CHAPTER 39

EPISODE----------ZERO HOUR

Five days to zero hour.

It was morning at the SGC, bright and sunny, getting hot slowly, birds chirping. But that was all outside. Inside the air systems kept everything filtrated, the temperature just about right, electric lights keeping things lit. No windows to see the beautiful sun. Oh well Jack thought.

O'Neill walked off the elevator buttoning his cuff when a coffee cup was put in front of his face.

"Morning sir."

"Walter." Jack said taking the metal cup and walking.

Other people were working on things around them. Replacing parts or going about other business.

"At 0730 this morning, SG-8 made scheduled contact from P6J-908. They requested permission to bring back an alien life form back to base for study." Walter said walking with him. Jack took the top off the coffee and sniffed it then looked at him questionable.

"Sir, it's just a plant. There's a 0830 briefing is SG-2 regarding there recent mission to P8F-809." he said as they walked into the control room. Jack put his finger in the coffee, grimaced and shook his finger off.

"The folders on your desk along with the personal files you have yet to review."

"How many do I have left?"

"All of them."

"Right." he said sounding grumpy as he climbed the stairs.

In the briefing room three men were standing near each other looking at an open file. One was a white guy, the other black, both in SGC uniforms. The third guy was in a business suit. They were talking about something as Jack and Walter walked in.

"Colonel Rudnell has asked me to show you bunting samples and Captain Corrigan is still waiting approval on the buffet menu." Walter said.

"Bunting?" Jack said confused.

Walter shrugged a I don't know gesture.

"John." Jack said.

The business suited guy with a tan and dark hair turned around.

"General."

"You are aware of the fact that this is the most secure military facility on face of the planet."

"Well actually sir there are still a number of issues, to be resolved."

"1000 hours sir." Walter said.

Jack looked down at Walter.

"Thank you." he said sounding tired to emotionless.

Everyone left the room as he walked to his office. Someone was sitting in the chair in front of his desk. The guy stood up buttoning his coat. He also had a suit on.

"Walter…" Jack said sticking his head out the door.

"Sorry sir." he said walking up quickly. So quickly Jack was even surprised. "General O'Neill. Mark Gilmore. He's your new administrative aid."

"General." Mark said.

"Did I order…"

"No sir."

"Do I really need…"

"Yes sir."

"Civilian?" Jack asked Mark.

"I've been an analysis for the C.I.A. for the last eight years." Mark said. "Mostly back ground checks, but I did have top level clearance."

"He was assigned by General Hammond." Walter said.

"Ah, well in that case…..welcome aboard." Jack said walking over and shaking the guys hand. "How about I give you a tour around."

"Ah, had one sir."

"Dang."

"Very exciting to see it all in action."

"General. Your 0830." Walter said.

"Yes. You're here to assist me right?"

"Yes." Mark said.

"Good then dive in…" he said gesturing at his desk.

"Sir, you really need to read the files yourself." Walter said.

"Thank you Walter. Does Mr. Gilmore have…" he said gesturing.

"Yes. Follow me." Walter said leaving with Mark.

"He's not like other Generals." Mark said as they came to his office.

"Actually, he's not like other people." Walter said.

"Ah. I take it I've got some catching up to do."

"Yeah, those are just the files pertinent to today's agenda." Walter said pointing at the large stack.

"Then I better get started." he said walking in and sitting down.

"I can't tell you how happy we all are to have you here."

"Thank you."

"Really, really happy."

"Thank you Sergeant." Mark said. Walter nodded then left quickly.

He picked up the phone after Walter was far enough away and made a call.

"I'm in position. No sir, he does not suspect a thing."

"Nothing in Peridot?" Jack asked standing in his office.

"Well traditionally sir, this event calls for red, white and blue." Walter said holding a large ribbon with those colors. A knock at the door made them turn.

"Excuse me sir, General Hammond is on the phone from the Pentagon and SG-1 is here for their 1300 briefing." Mark said.

"Thank you." Jack said waving him off.

He looked back at Walter and could see past him through the glass window with the lined map of gate worlds at SG-1, standing out there talking and waiting for him.

"Walter, I just don't have the decorating gene. Would you mind?"

"Yes sir." he said gathering the stuff up and leaving as Jack sat down picking up the phone.

"Sir? General how are you? I know sir, but every time I open up my mouth to say George, General comes out."

Out in the briefing room, they were waiting. Daniel was looking out the window at the gate. Teal'c was sitting down with his fingers steepled together. Carter was standing at the head of the table impatiently. Ford was leaning against the table looking through the window.

"Even I'm getting tired of waiting, but being the one in charge of this place, he has other important task other than us." Ford said.

"True, but this discovery could lead to the end of the Goa'uld, or at least help in the fight." Daniel said.

"If there is weapons or better technologies Daniel then we will get them. Once Jack is finished…"

"You're a Captain, remember." Carter said.

They had a discussion some time ago about her helping him remember to call people by rank now, she was the exception unless a lot of people were around of higher rank.

"Right Sam. Thanks for reminding me. When the Brigadier comes out, we can tell him it's very important that we go."

"Indeed. This lab could very well be what we need." Teal'c said.

Mark came out of the office waiting for Jack to get off the phone. Jack held a finger up to them saying he'd be a minute through the window.

"Is he talking to General Hammond?" Ford asked.

Mark looked up at him in surprise.

"That's what I thought."

"How did you know?" Sam asked.

"I can hear part of the conversation. Not that I'm trying anyway."

Jack got off the phone and came out.

"Hey."

"General." Sam said.

"You've all met?" Jack said.

"Yes actually we know each other's life stories." Daniel said walking over.

"Is that snippiness?" Jack asked.

"In a word?" Daniel said.

"What have you got?"

"A gate address. A planet formerly in Anubis's domain, that apparently Ba'al hasn't discovered yet." Daniel said.

"We believe it may be an abandoned base or lab." Carter said.

"And just chocked full of abandoned weapons?" Jack said as Teal'c got up showing him some arm band.

"One can hope." Daniel said smiling.

"This device was procured from a Jaffa formerly loyal to Anubis." Teal'c said. "It should allow us access to the base."

Jack took it and looked at it a moment then turned to Mark who was holding a small padd with a electronic pen.

"When's the next opening?" Jack asked.

"0800 tomorrow." Mark said after tapping the padd a few times.

"Tomorrow?" Carter said.

"I got fourteen teams out there." Jack said.

"I'm sorry, operations protocol?" she said.

"Is it?" he said handing the device back.

"Sir, the M.A.L.P. showed no sigh of any Goa'uld activity." she said.

"I still want SG-13 to cover your flanks."

"It's just recon."

"All the more reason you can wait another day."

"Ja…General. This could be the discovery we have been looking for, for years. Hell, he might even have a ZPM if we are lucky. He was a descended being. That might be the reason he didn't go all out on the planet. He wanted the outpost or city because he possible knew how to run it!" Ford said as the alarms went off.

"Incoming wormhole!!!" said a voice over the intercom.

Jack looked at Mark.

"SG-5 and the representatives from Amra to discuss the pending trade agreement."

Jack leaned back and groaned. "Oy. Love to stay and chat."

"Jack, Ford's right, besides if those rebels Jaffa know about it, it won't be long before Ba'al knows about it."

"One more day." Jack said walking off down the stairs.

"One more day he says." Ford muttered shaking his head. "If I wasn't a Captain."

"We tried." Carter said walking off with him behind her. "What do you mean by if you were not a Captain?"

Teal'c and Daniel walked over watching the SG team and the representatives come through.

"Here's one negotiation I'm glad I'm not part of." Daniel said tapping on the window. He looked at Teal'c and walked off.

"What I mean by that is I would argue with him more. I could get away with it too since Daniel does." Ford said as they walked away. He was answering her question after they got more out of earshot.

"I wish I could do that sometimes." Sam said.

"I wish you could too. You're better at it."

"It's a plant." Jack said looking at the plant brought back with a magnifying glass. Dr. Lee and Mark were in a room filled with scientific computers as they looked at the plant sitting on a metal pot on a table.

"Exactly. Twenty minutes ago it was a seed." Lee said.

"Excuse me sir, but if you don't mind my asking, is it really wise to be bringing alien life forms through the gate?" Mark asked as Jack stood up.

"It's a plant." Jack said like it was nothing.

"Yeah, and besides off world teams follow strict safety protocols in determining what we bring back to Earth. You know, if human kind is going to benefit from what we find out there, we have to be able to study it in controlled situations." Lee said.

"It's a plant." Jack stated as if it was still nothing big.

"I know, I know, and I know your mandate is to seek out new weapons and technologies to defend the planet from our enemies but, wouldn't it be cool if we could exploit the other wonders of the galaxy for beneficial purposes like curing diseases, or in this case, possibly…..solving world hunger." Lee said all the while Jack looked bored.

"Speaking of which." Jack said looking at his watch and leaving.

The phone rang and Lee grabbed it.

"Doctor Lee speaking. Yeah. General!!! They want you in the briefing room!!!" he yelled.

"Ja…the General is just busy now with well as he once put it, being the man." Ford said.

Carter chuckled remembering that conversation.

"I know Ford, but it just felt like we were being rejected. After all those years working together, then he just brushed us off. I know he's got to think more about the other SG teams as well, but they way he just said, one more day sounded like he didn't care."

He rubbed her shoulders as she stopped typing on the computer.

"He's trying his best as much as it seems like he's not sometimes. He does have to worry about the other SG teams now as much as us. He still trust you with command, I still trust you, the others trust you."

"Thanks." she said rubbing his right hand.

Daniel and Teal'c walked in at that moment seeing them.

"We interrupting anything?"

"No." Carter said as Ford shook his head.

"Came by to see if you wanted some lunch."

"No. I think we're fine." she said.

"Everything else okay then?"

"Yeah. I know Jack's just being cautious. I'm doing fine."

"Besides, I'm here to keep her company until I'm ordered to do something." Ford said.

"Alright then, if you need anything, just give us a call."

"Thanks guys." Carter said. They turned and left the room.

Jack came through a door marked with the number 27 and saw Major Davis standing next to the Air Force seal on the wall. Mark was behind him.

"General if I might have a moment with you, we are completely stalled. The Amrans can't agree with each other, let alone us. They're like bickering children."

Jack shrugged. "Maybe they need a time out." he said walking down the hall heading for the briefing room.

Up in the briefing room the two representatives were talking. They're clothes were…exotic to say the least. One guy was bald with a reddish outfit with gold thread marking all over it. The other guy, had hair and had a blue outfit with gold markings all over it. Both were more like robes than anything else.

"The plains of Gorand are sacred ground." the guy in blue said.

"To the plainsmen." the red robbed guy said sarcastically.

"I am a plainsmen."

"I know." he said sarcastically again.

"I take offense to that." he said pointing a finger at the guy.

"A fence. Now there's an idea." he said rubbing his chin as Jack and the other two walked in.

"Hi folks." Jack said.

The blue robbed guy turned to him. "General I think it would be best…"

"What do you say, we take a little break? All this negotiating, it's just exhausting. You've been at it a whole…hour already." he said looking at his watch. "We have prepared special quarters for you. You can relax, get a massage, room service, whatever you need. Come on, I'll show ya."

They followed him through various hallways until getting to their special room as he called it. The guard outside opened the door letting the General and them in.

"Huh? Fellas. What do you think?" he said picking up an apple off the floor.

They looked around not saying anything.

"Alright, it's not the Ritz, but we do what we can around here." Jack said putting the apple into the pile of other fruit on the table.

"Knock twice when you are ready to talk like adults." he said leaving the room.

"Wait, wait, wait, General. You don't except us to share one room?" the bald guy asked.

"Not amicably at first. I have great hope for you boys." he said quickly shutting the door as they rushed it.

"You can't do this!!!" the bald guy said looking through the window.

"Open this door at once!" the other guy said looking through as well while Jack shook the keys in their face.

"Nobody gets out." he said tossing the keys to the guard.

He went up to his office and sat at his desk. He took a couple folders off his laptop setting them aside and opened it.

"Dear General Hammond. Wish you were here and that I was not." he wrote when the phone rang. He reached over picking it up.

"O'Neill." he said feeling the burden of command.

Four days to zero hour.

Jack got off the elevator and walked into Mark. He turned around thinking about leaving and thought better turning back as Mark kept talking.

"Morning sir. The Amra delegates are furious. They are demanding to be released and say there is no chance of there ever being any trade agreements between their governments now." he said as they walked.

"Did they try the donuts? You made sure they were Krispy Crème's right?"

"Shall I release them and send them home sir?"

"Give them another day."

"But sir, I…"

"No coffee?" Jack said stopping.

"Sorry, I can get…"

"What's next?" he said walking again.

"Ah, Doctor Lee needs to see you concerning the planet from P6J-908. SG-1 and 3 are in the gate room preparing to embark, and it appears the red, white and blue bunting is…unavailable."

"No bunting?"

"They can get some blue and white and mix in some red."

Jack had a defeated look as he took a moment before talking.

"It just won't be the same." he said sounding sad as he put his hand on the guys arm then walked off leaving the man confused.

The gate activated as SG-1 and three awaited final orders to go through.

"Sir." Carter said as Jack walked in.

"Brigadier."

"Good morning people." he said then looked at Ford.

"You….never mind. Watch these people carefully." he said waving a finger at his former team.

"Yes sir." he said with a small laugh. "Don't I always."

"Wish I was going with you, but I got a big day planned. I'm tasting menu items for the buffet."

"Have fun sir." Carter said.

"I know you will. Want to stay and help cook the buffet?"

"I don't think so." Ford said.

"But you cook so well!" Jack said as SG-1 walked up the ramp.

"Nice try Brigadier." he said disappearing through.

They walked through onto a nice planet. Nice until the Goa'uld shows up that is. So far no one around and ever less life in site, wild life anyway.

"SG-3 hold here." Carter said.

"Colonel…."

"Colonel." she said turning to the leader of the SG-3 team.

"Bosco and Peterson can watch the gate."

"We're fine. It's simply recon. We'll stay in radio contact. Besides, you must be one of the few that have seen the Captain in action." she said smiling at his benefit.

"No I haven't really." he said looking at Ford who was walking off the ramp. "I've heard the stories though."

"I wish I had super powers, but I don't Colonel." he said smugly walking by. "So which way?"

"Where is your weapon Captain?"

Ford pulled his revolver on the right out real quick.

"That was fast." the Colonel said surprised. One of the SG-3 men said cool.

"Years of practice Colonel. I shoot better with single shot weapons." he said twirling into the holster and closing his coat.

"Enough showing off now. Let's go…..Captain." Carter said grabbing his arm.

As they left the Colonel told his team to set up a standard perimeter.

Back at the base, a lot of people were working at cutting the vastly growing planet down. It was all over the place, floors, ceiling, walls.

"Well, the good news is that it hasn't eaten anybody yet." Lee said coming out of large section of growth that came off the table.

"Well thank you Seymour." Jack said not impressed or happy.

"Yeah. We obviously underestimated its growth properties. It seems to respond really dramatically to any visible light."

Jack looked around then reached over under a section of vine and switched off the light to the room.

"Yeah, well I though of that. I just thought you might like to see it." Lee said.

Jack nodded and turned around leaving.

"Don't worry, we will get it under control." he said watching Jack try to find his way out.

Carter was looking around in a slightly large clearing with a scanning device. Teal'c was walking around activating the arm band with no success.

"Since we see nothing, its got to be below ground."

"Yes. That certainly makes more sense." Daniel said to Ford's observation. So they began looking at the ground still finding nothing.

"There are signs of recent Jaffa activity in the area." Teal'c said as he knelt looking at the ground seeing tracks.

"Try the wrist device again." Carter said walking over. Daniel and Ford walked over with her.

"I have tried it several times." Teal'c said.

"I'm getting some faint energy readings." Carter said looking at the scanner in her hand.

They looked around seeing nothing when suddenly rings came up around them taking them underground.

"Guess we found it." Ford said as they disappeared.

"SG-1 leader, this is SG-3 leader come in." the leader of the SG-3 team said as he walked by the gate for an unknown time. He sighed getting nothing.

"Peterson, you're with me. Bosco, if we don't make radio contact within ten minutes, dial Earth and report in." he said putting his CB away and getting his weapon ready. Suddenly the sound of overhead flying was heard.

"Take cover!!!!" he yelled getting down as a large Goa'uld ship flew by them.

"Son of a bitch." he said getting up.

Jack was in his office filling out reports and looking through files as he stopped to rub his face. It was a harder job than he thought. Boy did Hammond make it seem easy. Mark walked in reporting disturbing news.

"Sir, Colonel Reynolds has dialed in from P2X-887. He's lost contact with SG-1."

Jack shook his head and groaned as he got up going to the gate control room.

"One simple job, I ask the Captain to do one simple job."

Reynolds was on the screen talking through the camera on the M.A.L.P. The Iris on the gate was closed.

"One Al'kesh. It buzzed the gate and then flew off. No sign of the enemy since then sir. I've been unable to make radio contact with SG-1 going on nineteen minutes sir." he said looking at his watch. "Requesting backup and permission to begin searching."

Jack turned to Mark telling him to get SG-10 and 12.

"Back up is on the way." he said turning back to the mike.

"Thank you sir." Reynolds said then severing the connection.

Jack turned away having to go and deal with another problem he was introduced to on the way to the control room.

He walked through the hallway with Doctor Lee seeing the plant problem had gotten worse.

"We have to close down the entire level. Seal it off." Lee was saying as the came to a corner where a man was trying to burn the plant with no success.

"Not only does it have amazing growth properties, but it is proving extremely difficult to eradicate." he said then sneezed.

"We think it is using the ventilation shafts to spread it airborne spores." he said wiping his nose with a hanky. The alarms went off making O'Neill walk away quickly.

SG-10, 12 and three walked through the hallway leaving the embarkation room. Jack walked by coming up to Colonel Reynolds.

"We looked everywhere. No sign of them. I'm sorry sir."

"You were their to watch their backs."

"Yes sir. Colonel Carter insisted we secure the gate. She also said the Captain could easily keep them safe or something along those lines."

"That figures." Jack said as the alarms went off.

"Unauthorized off world activation!!!!"

The two walked back in to see who or what it was. Jack looked up at Walter who was manning the gate computer.

"No IDC yet sir." Walter said.

Guards where standing near the gate ramp waiting to see what was going to happen. The guards brought their weapons to bear when Ba'al showed up at the end of the ramp as a hologram.

"Stand down boys." Jack said to the men.

They did so but looked ready to pounce at a moments notice. Even though it was a hologram.

"And what do you want?" he asked sarcastically.

"I have your friends." Ba'al said.

"And?" he said impatiently as he rolled his hands telling him to go on.

"I propose an exchange."

"For what?"

"Not what, whom."

"Whatever."

"Camulus."

"Who?"

"I will transmit the gate address. You will send him to me, if you ever want to see your friends alive again."

"Let me think about it."

"You have one day."

"It that like….one Earth day or," he said shrugging.

Ba'al looked at him smiling then disappeared. The gate closed down after that.

"I wonder how much trouble your Captain is giving him." Reynolds said.

"Hopefully a whole hell of a lot." Jack grumbled leaving the room.

Three days to zero hour.

Jack walked off the elevator having coffee put in his path by Mark who started talking right away. Jack handed the coffee off to another officer as he walked on.

"Reports from teams in the field, rebel Jaffa, Tok'ra, no one seems to have any intel on SG-1. And as ordered Camulus is being transferred here from the facility where he was being held. He should be here shortly."

Jack was at his desk when Reynolds walked in giving him a blue folder with the SGC symbol on it.

"Even if we did comply and send Camulus to the address transmitted we can't risk opening the Iris to let SG-1 through. This could all be a trick to make us do just that." he said as Jack looked through the folder.

"I know."

"Any type of exchange with a Stargate would have to take place on another planet. I've made some suggestions."

Jack looked at the folder seeming miles away.

"Are you really considering turning Camulus over to Ba'al?" Reynolds asked..

Mark walked up standing in the doorway.

"It's on the table."

Mark knocked then.

"He's here." Mark said after Jack gestured for him to come in. Mark handed over another file.

"Colonel. Have your team ready?" Jack said getting up.

"Yes sir." he said as Jack left the room.

"Isn't it already to late?" Mark asked.

"General O'Neill was once captured by Ba'al. He was tortured, killed, brought back to life by a sarcophagus more times than you would care to imagine. SG-1 never gave up then, and General O'Neill will not give up now." Reynolds explained.

"There is no man or woman on this base that would." he said then left. Mark stood there stunned for a while then left as well.

Jack walked in with another guard seeing Camulus sitting in a chair behind a small table, in a empty room with two guards behind him. Camulus didn't look to happy and Jack didn't care.

"Ba'al has four of my people, and he's offered up an exchange." Jack said putting his hands in his pocket.

"For me."

"Any idea why?"

"There are many possible reasons." he said looking off to the side.

"Pick one." Jack said getting angry.

Camulus said nothing.

"Nothing. You offered to help us if we granted you asylum."

"I did not expect to be treated like a prisoner." he said angrily.

"You're a Goa'uld." he said disgusted.

"What are you going to do?" he said leaning back in the chair.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't turn you over."

"Ba'al cannot be trusted."

"Yeah."

"No matter you do. He will never return your friends to you."

Jack looked at him contemptuously and had him taken to the gate room. The address was being dialed up.
"I thought you were just going to question him?" Mark said walking along seeing the prisoner being taken to the gate.

"He didn't have the right answers." Jack said.

"General, this goes against official policy regarding prisoner exchange."

"He's not a prisoner. He requested asylum. I'm un-granting it."

"You could be court martial."

Jack stopped outside the gate room turning his full attention to Mark.

"You know what, if it gets my team back, I don't care."

"But you know it won't. You're sacrificing him for nothing."

Jack turned away and walking into the room as Mark went up to the control room.

"Go, go, go." he said to the guards holding Camulus.

The gate opened and Jack grabbed Camulus's arm.

"Let's take a walk, you and me."

They walked up the mouth of the gate and Jack stopped turning him to face him.

"I've done everything I can. It's up to you."

"In spite of what you think, I am not a coward."

"I think you are."

Camulus turned back looking at the gate waiting to be pushed through. He wasn't going to go voluntarily.

"Well it was worth a try. Take him back to his cell." Jack said turning him around and leading him off the ramp.

Up in the control room Mark looked as they lead Camulus away.

"It….it was a bluff?"

Walter shrugged and turned off the gate per Jack's order as he saw the General make a slashing motioning across his neck. Jack left the control room going to the elevator. He swiped his card waiting for it to open as Mark walked up.

"You could have told me sir. How can I do my job if you don't trust me?" Mark said.

Jack walked into the elevator.

"Not my problem."

"Wait, wait, wait. Camulus would like to talk to you." he said as the door's closed.

Jack went down to the holding cell where Camulus was and was let in by a guard.

"I cannot stay here. If Ba'al is truly so determined to have revenge, he will not stop at this. It is not safe for you to harbor me anymore."

"So what?"

"I am saying I am willing to leave."

"Out of the goodness of your heart?"

"Or course not. When I asked for asylum, I did not expect to rot in a cell for the rest of my life."

"Well work with me! Give me something! I'll see what I can do."

"I can tell you a planet. Where there is a device created by the Ancients."

"What does it do?"

"I do not know. I never could discover it's secrets. Perhaps you can."

"You think that is what Ba'al is really after?"

"While I never did disclose its location, I once made the mistake of bragging about finding the device, at the meeting of the System Lords."

"Hard to believe you bragging."

"I knew it wasn't easy for you." Jack wrote on his laptop in the letter to Hammond. He had went back to his office to try and work on the letter again. "But had I known, what it was really like, I would have tried to be less of a pain in the ass. At least I would have tried harder."

Suddenly the alarms went off and the familiar announcement of off world activation was heard. He left his office and went down to the control room hoping for the best.

"Walter." he said walking up.

"Receiving SG-3's IDC sir."

"Open the Iris." he said going down shaking his head at hearing it wasn't SG-1.

"Yes sir."

SG-3 was walking through as he came in.

"Just like he said sir, some sort of Ancient device, size of a large room."

"Any idea what it is?"

"I'm going to leave that up to the tech guys. But I can tell you this. I know why he couldn't turn it on." he said smiling.

Up in the briefing room Reynolds opened a black case that had a ZPM inside glowing just barely.

"It wasn't plugged in." Reynolds stated.

"What….what is it?" Mark asked.

"It's a ZMP." Jack said.

Mark nodded, "What is that?"

"A zero point module. It's an Ancient power source that draws its power from subspace." Doctor Lee said walking in and going to the device.

"It's the only thing powerful enough to activate the Ancient defense weapons that SG-1 found down in Antarctica." Reynolds said. "The one we have is pretty much dead."

"Well, this one isn't." Lee said scanning it.

"How good is it?" Mark asked.

"Well, I'm going to have to do some more detailed analysis's, but these readings indicated at least fifty percent capacity."

"Well that's…….that's good isn't it?" he asked.

Jack shrugged then all the power on the base went offline. Emergency lighting kicked in soon afterward.

"Excuse me." Lee said leaving quickly.

"The plant." Jack said grumbling.

Down in the control room they were trying to figure things out when the computers shut off.

"We've lost power to all systems." Walter said talking through the phone. "Yes sir."

Jack got off one of the elevators and walked through the dense plant growth looking for Doctor Lee. Lee was standing in the middle of the hallway.

"We paid the electric bill. I checked." he said walking up to Lee.

"The plant is in the wall. It's interfering with power and communication lines."

"There is no light in the walls."

"It seems as long as part of it is exposed to light it can seem to feed the unexposed areas. I'm recommending that we keep the whole base on minimal emergency lighting until we get the problem under control."

Jack glared at him. "How long?"

"Well, that's a little difficult to say. Because we first have to figure out how to get the problem under control."

Jack shook his head and left telling him to fix this problem soon. He went back to the gate room to see what was going on up there.

"Where are we?"

"The dialing computer is offline." Walter said.

"There must be a circuit board that got fried when we tried to restore power to the system." some tech said under the main console.

"Incoming wormholes can connect and we can receive radio communications and IDC's but,…"

"The Iris?"

"Manuel control." Walter said shaking his head.

"What about dialing the gate, manually?"

"Uh that's a problem." the tech said. "The inner ring seems to be locked in place, we tried to disconnect the control interface, but…"

"There was a gate diagnostic running when the power went down." Walter said. "Could be something to do with the commands being exchanged at the time."

"The bottom line."

"We can't dial out."

Jack sighed feeling the burdens of command.

Much later, Jack decided to try and get some sleep and was in an room on one of the beds when Mark opened the door to wake him.

"What? Oh god." Jack said after feeling someone shaking him. He turned over seeing Mark.

"Sorry to wake you sir."

Jack rubbed his eyes and nose then looked at his watch.

"Feels like it's been ten minutes."
"It has. There is an incoming wormhole. Ba'al wants to talk."

Jack got out of bed with Mark following along. He entered into the gate room rubbing his hand through his hair.

"Ba'al. Sorry to keep you waiting." he said walking to the end of the ramp where Ba'al was standing as the hologram again.

"The deadline has passed."

"Yeah, look we are having a little technical difficulty here."

"Are your friends lives meaningless to you?"

"This is not a stall tactic. I would have called you sooner, but we can't dial out."

"Why not?"

"Well, I'm not really sure. Here's some irony for you, Carter would have it fixed, just like that." he said snapping his fingers. Ba'al was not impressed. "No offense there Siler."

"Uh, none taken sir." the tech said still working on the problem.

"So why don't you just send her on through and before you know it, you'll have camel ass back in you grubby little mitts before you know it."

"You dare mock me!!"

"Ba'al. Come on. You should know. Of course I mock you."

"You have one more day." he said then disappeared.

"Is it really wise to provoke him?" Mark asked as Jack looked at his watch. Jack turned to Mark and didn't say anything for a moment.

"It's what I do." he eventually said then he left.

"Over two years ago, the Tok'ra provided us with a formula for a Goa'uld poison that they developed." Major Davis said sitting in Jack's office with Colonel Reynolds. Jack was leaning back in his chair, tired but listening. "We've been modifying it, producing as much as we could to use as a defensive option, in the event of another attack on Earth. Area 51 has confirmed that there is enough to negate a sizable enemy force."

"We think we can effectively neutralize and invade three Goa'uld occupied planets." Reynolds said.

"Now the poison is non persistent, so there will be limited time before potential reinforcements become a factor." Davis said.

"And determining which of Ba'als planets is still an educated guess." Reynolds said.

"We are still gathering intel on exactly where SG-1 is being held."

"Does this poison kill Jaffa as well as Goa'uld?" Jack asked rubbing his eyes and the bridge of his nose.

"That's right." Davis said.

"How many casualties are we talking about?"

"Thousands. Tens of thousands." Reynolds said before Davis spoke.

"So it's not really a rescue plan. It's a full scale attack."

"That would provoke a reaction and possibly another attack on Earth." Reynolds said.

"But now considering the fact that we have a ZPM we can now power the Ancient defenses…"

"Sorry to interrupt sir…" Mark said walking in. "But Camulus is insisting that he speak with you again."

Jack grabbed his coat off the chair and got up.

"Did you not find something of value on the planet of which I spoke?" Camulus said standing up in anger as Jack entered the room.

"Oh yeah, we did."

"Then why have you not released me! Or do you still believe you can trade me for your friends?"

Doctor Lee talked to Mark telling him that they had to get all non essential personal off base so they could blast the whole base with Gamma Radiation. Those that stayed would have to wear radiation suits. Mark left reluctant to do it, since not only had the General been up for two days, but had more on his plate than he should.

"I'm canceling the President's visit." another guy walking with him said.

"Really, why would you do that?" Jack said walking through the hallway with a suit on like the guy with him.

"I'm surprised you can joke at a time like this."

"Pretty much all I can do at the moment."

"Your flagship team is captured by the enemy, you can't dial out, and an alien plant life has overrun the base."

"We did find a ZPM." Jack said. "Give it another day."

"You think you can have everything resolved by then?"

"Wait a minute." he said as the elevator door opened.

"There is a joke in there somewhere." he said entering the elevator with the guy. "Got nothing."

Back in his office, without the jacket on, he was at his laptop again typing.

"And so, I regretfully submit my resignation, and to be clear, that the regret is not so much the resigning part. But it was the fact to think that I was deluded enough to possess one iota of the ability to fill your sizable and shiny shoes." he wrote as full power was suddenly restored.

"Doctor Lee just call down sir. He feels confident that the plant has been totally eradicated."

"I wish I did."

"Oh and the dialing computer is back online."

Jack nodded and closed his laptop. He had Camulus brought out to send him through to Ba'al.

"Chevron four encoded." Walter said as Ba'al was brought into the gate room.

"You're releasing him?" Mark asked.

"We made a deal. We got a ZPM." Jack said.

"Look, I know we can defend Earth again or even dial Pegasus, but…"

"Chevron five encoded."

The phone rang and Mark picked it up as the dialing kept going.

"Control room. It's Doctor Lee, he says it's important." he said handing it to Jack.

He listened to what Lee said then had the dialing procedure aborted. Camulus was taken back to his cell as Jack went down to see what Lee was talking about.

"Basically it shouldn't be glowing like this." Lee said showing Jack a very blue light coming from the ZPM.

"Why is it?"

"Well, it's funny really."

"I like funny."

"This isn't a good kind of funny. I think it was the Gamma Radiation that killed the plant that revealed this."

"Revealed what?"

"It illuminated a substance we know to be foreign in the normal makeup of a ZPM."

"And?"

"Well, we managed to scrape some microscopic fragments from the casing and run some test and uh." he said handing over a pair of dark goggles to Jack and Mark. "You're going to want these."

They put them on as Lee had a assistant move out of the way of what looked to be an empty tray as he went over to a bank of computers lining the walls.

"This is what happens when you introduce a constant electric charge." he said flipping a switch.

The tray exploded with a large hole going through it and the table. Lee and Jack flipped up the covers on the goggles to see while Mark took his off.

"The ZPM is booby trapped?"

"We were going to send it to Antarctica. Can you imagine what would have happened if someone had plugged it into the Ancient outpost. I can't even imagine the magnitude of the explosion. A charged ZPM detonating that. I don't know. It would have destroyed the whole planet."

"That's why Camulus was so eager to leave." Mark said.

"Can you undo it?" he said sliding the goggles up.

"Well, we haven't actually….."

"Yes or no?"

Lee shook his head saying no.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Camulus said as Jack asked him about it.

"When you couldn't figure out what the Ancient device was for, you tampered with the power source so nobody else could."

"I did nothing of the kind."

"Cammy." Jack said looking at him sternly.

"Worth a try." he said after a moment.

"How about a deal? How would you like a chance to kill Ba'al?"

"In exchange, you want me to use the Ancient device for trade for the lives of your friends."

"Exactly."

"Amusing."

The address given by Ba'al was dialed and the gate opened to it. Camulus walked in, in the original clothing he came to the planet on. Many officers were standing in the gate room as Jack came in giving Reynolds a black box holding the ZPM.

"Coming with me?" Camulus said.

"We are taking you to another planet first." Reynolds said closing the case after they showed it to Camulus. Jack watched as SG-3 walked through the gate and then it shut down.

A couple of hours later the gate activated from off world. Jack entered the gate room as he was told it was SG-3's IDC.

"Open the Iris." he said standing at the end of the ramp.

"You're late." he said as they came through the gate and off the ramp. They were alone.

"We thought we would give it an extra hour sir. We knew it was a long shot."

"Thank you Colonel. You're dismissed."

SG-3 left the room as Jack stared at the large ring. He bit his lip in thought as he walked out.

One day to zero hour.

Jack was in his office typing out the rest of what he wanted to say in the letter.

"Sir, Colonel Reynolds would like a moment." Mark said after knocking on the door.

"Fine." he said still typing.

Mark left and he typed out some more then left. He walked down going into the gate room finding a lot of SG teams all standing there.

"What's going on?"

"We just wanted you to know, whatever you decided. We are behind you one hundred percent." Reynolds said. "And we are ready to go."

"I know you are Colonel." he said looking at the men and women standing. "Thank you. All of you." he said still looking a them.

"Dismissed."

When it came to leaving for the night, Jack was slowly changing clothes. He pulled his pant leg down over his socks and then got up going to his locker. He looked over seeing the names of his former team on the lockers next to his and sighed. He was walking down the corridor for the elevator as a janitor walked by with a mop bucket. He got to the elevator and slid his card.

"Good night sir."

He turned seeing someone he knew.

"Good night Siler."

As soon as he got in and the door started closing the alarms went off saying unauthorized gate activity. He stuck his arm out keeping the doors from closing and then opened them and ran to the control room. He had to pass a lot of guards that were headed for the gate room itself to protect the base.

"It's SG-1's identification code sir. Sergeant O'Brien transmitted a whole signal back through the gate and is awaiting your instructions." Mark said following him to the control room.

"O'Brien?" he said walking in.

"We have audio contact sir. It's Colonel Carter." he said as Jack got next to him near the mike.

"Carter?"

"We are under heavy fire sir, open the Iris!!!" she said. Gun fire could be heard in the back ground.

"Negative." Jack said.

Out on the planet they had came on to begin with, SG-1 was firing at the Jaffa coming after them. They were making a last ditch stand near the gate. Luckily it was near morning or at least sometime after. Carter moved over to hide near the M.A.L.P. while Teal'c and Daniel stayed near rocks. Ford was hiding behind rocks firing as well. His coat thoroughly trashed already from behind. Several hits slammed into the rock near Daniel and he dropped to the ground crawling for better cover.

"Did he say negative?" Ford yelled.

She nodded.

"Can you reroute?" Jack said through their com.

"The DHD is no longer accessible!" Carter yelled from her position next to the M.A.L.P. Ford moved from the rocks that were falling apart and moved behind the M.A.L.P. as he reloaded.

"Jack, what's going on?" Daniel yelled after firing a few rounds.

"You've been in enemy hands. You know the protocol."

"Enemy what?!" Ford said completely going through another clip quickly.

"We have no way of knowing if you Iris code is secure."

"What the hell are you taking about?!" Daniel yelled back through.

"You were captured by Ba'al."

"Ba'al!!! We are on P2X-887!!!! We were trapped in Anubis's secret base!! When we came out we had a Jaffa ambush waiting for us a the gate!!!" Daniel yelled.

Teal'c took out a couple more then turned to Carter.

"It appears these Jaffa are loyal to Ba'al."

"Sir the gate is going to shut down and we won't be able to dial out again!!!"

"Jack, so help me if you don't open that damned Iris and I die I will come back and haunt your sorry ass!! Open the damned …OW!!!" Ford yelled as he took a hit in the left shoulder. It wasn't the hit that hurt, it was the burn on his face that he got from it.

"He sounds pissed." Mark said.

"Open it."

The Iris opened and several staff blast came through hitting the walls.

"You're clear!!!" he yelled.

"Go now!!! I got you covered!!!" Ford yelled standing up. He instantly became the center of attention as the other's went for it. It became a dance to avoid the staff blast.

Jack and the others watched, and kept watching, and still watching as suddenly Colonel Carter came though, then Daniel and Teal'c running. Ford stepped through a moment later smoking as the Iris began to close. Another blast came though as the Iris closed passing by Ford's head hitting the wall. Ford rubbed the right side of his head quickly as he jumped, his hair smoking from where it got grazed. Jack ran down coming into the gate room quickly as they all stopped at the end of the ramp.

"Hey guys."

"Thank you sir." Carter said exhaustedly.

"Trapped in a secret base all this time. Go figure."

"Yeah, for four days." Ford said shaking his smoking Eagles.

His right shoulder was smoking more than the rest of his coat. He patted it a few times and muttered something about it being to hot.

"The wrist device allowed us access." Teal'c said.

"Yeah, we couldn't get back out." Daniel said.

"You thought Ba'al had captured us?" Carter asked confused.

"Where did you come up with that dumb idea Brigadier?"

"That's what he said." Jack said looking over Ford's coat. He could almost swear it was about to catch fire. He was deciding whether to yell at Ford or not.

"How did he even know we were missing?" she said.

"Reynolds saw an Al'kesh." Jack said.

"Ba'al must have had his Jaffa looking for the base." Daniel said understanding.

"He must have listened in to our radio chatter." Carter said.

"That would explain the ambush." Teal'c said.

"Ba'al Jaffa couldn't find the base, but they figured if we turned up…"

"It's a great story, but more importantly, did Anubis leave anything cool behind?"

"Not a damned thing General." Ford said as a couple clinks were heard.

They looked down seeing part of the coats armor on the floor. He picked it up and put it in his pocket with the others.

"Nuts. Ah Captain?"

"Yes sir." he said shifting to another foot as he put the semi warm guns away.

It was a bad thing though since more armor plates fell out. The pocket gave out dropping the rest.

"Never mind." Jack said rubbing his face.

"You might want to…" he was saying when the right shoulder of the jacket caught fire. Ford shrugged the coat off as other parts caught fire.

"I knew that thing was getting hot, but…"

"I thought you removed the Kevlar. How many hits did you take Captain?" Jack asked as a airmen was using a fire extinguisher on it.

"No. The Kevlar is used to hold the metal plates in place and for added protection. As for the hits, I lost count after thirty. Best guess, ummm, near fifty probably. Those ceramic things work nicely, but can't withstand many hits Brigadier."

"You took that watch their back thing literally. Good to have you all back! Go get cleaned up."

"Did we catch you on your way out for the night sir?" Carter asked.

"Actually you did. See you all tomorrow." he said waving as he left.

"I'm guessing he didn't get much sleep."

"Yeah, I'd have to say so Ford." Daniel said.

The next morning the President was going to arrived as scheduled. Jack was walking down the hallway as Carter came up in her full uniform. The walls were decorated with red, white and blue stripes and ribbons.

"Carter, Ol'Carter." Jack said glancing around.

He wondered where Ford was since he wasn't with her at this moment. He sincerely hoped that Ford didn't not show up or he'd have his ass in a sling.

"How are you?"

"I'm good, thanks for asking. You're not dressing for the occasion sir?" she said seeing him in the semi blue gray SGC issue shirt and pants.

It had the one single star on each lapel showing he was a General, but beyond that it was the same thing he wore everyday. Jack looked at himself.

"Well, you know, me I love dressing up. I was just on my way." he said moving to leave. She stopped him.

"Sir…I wanted to talk to you…"

"Carter, your evaluation is done. And I think you'd be very pleased."

"Really?" she said smiling.

"You had doubts?"

"Honestly? I was wondering if you were completely confident in my leadership skills."

"Aren't you?"

"I've been second guessing myself for ordering SG-3 to remain at the gate."

"Forget it. It was standard recon. Your tactics in dealing with the ambush were perfect. You should read about what your team mates wrote about your conduct under fire."

"Can I?"

"No."

"Damn. Well Ford told me what he thought."

"He shouldn't have." he grumbled. "You ordered him too didn't you?"

"No, he just flat out told me as he did the report. He rarely keeps any secrets from me." she said as they walked down the corridor.

"Figures. Teal'c said you were an animal though."

"He's such an exaggerator."

"Yeah, he is."

"Well, this is where I go to get rid of the clothes I prefer and adorn the clothes I abhor." he said going over to a door.

"Ah sir, I wanted to quickly talk to you about something else. I was reading Doctor Lee's report about the tainted ZPM. I think he may have underestimated the explosive potential. It could have actually destroyed the entire solar system."

"What's the difference?"

"My point is, if we could figure it out, so could Ba'al. He could use it as a weapon against us."

"All true Carter, which is exactly why I didn't give Camulus the tainted one."

"Sir?"

"I gave him the dead one. It's worthless, right?"

She nodded and grimaced at the same time.

"Ba'als going to be pretty pissed at Camulus. Damn, Ford won the bet then."

"Yeah, wait what bet? There was a bet I wasn't in on?"

"Ford thought you wouldn't be…ah, dumb enough to give something like that away before I got to look at it. I went the other way, but didn't think you were being dumb or stupid…you know."

"Uh huh." Jack said nodding with an almost displeased look. "Where is our esteemed Captain?"

"He came to work this morning, but I haven't seen him since he said he had to go get his damnable uniform on."

"Good. I was beginning to think he wasn't going to show up. So what did he win?"

She smiled and walked away.

Ford was straightening out the dress coat when Daniel walked in.

"Hey Ford, still getting ready?"

"I hate these things. One of the few reasons I quit the service. You know what's sad, I can't do a tie." he said tossing it aside. "One of the reasons I hate them. Besides that I almost got killed because of one once."

"Here, I'll help."

"I don't want it." he grumbled.

"You have to have it. Jack will have a fit if you don't and possibly create a scene." he said helping Ford put it on.

"I hate these things."

"So I've heard." he said looping it. "What about all those medals? You going to wear them?"

"No. I'd be more of the center of attention than the President."

"You should wear them anyway." he said finishing it. "There."

Ford pulled the tie down some and rolled his head.

"You're not going to wear any of them."

"I can't. It's not right with this going on. If I have to wear them I'll come back."

"What about carrying them in your pocket if he wants to see them?"

"You're pretty insistence for some reason. Why?"

"No reason. Just a thought."

"I'll carry them then, but I doubt they will be needed."

Jack was in his office finishing the letter before going to meet the President.

"General, the Presidents motorcade is through the gates. He should be getting on the elevator momentarily." Mark said coming in.

Jack was sitting at the empty desk that had all the paper work done with the exception of a letter he was going to sign. He didn't have his uniform coat on though.

"Sir, I think you should know I'll be leaving tomorrow."

Jack sat back in his chair.

"Really?"

"Yes sir. The true is I've been here on a temporarily special assignment."

"Oh?"

"Sort of a civilian audit if you will."

"Of the SGC?"

"Of you."

Jack got out of his chair slowly. Mark looked nervous as Jack stood in front of him.

"I know."

"You do?"

"General Hammond told me."

"Well, he wasn't suppose to."

"Then don't tell anyone."

"Well then you know that the President wanted to make sure you were settling in, before he came and shook your hand and fully endorsed you as the commander of the SGC."

"Uh huh."

"Obviously he's here, what I mean is…..I want you to know how much respect I have for what you do here. For you."

"Thanks. Shall we?" he said grabbing his coat.

"Oh, did you let those Amra delegates go?" he said putting the coat on.

"I did sir, yes. Davis said they seemed much more willing to negotiate now."

"You think they liked the fruit basket?"

"I think so sir."

On the letter, on his desk, to Hammond, the last line he wrote out said two very important words.

"Never Mind." signed Jack O'Neill.

Sadly, for Ford anyway, the President wanted to see the medals he earned and made him wear them. Personally, Ford believed Jack had something to do with it, but could never prove it and certainly couldn't think of any conceivable way to get back at him without getting into trouble. What was a bother later was when the President wanted to see this special coat that he used. Luckily it was nearby in the gate control room and repaired. If the enemy dialed in right now, he needed it then. Needless to say that the President was impressed and when he wanted to try it on, Ford had to hold it to keep him from falling under its weight. Ford was told later by the President as he was getting ready to leave that he respected what Ford did and what he was doing for the people not only at the SGC but for the planet. He said the same thing to everyone else on the base during a brief speech, but he gave Ford that special talk because of what he did in the line of fire. He also told Ford that if he needed anything that he might be able to get, just ask. Ford did ask for something special and it was granted. Everyone, those that didn't know about him, thought K-9 was….well, really cool.