***
“Oh, Ms. Cummings,” Jack stopped Tommy’s mother as they left the house the next day. “Tommy mentioned that you do accounting. We need another bean counter at HomeSec, if you’d like to apply.” He told her the salary and full bennies.
She seemed a little startled but thanked him. Jack wondered if their car would even make it to their home. He went back inside and called the manager of personnel.
“But there isn’t an opening,” Lupe told him, confused.
“There is if she applies,” Jack informed her. She understood.
Michael stopped in to pick up Matthew and Vinnie for church after Frankie, Carlos, and Dylan went home. Michael had been spending a lot of time with the chat group and had come away with more and more to think about. At least he was thinking, instead of agonizing, to which Jack was grateful. He had also taken a part-time job at Matty’s church as a counselor. Jack found that interesting and wondered how many shrinks took their job as a way to counsel themselves.
“Are you working out?” Michael asked, looking at Jack’s chest through the open robe. Jack yanked the robe shut.
“Have I really changed so noticeably?” he asked Daniel in the den.
“Your body looks about 20 years younger,” Daniel told him, glancing up from the computer. “You lost that middle-aged love handle you were acquiring, and I do like the six-pack that’s rebuilding itself.”
“Hair is still gray,” Jack grumbled but gave his stomach a pat. The muscles did feel harder….
“The world community won’t respect a dark blond general,” Daniel said. “Look at the problems your clone had.” Jack conceded that one. “And I don’t want to hear about your hair issues, not while mine is receding.”
Jack went over and pushed Daniel’s hair off his forehead. “Only a little,” he said. A couple of centimeters, at least.
“I’m not a happy camper, Jack.”
He went around and buzzed the back of Daniel’s neck.
“Come upstairs and let me make you a happy camper,” he murmured into Daniel’s ear. Daniel smiled as hands felt up his chest and a mouth nuzzled across the back of his shoulders.
“I’m a little busy,” he said.
“We can kick the rest of the kids out and do it in the living room,” Jack suggested. His hands began to wander down Daniel’s front.
Daniel chuckled. “We cannot kick the kids out,” he said. He sighed, relaxing, as two strong hands slid down and cupped between his legs.
“At least let me suck you off,” Jack asked. “Come on, Danny. You work and I’ll get under the desk.”
“My, my, General O’Neill, where’d my skittish virgin go?” Daniel cooed, teasing him.
“Completely debauched,” Jack informed him. “Do you want a blow-job or not? ‘Cause I gotta tell ya, Danny-boy, I’m addicted.” Jack told him exactly what was addicting, and feeling his body beginning to betray him, Daniel agreed. Jack quickly pushed him aside and got under the desk. He undid Daniel’s fly, pulled him out, and took him into his mouth. Daniel’s hands rattled against the keyboard. Jack suddenly hummed and Daniel grabbed the side of the desk, muffling a yelp. Daniel came quick from the vibrations and swore under his breath. He reached under the desk and rapped Jack on the head.
“That’s it, you are no longer allowed to consult with Paul,” Daniel informed him, taking a deep breath.
“Wasn’t Paul,” Jack said, licking his lips and swallowing. He stood up and kissed Daniel, sharing his treasure. “Talk to Gabriel.”
They stayed lip-locked for a moment. “Sometime today, when we have two private minutes, I want you to find me and bend me over something,” Jack said. “I feel the need to have a void filled.”
Most of Jack’s day was taken over by the main unification council taking over his living room. They descended on him with an issue they were finding hard to resolve.
“A few worlds are having an issue over the no slavery clause,” Inanna told him. “Slavery is part of their culture. Even the slaves agree to it. Coming from one of these cultures here on Earth, I have to say that I see their point. I had many slaves in Mesopotamia, Jack, and I enjoyed them greatly. I have a problem with owners abusing their slaves, but is that any different than this modern society having laws against abusing spouses and children? I would like to see that section changed to include slavery but exclude abuse.”
The Taklede representative, Karoly, stood up. The Taklede were human, while the Mulakma were feathered. And scaled and furred. They tended to walk on fours, instead of hind feet, and they could fly. Daniel thought they looked like griffins. Whatever they were, Jack had to admit that he found them formidable in appearance and could understand how they managed to fend off Goa’uld attacks. The claws clicking on the floor and snagging the rug were enough to make any attacker think twice.
“We must disagree with Queen Inanna’s proposal,” Karoly said. “The Goa’uld took slaves. We must not align ourselves with them. Also, how can we be sure these slaves agree to their place? How do we know they are not simply too afraid to speak otherwise?”
“Because their societies have in place a means for them to climb out of their servitude, should they desire it,” Inanna said. “Some place themselves in service as a means of payment of debt, others are born into it, but in all four societies, they do earn wages and they are able to buy their way out of service. And all four societies have laws forbidding abuse, all four societies allow slaves to sue anyone they feel has done wrong by them. I don’t understand the issue, honorable Karoly.”
The others were ambiguous about the entire issue. Only Langara had no history with slavery in their culture, so Jonas stayed quiet as he listened to the various sides.
“Ok, how about this?” Jack said. “Daniel, what was your intent for that section?”
Daniel nodded and stood. “My concern was for the unwilling subject,” he said, frowning in thought, arms crossed. “I have a little personal knowledge of modern slavery here on Earth. Slavery is not legal on this planet, we have a united nations that has forbidden it of all members, but there are some countries, still extremely behind the times, who have lower castes who are, basically, a slave-type caste. There are private people who buy and sell other people on the black market. An illegal trade. And there are people who participate willingly and openly in voluntary slavery, but that has more to do with sexuality, than true slavery. I would say allow it but only under extreme conditions; Inanna, Hammorabi had extensive laws regarding the buying, selling, and treatment of slaves. I would say find the laws, make adaptations for modern times, and use them as an amendment. If the slaves of these worlds do indeed agree with their caste, who are we, or anyone else, to tell them different? How different would that make us from the Goa’uld to go in and force them to change their society?”
“That brings up another point, Daniel,” Jonas said. “What about the worlds where a gender is enslaved instead of an individual? There are a few worlds where women are forced to abide the men.”
Daniel was brought up short.
“All for one,” Jack said. “We cannot force anyone to change their society, not if they don’t want to. The main agreement is that their nations are aligned. One planet, one vote. We have a nasty history on this planet of subjugating women, and I for one despise the idea. I have to say that if another planet with this issue wants to join, and they have all their ducks in a row, let them join. They need to understand that the rest of the compact does not treat their women in that manner and they will need to abide by the rules of others when they are off-world. Daniel, I just thought of something that isn’t in this compact.”
Daniel looked at him.
“I can’t stand this idiot American idea of diplomatic immunity,” Jack said. He looked at the aliens. “My country has this rule that says diplomats are immune to prosecution for any crime, including murder. That has got to be one of the stupidest rules ever made, and it’s hurt us big time. I’d like to see it added to the compact that no ambassador is immune to the laws of the compact or the world he/she/it is visiting.”
The others agreed and Ninurta, as scribe, made notations.
“With that added, and in addition to the abuse laws, no ambassador may use the rules of their own world when they are in session with the union,” Inanna interpreted. Jack agreed. “Slavery and the such is permitted providing it is legal on the home planet and that they have laws protecting their subjects, along with the care and well-being of the subjects. Except for eccentricities, all the compact worlds should be following, mainly, their contract with the union.”
The others agreed to the interpretation.
“Sir Karoly, are you able to agree with this?” Inanna asked the Taklede.
He frowned, pursing his lips. “I will take this back to my government for review,” he conceded. “I would like to see an initial over-view of the abuse laws beforehand, though.”
Inanna agreed.
“We cannot impede any world their own progress,” Jack said. “Look, there are a lot of things I hate, a lot of things I will fight for; I made the mistake once of looking at only one side of the coin without stopping to think about the other side, and I regretted it. It isn’t our business to tell people how to live their lives, it is our business to keep the terms of this contract. If people have agreed to the contract, then it becomes our right to step in. I have had it up to my eyeballs on the subject of self-determination, and I freely offer to share it with you.”
“And the rights of children?” Karoly asked.
“What about them?” Jack asked.
“One world has children who are sexually active.”
Jack thought about it. “How old are the children?”
“As young as five years,” Karoly said. “They claim it is with the consent of the child, but how can a child consent?”
Jack could feel that this Karoly was indignant about a great many things, all of which he felt it was his right to instruct others on. Jack had a few opinions of his own, but he rarely stepped on someone else’s toes. Not on purpose, anyway. He had learned the hard way, from Daniel, that people deserved the right to live as they will and Jack didn’t have the right to tell them otherwise. He could make his opinions known, but he couldn’t force anyone to his side.
“In my opinion, the child must be of legal age in their society before participating in sexual relations, especially with an adult. A child may be able to understand, intellectually, what they are doing, but I don’t believe their body is ready for it. I don’t believe their heart is ready for it. From a broader, social standpoint, if the child is old enough to participate in sexual relations, that child is old enough to participate in the community at large, complete with adult standings in that community. Teenagers having sex with each other, I can see, I was a teenager once myself, and although my first experience was with an adult woman, I was at least old enough to understand what I was doing and I later appreciated her teaching me about sex. Children younger than puberty….no, I don’t think so. We are a sexual creature, I know that, but if the switch isn’t on, the light won’t shine. Legal age.”
Karoly could agree to that.
Jack had to put his foot down on the sexual union with animals issue.
“An animal cannot consent, I don’t care how many teeth and claws it has,” he said. “Unless there is full, conscious knowledge and consent, it shouldn’t be done. People are actually doing that?”
Inanna nodded, wrinkling her nose. Jack shuddered.
“There are quite a few worlds who are arguing that individual countries shouldn’t be barred from joining just because their world is not united,” Inanna reported.
“Including mine,” Jack responded. She inclined her head. “The point of all this is to unify the worlds. How they we do that, if the world itself isn’t unified? I don’t see the problem with this one; if they can’t get together to unify their world, how are they going to play in the big sand box with the rest of us? Get their own world unified, first.”
“Some are attempting that,” Bre’tac said. “By force.”
Jack shook a finger. “Doesn’t count,” he said. “If they blow themselves up, what use will they be to the overall galactic community?”
“And my world?” Atis, the Mulakma asked. His beak caused his words to be clipped. “Our governments are kingdoms run by kings.”
“A feudal society,” Daniel said to Jack. “I read the report. Duels at dawn and everything.”
“As you say,” Atis nodded to Daniel. “It is our way to conquer neighboring kingdoms and rule them. If one king must conquer all in order to join your union, this is what will be done. Will you deny us membership for our natural ways? We find it abhorrent that you humans use your females and children in such manners, and yet you look down upon us?”
Jack grabbed his hair and pulled.
“Point taken,” he said. “But can we draw a line at using weapons of mass destruction?”
They all agreed.
“Besides,” Atis said. “It is honorable to take one’s enemy face to face, not stand like a coward behind a great machine.”
“Yeah, it’s those great machines that saved your feathered ass from the Goa’uld,” Jack reminded him. Fur-tufted ears twitched.
“Point taken,” Atis said. Jack got a sense of humor from him.
The front door opened and Stacy and Davy ran in, slamming the door behind them as they tossed jackets and boots into the corner. They stopped short, wide-eyed.
“Ooooohhhh,” they breathed. They were staring at Atis.
“Hey, manners,” Jack reminded them.
“I’m sorry,” Stacy said, shaking herself. She walked over to the alien. “I’m Stacy and this is my brother David. I belong to Daniel, he belongs to Jack. We were staring because you have pretty feathers and fur.”
Atis inclined his head. “You are kind, youngling,” he said. “No offense is taken for none is given.”
The children greeted the other new guest with polite hand shakes and the rest of their guests with effusive hugs before going on their way. Bre’tac was chuckling.
“Like father, like child?” he asked.
“Tell me,” Jack snorted. Daniel knocked him on the arm.
“Put Stacy in charge of all this, instead of you,” he warned Jack.
“I’ll second the nomination,” Jack said.
Katie had been pouting in her room for most of the weekend, but she came out long enough to meet and greet people after Jack snapped quietly in her ear. Matthew had long since left to play with friends after changing out of his church clothes. Atis watched curiously as Olivia played on the rug.
“They are unable to walk so young?” he asked.
“Give her another few months,” Jack said. “She’ll be into everything by then.”
Jonas gave Atis a basic lesson on human baby development and he chittered his beak thoughtfully. Jack took it as an acknowledgment.
“Ours are hatched and they are up and about immediately,” he commented. Jack started to comment on the hatching part but didn’t know how to begin without sounding offensive.
“Hatched?” Trust Jonas….. “May I ask how many in a clutch?”
“Two to four,” Atis said easily. “Many don’t survive their first year. They go through ravenous hunger pains at various intervals, and if they are not quickly fed, they will fall to each other.”
“They eat each other?” Jack couldn’t help it.
“No, not exactly,” Atis said. “In olden times they would, but not anymore. The taste of blood seems to satisfy them. It doesn’t happen at all, if attendants are being attentive.”
And he’s questioning our cultures? Jack couldn’t help shooting the thought toward Inanna. She raised an eyebrow and Jack was almost positive she had heard him.
“Lord Atis, you do understand that there is a clause about cannibalism?” Jonas asked as delicately as he could.
“Indeed,” he inclined his head. “As I said, the younglings do not eat, they merely fight for life. We are a hard, but fair, society; it is our way.”
After they beamed back to Heaven’s Bow, Jack went to his computer and signed into the SGC files to check out the Mulakma and Taklede. Discovered by SG-3 on a routine mission during Reynolds’ command, SG-3 settled a few disputes, helped to find a lost royal tayr, their word for a small child, and both groups worked with the Argos during the battle. Col. Galanakis put in a good word for them. Jack called Reynolds over for a talk.
“Yeah, there are some oddities about them,” Reynolds said. “Both are a little on the formal side. The Taklede are more puritanical about their formalities, the Mulakma prefer to settle things face to face and are more open in their passions. I think they’re good guys, though; the Taklede have a tendency to preach, but they aren’t rabid about things. Most of the ones I met, at least, aren’t. The birds are a little more accepting and more prone to ask questions before judging.”
“Do they have something to offer, being on the main unification council?” Jack asked.
Reynolds thought about it and shrugged. “Maybe,” he conceded. “The birds can fly which gives them incredible knowledge about aerial combat, and the Taklede are exacting in their maneuvers. They hit their targets with one shot, usually. Outside of combat, they both have strong social backgrounds and an open-door policy for anyone in need. And they didn’t surrender to the Goa’uld. I like ‘em.”
Daniel came in and handed the baby to Jack.
“Hey, Kevin. Jack, I need to run to the store. I’m out of ink for my printer. Do you need anything?” Jack thought about it and shook his head. He gave Daniel an absent pat on the back of a thigh before Daniel went to find his jacket. He called upstairs to Stacy. She ran down and quickly put her jacket and boots on, and left with him, skipping happily while holding his hand.
Reynolds watched him leave and then turned to Jack.
“I still can’t quite get over all this,” he said.
“What?”
“You and Daniel. And Sam,” Kevin said. “No offense, Jack, but you’re a guy’s guy. I don’t understand.”
Jack chuckled as he searched for a toy to give Olivia. “I don’t understand, either; I just go with it. Sometimes I still look twice when I see him sleeping next to me. I enjoy it, though. No, I enjoy him. I’ll be honest, Kevin, I slept with Ninurta a couple times while we were out there. Sometimes I need to scream and Daniel knows how to make me scream. I had permission to go to Ninurta, in case I needed to scream. I can understand why some men like sex with other men, it is pleasurable, but Daniel turns me on. It’s no slap to Ninurta, he knows what he’s doing, but things were just mechanical when I was with him.”
Reynolds nodded. “I thought you and the major…?”
“No,” Jack shook his head. “I know everyone thinks we did, but we didn’t. Paul had issues of his own sometimes, so I just held him when he needed it. Nothing more. Daniel and Sam know about both men, we discussed the possibility before I left.” He knew Reynolds wouldn’t take the information further. Everyone took their stress out in different ways, Reynolds was experienced enough to understand that.
Reynolds shook his head. “I gotta tell ya, Jack, I don’t think I could be that open with Mary,” he said. “She’d tear my balls off, if I looked at another woman, and I certainly don’t feel like sharing her with another man.”
“I understand,” Jack nodded. “I never cheated on Sara, and I never cheated on Sam. I just don’t do that when I’m in a relationship. I have had more than one woman at a time, but it was just fun and games for a night. Before and after marriage, not during. I think it was only our history together that gave Sam the strength to offer Daniel to me, and I love them both enough not to get upset at knowing they are together. I love watching them, I love participating.”
Kevin sat back, thinking, not quite looking at Jack.
“Are you doing that reading thing on me?” he suddenly asked. Jack shook his head.
“I’m being polite,” he said. “Why, do you want me to read something?”
“No,” Kevin shook his head. “Jack….have you been hearing about the recent upswing on the whole gay marriage issue?” Jack shook his head. “It’s back in force. And a few small groups are now saying that the government shouldn’t put a number on marriage. Only two people. A lot of people are adopting their own common law ceremonies and are living in multiple partner households. I was talking with Mary about it, just chatting after dinner. All three of our teens are in agreement –they don’t have a problem with any of it. Robbie even said he was considering a boyfriend, but he wasn’t quite ready to give up his relationship with Shannon. Jack, what the hell is happening?”
“Daniel’s theory is that the leap is also breaking down gender barriers,” he said after a moment. “He says the entire boy-girl only thing is a Western issue and that most of the rest of the world doesn’t have a problem with anything else. No. Most of the non-fundamentalist world. He said the issues are based on religious doctrine, not actual preferences. The leap is causing people to open their minds to not only information but is also allowing people to see each other instead of seeing a gender.”
Kevin thought about it. “Yeah, that sounds like something he’d say. I’m not sure I agree with it, though. Ok, if Robbie wants a guy, I guess there really isn’t anything I can do about it, he is 16. I am concerned about AIDS and stuff, though.”
“Well, I talk with the kids about sex and diseases all the time,” Jack told him. “I talk straight with them and they come to me with questions. Even a couple of their friends have asked questions. And I hand out condoms. You’re right, they’re big kids, nothing we say will stop them from doing what they want, so I’d rather they play safe than be afraid to ask for a condom and end up pregnant or sick.”
“I suppose I could be a little more open in that area,” Reynolds admitted. “It’s a little tough for me to talk with them. It embarrasses me, I guess. I had to learn all on my own, my dad didn’t tell me a thing.”
“Mine had a hard time talking about things, but I got a few words out of him,” Jack chuckled in understanding. “It was my mom who was always talking to me.”
Kevin smiled. “I like your mom, she’s cool people.”
Jack nodded his thanks. He got up and went into the library, came back out, and handed Kevin the DVD.
“That’s what we use with our kids,” he said. “You’re welcome to borrow it. Sit with them and watch it, pause it to talk, let them ask questions. Don’t judge the question, just answer honestly. Let them know that your answers are your opinion, they don’t need to agree. And they really don’t, Kevin, they have minds of their own. I can help, if you’d like, or Daniel can help. He’s much better at it, than I am, he knows the proper words.”
Kevin thought about it. “How about a meeting of the Kid Tree?” he suggested. “With WHO coming out with a public comment, why not get our group together first and do a private Q&A? Daniel’s really good at those seminars, so maybe he can do one for all of us? Talk about the leaping thing and the gender issues. They have been topics of conversation, but it’s been idle, without any real answers.”
“I can ask him,” Jack said. “Sounds like a good idea to me.”
It was late in the evening, but Jack was finally cornered in the shower by Daniel. Kneeling behind Jack, holding him open, alternating between licking greedily and fingering Jack to distraction, Jack was barely able to keep standing as his knees melted.
By the time Daniel was ready to give him mercy, Jack had a deep itch that needed scratching. Daniel entered him with a rough shove and Jack lost his breath as he grabbed the hand railing harder. Sometimes Daniel would pull out and push back in with agonizing slowness and Jack swore at him. Daniel whispered some of his filthy talk in a deceptive, genteel voice, and Jack moved to grab himself. Daniel swatted his hand away and covered the head of Jack’s cock with his own hand. He cupped the head in his palm and squeezed, twisting and turning his hand. Jack cried out and swore at him again. Daniel taunted him, whispering insidiously in his ear. Jack pushed his ass out, one foot up on the edge of the shower rim, and begged Daniel to finish it. Daniel gave a twist to the hard, yet soft head in his palm and Jack almost fell as he came hard in Daniel’s hand. Daniel grunted and pushed hard, digging in as far as he could to get at that itch. Daniel was equally as rung out when he came, filling Jack.
“You can be such a bastard,” Jack breathlessly informed him as he slid out.
Daniel turned him around and licked and kissed his lips. “Tell me you love me,” he asked sweetly.
“I love you,” Jack informed him.
“Forever and ever?”
“Baby, for me, forever and ever is a lot longer than it used to be,” Jack said. “You got me, though.”
They dried off and went into the bedroom. Sam was reading something, a report, Jack thought, looking over her shoulder. He burrowed under the paper and came up to see her looking at him in amusement. She plucked at his wet hair and he rested his chin between her breasts.
“I refuse to believe you are ready for another round, not after all that yelling in there,” she informed him.
“Nope, not ready,” he admitted. “Doesn’t mean I can’t make nice with your boobies.” He nuzzled the soft mounds and she giggled. “Honey, I miss you here every day,” he informed her, whining slightly. “Danny can’t keep his hands off me, I feel like his sex slave, and I need you here to protect me.”
Daniel smacked his rear end.
“Ow. See? He abuses me,” Jack informed her. She stroked the bridge of his nose.
“Yes, I can see you’re so abused,” she told him. “I have some time saved up; how about a vacation? Just the three of us? A few days off?”
“How about just the two of you?” Daniel countered. They looked at him. “When was the last time the two of you spent any decent time together? Go, get out for a while, I can take care of the kids for a few days, Jerrie is here, Maggie is up the street, and I can even get Michael in here for an hour or two, if I have to.”
Jack scooted up a few inches and nipped at her lips. “Where would you like to go?” he asked her. She touched his face, gently stroking his cheeks. She glowed as she gazed at him, and Jack couldn’t believe how lucky he was and wondered how in the hell he had earned a right to her love.
“I think I’d like to find a cabin somewhere and disappear under a lot of heavy blankets,” she said. Jack slowly smiled.
“That can be arranged,” he said. He kissed her, brushing her lips with his as she took her long legs out from under him and wrapped them across the backs of his thighs.
“You know the secondary arch?” she asked. “The transporter thing? How about we set it up at HomeSec? Maybe in the ring room? I can come home everyday.”
Jack picked his head up from inspecting her breasts close-up. “You could do that with ships,” he commented.
“Yes, but it’s kinds silly to hop and skip with ships,” she said. “With the arch, home is just a few steps away. And everyone who commutes from here can use it.”
He considered it. “We can give it a try,” he agreed. “Have you worked out the mechanics of it?”
“Almost,” she said. “It’s almost a combination of the gate and a transporter. It needs to be dialed, but since it is for close proximity, not jumping through stars, it takes less effort. Not as many dialing sequences. And it’s a transporter, not a gate, so there isn’t a wormhole to contend with.”
Jack looked at her.
“Uh huh. Are you telling me that you can build another one?”
“Eventually,” she said. “Bye-bye airplanes, trains, and automobiles, hello clean air.”
“Detroit is going to take out a contract on you,” he warned her.
“Oh, well,” she responded dryly. She was suddenly serious as she looked at him. “Jack, somewhere in that tin can of yours, you have the schematics for all this, you do know that, right? I mean, I can figure things out, eventually, but I’m only copying. You have the ability to create these things. Somewhere buried in there.” She tapped on his forehead.
Jack groaned and rolled off her. He stared at the ceiling, his hands locked behind his neck.
“I try not to think about it,” he said. “I haven’t had any urge to draw or even pick up a ruler and pencil, and as far as I know, I haven’t been speaking any strange words.”
She rolled over onto him. “Will you try?” she asked. “For me? The next time you kel’no’reem and you’re all relaxed, will you just try to draw something? Don’t think about it, just pick up a pencil and try.”
“We could try hypnosis,” Daniel suggested from the opposite side of the bed. His partners looked at him. “Ok, I don’t believe it can make people act like chickens or anything like that, but it does relax the mind to a point where hidden things can come to the surface. Ask Dr. Edmonds.”
“I think I like the kel’no’reem idea better,” Jack said. A babbling was heard from the baby box and they looked at it.
“I’ll see what she wants,” Daniel offered.
“No, let me,” Sam said, sliding off Jack. “I don’t get enough time with her, as it is.”
“She’s just happy,” Jack said, giving a small reach. “Amusing herself.”
“Still. I want cuddle time,” Sam said. She straightened her t-shirt and went to the nursery. The men smiled as they heard her pleasure in Olivia’s presence.
Daniel rolled over and put an arm across Jack’s stomach, resting against his chest. “I’m glad she’s discovered the mother within,” he commented. Jack nodded. “While you were gone, Sam was dropped head first into the motherhood deep end. She was ready to scream after the first month. I don’t think she realized how sheltered she had been, being away most of the week while you and I took care of the kids. I had a problem at the base which took up almost an entire week, so she was left with the kids. Jerrie was good about helping her, and she was firm about it, too. Sam was their mother, so BE their mother. Sam almost fired Jerrie for insubordination. Then Jerrie pulled the sick relative act and left for a week. I couldn’t leave the base, so Sam was alone with the kids. She finally had a long talk with several base mothers and she settled down to the job at hand.”
Jack chuckled. “Remind me to give Jerrie a raise. Or at least a good vacation.”
The Kid Tree families all met at the Academy. The new commander was in agreement that a major talk needed to happen. Gabriel’s announcement was coming out on Wednesday so they had an impromptu gathering of kids and cadets on Tuesday. As usual, Daniel had it recorded. What people did not know was that it was close-circuited to President Hayes who wanted to listen in after Jack mentioned the meeting to him.
The kids and adults were all very interested in the leap process, and were excited about it. A lot of the kids, parents, and teachers were relieved that what was happening to the kids was a good thing and they weren’t imaging the weirdness. Hammond had given the instructors leave to reorganize their classes and start teaching the cadets at a higher level than their current grades. When Daniel got around to sexuality and gender preferences, the wiggling started. Jack sent out a general feeler and found that many of the students had been concerned over sudden changes in feelings. Old school instructors were not happy about either subject, especially the one about gender and sex.
“There will be zero-tolerance for intolerance,” Hammond told the cadets. “Respect will be shown for individual choices. This is a new world, ladies and gentlemen, and this new world needs to play nice with the galaxy. That means respect of all spiritualities, all gender preferences, and all individual choices.”
With three legends standing on the stage behind Hammond, looking out at the sea of children and adults, they knew Hammond was serious.
Much to Daniel’s surprise, his previously recorded seminars were making money. The camera loved him and he spoke well. Someone was sending him profits in the form of checks. The best selling seminar was the children’s seminar recorded at Stacy’s old school. It had been aired on public TV several times, all with high ratings, and schools around the world had requested permission to show it in class. The current seminar was handed over to Paul for whatever it was he did with them.
Since Jack couldn’t take off for unification meetings, he had one of the meeting rooms at HomeSec turned into private space. Word was sent that if anyone needed him, to see him there during office hours. Nyan had sent Jack more information on the Mulakma, and the more Jack read, the more he realized that the big four-legged birds lived in a society that hadn’t existed on Earth for hundreds of years. More definitely a feudal society, they had a strict code of honor that Jack could appreciate. Their females weren’t part of the ruling class, but they didn’t seem to want to be. Jack found the culture to be almost a complete opposite of the Sua. Unlike Europe’s feudal years, though, the Mulakma had advanced technology almost to Earth’s modern standards. Jack couldn’t figure out how the hell they did that, walking on all fours and having claws instead of fingers, but they certainly had their own space ships and were certainly experts at flying them. It seemed that there was a faction of the populace that felt using the ships in their atmosphere was not honorable and that any fighting should be done the old-fashioned way; flight with their own wings in hand to hand combat. The ships should be used for off-world only. So far, the ruling party was in agreement on that score.
Jack wondered how the cats and birds would get along.
Paul stuck his head in Jack’s office and was waved in.
“Just out of curiosity, how come you guys didn’t tell Sam about Master Gabriel?” Paul asked, making sure the door was closed. Jack looked at him.
“Tell her about what?” he asked.
“About the kink,” Paul said. He seemed amused. “She came to me and asked me what the fuss was about, so I told her. You could have told her, Jack.”
“Well, you didn’t say we could and I didn’t know where all that dungeon don’t ask don’t tell started and where it extended,” he said. He didn’t know if he should be looking forward to Sam’s discussion on the subject, or not. He’d better warn Daniel.
Paul chuckled and shook his head. “Thank you for protecting my honor, and Gabriel’s.”
After the announcement from WHO, scientists all over the world had something new to yell about. A flurry of debates raged across the globe faster than light speed, and Jack ignored it to go about his daily business. His current business was a strange request from a community representative in the Bahamas. Another boat had gone missing and they were a little tired of it, did HomeSec have any nifty toys that could scan their waters for whatever had been taking boats and planes? Jack called Sam.
“Sure,” she said. “We can turn the mikku toward the planet and see if anything is cloaked.”
On the video conference link, Jack watched the image as the mikku scanned the waters off the Bahamas Grand Island.
“What the hell is that?” Jack asked, leaning forward, staring at a black spot. Paul leaned over Jack’s shoulder, squinting at it.
“Have no idea.” Sam was clearly as surprised as they were to actually find an anomaly. Jack looked at his wizard and Paul called an admiral. Jack had yet to figure out how his major kept all the names, ranks, phone numbers, and current locations in his head.
“Think you can dislodge whatever that is?” Jack asked Sam.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I need to know what it is, first. I’d like to take some equipment out there.”
“I knew you would,” Jack said. “Contact Admiral Williams in Fort Lauderdale, a ship will be waiting for you. And I’d like to see you back for dinner this week, not in a hundred or so years, please.”
“I’ll be careful,” she promised with a smile.
She called him two days later.
“Need you out here,” she said.
“Why?”
“Because we’re getting life signs from it,” she said. “And I don’t mean people screaming for help. I think that thing is alive.”
Jack packed up his SF and hopped over to Florida in the al kesh. Before leaving, Paul rapped his knuckles and reminded him to inform Daniel.
“The Bermuda Triangle?” Daniel questioned. “It’s bad enough you let Sam go, and now you’re going?”
“Daniel, she thinks whatever that black spot is, is alive,” Jack told him.
“Doesn’t that make it my territory?” Daniel asked.
“I think she wants me to give it the heave-ho. Ok, ok, I can feel you thinking bad thoughts about me from across town,” Jack sighed. “Come with.”
Jack notified the SF that were set up around the neighborhood that they were all out of town; the SF would make sure Jerrie and the kids were well guarded. Jack refused to live in a house that was surrounded by guards, so he compromised; the SF could set up posts, discretely, throughout the neighborhood and the surrounding woods. The neighbors weren’t wild about it, at first, but then began to appreciate the guards when other neighborhoods had a rash of vandalism. Women and children could walk around at night without having to worry about abductions or attacks. Daniel pouted that he couldn’t get in any attacks of his own while walking through the woods with Jack or Sam.
Jack and Daniel, and SF entourage, were in Florida an hour later. The personnel at the Navy base watched in awe as the al kesh settled and dislodged people. One man stepped forward and offered a salute.
“General O’Neill, Commander Dattner, sir.” Jack returned the salute and shook his hand. He introduced Daniel and they walked quickly to the nearby buildings. Sam was waiting for them in a conference room, along with Adm. Williams and other staff.
“Do you remember that black cloud you dislodged in Rome?” Sam asked him. Navy people were blank. Jack nodded. “I think this is the same thing. Or same type of thing.”
“It’s one of those clouds?” he asked.
Sam wrinkled her face. “No, more like a collection of them,” she said. “It’s very dense…Do you remember watching 2001: Space Odyssey? With that black monolith? At the end, that guy went into it and ended up in another dimension? I think this black spot is like that. All our equipment signals disappear into it just as if it were a black hole.”
Jack nodded thoughtfully.
“And there’s nothing indicating a life form?” Daniel asked. “That black cloud was pretty angry.” The admiral and commander stared back and forth at them.
“If it’s noticed us at all, it isn’t reacting,” she said. “We tried all the settings we could find on the mikku; I even called Inanna and she confirmed that, as far as she was aware, there wasn’t anything else we could do with it. No one wants to risk sending in divers or even a full vessel.”
“How about something unmanned?” Jack suggested.
“We tried that,” Williams said. “It disappeared and none of the readings that were sent back were of any use.”
“I checked them,” Sam nodded. “The submersible readings were as ineffective as ours were.”
“Do animals disappear in there?” Daniel suddenly asked. Navy people thought about it.
“Like fish?” Dattner asked.
Daniel shrugged. “Fish, dolphins, whales….”
“We’d have to check stats, but I don’t recall hearing about schools or pods disappearing,” Dattner said. Others around him agreed.
Jack took a deep breath. “Ok,” he said. “I haven’t tried this from this distance, before,” he warned. Sam understood, although the Navy people didn’t. Jack sat down and closed his eyes. A moment later he was gasping for breath. Sam quickly shoved his head between his knees and gave the back of his neck calming strokes.
“Breathe,” she told him. “Slow and deep, in through your nose, out through your mouth.” A medic stepped in and took Jack’s wrist, counting his pulse. Jack shook them off and leaned his head back, shooting puffs at the ceiling and scrunching his eyes.
“Ok, I’m ok,” he finally told them. Williams and his people watched with concern. Neither the colonel nor Dr. Jackson were stressing, though…..
“Admiral Williams, may I suggest you prepare your people for an emergency,” Jack told the man. “If I’m right, you’re going to need a hell of a lot of space for evacuees.” He took out his cell phone and dialed. He stepped outside and briefed Maynard on the situation. Maynard opened a conference call with Hayes, the Florida governor, and the head of FEMA. Jack repeated the problem. Two out of four people reacted with disbelief. Jack expected it.
“Carl, if General O’Neill says it’s going to happen, believe it,” Hayes told the governor. “I’m authorizing it, Jack, do what you need to do. Florida and FEMA will give you their complete cooperation. FEMA make sure all points of the triangle are aware and are ready for any possibility. Jack, how long do they have to prepare?”
Jack shrugged. “It’s been sitting out there for how long? How about dawn, does that work for everyone?” Everyone agreed. Both the governor and FEMA needed time to get their ends situated. Jack went back into the building.
“We do this at dawn,” he told them. “Admiral, we will return at 0500 and get the show on the road at 0600. If that’s ok with you?” It was ok with the slightly puzzled admiral. “Great. You should be receiving a brief from General Maynard on your email shortly.”
Jack, Sam, and Daniel took their SF and jumped back home. They packed clothes, just in case, and rounded up Dr. Lam and her team, along with equipment. Landry was kind enough to authorize several SG teams to accompany them. By 0500, the SGC and Homeworld Security descended upon the Florida east coast. Naval personnel stood back and watched their base swarm with men and women with the Tau’ri signal on their jackets. The Joint Chiefs had asked pretty please if Adm. Williams would mind too terribly if their General took over for a few hours. Williams had scrubbed his face in confusion and agreed. Jack knew he was on touchy ground so he made sure to defer to the admiral and show due respect when they got to the base. His kids offered salutes to the admiral and then went about the business of getting Dr. Lam and her team set up in the emergency area Williams had arranged.
“We may need more than that,” Jack commented quietly to Lam as they looked at the emptied warehouse.
“Are you sure about this?” she asked him.
“No,” he admitted. “Just a hunch. And since I don’t do hunches, I’d say that says something.”
He called the governor and then FEMA, double-checking; both men had their parties prepared for the moment Jack said the word. The Prometheus was standing by, monitoring the ocean for signs of people. Williams had ships standing by at all three corners of the Triangle. Jack took a seat overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Sam was behind him with her equipment and a computer with an open line to the Yard and Captain Boggs who was her best assistant with the more advanced toys.
“Go easy, Jack,” Daniel asked quietly. “We don’t know if by blowing that thing away, anyone else that may be caught in it will also be blown away. Try and feel your way around before you do anything.”
“I know, Daniel,” Jack said. “If anyone is alive in there, I want them out, too.”
“Ready, captain?” Sam asked quietly into a microphone. The video feed from inside the sphere of the chair was visible, along with a clear image of the black spot.
“Ready, colonel,” a voice said. She nodded to Jack and he settled himself in.
The dense, suffocating quality of the mass had almost choked him the day before, but he was almost sure he had sensed multiple people in it. Almost what he felt when he opened up to a room full of people. The multitude of emotions that bombarded him, almost too loud for him to handle. Jack reached out, forcing himself to skirt around the edges, trying to find a way in. Something blasted him out and he was thrown from his chair. Hands quickly reached for him.
“I’m fine!” he shouted. He snarled and swore under his breath. “Get Enki on the horn!”
Reynolds quickly called Prometheus, and Markham patched Enki through several minutes later. Jack updated him on the situation.
“Fucking thing blasted me right out of my seat!” he angrily told the old man as he paced. His own people waited while Navy personnel stood back and watched wide-eyed. The Navy was a little miffed at not having a reason for being in on any of the previous battles and so had no idea what was going on.
“I have never heard of this entity before,” Enki admitted. “Can you wait for me to arrive? I will come through the gate.”
“Sure.” Jack slammed the radio down. “I need two aspirin and a couple hours,” he told the room. Sam handed him the aspirin.
“I need backup,” he told Adm. Williams after he took a couple of minutes to calm down. “One of those things I could handle. However many that is, is too many for me. My backup is on another planet; he’ll come through the Stargate.”
“May I ask exactly what it is you’re trying to do?” Williams asked. “I don’t understand.”
Jack leaned forward, hanging his head as he waited for the aspirin to kick in. “You know all that leap stuff?” he asked. “Some people are starting to do weird things?” The admiral nodded. “I do weird things. I can read emotions from others. When I do it to that spot out there, I…it feels almost like a black hole, sucking up everything, but it’s alive with an unknown number of alien entities. One of them tried to take over…someone… a while back, like those old possession stories complete with an exorcism. I was able to whack the freakin’ thing out of the person. Looks like whatever that is out there, is its base and it’s loaded. The person who’s been teaching me to use this is coming to help.”
Enki and Ninurta both arrived 2 hours later in the al kesh Jack had an SF take back to the SGC. They looked at the spot in the ocean from the view off Sam’s computer. Enki talked with the captain and had him rotate the mikku to different views, and nodded thoughtfully as Sam reported on the various ways they had attempted to make way into the black spot. He then listened to Daniel’s recital of the events in Rome.
“Yes, yes, I agree,” he finally said. “This does seem to be the base for these entities, whatever they are. I spoke with Thor on our way here, and he also has not heard of these things. He’s here, Jack, just in case.” Enki gestured up.
“Thank you, Thor,” Jack spoke to the ceiling. “Ok, let’s coordinate,” he said to Enki and Ninurta. Most of their coordinating was incomprehensible to the Navy. Jack’s own people were use to it and waited.
“You can do this, Jack,” Enki told him. “Just stay with us.”
Jack, Enki, and Ninurta planted themselves firmly on the deck, hands clasped tightly together. Jack knew when he was out of his league, so he let Enki lead the way. Once more, Jack skirted the edges of the thing. When the blast came, they flinched but stood their ground. As the blast radiated out, Enki took them in. Unknown to them, they collapsed onto the floor. Concerned medics rushed forward and Reynolds ordered everyone back. Sam and Daniel knelt over the trio and checked pulses as they straightened the men out.
“Leave them for now,” Sam ordered. “They don’t seem to be in any distress, give them time.”
Jack found himself standing under a dome. Hundreds upon hundreds of coffin sized canisters were lined up, each containing a person. Some of them were clearly dead, desiccated and crumbling to bone. Others were in various states of decay. Jack pushed his senses out until he found a section that seemed to be emanating with emotions. The three flew through the dome until they came to another section of coffins.
“These people are alive,” Ninurta commented. “I wonder if these canisters are waterproof and float? Let’s find the main hub.”
Jack sensed an angry presence the further they went.
“I feel it, too, Jack,” Enki said. They made their way through the dome until the presence was close. A black cloud tried to lunge at them and missed; their bodies weren’t actually present. It snarled in frustration. Jack felt a great hunger from it and knew that it had been feeding off the life energy of the people it had taken.
Enki felt around and they flew across the dome again. Jack saw a huge graveyard filled with ships and planes.
“Oh, my God,” Jack breathed. “They’re all here.” Vessels from current to ages past all lay together in as varying stages of decay as their previous owners. They had obviously been dumped on top of each other in a junk pile; something had consciously pulled the ships in from various parts of the ocean and dumped them. Dark specks flew around them; more of the individual entities, he saw.
“Concentrate, Jack,” Enki warned him. “Stay with us, worry about that later.”
“Over here, adda,” Ninurta said. He pulled them to another section. He had found control panels.
“Can we do physical work in this state?” Jack asked.
“No,” Enki admitted. “But we can take a good look.”
Jack suddenly found himself inside the equipment. It had a partial crystal structure, much like the Ancient technology, but quite a bit of it seemed to be made up of gases which he guessed made sense, if the entities were clouds.
“Wait, let me see….” Enki muttered under his breath as he poked around. “Yes, yes, I think I see…… Let’s get back.”
The three were abruptly conscious and sprawled out on the floor. Jack groaned and rolled over as Enki jumped to his feet and shouted. No one seemed to understand the strange language but Daniel thrust his notebook at him. Enki started scribbling.
“No, stay down,” Dr. Lam ordered Jack as he tried to sit up. He was glad to stay down when his stomach threatened to rebel.
“You want what?!” Sam was looking at Enki as though he had grown a second head. “Do I look like Mr. Wizard? Ok, ok, I’ll….how the hell…..we don’t have… Col. Markham, I need to see Thor.” Sam was beamed out. Navy personnel took another step back.
“Reestablish your central line,” Ninurta told Jack. “Kel’no’reem, Jack; force yourself to begin, it’ll center you and calm the storm.”
Jack floundered and rolled onto his back. Ninurta put his hand on the center of Jack’s chest.
“Feel it,” he told Jack. “Breathe, yes.”
Jack felt the line Ninurta sent and grabbed at it. He steadied and felt his awareness sitting in the center of his chest. His storm inside began to settle. As Ninurta slowly withdrew, Jack was able to follow the familiar path. Soon, he was able to slowly sit up without the entire world threatening to evacuate through his stomach. He found Daniel sitting next to him, waiting anxiously.
“I’m ok,” Jack whispered hoarsely. “Got a craving for chocolate.” A candy bar suddenly appeared from out of the crowd.
“Potassium,” he heard Lam comment. She shoved a needle into his arm. He didn’t care.
“Where’s Sam?” he asked. The candy did indeed seem to ground him. Daniel told him. “Oh. Enki, what’re we doing?”
The old man turned to him. “As soon as Sam finds me the necessary materials, we’re blowing that thing back to whatever hell it came from,” he told Jack. “I think I can get rid of the entities and leave the underlying dome intact. The dome itself is just a structure. Most of the compounds are gases, and like everything else, every gas has a poison. I think those creatures are gas, and I think I know their poison.”
Jack took him at his word. No, he didn’t want to look at Enki’s scribbling. When he felt ready to stand, he took the hands held out by Daniel and Ninurta and heaved himself up. The world spun for a moment and then righted itself.
“Admiral Williams, how about we have a conference?” Jack suggested. The admiral gave a white-faced nod and they went to his office. Jack dialed out and Maynard got on the line with Hayes. Jack updated all of them on the situation.
“I’m not quite sure what Enki has in mind, but he seems to think he can poison these things,” he told the group. “Listen, whatever he’s up to, that black spot is covering a dome. Inside that dome are the bodies of everyone who has ever gone missing in the Triangle, including all the ships and planes. There are a lot of dead bodies, but there are living ones, too. We’re going to do our best to get those people out. If we can get rid of the entities and leave the dome intact, we can get salvage in there, document the ships, and recover the bodies. The people still living, we will try and get out right away. As soon after Enki does his thing right away.”
“How many people are we looking at, Jack?” Hayes asked.
“Not sure,” Jack said. “I didn’t count ‘em, but I’m guessing a couple hundred.”
“Are your people ready, Admiral?” Hayes asked.
“Yes, sir, they are,” Williams assured him.
Enki beamed up to Thor’s ship for a collaboration of minds. Several hours later, he and Sam were back.
“Thor is going to bring his ship down,” Enki told Jack. “We came up with a gas I think will work, but he needs to be directly over the entity. He’s going to beam the gas down into it.”
Jack called the troops to order and had them standby while Williams called out to his ships waiting on the water.
“How serious of a water displacement are we talking about?” Williams asked Enki and Jack.
“No way to tell,” Enki said. Jack nodded in agreement.
“We don’t know anything about these creatures,” Jack said. “Maybe nothing at all except they disappear.”
“And if there is an explosion or a serious displacement, we could be talking about a tidal wave,” Williams told them. Jack called the FEMA director while Enki had Thor put on hold.
The public warning was given and Florida’s east coast, along with the Bermuda Islands, Bahamas, Cuba, and Puerto Rico scrambled to sandbag their coasts. Georgia and South Caroline were given a warning, but they didn’t need to do anything yet. FEMA gave the others twelve hours. The base was emptied of all personnel to assist with the shoring up of their part of the coast line. From the janitors and grounds keepers all the way up to Jack and Admiral Williams, all hands worked.
At the end of the twelve hours, everyone stood outside and watched the ocean. Jack called Thor and gave the ok. Sam was watching her computer as Capt. Boggs monitored with the mikku. A roar filled the air as Thor’s ship came slowly into the atmosphere. Naval personnel dropped their jaws as the huge ship stopped to hover over the water.
“Now,” Thor calmly told Jack through the radio at his shoulder. He watched the water but nothing seemed to be happening. It’s gas, he told himself, not a rock.
“Wait!” Sam shouted. Jack and Enki quickly looked over her shoulder. The black spot seemed to be fading. Enki tuned out and Jack seemed to sense Enki’s presence heading out into the water. He followed. Another kind of roar filled his ears, this time it was of the entities dying from the poisonous gas that was beamed into their protective dome.
“There is no displacement,” Thor reported. People relaxed with sighs of relief.
“Clear!” Sam shouted again.
“The dome will not hold for long,” Thor warned. “It is already beginning to show signs of stress.”
Jack nodded and Admiral Williams ordered his people into the water.
Enki shook himself. “There is a hatch on the north side of the dome,” he told Williams. “It is set to open automatically at the presence of human life signs.” The word was passed on to his ships. Jack sent Thor on his way with his thanks.
By the following morning, over three hundred people were being attended to by medical personnel evac’ed in to handle the emergency. Thousands of dead bodies had begun to pile up, some of them hundred of years old. The entities had removed any ID tags from military personnel, so the only way ID’s could be guessed at was through the identification of the ships.
Sam assisted with medical, while Jack made his way slowly through those who were conscious and took information from them while getting ID tags around their wrists. Daniel sat and talked with people, helping them to begin coping with the situation.
Jack wasn’t sure what stunned him more; eliminating the entities or the fact that some of the people living were well over a hundred years old, and looked no older than the day they were originally taken. A couple of people claimed to be born in the 1800’s, and from their speech and their outlook, he believed them. He wondered what his world would look like when he was another hundred years old.