From Here To Eternity: The Road to Redemption - The First Step, Part 1
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0.
***
"I want to talk to Jack O'Neill."
The man in the three piece suit looked at the prisoner, shook his head in exasperation, and sighed. "I told you Colonel, O'Neill doesn't want to talk to you."
Manacles sang as Makepeace scrubbed at this face, their song ended when he finished laying his hands on the scarred table top in front of him. "You know," he sighed, "this room is depressing. I wish we could meet somewhere else." He swiveled his head, looking at each wall, at the two doors set in opposite walls -- one door led to the outside, a world free of the stink and grime of the guilty, the other door led back to the self-pity, the proclamations of innocence, the anger and the hate that had become his home. "Even my cell has more to offer than this room," he added looking back at his lawyer.
The lawyer looked at his client, pity rippling across his face. He closed the notebook he had taken out of his brief case when he had sat down preparing to take notes he hoped would help him in his application for appeal. "Colonel, what is it you want?"
"I want to talk to Jack O'Neill," he repeated.
"And I've told you ..."
"Make him ... please," pleaded Makepeace quietly. "Please."
"All right," the lawyer said shoving his notebook back into his brief case and latching it shut. He stood. "I'll try again. I can't promise you anything though."
"I know," whispered the prisoner his eyes focused on the table top as the lawyer turned and knocked on the door to announce that he was ready to leave. The door opened from the outside and the lawyer stepped through. When the door closed again, Makepeace looked up. "I know."
***
Jack O'Neill sauntered up to the door to Hammond's office, knocked once, turned the knob, and let himself in. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked stepping inside and shoving his hands in his pockets.
General Hammond looked at O'Neill and raised the index finger of his left hand in the air, the other hand held the telephone receiver. "Yes Bill. He's just arrived ... I'll talk to him about it." Hammond hung up the phone and motioned for O'Neill to sit. "That was General Moorman."
"Who is General Moorman?" Jack asked as he took a seat in front of Hammond's desk.
"Major General William A. Moorman the JAG for the Air Force," explained Hammond.
"Oh. And what does he want with me? I mean, you did tell him that I had just arrived," Jack said. "Or were you talking about the pizza that I ordered. I can explain that ... the delivery guy didn't get in here. I went up top and met him."
Hammond smiled. "No Colonel, I wasn't talking about the pizza or the delivery man. You're aware that Makepeace got a civilian lawyer to defend him."
Hearing Makepeace's name, O'Neill sat up straighter in his chair. "Yes, sir. He's been bugging me to go see Makepeace."
"Well, he's bugging General Moorman now."
"General, I have nothing I want to say to Makepeace and there isn't anything I want to hear from him either," Jack said.
"I know Colonel," said Hammond leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers in front of him. "I feel the same way."
"Why do I feel a 'but' coming on?"
"Probably because I set it up that way," Hammond answered. "General Moorman wants me to order you to see Makepeace. He thinks ..."
Jack shut his eyes tightly and shivered in his chair at the same time using the fingers of his hand to make the sign of the cross in front of his face.
Hammond took a deep breath. "Colonel, I said Moorman wants me to ... not that I am."
O'Neill managed to look abashed. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just that ..." He sighed and bit his lower lip between his teeth. "I'm not sure what I'd do seeing Makepeace again. He put my team in danger with his shinanigins. Hell General, he put the whole project in danger," he said raising his voice at the end.
"I know. General Moorman feels that we didn't get everyone involved. That there are still some of Maybourne's men out there and until we get them all, this problem will crop again," explained Hammond. "I agree with him."
"And you think Makepeace is going to give them to us?"
"Maybe ... maybe not, but the only person he wants to talk to right now is you. His lawyer is saying that he won't even talk to him about the upcoming appeal. He seems resolved to the punishment that he's been given so maybe ..." Hammond left the sentence hanging hoping that O'Neill would be able to fill in the blanks the way he wanted him to do.
O'Neill leaned forward in his chair, put his elbows on his knees and cradled his head with his hands. Hammond watched O'Neill's shoulders fall and rise with his breathing then saw a barely perceptible shake of his head before he lifted his head from his hands.
"All right, General. I'll go see him," he said. "But you'd better make sure there's bars between him and me or I might just strangle him."
Hammond chuckled. "Don't worry, son. There's going to be bars."
***
Disclaimers can be found in Part 0.
***
"I want to talk to Jack O'Neill."
The man in the three piece suit looked at the prisoner, shook his head in exasperation, and sighed. "I told you Colonel, O'Neill doesn't want to talk to you."
Manacles sang as Makepeace scrubbed at this face, their song ended when he finished laying his hands on the scarred table top in front of him. "You know," he sighed, "this room is depressing. I wish we could meet somewhere else." He swiveled his head, looking at each wall, at the two doors set in opposite walls -- one door led to the outside, a world free of the stink and grime of the guilty, the other door led back to the self-pity, the proclamations of innocence, the anger and the hate that had become his home. "Even my cell has more to offer than this room," he added looking back at his lawyer.
The lawyer looked at his client, pity rippling across his face. He closed the notebook he had taken out of his brief case when he had sat down preparing to take notes he hoped would help him in his application for appeal. "Colonel, what is it you want?"
"I want to talk to Jack O'Neill," he repeated.
"And I've told you ..."
"Make him ... please," pleaded Makepeace quietly. "Please."
"All right," the lawyer said shoving his notebook back into his brief case and latching it shut. He stood. "I'll try again. I can't promise you anything though."
"I know," whispered the prisoner his eyes focused on the table top as the lawyer turned and knocked on the door to announce that he was ready to leave. The door opened from the outside and the lawyer stepped through. When the door closed again, Makepeace looked up. "I know."
***
Jack O'Neill sauntered up to the door to Hammond's office, knocked once, turned the knob, and let himself in. "You wanted to see me, sir?" he asked stepping inside and shoving his hands in his pockets.
General Hammond looked at O'Neill and raised the index finger of his left hand in the air, the other hand held the telephone receiver. "Yes Bill. He's just arrived ... I'll talk to him about it." Hammond hung up the phone and motioned for O'Neill to sit. "That was General Moorman."
"Who is General Moorman?" Jack asked as he took a seat in front of Hammond's desk.
"Major General William A. Moorman the JAG for the Air Force," explained Hammond.
"Oh. And what does he want with me? I mean, you did tell him that I had just arrived," Jack said. "Or were you talking about the pizza that I ordered. I can explain that ... the delivery guy didn't get in here. I went up top and met him."
Hammond smiled. "No Colonel, I wasn't talking about the pizza or the delivery man. You're aware that Makepeace got a civilian lawyer to defend him."
Hearing Makepeace's name, O'Neill sat up straighter in his chair. "Yes, sir. He's been bugging me to go see Makepeace."
"Well, he's bugging General Moorman now."
"General, I have nothing I want to say to Makepeace and there isn't anything I want to hear from him either," Jack said.
"I know Colonel," said Hammond leaning back in his chair and steepling his fingers in front of him. "I feel the same way."
"Why do I feel a 'but' coming on?"
"Probably because I set it up that way," Hammond answered. "General Moorman wants me to order you to see Makepeace. He thinks ..."
Jack shut his eyes tightly and shivered in his chair at the same time using the fingers of his hand to make the sign of the cross in front of his face.
Hammond took a deep breath. "Colonel, I said Moorman wants me to ... not that I am."
O'Neill managed to look abashed. "I'm sorry, sir. It's just that ..." He sighed and bit his lower lip between his teeth. "I'm not sure what I'd do seeing Makepeace again. He put my team in danger with his shinanigins. Hell General, he put the whole project in danger," he said raising his voice at the end.
"I know. General Moorman feels that we didn't get everyone involved. That there are still some of Maybourne's men out there and until we get them all, this problem will crop again," explained Hammond. "I agree with him."
"And you think Makepeace is going to give them to us?"
"Maybe ... maybe not, but the only person he wants to talk to right now is you. His lawyer is saying that he won't even talk to him about the upcoming appeal. He seems resolved to the punishment that he's been given so maybe ..." Hammond left the sentence hanging hoping that O'Neill would be able to fill in the blanks the way he wanted him to do.
O'Neill leaned forward in his chair, put his elbows on his knees and cradled his head with his hands. Hammond watched O'Neill's shoulders fall and rise with his breathing then saw a barely perceptible shake of his head before he lifted his head from his hands.
"All right, General. I'll go see him," he said. "But you'd better make sure there's bars between him and me or I might just strangle him."
Hammond chuckled. "Don't worry, son. There's going to be bars."
***