The Anunnaki Unification, Book 3: A Stargate SG-1 Fan Fiction Story

by Michele Briere

  “A car.”

  Jack looked at the phone. “You have a car.”

  “I don’t have a cherry red ’67 Mustang.”

  Gabriel put a hand to his mouth, trying to keep silent. Their host took the cue and also kept silent.

  “A what? Daniel, do you know how much a ’67 Mustang costs?”

  “Jack, it isn’t too often that I splurge, so I’ll get it myself, if I have to.”

  Jack rolled his eyes and lowered his face into a hand for a moment. “I’ll go halves,” he finally said. “We may need to take out another mortgage…. Daniel?”

  “Yes, Jack.”

  “While you’re on the line, how about answering a few questions from our LIVE audience.”

  There was silence. “Why did you answer the phone?!” Daniel hissed. Gabriel and their host, as well as the crew, began laughing.

  “Well, I was kinda hoping you were going to talk dirty to me,” Jack said, arousing more laughter. Daniel swore at him in Jaffa. “Knew I could count on you, honey buns.”

  There was silence. “Honey buns?”

  “Sweetie pie?”

  “Sweet…… Jack!”

  “What’s that song I seem to remember hearing years ago…… sugar kisses.”

  …… “Gabriel?”

  Gabriel got hold of himself and cleared his throat. “Yes, Daniel?”

  “Do me a really big favor? Smack him.”

  Gabriel backhanded Jack’s arm as the crew laughed.

  “Dr. Jackson? It’s Larry. Can we talk a moment?”

  “Yes, of course,” Daniel said. Jack moved his phone closer to the microphone. “And it’s Daniel, please. How are you, sir?”

  “I’m fine, thank you. We’ve been discussing these rumors of miraculous healings, as I’m sure you are aware. Could you comment on this?”

  “I’m sure both Jack and Dr. Thorn have been reminding everyone about this leap we are going through, so I won’t bother to repeat them. All I can say is that it’s nothing we haven’t seen others do. Off-world, I mean. I think we would have begun this sooner if not for our societies being semi-phobic about anything that a sacred text doesn’t tell them exists.”

  “Are you saying our society is in the midst of religious hysteria, Daniel?”

  “Do you disagree?” Daniel countered. “We have lots of examples of so-called strange things happening through the history of this planet, but no one believes it if it isn’t verified by the AMA. How many people, mostly women, were burned or drowned in recent history in Africa for no other reason than a freak fever or whatever? We are barely out of the dark ages, Larry. It’s happening and people need to accept it.”

  Their host leaned over the table, looking thoughtfully at the innocent cell phone. “According to General O’Neill, he’s able to heal cuts and scrapes. We cut my hand and he healed it right in front of us, so I’m certainly not going to deny his skill. How far does it extend, though?”

  “Are you asking if he can raise the dead?” Daniel asked. Jack lowered his head for a moment, knowing what was coming by the tone in Daniel’s gentled voice. “His father and his niece, the mother of the children he adopted, are dead. His son Charlie died about ten years or so ago; if Jack had had the ability then, he certainly would have saved his son. No, Larry; Jack’s our band-aid guy, no more, no less.”

  The crew was silent. “Thank you, Daniel,” Larry said after a moment. “General, I’m sorry for bringing up those memories. I knew about your family, but I didn’t follow the pieces.”

  “I’m fine,” Jack said. “It’s okay, Danny. How about we change the subject? I believe the topic of marriage was on the list.”

  Their host nodded, grateful for the opening. “Daniel, would you mind?”

  “Not at all,” Daniel said. “I’m all for marriage. What about it?”

  “There’s another round of arguments to amend the Constitution, specifying man-woman only marriage,” Larry said.

  “Short sighted of them,” Daniel said.

  “How so?” Larry asked, curious.

  “Well, out of the hundreds of worlds that we know, only a very small handful are specific on that subject. Most planets don’t care about who marries whom as long as everyone is legal age and consenting. Actually, most planets have what we call common law marriage or handfasting, which is what we did for our ceremony. And no one places emphasis on numbers within the union. Other planets consider it legal because there is a contract between the parties and there were witnesses to the vows and the signing of the contract. A few planets have a spiritual leader that blesses the union, but it isn’t necessary; other than that, it all boils down to contracts. We may be more advanced than most worlds in the technology department, but our social skills are lacking. We need to catch up and remind the government that the bedroom is none of its business. The government’s business is civics, not my bedroom. …. Oh, hey, I need to go. The baby is making her bad diaper face and hell is about to break loose.”

  “Thank you for taking time for us, Dr. Jackson,” their host said. “You’ll be on the show with your new book soon?”

  “Yes, in a couple of weeks,” Daniel said hurriedly. “Jack –Mustang.”

  “Yes, Daniel.”

  There was the sound of an unhappy baby making her situation known just before the line was disconnected.

  “Larry, do you see what I deal with everyday?” Jack whined. “Out of left field, Lar. I never know what Daniel or Sam are going to come up with, much less the kids, and yet people seem to think my family is a danger to the American way of life. He wants a ’67 Mustang, Lar. Cherry red. How American can you get?”

  “And you’re going to get it for him,” Gabriel continued.

  “And I’m going to get it for him, God help me,” Jack said, leaning back wearily in his chair.

  “And speaking of the Man,” Larry said, watching the two in amusement.

  “Who –Daniel?”

  Gabriel shook his head. “Capitol M, Jack.”

  “Oh. How about we not go there?” Jack suggested.

  “I read an advance copy of Dr. Jackson’s book,” Larry said. “There are enough holes in it to drive a spaceship through.”

  Jack lifted an eyebrow. “That’s a good one,” he said, shaking a finger. “But I’m afraid you’ll need to ask Daniel about any holes. I didn’t help him write it.”

  “Come on, Jack, you are infamous for your anti-religion stance,” their host said.

  “And?” Jack asked. “I am anti-ignorance and anti-intolerance. I don’t care what other people do or how they worship, so give me the same consideration. And I’m not going to explain myself; it’s no one’s business.”

  After discovering that no one goes where Jack doesn’t want to go, they took phone calls from their listening and viewing audience. Many people tried to push Jack into the discussion and they all failed. A few military personnel wanted to know about gays in the military. Jack told them that if Alexander the Great could deal with it, so can they. Gabriel was more helpful, answering questions from worried parents about the odd things their kids were doing. He also encouraged anyone not tagged with the new locator ID’s, that they should do so. He assured people that the tags did not monitor thoughts or any brain activity; the tags only told a machine where that person was at any given moment. It was a great invention in the face of kidnappings and runaways. The tags were being given out for free, so if anyone tried to charge them they were to notify the authorities. Gabriel also swung the conversation to medicine and let everyone know that his office was putting a protocol together for Stage 3 human trials for diabetic and heart disease cures, and they could thank General O’Neill’s people for bringing the ideas in from the stars. The phones began to ring off the hooks.

  Once out of the studio and away from people, Gabriel picked up a newspaper from a vendor before they got into the cab.

  “Jack, I don’t know what you’re hiding, something to do with religion, but is it that serious?” he asked quietly.
“I get the feeling this is more than personal preference; you know something.”

  “Enough to destroy the world,” Jack said after a moment. Gabriel studied him for a moment and then nodded.

  “Alright.”

  After contacting most of the world’s religious leadership, Jack was confused. None of them wanted to attend a meeting with him. As far as they were concerned, there was nothing he could tell them that would make the world a better place. Their own faith was more important than anything he could say and if his words and whatever he had that he was calling facts would do nothing more than cause war, then they didn’t want to hear it. Jack took a step back. He had to admit that he was wrong to try and force this on them. They were right –if it would not bring peace, don’t bother them with it.

  “Religion and society have a symbiotic relationship,” Daniel had told him. “One does not grow without the other. If society is in a growth spurt, it will need religion to grow with it. Take away the religion and the society falls apart. As important as that ship is, we need to destroy it. It kills me to say it, but I’m saying it. Destroy the ship.”

  They were all conflicted about the ship, changing their minds in mid-sentence, having no previous experience to rely upon to guide their decisions. None of their allies were helpful, not even Thor or Enki. They even sent a message to Thanatos. He didn’t know about the ship, either, and also recommended getting rid of it. No good could come of it, if the information brought death and destruction. Society would revert to the Dark Ages and have to start over again. Jack called in the Prometheus and had the ship towed to a far solar system that had no habitable planets, and dropped the ship into the giant ball of fire. The explosion seared several nearby planets to a crisp, making Jack and Sam thankful that the ship wasn’t sent to their own star.

  Jack’s day wasn’t any better when he got home. Malek was sitting on his couch and Katie was sitting close by. Jack did feel a little better when Josh Reynolds came out of the bathroom and sat next to Katie after greeting Jack.

  “Who needs what?” Jack asked.

  “Pardon?” Malek looked blankly at him.

  “Well, you only visit when you need something,” Jack said. There was a squeal and Olivia toddled across the living room at him, arms waving, trying to keep her balance. Jack picked her up and kissed her before setting her on his hip. “I’m feeling used, Mal. You don’t write, you don’t call…..”

  “Dad,” Katie reproved. “He brought Uncle Danny some archaeology things they can’t translate.”

  “Oh. Alright. Staying for dinner, Mal? Hey, where is everyone? I assume Daniel is holed up downstairs.”

  “Yes, and Aunt Sam is taking care of those cult boys,” Katie said, following Jack into his bedroom. “She’s getting them tested. Finding out what they can do and everything. Matty is with grandpa at choir, Davy went to a movie with Nanna, and Stacey is at Major Brice’s house with Jerrie. Helping, I think.” Jerrie had been excused for a few days while the major took his wife on a small vacation. Aunt Jerrie was watching over her nieces.

  “Good,” Jack commented. He put Olivia on the floor and found a fresh shirt.

  “Why is Josh smiling at Malek?”

  Katie’s cheeks pinked.

  “Can we talk about that later?” she begged.

  “Now, please. Have a seat.” Katie flopped onto the bed. “What’s going on?” Jack asked, standing in front of her.

  “I like both of them,” she whispered. “Josh likes both of us.”

  “He’s bisexual?” Jack asked. Katie shrugged.

  “He isn’t sure,” she said. “He thinks he might be.”

  “And where is Malek in all this… liking?”

  She shrugged. “We haven’t talked about it,” she said. “I’m not an idiot, Dad; Malek doesn’t even live on this planet. Long distance relationships don’t work here, much less across the galaxy.”

  “Watch it,” he warned. He went to the door and stuck his head out. “Joshua! Front and center. Malek, please hang for a moment.” He waited until Josh was in the room and shut the door. Josh looked from Jack to Katie, wondering what was going on.

  “Mr. Reynolds, teenage crushes are usually cute, but I have a lot going on,” Jack informed him directly. “Save me some time playing guessing games and tell me what you have in mind for Katie and Malek.”

  Josh’s face changed colors as he tried to look anywhere except at Katie and Jack.

  “Sir, I…..”

  Jack shook his head. “Come on, Josh; consider my current lifestyle. I’m the last person to judge you. My main concern is Katie getting hurt.”

  “I wouldn’t hurt Katie, sir,” Josh immediately said. Jack sensed the truth in him.

  “I know, son, but you and Katie are both interested in a man with a snake in his head who happens to live on another planet. Do I need to forbid Malek from stepping foot on this world?”

  “No, sir,” Josh said, shaking his head. “I haven’t said anything to him. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. I…. I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

  Jack studied him for a moment. “Kate, go keep our guest company,” Jack told her. “And do not mention this conversation to him. Talk about…. medicine.”

  “Yes, sir,” she said and reluctantly left Josh alone with Jack.

  “Have a seat, son,” Jack said, giving a nod toward the foot of the bed. He was pretty sure Reynolds wouldn't mind this chat. Josh sat. “You’ve never gone out with another boy?”

  Josh hung his head. “No, sir,” he confessed. “I’m not even sure…..”

  “Be sure,” Jack told him. He pulled up a chair and turned it around, sitting backwards on it. “I can’t guide you in gay relationships, I’m not gay. I can tell you that communication is a little different. You talk with your friends differently than you talk with a girl you like, right? That kind of difference. I certainly don’t have an issue with multiple relationships. My concern is your age. You don’t have the experience to know how to manage one relationship let alone two. I’m fifty-five, son, and there are days I’m still running in circles. Have you talked with your father?”

  “No, sir,” Josh said, shaking his head. “He knows that I…. look at other guys. Sometimes.”

  “Well, I think you should talk with him about this,” Jack said. “Your father is a good man. He may be a little confused by all this, but he’s trying. I trust him at my back; you can trust him, too. And I’d like to trust you with my daughter. She’s been hurt, she doesn’t need more pain.”

  He gave Josh money and told him to take Katie out for dinner. Josh’s stomach bottomed out, knowing that the general was going to open a discussion with Malek.

  “Malek, I want to talk privately with you,” Jack said, sitting on the couch, keeping an eye on Olivia. “Just us, toss formalities out the door.”

  Curious, Malek nodded. “Alright.”

  “Those two are both just barely entering adulthood,” Jack told him, jerking a thumb at the door. “They are confused with hormones and I don’t want to see them hurt. They both like you. I mean, they are both sexually interested in you.”

  “I know,” Malek said, not sure where Jack was going with the conversation. “I have been mindful of your wish to not invite Katie’s advances.”

  “Yes, you have, and I appreciate it,” Jack acknowledged. “I’m not sure what to do about this. Same gender preferences, while not new, are becoming more and more prevalent in young adults. I don’t have a problem with that. My concern is it’s new enough that our kids, and their parents, don’t understand it much less how to deal with it. Josh is very confused. He knows he likes girls, he certainly likes Katie, but he also has a growing crush on you and that’s a new thing for him.”

  Malek took a thoughtful deep breath as he slowly nodded. “I, too, do not know how to proceed,” he said. “I admit that I…. we… could possibly have feelings for Katie. She is young, though, by your planet’s standards. Joshua is a handsome young man, and he has a kind hea
rt, but he is also young. If he were able, I would invite him to the Tok’ra and consider him as a bedmate. I do not wish to risk the wrath of Colonel Reynolds. What is your recommendation? Should I stay off this world?”

  “No,” Jack sighed and rubbed at the stubble on his cheeks. “They need to learn how to control and focus their feelings. Absence won’t help them to do that. You just continue to be yourself and let them deal with their emotions.”

  “Good,” Malek said. “Because there are few that I would trust to bring you private information. There is evidence that new Goa’ulds are taking planets along the outer rim.”

  Chapter 59

  “Come on, move your ass!”

  The men groaned under the whip master’s evil rule. At five a.m., they were rousted from their cozy bed and forced to don sneakers and sweats. Much to Jack’s surprise, he made only three miles before he ran out of breath. Daniel was wheezing at two miles. Both men staggered to a halt and forced themselves to keep on their feet and walk it off. Sam stopped when she noticed her troops weren’t behind her and then jogged back until she found them.

  “Wusses,” she informed them.

  “Hhhhheartlesss,” Daniel sputtered, waving a dismissive hand in her direction before collapsing onto the dirt path and wincing at the bright sky above.

  “I’m old,” Jack informed the woods.

  “So?” Sam asked. “I’m heading up to the pond for a swim before we turn around. And no, I’m not wearing a swimsuit.” She turned and continued her run along the path. The men looked at her and then at each other.

  “Now there’s incentive,” Jack said, groaning as he forced himself to his feet. He held out a hand and hauled Daniel to his feet. The pond was a small lake about two more miles into the forest. The path was on a slight incline and the men were feeling it in their legs as they half-walked half-jogged their way to the pond.

  By the time they found the pond and attempted to drown themselves by sticking their heads into the water, Sam was already wet and splashing about. Her sneakers and clothing lay neatly on a nearby boulder.