After introducing Jon and Corda, Alexander and Jon headed back to the Altimah.

"I don't need much." Jon said. "The apartment came furnished and all I really have is some clothes and a few things of Charlie's that Jack let me have. Then we can get going."

"Not quite. We have to stop at the SGC and pick someone else up. You see that thing with Colson Industries in the last couple of days?"

"Yeah, the Asgard he was showing off and claiming as proof of aliens. I didn't think that would go over well with the government."

"It didn't go over well with something else either. A group calling themselves the Trust. Pretentious name isn't it? Apparently some NID people got into bed with some business people. They want alien tech for themselves, so they can get even richer then they already are. Anyway, the exploding plane was an assassination attempt by them and a reminder of how his wife and daughter died. And then he found out his best friend had been cooking their books and the FTC is looking at him. He has to disappear. Where better then another galaxy? He's a brilliant aerospace engineer and he's reverse engineered Gou'ald tech, even if he wasn't told that was what he working on and helped design and build the fighter interceptors. I think someone like that could fit in with our scientists very well."

"I think Carter knows him, personally I mean."

"They may have dated at one point. One of her better attempts at a relationship."

"You heard about that, huh?"

"The SGC reports alluded to it. And people gossip. Black widow Carter. She's not killing her dates, they just die. Xander met an actual black widow type once. She liked to seduce virgins and then kill them. Now she's not killing anyone anymore. And you don't, at present, have clearance to know specifics. That's not me saying that, that's Hammond. I imagine that'll change at some point."

"I take it, it's not related to the SGC?"

"Some of it is, but some of it's tangled up in other stuff. You know, up 'til now, I didn't understand why your government wasn't going public with the knowledge of aliens. We just always knew about it. Back in our original galaxy, we went out into the galaxy expecting to find life and did. Your people weren't sure, so when you did find it and some of it turned out to be hostile, they decided keeping it a secret was the best policy. I understand the government is looking at ways to ease the public into knowing. It can't stay a secret forever, after all, several thousand people are already in the know. The scientists and soldiers that work for the Program, officials in Washington, foreign governments. Now we're recruiting more."

"Yeah, Jack saw how well disclosure went on some of the worlds out there, it wasn't always good. I can understand the concern, but I'm glad they're getting ready. Sooner or later, something is going to happen that they can't cover up."

"True. So you want to come in or wait here?"

"If I wait here, can I sit in the chair?"

"No."

"Didn't think so. I wouldn't let anyone else sit in it either. I'll go in with you."

"SG 1 is on base and so is the base commander."

"It'll be nice to see Hammond."

"Hammond's not the base commander anymore, he got promoted to a new department over seeing everything."

"What shrub did they give that job to?"

"Brigadier General Jack O'Neill." Alexander enjoyed the stunned look on Jon's face.

"Why the Hell would he take the job?!"

"Blew out his knee one too many times. But like I told him, if he'd been a ship's Captain instead of a field commander, they would have had to pry his cold, dead fingers from the command chair."

"Damn right they would have. Does Atlantis have anything I can fly?"

"Sweet little ships that fit through the gate. We'll make sure one of them is just for your use."

"Oh yeah, I am going to love this job!"

"I thought so, hey guys." Alexander greeted the men at the SGC security checkpoint, they were eying Jon. "Yes, he's related to Jack. Could call him up here? He's got someone for me to pick up."

A few minutes later and Jack, along with Alec Colson were getting off the elevator. Jack stopped when he saw Jon. "Alexander, can I have a word with you? Privately." It was definitely a command.

Eyes dancing, Alexander just said. "Yes, sir." And followed Jack out of earshot of the checkpoint.

"You said you were going to age him, why does he look a good decade younger then me?"

"Because the method we used was dangerous, pushing his aging any farther could have caused damage. Which is probably why Thor didn't offer to age him, himself. Stabilizing him was difficult enough."

"And the marker Thor put in my DNA?"

"Removed from his DNA. He's stable, you don't need to worry about him."

"Not so much worried - ."

"Yeah, you were, you just didn't know how to deal with him. Any chance you could plant a bug in Carter's ear?"

"What about?"

"Feelings don't go away over night, Jack. He's been separate from you long enough to know the difference between his and yours. Carter's as much his light at the end of the tunnel as she is yours. And we could really use a Chief Scientist of her caliber. Add in what'll do to McKay."

"You can't have Carter!"

"I'm not asking for Carter, Jack."

Jack glared at him. Then he grumbled. "Fine, I'll talk to her. But it's her decision, she says no, that's it!"

"Acceptable. Colson could be Chief if she says no."

"Isn't it enough that Daniel is campaigning to go?"

"He can come visit, but in alot ways, he's as bad as McKay at barreling in without thinking. Even after all the trouble he's gotten himself and SG 1 in, he still does it."

"I know, i've never been able to break him of it."