Chapter 21

So I am very sorry for the delay in getting this too you. Here is the next chapter. Please enjoy.

Janet Frasier was just saying goodnight to Cassie and about to switch off her TV for the night, when an emergency news flash streaked across the screen.

Breaking News. The White House is in lockdown. Threat to National Security. There is no word on the whereabouts of the President and the First Family.

"Good evening. It is just after midnight EST and we are reporting on a complete blackout in DC surrounding the White House. Eyewitnesses are telling us that all the streets surrounding the White House have been cleared and that a motorcade left the White House just over 15 minutes ago, shortly followed by the arrival of two sets of troops. The White House is not making a statement at this time but we know that the Joint Chiefs had an emergency meeting at the Pentagon not more than an hour ago. We also know that the President was attending a function at the State Department earlier this evening. There is no word as to whether he was back in the White House when this blackout occurred."

"Cass, get back down here!" Janet called out to her daughter.

"What is it, Mom?" Cassie asked as she jogged into the room.

"Look at this." Janet gestured towards the TV. "We always wondered what it would be like if the SGC got some publicity. Looks like SG-1 are taking the White House."

"We now go live to Pennslyvania Avenue where our DC correspondent has the very latest for us. Bryson, what more can you tell us?"

"Well, Peter, we were moved from the press room at around 11.30 pm, although most of the press corps had already left. Then we were held in a conference room just across the road. My guess is they wanted to keep the evacuation under wraps. Then at midnight the Secret Service standby cars whisked someone away. We know it wasn't the President but no one's confirmed whether it was the VP or the First Family. To be honest, Peter, the lack of information is perhaps the strangest thing. We're used to, as the White House press core, being allowed a certain privilege of information but tonight no one's coming to tell us anything."

"Bryson, can you see or hear anything now?" the newscaster asked.

"There were clearly more than two teams that entered, given the number of vehicles that passed by us. However, with the blackout, it's hard to make anything out. We've heard some screams and several people were seen running from the building but they were escorted away by the secret service and we haven't been allowed to interview them."

"Thanks, Bryson. We're going to cut to a commercial break but we'll keep you updated as soon as we get any news."

Just as the program switched to an advertisement, the phone in the Frasier house rang.

"Oh, I hope that's not the base," Janet said, moving to answer the call. "I'm not supposed to be on call." She picked up her phone and pressed the button. "Frasier household."

"Ma'am, it's Sergeant Walter Davis. I have a call to transfer through to you. It's from England. A Colonel McMann."

"Very good, Walter. Does the General know that the Colonel's called?"

"No, Ma'am. He's busy in D.C."

"Yes, we seem to have made the news. Perhaps you could tell General Hammond that, as well as reporting the call. Put the Colonel through, please."

Janet waited until she heard the beep of the connection changing before speaking. "Colonel McMann, this is Major Doctor Frasier from the Cheyenne complex."

"Major Frasier, General Hammond asked me to report in once I'd spoken to the two students' parents."

"Ah, yes, Colonel. Before he left, the General told me he was sending someone to speak to them."

"Yes, it was a difficult conversation."

Flashback

Colonel McMann was used to carrying out orders without asking too many questions. As a recruit, you learned that your superiors always had reasons for their orders, even if you didn't understand them, or, to be honest, if they seemed rather odd. However, as he'd risen up the ranks, he'd discovered that you were now allowed to ask some questions and, when this mission was given to him, he'd felt the need to ask many questions. Questions like, what on earth was he supposed to say to these parents, how was he going to convince them not to speak to the press, when were their sons going to get home. And, perhaps most importantly, why on earth the United States believed that two students were a risk to the national security of the most powerful country on Earth. He'd tried asking the Major General who'd assigned him the mission these questions but, although the man had seemed like a decent officer, he didn't give him much more than the official line of national security.

Colonel McMann now had one major obstacle to overcome: the British press. The press in the UK were notorious for getting to a story and plastering all angles of it across their front pages, even if those angles weren't fully based on fact. Stories had been in the media about the disappearance of the two students in France. They'd covered the work that the students had been doing, complete with interviews with class mates and comments from the press' contact at the University. They'd reported the name of the 'kidnapper', a Dr Daniel Jackson. The press had gotten a hold of his books and had started to make comments like 'Aliens capture students'. It had been these headlines in yesterday's papers that had prompted the call from the Cheyenne Complex and the mission he was now on.

The Colonel had quickly realised that he was going to have to go through the British authorities to get to the parents, so he'd asked his secretary to put a call through to the head of Thames Valley police, the ones in control of Oxford and the investigation. He'd invited those in charge of investigating the kidnapping to come to the base to speak to him, which they had, and two detectives had come to RAF Croughton. He wanted permission to see the parents without having to divulge that he knew where the students were, but he was finding it hard to convince them that they should give him access. However, he'd had one major ace up his sleeve, the satellite phone number that Hammond had given him that allowed him to call the students. He'd already contacted them, wherever the Air Force was holding them, and had personally verified that they were well. They'd clearly been told what they were allowed to say but they had confirmed that they were being cared for.

Now that he was convinced that the detectives would need be told if he wanted to speak with the parents, Colonel McMann aimed to be in on the call as he didn't want them to speak freely to the students, for fear that they might not say the same things to their own authorities as they'd said to him. Fortunately, once the call went through, the students seemed willing to play it the US Air Force way and had answered all the detective's questions, either with suitable answers or that they believed they couldn't say anything in order to protect national security.

So, after convincing the authorities, he was taken to meet the two sets of parents at the Thames Valley police headquarters.

"Let me introduce everyone," Detective Collins began. "Mr and Mrs Hamilton, Mr and Mrs Cook, this is Colonel McMann, based with the US Air Force at RAF Croughton, just outside Oxford. Colonel McMann, this is Mr and Mrs Hamilton, Ryan's parents, and Mr and Mrs Cook, Joe's parents. Why don't we all sit down," he said calmly to the worried parents.

Colonel McMann nodded to the clearly stressed parents in front of him and then they all sat down in the small conference room. He felt a wave of anger towards his superiors come over him. The boys had been missing for nearly a week and only because of all the negative press coverage had his bosses decided that these people deserved to know that their children were okay. Well, he was going to change that right away. "Firstly, let me assure you all that your sons are safe and well and are under the protection of the United States Airforce."

There was a collective sign and Mr Cook asked, "So they're alive?"

"Yes, Sir."

Mrs Hamilton burst into tears and was pulled into the arms of her husband. "Where are they? When are they coming home?" Mr Hamilton demanded.

Colonel McMann knew that he needed to reign in his desire to give them information because their sons weren't coming home, at least not yet. "I can answer some of your questions but please listen to what I have to say. Your sons were in serious danger and may still be. Their protection is our main priority."

All four parents now looked quite terrified at the officer in front of them. Believing your child to be in danger was one thing but it was quite another to hear that that assumption was accurate.

McMann cleared his throat. He could only tell the parents so much. "The research your sons were doing in France put your sons in danger."

Mr Hamilton jumped in. "But how can that be? The Dean called us himself and stated that they knew nothing about it."

"I can't speak as to what the University knew but it's perfectly possible that they had no knowledge of the danger your sons were in. I can't tell you what they were researching, however, I expect you know where they were based in France."

"Yes," Mrs Cook replied. "Joe told us they were in the south, at a cave system called Lascaux."

"Yes, Ma'am. Well, they discovered something and tried to report it and this put them in danger."

"Were does this Dr Jackson come in?" Mr Hamilton asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you anything about him, except that he protected your sons and didn't actually kidnap them, just took them to a safe place."

Mr Cook now sat up taller. "Colonel, you've made this claim twice now without any evidence. I now need concrete evidence that my son is alive."

"Mr Cook, I'm pleased to say that I'm able to do that and I've been authorised to call them and allow you to talk to them.

"Can we talk to them now, please?" a tearful Mrs Hamilton asked.

"I will, Ma'am, however there's one caveat to this. You need to keep this knowledge to yourself for now. Your sons would be in danger if they came out of hiding and, until we eliminate this danger, it has to appear that they're still missing. If the people who are after them knew that you'd been in contact with them then you'd also be at risk. Do I have your word that this won't end up on tomorrow's front pages?"

"Do we have your word that you aren't using our sons as bait or risking their lives in any way?" Mr Hamilton promptly threw back at the Colonel.

"Sir, your sons are at a US air force base and are perfectly safe. Ryan was shot in the arm before we could get him to safety and his wound has been treated."

Mrs Hamilton, in shock upon hearing about her son's injury, said vehemently, "We agree to your terms, Colonel. Now get my son on the phone"

End Flashback

"And so I let the students speak to their parents."

"Do you believe they'll all keep quiet until this mission is over?" Janet asked.

"Honestly, Major, I'm not sure. The press in this country can be vicious and I haven't been authorised to give out any information. It's already a struggle for the parents not to tell friends and family that their boys are okay. But I decided to allow the Hamilton's to tell Ryan's aged grandmother that he was okay, which contravened my orders, as she had a minor heart attack when news of his kidnapping hit the front pages."

"Colonel, Sir… is that..."

"Major, I'm perfectly aware of the orders I received," the Colonel interrupted testily. "However, in my considered opinion, they were insensitive, badly timed and, to be honest, had the ability to destroy the delicate relationship we have with the UK military and the government. Perhaps you're not aware of the recent headlines, but let me enlighten you of today's favourites. Let me see... UK Students Taken by Alien Believer... Dr Jackson, Disgraced Academic, Now Kidnapper... or my personal favourite," he added sarcastically, "Given my recent mission... US Kidnap Brits on EU Soil... That one I like because, as far as I can see, Major, it's close to the truth."

"I'm sorry, Sir, all I know is…"

"Save it, Major," the Colonel once again interrupted, this time angrily. "I'm perfectly aware that I don't have need-to-know clearance on this. I'm not sure why I've been told by a high-ranking General to report to a Major when I'm a Colonel but, what I do know, is that it's very different selling a cover story to the general public than it is sitting under a mountain coming up with the story. So you can report to General Hammond that the parents have been put in touch with their sons, that I take responsibility for Mrs Hamilton's mother also being told and that, unless I get authorisation to detain the families, I've done everything in my power to stop them from reporting their sons' condition to the UK press."

"I'll tell him, Colonel, thank you," Janet said stiffly, having decided that the only thing she could do in a conversation with an irate superior officer was to say as little as possible.

"Very good. I'll be in touch if I hear anything else."

Janet heard the line go dead and breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that all about, Mom?" Cassie asked from the sofa where she'd sat down when the phone call had come in.

"Oh, sweetie, it was just the base about this mission that seems to be expanding beyond our limits. It's hard to keep it all a secret once the media gets involved."

"Well, the TV's just announced that the President and his family are safe but that there'll be no more information tonight. You can imagine how well that went down with the media," Cassie commented, totally focussed on the screen.

The phone rang again and Janet sighed. She checked who the caller was before answering. "Frasier."

"Ma'am, Sergeant Davis again. General Hammond has ordered you back to the base. The mission in D.C. is coming to an end and he needs your assistance with the next phase."

"Very good, Sergeant. I'll be right in."

"Ma'am, the General said to tell you to bring Cassie with you. He wants to ensure she remains safe while the mission wraps up."

"I was already planning to do that but it's good to have authorisation from the top. Do me a favour, would you, Sergeant? Let the checkpoints know we're on our way."

"Will do, Ma'am."

Janet hung up the phone. "Right, Cass, grab your overnight bag. We're off to the base. Looks like the General has a job for me."

Thanks for reading. Hope you are all well, if you want to leave a comment it would be nice to hear what you think Again apologies for the delay, real life is very much getting in the way.