The Key
By Teri of Texas
Chapter One
Mondays are usually the worst day of the week. Hence the old saying, "it is a Monday," to give credence when things go wrong. In a highly top secret military base deep in the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it is no different, if not the norm. It is also the same for one Brigadier General Jonathan "Jack" O'Neill.
The base is always so nice and quiet at 0500 in the morning, like the calm before the storm. A little cliché that is very prevalent around here as well. Jack was in his office hoping to clear out a lot of the paper work before all of the mission briefings got started that day. Three hours should be enough. So...he thought.
Jack
My phone rang and I answered, "O'Neill."
It was Tech Sergeant O'Brien from the control room, "Sir, there is an incoming transmission from the Tok'ra.
'Oh great,' I thought. 'What is it now?' Every time they called it was always something they want from us. Granted we did the same, but we were never soooo...dam arrogant about it. It had been a long time since we heard from them. Not since they severed their ties with the Alliance.
"I'll be right there Sergeant." I made my way to the control room hoping it was Jacob.
The sergeant announced me to the Tok'ra when he had seen me stepping off the stairs. "Go ahead, Sir. The General is here."
"Hello, George. I hope you are doing well?" the Tok'ra stated.
Good, it was Jacob and not one of the others. "Hi, Jacob. It's good to hear from you too. But it's Jack."
"Wellll...I guess congratulations are in order then. George retired?"
"Thanks Jacob, and no, promoted. He is in charged of Home World Securities."
"That is great. I was hoping to land and visit my family. I have not seen them in a while and was able to get away just for a little while."
"Sure come on down. You have clearance. What is your ETA?"
"I should be there within the hour. Thanks Jack. Is Sam on base?"
"Not sure but she will be here when you get here. See you soon. O'Neill, out." I turned to Sgt. O'Brien and instructed him to contact Colonel Carter and have her come to my office.
I was finishing up one of the many folders on my desk when Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter walks in. "Sir," as she snaps a salute. I just smiled, "Cut it out Carter. You know you don't have to do that when it is just us."
"I know, sir. I'm just making sure I still know how," she said with an impish grin.
Instead of commenting, I ignored the jab at my new rank, "Did they tell you about your father coming?"
"Yes, Sir. Did he say why?"
I gave a half smile when I answered, "Carter! Don't tell me you can't believe he came all this way just to see you?"
"Well, I know my father. He tends to mix business with pleasure. Especially since he was blended with Selmac."
I frowned at Carter, "yea, I know. I was thinking that also, but he told me he was taking a few stolen moments away from work to visit his family. I'll give him the benefit of a doubt, for now." I glanced at my watch just when the klaxon sounded and O'Brien's voice announces "An unscheduled off world activation." 'What now!' I thought and followed Carter to the control room?
"What is it O'Brien?" I asked while Sam sat down next to Sgt. O'Brien.
"Sir, we are receiving a text communication from P5C-678," O'Brien informed
"Carter?"
Just as Sam was about to answer, Daniel and Teal'c walked in. "What's going on?" asked Daniel.
"We're about to find out," I motioned to Carter to proceed.
"It seems the Edorians have a survivor from a downed ship. He is very badly injured and unable to move at this time. Sir! He is asking for you!"
I was thinking about the last time I was on that planet. Well not exactly the last time, where I just did a quick stop over to another planet before I trapped the rouge NID group that was pilfering objects from our alias, but the one where I believed I was not going home again; the one where the woman, Laira, had welcomed me into her home and eventually into her heart.
Sam
"Sir?" I was waiting for a reply, when none came I tried again. "Sir, is there a reply?"
"Yes Carter. Tell them I will be there ASAP. In the mean time have them take the precautions with the patient. He may be a Goa'uld." He then turned to Daniel and Teal'c, "I will need you two to go with me."
I stammered, "but Sir? You don't want me to go?"
"Carter, have you forgotten that your father will be here shortly?"
"Sir, he will understand."
"Carter I will talk with you in a minute. Please send the message and have SG-1 in the briefing room in 10 minutes."
"Yes Sir." I knew I needed to see my father, but I also remembered the planet. I had not forgotten about the three long months of trying to get a particle generator built and working to try and get through to the surface of that planet to rescue Colonel O'Neill, well General now. But most of all, I remembered the embrace shared by Jack and Laira when they were saying goodbye.
"Jacob is coming here?" asked Daniel, breaking me out of my thoughts.
"Yes Daniel." said Jack as he was going up the stairs. "I will see you in 10 minutes. I need to make a few phone calls."
Jack
Just as I was finishing up the phone calls, an SF escorting Jacob walked through the door. "Thanks George. I'll call you when I get back." I saw Jacob and waved the SF off. I stood up after hanging up the phone and walked around the desk to shake Jacob's hand. "Welcome back Jacob. It is good to see you."
I then motioned for him to take a seat as I walked back around to my chair. "Same here. So they finally decided to give you the reins?"
"Yea. They figured I could stay out of trouble easier if I took on extra responsibilities." I said as I gave a sheepish grin. "How long do you plan on being here? Not doing anything for the Tok'ra while your here?"
"Jack! Please, I have not seen my family for nearly a year and the Tok'ra still like things the way they are at the present. By the way, they send congratulations of their own for eliminating Anubis. How did you accomplish that feat?"
"Trade secret," I laughed. "Actually, George has given me permission to let you know it was an Ancient device we found here on Earth. It was left behind over 10,000 years ago when the Ancients left our galaxy."
"You're joking...on earth? How did you find it? I'm sure Sammy figured out how to make it work," said the proud father that he is.
I smirked and said, "She had a contributing hand in it." I looked at my watch and then scanned the briefing room for SG-1 through the window between my office and the room. I stood and said, "I believe Sam and the others are in the briefing room."
Sam looked up to see both her father and I entering from my office. "Dad!" She tried real hard not to run but it had been along time since she had seen him.
"Sammy! It is so great to see you! Miss me?"
"Dad, you know I have." After they gave each other a very warm hug, Jacob turned to Daniel and Teal'c to give them a greeting.
I moved to take my seat at the head of the table. Sam and her father took seats to my right, with Daniel and Teal'c to my left. I took a moment to look around the table until I spotted Jacob. "Jacob you wouldn't be missing a Tok'ra and a ship by any chance, would you?" Judging by the reaction from Jacob he was not expecting that to come out of my mouth, nor did the rest of the group.
"How did you know?" asked a stunned Jacob.
"Lets just say I had a gut feeling."
"Dad, who is he? Anybody we know?"
Jacob looked at Sam and said, "No! No one you know. He was on a mission on a world where Baal has a base. On his last contact with us he told us he was on his way back from there on a cargo ship. He had said something about finding a key that could help us with the war with the Goa'uld. Nothing else."
Daniel leaned closer to the table and squinted his eyes, "Was it a real key or a tablet, what?"
"I do not know. There was not enough information given on his last transmission to know. He is 24 hours over due."
Jacob
"Dad, does that mean you did not stop by to visit with your family?" she said with a frown.
Uuuh ohhh, "Actually, I was on the way here when I received a call from Sorenson from the Tok'ra Council." Sam seemed to take that well, but Jack looked at me with his poker face. The one where you don't know if you should lay all of the cards down or hold and see if you can get away with the bluff. I decided to hold and bluff.
"O.K. Jacob," Jack finally said. "We need to finish up here and then you and Carter can take some time off," he spoke as he rose from his chair and pointed to each of us in turn. "Daniel and Teal with me."
We all eyed him for a moment before Daniel got up the nerve to finally ask, "Jack shouldn't Jacob go with us?"
"Right now that is a Tok'ra problem and if the Tok'ra want us to help them they can find away to repair the Alliance." Jack was still staring at me with a stony face. I reclined my head so that Selmac could take over. "General O'Neill, I know this is not an official business, and our two races have had our differences of an opinion, but we are desperate here. As you can tell by my humbling at your mercy."
I guess bluffing did not work.
Jack
I scanned the table at all of my friends, and yes, Jacob is a friend too, and prayed that my gut feelings were lying to me. Because I knew from the hair that were standing on the back of my neck that I knew whom the Tok'ra was and that he knew as well.
There was a voice in my head that was saying, 'is it you?' I thought back to when I last remembered the Tok'ra as he was leaving me to hide. He must have survived.
"Selmac, why don't you tell me who the Tok'ra is?"
After a very punctuated moment he said, "Kanan".
You could have cut the air with a knife because of the thick silence hanging around the table.
"Why don't you tell me the whole story? Why is he wanting to talk to me?"
Jacob had taken over again and repeated that he was unsure and the only communication they had did not explain details, but that it had something to do with defeating the Goa'uld.
"O.K. -- everyone be ready in 15 minutes and we will all go and see, Jacob, you too? From what I understand he doesn't have long to live," with that abrupt speech I gave I got up and head back to my office.
Sam
"How did he do that?" asked Daniel.
"Do what Daniel/Jackson?"
"Know that it was Kanan."
"I can answer that one," everyone turned to look at me. "After being blended once, you tend to get a sixth sense about these things. I admit I did not see this one coming, but I was not that close to the subject," with that last statement I pointedly looked at my dad. He literally blushed under my scrutiny.
"It is O.K. dad," as I could tell he was going to apologize. "I can understand why you tried to keep it from him." I gave him a hug. "Alright, lets go get ready."
"Whoa! Wait a minute. Are you telling me that the very logical and scientific mind of Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter is saying it was a gut thing?" Daniel asked as he raised hand as if stopping me from leaving.
"Yes, Dr. Daniel Jackson, I am."
"Sam! Your a Lt. Colonel now?" asked dad with admiration just flowing from his mouth.
"Yes, Dad, I am," I quipped with a shake of my head and a skip in my step as I was leaving the briefing room to get ready.
Disclaimer: "Satrgate SG-1" and its characters are the property of MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Gekko Film Corp., Showtime/Viacom and USA Networks, Inc. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author(s), and may not be republished or archived elsewhere without the author's permission.
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