Sitting in a coffee shop near 8th and D Streets, he blends in with the budding activist crowd - wearing his broken-in L. L. Beans, jeans so long they make him look far shorter than he actually is and a rumpled, long sleeve button-down shirt under a non-descript black blazer with his aviator sunglasses hanging on the breast pocket. He's dressed as if, when he got up this morning, he couldn't decide between the 'rumpled rock star' look or the 'high class bum.' Since it's D.C. the bum might be more appropriate.
He hopes his projection in Atlantis is convincing but he asked Lorne to cover for him just in case. He didn't tell Lorne where he was going or who he was going to see. Lorne's too smart for that and Sheppard doesn't want to put him in the position of having to decide. If forced to choose, he's not sure which side Lorne would come down on - Sheppard's or Ville's.
He glances at his watch and leaves money for the waitress on the table. Stepping outside, he slips on the sunglasses and takes a walk over to the Mall. He chooses a nice bench in Constitution Gardens near one of the reflecting pools. Twenty minutes later, Jack O'Neill approaches. Sheppard rises to greet him, "Thanks for meeting me, General."
Sitting, O'Neill cuts to the chase. "You said something over the phone about 'her'?"
"Yeah." Sheppard rests his arms on the bench back and takes in the view. "She's got this bug up her skirt about something called 'Icarus'. Lorne thought you might know some details I need filled in."
"Ask her."
"She doesn't want to talk about it - at least not to me. My guess is she thinks I can talk her out of...whatever this thing is."
O'Neill frowns. "She'll drop it. Eventually."
"Really? Those were her exact words : 'I'll drop it eventually'?"
Grimacing, O'Neill casually sweeps the area, "No."
Sheppard looks over at him. "You're a busy man, so I'll make this as succinct as possible." He says nothing more.
Shooting him an annoyed look, O'Neill weighs the issue. Like himself, Sheppard is ex-Special Ops. The kid knows how to keep a secret, but "I heard you renounced your citizenship."
"Wanna see my visa?"
Sighing, O'Neill warns him, "This is classified Above Top Secret" and proceeds to give Sheppard just enough detail to suggest Ville's possible interest in the matter.
"That's what I was afraid of." Now it's Sheppard's turn to grimace. "I think we can both agree it would be better if she didn't get involved?" When O'Neill gives him a very succinct look, he adds, "I'll see what I can do."
"You know, Sheppard, I don't envy you that part of your job."
Sheppard stands up and looks around. "Didn't it used to be your job, sir?"
"Exactly." O'Neill rises and shakes Sheppard's hand. "Good luck. You're gonna need it," he predicts cynically.
