Chapter 28
Underground Bunker, O’Neill Farm, Blaine Country, MT
October 11, 2010
Shifting Hope from her position nursing in the crook of her arm to her shoulder, Sam gently patted her daughter on the back as she watched the multiple monitors cued to the various big news broadcasts.
It had been some hours since Phase II had been implemented on Earth and only now was the population really becoming aware and expressing their outrage at the Kinsey administration. Thankfully, the world seemed to be abiding by Daniel’s request in the Veritas broadcast to express themselves through peaceful means via petitions, online discussions, and organised public marches.
What she was waiting for however, was the White House press conference that was scheduled to occur in a few minutes. She was interested to see how Kinsey attempted to spin this in his favour, especially as she had seen the back of Dominic’s head in the crowd of the reporters already present.
The crowd on screen before the podium grew hushed as President Kinsey appeared onstage, approached the microphone, and gazed upon the expectant faces with a sombre expression.
“My fellow Americans,” Kinsey began solemnly, “today is a distressing day in our nation brought on by the vicious attacks of partisan forces on the peace that I have established on God’s Earth.”
Kinsey looked down and shuffled some of the papers he’d carried on stage, “In this ‘report’ that was released to you, these partisans claim to be telling you ‘the truth’ regarding our esteemed allies. But the person responsible for the report, the former leader of the team coded SG-1, has falsified reports before.”
Kinsey looked up and speared a look at the cameras and watching journalists. “Case in point, the first mission report to the planet Abydos in 1994, the team leader Colonel Jack O’Neill claimed that Dr Daniel Jackson had died and he had destroyed the stargate. And yet, one year later O’Neill was able to return to Abydos and retrieve Dr Jackson.”
Sam had to acknowledge that point, but really, Daniel’s death had been reported truthfully, Jack had just neglected to mention that Daniel had also been resurrected by Ra.
“As for Dr Jackson, while it is true that he provided the key to opening the stargate network, O’Neill’s actions on Abydos undoubtedly left the good doctor feeling indebted to O’Neill which allowed O’Neill to persuade him to act as a figurehead for the broadcast dubbed Veritas.”
Sam snorted forcefully, the action causing Hope to wiggle against her mother’s shoulder so Sam shifted the infant girl into her arms. Like anyone could persuade Daniel to be a figurehead for anything he did not want to do, especially stand behind a cause he did not believe in full heartedly.
“As it has been proven, O’Neill has falsified reports before. And in this Veritas report, it is claimed that ‘ninety percent’ of Earth has been sterilised. Where and how did O’Neill get those figures from? Should we Americans believe them without question for it they are true, why would O’Neill take so long before reacting? Why would O’Neill, if he truly had the best interests of Earth at heart, allow the majority of the planet to become infertile before taking action?”
Kinsey assumed a pious expression and continued, “I assure you, that God would not allow such actions to happen to his Earth. Perhaps what O’Neill has seen and claimed to be deliberately inflicted sterility is but the measures of God to ensure that only the most faithful and fittest survive? So keep your faith as we, my Americans, are all one nation under God.”
Sam snorted. God had nothing to do with it. And if she wasn’t already familiar with Kinsey’s dogma, she’d be tempted to ask him to undergo an MRI to see if he’d been infested by a Goa’uld.
“It is tragic that a man as damaged as O’Neill, a man unquestionably troubled and driven to the edge of any normal man’s sanity by his years of black ops, could persuade the poor doctor to be a figurehead. But Dr Jackson is well aware of the former colonel’s tragic past with the accidental shooting of O’Neill’s son with his own service revolver. Such knowledge undoubtedly left Dr Jackson unwisely sympathetic to a man who has demonstrated a casual regard for his life, the men under his command, and for the safety of Earth with O’Neill’s acceptance of the first Abydos mission in which he transported a bomb through the stargate to detonate on the other side.”
Sam growled in the back of her throat and jiggled a burbling Hope. Jack’s frail psychological state had been taken advantage of by West and he had been ordered to blow that bomb! Hope’s burbling helped calm her down as Sam reminded herself that whatever Kinsey was, he was an experienced spin doctor.
“This Veritas broadcast and other events that the partisan forces have perpetrated—blackouts here in the capital targeting the stargate and AF instillations across the country are retaliatory attacks led by O’Neill caused by the man’s unwarranted hostility towards me. I regret, my fellow Americans that O’Neill has taken such cowardly actions as to involve you in his vendetta.”
Sam hooted softly with laugher. The president better hope that no one took a look again at the declassified security feeds for the former SGC base as anyone watching them would clearly see Kinsey’s hostility towards Jack and in turn, Jack’s apathy towards the then senator as Kinsey attempted to throw the weight of his position around.
“O’Neill’s vendetta has reached out to touch and involve many, such as resentful individuals of the Jaffa people for our establishment of peace in the galaxy through the eradication of the Goa’ulds. Those Jaffa are resentful of our successful division of the tonic that have freed so many humans from slavery on so many worlds. Freeing those humans from the yoke of slavery under of the Goa’ulds and their Jaffa soldiers.”
Sam noted, not unexpectedly, that Kinsey made no reference to the fact that with the death of the goa’ulds from the ‘tonic’ that the Jaffa were also a dying people and would be very understandably resentful towards the Confederation. Nor that the ‘Jaffa soldiers’ had been under their own yoke of slavery, bound by their very lives to serve.
“With these guerrilla attacks upon us and our freedom, I have learned more distressing news. One of the most intelligent women on the planet that went missing ten years ago has been found. I am speaking of the former Major Samantha Carter.”
The crowd on screen before Kinsey stirred noticeably and even Sam perked up. Kinsey looked extremely sorrowfully at the cameras.
“I regret to inform you, that Samantha Carter has been found but not yet rescued. Yes, rescued,” Kinsey repeated. “Ten years ago, Miss Carter suffered something that no woman should, a betrayal of trust by her superior officer and her commanding officer, a man who she was taught to trust, who absconded with her.”
Sam’s jaw dropped. She did not know whether to rant with anger or laugh hysterically at Kinsey’s audacity.
“Through devious methods that are not yet fully understood he brainwashed Miss Carter into believing his dogma and while keeping her imprisoned, impregnated her. Forcing Miss Carter to bear his children when the death of his son Charlie clearly reveals his unfit nature to be a father. Clearly suffering from Stockholm’s syndrome Miss Carter manufactured the devious devices at O’Neill’s command in O’Neill’s attempt to regain control of the stargate to further his guerrilla warfare. Devices so dangerous that if detonated will destroy continental America.”
Sam did not know how he expected to get away with statements such as that. Especially considering she was the one commanding Phase II on Earth. Oh how that would screw things up for the president when that came to light. And where did he get the idea anyway that the zones were bombs? The only dangerous element, the naquadrian power source, had second external trigger to stabilise the unstable element in case of physical handling as apposed to bulk computerised control. The man only had to think—as if they would do anything like that while she and their daughter were on the continent in question.
Okay, it was official, Sam decided. Kinsey had finally snapped.