A/N: To my disdain, the next chapter will be the last with an epilogue. hopefully, there will be a sequel in the future.
CHAPTER 10
Two
Weeks Previously
Evening
of Disclosure
They had gathered around the big screen television at LoCocco's cabin. They made for a motley group. Agent Malcolm Barrett from the NID. Agent Tony DiNozzo from NCIS. Vincent Terranova, small time hoodlum. Frank McPike and Daniel Burroughs of the OCB. Susan Profitt of Commodum Enterprises. And of course, Roger LoCocco, host to this most bizarre of events. They sat, glued to the television, hanging on every word that President Hayes said. Barrett knew much of this, but there were parts he didn't know about. Still, it was one thing knowing that you knew the truth, and quite another realizing the entire world now knew the truth. Barrett didn't know what the TRUST was planning, but he had gotten an encrypted email that afternoon from General Hammond informing him that the SGC had been compromised. O'Neill and various others had been replaced with TRUST clones. Whatever they had planned, wouldn't be good for Earth.
When the President was done at last, they looked at one another, coming to the conclusion that the stakes had just changed. It wasn't just some companies hell bent on taking advantage of alien technologies. No. It was now some companies hell bent on taking over the world. That was the only conclusion they could come to.
"Oh God. They don't want to make a profit. They want to be in control!"
"What? Susan? What do you mean?"
"Hell. It makes perfect sense now. They're replacing SGC members with clones. They'd be the only ones who stood a chance at fighting them!"
"Agent Barrett?"
"Call me Malcolm. If we're going to be working together, well 'Agent' is a little formal. But you see what I mean? If the SGC is considered the front lines for the defense of Earth, and if they've replaced the major players there with TRUST clones and lackeys, then whatever they're planning must be BIG with a capital B-I-G!"
"He's right Buckwheat. The stakes just got a whole lot bigger."
"What do we do?"
"We set up a plan. We carry it out. And we walk away quietly, knowing we're heroes."
"Sounds good to me."
Outside the Cabin
Vincent was walking by himself just outside of the cabin. He wasn't a strategist. He was a foot soldier. Tell him what to do and he'd do it. But strategy wasn't his strength. He left that to those who could like McPike. He was lost in thought, thinking back on how he'd gotten here. So lost that he didn't hear her approach, though he should have. He'd been expecting her to approach him since he knew she was coming here.
"Vincent."
"Susan. You're looking good. It's been a long time."
"It has. You've changed. Gotten older. More handsome, I think."
"I, uh, thanks."
"Promise me one thing, Vinnie?"
"If I can."
"Promise me that when this is all over, you'll introduce me to someone willing to do business with my company. You can't imagine how hard it is to run a legitimate business these days. Too many people expect me to do things like Mel did. I don't want that."
"I'll see what I can do."
"Are you still associated with the mob?"
"Not as much as I used to be. I own a small deli in Newark, have a few clients who are wise guys, that's about it."
"We could've been really good together. We still could."
"One step at a time, Susan. It's been years for me. I haven't been with anyone in years, and I'm afraid. Afraid that you won't like who I really am."
"I've always liked you Vinnie. Even when I was ill, I still thought about you."
"One step at a time, Susan. Let's get this done, then discuss it? There is, after all, no guarantee that any of will survive the next few weeks."
"Alright. But I'll hold you to that."
"You do that."
Next Morning
They'd been up all night planning, strategizing, discarding, and thinking. But they had a plan they could work from. Mayfield was already a customer of the RLC school. Roger would make an appointment with RLC and offer Mayfield advanced paramilitary training for her soldiers. Vinnie would be one of the instructors, and Roger would make him look very good to a prospective Mayfield. In fact, Vinnie would go along with Roger as a personal bodyguard and driver.
In the meantime, McPike and Burroughs would head north to Virginia to setup a base of operations. Susan would provide some front money to make things go faster and DiNozzo and Barrett would play the part of two agents in a multi-agency task force attempting to dig up information on the TRUST. It was a two pronged attack; one covert, the other overt.
That
Afternoon
Farrow-Marshall
Building
Charlotte Mayfield couldn't help but wonder why the head of RLC, a Mr. Roger LoCocco wanted to meet with her. RLC had been responsible for training some of her better guards, but the ones she really needed were all ex-military. No one else could give that sort of training, at least in the civilian sector. She needed that resource, but more than anything what she really needed was a reliable person to lead her troops. Reginald might be good in bed, but a leader of men he wasn't.
The man, no, correction, men that she saw walk into her office looked cold and hard. One carried himself easily, but his eyes told the tale; hard as stone and colder than ice. Definitely a killer of men. The other dark haired one, carried himself like a protector. His eyes constantly flitting about the room, always looking for threats to his boss. He looked like he had been chiseled from stone. This was a man who'd had a hard living, who'd earned his muscles not in a gym somewhere, but on the battlefield. In other words, her type of man.
"Good afternoon."
"Ms. Mayfield."
"I must admit, I am curious as to why you requested this meeting."
"Occasionally, I like to meet my clients face to face, to see what has become of the people I've trained for them. And to offer a special advanced class in paramilitary tactics."
"Tactics? I didn't think you had a military background, Mr. LoCocco."
"I caught the tail end of Viet Nam as an Army Ranger. Then went to work as a contractor to the CIA, training the troops in Central and South America, with a brief detour to Afghanistan and the Congo."
"Did you train the winning or loosing sides?"
"Both. Now, in the past year or so, you've sent over two hundred men and women through my school. I thought perhaps with that many 'guards' you'd care to have some with a little more training."
"You're right, of course. Though I had thought to send them to the Ravenwood school for their advanced training."
"That would've been a mistake. I know the instructors over there. I know them cause I turned them down for employment. They just weren't up to my standards, but then again, few men are."
"And your bodyguard?"
"What, Vincent here? He and I met during the failed coup attempt on Isle Pavot. He saved my neck, and I saved his. We walked out there alive, but everyone we'd been sent in with was dead."
"Are you also a Ranger, Mr. Vincent?"
"No ma'am. Urban Warfare Specialist." It wasn't far from the truth, after all he had been a 'foot soldier' in various crime families.
"Do you also teach classes in urban warfare, Mr. LoCocco?"
"That's what I call a 'graduate' course, but yes, I teach that."
"How quickly can you process my people through the course?"
"How many are we talking about?"
"Oh, let's say a hundred to start with."
"That many. Well, I'd have to say no less than six weeks."
"That long, eh? And if I asked you to do it in a week?"
"It's possible. The Seals do that. They call it 'Hell Week'. But are your people up to a week's worth of hard training, study, and very little sleep?"
"How little is little?"
"Less than three hours per day."
"They'll have to be."
"The failure rate will be high. Young punks, in their late teens and twenties can do that type of training. Older students can't hack it. Tell ya what I can do. I've trained two hundred of your people in previous courses. Send them all. I'll split the class in two, and half will go through my class in 'Advanced Insurgency' and the other half through Vincent's course on 'Urban Warfare'. That way, you'll get about half of your people trained on the advanced techniques."
"Hmm. Yes. I like the way you think, Mr. LoCocco. Yes. When can you start?"
"Have them report to the campsite on Saturday by noon. Half will go with Vincent, the other half will stay."
"And where is your Urban Warfare Site?"
"On the back Forty of my property. It's the site for some old movie, but the buildings are very real, even if they're mostly facades."
"Done."
A week and a few days later, LoCocco and Terranova were back in Mayfield's office and she was singing their praises.
"I've heard nothing but bitter complaints about the school, and glowing praise at the methodology used. The men are tired, yes, and they're complaining about that, but they're also stating that they're better for it. How many passed?"
"I found it remarkable enough, but seventy passed my course, and ninety passed Vincent's course. The ones who failed my class, all had health problems they didn't know about and I pulled them when I saw the results of the physicals. I'm sure that neither you nor I wanted dead students to explain. As for the ten who failed Vincent's course, after six days with little to no sleep, an Opposing Force made up of their fellow classmates caught them asleep on duty and stole their flag. They failed the final, but they are welcome to go through the course again, for free, to see if they make it this time."
"Mighty generous of you, sir."
"They earned a second chance. They might have fallen asleep while on guard duty, but the attacking team made enough noise to wake them. They defended their position to the last man. But since they failed to prevent the OpFor from completing the raid, they lost."
"I see. I shall take it under advisement. Now, sir, I have a favor to ask."
"Ask away. Worst I can do is say no."
"Right. Well, I have a new research facility going on line in a week. It's out in Fairfax County, away from the city. I'd like you two to look over the security arrangements, and maybe, since you know the strengths and weaknesses of my guards, assign them as you see fit?"
"Sure. I think we can do that. Small minimal fee, of course."
"Of course. I wouldn't have it any other way."
The others had scored beaucoup intelligence on the subject. Susan had checked with her less than honest contacts, people like herself that had once been on the shadier side of business, and had found that Mayfield and her business allies controlled a significant portion of the wealth on the planet. The fact that most of their new 'breakthroughs' were really reverse-engineered alien techs just left all the more bitter taste in her mouth. So she made entreaties and advances to others of her ilk and they formed a counter to the TRUST. Their goal was the same; protection of the planet. But their methods were vastly different. Commodum Enterprises took the lead with weapons development, while others helped with specific pieces of the ship contracts.
As a consortium of business interests, they had a lot more power as a unit, than they had had as individual concerns. They were a motley lot; sons and daughters of Mafia families, weapons dealers, mercenary companies, 'recreational' pharmaceutical companies, cargo transporters, and Susan Profitt sat at the head of the table. She had pulled them together, and now she would tell them why.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please, take your seats."
"Why are we here Profitt?"
"Because, no matter how legitimate our business concerns are today, they were once rather shady, like mine and Mel's. And while we might have sold guns to third world dictators, and run drugs into the country, and done any number of other 'criminal' activities, neither Mel nor I ever dreamed of staging a coup in the United States. Neither one of us ever conceived of having enough power so that we could manipulate elections at the national level. We might have been criminals in the eyes of the law, but we were loyal to our country. How many of you would disagree with what I just said?"
Silence greeted her question. True, they were all criminals, but they had standards. Not a single one of them would dream of overthrowing the country of their birth. And while many might like to support certain local politicians, the idea of manipulating a national election wasn't unheard of. But no one had ever really tried that. And none of them thought they could ever stoop that low.
"Are you telling us that someone wants to overthrow the US Government?"
"That's
exactly what I'm telling you."
"Coups are bad for
business."
"Look, you all heard the President's speech the other day, right?"
"Who could've missed it?"
"Well, what if I told you that the coup attempt is being undertaken by a group of companies called the TRUST, and that they are working with those alien bad guys, uhm, Goa'uld, to set themselves up as our new leaders?"
"I might not like Henry Hayes, but I sure as hell don't like the idea of some megalomaniacal alien critter that fancies itself a God as my President."
"But you don't see the full picture, do you Alberto? This Goa'uld doesn't want to be President of the US. He wants to be the ruler of this world!"
"No stinking alien whatever is gonna take over my turf! You called us here, Susan, so obviously you have a plan. Do tell."
"I have it on good authority that this particular Goa'uld is working with a group of companies that call themselves the TRUST. One of them, F&M Pharmaceuticals, recently released those two wonder drugs that cure a couple of very rare forms of cancer? Those drugs were found off-world. Imagine it. If we help the US get rid of the TRUST, and then we offer ourselves as a new consortium of business interests, willing to do business on Earth and off-world, willing to make the investments necessary to accomplish these goals, do you think they'd be grateful?"
"Off-world businesses?"
"The one thing that comes immediately to mind, is a lack of taxes. Think about it. If we set ourselves up on some uninhabited planet, and offer it up as a oh, pleasure planet, who would we pay taxes to? What the Mob did with Vegas in the 50's we can do with a whole planet today. All I'm saying is we help certain federal agencies get rid of the TRUST, then we ask for a planet with no life on it. We pool our resources to build civilian ships. We have the talent in our companies to do so. Tell me, what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking, Ms. Profitt, that I like you're ideas. What certain agencies will we be helping?"
"Here's the part where some of you might, well, flinch. OCB. NID. NCIS."
"Organized Crime Bureau??! Are you out of your flippin' mind?"
"I've already got an agreement in place for myself and my company with the OCB. I help them out with this issue, and they look the other way while I move my business concerns to another planet. Eventually, and if things go as planned, we can declare our independence as a planet, and ask for Diplomatic Status for folks that want to visit their families on Earth. They couldn't touch us again. Ever."
"Diplomatic status? Yes. The Soldati family stands with you. Show us these pigs who wish to do harm to our country, and we will show them the bottom of the river."
"Actually, Alberto, it won't require anything so dramatic as that. The government agencies I mentioned are preparing to move in on the leaders of the TRUST. When they do, their companies will go the way of the Dodo. We need to be prepared to move in and buy them up for a song. In fact, I have secure work stations set up, so that we can begin to acquire blocks of stocks in their companies. Let us do this the legal way, then there will be no questions needed."
"You, are even more devious of mind than your brother was. If he were alive today, I dare say he'd go along with your plan as well. As I said, count the Soldati family in on this deal."
"Backwater Security is with you."
"The Palladino family is also with you."
"Hai. We of Keiretsu Tanaka will stand with you."
"Kemp Industries is on board with this."
"Aye, so is Lane Cargo."
"Then let us get started. There are many businesses to buy, and little time in which to do so. The government is moving in on the TRUST leadership even as we speak."
"Then let us commence our operations as well."
Yosemite National Park
0545 Zulu (2145 PST)
The Tel'tac appeared behind them and none had even heard it approach. Men who were used to being aware of everything around them reached for weapons stowed in packs, only to have Dr. Jackson announce that their ride was here. Struts appeared beneath the ship and the large vessel settled down onto the ground and powered down whatever it used for engines. Then a side door irised open and two men, wearing chain mail of all things, complete with long capes, stepped out of the craft.
"Hammond of Texas, you are well?"
"As well as I can be Master Bra'tac. I had not expected you to join us."
"I owe O'Neill a life debt. When Teal'c told me of this mission, I knew it was my place to be here. There are many Jaffa that owe SG-1 their freedom. We had to turn many away. Those who we turned away from this mission, even now are in command of Many Ha'taks on their way to safeguard Earth."
"Master Bra'tac, Teal'c. The coffee is still hot. We'll load our gear, and then I'll make introductions."
"Very good Hammond. I have grown to like this coffee drink you offer. It makes me feel like a young man, again!"
A short while later, all the cargo was safely stowed in the rear compartment, the fire was out, and the vehicles locked up tight. All were aboard the Tel'tac, and the shuttle was now cloaked and in orbit over Earth.
"Master Bra'tac, Teal'c. Allow me to introduce the Tau'ri warriors that will join us on this mission. Colonel Eli McNulty of the United States Army will serve as our pilot. Master Sergeant Aujaune Ellis will serve as a communications coordinator for all of the teams we plan to deploy. Colonel James 'JT' Tisnewski and Captain Bobby Wilkerson will be responsible for getting the hostages out of their prison. Command Master Sergeant Jonas Blane, Sergeant First Class Bob Brown, Master Sergeant Mack Gerhardt, and Sergeant First Class Charles Grey will keep the security forces of the prison occupied. And for you and Teal'c, we have two fighters fresh from the assembly line that need pilots."
"And you Hammond?"
"I will remain on the ship as the overall commander. Dr. Jackson will join Colonel Tisnewski to rescue the hostages."
"Wait a minute! I'm not taking a civilian into combat!"
"Stand down, Colonel. Dr. Jackson has served with a front line combat unit with distinction for close to eight years. The man has been killed in the line of duty twice, twice ascended to become an Ancient, and twice returned to us. He can read, write, and speak, well over four dozen languages, most of them alien to Earth. I'd put him up against anyone in Special Forces, and I'd bet on him to win."
"Thank you General Hammond. I think."
The trip to Charon was mercifully short. But the activation procedures for the subsurface hangars were complex and required Dr. Jackson's talents to correctly pronounce various words in Ancient.
"Abicierum locas ameria."
"What?"
"I told the automated system to give up the location of the ark. In this case, the ark is the underground hangar. And there. It's there. Teal'c, follow the dot, please."
"Of course, DanielJackson."
To be Continue
