AN: Thanks for all the feedback please keep it coming. I am going to try and speed things up a bit, in both getting chapters out and the pace at which the story is progressing. Tell me what you think please.
"Drop in thirty seconds" The Pilot shouted over his shoulder, trying to compete with the loud roar from the propellers.
Jack and Martouf were standing by the side door of the plane. The wind blasting through the open door into their faces.
"You ready?" Jack shouted hoping to be heard
"I am"
The pilot could be heard over the roar of the engines shouting to them "Fifteen Seconds!"
"You're sure your people are waiting down there?"
"They are, I stake my life on it" Martouf replied
"Mine too apparently" Jack said, his voice hidden by the noise from the engines.
"Five Seconds! Get ready to go!"
The seconds ticked by slowly for Jack, his thoughts turning to Daniel and Sam. 'You two just better be there when I get back'
"Go! Go! Go!"
With that Jack jumped out, followed by Martouf. As Jack descended into the water he could see the sun beginning to rise above the horizon.
A quiet knock woke Sam from her sleep.
"Yes?" She spoke her voice croaky from sleep
"Sam you awake?"
"Yes, Daniel"
"Are you decent?"
"Yeah, come on in"
Daniel opened the door and slowly entered the room.
"What are your plans for today?" He asked as he stood in front of the bed
"Don't we have to report for duty?"
"Nope, we've all got some time off. Orders are to be as discreet as possible but were free for the next few days"
"Ok then, well I think I will have a nice long bath, then maybe have a look around"
"As a Private or a Civilian?"
"Civilian, probably best that unless I have to report for duty I should go around as a Civilian"
"Good idea, care to join me for lunch then?"
"Lunch? What time is it?"
"Almost eleven"
"I slept in late" Sam stated in shock at her own laziness
"Good night?"
"You could say, met an interesting man"
"Oh really…"
"Not like that, just started talking to this guy from a bar and we got on really well, spent the rest of the night talking"
"You met a guy, in a bar"
"Yes, he was nice"
"Nice?"
"Yes, nice" Sam pulled a face at Daniel, she felt relaxed talking to him. It had been a long time since she had been able to joke about like this.
She had been so depressed when Mark had shipped out and even worse when she received the news. She only got through it by setting her sights on joining up and fighting. Now she was here in England on her way to the war, and yet she was relaxed.
"How was your night with Janet?"
"Good"
"Good?"
"Yes good" Daniel imitated the face Sam had pulled when she had replied in a similar manner a few moments earlier.
A brief silence descended on the pair, both thinking of the previous night.
Daniel broke the comfortable silence first, "Lunch?"
"Yeah, give me a sec just got to get dressed; I can't go out like this"
Sam gestured down at her loose fitting shirt and sweat pants which served as night clothes.
Daniel nodded in reply to Sam and left the room. His thoughts still on his night spent with Janet.
The boat rocked up and down on the waves. Jack stood at the port side of the ship, staring out onto the sea. He closed his eyes, and for a moment he felt like he was back on the transport, travelling the Atlantic. Only to find that when he opened his eyes he was still on the small fishing boat, which was slowly headed towards enemy territory. With a group of people he didn't know, on a mission he wasn't comfortable with.
"Welcome back to Secret Mission's Jack" He muttered to himself
He stood there for a few more minutes, he then moved off to the cabin to find Martouf.
'What kind of a name is Martouf, so well strange, must think of something else to call him' Jack mused as he wandered the ship.
As Jack turned into the cabin where Martouf was still reading folders and files it hit Jack.
"Hey Marty, how much longer until we reach where ever it is were headed?"
"Not long now, Mr. O'Neill"
"What did I tell you about this Mister O'Neill crap, I told you to call me Jack"
"I would prefer to call you Mr. O'Neill, I would also prefer if you referred to me as either Martouf or Lantash"
"I would prefer to be back in England with my men; however I cannot be, So, Marty, Call me Jack, and can you try to do better then that?"
Sighing loudly Martouf rose from his seat on the small bench in the cabin.
"I will go and find out how much longer we will be"
"Thank you"
Martouf strode out of the cabin, clearly bothered by Jacks interruption and attitude.
"This is going to be a long mission" Jack muttered to himself again slightly pleased with himself for irritating Marty boy, he needed something to occupy himself with on this boring boat.
"So, who was this mystery man?"
Daniel asked Sam, who was sat opposite him in a quiet restaurant near the seafront. The place was virtually empty, only a few customers and staff around.
"A man who works in the Swiss consulate"
"Sounds… interesting"
"He is, and really sweet to, anyway enough about that, how was your night with Janet?"
"Like I said before good"
"Oh come on Daniel"
"What?" Daniel gave his best innocent look.
"I may have only known you a day and only seen you two together for a few minutes if that but I saw the sparks"
"It was a good night; we talked a lot, sorted out some things that had been lying under the surface, I am meant to be meeting her at the end of her shift today."
"When's that?"
"About five this afternoon, she wanted me to go back to her place."
"Should I wait up?" Sam gave a Daniel a grin, making it obvious of what she meant.
Daniel gave her his best haha very funny look before replying to her comment "I will be fine and a gentleman"
"I would expect nothing less" She smiled as she spoke. She defiantly felt more relaxed then she had in a long time.
General George Hammond was stood in his office withGeneral Vidrene, his direct superior while deployed in England
"Has a date been set for the re-deployment further south?" General Hammond asked clearlywas not pleased. He had been kept in the dark about when his troops would be being moved and to where. Apparently it was for security reasons but he didn't care, he wanted to know what would be happening with his men.
"We aren't sure yet, the are a lot of logistical problems"
"I understand that, sir but I want to know what's going on"
"As everyone else does"
"Yes sir"
"George there is something I feel you should know, there is a civilian poking around, some high up government guy. Apparently he is here to oversee everything. Make sure we are acting in our best interests. As you know a lot of folks back home aren't too happy we have gotten involved over here, people think we should be deployed out in the pacific hitting back for Pearl harbour"
"I am aware of that sir"
"Yes well this guy is here to discredit what we do and attempt to get us reassigned to the pacific, so he cannot see anything that may give him enough leverage to make us send our boys the other way"
"Who is he sir?"
"His name Robert Kinsey"