Disclaimer in chapter 1

16

The police had come and taken his statement. Made Charlie and Allison go over and over what they'd seen until they weren't sure what they really had seen. An APB had been put out. Other law agencies had been notified. All that could be done either had been or it was in the process. It wasn't good enough.

Jack paced his living room, around the sofa, circling the coffee table and back again. His palms were becoming irritated from the continual rubbing of his hands over his five o'clock shadow. There had to be something more he could do. He needed something more to do. He'd sent Charlie to take Allison home because he knew his behavior was scaring both kids, but he couldn't sit down. Couldn't relax. Someone had taken her for no apparent reason. If this had been about her using someone's Social Security number they would have taken her to a police station. Charged her with identity theft and released her, possibly on bail. Why the Army? And why the hell were they in uniform instead of plain clothes? Did they hope the show of military might would intimidate people, keeping away any would-be saviors? It just didn't add up.

On his umpteenth circuit of his living room, Jack had a revelation. Kawalsky! Okay, it was a long shot, but he was the only one Jack knew who was in the Army. If nothing else, he might know who to talk to to get information about Sam.

Digging his cell phone out of his jeans, he accessed Kawalski's number. As expected, he was instantly routed to the voice mail.

"Charlie!" he shouted into the phone. "Someone's taken Sam! I have to talk to you! Call me as soon as you get this!" Jack disconnected, realizing he hadn't explained who "Sam" was. Maybe the mystery would prompt his friend to return his frantic call.

Jack continued to pace, torn between being glad his son was with his girlfriend, and wishing he was there to lend him some moral support. It took nearly a half an hour for Jack's phone to ring.

"Kawalsky! Thank god!"

"Jack! What's wrong? I'm sorry I didn't get the call earlier. Big stuff going on among the stars, ya know!"

Rather than being calmed by Kawalsky's joking, the humor seemed to make Jack angrier. "You know the woman I've been seeing?"

"It's that blonde who picked you up in the grocery store, right?"

Jack didn't take the time to correct him. "She works at a diner here, and earlier today a couple of Army guys came and took her from work. Just took her! Charlie and his girlfriend happened to be in the restaurant at the time, so they saw them hustle her into some non-discript black van. She's just a waitress for cryin' out loud! Why would they take her?"

"Look, Jack, just because I wear olive green, doesn't mean I've got a line on everything the Army does. Hell, I couldn't even tell you what's going on at our base most of the time."

"I know!" Jack took a calming breath. "I know. It's just that I didn't know where to turn. I don't even have the faintest idea who to call to get some information!" Jack heard a sigh on the other end of the line.

"You're sure there isn't something she could have done? It's not the Army's usual M.O. to pick people up like that."

Jack had been over and over this in his mind, but still came up with nothing. "She's a waitress at some kitschy Fifties diner. At least she is right now."

"Right now?"

"Well, she says she used to be an astrophysicist."

"And she's working as a waitress?"

"Hey, times are tough." He didn't want to tell Kawalsky of the fantasy she clung to of coming from an alternate reality, or where she was using a dead woman's credentials to get by in the world.

"If she is an astrophysicist, it could be why the Army is looking for her. She AWOL or something?"

"She's had some problem with her Social Security number recently," he answered vaguely. Some discrepancies over records or something."

"That would be a civil matter," Kawalsky muttered. "No reason the Army would get involved."

"You don't think I've figured that out? Look, Charlie, I'm sorry. I don't mean to take it out on you."

"Hey, if it was Marie I'd probably have killed someone by now. I don't know what I can do, but I'll see if I can get you some more information. Let me get a pen." There were sounds of Kawalsky moving objects around his desk, then his voice came back on the line. "Okay. What's her name?"

"Carter, Samantha Carter." There was dead silence on the other end of the phone. "Charlie?"

It still was a moment before Jack heard a rather breathless, "What was her name again?"

"Samantha Carter! You know her or something?" It sounded as if Charlie's voice was striving for nonchalance, but wasn't quite achieving it, alerting Jack something was up.

"Of course not! Um. . .it's my CO," he stumbled. "His name is Carter so it just kind of surprised me, that's all." Jack wasn't buying it. If Kawalsky wasn't coming clean with him, there had to be a reason.

"I gotta go, Jack. As soon as I have something for you, I promise, I'll let you know." Before he could utter another word, Jack's phone beeped with the end of the call.

XXXXXX

Kawalsky ended his call, pushing the phone in his pocket as he hurried down the corridor. Poking his head into a lab, he stopped only long enough to gather his team mate.

"Janet, I've got some news to tell the Colonel. Grab Ferretti and meet me in his office."

Knocking on the door frame, Kawalsky barged into his CO's office before Daniel could invite him to enter. "Sir, I've got some news, but I want to wait until the rest of the team gets here."

"You know how busy I am these days," Daniel said sarcastically, laying down his pen. He, more than any of them, had been struggling with their enforced down time.

"So, what's this about?" Ferretti asked, stepping into the room behind Janet. She didn't voice her curiosity, but it was clearly evident on her face.

"I just got off the phone with a friend of mine. He says his girlfriend was taken by a couple of Army guys in a black van."

Daniel picked up his pen again, looking as if he was getting ready to dismiss the group. "I'm sorry about your friend, Kawalsky, but what does that have to do with us?"

"His girlfriend is Samantha Carter." He waited for them to make the connection. Janet was the first to grasp the importance of his announcement.

"The same Samantha Carter we think is the woman in the surveillance footage?"

"I can't be sure, but how many Samantha Carters can there be? And who also claim to being an astrophysicist? "

"Well, actually, Ferretti found. . ."

"Colonel," Janet interrupted, "Don't you think some Army men picking her up at the same time we're looking for her is a bit coincidental?"

Daniel laid his pen down again, stood, and started to pace the close quarters of his office. "Did we ever come up with an address for her?"

Ferretti produced a note pad. "About an hour ago. I was cross-checking it before I brought it to your attention."

Daniel slid his glasses up his nose, reading the address scrawled across the yellow legal pad. "No home address. Is this her workplace?" he asked, looking up at Ferretti.

"Best we can do, sir. Looks like she was in an apartment up until a few weeks ago, but now there's no record of her. No utility bills, Internet, or cable."

"Hmmm." Daniel said, distractedly. "But she's still working at this. . ." he glanced at the pad again, "Welcome Back Diner?"

"Jack said she was a waitress at some theme diner," Kawalsky interjected. "It's got to be her!"

"We don't know that for a fact," Daniel pointed out. "All we've got right now is a report from your friend that his girlfriend is missing, apparently due to the Army's intervention. Was she living with him? Could that be why there's no paper trail since she left her last known address?"

"I don't know, Colonel. This is the first time I've spoken to him in several weeks."

"Try to get some more information. See if he can send you a picture. She could be 'our' Samantha Carter. In the mean time, I think this is something the General needs to know about."

XXXXXX

General George Hammond looked up from his reports to focus his attention on touching his blinking intercom switch.

"Yes, Grace?"

"Sir, General Carter is on line one for you."

George picked up the receiver, punching the glowing button. "Jacob! How are you?"

"Not so great at the moment. You've seen my latest report? The one I faxed this morning?"

Hammond picked up the sheets, gathering the most recent into a stack. "I was just looking at it. Sounds like Colonel Jackson is still clinging to his story about his trip to an alternate universe."

"Did you get to the part where he claims a woman he met there has come through to our universe?"

"Actually, that's where I was. He claims she's Samantha Carter? As in your daughter?" He tried to keep his voice even. George had been Jacob's only outside contact after the accident. The only person who knew he hadn't perished in the wreck with his family. In fact, it was how they'd met. It was no surprise the two had become fast friends. He also knew what the loss of his family had done to Jacob. The thought that this woman had appeared in the SGC had to be seriously shaking him up.

"In a manner of speaking. Apparently she's been posing as," he heard Jake swallow, "Sam for the last ten months. We probably wouldn't even know she was here if that surveillance footage hadn't been recovered." Here Jacob paused and it sounded like he'd taken a drink of water.

"If you've read Colonel Jackson's report, you've probably also seen he feels she's the key to us fighting and ultimately defeating the Replicators."

"I read that, yes. Of course there's also the matter of security. Not only was she seen within the confines of a top secret installation, we have no idea what her agenda is."

Jacob's voice raised in volume and pitch. "So you're the one who authorized the detail that picked her up?"

George was genuinely confused. "I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about."

Jacob relayed the events as he knew them, concluding with the man who'd reported to Major Kawalsky his girlfriend had been taken. "It all seems to fit together a little too nicely for it to be coincidence," he finished.

Hammond leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking under his weight. "I admit this woman should be considered a security risk, but I assure you I didn't authorize her detention, but I have a good idea who did."

"Kinsey," they said at the same moment. "If he can prove this woman was in the SGC for the purpose of espionage, it's just one more nail in the Stargate Program's coffin," Jacob stated. "He's already suspended 'gate travel. If he can make this stick, he'll shut us down for good. Then God help this planet."

"Don't go packing your bags just yet, Jacob. I realize what's at stake. I had your job, remember?"

Jacob laughed, "You want it back?"

"Not on your life," Hammond answered without missing a beat. Suddenly serious, George scribbled a note on a piece of scrap paper as he spoke to the General. "I'll look into it and get back to you. You hang tight, Jacob. We'll find Jackson's secret weapon."

"Thank you, sir,"

"You call me that again and I'll call off the search," George chuckled. "I'll be in touch." He hung up the phone, picking up the note he'd just written. Nail the bastard was the only reminder he needed.