Anasazi 15

Jack grimaced, waiting impatiently on the back of the houseboat, coffee in hand. It was nearly 10. Where was Reynolds, anyway? The water was calm, the day clear. It was cold, but not impossible.

Then he saw action in the distance on the lake.

Finally.

He watched with some satisfaction as the speedboat that had to be Reynolds and company headed towards the mouth of the Escalante drainage and the houseboat.

He grabbed the line as Reynolds docked the second speedboat to the houseboat. And then did a double take. He stared at Reynolds, surprised. He looked as frazzled as Jack had ever seen him. Reynolds was cool under fire and as laid back as it got, for a Marine.

Today, he looked harassed.

"Jim." Jack grabbed the man's arm and pulled him into the boat, Jemez following.

"Jack."

Harris interrupted. "Major, this equipment is quite fragile. We need to get it onboard at once."

Reynolds bit back something, Jack couldn't tell what, but finally said, mildly, "I know that, Doctor. You've reminded me repeatedly for the last six hours."

"Alright, then." Harris carefully deposited a metal case in Reynolds' hands. Jack grabbed it from Reynolds and took it into the boat, going back for yet another load.

Reynolds, Jemez and he worked in silence as they unloaded the boat. Finished, the two scientists came aboard, discussing something, Jack wasn't really sure what and frankly didn't want to know, in tandem.

Lee glanced at the interior of the houseboat. "Where is Major Carter?"

Jack gestured towards the back. "Below. She's got a command center set up down there. She's pulling her own equipment together."

"Ah. Excellent." Lee and Harris headed determinedly to the back of the boat. Reynolds gestured for Jemez to follow. The man nearly rolled his eyes, but did as he was ordered.

Reynolds glared at him. " So, Jack."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You owe me, big time, and that's even after I owe you for saving my butt on P3X847."

He swallowed. "I know, but it's really not my fault."

Jim grimaced. "Carter…"

Jack didn't need the rest of that sentence. Carter was his responsibility, and so the mission really was on him.

He offered up the best he had. "I'm leaving the fishing gear."

Jim stared at him as if he'd lost his mind.

He shrugged. "Good cover."

"Uhuh."

Jack tried again. "There are still some steaks. And there's beer."

At that, Reynolds looked interested, which was a testament to how badly he was rattled. The man didn't drink. He sighed wistfully, "I'd prefer facing a squadron of Jaffa."

Jack really couldn't disagree.

They could hear Lee, Harris and Carter deep in conversation all the way from the far back of the boat. Reynolds looked slightly panicked.

Jack cocked his head sympathetically. He wouldn't want to be in Jim's shoes. At least he had some control, not much, but some, over his own scientists and Carter was AF after all.

"I don't know how you do it, Jack. Jackson, Carter…"

Jack bristled, ready to defend his team, but realized with one look at Jim that the man was honestly worried and asking for help.

"Make a threat assessment, listen, adjust if necessary, and then watch their backs. And pull them out of the range of fire when needed. Or insist on scrubbing the mission and keep them confined if you can. With your group, I'd confine them first. You have that authority, even on Earth."

Jim sighed. "Thanks." He looked back at Jack, away from the view of the canyon.

"Jackson and Teal'c showed up at the SGC an hour before we left, somewhere around 0400. Teal'c told me they'd driven through the night to get there. Jackson's evidently deep in translations."

He paused. "I thought all of SG1 was headed to Butler Wash."

Jack grimaced and decided Reynolds deserved the truth. "So did I."

He stopped, thinking, listening to the conversation below deck. He gestured in that direction.

"Scientists. Scientific license. Earth. Missions are… different here. There's freedom of choice and … all that. That's why we're in the game - to protect those choices. Jackson's a civilian and although he could, probably should, be fired, he has rights here.

"Hammond could kick him out of the SGC, but there's nothing more we can do on Earth besides permanently confine him as a threat to national security. And that's the last thing Daniel is trying to do."

He glanced at Reynolds. "Of course, it is something you could use with your duo if they get out of hand."

Jim looked a lot more cheerful at that. "So, threat assessment, try to understand what the hell they're talking about, watch their backs and save their assets. Worst case, get them out of the range of fire (something Jack understood Jim felt very comfortable with) and then threaten confinement if they get uppity. Got it."

Jack grinned. "Well, it might work."

Jim stared at him, and then grinned as well. He looked toward the interior of the boat, now interested. "Did you say there were steaks?"

"Yeah."

Jim walked into the interior and smiled. "Nice digs, Jack. I like your style."

Jack swallowed. "Uhh, yeah. Jim, about the houseboat…"

Reynolds cocked his head, grinning. "About the only thing that makes this palatable. Good idea of yours. Hammond oked our appropriation of it for as long as necessary."

"Ah."

Reynolds looked at him, considering. "So, it's just you and the Major heading to Butler Wash."

"Hammond wants the mission under the radar more now than ever."

"Yeah, he mentioned that."

"Look, Jim…"

Reynolds interrupted. "Nothing unusual in two members of a team heading out to complete a mission when the other members are …delayed. At least it is off world. No reason it should be different here on Earth, no matter what might be said by those who haven't served."

Jack said nothing, not sure what to say. It was clear Reynolds wasn't finished.

"We've got Carter's back, Jack. Yours too. Nothing will come of it. I'll make sure of that."

"I - uhh, thanks."

Jim grinned. "That's two you owe me."

"Got it." Suddenly, Jack felt nervous about Reynold's expression. He waited for the punch line. It wasn't long in coming.

"There's always babysitting. For some reason, this mission brings that to mind." Jim smiled ironically. Jack remembered that the man had two children under two with another on the way.

"Dixon mentioned you were excellent. Even gave you a recommendation."

Jack groaned. Dixon had four hellions who were actually pretty amusing. And yeah, he'd agreed to watch them occasionally after Dixon had pulled SG1 out of a really dicey situation on P3C949, but it just wasn't good for his well-practiced bad ass Colonel reputation if he was getting known as the resident available babysitter of the SGC. No matter how much he liked kids.

"Dixon pulled our assets out of a firefight. And his are all over 6. They walk; they talk. Not a chance in hell with your brood, seeing as they're both under two. But at 16 I'll teach them to drive if you want."

Jim sighed. "Yeah, thought you'd say that." He paused, thinking, "Maybe Carter…"

Jack interrupted. "Don't even go there. You'd -" He stopped suddenly when he heard a crash followed by loud, annoyed voices, with Carter's calm tones trying to mitigate the situation. He grinned. "Sounds like your geeks." He gestured Jim toward the back of the boat. "Scientist sitting time."

Jim stared at him glumly, sighed and led the way.

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Jack hammered the speedboat through Powell for the third time. Bullfrog Marina was pretty much as he'd left it yesterday when he'd dropped off Daniel and Teal'c, except that Tom was front and center, clearly full of questions.

He docked the speedboat and gestured to Carter to unload the gear into the truck.

"Tom."

"Colonel O'Neill."

O - kay, cover blown. He took off his sunglasses and stared the man down.

Tom was clearly intrigued and excited. Bad combination. Jack sighed, and waited.

"So, your Command, a General Hammond, asked to requisition the boat. How long do you think that will be?"

"As long as they need it."

Tom stared at him. "What's going on?"

Jack was sure that missions on Earth were the worst. He took it back. Missions on Earth in the US were the absolute worse. He really needed Daniel, damn the man for abandoning him. Or he should never have let Carter take care of the equipment. Then she could have handled this instead.

"Classified."

At Tom's stare of annoyance, he added, "There's no danger to you or your boat. It's a scientific expedition. That's all I can say."

Tom grinned. "So, you guys are finally taking the ghosts of Glen Canyon seriously?"

Jack stared at him. "What ghosts?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "Sure, Colonel. Like you don't know. I got it. Classified."

"What ghosts?"

Tom bent down, double-checking the knot that secured the speedboat to the dock. "Yeah, I got it. Need to know." He looked up at Jack and grinned. "I've watched a lot of JAG, you know, so I am informed."

"Right." Jack sighed. He really needed to hear what the man had to say. "So… the ghosts."

Tom stood and stared back at him, enjoying the conversation. "Okay, so I think this is the part where you're interrogating the locals. And I'm local. Got it."

"What about the ghosts?"

Tom grinned. "Man, you really are good at what you do. I mean that glare is really stellar. Beats the crap out of t.v. You are *the* man."

Jack sighed and decided to go with the flow and act like an idiot. "If I have to say this again, I'm going to have to shoot you. What ghosts?"

Tom looked suitably impressed. "Cool. Okay, so you want my opinion. I got it."

He shrugged, thinking. "There've been people in the canyon at least 2000 years, so a lot of ghosts, the Anasazi, Freemont peoples, the Spanish priests, the Mormon explorers, cattlemen, prospectors, poets. Lots of stories about all of them showing up long after they were supposed to be gone."

The Colonel grimaced. "I know about Ruess."

Tom grinned. "Yeah, there are sightings of him throughout the area pretty regularly. And, of course the Navajos think the ruins are haunted. Some folks say that Cass Hite still haunts the area where he prospected, and others claim they've seen the Wetherills on occasion. And then there's Harry Comstock's story about the green lights last winter, but a lot of people think that he was just following up on Fred's sighting of them the year before at the same time, trying to make himself important."

"What green lights?"

Tom bent down, making sure the speedboat was secure to the dock. "Well, Fred was searching for some stray cattle two years ago on the mesa above Davis Gulch." He looked up, thinking. "I think it was right before the holidays - yeah, it was. There was snow predicted and one of his bulls had gone missing. Anyway, when he looked down into the Gulch, he claimed the entire lake was shimmering; there was light shining from below the water, a green glow covering the area. Freaked him out, so he got the hell out."

He paused. "Then, of course, Harry claimed the same thing the next year." He shook his head. "Way too much bad blood between them, if you ask me."

Jack cocked his head. "Yeah, sounds unlikely. Any other stories of green lights?"

"Not that I know of."

Jack put his sunglasses back on and shrugged. "Well, there you go." He looked toward Carter and the truck. She was headed back towards him. When Tom stood up, he shook the man's hand. "Thanks, Tom. And the rest of team out on the lake will take care of your boat. Not to worry."

"Thanks, Colonel."

Jack walked towards Carter, meeting her halfway between the dock and the truck. She smiled. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah. He knows we're Air Force, but thinks it's a science expedition. Either that, or that we're hunting ghosts."

Carter did a double take, and then grinned. "Close enough, sir."

"Yeah."

Her curiosity got the better of her. "Ghosts?"

He grimaced. "Apparently lots of sighting around here. But he also claims that the locals have seen a green glow from below the waters of Davis Gulch for the last two years around the holidays."

"Not now?"

"No."

"I - huh."

"What?"

"December 21 is the Winter Solstice. Daniel did say that the Anasazi placed a lot of importance on the astronomical calendar."

Jack sighed. "Okay, so whatever it is playing games is doing it on a regular basis."

"At least recently. We don't know how long it's been going on, or what activated the signals to begin with or even if they'll keep it up."

"Yeah." He opened the passenger door to the truck and threw her the keys. "Have at it, Carter. Looks like the entrance to Butler Wash is about two and a half, maybe three, hours away, north on 276 and then east on 95."

She grinned. "You're letting me drive your truck?"

He shrugged and then climbed in, put his head against the headrest, and closed his eyes.

"Did you get any sleep last night, sir?" Her tone was concerned.

"Some." Fact was, he hadn't gotten any. He'd spent the first half of the night pissed at Daniel and the second half convinced that he was way over his head where his Second was concerned. The day had been … really fine. He knew he needed to pull back; he just couldn't seem to do it. And then he'd been concerned about what Reynolds would think, needlessly as it turned out, and convinced that if he let himself sleep, he'd miss the laptop's alert and all hell would break loose, which it hadn't. So, a pointless night. It was impossible to stop Daniel when he was on a roll without restraining him, he couldn't seem to do anything about Carter, he didn't need to do anything about Reynolds, and the entities had shut up for the time being.

"I'll wake you when we get there, Colonel. Get some sleep."

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