Event Horizon Part Ten – By Ladyholder – Complete

Reading Time:
14 Minutes

Art by Starkindler

“So, do you want the good news? Or the bad news?”

“Maybourne. How lovely to see you in my home,” Jack said sourly. He bounced lightly on the balls of his feet to entertain Elijah. “Is this going to raise my blood pressure?”

“Maybe?” Maybourne said, wrinkling his nose as he obviously thought things over. “Yeah, part of this is going to do it’s best to make your head explode.”

“Fucking hell,” Jack cursed. “Okay. Let me have it.”

“Is the kid going to throw a fit if you get your dander up?” Maybourne asked. At Jack’s glare, he raised his hands in supplication. “Look, your kid’s cute and all, but I really don’t want to hear the little darling scream at me for you getting your kickers in a knot.”

“He’ll be fine,” Jack said after checking how his son was doing. “Now. What have you got for me?”

“Right. Total aside, but something that I realized while doing this…,” Maybourne said, holding one finger up. “I’m going to need an actual trained investigator. I can spy, I can protect information, I can do all the things that you want me to do to keep bad guys out of the SGC. What I can’t do is investigate the crimes that happen in the Mountain.  I don’t have one in mind yet, but I’ve already started putting feelers out for one. My brain works on ferreting out information, finding weakness in security, and finding people who can be bent. I don’t have a brain for standard investigations.”

“And despite the sentinels and guides in the Mountain, we’re not all there, all the time, so if something happens, we might not know,” Jack said, following the thought.  He frowned as he thought of the level of crime on his base. He knew that it happened, but he wasn’t aware of how much. “I know crime happens, but…”

“Yeah,” Maybourne confirmed. “Anyway. First official item on my list: The Russians have been behaving both in class and outside it. Best guess I have is that we can trace their good behavior to the fact that Sheppard keeps auditing the class with McKay. His second normally spends the whole day camped out in a desk by the door too.”

“Sheppard can be a very intimidating presence when he wants to be,” Jack said with a smile.

“So, it seems,” Maybourne huffed before he walked into the kitchen and started looking for something.

“What else?” Jack asked.

“Where are the coffee cups?”

Jack blew a small raspberry before pulling a mug out of the cabinet they had dedicated to it. “I can’t even try to play that we don’t have coffee cups, now can I?”

“I’ve seen Jackson walking around with too many mugs to think you’re short of one here,” Maybourne said with a smirk as he took the mug. “Thank you.”

“Daniel got addicted to caffeine early. If he tried to cold turkey it, we’d be short some annoyances,” Jack explained. “What else.”

Maybourne took a sip of his coffee and hummed in satisfaction at the taste. “Simmons. You were right; he was Trust. They burned him as soon as it was confirmed that Teal’c was out of the gate. Sadly, they still haven’t taken me out of their systems, and I got all the information they had on him. And everything else he was working on. Simmons was a very, very bad boy.”

“No shit. How many of our leaks can be traced back to the Trust?” Jack asked. “Since you were wandering around their databases.”

“A lot. More than I’m comfortable with. And then there’s the ones who report to Kinsey, CSAF, SecDef, SecNav, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, and POTUS,” Maybourne said. He sipped at his coffee as Jack cursed under his breath. “Some of those are a two-for-one deal. So getting rid of the bad apples will help.”

“I’m sure we can get rid of Kinsey’s spy, but the rest of them may be problematic,” Jack said with a frown. “But we’re going to try. Because that’s ridiculous.”

“Well, if we can’t get rid of them, we may be able to move them into dead-end positions,” Maybourne mused. “I’ll have to look into that.” He pulled a notebook out of his pocket and made a note.

“Okay. What else?” Jack asked.

“Why do you think there’s more?” Maybourne asked.

“Because what you’ve told me is not enough reason for you to come out here to meet with me. General Hammond is totally capable of dealing with all of this, and you know it. So why?” Jack asked bluntly. He bounced lightly as Elijah stirred against his chest.

“I hate it when you show you’re actually smart,” Maybourne bitched. “I need to know… What are my limits? I’d ask Hammond, but I feel very weird asking the man some of these questions. I’ve gotten some side eyes from some of the senior officers and scientists as I’ve started closing security holes. These people are your extended pride, and I have no wish to trip your instincts over into homicide by pissing you off.”

“Right. Hammond is aware that some people do dark things for the side of the angels,” Jack said. He took a sip of his coffee and then sighed. “No murder. No maiming unless you have no other choice. Make sure that you at least look like you’re working within the law. As for the people of the SGC? They’ll get used to you, Harry. Your history isn’t unknown, so yes, they’re going to side-eye you for a bit. They’ll settle down.”

Maybourne huffed out a breath before he nodded. “Okay. Next item. Conrad stumbled out of Thor’s Hammer three days ago. He’s in rough shape, though. The snake wasn’t all that nice when it exited Conrad’s body, and Fraiser has him in Medical and states he’ll recover. I’m planning on interrogating him as soon as she states he’s healthy enough to talk.”

“Does it look like he’s willing to talk?” Jack asked. Since Conrad was officially back in the Mountain and without a snake, he was officially a civilian again, so a rough interrogation was off the table.

“Yes. He’s got a small whiteboard and has confirmed he remembers a lot,” Maybourne said with a nod. “He’s isolated, and Fraiser has a few trusted nurses making sure that no one gets at him.”

“That’s good news. We could use the intelligence,” Jack allowed. He tilted his head to the side as he thought about the talk they’d had with the snake. “Maybe you should give him a tablet that’s disconnected from everything? One that he can type on, maybe start writing the shit that’s in his head and perhaps share any technical information he might have?”

“Not a bad idea,” Maybourne said. “And it would let him feel like he’s got a bit of control.”

“And Carter can check to make sure that the science he writes down is honest,” Jack said. He patted Elijah on the back and stared at Harry. “What else?”

“That’s basically it. I’ll be playing whack-a-mole with the spies in the SGC. If you hear screaming from the Mountain, that’ll be me kicking different asses,” Maybourne said.

“Right. Well, remember to stretch so you don’t pull anything,” Jack said with a smile.

“You are not as funny as you think you are, Jack.”

“Sure, I am, Harry.”

“That was the last class, right?” John asked as he leaned against the wall nearest the door. Carter and Rodney were talking by the whiteboard she’d been using for the classes.

“Yeah, it was the last one,” Rodney said. He sounded tired to John’s ear, and he let his senses wrap around his guide to assess him. “I’m fine, John. We just did a lot of builds today, so I’ve been hefting and toting.”

“Did you keep any of them assembled?” John asked.

“General Hammond authorized me to leave all of the example generators,” Carter said. She waved her hand at the naquadah generators scattered through the room. “I expect that Colonel Landry will work with the sciences to determine where the best spots to set them up will be.”

“I’m sure he will,” John agreed. He ignored the raised eyebrow she gave him at his response. He wasn’t impressed with Landry, and only part of it was his command style. But he was a captain, and Landry was a colonel, and the divide between them was big enough that he wasn’t going to rock that boat.

“I’ll make sure to write up a list of suggestions then,” Carter said. “I’m glad we’re done with the classes too. How were our guests when they weren’t in class?”

“Decent,” Rodney said with a smile. “Also intimidated by John. It got very interesting when they noticed him in the room.”

Carter smirked. “I bet. There aren’t a lot of sentinels or guides in Russia, are there?”

“Not really. The Communist Party wasn’t accepting of guides, and they couldn’t figure out how to get sentinels without them. It wasn’t great. It’s only been within the last fifteen years that it’s been safe-ish for everyone to come only,” John explained. “At the last count I knew of, they had about 200 pairs through the whole country.”

Carter frowned. “That’s low.”

“It is,” Rodney said. “But the Party did a lot of heinous stuff, and the fact that they have that many is honestly a surprise. I expect that as the coming generations hit puberty, more will come online. As long as Russia doesn’t backslide.”

Carter nodded before she started wiping down the whiteboard. “I’ve got crates to put the generators in. We can load them up and then lock up the naquadah in the hazardous materials storage. Once Landry has figured out where he wants things, we can set them up and then insert the naquadah.”

“Yeah, best not put them together since we have no idea how long that review process will take,” John agreed. “Does the crate for the naquadah have a lock for it?”

“Yeah. We’ve never been casual about it. It’s too valuable and frankly, too dangerous to let it get out,” Carter said.

Rodney walked back into the classroom with a pile of collapsed crates. “Do you want these fully taken apart, or just the naquadah cartridge pulled?”

“Pulled,” Carter decided abruptly. “I did label them, right?”

“They’re numbered,” Rodney confirmed as he set the crates down on the instructor’s desk before grabbing two and heading to start working on a set of generators. “The cartridges are also numbered.”

“Okay. Good to know,” Carter said. She grabbed a set of crates for herself and started pulling one of the little machines apart. “Sheppard, are you going to stand by while we do this?”

“Yup. I actually learned a lot about them while listening in, and I figure watching you two take these things apart will help solidify the knowledge,” John said.

“Rodney?” Carter asked.

“Sure. John, come over here. I’ll show you all the parts,” Rodney said. He waved him over, and John leaned on the lab table and started pulling the generator apart using Rodney’s directions.

“You know, this isn’t all that difficult,” John murmured. “I mean, getting to this point had to have been a chore, but at this point, they don’t seem that difficult to put together.”

“Merrin drew us an insanely detailed set of plans, and when assembled, they made these,” Carter murmured. “If you take the panels off, the insides of these little machines are packed full of very small components. Every time I build one of these things, I think of her.”

“I did hear the explanation of how we got the tech,” John said. He turned to the next generator and started pulling it apart. “Did you ever go back to visit her?”

“We did. She’s going a lot better,” Carter said with a smile. “She’s still incredibly smart and has regained a lot of the knowledge that she distributed to the rest of her people in her Averium. It’s taken her years, but she’s managed it and knows the knowledge can’t be taken from her, and she’s very happy with that.”

“That’s good news,” John said. He fell silent and concentrated on taking the generator under his hands apart. Conversation faded as the three of them took everything apart, and John enjoyed the exercise. As they closed up the last crate, he sighed. “Major, when are you heading back to the SGC?”

“I’m due tomorrow afternoon. Why?” Carter asked.

“Well, Mav suggested that we invite you up for a quick flight. I figure that zipping around the solar system in an experimental aircraft would be a good form of stress relief,” John suggested.

“Yes,” Carter said immediately. “I’ll need a flight suit though.”

“We’ve got one for you,” John promised.

“Great!” Carter said with a grin. “After the flight, do you want me to write up a report?”

“Sure. But we’re not requiring it,” John said. He picked up two of the crates and headed out the door for the hazardous materials locker. “I’m going to drop these off and will grab the cart in the locker so we can move the rest.”

Rodney nodded. “Sounds good.” He stared at Carter and leaned against one of the lab tables as John walked out. “How are you doing?”

“Eh,” Carter said with a shrug. “I’m guessing you’re asking about the whole thing with the gate?”

“Yes,” Rodney said. He raised an eyebrow when she huffed at him. “Look. The whole thing with Teal’c was fucked up, and I didn’t help on an emotional level since I keep pushing at you. I can’t fully say I’m sorry because the words needed to be said, but it sucked that I did it while you were stressing over the life of a teammate.”

Carter froze, and Rodney watched as her eyes darkened with her temper. “Yeah, that pissed me off. But you’re right. I needed to hear it. The sensors we’ve had on the gate have given us a lot of information, and I’m slowly integrating it into the Dialing Computer as we confirm what each is. So far, it’s not really changing the trip through the gate, but everyone is happier to know it’s a bit safer.”

“That’s good,” Rodney said. He let his shields thin, and her emotional landscape was mostly calm, the temper she was showing barely warming it up. The emotional control was admirable, and he appreciated it. It was tiring to have everyone around him emotionally screaming all the time.

“How are you? Are you okay with how Simmons wanted to use you?” Carter asked.

“Eh.” Rodney shrugged once. “I’m fine. It’s not the first time someone’s tried to use me and my degrees for personal gain. It tends to work out badly for them.”

“Gee. I wonder why,” Carter said wryly. “Is it your age, or the fact you’re a guide?”

“Oh, both,” Rodney said with a smirk. “Add in how pretty I was when I was younger, and a lot of people in charge were convinced that I had nothing going on between my ears but static. Even when they knew that I had several PhD’s. It’s only been since we moved here that it’s gotten better.”

“Oh, I’ve had that, too,” Carter said. She waved a hand at her face and frowned. “I’ve got this going on, and a lot of my commanding officers ignored my degrees in favor of my face. General Hammond doesn’t play that way.”

“Good to know. And I’m going to guess that you cultivated an attitude to remind them that you’re actually competent, not just pretty,” Rodney finished. When she nodded, he blew a soft raspberry. “Assholes.”

Carter nodded. “Yup.”

“Okay, got the cart,” John called. He pushed a large cart in the door and parked it at the end of the rows of lab tables. “Shall we?”

“Right,” Rodney said. He grabbed the nearest crate to add it to the cart. “The sooner we get these put away, the longer you two can fly. I’ll make dinner.”

“Sounds good,” Carter said as she grabbed a crate of her own. “I do have one last thing to pass on. Since you’re both here.”

John shared a glance with Rodney before they turned to look at her. “Major?”

“General Hammond would like you two and your pride to come work at the SGC,” Carter said bluntly. “We know you’ve got almost 6 months left on your contract out here, and you’ll stay through to the end of that. Once you’ve finished that contract, you’ll move over to us. Sheppard will be offered a place on an exploration team. McKay, if you can qualify, you’ll likely be offered a place on the same team.”

“That sounds amazing,” John said. He and Rodney had discussed how much Rodney wanted the offer because he would have direct access to the artifacts and discoveries coming through the gate. John had an itch in his gut that the enemy he needed to fight was at the bottom of the Mountain, and he could barely stand to be at Area 51. Carter was offering a chance to change that. “What about our pride?”

“They’d be folded into the SGC as well. We can certainly find a place for them. Colonel O’Neill said that there are three of them?”

“Five,” Rodney said. Kusanagi and Zelenka had been folded into their pride with ease when they came back, and he wasn’t willing to give them up.

“Zelenka and Kusanagi?” John confirmed. At Rodney’s nod, he smirked. “Agreed.”

“Maverick isn’t part of your pride?” Carter asked as she loaded the last crate on the cart.

“He’s not. He’s not interested in being part of a pride at this time, and he’s very invested in being a part of the Navy. From what he said, he’s got people there that he has a bond as profound as what connects a pride. I’d be thrilled to have him, though. He’s a damn fine pilot,” John said. He and Mav shared a love of flight that didn’t need discussion, and they supported each other’s goal to get as much time in the air as possible.

“Zelenka and Kusanagi are cleared for the Mountain, and the science they’re doing can be done there as well,” Carter said after several seconds of thought. “So?”

John pressed his question down the bond he shared with Rodney. Did they want to do this? His need to defend humanity was nagging at him, and he wanted it. He wanted the Mountain, a team, and a chance to make a difference. From the yearning scent surrounding Rodney, he wanted it too. “Rodney?”

Rodney nodded firmly. “Yeah. We’re doing this. We’re going to the SGC.”