Chapter 7
Road to the O'Neill Farmhouse, Blaine County, MT
August 20, 2010
Daniel and Janet were watching the odometer in the car when at about the same distance that Sally had indicated on the map, the engine light for the hover car fluctuated wildly and the car shuddered to a dead stop.
"Well," Janet remarked with her hands braced on the dashboard, "she wasn't kidding about Aschen tech not working."
Daniel agreed as they climbed from the car, which was sitting on the gravel road. Pushing and prodding they managed to get the car back enough that the engine engaged again and now knowing where the dead zone started; Daniel parked the car on the side of the road out of the way of other traffic.
Locking the vehicle down, the two started the two-kilometre trek to their destination. Nearing the end of their walk both were more than ready to admit that they were badly out of shape. Daniel in particular who, as a member of SG-1, used to cover a lot more distance at a much faster pace and loaded with equipment. The road led them to a traditional looking farmyard with mowed lawn and sheltering trees encircling the area, with a farmhouse sporting a wraparound veranda and other buildings but no obvious farm machinery in view.
Approaching the farmhouse, they mounted the steps to the front porch and knocked on the door. After a moment with no response, they knocked again. When yet again there was no response the two exchanged looks.
"I guess he's not home," Janet said as they turned away from the door. She was not looking forward to the two-kilometre hike back in her heels.
Just as Daniel reached the bottom of the steps, a feminine voice called out.
"I'm out back! Come around!"
Looking at each other again, Daniel climbed back onto the porch and the two followed the wraparound veranda to the back of the house. Rounding the back of the house the two came to a dead stop at the sight of the woman sitting behind a table shelling peas. Older looking and carrying a bit more weight than they had last seen her, neither had expected to see the woman again.
The blonde woman sported an equally arrested expression as she recognised the visitors before it smoothed away and she returned to shucking peas from their pods. Recovering far quicker than Daniel and Janet who continued to stare in shock.
"My God," Janet whispered.
"Sam," Daniel's voice echoed the amazed tone of Janet's.
"Daniel. Janet." Sam returned evenly.
"You… you're…" Daniel stammered.
"I'm what Daniel?" Sam arched a blonde eyebrow and discarded a pea shell.
"You're here," Daniel finally said. Not fully able to articulate the situation considering that most of the world, themselves included, thought that Sam was one of thousands of missing persons around the world.
"Yes Daniel, I'm here," Sam's expression turning to annoyance and exasperation. "And so are you. So, what are you here for?"
"I don't understand," Janet took a step forward. "Sam, you—the world thinks you're missing!"
"No they don't."
"Yes, they do." Daniel insisted.
"No. They don't." Sam repeated. "If you don't believe me, just ask the current presidential administration. Or the IRS. They've known very well that I've lived here for the past couple of years."
"Then, then why didn't they tell us?" Janet asked faintly.
Sam lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Ask them, not me."
An uncomfortable silence fell between the three. Daniel and Janet continuing to look at Sam incredulously as she continued calmly shelling peas into the big bowl on the table before her, discarding the pods into a five-gallon bucket beside her. Golden wedding band catching the afternoon sunlight as her fingers moved.
The tense silence was finally broken when the sound of barking dogs and a masculine voice came into their hearing range. Two mismatched dogs frisked about a man with an unshaven chin and worn, dirt marked clothes carrying two five-gallon pails were approaching the back of the house.
Daniel's posture stiffed even more at the measured cold look this older looking Jack gave the two visitors to the farm as he mounted the back steps and set the pails—loaded with more peas—next to Sam.
"Daniel. Janet." Jack stated frostily as he took up a defensive stance behind the table next to Sam. "What brings you to Montana?"
Daniel gave a merciless chuckle and knowing Jack, cut to the chase. "Funny you should ask that Jack. It turns out we made a mistake. A big one."
Jack snorted derisively. "Which one? We made a few."
"Our alliance with the Aschen," Janet stated softly meeting Sam's gaze steadily when the blonde-haired woman looked up from her work.
"Oh, that. Not working out, is it? Gosh, I wish I'd seen that coming. Oh, wait… I did see that coming," Jack sneered.
"It isn't what you thought," Daniel suppressed his frustration when Jack huffed a breath and made a point of rolling his brown eyes. "In the past two years, without our even knowing it, the Aschen have managed to sterilise over ninety percent of the world's population. The other ten percent are probably just a matter of time. We don't know how they've done it; or even how they've even managed to keep it a secret this long…"
Jack and Sam looked at each other, their faces blank. Then they looked back at Daniel and Janet.
"Don't you understand?" Janet cried when they offered no response to his news. "Ninety percent of the world has been sterilised!"
Exchanging glances again, Jack said scornfully. "So what'd you want us to do about it?"
"Honestly Jack, we came to ask you. We didn't know that Sam was here." Daniel admitted.
"So," Jack repeated, "what'd you want me to do about it."
"Help us." Janet pleaded softly.
Jack sighed and scrubbed a hand though his hair and then scratched his nails through his stubble. "Why? I warned everybody, I threw up the red flag and everybody—including you two—shut me down."
"We're asking you to put that behind us," Daniel reasoned.
"Why should I? So you're not happy with the way things turned out… I'm sorry to hear that. Personally, I like things the way they are. No more saving the world, living a nice life here," Jack waved a hand to encompass Sam and the farm.
"Jack. We're talking about the future of the human race!" Daniel exclaimed in exasperation.
"So was I," retorted Jack as he started to turn his back towards them.
"Sam," Janet implored of her old friend. "Please, Cassie can't have any children because of the Aschen. And with the rest of the world…" Janet trailed off as she continued to look at the studiously blank look on Sam's face. "My God," she whispered in sudden revelation. "You know."
Daniel looked startled by the whispered accusation, but as he looked at Sam and Jack he knew what Janet had just stated was true. The two O'Neills did know. Nothing they had come all this way to tell was a surprise.