CHAPTER FIVE: THE NOT SO BRIEFING
When Vicky and Jack returned to the briefing room Hammond and the rest of SG-1 were already there. She gave her uncle another hug before everyone was seated. The O'Neill's sat on one side of the table and the remaining members of Jack's team sat across from them.
"Vicky, why don't you start at the beginning.."
"OK Unc...General."
She looked at Jack with a concerned look and asked, "Jack are you going to be OK with me talking about everything?"
"Yeahsureyoubetcha, it will be a lot easier now that I know you didn't really die."
"Actually, I did die. Odin made a clone from bits of tissue, but I am essentially the same Vicky with the same memories."
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she started her story.
"I was a Commander in the Navy working for the Defense Intelligence Agency and Jack had just started in Black ops when we were both told to report to a classified location for a mission that we can't talk about. Anyway, our cover was basically being ourselves. We supposedly resigned our commissions because we had fallen in love and were denied permission to marry. No one, not friends or family could know that this was a cover."
"Gee, Jack, you make a habit of that don't you?"
"Danny, both times I did what was ordered and they were things that had to be done."
Vicky continued, "We had to get legally married because the people we were investigating would check the physical records. We lived undercover as a couple for a little over fourteen months when I was killed."
"Vicky had gone to get my car and I was heading toward her, I was looking into her eyes and she was smiling at me, the car exploded."
Major Carter gave out a sharp gasp, "oh, Sir, that's horrible!"
"Yes it was, Carter." Turning to his wife, "Vicky, I am so sorry."
"Jack, did you know there was a bomb in the car? Did you have ANY intel that there might be?'
"No, but I knew that I was a target, it should have been me." "Don't be ridiculous, Jack, we were both targets. I won't let you blame yourself for something that was not your fault. Anyway, I woke up naked..."
"Naked?" Jack smirked.
Vicky then smacked him on the arm.
"That is, except for my wedding rings." There was a leather cord around her neck that she pulled out revealing she still had the rings around her neck.
"M'am. How is that possible?"
"I don't know, Major, even Odin wouldn't explain it. I looked around and saw a little gray dude and it scared the crap out of me. It seems Odin objected to the Asguard's noninterference possession on the Protected Planets Treaty. Many individual Go'ould would break the treaty and the Asguard would do nothing. Odin didn't think that was fair, but if he did anything the Asguard would all be accused of breaking the treaty. His idea was to take a Tau'ri and train them with advanced technology to combat offending individuals. Since no official alien contact with the Tau'ri had occurred and the Cha'pa'a was still hidden that's were I came in. He was looking for what he considered to be an intelligent individual who could be taken at the moment of death in such a way as to not be missed. Odin wouldn't actually give me any orders, he would just appraise me of situations and I would go "take care" of various problems. I was his loophole if you will.
"I would like to know how you knew that I was alive."
"That would be Dr. Jackson's doing, Doctor, would you continue?"
"Of course, General. It all started when we went to R5X-199..."
"Excuse me?"
"Mmm...the planet where you found the dead Marines and dead Jaffa."
"Oh yes, that was very difficult. The first time that I had seen anyone actually from Earth and they were dead service personal."
"You had signed the message on the wall with the initials v...e...m...o. Jack thought there was something familiar about them."
"And since he thought I was dead he had no reason to think of me."
"Right. Anyway a couple of months later I Jack and the General in the cemetery and after they left I was curious to see what grave they were visiting. After reading the gravestone there was something about it that bothered me, like I had seen it before, but I knew I hadn't. After a couple of minutes I realized it was the initials.." Daniel fiddled with his pen for a moment before continuing.
"I went to the General about the possibility that you were alive."
"Danny, why didn't you say anything to me?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable, "Jack, I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I was wrong."
"Colonel O'Neill, I agreed with Dr. Jackson to not bring this to you unless we were sure. I remembered how torn up you were with her death. I didn't want to put you through that again if it wasn't necessary. Remember she is my niece. I tried very hard not to get my hopes up but it was impossible."
"Jack, we thought Thor would contact us with an answer not just beam her down."
"Thor didn't even tell me where we were going until just before he sent me down. This is just as much a shock to me. I never thought I would be coming back to Earth."
Jack looked at her for several moments.
"Why didn't you come back?
"First of all Odin made sure that I couldn't for several years and then what? Show up and say that I was cloned by aliens and that I was fighting another alien race that thought they were gods and wanted to enslave humanity? Remember this was twenty-three years ago. Earth had not begun using the Cha'pa'a."
"Stargate, we call it the stargate."
"Well people, SG-1 is on stand down until further notice until we figure out what to do here."
"Well, obviously Vicky is coming home with me."
Sam concentrated very hard on her notes and Hammond frowned.
:I'm sorry, Jack, but for now she can't leave the base."
"For crying out loud, George. She's my wife and your niece."
"He's right, Jack. They have to make sure that I'm not a security risk."
"OK then I'll stay here with you."
"No, Jack, we both need to do a lot of thinking before we even begin to talk and make any decisions ."
"That really is the smart thing to do, Jack, it has been very traumatic for both of you."
"Dr. Jackson, I am assigning another team for the mission. If you wish you may go with them to study the ruins.. Teal'c, you may visit your son if you wish."
The Jaffa bowed his head, "indeed I would like to do that GeneralHammond."
"Sir, that will give me more time to try to figure out the piece of Asguard technology."
"Actually, Major, that's part of the reason that I'm here. Thor said you needed help and I'm here to assistant."
She noticed that Carter looked somewhat uncomfortable, "Unless of course you wanted me to work with someone else."
//Oh, great. I can't possibly tell that's what I want\\
"No that would be great, M'am."
"Vicky, I would like to have dinner with you this evening, if that's OK."
"You bet Uncle George."
When Vicky and Jack returned to the briefing room Hammond and the rest of SG-1 were already there. She gave her uncle another hug before everyone was seated. The O'Neill's sat on one side of the table and the remaining members of Jack's team sat across from them.
"Vicky, why don't you start at the beginning.."
"OK Unc...General."
She looked at Jack with a concerned look and asked, "Jack are you going to be OK with me talking about everything?"
"Yeahsureyoubetcha, it will be a lot easier now that I know you didn't really die."
"Actually, I did die. Odin made a clone from bits of tissue, but I am essentially the same Vicky with the same memories."
Taking a deep breath to steady her nerves she started her story.
"I was a Commander in the Navy working for the Defense Intelligence Agency and Jack had just started in Black ops when we were both told to report to a classified location for a mission that we can't talk about. Anyway, our cover was basically being ourselves. We supposedly resigned our commissions because we had fallen in love and were denied permission to marry. No one, not friends or family could know that this was a cover."
"Gee, Jack, you make a habit of that don't you?"
"Danny, both times I did what was ordered and they were things that had to be done."
Vicky continued, "We had to get legally married because the people we were investigating would check the physical records. We lived undercover as a couple for a little over fourteen months when I was killed."
"Vicky had gone to get my car and I was heading toward her, I was looking into her eyes and she was smiling at me, the car exploded."
Major Carter gave out a sharp gasp, "oh, Sir, that's horrible!"
"Yes it was, Carter." Turning to his wife, "Vicky, I am so sorry."
"Jack, did you know there was a bomb in the car? Did you have ANY intel that there might be?'
"No, but I knew that I was a target, it should have been me." "Don't be ridiculous, Jack, we were both targets. I won't let you blame yourself for something that was not your fault. Anyway, I woke up naked..."
"Naked?" Jack smirked.
Vicky then smacked him on the arm.
"That is, except for my wedding rings." There was a leather cord around her neck that she pulled out revealing she still had the rings around her neck.
"M'am. How is that possible?"
"I don't know, Major, even Odin wouldn't explain it. I looked around and saw a little gray dude and it scared the crap out of me. It seems Odin objected to the Asguard's noninterference possession on the Protected Planets Treaty. Many individual Go'ould would break the treaty and the Asguard would do nothing. Odin didn't think that was fair, but if he did anything the Asguard would all be accused of breaking the treaty. His idea was to take a Tau'ri and train them with advanced technology to combat offending individuals. Since no official alien contact with the Tau'ri had occurred and the Cha'pa'a was still hidden that's were I came in. He was looking for what he considered to be an intelligent individual who could be taken at the moment of death in such a way as to not be missed. Odin wouldn't actually give me any orders, he would just appraise me of situations and I would go "take care" of various problems. I was his loophole if you will.
"I would like to know how you knew that I was alive."
"That would be Dr. Jackson's doing, Doctor, would you continue?"
"Of course, General. It all started when we went to R5X-199..."
"Excuse me?"
"Mmm...the planet where you found the dead Marines and dead Jaffa."
"Oh yes, that was very difficult. The first time that I had seen anyone actually from Earth and they were dead service personal."
"You had signed the message on the wall with the initials v...e...m...o. Jack thought there was something familiar about them."
"And since he thought I was dead he had no reason to think of me."
"Right. Anyway a couple of months later I Jack and the General in the cemetery and after they left I was curious to see what grave they were visiting. After reading the gravestone there was something about it that bothered me, like I had seen it before, but I knew I hadn't. After a couple of minutes I realized it was the initials.." Daniel fiddled with his pen for a moment before continuing.
"I went to the General about the possibility that you were alive."
"Danny, why didn't you say anything to me?"
Daniel looked uncomfortable, "Jack, I didn't want to get your hopes up in case I was wrong."
"Colonel O'Neill, I agreed with Dr. Jackson to not bring this to you unless we were sure. I remembered how torn up you were with her death. I didn't want to put you through that again if it wasn't necessary. Remember she is my niece. I tried very hard not to get my hopes up but it was impossible."
"Jack, we thought Thor would contact us with an answer not just beam her down."
"Thor didn't even tell me where we were going until just before he sent me down. This is just as much a shock to me. I never thought I would be coming back to Earth."
Jack looked at her for several moments.
"Why didn't you come back?
"First of all Odin made sure that I couldn't for several years and then what? Show up and say that I was cloned by aliens and that I was fighting another alien race that thought they were gods and wanted to enslave humanity? Remember this was twenty-three years ago. Earth had not begun using the Cha'pa'a."
"Stargate, we call it the stargate."
"Well people, SG-1 is on stand down until further notice until we figure out what to do here."
"Well, obviously Vicky is coming home with me."
Sam concentrated very hard on her notes and Hammond frowned.
:I'm sorry, Jack, but for now she can't leave the base."
"For crying out loud, George. She's my wife and your niece."
"He's right, Jack. They have to make sure that I'm not a security risk."
"OK then I'll stay here with you."
"No, Jack, we both need to do a lot of thinking before we even begin to talk and make any decisions ."
"That really is the smart thing to do, Jack, it has been very traumatic for both of you."
"Dr. Jackson, I am assigning another team for the mission. If you wish you may go with them to study the ruins.. Teal'c, you may visit your son if you wish."
The Jaffa bowed his head, "indeed I would like to do that GeneralHammond."
"Sir, that will give me more time to try to figure out the piece of Asguard technology."
"Actually, Major, that's part of the reason that I'm here. Thor said you needed help and I'm here to assistant."
She noticed that Carter looked somewhat uncomfortable, "Unless of course you wanted me to work with someone else."
//Oh, great. I can't possibly tell that's what I want\\
"No that would be great, M'am."
"Vicky, I would like to have dinner with you this evening, if that's OK."
"You bet Uncle George."