“That was something I didn’t understand,” Inanna frowned. “I didn’t know anyone who Ascended could appear on this plane.”
Jack nodded. “Yes, well, Daniel was never very good at obeying orders; broke the rules on this plane and that one. You had a brother? Did he and your parents Ascend when they died?”
“I don’t know,” she admitted. “Utu’s ship was blown up and our parents were killed in a blast to the base. We didn’t find bodies, but the damage was so great that they could have been turned to ash.” She smiled at a memory. “Utu was my twin. I used to attend weapons training with him, and our mother bemoaned the fact that I wasn’t turning into a proper young lady. Ki was many years older than us and had already been groomed by mother to attend court; Utu and I were a surprise. Ama finally talked Aba into fostering me with Enki and his wife, Damkina, Ninurta’s mother. I loved her very much. They had quite a few sons and daughters, so they didn’t mind another girl in the house. I think I fell in love with Ninurta the moment I saw him,” she chuckled. “I was in attendance at his birth soon after we came to Earth. He was born on Earth. You’re not the only one who can tease about changing diapers.” Jack smiled at the image.
“We were about fifteen of your years when we came to Earth. Father was asked to oversee the watch on your forebears after Enki was caught tinkering with your brain. The Ancients had already declared your ancestors to be non-viable, so Enki played. Adda wasn’t happy about it; he had the armies to deal with and didn’t have time for babysitting. I was able to scan large crowds more easily than he could, so he placed me in charge of the day to day events. Adda was so angry with Enki.”
“And was Ereshkigal born blind?” Jack asked, sitting back on a lounge chair and hooking his hands behind his head.
“No,” she said. “She was in an accident. She spent a couple of months in a coma while Enki repaired her, and when she woke up she was blind and had unexpected gifts. Your ancestors were more afraid of her than they were of the rest of us. Enki was beside himself about it; I don’t think it was his doing, though. Sometimes accidents, especially ones that involve the brain, can turn up strange things.”
“And how did she meet Erra?” Jack asked.
Inanna smiled. “She was spoiled, even more than I was, and spent many years feeling sorry for herself. Everyone from palace slaves to the elite would attend her, but she raged at everyone. Erra came along a few years before we came across the Asura. He was a warrior visiting from another kingdom. Ki threw one too many temper tantrums one day and he told her to get her head out of her ass, brush her hair, and be a lady.”
Jack laughed, picturing it. Inanna reluctantly chuckled.
“After she was done breaking everything breakable in her suite, he convinced our parents to allow him to take over as her personal guard. It was unheard of and raised more than eyebrows when he kicked out all of her chamber slaves and took over as her caretaker. One day, she stopped her tantrums long enough to realize that if she used her unwanted talents to her own advantage, she got much farther than screaming and yelling. She learned how to see where she was going by seeing herself through the eyes of others. She didn’t like what she saw and she pulled herself together. When she regained her court training, Erra pledged himself to her. He has been at her side since.”
“What’s he going to do now?”
“I promised Ki I would look after him until he is able to stand on his own,” she said. “The boys will see to him; he is their brother. He’s welcome to stay with us, as far as I’m concerned. He is family.”
The door opened and Ninurta walked in carrying a cloth. He stopped before her and held out his hands. She took the cloth with trembling hands and he bowed.
“Erra took off on a horse,” Ninurta said quietly. “Gibil and Zu are keeping an eye on him; I think he’ll be alright once he crosses the continent a couple of times.” She brought the cloth to her face for a moment before hugging it to her. She straightened and squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath.
“I have a favor to ask,” she said.
“Sure,” Jack shrugged. When she told him what she wanted, Jack’s jaw snapped shut. “I need to talk with….,” he jerked a thumb.
“Of course, you do,” she said with a nod.
He tugged on the neck of his shirt as he walked outside, his mind racing. Several people welcomed him to the morning, but he didn’t hear them as he searched for his partners. Hammond and Abigail had already left for home, someone told him. The children were playing with a frisbee and a couple of the Daedalus crew, Jonathan and Shara were rough-housing with one of the local children and David, and Ferretti was talking with Sam and Daniel, as Jack saw when he looked out across the field. He looked around and saw Katie sparing with Mason. Their cousin stopped and said something, obviously pointers when he repositioned Katie’s hips.
“Hey, how’s the queen?” Daniel asked when Jack was within range.
“Dealing,” Jack said. “I need to talk with you guys.”
Sam and Daniel excused themselves and walked with Jack to a more private location. Jack turned to them, rubbing at his jaw.
“Inanna wants a sperm donation.”
His partners were blank.
“She wants what?” Daniel asked. Jack repeated it. “Why? She can’t get pregnant.”
“She wants to use someone’s egg, take out the DNA, replace it with Ereshkigal’s, and fertilize it with my DNA,” Jack said. “I’m pretty sure that’s what she said.”
“Sounds right,” Sam said. The men looked at her. “It’s experimental, but it can be done. It's a cloning process, Jack. Earth has been experimenting with it for a while; remember that sheep, Dolly? She was a clone. Only the physical form is cloned, though, not memories, so she won't be like Jonathan. Enki can probably do it without any problem. The egg would be fertilized in a dish and planted in a donor womb. A surrogate mother. Inanna could, if it works, have a partial clone of her sister. Not the memories, just the physical body. And she wouldn’t be completely Ereshkigal, because the parentage is different, and with an alternate upbringing, she’d have a different personality. A sister-clone.”
Jack wrinkled his nose. “Isn’t that taking things a little too far?” he asked. “How can she get past the death, if she does this?”
“Sounds more like creative tinkering,” Sam said. “Think about it, Jack; she asked you, no one else. Why you? I think you’re special, but she’s probably looking at the Ancient gene, not specifically you. Your Ancient gene combined with Ereshkigal’s Furling DNA…. Sounds interesting to me.”
“It does sound interesting,” Daniel agreed. He frowned in thought. “I’m sure she’d give you visitation, but can you step back and allow your child to be raised by others?”
Jack grabbed his hair and ruffled it, making a small sound of pain. “I need to think about it,” he finally said. Sam and Daniel agreed.
“And look at it this way,” Sam said. “Jonathan will be here, and he can keep you updated. If you’re looking for our permission, I don’t have a problem with it.”
“Neither do I,” Daniel agreed. He put his hands on Jack’s shoulders and turned him around to face the kids playing on the grass. “Now. Do you see that little guy playing with Jonathan and Shara and David?” Jack looked at the little boy. The child appeared about five years old; a sturdy little boy, dusky-skinned with a mop of black hair. “That’s Dakarai. The guys are adopting him. Everyone around here is adopting. Apparently, Inanna is taking the ‘no child left behind’ command a little more directly. Before you are introduced, Jonathan said you need to decide if you are Jack, Uncle Jack, or grandpa.”
Jack looked sharply at Daniel and then at Sam. “Jonathan said that?”
Sam smiled and took his hand. “Honey, who else knows how badly you want a grandchild? Jonathan is already known as your son; if you want to be grandpa, it’s fine with him.”
Jack walked over to the small group, Sam and Daniel in tow. The little boy laughed as he tripp
ed over his own feet as he tried to catch David.
“Middle Eastern?” Jack asked quietly.
Daniel nodded. “Egyptian,” he said. “Lots of homeless kids on the streets.”
“I probably shouldn’t know if they had permission to take the boy,” Jack commented.
“Don’t ask, don’t tell,” Daniel said. “Daka, hina!” he called out and waved the boy over. Daniel squatted and put an arm around the boy’s waist. “Daka, this is Jack, your grandpa. Inta gidd.”
The boy looked shyly up at Jack.
“Hey, buddy,” Jack said gently, squatting down.
“Ahlan,” Daniel told him. “It means Hi.”
“Ahlan,” Jack repeated. He brushed a lock of black hair from the boy’s eyes. “Do you speak English yet?”
“A little,” Daka said softly, carefully.
“Good, because I don’t speak Egyptian,” Jack told him. Daniel said something to the boy and Jack had his cheek kissed. Jack picked the boy up and settled him on a hip after a hug. Big almond colored eyes stared back at him, studying his face.
“Are you sure about this?” Jack asked Jonathan.
“I’m sure,” Jonathan said with a nod.
“Daddy, Jonathan said Daka is my new cousin,” Davy told him with great importance as he leaned into Sam’s side. She caressed his hair and smiled.
“Jonathan didn’t get that right, son,” Jack said. “Daka is your nephew because Jonathan became your big brother when I adopted you. You are Uncle Davy, and your brother and your sisters are aunts and uncle, too.”
“Really?” Davy’s eye grew wide. “I’m a uncle? But how can Olivia be a aunt? She’s still a baby.”
“Sometimes it works out like that,” Jack assured him. He forced himself to look at his young clone. “I don’t…..”
“Jack, it’s okay,” Jonathan said. He considered his words for a moment. “Look…. I miss him, Jack. As much as you do. I need this; for my own sanity, if nothing else. I know you as well as I know myself, and I know that if I didn’t have the vasectomy, some part of you would have considered any child of mine to be your grandchild. In some weird fashion. So…. even my adopted children are as much mine as any child you adopt is yours. And there will be more children, Jack; Dakarai is just the first so get used to the word Grandpa.”
Jack gave a nod and swallowed hard as he looked down at the boy in his arms. Daka was suddenly taken away from him by Uncle Danny.
“Will you get over yourself and hug him?” Daniel said, jerking his chin at Jonathan. “You’re being a twit.”
Jack glared at Daniel; he was uncomfortable about hugging himself, but he did it. When he stepped back, Shara made a noise.
“What am I, horse meat?” Shara asked, holding his arms out.
“The term is ‘chopped liver,’” Daniel helpfully offered. Jack rolled his eyes and hugged Shara.
“Thanks, Dad,” Shara said. He stepped out of arm’s reach and hid behind Jonathan.
Jonathan chuckled and held out a hand. “Ta’aala,” he said. Daka wiggled away from Daniel and took Jonathan’s hand.
That moment was chosen for Jack to disappear.
“Thor,” Jack acknowledged when his new surroundings came into view. “I’m a grandfather.”
“Congratulations,” the little guy said. “Would you like the child tagged?”
Jack thought about it as he stepped up to Thor’s console. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “Jonathan and Shara adopted him. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to have him tagged. Sure. Ask them, though.” He glanced around, noting that nothing had changed since the last time he saw the ship. “Soooo…. how’s tricks?..... Oh, right, you’re here for Col. Sheppard. I think I saw him on the ground, he’s usually at Atlantis but he came in on the Daedalus. We think he has the same Ancient gene that I do. Hey, do you happen to know what this is?” He pulled out the new necklace and showed it to Thor.
“I do not,” Thor said. He held up one of his egg things to it. “I detect Ancient technology, though.” Different colored half egg-shaped tools were scattered across the console, used to work the controls. Once, on a mission, Sam had been stuck on the ship and learned how to use them. Within a day.
Jack frowned and looked at the pendant. “Yeah, we know that much. Sheppard found a bunch of them on Atlantis. They turn on equipment around the place, but only he and I can activate it.”
Thor blinked his big black eyes at Jack. “Indeed.”
“We guessed that it’s a remote control but what use is it to me, if it only works on Atlantis? Hmmm…. I wonder if it can be reprogrammed to work with the TV….”
“O’Neill.”
“Hmmm? Oh, right. Sheppard.” Jack hit his radio. “Col. Sheppard, this is O’Neill, come in.”
“Good morning, General,” he heard a moment later.
“Good morning. Where are you?”
“Hanging upside down from a tree branch while your kids play piñata with me.”
“Careful,” Jack warned. “Matthew’s been taking Jaffa staff lessons with the Marines, and Katie’s been kickboxing with her cousin, Col. Addison, who happens to be one of the world champs, and God knows what Stacy’s been picking up. I can wait, if you’d rather play with my kids.”
“Uh, no, sir, I’m all yours.”
Jack nodded at Thor. Sheppard appeared on the landing pad with a thud. He rolled to his feet as he rubbed his head. He stared at Thor and belatedly remembered to acknowledge the general.
“This is Thor,” Jack said. “He’s an old buddy. Wicked sense of humor, and don’t get him started with puns.”
Thor blinked. He took another of his eggs and walked to Sheppard. The egg was momentarily pressed to Sheppard’s arm.
“Ow!” The colonel rubbed his arm and glared at the little alien. Thor put the egg back on the console and looked at the readout.
“You are correct, O’Neill,” Thor said. He went to Sheppard again and touched him. Sheppard looked at his arm.
“What’d you do?” John asked, rubbing his skin.
“He tagged you with an Asgard tag,” Jack told him. “It’s better than ours and it can never be removed. It’s attached to your DNA as an extra protein marker, just like a symbiote does when it dies in you. Ask Carter for details. Don’t worry, it won’t affect any kids you may have. Colonel, we need to talk.”
While Sheppard contemplated his new situation after hearing what Jack had to say, he was beamed back down to the planet. Jack beamed over to the Daedalus and logged onto a computer to update Sheppard’s file to a HomeWorld Security Level 8, the next to highest security level. Jack was the only 9.
“General, may I ask what a Level 8 entails?” Caldwell asked when Jack informed him of Sheppard’s new status.
“Level 8’s are Col. Carter, Dr. Jackson, Gen. Hammond, Jonathan, Col. Davis, a few others….. Do you really want the details?”
Caldwell shook his head upon hearing the names involved. All involved with legendary SG-1 events. Except for Jonathan, which he still wasn’t sure about. “No, sir.”
“Good.” Jack entered a few more things into the computer. “Sheppard is your main priority, if things come down to a command decision. Don’t baby him, let him do his job, but just keep him in mind. What I do need from you is to try and teach him better leadership skills. I can’t have him running around like a loose cannon, and this new security now places him in a position where he just might find himself higher on the chain than he ever imagined himself being.”
Caldwell thought about it. “No disrespect, sir, but the thought of John Sheppard as the head of HomeWorld is a scary thing.” Jack snorted.
Caldwell hesitated. “General, were you ever taken? By a Goa’uld, I mean?”
Jack looked at him and considered. Caldwell was a large, powerful presence, but this was obviously bothering him. “It isn’t to be made general knowledge, but yes. Twice. So has Col. Carter. I hated it, she found it interesting, once she got over her disgust. She got a dying Tok’ra, not your
run-of-the-mill Goa’uld. Her father Jacob was a Tok’ra operative for a few years.”
“Her father?”
“General Jacob Carter,” Jack nodded. “Air Force. Retired. He was dying of cancer, Sam came up with the idea of letting him in on all this and offering him the chance to take a symbiote whose host was dying. The symbiote, Selmac, saved his life and he saved ours a few times. He was the first Earth human to volunteer for a Tok'ra.”
The colonel slowly paced, his arms crossed as he worried on his lip. “The entire time, I felt myself screaming inside and no one could hear me,” he admitted quietly.
“I know,” Jack said. “I did the same thing. Steven, I was a POW for a few months a long time ago, and I was raped repeatedly by guards. When the symbiotes took me, I guarantee you it was a rape. While you are on Earth, I want you to see Dr. Anthony Edmonds; he’s my shrink and he has clearance for our kind of unusual problems. Call my office and get his number from my admin or Col. Davis. And you are surrounded by people who know how you’re feeling; you can talk to me, Daniel, Sam, Jonathan, Col. Reynolds was taken once, and Ninurta and his boys have a long history. And your crew are behind you one hundred percent, Steven; I’ve seen them back you up, so don’t let them down by disappearing on them.”
Caldwell seemed uneasy and a little embarrassed as he nodded. “Yes, sir. Thank you. Sir… Jonathan?”
“No questions, Colonel,” Jack gave an easy warning. “Just know that you can say anything to him that you would say to me.”
“Yes, sir.” After spending three months in battle with Jack’s ‘son,’ Caldwell knew something fishy was going on, but he couldn’t put his finger on it. And damned if old-time SGC personnel weren’t talking about something they were obviously in on. Okay, the kid was smart, but why would seasoned soldiers take orders from someone who wasn’t even military? And why does the general’s son have a Level 8 clearance?
“Any family?” Jack asked, sensing Caldwell’s thoughts still on Jonathan.
“Ex-wife and two girls,” Caldwell said, diverted. He smiled softly. “My girls are eight and ten. They live with their mother. I don’t get to see them very often.”
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