Author's notes: Thank you all for reading, following and reviewing!

Beyond Reason

Chapter Fifty-Four – Assessing

Jack drummed his fingers on the table in front of him irritated. There was nothing in the plain interrogation room that could hold his attention and looking at the same grey wall for minutes was bound to get boring sooner or later. Really, given how well these people here knew him, he would have at least expected to find his yo-yo here.

Two days had passed since his miraculous resurrection from the dead. In this time he had scared the hell out of the poor Airman stationed closest to the mortuary when he had walked out of the room. Okay, so maybe he had staggered but given what his poor body had been through at that time, Jack was proud of himself that he had managed to get out of there on his own two feet. Then he had shocked the hell out of the Napoleonic power monger when he had turned out alive and kicking. Going by her reaction though, she had been genuinely happy. When she had finished putting him through a marathon of examinations that revealed that he was indeed himself and alive, she had burst into tears, hugging him and declaring she was glad to see him. Jack had never seen the hardass woman that emotional and honestly it had kinda given him the creeps. After the examinations he had been placed into an isolation room under close observation, where he had taken care of his last minor injuries Daniel hadn't cured with his rather brutal method of healing, but Jack hadn't expected anything else than being placed into custody. It was SOP. As was the interrogation he could look forward to, now.

General Hammond had come to see him once but only to assure himself of Jack's well-being, so Jack assumed he would now be asked to tell his perspective of what had happened the past months. He wouldn't have minded to fill the blanks if his mood hadn't been so sour, but Jack was pissed off. He was back at the SGC for two days and he hadn't seen a hair of Carter! He hadn't been allowed anywhere near where she could remotely be and nobody had answered his questions about her, either. By now Jack was half-way seriously contemplating to just break a door and go looking for her himself.

The door to the isolation room opened before Jack could begin to make a plan out of that stray thought. In walked two SF's who took position left and right from the door, but Jack merely spared them a side-glance. He knew that with his strength the only thing threatening about them were the automatic machineguns hanging on their chests.

Then entered General Hammond and routinely Jack stood at attention. He was followed by a man Jack didn't know, Agent Barrett from the NID and Senator Kinsey. Jack's eyes lingered on the unknown stranger for a while, taking in his features, before the brown-haired man went to stand with General Hammond. They took positions at the wall opposite of Jack's seat and Jack followed them with his eyes. He vaguely remembered seeing the man next to General Hammond in the briefing room where they had been held by the Jaffa, but even without that obvious hint Jack would have immediately known he was someone high ranking. The aura of confidence and self-assurance he was giving off told of it.

"General Hammond, sir," Jack acknowledged his former CO as the military code demanded.

"At ease, son," the General said softly and Jack smirked at the feeling of familiarity he got from these words. It was as if the SGC was welcoming him back in the form of the General.

Jack loosened the tense way he stood. Meanwhile, Kinsey and Barrett stepped up to the small table Jack had been sitting at, indicating they were the ones to do the questioning in the interrogation. Jack almost scowled at the other man when the pompous Senator sat down self-righteously.

"Agent Barrett," Jack greeted politely before he sat down himself. Kinsey obviously waited for a greeting, too, but Jack ignored him. As far as he was concerned, the good Senator could go to hell and stay there. For a moment Jack considered greeting the unknown man, just to spite Kinsey and be childish, but since he had no idea who he was or in what function he was attending this little shindig here, he decided against it.

Jack turned to face Barrett but quite a bit of his attention stayed on General Hammond and the stranger, who hovered unobtrusively in the background.

"Colonel O'Neill," the Agent smiled amicably. "It's good to have you back alive."

Jack still wasn't fond of the man but on one hand he knew this was mostly due to the interest the other man had in Carter and on the other hand he would prefer Barrett any day over Kinsey. So Jack condescended to an answering nod.

"How are you?" Barrett asked, obviously trying to be polite, but before Jack could answer with any set phrase along the lines of 'fine', Kinsey interrupted. "We have all read the medical reports on the Colonel," he admonished. "We know he's fit for this interrogation."

Barrett frowned at the Senator and opened his mouth, probably to tell the other man that this wasn't why he had asked the question, but Kinsey wasn't sparing him any attention. He turned towards Jack, a determined, hungry expression in his eyes Jack so didn't like.

"Colonel, you have been gone for months," Kinsey stated with a voice that was bordering on an accusation. "We want to know where you were, what you did and who you interacted with. Also, we need to know what that thing behind the Stargate is Sergeant Siler stumbled into!"

Jack almost smiled. Of course they wanted to know that. Jack was aware what questions he would be asked, because he himself would have asked the same. Of course the Air Force wanted to know, because they needed to determine whether he had committed any more serious breaches of security they could add to the court-martial that was looming for him.

Jack knew General Hammond was only here to find out if he had in any way to prepare for someone else to come knocking on the iris or any danger threatening the SGC, but the relaxed way he stood told Jack he wasn't really expecting it. The General knew Jack well enough to know Jack would have rather died himself than give any information over to a possible enemy of the SGC and he still trusted his former 2IC. Jack felt strangely honored to have the backup of such a great man.

Barrett was obviously here, because the NID was yet again making an interrogation, but Jack wasn't sure what Kinsey's motives were for being present. Of course it could be the good Senator felt threatened in his own security knowing what Jack could have possibly let slip to hostile aliens but actually then Jack expected the other man to be the first to search a hole he could hide within rather than sitting here, at the front lines, and questioning him. Maybe he was using Jack to get the SGC into discredit and finally prove the Program's incompetence?

"Colonel? Did you understand the question?" Kinsey urged him, ripping him from his thoughts in which Jack just imagined Siler trying to repair the damage Carter had caused to the Stargate's wiring and run smack into the invisible glider.

Jack looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Did the man think him stupid or something? Or was he just blindly prodding for a reaction from Jack, hoping to get him angry and spill a few things? Well, Jack thought smirking, so not happening. This time, Kinsey wanted something from him and Jack had next to no intention to give him anything. Instead, he would enjoy keeping him on his toes, making him flail like a fish on the hook.

"Where's Carter?" Jack asked instead, completely ignoring the Senator's question.

As expected, the Senator bristled at Jack's complete lack of cooperation. "Major Carter is no matter of this interrogation!" Kinsey snapped at him.

"That's where we disagree," Jack answered calmly.

"Colonel O'Neill! The question was where you–!"

"Where's Carter?" Jack interrupted once again, very much enjoying the way a vein began throbbing at the other, enraged man's temple.

"Colonel O'Neill–" Kinsey tried again, but again Jack cut in, countering: "Carter?"

Kinsey jumped up so that his chair scraped over the ground with an aggravating noise and slamming his hands down on the table he got into Jack's face. "Colonel O'Neill! Do I have to remind you in what a serious situation you are? You will cooperate–"

Jack slowly got up, rising to his full height which made him tower over the smaller man, and crossing his arms in front of his chest he stared down at the Senator intimidatingly. He noticed with a satisfying feeling how the other man drew back, bringing the distance of the table in between them again. Yep, superhuman powers had their upsides.

"Senator Kinsey," Jack growled back emphasized. "As far as I am concerned, it was your sorry ass too I rescued from the Goa'uld, so I don't owe you anything. In fact you're the one who's in debt to me."

"How dare you!" Kinsey raged. "That's no behavior for a military prisoner! Remember your position, Colonel!"

Jack raised his eyebrows curiously. "Didn't know I was a prisoner," he drawled.

Kinsey snorted. "Well, what did you expect after deserting? A welcome back party?"

"After rescuing Earth from a Goa'uld infiltration? Why not?" Jack asked, silently appreciating how Kinsey fumed to his taunting. It was so easy to push the other man's buttons!

"Of course not!" Kinsey stated. "You are right where you belong after your audacious actions!"

Jack cocked his head amused. "Dear Senator, I'm sure you've read all the reports about me that are out there, didn't you?" he began. "So what makes you think I would stay imprisoned if I didn't want to be here? With my powers I could be gone any time. So consider it my way of cooperation that I am here, talking with you, of all people!"

Jack knew he could break out of the SGC anytime with his strength but honestly he had no intention of doing so. First of all, the SGC was something like a second home to him and he valued many people who worked here and he wanted none of them to get into trouble because he was his usual egoistic self. Second, Carter was still here somewhere and he wouldn't ever just go and leave her to her fate. Third, he wanted to right the chaos he had caused, if only to get Carter free of any and all accusations. So Jack had no intention of leaving. But that didn't mean he had to tell that Kinsey. Why not make the man sweat a little bit?

"Colonel O'Neill! Get in line! Or I have to–!" Kinsey began when he was interrupted by the stranger in the background. "Oh please, Bob!" the man said exasperated. "Can't you see the Colonel is playing with you?"

Oh, so he had noticed, Jack thought mildly surprised. He was rather sure General Hammond and Agent Barrett had caught on to his motives rather fast going by the lack of interrupting they had done, but the stranger? He had no means of knowing Jack's character but obviously had good observation skills.

Now the stranger stepped forwards and immediately Kinsey stood and made room for the other man, which only heightened Jack's suspicions that he was confronted with someone of the high brass.

Kinsey began to pace through the room infuriated while the stranger sat down in his chair, motioning for Jack to do the same. Jack did so, albeit skeptically.

"Colonel O'Neill," the stranger began with a calm, relaxed air around him.

"And you are?" the Colonel asked back flatly.

The stranger smiled. "Henry Hayes," he introduced himself.

Yup, Jack thought. Even the name didn't ring a bell. He had officially never met the guy before. "NID?" he questioned suspiciously.

The man called Hayes snorted. "Hardly," he answered. "I belong to the Washington brass."

Jack was aware that while the man had given him an answer, he was avoiding giving a straight answer. In fact he had probably only answered, because he had guessed that Jack would tell him as much as he'd revealed to Kinsey if he wouldn't get him to trust him. And Jack only trusted people he could assess. But even the elusive answer he'd gotten told Jack a few things. Hayes was someone in charge. Someone, who could, and would, decide over whether he would continue to get paid by the Air Force or spend the rest of his life in a military prison. And just like Jack himself, Hayes was still trying to get a picture of him, probably investigating whether or not Jack was still a threat to Earth.

"So?" Hayes said quietly. "You want to tell us what has happened to you those last months?"

Jack stayed silent, contemplating. But eventually, he began speaking. Truthfully, he reported about his escape with Carter, their planet-hopping until they settled on their temporary home, the base they had found, how they had discovered that it was from the Ancients and how they had gotten it running. He explained about their food-raids and even mentioned the one time where they had stumbled over SG-1 and SG-3. He told Hayes how Daniel had contacted them when the Goa'uld had taken over hold of the SGC and how they had figured out a way to come to the SGC's rescue. And then he described what they had done after they had arrived at the SGC up to the point he had been zatted down – something he was still fuming about. If he ever got his hands on this inept rookie…! But there were a few things Jack didn't reveal, no matter how much Hayes was digging and rephrasing his questions. He never revealed Laterra's address. He didn't speak of the role Daniel had played in his resurrection. He used Daniel's words when he had to explain how he had managed to survive and stated his body had halted his breath and heartbeat until he had managed to heal himself, but he never mentioned Daniel. And Jack never said a word about anything that had happened between him and Carter.

Jack knew Hayes was aware he was holding things back, so he tried to be as open and honest with everything else to show his good will. Jack observed the man closely and although he had a pretty good poker face, Jack soon got the hang of reading the little signs he gave away. He also kept an eye on General Hammond, who was shifting from time to time to Jack's words, and Agent Barrett's reactions, who was recording the whole interrogation. Jack still ignored Kinsey and his attitude, although they were requiring quite some room in the small interrogation room, but he kept tabs on the way he reacted, as if he was reading a barometer.

Finally, Hayes nodded satisfied. "Thank you for your cooperation, Colonel," he said.

Jack looked at him pointedly, as if reminding him of a quid pro quo. Hayes smiled, a wide grin Jack would have liked if he had any idea if the man would turn out friend or foe.

"Major Carter is well, conscious and recovering. You will see her soon," Hayes stated. With that, Hayes stood, getting the whole room to move. Kinsey stopped pacing, Barrett packed his things and the General came to stand with the group.

On their move out, Hayes turned and fixed Jack with a hard stare. "Oh, and Colonel?" he said amicably but Jack wasn't fooled. What was about to follow would be either a direct order or a threat. "I am sure you will cooperate with the SGC?"

Jack stared back with a glare of his own. He had never been one to be intimidated by the higher ups. He knew that Hayes was referring to what Jack had taunted Kinsey with: that he could go anytime he wanted. But just like with Kinsey, Jack wasn't inclined to give the man any insight into his plans.

"For the time being? Yes," he answered. As long as he hadn't assured himself of Carter's well-being, he wouldn't risk a thing.

Hayes nodded, apparently satisfied, and left the interrogation room with all others aside from the SF's who would escort Jack back to the isolation room he'd spent the last two days in.

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"I want to speak with Major Carter," Hayes said determined as soon as they were out of earshot of the interrogation room.

"Now?" General Hammond at his side simply asked.

Hayes nodded and immediately the General changed routes, leading them to the isolation room Hayes knew she was held in. They were walking slowly but Hayes didn't mind. In fact he had a suspicion General Hammond was doing this on purpose, so Hayes had some time to get his thoughts on Colonel O'Neill straight, but seeing that he seemed to need the time, Hayes wasn't inclined to object.

The Colonel had been one fascinating character. Hayes hadn't met a person like him in quite some time. In fact, the higher he had risen on the political ladder, the more docile people usually got with him. 'Yes, Mr. President this; yes, Mr. President that' was all he got to hear nowadays. So the open skepticism and even the blatant refusal to answer a few of his questions the Colonel had shown towards him when he had dug around a little was actually quite refreshing. There weren't many people left who stuck up to him, and even less when they found out he was the President of the United States. Aside from his wife and a few old, close friends nobody dared to go against his opinion, fearing the repercussions, although Henry was far from condemning someone because of their opinion.

But Colonel O'Neill was special. Even though Hayes had been careful to not reveal who he was, he had the distinct impression the Colonel had just guessed the answer. Henry wasn't sure if he would really suspect him to be the President himself, but at the very least he had guessed him to be a high ranking politician in charge of his interrogation. Still, even while knowing who he could be, it hadn't even crossed the man's mind to try and get on his good side, even though he was clearly aware that he could be in for a court-martial. No, going by the impression Hayes had gotten of the man and the description he had from George, Colonel O'Neill gave a shit about positions and ranks. He had no scruple insulting a Senator and no difficulties speaking up to a higher-up. It was this kind of attitude Hayes really liked. Because it were those people he could trust on to be honest with him at all times. Wherever he could, Hayes had made sure to get such people into high positions, making them responsible for all important areas, because he could trust these people to make the right decisions whether he, as the President, approved of them or not. He was only one person and he wasn't right in everything he said and did, no matter what all those bootlickers were telling him constantly. He was one person and he couldn't be everywhere at once. So he needed good people he could trust implicitly to act in his stead. And Henry was pretty sure by now that Colonel O'Neill would be one of these people. He liked the man's no-nonsense attitude and his choice in character. He obviously liked General Hammond, seeing how he treated his CO with respect despite what his military folder claimed about repeated insubordination. He obviously hated Kinsey and actually, that was a sentiment Hayes could sympathize with. O'Neill was wary of Barrett and had been careful with Hayes himself, which spoke of an analyzing and skeptical nature. From what Hayes had observed, Colonel O'Neill was no person you could get to like you. He assessed you and when he came to a conclusion, he decided whether or not he liked you. If he decided to like you, Hayes believed him to be a very loyal person, seeing how he had returned to the SGC to rescue Earth despite knowing that only confinement or death could await him and his 2IC. If he didn't like you, he probably didn't spare you any time or attention. But if he came to loathe you, Hayes didn't doubt for a second that Colonel O'Neill could be a very tiresome enemy.

So, put in a nutshell, O'Neill was exactly the type of man Hayes respected. He could understand that O'Neill's attitude tended to get him into trouble within the strict military, but still the President couldn't help but imagine him to make an outstanding career within the Air Force. He could get far. If circumstances would let him. And seeing that General Hammond had appointed him to be this base's 2IC, Hayes guessed the man agreed with his thoughts on that. The SGC was the very front line, Earth's first line of defense from the outer space, so here more than anywhere else they needed tough men who could handle themselves, any situations occurring and the bureaucrats at Washington. General Hammond was a very good choice Hayes still congratulated his predecessor for but the General wouldn't run the Program forever. Maybe a few more years and then? Who would take over? Someone like Kinsey and they could kiss Earth's independence good-bye! Since he'd been 2IC, Colonel O'Neill would have been a logical choice and one that, now that he'd gotten to know the man, Hayes would have fully supported, but yeah, now there was the slight problem of his desertion, which was practically writing him up for a court-martial which would, in the best case, end with a forced retirement. And honestly, this wasn't really fitting into Hayes' plans. He had no intention of letting one of those few good men go, now that he'd found them. But, despite being the President, Hayes didn't make the rules. The Air Force had specific regulations that were there for good, valid reasons and he had no intentions of going against one of these.

Sighing, Hayes realized he had gotten into a quite tight spot. He liked the Colonel and he could imagine working together with him in the near future. Actually, given the reports Hayes had read on SG-1's achievements and the Colonel's and Major Carter's extraordinary changes, Hayes knew it would be insane to not have these two officers at the front lines, where their talents would be of best use. They had just proven how good they really were when they had freed the SGC from the Goa'uld's hold, something the whole military base itself had failed in!

And Hayes had even been present, having sat in the very front row when the Goa'uld had attacked. He had witnessed everything firsthand. Given, in the beginning he hadn't really been worried when the alarms had gone off in the base, seeing that this seemed to be a reoccurring event here. He had begun to worry though when General Hammond had come sprinting back, armed with a machinegun. And he had been seriously worried when there had been Jaffa on the other man's heels that had begun shooting at them. Hayes had lost about half a dozen Secret Service Agents in the short battle that had ensued and he regretted each one of these men falling, knowing that they all had families that would mourn their deaths. But soon, Henry Hayes had realized that this had merely been the beginning. Together with General Hammond, who had been spared by the Jaffa most likely because he was the Commander of the base, he had been walked to the briefing room to get chained to a railing. Together, they had had to watch how one after the other, fellow officers and civilian scientists had been brought in. Some wounded, some unconscious, some unharmed. But all those that had been able to talk had brought bad news, about this officer falling or that soldier dying. Hayes had lost count pretty soon, all those unfamiliar names blurring together in his head. But he had seen the way all others in the room had mourned the fallen. They had known them all, had worked with them for years maybe and it had hurt them all to know of their deaths. Hayes had seen the anger, the rage and the hate those men had felt towards the enemy, but just like him, neither of them could have done anything in their situation. They had been captured, greatly outnumbered by the enemy, and had been left to contemplate what might happen now. Having just been briefed on the Stargate Program, Hayes had known what would be SOP. And, ironically, if it hadn't been for his presence, the army would have probably bombed the base immediately. They would have nuclear-blasted their enemies into oblivion. But the President of the United States had been there and so they had waited. Then again, Hayes had known, it wouldn't help them in any way other than to give the enemy more time for their attack on Earth and he remembered having wished for the military forces to get it over with already.

But then Doctor Jackson had come up with this reckless plan. Given, in hindsight, it had worked out astonishingly good, even if, in the beginning, it had sounded and looked like such an insane idea that Hayes had seriously questioned General Hammond's state of mind when the two-star General had given his okay. Now Hayes knew that, compared with how SG-1 usually handled things, the General had done nothing other than to trust his flagship team. And they hadn't let the General down. Doctor Jackson had died in his attempt to get a message through to Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, who the whole base had considered their last resource, but the moment the whole electricity around the base had gone extinct, Hayes had known the archaeologist had been successful. It had taken a while for something, anything, to actually happen but eventually Hayes had seen the Jaffa around the room crouch down, doubled over in pain. Some Doctor Lee, who had been in the room, had used the moment of distraction and had crawled over to General Hammond, hastily explaining that he believed someone was using something he had called a symbiont poison. Or symbiote poison? Whatever it was called had attacked the Jaffa only, leaving all injured officers, who were slowly withering away from the various injuries they had sustained in their try to help Doctor Jackson get to the Stargate, unharmed. However, it had attacked SG-1's Jaffa as well and with the help of Doctor Fraiser, the man called Teal'c had decided to get in some state of trance to avoid the poison circling through his body and astonishingly, it had worked and so Teal'c had been the only Jaffa that had come out unharmed.

After they had been freed by two black clad officers who had only barely been visible in the awful green emergency lighting and those officers had gotten rid of the Goa'uld in a spectacular way and they had gotten the following chaos under some semblance of control, Hayes had only then begun to understand what had really happened. O'Neill and Carter had stealthily made their way through the base and killed all Jaffa all over the base with the poison. But, most certainly because of their friend, they hadn't used that much poison on Level 28. They had calculated the exact amount of poison it would take to just incapacitate all Jaffa and then had shot them all down, even leaving a few of them alive so that the SGC could question them after their awakening (not that it had really brought them any information). Apparently, even that calculation was an almost impossible masterpiece, going by the excited gush of an explanation Doctor Lee had given him and George on that. And then, O'Neill and Carter had just topped it by singlehandedly overthrowing the two Goa'uld who had taken control over the base. Hayes had to admit that when he had watched the surveillance tapes afterwards, he couldn't believe it. Neither the abilities and powers those two officers wielded, nor how far they had been willing to go to defend a base and a race they must have believed had abandoned them. It was a testament to the dedication of both officers and Hayes couldn't help but be impressed.

When Cheyenne Mountain had reported back to the surface, the army had just been about to prepare an A-bomb and Hayes had been made acutely aware that anyone within this base who had survived, owed their lives to Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. When the impending danger of their own men had been thwarted, the Special Forces under the leadership of a Brigadier General Carl Lincoln had taken over. Seeing that almost nobody within the SGC, aside from Hayes himself, had been able to stand on their own two feet anymore, the President had let them. He had waited for Doctor Fraiser and her army of doctors and nurses to treat all injured before he had reinstated General Hammond as the Officer in Charge and together, they had made an assessment on how the situation had turned out. He, the President, had survived, and while Henry himself didn't see that as much of an accomplishment seeing how things had turned out for uncountable others, it apparently was something the military base took quite a bit pride in and consolation from. But all in all, Cheyenne Mountain had lost something about sixty SF's, three civilian scientists and two complete SG teams, who had decided to fight back. Luckily, however, the Levels that had been locked down had remained untouched, so almost all scientists and medical personnel had remained unharmed, and most of the injured officers Hayes had gotten to know in the briefing room were stubbornly fighting their injuries, making Doctor Fraiser rather optimistic that they wouldn't lose any more.

Lincoln's men had had to temporarily take over all positions the former SF's had occupied, so the SGC wasn't left completely defenseless, even though the Brigadier General himself had left the moment Hammond had been back in charge. The Secret Service had all but stormed the base the moment the Special Forces had gotten in and had demanded that Hayes returned to safe-and-proper Washington, but being the President gave your 'no' quite a bit of strength. Hayes had all but refused to leave until he hadn't seen for himself how the situation played out. And, admittedly, he had been curious. Curious to get to know the two officers that had rescued not only his life but the whole planet.

So Hayes had been quite disappointed when Doctor Fraiser had reported that Colonel O'Neill had died on the way to the infirmary and his 2IC, Major Carter, wouldn't be far behind if they didn't get unconventional soon. General Hammond had then made a deal with the female Goa'uld. Hayes had watched attentively but had stayed completely out of it to not give his importance to the human race away. The Goa'uld had healed Major Carter as best as possible in exchange for her freedom and that of her male partner. They hadn't spared a single thought to those Jaffa that were still in the SGC's captivity and the moment they had been released, they hadn't looked back but simply used the chance and fled.

From then on, Hayes had paid special attention to Major Carter's recovery Fraiser updated them on regularly. Her body had taken quite a toll in the happenings but reading between the lines, Hayes suspected the Doctor was more worried on the Major's emotional state, seeing what she apparently had been through those last months and given the fact that half her team had died in the attack. Hayes had felt with the unknown Major but while he had requested to get to meet her several times, until now he had been denied just as much as her last teammate was. Doctor Fraiser had had allowed no one near her as long as she had still been wary of the fellow officer's exact state.

And then the completely unexpected had happened: the supposedly dead Colonel O'Neill had walked out of the mortuary alive, causing a sound and steady, very experienced SF to faint. Hayes would have thought it impossible if not for O'Neill's recent explanations, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse into its mouth. He would take what he could get.

And again, Hayes thought, now that he had gotten to know O'Neill, his first instinct on the soldier had been right. He had suspected that the man was a liable, trustworthy and dutiful officer, going by what he had risked, but O'Neill had by far surpassed what Hayes had imagined. The Colonel had turned out a fine observer with an acute gut feeling and wide-awake instincts he was trusting in. To be honest, Hayes had to admit that he had taken an immediate liking to the blunt man and he would have done quite a bit so that the Colonel could resume his former position, because in Hayes' opinion that was exactly where someone like Colonel O'Neill, with his powers to boot, belonged: the first lines of defense.

But no matter how much Hayes would wish for the situation to be different, he failed to see a loophole that would allow him to get the Colonel out of the tight spot he had maneuvered himself into.

"We're here," General Hammond suddenly announced into Hayes' thoughts.

The President nodded and concentrated back on the people walking with him. Now he was really curious to get to know Major Carter, because from the looks of it she seemed to be important to Colonel O'Neill and Hayes didn't believe the Colonel to give that much trust freely. Carter really had to be something for him to work that well together with her and she certainly had done her fair share in the rescue mission to leave no doubt about her abilities. And if she was anything like the Colonel, surpassing Hayes' expectations, he would gladly include her in his attempts to get them their former positions back. He, as well as his country, needed good, loyal people and officers, and Hayes was prepared to put his foot down on their behalf if need be. Because going by the potential he saw in O'Neill – and his 2IC if she was even remotely like that – they would make outstanding leaders within the Air Force someday. And Hayes considered it part of his job to recognize such potential in people and get them to where they were needed, because instead of Hayes himself, these people would remain on their posts even after the next election.

The isolation room's door swooshed open and Hayes stepped in. There was a hospital bed placed in the middle of the isolation room a woman was sitting on. She looked up surprised at their sudden appearance and Hayes studied her carefully. She looked to be about at least fifteen years younger than Colonel O'Neill and certainly younger than Hayes had expected her to be. The high way the Colonel, General Hammond and quite a lot of people throughout the SGC thought of her had made Hayes somehow expect someone older, more experienced.

She made attempts to stand up when the General entered, but he waved her off. "At ease, Major," he ordered and shooting him a thankful smile that turned out quite empty thanks to the exhausted look she was wearing, the woman sat back on her bed.

Trailing after George, Hayes observed the woman. She was outstandingly beautiful, he had to admit, even though she looked beaten. Slim, trained figure, shoulder-length, blond hair and light blue eyes. From her military folder Hayes knew she was a PhD in theoretical astrophysics too, so she had to be smart as well. And you didn't get promoted to Major this young if you weren't good.

Hayes watched when Agent Barrett stepped up to her, coming to stand by the side of her bed, and greeted her politely. The Major answered, the all-polite smile still firmly in place, but somehow Hayes had the impression she was keeping her distance from the other man. When Barrett got closer and inquired about the arms she had wrapped up in bandages, Hayes noticed her moving slightly out of his range. She did it almost inconspicuously, covered by another movement so the NID agent didn't suspect a thing, but being an outside observer, Hayes noticed. Hayes almost smirked. Barrett was her age and considered good-looking but apparently the Major didn't fall for that. Strange, because Hayes didn't remember reading anything about her being married. Then again, this didn't mean she wasn't in a relationship.

Deciding to come to her help (or Barrett's, before the man would embarrass himself), Hayes stepped up to her. Initially, he had decided to go with the same tactic he had used with Colonel O'Neill but in the last second, Hayes changed his mind.

"Major Carter?" he asked while extending his hand out to her. "Henry Hayes, current President of the United States."

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise so fast Hayes couldn't help the tiny chuckle he did. Nevertheless, she grabbed his hand and shook it firmly, before moving to stand at attention for him, too.

"Please," Hayes stopped her in time by motioning for her to halt. He'd rather she stayed seated, given her injury. From Doctor Fraiser's report he knew her arms weren't hurt seriously, thanks to the Colonel's and the Goa'uld's healing, but they were burned from the high amount of electricity she had withstood and so he figured moving had to hurt.

Again, she sat down, before observing him curiously. Hayes couldn't help but study her as well. Her expression wasn't as closed off as that of Colonel O'Neill and she seemed much more approachable. Still, Hayes felt that he shouldn't make the mistake to underestimate her just because she seemed more amicable than the intimidating Colonel O'Neill.

"What can I do for you, Mr. President?" she asked professionally.

"How are you, Miss Carter?" he countered with a question of his own, trying to be polite. He wasn't really sure how he should address her. All military personnel was referring to her as 'Major', all civilian personnel and the scientists called her 'Doctor' and Henry was at a loss in which category he fit in.

"Major," she corrected immediately.

"Major Carter," he acknowledged.

"I am fine, thank you," she answered politely.

Henry thought of mentioning her injured arms but gave up before trying. He had met enough military personnel to know their stubbornness about injuries. You never appeared weak, much less in front of a superior officer. Seemingly, Carter was military through and through.

Hayes stepped up to her bed and deciding to stick to the politeness he asked: "Would you mind telling us what happened to you the past months?"

Instantly, her eyes narrowed and she studied him with a gaze that made Hayes feel like an insect under a microscope. Now she was wary and tried to assess what he was getting at. Still, all professional, she began to narrate her experiences. At first, Hayes was disappointed, believing her to be another one of these people that obeyed him just because he was the President. Maybe he shouldn't have told her after all…

But then something stood out to Hayes. She was telling much the same things Colonel O'Neill had done. She was more thorough but unfailingly, as if they had a mutual agreement, she recounted the same they had just heard from Colonel O'Neill. Still, Henry had been present in the control room when the SF's had overpowered the two officers and knew they had had no time to get their stories straight. In fact, Henry had no idea if the Major was even aware whether or not her CO had actually survived. So seeing that they still spoke of the same things meant that Colonel O'Neill had told the truth. And they were both forgetting to tell about the same parts.

Hayes was curious what they were hiding. He tried needling it out of Major Carter but she seemed to catch on just as fast as the Colonel had and she was certainly better at avoiding his questions. She unfailingly answered any question he had, even those the Colonel had stayed quiet to, but without actually telling him anything.

Hayes was getting frustrated. By the looks of it, she was very much aware of the dance they were doing and she was quite adept with words, so Hayes was sure that he wouldn't get anything out of her she wasn't willing to spill. Man, he thought inwardly, she'd make a fantastic diplomat. She had a calm, professional attitude but still was no pushover. Coupled with her physical strength as an officer and her wits and intelligence, Hayes could understand how she'd gotten the Colonel to like her. Maybe, Hayes contemplated, it was even more like that. Both the Colonel and Major Carter had carefully avoided any questions that aimed at the relationship between them. They hadn't even told a single thing about how it had been between them on that mysterious planet they weren't giving away. But seeing that they had spent half a year together with absolutely no other company, there had to have happened at least something. Then again, maybe this something between them would get them in even more trouble, seeing that they were CO and 2IC…

Abruptly, Hayes stood up. Thanking the Major adequately, he made to leave almost instantly. He needed to speak with General Hammond. Somehow, Hayes had the impression he was still left out of a few important things he needed to know to assess the situation. And only when he was thoroughly informed he could try to work on untangling the complicated situation he found himself in after what had begun as just a routine visit. Only then would he stand a chance to help Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter, and that was something he really wanted to do.