8

Author's Notes: AU after Last Stand. Anubis is not half-ascended. He is just a cunning goa'uld. Daniel didn't die. Spoilers (sort of) for Menace, Revelations, and Redemption. Episodes modified to fit in my AU.

8/9/2021 – Minor editing, grammar, and spelling. No story changes.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

Chapter 1: Nesting

-Lykia-

Sam walked through the lab in the Lykia. She had stored all the projects and parts that she could in places that would make them easy to find again. She didn't think she would be gone long enough to forget where they were. But she could never tell with this new lifestyle that she and Jack were living. Content for now, Sam walked down to the tank room.

As Sam walked into the tank room, she was greeted by the haunting song of Dust In The Wind. She smiled. Jack was singing again. She loved it when he sang to the children. She could tell that the symbiotes loved it too. They all swam to the surface to encounter the sound waves easier. They practically vibrated in place to not disturb his singing. It was amazing to watch.

As the last notes of Jack's song fell away, Sam hugged him from behind. She knew how hard this was for both Jack and Shade. But the children would be safe here.

"That was beautiful," Sam whispered.

Jack didn't say anything. He just hugged her back.

"You both know that Gustav will take good care of the children. He has promised to come and sing and read to them once a day," Sam said as she pulled him around to face her.

"I know," Jack replied. He still seemed hesitant.

"But you are still worried," Sam finished for him. She kissed him softly and then wrapped him in another hug.

"Yeah," Jack said with a sigh. He hugged her back. "You have been great about this. I couldn't do this without you."

Sam grinned, "You could. But you would be a lot more grumpy and angry at everyone." She pulled him out of the tank room to the living area. "Have we got everything loaded?"

"I think so," Jack replied. "You loaded the tools you wanted?" he asked.

Sam nodded.

"Then we are ready to head back to Earth. I really want to pick up my CD collection and some books. Space travel is boring," Jack replied.

Sam laughed, "I'm sorry. Am I getting too boring for you?"

"Never," Jack replied. "You just get distracted by your doohickies. I need something to do when you don't want to play." He replied with a grin. He let his hand wander down her back and arm sending jolts through her.

"Hum," Sam replied. "I like to be distracted from my doohickies too. I don't want to get too lost in my work."

"I think I can help with that," Jack replied smugly.

They headed towards the entrance to the Lykia where they were meeting Gustav. Jack pulled out the communication device and the key when they spotted Gustav.

"Gustav, well met," Jack greeted.

"Well met, Jack and Sam," the Xanthan replied. "Have all your preparations been made?"

"Yes," Sam said. "Everything is loaded."

They all walked out the main entrance to the Lykia and Jack re-locked the door before handing the key and the communication device to Gustav.

"We will return. Thank you for taking care of everything," Jack said with feeling.

"It is my honor," Gustav replied. "I am looking forward to helping with the children. I have watched as you sang to them. They liked the music very much. I hope I can bring them happiness while you are away."

"Thank you, Gustav," Sam said. "The children are our main worry."

"They are," Jack added. "Keep them safe."

"Of course. It is my honor," Gustav replied. He nodded to them once and then turned to the rings to depart. Jack and Sam left for the Al'kesh. They watched the flash of rings disappear as they closed the hatch and headed to the bridge.

"Okay, what do you want on Earth besides books and CDs?" Sam asked Jack as they settled in the bridge.

Jack thought for a bit, "I have some stuff at my cabin that I would like. We can hit a few auto wreck places or salvage places. Tools to work with… More stuff to tinker with… The rest we have to get off-world. Shade can think of a few planets with some good salvage. We need a few more naquadah bricks to convert to chips."

Sam nodded, "That makes sense. I would like some more familiar tools as well. We'll need Earth cash. Can I charge my laptop at your cabin?"

"I use a generator. I'm not there most of the year. No power company to worry about. No Wi-Fi either. But my concern is more political," Jack replied.

"Political?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, from our government," Jack replied.

"Crap! I didn't even think of that. We'll hit your cabin first. Load your stuff as quickly as we can. Get your books and CDs. I am sure you keep copies of everything there that is at your house," Sam said planning.

"Of course," Jack replied. "I figured my house would get destroyed by my enemies. My cabin ignored. All my important stuff is at the cabin."

"Good," Sam said with a smile. "Cabin then to someplace with power and Wi-Fi. I can move our funds to a dummy account. We can spend it to buy tools. Auto, electrical, mechanical, and whatever else we can think of. Then we start hitting salvage yards."

"Sam, when you move our money, expect that they have flags on it. Our personal account are all flagged. Probably tracked too." Jack said seriously. He had worked in the shadow world. He knew that cash would buy almost anything. But the government, even the shadowy parts, took time to move.

"You're thinking of the NID?" Sam asked.

"And our own government. But government takes time to react. When I was working with Harry, the NID took some time to react. But they couldn't make any moves in public. Our government can," Jack replied. "We move the money. We withdraw it quickly. Two places far apart. Public."

"I can do the move on my laptop. I just need Wi-Fi. Most coffeehouses or fast-food places have Wi-Fi now," Sam replied.

"Okay, then you move it to a bank I am already inside. When you give the signal, I take it all out in cash. And leave. It will be a large amount. That will take time. We will have to use an existing account," Jack said. Shit!

You already have backups like this in place. Why don't you just withdraw money from one of those accounts? Shade asked.

Honestly, because I forgot about them. Thanks for reminding me, Jack said. "Shade just reminded me of my old accounts. We don't need to move money. We can just take the money from one of those accounts."

"What accounts?" Sam asked.

"Back in my not so happy days, I did shady work. I put the shady money in accounts I never touched. I only ever used them if I was undercover. Shade reminded me that we can just take that money instead of our own," Jack said slightly grumpy.

"That is a great idea, Shade," Sam said. "It reduces the risk to us exponentially. Where do we need to go to withdraw?"

"Cayman Islands," Jack replied. "They also won't care how much we take out at once. As long as my thumb print matches."

"Perfect," Sam replied. She could see that Jack was still uncomfortable taking the money. "Think of it this way. You can now put the money to GOOD use." She kissed him.

It is shady money. What better use than for Shade, Shade said.

Jack laughed out loud. Sam looked at him. "Shade said 'what better use for shady money than Shade'."

Sam grinned, "Exactly."

Jack grinned back, "Alright. Earth. Cabin. Cayman Islands. Shopping." He took the Al'kesh controls in hand and slowly launched the ship into orbit and plotted the course for Earth.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

-Earth/Al'kesh-

Jack hovered the Al'kesh over the parking area next to the cabin. Then he turned the Al'kesh slightly before gently settling it to the ground.

"For a moment there, I didn't think it was going to fit," Sam said with wonder from the second seat on the bridge of the Al'kesh.

"It almost didn't," Jack replied. "We are almost totally blocked in. We have to use the right exit door. It should open up to the back of the cabin." He turned to Sam with a grin. "I'm not totally sure that the NID hasn't bugged the house. We have to be quick. I am leaving the shields and cloak on. You start with loading all the music and the books. I'll grab my stash and help."

"You want more than just music and books?" Sam asked.

"Well, yes. All my important stuff is up here. But we need to grab what we can and be gone in about an hour," Jack replied.

"Why an hour?" Sam asked getting up and moving to the exit.

Jack was right by her side, "Because the nearest motel is just over an hour drive from here. I'm sure they will speed. The only way into the cabin, is blocked by the Al'kesh."

"Hence, the shields," Sam replied as she opened the outer door.

"Exactly," Jack replied. "Let's just pack what we can and get out of here."

"Roger that," Sam replied as she moved to the door.

Jack reached up and took the key he had hidden and unlocked the door for her. Then he went over to the porch and counted boards. When he reached the correct number of boards, he pulled it up and out easily. The board was not actually nailed in. He repeated the action with the next four boards exposing the space beneath it. He grabbed the five-gallon bucket full of documents and supplies and pulled it out of its hiding place. He then carried the bucket to the Al'kesh.

Next, Jack helped Sam. They carried all the music CD's, DVD's, books, and any other entertainment on to the Al'kesh. They carried the TV, and DVD player and a portable CD player as well. Jack also took all of his clothing and blankets. He had made sure all of his pictures and family mementos were packed safely on the Al'kesh. He carefully carried his guitar and his sheet music. Finally, he looked over to Sam.

"We have ten minutes left. Pack anything else you want to take apart on board. Even the generator. The range and refrigerator would take too long to move," Jack stated.

"Really? Anything?" Sam asked.

"Yup. I'm not coming back. All the important stuff is loaded," Jack said as Sam's eyes sparkled with anticipation.

"Tools? Let's start there," Sam said.

Jack led her over to the shed and Sam started to start hauling all of it to the ship. They finished with his last tool box and closed the outer door. Jack sat back at the controls and gently started to raise the ship. He had just gotten it about one hundred feet into the air and turned down the entrance road when they saw a line of cars trying to rush down the narrow track towards the cabin.

"Oh look," Jack point out to Sam. "They got here too late."

"Eh. I don't feel sorry for them. Simmons was an ass," Sam replied.

"Simmons is still an ass," Jack said.

Jack gently pushed the Al'kesh off towards the wilds of North Dakota. He found a quiet spot where the ship could land and not be disturbed. He parked and carefully went back to check the mess they had left in the Common Area of the Al'kesh.

Sam joined him as he eyed the stacks of stuff they had piled haphazardly all over the room in their rush to leave.

"Now what?" Sam asked.

"Well, first, I would recommend we organize this stuff. You got a room for the tools yet?" Jack asked.

"Yeah. I put all the crystal tool in one place. We will need tool boxes and stuff," Sam said.

"Start making a list of stuff you need. I'll start organizing out here. I can guarantee I will need stuff too. When we know what we need, we hit the bank," Jack said.

"Okay. Help me with this," Sam said as she pointed to the last tool box they had carried into the Al'kesh. Jack helped her carry it to her new tool room.

They both went about organizing their loot from the cabin. Jack moved all of his clothes to their bedroom. He moved most of the blankets there too. The Books, CD's, and DVD's were stacked up against the wall by type. The TV, DVD player, and stereo were placed nearby. His photos and family mementos were moved to the bedroom. The guitar and sheet music was carefully placed to one side.

Eventually, only the bucket was left. Sam joined him.

"Are you going to open it?" Sam asked as Jack sat on the floor and just stared at the five-gallon bucket.

"I will," Jack whined. "I just wish that I never needed to."

"Oh," Sam said softly coming to sit next to him. "Does it help knowing that it is going to help Shade?"

"Actually, yes, it does," Jack replied. As if that question helped him to gain the courage to open the bucket, he finally cracked the seal of the lid of the waterproof bucket.

Jack pulled out several Ziplock bags with documents in them. The last was just a thumb drive. He pushed the bucket away and carefully laid out the contents of each of the bags. Each one had a passport, ID card, money, and a bank card. He scrutinized each one before selecting just one. He place all of its documents back in the Ziplock back. He turned to Sam.

"These are all fake ID's I have had for many years. I need to move all the money in those accounts," Jack said indicating the ID's still on the ground, "to this account," Jack pointed to the bag in this hand. "I have enough funds in this account to get us a room. You can charge your laptop. Can you do an official bank wire transfer from those accounts to this account?"

"Easily," Sam replied. "And get a shower. I really want a fucking shower."

"Then a shower you shall have," Jack said with a grin. Then he glanced down at the thumb drive. "Hey, what would you say to exposing Kinsey while we are here?"

"What do you have in mind?" Sam asked as Jack picked up the thumb drive.

"Remember when Kinsey had Hammond quit and put Bauer in his place?" Jack asked.

"I do," Sam said taking a grim look. "Bauer almost killed us all because he wouldn't listen to me."

"Yeah. Maybourne and I went on a fishing trip. We got some bait on Kinsey. Convinced Kinsey to leave the SGC alone," Jack said while fidgeting with the thumb drive. Then he handed it to her. "When you get power back to your computer, read through that and publish what you can to destroy Kinsey and every NID asshole you can. We publish. Get in the Al'kesh and move cities. You can hack some more."

"You think I still have clearance?" Sam asked.

Jack laughed, "Sam you wrote the Dialing program. If you don't have clearance, you can bypass what ever hack job security they have in place." Jack grinned at her, "Think of it as protecting the SGC from the NID. We KNOW they are corrupt.

I can assist. Some of the Ancient knowledge allows me some coding that will be foreign to the existing human systems, Shade said.

"Shade says she can help with Ancient stuff too," Jack added.

"Wow," Sam said. "That may actually make it impossible for them to track us. Shade, I may have you program a firewall on the laptop I have before I publish the first time."

I would love to help, Shade said.

"She will do it," Jack relayed.

"Excellent. Let's go get that shower," Sam said.

Jack dumped the documents back into the bucket leaving his 'good' ID in the bag. "As you wish, my lady."

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG

-Earth/Al'kesh-

The next few days were spent shopping and flying for Jack and Sam. Jack had parked in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon and they had taken a taxi to a hotel. Once there Sam plugged in her laptop and had the longest shower she had ever taken. She moved the money as promised and spend the next few hours being distracted from reading by Jack.

They went to the Cayman Islands and Jack picked up a new debit card with no limit based on his account balance and a thumb print.

Sam went shopping. They hopped from city to city and picked up tools and furniture and clothing and batteries and storage bins. When Sam was really happy with the tools, she hit the parts. The Al'kesh storage area filled slowly with all kinds of parts.

When Sam finally had enough parts, she was ready to publish the NID treason. The best part was that none of the facts that she publish were classified. Kinsey had tried to destroy people for YEARS before the Stargate Program. She had it all. Assignations, smears, lies, and how he had gone against the will of his own state many times for his OWN gain.

Kinsey wasn't the only one that Sam targeted. Many of the people that had operated in the shadows of the government for years were dragged into the light. Tied by word, deed, and power to Kinsey and how he acted. Corporations were destroyed overnight. Simmons was arrested for treason along with dozens of others.

The last thing Sam did before she left Wi-Fi was to send an email to General Hammond from a public gmail account. It had only one email sent. It only said, 'You're Welcome." It was not signed.

Jack and Sam left Earth to do some more shopping at an alien junk yard. It was a bit off the beaten path. Shade knew about it and it had some alien technologies that were not crystal based. Jack had set the auto-pilot and was busy trying to hardwire the power strip for the TV, DVD player, and CD player into the ship. He and Shade could figure out a way. He really missed TV.

SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG-SG