Jack rearranged the top shelf of his locker to reflect the military standards of neatness. It was doubtful anyone would inspect his quarters, his office or his locker. The SGC did not make it a habit to emphasize spit shine. It wanted performance, and O'Neill's people had given that beyond the call. Still, it never hurt to have things in order to at least give the appearance that all his thoughts were in at least somewhat similarly organized. They had not been for at least a month, but down time did that to a person. Most of all, it helped him organize the raging thoughts in his mind.
Carter was a designated target of the investigation. Despite the assurances given by Davis and Hammond's confidence in the Pentagon's intentions, he was not convinced of the Pentagon's benevolence in protecting Sam. It had one goal, and that was to nail Prime Power on various charges of impropriety. It did not care about collateral damage suffered in proving its point.
As he closed the door to his locker, he saw Douglas enter the room out of the corner of his eye. It was hard to miss someone of that height. SG1's new second-in-command was oblivious once more to the presence of anyone else, his nose pressed into a report folder. For a moment, Jack was reminded of Daniel, who had much the same habit.
"Douglas?"
Startled, Douglas straightened to attention, snapping a crisp salute. "Sir, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention."
Jack flicked his fingers to his forehead in weak return salute. "Douglas, you don't have to salute me. We're indoors."
Douglas lowered his salute. "I'm sorry, sir. Army habit."
"Yet another reason to go Air Force," Jack jested. "Everything still okay?" He was genuinely interested to see how his new charge was fairing who had not yet been baptized in the fires of battling the Goa'uld.
Douglas ended his salute and tucked the report folder under his arm, still looking stiff and uncomfortable. "Everything's fine, sir. I'm nearly caught up on Major Carter's reports."
"And what have you found?" Jack curiously.
Douglas lowered his head a little, casting his eyes to the floor. An awkward smile formed on his lips, though it was subtle. "That Major Carter is considered tops in her field for a reason."
"Intimidating, isn't it?" Jack asked, allowing some pride to seep into his voice.
Alan looked up once more. "It's beyond intimidating with some of this stuff, sir. Her notes make me feel like I need to go back to school. She's got unique intuition about Goa'uld technology that I don't think anyone can rival, and I don't think it has anything to do with her experiences with a symbiote."
Jack motioned to the bench, inviting Douglas to sit. They both took up positions, Jack straddling the bench. "Be straight with me, Major – can you do the job?"
It was a hell of a question to ask, even unfair. Douglas had big shoes to fill in taking Carter's position, both as a scientist and as a ranking officer. Tact be damned, Jack had to know, though. It was important, and there was no official method for gaining the answer other than to come right out and ask the question.
As in the lab, Douglas waited for a moment, considering his answer. "Sir, I'll be honest with you – I'm nervous as all hell. It's not about making jumps or doing the job. I know I am good enough to handle the science of the missions." He paused. "I just don't want to screw up."
At least the answer was honest, Jack weighed. Screwing up sucked in any respect because it meant reparations or adjustments to even the best-laid plans. "We've all screwed up, Douglas. That's the nature of the business."
"People can die if mistakes are made, though, sir."
"Doesn't matter where it happens. You were in the Gulf. People died there. This is no different, except that it might happen on a world that's light years away. The rules of engagement are the same no matter where you are."
In the subtle light of the locker room, Douglas did not appear so bald to Jack as he had when they first met. It was unlikely that hair grew that fast, but maybe Douglas was an exception. He did not appear so young to Jack now as he had when they first met. Alan had lost some of the air of vulnerability Jack had detected at first. It was possible that the major had gained more solid footing having been able to sift through Carter's reports and had enough time to acclimate himself to the program and the base to make him more solid in his demeanor with his commanding officer and team leader.
Still, there were things Douglas could not know, especially about the inner workings and the interpersonal relationships that dwelled within the mountain. Up to that very moment, Douglas had no reason to care about the people at the SGC. He was a newbie to interstellar travel and to what it felt like when confronted with an alien contingency hellbent on destroying an entire planet. Then an idea suddenly dawned on O'Neill. There was a way to break Douglas into the mix and make him care without throwing him into the lion's den. He chastised himself for not thinking of it sooner.
"What do you know about Prime Power?" he asked.
Douglas looked surprised at the sudden shift in topics. "Prime manufactures the MALPs, sir. In fact, it builds just about all the priority equipment around the SGC. Why?"
"Well, they're going to be bringing in a new MALP thing, and there's a security concern about the team bringing it in."
"Sir?" Douglas looked confused.
"Apparently, there's been some dipping into personnel records at the Pentagon, and they think it's leading back to someone at Prime."
Douglas thought for a moment, then clearly grasped O'Neill's hint. When he did, he face became tense. "Major Carter's, sir?"
Jack nodded. "Yeah."
"If I may, sir, what kind of records?" he asked, setting his stack of folders on the bench before him.
"Evaluations, performance reports." O'Neill intentionally held back the big facts to test Alan's intuition.
To his relief, the major took it the necessary step further. "Medical and psych evaluations?"
"Now you're getting it," Jack said.
"And it's a hell of a coincidence now that Major Carter is consulting at Prime," concluded Douglas.
"We were thinking that, yes. That's why SG1 has been assigned to watchdog Prime's team when it comes here to test the new MALP. It's going to be a supervised visit with limited access to the rest of the base. I'm counting on you to keep your eyes peeled for the science liabilities."
"With all due respect, sir, that's going to be like drinking from a fire hose. Practically everything around here has some degree of classified material to it."
"I know," Jack conceded, "but we need to make sure we keep a rope on every one that comes in here."
"Sir," Douglas said, then hesitated.
"What is it, Douglas?" Jack asked, seeing the man was having difficulty.
"I was going to ask if the Pentagon suspects Major Carter of wrongdoing."
Jack took a deep breath, then exhaled. "The Pentagon is saying no, but I get the feeling they're not ruling anything out at this point. I can't say I blame them. They're following SOP like they would with any security breach."
Douglas' voice was soft. "But this is different for you, isn't it, sir?"
He considered his response. It was crucial to be diplomatic when it came to questions of a personal nature, especially where it involved military protocol. More than that, he was not sure of the Alan's degree of loyalty. "Major Carter was a part of SG1 for six years. It's not that easy to give up trust in someone after what our team has gone through with the Goa'uld."
"No, sir," Douglas replied quietly in a tone that suggested he understood. "Trust is the only thing you have sometimes in combat."
"So," Jack said, purposely lightening his tone to steer the conversation back to more neutral ground, "like I said, you'll need to keep your eyes peeled for the science stuff while Daniel, Teal'c and I look for the . . . non . . . science stuff."
Douglas smiled. "Yes, sir." He thought for a moment, once again hesitating. This time, he spoke without prompt, his face becoming serious. "If you want, sir, I can make a few calls to the Pentagon and see what I can dig up on Prime. I know a lot of people there, and they can keep it quiet."
Jack was skeptical. "How quiet?"
"Completely silent, if that's what it takes."
O'Neill considered the advantages of an inside track to more information and decided it was a good move, at least for the moment. It was unlikely that all the facts had been revealed in the briefing with Davis. The Pentagon was not known for laying all its cards on the table.
"Okay, see what you can see. Get back to me with whatever you find."
"Yes, sir. I'll make some calls after lunch this afternoon. Is there anything else I can do to help, sir?"
"No," Jack answered, though he felt like there was something lingering, a notion not quite formed in the back of his head. It would come to him, maybe in the middle of the night or spontaneously when something would trigger it to life. Until then, he would let it move about his subconscious until it was ready to reveal itself. "Thank you."
Douglas picked up his folders, stood and went to his locker. He retrieved two candy bars and a CD. As he turned to leave, he raised his hand as if to salute. Then he lowered it with a chagrined smile. "I'll let you know what I find this afternoon, sir."
O'Neill nodded and watched as Douglas exited the locker room. Then he was alone and left with his own thoughts on what Davis had asked him to do. The Pentagon wanted O'Neill to dismiss his implicit trust of Carter and replace it with suspicion and accusation. He had agreed to do it only because it was the only way of guaranteeing that an outside source would not be assigned to the same task. He feared an outsider would pursue the matter with an unjustified vigor, looking to invent a culprit if required to satisfy the demands of superiors.
The Pentagon's desire of O'Neill was that he should get any personal information out of Carter he could to expose any improprieties of which Prime might be guilty. A multitude of scenarios played out in his head as to how he could use Carter as an information source for the investigation. All of them ended with the same conclusion. She would resent him when she learned the truth. The truth would be inevitable if Prime were found to be lying. She would know, and he would have betrayed the years of trust that had been carefully cultivated through trial and victory.
He left the locker room, tired of having his head cluttered with the confusion of the matter. He would discuss it with Daniel, seeing if the anthropologist had any wise ancient words to cover the event of friends betraying one another.
The walk to Daniel's office was at a moderate pace, and Jack was grateful for the chance to work off some of the tension he felt. It helped him to order his presentation to Daniel so that he could voice his problem succinctly. He was going to push for the succinct answer, but he knew that was a practical impossibility. Daniel was thorough at the very least in any verbal explanation.
The halls were quiet as he walked. When he rounded the corner to Daniel's office, he was surprised to find Teal'c seated near Jackson. The lab's lighting was suffused and sleepy, making the small desk lamps appear to act as spotlights of concentration in an otherwise dark room. Teal'c held a stone artifact in hand, which was not surprising. The former First Prime of Apophis was called upon frequently to translate inscriptions that eluded the doctor in his work. They both looked up at Jack with curiosity, evidently not expecting a visit from the guy in charge.
"Hey, fellas," Jack said with a small wave. "What's new?"
Daniel gave a quick glance over to Teal'c, as if to verify the Jaffa was equally curious at Jack's unusual visit. "Teal'c was helping me finish up some translations from a while back. The down time has given me a chance to clear some of this stuff off my desk."
From the looks of Daniel's lab, it was doubtful anything got cleared away. Shelves held artifacts that had accumulated dust, and it was not the ancient kind. Books were stacked for convenience on nearly every flat surface available.
"That's good," Jack said, coming into the room. "Anything I can do to help?"
The offer caught the two men off guard. Once again, they exchanged a glance between them, then focused on Jack.
"No, not really," Daniel answered, sounding apologetic. A gentle smile crept upon his face. "This is mostly Goa'uld-ish stuff. Teal'c's got a handle on it, I think."
Jack neared the lab table and examined some titles on the binders of the books stacked there, but he never actually registered what he was reading. He knew he looked lost, and there was a part of him that wanted Daniel and Teal'c to ask why. At least then he would be able to verbalize the hundreds of thoughts raging in his brain.
"Jack," Daniel said, pausing until O'Neill acknowledged him, "are you okay?"
O'Neill stopped his lackadaisical examination of anthropology books, though his finger remained on the binding of one where he had been tracing the lettering. His instinct was to deny there was anything wrong, except he knew the whole reason he had come to Daniel's office in the first place was to vent and pose questions.
With an exasperated sigh, he said, "No, Daniel, I'm not."
Daniel kicked a stool in Jack's direction, and Teal'c put down the stone fragment he had been translating.
"What is it that troubles you, O'Neill?" Teal'c inquired softly.
Jack took comfort in the caring tone the Jaffa used. He suspected that the two men felt anxious about the Pentagon's request, as well.
He sat down on the stool and leaned his elbows on the lab table. "A lot of things, Teal'c," he replied, letting his frustrations vent. "This morning, the three of us were asked to put Carter into a vise and tighten the grip. No matter how this thing turns out, she's going to get bruised by the investigation because she's connected to Dekker and Prime and whoever else is smart enough to be running with that crowd. That bothers the hell out of me."
"It bothers me greatly, as well," Teal'c agreed. "However, there appears to be the greater issue of Stargate Command's security at stake."
"Hey," Jack said protectively, "I'm not arguing that one. I'm all for us being nice and safe and warm down here as much as the next guy."
"In order to achieve and maintain that security, it is sometimes necessary to contradict the bonds of friendship," Teal'c explained. "If the friendship is strong, then it will survive the trial."
Jack cupped his cheeks in his hands. He knew what Teal'c was saying, and the words sounded elegant. Still, the advice only made matters worse because it highlighted the fact that a friendship could be indeed lost if the bond was damaged too much.
He looked at Daniel, eyes probing. "What's your take on this?"
Daniel tossed his pencil onto the notebook in front of him. He took a deep breath and held it. Then he said, "I honestly don't know what to think. Somehow, I can't believe Davis would have us doing this if it was only going to hurt Sam. Hammond seems confident that Prime's the target. Even then, they're not sure Prime's done anything wrong except pull Sam's files to see if she was available to work for them."
"True," Jack conceded. "So why is it I feel like we're making her a suspect by helping them?"
Daniel gave another small smile. "Because we don't trust Washington?"
Jack rolled his eyes and gave a nod of consent.
"I don't think any of us believes Sam would be involved in something that could hurt the SGC or the Stargate program for that matter," Daniel persisted. "She knows how important the work we do here is, and not one of us is willing to accept that she'd betray that."
Teal'c was unusually somber. "It is reasonable to assume, O'Neill, that Major Carter is being watched by others. If it is determined that she is a liability, it is possible she may be eliminated as a threat. Because she has not been harmed, we may be witness to several agendas."
His words hung in the air. The Jaffa was right, Eeyore though he was at times. At the first sign of espionage, Carter could conceivably disappear or worse, be killed, in order to protect the integrity of the program. There were those in other agencies more than willing to take a head shot at anyone who posed a threat. Some even reveled in it, enjoying the thrill of the game.
That made Jack pause. "Which means there has to be more to this than we've been told. What's the trump card here? What does Prime have that gets them to this point? It can't be just the equipment. They're not the only civilian defense contractor out there that can build this stuff, right?"
"Probably not," Daniel answered, "but like Davis said, they probably undercut the competition and win the contract."
"And I'm having a really hard time believing that the Pentagon is so concerned because Carter's records were pulled," Jack continued. "Believe me, the military is not known for being sentimental in cases like this."
Teal'c gave a slight nod in agreement. "A military must be ordered and methodical. It risks weakness if it is not."
Daniel's expression became pensive. "So, we're safe in assuming there's something else going on, right?"
"Right," Jack said decisively. "Douglas is pulling a few strings this afternoon to see what he can dig up on the investigation."
"Douglas?" Daniel asked. His tone betrayed a hint of alarm. "You sure that's wise? He's not exactly a veteran of this place."
"Yeah, I thought about that," Jack muttered. "I don't see there's much of a choice, though. I've been burning bridges inadvertently lately, and I'm pretty sure Kinsey would block any inquiries I might make into the whole thing. At least Douglas can feed us some kind of information."
"Assuming he is honorable," Teal'c grumbled.
Jack looked at Teal'c and gave a wince. Their list of assumptions was growing at an uncomfortable rate. "Yeah."
"You know what bothers me the most, Jack?" Daniel continued.
"What's that?"
"The fact that Sam has no idea anything is wrong. She's completely clueless that there's even an investigation, much less the fact that she's the center of it."
"What do you want me to do? Go tell her?"
Daniel shrugged. "No one ever said we couldn't, did they?"
"No," Jack said slowly. Daniel's idea was upon him, and it seemed so simple a plan. "No, they didn't."
"So," Daniel said, pursing his lips briefly, "why don't you just go ask her?"
"Like, fly out there and ask her?" Jack asked, sweeping his hand like a jet taking flight.
"Well, I wouldn't want to simplify it too much," Daniel responded, his brow tightening, "but yes, fly out and ask her."
Jack drummed his fingers on the table in contemplation. His mind raced through the rules of the investigation one more time for verification. To his recollection, no one had said the team could not make contact with Carter. No one said they could not flat out ask her to explain the situation. They could get the straight answer from her, and O'Neill believed he would be able to tell from Carter's eyes whether or not he was hearing the truth.
"Well," Jack said in mock contemplation, "if we're going to keep the base secure, we should probably do a little ground work, right?"
"Right," Daniel said, readily agreeing with the plan.
Teal'c joined in the game. "Intelligence gathering is vital to any operation."
"Exactly," Jack said sharply, pointing an index finger at the men for emphasis.
They were silent for a short time. Each knew they were probably stretching or breaking every unspoken rule set forth by the Pentagon. There would be hell to pay if it turned out to be the wrong move. Their superiors would have little mercy, and there would be more holes to plug if Carter were on the wrong side of the tracks.
"So," Daniel said, taking another deep breath and breaking the silence, "you're going to California and you're bringing . . .?"