Dimensions?
"Jonathon."
His voice was smooth, reeling those closest to him further under his spell, but his tone was undeniably patronising, not changing in the slightest during the last thirty years.
"What a," he paused, "…surprise. Who would honour your with the ranks of Colonel, after your expulsion?"
The man was calculating.
After just five seconds in an unexpected situation he was manipulating it to stir up as much trouble as possible, greatly to his amusement. He took an evil pleasure in making unimportant others squirm before him, but Jack was a better man than that.
"Well, Ford, character gets you through anything. You should know that. And once you've had a hand in saving the … presidents life a couple of times, your pretty much sorted."
At hearing this many of the cadets looked upon the officers in a new light, almost reverently, as though looking at their childhood heroes.
Because of this Ford's spell over them was beginning to break.
Jack slid his hand into his pockets. Sam knew instantly that it was sign of frustration and a desire to beat the crap out of the man in front of him, deciding it was time to butt in.
"Sir," spoke Sam softly, none but Jack could pick up on the underlying warning of her tone. Jack was only half a though away from saying 'saved the world.' rather than anything to do with the president.
And she knew it.
"Oh, yes," said Jack, letting her know with a glance that the warning was received and understood. "Ford, I'd like you to meet my second in command, Major Samantha Carter. PhD in Astrophysics, and the smartest person I know."
No doubt the last comment was completely true, even if a little biased. But Jack could not help but say it, revelling silently in the fact that Ford was receiving no praise in front his audience, which was quickly swaying in the direction of the air force officers.
"Hello." She said rather indifferently, not bothering to offer her hand, the thought of it making her feel sick.
"Hello, Doctor, I can only imagine what it must be like to work under Jonathan, and you being such a bright young thing." He said stepping closer. "With Jonathon her being so impolite I shall introduce myself; Professor Derek Ford, you've no doubt heard of me. I do have several published works."
Sam did in fact have two of his books; they sat old and dusty on top of the bookshelf in her lab never having been referred to throughout the entire time she worked on the base, but with the recent information she wasn't even going to tell him that she'd spent her hard earned money on anything of his.
"No, actually." She said clearly, as she mocked thought as though trying to search for his name among the numerous scientists she had catalogued in her mind, "Can't say I've heard of you."
Jack smiled inwardly at Ford's reaction. For the first time ever there was a flash of uncertainty in his eyes, his mouth falling open. Jack had never felt more confidant or proud, knowing that with Sam at this side he could beat this guy, he could strip him of everything he had taken and what he received with that.
Today was the day that things would change.
But Ford recovered quickly, his eyes growing cold and calculated once more.
"Then I wonder what kind of physicist you call yourself." He said shortly.
Most of the crowd around them was shocked at this comment; Jack however lost several inches of control. It was one thing to put him down, another to do it to Sam.
"Why you…" he murmured, rounding the table in seconds, his fingers gripping tightly to the other mans lapels making him stand on his toes, and still Jack towered over the small man, glaring down at him with a ferocious anger.
Ford looked indifferent, holding the stare of the angered man before him.
All the while the crowd looked on holding steadfast on to their silence, not knowing whom to support.
Jack appealed to them in the social sense. He was funny and approachable, knowing this only minutes within meeting him.
Ford however, was the stuff of legends in the academic sense, his books inspiring many of them. However, his conduct towards the two officers had been far from friendly, allowing their minds to question the pedestal they let him stand upon.
"Why don't you ask your little friend Mason? He's the one who taught Sam." Jack murmured, only loud enough for those closest to the group to hear.
The pocket of silence spread throughout the hall until everyone was straining his or her necks to see what was going on.
Several organisers tried to push their way to the problem.
"He has always been a competent man, yes. But gullible. But he has no character, no power, the same could be said for his students." Replied Ford glancing in the direction of the Major in question.
"Well, she's been learning from me for the past six years."
Ford was still thinking of a reply while Sam had stepped round the table to stand feet from the stand off.
"Well," she said confidently, "Why don't you tell me about your books and theories."
If truth be told she had practically memorised the information in the volumes that gathered dust on her bookcase, this being the very reason why they gathered dust.
Both men turned their heads towards the woman, each with a look of confusion, though they were slightly different.
Ford was distinctly unimpressed at the direction that things were headed.
Jack was wondering where exactly Sam was going with this.
Mason finally pushed his way through the crowd, the small cadet/clerk following closely behind, s they practically stumbled into the circle created round the table and the other three occupants.
"What's going on?"
Ford looked to the man and despite his underlying fear he looked confidant if not comfortable being held so his feet were almost dangling. But Jack and Sam kept eye contact, a silent conversation passing between them, going unnoticed by the rest of the room.
Which made it a shock when Jack suddenly released Ford, who very nearly crumbled to the floor, as he moved to stand next to Sam.
"Ford was just about to tell us all why he's famous."
Everyone was silent watching him intently.
"Oh come on, everyone knows." Worry evident in his voice.
"I don't, so tell me." Said Sam.
The crowd remained quiet, picking up on the professors unease they awaited his answer.
In that instant Ford's ideals were crushed, despite the illusion of power he created for himself and held for years, when he was surrounded by these questioning eyes he was powerless. And no amount of character could get him out of this.
"Eh… Superstring." He croaked.
He looked on the crowd with new eyes; they where all in groups. Groups of friends, like-minded people. But he was alone.
"What about them, how do they work?"
Finally his eyes fell upon the two officers before him.
Sam stood confidant with determined boring into his soul, Jack beside her, standing as determined, though taking some amusement in his fallen enemy.
Unity resonating from them.
He felt jealousy.
They would always have each other, and together they were unbeatable.
Years before, when Jack was on his own, he was no challenge, but things quite obviously had changed. Ever since they had joined forces to combat the evils of the galaxy. And now they were just clearing out the closet.
"They make up everything."
The entire hall noticed his shot answers, the way his voice became higher towards the end hinting that he didn't have a clue what he was talking about.
"And …" she continued.
"They spin."
"In how many dimensions?" barked Jack in his most commanding voice.
"5?" he guessed squirming, knowing that his end had come and he was the one who drove the final nail into his own coffin.
People around them gasped.
"And the correct answer is…" said Sam turning to Jack.
"Strings spin in both 10 and 26 dimensions, half in one half in the other, found by using Riemann's metric tensor." he replied eagerly, smiling.
The crowd around them began to buzz, Masons mouth hanging wide open in shock as he looked on the true form of his hero, a fraud.
"Character," called Jack, "This might prove you have some!"
Those eyes were now lifeless for a different reason.
The tornado was finally beaten, a mighty oak standing defiantly, blocking it's path while the sun burned though it, making it dissipate into nothing.
"Thank you." Said Jack quietly, amongst the buzz of people around them.
"No problem, sir."