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Part Two
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Jack took a deep breath and straightened his tie. He hated these things, but if this presentation was what it took to get him the support he needed to find Sam, he'd do it. He'd do anything. Shay was growing up without her mother, and he was living every day watching his life slip away from him. He hated not having her with him, hated that she was out there somewhere and he wasn't a part of it. But most of all, he hated not knowing whether or not she was in danger.
He knew that there was something he was missing, something important; it was right in front of him and yet he failed to see what it was. He had spent so much time with Daniel over the past few months that he was becoming quite fluent in several languages.okay, he recognised words that were repeated, but it helped. It helped him feel closer to Sam when he looked at the red book. He knew that it was in there, the reason for her disappearance, where she was. He knew it was all in there, but he couldn't understand it. And what was worse was that he knew that Daniel was having trouble understanding it as well.
There were new languages, languages that clearly had not come from Earth. There were some that Daniel could see Greek roots in, but he was no closer to figuring out most of the words than he had been a few months ago. The rest seemed to have no pattern. But there was one. One that Jack could recognise, but he didn't know what it was or why he knew it. But it was definitely familiar.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Jack glanced at his watch and cleared his throat nervously. It was time to step into the room. He'd been standing outside for about ten minutes, but there was something that was stopping him from going in. He had arrived early for briefings with General's before, in fact he usually preferred to be early. But this time he wanted to stay away from them. He wanted to get in, say his piece and get out there and find Sam. It was all he cared about besides his little girl. Nothing else mattered to him.
Finally deciding that he had left it long enough, Jack opened the door, walking in slowly. He walked to the table and put down the file he had in his hands, only to frown when he spotted no one in the room. He turned to the General's office to find Hammond standing at the doorway, watching him with a look that he didn't like. He didn't like it one bit.
"General?" he said, questioningly.
"Come in, Colonel."
"I'd rather wait for the other's to arrive, Sir. I want to get this over with."
Hammond sighed and briefly closed his eyes. "They're not coming, Jack."
Jack felt his anger explode inside, but he took a calming breath and ground out, "What?"
"I said, they're not coming." Hammond looked as if the admission was painful to say, but Jack didn't care.
"Why the hell not?"
"Jack, please, come in." He indicated his office and stepped back to let Jack in. There was a pause as Jack glared at him, but after a moment, the Colonel picked up his file from the table and walked quickly into the office.
"You want to tell me what the hell this is all about?" Jack spat out, turning back to face the General as he sat behind his desk. "Because I had this planned for over a week! We are closer to finding her and I want to know why the hell you seem to be sitting on your ass doing nothing!"
"Let me get one thing straight, Colonel. I may be your friend, but I am also your superior. I know you're upset at the moment so I'll let your outburst slide, but you are treading on dangerous ground." Hammond met Jack's fierce gaze with one of his own, holding eye contact for a few moments before indicating the chair. "Please sit down."
Jack set his jaw, looking as if he was about to say something but he seemed to think better of it and sat instead. His anger was radiating off him and the General understood why; he wasn't too happy about the decision himself, and he was even less happy about having to deliver the news to Jack. But if he didn't do it, then someone else would be in for a roasting and Jack would likely be up for a court martial.
"This isn't easy for me to say, Colonel, and I want you to know that I've been doing everything in my power to try and reverse the decision, but after three months, no one's listening to me any more."
"Cut to the chase, General."
Hammond took a deep breath. "I've been ordered to cut off the search for Major Carter."
"What?"
"The joint chef's have cut our budget and we simply do not have the resources. As they see it, Major Carter disappeared while she was on Earth and therefore any search on another planet has been deemed unnecessary."
"Unnecessary? Unnecessary!" Jack stood up, leaning over the desk towards the General. "Why don't they explain that to my three month old daughter who is growing up without a mother! In fact, why don't they explain it to me! I'm the one who's lost the woman I love. I'm the one who spends every waking moment trying to find her. There is no way that her disappearance was a natural occurrence, she's not on Earth, General, she's out there! And I am going to find her!"
"Colonel, calm down!" Hammond shouted. "And sit down!" When Jack didn't comply, Hammond stood up. "Now you listen to me, Colonel. I understand. Maybe not exactly, but I understand. I don't want to give up the search either, but we have nothing. Until Doctor Jackson can translate anything of use, we have nothing to go on and this pointless planet hopping is getting us nowhere but bankrupt."
"Money?" Jack stood up straight. "This is about money?"
"Not for me, but it is for them." Hammond sighed. "You know as well as I do that the budget spent so far on the Stargate is more than either of us will earn in our lifetimes, combined. And they have to explain where that money has gone. We're on our last legs, Colonel. They're ready to shut us down. And this time it won't be something we can fight." General Hammond rubbed his eyes and focussed on Jack again. "If we lose the Stargate, Jack, then you have no hope of getting her back at all."
Jack closed his eyes and sat down, placing his head in his hands. "I know," he said softly. "I know. But you have no idea what this is like."
"I know." Hammond sat back in his chair and glanced at the red phone on his desk, wishing that this was a problem that could simply be solved with something as simple as a phone call. But it wasn't. "Jack, bring me something." Jack looked up at him and frowned. "Bring me something we can work with, something to go on and I swear to you that I'll do what I can to get her back to you. But you need to find me something to go on."
Jack sat still for a moment before slowly nodding his head. Hammond smiled sadly at him and Jack rose to his feet, not bothering to collect his file from Hammond's desk, where he had left it. He had no need for it. There was nothing in it, nothing he could really use. There was only one place he was going to find anything, and that was with Daniel. He only hoped his friend was able to find him something.
Or Sam would be lost to him forever.
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End of Part Two
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Part Two
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Jack took a deep breath and straightened his tie. He hated these things, but if this presentation was what it took to get him the support he needed to find Sam, he'd do it. He'd do anything. Shay was growing up without her mother, and he was living every day watching his life slip away from him. He hated not having her with him, hated that she was out there somewhere and he wasn't a part of it. But most of all, he hated not knowing whether or not she was in danger.
He knew that there was something he was missing, something important; it was right in front of him and yet he failed to see what it was. He had spent so much time with Daniel over the past few months that he was becoming quite fluent in several languages.okay, he recognised words that were repeated, but it helped. It helped him feel closer to Sam when he looked at the red book. He knew that it was in there, the reason for her disappearance, where she was. He knew it was all in there, but he couldn't understand it. And what was worse was that he knew that Daniel was having trouble understanding it as well.
There were new languages, languages that clearly had not come from Earth. There were some that Daniel could see Greek roots in, but he was no closer to figuring out most of the words than he had been a few months ago. The rest seemed to have no pattern. But there was one. One that Jack could recognise, but he didn't know what it was or why he knew it. But it was definitely familiar.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Jack glanced at his watch and cleared his throat nervously. It was time to step into the room. He'd been standing outside for about ten minutes, but there was something that was stopping him from going in. He had arrived early for briefings with General's before, in fact he usually preferred to be early. But this time he wanted to stay away from them. He wanted to get in, say his piece and get out there and find Sam. It was all he cared about besides his little girl. Nothing else mattered to him.
Finally deciding that he had left it long enough, Jack opened the door, walking in slowly. He walked to the table and put down the file he had in his hands, only to frown when he spotted no one in the room. He turned to the General's office to find Hammond standing at the doorway, watching him with a look that he didn't like. He didn't like it one bit.
"General?" he said, questioningly.
"Come in, Colonel."
"I'd rather wait for the other's to arrive, Sir. I want to get this over with."
Hammond sighed and briefly closed his eyes. "They're not coming, Jack."
Jack felt his anger explode inside, but he took a calming breath and ground out, "What?"
"I said, they're not coming." Hammond looked as if the admission was painful to say, but Jack didn't care.
"Why the hell not?"
"Jack, please, come in." He indicated his office and stepped back to let Jack in. There was a pause as Jack glared at him, but after a moment, the Colonel picked up his file from the table and walked quickly into the office.
"You want to tell me what the hell this is all about?" Jack spat out, turning back to face the General as he sat behind his desk. "Because I had this planned for over a week! We are closer to finding her and I want to know why the hell you seem to be sitting on your ass doing nothing!"
"Let me get one thing straight, Colonel. I may be your friend, but I am also your superior. I know you're upset at the moment so I'll let your outburst slide, but you are treading on dangerous ground." Hammond met Jack's fierce gaze with one of his own, holding eye contact for a few moments before indicating the chair. "Please sit down."
Jack set his jaw, looking as if he was about to say something but he seemed to think better of it and sat instead. His anger was radiating off him and the General understood why; he wasn't too happy about the decision himself, and he was even less happy about having to deliver the news to Jack. But if he didn't do it, then someone else would be in for a roasting and Jack would likely be up for a court martial.
"This isn't easy for me to say, Colonel, and I want you to know that I've been doing everything in my power to try and reverse the decision, but after three months, no one's listening to me any more."
"Cut to the chase, General."
Hammond took a deep breath. "I've been ordered to cut off the search for Major Carter."
"What?"
"The joint chef's have cut our budget and we simply do not have the resources. As they see it, Major Carter disappeared while she was on Earth and therefore any search on another planet has been deemed unnecessary."
"Unnecessary? Unnecessary!" Jack stood up, leaning over the desk towards the General. "Why don't they explain that to my three month old daughter who is growing up without a mother! In fact, why don't they explain it to me! I'm the one who's lost the woman I love. I'm the one who spends every waking moment trying to find her. There is no way that her disappearance was a natural occurrence, she's not on Earth, General, she's out there! And I am going to find her!"
"Colonel, calm down!" Hammond shouted. "And sit down!" When Jack didn't comply, Hammond stood up. "Now you listen to me, Colonel. I understand. Maybe not exactly, but I understand. I don't want to give up the search either, but we have nothing. Until Doctor Jackson can translate anything of use, we have nothing to go on and this pointless planet hopping is getting us nowhere but bankrupt."
"Money?" Jack stood up straight. "This is about money?"
"Not for me, but it is for them." Hammond sighed. "You know as well as I do that the budget spent so far on the Stargate is more than either of us will earn in our lifetimes, combined. And they have to explain where that money has gone. We're on our last legs, Colonel. They're ready to shut us down. And this time it won't be something we can fight." General Hammond rubbed his eyes and focussed on Jack again. "If we lose the Stargate, Jack, then you have no hope of getting her back at all."
Jack closed his eyes and sat down, placing his head in his hands. "I know," he said softly. "I know. But you have no idea what this is like."
"I know." Hammond sat back in his chair and glanced at the red phone on his desk, wishing that this was a problem that could simply be solved with something as simple as a phone call. But it wasn't. "Jack, bring me something." Jack looked up at him and frowned. "Bring me something we can work with, something to go on and I swear to you that I'll do what I can to get her back to you. But you need to find me something to go on."
Jack sat still for a moment before slowly nodding his head. Hammond smiled sadly at him and Jack rose to his feet, not bothering to collect his file from Hammond's desk, where he had left it. He had no need for it. There was nothing in it, nothing he could really use. There was only one place he was going to find anything, and that was with Daniel. He only hoped his friend was able to find him something.
Or Sam would be lost to him forever.
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End of Part Two
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