Jack's First Day at the Pentagon
Disclaimer: I don't own or have a share in the profits from these characters or the franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Newly promoted Major General Jack O'Neill crawled out of bed early Monday morning and groaned. His whole body felt like jell-o and he was not a happy camper. Today was the first day of his new job as Head of Homeworld Security at the Pentagon. Three weeks earlier when George Hammond had called to let him know that he was retiring and that the President had decided that Jack would replace him, he had been in a snit. He hated being a desk bound commander at the SGC, but at least there he had been able to be part of the action when the need arose and he could watch his teams backs when the shit hit the fan. Now he would be a real paper pusher and working in a formal office with staff in the most horrible building on Earth in his opinion: Bureaucracy Central, The Pentagon.
That phone call had come one week after the totally cool trip to his cabin with his closest friends, SG-1. They were his family and he had realized his fondest wish, outside of marrying Carter, by having all of them at his cabin at the same time. Who would have thought that Carter would actually understand his philosophy of fishing? They'd spent hours on the dock in the lawn chairs enjoying the fresh air and each other's company. Daniel and Teal'c had been kind enough to make sure that they had as much alone time as possible that week. And what a week! Carter had got her transfer approved and before he'd even had a chance to ask her on an official date, she'd floored him by asking him to marry her! Jack had almost had a heart attack, but he was not about to mess this one up. No way in hell was he going to do something stupid like agree to some asinine plan like 'keep it in the room' again. By the end of the week they'd gone before a Justice of the Peace and got married.
The last three weeks had been a whirlwind. First was getting Carter's house sold, which happened the first day it had been on the market, and then they spent a week getting her moved to Nevada. After that it was making the move for Jack to DC and setting up arrangements for his house in Colorado Springs. On top of that, Jack had to pick his replacement as the SGC Commanding General. His choice had been his old friend Major General Hank Landry, who had also just recently been promoted. Hank had almost had a stroke when told of all that had been going on the last eight years, but had agreed on the spot to the posting. It was the chance of a lifetime. Hank had eased into the job in two weeks, so Jack had only had four days to move all his stuff to the townhouse in Alexandria that he had leased. Carter had come to DC and spent the last three days with him unpack and arrange all the furniture. It felt like a home, though the Air Force had arranged most of the furniture, which he had to admit was first class.
Unfortunately he was now in bed alone as he got up. Sam had left the night before since she had a meeting at Area 51 this morning with her new staff. Since the Prometheus was in orbit, she'd been beamed to her apartment in Nevada. Jack grumbled about the unfairness of it all as he worked his way through his morning routine. By 0530 he was ready to leave. Walking out the door, he put his clothing bag in his truck and drove off to the Pentagon.
Jack pulled his large black truck into the parking lot of the Pentagon and eventually found his parking spot in the main General Officer's underground parking lot. He was pleasantly surprised to find it was near an elevator. Sweet! He grabbed his bag and took the elevator to the main sign in floor, then made his way to the sign in desk for the classified Joint Projects wing. That was when a snag arose.
"What do you mean I'm not on the list?!" his shout could be heard a mile away.
The young Airman gulped. By the look on this guys face and the unbelievable ribbon rack he had on his dress blues jacket, this was one person not to upset. "I'm sorry Sir, but while there is a record of your office in this section, your name is not on the cleared list to pass beyond this point," he explained again.
"Airman," Jack said in what he hoped was a more pleasant tone. It wasn't this guy's fault. He was only doing his job. "Does that even make any sense? If I have an office in this section, I have to be on the list. How the hell can I do my job if I'm not even allowed to go to my office? It's my first day, for crying out loud! How could I be blacklisted when I haven't done anything yet?"
"I can try and see if the Command Duty Officer of the Watch is available, Sir," the nervous Airman replied. "Perhaps she can straighten this out."
"I'll just sit over here, Airman, and wait," Jack grumbled. "Thanks."
Jack pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed Daniel. If he was going to be miserable, then he might as well share the joy with Space Monkey.
"Hello?" came a bleary, very tired response when the phone was picked up on the other end.
"Morning, Space Monkey," Jack said in a very fake cheerful voice. "Got a question for you."
"At four in the morning?" Daniel croaked out in a sleepy whine. "Is this some sick, twisted revenge thing for me convincing you to accept promotion to general?"
"No, but that's a good idea," Jack spat out. "Now how can someone be blacklisted before they even report in for their first day of work?"
"Huh?"
"I've been blackballed, Danny Boy," Jack said with an edge to his voice. "The pansies that run this hellhole admit I have an office, but my name isn't on the list to be allowed into that section. How the hell can that happen?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone made a mistake on running the master list?"
"Space Monkey, this place is the holy grail of paper pushers and paper trails," Jack said patiently. "They don't make mistakes like that."
"Why are you asking me? Shouldn't you be calling someone who can actually do something about that?"
"The nice Airman here is doing just that," Jack stated. "I was bored and wanted someone to talk to."
"At four in the morning?? Jack I have a lot of work to do today and Landry wants to meet with me in less than three hours. Why is it always me who gets these insane phone calls in the middle of the night?"
"First, you're my best friend," Jack ticked off. "Second, Teal'c would kick my ass if I woke him up or disturbed his Kel-whatsis, and third I actually have a fond desire to get laid again sometime soon and that won't happen if I wake Carter up in the middle of the night. So suck it up, Space Monkey. You're always at the plate when I want someone to share my emotions with. Today it's misery loves company time."
"Joy."
Jack looked up and saw an Army Major coming down the corridor towards him. "Got to go, Space Monkey. Help's arrived."
"General O'Neill?" the Major asked when she got to him. She nodded at the Airman. "I'm Major Ferris, the Command Duty Officer of the Watch for this wing. Airman Michaels has given me a rundown on the problem. May I see your AGO card and your Security ID tags, please?"
"Here you are, Major," Jack said as he handed her the requested items.
She looked at them and compared some things on a palm pilot she had. "Thank you, General," she said as she handed him back his identification. "According to my information your clearances are current and I can allow you past this point, so long as you go only to your office suite. I'll make a note of this incident and this should be cleared up by 0800 hours, Sir. If you need to leave your office, and you haven't been notified that this has been resolved, please contact the Command Duty Desk for approval. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Sir."
"You're just doing your job, Major. Thanks for your quick response," Jack said with a nod. "You, too, Airman. I appreciate it."
"No problem, Sir," Michaels said as the Major stepped over to his desk to make a few notes in the official log for that station. He liked this General for some reason.
"Anytime, Sir," Ferris said as she started back down the corridor.
Jack entered his suite and stood in shock. The damn thing was enormous! The front waiting area where his secretary, or secretaries by the looks of the two desks, would be was larger than his office at the SGC and the briefing room combined. He saw five doors leading off of the room, one clearly labeled as a restroom. The far door had his name and rank, along with his title acronym painted on it. The full title was highly classified and not for public knowledge even in this section of the Pentagon. He assumed that the other three doors were for the conference room and offices for his two aides-de-camp and his Chief-of-Staff. All were just reporting in this morning at 0700 hours and he had wanted to be here to welcome them and let them know what he expected right from the start. They'd already been briefed in on the whole Stargate program so he didn't have to explain that, thank God. The walls were pretty bare, but he expected his people to spruce things up a bit once they settled in. As for his own office, which he hadn't entered yet, he would put in a minimal of decorative features, such as a few pictures and model jets, but not much besides that. The he opened the door to his own office.
"Oh my God," he exhaled. It was larger than the front area! The desk alone would have made four or five of his old one at the SGC. At least the desk chair looked pretty plush. There were book shelves, empty, and several filing cabinets which he was sure were bursting at the seams, like the ones in the outer office area. In one corner there was a couch and a couple of comfortable easy chairs for more relaxed meetings. He saw a door to a personal bathroom, which from experience he knew had a shower and all included. Before he did anything else, he quickly went in there and changed out of his dress uniform and donned his beloved green BDU's with the twin stars of his rank on both collar points. He had decided when he first found out about this job that while in his office, he and his staff would wear BDU's, using the restrooms to change if they needed to leave the office for any reason. Thus each would come to work in dress uniform and change into the more comfortable BDU's upon arrival. Even the two civilian secretaries would be wearing BDU's. All this would be explained when they arrived and tomorrow he would be expecting it to be implemented. He may not like this place, but he was damn sure going to make himself as comfortable as possible.
Making his way to the desk, he opened his laptop. At least they got that one right. Carter had spent a lot of time working on training him how to use a laptop since he'd had so much trouble with the numerous desk top models that the SGC had tried to use. He ordered that from then on he would have a laptop assigned to him for his use. Here it was as promised. Checking his e-mail and finding nothing, he clicked on the compose command. Definitely time to write something to Carter.
"Hey Carter! How's the new gig? Mine sucks! Can you believe these pansies actually had me blackballed before I'd even got here for my first day?? I rousted Daniel out of bed at 0400 to share the misery, but for some reason he didn't seem to appreciate it. Go figure. I can't believe this office! I feel like a fly in an auditorium! Oh! It's soundproofed, too! How about beaming over here one day and we can see about doing it on the mammoth desk I got? Well gotta go. There's meetings to attend and paper to push. Jack.
PS- I love you."
He heard some movement outside in the outer office and glanced at his watch. 0700 hours. It was time to go meet the troops. Hitting send on the laptop he sent his message to Carter on its merry way. Standing, he went over to the door and opened it to find five people there, three in dress uniforms and two civilian women wearing business suits. He noticed that one of the officers was Lieutenant Colonel Paul Davis.
"Good morning, Campers," Jack said with his usual nonchalance. "Don't get comfy just yet. Grab some coffee and bring it on in here so we can chat. Move it." He then walked back into the office and shut the door.
The five just stood there with their jaws hanging open. Paul Davis had known O'Neil for years, but even he was shocked to see the man in BDU's here in the Pentagon where the uniform was mandated as dress uniforms.
"You heard the General," he said to the others. "Let's get in there."
Jack was sitting behind his desk as the five members of his staff entered, coffee cups in hand. He'd been surprised to see Davis, but it made sense. He had been Hammond's Chief-of-Staff and he would be Jack's to help ease the transition. Jack liked the man and wanted to see him move on to another assignment to get some field experience, though.
"No formalities in my office, people," Jack ordered when he saw the military men struggling to come to attention. "What we do here is too important for all that military courtesy crap. No salutes and no coming to attention, even if the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs walks in the door. Understood?"
"Yes, Sir," came the instant reply.
"Take a seat," he said as that sunk in. Jack took a sip of his coffee. "Next is the uniform of the day while in this office. While in this office suite all of us will be wearing BDU's, either green, blue, or black. I'll decide the next days color before the end of duty the day before." He saw a young captain raise his hand.
"Captain."
"What about the uniform regs for the Pentagon?" he asked.
"That's why you'll wear your dress uniforms coming to work and then change when you arrive at the office," Jack said patiently. He looked at the two secretaries who appeared to be in their mid-thirties. They were attractive and looked competent. "I'm directing the same for you as well, ladies. I know it's different, but we're a team here and since I expect all of us to contribute, that means the two of you may be involved in things that will be better attended to in BDU's. Beaming to the SGC won't be unusual I can assure you."
Jack then spent the next hour going over how he wanted his office organized and what procedures he wanted in place for various situations. Most of his ideas went against SOP at the Pentagon, but he made it clear that he was responsible to the President, not the chair warmers at this place. It was clear to everyone, especially Paul Davis, that Jack O'Neill was going to be a serious wake up call to the Pentagon. Paul also determined that O'Neill was going to run things the same way he ran SG-1 and then the SGC. That meant that the IOA was going to be getting a rude awakening as well.
"Two other things," Jack said as he came to the end of his spiel. "First is that the military personnel will be armed at all times while in the office. If we have to beam somewhere where the shit is hitting the fan, I don't want any of us wondering where the hell a weapon is. An issue .45 or a 9mil is acceptable with standard BDU holster and belt set. Second is that we all eat lunch together in the mess everyday. This office can manage without us here for an hour and we all have pagers. Team night will be every Friday at my place. Nothing too elaborate, but dinner and a movie on DVD probably. Any questions?" Seeing none, he ordered them all to their desks and on to work which he had arranged to have set up on their desks for the first day already. "Stick around a minute, Davis," he ordered as the rest left.
When the others had left, Jack continued. "I'm only going to keep you on as my temporary Chief-of-Staff, Davis," he told the younger man. "This isn't a reflection on your work. I want the best people in the right spots, both now and in the future. That means if you want to move up in the ranks, you need some outside assignments that reflect ability in the field. At the moment, you're tapped out at Lieutenant Colonel. I can possibly manage a promotion for you to full Colonel in a few years, but I think you have what it takes to go further than that."
"I've been with the program in a liaison capacity since I was a Captain, General," Davis pointed out. "The normal assignments that come with captain through light bird ranks have been missed."
"For the good of the program," Jack acknowledged. "I know that, Paul. That's why I'm trying to make that up to you and give you a chance to end your career with stars on your shoulders instead of maybe an eagle. Are you interested?"
Davis wanted a full thirty years in, and knew that O'Neill wouldn't be offering this chance if he didn't think he had what it takes. "Yes, Sir," he replied.
"Then give me six months to get this office up and running and then I will have a list of assignments for you to choose from," Jack informed him. "This isn't just me talking, Paul. Hammond also mentioned this when he told me he was retiring. Now get out there and let the staff know how to work this department. I have a couple of calls to make."
"Yes, Sir," Davis said as he stood up and left the office.
Just as he was about to call Landry and check on him his first day on the job alone since he'd had the weekend away to settle his final housing arrangements from his last post,the intercom buzzed.
"Yeah," he said as he punched the flashing button. He hated this office already. At least Walter had come to the door and spoke to him directly.
"A Lieutenant General Peterson to see you, General," came the voice of one of his secretaries.
"Send him in," Jack ordered. He closed the laptop and stood.
An older man walked in, wearing the three stars of his rank on the shoulders of his army uniform. A dress uniform. The man did a double take when he saw Jack in BDU's.
"General O'Neill," Peterson said as he regained a bit of his composure. "I'm General Peterson, the Chief Protocol Officer of the Pentagon. I was informed of your difficulties this morning and came to explain what needs to be done to clear up this incident."
"Put my name on the list and that clears up the whole thing," Jack said with a slight tinge of disdain at this perfect example of a paper pushing twit.
"I'm afraid not, General," Peterson said with an air of superiority. "You were ordered to attend the General Officer's Pentagon Orientation seminar held last week. You were not in attendance and until you have attended the seminar, you will not be placed on the cleared list for classified areas. In addition to that, I notice you are not wearing the proper uniform. The uniform of the day at the Pentagon is dress uniform. I will have to notify your superior officer of this."
Jack smiled. Reaching for his almighty red phone, he picked up the receiver and punched the one button on the front of it. "You bet," he said. He listened a minute. "This is Jack O'Neill. Let me talk to him." He waited a moment. "Yes, Sir, there's a person here who says he needs to speak to you about my conduct." He explained what had happened briefly and also about the uniform issue and then listened. Then he handed the receiver to the three star in front of him. "He wants a word with you," Jack said as he sighed with no sympathy at what was going to happen.
"This is General Peterson, Chief of Protocol for the Pentagon," he said into the phone. He listened a moment and paled visibly.
Jack could hear President Hayes yelling from where he stood.
"This is President Henry Hayes, Peterson. I don't give a flying fuck about your precious seminar. Jack O'Neill works for me and is my personal advisor on things that are so fucking classified that you don't even rate a pass to the little boys room! You will personally see to it that O'Neill's name is placed on the cleared list this instant and is never bothered by any more of your shit! Understood? And as for the uniform, he and his staff can wear anything they Goddamn want as far as I'm concerned and if it is ever brought up again by anyone, I will personally see to it that that person's next tour of duty is counting penguins in the Arctic! Now get out of there and leave General O'Neill and his people alone. And General, I wouldn't count on another star for your uniform after this colossal fuckup. No one who is so chickenshit deserves to be a first lieutenant, let along a three star general!"
The slamming of a phone on the other end told Jack that this incident was closed.
Peterson, still deathly white, handed the phone back wordlessly. "Your name will be on the list as soon as I return to my office, General O'Neill. Good day," he said and turned around, leaving the office as quickly as he could.
Jack grinned as he got back to work, not realizing until an hour later that he might have received an e-mail from Sam. Putting aside the file from the veritable mountain his secretary brought in after his humorous meeting with Peterson, he opened his laptop and clicked on his e-mail. Sure enough there was one from Sam. He also spied one from the President, which he decided could wait until he had read Sams. He always had his priorities straight! He clicked on hers.
"Daniel called me this morning first thing complaining that you called him at 0400 and that he had been elected for the misery loves company club. I should be mad at you for making Daniel miserable, but his whine was too good of a boost to be mad at you. Blackballed, huh? I'm surprised it took them this long, mon generale. As for your other, if you think I would actually have sex with you in your office, you definitely have a screw loose. I may be adventurous, but not that much. I think you need to learn the difference between fantasy and reality, Jack. That doesn't mean we can't role play a little the next time we see each other. Maybe the wounded flyboy meets sexy lust filled nurse? I could give you a very sinful sponge bath, among other delightful activities. Well, gotta go. Later flyboy. Sam.
PS- I love you, too."
Jack almost fell out of his chair when he read her suggestion of the wounded flyboy. His overactive imagination was already thinking of the possibilities and it was way too early for that. It wasn't even 0930 yet! The woman may be the answer to all his prayers, but she could be pure evil when she wanted to be. He saved her message and then opened the one from the President.
"George warned me that you wouldn't waste any time stirring up trouble, Jack. Not even through the first day yet and you have me shouting at three stars. Granted the man was an idiot, but the first day?? Don't worry about it, though. Both George and I agree that you're the only man who can do this job and make sure it's done right. I have you on the schedule for Friday at 1000 hours. I'll talk to you then about changes you're making and what you advise for my side of things. See you then. Henry."
Jack chuckled. He had not liked Hayes from the moment he had relieved Hammond of his command of the SGC, and while the last year had not really endeared him to Hayes, he was beginning to see that the guy may be alright after all. Now it was time to get back to work. He had a few more reports to go over before a scheduled meeting with General Maynard and the SecDef.
At 1030 hours Jack showed up for his meeting with Maynard and the Secretary of Defense. It was being held in the Secretary's office and Jack was not surprised to find that the man's office was bigger than his. He was shocked at seeing the famed Pershing desk that the office traditionally used. It was absolutely massive.
"General, Mr. Secretary," Jack said politely as he took his seat at the conference table.
"I hear you're already living up to your reputation as a maverick," the Secretary said. While the tone was light, both generals knew that the Secretary was a real stickler on issues like protocol. Since the President had put the protocol officer on notice that that kind of mentality would not be tolerated when the subject was Jack O'Neill, the Secretary was prevented from speaking his mind on the issue.
"I have more important things to do than waste my time with petty chickenshit from people who are doing things that are nowhere near as important as what my office is working on," Jack said bluntly. He wanted to make a point, and the shocked look on Maynard's face told him that he was making waves. Jack could care less.
The Secretary bit his tongue to keep from reprimanding the newest member of the highest levels of the Pentagon. When he had remonstrated with the President about appointing Jack O'Neill in the first place, the President had told him that Jack worked directly for the Office of the President, not the Secretary of Defense.
"Well lets begin on an update about resource allocation and proceed from there," he suggested and opened the first folder on the table in front of him. "I see here a request from..."
By the time Jack had returned from the meeting it was time for lunch. His staff were working away and he ordered them to cease for the time being and come with him to the mess. They looked like a rather odd group to be going anywhere together, his two aides being one Army and one Marine, his Chief-of-Staff was Air Force, and his two civilian secretaries. He didn't mind. From what he had seen only that morning they were pretty well on the ball and the veritable mountain of paperwork that had made its way to the office had been reduced and dealt with so that all that remained on his desk were rather important issues. Not at all like the SGC where he had countless memos about commissary menus and supplies to sign off on.
"Okay Campers," he said as they all put their trays down. He had paid for all their lunches despite the protests of his staff, but this was the first day and he wanted to make sure they knew that he valued their work. "The number one rule at the team lunches is no business. Granted here in this place we can't, but the rule applies even in the office. So does anyone like hockey or baseball?" he asked.
Jack had to admit that while it wasn't like lunch with SG-1, this group had come close. The team spirit was forming even on this first day and he was pleased. It was humorous seeing the reactions of people noticing a general officer dining in the common mess instead of the general officers mess. The ego maniacs who wore stars in this place almost to a person swore by the whole RHIP bullshit. The one hour respite from the job he now hated, despite it being only the first day, was great, but the small depression he felt that morning was back when they had to go back to the office and work. He opened his laptop and saw two e-mails from Daniel and Hank Landry. He read Hank's first.
"Am I going to regret taking this job, Jack? I was waiting for Dr. Jackson to come to our meeting this morning and when he showed up he was barely awake. I swear the man guzzled nearly a whole pot of coffee before he was ready to have a semblance of a conversation. Then he said you woke him up at 0400 to be part of a misery loves company party. Blackballed, huh? Why am I not surprised. Give me a call later this week when things settle down. I have a million questions and everyone said to ask you. Later, Jack. Hank."
Jack grinned. Leave it to Hank to believe that he had all the answers. Obviously some people were spreading misinformation and he had a good idea who: Space Monkey! Daniel must be carrying a grudge for some reason. 0400 was nothing. The guy should know better than to trust that he would get a good nights sleep every night, especially when he had to know that Jack would be miserable. Before giving Daniel shit, he decided to read his e-mail from him first.
"I can tell you right now, Jack that I am officially miserable. I can barely keep my eyes open with all the work I have to do before I leave for Atlantis in four weeks. Then you wake me up at the ungodly hour of 0400! Love the company, my friend because you succeeded. I talked to Sam, but she didn't seem too sympathetic and Teal'c only gave that small half grin of his, so he must have been really amused! Hopefully my little hint to Landry that you have all the answers gets you deluged with all sorts of mind numbing minutia. Beyond all that, we miss you out here, Jack. Good luck on the new job and come visit as often as you can, though to see me you'll have to come to Atlantis. Hint, hint. Good luck, Jack. We're all proud of you here. Daniel."
Now Jack was in a good mood. Daniel was miserable and that made Jack's day, sort of. He was still stuck in this office hell hole, but at least he was able to get some pleasure out of it, even if Carter was unwilling to get a bit adventurous in his new soundproof office. The thought of Daniel heading to Atlantis made him a little depressed, though. He had spent the last year working hard to make sure Daniel would not go when they had a viable way of getting to and from the outpost, but in the end he had had to approve his friends wish. With Teal'c going to spend more and more time on Dakarra, that meant he only had Carter left. His family was growing up and scattering, but he would always have Carter by his side, even if they lived in different parts of the damn country. He sent off a quick e-mail to Daniel.
"Space Monkey how many times do I have to tell you that it is a sin of the first order to make me have more paperwork? Now they'll all be coming out of the wood works to ask the advice of 'The Man.' That is definitely a no no, Danny Boy. The Jack O'Neill Friendly Advice Company is definitely closed for business. Be careful what you wish for, Daniel, I may just show up on Atlantis and bug you endlessly. Now that I think of it, how about I see if I can track down that Space Pirate, Vala, and see if she wants to pay you a visit? She looked pretty hot, Daniel. Now be sure and call me. I get bored over here and I miss all you guys. I don't want to sound like a sap, but you're all my family and I'm getting pretty depressed that everyone's jumping ship. Later Daniel. Jack."
Sighing in relief now that the sappiness was done, he picked up the next file on his desk and began to read it, not really giving a damn about a slight glitch in the dialing computer that had been fixed appropriately three weeks earlier. He was definitely going to have a talk with the chair warmers and work out a clear definition of what required his attention. His earlier elation at not having to deal with worthless BS had now been shot to hell with this file. 'I wonder if Hank would give up Walter any time soon?' he asked himself. Then he realized that by now, even though it was only Hank's first full day on the job, he would know how indispensable Walter was. It was times like this that he really missed having Carter around. She used to help him write up his reports when he commanded SG-1 and also helped him work out the major reports he sent to Hammond when Hammond occupied this position. Naturally he could think of some downright awesome things to have Carter around for now, but right this minute her report writing skills were at the top of his thoughts. Then his intercom went off.
"Yeah?" he asked as he pressed the right button.
"General Maynard is here to see you, General," one of his secretaries informed him.
"Send him in," Jack ordered. He stood and made his way to the small fridge that he had finagled that morning when he was in between tasks. It had been delivered stocked with cold bottles of water. He opened it and took out one bottle. When the door opened he turned his head and lifted the bottle with a raised brow.
"Thanks," Maynard said as he closed the door and went over to take a seat on the couch.
"Here you go, Sir," Jack said, handing the older man a bottle of water and then took a long swallow out of his own.
"I guess you know that the SecDef is not too pleased with you," Maynard said calmly. He knew that he could not order Jack to do anything, so this was only a chat to see how far Jack was going to push the envelope. Hammond had warned him that while Jack was ruthlessly efficient at his work and was not to be trifled with, he was also very unorthodox in how he went about it.
"I didn't ask for this job, Sir, and frankly I considered telling the President to find someone else or I was retiring," Jack stated. "Hammond and I talked about it, though, and I agreed to do it. Not for the President or the Pentagon, but for the SGC so it could be protected from those idiots in the IOA."
"If it's any consolation, I'm on your side, Jack," Maynard admitted. "Frankly I don't care about what uniforms your staff wears in the office or if they're armed. I don't even mind that they have been ordered not to salute, stand, or budge really when a higher ranking officer or civilian comes into the office. This is your domain and you can run it any way you want."
"I know," Jack said with an almost evil smile. "Peterson got an earful this morning from El Supremo."
Maynard laughed. "You are the only one I know who would dare call our commander-in-chief El Supremo in serious conversation, Jack."
"Hayes would probably get a good laugh over it," Jack replied.
"What I really came down here for is to ask you to be a little more tactful with the SecDef," Maynard let him know. "I can't order you to, but I would consider it a personal favor. He may not be able to do anything to you, but he can make me miserable when you tick him off."
"I call em like I see em," Jack stated. "If he doesn't try any chickenshit, then I'll tone down, but if he continues with the attitude, then all bets are off. Deal?"
"Fair enough," Maynard replied, taking another drink of water. "While I'm here why don't you give me an abbreviated rundown on how you intend to run the office?"
"Sure," Jack said. "What would you like to know?"
A short while later General Maynard was ready to leave, having been impressed with the way that Jack was going to be running his office and Department. Having the President as your direct superior sure did come in handy, Maynard thought privately. Hammond had run things by the book so as not to make waves and had made it work, but anyone with any sense should know that Jack O'Neill was not a procedure oriented officer. The man disdained protocol and his manner and ideas demonstrated that.
"I'll let the word out that no one is to make trouble for you, Jack, including the rest of the Joint Chiefs," he told the younger man. He could think of a couple of service chiefs who would not appreciate Jack's blunt style.
"Thank you, General," Jack said as they shook hands and Maynard left. Sighing, he turned back to his desk where some more paperwork had somehow appeared without his noticing. Damn! Pulling his cell phone out he hit number one on his speed dial. Again, he knew what his priorities were.
"It's not even 1430 hours where you are and already you're crying for help?" came Carter's amused answer, clearly having checked who was calling her private cell phone number.
"I'm bored," Jack protested. "Are you sure you don't want to do it on my massive desk?"
Sam's loud laugh said it all. "I'm sure, Jack," she told him. "Is sex all you think about?"
"I'm entitled," Jack said almost self-righteously. "I spent eight years living like a virtual monk. Can I help it that I'm now married to the hottest woman in the universe?"
"I wouldn't say the entire universe," she chided him a bit modestly.
"Trust me on this one, Carter," Jack defended his position. "Why the hell do you think I always had you take point when we were pretty secure. You're six is the cause of many, many cold showers after missions."
"The reverse is also true, Loverboy," Sam chuckled. "Though while you were freezing Jack Junior in those showers, I was giving my toy collection a really vigorous workout."
Jack's overactive imagination pictured her pleasuring herself with the numerous sex toys she owned and groaned out loud. "Carter!" he whined. "Are you trying to kill me? How about I beam over to Area 51? I'm sure there are any number of supply closets that need inspecting."
"I'm sure that would look good to whoever found us. A Major General and a Lieutenant Colonel fucking like rabbits in a supply closet on a top secret military base. I don't think so," she told him.
"So I guess your lab's out of the question, too?" he asked, clearly depressed. It wasn't the lack of sex so much, but simply the lack of his friends nearby.
"Good guess," Sam said. She was amused, but she was also able to understand what he was feeling. He had not been happy about this new assignment, and if truth be told he had not been happy as the Commanding General of the SGC. Granted a good part of that had been the fact that she had stupidly attempted a relationship with Pete and had accepted the mans proposal, but there was also a real sense of lack of purpose not being in the field anymore. "I've got a meeting in five minutes with General Townes. Call me tonight, Jack."
"Okay," he grumbled. "Love you."
"I love you, too," she said with a wide smile as she hung up.
At 1600 Jack leaned back in his chair. He'd just got off the phone with some twit who was running a new training program with the 302 newbie pilots. To say the least, Jack was not impressed. He decided to see what happened, but ordered a set of personnel files on all the current 302 pilots who were promotable to light bird and able to take on the training leadership profile. Jack had decided that with his command came some responsibility from his subordinates. That meant that if someone didn't produce, then they were out. Granted he would not ruin someone's career over this kind of thing, but they would not be in the overall program.
He spent the next hour and a half hour working on some routine administrative duties which he was definitely going to delegate in the future once he had his system fully in place. He was far more interested in work being done on the new Daedalus class ship being constructed. Now that was a cool ship as far as Jack was concerned. He wouldn't mind being in command of that one himself. Carter would probably object, though, and he was not about to screw up now that he had her at long last. No. Field command was no longer an option for one bored, frustrated Major General named Jack O'Neill.
The last half hour he stayed at the office he worked on preparing some memos that he wanted done himself, not farmed out to his staff. They were more in the nature of 'I am in command now and this is how things are going to be done,' memos to the various commanders of the bases he was in charge of. Not only did he have direct control of the SGC, but he also had overall command of the Groom Lake Facility, Area 51, The Alpha and Beta Sites, the various 302 fighter wings, and the cruisers being built to give Earth a space fleet. He also had oversight of Atlantis, but that was shared with the IOA.
At exactly 1800 hours he turned off the laptop, gathered the remaining files into his briefcase, and then changed into his dress blues. Going out into his outer office he noticed that his staff were preparing to leave, except for the one he had appointed to remain until 2100 hours. He felt that someone should be in the office until that time each day of nothing was happening and that the rest could go home at 1800 each day, barring any emergencies or incidents. The duty would rotate and even he would take his own turn. He knew, and was preparing in his mind, that this would not last long once he became fully entrenched in the bureaucratic bullshit that the Pentagon was known for, but he could start out on an optimistic note.
"Good night everyone," Jack said as he walked through the foyer. He paused in front of Paul Davis. "Thanks for staying tonight, Paul. I appreciate it. You have my cell and page numbers."
"Yes, Sir, no problem, Sir," Paul answered with a smile. He was beginning to appreciate Jack O'Neill's style and was amazed at how much the man had accomplished in one comparatively short work day.
Jack O'Neill was a depressed and tired man when he walked into his townhouse at about 2030 hours. He had stopped by a nice steakhouse a few blocks from where he lived and enjoyed a good meal, but his melancholy was beginning to ramp up a few notches. The day had started out miserably, progressed to a major bore, and ended with a thud as he came home to an empty house. At least when he had been commanding the SGC the last year he had been with his friends. Now he was with new people and a new, but unwelcome, environment. To top it all off, Sam was in Nevada instead of with him.
At this last thought he angrily tossed his keys on the hall side table and dropped his briefcase on the table in the small office of his place where he fully intended to ignore the paperwork he brought home. To top it all off, he was tired for some crazy reason and all he had been doing was paperwork! How the hell does someone get tired from that??
Pulling off his uniform and donning some Academy sweats, he grabbed a beer from the fridge and settled down on his couch with a movie. Sam had left Top Gun and he had nothing else unpacked from his movie collection, so Top Gun it was.
An hour into the movie he was nodding off fast, so he turned it off and went to his bedroom to hit the sack. Just as he laid down his cell phone rang. Damn!
"What?!" he snarled frustratedly.
"I'll assume from that lovely voice that the rest of your day was a success?" Sam chuckled in amusement.
"Sure," Jack groaned. "Mock my misery."
Sam chuckled some more. She had known he would not be happy this evening, so she had decided to call him and cheer him up.
"Well I can't have my sexy, wounded Flyboy miserable, now can I?" she said in a sexy voice. "Why don't you lie back and let Nurse Carter take care of you. I know just the thing for a sexy guy like you."
"Ooh, kinky," Jack said with a smirk and a hint of excitement. He was definitely thanking any deity that might be listening for the incredible woman that was his Carter. Of course he was her Jack, but he was in a selfish mood tonight. She had refused to beam over and make out on his desk, after all.
"What shall we start with tonight," he heard in his ear. "A sponge bath or an all over full body massage?" the real Sam Carter said from the door to his bedroom.
Jack sat up instantly. "Carter??" he said in shock and pure delight. He definitely noticed that she was wearing a white nurses uniform. "Oh my God!" he breathed out.
Sam smiled as she sauntered over to his bed. "I couldn't let my Flyboy be so miserable after only one day on the job," she said with a glance down to a certain piece of his anatomy which was tenting the front of his sweats.
"I think you've hit on the perfect cure," Jack smiled widely. He laid back. "Be gentle with me," he said with a pretend moan of discomfort. "Your Flyboy is feeling pretty banged up tonight."
As Sam climbed on the bed and rolled him over onto his stomach, Jack had to admit that if this was the kind of evening he could expect every once in a while, then maybe the new job wasn't so bad after all. Oh well, he would worry about that in the morning. For now, he was going to enjoy Wounded Flyboy/Lust Filled Nurse night. Sweet!