Stargate SG1 Fan Fiction ❯ The Secret Life of a Major General ❯ Chapter 15 ( Chapter 15 )

Chapter 15

Outside O’Neill’s Residence, Alexandria, VA
May 26, 2005
Morning

Jack ignored the airman hovering like a mother hen as he carefully climbed from the town car that had delivered him to his Alexandrian home having finally been released from the hospital. Crowding the street of the suburban residence were numerous nondescript sedans and Jack wondered just which agencies besides the AF were waiting for him inside his house.

Waving off the airman, Jack carefully made his way up his walkway and climbed the steps to his door.

His mind on the set of photo albums shelved on his bookcase and how soon he could destroy the damning evidence he had not known had been in his possession. He would have to go through the photographs also and if the ones of Julie’s funeral had been labelled in any way, those would have to be incinerated as well. But that would have to wait until he had the house to himself.

Reaching for the doorknob, Jack growled to discover it locked. Obviously, someone had not taken note of his habit of leaving his door unlocked. Digging out his key, he placed it into the keyhole and wondered just which agency, or agent, he would get to wring out for being so unobservant.

Turning the key he unlocked his door and entered, purposely leaving the door unlocked behind him. Leaving the entranceway, he cast a sardonic look on the suited men and profusion of electronic equipment crowding his living room.

Like this was really being ‘discrete.’ Obviously Jumper, and by extension the President, did not know the meaning of the word any more.

Exchanging a curt nod with Barrett and ignoring the sympathetic look from Burke, he turned on his heel and headed for the kitchen. After securing himself a Guinness, he reluctantly made his way back to the living room to face the waiting men in black suits and AF uniforms.

Popping off the cap and tossing it onto the coffee table he settled gingerly into a chair and waited. He knew very well why his house had been invaded but he would be darned if he would display an ounce of courteous to the agents in his living room.

As he had predicted, CIA Agent Cruise was the first to clear his throat and speak.

“General, as you’re aware our agencies have been ordered to cooperate in monitoring and solving this situation.” Cruise was not the only agent present that looked displeased at that order. “As per the President’s orders all your phone conversations, computer messages, and mail will be screened by us as we attempt to determine who is responsible for your accident.”

Jack wished that he were still a mere colonel under the directive of the AF. It would have been much better to have only one agency responsible for this but as his position was international, national pressure had brought in the CIA, NID, and FBI departments as well as the AF.

Talk about an investigative cluster fuck.

Taking a swig from the bottle in his hands Jack regarded Cruise darkly. Barrett and Burke he at least had a margin of respect for, Cruise however was another story entirely.

The ring of the phone stopped the staring contest between the two men before it could really begin. Jack reached for the cordless, rolling his eyes at Cruise cautioning him from answering right away until the CIA agent gave the signal that the phone signal had been locked on by the electronics currently wired to his phone line.

He knew how this went and it was pointless anyway, the caller ID registering SPACEMONKEY, so he punched the talk button and raised it to his ear. Ignoring Cruise’s protest at not waiting until the tracking electronics could kick in, he girdled himself for the conversation he was about to have with Daniel.

“Daniel,” he growled wondering how the archaeologist had known he had been released from the hospital.

“Jack!” Daniel’s voice was remarkably cheerfully in contrast to his own. “How are you doing?”

“Great Daniel. My car’s been trashed, cracked my ribs and head again, and my kids have been kidnapped. I’m doing just peachy.”

Silence from the other end of the line as not even Daniel could easily ignore the rage buried in those words. Finally, after clearing his throat many times Daniel attempted to begin the conversation again.

“I’m sorry Jack, that was a rather senseless question for me to ask.”

“Very,” Jack snarled. “Look Daniel I know you called to ask me questions, so just ask them.”

“Okay Jack,” Daniel responded softly. “Jack, why didn’t you tell me—us—about your children?”

Jack was so silent for so long the only thing that reassured Daniel that he was still on the line was he was not hearing a dial tone. Finally there was a long sigh and a shuffling sound.

“It… it was just too…” Jack could not bring himself to say the word ‘painful’ but Daniel was able to deduce it from his tone.

“Painful?” Daniel supplied. Receiving silence as his answer, he forged onwards. “I’m sorry Jack, but when did you meet their mother?”

Jack gave a heartless chuckle and perpetrated the lie he had crafted. “They’re not really mine Daniel. They’re my niece and nephew… their parents were killed before I took the Homeworld position.”

“Oh,” Daniel answered, as blindsided by that information as he had been by learning that Jack was a father again from Landry.

Jack shot a quick glance at the AF major in the living room as he answered his mobile phone.

“But Jack, I still don’t understand why you didn’t tell us about them,” Daniel stated with a hurt tone.

Jack rolled his eyes and spoke, “Look Daniel…” he trailed off as the major approached him with cell phone out held. “Look Daniel, I’ve got to go. Another call is waiting for me.”

“Jack—!” whatever else Daniel was going to say was cut off as Jack punched the end button and accepted the major’s phone.

“General O’Neill?” asked a male voice on the other end.

“Yes,” Jack answered shortly as he deposited the cordless back into its cradle.

“This is Colonel Thomas Masiello of—”

“Area 51, I know,” Jack interrupted.

“Yes Sir. I was calling Sir to ask if I could speak with Colonel Carter.”

“Colonel Carter?”

“Yes Sir, Colonel Carter. There is an issue—”

“Colonel, I have not seen Carter in nearly two months.” Jack could practically feel the tension in the man on the other end of the line change at his announcement. “Masiello, why would you think Carter would be here?”

Masiello took a fortifying breath and hope he was not about to damage a career, his or Colonel Carter’s. “Colonel Carter requested personal leave, which I granted. I was under the impression, as she’d expressed such concern over your recent accident, that she would be visiting you.”

“And you were not able to get a hold of her cell?”

“No Sir. And Sir, I think you should know that the last contact Colonel Carter had with the base was a phone message for me three days ago on the 23rd asking if the base had authorised transit of some of the element N through Las Vegas.”

“There was no transfer authorised was there?” Jack’s voice was deadly soft as he understood that Carter had sensed naquadah in the country’s gambling capitol.

“No Sir. If there had been, it certainly wouldn’t have been done in a limo as she reported.”

“Masiello, phone her fiancé to see if they’ve spoke recently. If they haven’t, send a squad to her current residence. See if you can find anything there,” Jack ordered. “And fax me the investigation results of what she reported in that message.”

“Yes Sir,” Masiello responded crisply.

“And Colonel, keep me posted,” Jack growled as he snapped the cell phone shut. First his children were kidnapped and now Carter was possibly missing…