike.
“Be careful!” Daniel said worriedly as Stacey slowly started out on her own.
Jack shook his head at them.
“Is he always so…..?” Andy asked.
“No,” Jack said. “I think he’s going through some growing pains. Captain Kaplan and his family moved in up the street. Stacey took one look at Kaplan’s 13-year old son, Simon, and was struck speechless. Daniel isn’t taking it well, which is actually funny considering his former stance on being an open and cool dad.”
Andy smiled. “Captain Kaplan?”
Jack chuckled. “Yes, we’re working on a promotion for him. People trip over that every time.”
There was a toot! behind him and he jumped out of the way.
“Move it or loose it!” his mother yelled as she came speeding past him.
“Aren’t you supposed to be chasing down speeders?” he asked Andy.
After getting everyone to sign releases, the ATV owner went back to Denver a happy man. Having all the families playing on his toys went much better than just the military at play. Jack was set to buy all the kids (their own, not the neighbor’s) ATV’s but Daniel and Sam vetoed him. The kids had plenty to play with. They could even play off-world. With aliens. They didn’t need 4-wheelers.
Leaving the kids with Jerrie, the adults left for HomeSec. Sam kissed her men and walked through the arch to her own office. Her office was in a quiet uproar over the sudden discharge of Major Coulter. Sam’s new admin, newly made 2Lt. Rusty Wilson, was wide-eyed at her unexpected promotion. Not only to second lieutenant but as the new assistant to Colonel Carter! If talk was any indication, it won’t be boring. Rusty called Col. Davis for advice. He told her to expect the unexpected. Always. He told her to keep in contact and email him whenever she had a question.
Daniel was trying very hard to keep his patience with the person on the phone in Jack’s office. Jack was fairly sure he was gently patronizing the person in Hebrew. Jack wasn’t surprised, considering the latest insanity in the Middle East. Some idiot fired off a few rounds across the border and killed several Palestinians. Of course Palestine returned the fire. Jack called Henry and Henry called various leaders. No one was willing to meet with Jack. Henry’s personal opinion was that they were afraid of the mind-reading rumors. Henry didn’t tell them that Jack could read them from halfway across the globe.
“Just a hot-head on the street,” Jack told Henry. “The government won’t say anything one way or another. Any excuses….. Henry, the UN really needs to take responsibility for their mess over there.”
Henry sighed. “Won’t argue with you, there, Jack, but unfortunately you know as well as I do that it isn’t going to happen. Those two countries are going to have to learn to get along. The UN displaced a country once, they won’t be doing it again.”
To Jack’s amusement, several shady government types had cornered him when the rumors began to circulate about his abilities. They were concerned about top secrets. Jack laughed and told one of the men to quit cheating on his wife with another man, and don’t tell him about keeping secrets. The man paled, refused to look at his partner, and left. Jack then had a private meeting with Henry and Maynard. Silent hell broke loose and quite a few ex-Personages were warned to keep their fingers out of any further dealings; the current Administration had a mess to clean up.
There had been many questionable acts cleared up by Jack’s curiosity. The Middle East issue was only one of them. Various government-types had begun scrambling to clean up any incriminating evidence that was still lingering. It really didn’t help; Jack was looking into bodies, not paperwork. He discovered that it was easier as he practiced. He could do a light scan of the town while he was changing the baby. Jack had the dirt on everyone. A few were of concern to him, so he passed on ‘anonymous’ information to Andy. A couple of people tried to take shots at him. Nick dealt with them before bothering to tell Jack to keep his head down.
“Jack, President Dayan wants to talk to you,” Daniel said, holding his hand over the speaker.
“Tell President Diane…” Daniel held out the phone. “…..if he doesn’t cut the crap, I’m going to sanction him,” Jack responded, raising his voice to be heard. “I know damned well who ordered that soldier to fire and so far, I’ve kept it to myself.”
Daniel and Sam had found that a Jack who knew everything was an irritating Jack. Unfortunately, Jack did have the right to sanction a nation belonging to HomeSec. He couldn’t interfere with the workings of a nation but if they signed a pledge to behave, and they didn’t, Jack could take away their rights to participate in HomeWorld Security. The Middle East was already on a temporary pass; they could send people to serve aboard ships but the countries would not have access to the technology. One word from Jack and the Middle East would be cut off completely. Any personnel already serving would be given the choice of returning home or aligning with another country.
Israel had accused Jack of anti-Semitism on more than one occasion. Jack would laugh and tell them to get over themselves. On more than one occasion, Daniel expounded on the meaning of Semitism and its relationship to language families. During one occasion, Jack opened his cell phone and hit the record button. The next time someone accused him of anti-Semitism, Jack sent them the recording of Daniel’s impromptu lectures.
The one thing that had made the Middle East pause was not alien technology itself but the fact that the technology was allowing the West to use something other than oil as their main energy. The citizens may not yet understand, but the leadership knew which way the wind was blowing and it wasn’t in the direction of their oil fields. Another irritation of Israel was the fact that the rest of the Middle East was reluctantly enjoying Jack’s directness when other country leaders were playing political games. When Jack told them something, they were learning to trust his word. Jack had something others didn’t –he had Daniel.
Daniel hung up the phone and discovered Jack just inches away.
“Yes?” Daniel questioned, slightly cross-eyed, looking at Jack so near.
“I want to do it on my desk,” Jack told him, an evil twinkle in his eyes.
“You have a one-track mind, do you know that?”
“What’s your point?” Jack asked from Daniel’s neck.
“Aren’t we supposed to be going over wedding plans?” Daniel asked.
“We’re already married.”
“Not our wedding, Paul’s wedding.”
“Oh. Right. That’s a girl thing, Danny; I want to make out.”
“I will have sex with you, right here, on one condition,” Daniel told him. Jack lifted his head from Daniel’s chest.
“You’re bribing me for sex?” Jack couldn’t believe it.
“Yup,” Daniel nodded.
“What’s the condition?” Jack asked suspiciously.
“For the next 24 hours, you speak nothing but Ancient,” Daniel said. And he said it in Ancient. Jack opened his mouth and Daniel held up a finger. “If you speak in English, or any other language, I won’t respond. And I will inform everyone else who speaks Ancient of the deal.”
“That’s low,” Jack grumbled.
“What?” Daniel asked in Ancient.
Jack scowled. “The deal is canceled in case of emergencies.”
“Of course,” Daniel nodded. “But you summarize after, to me, in Ancient.”
Jack considered the deal.
“And you will NOT agree now only to renege when we’re done,” Daniel continued.
“Not very romantic of you,” Jack grumbled.
“Ana mish fahim,” Daniel said, shaking his head in non-understanding.
“I said…..” Jack hesitated, knowing he was going to regret it. “Kwayis, mashi?”
Daniel smiled. “Mashi.”
Much to Jack’s enjoyment, Daniel was feisty during their playtime, too. He sat Jack in his chair, occupied the desk top in front of him, and made Jack suck him. Jack returned the feistiness by using his teeth on soft-delicate parts. Daniel hissed through his teeth as Jack playfully chewed. The fact that a certain governor from California was being forced to cool his heels in the outer office was only more of a turn-on.
While Jack quickly brushed his teeth in the small washroom, Daniel chuckled, sucking gently on Jack’s neck.
“Love you,” Daniel said softly.
Jack spit. “Love you, too. Now go away.”
“Ey?”
Jack repeated it in Ancient.
California wanted its own generator. With examples of Las Vegas, DC, Colorado Springs, and St. Petersburg all showing signs of better air and much lower electric bills, California was feeling left out. Jack promised that Los Angeles would get a generator. The governor went away happy despite the hicky on Jack’s neck and the image of a very happy Dr. Jackson that had left before hand. Jack called Sam.
“Would you please set up…..”
“Ey?”
Jack sighed, knowing it was going to be a long day. There was no way he’d get around the deal, not with Sam. She’d tattle on him. He began again, switching languages.
“Would you please set up LA with a generator?”
“Already preparing for it,” she said. “They have a heavy grid, so we need to reorganize it. All the high volume cities are being reorganized. We should have ten more up and running by New Year’s.”
Paul came in just after Jack hung up. “We have a small problem.”
Jack assumed the problem wasn’t the fact that Paul began in Ancient. Daniel had gotten to him. Since when did the entire world speak Ancient?
“What’s the problem?”
“Gabriel has tonsillitis.”
Jack waited. “I’m sorry he’s sick, but what’s the problem?”
Paul switched feet, slightly impatient. “He’s supposed to be conducting our ceremony this weekend. We need to switch roles with everyone. Daniel needs to be our spiritual advisor in place of Gabriel. Gabriel will stand in as my Best Man, he will give me away, and we’d like it if you would be Nick’s Best Man. Would you?”
Jack thought about it. “Daniel will be the priest?”
Paul looked at him. “This is a handfasting, sir; Daniel is qualified to oversee the ceremony.”
“He is?”
Paul looked around and pulled up a chair. “I trust Daniel to be my spiritual advisor,” he said, speaking to the dense boy. “He will be doing the role Ninurta did for your handfasting. All he’s going to do is conduct the ceremony. Everything is written. There will be two ceremonies, though; the first one is for family and friends, the second is a private ceremony in which I will be collared to Nick. We’re going to wait on that one until Gabriel is feeling better. If you are uncomfortable with it, you don’t need to attend. We know this isn’t your thing.”
“What does it entail?” Jack asked.
“It’s a leather event,” Paul said. Much to Jack’s relief, he had switched back to English. “I will be given to Nick. I will accept his collar and sign a contract with him. He will be my owner. It’s much like the handfasting ceremony, only this one is a little different.”
Jack looked at his clasped fingers for a moment.
“With everything we’ve been fighting for, I don’t understand how you can accept a master,” he finally said. Paul nodded.
“I know, it’s contradictory,” Paul acknowledged. “This is different in that it is of my own free will. I trust Nick with me. If someone tried to force me, you can believe I’d shoot their balls off. As much as you could not accept a relationship like this, I can accept it. I crave it. The need to feel someone’s collar on me is in my heart. It is our version of a marriage ring. Our contract will be much like yours, who will do what and for how long. We both have the option of ending it, if we are not happy. Believe me, the ceremony won’t be as nearly as exciting as my piercing.”
“Alright,” Jack said after a moment. “I’ll be there. Do I need to do anything?”
“Not a thing,” Paul said. “Just stand and witness.”
Jack nodded. “And yes, I’ll stand with Nick. He doesn’t have family or a close friend?”
“We are his family and close friends,” Paul said. “He looks up to you, sir. He respects you.”
That surprised Jack. He felt slightly humbled. And more than a little troubled that Nick was so alone.
“And how about you?” Jack asked. “Anything advancing with your parents and family?”
Paul’s cheeks puffed out for a moment. “Not much,” he said. “Nick talked me into extending an invitation to my parents for our handfasting. I haven’t heard from them. I have a cousin who called me out of the blue a couple weeks ago. She lives in Portland. Oregon, not Maine. She said that quite a few of my cousins are supportive of me. It’s the older generations that are turning their backs on my preferences. I think you have some idea of how much influence certain members of a family can have on the rest of the family.”
“I do, indeed,” Jack said with a nod. “Will she be attending your handfasting?”
“She’s considering it,” Paul said. “Her father is very old fashioned, though; old Navy. Lieutenant Commander. He doesn’t approve of me anymore than my parents do. She’s not sure if she can hide a trip like this from him. She’s 25, sir; still trying to establish herself.”
Jack shrugged. “Get her tagged,” he suggested. “We’ll beam her up and over and back home before anyone notices she’s gone.”
“Sir, may I take off for the day and go see her?”
“Go,” Jack said, waving a hand. “Bring me back some lobster. Oh! And some of that apple sausage.”
Paul wrinkled his nose. “That stuff is awful,” he stated.
“So don’t eat it,” Jack told him. “It’s great with sauerkraut.”
Paul shuddered and escaped as Jack smacked his lips.
“And a nice German wheat beer!” he heard Jack shout after him. “With lemon!”
Jack picked up the phone. “Danny, I’m hungry. No, not for that. Not at the moment, anyway. No, I want food. Meet me at Caroline’s for lunch.”
He signed several papers put under his nose as he tried to escape the building. A small tour group stopped him for hand shakes and pictures. He wondered who’s bright idea it was to allow tour groups. Tour groups? Jack dialed from his cell.
“Who allowed tour groups?” he asked. He paused at the front door. “I did? When did I do that? Oh. I think it should be phased out. We have aliens and top secret stuff around here. Don’t let me sign things when I’m working on no sleep, colonel.”
He was halfway into town when his phone rang again. “Where are you? Stay put, I’ll be there in ten.”
He turned off the main road and headed up to the lake. A group of SGC teens had gone to the lake for a party. Jack allowed Matthew to go with them. Col. Reynolds’ kids had gone up as well as eight others, so he felt Matty would be in safe hands. Jack looked at his watch. They had been at the lake for almost five hours. He parked and hiked in the last couple hundred yards.
There was a fire going in the pit, the music was loud and irritating on the head. Most of the kids were attempting to dance. Most of them were too drunk to succeed. Jack looked at his watch again. He walked up to the group and waited. There were a few more kids than he was expecting to see. One of the kids crashed into him and laughed hysterically.
“At ease, Mr. Flynn,” Jack said easily. One by one, the kids noticed the three-star in their midst. “Mr. Meador. Have a seat. Miss Smart, that t-shirt would look prettier on. Dana Moore, I thought you had the flu? Mr. Lewis, step away from the fire, son; roasting chestnuts isn’t for another six months.” He yanked a baseball cap off someone’s head and held it out. “Keys. Everyone. Now. I see three trucks, I want to see three sets of keys.”
The teens quieted. Only the CD box disturbed the peace of the woods. Jack bent and tapped the power button. Matthew was across the glade, looking unhappy as he sat close to Reynolds’ older kids, Robbie, twins Josh and Emma, and, surprisingly, Tressa Hammond.
“Did one of you drive?” Jack asked them.
“No, sir,” they answered. They all caravanned up with others.
“Get in my truck.” Jack pointed a thumb over his shoulder. He waited for a moment and then opened the radio. “Captain Pennick, please send a van to Lake Turner and pick up nine intoxicated teenagers. Make sure they’re delivered personally to their parents. After you take names.”
The kids were staggering in place, a few of them collapsed onto logs. The smell of pot was in the air, along with cigarettes. Jack didn’t say anything. He turned and went to his truck. Matthew and Tressa were in the front while the three Reynolds’ teenagers were squeezed into the back.
“Is everyone alright?” Jack asked.
“Yes, sir,” they murmured. He could sense the guilt from them.
“You were right to call,” he assured them. “I want the truth, everyone. Are any of you high?”
“No, sir,” Matty immediately said.
“A little buzzed, sir,” Robbie admitted. “But we didn’t actively take anything, it’s from the smoke in the air.”
“Ok,” Jack nodded. “….”
“General? I’m not feeling well.”
Jack immediately pulled over and stopped. Tressa jumped out and hid in a bush. Emma went to help her. Jack reached under the seat and handed out a bottle of water.
“Alright, honey?” he asked a couple minutes later. Tressa was white around the gills but she nodded and got back in.
“We didn’t know it was going to be like that, sir,” Emma said. “They said it was just a little down time with some music. We expected to see a little beer, but not like that.”
“I didn’t recognize a couple of the kids,” Jack said.
“New families, sir,” Josh told him. “Most of the beer and pot came from them.”
“We asked Matty to call you when it started getting out of hand,” Robbie said. “I would have called dad but he’s off-world.”
“I’m glad you called, son,” Jack assured him. “You did the right thing. Tressa, where’s your grandfather? At school?”
“Yes, sir,” she said weakly.
“Ok, I want you to crash at my place for the day,” Jack said. “You can sleep it off in Daniel’s den. It’s nice and quiet and dark. You never did handle chemical smells well. Jerrie will take care of you. You three, I’ll drop you off at your home. I want you to take it easy, too. No driving until the pot is out of your systems.”
They passed a van driven by SF. Jack stopped and handed them the cap of vehicle keys and gave quiet instructions. After letting the Reynolds’ kids off, and after having a short talk with Mary, Jack drove Matty and Tressa home. Tressa had laid down on the backseat after the others left. Jack glanced at Matty and slid an arm across the boy’s shoulders.
“You did good, son,” he told the boy.
“They’re going to pick on me for this,” Matty glumly predicted.
“Who? Robbie and….?”
“No,” Matty shook his head. “The others.”
Jack looked at him. “Matt, a few weeks ago you showed them how to kick Jaffa ass, and you’re worried about being picked on by dumb jocks?”
Matthew thought about it. He reluctantly smiled and watched the passing neighborhood. When they got to the house, the kids got out of the truck and went into the house while Jack told Jerrie what had happened and called Daniel to let him know he was on the way.
Once at the restaurant, Jack found a loaded burger waiting for him. He sank his teeth into it with a grateful hungry moan. Daniel watched him, picking at the remainder of the fries.
“Kids ok?” he asked. It was in Ancient. Jack nodded and wiped his mouth.
“Fine,” he said. “A little buzzed from the second-hand smoke. I’m a little buzzed, and I was only there for a few minutes. Head is a little achy.”
“Well, this might be giving you an even bigger ache,” Daniel said. “There’s a group of picketers outside city hall. In this time of great crisis, they feel that it is important, now more than ever, to remind our citizens of proper family values.”
Jack thought about it and narrowed his eyes.
“Is that a non-pointing finger?” he asked.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, it is. Lots of Mormons.”
Jack thought some more. “That’s a little calling the kettle black.”
Daniel smiled. “A side-subject on that –the town has a lot of kids who were kicked out of a cult. I’m wondering if you can get dispensation to offer them a life off-world or send recruiters to them. The Alpha site could use a few more settlers and the kids seem to be handy with their hands. The crew already there should be able to get the kids straightened out.”
“That’s a possibility,” Jack said with a nod. “Wouldn’t they be better off in school?”
“Maybe,” Daniel shrugged. “But the stats say they’ll fall through the cracks no matter where they are. The way they’ve been raised….. I’d be surprised if more than one in ten manages to overcome their conditioning. Not without outside help.
Jack considered it. “Andy said he’s hesitant to arrest any of them, minor offenses, because they’d never survive in jail. I’ll talk to Henry and Francis.” He scowled as he thrust a fry into ketchup. “Danny, it’s those assholes running those cults that should be arrested.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “And the cult leaders will be arrested for abuse. Our laws, though, protect freedom of religion. Any religion. Jack, I’ll be the first to stand and extol the virtues of an education, and I’m telling you those kids are too naïve to survive on their own. Not in our society. They’d be eaten alive by the sharks, not to mention the way they’ve been raised to treat women. A good percentage of those boys are rapists and pedophiles in waiting.”
Jack frowned as he considered what Daniel was saying. “If I remember right, Major Baldwin used to work with at-risk inner-city kids. Did Peace Corps work, too. We can’t force these kids to go, but I’ll talk to the Powers and see if we can at least offer them an alternative.”
Probably to test Daniel’s patience, Jack decided he needed to have an urgent talk with the mayor. About the cult boys, of course. Mayor Stivers, a good Episcopalian boy, wasn’t one of Jack’s fans.
“That is your fault,” Stivers said, poking a finger toward the window when Jack and Daniel entered his office. The two holding hands wasn’t helping Stivers’ blood pressure, nor did it win Jack any friends when they walked through the small crowd. Jack blinked innocently.
“Barny, I don’t know those people,” Jack said. “How could I have upset them?”
“Bernard,” Daniel corrected.
“Ignore them, Bernie,” Jack said. He took a seat without being offered and tugged Daniel down into the other seat. “They need to get a life and stay out of business that isn’t theirs. Just tell them to go home and get out of your hair.” He glanced at the man’s shiny dome. “We wanted to discuss all these kids that were kicked out of their cults. Excuse me –communities. If I take them off your hands, will it make you a happier camper?”
Stivers looked from one man to the other, suspicious.
“Are you talking about sending them….out there?” He jerked his chin toward the ceiling.
“To space?” Jack asked, his face blank. “No, there’s no air in space, Bernie; they wouldn’t survive much more than a few minutes. I’ve been there, Bernie; it’s cold. I’m talking about a couple of planets that are being colonized. The kids know how to use their hands; the colonists will put them to work and get rid of the brainwashing at the same time. All voluntary, of course. I have to clear it with a few others. What do you think?”
Stivers would have to discuss it with various other city officials before giving Jack an answer. Outside the front door, they found a camera and microphone in their faces. Jack gave friendly waves at the crowd shouting at him about his lack of morals and ethics.
“Tildie, you know I…..”
“Hildie, Jack.”
“…..don’t like sneak attacks,” Jack complained.
“Come on, general, just a moment of your time,” the young reporter insisted. “How do you respond to accusations that you are corrupting the morals of children?”
Jack tossed his head back and laughed. “I’d say ask my children,” he said. “A couple hours ago, my 15 year old son called me from a party. The people he was with, other teenagers, were drunk and smoking pot. My son trusted me enough to call me and tell me what was going on and ask me to come and pick him up. How’s that for moral corruption? Have a nice day, ma’am.”
He slid an arm around Daniel’s waist and headed for their vehicles. Andy was leaning against his own car, waiting for them to exit the building.
“Can you possibly stay out of trouble for one day?” he asked as the men approached.
“You’re talking about Jack, right?” Daniel asked. His butt received a love-tap.
“Andy, don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?” Jack asked.
“No, really,” Andy admitted. “First of all, you are our Number One priority; I always know where you are. When you’re home, anyway. Two –with all the military here, my job is much easier; crime has been cut down about 32 percent.”
Jack snorted. “Tell that to the kids up at Lake Turner smoking pot and getting drunk.”
“I know,” Andy said. “Your boys passed names on to me. You want to take care of it?”
“No,” Jack shrugged. “You said you’re bored. It was on public property. Just let me know if you have any problems.”
“’kay. Jack, are you aware that someone dug up about 5-square yards of grass from the high school field? Do you know how much grass that is?”
Jack thought about it. “Why would someone dig up all that grass?”
“To study that red line you made,” Daniel told him.
Jack shook his head. “I’ll find out who and make sure it’s fixed before school opens.”
They walked around for a while, receiving curious stares as they chatted in Ancient. One store owner came out and stopped them, begging Daniel to make her little bookshop a stop on his book signing tour. Daniel wasn’t aware he was going to be touring. He promised to make her store his first stop.
“Yo, Dr. J!”
Daniel looked around and saw a group of college students at an outdoor café. They had the music up and were enjoying themselves.
“Malcolm, not taking summer classes?” he asked.
“Just two,” Malcolm said. “Not today, though. Neither are you.” He sidled up to Daniel, a speculative look in his eyes despite Jack’s presence. “Does your old man let you dance?” He lifted his arms and tossed his hips close, the techno-beat of the music encouraging him. Daniel answered the gleam and met the young man, their chests mere inches from each other. He teased, responding to the music for a moment before stepping back.
“He does, but only with him and our wife,” Daniel told the disappointed young man. “And believe me –Jack can dance.” He took Jack’s hand and walked away with a jaunty step. Malcolm’s friends laughed and egged him as he pretended to faint in Daniel’s wake, almost falling over the café fence as he watched Daniel’s rear end walking away.
A few stores away, Jack glanced at Daniel.
“Do you get hit on often from students?” he asked.
Daniel chuckled. “Often enough,” he said. “They’re only playing.”
……..“Don’t, Jack.”
“What?”
Daniel paused and turned to him. “You’re thinking about our age difference again,” he informed Jack. “Yes, there is a 19 year difference between us. I don’t care, and you know it.” He put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and looked into the brown eyes. A cell phone rang. “I love you. Quit it.” He pecked Jack’s mouth and then looked at his cell phone before answering it.
“I’m in town with Jack. We can stop by.” He hung up. “We need to stop by the SGC.”
They started walking back toward Jack’s truck. “I’m not fun, Danny,” Jack said after a couple of blocks. “Don’t you want to go out and dance with them?”
“No,” Daniel said with a shrug. “I did when I was in college. It’s been a long time since I felt the desire to be a kid. I like going dancing with Sam once in a while. As for you being fun –Jack, I have never had so much fun in my life, as the fun I’ve had since meeting you. Now quit it and drive.”
Jack drove, happy with Daniel’s hand on his thigh.
“Why are we going to the Mountain?” he asked after a mile.
“Because,” Daniel said. Jack looked at him. He stopped and began to turn around.
“Noooo,” Daniel said. “Jack, you have to check in with Dr. Lam. She’s put up with you this far, but she does have the authority to order you in, and you know it. Enki says you’re at full mode and after this last incident you really need to get checked. Carolyn needs to compare the before, during, and after scans. And you’re doing very well with the Ancient. I knew you could do it.”
Jack mumbled something.
“What?”
“I said, it’s easier if I don’t think about it,” Jack said loudly. “Someone in there is doing the translating, and it isn’t me.”
“Of course, it’s you,” Daniel said, patting his leg. “Now we need to get you to start scribbling engineering schematics. Put that Masters degree to some use. You know you could get a Ph.D. out of this.”
“What would I do with a Ph.D.?” Jack asked. “Not all of us have a need to collect Ph.D.’s.”
“General Doctor Jack O’Neill.”
Jack considered it.
“Does that mean we can play doctor?” he asked.
“Only if the anal probes are warmed first.”
“You drive a hard bargain, doctor.”
Jack put up with the light thingy flashing in his eyes. He still didn’t understand why they insisted on looking into his eyes with a penlight when all the action was happening in his brain.
“Stop glaring,” Lam said. She put the light into her jacket pocket.
“I feel fine,” he insisted.
She nodded. “And according to the machines, you are fine.”
Reynolds came into the infirmary. His face was a mess; cuts, scrapes, and small burns.
“Hey, Jack. Daniel.” He and Daniel knocked paws.
“What happened to you?” Jack asked.
“Someone stepped on a nearby landmine,” Reynolds said. “I got in the way of the blast. Thank God I didn’t lose an eye. I heard you were here. Would you mind? Before Mary and the kids see me?”
Jack put a hand out.
“Wait!” Dr. Lam quickly attached more electrodes to Jack and then a few to Kevin. She had a tech bring over a camera to record the process from the outside. “Ok.”
Jack put his hand on Reynolds’ chest. He noticed a slight undercurrent in his body; like touching a wire with poor insulation. The energy seemed to flow in one direction –down his arm and out his hand. He took his hand away and looked at it, flexing his fingers.
“What?” Daniel asked, stepping closer.
“Nothing,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I’m starting to notice a light sensation of current.”
Daniel took Jack’s hand for a moment. “Well, I don’t sense anything external,” he said. “Maybe a slight chill, but that could be the fact that it’s a little cold in here.”
Kevin’s face was slowly and surely healing before their very eyes. Dr. Lam watched, fascinated. He frowned at her and took a step back as she closed in on his space.
“Is that recorded?” she asked the tech.
“Yes, ma’am,” the tech said, not quite believing it. He was new…..
“Don’t even try it,” Jack warned. The tech took a startled look around.
“Sir?”
Jack shook a finger at him. “I have lots of tricks up my sleeve,” he said to the tech. “You signed a confidentiality clause when you signed on here; you keep your mouth shut.”
“What’s going on?” Daniel asked in Ancient.
“He’s considering the amount of money he could get for this information,” Jack told Daniel and Reynolds.
“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Kevin said with a nod.
“We knew it was only a matter of time,” Daniel said.
“I’d like a little more time,” Jack stated.
Mason came into the room, wearing BDU’s with SGC insignia. He looked at Kevin’s face but didn’t say anything. He held out a hand toward Jack.
Jack looked at the stitches going up Mason’s forearm.
“And what did you do?” Jack asked.
“Mauled by a mountain lion,” Mason said. Jack looked at him. “Really. I was running around the mountain and I ran into a mother and cubs.”
Jack took his cousin’s hand for a moment.
“How’s Mel and the boys?” he asked, taking his hand away. “Settling in?”
“They’re good,” Mason nodded as he watched the healing. Dr. Lam made him sit so she could take the new stitches out. “Mark will be starting his senior year at Penn State soon, so he won’t be here for long.”
“What’s Keith doing?” Jack asked.
“He doesn’t know yet,” Mason said, trying not to growl in disapproval. “He doesn’t want to go to college, he doesn’t want to sign up…… I ready to kick him out.”
“He’s 19, Mace, give him a break,” Jack said. “He’s still a kid. Why don’t you send him off-world for a while? I’m considering sending some kids to the Alpha site to help with farming. Kalam also needs new blood. Although, they are a little male-heavy….”
Mason gave Jack a look. “I am NOT sending my son to Kalam,” he stated. “It’s bad enough I have to watch out for my ass when I’m around those guys, I’m not giving up my son’s ass.”
Jack shrugged. “It really isn’t that bad. Feels pretty good, actually.”
Mason waved a thank you for his arm and left Jack in Lam’s hands.
Daniel smacked Jack’s arm. “Quit terrorizing him.”
Jack chuckled as he slid off the exam bed. “Doc, you’re done with me, right? Yes, you are. Colonel, find my cousin someone to beat up, will you?”
“I’ll see what I can do,” Reynolds’ smiled.
“You going to make it to Paul’s handfasting?”
“If I’m on the planet, sure,” Reynolds nodded.
They checked in with Landry, and Daniel found himself cornered by Nyan. The young man had a wild, almost desperate look around his eyes as he grabbed Daniel by the shoulders.
“You have to tell me,” Nyan pleaded. “Does she like me? Do I have a chance? Is she seeing anyone? Please, Daniel, tell me, I can take it.”
Jack and Landry looked at each other and then at the short alien scientist.
“Who?” Daniel asked. He patted Nyan, settling him.
“Ronnie!” Nyan moaned. He collapsed into a chair. “Dear gods, she’s a dream! Beautiful and brains…..”
Daniel looked at the generals.
“Oh, boy…..”
Jack left Daniel to explain the facts of life to Nyan, and followed his nose out of the Mountain and back into town. Mason’s new house was at the far end of Jack’s neighborhood. Having Mason and his family nearby was another good thing for Maggie; she just needed to remind the boys not to fight whenever they ran into each other. Jack had to admit he wasn’t feeling as antagonistic toward Mason as he usually felt. Maybe they were beginning to understand each other.
“Hi, Jack,” Melanie greeted him from the flower bed.
“Hey, Mel, you need some help?” he asked.
“Would you bring that bag of mulch over here?” she asked, pointing to a large plastic bag. He lifted the thirty pound bag and grunted as he plunked it on the ground next to her.
“Is Mason alright?” she asked, digging a spade full of mulch into the ground.
“He’s fine,” Jack assured her. “I just came by to see if Keith was around.”
Melanie paused at the unusual request. “Yes, he’s playing a computer game, last time I checked.”
“Ok if I go in?”
“Yes, of course.”
Jack remembered Mason and Melanie’s wedding, the moms talked Mason into inviting Jack, but he wasn’t around for the births of their sons. Both boys were born overseas while Mason was on tour. He didn’t know them well, but neither seemed as hard-headed as their father. He heard computer sounds and followed them. Most of their things had been unpacked; a few boxes still sat in corners.
He watched the boy from the doorway of the bedroom. Keith sat back on his bed as he played with a hand-held game control.
“Hey,” Jack said. Keith looked up, surprised to see him.
“Jack, hey.”
“You settling in alright?” Jack asked, coming into the room. He took a chair and turned it around, straddling it. Keith shrugged. “There’s a few older teenagers in the neighborhood. Nice kids.”
“I saw your dad a little bit ago,” Jack tried again. Keith punched at the buttons.
“Complaining about his lazy-assed son?”
“No,” Jack shrugged. “He sounded frustrated, more than anything. A father wants his son to be happy and successful. He doesn’t understand you not wanting to go to school or sign up.”
“He wants me to have his life,” Keith muttered. “I don’t want to hold a gun and I don’t give a shit about more school.”
“What do you give a shit about?” Jack asked. He sent a feeler out and then drew back, slightly confused. “Keith, what’s going on? Son, you do know that a lot of people are going through some unusual changes, don’t you? If something weird is going on inside….”
The boy who didn’t want to hold a gun made short work of the trolls on the computer screen. “Music,” he said after a moment.
Jack waited. “What about it?”
“Can you really do….things?” Keith asked, trying to hide something in his voice.
“Some,” Jack admitted. “Got any scrapes or cuts on you?”
“Huh?”
“You’re a kid,” Jack pointed out. “Anything half-healed?”
Keith considered his body and then pushed out a leg. He pulled the denim leg up to show a scrape on his calf. Jack touched the hairy leg for a moment. To Keith’s amazement, he watched the scrape heal before his very eyes.
“Cool,” he said.
“So, you going to tell me about music?” Jack asked. The boy pulled his jeans into place and tried to disappear into the corner of his bed.
“Are you going to tell my dad?”
Jack frowned. “Keith, I’ve known your father all my life; I can’t imagine him hurting you.”
Keith shrugged. “I’ve had my share of red butts,” he said. “I guess I earned them. I ….hear music.”
Jack waited. “What do you mean, you hear music?”
“Music,” the teen repeated. “Everywhere. All the time. I figured out how to fix the car because it sounded wrong, so I kept tweaking things until it sounded right again. I can’t…shut it off. I think I’m going crazy.”
Jack took his cell phone out and dialed. “Honey, did Keith’s test come through yet? Uh huh…… ok, thanks.” He put his cell down and looked at the boy. “Keith, some people are just developing a small section of their brain, that’s all. Didn’t you read about the evolution thing happening? For some people, it’s little things, like being able to study better and understand more at an earlier age. For others, it’s a little more concentrated. You hear music. Well, ok, so let’s find out what that means for you. Is there anything that doesn’t sound like music?”
Keith thought about it. “It’s only electronic stuff,” he said. Jack looked around the room. He turned off the computer, unplugged it, unplugged everything else that was plugged in, and shut the light off.
“How’s that?” he asked. Keith looked inward.
“Quieter,” he said, a little surprised. Jack patted him on a leg.
“Come on, kiddo, we’re going to my place.”
“My place” turned out to be HomeWorld Security. Melanie wasn’t quite sure what the boys were doing, but she went along when Jack encouraged her. They both signed in and had pictures taken for ID’s. For reasons they didn’t understand, their tags were also imbedded with a copy of their DNA.
“Sometimes prints and pictures just aren’t enough,” Jack said. “Don’t worry about it.” He led them down to the labs, being inevitably stopped along the way for signatures. Paul ran downstairs and slid to a halt. He held up two pieces of cloth.
“Which one?” he urgently requested.
“For what?” Jack asked. “I thought you were going to Oregon?”
“The table cloths,” Paul said, slightly impatient. “She’s in the middle of exams today. She’s coming down here on the red-eye.”
Jack shrugged. “You’re the one getting married,” he said. “Why don’t you ask Nick?”
The cloths dropped. “Are you kidding, sir? His side of the closet is black for a reason.”
“Oh. Melanie, which one?” Jack asked her. Paul helpfully held up the cloths again.
Unsure of the pronouns being used, she hesitantly gestured toward the teal lace.
“That one looks nice with your eyes,” she offered.
Paul smiled and nodded. “That’s what I thought, too. It looks nice with Nick’s eyes, too. His are very green. Thank you.” He ran back to the stairs, happily petting the cloth. Jack shook his head; his colonel was in queen mode.
“He’s usually more together,” he said. “He’s getting married in two days.”
Halfway across the lab, Jack noticed that he had only Melanie at his side. He stopped and looked around. Keith was standing still, slightly dumbfounded.
“What is it, son?” Jack asked.
“The sound is different,” Keith commented. He absently tapped on his ears.
“Boggs!” Jack called out.
“Biggs, sir.”
Jack opened his mouth and then paused, eyeing the man suspiciously. “Shut everything off.”
“Sir?”
“Everything, captain. Shut it off.”
They waited until all the machinery was off.
“Almost normal,” Keith said.
“Honey, I don’t understand,” Melanie said, brushing at her son’s hair. “What’s going on?”
“He hears music, Mel,” Jack said, touching her shoulder. “It’s one of those new things that’s been happening. Electricity sounds like music to him and it’s been causing him to question his sanity. We’re going to try and fix it.”
“Captain, this is Keith Addison and his mother Melanie. Colonel Addison’s family and my cousins,” Jack said. “Be nice to them and help Keith.”