CHAPTER 11
A/N: Thank you again for all of the wonderful reviews! I've wrestled a little with this chapter, so please let me know if it's too confusing!
As soon as Edward declared them finished for the day, Janet rushed to unbelt Jack from the machine. For a full month, it had been the same scene everyday. Jack would be hooked up to the Weapon of Mass Destruction and be forced to sit for hours in acute pain while mastering each level of the weapon's energy.
The physical side effects were becoming more apparent now. A few clumps of hair had come loose, a tooth had cracked, three ribs had broken, and his skin was sallow. His mood was becoming more and more aggressive as the days past.
Janet gently helped him to the gurney and examined the damage done today. A patch of fresh bruises lined his back, and she had to reset his shoulder. All from that damn weapon!
The device had been found in Russia by the NID, and while it had been constructed by the Ancients, it appeared to have never been used. The inventor's notes were programmed into it, revealing that only a person with the Ancients' gene could direct the weapon's abilities. The problem was that the user must take the machine's power into himself and learn to manage it. This caused the adverse effects that Jack was now experiencing, and was why the project had been dropped by the Ancients.
Janet was glad that Sam would never have to see these injuries. She wouldn't have understood why after his numerous injuries, the SGC still continued to let him go on missions day after day. Eventually Sam, as a concerned wife, would have made a phone call to Uncle George and that would have been disastrous. They were under strict orders from the Joint Chiefs and President not to reveal the operation to anyone. Teal'c and Daniel would have also been a problem. Jack would have soon become unfit for duty and, thus, it would have been necessary for them to get away from the SGC anyway.
Furthermore, the NID had promised to kill Jack's family at the first sign that they knew anything; it had been part of the deal. Several agents had already infiltrated the SGC; there was no safe place for Sam and Emily. They even went as far as to bug the O'Neill's house.
Janet had been easier to coerce. Edward had things over her that made it impossible for her to refuse. That was not to mention the threat that hung over Cassie. The NID and certain other government agencies had wanted to test on her alien genes for a long time.
Even with the plentiful threats that the NID had dished out, Jack and Janet had still agreed to tell Sam about their plan. This was before they realized the machine's physically detrimental effects. After the first few tests, it became quite clear that Jack was going to get hurt- a lot. He knew Sam would never consent to another black ops mission, let alone one that constantly endangered her husband's health. When they had gotten married, she had made Jack promise never to be as reckless with his own well-being as he had been before. Janet knew that Jack detested lying to Sam, but if they were ever found out by the NID, there was no doubt that they would kill her. So, it was decided to exclude Sam from the plan, at least for the time being.
The worst blow for Jack and Janet had come when one of Edward's inside men had overheard them debating how to fool Mrs. Sam O'Neill, SGC's resident genius. Fox called them over privately at the next session and told them that he had the perfect solution to their problem. Janet had seen the familiar sadistic glow in his evil black eyes before he had even opened his mouth.
It was his plan for them to have the affair. He had cruelly smiled at his ex-wife then and said, 'Playing a home-wrecking whore should be old hat to you by now, Sweetheart.' Janet was confident that he had chosen this cover in particular to send her a message from the past. It also had the double effect, though, of ruining the doctor's relationship with her best friend while she lost the respect of everyone in the Mountain. Which, of course, was why it was so appealing to Edward.
Her ex-husband was an extremely wealthy and power-hungry man. He had accepted the NID's offer almost immediately when they had approached him. Edward was not one to pass up an opportunity such as this. So, he funded the operation and the NID let him legally have authority over the weapon with the agreement that they worked toward the same goals.
From what Janet understood, he had advocated her involvement after they had selected Jack as their test subject. This, naturally, made sense since she was already familiar with his unusual medical history. Her job, basically, was to make sure Jack didn't die.
This, however, was becoming increasingly hard. 'Time is money,' as Edward said, and the longer Jack took to learn the machine, the more money Fox was spending on the operation. He insisted on moving quickly to keep up with his impossible (in Janet's opinion) schedule for the machine, even when Jack was clearly not ready. If he worked the Colonel much harder, Janet believed that she would not long have a patient to treat.
She finished repairing Jack and left him to rest. Both of them had taken an extended personal leave from the SGC. After discovering their 'affair,' General Hammond had gladly granted them this. The rage that showed in his red face alone was a sign that if he had not gotten rid of Jack and her quickly, the General would have given them more than a sever tongue-lashing. However, they had not escaped without that threat of a formal inquiry into their 'lewd' conduct upon their return.
This was nothing compared to Sam's reaction, though. Two days ago she had phoned Jack, after no contact for over three weeks, and demanded to know where he was. Emily needed to see her father, even if Sam herself preferred not to. She was upset that he and Janet had taken leaves of absence and not informed her.
After Jack told her that he wouldn't be around for a while and couldn't tell her where he was, Sam was furious. Didn't he care at all about his family anymore? Didn't he want to talk about their marriage, or what was left of it? Wouldn't he give her the explanation she deserved? What about his disappointed little girl? And by God if he was with Janet right now, she would kill him.
They argued back-and-forth for forty-five minutes before Jack was too weak to continue. He was on the brink on fainting when Janet wrangled the phone from him. She sat him down in a chair and told Sam that Jack would have to call her back later. To this, Mrs. O'Neill replied that he need not bother other than to tell her where to send the divorce papers. With a click of finality, Sam had hung up.
The next day, Janet informed the Colonel of Sam's wishes. The only indication that he had heard her was the slight shaking of his balled fists.
***
Sam breathed deeply. She had just gotten off the phone with her lawyer and the O'Neill's were now officially going through a trial separation. She really hadn't meant for things to go this way, but Jack had given her no choice. He obviously did not want to make an effort to discuss things with her; he wouldn't even visit to see Emily. The last straw for Sam had been when Janet had come on the line. If Jack O'Neill was more interested in her than his family, Sam thought, then maybe he did not deserve one.
She briefly wondered if this was what it had been like for Sarah. Had Jack done this to his first wife? Sam quickly forgot this line of thought; she was being ridiculous.
Samantha O'Neill knew her husband. Jack was kind and loving. Yes, he had a rather dark past, but so did she. He was not another Jonas Hanson, she assured herself. The Jack she knew cared deeply for his family and friends; the idea of cheating never would have crossed his mind. Her Jack was willing to give up everything just to be with her. Her Jack thought she was beautiful, all the woman he needed. She knew her husband, right?
Sam would have refused to believe this new man was ever her Jack O'Neill if she had not seen his transformation with her own eyes. Her gut told her something was wrong, but then this whole situation was wrong.
At any rate, she would no longer mope about the house. Sam had once been a Major not too long ago, and she had not achieved that position without some serious strength, smarts, and ass-kicking ability. She refused to have self-doubts because of him. So he had cheated on her with her best friend. That was a fact she had to face, and she was positive it had nothing to do with her fallacies as a wife and everything to do with Jack being an ass.
She was still desirable, right? Sam stood to study herself in the hall mirror. Her creamy complexion was still intact, her long hair had only enhanced her looks, and her blue eyes still sparkled. Sure, she had put on a couple of pounds after Emily was born, but she was still thin. Yes, it was not her fault that he had done this, she assured her wounded ego.
Sam decided that a new outfit and manicure would boost her confidence. "Emily! How would you like to go to the mall?"