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icarusOkay, here's the first part of BlackOps!Jack written for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wildernessguru. Happy Memorial day!
The Sky Below
By Icarus
Jack surveyed the wreckage of wet napkins melting onto his picnic table with an amused smirk, the rain thudding against the windows. He pulled the kitchen door shut with a click. The sudden cold wind whipped around his ankles.
Well okay, that made a quick end to his Memorial Day cook out. Trust Colorado weather to dump hail on them in the summer.
The rescued remnants of their party were scattered all over the kitchen counters, water beading on plastic wrapped potato salad, soggy chips and Doritos, green-flecked dip, half-eaten piles of grilled burgers and wet hot dog buns. The pickles had held up well, but if anyone wanted seconds he'd have to get out the cast iron.
Warm laughter filtered in from the living room, and Jack heard the crackle of fire as the party righted itself. The comfortable glow of good food and good company. Well. Damp good food.
A shadow fell on the kitchen door. Teal'c stood on the steps as impassively as a tree, rain trickling down his face, and arms loaded with kindling.
Jack yanked the door open.
"Get in, get in! Don't stand out there, you'll freeze your ass off."
"That is unlikely, O'Neill," he said, his long strides taking him down the three steps to Jack's living room. Jack snagged a couple beers to save himself a trip later.
The general sat enthroned in Jack's favorite leather chair, so Jack stepped over Daniel's legs to slump into the couch with a dramatic satisfied sigh. Carter was perched on the edge of the loveseat with Daniel sprawled next to her, his back against the couch, head tipped against her knee. He had liberated the crab dip and the two of them were making short work of it. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd think there was something going on between them; but they'd always been like this, like… puppies in a box.
Teal'c stood, brushing his hands, done with the fire. There was a charcoal smudge on his nose. Jack decided not to tell him.
Jack realized there was a lull in the conversation. Everyone was turned towards him expectantly.
"What? Do you want me to juggle now?" He glanced from one face to another. "I'm the host but I think the responsibility ends there."
Smiles all around. Yeah, good company.
"No," Daniel spoke up. "Sam just mentioned that you had some sort of… daring escape… from Iraqi prison." He gave a coaxing hopeful smile.
Jack shut his eyes briefly. "I did, huh?"
"My dad just mentioned that you were the talk of the water cooler at the Pentagon for a while. After Desert Storm." Sam blushed.
Jack cringed. "I was, huh?"
He could just imagine.
"He said I should ask you someday," Sam added, dipping her head, clearly embarrassed. "You didn't know?"
"No. Didn't work at the Pentagon."
Jack silently promised to shoot Jacob at his earliest possible convenience. He took a long pull on his beer, waiting for the subject to blow over.
"So…?" Daniel prompted. As relentless as ever.
"You want bedtime stories now?" Jack prodded him with his boot. But the curiosity aimed in his direction continued. Jack tried his inscrutable look. That usually got him out of situations like this.
"On Chulak," Teal'c frowned slightly at his silence, "it is customary to recount one's victories in battle when amongst comrades at arms."
Of course Daniel pounced on this. "See?" He made a wide a gesture. "It's customary. You don't want to insult Teal'c." Sam grinned at Daniel and looked just as determined.
General Hammond's eyes sparkled a little at Jack as he chimed in, "Actually, it's a military fact that no one escaped from the Iraqi prison system."
Thank you. "Yeah. That's one thing they're all too good at," Jack said bitterly, head down. "I think a couple of SAS got out, but that's British Special Service. I was just an ordinary pilot."
"A damned good one by all accounts," General Hammond added.
"Thank you, sir."
Daniel shot Jack a confused look. "I thought you were in special ops and… all that sort of thing…" his voice trailed off.
Jack shrugged. "I was. Later."
"So, the colonel didn't escape…?" Sam's brow furrowed.
Jack elected not to answer.
"Oh, he most certainly did." The general nodded in Jack's direction. "You see, what the colonel here escaped from was the good ol' American Red Cross. But like I said," the general leaned back in his chair, "I think that's his story to tell."
"They were not the Red Cross! No way were those people the Red Cross!" Jack cut in with a slicing gesture, leaning forward. Hammond knew that there --
His team looked at Jack expectantly. Jack shut his eyes, trapped, Hammond smirked at him, then tried to pull that innocent good ol' boy face. Jack reminded himself to never, ever forget that George Hammond was a sly old fox.
Jack sighed heavily. "Okay." He shifted forward, elbows leaned on his knees. The rest of his team settled themselves comfortably. Daniel set aside the crab dip, and Teal'c sat up, looking satisfied. "I'll have to start at the beginning."
Or mostly the beginning. Never mind four months in Iraqi prison, or watching his rescue team chicken out and fly away, leaving him for dead. They knew all that shit anyway, and he didn't want to relive any of it. No, not by a long shot. Jack shook his head and took a long sip of his beer, then cleared his throat, not looking at them.
"So. It all started when those sons of bitches told me the war was over – and that they'd won, of course, which I knew was bullshit but they always fucked with you like that." Jack took a calming breath, drumming his fingers on the bottle.
"Anyhow. I knew something was up because they started feeding us again, so at the very least it was Geneva convention week, maybe some UN observers coming through." Jack shrugged and made a face. "No way to tell.
"Slowly, everyone had been pulled out of there but me, because the Iraqis were sure that a soldier my age couldn't possibly be just a captain."
"How old were you?" Daniel interrupted.
"Thirty-nine."
"Wow." Sam blinked. "That's up there for a captain."
"Yeah, well, I was stubborn," Jack said. "You got rank and the Air Force dropped a desk on you." He looked up at Hammond apologetically. "Or at least that's how I saw it at the time."
Jack sighed and continued. "It didn't help matters that the Iraqis had gotten me to tell them exactly what they wanted – several times, in fact. So I was their big 'catch,' unfortunately." He coughed, a weak sort of private laugh. "They thought they had fucking James Bond."
He mulled that over for a second, tipping his head.
"Which is not all too surprising, since half of what I told them was straight out of Moonraker."
W00T!wildernessguru likes his challenge-fic so far. I think this came out better than the first version that was lost in my computer troubles.
wildernessguru. Happy Memorial day!The Sky Below
By Icarus
Jack surveyed the wreckage of wet napkins melting onto his picnic table with an amused smirk, the rain thudding against the windows. He pulled the kitchen door shut with a click. The sudden cold wind whipped around his ankles.
Well okay, that made a quick end to his Memorial Day cook out. Trust Colorado weather to dump hail on them in the summer.
The rescued remnants of their party were scattered all over the kitchen counters, water beading on plastic wrapped potato salad, soggy chips and Doritos, green-flecked dip, half-eaten piles of grilled burgers and wet hot dog buns. The pickles had held up well, but if anyone wanted seconds he'd have to get out the cast iron.
Warm laughter filtered in from the living room, and Jack heard the crackle of fire as the party righted itself. The comfortable glow of good food and good company. Well. Damp good food.
A shadow fell on the kitchen door. Teal'c stood on the steps as impassively as a tree, rain trickling down his face, and arms loaded with kindling.
Jack yanked the door open.
"Get in, get in! Don't stand out there, you'll freeze your ass off."
"That is unlikely, O'Neill," he said, his long strides taking him down the three steps to Jack's living room. Jack snagged a couple beers to save himself a trip later.
The general sat enthroned in Jack's favorite leather chair, so Jack stepped over Daniel's legs to slump into the couch with a dramatic satisfied sigh. Carter was perched on the edge of the loveseat with Daniel sprawled next to her, his back against the couch, head tipped against her knee. He had liberated the crab dip and the two of them were making short work of it. If Jack didn't know any better, he'd think there was something going on between them; but they'd always been like this, like… puppies in a box.
Teal'c stood, brushing his hands, done with the fire. There was a charcoal smudge on his nose. Jack decided not to tell him.
Jack realized there was a lull in the conversation. Everyone was turned towards him expectantly.
"What? Do you want me to juggle now?" He glanced from one face to another. "I'm the host but I think the responsibility ends there."
Smiles all around. Yeah, good company.
"No," Daniel spoke up. "Sam just mentioned that you had some sort of… daring escape… from Iraqi prison." He gave a coaxing hopeful smile.
Jack shut his eyes briefly. "I did, huh?"
"My dad just mentioned that you were the talk of the water cooler at the Pentagon for a while. After Desert Storm." Sam blushed.
Jack cringed. "I was, huh?"
He could just imagine.
"He said I should ask you someday," Sam added, dipping her head, clearly embarrassed. "You didn't know?"
"No. Didn't work at the Pentagon."
Jack silently promised to shoot Jacob at his earliest possible convenience. He took a long pull on his beer, waiting for the subject to blow over.
"So…?" Daniel prompted. As relentless as ever.
"You want bedtime stories now?" Jack prodded him with his boot. But the curiosity aimed in his direction continued. Jack tried his inscrutable look. That usually got him out of situations like this.
"On Chulak," Teal'c frowned slightly at his silence, "it is customary to recount one's victories in battle when amongst comrades at arms."
Of course Daniel pounced on this. "See?" He made a wide a gesture. "It's customary. You don't want to insult Teal'c." Sam grinned at Daniel and looked just as determined.
General Hammond's eyes sparkled a little at Jack as he chimed in, "Actually, it's a military fact that no one escaped from the Iraqi prison system."
Thank you. "Yeah. That's one thing they're all too good at," Jack said bitterly, head down. "I think a couple of SAS got out, but that's British Special Service. I was just an ordinary pilot."
"A damned good one by all accounts," General Hammond added.
"Thank you, sir."
Daniel shot Jack a confused look. "I thought you were in special ops and… all that sort of thing…" his voice trailed off.
Jack shrugged. "I was. Later."
"So, the colonel didn't escape…?" Sam's brow furrowed.
Jack elected not to answer.
"Oh, he most certainly did." The general nodded in Jack's direction. "You see, what the colonel here escaped from was the good ol' American Red Cross. But like I said," the general leaned back in his chair, "I think that's his story to tell."
"They were not the Red Cross! No way were those people the Red Cross!" Jack cut in with a slicing gesture, leaning forward. Hammond knew that there --
His team looked at Jack expectantly. Jack shut his eyes, trapped, Hammond smirked at him, then tried to pull that innocent good ol' boy face. Jack reminded himself to never, ever forget that George Hammond was a sly old fox.
Jack sighed heavily. "Okay." He shifted forward, elbows leaned on his knees. The rest of his team settled themselves comfortably. Daniel set aside the crab dip, and Teal'c sat up, looking satisfied. "I'll have to start at the beginning."
Or mostly the beginning. Never mind four months in Iraqi prison, or watching his rescue team chicken out and fly away, leaving him for dead. They knew all that shit anyway, and he didn't want to relive any of it. No, not by a long shot. Jack shook his head and took a long sip of his beer, then cleared his throat, not looking at them.
"So. It all started when those sons of bitches told me the war was over – and that they'd won, of course, which I knew was bullshit but they always fucked with you like that." Jack took a calming breath, drumming his fingers on the bottle.
"Anyhow. I knew something was up because they started feeding us again, so at the very least it was Geneva convention week, maybe some UN observers coming through." Jack shrugged and made a face. "No way to tell.
"Slowly, everyone had been pulled out of there but me, because the Iraqis were sure that a soldier my age couldn't possibly be just a captain."
"How old were you?" Daniel interrupted.
"Thirty-nine."
"Wow." Sam blinked. "That's up there for a captain."
"Yeah, well, I was stubborn," Jack said. "You got rank and the Air Force dropped a desk on you." He looked up at Hammond apologetically. "Or at least that's how I saw it at the time."
Jack sighed and continued. "It didn't help matters that the Iraqis had gotten me to tell them exactly what they wanted – several times, in fact. So I was their big 'catch,' unfortunately." He coughed, a weak sort of private laugh. "They thought they had fucking James Bond."
He mulled that over for a second, tipping his head.
"Which is not all too surprising, since half of what I told them was straight out of Moonraker."
W00T!
wildernessguru likes his challenge-fic so far. I think this came out better than the first version that was lost in my computer troubles.![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 03:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 03:28 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 05:05 am (UTC)Or mostly the beginning. Never mind four months in Iraqi prison, or watching his rescue team chicken out and fly away, leaving him for dead. They knew all that shit anyway, and he didn't want to relive any of it.
This line alone warns me that the story will get brutal. I can't wait to see where you go with this.
no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 05:55 am (UTC)Oh, and I posted a one-off that I've had in mind for a while.
Icarus
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Date: 2005-05-31 08:29 am (UTC)BlackOps!Jack is finally here! ...heh heh - half the stuff he told them was straight out of Moonraker. That sounds just like Jack. I'm loving it already.
no subject
Date: 2005-06-01 05:19 am (UTC)"You saved it right? Not gonna lose it this time?"
He looked a little anxious. :)
Icarus
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Date: 2005-06-02 04:42 am (UTC)Heh heh heh...I don't blame him!
no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 03:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-01 05:21 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-05-31 09:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-06-01 05:22 am (UTC)Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-06-01 02:41 pm (UTC)(ahem, have been lurking with intent for months - do you mind if I friend you?)
no subject
Date: 2005-06-02 04:12 am (UTC)This story has been completely mapped out for months, so I just need to flesh it out. It'll take a while though. There are about 22-24 scenes about this length, and I'm planning on posting it the way I did The Walls Of Jericho (http://www.icarus.slashcity.net/stories/wallsofjericho.html): a long luxurious ride over the few months, unbeta'd in the LJ, and then posting the final beta'd version in the archives.
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2005-06-02 04:40 am (UTC)Cool! I was hoping this one would be a longer fic! I really enjoyed the ride with Jericho, getting to see the fic as it developed. I'm looking forward to this even more, now that I know you're going to take your time with it. Thank you,
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 05:27 am (UTC)I've a question: have you ever read Bravo Two-Zero?
(It's related to the answer to your question, really.)
Icarus
no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 03:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-05-02 04:14 pm (UTC)What happened was I was talking to
But I'm stuck because there really isn't any better materials out there, and it's not as if I've done black ops.
Stymied,
Icarus