The Stargate stood at the top of the ramp, like a sentry watching over the goings on in the Gate room, control room, and even the briefing room where Mac stood watching that particular piece of technology spring into life. He wanted to be down in the control room with Jack, but his presence was so distracting to the personnel there that Jack finally sent him up to the briefing room to watch the show.
He watched in awe as the wormhole activated. He had a rudimentary idea of what made it work, as Jack had given him the basics and Mac's educational background filled in a lot of holes. He was looking forward to talking with Sam Carter to get the full story.
He watched as the members of SG-1 stepped out of the wormhole and walked down the ramp. Mac was still amazed at the thought that they were coming back from a mission on another planet. What he wouldn't give to go on one of those missions.
Mac smiled as he saw Jack enter the Gate room and greet Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. They apparently had a successful mission, as Daniel suddenly smiled at Jack and handed him something. Jack took the object, then put his hand on Daniel's shoulder to lead him out of the room. Mac could see the smile on Jack's face when he'd turned toward the door.
He continued to stare out of the window, his attention drawn back to the Stargate. He'd had to call in all kinds of markers and pulled a lot of strings to get back into this facility. Jack was being a stubborn ass and Mac finally got tired of begging and started calling on old friends and acquaintances to get the permission. Mac personally couldn't see what the problem was with him being there, he had signed all the necessary paperwork the day he had snuck in there impersonating General O'Neill. He'd already had a high security clearance before he even heard of the Stargate program, it was just a minor technicality that the clearance had been given to him years before and may not be valid since he had quit the Phoenix Foundation. He was determined that this little fact wouldn't deter him in gaining access to Cheyenne Mountain.
It was Jack who had insisted that Mac didn't need to be there, his reasoning being that he didn't want to publicize his private life. This caused Mac to remember Jack's reluctance to talk about himself that very first day they had met, but finding out about the Stargate and the multitude of planets that these people visited on a daily basis was way too fascinating and had Mac's curious nature humming. So here he was, almost two weeks after that little excursion of rescuing Lindsay, standing in the briefing room at the SGC waiting for Jack to find the time to give him the grand tour.
The grand tour was going to include a trip to the Alpha site. Mac was looking forward to going through the Gate and he found himself remembering the look on Jack's face when he was told by the President of the United States that Mac was authorized to make the trip. Jack may have the upper hand here at Stargate Command, but he clearly underestimated Mac's wield in Washington. All those years of helping Congressmen and Senators with their individual problems had certainly paid off.
Mac grimaced as he remembered the events leading up to that call. Jack had met him at the entrance to personally take him down to Level 28. He'd wanted to make sure that the personnel at the various checkpoints throughout the facility saw that there were two of them and to make sure that they never allowed Mac to sneak in there again. Mac was pissed when he'd found out that the guards who had let the wrong man go through had been reprimanded for their misdeeds. "How were they supposed to know I wasn't you when your own best friends couldn't tell the difference?" he had snarled at Jack. "Are they supposed to scrutinize your signature every time you sign something?"
"That's beside the point," Jack responded defensively. "These checkpoints were set up for a reason and they know better than to let their guard down, considering what goes on in this place."
"I see," Mac said. "I suppose they all know that an alien could walk in anytime. Does that happen a lot?"
"You are not an alien," Jack said, as if that was the end of the subject.
Mac was not military though and Jack's dismissal had no affect on him. "It was not their fault Jack," he insisted, trying to get through Jack's thick skull. "We look exactly alike and I was wearing your clothes. How could you expect them to know the difference?"
Jack stopped to stare at him at that point. "I thought I had recognized that shirt!" he exclaimed, pointing a finger at Mac, then gave him a calculating look before turning to continue walking down the corridor.
"Jack…"
"Look Mac. It's not worth arguing over. I had to do something to make sure that never happens again. End of story."
"What makes you think it will happen again? I have full clearance, thanks to some old friends. I don't need to impersonate you."
"First of all, I didn't know you were going to get full clearance and secondly, you're not the only…" Jack stopped himself, apparently to keep from saying too much.
"I'm not the only what?" Mac asked him, intrigued.
Jack just shook his head. "Nothing," he muttered.
"C'mon Jack. You might as well tell me. I'm not the only what?" Jack stared at him and Mac could see he was debating whether he should finish his sentence. "Well?" Mac prompted.
"You hungry?" Jack asked, deciding to act like he hadn't said anything. "We can stop at the commissary to see what they have cooked up."
"You're not going to answer me are you?" Mac asked suspiciously.
Jack shrugged his shoulders and pulled his security card out of his pocket to access the elevator. "You'd better sign the visitor's roster," he said, pointing to the clipboard sitting on the desk next to the elevator. "Your own name," he insisted as an afterthought.
"General Jonathan O'Neill," Mac said slowly, as he signed his own name onto the roster. He looked up at Jack to see him scowling at his joke. Mac gave him a broad smile before stepping into the elevator. Two can play at this game, he thought.
"Very funny," Jack said dryly, as he pushed the button for the 28th level.
"I thought so," Mac replied. They rode down through the facility in silence for a while. Mac was waiting for Jack to say something and decided to speak up when he didn't. "I'm really anxious to see the Alpha site," he said nonchalantly. "I can't believe that I'm actually going to get to go through the Stargate."
"You're not going to go through the Stargate," Jack said, trying to hide his surprise. Mac saw it clearly and realized that he had found some more ammunition for this game.
"Yes I am," he declared with a smile. "Didn't they tell you?"
"Nobody told me anything and how is it you know about the Alpha site?"
Mac just shrugged and looked toward the elevator doors as they opened. They got out and Jack led the way toward his office. "You must know a lot of people in high places," Jack said as they walked down the hallway.
"Yeah," Mac replied. "From what I hear, your contacts go even higher. I mean, an impromptu barbecue at the White House?"
"Well, you know how it is," Jack said, looking a little embarrassed. "The President and I were discussing the finer points of cooking over a grill, and well… you know."
"No I don't," Mac said, staring at Jack. He had heard rumors about Jack from a few of the people he had gone to for help in getting back into the SGC. Saving Earth from an alien enemy seemed like a good enough reason to be barbecuing with the President.
Jack just shrugged and led the way into his office, gesturing for Mac to take a seat. "So when do I get to go to the Alpha site?" Mac asked, wanting to get the important stuff rolling.
"Well, let me see," Jack said impatiently. "The next train to the Alpha site leaves in about… oh, twenty years. Come back then."
"I'm going to the Alpha site Jack," Mac insisted with a knowing look on his face.
"Why do you want to go to the Alpha site?" Jack asked. "There's nothing there, but buildings and soldiers. Nothing exciting. Really."
"I want to go through the Stargate and I was told that the Alpha site would be my best bet, not to mention easier to get permission to go to. So I'm going to the Alpha site."
"Who's been feeding you all this information?" Jack asked, as the phone rang. He stared at the phone for a few seconds, then turned to Mac who shrugged and grinned at his brother, not bothering to speak.
Jack picked up the phone and said, "O'Neill." He listened for a second, then said, "Hey Mr. President. Long time, no hear. How are things in your neck of the woods?" He turned to stare at Mac, his features set in a wooden mask as he listened to the President. "I told you it would work. The fish love that kind of stuff." Mac was starting to feel a little uncomfortable with Jack staring at him like that, no expression showing through at all. "He's sitting in my office right now," Jack admitted and Mac suddenly found the pictures and certificates on the wall fascinating. "The Alpha site," Jack said, in a voice that had Mac worrying for his own safety. He glanced back at Jack to find that his twin was still looking at him with that indecipherable look on his face. "Yes sir, I understand." More silence then Jack said, "I will, just as soon as he shows his face back in this galaxy." Thor? Mac wondered. "Yes sir. Goodbye sir."
Mac waited for Jack to say something after he'd hung up the phone, anything. Jack just sat there, not saying a thing and Mac had the sudden urge to get up and run. This was a new side to the brother he never knew he had, and he wasn't sure he wanted to get to know this part of Jack's personality.
"The President?" Mac asked, then realized how lame that sounded. Jack nodded, still staring at him and Mac realized that Jack was planning on killing him. At least that was what it seemed like. The silence was getting to him, though. "Can I assume that I'll be going through the Gate?"
"Let's get this tour underway, shall we?" Jack said, getting up from his chair and walking around the desk to stand next to the door. "There really isn't that much to see, but I'll make an effort to spice it up a little. If you're lucky, you may even get to see the isolation rooms in the infirmary."
Mac stood up, but stayed where he was. He wanted to push the subject, but something told him to back off on this topic, so he stood there, watching Jack warily.
"Well? What's the hold up?" Jack asked, "You obviously know some pretty important people just to get back in here, now you don't want the tour?"
"I want the tour," Mac said quietly. He was determined to stand his ground. Jack was going to try intimidation, he saw that clearly, but he wasn't about to let the General get away with it. "The full tour, which includes a trip through the Stargate."
"Who did you have to go through to get the permission?" Jack asked.
"I was very good at what I did for a living," Mac replied. "Still am, by the way. Senators, judges and other powerful people in Washington were prime targets for kidnappers, terrorists and other groups, and they called on me to help them with their problems. I only had to call in about half the markers I have out there for this."
"It pays to have friends in high places?"
"Well, I've yet to help out an alien supreme commander," Mac said with a smile, hoping to ease the tension that had been building between them.
"They named a ship after me," Jack said smugly. Mac was glad that Jack seemed to be calming down, but he wondered how long this would last.
"Sweet!" Mac said, impressed. "Thor must like you a lot to do that."
"Yeah," Jack responded.
The two men stood in silence for a few minutes and Mac wondered if he should approach the subject now or wait until later. He was too anxious to wait until later, so he mentally gathered the strength and courage he needed to just get it out there. "What about the Stargate and the Alpha site?" he asked.
"I'll arrange it," Jack said, then walked out the door leaving Mac standing there.
"When?" Mac asked, deciding to follow his twin out of the office. He didn't get an answer as the base klaxons blared and an announcement was made that an off-world activation had been established. Mac knew this meant that someone was trying to contact the SGC and he followed Jack to the control room.
They got there just as the third chevron lit up and the iris was closed to keep out any unwanted visitors. Mac tried to stay in the background while Jack waited for the IDC code to come through, but the others kept staring at him and Jack finally sent him to the briefing room to watch the show from there, which is why Mac was still standing at the window in the briefing room waiting for his brother to make his appearance.
He wondered what was keeping Jack, knowing that SG-1 had to make the obligatory trip to the infirmary. According to Jack, all teams had to visit that place when they got back from a mission. Mac decided to sit it out and wait a little longer for Jack before going off to look for him.
Jack finally made an appearance almost an hour later with the announcement that he was ready to get on with the tour. It was about time as far as Mac was concerned. He didn't "do" frustration very well and Jack was about to see Mac's dark side. Well, as dark as he could get, he thought with a grin, knowing that he didn't "do" mean and nasty too well either.
The tour ended in the Gate room and Mac wondered if this meant that Jack was going to give him the go ahead to walk through the Stargate. He looked over at his brother, who was staring at him expectantly. "What?" he asked, wondering what was going through Jack's mind.
"Why do you really want to go through that thing?" Jack asked, as he indicated the Stargate with a wave of his hand.
Mac turned to stare at the Gate as he thought about what really motivated him into stepping through it. He had a hundred reasons for wanting to go, but he knew the main reason was that he had been, and always would be, a man of action. He loved the adventure and the danger that had come with his job as a Special Field Agent with both the DXS and the Phoenix Foundation. Even now, he had to get himself out of one problem or another as he put his skills to use for the people who hired him on occasion.
There was also the chance of actually going somewhere he had never dreamed of going to. He had traveled all over the world twice over, and here was the opportunity to visit a whole new world, a whole new planet. It was the trip of a lifetime and he was determined to make it, even if it meant alienating his new-found brother.
The trip to the Alpha site would probably be tame compared to some of the other planets the Stargate went to, but Mac figured he'd be happy with whatever he could get. "I have traveled all over this world," he said. "I've seen things and met people in places most people only dream of. Now I have the chance to go to a place that I've only just recently found out existed - a place that I could only imagine is out there." He sighed, realizing that he wasn't being very articulate in expressing his desires. "I have to do this Jack."
"Will tomorrow morning be soon enough for you?" Jack asked. Mac grinned and nodded his head. "Good," Jack continued. "Carter said she'd be happy to go with you so that you two can talk Wormhole Physics to your hearts content, but she just got back. She needs some downtime before she heads back out there."
"Thanks Jack," he said, trying to tamp down his excitement. He was actually going to go off-world! "I really appreciate this."
"Just do me a favor and don't get yourself killed," Jack said as he turned to lead the way out. "I'd have a hell of a time trying to convince the President that I wasn't the one to do the honors."
"Not to mention having to explain it to Lanie," Mac said, then laughed when Jack rolled his eyes heavenward.
"God forbid!" Jack said sarcastically, although his grin matched his brother's. They continued to walk out of the room and Mac couldn't resist taking a last look at the Stargate standing there in all its glory. He was so ready to go.
Mac stepped out of the Stargate the next morning to find himself in another room. This room was different from the one he'd just left at the SGC, although the soldiers who were aiming their weapons at him was his first clue that he was in American occupied territory, even if he was on another planet. He stood there, trying to orient himself to his new surroundings and to get his bearings. The commander of the Alpha site came up to him and gave him a salute. "Good to see you again, General O'Neill," he said. "To what do we owe this honor?"
"Uh… I'm not the General," Mac said, holding out his hand in greeting. "My name's MacGyver. Glad to meet you… I'm sorry, I didn't catch the name."
"Colonel Pierce," Sam said. "This is the General's brother. You were informed that he would be coming here today, weren't you?"
"Yes of course," Pierce replied. "I just didn't realize that he would look just like the General. Welcome Mr. MacGyver," he finally said, giving up on trying to fix his mistake. "I hope you enjoy your visit."
"I'm sure I will," Mac said. He turned to Sam and saw her smiling at him.
"Are you ready?" she asked.
"You'd better believe it," he said, smiling back at her. "I want to see everything."
Mac followed her as she took him through the building, showing him the labs and the rest of the facility. But the best part of the tour, in Mac's eyes, was when they went outside to tour the outlying buildings. The first thing he noticed was the sky. The color rivaling that of the sky on Earth, but the fact that he could see the moon above the treetops even in broad daylight, told him he was definitely on another planet.
This was what life was all about, experiencing new things, taking chances and visiting new places. Mac knew that there would always be something new for him to tackle, but for now, he was content to have visited a different planet, walked along the man-made paths and met people who were natives of a place he could never have imagined if it weren't for a new-found brother. He knew that this was probably his last visit to an off-world station, but he figured this trip was well worth it. Nothing was ever going to top this.
