14
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Jack asked
"Your mate did not wish to worry you, though I fail to see why you would worry, as she is undergoing an operation to replace the missing ovary"
"An operation!" Jack shouted, Thor waved one delicate hand at him
"Not such as you know it O'Neill, you know the Asgard better" he sank to his seat.
"The Furlings also have had several ideas overnight prompted by the discussion yesterday, the simplicity of the experiment clarified several avenues of thought, sometimes we need to step back to the beginning, but it is so long ago we do not remember it, they are eager to return to their own world to begin what they hope will be the final phase of their salvation."
"So, no meeting?" Jack asked
"There is little need of a meeting at this time" Thor replied. They sat around for another quarter of an hour, Mark watching as Jack systematically destroyed and rebuilt the pens, then Thor asked "Could someone please turn off the Shield?"
Jack went to the phone and contacted the security room, by the time he had turned to say something to the small alien Sam was already in the room! Jack leapt over to her and pulled her into a massive hug, he barely acknowledged when Thor said goodbye and disappeared into a flash of light.
Sam swatted his back, telling him to stop, she was smiling though as she said it.
Eventually Jack stopped, but Mark noticed he was shaking slightly after letting go of her, he crossed to the phone and asked security to reactivate the shield, he then had Bra'tac explain about Ba'al.
Sam, of course, first thought of her babies and husband, she wanted him to be careful and the kids to be guarded. Jack pointed out that they would need a security detail close to the house, Sam agreed, and she promised not to go anywhere, like shopping, on her own.
Jack said he had to update the president and headed for the small room, he came out in less than half a minute looking abashed, "the stones don't work" he explained, he went into Dixons room and picked up the red phone, he spoke for several minutes and his voice slowly rose until he was shouting.
He stormed out of the room, Sam caught his arm as he passed "What?" she asked
"He doesn’t understand!" Jack snapped, he realised what he had done and put his hand on top of hers where she still held his arm "He wants a security detail to follow me wherever I go, and a tracker implanted under my skin so they can see where I am at all times!"
"And…so…therefore…?" she said
He smiled slightly at her. "I told him, it was all a diversion, they must be after YOU, not me, but he wouldn't listen, he came out with that 'you are too important' bullshit again"
Sam sighed and drew him into a hug "You ARE" she said in a low tone, he was about to object and she went on "What am I going to do if something happens to you? I can't bring the kids up without you!" he closed his eyes and buried his face in her neck. They stood for a minute and then he pulled himself together.
"You will keep us updated Bra'tac?" he asked the old man
"Of course I will, as soon as I hear anything I will either send word or come myself." Jack nodded, he asked the Jaffa master if he wanted to stay for food, but was refused, and he headed back downstairs to return to his home.
Jack sat back in his chair, Mark watched him, he was perfectly still! He continued that way for almost 20 minutes and then he jumped up suddenly and left.
Sam looked at her brother, he looked back "He was working out a strategy to combat the problem" she explained "it is the ONLY time you will ever see him still, when he is thinking like that"
"No energy to waste?" he chuckled
She laughed with him "They don't put 3 stars on your shoulders if you are stupid" she said Mark agreed. He knew that Jack had several qualifications, one in aerodynamics and one in cosmology at least, and Sam had hinted he had more.
She sighed "Things haven't gone according to plan of late" she said, "Teal'c was hoping the Free Jaffa Nation would be the answer to all his problems, he left eventually when it became obvious that petty tyrants were gaining power, the system collapsed soon after, and now the Jaffa of each world act independently. The Lucien Alliance… well…" she shook her head and fell silent.
"Who are Jon and Charlie?" Mark asked her, her head snapped up
"Where did you hear about Charlie?" she asked
"Not sure" he replied, she knew he was lying, he knew she knew, they both knew he never forgot anything he heard, nor where he heard it! Truth was he overheard Carol Dixon telling Jane something.
"Charlie was Jacks son, to his first wife" Sam explained "He shot himself with Jacks gun, he died" Mark was very glad he had not asked the man himself about it! "Jon… well Jon is a clone of Jack, Loki, an Asgard scientist stole Jack for a week to do some experiments on him, the clone was to make sure we didn't realise he was gone, unfortunately the clone stopped growing at about 15 years of age, bit of a giveaway, after Loki was captured and Thor arrived Jack was told that Jon was pre-programmed to die shortly, he asked Thor to help him, so we have an 19 year old version of Jack, who knows everything Jack knew up to 4 years ago. He decided to go back to school, that lasted a full 3 months and then he started taking on odd jobs for the AF, Jack doesn't know!" She told him.
"Jack doesn't know what?" Asked the man himself from the doorway. Mark saw Sam wince, her face went through several changes as he saw her try to decide if she should tell her husband the truth or lie to him. Eventually it seemed the truth won.
"Jon, he's working for the AF" she said
"Special Ops?" he asked her, his voice low and calm
"Not sure, exactly, he just said AF" The man nodded and closed his eyes.
"I hoped to God he would escape, but I knew in my heart they wouldn't let him go"
"I think he was bored love, remember he lost everyone and everything when he left" Jack nodded again
"I don't know, he said he wanted to try again with all he knew so he could avoid the problems I had had, I was hoping his second trip through puberty wouldn't affect him as the first did me. You have no idea what that young man is capable of…" Jack looked up and then grabbed his phone out of his pocket… "Jon got a job for you… guarding… take your pick, Sam or the kids… yes, didn't she tell you?… get to the mountain ASAP and I'll explain… You are WHERE? Ok, leave the phone open I'll ask Thor to deliver you before he breaks orbit"
Jack reached into his pocket and drew out the stone he had, he spoke into it, but received no answer, he got back on the phone "Head to '51, I'll get you clearance, you need to go to Sams lab, when you are outside the door call me"
"Where is he?" Sam asked
"Vegas, he's looking into members of the trust and has followed the money into the casinos"
"I thought we had got rid of most of the trust" she said
"We did, however the symbiotes kept jumping, and more and more arrived, there was a report pass my desk a couple of months ago that a new 'team' had been handed responsibility for dealing with them, since it started operating not a single infection has occurred, and at least 30 top Trust people have died." Mark took the hint, Jack was telling them that this Jon had single handedly assassinated 30 people, and done it in such a way as to prevent escape of the symbiote, something the normal forces had failed to do. And this was essentially the man who had married his sister? Mark was glad he was on the right side of the man, which he so easily could not have been, if he had been just a touch more stubborn.
Walter came up the stairs, he had a pile of paper in his hand. "Whatcha got there Walter?" Jack asked
"The schedule for the Nish'ta and Kassa testing we discussed sir" the sergeant said, Mark could have sworn he had been present when they talked, but he couldn't remember any mention of the two substances beyond reporting what Bra'tac had said!
"Good, how have you arranged it?" he asked
"Proximity to the children first" he said and looked at Mark "You are up first with SG13 and General Dixon, Sir, will you be tested?" he asked.
"May as well, I doubt Carter needs to be, she was just aboard an Asgard ship doing something medical, I doubt they would have missed it"
"I'll get tested anyway Jack, just to be safe"
"I have organised with Dr. Lyman for a 5 day repeat, so we have a fair chance of catching it before it becomes serious, I have also put myself down in the first batch, though not in contact with the children, I am in regular contact with the two of you."
Jack nodded and said "Ok, let's do this" and he left the briefing room.
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