This is my first story. It's a slight crossover between Stargate SG-1 and the West Wing. Set during Season 9 or later for Stargate (Jack's head of Homeworld Security) and Season 1 for the West Wing. I always thought telling President Bartlett about the Stargate Program would make a good crossover, so I wrote the plot bunny and took the plunge on this site at the same time.
Neither the characters of Stargate SG-1 or the West Wing are mine. I'm only messing with them, and I humbly bow to the genius of Aaron Sorking.
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"Jack."
"Daniel."
"You're a chicken."
"Just because I don't want to tell the President by myself? They usually don't take it so well. I need help convincing Bartlett."
"Like I said, you're a chicken."
"It was an excuse to get you to Washington though." Jack smirked. "The Joint Chiefs like keeping me on a short leash. They seem to be afraid of what'll happen if they give me free reign."
Daniel laughed.
Mrs. Landingham looked up from her computer. "The President will see you now."
Jack and Daniel walked into the Oval Office. The President was standing in front of his desk, talking with his Chief of Staff, Leo McGary. "Sir?" Jack said, actually sounding tentative. "General Jack O'Neill, Secretary of Homeworld Security.
"I thought it was Homeland Security. My predecessor seemed concerned that you stay in your office. He promised it would be explained. I'm still waiting. You see it's not that I have anything against you personally, I just don't think that the military should be holding the job because you tend to be…well… militant."
Jack listened to the President's speech impassively. "Yes, sir. I'm here to explain that and I asked Dr. Jackson to be here to help. However I must request that Mr. McGary leaves the room first."
Leo looked surprised for a moment. "I have the highest security clearance."
"The highest civilian security clearance. Mr. President, what we're about to brief you on, we will brief no one else on. Not even the Vice President. If at a later date you decide it is absolutly necessary for anyone else to know then they will be read in. But only then." Jack returned.
"Leo?"
"I'll touch base with you later Mr. President."
Jack waited until Leo vanished through the connecting door to his office. "Daniel?"
Silently, Daniel moved around the office closing the open doors securely and checking the others. "We're good Jack."
"Are you Secret Service? Because you don't quite act like you're military and I don't see any other way you would know the General." the President asked Daniel.
"No, sir" Daniel said, speaking for the first time since entering the Oval Office. "I'm a civilian contractor with the Air Force, and I worked with the general when he was posted at Cheyenne Mountain."
"That's where NORAD is, right?"
Jack jumped in, "Yes, sir. But that's really only window dressing now. If you would allow us to get started?"
"Of course." The President waved his hand in approval while he took a sip of his copy.
"Daniel?"
Daniel cleared his throat. "In 1928, a dig in Gaza, Egypt turned up a remarkable artifact. A stone circle, two stories high, that later became known as the Stargate. Approxiamately ten years ago after intensive study, it was determined that the gate was a device used for interplanetary travel, and a preliminary mission was sent through to a planet known as Abydos. After the successful completion of the mission the gate was deactivated due to the mistaken belief that the gate only went to that planet. A year later, we discovered how to compensate for stellar drift and successfully utilized the gate to take us to another planet, Chulak. After this mission Stargate Command was formed with its mandate to explore the galaxy and acquire any technologies and allies to be used for the defense of the planet."
President looked up, astonished. "You've got to be kidding me. Did the Joint Chiefs put you up to this? I know I don't have a lot of military experience, but I didn't think they disliked me that much."
"It's the absolute truth, Mr. President," Jack spoke softly. "Daniel was the one who figured out how to open the gate."
"You're serious." The President seemed shocked. And honestly, who wasn't after finding out the truth? "I'm not sure whether to believe you two or have you committed."
"I believe you have an upcoming trip to Cheyenne Mountain scheduled?" Daniel asked. The other two looked at him in astonishment. "What? I heard some of your staff complaining about it. You don't have to believe us right away. We'll show you."
"Meanwhile, there's a sealed box full of early mission reports waiting outside for you to read at your leisure." Jack continued where Daniel left off. "And sir?"
"Yes?" said the President, eyebrows raised.
"It might have...interesting...foreight policy implications if you were to replace me. Not that I'm all that attached to the job. Too much paperwork."
Daniel chuckled quietly to himself.
The President wore a thoughtful expression, "Well…I think you're going to need to prove it to me. I suppose I'll see you in two weeks Dr. Jackson. And General? You'll be remaining Secretary of Home...world Security for the time being. At least until I get to the bottom of this."
"Thank you, Mr. President." the two said in unison.
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"Well, it could have gone worse Jack," Daniel commented as they left the oval office.
"Yeah he could have had us committed like he threatened," Jack replied darkly.
Leo walked back into the Oval Office. "What was that all about?"
The President glanced up at him. "I'll let you know once I'm sure they're not crazy.
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Two Weeks Later
Josh Lyman frowned. "I don't understand why the President is making this stop at Cheyenne Mountain. It's not like it's anything important politically, or like he's here to give an inspiring speech to the Air Force geeks watching outer space."
Charlie Young frowned. "And because of this stopover he's going to be a bear in the morning."
Josh laughed, "I wouldn't have your job for the world."
"Yeah, you get paid more. I don't get paid nearly enough…"
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"Dannyboy, how ya been?"
"Damn, Jack, way to scare the crap out of a person!"
"Sorry," Jack replied, insincerely apologetic. "Anyway the President's almost here, so…come meet and greet with me and Landry?"
"Sure, why not?" Daniel sighed, putting away his translation work.
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The elevator descended to the bottom level of NORAD. The President emerged trailed by aides, staffers, and Secret Service. General O'Neill stepped forward. "Welcome to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex Mr. President. If you and you alone would step this way, we'd be delighted to give you a tour of the facility."
"And what goes on here again?" the President asked pensively.
"Deep Space Radar Telemetry" replied Landry. "I'm General Landry, commanding officer of this base."
"Nice to meet you. Good to see you again Dr. Jackson. You never specified the last time we met, what exactly you do as a civilian consultant."
Daniel glanced cautiously around the gathering, "I have three Ph.D.s in archaeology, linguistics, and anthropology. I do a lot of translation work."
"Well, this shouldn't take long. I'll be right back, make yourselves comfortable people." The President started towards the second elevator flanked by the ever present Secret Service bodyguards.
"Sir?" Jack called softly. "The Secret Service personnel cannot accompany you. They don't have the security clearance."
"Our job is to protect the President."
"This is the most secure military facility on the planet. Nothing will happen to him."
It took some convincing and probably some threats, but eventually the Secret Service acquiesced, extremely reluctantly, and the President descended to level 28.
Upon entering the control room everyone snapped to attention.
In vain the President tried to get out first, "Keep your seats." Failing that he settled for "At ease," and turned his attention to the enormous circle visible through the window. "So that's it?"
It was Daniel who spoke up this time, "Yes, sir."
Jack turned to Carter, who was sitting at the dialing computer for this demonstration. "Dial it up, Colonel Carter, alpha site please."
"Yes, sir."
In the room beyond, the inner ring began spinning, each chevron lighting up in turn as its coordinate was entered. "Chevron seven locked."
With a whoosh, the vortex of the gate surged outward, before settling into the normal, rippling water effect of an active Stargate.
The President jumped. "Well, I guess you aren't certifiable."