Chapter 17 - And Now, The Stargate Show!
Jack didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep the seat next to him vacant for Sam's arrival. The briefing room was filled with TV people milling around, fussing with their equipment at one end, while current and former Generals, SG team leaders and members sat waiting at the other. He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally appeared, entering the room to a chorus of smiles and greetings from her former colleagues. Jack raised his eyebrow at the sight of her right hand, which was wrapped in a chunky white bandage. Others too looked on in concern.
"I scalded myself with some hot coffee in Daniel's lab." she explained. "The dressing will do for now. I'll get it checked out again later." But as Sam sat down, she briefly brushed the bandage against Jack's hand as it rested on the arm of the chair and he instantly felt the hard object she had concealed in her grasp. She settled in the chair and kept her hand out of sight below the table, and to her relief it dropped from everyone's attention - except Jack's, of course. He silently marvelled at his wife's acting talents as she concentrated on paying attention and responding to other people.
The major networks each had a senior presenter asking questions, and to the relief of all SGC members, the questions and discussions about the Earth's sudden awareness of other species and the incredible possibilities of the Stargate network took a welcome turn to the sane and the relevant. After two hours of sometimes quite intense questions and answers - lightened only by short breaks every fifteen minutes for the broadcast of advertisements - there was a general sense of relief amongst the military personnel that the ordeal was over.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
During the buffet lunch, Jack was never far from his wife's side, particularly as her apparent incapacity meant that he had to carry both their sandwiches and snacks on his plate. They waited for a moment of relative privacy before he broached the inevitable subject.
"So, what's with the subterfuge?" he asked quietly.
She leaned towards him as though they were sharing an intimate moment in the way that newlyweds do. "I can smuggle it out through the Stargate this afternoon but not out of the SGC when we go home later." she whispered. "The security scanners at the exit would pick it up. We'll get Teal'c or somebody on P4D-134 to deliver it back to us at home by alternative transport."
"But won't they notice it's gone?" asked Jack.
"From Daniel's lab? Are you kidding?" she smiled. "It'll take them a month of Sundays to locate where it should be. Anyway, Daniel switched the identity classification tag to something else, so it'll probably go down as a misfile." A large smile suddenly appeared on her face and she looked over Jack's shoulder as a familiar face approached. "Dr. Felger, good to see you again!"
"Oh, Major Carter, you don't know how much I've... Er, we've missed you here." he gushed. "I was away on some God-awful planet - saving their asses, of course - until yesterday and I only just found out you were here. If you can spare the time this afternoon, I'd love to show you my latest masterpiece. It's software to die for, I can tell you."
"Just like before, eh, Felger?" said Jack in an acid tone.
"Please, Colonel, this is a whole new level of sophistication. Absolutely unbreakable code!" the self-styled genius insisted. "I'm sure that Major Carter would just love to..."
"Dr. Felger." said Sam firmly. "Jay. Slow down. First, I'm not a Major any more, second I'm not Carter any more, and third, we're accompanying some journalists through the Stargate this afternoon as part of the TV show. I'm sure your code is everything you say it is, or at least it will be one day, but save it for now, OK?"
"But it's such a breakthrough!" he continued enthusiastically. "Even Chloe thinks it's.. What did you say? What do you mean, not 'Carter' any more? Oh no! You haven't? Really, tell me you haven't..." He paused and studied her left hand, not even noticing the currently much more prominent right. "Oh. Oh. Well, who have you gone and thrown away your life on? He'll never be good enough for you, you know."
"That would be me, Felger." said Jack in a quiet voice with an unmistakeable undertone of Schwarzenegger-style menace. "And that's a highly judgemental statement you've just made. Care to qualify it?"
"Er, well... Oh, my! Just look at the time!" the scientist stuttered. "Well, good to see you, Colonel, Major Car... Samantha... Major O'Neill, no wait a minute, Mrs.."
"Goodbye, Jay." said Sam, putting him out of his misery by signalling the moment to leave.
"Any more of your past conquests or fan club left to fend off?" sighed Jack as he watched the genius moving away.
"Well, you never know." replied Sam, a note of amusement in her voice. "We've yet to deal with the off-worlders."
"Humph!" was his response. "Maybe you should get a bigger nametag." he added, gesturing towards the plastic card attached to her lapel.
"Seriously though, Jack." she continued. "Have you been in touch with your ex-wife since the news broke? I think you owe her an explanation."
"No, we lost contact quite a while back. But you're right; I should make the effort - if she wants to hear it, that is."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Now remember, ladies and gentlemen of the press, what we've told you about the effects of wormhole travel for your first time." said the SGC guide to the assembled party in the Gate Room. "It's nothing to be ashamed of to feel a little nauseous on arrival at the destination gate, and for those of you who do experience this momentary discomfort, just remember to move off to the right when you get there, and you'll be out of camera shot."
They were only half-listening, of course, being still in awe of the Gate activation process and the sight of the shimmering Event Horizon. Groups began to move forward, each media person being closely accompanied by a military one. On a premonition, Jack walked just behind Sam, slightly to her left as they ushered the representative of The New York Times up the ramp. The man hesitated nervously just before the Event Horizon, and Sam reassured him with a smile, extending her hand into the blue ripples so that it disappeared from view.
"Nothing to worry about now." she said. "These gates have been transporting people for tens of thousands of years, as far as we can tell. Just step forward." She held his elbow firmly and they walked forward together, with Jack only half a pace behind.
Neither had forgotten the experience of wormhole travel since their retirements, but nonetheless the element of surprise and wonder was still there. As they emerged onto the sumptuous landscape of P4D-134, known to the locals as 'Haven', the NYT journalist laughed in astonishment at the unexpected sight, and also the fact that he felt quite well. Sam on the other hand was equally astonished at her sudden dizziness and wave of nausea, and did not resist as Jack instantly steered her towards a group of people out of camera shot who were obviously similarly afflicted. As she leaned forward, breathing heavily, he rubbed her back until she started to feel steady again.
"Oh, God. I'm sorry." she wheezed. "I really don't know why this is happening now."
"S'ok, dear." said Jack. "As soon as we find some time to ourselves, we need to talk about it."
"Why?" she asked. "It's just a temporary bout of travel-sickness. I'll get over it."
"If you say so. Hey! Look who's here to greet us." he said, gesturing towards two groups of people who'd been waiting for the circus to arrive.
Sam looked up, an expression of sheer delight appearing as she recognised Teal'c amongst the Jaffa party. They walked over, the cameras on them once more, and Jack grasped his great friend's outstretched forearm in the traditional greeting. They unashamedly embraced, but Jack stood back quickly so that Sam could give a more Earth-like greeting of a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, Teal'c!" she sighed. "How I've missed you! SG-1 was never the same after you went off to lead the free Jaffa. Is your son well?"
"He is a credit to me and all of our cause, MajorCarter." he replied with pride. "And I am pleased to see you looking so content. Is your hand badly injured, though?" Sam shook her head and carried on smiling at him, and so he continued, "I was truly upset to hear of your leaving the SGC. I trust you are now fit to face the challenges of our lives, and that your partner is proving worthy of you."
"I said you should get a bigger nametag, Carter." said Jack in exasperation. He waited for Teal'c to discover the item and held a steady expression as the Jaffa's face lost its traditional composure. Sam allowed herself to be hugged again, smiling at her friend's seeming inability to speak for the moment.
Teal'c moved back and held her shoulders at arms length, before looking to Jack and shaking his hand again. "No false God brought this to be." he said. "I am overwhelmed with happiness at your joining. It is long overdue. Is your firstborn's time of arrival known yet?"
"Teal'c!" said Sam in shock. "We're being filmed! That's not the kind of question to ask at a time like this. We haven't even decided what to do about that yet, even if it does prove possible, have we, Jack?"
"Er, no, not really." Jack mumbled, suddenly finding interest in anything that might be around them. To his instant relief, a familiar figure was nearing them, but his gratification lessened as he remembered Jacob Carter's last words to them months before at the cabin.
"Hi, Sammie." he said joyfully, embracing her. "Jack! It's good to see you too." he added, shaking his hand warmly. "And before you say anything, I owe both of you a sincere apology for our last meeting. I'm truly happy for you both, really. What have you done to your hand, Sam?"
"Just remember that Mark doesn't know about you yet." she whispered into her father's ear. Be careful how you phrase it."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The media were in ecstasy at the sight and sound of Earthmen and aliens meeting like old friends. However commentators as usual refused to allow the viewers back on Earth to hear the actual conversations taking place, and filled the ether with their own verbosity.
"Now these people are *not* Goo-ar-oold." announced one. "The Tow-kra are our allies, carrying rebel symbiotes and fighting alongside our brave troops."
".. the Jaffa are a noble warrior race, somewhat old-fashioned in their outlook by our standards..." said another.
".. visible alien support for us is bound to have a positive effect on bond prices, especially tech stocks..." stated the man from The Wall Street Journal.
".. and who knows what kind of athletes from other worlds could be signed up for the next NFL draft.." drawled the USA Today correspondent.
"We told you so years ago!" cried the National Enquirer editor and chief compositor. "They didn't believe us then.."
"... and a hush falls as we await the arrival of the Asgard, the 'little grey men' of Roswell fame. They are reported to be so technologically advanced that it's difficult to believe that they should choose to communicate with humankind at all." droned the CNN reporter. "We know that they have a high respect for former Colonel Jack O'Neill in particular, and regard him as a kind of ambassador for Earth. Ah! We've been told to expect them to *beam down* like they do in Star Trek, and ladies and gentlemen! Here they are now! Stand by for the official greetings from both sides."
The cameras showed three Asgard appearing in the midst of the melee in a burst of white light. Silence followed as the front figure spoke.
"Greetings, O'Neill and Major Car.... O'Neill." said Thor, his limpid gaze taking in everything and captivating all the first-timers. He noticed Sam's bandaged hand and his eyes opened even wider.
"Thor, old buddy, you rat!" said Jack. "How about we demonstrate the Asgard transport system one more time for everyone? Like right now?"
XXXXXXXXXXXX
Jack didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep the seat next to him vacant for Sam's arrival. The briefing room was filled with TV people milling around, fussing with their equipment at one end, while current and former Generals, SG team leaders and members sat waiting at the other. He breathed a sigh of relief when she finally appeared, entering the room to a chorus of smiles and greetings from her former colleagues. Jack raised his eyebrow at the sight of her right hand, which was wrapped in a chunky white bandage. Others too looked on in concern.
"I scalded myself with some hot coffee in Daniel's lab." she explained. "The dressing will do for now. I'll get it checked out again later." But as Sam sat down, she briefly brushed the bandage against Jack's hand as it rested on the arm of the chair and he instantly felt the hard object she had concealed in her grasp. She settled in the chair and kept her hand out of sight below the table, and to her relief it dropped from everyone's attention - except Jack's, of course. He silently marvelled at his wife's acting talents as she concentrated on paying attention and responding to other people.
The major networks each had a senior presenter asking questions, and to the relief of all SGC members, the questions and discussions about the Earth's sudden awareness of other species and the incredible possibilities of the Stargate network took a welcome turn to the sane and the relevant. After two hours of sometimes quite intense questions and answers - lightened only by short breaks every fifteen minutes for the broadcast of advertisements - there was a general sense of relief amongst the military personnel that the ordeal was over.
XXXXXXXXXXXX
During the buffet lunch, Jack was never far from his wife's side, particularly as her apparent incapacity meant that he had to carry both their sandwiches and snacks on his plate. They waited for a moment of relative privacy before he broached the inevitable subject.
"So, what's with the subterfuge?" he asked quietly.
She leaned towards him as though they were sharing an intimate moment in the way that newlyweds do. "I can smuggle it out through the Stargate this afternoon but not out of the SGC when we go home later." she whispered. "The security scanners at the exit would pick it up. We'll get Teal'c or somebody on P4D-134 to deliver it back to us at home by alternative transport."
"But won't they notice it's gone?" asked Jack.
"From Daniel's lab? Are you kidding?" she smiled. "It'll take them a month of Sundays to locate where it should be. Anyway, Daniel switched the identity classification tag to something else, so it'll probably go down as a misfile." A large smile suddenly appeared on her face and she looked over Jack's shoulder as a familiar face approached. "Dr. Felger, good to see you again!"
"Oh, Major Carter, you don't know how much I've... Er, we've missed you here." he gushed. "I was away on some God-awful planet - saving their asses, of course - until yesterday and I only just found out you were here. If you can spare the time this afternoon, I'd love to show you my latest masterpiece. It's software to die for, I can tell you."
"Just like before, eh, Felger?" said Jack in an acid tone.
"Please, Colonel, this is a whole new level of sophistication. Absolutely unbreakable code!" the self-styled genius insisted. "I'm sure that Major Carter would just love to..."
"Dr. Felger." said Sam firmly. "Jay. Slow down. First, I'm not a Major any more, second I'm not Carter any more, and third, we're accompanying some journalists through the Stargate this afternoon as part of the TV show. I'm sure your code is everything you say it is, or at least it will be one day, but save it for now, OK?"
"But it's such a breakthrough!" he continued enthusiastically. "Even Chloe thinks it's.. What did you say? What do you mean, not 'Carter' any more? Oh no! You haven't? Really, tell me you haven't..." He paused and studied her left hand, not even noticing the currently much more prominent right. "Oh. Oh. Well, who have you gone and thrown away your life on? He'll never be good enough for you, you know."
"That would be me, Felger." said Jack in a quiet voice with an unmistakeable undertone of Schwarzenegger-style menace. "And that's a highly judgemental statement you've just made. Care to qualify it?"
"Er, well... Oh, my! Just look at the time!" the scientist stuttered. "Well, good to see you, Colonel, Major Car... Samantha... Major O'Neill, no wait a minute, Mrs.."
"Goodbye, Jay." said Sam, putting him out of his misery by signalling the moment to leave.
"Any more of your past conquests or fan club left to fend off?" sighed Jack as he watched the genius moving away.
"Well, you never know." replied Sam, a note of amusement in her voice. "We've yet to deal with the off-worlders."
"Humph!" was his response. "Maybe you should get a bigger nametag." he added, gesturing towards the plastic card attached to her lapel.
"Seriously though, Jack." she continued. "Have you been in touch with your ex-wife since the news broke? I think you owe her an explanation."
"No, we lost contact quite a while back. But you're right; I should make the effort - if she wants to hear it, that is."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
"Now remember, ladies and gentlemen of the press, what we've told you about the effects of wormhole travel for your first time." said the SGC guide to the assembled party in the Gate Room. "It's nothing to be ashamed of to feel a little nauseous on arrival at the destination gate, and for those of you who do experience this momentary discomfort, just remember to move off to the right when you get there, and you'll be out of camera shot."
They were only half-listening, of course, being still in awe of the Gate activation process and the sight of the shimmering Event Horizon. Groups began to move forward, each media person being closely accompanied by a military one. On a premonition, Jack walked just behind Sam, slightly to her left as they ushered the representative of The New York Times up the ramp. The man hesitated nervously just before the Event Horizon, and Sam reassured him with a smile, extending her hand into the blue ripples so that it disappeared from view.
"Nothing to worry about now." she said. "These gates have been transporting people for tens of thousands of years, as far as we can tell. Just step forward." She held his elbow firmly and they walked forward together, with Jack only half a pace behind.
Neither had forgotten the experience of wormhole travel since their retirements, but nonetheless the element of surprise and wonder was still there. As they emerged onto the sumptuous landscape of P4D-134, known to the locals as 'Haven', the NYT journalist laughed in astonishment at the unexpected sight, and also the fact that he felt quite well. Sam on the other hand was equally astonished at her sudden dizziness and wave of nausea, and did not resist as Jack instantly steered her towards a group of people out of camera shot who were obviously similarly afflicted. As she leaned forward, breathing heavily, he rubbed her back until she started to feel steady again.
"Oh, God. I'm sorry." she wheezed. "I really don't know why this is happening now."
"S'ok, dear." said Jack. "As soon as we find some time to ourselves, we need to talk about it."
"Why?" she asked. "It's just a temporary bout of travel-sickness. I'll get over it."
"If you say so. Hey! Look who's here to greet us." he said, gesturing towards two groups of people who'd been waiting for the circus to arrive.
Sam looked up, an expression of sheer delight appearing as she recognised Teal'c amongst the Jaffa party. They walked over, the cameras on them once more, and Jack grasped his great friend's outstretched forearm in the traditional greeting. They unashamedly embraced, but Jack stood back quickly so that Sam could give a more Earth-like greeting of a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek.
"Oh, Teal'c!" she sighed. "How I've missed you! SG-1 was never the same after you went off to lead the free Jaffa. Is your son well?"
"He is a credit to me and all of our cause, MajorCarter." he replied with pride. "And I am pleased to see you looking so content. Is your hand badly injured, though?" Sam shook her head and carried on smiling at him, and so he continued, "I was truly upset to hear of your leaving the SGC. I trust you are now fit to face the challenges of our lives, and that your partner is proving worthy of you."
"I said you should get a bigger nametag, Carter." said Jack in exasperation. He waited for Teal'c to discover the item and held a steady expression as the Jaffa's face lost its traditional composure. Sam allowed herself to be hugged again, smiling at her friend's seeming inability to speak for the moment.
Teal'c moved back and held her shoulders at arms length, before looking to Jack and shaking his hand again. "No false God brought this to be." he said. "I am overwhelmed with happiness at your joining. It is long overdue. Is your firstborn's time of arrival known yet?"
"Teal'c!" said Sam in shock. "We're being filmed! That's not the kind of question to ask at a time like this. We haven't even decided what to do about that yet, even if it does prove possible, have we, Jack?"
"Er, no, not really." Jack mumbled, suddenly finding interest in anything that might be around them. To his instant relief, a familiar figure was nearing them, but his gratification lessened as he remembered Jacob Carter's last words to them months before at the cabin.
"Hi, Sammie." he said joyfully, embracing her. "Jack! It's good to see you too." he added, shaking his hand warmly. "And before you say anything, I owe both of you a sincere apology for our last meeting. I'm truly happy for you both, really. What have you done to your hand, Sam?"
"Just remember that Mark doesn't know about you yet." she whispered into her father's ear. Be careful how you phrase it."
XXXXXXXXXXXX
The media were in ecstasy at the sight and sound of Earthmen and aliens meeting like old friends. However commentators as usual refused to allow the viewers back on Earth to hear the actual conversations taking place, and filled the ether with their own verbosity.
"Now these people are *not* Goo-ar-oold." announced one. "The Tow-kra are our allies, carrying rebel symbiotes and fighting alongside our brave troops."
".. the Jaffa are a noble warrior race, somewhat old-fashioned in their outlook by our standards..." said another.
".. visible alien support for us is bound to have a positive effect on bond prices, especially tech stocks..." stated the man from The Wall Street Journal.
".. and who knows what kind of athletes from other worlds could be signed up for the next NFL draft.." drawled the USA Today correspondent.
"We told you so years ago!" cried the National Enquirer editor and chief compositor. "They didn't believe us then.."
"... and a hush falls as we await the arrival of the Asgard, the 'little grey men' of Roswell fame. They are reported to be so technologically advanced that it's difficult to believe that they should choose to communicate with humankind at all." droned the CNN reporter. "We know that they have a high respect for former Colonel Jack O'Neill in particular, and regard him as a kind of ambassador for Earth. Ah! We've been told to expect them to *beam down* like they do in Star Trek, and ladies and gentlemen! Here they are now! Stand by for the official greetings from both sides."
The cameras showed three Asgard appearing in the midst of the melee in a burst of white light. Silence followed as the front figure spoke.
"Greetings, O'Neill and Major Car.... O'Neill." said Thor, his limpid gaze taking in everything and captivating all the first-timers. He noticed Sam's bandaged hand and his eyes opened even wider.
"Thor, old buddy, you rat!" said Jack. "How about we demonstrate the Asgard transport system one more time for everyone? Like right now?"
XXXXXXXXXXXX