Chapter Nine: Secrets
SGC 2-6-97
"This way Colonel. We have to take a second elevator, it's a long way down." said McLeod.
"I know, I've been here before." replied O'Neill looking a bit put off.
"Ah, I'm sorry sir, I wasn't aware of that." said Duncan sheepishly.
"You look a bit old to be a Lieutenant. What's your story?" Jack asked.
The Highlander shuffled his feet a little, "I can't tell you that sir; it's classified."
O'Neill grunted. He wasn't surprised.
Major Samuels was waiting for them when the doors finally opened. He glanced at McLeod disdainfully. "You're dismissed Lieutenant."
McLeod barely kept his dislike of Samuels in check. "Yes sir." He saluted the Major smartly and walked away down another corridor.
O'Neill's opinion of McLeod went up a notch, he didn't care much for Samuels either. "Lead on Major."
Samuels frowned but he followed his orders and led O'Neill to Genera Hammond's office.
"General Hammond? Colonel Jack O'Neill." Samuels said by way of introduction.
"Retired." put in O'Neill as he stepped up to Hammond's Desk.
Hammond glanced up from a report Dr. Warner had made on one of the alien bodies they had recovered from the Gate Room. "I can see that. I'm on my last tour myself, time to start putting my thoughts together, maybe write a book. Have you ever thought about writing your memoirs Colonel?"
"I've thought about it, but then I'd have to shoot anyone who read it." Hammond looked at him curiously. "It's a joke sir, most of my work for the last ten years has been classified."
"I see." said Hammond sizing O'Neill up.
"Samuels mentioned something about the Stargate." said O'Neill, trying to get the conversation on to something more productive.
"Down to business, I can do that. This way Colonel." said Hammond as he rose and headed toward the door.
Shortly afterward they entered the Infirmary. Dr. Warner was waiting for them and pulled the sheet back from a strapped down body on a gurney.
"Anyone you know Colonel?" asked Hammond seriously.
O'Neill looked at the body and shrank back upon seeing the "Pouch" the body had in it's stomach.
"They're not human." said Warner, stating the obvious.
"Ya think?" O'Neill replied sarcastically.
"These people have, for lack od a better term, a pouch like a Marsupial." said Warner, oblivious to the sarcasm, or at least refusing to acknowledge it.
"Like a Kangaroo?" asked Samuels.
Warner nodded. "We haven't done an autopsy yet, but that's what we think it is."
O'Neill took a closer look. "Gross…"
"Colonel, these people – or aliens, whatever you want to call them, came through the Stargate, killed four of my people and kidnapped another using advanced weapons." said Hammond.
"Weapons sir?" O'Neill asked.
Methos stepped forward carrying a Staff Weapon activating it and pointing in O'Neill's direction.
O'Neill ducked and yelled. "HEY! Watch where you're pointing that thing!"
Methos smirked and shut down the device. Hammond looked pissed as well.
"Captain! You're beginning to try my patience!"
Methos looked apologetically at the General. "Sorry sir. It won't happen again, but I wanted to see his reaction."
Hammond nodded and turned to O'Neill. "I take it you've seen one of those things before?"
"Yes sir, but there were no creatures like that on Abydos. Those people were human, Ra brought them there from Earth, thousands of years ago." said Jack, eyeing Methos.
"I know all about that Colonel, I've read your reports. Ra was some kind of alien occupying a human body right?" Hammond asked.
"Right, his eyes glowing was our first clue." replied O'Neill.
"Are you sure he's dead Colonel?" Hammond asked, his face was deadly serious.
Soberly O'Neill responded. "Unless he can survive having a tactical nuke blowing up in his face, yes sir, he dead."
"These people," Hammond said gesturing toward the Jaffa corpse. "were guarding another individual who retreated back through the gate before we could stop them. I got a good look at his eyes Colonel, they glowed."
Methos whispered into the General's ear. "General, I think I may have the answer to all of this."
O'Neill looked at Methos curiously. He DID know how to use a Staff Weapon, the ease with which he had hefted the weapon earlier said as much. Just exactly who was this guy who had the General's "ear" so-to-speak.
Hammond eyed Methos for a moment. "My office, now. Samuels I want you to supervise the Autopsy of the "Alien", see to it."
Samuels looked pissed as he walked off.
Hammond led Methos and O'Neill back to his office. When they got there he ordered an SF to get McLeod.
A few minutes later the highlander walked into the room. "General? You sent for me sir?"
"Have a seat son, Pierson, this had better be good." Hammond told Methos.
"I think we can trust O'Neill, General. Though I think he did flub his report." said Methos looking at Jack expectantly.
O'Neill was put off. "I stand by my report sir."
"Are you sure of that Colonel?" asked Hammond testily.
O'Neill straitened himself. "Yes sir."
"Then you won't mind if I go ahead with our plan." said Hammond.
"Plan sir?" Jack asked, feeling the pit of his stomach beginning to tighten.
"We're going to send a bomb through to Abydos. A Mark Five this time." said Hammond reaching for the phone.
"General, you can't do that!" said O'Neill bolting form his chair.
"The countdown's already started, unless you have something to add…" said Hammond, fishing.
O'Neill sighed sadly and then squared his shoulders. "Sir, I regret to inform you that my report is not completely accurate."
"You didn't detonate the bomb!" said the General, still fishing. He had a feeling he knew what had happened.
"Oh I did that sir. Ra was destroyed. It was Ra's ship when it blew, however sir, his ship was in orbit at the time. Neither the Gate nor the people of Abydos were affected." said a reluctant retired Colonel.
"So, you violated direct orders. Why?" Hammond said.
"The people of Abydos deserved to live. They were no threat to anyone, the threat was Ra. Once he was gone there was no reason to kill all those people." said Jack heatedly.
"That wasn't up to you Colonel." said Hammond.
"With all due respect sir, if I had reported the Gate was still intact they would have sent a bomb. just like you're doing now." replied Jack.
"He's right, you would have General. How many people are on Abydos Colonel?" said Methos.
"That we saw, about five thousand or so." O'Neill said eyeing Methos and McLeod with suspicion. He turned back to Hammond. "Sir, just what is going on here?"
Hammond looked at Methos. "Captain Adam Pierson and Lieutenant Duncan McLeod are here on direct orders from the President. I'll leave it up to them to divulged their purpose here." Hammond thought about how many lives he might be about to snuff out and then picked up the phone. "This is Hammond, abort the count down. Yes, that's right, you heard me correctly… Major, if I have to come down there… good." He hung up the phone. "Now what?"
"Now the Colonel tells us the truth, all of it…" replied Methos.
O'Neill had the feeling of walking on hot coals…
The Gate Room: Thirty Minutes Later
The Stargate was dialing up Abydos.
"I hope you know what you're doing." said Hammond to O'Neill.
"Piece of cake sir, Daniel will know this comes from me and not someone like say Samuels over there…" replied Jack as he gestured with a box of Kleenex.
Methos smiled, he understood exactly where O'Neill was going with this.
The Stargate activated and O'Neill through the box into the event horizon.
Sergeant Walter Harriman spoke as he sat at the dialing computer. "The um, object will reach Abydos in five seconds. Four, three, two, one…"
The Gate shut itself down less than a second later.
"Now what?" said Hammond.
"Now sir? Now we wait." said O'Neill.
Next: Chapter Ten: Tragedies and Homecomings