Off Island: Meetings

[fikgirl]

Who: Some NPCs
Where: Public Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado
When: Seven months post-crash
Status: Incomplete
Invited: NPCs (Yes, if you ask first, you can claim one of the SG-1 team members

Comments

[NPC Kevin]

[fikgirl]

/Keep it together, Kev, don't freak out,/ is what Megabyte would have told him had Megabyte been there. Unfortunately, Megabyte wasn't there. Megabyte, like Ami was trapped on some freakish god-forsaken desert island and that was the entire reason that Kevin and Paul were meeting with the military.

He reminded himself again, and then again, that Bill trusted General O'Neill. He'd served with the man years ago, and though they hadn't been in touch since shortly after O'Neill "went through a rough time," Bill didn't think that the man would sell them up the river.

"He knows this is my son we're talking about, Kevin. Trust me when I say that this sort of thing, family, is important to Jack." There was so much pity and conviction in Bill's words that even Adam* had been hard pressed to not believe him.

/You can always teleport away,/ came Jade's gentle reminder.

/And we're here, watching and waiting,/ Lisa added.

The comfort of his friends made Kevin relax against the seat a bit, his mouth quirking briefly in a smile.

Paul must have sensed his slight relaxation because he asked, /Okay?/

/A little,/ Kevin told him.

"So," General O'Neill glanced back at them, his face unreadable, although his emotions seemed to have shifted from wary and worried to impatient and bored. "How's Bill?"

"Um," Kevin jerked in his seat, tension returning as the military man addressed him directly. "He's ... he's as well as can be expected, sir."

Though the face didn't change, there was a flash of emotion, sharp and bitter and hard to place before the man's natural shielding took over. He gave Kevin a nod and turned away.

Kevin took a breath and watched the scenery flip past. (What the hell had that been all about?)

*Adam is the eldest of the Tomorrow People and the de-facto leader.

[NPC Paul]

[starborn_scribe]

O'Neill's flurry of emotion made Paul blink. It was a complicated knot of grief, regret, love, and sorrow, some of which felt familiar. That familiarity and Paul's insatiable curiosity got the better of him. "You're a father, General O'Neill?"

[NPC O'Neill, Carter]

[lost_mckay]

Jack nodded in the information. He knew how Bill was. Talked to him, in fact, when he'd left the Pentagon. They met a couple times a week; Jack was concerned for his people, Bill, well... how could any father NOT be concerned? Years had passed before he'd looked up his friend. Hard to hear 'I told you so', in not so many words from a man who'd spent his entire life in 'that' branch of service. The 'ooga-booga'.. and there, Jack was, making alien friends on a daily basis. Saving the Earth had become another 'regular day at the office'.

He'd made his peace, offered silent 'restitution', all without ever saying a word. The men had known each other for a very long time; had known each other before kids.. before the accident. Before his life fell apart for awhile.

So, how did one answer that question? Every time he was asked, Jack never really knew how to answer it, and he didn't now. "Yeah." Everything in a word. His lips pressed together, and he maintained eyes front, now, looking at the traffic, the houses passed. Sara had forgiven him, but he never did.

Colonel Carter, Sam, for her part, hated seeing him that way, but there really wasn't much she could do.. except try to shift the conversation in a direction that wouldn't be quite that painful to a man she-- respected. "General Damon gave us some pretty convincing arguments as to why we should talk to you." Beyond the fact that the Generals were long time friends. "I'm looking forward to it."

The trip wasn't much longer, like the blonde had promised, and pulling up to a small house, a little Cape Cod, the large SUV cut the engine, the driver remaining with the vehicle. Jack, Sam and Teal'c stepped out, opened the doors for their guests, and began to make their way up the walk and into the house.

It was furnished sparingly; all the necessities of long stints were in place, however. Couch, chairs, television with DVD.. and in a side room, a lot of computing power with software running that either cost them tens of thousands of dollars to purchase, or.. programs that no other computer in the world has.. or both. The windows were covered tastefully with both blinds and curtains; someone had obviously taken a little time with not making it seem too cliche.

Once in the house, Jack spoke up again, his tones taking a moderately conversational tone, but aloof. Above and away from the general conversations that he knew would be coming. "Kitchen is over there, bathrooms.. shower. Nice little delivery place down the road.. So, make yourself at home, gentlemen."

[NPC Paul]

[starborn_scribe]

General O'Neill's one word answer said volumes. He'd had and lost, in some sense of the word, a child. Paul reined in his curiosity for once. The man's troubles were not his business.

Paul and Kevin relaxed a bit once they saw that their destination was small suburban house. There were no guards or bars on the windows. The sparse furnishings said that no one called this place home, but was livable. Paul wondered who had lived there and why.

"Kitchen is over there, bathrooms.. shower." The general motioned in the direction of the front yard. "Nice little delivery place down the road.. So, make yourself at home, gentlemen."

Paul tensed. "How long will we be here?" Kevin's presence and the sphere hidden in Paul's hand were guarantees that he and Kevin wouldn't stay any longer than they deemed necessary.

OOC: Fun with paranoia! XD

[NPC O'Neill, Carter]

[lost_mckay]

Once indoors, the blonde colonel glanced briefly at the general, and a nod passed between them.. communication in silent gesture, and disappeared upstairs for a few brief moments, only to return downstairs once again, without her 'dress blues'. She'd changed into a black t-shirt, a pair of dark coloured BDUs, and her pair of comfortable work boots. While it gave her a tinge of masculinity, it also accentuated the fact that she could indeed be considered an attractive woman.

While she was gone, it was up to O'Neill to help fill in at least some of the gaps. Just what he loves doing. "Gentlemen," he began again. "I can't say how long we'll be here. That's up to you..." Jack pointed at Paul, "and Dr. Carter upstairs." Until now, he had only identified Sam as 'Colonel'.

"I think the general had nattered on at some length about time streams and fluctuations.. and.. yeah." He waved it away with a dismissive hand as if he was swatting at a particularly annoying bug. "She thinks that between the two of you, you might actually be able to pinpoint the exact physical location of the island."

"---Assuming, of course," Now, Sam entered the conversation, giving Jack a quick smile before 'taking over', "that a device that General Damon told us about actually works the way he thinks it does."

The blonde had seen lots of devices that had done a world more than advertised, and others that... well, not so much. She was willing to grant that General Damon had some sort of knowledge and understanding about alien devices, but not necessarily a full grasp on temporal physics to the point of actual application.

[NPC Kevin]

[fikgirl]

Kevin didn't sit. He wasn't worried about being trapped here, but the whole notion of "setting up camp" in a strange house, in a strange location, didn't sit well with him, nor did it make much sense. They were here to exchange knowledge, and that was all. He didn't know what the Colonel - Doctor - whatever she was really expected from them.

"I don't understand," Kevin said after a moment. "I'm not sure what exactly Bill told you, but it couldn't have been much. He doesn't know anything about Paul's methods of contacting Scott." Kevin didn't specify the co-locator, or even confirm that there was a device involved. Even if Bill had seen it, he wouldn't have known what it was or how it worked; Kevin had seen it, and with his mechanical and physics background, the quantum theory and mechanics were far more alien than what he could process. He understood the theory behind the device, but the mechanism for making it work was another matter entirely.

He felt Colonel/Doctor Carter's confusion, though little of it showed on her face. "We were given the impression that some sort of alien communication device is involved. There really wouldn't be any other way for Mr. Forrester to communicate with his son given the circumstances."

Maybe there was, maybe there wasn't, but Paul's device, telepathy and even the Ship were not going to come up in this conversation. Well, the former was up to Paul, how much he wanted to reveal; the latter, Kevin and the other Tomorrow People had decided to hold close to the chest no matter how much Bill trusted General O'Neill. O'Neill might be a great, trustworthy and stand up bloke, but he had the entire United States Air Force behind him.

"Look, I know this isn't exactly Club Med," O'Neill spoke up, drawing Kevin's attention, "And I completely understand that you're not comfortable with this situation, either of you. But we're not holding you here against your will. You're welcome to walk out that door anytime." There was nothing but truthfulness in the man's words. They could leave; O'Neill hoped that they wouldn't, but they wouldn't be held by force.

O'Neill tugged at the collar of his dress shirt, evidently uncomfortable in the uniform and looking a bit enviously at Colonel/Doctor Carter and the alien, Teal'c. "Mr. Forrester, we know who you are. We have a pretty good idea of what you are. We have access to all of the former FSA's files and records, and even the xenophobic diatribe that idiot Fox preached around back in the day. If we wanted you, we'd have you. But your no more harmless than -" O'Neill looked at Teal'c who somehow managed to raise a single eyebrow and communicate more than words ever could, then waved off randomly, "A kindergartner, all right?

"We've got people, we want them back. You want back your son, and that's all this about. So, why don't we all relax, order up some dinner, and work together to get everyone home by dinner?"

With that, O'Neill turned toward the stairs, pausing on the second stair, "There's take out menus in the kitchen by the phone. Geonini's Pizza is pretty good from what I hear." Two more steps and he stopped again, "Don't let Teal'c order. He actually likes pineapple on his pizza." The last was emphasized with a shudder as O'Neill disappeared out of sight.

Kevin glanced at Teal'c. The alien raised an eyebrow. "Do you have preferred toppings for your pizza, KevinWilson, PaulForrester?"

The rumbling voice was as powerful as Teal'c looked.

Kevin's gaze shifted from Teal'c to Paul, the silent unasked question there, Is this for real?

"I think it's a little early for dinner, no matter what the General thinks," Colonel/Doctor Carter cut in. She motioned toward the sofa, "Please, let's sit down and get all of us on the same page."

"What should we call you?" Kevin asked her.

"Excuse me?"

"He - O'Neill - called you Colonel and Doctor. Which one is it?"

"Both, actually." The woman had the good graces of humility and modesty. "But, Sam is fine. If I can call you Kevin and Paul?"

Kevin nodded. Mr. Wilson always made him feel like either his father or like students were asking for his attention anyhow.

OOC placeholder

[starborn_scribe]

Aargh! I won't be able to reply until late this afternoon, but this spot's mine. Mine, I tell you! Here's a little preview, though. :)

"Don't let Teal'c order. He actually likes pineapple on his pizza."

You've stumbled upon a bit of "Starman" canon. :) Paul's favorite pizza is pineapple pepperoni.

Re: OOC placeholder

[sinanju]

"This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Re: OOC placeholder

[starborn_scribe]

XD

[NPC Paul]

[starborn_scribe]

If not for the control Paul had over his cloned body the blood would have drained from his face when General O'Neill called him out. The notion of the Air Force knowing all about him and his family was disturbing. It made sense, though. Paul and his wife Jenny had wondered why, with all of the satellites and technology at the military's disposal, they weren't locked in a government lab. O'Neill supplied the answer.

"Don't let Teal'c order. He actually likes pineapple on his pizza." Curiously, the general issued the ordered with a shudder.

O'Neill, Paul decided, was strange even for a human. And the Jaffa had good taste in pizza toppings.

After nodding assent to the name clarifications Paul and Kevin followed Sam and Teal'c's example and sat down. Sam looked at Paul expectantly. Taking a deep breath, Paul took the plunge. "There is a device."

Curiosity gleamed in Sam's eyes. "May we see it?"

"No." Sam pouted for a split second before adopting professional neutrality. Paul explained, "I didn't bring it with me. Besides, you can't use it."

Sam grinned. "You'd be surprised."

"You can't," Paul repeated with quiet certainty. "However, if you could lend me a GPS receiver, I may be able to determine Scott's coordinates with it and my device."

[NPC Carter]

[lost_mckay]

"You can't," Paul repeated with quiet certainty. "However, if you could lend me a GPS receiver, I may be able to determine Scott's coordinates with it and my device."

Sam cocked her head as her brows rose in askance. Her head pulled back soon after, her lips pressing together briefly before she smiled and shook her head. "You've only got one point of reference. Even with what we've got, with the aircraft's last known positioning, and then Dr. McKay's two databursts, we couldn't triangulate off of that. Add the temporal distortions because of the field..." She wasn't trying to be patronizing, and she kept her tones from sliding in that direction. "And we've got more than just commercial satellites to work with."

"Look. If you could do it off a GPS receiver, you would have had your son out long before. You need our help just as much as we'd like yours. Our equipment," and the US Armed Forces, "is being made available to you..."

Her brows rose, her blue eyes bright, her expression was still very much open and friendly. "So.. if I can't 'use' it, how about a demonstration. I have the other room set up with the data information we've gathered so far. Between the two of us," working together, "we should have this taken care of..." Sam glanced back at Teal'c and smirked. She shared the general's taste in pizza, "before dinner."

[NPC Paul]

[starborn_scribe]

The notion of a demonstration made Paul gulp. That was the last thing he wanted to do.

He frowned as he considered his options, then met Sam's eyes. "I would like to work together, but the situation is more complicated than you know." Sam's eyebrows rose again, but Paul pressed on. "I was hoping that a military-grade GPS would be able to trilaterate off of your network of satellites. But if Dr. McKay wasn't able to, I probably won't either. Perhaps it's a side effect of the temporal distortion." Paul sighed. "I'd like to review your data. If all else fails, I'll arrange for a demonstration."

OOC: Since a demonstration would cause the most angst, I'm sure it'll come to that. :) In that case, Paul has to wait for Scott to "call" him. How about this group has to wait for the better part of a day before Scott makes contact?

OOC silliness

[starborn_scribe]

If they have to wait for the demonstration, I hereby propose that Jack teaches Paul how to juggle to kill time.

[Scott finds his father in the co-locator dome juggling tennis balls.]

Paul: Look, Scott! I'm juggling!

Scott: Um, yeah. It's good to see you too. ... Where'd you learn that?

[Paul catches the tennis balls and reaches outside the dome.]

Paul: From Jack.

Scott: Jack?

[Paul leads Jack, in full uniform, into the dome.]

Paul: General Jack O'Neill.

[Scott faints.]

XD

[NPC Jack]

[fikgirl]

Jack felt like a new man once he was out of his dress blues. There was nothing to compare to a comfortable pair of Dockers, shirt and loafers. He thought about Forrester and Wilson while he changed; both were squirrelly as all hell, and though he didn't know Wilson's story - all Bill revealed to him was that the Brit was coming along for "insurance," which Jack translated as "Forrester won't be comfortable without him there" - he did know Forrester's and he couldn't blame the man.

Back in the day, before the Stargate program, hell even after the brass thought that Jack had blown Ra to hell and a whole planet along with him, the military was convinced that any alien life would be guilty until proven innocent. No visions of Close Encounters of the Third Kind for that bunch. Fox had been on top of the game, spouting the right kind of paranoid rhetoric back then, and he'd given Forrester and his kid hell for it.

But times changed and views changed, and Fox was old school. Problem was the idiot didn't realize that he was a dinosaur, and one who couldn't even get the respect of people like Maybourne and Kinsey, using the term people lightly. He wouldn't work with anyone or anything super secret again, and quite frankly the only interest the Air Force had in Forrester was to learn about his planet and maybe make more allies.

Because when you've got snakes out there, and crazy!Carter replicators, you really couldn't have too many advanced alien allies.

Jack bounded down the stairs, happy to see that everyone was seated. He clapped his hands, announcing his arrival, "Hey kids, how's it going? I miss anything good?"

[NPC Sam]

[lost_mckay]

"Well, yes sir, we do." There were times when habit took over. "Only, out over that expanse of ocean, there aren't any commercial satellites. And," here, Sam smiled disarmingly, "the whales aren't that much of a threat to US security." Take that as one will... "Which is why you having ... whatever it is you have ... is a great help. Would be... a great help."

Jack's return found Sam as she was rising once more to invite Paul into the smaller room off to the side, dedicated to the scientist's computer equipment specific to the job. Never hurt to carry more than what was needed, however. She smiled at him, noting that he'd even forgone the 'standard issue' BDUs in favour of civilian wear. It suited him, even if it did look odd.

"No sir. We were just talking about satellite arrays."

The blonde returned her attention to Paul, her brows rising, her fingers clasping before her ever so briefly before she gestured towards the room. "Shall we?"

The small room was obviously built to be a small spare bedroom. There was a daybed tucked in under the curtained window, and a long run of desk and table along the opposite wall, with decorative shelves further up, hanging above the desk. On that horizontal expanse of desk sat multiple laptops, each heavier than they seemed due to mil specs, and a couple of tablet PCs. There was no identifiers of any 'secret' agency.. no markers, stickers or screen savers bouncing around, announcing their owner was the SGC.

[NPC Paul]

[starborn_scribe]

Paul lost track of time as he and Sam poured over the data. He asked Sam to give him an overview of the data bursts McKay had sent and what they'd extrapolated from them. Sam quickly proved herself to be highly intelligent, patient, and articulate.

Kevin participated in the discussion from time to time. He was well versed in physics -- beyond the level of an average university professor. Paul wondered if the Tomorrow People's ship had provided the advanced concepts. Whatever the reason, Kevin's input was welcome.

Sometime after the sun had set O'Neill and Teal'c entered the small workroom. "So," the general prompted, rocking back on his heels. "Time to round up a posse, or should we order pizza?"

Teal'c cant his head and raised one eyebrow. "A posse, O'Neill?"

Paul grinned, pleased that he was offering explanations for once. "In the 1800's sheriffs -- law enforcement in the American Old West -- would organize mounted search and rescue parties. Posses."

Teal'c frowned thoughtfully. "Mounted?"

"On horseback," Paul supplied. Teal'c nodded. To he and O'Neill Paul added, "I think we should order pizza. Teal'c, do you like pepperoni and pineapple? We could split a pie."