Surrounded by the usual armed soldiers, Sam waited in the gateroom, near the end of the gateramp. She straightened up and smiled on seeing Bra'tac then Teal'c emerge from the active event horizon, which then vanished after a few moments. The two robed Jaffa walked towards the General, and Sam greeted them warmly as they handed over their staff weapons to a nearby soldier, and the others disarmed.
"Master Bra'tac. Teal'c. It's good to see you again."
Teal'c nodded with a fond smile. He then looked grave as Bra'tac replied, a brief smile on his face, "I wish that I could say the same, GeneralJackson."
Gauging the seriousness of the situation, Sam gestured for the two to follow her out of the gateroom. "I figured as much. Please, follow me." As they made their way to the briefing room, ascending the stairs beside the control room, she asked Teal'c, "Teal'c, how is everything?"
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at her knowingly as she concealed a smile. "Otherwise as normal."
Arriving in the briefing room, as Walter hurriedly cleared the remnants of the previous briefing, Sam stood at the head of the table and invited the Jaffa to sit. After whispering something to the Sergeant, she sat down herself, and Bra'tac began,
"A Lucian Alliance vessel fired upon a Free Jaffa vessel without provocation. At first, it was claimed to have been an accident, but many in the Council refused to believe that, after all that our brothers and sisters have endured, and after the work we all did to ratify the treaty between our peoples and the Tok'ra. Skirmishes erupted..." Cam and Jack entered the room, Sam and Teal'c nodding to them in greeting as the old Jaffa continued, "... and relations have once again become volatile. The Tok'ra have quite wisely taken no sides... however, Jaffa who once served Lord Yu mounted an assault on a Tok'ra base due to perceived bias with the Lucian Alliance." Bra'tac sighed. "The Treaty, right now, is meaningless. I fear that it will descend into a full-scale war if nothing is done about it... and Teal'c's children, as the children of our brothers and sisters, will taste the bloodshed that we did not wish for them to taste, and which we barely endured for our freedom. Right now, the Council is so divided... I fear too that Jaffa will once again take the life of their own brothers and sisters like we were forced to during those millennia of slavery."
A stunned silence fell on the room as they each considered how the power vacuum left by the demise of the Goa'uld and then the Ori was affecting the galaxy. Sam said, looking regretful, "You know there isn't much more that we can do without looking to the Council as though we're taking over things. And, unfortunately, at the moment, Daniel's in the Pegasus galaxy and isn't due back for at least a month or so. He's the most experienced and most qualified negotiator that I could send... anyone less, it would be an insult to all parties."
Bra'tac looked regretful. "I understand, GeneralJackson. However, there are far too many lives at stake to not do something at this stage to work towards peace. We all want that. The matter here is what we are willing to do to achieve that."
Jack said, leaning forward, "Here's an idea. You could do it yourself. It's not like you haven't yelled at a bunch of kids before to stop fighting."
Teal'c's eyebrow rose as Bra'tac replied, a little bemused, "O'Neill, as usual, it is much more than that. I represent the interests of my brother Jaffa. DanielJackson, on the other hand, represents all parties' interests, even though he is from Earth. Any other negotiator from your planet would be perceived as having bias, such as your Mr Woolsey. It is well known among our peoples that DanielJackson will do the right thing for everyone, regardless of your government's interests."
Cam raised a hand. "Wait a second." When everyone turned to look at him, he continued, looking as though he was trying to figure something out, "I was with the Tok'ra not that long ago... days, in fact. Apart from the usual condescension, there was nothing to suggest that relations were any worse than they have been recently... although their opinion of us probably is not as high as it once was with only myself, T, and an IOA delegation being there to renew the Treaty."
Jack and Teal'c quietly regarded the Colonel as Sam nodded slightly as though in deep thought. Their attention was drawn back to Bra'tac, who replied, "Well, the Tok'ra are a proud people, as your team-mates of old will tell you. However, the attack on the Tok'ra base by those who had served Lord Yu occurred a day or so after you returned to Earth, ColonelMitchell."
Jack raised his eyebrows briefly. "Well, Bra'tac... we'd love to help out... but our secret or not-so secret weapon is several galaxies over..."
Sam glanced at Jack and then cut in quickly. "There is always Jonas Quinn." When Jack glared at her, not liking the suggestion that Jonas yet again could be counted as a substitute for the Archaeologist, Sam continued, "He's not Daniel... not by a long shot, but he is almost as enthusiastic, and, after Daniel, he is the most knowledgeable about the political situation within the galaxy."
Bra'tac began, "Is there no way for..."
Sam shook her head, wanting to use Daniel only as a last resort. "I'm sorry, Bra'tac... I really am, but it takes three weeks of travel by ship to get to Atlantis... and the gate bridge is defunct." She mentally steeled herself as she felt the old Jaffa's disappointment. "If you are willing to wait for him, which I strongly disapprove of if the situation is as bad as you've said... he should be back by next month. Believe me when I say that had he known that things would go like this, he would never have gone."
Jack remarked, regarding the Brigadier-General with guarded bitterness, "He wouldn't have gone if his CO hadn't been so pushy either."
Sam narrowed her eyes at the Lieutenant-General briefly as Teal'c raised an eyebrow. She then said to Bra'tac, "Jonas is in Canada with his wife... but he has agreed to be contacted in case of emergency... and I should think that this counts as one."
Bra'tac regarded her thoughtfully for a moment. He finally nodded. "Very well, GeneralJackson."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Sam toured the base for the second and last time that day before she would go home. She had a great many things to deal with, and she sighed as she considered the latest developments. She hoped that Carolyn wouldn't hold her decision to recall Jonas against her. It hadn't been an easy decision, but the General was well aware that she was in a position to be accused of bias when she was fully capable of recalling her own husband from Atlantis somehow.
Okay, so bringing Jonas home was more practical and a lot quicker, but still...
Sam smiled a little as she walked into her lab to see Doctor Lee bent over a work table, typing into a laptop as he tested a device that he was working on. She watched him, already missing the days when she had the time to spend hours and even days in that same lab, doing the same work. Now her involvement was mostly limited to reading reports, and attending briefings, which frequently turned into full-blown discussions and debates. She smiled a little.
"Anything good?"
Bill looked up with a start. He said, surprised, and then awkward, "Hey, General... Sam..."
Sam grimaced a little. "Sam's still good. It's not like you're military."
"Sorry. Still not used to that. Anyway." He stared at her for a moment, as though he had lost his train of thought. She glanced down for a moment before nodding, looking at the device next to him. She nodded again with a bemused smile and then he said, realising as he gestured to it, "Ah, this? Yes. It's the device that SG-1 brought back with them from P4X-221 last week. Well, by SG-1, I mean Colonel Mitchell... and SG-3..."
She said firmly, encouraging him to get on with his explanation, "Doctor Lee."
He gulped. "Right, sorry." He glanced at the device once again. "It's emitting low levels of tachyon radiation, consistent with most Ancient tech..."
She instantly perked up on hearing the word 'tachyon'. She entered the lab and looked at his laptop screen with a frown. "How low?"
Bill waved dismissively as he pressed a few buttons on the laptop. "Oh, we're talking micro-grays here. See, it's emitting at a peak rate of point five micro-grays. It's perfectly safe."
She squinted a little. "I'd rather wait 'til we know what it is before we make that judgement." She cocked her head as she mused over the readings shown on the screen. She said quietly, "Daniel, stop it... he's doing his best."
Bill looked at her curiously, and Sam asked, eventually looking at him, "Uh... what?"
"You can still talk to Daniel?"
She appeared confused as she glanced away from him and then back at him. "What are you talking about? Of course not."
He raised a finger briefly as he squinted at her. "I'm pretty sure I just heard you talk to him."
She suddenly reddened in embarrassment and she looked down. "Ah, I said that aloud, didn't I?"
"Uh-huh."
She shook her head and said, still not looking at him, "I'm used to hearing him inside my head even when he's not around. I guess it was just automatic because I know what he'd be saying right now."
He resumed working. "Yeah. I know he doesn't like me."
"Oh no... he likes you. It's just he can get impatient... and even arrogant if you're nowhere near his wavelength." She smiled a little as she glanced at him. "Light."
"Excuse me?"
She looked down for a moment and then pointed at the device in question. "Artificial light." She connected it to a portable generator nearby. She pressed a button and then the entire lab was swamped in a bright light. "I'm just hoping that we haven't been transported into another dimension." She blindly reached for the device, pressing a couple of buttons until the light steadily dimmed. "There ya go. These two control brightness... this one..." She pressed a different button, and the light disappeared. "... that looks like the standby button."
Bill looked at her sceptically, an eyebrow raised. "Ancient knowledge, huh?"
Sam, embarrassed, looked away and then said, shaking her head, "Nope... a hunch. Nice little human hunch. Now if you'll excuse me I've got to go home before I give into temptation and stay the night."
She left the lab and Bill called after her, "Bye, Sam. Say 'hi' to the kids for me." He straightened his collar, muttering to himself as he got back to himself, "Okay, Uncle Bill... one step at a time."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Hundreds of older children and young teenagers of varying ages spilled out of a school. Some of the children gathered in small groups; others ran or walked to parked cars waiting at the kerb, whilst others boarded a yellow bus. In amidst the throng and rush, Cammie waited as some boys talked to James. Rolling her eyes as her brother showed no sign of wanting to go, Cammie took to calling him. After a couple of minutes of intermittent distracted waving from her enthralled sibling, she sighed and grabbed him by the rucksack, dragging the protesting boy away.
En route to the yellow bus, James managed to free himself from his sister's grasp. He said, scowling, "Cameron, you're so impatient."
"I want to go home. I don't want to hang around 'til next year waiting for you. We've both got a lot of homework... and Mom's gonna be lonely."
"You could have gone home without me."
Cammie glared at him as they neared a growing queue for the bus. "Yeah, right. Mom would kill me. If you left me behind, I swear she wouldn't yell at you."
"You're silly. Mom loves all of us."
"You've got to see through the propaganda, Jimmy."
James' reply was cut short by a man dressed in a black suit and sunglasses approaching them. James looked at Cammie with a little frown, and the girl shrugged, silently gesturing for him to keep walking. The man eventually jogged towards them, calling, "Hey! James and Cameron Jackson, right?" When the children ignored him, he said, "I'm your Uncle Pete."
Cammie frowned in confusion, and James replied politely, "I think you're mistaken, Sir. We don't have an Uncle Pete."
The man crouched in the grass in front of them, removing his sunglasses. He smiled pleasantly. "Sorry. Sam never mentioned me?" They exchanged a glance, both shaking their heads. Pretending to grimace, he said, "Ah, I'm sorry. I'm Pete Shanahan. I used to work with your Mom a long time ago." He smiled. "Come on, I'll give you a lift home."
The children both shook their heads, and Cammie replied, "No, thank you. We're not allowed to."
"Listen... your Uncle Jack and Uncle Cam give you lifts, right? Well, I'm your Uncle the same way. Sam just asked me to pick you up from school so I get to know you better. You see, I've been away a while... you know, working." Pete cocked his head briefly. "Your Dad's out of town right now, isn't he? Your Mom tell you where he's gone?"
James replied, "Dad's working in Antarctica. He's a Cultural Advisor for the Air Force... and he's a diplomat too. He helped make the Antarctic Non-Proliferation Treaty."
"Those are big words for an eight year old."
Cammie scowled at Pete as James smiled. The boy said, "Dad's a Philologist as well."
Pete nodded with a grin that was a little too bright. "I know. I know your Dad very well." Keeping an eye on the yellow bus, which was beginning to pull away, he said, looking at Cammie, "You know, you look a lot like your Dad."
Cammie made a face and then smiled shyly. "I'm not a man."
"Aww, I'm sure your Mom will explain it better than me." He looked at the bus, which was now speeding away, and feigned surprise and dismay. "Oh, drat... you missed your bus." As Cammie and James looked panicked, he said, "Come on, I'll give you a lift or you'll get in trouble. Your Mom can be pretty scary."
James hesitated before nodding and going with Pete. Cammie, however, said, looking unsure as she backed away towards the school, "I'm gonna call Mom... I've got her work number."
Pete, looking rather jolly, said, "Oh! Didn't she tell you? Of course! She couldn't. The phone lines at Cheyenne Mountain are down. One of the engineers messed up or something. And her cell won't work as she's gonna be late home today."
He smiled at her disarmingly and then took James' hand, leading him towards a black sedan. "Come on, James..." Cammie continued to back away, an indescribable instinct flaring up within her. She turned, about to run back into the school when another man dressed in black intercepted her. He grabbed her hand, and Pete called, "Cammie, come on, don't be difficult. That's your Uncle James... you can call him Uncle Merek though if it confuses you too much."
Merek crouched down and said quietly as he looked into a now petrified Cammie's eyes, "You can call your Mom when we're in the car... or Uncle Teal'c." When Cammie looked surprised at the name, Merek nodded, smiling. "See? How would I know your Uncle Murray's secret name? The name only you, your family, and your Mom and Dad's friends are allowed to call him."
After a moment of confusion, Cammie, still looking uncertain, let herself be led to the car. She was seated next to James before Merek shut the door. As Pete and Merek conferred outside, some distance away from the car, Cammie shook her head, and whispered to her brother, "Something doesn't feel right. The school's got a list of who's allowed to pick us up. These guys aren't on it. Why hasn't a teacher stopped them?"
James shrugged just as a teacher approached the men, glancing in concern at the children in the car. The boy smiled and said, "It's Mrs Allen."
He was just about to wave when Pete brandished a gun, silently shooting the teacher, who crumpled to the ground. Now absolutely petrified, Cammie tried to open the door to escape, but found it to be locked. As James began to cry, the girl punched the door a few times, and the two men got into the car. As Pete sped away, Merek turned to look at the children calmly.
"I suggest that you two calm down right now."
James continued to cry, and Cammie screamed in rage. "You're a murderer! Let us go! Now! Or I'll scream!"
"Scream all you want, hon... that glass is soundproof. Turn it down a little though... we can still get headaches."
James began to cry harder as Cammie screamed louder. Merek began to twitch slightly as Pete glanced at him worriedly. Suddenly, Merek yelled at the top of his voice, making his accomplice jump, "THAT'S ENOUGH!"
The two now quietly whimpered, and Merek continued, trying to compose himself, "That's much better. I don't know how your parents cope with you especially, Cameron. Jesus Christ." Now looking calm again, he looked back at them. "Now I suggest that you two co-operate... then no-one gets hurt, okay? We're just going to borrow you for a little while... give ya back safe and sound if your Mom behaves herself. You got that?"
When neither child said anything, Merek raised his voice. "I said... you got that?"
James nodded quickly but Cammie glared defiantly at the Trust Agent. When Merek raised his eyebrows challengingly at her, she angrily spat, her arms folded across her chest defiantly, "Go to hell. When our Mom finds you, you are so dead."
"Believe me, when I tell you everything, you're not gonna want her to find you. She's been hiding a lot from you... and you should know, especially when it concerns you, and your brothers and sisters." Merek smiled sweetly as Pete shook his head slightly. "Now be a good girl... and button it."
