20

"How can it be your fault?" Jack asked "You didn't decide to steal us without asking… Ok bad example" the more he thought about it the more Jack realised that the Asgard rarely asked anything until they were actually already on their way to the fire they needed putting out. Maybe the Furlings HAD learnt from the Asgard how to interact with humans.

"It was my praise of you that made the Furlings pick you as their subjects, it seems that my communications concerning Colonel Carter and yourself O'Neill managed to persuade them that you were that genetically advanced and Colonel Carter so clever that together you could solve almost everything, however they did not realise I meant that you could solve it yourselves, they thought I meant we could solve it with help from your DNA"

Jack had a half smug half embarrassed look on his face, Sam was blushing all the way down her throat, he wondered how far down that lush went and his General started to sit up and be noticed, it didn't help with her sitting on his lap. She gave him an arch look and wiggled! He would pay her back later!

He was having difficulty thinking about what Thor was saying, with all the blood rushing south, but he tried!

"The Furlings problem then?" he asked

"As I mentioned before, the Furlings were always apathetic. Now this has extended to breeding, they have declined seriously, from several hundred billion at the height of their colonisation days, to less than half a million now."

"That's still a decent gene pool though" Sam said

"Yes but in the last 10 years eight hundred have died, only 100 have been born, they will be extinct in less than a hundred years, as will we if we do not find our answer. The Furlings have hinted that one of your children may hold a genetic key to our problem, however they have not found what THEY need and I have persuaded them to ask for your help"

Jack was rubbing Sams back as Thor mentioned one of the children holding the key, he felt her stiffen "holds the key?" he asked

"On a genetic level, please do not be alarmed, we will not seek to hurt the child in any way, we only ask for a blood sample every month until she is mature"

"She? I thought it would be George?" as he was the only one to not fall ill.

"No the child with the genetic trait that may save the Asgard is Grace" they were informed

Jack picked up the phone and asked to be put through to the General but it was Walter who answered. "We need to use the briefing room this afternoon Walter" he said, he looked at Thor "what time?"

"Shall we say two of your hours?" Jack looked at his watch

"15:00 Walter, inform General Landry will you…"

"The General has not reported in this afternoon as yet Sir, he left base just after your meeting but has not returned," he paused as if waiting for Jack to work out a question and then continued "He is not answering his phone, I was about to contact you and ask permission to send a couple of SFs to his house"

"That's OK Walter, I'll get Thor to take me around, I'll let you know when he will be in"

Jack looked straight into Sams eyes, and he could tell she could see what he was thinking, she gave a small gasp and Jack asked Thor to transport them to his ship and give a map of the area. Seconds later they had zoomed into the small bungalow that Jack had visited just once and they were beamed into the living room.

The room was a mess, and it was not recent. Pizza boxes and empty beer bottles were scattered everywhere and the smell was appalling, there were maggots crawling all over and Jack gingerly picked his way out of the door, his weapon drawn. In the bedroom, laid out in his full dress blues, lay the body of Hank Landry, he was past saving, having blown the rear of his head off using a large pistol in his mouth. Jack stopped Sam from entering the room and spoke towards the ceiling, "Bring us back" Thor did so and then beamed them into the briefing room where Walter was sat in the Generals chair. It was quite obvious that he knew what had happened without being told, and at Jacks order he sent a security detail to retrieve the body and secure the scene. Jack asked Thor to locate and transport General Hammond, and he was there in minutes, he had been at his daughters house less than 5 miles away. Jack told him what he had found, and stated his shock at the state of the house, it was obvious that it was not all about Carolyn and her betrayal, but that would have been the last straw.

He told Hammond about the up coming meeting and repeated the information Thor had passed on about Grace and the Furlings themselves, and asked him to sit in on it. Walter returned with doughnuts and coffee and told Jack his beaming closet was ready, Jack only had to take twenty steps from the door of the briefing room, past the Generals office and the small private bathroom, and there it was "KEEP OUT! Authorized personnel only" Walter told him that only his card could open the door, Sam whispered in his ear that she could change that without anyone knowing.

"Should we invite the president?" Jack asked George.

"Wouldn't hurt son," he replied "and the more he sees you as important to communication with the allies, the stronger your position for getting what you want" he loved this man!

Jack stepped into the small room and said 'oval' into his stone, appearing behind the huge plant and scaring the same secretary into a scream. "Is he available to see me?" he asked and she just nodded, her mouth still open

He knocked on the door and once he heard permission he entered and invited the president to meet their latest contacts, Hayes agreed and they stepped out of the office, the secret service men had to move the plant after all so that Jack could stand in the corner with a hand on the presidents shoulder and one on his chief of security, who would not let him go alone. 'SGC' Jack said loudly and they were back in the closet, it was a good job that Walter had had the shelves removed or the hulking guard would not have fit, even Teal'c did not have shoulders that wide!

Jack gestured for them to open the door and he led the president on his first visit to the facility into the briefing room and the best view of the 'gate.

At the presidents order Jack sat at the head of the table, Sam on his right, the president on his left, Hammond next to the president, Daniel next to Sam, then Teal'c. Thor was sat next to General Hammond and the end of the table there was room enough for a delegation of three.

They had been sat only 10 minutes, getting Daniel, Teal'c and Hammond up to speed on bits they had missed. A white light appeared and the Furlings had arrived!