“Would you please set up LA with a generator?”
“Already preparing for it,” she said. “They have a heavy grid, so we need to reorganize it. All the high volume cities are being reorganized. We should have ten more up and running by New Year’s.”
After acknowledging it and telling her to send a report to his inbox, he was halfway into town when his phone rang again. “Where are you? Stay put, I’ll be there in ten.”
He turned off the main road and headed up to the lake. A group of SGC teens had gone to the lake for a party. Jack allowed Matthew to go with them. Col. Reynolds’ kids had gone up as well as eight others, so he felt Matty would be in safe hands. Jack looked at his watch. They had been at the lake for almost five hours. He parked and hiked in the last couple hundred yards.
There was a fire going in the pit, the music was loud and irritating on the head. Most of the kids were attempting to dance. Most of them were too drunk to succeed. Jack looked at his watch again. He walked up to the group and waited. There were a few more kids than he was expecting to see. One of the kids crashed into him and laughed hysterically.
“At ease, Mr. Flynn,” Jack said easily. One by one, the kids noticed the three-star in their midst. “Mr. Meador. Have a seat. Miss Smart, that t-shirt would look prettier on. Dana Moore, I thought you had the flu? Mr. Lewis, step away from the fire, son; roasting chestnuts isn’t for another six months.” He yanked a baseball cap off someone’s head and held it out. “Keys. Everyone. Now. I see three trucks, I want to see three sets of keys.”
The teens quieted. Only the CD box disturbed the peace of the woods. Jack bent and tapped the power button. Matthew was across the glade, looking unhappy as he sat close to Reynolds’ older kids, Robbie, twins Josh and Emma, and, surprisingly, Tressa Hammond.
“Did one of you drive?” Jack asked them.
“No, sir,” they answered. They all caravanned up with others.
“Get in my truck.” Jack pointed a thumb over his shoulder. He waited for a moment and then opened the radio. “Captain Pennick, please send a van to Lake Turner and pick up nine intoxicated teenagers. Make sure they’re delivered personally to their parents. After you take names.”
The kids were staggering in place, a few of them collapsed onto logs. The smell of pot was in the air, along with cigarettes. Jack didn’t say anything. He turned and went to his truck. Matthew and Tressa were in the front while the three Reynolds’ teenagers were squeezed into the back.
“Is everyone alright?” Jack asked.
“Yes, sir,” they murmured. He could sense the guilt from them.
“You were right to call,” he assured them. “I want the truth, everyone. Are any of you high?”
“No, sir,” Matty immediately said.
“A little buzzed, sir,” Robbie admitted. “But we didn’t actively take anything, it’s from the smoke in the air.”
“Okay,” Jack nodded.
“Jack? I’m not feeling well.”
Jack immediately pulled over and stopped. Tressa jumped out and hid in a bush. Emma went to help her. Jack reached under the seat and handed out a bottle of water.
“Alright, honey?” he asked a couple minutes later. He had babysat her and her sister a few times when they were small; she trusted him as much as she trusted her grandfather who had taken custody of them when their parents died. Tressa was white around the gills as she nodded and got back in.
“We didn’t know it was going to be like that, sir,” Emma said. “They said it was just a little down time with some music. We expected to see a little beer, but not like that.”
“I didn’t recognize a couple of the kids,” Jack said.
“New families, sir,” Josh told him. “Most of the beer and pot came from them.”
“We asked Matty to call you when it started getting out of hand,” Robbie said. “I would have called Dad, but he’s off-world.”
“I’m glad you called, son,” Jack assured him. “You did the right thing. Tressa, where’s your grandfather? At school?”
“Yes, sir,” she said weakly.
“Okay, I want you to crash at my place for the day,” Jack said. “You can sleep it off in Daniel’s den. It’s nice and quiet and dark. You never did handle chemical smells well. Jerrie will take care of you. You three, I’ll drop you off at your home. I want you to take it easy, too. No driving until the pot is out of your systems.”
They passed a van driven by SF. Jack stopped and handed them the cap of vehicle keys and gave quiet instructions. After letting the Reynolds’ kids off, and after having a short talk with Mary, Jack drove Matty and Tressa home. Tressa had laid down on the backseat after the others left. Jack glanced at Matty and slid an arm across the boy’s shoulders.
“You did good, son,” he told the boy.
“They’re going to pick on me for this,” Matty glumly predicted.
“Who? Robbie and….?”
“No,” Matty shook his head. “The others.”
Jack looked at him. “Matt, a few weeks ago you showed them how to kick Jaffa ass, and you’re worried about being picked on by dumb jocks?”
Matthew thought about it. He reluctantly smiled and watched the passing neighborhood. When they got to the house, the kids got out of the truck and went into the house while Jack told Jerrie what had happened, and called Daniel for lunch.
Once at the restaurant, Jack found a loaded burger waiting for him. He sank his teeth into it with a grateful hungry moan. Daniel watched him, picking at the remainder of the fries.
“Kids okay?” he asked. It was in Ancient. Jack nodded and wiped his mouth.
“Fine,” he said. “A little buzzed from the second-hand smoke. I’m a little buzzed, and I was only there for a few minutes. Head is a little achy.”
“Well, this might be giving you an even bigger ache,” Daniel said. “There’s a group of picketers outside city hall. In this time of great crisis, they feel that it is important, now more than ever, to remind our citizens of proper family values.”
Jack thought about it and narrowed his eyes.
“Is that a non-pointing finger?” he asked.
Daniel nodded. “Yes, it is. Lots of Mormons.”
Jack thought some more. “That’s a little calling the kettle black.”
Daniel smiled. “A side-subject on that –the town has a lot of kids who were kicked out of a cult. I’m wondering if you can get dispensation to offer them a life off-world or send recruiters to them. The Alpha site could use a few more settlers, and the kids seem to be good with their hands. The crew already there should be able to get the kids straightened out.”
“That’s a possibility,” Jack said with a nod. “Wouldn’t they be better off in school?”
“Maybe,” Daniel shrugged. “The stats say they’ll fall through the cracks no matter where they are. The way they’ve been raised….. I’d be surprised if more than one in ten manages to overcome their conditioning. Not without outside help.
“Andy said he’s hesitant to arrest any of them, minor offenses, because they’d never survive in jail.”
“I’ll talk to Henry and Francis.” He scowled as he thrust a fry into ketchup. “Danny, it’s those assholes running those cults that should be arrested.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “And the cult leaders will be arrested for abuse. Our laws, though, protect freedom of religion. Any religion. Jack, I’ll be the first to stand and extol the virtues of an education, and I’m telling you those kids are too naïve to survive on their own. Not in our society. They’d be eaten alive by the sharks, not to mention the way they’ve been raised to treat women. A good percentage of those boys are rapists and pedophiles in waiting.”
Jack frowned as he considered what Daniel was saying. “If I remember right, Major Baldwin used to work with at-risk inner-city kids. Did Peace Corps work, too. We can’t force these kids to go, but I’ll talk to the Powers that Be and see if we can at least offer them an alternative.”
Probably
to test Daniel’s patience, Jack decided he needed to have an urgent talk with the mayor. About the cult boys, of course. Mayor Stivers, a good Episcopalian boy, wasn’t one of Jack’s fans.
“That is your fault,” Stivers said, poking a finger toward the window and the picketers when Jack and Daniel entered his office. The two holding hands wasn’t helping Stivers’ blood pressure, nor did it win Jack any friends when they walked through the small crowd. Jack blinked innocently.
“Barny, I don’t know those people,” Jack said. “How could I have upset them?”
“Bernard,” Daniel corrected.
“Ignore them, Bernie,” Jack said. He took a seat without being offered and tugged Daniel down into the other seat. “They need to get a life and stay out of business that isn’t theirs. Just tell them to go home and get out of your hair.” He glanced at the man’s shiny dome. “We wanted to discuss all these kids that were kicked out of their cults. Excuse me –communities. If I take them off your hands, will it make you a happier camper?”
Stivers looked from one man to the other, suspicious.
“Are you talking about sending them…. out there?” He jerked his chin toward the ceiling.
“To space?” Jack asked, his face blank. “No, there’s no air in space, Bernie; they wouldn’t survive much more than a few minutes. I’ve been there, Bernie; it’s cold. I’m talking about a couple of planets that are being colonized. The kids know how to use their hands; the colonists will put them to work and get rid of the brainwashing at the same time. All voluntary, of course. I have to clear it with a few others. What do you think?”
Stivers would have to discuss it with various other city officials before giving Jack an answer. Outside the front door, they found a camera and microphone in their faces. Jack gave friendly waves at the crowd shouting at him about his lack of morals and ethics.
“Tildie, you know I…..”
“Hildie, Jack.”
“…..don’t like sneak attacks,” Jack complained.
“Come on, General, just a moment of your time,” the young reporter insisted. “How do you respond to accusations that you are corrupting the morals of children?”
Jack tossed his head back and laughed. “I’d say ask my children,” he said. “A couple hours ago, my fifteen year old son called me from a party. The people he was with, other teenagers, were drunk and smoking pot. My son trusted me enough to call me and tell me what was going on and ask me to come and pick him up. How’s that for moral corruption? Have a nice day, ma’am.”
He slid an arm around Daniel’s waist and headed for their vehicles. Andy was leaning against his own car, waiting for them to exit the building.
“Can you possibly stay out of trouble for one day?” he asked as the men approached.
“You’re talking about Jack, right?” Daniel asked. His butt received a love-tap.
“Andy, don’t you have anything better to do than follow me around?” Jack asked.
“No, really,” Andy admitted. “First of all, you are our Number One priority; I always know where you are. When you’re home, anyway. Two –with all the military here, my job is much easier; crime has been cut down about thirty-two percent.”
Jack snorted. “Tell that to the kids up at Lake Turner smoking pot and getting drunk.”
“I know,” Andy sighed. “Your boys passed names on to me. You want to take care of it?”
“No,” Jack shrugged. “You said you’re bored. It was on public property. Just let me know if you have any problems.”
“’kay. Jack, are you aware that someone dug up about five-square yards of grass from the high school field? Do you know how much grass that is?”
Jack thought about it. “Why would someone dig up all that grass? It’s half the lawn.”
“To study that red line you made,” Daniel told him.
Jack shook his head. “It was only about a yard long. I’ll find out who and make sure it’s fixed before school opens.”
They walked around for a while, receiving curious stares as they chatted in Ancient. One store owner came out and stopped them, begging Daniel to make her little bookshop a stop on his book signing tour. Daniel wasn’t aware he was going to be touring, he really didn't have time for it, but promised to do one day in her store signing books. She went back into the store, very happy.
“Yo, Dr. J!”
Daniel looked around and saw a group of college students at an outdoor café. They had the music up and were enjoying themselves.
“Malcolm, not taking summer classes?” he asked.
“Just two,” Malcolm said. “Not today, though. Neither are you.” He sidled up to Daniel, a speculative look in his eyes despite Jack’s presence. “Does your old man let you dance?” He lifted his arms and tossed his hips close, the techno-beat of the music encouraging him. Daniel answered the gleam and met the young man, their chests mere inches from each other. He teased, responding to the music for a moment before stepping back.
“He does, but only with him and our wife,” Daniel told the disappointed young man. “And believe me –Jack can dance.” He took Jack’s hand and walked away with a jaunty step. Malcolm’s friends laughed and egged him as he pretended to faint in Daniel’s wake, almost falling over the café fence as he watched Daniel’s rear end walking away.
A few stores away, Jack glanced at Daniel. “Do you get hit on often from students?” he asked.
Daniel chuckled. “Often enough,” he said. “They’re only playing.”
……..“Don’t, Jack.”
“What?”
Daniel paused and turned to him. “You’re thinking about our age difference again,” he informed Jack. “I don’t care, and you know it.” He put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and looked into the brown eyes. A cell phone rang. “I love you. Quit it.” He pecked Jack’s mouth and then looked at his cell phone before answering it.
“I’m in town with Jack. We can stop by.” He hung up. “We need to stop by the SGC.”
They started walking back toward Jack’s truck. “I’m not fun, Danny,” Jack said after a couple of blocks. “Don’t you want to go out and dance with them?”
“No,” he said honestly with a shrug. “I did when I was in college. It’s been a long time since I felt the desire to be a kid. I like going dancing with Sam once in a while. As for you being fun –Jack, I have never had so much fun in my life, as the fun I’ve had since meeting you. Now quit it and drive.”
Jack drove, happy with Daniel’s hand on his thigh.
“Why are we going to the Mountain?” he asked after a mile.
“Because,” Daniel said. Jack looked at him. He stopped and began to turn around.
“Noooo,” Daniel said. “Jack, you have to check in with Dr. Lam. She’s put up with you this far, but she does have the authority to order you in, and you know it. Enki says you’re at full mode and after this last incident you really need to get checked. Carolyn needs to compare the before, during, and after scans. And you’re doing very well with the Ancient. I knew you could do it.”
Jack mumbled something.
“What?”
“I said, it’s easier if I don’t think about it,” Jack said loudly. “Someone in there is doing the translating, and it isn’t me.”
“Of course, it’s you,” Daniel said, patting his leg. “Now we need to get you to start scribbling engineering schematics. Put that Masters degree to some use. You know you could get a Ph.D. out of this.”
“What would I do with a Ph.D.?” Jack asked. “Not all of us have a need to collect Ph.D.’s.”
“General Doctor Jack O’Neill.”
Jack considered it.
“Does that mean we can play doctor?” he asked.
“Only if the anal probes are warmed first.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Doctor.”
Jack put up with the light thingy flashing in his eyes. He still didn’t understand why they insisted on looking into his eyes with a penlight when all the action wa
s happening in his brain.
“Stop glaring,” Lam said. She put the light into her jacket pocket.
“I feel fine,” he insisted.
She nodded. “And according to the machines, you are fine.”
Reynolds came into the infirmary. His face was a mess; cuts, scrapes, and small burns.
“Hey, Jack. Daniel.” He and Daniel knocked paws.
“What happened to you?” Jack asked.
“Someone stepped on a nearby landmine,” Reynolds said. “I got in the way of the blast. Thank God I didn’t lose an eye. I heard you were here. Would you mind? Before Mary and the kids see me?”
Jack put a hand out.
“Wait!” Dr. Lam quickly attached more electrodes to Jack and then a few to Kevin. She had a tech bring over a camera to record the process from the outside. “Okay.”
Jack put his hand on Reynolds’ chest. He noticed a slight undercurrent in his body; like touching a wire with poor insulation. The energy seemed to flow in one direction –down his arm and out his hand. He took his hand away and looked at it, flexing his fingers.
“What?” Daniel asked, stepping closer.
“Nothing,” Jack said, shaking his head. “I’m starting to notice a light sensation of current.”
Daniel took Jack’s hand for a moment. “Well, I don’t sense anything external,” he said. “Maybe a slight chill, but that could be the fact that it’s a little cold in here.”
Kevin’s face was slowly and surely healing before their very eyes. Dr. Lam watched, fascinated. He frowned at her and took a step back as she closed in on his space.
“Is that recorded?” she asked the tech.
“Yes, ma’am,” the tech said, not quite believing it. He was new…..
“Don’t even try it,” Jack warned. The tech took a startled look around.
“Sir?”
Jack shook a finger at him. “I have lots of tricks up my sleeve, son,” he said to the tech. “You signed a confidentiality clause when you signed on here; you keep your mouth shut.”
“What’s going on?” Daniel asked in Ancient.
“He’s considering the amount of money he could get for this information,” Jack told Daniel and Reynolds.
Unification: The Anunnaki Unification Book 5 Page 4
