The drink in front of him was strong. Dade had told the bartender to bring the strongest thing he had and now the liquid seemed to dance in the crystal glass in front of him. The tavern was a place that he liked to come when he wanted to be alone with his thoughts and right now he just wanted to disappear from the world.
In front of him lay a picture of him and Lauren on one of the excursions to the big lake nearby and where they would go on a picnic. She was the only bit of home that had come with him and she made him feel like anyplace on earth, or even the galaxy, was home. Now, it was gone.
Taking a swig, Dade felt the burning liquid go down his throat and soon a numbing sensation filled his mind. He slapped the half empty glass back down on the table.
"May I join you?" a voice asked and Dade was about to spin and order the person away in anger when he saw Jeremiah standing there with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.
"Jerry. How did you find me?"
"You took me here once. It was within our travel permissions when we were under that drill three years ago."
"Oh, yes."
Jeremiah sat down and glanced down at the picture and glass. He seemed to be debating in his mind when he spoke. "I went to the hospital when Captain Walker told me you had left."
Dade did not answer. He swirled the liquid in his cup around watching it make lazy circles.
"Colonel…"
"I'm not in the mood for talking right now."
Major Stace nodded and stood. "I'll be on base if you need me."
The Major began to leave then stopped and came back. He set down envelope that had some paper in it. "Before you do anything, sir. Could you read this?"
"What is it?"
"Something I think you should see."
Dade looked at the blank envelope for a few second and opened it. He began reading and his eyes widened. Jumping up from the table he threw five bucks on the counter and made his way quickly in to the darkened damp street where a slight shower had begun.
"Major!" He called.
Major Stace turned around. Colonel Rojc caught up to him and handed him the papers back.
"Major. If I'm reading this correctly. You're suggesting desertion to pull this off." Rojc said giving him a piercing stare. "This is something I should report."
"You know your duty, Colonel." Major Stace simply said.
"Don't give me that official crap, Major. I'm sick of it."
"I've got my reasons to do this, Dade. You're my friend, you're the one who pulled me out of that alien minefield that killed SG-12 and SG-19. You stuck by me when I wanted to stay and protect those villagers from Apophis' Jaffa--"
"And spent a hour getting dressed down by General Hammond." Dade answered with a hint of a bitter grin.
"I thought you should know so you would at least understand."
The two began walking and remained silent for a couple of blocks. After fifteen minutes, Rojc spoke up. "We'll need access to the armory after hours if we do this on the timetable you've suggested. "
Jeremiah looked over to his friend and nodded. "I've got some ideas, sir,. If you're in, I'll explain them to you."
Rojc continued to think for a few more blocks and then nodded. "I'm in, Major. Let's do this."
----------------------------
"I'm sorry, but Sergeant York is not seeing anybody today."
Colonel Rojc and Major Stace stood in front of the receptionist in her white medical uniform as she smiled apologetically.
"We're from the United States Air Force and we have something we'd like to talk to him about. Could you please insist to him that this is important." Major Stace said with more force.
The receptionist sighed. "I will go tell him, but he has always been this solitary, sir. He doesn't like company."
As the young woman walked off, Dade leaned closer to his friend. "You sure about this man, Jerry? This is a mental institution."
"Yes. Locked up here in the end of the Vietnam War after insisting his team was wiped out by aliens." Major Stace said watching the door that the nurse went through.
"And?"
"He claimed that they were killed by a Vietnamese possessed by a creature that could make his eyes glow."
Dade frowned. "You're kidding."
"It was probably Seth before he setup that cult SG-1 took down."
The door opened and the nurse returned.
"He's willing to see you, Gentlemen, but he wanted to make it clear that this would be brief."
The passageways through the mental hospital were long and turning, with white doors, walls, and bright flourescent lights leading the way. Once coming to a small door, they entered where a black man stood in a green tank top and camophlage pants. He stood by an array for gym equipment and from the looks of it, Jeremiah knew he had been using his time at the hospital on it.
"Sergeant York."
"I'm not a sergeant anymore." he said simply without turning around. "I have no time for games again. I've had enough for years to come. If you wouldn't believe me then, I doubt your ready to listen to me now."
"On the contrary, Sergeant." Jeremiah said sitting down. "I believe you."
For the first time, the man turned half around to look over his shoulder at them, fixing a cold brown eye on them. "You a shrink?"
"No. I'm with the US Air Force." Major Stace said.
"That doesn't answer my question. Why would you believe me? You can't possibly believe I'm dumb enough to fall for this?"
"You're report said that the Vietnamese soldiers used a weapon that fired electricity."
The man turned fully around a glared coldly at them. "Drop the act, Major. You know full well what I wrote in my report."
"Is this the weapon?"
To Dade's shock, Jeremiah pulled out from under his blue uniform jacket a Zat'nik'etel and popped it open with a sonic whine. Sergeant Hamilton York stepped back with a snarl.
"Major!" Dade said stepping forward.
Jeremiah snapped the weapon closed and gave it a slight toss to York. He caught it and looked at it. He looked back up at the two officers.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Major Jeremiah Stace, this is my commanding officer Colonel Dade Rojc. We're part of a project that…deals…with what you encountered. We were wondering if you were interested in joining us for some payback."
Sergeant York sat down and looked at the weapon then back up. He grinned. "You walk in here, throw your weapon around, and then expect me to just sign on? You guys are fools to think I'd just go along with you. Tell me everything if you want me a part of this."
--------------------------
"How do you think SG-11 is holding up?" Daniel Jackson asked Samantha Carter as both stood in the gym watching Teal'C and O'Neill going head to head in a boxing match.
"They lost a member of there team and Major Stace lost the woman he loved. Dade is a man a lot like Colonel O'Neill, each person is his responsibility and when they die, he is at fault no matter what." Captain Carter said. "They'll pull through."
"If you think so."
"You think they won't?" O'Neill called from the mat as he dodged a swing from Teal'C.
"Well, I've seen soldiers die before and the men who were with them, but they seem to be taking it a lot harder."
"The Log that broke the Dromedary's back." Teal'C said as he swung and put Jack on the floor.
"That's 'the straw that broke then camel's back', Teal'C." the Colonel said hauling himself off the floor. Shaking himself and turning to face the Jaffa he continued. "I can have Doctor Frazier take a look at them and talk to them though I don't' think Colonel Rojc is going to approve…you know the English."
"I'm heading to see, Janet know, sir, if you want me to say something." Carter said pointing over her shoulder.
"Yeah, Go ahead…but do it tactfully. I don't need Dade down my throat just yet. I can't stand them when their angry. They just glare at you."
Samantha grinned and left.
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