Happy 60? Enjoy.
M.
Chapter 60
Sunday, August 12, 2012.
After fighting with herself not to drive back home, with every turn she knew that could take her back. She'd checked her phone with the corner of her eye and had even stopped to the side of the road once to make sure her sound was on and not on silent as she usually kept it.
She stopped the frantic checking of her phone the minute she turned on to the CO-115. Sam could've sworn that Jack's house hadn't been that close to Cheyenne before. "Your house, not Jack's," she mumbled, trying to get used to the idea that she was living in the house he used to own, without him.
She finally arrived on Norad RD. There still wasn't a message or call from Parker. She didn't know if she liked that or not. On one hand, that could mean that Jessica was trustworthy. That Parker and the girl liked each, and that there was no lie hidden four or five layers below all the data she and Jordan had dug out about the woman.
On the other hand, Sam wasn't sure she wanted to trust someone with her daughter. Not when she would be needed day after day with the new schedule Sam would have. There wasn't any time to get to know the young woman and filter her out if she was in fact hiding something.
Her mind stopped that train of thought the moment she completed the first half turn that placed her in the shadow of the mountain. From there, as she drove to Cheyenne Mountain complex, she noticed how eerily familiar the views were. As Colorado Springs appeared to her left and the mountains took the view of the right side, the knot in her stomach intensified. She realized how close she was now, to the only place that had ever felt like home to her.
She wasn't expected today. So she doubted a for a second if she should just stop in the parking lot and walk her way. Deciding she didn't want to do that on her blues. Too much attention, too long of a walk on heels that she wasn't used to wearing anymore. She turned to the proper side and was stopped at the first checkpoint.
"Good morning, ma'am. We'll need some ID." The airman said. She produced her ID and gave it to him. "I'll be just a moment, ma'am." He said as he disappeared for a while.
Sam gulped, she'd never been subjected to that before. The first time she had arrived with the Pentagon crew. They had all been rushed inside. After that, they were so used to see her, that she only needed to flash her ID before they let her through.
"General Carter, ma'am. I'm sorry, I'll need to check your car before I can allow you inside." The airman said. Sam felt a bit sorry for him. He seemed to be nervous about telling her that. She nodded.
Her former self would've sighed at this because it would've taken time out of her already tight schedule. No matter how early she got onto the base, there was always something that needed her attention. Back in the day, if she was called in for an emergency, they would lift the barrier the moment they spotted her plates. As if they had reasons to believe she was needed to save the world.
She wondered if people at the top levels ever suspected what was really going on inside the base. She was considering she might learn that now, that it was her responsibility to keep the base safe, and its contents secret.
"You are ready to go, ma'am." The airman announced before he opened the barrier. She nodded again and closed her window. Her paranoid self was kinda ecstatic about how seriously they took the checkpoint now. It meant things were taken far more seriously now than back in the day. She wondered how much security had been tightened once Home World Security moved inside Cheyenne, as per her recommendation.
She parked in a visitor's spot. She imagined which one was General Landry's and if any of the trucks she saw belonged to Jack. She checked the plates of the ones nearby, trying not to look too suspicious. But she knew it would look that way if she kept checking them. Instead of getting herself to the first entry point.
"It's General Landry on base?" She asked the Airman. Since it looked as if they weren't quite sure what to do with her. He typed something in the computers and nodded. "I need a word with him. I can take the visitor pass for now." She said.
Not quite sure if it was proper or not, the airman sighed. "I'll need to check that with him, ma'am." So she waited, again. Feeling a bit nervous at being standing by the entry of the base. Knowing she was under the surveillance of exactly nine different cameras that'd hacked into on a regular basis.
"Yes, sir. General Carter said she would take the visitor's pass." Sam heard her mumble and then, "of course, sir," he said and lowered the phone. "Ma'am. General Landry apologizes for not having your pass ready. We'll solve it before you leave today."
"Great," Sam said.
"Will you need help to get to his office, ma'am?"
"No. I know my way around this place." Sam stated. "Thanks."
She walked to the elevators. Waited for one of them to come up, praying that it wouldn't open to reveal one of the people she was so desperately afraid to meet. When the doors opened, she found an empty car, and she walked inside.
The second entry point at level eleven was easier to pass. The airmen there had already received a call from Landry to let them know she could come through. The second shaft was even more nerve-racking as she waited for it. The chances of it opening up to reveal Daniel, Janet, Teal'c or Janet were higher. They all had to come through this floor to make their way topside.
She relaxed a bit once the doors opened and there were just two junior personnel. She didn't know who had saluted her before they walked out of the elevator. Some worry about being recognized too soon left her as the doors finally opened on level twenty-seven.
Then the knot made itself known. All the personnel she had encountered so far were junior. It made sense they hadn't recognized her. They all seemed to be fresh out of training. It also made sense. Even if it was the SGC, she shouldn't expect people to remain eleven years at the front desk. If they hoped to advance their careers. No matter how top secret the front desk on the eleventh floor was.
Now, she did know that Walter was still around. Just like Siler and most of the people who used to work back in her days. Cheyenne wasn't only a top-secret base, but one that needed people to remain inside to cut down the chances of it becoming public by a mistake.
There was no-one at the side office that used to hold Hammond's assistant. So, she walked straight up to Landry's door and knocked.
"Enter," Landry said, and Sam cracked the door open. "Ah, you must be General Carter."
"Yes, sir."
"Drop the sir, General. It's just Hank."
"Not until tomorrow, sir." She stated.
"A stickler for the rules, huh? You might struggle with this command then. Rules are complex to manage here," Landry smiled.
"I'm aware of that," Sam stated.
"Well, General, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to get some insight from you, General. Any information you might have that could help me settle in better."
At least an hour, and a round of coffee later. Landry was still pointing out names and details she could use. That was when she spotted someone coming closer from the corner of her eye. There was a knock on the window that divided the office from the briefing room.
"Enter," Landry said, sighing.
"Hank! I just came to say goodbye!" A dark-haired woman who was sporting pigtails said cheerfully.
"Vala, I'm sure you could've waited," Landry said, shaking his head. He had grown used to the alien woman and her ways after all those years and situations she had put them through.
"And miss whoever she is?" Vala smiled.
"Vala, this is General Carter. She will take command of the SGC. General Carter, meet Vala Mal Doran… Your future pain in the ass."
"Well, now I have a reputation to uphold! Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too," Sam said.
"Okay, now that you know who she is. Why don't you leave us alone, Vala? Go bother Doctor Jackson or Doctor Frasier." Sam froze.
"Are they on base today?" Sam asked, her voice trembled a little. Vala frowned for a second before she dismissed it. Sam took her chance to look at her phone for a second. "Oh, I should go. Thanks for the insight, General." She said standing up and walking away.
"That was odd," Vala added.
"Give the woman a break, Vala. She came only to learn what's going on here. Which means she cares about her personnel. You could've fared a lot worse if you ask me," Landry said as they both looked at the closed door.
Sunday, August 12, 2012.
There was a knock at Jack's door. Followed by the door being opened slightly before he even had a chance to say enter. Knowing who was already inside his office, Jack wasn't surprised when Vala popped her head inside.
"I thought I might find you here," she said, grinning at Daniel. "General," Vala acknowledged Jack after plopping herself on Daniel's lap.
"How did you find me?" Daniel asked, giving Jack a regretful smile.
"Well, you're both late for the farewell lunch for General Landry," she beamed at them. Then, all of the sudden, she glared at Daniel and slapped him. His hand found his red cheek as he frowned in confusion.
"What was that for?" he complained.
"It's preemptive."
"For what? Having too much coffee during lunch?!" He sighed exasperatedly. Vala's pigtails moved quickly from one side to the other.
"What? I know you love that black, fuel-like thing a tad too much. I've just met Landry's replacement." She said. Tension rose in the office as Daniel and Jack exchanged a confused glance.
"Jack? I thought they were going for a temp." Daniel frowned in confusion.
"That's what I thought too, Daniel. I hope they didn't decide to try a civilian again. The shortlist I saw…" Jack trailed.
"Neither of them said she was a temp." Vala shrugged.
"Honey? What can you tell us about the replacement?" Daniel asked then, knowing that whoever Vala had found out about the replacement. She most likely paid a lot of attention to some details.
"Gorgeous looking woman. Lots of thingies placed on her jacket."
"Thingies?"
"You know... Those pins Mitchell berated me for giving to the Tuvh people. The ones we had to go back and exchange again for some real fabric," she added with a roll of her eyes.
"Ribbons?" Jack asked feeling a bit of interest.
"What did her jacket look like?"
"Blue, like Jack's... But different. She had one star where Jack has three… The ribbons where all different too. Some of them were similar. Anyhow, tall… I'd say 175, looked a bit taller than me." She said pensively and looked at Daniel, rolled her eyes and added, "5'8". Fit and lean. I could tell she works out a lot. I wonder if she knows how to fight? Hmm, she didn't seem like a, what did you call it? Desk flier! Sorry, Jack. You don't look like a desk flier either. Also pale white skin. Her hair was braided. Maybe long hair? I'm not sure… Most women here have short hair. But the airwomen, they always have it up in braids."
"Vala!" Daniel called, only to stop her fast rambling.
"It was curious, though. Landry said she was General Carter. You know, like Jake."
"General Carter?" Daniel frowned, looking at Jack more confused than before. The frown was replicated on Jack's. "It can't be. Can it?"
"I have no clue, Daniel." He said. "But there's a way to find out."
"How?"
"Vala, if I show you a picture, would you be able to tell if it's the same woman?"
"Sure! I have an excellent memory as I've proved several times." Jack unlocked his computer. Searching fast through his files to find the videos of the trial. He turned his screen towards her and his direct line to the President went off.
"O'Neill." He answered. Vala almost entered his computer screen as she tried to see if it was the same woman.
"Jack!" Hayes said on the other end.
"Yup! That's her." Vala said at the same time.
"If you give me a sec, Mr. President. I'll get rid of my guests." He said a bit harshly. Daniel already stood up and was dragging Vala outside.
"Wait! Do you know her? Who is she?" Vala asked. Those were the last words he understood since Daniel closed the door behind them.
"I believe there's something you missed informing me, Mr. President," Jack almost growled. He was aware it was his Commander-in-Chief. He also knew Hayes was informed of his attempts of trying to find her through the years, mostly because he had briefed him himself.
"I did, didn't I? How do you know?" Hayes chuckled nervously.
"That the SGC has a new CO? Apparently, the new CO had a meeting with the current one. I've just been told that General Carter was selected? There was no General Carter in the shortlist I saw."
"It was a last-minute thing, Jack."
"So last minute that you forgot to let me know, sir?" He mumbled, but Hayes heard.
"Jack…" Hayes started. "I didn't know how to let you know. So now that's out… There's a thing I also have to mention to you."
"What's that?"
"She won't be reporting to you."
"She won't?" He frowned.
"She'll present her reports to you, so you can know what's happening in there, but she'll report to the JCS," Hayes explained.
"Why?"
"You know why, Jack."
"No. Enlighten me." Hayes sighed.
"Jack… Why didn't you ever mentioned you married her?" Hayes's voice softened.
"I…"
"She figured it was better to go ahead and lay it on the table. It was a smart move, according to Johansson. Since she announced it, there could be measures taken before it came back to bite your ass or hers too."
"Which one was Johansson again?"
"The former JAG."
"God… Does it mean that the whole damn thing could've been avoided if I had married her earlier?"
"That's a Johansson question, Jack. But there's something 'bout married people working under the same chain that makes this possible. Or that's what he argued when they were trying to decide if it was a good call or not." Jack sighed and rubbed his face tiredly. "I'm sorry, Jack. I really didn't know how to drop the bomb on you after she dropped the wedding bomb on us. I thought it was a nice way to have her back and all. With all you said about her mind and skills, during all those years searching for her."
"Yeah, I guess it's a done deal now, sir. We'll figure it out. Don't worry, Mr. President. Worse case, I'll resign or ask to move HWS to the Pentagon again."
"I really hope this works, Jack. You've searched for her so badly, that I did my best to get her as close to you as I could."
"Thanks, Mr. President. Believe it or not, I really appreciate it."
They exchanged a few more words before they finally ended the call. Once he lowered the phone on its cradle, Jack hit his desk with his forehead and let out a growl. Fucking Hayes was a romantic, and Jack knew it. That was why he was allowed to search for Sam, to begin with. Now, it seemed that his romantic side just came out to bite in in the ass.
'She mentioned we are married! What was she thinking?' He thought. "Johansson said it was for the best." He mumbled. He checked his phone. There were several missed calls and messages from Daniel. He was late for Landry's farewell. Shaking himself, he guarded his feeling as he had perfected the past eleven years, fourth months, and thirty days… But who was counting, anyway?
