Chapter 7
In the back of the hangar, after business hours the group recruited to find and retrieve the Star Gate had been assembled. Present was Michael "Archangel" Coldsmith-Briggs and Third and his assistant, Marella of the FIRM, Bill Maxwell of the FBI, Ralph Hinckley, Stringfellow Hawke, Caitlin O'Shannessy, Dominic Santini, Jack O'Neill, Colonel George Hammond, Colonel Jacob Carter, Doctors Melvin and Clair Jackson and teenagers: Samantha Carter, Daniel Jackson Janet Frasier, Tony Villicana, Rhonda Blake and Karl Johnson.
A home movie screen was erected for a slide show for the debriefing. Marella had a slide projector set and ready to run in the back. Against the wall was a table with a pizza, wings, soda and a coffee pot brewing for the group.
Clair and Melvin Jackson spoke with Colonel Hammond along with Colonel Jacob Carter as Daniel and Sam stood back figuring that they were more likely to believe an Air Force Colonel than if the teens told them about the trip to 1969. As George recited the story and handed each parent the copy of the photo of Sam and Daniel from the 1969 incident the parents glanced over at the pair as they stood back and let George handle the disclosure.
Daniel pondered, "I wonder if my parents will start treating me like an adult instead of a kid?"
Sam shrugged, "I wonder how my father will react when he finds out I married Jack."
Daniel pondered, "Maybe that information should be classified."
She gave a heavy sigh. "How are we supposed to do this? We both remember. We were both exposed to the same artifact. Now, I'm fifteen and I'm in high school. If one of us forgot or wasn't exposed, the other could just keep it a secret. I'm now a minor."
Daniel smirked, "Well…you and Jack didn't exactly come across as sex crazed senior citizens."
"It wasn't all that physical." she agreed. "We are both getting up there in age. I mean, we were both getting up there. Now…" she scowled, "I'm going through puberty. I just went through menopause and finally my body was adjusting. No more night sweats, I got my diet back under control and now I get with this. I was looking forward to being retired. We both were."
He asked, "What were your plans for retirement, Sam?"
She confessed, "I was going to take a break from all this. Focus on other things. I was going to do some art work, learn how to crotchet and sign me and Jack up for some pottery classes. I wanted to do something creative."
"Jack!" Daniel made a face, "In pottery classes."
"He said he would do it with me." she shrugged. "Didn't you have plans for your retirement?"
He shook his head, "No! I was going to work to work right up till the end."
She asked, "Why?"
He explained, "I don't want to be the lonely grumpy old man down the street missing my glory days. I figure I just keep working."
"Never thought of going to one of those retirement villages?" she asked. "They got some nice places and activities."
"I have no desire to hang out with a bunchy of old farts." he squashed the idea. "It would be too depressing."
She then suggested, "How about getting a dog for a companion then?"
He countered, "Didn't Jack want a dog?"
She nodded, "We were looking at breeds. I want a small dog. Jack wants something the size of a tank."
"Maybe get something in between." he suggested.
"Not like there is a rush now." she shrugged.
Melvin, Clair and Jacob all walked over to Daniel and Sam. The three looked upon the teens and glanced at one another unsure what to even say.
Clair looked at Daniel. "I guess you are an adult in a young body now."
He nodded, "I guess you could say that."
Jacob spoke to Sam. "Sammy! We can't tell this to your mother or Mark."
"I know, Dad." she agreed.
He reached for something to say. "I can't imagine what it must be like. I know if I had the chance to go back to live my life all over again, I would do some things differently."
She cocked her head curious. "What would do differently, Dad?"
He confessed, "I would spend more time with you and Mark when you were little. Kids grow up so fast."
She smiled, "You can spend more time with me now, Dad."
"I plan on it. We will be on this special mission together." he confirmed. "I'm not sure just what I can do to help find this…Star Gate…but I'm glad you brought me in, Sammy."
She decided to not tell her father he would later become a host for Selmak. "I'm glad you are here, Dad. Oh' make sure you get mom to her eye appointment this Friday. You don't want her driving with her eyes dilated from the exam."
Jacob paused and thought about how Sam seemed concerned for an eye exam when she was never concerned before. He had to ask. "Does something happen if I don't drive her?"
"She dies." she flatly told him.
He stood a bit shocked. "I will make sure she gets to the eye doctor and home safely, Sam." he promised.
Sam and Daniel then looked at one another as if they shared a secret.
Jacob noticed the look. "I was told that you are married in the future and retire a General, Sammy." He then asked, "Is Daniel your future husband?"
She didn't answer. Instead, she asked "Why do you ask that, Dad?"
"I just noticed how close you two are." he mentioned. "Daniel is a nice guy. Great parents, your brain level. He's a good choice." He then patted Daniel on the shoulder. "Just…you not are married currently and you two better keep it clean. No hanky-panky!"
"Um…" he wasn't sure how to respond.
"You are embarrassing me, Dad." Sam flatly told him.
He countered, "I approve of him. Way better than that boy you had crush on a Space Camp."
She squinted, "Who did I have a crush on at Space Camp, Dad?"
"That boy who wanted to be a pilot." he motioned with his hand. "What was his name?"
Sam confessed, "I don't remember his name either so don't worry about it. I hadn't thought of Space Camp for forty years, Dad."
He smiled, "Least you don't marry some flyboy pilot."
She let out a deep sigh. "I maybe fifteen physically but not mentally. Can you butt out of my love life, Dad?"
Clair asked, "Are you married in the future, Daniel?" General Hammond did not tell her or Melvin about marriage and she was surprised.
Daniel confessed, "My first wife died and I did get remarried…" before he could explain she assumed he would marry Sam.
Clair stated, "Sam is a wonderful girl, Danny. You two are kids right now but in time you can start dating."
"Um…" he stood dumbfounded.
Colonel Hammond then called out. "Take your seats everyone. We are ready to start the debriefing and the slide show."
Melvin placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. He assured, "I'm right here for you son. You and Sam will have great kids."
"What?" he gasped.
Clair stated, "Let's not push them, Mel. Grandkids come when they are ready."
Daniel stood dumbstruck beside Sam as it was soon apparent that their parents wanted Sam and Daniel to be a couple.
Sam asked, "What just happened?"
He replied, "Apparently our folks think we get married and have kids."
Sam rubbed the side of her head. "Yeah, it's best if we don't tell everyone our personal lives."
"Classified." he agreed.
The pair took a seat near Jack and Janet in the rows of the chairs.
Colonel Hammond stood before the group. He began, "The ring was high jacked and stolen during transport from Wright-Paterson Air Force Base to Groom Lake exactly two weeks ago. It was a clean operation. Very skilled. An estimate of six men, all in black, heavily armed stopped the truck, killed the driver and took the truck and all. It was a clandestine operation. The ring was being moved by civilian contractors under the cover of night. It had two escort vehicles. Those men were also attacked. They both survived and were able to give eyewitness testimony of that happened."
Michael Knight spoke up, "Excuse me."
"Yes," George paused and looked upon him.
"Why wasn't there a police or military escort?" he wondered.
"The ring is twenty two feet in diameter." George informed. "It's a rather large object and we wanted to not draw attention." He looked to the assistant, "Could you put up the slide, Marella?"
She complied and on the screen a color image of the Star Gate shined.
George explained, "This slide was taken during the Professor Langford's series of experiments during the 50's. They sent one man through, Earnest Littlefield. He never returned."
Daniel spoke up, "We did retrieve him, alive and well. That will be not for another fifteen years though."
"When I spoke to Catherine on the phone, I informed her of our current situation. Her and Professor Langford are coming to L.A. to assist us." he told him. "Perhaps, if we can find and retrieve the Gate we can rescue him earlier than that."
"Do you have any idea who even took it?" Daniel asked.
"Unfortunately, no." he shook his head. "The truck and the ring just disappeared. The highjack occurred on a back country road under heavy cloud cover and at night. Satellites didn't capture anything."
Michael Knight stated, "Sounds like our chances of finding this ring and getting back is slim to none. No leads, nothing to go on. Where do we even start?"
"That's why we recruited you." George stated. "We know the chances are slim to none and you are our best chance."
"Obviously, whoever took it must known what it was." Michael stated. "High jacking a truck with a ring that big is not something you pull off without extreme planning and a reason. Someone who may even know what it does."
String suggested, "Maybe a government? Maybe the USSR?"
Sam disagreed, "Russia has their own. There is more than one ring on Earth."
All eyes fell on Sam.
Archangel asked, "The Soviets have a Star Gate?" He stood most surprised.
She explained, "They found it in Antarctica. We lost our ring when it exploded so they gave us theirs. We accidentally ran across the Soviet team off world. They had sent a spy into our base, figured out what they needed to do to get their Gate to work and started their own program. They didn't have a DHD either. Turns out two gates cannot dial out at once."
"That would have been nice to know earlier." String stated.
Sam winced, "Slipped my mind. I'm not as young as I used to be."
Jack spoke up, "When we got the Russian's Gate, there was a catch. We had to let a Russian team into our base and work with them."
Michael asked, "What's a DHD?"
Sam replied, "Dial Home Device. Off world, the system is more intact. The Gates have a free standing control panel that you use to enter the dialing address."
Jack added, "Looks like a big mushroom."
"We lack that." Sam nodded in agreement. "So, in future we use domestic computer systems to control the Gate. Currently, the only computer system that we have that could handle the controlling the Gate and meet that computing requirement is KITT."
Daniel pondered, "I wonder if we could get the Russian Gate early?"
All eyes fell on Daniel for that seemed just as impossible.
He explained, "The USSR is about to collapse. The government is broke. Russia goes back to just being Russia, more like Tsar Russia. We do help them through it with food and aid for the first couple of years. We were on good terms with Russia for a very long time. If we can have our government make a deal and get possession of the Russian Gate earlier then we might be able to find out what happened to our Gate."
"How so?" String asked.
"Whoever took it knew what it was and could very well be using it to dial off world right now. We may have to go off world to find who is behind it." he stated.
Sam agreed, "The only way we can get off world in the 80's would be using Russia's Gate."
Michael Knight asked, "Do you two kids realize how tall of an order this is?"
"I think I do." Sam snorted upset.
Daniel reminded him, "We're not really kids."
Jack came to his team's defense. "Everything they said is true." he proclaimed.
Sam stated, "We will basically need Russia's Gate and for Knight industries to build a computer platform as powerful as KITT to control it."
Janet spoke up, "And a base of operations. Russia doesn't have their Gate going yet either. If we get possession of it early, we need a place to put it."
Hammond asked, "Where is the base of operations in the future?"
"NORAD." Jack told him.
"I'm not sure I can get NORAD." Hammond confessed. "I'm not a General yet."
Daniel stated as a matter of fact. "The Gates off world are all outdoors."
Jack suggested, "How about an old hangar or something? Someplace secure."
Michael looked to String, "So, where are you hiding Airwolf?"
"Someplace secure." he confessed.
Jack squinted, "So…why are you hiding that high tech chopper anyways?"
"My brother." he explained. "I run mission for the FIRM and they look for my brother. He went missing in Nam."
Jack figured, "You are using the bird to blackmail the CIA."
String nodded, "Could say that."
Jack looked to Sam and asked, "Where was this guy? We could have recruited him."
Sam shrugged, "We could have!"