Also March 12th:

Harry Maybourne was a pragmatic man. His previous lack of moral fortitude had earned him the loyalty of some less than honest folks over the years.

Ironically enough lots of those less than honest folks had individual loyalties to exactly the person he'd warned this bumbling little inbreed not to cause trouble for. And he'd caused a whole heap of trouble. Not wanting there to be any alarm or clean up after, his people had moved in and quietly sedated each of the good congressman's staff and security then stood sentry where there should have been someone as if nothing at all had happened and piled them up like sausages in a quiet spot guarded by yet more loyal toadies.

It said a lot how much the man didn't give a crap about his people that he noticed nothing at all different about his staff as long as they were in the right places. Harry knew each of his people by name, their families, what they wanted for ever loving Christmas. But this guy? Harry shook his head. All he was to them was a paycheck. Money didn't buy loyalty. Harry's men and women had been picked for this little incursion because of their specific loyalties not to himself though they were up to a point, so far as the paycheck ran. Every single one of them was alive because of a particular incredibly brilliant scientist and each of them was aware of that matter. Add in that she was quite possibly the nicest person Harry or any of them had ever met in their colorful lives and well, that was just a recipe for loyalty that couldn't be sold out.

It had taken little more than a brief synopsis to each of them to gather his happy little band of angry young men. Harry was fairly piqued about this guy screwing with Jack too but while Jack often commanded loyalty, Sam inspired fanatical devotion. She could have started her own cult had she any interest in doing so.

Harry should know. He'd named his tough as nails oldest daughter after the woman after all. She'd make a fine queen one day. He'd make sure he drilled into her to make sure whoever she took to her bed was smart enough to give her intelligent offspring. A stupid king or queen was a dead king or queen. Or worse, a puppet.

His radio double clicked. Show time.

Harry Maybourne sat in the leather chair reserved for a petty man with more power than he warranted. He leaned back and smiled. Today that man would learn there were powers greater than him in the universe. Powers that would not hesitate to crush him like the worthless little bug that he was.


His unusual collection of hangers on all but physically dragged the man into the office and forcibly sat him in the chair across from his desk.

"What are you doing here? You can't do this to me! I'll have you arrested!" He threatened while a pair of meat-hook hands held him down.

Harry ran his thumbnail on his teeth thoughtfully. "Can't I? Seems I already am Congressman. Do you remember the last time someone in your government crossed my people? It didn't end very well for him, did it? I bet you're a little smarter than that. Probably not very, you look like your parents were siblings but at least a little." Harry told the other man with a nasty sort of grin.

The older man began to bluster that he didn't know what Harry was talking about and Harry's finger came up and a slick cold knife slid along the Congressman's neck. He stopped talking with a terrified gulp.

Harry tsked. "Now, now, can't have that, can we?" He leaned forward and pressed his elbows on the desk. "You know, I warned you years ago that I'd leave you alone for your part in that whole Kinsey thing but there were conditions. Conditions you apparently forgot in your enthusiasm to be a greedy self-serving bastard." Harry held up a thumb drive. It was empty but the other man had no way of knowing that. "Care to guess what's on here?"

"I haven't the slightest idea but you're going to jail a very long time. I will have you hunted like an animal."

"I don't even exist." Harry told him with an amused smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Here's how this works. I tell you how to dig yourself out from this and you follow directions this time. Or everyone finds out the good Congressman of Kentucky is a drug runner and is using that as an excuse to beef up the police in his state so he can have his own little goon squad."

Harry laughed again. It wasn't a nice or friendly laugh. It was one of cold disgust. "You don't pay them enough to keep them loyal. They are already out of your control but that's not my problem. See, I told you at the start to leave Colonel Carter out of any ideas you cooked up to maintain control of your little kingdom."

"Or what? O'Neill is a tired old man who I have by the cock." The short man smirked.

Harry nodded. "I'll admit, I like the guy, but this isn't about him. It never was. You should have left her alone the first time. Not used her to control him because now you have my full and undivided attention buddy, and that's probably not a good thing for a man in your position. So, here's how this works. You drop all the charges against Colonel Carter, tell them you received false Intel from her angry ex-husband who knew all along those kids weren't his and was fucking every whore from here to Tallahassee." Harry tapped the thumb drive thoughtfully on the desk. "I don't suppose you'd like to know why?"

"I'm sure you are going to tell me."

"I am." Harry agreed. "See, Sam saved our collective asses from world annihilation enough times to warrant a little happily ever. These guys with me? She's personally saved each of their lives at some point. If you so much as think about screwing with her again and by proxy, O'Neill, first, the information on your little side quest goes public. Your constituents might not care, but the IOA and State and Federal attorneys will." Harry got up and his people tied the little weasel to the chair. "Oh and Congressmen, threaten those kids and I'll make sure whatever happens to you is very slow and extremely unpleasant." Harry grinned and left the room. His people melted into the shadows. The morning shift would find everyone alive, just groggy and confused as to what happened. One of the people restraining the Congressman casually clubbed him over the head, knocking him out.

"All right. Moving on." Harry told the grim men flanking him as he left the mansion.