Chapter Two
"Why is it," Jack began, picking up a plastic tray and heading for the coffee machine. "That no matter how many times we save the world, the Air Force still doesn't bother to increase the budget and provide some decent food in our mess hall?"
"The food here isn't that bad," Daniel replied, grabbing a sandwich packet and dropping it on to his own tray. "I've had a lot worse."
"Yeah, but you've spent half your life on remote Egyptian dig-sites, eating sand and scorpions three meals a day," said Jack. "I've seen underfunded prisons serve up better fare than this."
"The cooked meals aren't so bad," Sam said. "As long as you choose something spicy enough to cancel out the taste of the preservative."
"In short, it's gross," Jack declared. "One of these days we ought to ask to have our own kitchen so we can have some proper food. Mind you, not that any of us can cook."
They each picked something for lunch. None of it looked particularly appetising, but it was still preferable to having nothing. The mess hall was nearly empty and they paused for a moment trying to decide where to sit.
"Look, there's Teal'c and the General," said Sam. "Over there in the corner."
The three of them went over to the corner table, where Teal'c and Hammond were once again locked deep in discussion together. The manila folder lay open on the table in front of them. Jack wondered what was in there.
"Hi guys, mind if we join you?" he asked, sitting down opposite Teal'c.
Sam and Daniel took their seats as Hammond closed the manila folder, frantically trying to conceal its contents from an inquisitive Colonel O'Neill.
"As a matter of fact, we had just finished lunch," Hammond said quickly, glancing at his virtually untouched meal.
He and Teal'c rapidly shovelled down the food that remained on their plates, then got up and headed for the exit, moving as quickly as they could without attracting strange looks.
"Weird," said Daniel.
Jack frowned, "You know, now that I think of it, Teal'c has deliberately been avoiding us these last few days, hasn't he?"
"I noticed that too. And every time I see the General, he's wearing this really guilty expression and suddenly finds something he has to be doing."
"They're definitely up to something," Jack said.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "The question is: what?"
"That's what we need to find out. I'm betting it has something to do with that manila folder. I want to get a look at what's inside."
"How? The General isn't letting it out of his sight."
"Why don't we search his office when he goes home tonight?" O'Neill suggested.
"Sir, the doors are electronically locked at night," Carter reminded him.
"Well, you can hack into the computer system and unlock them, right?"
"Sir – "
"Right?"
"Theoretically, yes, sir. But what if the General finds out?"
Jack shrugged, "I dunno. Say you were drunk. Say the Goa'uld were invading and you had to get into his office to call the President. That one always works."
Daniel nodded, "Yeah, it worked that time you had to get into the General's office to retrieve your Playboy magazines, remember?"
"Playboy magazines?" Sam repeated, giving the Colonel a surprised and slightly disgusted glance.
Jack coughed, "I, uh, don't know what you're talking about, Daniel."
Daniel blinked, oblivious to the wink Jack gave him, and said, "Don't you remember, it was last month, when we – "
"Anyway," O'Neill interrupted, not liking the direction this was going. "We were trying to work out what to do about Teal'c and the General."
"Looking through his office should work. Providing he doesn't take that folder home with him. If he does, I don't see how we'll be able to get a look at it."
"If he does, we'll think of something else. What time does the General go off duty tonight?"
The other two exchanged blank looks, and both said, "Dunno."
"Great, neither do I. All right, we'll need to watch and wait for him to leave. Then we can move in and find out what we need."