Chapter Thirteen: Lost And Found

Jack stared at Phil Miller, the young man in the bed wondering just what had been done to this young man. He wasn't much older than Jon and Nate, this could easily have been one of them if the wrong people got their hands on them, and what about Cassie, what would they do to her?

Miller was deathly pale thanks to lack of natural sunlight, he'd been underground for almost a year now and bruises marred every surface of the exposed skin. It sickened Jack to think he'd been in Ba'al's hands and how close they had come to losing Nate down that rabbit hole. Miller was suffering from withdrawal of whatever cocktail they had been feeding him, the docs thought he would be alright in time, but then what do they do with him?

After the last few days he knew that Charlie had far too many suspicions and he and Haruka needed to decide just what to do about that. If Jack had his way he'd have told her everything a long time ago but there were other factors at work.

Haruka interrupted his thoughts. "So what is the plan with this cadet? Do we return him to the marines or what? They think he's dead, and he has no family."

Jack tucked his hands into his pockets. "I don't know. My first instinct is to have him finish out here. All the classes he would have taken at the Naval Academy when they snatched him. I want to keep him close to home so we came see if he still has his abilities. They woke the ancient gene in Nate, they had him for only a few weeks and he can do some scary wonderful things. Imagine what they did to Miller in all those months."

"Yes, Nate was a bright boy before but the things he's come up with in the last few months make even Sam's hair stand on end. Not to mention the connection to Charlie."

Haruka shuddered. "I don't think I truly appreciated that connection until it led him to Charlie with the help of that NCIS agent. I really hope he can keep his mouth shut."

Jack smiled. "Don't worry about Agent McGee, he knows when to keep his mouth shut. We've worked together before."

"Do you think Charlie and Nate will make it through this? I mean she still hasn't said yes to Nate's proposal."

"I think so, she's come a long way and Nate is a Shark in more ways than name. He won't make the mistake of letting Charlie's flash of emotion push him away."

"Charlie and Miller will be transferred to Colorado tomorrow morning, that way Dr. Lam can keep tabs on them incase something happens to them."

"Ba'al had to have them for a reason, but why? It just doesn't make any sense. He didn't know that Charlie has the Ancient gene. There is no reason-"

Jack cut her off. "We think it was a trap for Nate but luckily he was able to avoid it. They didn't expect him to have help, if it wasn't for Agent McGee who knows what would have happened."

Phil sat in General Haruka Shark's office feeling very nervous. He had been out of the hospital for a few weeks now, but he was still uneasy about his freedom. He looked up at the General, there was something about this woman that made him feel at ease but on edge as well. He couldn't help fidgeting in his seat as she shuffled through the papers in his file. He wondered just what that thick file said about him? Did the General have the clearance to know that he was a freak?

He closed his eyes and fought the rush of visions that threatened to overpower him. Since getting sprung he's been able to slowly gain control of his powers but there were moments like this when he was nervous that the control slipped away.

After a few moments the General cleared her throat and Phil looked up opening his eyes. The visions faded to the background as he gained control. "Yes ma'am."

Closing the file she spoke. "Well the doctors have cleared you to return to your studies, but General O'Neill is worried that the people or others who've held you captive may try again. He would like you to finish your studies here at the Air Force Academy, how do you feel about that?" She linked her fingers and waited for him to answer.

Phil wasn't sure about this, his whole life had been centered around becoming a marine just like his father and now what did he have if that dream was gone? Phil Miller was dead and there was no one to mourn him. His mother had died in the same crash that had killed his father. Then Phil had gone to live with his father's mother, his last living relative.

She's lived long enough to see him enter the naval academy being the first of his family to go to college. So he was following in his father's footsteps but Phil would be an officer. Gran had been so proud and he saw no reason to squander this opportunity given there was nothing left for him to go back to in Detroit.

"I don't have any other options, ma'am. Never thought about being a flyboy but…."

General Shark laughed. "Don't worry about that. You may graduate from here but you will still be a marine. General O'Neill has a long reach and he'll fix it all up for you. The people who need to know the truth will know what happened. These are special circumstance and we don't want you to disappear again, you're a valuable commodity to certain parties as you can imagine."

"Yes ma'am." Well that confirmed it, this woman knew all about him and what he could do? How many people did and would he ever be able to live a normal life again?

She held out a file for him to take. "Here is your room assignment and your uniforms and books are waiting for you there. You will dress the part and if anyone asks you why you're here you can tell you are part of pilot project to see if ROTC people can be advanced to fill positions left by those who drop out of the Academy. There will be hostility from the other cadets, but after what you've been through I'm sure you can handle it." She got to her feet offering her hand only to stop extending it part way. "Don't talk about where you've been for the last year, we have a cover story for you. It's in the file so learn it well, you start classes with the rest of the wing on Monday. Anything else will be a breach of the confidentiality agreement you signed."

Taking her hand Phil gave the only answer that seemed to fit. "Yes ma'am and thank you." He really wished he had something else to say, but her questions didn't allow for questions or elaboration.

"You're dismissed Cadet. There is another Cadet waiting to show you to your room; she will answer any questions you have." She waved him out, but before he opened the door she spoke. "I should thank you for helping my son last year. I don't know that he would have made it back home to me and my family. I'm only sorry we couldn't get you out when we save Nate."

"Nate is your son?" Phil paused with his hand on the door.

"Yes, Nate McRae is my son, the two of you were held captive but you were taken away before we got to Nate. As well as you helped Charlie. So don't forget Phil, you care not alone here. Follow Charlie's lead and trust the people she trusts. If you have any problems my door is always open."

"I'm glad to hear that, and I will take you up on that offer if I need it."

Not wanting to drag this meeting on any longer, Phil opened the door and disappeared through it.

A cadet got to her feet as he closed the door and he immediately lost control of his powers. He was assaulted with flashed and images as he came face to face with a piece of his own future.

She held out her hand and smiled. "I'm Cadet Kyla Hammond and I've been asked to show you around."