3
Sam came in not an hour after he had, she must have gone back in and packed up the meal straightaway. He was sprawled out on the sofa, having had a shower and changed into sweats, he actually wasn't lying to her back at the restaurant, he DID feel ill, he always did when he thought about HIM!
"Jack?" she said softly as she entered the living room, he thought about pretending to be asleep but he couldn't.
"Yeah" he said rubbing his hands over his face.
"What's wrong Jack?" she sat on the floor beside him.
"Nothing Sam, look I'm not sure I can be here next weekend, there's a lot on at work at the moment" he hated to hurt her but he really didn't want to do this!
"But Jack! It's our wedding anniversary" she said.
"Come to DC, at least we will see each other" he said.
"I promised Cassie I would be here, Jack you know she's only just got back on track from losing Janet! I can't let her down… you of all people…" he knew what she meant, if it was anyone else that Cassie was with he would be just the same as she was!
"Look, is there something about David?" she asked
"Naww he seems like a decent enough kid" Jack said, which was true. "Grace and Michael are good people, they would have raised him right"
"How well do you know them?" she asked, getting close to dangerous ground again
"Not seen them in years, actually probably not since before David was born" he said, he had seen the girls, and he was sure there was another boy older than David, but he had lost touch so long ago…
"Let's go to bed" she said and grabbed his hand to pull him up from where he lay. He noticed she was wearing her wedding ring and he lifted the hand to his lips and kissed it. "I'm not taking it off again until I'm back on front line duty" she said, "We are married and I don't care any more who knows" he grinned at her and swung himself up, he lifted her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom, he felt better all of a sudden!
OoΩoO
The tests had come back, it had not taken long as there was already a DNA database of serving officers, there were just the cadets that still needed testing. That took just an extra few days.
There were 70 candidates to chose from, the only problem was not everyone who carried the gene was adept at using the technology, each would have to be tested.
Beckett himself, able to initialise consoles etc, had been unable to control a single drone properly, never mind the 500 or so Jack could manage at once! They classed that control level as a 1
And not everyone could be taken down south and put into the chair. They contacted Jon in Atlantis and asked him and Sheppard to come up with something portable that they could use.
A life signs scanner was sent back after some thought, it looked like a PDA and could be carried about so people could try it, and depending on how strong the gene was depended on how accurate it showed things.
A weak, recessive gene, a 1, meant that you could get the basic 'there is something alive' scan most of the time, but the person may have to concentrate.
A stronger gene like Sheppards, a 3, could distinguish between Wraith and human.
There was another level between, one who could control without having to think too hard, but not get racial details… classed a 2.
Jack could get the heart rate and blood pressure of everything on the screen! His was classified a 4. So far he was the only 4 they had found (of course his clone was a 4 as well but the scientists were classing them as one person).
Unfortunately there was not a single person in the SGC, or with the security clearance, with the gene, which meant that until they could find another strong one, Jack was going to have to visit a lot of bases!
Luckily he knew where 15 were going to be the next weekend, 14 of whom were still on active service!
Actually thinking about it there were going to be at least 25 gene holders at the party, though some were miles too young.
Jack put his staff to organising the others, the ones he couldn't meet in Colorado Springs, into groups, the overseas contingent, which was most of the AF and an odd navy officer, and a few army were in the gulf and he could fly over and gather them all in one place and brief and test them together. The ones in mainland US he could either get to come to DC or the SGC or he could visit them wherever they were.
They had sent over 100 people to Atlantis so far, but few had the gene naturally, 70 tech users were not really enough to go around considering they needed some in the Milky Way as well! And not everyone would accept the posting anyway, this had to be a volunteer thing, with the Wraith threat being what it was!
He scrubbed his hands over his face trying desperately to think of how to find more… how many of Harrys people may be gene carriers? They had proof an ancient was around at some time, it was possible that someone there had the gene! He wondered if Carter would like to visit their old adversary and see if anyone could activate the scanner. It could cheer her up a bit!
He would ask her on Friday when he flew down.
OoΩoO
He decided to go commercial this time, and go a bit early. He booked himself in first class and was about to sit down when a stewardess came up to him.
"Excuse me sir, sorry to bother you, but are you Mr. Jack O'Neill?" he had decided not to book under his rank as it always drew attention.
"Yeah" he said
"The Captain would like a word with you, if you could just move forward" well this was new! After 9/11 no one was allowed forward, but Jack decided to go see what was happening and did as he was asked, he walked in.
"It IS you, you dog!" a huge coloured man engulfed him in a hug! "the tower said I had a VIP aboard, and I didn't believe them when they told me… who the fuck made YOU a General?"
Jack was speechless, Thomas! He hadn't seen him in over 20 years!
"Say something then dumbass" Thomas said
"Why?… you always talked enough for everyone" Jack said with a grin, the navigator laughed
"He hasn't changed then, he can talk all the way across the Atlantic and back!" he said and received a mock clout around the back of his head.
"So what you doing flying this bus?" Jack asked
"Got bored flying for the AF on routine missions, you know what an adrenalin junkie I was" Jack remembered, Thomas hadn't flown many routine missions though he had done some flying early on, he had soon been picked for the special ops squad with Jack, he had been brilliant at strategy, and he could spot a chameleon in a rainforest, but after a particularly bad op he had received a medical discharge, his nerves were shot. "Then I found out I couldn't give up the flying so I got a job with this lot of reprobates. So what you in charge of nowadays?" he asked
"Classified" Jack said with a grin.
"Should have known" he said "So why the heads up that you're on board?" Jack didn't know.
"Where did it come from?" Thomas asked over his shoulder, the co-pilot spoke to the tower and found out that it was the pilot of Air Force one who had clued them in! Evidently he was on stand by in case anything went wrong and the flight was delayed, and Jack needed a lift somewhere. The cockpit crew looked at him impressed, Jack groaned, so much for time off, and travelling quietly. He hated the fact that no matter where he went they were keeping tabs on him. And it was embarrassing to be offered AF1, though of course it wouldn't be called that unless the President himself was along for the trip!
They offered him the jump seat but he told them he would go back to the civvies area, he went back to his seat and ordered a scotch. The flight set off on time, at least he didn't have to switch to his 'standby'.
He was allowed to disembark first from the plane, everyone else had to wait until he cleared the aircraft before they could even unfasten their belts, and he walked out the airport to see Daniel there in the truck he was supposed to leave at Peterson the week before.
"Danny!" he said
"Jack" Jack opened the door and threw his bag in "Sam sent me, Lam has her in the infirmary" Jacks heart started speeding up… what the hell was wrong. Daniel noticed "Oh, no! Jack nothing wrong, Carolyn was just trying to monitor the Naquadah level in Sams blood, trying to see if the baby is going to inherit it" Oh yeah Sam had mentioned it now he came to think about it. His heart settled down a bit.
"So you coming to help set up the Academy hall?" he asked, Jack looked at him "We are all going to decorate the hall for the party tomorrow, come on it'll be fun" Daniel said
"Who is 'we all'?" Jack asked
"Sam, Teal'c me, Cam, Vala, Cassie, David, and his cousins Jacob and Jon"
"No one else?" Jack asked
"Nope, Davids family are all coming in either very late tonight or early tomorrow" he said, Jack decided that he could go help out. "They have hired a coach" Daniel continued, "and they have almost booked out the Super 8"
They had a fun time, Teal'c and Daniel arguing over the use of bunting, Sam (once she arrived) and Cassie setting the cloths and decorations on the buffet tables ready for the caterers, and Jack sat back and watched the antics, David, Jacob and Jon were funny and silly and typical boys, they wound Cassie and Sam up and made sure they stayed away from Vala. Jack was actually getting fond of them.
They finished setting up the hall at 2100 and decided to all go to O'Malleys they were locking up the hall when a horn sounded and a coach pulled in, Before it had come to a full stop Grace jumped out and ran towards her son, he grabbed her and swung her around, he put her on the ground and turned to introduce her to everyone when she saw Jack.
"Jonathan!" she said and she wasn't looking at Davids cousin
"Gracie" Jack nodded, she held out her arms and he hugged her, he had forgotten how small she was, she was almost a full foot shorter than him.
"Dads here" she said in a low voice
"I know" he said and looked up to see him walking off the bus.
A very old man staggered off the bus and it was apparent that the only reason he was standing was because he was leaning on the vehicle. He was obviously drunk. He looked at Jack and said
"What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?"
OoΩoO
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