AU: The team learn more about what General Martin Kennedy has been up to for the last eight years...
Chapter 33: Get Away
Thursday, 18th March 2004 – 2358 hours – Kiowa, Colorado – Charlie Kawalsky
The mission this evening had been surreal. I had seen Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter go from being a determined hard-arsed officer to a crumbling emotional wreck before returning to the strong woman I knew she was. All because her Jack O'Neill had died. She mirrored Samantha in so many ways while being completely different in others. I had never met this General Kennedy personally, though the rigidity of the other members of my team told me to be cautious, though strangely, John was very composed and didn't seem to see this man as a threat. If he really was Jack O'Neill, then that in itself spoke volumes about this General's integrity.
"Before you open that." The General began, "Let me say how much I admire your strength, courage, and professionalism." Sam maintained her rigid countenance despite the compliment. "As you are aware, the SGC has a civilian leader for the duration of the review which is expected to take three months. We require a General on standby to take over." He continued with his explanation.
"I don't see how I can possibly help you. I am retired and only a Lieutenant Colonel." Sam responded without giving him the courtesy of a 'Sir'. Kennedy smirked and motioned for her to open the file. She squinted her eyes, then looked down at the file in her hands before deftly flipping it open. Blinking a few times, she looked at John. "You knew about this?" She asked. Looking over, he perused the contents and nearly baulked then smiled full and bright.
"Err… no. Well, not this." He motioned to the file, "I knew about his long-term mission."
"Which is…" She prompted. John winced and looked away. "Right. In that case, no. At this point in my life, I'd like to know what I am getting myself into before I agree to anything." Sam stated, then handed the file back. As merely an onlooker, I was dying to know what was in that file, but I also knew I had no chance of finding out. Kennedy looked from Sam to John and back to Sam.
"Simply put. It's my job to keep you in a job." He stated. "You are well versed with the number of times that a certain Senator has tried to bring down the SGC. What you are not aware of is the behind-the-scenes events to stop that from happening." The General said earning himself a surprised look from almost everyone in the room. In fact, John was the only one who looked like he knew the whole story.
"So, shutting us down when Apophis was attacking, framing Jack, kidnapping Hammond's granddaughters… you were behind all of that?" Sam asked incredulously. General Kennedy stared back at her giving nothing away in his expression.
"Believe me Colonel, every one of those – and many more – were necessary to build a solid case file against Kinsey." He replied, never wavering in anyway. "If not by me, then by another officer with less scruples. I am sure you know enough to know what kinds of officers Kinsey has in his pockets." He stated, most likely alluding to Bauer who I knew of after asking Jack about the history of this SGC one night. Suddenly, he turned and spoke directly to me. "Although your reality was not mine, I am sorry for the death of your O'Neill. I can assure you that even here, there was a plan orchestrated by the Senator to kill Colonel O'Neill. It is very likely that your Kinsey was behind his death. Jack and George both suspect this to be the case. Unfortunately, we were required to have a viable internal cover story for you to be reinstated as a Major. Your 'demotion' as punishment served that purpose." He explained. Anger bubbled up inside, though I fought to keep it under control. The look on Daniel's face confirmed that my fury continued to radiate despite my attempts. Whilst I had been pulled in by Makepeace's song and dance, I had not known about the order to have my friend killed until after it had happened. Makepeace congratulated me on leading my CO into a dead end that I had no prior knowledge of. At that point, I had to continue the façade to keep Samantha and Grace safe. Although my anger at discovering Grace's true father was all mine, which was something that I regretted allowing to cloud my judgement.
"How? Apophis did not invade in this reality." I asked. General Kennedy looked from me to Teal'c and then Sam. Suddenly she took a deep breath and looked at John.
"Oh my God. The X-301." Sam said in complete shock, receiving a nod from John even as he turned his eyes away from her. "I knew there was something fishy about that. I practically engineered that thing on my own. We had it pulled apart down to its chassis and base components before we rebuilt it. We would have found a homing device." She stated. I remembered talking with Daniel and Teal'c while waiting for the attack in Antarctica. It was my information about the proposed X-301 trials on our side which were scheduled two days after I chased Samantha and Grace through the mirror that prompted Daniel to talk about that mission on this side. It was amazing how much Apophis' attack had set our SGC back. Their trials had been three and a half years ago. Daniel talked about holding her on the Tel'tak, how she had been distraught and blamed herself. "We would have found it." She repeated, pulling me out of my musings. The General nodded. She looked at each of us one at a time, before looking back at Kennedy.
"Sam. That's not all." John said, making her turn to him. "Kinsey was behind your kidnapping. That man over there is… well was Doctor Brooks. The one who bought the symbiont from Maybourne." He confirmed, pointing to the dead man wearing the white jacket. The anxious deep breath Sam took bounced audibly around the room making John reach for her.
"If this kidnapping had been successful, Grace would have been used to remove the zero-point module to end Colonel O'Neill's life before being turned into a science experiment. It was a brief conversation with one of my operatives who believes I am a rogue NID sympathiser that brought it to my attention. Kinsey does not know that I am here." Kennedy confided. "He is expecting the zero-point module to be delivered to him just outside of Peterson."
"You can't!" I barked, "Jack needs it, besides there is…"
"Other things that require the module to stay in place." Daniel interrupted, giving me a firm look before turning back to Kennedy. "Ancient writings, other sleeping chambers that we can investigate, the chair." He added by way of explanation covering up my near blunder. He was right, we didn't need to mention the medical tanks with the duplicate Sam. There was no point if we could not contact Thor because we would need him to assist with the transfer. Daniel had explained at the outpost about how the Asgard propagated their race. It sounded wrong, but Daniel explained that the help Jack was referring to be the same thing the Asgard did when their bodies were failing. If John knew about it, he would stop at nothing to make sure Thor was contacted. If he did that, he would draw more attention to the outpost than it already had. I noted that General Kennedy wore a thoughtful yet troubled expression on his face.
"When he does not receive the module, he will continue trying to bring the SGC down despite the President removing him from office during the attack." Kennedy advised, "I cannot rule out another attempted kidnapping. It would be best if you take her away from Colorado Springs for a couple of months." He suggested, looking between Sam and John. I guess it made sense because if Teal'c, Daniel or I disappeared for that long, questions would be raised.
"That's easy. We can take her to Cascade." Sam offered, receiving a nod from John. Kennedy winced and shook his head.
"No. That house is being watched. Kinsey will expect reports on your movements to and from there. The best I can do is have the operative follow the other members of SG-1 for 24 hours under the guise of looking for the girl. As soon as he does not find her, Kinsey will order me to send my operative back to Cascade. I will have no choice if I wish to stay concealed." He looked thoughtful once again, then added, "I suggest Minnesota."
"The cabin? My… ah, I mean Jack's cabin." John asked, faltering on his delivery. I didn't know why he bothered. As far as we were all concerned, he was Jack, just a smaller, skinnier, more annoying version mainly because his immature brain forgot to engage the filter he spent years perfecting.
"It is a sound plan, John O'Neill." Teal'c agreed. They were his first words in almost 30-minutes. If it weren't for his imposing figure standing almost opposite me just beyond the chair where John had been sitting, I would have forgotten he was here.
"Won't Kinsey check the cabin?" Sam asked.
"No. O'Neill insisted that we kept knowledge of his cabin off all official records. The only reason we now know about the Cascade property is because he was followed the day he took you there." Kennedy confirmed causing Sam to frown, the shadow of self-blame that I had seen on Samantha's face many times over the years crossing her face. Kennedy clearly noticed it as well because he continued before anyone could say anything. "Rest assured; we are in the process of handling a 'purchase' for the Cascade property by one Harold K. Durack. If you disappear and the property is sold, I will be able to falsify records showing your death. Kinsey will be none the wiser." He stated with a slight smile that earned him grins in return from John and Sam. "I believe that Mr Durack intends to rent the property to an Air Force colleague when she is reassigned later in the year." Sam's smile grew, more broadly than I had seen her smile since I had met her.
Kennedy's pager grabbed his attention when it buzzed, his face immediately turning stony. Picking up his briefcase and placing it on the table, he opened it and withdrew a blank buff colour folder without any markings. "Kinsey has lost patience; he is on his way from Peterson. This file contains temporary identities. They are not foolproof, do not get pulled over by the police." He stated, emphasising the 'do not' part of that order. "Your 24 hours starts one hour from now. You will have to use that time to travel to Minnesota." Kennedy stated. "You must go south into Oklahoma, then east. Do not travel through Kansas. Once you reach Missouri, turn north, and keep going through Iowa until you reach Minnesota. I have procured a minivan…"
"A minivan! You have got to be joking." John complained bitterly making Sam giggle while I couldn't stop from bursting out in raucous laughter. The General did not look amused, probably due to the message he just received, instead choosing to continue his plan.
"You will change vehicles in Decatur City, Iowa to something more aligned with the Colonel's particular tastes. The key is in this file." He finished, making an inference that John had the same annoying ideals about motor vehicles that Jack had, thereby earning himself a grumbling acquiesce from John.
"OK." Sam stated once she had her countenance back in place following John's outburst. Relieving Kennedy of the file he had extended to her, she opened it and picked up a single car key, quickly examined it then put it in her pocket. "Jack's truck is two klicks from here." She advised, motioning to Daniel with a sleeping child that would slow us down. "Where is the van?" She asked. Kennedy reached into his pocket and threw another set of keys which Sam caught one handed. Looking at John, she motioned with her head. John pulled the truck keys out of his pocket and tossed them to the General. Before they could say anything else, I stepped forward.
"Sam. You, John and Grace should go. We'll finish here and…" The sound to two zat blasts from behind me momentarily grabbed my attention. Turning my head sharply, I saw Teal'c standing over the man who aimed for Grace but got me. The second – his third – blast erased his existence. "Oh-kay… that works." I said as Teal'c moved to the doctor and did the same thing.
"I must insist on Colonel Simmons remaining. The Detective must go since he appears to be haemorrhaging and has no fingertips." General Kennedy said drily referring the unique cause of death for the three men that Ancient Gracie had zapped.
"As you wish." Teal'c responded, "The other two are outside should you require more." He added, then walked to Sam and held out the zat. He motioned with his head to the man known as Pete. She smiled and walked over to his lifeless body. All I knew about him was that our version of him stalked Samantha on and off for years. Once again, the sound of three zat blasts echoed through the warehouse. He was gone.
"The van is out the front. It's a rental under a fake name, do not bother returning it." Kennedy stated before falling silent. He worked quickly gathering up the blood samples Doctor Brooks had taken from Grace and handing them off to John. Sensing the urgency present, I immediately stooped to collect the zat that had been dropped by the disintegrated dead guy who tried to shoot Grace while John retrieved the bullet and my scrunched up bloodied shirt. Piling it all together, I zatted it gone while Teal'c took care of the doctor.
"How are you getting out of here, General?" Sam asked as she holstered the zat.
"There is an airstrip to the north, four klicks. I shall go on foot." He responded. I shook my head, in his dress uniform, that would be a slog. It was not the most comfortable of ensembles at the best of times, but hiking… ye gods, that would be hell. Sam seemed to think along the same lines.
"Teal'c. You and Daniel bring those other guys inside, then check this place for other alien tech." She ordered, throwing them both a set of latex gloves she nabbed from the box on the lab table, then she turned to me. "Charlie, take Grace to the van. We will be out soon."
"General, Daniel and Teal'c will convey you to the airstrip before heading back to the Springs. Two clicks will be easier than four in that get up." She stated, earning herself a wry smile from the General. She was a natural at giving orders. "John, Charlie and I will take Grace home to get her bag. Charlie, Samantha will need your support when we go." I nodded my ascent. She would be devastated to lose Grace so soon after getting her back. Walking over to Daniel, I held my arms out for him to deposit Grace.
"I'll use this…" John picked up a bottle of hydrogen peroxide from the lab table, "…to destroy my blood in the cell." That action earned him a smirk from Sam. "What? Not a dumb Colonel anymore, remember?"
"Oh, I remember alright. Go on, Sir." She playfully ordered earning herself a look that made my skin crawl. Despite knowing who he was, he still looked like a kid and Sam was… well pretty much a grandmother. It was off putting to say the least. "What do you believe Kinsey's next move will be General?" Sam asked as we worked.
"Now that your daughter is going to be out of the picture, I am uncertain. Without those blood samples, he will be unable to locate another gene carrier." Kennedy stated. "That is why we need a strong capable General to keep the place safe." Sam looked down as she chuckled.
"General, I'm 90 years old. I highly doubt the JCS will approve my appointment." She replied honestly. I had to agree, but Kennedy clearly had a plan.
"They will if it's temporary. We happen to know of another General rising in the ranks. He should be ready in about four months. Your placement will be the bridge between the end of the review in three months, and him being officially promoted." Kennedy revealed. Sam chuckled again, that was when I realised that he was talking about Jack.
"Oh, he is going to love that." I added, the sarcasm lacing my comment was so thick that both Cassandra and Sam laughed.
"One month, then I retire – for good – on full pension with John as my dependent and therefore beneficiary." She stated, no doubt quoting part of what was in the manila folder. Wow, that meant when she did… I stopped that thought. Either way, John would be cared for legally even if the Air Force pulled his stipend. "You have got yourself a deal, General." She replied just as we finished and the others walked in from opposite ends of the warehouse, each carrying a dead guy.
"Please, call me Martin." He said, holding out his closed gloved hand. She looked at it curiously before reaching forwards. Kennedy opened his hand and dropped two silver stars into the palm of her hand. She looked from her hand back to his face and sucked in a breath.
"These are yours." She stated, pointing out that his uniform jacket was missing his stars, though none of us had noticed.
"Now they are yours, General. I trust you will use them well." With that, he latched his briefcase, then turned and walked towards the door that we had used to get inside. That was our queue to leave.