Author notes- Thank you so much for the reviews. Some more please will be highly appreciated. I'll even give you a chocolate muffin if I haven't eaten them all. Sorry this has taken so long A level work just seemed to pile up. Especially Theatre Studies work. Never mind, in around, eight weeks it will be all over. Oh shit…
TwoGeneral Jack O'Neill leaned back on his office chair letting the leather make a rewarding squeak beneath him.
He was well aware that the growing piles of paper work wobbling dangerously in his 'In' tray partially shielded him from anyone on the other side of the see through wall. He had just started to wonder for the hundredth time how Hammond had stayed sane with the mundane paper trail that came with the position of base CO when he was interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door.
Making a noise that would be interpreted as an invitation to enter Jack quickly sat up straight in his chair. He rested his elbows on the desk and clasping his fingers together hoping to appear collective and slightly intimidating just as the door started to open.
He was not surprised to see Walter standing in the open doorway even if he had just left Jack in peace, all but five minuets ago.
"What a coincidence running into you here." Jack remarked unable to help himself from adding a sarcastic jolliness to his tone. Well a man had to get his kicks from somewhere.
"Sir?" Walter replied not quite understanding the comment or pretending not to understand it, as he was not sure how to reply to such sarcasm and still sound respectful of a senior officer.
Jack did not know which was true and he had did not have time to give it too much thought as he noted the slight breathlessness to Walter's voice and the way his flustered appearance. Must be something important.
"What is it Walter?" Jack asked brining the other mans mind back to the matter at hand.
"Well sir, we appear to have a security breach a man was arrested trying to enter topside…"
Jack raised his eyebrows "We appear?" He asked finding the other mans choice of words strange when it was a clear breach of security. It annoyed him Jack always preferred directness.
"What?" Walter asked this time clearly lost.
"What?" Jack replied confused by Walter's lack of understanding. Why couldn't he just smile as if he gets it like Carter does? As Walter started to speak again Jack imagined Sam's bright smile on Walter's drawn face and concluded that it was far less creepy if only Carter understood his sense of humour, it also made it all the more special.
"He seemed very agitated General, we almost had to sedate him. He seemed to know more than he should do about the um, classified nature of our work here and demanded that he talks to you."
Jack sighed tiredly rising from his comfortable chair feeling his left knee protest stiffly from being stuck in the same sitting position for so long, his last hopes of the rest of the day being quiet and uneventful were lost.
"Just as I was planning to have some cake." He muttered walking past Walter and out the open door knowing the other man would follow faithfully.
"So where is our new friend being held?"
The airman closed the heavy door behind Jack before turning back around into the same statue like pose of awareness that mirrored the way the airman on the opposite of the door was standing.
Jack hid a wince as the door closed with a drawn out creek. The doors really needed oiling maybe he could add it to Walter's duties. What was it that he did anyway besides annoy Jack?
With the door tightly shut Jack was stuck in the dingy light that barely illuminated the row of holding cells. The quietness and the imposing nature of this area meant that Jack spent as little time in it as possible, brought back too many memories. He had been in many prisons, jails, hoosegows, holding units, slammers, and clinks to see a wide variety of designs and styles. But the one thing remained the same was the dark oppressive feeling that made his stomach twist painfully.
There was an uncomfortable however familiar silence until the sound of unsteady footsteps and the high sounds of a mumbling voice near hysterical. Placing his hands safely in his pockets Jack walked towards the sounds appearing casual with his body language while his trained eye took in the details of the man before him.
The man could only be described by one word, average. There was nothing distinctive about him at all; he was the type of man that no one ever gave a second look. He was average height and average build on the verge of being called cubby but not quite there yet. He wore smart clothes that were expected from anyone who worked in a stuffy office only they were crumpled and dirty as if he had been wearing them for a long time.
He paced agitatedly in the cell still muttering incoherently as if he had not noticed Jack arrive. By his face Jack guessed the man was a few years older than he was. His eyes were small and slightly glazed over behind crooked glasses. His cheeks glowed red showing his frustration. In the bad light Jack could not quite tell but he was sure that the man's sandy brown hair was thinning.
After a long moment Jack had seen enough, he cleared his throat loudly leaning his hip against the wall of the cell opposite and watched carefully for a reaction.
"General Jonathan O'Neill? Well of course you are. I should know I've seen your file enough times." The man still spoke as if he was muttering to himself his voice erratically switching pitch.
"Yes, and you'd be?" Jack asked back loudly as he was not sure if the other man could hear him, He winced once again at the sound of his full name being used. He hated how serious it sounded.
The man stopped pacing and stared at Jack with clear confusion as he sat on the bunk behind him. "Who am I?" He asked before pausing for another long moment.
"Oh, how silly of me. You have no reason to know who I am. Its not like I'm important, Mr Bernard Skinner has never been important, have you Bernie?"
Tilting his head sceptically Jack regarded the man as yet another nut job that seemed to be drawn to him why did this always happen when he the commissary had toffee cheesecake? Was it a conspiracy to stop him enjoying sweet sticky goodness?
"So…Bernie, what can I do for you?"
"I need you to protect me, to send me through the gate before its too late." Bernard stood up punctuating the urgency of his words.
"Gate?" Jack posed ignorance hoping to find out just how much this mad man new about the Stargate.
Bernard seemed offended for a second at Jack's reaction. "There is no need for ambiguity General, I know all about Stargate programme. I work for the Trust." He announced as if he expected Jack to react in shock. When Jack didn't he went back to his pacing.
"The Trust." Jack repeated sceptically drawing out the sounds of the words with his tongue. Bernard looked nothing like and members of the Trust he had met before. They had all been decisive with an arrogant, self-important air of madness. While this man was plain, plain looking and pain crazy.
"We don't all look like James Bond villains General. I don't even remember how, when, why I became involved." Bernard's brow knitted into a frown of consecration as he continued to move.
"Okay, now why would the all powerful Trust need my protection?" Jack could not help but take a moment of pleasure at the enemy snivelling for his help even if he did not believe Bernard yet.
Jack's pride stroking was cut short when Bernard let out a high pitch hysterical laugh. Tears fell unashamedly down his chubby cheeks.
"Because I don't want to die like the others. Oh God don't let them kill me. I'm not important. Bernie has never been important enough to be murdered. Please, don't let them kill me." He collapsed to the floor as his tears started to flow freely leaving Jack to look on uncomfortable, a grave expression forming on his face.
