By JudyL

November 1, 2004

Here's the fourth story in this series. It's not exactly progressing as I thought it would when I started, but then they hardly ever do. This is also a crossover story, but I'm going to leave that as a surprise. If you must know ahead of time, it's at the end. Many, many thanks and hugs to my wonderful cousin, Cheryl for all her hard work betaing my stories.

Disclaimers: They still aren't mine, but I won't say no if someone offers.

Warnings: Not that I know of.

***********

"I don't know about this, Kara," the young Sentinel said dragging her Guide to a stop in the hall.

"Come on, Jesse," Kara insisted pulling at her Sentinel's arm and forcing her a few more reluctant steps toward their goal. "You know what the Shaman said. He wants to know about any visions we have."

"But this is so silly," Jesse countered. "It doesn't make any sense."

"It's not for us to decide, Jesse," Kara said firmly. "Just because we can't interpret the vision doesn't mean they can't."

Jesse nodded reluctantly and followed her Guide to the door leading to the Inner Sanctum.

*********

Jim tilted his head. "Got a live one coming in, Chief," he said cryptically moving to open the door to their office. They'd jokingly called it their Inner Sanctum once and the name had stuck. Although it was said with humor amongst the staff and original members of the SGF council, the students always said it with something akin to awe.

Blair looked up from his computer screen and frowned. "Who is it?"

Jim concentrated for a moment. "Sentinel Jesse and Guide Kara. One of them has had a vision."

Blair saved his work and shut down the computer, quickly joining Jim on the other side of the desk. Jim opened the door with a reassuring smile just as the girls reached it.

"Umm," the smaller of the two said glancing at the lanky brunette beside her.

"Come in, Jesse, Kara," Jim said standing back and motioning them in with one hand. "Take a seat ladies."

Jesse and Kara were two of the youngest students at the school currently and the youngest bonded pair. At thirteen and fourteen respectively, they were at the SGF on a trial basis over the summer. Blair didn't like the idea of taking children from their families. However in Jesse's case they'd decided to try something new.

Young Sentinels, under eighteen, were assigned a senior SG pair to help out until a Guide was found, but were encouraged to stay with their family, finish school and only visited the SGF for an initial orientation and periodic check ups to make sure everything was going all right.

Jesse's gifts were very strong and she already had a Guide in her best friend, Kara. The girls' parents were afraid. A local doctor had documented Jesse's abilities and her parents thought they'd seen people following the pair around. Jesse later told Blair and Jim that some men tried to grab her, but she'd heard them and had been able to get to safety.

So the young pair was safely ensconced at the SGF for the summer at least. They would have to decide what to do when school started in the fall.

"What can we do for you?" Blair asked, not wanting to let the girls know they'd been overheard. Sentinel ethics included not using the gifts to eavesdrop on private conversations. Of course, that being said, rules were made to be broken, for the right reason.

The young pair glanced at each other again and joined hands. That was another thing that Jim and Blair had insisted on. Bonded pairs were encouraged to touch each other to reaffirm their bond.

"Jesse had a vision," Kara said softly.

Blair nodded. "Thank you for coming to us. Visions are an important part of being a Sentinel and Guide. They may seem strange, but they are always important," he said using his Guide voice. "Can you tell us about it, Jesse?"

Jesse lifted her chin and met Blair's eyes. "Yes, Shaman." Blair restrained himself from correcting the young Sentinel. Someone had overheard Jim teasing him and yet another SGF legend was born.

"Take your time, Jesse," Blair said taking a seat on the chair closest to the girl.

She nodded. "I was my spirit guide, the cheetah," Jesse reminded them. "I heard a horrible screech and ran in that direction. It sounded like a bird, so I thought it might be Kara." Kara's animal spirit was a blue bird. "I entered a clearing overlooking a valley with strange patterns in the grass, then I heard the scream again. A giant eagle was circling one of the patterns diving down at a huge snake in the grass." Jesse's forehead wrinkled as she tried to accurately recall the dream.

"The snake kept striking at the eagle as it dove trying to drive off the intruder. Then the snake hit its mark. The eagle fell to the ground," she paused. "That's when Kara woke me."

Blair nodded thoughtfully. "Jesse, I'd like to help Kara run you through a memory recall exercise and record what you remember. Are you willing to do that?" It was very important to the Shaman that each Sentinel's Guide be 'in control' during any sensory exercises. It helped teach the Guide how to help the Sentinel and built trust between the pair.

Jesse glanced at Kara who nodded slightly. The Sentinel straightened her shoulders and nodded. "Yes, Shaman."

Sandburg smiled and patted her knee. "Good. Let's get started. Jim, would you grab the mini-recorder for me?"

********

"How many is that now, Chief?" Jim asked passing a hand over his face wearily.

"Over a dozen, though this is the clearest one yet," Blair leaned his elbows on the desk and toyed with his pen. "I think Jesse’s visions are more detailed because of her age. She's still young enough to be open to strange conflicting images. She doesn’t have enough life experience to have hard and fast beliefs of what is normal. At least, not yet." He shrugged. "Something big is coming down, Jim. I can feel it."

Ellison nodded. His own dreams had been filled with danger, but not clear enough to be considered visions. The other reported visions from both Sentinels and Guides ranged from vague impressions of danger to Jesse's startling imagery. They just had to figure out who was being represented. Most of the dreamers seemed to think that the danger was pointed at a public figure, but that was all they could tell.

"Still seems pretty clear to me," Jim insisted. "Who else could the bald eagle represent but the President? The shapes in the grass include a five sided polygon, obviously the Pentagon and this other one could be the White House."

Blair nodded. "Okay, then who's the snake? And what do these two rectangles represent?"

Jim rolled his eyes then sighed. "I don't know, Chief. Maybe it's time to put these visions before the council. See if together we can't come up with an answer."

"Okay," the Shaman nodded again. "I'll have Percy get together with Rhonda and collate the data."

~~~~~~~~

Percy Brett, former Cascade police detective, now operations manager for the SGF limped into the conference room and set another stack of paper on the table. "That's the last of it. We'd probably save money having laptops for everyone instead of making hard copies," he said as he dropped into a nearby chair.

Rhonda laughed. "You're probably right. We'll have to bring it up at the next finance meeting."

Brett smiled. He enjoyed his work at the Foundation, although he still wasn't exactly sure how he'd come to be here. There had never been a doubt in his mind that Sandburg was only protecting Ellison with the whole dissertation press conference. Somehow he'd earned the trust of Cascade's Sentinel and Guide and ended up managing the everyday operations of the school.

"What do you make of all this, Percy?" Rhonda asked as she wrote various pieces of information on the white boards in the room.

Percy shook his head. "I've never had much experience with the supernatural personally, but I did know a man who claimed to have foreseen his own death."

"Really?" Rhonda asked with mild disbelief. "Did it come true?"

"Not the way he expected," Percy grinned ruefully. "He was so busy looking for the car that was supposed to run him over that he didn't see the bus…"

Rhonda stared at Brett for a long moment then saw the corner of his lip twitch. "Oh, you!" she exclaimed.

Percy laughed. "I think it's hard enough for our SG pairs to accept their visions sometimes, how can we noncoms be expected to accept them, let alone interpret them?"

"I don't know," Rhonda sighed. "All I do know is that I believe they are seeing something real. I don't know why. I just do."

Brett nodded. "So do I."

~~~~~~~~

Rhonda looked around the room and cleared her throat before she started. She'd been organizing all of the data on the visions and would now present that information to the entire SGF council. The members included their friends from Major Crime, Percy Brett, Daryl Banks, William and Steven Ellison, Sally Wong, Naomi Sandburg, Jack Kelso, Orvelle Wallace, Vince Deal, Eli Stoddard and Wendy Hawthorne.

Several white boards were set up at the front of the room with pertinent information on them and Rhonda had a marker to add any ideas that might come up.

"Okay," she said, "you all have copies of the information. Blair's asked me to read the statistics to you and see if we can come up with a more solid idea of what these visions mean. Or at least better guesses."

Simon snorted softly. Jim turned and grinned at his captain. They had all accepted the visions as fact, just another part of the whole Sentinel/Guide package, but Simon couldn't help wondering at the position in which he now found himself.

Rhonda continued. "The most common denominator is a feeling of danger. Three of the dreamers felt it was personal, aimed at them or someone close to them. Everyone else thought it might be directed toward a well-known, public figure or even a larger number of people."

"From what we've figured out so far," Percy picked up, "all the visions relating to perceived personal danger came from people who are originally from the eastern United States. One each from Boston, New York and D.C.. Using only the information from the clearest visions of 'someone' being in danger, we've managed to narrow those locations down to New York and Washington D.C.."

Rhonda pointed to the map where colored tacks indicated the places from the dreams. "These locations are based on the imagery in the visions. The Statue of Liberty and the White House are represented several times, sometimes the images are vivid, while some are just identifiable representations. But there are ten different references to New York, sixteen to D.C., and one to Pennsylvania," Rhonda paused with a slight frown before continuing. "Well, the image for that one was the Quaker Oats Man," she grinned ruefully, "so it is a reasonable assumption. Still, no one else has pinpointed Pennsylvania as a danger spot."

Rhonda turned the page. "The other repeated images we have include snakes, eagles, two rectangular shapes that may be buildings, and fire. The number of instances for each are on your handouts. I suggest we take one vision at a time and see if we can come up with any ideas."

They all nodded. "Thanks Rhonda, Percy," Blair said looking around the room and catching everyone's eye. "Jim and I already have a few theories, but we don't want to miss anything. Listen with an open mind and please, don’t be shy about speaking up if you have an idea. I don't care how silly you think it is, it may help." He made another circuit of the room with his eyes, then nodded. "Okay, Rafe, would you start the first tape, please?"

~~~~~~

They listened to each taped session, made notes, and discussed the images. Four hours later they took a lunch break eating in the council room so they could continue to brainstorm.

Steven shook his head. "I agree, Jim, the eagle could be the President, but Jesse's the only one who saw the eagle in that context, fighting the snake." He shrugged. "The others all reported seeing the eagle falling from the sky. It's just not the same."

Naomi nodded. "Steven's right. Jesse's eagle may represent something completely different from the others. We're just assuming that all the eagles mean the same thing. Trying to interpret one vision is difficult enough," she sighed. "Interpreting over a dozen and trying to correlate similarities," the red head frowned. "I'm not sure we're going about this in the right way."

"What do you mean, Naomi?" Blair asked leaning forward in his chair.

His mother hesitated, but seeing the encouragement on her son's and their other friends' faces she continued. "I'd like to meditate on this for a while, and maybe we should call Charlie."

"Who's Charlie?" William asked.

Jim smiled. "Charlie Spring, he's a psychic."

Surprisingly, no one scoffed at the idea and this gave Naomi the courage to continue. "Who better to interpret visions than Charlie? Jim," she implored, "you've seen him work, you know he has a real gift."

Jim nodded and glanced at Blair. His Guide raised an eyebrow then faced the rest of the group. "All right. I think Naomi has a valid idea. It would mean bringing him into our confidence and that requires a unanimous vote of the council. Any questions?"

***********

Charlie Spring, psychic extraordinaire, rose from his seat and grabbed Jim's hand. "Wow," he said, pumping the Sentinel's hand up and down. "I am so honored that you would trust me with this." Charlie released Jim's hand and caught Blair's repeating the motion. "I haven't had any hits myself, but I'm rarely on the East Coast, don't have any family out there either."

Spring started to pace. "Would it be possible for me to meet the people who've been having these dreams? I may be able to tune into what they are seeing, or even get a hit of my own if I'm exposed to the right stimuli."

Blair nodded. "Several of them are here at the Foundation. We weren't sure exactly what you'd want to start with, Charlie. I know you can't guarantee anything."

Charlie nodded. "I learned that lesson all too well," he said recalling his last visit to Cascade. "I want to go in without any preconceptions. I'd prefer it if we didn't even talk about their visions, just let me meet them and see what I can pick up."

"Sounds good," Jim agreed. "Are you ready to get started? We can visit Jesse and Kara in their classroom."

~~~~~~~~

Jim, Blair and Charlie sat around the table listening to the tapes they'd made earlier in the day. Every time Spring was introduced to one of the SG pairs who had reported having visions, he had gotten a hit. Sometimes it was short and vague, but a few of them had been as detailed as Jesse's vision. They'd recorded each session so that they could go back over them later.

"… I see a building on fire," Charlie's voice intoned. "No… wait, two buildings, side by side, they're both on fire…"

Blair pushed the stop button on the tape player. "We haven't gotten one exactly like that before. One building on fire, or full of smoke. An eagle crashing into a building…" he looked at Charlie.

"They were tall, like office buildings, skyscrapers maybe… but close together." He shook his head. "I don't recognize them, the details are clear to a point, but not enough to identify the exact buildings."

"What about the other images?" Jim asked. "What do you get from the eagles?"

Spring closed his eyes for a moment. "There are definitely two different things being portrayed by the eagles. The one Jesse saw, I think that indicates the U.S.A," he shrugged, "maybe the President or another member of Congress, but it feels bigger than one person."

Blair nodded thoughtfully as he took notes. "Go on," he encouraged.

Charlie sighed. "The other eagles are more like symbols of flight. They run into things or fall from the sky. I don't have any better explanation than that," he finished apologetically.

"No," Blair said, "that's good, this is what we need, someone who can interpret their own visions without bias." Jim snorted. Sandburg rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Most of these kids are too wrapped up in the emotion of the vision. And we are getting the second hand telling too, in some cases third hand. That means they've edited the content, not intentionally of course, but it's in our nature to put things in order." He waved his hands. "Human beings are story tellers and we like our stories in neat little packages. Visions and dreams are rarely neat, nor do they usually make sense. It's only natural for us to try to manage the retelling of them."

Charlie nodded avidly as Blair wound down. Jim scowled half-heartedly. "All right, I see what you mean," he said allowing a small grin to escape. "Let's finish this up so we can present it to the rest of the council."

********

Blair finished presenting Charlie's input to the others and sat down. Silence reigned as everyone digested the information.

Jack Kelso spoke first. "I hate to be an alarmist, but this is sounding more like a national threat than a private one."

"I agree," Vince grumbled. "Mr. Spring, could those other eagles be airplanes?"

Charlie looked up, a bit startled to be consulted. He cleared his throat and nodded. "I suppose. That certainly fits with the feeling I get from the images. Loss of the ability to fly, they crash or run into something. Some are flying wildly, out of control."

"Except for the eagle protecting the White House," Wendy added.

"Right," Spring answered more confidently. "That one definitely represents Washington, the President, or maybe in a broader sense the entire country. The feeling I get from that eagle is… well, it's bigger than one person."

"So what do we do with this information?" Simon asked.

Silence ruled the room again.

"We have to tell someone," Orvelle said fervently.

"The question is," Percy added, "who and how do we get them to believe us?"

William Ellison cleared his throat then made eye contact with everyone before he spoke. "I think we need to go to the top. We need to let the President know about the SGF and what we are doing here. We need to convince him to listen to our story. At least then, no one can claim we sat on the information. We'll have incontrovertible evidence that we tried to help and had the ability to foretell problems."

Jim frowned. "You want us to do this to cover our butts," he stated flatly.

"We have to face facts, Jimmy," Will replied. "It's unlikely that we will even get in to see the President. The odds that he will do anything with the information, if we do talk to him, are astronomical. The best we can hope for is to set a precedence for the future."

Jack nodded. "William's right. I vote we do everything we can to get our representatives, preferably Jim and Blair, in to see the President. Once they've spoken to him, the ball's out of our court."

*********

Jim picked up the ringing phone but didn’t even get a chance to say anything.

"Blair?" a frantic female voice said.

"No, this is Jim," he started to answer.

"Oh God, it was awful," the woman continued, "is he there? I need to talk to him."

"Felicia?" Jim asked recognizing the Guide's voice.

"Yes. Is Blair there?"

"Hold on a second, I'll get him." Jim put the call on hold and yelled, "Sandburg!" across the expanse of their home.

When they'd built the new place on SGF grounds the floor plan had ended up quite similar to the loft, only bigger. Blair's room was larger and Jim's upper room had sliding panels that enabled him to have more privacy when required. There was also a den where the pair tried to keep all work-related items and a separate dining room with a table large enough to seat twelve. They frequently had dinner guests. They also had two guestrooms, four bathrooms and the kitchen was equipped with state of the art appliances.

They had moved most of their personal belongings to the new house, leaving only enough at the loft to keep it from feeling like a hotel room when they stayed there.

Blair came striding out of the den. "What's up, Jim?"

"Felicia's upset about something, Chief," he replied handing off the phone. Jim stayed near to monitor the conversation.

"Felicia?" Blair said into the receiver.

"Oh, Blair," Felicia Jones cried, "I just had another vision, but this time it was…" she sobbed unable to continue.

"Easy," Blair said slipping into his Guide voice. Jim's lips quirked a bit. Blair still didn't realize 'the voice' worked on almost everyone, not just his own Sentinel. "Take it easy, Felicia and tell me what you saw."

Felicia and Frisco Jones were based out of Port Charles, New York, but Frisco worked for the government and traveled all over the world. Felicia was also a member of the WSB and Frisco's partner as well as his wife, but she was expecting their first child and had been on maternity leave for the past few weeks. She also had a penchant for visions. Many of them had saved hers and Frisco's lives.

Felicia took a deep breath. "I saw Frisco's cougar, it was walking down the street. There was a loud noise, a crash. The cougar looked up and I could see a building on fire. Suddenly there was another explosion and the building…" she caught her breath swallowing audibly before continuing. "It crumbled with the explosion, and fell… it fell on…"

Blair closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them he met Jim's concerned gaze. "Did you tell Frisco?"

"Of course I did," Felicia replied indignantly. She went on no less fervently, "he said he'd stay away from exploding buildings!"

"Sounds like Frisco," Jim whispered.

Blair rolled his eyes. "Felicia, do you recognize any landmarks? Anything that could tell us where or when this might take place?"

"No, no," she replied. "I've already been over it a dozen times myself and gave Frisco a detailed report. Robert too. None of us came up with anything." The line went silent for a long moment. "Blair? What should I do?"

Sandburg sighed. One of the hardest things for him was the way other SG pairs seemed to think he had all the answers. They called him the "Shaman" with a capital 'S' and he just didn't feel qualified for the position.

"Felicia, you know the visions are usually warnings. They don't necessarily foretell the future, just a possible future," he paused and ran a hand through his hair. Jim's hand landed on his shoulder and gave a comforting squeeze. "Forewarned is forearmed, right, Felicia?" Blair comforted.

Another lengthy silence on the line was followed by a gusty exhale. "I suppose," Felicia said softly.

Blair paced the floor with the receiver held up to his ear as he wracked his brain trying to find a way to ease the other Guide's worry. He doubted anyone would be able to calm him if he'd had a similar dream about Jim. "Why don't you tape record a report and send it to me, you know the drill, report everything you can recall and we'll go over it again here. Okay?"

"Yeah. Thanks Blair. I'd feel ever so much better about it," Felicia sighed.

"Good," Sandburg said nodding to himself. "Now you take it easy, you don't need the stress, and neither does that little one of yours."

"Bye Blair," she said ending the call.

The Shaman turned off the phone and sent a pleading look toward his Sentinel.

"What else can we do, Chief?" Jim asked guiding his partner toward the living room. They sat side by side on the couch as he continued. "You were right, the visions are possible futures, warnings. We still don't know enough to be sure we can change what they are trying to tell us."

Blair slumped into the cushions and let his head drop onto the back of the couch. "I know."

"Hell, Blair, even after all this time, we still haven't figured out exactly what that vision I had when Alex came to town was all about. And we have the benefit of knowing the event the dream represented and of having lived through it." He shrugged. "How can we possibly understand someone else's vision regarding an event that hasn't happened yet, and hopefully will never take place?"

Sandburg stood abruptly. "You don't understand Jim!" he groaned as he started to pace, hands flying. "They expect the 'Shaman' to know these things."

"Yeah!" Jim retorted standing as well. "That's right! I don't understand, Shaman," he sneered. "After all, I'm only the Prime Sentinel. No one comes to me expecting me to have all the answers."

Blair turned to stare at his friend surprised by the sarcasm. Jim raised his eyebrows. His Guide took a deep breath and let his shoulders drop. "I'm sorry, Jim. Sometimes all of this is a bit overwhelming," he grinned wryly. "For you too, huh?"

Jim smiled in return easily shaking off the irritation, as it had only been a tool to get Blair's attention. "I suppose we shouldn't be surprised. Especially after seeing how the kids treat us, but I don't think I'll ever get used to the way the others look up to us." He shrugged waiting for his partner to regain his equilibrium.

Blair didn't disappoint him. After one more deep, cleansing breath the Guide smiled broadly. "Guess since we started the whole SGF, we are sorta responsible for the others, huh?"

"Guess so, Junior," Jim grinned back.

"Well, then," Blair replied, "maybe you should call Frisco and talk to him, Sentinel to Sentinel." He waggled his eyebrows.

Jim grimaced playfully then nodded. "Let's go beard this lion in the den, so you can listen on the speaker phone."

Blair groaned then chuckled. "Technically, Jim, cougars aren't lions," he said as the pair walked. "And the males don't have manes…"

*******

Kara rocked Jesse as the Sentinel sobbed uncontrollably. The Guide murmured reassurances. Please hurry Shaman. This last vision had been a terrifying nightmare waking half the SGF with Jesse's screams of denial and despair.

The young Guide looked up at the sound of the Shaman's voice and met the compassionate blue eyes of the Prime Sentinel and his Guide.

Blair moved quickly to the girls while Jim and Percy shooed the rest of the people back to their own beds, then Percy stood guard outside the room.

"Easy," Blair said as he wrapped his arms around both of the girls. "Calm down, Jesse. You're safe now. Kara's here. No one's hurt…"

"But they're going to die!" Jesse blurted out pulling away from the group hug. "I saw it. An explosion and… and… people falling," she sobbed and reached for Kara.

Kara pulled her friend close whispering so softly that only Jim and Jesse could hear her.

Blair met Jim's concerned gaze. Whatever Jesse had seen, it was no longer limited to symbolism.

Jim placed his hand on Jesse's back and waited for the girl to look at him. "Sentinel," he said firmly, but softly hoping to break through Jesse's hysteria. "We need you to tell us what you saw. I understand that it scared you, the dreams sometimes scare me too. But the visions are given to us for a reason. Maybe we can stop what you've seen or at least prevent it from being so bad." Jim continued gently. "Can you help us?"

Jesse sniffed and glanced at Kara. Her young Guide nodded encouragingly and the Sentinel looked back at Jim. "Yes, sir."

~~~~~~~~~

The council was convened yet again. As the members trickled in they milled around the room chatting anxiously and drinking coffee or tea. Finally everyone was present and the meeting was called to order. Jim recounted Jesse's dream then let Blair take over.

"In light of this latest vision," Blair said as he stood to pace unable to control his nervous energy any longer, "I think we need to push our visit with the President. The sooner, the better. How are we doing?"

Jack met Blair's eyes. "I've called in favors, should hear back in the next twenty-four hours."

William nodded. "Anyone who has contact with people in Washington, or knows people who know people has put out feelers. I've got a friend at the White House who thinks we may have an appointment, but it's still being finalized."

"Good," Jim said. "Everyone needs to put the pressure on. If we need to owe some favors, so be it. We have to see him soon," the Sentinel finished urgently. Jim rubbed his forehead.

"Have you been having any dreams, Jim?" Steven Ellison asked, concerned for his big brother.

Jim shook his head distractedly. "Dreams, yes, but not anything I can remember. But my panther keeps popping up and growling at me. It's trying to lead me somewhere."

Blair pursed his lips. He'd discussed these apparitions with his partner and agreed that the panther was trying to tell them to 'go somewhere' fast. The problem was that it wouldn't tell them where or how soon.

"I'll get on the phone right now," Kelso said pulling out his cell.

Percy, William, Simon and several other council members followed suit and by the end of the meeting they had a confirmed appointment with the head of the free world.

Jim followed Blair down the hall having to stretch his legs a bit to keep up. Boy, he's pissed. But then again they both had every right to be. Their appointment with the President had been bumped for some 'mightier-than-thou' Senator who couldn't wait a couple more hours until his scheduled appointment.

Blair stopped at the intersection of the next hall and looked both ways, then back at Jim. "How the hell do we get out of here?" he snarled.

Ellison suppressed a grin and started to answer when a familiar voice caught his ear. He raised his hand to keep Blair quiet as he listened.

The voice went silent for almost a minute, but Jim could hear that the line was still open. For some reason, he wasn't able to hear the other end of the conversation though.

The line was disconnected and Jim smiled ferally as he met Blair's gaze. "I think I may have found our ticket in to see the President." He caught Sandburg by the arm and led him toward the voice he'd heard.

"What did you hear, Jim?" Blair asked quietly.

"An old acquaintance of mine has an appointment after Senator Kinsey. I overheard enough…" Jim wrinkled his nose, "strange things on his end of the conversation to peak his interest."

Jim slowed as they approached an older man in Air Force blues. His salt and pepper hair was in a regulation buzz cut and the eagles on his collar indicated he was a colonel.

"Colonel O'Neill," Jim said closing on the unsuspecting man with his hand extended.

O'Neill turned, surprise evident on his face as he recognized the man before him and took his hand. "Captain Ellison. It's been a while."

"Yes, sir. But it's just Jim now. I'm not with the service any more," Jim said. He motioned to Blair. "This is my partner, Dr. Blair Sandburg."

"Doctor," O'Neill said, shaking hands with the other man. "What brings you two to D.C.?"

"Well," Jim drawled, "we had an appointment with the President to discuss a possible security risk, but a Senator Kinsey usurped our spot."

"Yeah," Blair said with a roll of his eyes. "And, oh," he continued in falsetto, imitating a certain secretary, "I'm sooo sorry, but we'll have to reschedule you to next week. The President really wants to meet you, but… yada, yada, yada." He snorted. "Like we have the time or the money to spend the next week cooling our heels here, let alone flying back and forth across the country."

Jim and O'Neill grinned at Blair's antics, but Jim also nodded in agreement.

"I was kind of hoping we could tag along with you, Jack," Jim said seriously.

O'Neill's eyebrows raised in disbelief. He chortled briefly. "You know, Ellison, I never knew you had a sense of humor."

"I'm not joking, sir," Jim replied. "I have information I believe to be vital to the security of the President and this country. I can't wait to go through 'proper channels,' the information is hot. We pulled every string and called in favors from everyone we could to get this appointment only to get tossed by this Kinsey." Ellison's smile was vaguely shark-like. "I think you owe us."

"What?" Jack spluttered.

"Well," Jim said, "ours was the last appointment before yours. Kinsey wanted to speak to the President before you did. So, I figure you have to take some of the blame."

Jack glared at Ellison. "First of all, I don't owe you anything. It's not my fault Kinsey's a jackass."

Blair chuckled.

"Secondly, if you have information that there's a threat to the President, all you have to do is go to one of those nice Secret Service guys over there, and they'll be glad to talk to you," O'Neill said sarcastically nodding toward a pair of suits down the hall.

"All that would do is tie us up for hours, maybe days," Jim said. "By then it could be too late." He sighed. "Look, Jack, can I trust you with something personal?"

O'Neill raised his eyebrows in a look that said 'give me strength.' "I really don't have time for this Ellison."

"I know, you have to get back to your base and make sure Carter and Daniel make it back safely," Jim hurried on so Jack couldn't interrupt. "Those off-world trips can be dangerous, all those strange Jaffa and all." He pinned O'Neill with steel blue eyes.

Jack pursed his lips as he considered where that information had come from. "What is this 'personal' thing you want to tell me?"

Jim nodded and led Jack and Blair back toward the Oval Office speaking softly as they walked. "You seen that movie, The Watchman?" he asked conversationally.

"Sure," Jack replied. "Great movie."

"I'm a Watchman," Jim said. "Only the term we use is Sentinel."

Jack stopped in his tracks and stared at Ellison. His gaze tracked over to Sandburg and a thoughtful frown formed on his face. "Ooo-kaaaay. Did you overhear a plot or something?" he asked mockingly.

Sandburg snorted. "Or something. Let's just say that Jim's not the only one. We've created a school to train the SG pairs, Sentinel and Guide. One of the abilities that the movie didn't go into is a penchant for visions that give glimpses into the future. A large number of these visions have been focused on the President and a sense of danger coming from within."

Jack's frown changed to one of disbelief as Blair spoke.

"Jack," Jim interrupted. "Let me give you a demonstration." He tilted his head toward the Oval Office. "Kinsey should be in with the President now. Take us in with you and I'll tell you what he says. It may give you an edge."

"This is insane," O'Neill mumbled shaking his head. He lifted his eyes to meet Ellison's. "Okay. But the minute he says you're out, you leave, no questions, got it?"

Jim smiled. "Thank you, sir. And don't worry, your secret is safe with us, just as I know ours is safe with you."

Jack nodded, gnawing the inside of his lower lip as he considered the bed he suddenly found himself in.

~~~~~~~~

"Okay," O'Neill said. "Wait here, I've got to give my report first and regardless of what you think you know, it is top secret. I'll keep it short and get you in to see him, okay?"

Jim and Blair nodded knowing that was the best they could hope for.

"Thanks Jack," Jim said.

O'Neill snorted and shook his head. "See you in a bit."

The SG pair took a seat and the Guide nudged his Sentinel with his elbow then tugged on his ear. Ellison nodded and leaned his shoulder casually against Blair's to help ground him while he listened. This was another of those instances when eavesdropping was a necessary evil.

About twenty minutes later O'Neill popped his head out of the door. "Come on in," he said holding the door for them.

Jim and Blair looked at each other and both reached to straighten the other's tie. Matching grins appeared briefly and they went into the Oval Office to convince the President.

O'Neill closed the door behind them then turned and made the introductions. "Mr. President, I'd like to present Jim Ellison, former Special Ops Army Captain and Dr. Blair Sandburg." Jack then took a seat and prepared to be entertained.

"Gentlemen," the President said, "please, have a seat. Colonel O'Neill spun quite a story to convince me to see you. I realize your appointment was commandeered, but I didn't realize you had such serious business."

"Mr. President," Jim said, "Thank you for seeing us. Believe me when I say, we would not be here if we didn't think it was a matter of life and death."

The President waved his hand encouraging Jim to continue. Jim looked over at Blair.

"Sir," Sandburg started, "Jim Ellison is a Sentinel, he has the same abilities as the detective portrayed in the movie 'The Watchman.' In fact, he is that detective."

The President's eyes narrowed but he remained silent.

"Jim and I started the Sentinel/Guide Foundation to help people like ourselves, Sentinels and Guides. We help unite pairs and train them to use their abilities safely and ethically. The book and movie were ways to finance the school and also start to get the general public used to the idea of people with heightened senses." Blair stood up and started to pace as he dropped into lecture mode.

"Of course, there's a lot more to it than what is shown in the movie. I preferred the book myself," Blair looked up with a wry grin then continued to pace. "One of the things that we haven't advertised is the spiritual side of being a Sentinel and Guide. There's a connection to," he waved his hands broadly, "the… well, the spirit world. Most of the 'civilized' world doesn't believe in this spirit world any more. But it's real," Blair said making decisive eye contact with the President.

"You may not want to believe it, but there is something beyond the physical world we live in. And Sentinels and their Guides have the ability to tap into that world, some more so than others." Blair glanced at Jim, received an encouraging grin and continued. "Most of the time our dreams and nightmares are just like any normal person's, but sometimes one or both partners will have visions. They are usually cryptic and personal and we may not even figure out what they mean until after the fact, but the visions are always important." The Guide met his Sentinel's eyes.

"We found that out the hard way," Jim added.

Blair nodded. "The last few months various SG pairs have been reporting an increase in the frequency of their visions. The content of the visions is too similar to be discounted. Mr. President," Sandburg said soberly, "we believe there is an immediate danger to you and to this country."

The President sat forward and leaned his arms on the desk. "You're going to have to give me something a bit more concrete than your belief Dr. Sandburg."

Blair sighed but nodded. "Allow us to give you and the Colonel a little demonstration."

**********

Colonel Jack O'Neill leaned back in his chair and studied the two men across from him as he nursed his beer. He had no doubt that Ellison was a Watchman, a Sentinel, and the descriptions they'd given of the visions certainly seemed to imply a danger to the President, but… Ah, come on Jack. With everything you've seen, are you really going to deny the possibility that these visions are true? Just because it doesn't involve aliens?

Jack grunted gaining the attention of the SG pair. He shrugged. "I was just thinking that I should be more open minded after the things I've seen."

Blair grinned as he rolled his own bottle of beer slowly between his hands. "We live it, Jack, and sometimes we still have trouble believing."

Jim raised his eyebrows briefly in agreement. "I just wish there was some way to prove it without waiting for 'it' to happen."

"Yeah," Jack and Blair agreed simultaneously.

"So," O'Neill said, "when's your flight home?"

"Day after tomorrow," Jim replied.

********

"It was good of you to give us a lift Jack," Jim said as they stood in line at the check in counter.

"No sweat," O'Neill replied. "I have to hang out here on standby for a flight back to Colorado anyway. No sense in paying for a cab when I had a driver. 'Course I'm not sure that the limo makes up for the cheapo flight," Jack said with a grimace.

Jim and Blair chuckled.

"That's military spending for you," Jim added.

They reached the desk, checked in and headed for their gate. Jack tagged along for the company.

Blair pulled out his cell phone as they walked. "I'm going to let Percy know our flight's on time," he said almost to himself. "Hey, it's Blair… yeah, we're on the way to our gate… I'm not sure, Perc, we talked to him, but… well, yeah, it's just a bit discouraging, you know?"

Just before they reached the departure gate, Jim stopped and looked around.

"Hang on a second, Perc. What's up Jim?" Blair asked automatically putting a hand on his Sentinel's shoulder.

"I'm not sure," he answered as he strode toward the nearest lounge with a television. Blair and Jack followed him.

The area was obscenely quiet as the people gathered around the TV and watched in horror. Jim, Blair and Jack observed the silent, stricken looks on the faces then turned their attention to the TV as well.

"This just in. You are looking at … obviously a very disturbing live shot there—that is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center," ¹⁾ CNN's anchor, Carol Lin reported.

The screen switched to a picture of a man, the caption said 'Live on the telephone with Sean Murtagh, vice president of finance for CNN.' A man's voice reported. "I just witnessed a plane that appeared to be cruising at a slightly lower than normal altitude over New York City. And it appears to have crashed into—I don't know which tower it is—but it hit directly in the middle of one of the World Trade Center towers. It was a jet, maybe a two-engine jet, maybe a 737 … a large passenger commercial jet … It was teetering back and forth, wing-tip to wing-tip, and it looks like it has crashed into-probably, twenty stories from the top of the World Trade Center—maybe the eightieth to eighty-fifth floor. There is smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center." ¹⁾

"My God," Blair exclaimed softly his cell phone all but forgotten. Others around them started to talk quietly amongst themselves.

Jack frowned. "Seems pretty damned incompetent to fly a plane into a building like that."

Jim just nodded, his own brow furrowed by a frown. He glanced down at Blair's cell phone. "Does Brett know?"

Blair's eyes widened as he lifted the phone to his ear. "Percy, sorry… do you have the TV on? No, I don't think the channel will matter, but we're watching CNN."

"Look," someone said, "they're showing it again."

Jim, Blair and Jack snapped their attention back to the television.

"That's not the same tower," Jack said, "see the smoke?"

At that moment the reporter spoke. "Ladies and gentlemen, this is a LIVE broadcast, a second plane has just crashed into World Trade Center Tower 2…"

Blair swayed slightly and put his hand to his head. "Felicia?" he whispered hoarsely. "No! Frisco!" the strangled cry ripped out of the Shaman's throat, but seemed to belong to someone else. Blair crashed to his knees, the cell phone clattering to the floor as Jim swiveled and knelt by his friend.

"Blair?" the Sentinel asked only to find himself with an armful of Guide as Sandburg slumped forward limply. "Sandburg!"

Jack grabbed the cell phone and glanced around, but no one seemed to be paying much attention to them. All eyes were riveted on the TV. The colonel spoke hesitantly into the phone. "Hello? This is Jack O'Neill… Ellison's busy with Sandburg at the moment… Yeah, hang on a second…" Jack looked down at the pair and frowned.

Ellison had pulled Sandburg into a hug and seemed oblivious to the world. "Ellison?" Jack asked. "Jim! Sandburg!" he said poking the larger of the two men in the back with his finger. O'Neill lifted the phone. "Um, neither one of them is answering me… Oookaaay. If you say so." He shook his head and ended the call.

"Just watch over them and have them call when they wake up… Sure," Jack said, sarcasm dripping from his words. "No problem." He shoved the phone into his jacket pocket and stood staring down at the Sentinel and Guide. How the hell do I get myself into these things?

~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~

Jack glanced at his watch. Twenty minutes. He leaned over to check on Ellison and Sandburg again and was surprised to see Jim blink. "Ellison?" he whispered.

Jim blinked a few more times then finally made eye contact with O'Neill. The Sentinel offered a sad smile. "Sorry about that Jack," he apologized. Jim took a quick survey of the room. Nothing much seemed to have changed. "How long?" he asked returning his attention to the Air Force colonel.

"Twenty," Jack replied. "He okay?"

"Yeah, it's a long story. Any chance we'll be able to get home any time soon?" Jim asked.

Jack shook his head. "No. Everything's shut down. I can't even get a flight with a military outfit at the moment." He sighed.

"Do we know anything yet?" Jim asked needing more information.

"No, it looks like a planned attack to me, but there's nothing concrete yet. I've been trying to get through to my base, but the phone lines are jammed." Jack looked at Sandburg. "Why didn't he… wake up when you did?"

Jim clenched his jaw briefly. "One of our Sentinels was in Tower 2, he's dead." Jack closed his eyes briefly in sympathy. Jim continued, "Blair is comforting the Sentinel's Guide until someone can get to her in person."

Jack frowned. "Is she suicidal?"

Ellison shrugged. "Maybe. She was also married to the Sentinel and is pregnant. Blair just wants to make sure she has support before he comes back." Jim ran his hand over the top of his head and sighed hoping O'Neill wouldn't ask any more questions. The situation was bringing up too many old, painful memories.

He was saved by O'Neill's cell phone.

"Yeah," Jack answered turning away from the men on the floor. "General, I've been trying to reach you… Yes, sir… I'm not sure. We're locked down here… What? Damn. Yes, sir, I'll see what I can do." He punched the 'end call' button hard with his thumb. "Damn."

"What is it Jack?" Jim asked still keeping a hold on his Guide.

Jack spun toward Ellison and then moved over to the pair and went down on one knee. He leaned in and whispered, "There are two more hijacked planes that have been confirmed. One is almost on top of D.C. now, the other one is somewhere over Pennsylvania."

"Damn," Jim agreed. "How the hell did this happen?"

"I don't know," O'Neill growled. "I need to get back to the White House in case I'm needed there."

Jim glanced down at Sandburg. "Can we come? We might be able to help."

Jack worried his lower lip for a moment. He could certainly use someone at his back that he could trust. At least he knew Ellison. Sandburg was an unknown quantity, but if Jim trusted him… "Yeah, okay, but how long before he wakes up? It will look a bit strange carrying him through the airport."

Jim grinned. "I'll find out." And with that the Sentinel reentered the jungle.

O'Neill shuddered then shook himself. It's not half as weird as a snake in your head, O'Neill. Get a grip. He didn’t have to wait long before both men opened their eyes. Sandburg's eyes were full of grief and determination.

The Sentinel and Guide helped each other to their feet and turned to the colonel.

"We're ready," Ellison said. "I briefed him."

Jack nodded once. "Okay, let's go find a ride."

*******

Jack sat in the armchair sipping slowly at a glass of Jack Daniels. He, Ellison and Sandburg had spent most of the afternoon helping the rescue effort at the Pentagon. The events of the day were too overwhelming to process all at once, so Jack had decided to put it all in one big box for the night and start digesting it piece by piece tomorrow.

His cell phone rang startling him enough to slosh his drink. "Dammit! Hello!" Jack said forcefully into the phone. "Sir!" he said standing to attention as the voice identified itself. "Is everything okay?"

Jack listened as the President laid out his plans. "Yes, sir, I understand, but I don't think Ellison and Sandburg will be too happy… No, sir. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." The call ended and Jack sat back down wondering when his life had become so complicated.

********

"I understand why the President would want to talk to us," Blair said for the sixth time, Jim was counting. "But why can't we just wait at the SGF? We're not going to go to ground or skip the country," he said with a wave of his hands.

Jack sighed and sent a silent appeal to Ellison for help.

"I think he's concerned for our safety, Chief," Jim said, not at all convinced.

"Actually," Jack said slowly, "I think he wants to know where to find you at a moments notice and also reassure you that you can trust us."

Jim and Blair stared at Jack suspiciously.

O'Neill rolled his eyes. "If I'm reading him right, you're about to get clearance to learn about the program I'm involved with."

"The one that involves 'off world' assignments?" Jim asked with disbelief.

Jack shrugged.

The Sentinel and Guide shared a look then turned back to Jack.

"Trust is a wonderful thing, Jack," Blair said. "But once we learn this secret of yours, will we be allowed to go home again?"

O'Neill scrubbed his face with his hands. This one had Daniel's knack for asking questions he couldn't answer. Jack met Blair's gaze. "Honestly?" Sandburg nodded. "I don't know."

"And if we don’t want to learn your secret?" Ellison asked.

Jack sighed. "Consider this a show of faith. We know your secret, you know ours, we trust each other to keep the secrets safe and thus we achieve a certain rapport. If you refuse, then the President will feel… a lack of confidence in your Foundation."

"So, in other words," Blair snarled, "we have no choice. If we refuse, we disappear. If we agree, we still might disappear."

"Easy, Chief," Jim said with a glare at O'Neill.

Jack took a deep breath. "Look kids. This is not the way I like to run things, but we're talking about national security here. Trust me," he said catching Ellison's gaze firmly, "when I tell you I will do everything I can to make sure you get to go home again."

Jim's icy glare seemed to pierce straight through O'Neill, but as far as the Sentinel could tell the colonel was being honest. Ellison exhaled noisily. "It's like Sandburg said. We don't really have much of a choice, but if it will make you and… the President," he added sarcastically, "feel better, then lead on MacDuff."

Jack sat back in his seat and nodded. "Good." He looked at his watch. "We should be landing in about fifteen minutes. In the mean while, let me just tell you a little story about the pyramids, Egyptian gods, and a great big metal ring…"

Finis

This is a series folks. <G> The next story will pick up where this one left off, with Jim and Blair at Stargate Command.

Crossovers: Felicia and Frisco Jones are from General Hospital. And of course, Jack O'Neill and the crew from Stargate SG1.

This story is dedicated to the victims of terrorists everywhere and our continuing search for peace.

Please let me know what you think about it. Judy

Back

1) CNN is the first major network to show the footage of the crash site. It breaks into a commercial and anchor Carol Lin says, "This just in. You are looking at … obviously a very disturbing live shot there—that is the World Trade Center, and we have unconfirmed reports this morning that a plane has crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center." CNN then switches to Sean Murtagh, the network's vice president of finance, who says in a live telephone interview, "I just witnessed a plane that appeared to be cruising at a slightly lower than normal altitude over New York City. And it appears to have crashed into—I don't know which tower it is—but it hit directly in the middle of one of the World Trade Center towers. It was a jet, maybe a two-engine jet, maybe a 737 … a large passenger commercial jet … It was teetering back and forth, wing-tip to wing-tip, and it looks like it has crashed into-probably, twenty stories from the top of the World Trade Center—maybe the eightieth to eighty-fifth floor. There is smoke billowing out of the World Trade Center." [A Pretext for War, by James Bamford, 6/04, pp. 16-17]