Fic: New Beginnings
For jebbypal
New Beginnings
By paburke
Christmas Prompt: Suits - after Mike is canned from Pearson Hardiman, SGA recruits him (was seeing this as in the Learning How to Fly verse)
*suits*sg1*sga*
Mike had just been walking aimlessly. He ended up on a bridge looking down at the water and ships passing below.
“Thinking about jumpin’?”
Mike jerked at the voice. The teen that had asked was right up in his personal area. Mike took a step back with his hand in his wallet. With him jobless, losing his current cash, cards and ID would be a severe blow. The kid took a step back, with his hands up. “I’m not trying to rob you,” he said. He nodded to the water. “I was just asking a question.”
Mike shook his head. As bad as things were, no, he wasn’t thinking of jumping.
“So what’s got you thinking so hard?” Mike must have looked skeptical because the kid shrugged. “Go ahead, tell me. I’m smarter than I look.”
Mike snorted. “Smarts were what got me into this mess.”
The kid looked intrigued and Mike figured why the hell not? Even if the kid didn’t believe him, it’d be a good story. So Mike explained about his grandmother, Trevor and the drugs and the interview that never should have happened. Then Harvey and the job that he had loved. The challenge that he had thrived on. And then getting caught and fired. Not once did the kid look disbelieving. He was messing with his phone and some of what Mike was saying had to be verifiable. Finally, Mike finished his story with how he had gotten caught and then fired.
The kid believed him. He was interested in Mike’s tale. “So did you like the fact that you were stretching your intellect or that at anytime you could be caught?” he asked.
Mike gaped. “I hated that my secret could destroy me, and some of my new friends at any moment but I loved the work and -like you said- stretching my intellect.”
“Wanna job?”
Mike shook his head. Was this real? “You can’t offer me a job.”
The kid grinned and it felt like watching Harvey smash the opposing counsel. Mike hadn’t even realized that he had been swimming with the sharks. This kid -who was younger than Mike- was somehow a closer. “You knew who I was!” Mike accused.
The kid laughed. “You’re quick. You want a job? You sign for ten years and you’ll be a legal JAG lawyer in five, with more experience, varied and intense, than any other lawyer on Earth. It’s the one place that might be able to give you information overload. It’ll stretch you more than anyone has before There’ll be secrets that will keep your adrenaline pumping but when that happens at least half of your companions will be keeping the same. .”
Mike flushed that the kid had picked up the guilty pleasure of the secret that could destroy. “Where would I be working? DC?”
“Everywhere and I mean everywhere.”
“Who would I be working for? The Pentagon?”
“The US Air Force… mostly.”
“I want to see the contract.”
The kid pulled a business envelope out of his inner coat pocket with a flourish that Harvey would envy. Mike read through the contract and didn’t get far before he realized, “This is very vague and can be interpreted several ways that would be detrimental to me.”
Mike saw the young shark again. “Let me un-vague it for you: if you uphold your part of the bargain, we’ll uphold ours. If you spill our secrets, we’ll kill you if you’re lucky and destroy you if you’re not.”
“Who would be my boss?”
“Me.” The kid said it like Mike should have been honored.
“What is your name?”
“Jack O’Connell.”
For some reason, Mike was suspicious. “Is that your real name?”
“It’s my legal name to those who care. You want in? It really is an offer of a lifetime. And -get this- you wouldn’t be the first genius we picked up after everyone else in his profession abandoned him.”
All logic dictated that Mike say ‘no.’ He was a smart young man, he could start over. Jack fully admitted that he wasn’t telling the entire truth. It was dangerous -Mike hadn’t missed the injury and death disclaimer. It was someplace with a completely clean slate.
“Yes.”
*suits*sg1*sga*
Mike Ross had done everything from broker treaties with worlds and deadly aliens to arrange cross-galaxy custody agreements. He had written most of the legislation revealing the Stargate program to the world. He had watched Marines make magic circles and McKay break the laws of physics. He had seen amazing, frightening, outstanding and crazy things in the job he loved. Jack O’ (Neill) Connell had been his partner every step of the way. The man was annoying, but he kept his word, was a good boss and always, always protected his team.
So when Mike walked into the Earth meeting to settle intellectual property rights, the last thing he expected was to see Harvey Spencer and Jessica Pearson representing a smug Dr. Cavanaugh. Mike didn’t react, at least not as obviously as Harvey and Jessica did. He had walked into more startling meetings (the treaties with the nudist colony still ranked number one.) Jack loved springing surprises and then acting like there had been a memo.
Jack (neither the original nor the clone that was his boss) did not send or read memos.
Mike would have liked a memo for this meeting.
Jessica stiffened. “We assumed that the US government would take our suit seriously enough to send a real lawyer. We will resume discussions when that happens.”
Jack slouched in his chair, ever the shark that no one saw until he bit. “One, Mike’s a credentialed, experienced lawyer. The US Air Force believes in recycling things that others discard. Two, you walk out that door and you forfeited. Permanently.”
Mike slid into his seat and opened his briefcase. “Your suit is rather weak to start,” he pointed out. “If you wish to abandon it, than that is, of course, your prerogative.”
Harvey sat down across the table from Mike and he was smiling like he was looking forward to the brutal negotiations and he probably was. “I don’t abandon anything.”
Mike knew about the flood of e-mails and even the private detective Harvey had hired to check on him. Jack had demanded that Mike stop the investigation. Mike had sent Harvey a short e-mail from a secure account telling Harvey that he ‘was alive and had a good job.’ Harvey, of course, demanded weekly proof. So Mike had sent him a picture obviously from DC, then Colorado, and then from the blandest set of computers on the Daedalus. Most of the pictures from Atlantis were with the ocean in the background.
Mike opened the case jacket and smiled at Harvey. “Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes.”
*suits*sg1*sga*
New Beginnings
By paburke
Christmas Prompt: Suits - after Mike is canned from Pearson Hardiman, SGA recruits him (was seeing this as in the Learning How to Fly verse)
*suits*sg1*sga*
Mike had just been walking aimlessly. He ended up on a bridge looking down at the water and ships passing below.
“Thinking about jumpin’?”
Mike jerked at the voice. The teen that had asked was right up in his personal area. Mike took a step back with his hand in his wallet. With him jobless, losing his current cash, cards and ID would be a severe blow. The kid took a step back, with his hands up. “I’m not trying to rob you,” he said. He nodded to the water. “I was just asking a question.”
Mike shook his head. As bad as things were, no, he wasn’t thinking of jumping.
“So what’s got you thinking so hard?” Mike must have looked skeptical because the kid shrugged. “Go ahead, tell me. I’m smarter than I look.”
Mike snorted. “Smarts were what got me into this mess.”
The kid looked intrigued and Mike figured why the hell not? Even if the kid didn’t believe him, it’d be a good story. So Mike explained about his grandmother, Trevor and the drugs and the interview that never should have happened. Then Harvey and the job that he had loved. The challenge that he had thrived on. And then getting caught and fired. Not once did the kid look disbelieving. He was messing with his phone and some of what Mike was saying had to be verifiable. Finally, Mike finished his story with how he had gotten caught and then fired.
The kid believed him. He was interested in Mike’s tale. “So did you like the fact that you were stretching your intellect or that at anytime you could be caught?” he asked.
Mike gaped. “I hated that my secret could destroy me, and some of my new friends at any moment but I loved the work and -like you said- stretching my intellect.”
“Wanna job?”
Mike shook his head. Was this real? “You can’t offer me a job.”
The kid grinned and it felt like watching Harvey smash the opposing counsel. Mike hadn’t even realized that he had been swimming with the sharks. This kid -who was younger than Mike- was somehow a closer. “You knew who I was!” Mike accused.
The kid laughed. “You’re quick. You want a job? You sign for ten years and you’ll be a legal JAG lawyer in five, with more experience, varied and intense, than any other lawyer on Earth. It’s the one place that might be able to give you information overload. It’ll stretch you more than anyone has before There’ll be secrets that will keep your adrenaline pumping but when that happens at least half of your companions will be keeping the same. .”
Mike flushed that the kid had picked up the guilty pleasure of the secret that could destroy. “Where would I be working? DC?”
“Everywhere and I mean everywhere.”
“Who would I be working for? The Pentagon?”
“The US Air Force… mostly.”
“I want to see the contract.”
The kid pulled a business envelope out of his inner coat pocket with a flourish that Harvey would envy. Mike read through the contract and didn’t get far before he realized, “This is very vague and can be interpreted several ways that would be detrimental to me.”
Mike saw the young shark again. “Let me un-vague it for you: if you uphold your part of the bargain, we’ll uphold ours. If you spill our secrets, we’ll kill you if you’re lucky and destroy you if you’re not.”
“Who would be my boss?”
“Me.” The kid said it like Mike should have been honored.
“What is your name?”
“Jack O’Connell.”
For some reason, Mike was suspicious. “Is that your real name?”
“It’s my legal name to those who care. You want in? It really is an offer of a lifetime. And -get this- you wouldn’t be the first genius we picked up after everyone else in his profession abandoned him.”
All logic dictated that Mike say ‘no.’ He was a smart young man, he could start over. Jack fully admitted that he wasn’t telling the entire truth. It was dangerous -Mike hadn’t missed the injury and death disclaimer. It was someplace with a completely clean slate.
“Yes.”
*suits*sg1*sga*
Mike Ross had done everything from broker treaties with worlds and deadly aliens to arrange cross-galaxy custody agreements. He had written most of the legislation revealing the Stargate program to the world. He had watched Marines make magic circles and McKay break the laws of physics. He had seen amazing, frightening, outstanding and crazy things in the job he loved. Jack O’ (Neill) Connell had been his partner every step of the way. The man was annoying, but he kept his word, was a good boss and always, always protected his team.
So when Mike walked into the Earth meeting to settle intellectual property rights, the last thing he expected was to see Harvey Spencer and Jessica Pearson representing a smug Dr. Cavanaugh. Mike didn’t react, at least not as obviously as Harvey and Jessica did. He had walked into more startling meetings (the treaties with the nudist colony still ranked number one.) Jack loved springing surprises and then acting like there had been a memo.
Jack (neither the original nor the clone that was his boss) did not send or read memos.
Mike would have liked a memo for this meeting.
Jessica stiffened. “We assumed that the US government would take our suit seriously enough to send a real lawyer. We will resume discussions when that happens.”
Jack slouched in his chair, ever the shark that no one saw until he bit. “One, Mike’s a credentialed, experienced lawyer. The US Air Force believes in recycling things that others discard. Two, you walk out that door and you forfeited. Permanently.”
Mike slid into his seat and opened his briefcase. “Your suit is rather weak to start,” he pointed out. “If you wish to abandon it, than that is, of course, your prerogative.”
Harvey sat down across the table from Mike and he was smiling like he was looking forward to the brutal negotiations and he probably was. “I don’t abandon anything.”
Mike knew about the flood of e-mails and even the private detective Harvey had hired to check on him. Jack had demanded that Mike stop the investigation. Mike had sent Harvey a short e-mail from a secure account telling Harvey that he ‘was alive and had a good job.’ Harvey, of course, demanded weekly proof. So Mike had sent him a picture obviously from DC, then Colorado, and then from the blandest set of computers on the Daedalus. Most of the pictures from Atlantis were with the ocean in the background.
Mike opened the case jacket and smiled at Harvey. “Are you ready to begin?”
“Yes.”
*suits*sg1*sga*