Stargate Deadly Encounter part 1

by DanielJackson56

Reposting part 1. Due to the length of our story, we are posting it in parts. Here are the first 10 chapters of our story. Hope you like it. Feel free to post comments.

Disclaimer: This being a Stargate story, we don't own any of the characters in this story. They are owned by MGM Studios. They are just being used for the purpose of this story. No infringements intended. This is just for fun and for all the Stargate fans.

A word from the writers.

This story is written in an alternate universe.

Jack O'Neill and Richard Dean Anderson are two different persons. Just like Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks and Christopher Judge are different from their alter egos Sam Carter, Daniel Jackson and Teal'c.

In this universe Jack has met Sha're and married her. They have three children, two boys, and a girl.

To all who read this story... enjoy and be surprised.

Cheers, Silverfox and MacJackfan

Lothar, a new employee starts at Gekko Film Corp. While having lunch with her new boss and later a tour around the office and facilities, she encounters a man who scares her. Background search leads to information, that an invasion is planned on Earth. Another mission for Colonel Jack O'Neill and his team. Can they save the Earth once again?

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CHAPTER 1

Lothar had just returned to her new job at Gekko Film Corporation. She had been working there just part time, as a temporary worker and on a trial basis. Now that she had proven to her new boss Richard Dean Anderson that she was a good worker, she was ready to start to work as a full time employee. Now she was going to talk to Rick about her salary, and hopefully get raise. She stopped her car at the entrance of the parking garage, where a man from security came out of his office and walked up to her.

"Morning," she said. "I have an appointment with Mr. Anderson at 11.00 am." She looked at him, this wasn't the man who usually opened the gate for her.

"Morning," the man answered. "And your name is?"

"O'Neil, Lothar O'Neil. That's with one L," she informed him, while he was searching on the list with names.

"Yeah, I found it," he said a few moments later. He went back in his office and opened the gate, so she could park her car.

She waved at him as to say 'thank you' and entered the garage. Soon she found a free spot and parked her car. She stepped out, took her bag, closed the door, and locked it. She walked up to the elevator, pushed the button, and waited for the elevator to arrive. In the two months that she had been working here for two days a week, she hadn't seen anything else than a room with a computer and a mountain of papers, that had to be typed out. She had seen Rick only once, when he hired her part time. But so far she hadn't met any other employees, or even seen the cafeteria. She had always had her own coffee and sandwiches with her.

The elevator arrived, she stepped in and pushed the button for the top floor, where Rick's office was. A few minutes later the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Lothar stepped out and walked down the hallway to Rick's office. When she arrived, she took a deep breath and knocked on the closed door.

"Enter!" his voice sounded. Lothar entered the room. The man behind the desk looked up and put down his reading glasses. He stood up as Lothar walked up to the desk. He reached out his hand to her.

"Lothar, welcome back," he said and shook her hand. While he was looking at her, she reminded him of someone else, but couldn't figure out who. Or maybe it was just his imagination.

She smiled. "Thank you, Mr. Anderson."

"Next time you say Mr. Anderson, you're fired," he said as if he was insulted. "Call me Rick, everyone here does that, ok?"

She nodded. "Sorry... Rick." she said a bit hesitating.

He gestured to the chair in front of the desk. "So please, sit down."

Lothar sat down in the chair and waited. "I'd like to have you full time as my personal assistant, Lothar. You're such a good worker," he started.

"Rick, if you want me full time, you have to raise my payment." She looked a bit afraid, hoping that she didn't go too far.

But Rick just smiled. "How much do you want?" he asked her.

She just shrugged. "I don't know. How much do you want to pay?"

"Let me think... a few thousand?" Rick asked her.

"For a start..." she said hesitating.

But Rick took her doubts away. "You're hired!"

"Ow... but what do I have to do for so much money?" she asked.

"Just come in and do your work. We appreciate employees who just show up."

Lothar could hardly believe her ears. "That's too easy..."

"We strive to make it easy on our employees," Rick said and continued. "You get frequent breaks too. And a paid vacation. Not to mention, full coverage on your hospital bills."

"So I only have to show up? Do a bit of paperwork? And that's it? I'll take the job!" she said enthusiastic.

"Great! Oh yes, I forgot... we even have a special lounge for our employees. You can play pool, ping pong, video games, etc. A regular recreation room. And also a health spa where you can relax on your lunch hour and get massages. We care about our employees health."

"Wow, a massage... that sounds good. Is there a swimming pool too?" she asked with curiosity.

"Oh yes! We have a full Olympic size swimming pool. You'll enjoy that."

Wow, what a job, she thought. "Oh by the way, who's giving the massages?"

"We have specially trained people for that. Let me give you a brochure." He handed Lothar a brochure which showed pictures of a health spa, rec room, and swimming pool. It also showed a really tall dark skinned man giving someone a massage.

"This really looks good. Especially that dark man, he's really..."

Rick laughed. "I knew you'd like him. He's one of our specially trained workers."

Then he showed her another picture of a beautiful blond woman with fair skin and blue eyes, giving someone else some lessons on the computer. "And she's another one of our highly trained workers. You'll just love her."

"Is she a teacher?" Lothar asked.

"Oh yes. She's very intelligent."

"I mean, I think I know a lot when it comes to computers," Lothar continued.

Rick nodded. "I'm sure you do. But she's here to give assistance to people in case they need help. Or if we get any viruses."

"Ok, I may need some help too, sometimes. I certainly don't know everything."

"Me neither. Thank goodness we have Sam. She's awesome. Oh did I say that? Pardon me." He looked through the brochure. "Oh you'll just love our other worker. He's extremely good at translating languages. If you need help with translations, he's your man."

"I was just about to ask you about him," she said. "I might need him most of the time I guess."

"Oh yes. He's extremely good. He knows about 50 different languages. It boggles the mind."

"Wow, I only know 3 languages..."

"Well, you're much better than I am. I just barely know one," he said with a smile.

"Then you may be glad you have this man around."

"Oh yes. Very!"

"Oh well, I'm just good at doing paperwork. That is my skill."

A bell went off. "Oh that must be our lunch break. I forgot to mention we have a great cafeteria. Lots of good health foods. Specially prepared by trained dieticians," stated Rick.

"That sounds good. Because I already have gained too much weight," she answered. "Maybe I can lose some weight here."

"Today's special is baked salmon with lemon juice, and steamed asparagus and carrots. Hope you like it."

"Like it? I love it!" she said again enthusiastic.

"So do I. I planned the menu," he winked.

"I see. So your employees get to eat what you like..." she said laughing.

"I don't always plan the menus. Just when they run out of ideas," Rick explained.

"Ok. Just another question. Is music allowed during work? I can't concentrate enough if there's no music," she asked.

"We don't really allow loud music. Instead, we try to pipe in mood sounds. Like what you hear in nature. That's more relaxing."

"Ya think?" she asked and raised her eyebrows.

Rick chuckled, the question reminded him of his cousin. He thought to himself. I like this woman. My kind of person.

No music, she thought, then I have to take my iPod with me.

"Oh yes, for entertainment... I forgot... you can also go dancing during break times. We have anything from ballroom, to jazz, to disco, to break dancing. But I prefer the slow dances. I'm too old for that fast stuff," he said laughing.

She laughed too. "I understand that. I do like music, but unfortunately I can't dance. And to be honest, I think I'm too old as well for disco and that other heavy stuff. I tried zumba (aerobics on Latin American music), but that turned out to be too fast for me."

"That sounds interesting. Sounds like a tribal dance. That might be too fast for me too. By the way, is that anything like a rumba?"

She nodded. "It's all kinds of Latin dance, like samba, rumba, mambo, meringue and so on. I love to hear that music, but the dances are too difficult for me."

He nodded. "That sounds fascinating. Oh yes... I forgot... we also have dance classes in case, you want to take dancing lessons. It's a lot of fun. I took a few lessons myself. I really enjoyed it."

"Oh no, I don't want anyone getting his toes hurt. Because I have co-ordination problems. The only way dancing for me will be slow," she said. "I believe it is fun. But not for the one I have to dance with... that poor man..."

"In fact... our resident linguistic teacher, also teaches dancing. He's very good. He's the one who knows all the languages."

"Really?" She shook her head. "No I can't do that to him, or any other man."

He waved his hand. "Aw don't worry about it. You'll do just fine. Besides he matches you with someone who is compatible. Believe me, if I can do it, anyone can. I'm not that co-ordinated either. He accused me of stepping on my partner's toes one time."

She chuckled, but then looked innocent. "You did? I thought I was the only one who steps on toes."

He chuckled. "Well, that was just the first lesson. I was doing a very difficult move. But I got better."

"I hope so. For your sake. I won't even try it." "Don't worry. My partner wasn't severely injured. She was very understanding. She stepped on my toe on purpose just to get me back," he chuckled.

She laughed again. "I almost feel sorry for you."

"You should feel more sorry for Daniel. He was the instructor. That should tell you something," he chuckled.

"Oh yeah, I can see that right in front of me." The vision only was enough to make her smile again.

Rick looked at his watch. "Well as I said... it's lunch hour. I don't want to miss eating my lunch. And as a new employee, you can have an hour and a half for lunch."

"Ow thank you, maybe you can show me the way? I still don't know my way around here."

He chuckled. "It's easy. Just follow your nose. It's not too far. Just follow me." Rick stood up and gestured for Lothar to follow him.

End of chapter 1

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Lothar and her new boss Richard Dean Anderson have a wonderful lunch.

CHAPTER 2

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She followed him to the cafeteria. The smell of baked salmon came towards them. "That really smells good."

"Oh yeah. I can almost taste it," replied Rick.

They walked in and found a seat. "Oh I forgot another thing. We have waiters who bring you your lunch. We treat everyone very special," Rick informed her. Now she was speechless. The last thing she expected at work was a waiter who brings lunch!

A waiter walked up. "Bonjour Madame or is it mademoiselle?" He took her hand and kissed it and bowed. "Will you be having the baked salmon special today?" he said in his most polished French accent.

Rick snorted. "No, she wants a hamburger... of course she wants the salmon!"

She nodded. "Yes, please. I like the salmon special." She tried to hide a blush.

The waiter bowed to Rick. "Oui, Monsieur. Ze salmon it is. I will have it to your table right away," he replied. He turned and hurried off to get their lunch.

Rick shook his head. "It's so hard to find good waiters these days," he sighed.

She tried to hide her laughter. "Why? He seems very kind to me?" She watched the waiter going back to the kitchen.

Rick nodded. "Oh he's very nice. He just gets a bit carried away sometimes. I guess I'm not used to be being fussed over. I'm just very basic. Nothing fancy about me," he replied.

"Is he really French?" she asked him. "Or just pretending?"

Rick nodded. "He's really French. He knows all about French cuisine. He's had a lot of training. He was a head chef, in a restaurant in France. He came very highly recommended," he explained.

"Wow," she said. "And you have someone like him working in a company cafeteria..." She was surprised about this.

Rick smiled. "Well, we like to treat our employees special. This is no ordinary cafeteria. You can get all kinds of really good food here. And the desserts are to die for," he replied. He thought about the desserts. "We also have a fitness room where you can go to work off extra pounds after eating dessert," he chuckled.

"Oh, I would need that certainly," she answered. "But I thought I was supposed to WORK here, not having great lunches or going into a gym?" The more she was with her new boss, the less she understood of him. Then she finally dared to say. "Are you gonna show me around? After lunch I mean."

Rick nodded and smiled. "Oh of course! This is a really huge place. We have maps on the walls that show where everything is. You can actually get lost if you're not careful. I've done that a few times. But I pretty much know where things are. You get used to it after awhile," he replied.

She smiled. "Sounds like I can better have a guide to show me where my office is, and the exit and all the rest. I'm just someone who gets lost every time. No matter how much I've been in that place. Somehow I manage that time after time again."

Rick waved off her remark. "Don't worry about a thing. We also have a lot of staff members who are good at directions. They can help you get to where you want to go. So don't worry. With all this help, you won't have to worry about getting lost," he assured.

"I hope so, but I have to warn you. I'm a hopeless case in that," she said and looked at him seriously. "Really, I'm not joking about that."

Rick patted her hand and smiled. "Don't you worry. You're in good hands. There's no such thing as a hopeless case in our company. Everyone has potential. I'm sure you'll do just fine. Just keep an open mind, and think positive," he assured.

She sighed. "I will try to do that." Then she looked in the direction of the kitchen. "How much more will it take to get our salmon ready? Or does it have to be caught first?" she asked.

Rick looked in the direction of the kitchen. "I was thinking the same thing," he agreed.

At that moment, the chef and two waiters finally brought their lunch to the table. They set their lunches before them, and their drinks, and utensils. When they were finished, François looked at Rick. "My apologies for keeping you and ze young lady waiting. It's so difficult to find good help. The cook had some problems with the food, and I had to help him. But we finally got things ironed out," he explained. He looked at the young woman. "I hope you enjoy your salmon. I had the cook to make a special sauce. It will make the salmon taste good," he replied and smiled.

"Thank you," she said. She expected François to leave, but he stayed and watched when she started eating. She saw him watching. "This tastes really good," she said. And now leave, she was thinking, and let us eat quietly.

François nodded. "Oh, magnifique! I am so happy! Thank you," he replied. He looked at Rick. "And how is your salmon Monsieur," he asked.

Rick took a bite of his salmon and smiled. "Well, you've really outdone yourself, François. This is delicious! Thank you," he replied.

François nodded and smiled. "Merci! I will leave you two to your lunch. Bon appetite," he stated.

Rick nodded. "You're welcome. And thank you," he replied. François nodded, then he and his waiters turned and left to the kitchen. Rick looked at Lothar and smiled. "This really is good I must say. This is much better than his soufflé," he said in a quiet tone.

She laughed. "Is that really so bad?" she asked him. "I can't imagine that. This salmon is delicious. I've never had it so... I don't know... just have no words for it," she said. She enjoyed every bite of her salmon. Or did it taste so good, because of the company she had?

Rick ate his salad, then ate the rest of his fish. He wiped his mouth with the linen napkin. "This is really good. I guess that was a good idea hiring that chef, even if he is a bit flashy," he remarked.

She smiled and finished her lunch too. "He is a bit strange yes," she admitted. "But I guess he's good in his work."

Rick nodded. "Yes. He came highly recommended. So he's worth the money," he replied.

"Anyway, with a lunch like this, I don't need to make dinner, when I got home today," she said. "If I have a lunch like this every day..." She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't want to think about the fact that she already needed to lose some pounds.

Rick nodded. "I guess that's true. After a really filling lunch like this, I might just eat a salad for my dinner. Nothing too heavy," he agreed.

An hour later François returned with his cart with samples of various desserts. He noticed they had cleaned their plates and smiled. "Ah, I see you enjoyed the salmon. Would you care for a dessert to top off you lunch?" he asked.

Rick eyed the display for a moment, then looked at Lothar. "What do you think? Should we go for it or not?" he asked and smiled.

A dessert? She shook her head. "No, I'm sorry. That would be too much." But then she looked at the cart and saw something with walnut ice cream. "Eh maybe that one?" She pointed at the walnut. "But please, just a small one," she told François.

The small slender chef nodded. "Oui. Excellent choice," he replied. He lifted up the lid to his tray, and handed the young woman her dessert. "Here you are Mademoiselle," he replied. He looked at Rick. "And what can I get for you, sir?" he asked. Rick looked over the display, and pointed to the pumpkin pie. "I'll have that one. I always love your pumpkin pies. And could you put a small scoop of whipped cream on that please?" he asked.

François nodded. "Oui Monsieur," he replied. He took out his whipped cream and put a small topping on the pie, then handed it to Rick. "Here you are, sir," he stated. François nodded.

"Thank you," replied Rick and smiled.

"You are most welcome," François replied He took his pitcher and filled up their water glasses then looked at his two customers. "Can I get you anything else?" he asked.

Rick looked at Lothar. "Would you like anything else?" he asked.

"No thanks," she answered. "This is really enough for now. I guess I won't need dinner after all." She started eating her ice cream. "Mmm, this is delicious," she said.

Rick nodded. He looked at François. "I'll have some coffee please," he remarked.

François nodded. "Oui. Right away," he replied. He turned and left to get Rick's coffee. A few minutes later he returned. "Here you go, sir," he said and put a large cup of coffee on the table. Then he went back to the kitchen. Rick took a bite of his pie, and smiled. "Mmm. This is good." he stated.

"So is this ice cream. Walnut ice cream is my favorite," she said. Then she blushed. Did she actually say that? She didn't think it would interest him what her favorite ice cream was. She tried to hide her blush.

Rick nodded. "I like ice cream too. Actually vanilla is my favorite. I never was a chocolate fan. But glad you like it," he replied. He looked at his pie then looked at Lothar. "I have a secret about this pie. I gave François the recipe for this pie. It was my mom's recipe. She makes the best pumpkin pie in all America. That's why I like it so much," he chuckled.

She nodded. "I understand," said replied. "I'm not really a star in making pies. I just don't have the feeling for it I guess. But luckily I got other skills."

Rick nodded and smiled. "Don't feel bad. Cooking isn't my strong point either. But I bought a few cookbooks, and I'm learning," he replied. He thought about what Lothar said and smiled. "Well, don't worry. As long as you can handle what needs to be done in the office, you don't have to worry about your cooking skills," he assured.

"I don't worry about my cooking," she answered. "And yes, I'm good in doing paperwork. That's one thing I do the best." She thought about her cooking. She was glad that he hadn't hired her as a cook. He would fire her after the first meal she would try to make for him. Oh she was a good cook, but the meals she used to make were a bit different, than he might want to have in his company.

Rick nodded. "Oh good. That's one thing all businesses have is a lot of paperwork. Sometimes we get snowed under with all the paperwork around here. So I'm lucky to have someone, who knows how to handle that kind of thing," he stated and smiled.

"You can leave that up to me," she answered. "That's what you are paying me for. Not to have lunches like this and a nice chat." She finally had finished her ice cream and leaned back in the chair for a moment. She sighed. "This lunch was really great, thank you," she said.

Rick wiped his mouth with the nice linen napkin. "Well, anymore lunches like that, and I'll have to go on a diet," he joked.

She sighed. "I need to diet for sure," she said.

Rick nodded. He looked at his watch. "Well, this would be a good time to tour our health facility. We have all the latest exercise equipment, and spas too," he stated. "We even have a swimming pool too," he added.

"Oh, that sounds great," she said. "I love to swim... wish I had my bikini with me. I should have known that earlier." But then she looked a bit worried. "I hope you won't let me do some exercises in the gym now."

He thought for a moment. "We have rental suits if you forget to bring yours. They come in all sizes, so you just ask for your size, and our attendant will get it," he informed. He shook his head. "Oh no. We're just taking a tour so you'll be familiar with the facility," he assured.

She sighed relieved. After that great lunch, she wasn't able to do some exercises. But she would love to swim later... if Rick would allow her to. "All right," she said. "I would love to see everything."

He nodded. "It will be my pleasure," he replied. He stood up and waited for the young woman to stand. "Just follow me. I'll give you a complete tour," he stated.

End of chapter 2

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In this chapter, Rick gives Lothar a guided tour of the facilities at MGM at which she is very impressed. But during their tour, she meets an employee, who suddenly frightens her, and Rick wonders why.

CHAPTER 3

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She stood up too and followed him. He took her to the health facility. When they passed the window, she saw the wonderful sight. The cafeteria was on the 10th floor of the building. She halted to look outside. "This is amazing," she said.

"Oh yes! It's a really big facility. Since our company is so big, we made a special effort to make sure our employees get plenty of exercise and eat the right foods. We even brought in dieticians to plan the lunch menus. We have very healthy lunches," informed Rick.

As they toured the health facility, they came to a room where there was a yoga class going on taught by a tall slender woman with blond hair and blue eyes. Rick directed the young woman to the room, and smiled. "You'll really like this room. This is our yoga room. Amanda is the instructor. She's very nice. You'll really like her," he informed.

As they entered the room Amanda saw Rick and the young woman. She excused herself from her students, then got up, and walked over to Rick and Lothar. She looked at Lothar and smiled. "Hi. I'm Amanda Tapping," she greeted holding out her hand.

Lothar smiled and took Amanda's hand. "Hi, I'm Lothar O'Neil. Nice to meet you." They shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, Lothar," she replied. Rick looked at Amanda. "I was just showing Lothar here our health facility. I thought I would start here. Hope I'm not interrupting," he apologized.

Amanda shook her head. "Not at all," she replied. She looked at Lothar. "Glad to see you here. I hope you enjoy working here. And I also hope you take my yoga class. It's lots of fun, and very relaxing," she stated.

"I sure will do so," Lothar answered. "And I hope so too, that I will enjoy my work. For now I only had lunch and we just started this tour around the office and facilities." She looked curious at the yoga students. They were all doing some relaxing exercises. "I look forward to taking your yoga class, Amanda... may I call you Amanda anyway?" she asked, when she realized the blond woman didn't say that she could use her first name.

Amanda nodded. "Of course. We're all on a first name basis around here. We're just one big family," she replied and smiled. She gestured to Rick. "In fact, Rick is one of my students. He comes here on his lunch hour when I remind him," she chuckled.

Rick nodded. "Yes. I really enjoy it. I get busy sometimes, but I try to come here as much as I can. In fact, ever since I've been taking her classes, I haven't had hardly any trouble with my back. It's been very good therapy," he stated.

"That's wonderful," Lothar answered. "Do you have a place for one more student? Once or twice a week?" she asked Amanda. Amanda nodded. "Oh yes. We have different sessions that you can go to. Whatever suits your schedule. We have morning classes for those who want to come before work, and classes for those who want to come before lunch, and even classes for those who come during their breaks," she informed.

Lothar nodded. "You don't do classes in the evening I guess? I don't know if I will have the time to come during the day."

Amanda thought for a moment. "Oh I forgot. Yes, we have a few classes for people who want to take them after they get off from work. They really appreciate that," she stated.

"Then I would like to be in one of those classes, please," Lothar said. "Which evening can you plan me in?"

Rick thought for a moment. "Well, since you get off around five, you could attend the six o'clock session. That would be good. Sometimes I go to that one," he stated. He looked at Amanda. "Do you have any openings for the six o'clock session?" he asked.

Amanda picked up a clip board and flipped through some papers. She looked at Lothar and smiled. "Yes. You're in luck. We have some openings for that session," she informed.

"Then I like to be on that session," Lothar said. "Which day will that be?"

Amanda looked on her clipboard again. "Let me see... it looks like it's on Tuesdays and Thursdays," she informed.

Lothar smiled. "Great, if it is possible, I want to do both days."

Rick looked at Lothar. "I do the easy ones. Some of those positions are pretty difficult for me. I'm not that flexible. But being younger, I'm sure you'll have no problem," he remarked. She laughed.

"Don't be too sure about that," she said. "I may be 20 years younger, but that doesn't mean 20 years more flexible."

Rick chuckled. "I can understand that. Sometimes I have trouble myself," he said with sympathy.

Amanda smiled. "Don't worry. We'll take it slow. There's no hurry," she assured.

Rick looked at his watch, then at Amanda. "Well, guess we'd better get on with our tour. We still have more to see," he stated.

Amanda nodded. She looked at Lothar. "Have a nice tour, and I'll be looking forward to seeing you," she stated. "So do I," Lothar answered her before she left the room together with Rick.

The next place was the gym. She saw a lot of people doing fitness exercises there.

A tall dark man was giving instructions to them who needed help. She looked fascinated at his muscled arms. As they watched the people doing their exercises, they finally took a break. Rick escorted Lothar into the room, and looked at the tall dark muscular man and smiled. "Hey Teal'c. How are things going?" he greeted.

Teal'c took his towel and patted the sweat from his face. He walked over to Rick and smiled. "It is going quite well," he replied.

Rick nodded. He gestured to the young woman. "I'm giving Ms. Lothar here a tour of our facilities and wanted to show her your exercise class," he stated.

Teal'c nodded. He bowed to the young woman. "I am happy to meet you," he greeted.

She smiled at the dark man and looked at his golden tattoo. "Same here," she answered. Then she asked curious about the tattoo on his forehead.

Teal'c looked at her and smiled. "This symbol I wear represents my former employer. I was under his services for many years, but after his life was terminated, I later became an employee of Mr. Anderson. I find his work most gratifying. Much better than my former employer," he stated and smiled.

"I can understand that," Lothar said. "I hope I will like it here as much as the other ones I have met today."

"I am sure you will. I have been here for quite some time, I have enjoyed my work. I teach physical fitness to the employees here and they seem to enjoy it," Teal'c explained. He looked at Lothar with curiosity. "Will you be taking any of my classes?" he asked.

"I guess so," she answered. "I could use some fitness to lose some weight and to get in better condition. Do you also teach self defense?" she asked.

Teal'c nodded. "Of course. Many employees here take my self defense classes. They appreciate them very much. Not only does it keep them in shape, but they gain confidence in themselves as well," he explained.

Rick nodded. "That's true. He's the best instructor we have, when it comes to self defense. In fact, most of his students are women. It makes them feel confident to know that they can protect themselves," he stated.

"Ok, I will try it. Later...," she said. "For now I just start with fitness, until I'm a bit used to it again." She looked at Rick. "I hope you don't mind if I only start with fitness? Before I start with that self defense course?"

Rick shook his head. "No problem. I've only been doing the self defense classes for just a little while. But I've been doing the exercise classes for some time now. They have different levels, beginner, intermediate, and advanced. So you can start at the beginner level until you work your way up to the intermediate level, and so on," he stated.

"I guess I can start easy," she said. "Can you make a schedule that I can follow?" she asked Teal'c. "You see, it has been a very long time since I've done some fitness for the last time."

Teal'c nodded. "That will be no problem. I shall just give you this registration form, and you can sign up here," he stated. He picked up the registration form and handed it to Lothar. "Just check the time and days that you want to attend the classes, and I will get you signed up," he added.

"Thanks, Teal'c," she answered and took the form from him. She paused a moment before she asked him "Teal'c... strange name... Where does that come from?"

Teal'c smiled. "It was a name my father gave me. I am from a place called Chulak," he replied.

She nodded. She didn't want to admit that she knew about Chulak. "Thanks for the information, about the fitness. I'm sure we will see each other again."

Teal'c nodded. "Indeed! It would be an honor to have you in my class," he replied and bowed.

She just smiled and said goodbye when she left the gym with Rick. "Next what you will see is the swimming pool," Rick told her. "It's all the way down, in the basement. You'll really enjoy that. In fact, it's Olympic size. We even have swimming meets here on weekends. The employees really enjoy it," he stated.

"I would really like to join them," she answered while they waited for the elevator. When it arrived they stepped in. Rick pushed the button for the basement and quickly they went down.

When they reached the basement and stepped out of the elevator, Lothar saw a wonderful swimming pool behind the window. A few people were swimming and a man was looking out over them to be sure that everything went ok. Rick pointed to the man watching the swimmers. "That's Michael, our instructor. He's very good. You'll like him. He's very nice. I'll introduce you," he stated. He knocked on the window, and waved to Michael.

Michael looked around and saw Rick and a young woman standing outside. He walked out of the swimming area and over to where Rick and Lothar were standing. "Hey Rick. How's it going?" he greeted.

Rick nodded and smiled. "Hey Michael. I just wanted to introduce you to our new employee," he stated. He gestured to Lothar. "I'd like you to meet Lothar O'Neil. I'm showing her the facilities here, and thought I would show her the pool," he informed.

Michael nodded. He looked at Lothar and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Ms O'Neil. I hope you enjoy working here," he greeted. He looked at her with curiosity. "Are you interested in taking any swimming classes?" he asked.

She shook his hand. "Yeah, I love to swim, Mr.?" she said asking. Then she looked again at the pool. Oh, she would love to dive into the water right now, but that wouldn't be appropriate. She sighed. As soon as she had a chance she wanted to go swimming. They finished shaking hands.

"Shanks is the name. But you can call me Michael. We're all on a first name basis around here. That's great. I'd be glad to sign you up for a class. If you're a beginner, I can get you started on the beginners class. Then they go to intermediate, and then advanced. And then we have water exercise classes. All the employees love those. And then there is a general schedule for just coming in and swimming. I can give you a brochure that gives you all that information," he stated.

"Thank you," she answered. "And please, call me Lothar ok? I always feel a bit uncomfortable with Ms." She took a quick look in the brochure, that Michael gave her and saw that just that evening was for free swimming. Just wonderful, she thought. "Are there many people around in the evening?" she asked

Michael. Michael nodded. "Yes. We have quite a few people come in after work and swim. It's not as crowded in the evening as it is in the morning. Most people like to come before they start their work. But we have a few that come and swim after work to relax," he stated.

"That's just what I want," she said. "Swimming is the best way for me to relax. Don't worry," she said when she saw the look on his face. "I'm not a beginner. Actually, I can swim very good. Not that fast, but as I said, it's only to relax and enjoy."

Michael nodded. "That sounds great. You're right about relaxing. I love swimming too. It helps me to relax too. After a hard day of giving instructions, I just like to swim for pleasure. I even teach diving classes too. That's important too. And we even have a water aerobics class too. That's fun," he stated.

"I don't like diving," Lothar answered him, "it scares me, but those water aerobics sounds nice. I could try that."

She turned to Rick. "If I remember well, you also mentioned a sauna." She just knew she had to leave here, before she couldn't resist the water any longer.

Rick nodded. "Oh yes, the sauna. Right. You'll love that too," he replied.

Michael looked at Lothar. "Oh, diving is quite safe, once you know how to do it. But don't worry. We start you out with the very basics, so you don't get frightened. It's all in knowing how. And as for the aerobics, I'm sure you'll love that too," he stated. He looked at the young woman. "Just let me know which class you want to take, and I can get you signed up," he informed.

Rick looked at Michael. "Thanks Michael. I'm sure Lothar will enjoy your classes. She'll keep you informed," he stated. He looked at Lothar. "I'll be glad to show you our sauna now," he stated.

Michael looked at Lothar. "Thanks for visiting our pool. It was nice meeting you, Lothar. Hope to see you soon," he said and smiled.

As they came to the sauna, a very tall handsome man with black hair, dark eyes, and a mustache and thin beard approached them, wearing a dark blue golf shirt, and light brown slacks and brown sandals. He looked at them and smiled. "Hello. Welcome to the sauna," he greeted.

Rick nodded and smiled. "Hi Cliff. How are things going?" he greeted.

Cliff smiled at Rick. "Hey Rick. It's going very well, thanks," he replied.

Rick gestured to the young woman. "This is Lothar O'Neil. I was just showing her our facilities. So far we've seen the gym, the yoga classes, and the pool. So I thought I would show her the sauna," he stated.

Cliff turned to Lothar and held out his hand. "Hello Ms. O'Neil. I'm Cliff Simon. Nice to meet you," he stated and smiled.

She took his hand. "Hello," she said. Suddenly she felt shy. This man looked at her in a way she couldn't tell. There was something strange about him. She looked at his dark eyes and felt a shiver going down her spine. She pulled her hand back, and took a few steps backwards. She knew what it was about him. He was dangerous, but she couldn't tell Rick what she felt. She looked at him. "Can we please leave? I don't feel too good," she whispered.

Rick looked at the young woman with concern. "Is there something wrong?" he asked. He thought it was very strange that all of a sudden she felt ill.

"Please, let's get out of here," she said. "I'll explain later." Again she looked at the dark man, who was standing behind Rick. When they looked at each other, his eyes glowed for a moment. He knew! He knew that she sensed it!

Rick looked at Cliff and frowned a bit. "I'm really sorry, Cliff. I'd better get Ms. O'Neil to the doctor. She isn't feeling well. Maybe I can give her a tour of your sauna later," he apologized.

Cliff nodded. "No problem. I understand," he replied.

He looked at Lothar and smiled. "Please come back. I'd be glad to give you a tour. I hope you feel better," he stated.

She looked at him for the last time and then rushed out of the room. Without waiting for Rick she headed for the elevator. Her breathing came fast when she reached it.

A few moments later Rick joined her. "What was that all about?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you that," she answered when she could speak again. They entered the elevator. "The only thing I can say is... please... be careful."

Rick looked alarmed. "What's going on? Is there something I should know about? You look like you just saw a ghost," he remarked. He punched a button that would take them to the clinic.

"What do you know about him?" she asked. "No, you don't have to take me to a doctor, I just wanted to get away from him and I couldn't find another quick reason than to mention that I didn't feel good."

Rick thought for a moment. "Well, he's in charge of our sauna. He's very good at what he does. He also gives massages. He's been trained in that area. As far as qualifications, he seems qualified. I read his resume, and background. It sounded good to me," he replied. He still couldn't figure out why this young woman was so upset when she met Cliff. He decided to take her to the doctor anyway. He looked at her with concern. "As far as taking you to the doctor, I'm going to have our company doctor give you a check up just to make sure. I can't have my employees being sick," he stated.

She shook her head. "No, I'm perfectly ok. I really don't need a check up. You have to believe me." Tears came into her eyes when she looked up at him. "Please, you have to believe me," she begged. "No doctors, please." She was afraid that a doctor would notice that she had a symbiote inside and she wasn't ready to explain its presence. Not yet.

Rick noticed how upset she was. He put his hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. It's ok. You don't have to worry. Everything is going to be ok," he assured. They finally came to the floor that would take them to the clinic. The bell chimed and the doors opened. Rick escorted Lothar from the elevator and down the hall to the clinic. He looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry. Our company doctor is very nice. She's been with us for a long time, and she's very qualified. She won't hurt you," he reassured. He looked at her with compassion. "Don't worry. This won't be a complete check up. She'll just look you over and take your temperature," he stated.

"Alright," she admitted. "But I assure you, I'm fine."

A few minutes later they arrived at the infirmary. A woman in a white coat came towards them. Rick looked at Lothar. "Now just relax. You're in good hands," he assured.

Janet looked at Rick and the young woman. "Hello. Who do we have here?" she asked and smiled.

Rick gestured to Lothar. "This is our new employee, Lothar O'Neil. She wasn't feeling well. I thought I would bring her here," he stated.

Janet nodded then looked at Lothar. "I see. Nice to meet you Ms O'Neil. I'll be glad to check you over. Just step into this waiting room and I'll get my things," she replied. She Looked at Rick. "Don't worry. I'll give you a full report," she stated.

Rick nodded, then went to the waiting room and found a chair, and sat down.

"I'm fine," she protested. "I don't need a check up. That man at the sauna just scared me." She looked at Janet. "Really... you have to believe me."

Janet escorted Lothar to the examining room, then gestured for her to sit down. "It's ok. I understand. You're new around here. I'm sure you're anxious about getting started. But don't worry. This will just take a few minutes. You don't have to be afraid," she said in a reassuring tone.

Lothar couldn't do anything else than to give in. She sighed when she entered the room with Janet. Janet put on her stethoscope, and listened to Lothar's heart. She noticed it was beating a bit fast, but she decided that the young girl was nervous. When she was finished, she took out her thermometer, and looked at Lothar. "I need to take your temperature, so just relax," she informed. But relaxing was the last thing Lothar could do. She was too afraid that the doctor would notice that there was something different about her.

While Janet took Lothar's temperature, she decided to take her blood pressure too. She put the arm wrap around her upper arm, then started squeezing the rubber ball at the end of the tube. When the arm wrap was tight enough, she checked Lothar's blood pressure. It seemed normal under the circumstances. She let the air out and removed the arm wrap. She removed the thermometer, and wrote down her temperature and blood pressure. She looked at Lothar. "Well, you seem rather healthy to me. Your blood pressure and temperature were normal. So that's good," she stated. She looked at her with curiosity. "You said that the man at the sauna frightened you. In what way? Did he say anything to you that made you frightened, or do anything?" she asked with concern.

Lothar relaxed. It seemed that Janet didn't notice anything. "No," she said. "Actually, he was quite correct. A gentleman. But the look in his eyes scared me somehow. I just felt the need to get out of his way as fast as I could. I don't think I will ever visit the sauna."

Janet listened surprised at Lothar's story. "You mean Cliff?" she asked. "Oh, he couldn't even harm a fly." She patted Lothar's arm. "If it makes you feel better, I can go with you," she offered.

But Lothar just shook her head. "No... but thanks anyway. I'd better stay out of his way."

Janet nodded. "Well that's ok. We have plenty of other things to do besides the sauna. And no one has to do anything they don't want to do as far as exercises or physical fitness programs. Those are just available in case you want to take advantage of them," she assured. She thought about Cliff. "If you have some issue with Cliff, I would be glad to talk to him. He does have a presence about him, and some people are often intimidated by him when they first see him. But he's very nice," she stated.

"Oh I believe he is...," Lothar said so quiet that Janet could hardly hear her. Then she stood up from the chair. "You don't have to talk with him," she said. "I'll just avoid him, that's the best I can do."

Janet nodded. "Well all right. I'm sorry your first meeting with him didn't go well. But I'm glad it wasn't anything he did or said," she replied. She looked at Lothar with concern. "If there's anything else you need, just let me know. Sometimes it helps to talk about things. If you need to talk, I'll be here," she assured.

Then Lothar smiled. "Thanks, I will." Together they walked back to Rick, who was still waiting. He was reading a magazine, and happened to look up. He put down his magazine, then stood up, and looked at Janet and Lothar. "Well, how's our patient? Is everything ok?" he asked.

Janet nodded. "So far she seems ok. She was just a bit intimidated by Cliff. Not sure what the reason was, but I'm sure it's nothing serious," she stated.

Rick nodded. "I see. Well, Cliff does take some time getting used to. But he's basically a nice man," he assured.

Lothar only nodded. She just had her own ideas about that man. "So where do we go now?" she asked in an attempt to get his attention onto another subject.

"Well, you haven't been to the recreation room yet," Rick said. "I can take you there, and maybe we can have a drink together? There is a little bar."

Lothar nodded. "That sounds good to me," she answered. Together they left the infirmary.

End of chapter 3

---

Rick and Lothar finish their tour, and decide to go to the company bar room. As they walk into the bar, Lothar meets a very handsome relative of Rick's. ;-)

CHAPTER 4

---

They walk down a long hallway, and soon they come to the recreation room. There they saw some people playing games in one part of the room, and in another part of the room, there was a bar room, where people were sitting at tables, and having drinks. Rick gestured to the bar room. "I'm a little thirsty. Let's get something to drink," he suggested. As they walked up to the bar, a very pretty dark skinned woman wearing a broad flat top hat, and long flowing gown with long sleeves, walked up to them.

"Hello Rick. How are you today? What can I get for you?" she greeted.

Rick looked at the woman and smiled. "Hello Guinan. I'm fine. How are things going?" he asked.

Guinan smiled. "Just fine," she replied. She looked at the young woman. "Who's your pretty friend?" she asked.

Rick looked at Lothar and smiled. "This is Ms. Lothar O'Neil. She's our new employee. I was just showing her the facilities," he stated. Guinan held out her hand to Lothar.

"Nice to meet you," she replied and smiled. Lothar smiled at the nice woman and shook her hand. "Hello Guinan, nice to meet you too. Oh and please call me Lothar. I don't like to be called Ms. O'Neil," she continued.

Guinan nodded. "I will remember that. Would you like something to drink?" she asked.

Lothar nodded and asked for a cola light. She looked at the other people, when she noticed a man at the end of the bar, who made her almost stopped breathing. Then she looked at Rick and back at the other man. "Am I seeing double?" she asked Rick.

Rick looked at the man at the other end of the bar, then looked at Lothar. "Oh, that's Jack. He's head of security here. He makes sure everyone is safe here, and the rest of the company too," he stated.

Guinan looked at Rick. "What can I get for you?" she asked.

Rick thought for a moment. "I'll have the usual Guinan," he stated.

Guinan thought for a moment. "A ginger ale with a twist of lemon, right?" she asked.

Rick nodded. "Right," he smiled.

She turned to a tall lanky man with glasses and sandy brown hair, and dark eyes. "Siler, the usual for Rick," she reminded.

Siler nodded, then fixed Rick his drink. When he was finished, he walked up and handed Rick his drink. "Here you go," he said and smiled.

Rick nodded. "Thanks, Siler," he replied. He took his drink, then looked at Lothar. "Would you like to sit at a table?" he asked.

She shook her head, still fascinated by the man at the end of the bar. "I could swear he's your twin," she said and took a sip of her cola. "He really looks a lot like you. Can you tell me more about him?"

Rick nodded. "Well, as far as being a few pounds slimmer, he's actually a relative. He's a cousin on my mother's side of the family. He was in the Airforce, and decided to retire, so I just hired him to work for me. He's very efficient and very sociable too. And definitely a no nonsense person. I'd be glad to introduce you," he replied. He took a drink of his ginger ale, then gestured to Jack. They walked down to the end of the bar where Jack was sitting on a stool sipping his beer. Rick looked at Jack, and patted him on the back. "Hey Jack, how's it going?" he greeted.

Jack turned and looked at Rick and Lothar. He stared at the pretty young woman for a moment, and smiled. "Hey Rick. Say, who's this pretty young lady? Anyone I know?" he asked and smiled.

Rick chuckled. He looked at Lothar. "I have to warn you, he's a bit of a flirt," he teased. He looked at Jack. "I don't think so. This is Ms. Lothar O'Neil. She's our new employee. I'm just giving her a tour of the facilities here," he introduced.

Jack held out his hand. "Very nice to meet you, Ms O'Neil," he replied and held out his hand.

She shook his hand and smiled. "Call me Lothar," she said. "And nice to meet you too."

Jack was still holding her hand and she raised her eyebrows for a moment. "Can I get my hand back, please?" she said.

He let her go, but kept looking at her. "O'Neil?" He asked. "One or two LL's?"

"It's O'Neil, with one L," she answered him.

Jack nodded. "Well, that's interesting. But a good name nonetheless," he remarked and smiled. He gestured to a stool. "Would you care to sit down Lothar?" he asked.

"Thank you," she answered and sat down. "Rick told me you were in the Airforce. Must have been an interesting job."

Jack nodded, but looked at Rick as if he wanted to ask him 'how much have you told her about the Airforce?'

Rick looked at Jack as he noticed the look on his face. "Don't worry. I just said you were retired from the Airforce. I didn't give away any secrets," he assured.

Jack nodded. "Thanks," he looked at Lothar. "Yes, my job was quite interesting. I can't divulge too much about it, but let's just say that there was never a dull moment. There was always something different going on," he stated.

Rick looked at Lothar. "Yes. Everything Jack did was pretty much top secret. So that's why I put all my trust in him. He's good at keeping secrets," he remarked and smiled.

Lothar looked curious at Jack. She would have loved to hear more about his former job, but knew this wasn't the time to ask about it.

Jack looked at Lothar and smiled. "What about you Lothar... do you have any secrets?" he said a bit jokingly.

She just shook her head. "No, I don't have any secrets," she lied. Quickly she looked in another direction. Afraid that he could see in her eyes that she wasn't honest about herself. Then she looked up again. "My only secret is that I'm divorced and living alone for a few years already."

Rick noticed Lothar feeling a bit uncomfortable and looked at Jack. "Jack, don't embarrass the young woman. You'll get to know her better later on," he replied in a protective tone.

Jack looked at Lothar with compassion. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. I'm sorry about your divorce. That's a shame. I know how you feel. I've been through that myself. I lost a son too at a very young age. That was a great loss," he stated a bit sad.

She looked with sympathy at him. "I'm really sorry to hear that," she said quiet. "I know how hard it is to lose a child, even an unborn child."

Jack nodded. "Thank you. Yes. That was worse than the divorce. Parents aren't supposed to outlive their children, but sometimes it happens," he replied and sighed. He patted her hand and smiled. "Well, as they say, that's water over the bridge. What will you be doing here?" he asked changing the subject.

"I will be Rick's personal assistant," she said. "And I really look forward to starting that job." She was glad that Jack changed the subject. She didn't want to talk about her past. But she knew that he would find out... sooner or later.

Jack looked at Rick and raised his eyebrow. "Your personal assistant? Since when did you need an assistant?" he asked and winked at Lothar.

Rick looked at Jack. "Since my paperwork started piling up, and my files started getting lost," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Well, that's a good reason to hire an assistant. You never were good at being organized," he teased. He looked at Lothar. "Just make sure he doesn't make you clean his office, or get him coffee and doughnuts. You're not his personal maid," he stated.

"Thanks for the warning," Lothar said smiling and winked at Jack. "Don't worry, that won't happen."

Rick looked at Jack a bit insulted. "I resent that. I would never ask Lothar to do menial chores like that. She's much smarter than that. Besides, we have janitors for cleaning the offices, and every office has an aid for getting refreshments for the upper employees," he stated.

Jack nodded to Lothar. "You're welcome," he replied. He looked at Rick. "Thank goodness for that. As smart as Lothar is, she'll be pretty busy doing all your filing and paperwork. She won't even have time to breathe," he remarked.

Rick nodded. "Well, I'll try not overwork her. I do give my employees breaks now and then," he stated in earnest.

Jack nodded. "That's good. I always knew you would make a good boss one day," he stated in earnest.

Rick nodded. "Thanks. Like you, I take care of my people. I make sure they get a fair and decent treatment," he stated.

Jack looked at Lothar. "Well, looks like you're in good hands," he stated and smiled.

"I think so too," she answered. Then she finished her drink. "Well, if you gentlemen don't mind, I would like to go home now. I haven't eaten since lunch. And it's almost dinner time now."

Jack looked at his watch. "Yes. It's almost time for me too," he replied. He looked at Lothar. "I haven't had dinner either. I would be glad to take you out for a bite to eat. That is if you're not busy," he offered.

Rick briefly gave Jack a disapproving look.

Jack looked at Rick. "Don't worry cousin. I'm not asking her for a date. I was just making her an offer," he assured.

Rick nodded. "Well, in that case, ok," he replied.

Lothar looked from Jack to Rick and back again. "No thank you, Jack. It's very kind of you. But I am tired and would like to take a sandwich in my apartment. Another time I would love to have dinner with you."

Jack nodded. "No problem. I understand. This is your first day. I'm sure you're pretty tired. You have a long day ahead of you tomorrow," he replied and smiled. "It was very nice meeting you. I'll be seeing you around," he added and smiled. He happened to think of her walking to her car. "Since I'm in charge of security here, I would be glad to take you to your car. We want to make everyone feels safe here. Especially our female employees. We have pretty tight security here, but it never hurts to be cautious," he explained.

Lothar looked at him and then nodded.

Rick happened to think of something to do with security. "That reminds me. You should give Lothar one of those ID cards with a chip in it, so she can use it to get in and out of the parking lot," he stated. He looked at Lothar. "It's like an ID badge, but it enables you to enter and exit the parking deck. All part of security. It even has your picture and some information, like date of birth, address, etc. That shouldn't take long to do. Jack can take care of all that," he explained.

Jack nodded. "Yes, I surely can," he replied and smiled.

"Ok," Lothar just answered. "When can I have such a card?"

Jack stood up and smiled. "Right now. I'll show you where to go," he replied.

Rick nodded. "Yes. He can take you to the room where all the employees get their badges," he stated.

Lothar stood up as well and smiled at Jack. "Right. Then I guess we'd better go? I don't want to get home very late."

Rick nodded. "Don't worry. It won't take long," he assured. He thought about Lothar's incident with Cliff and looked at Jack. "Jack, when you're finished with Lothar, I need to talk to you about something," he stated. His tone was serious.

Jack nodded. "Ok. I'll be back in a few minutes," he replied. He wasn't sure what his cousin wanted, but it sounded important. He looked at Lothar. "Well, let's get that card set up," he stated. Together they left the bar to get a badge for Lothar. In a small room Jack took Lothar's picture and put the necessary information in a computer program, which would finally make Lothar's ID card. Rick was right. It didn't take long and a few minutes later Jack gave her a brand new ID card. "Just make sure, you always carry it with you," he said. "And make sure you don't lose it. And if in any case it gets stolen, I'll make you another one. It will have a different number on the chip," he explained.

"Right, I understand that. Thank you," she answered him. Then she turned for the door to leave. Jack glanced at her picture on the ID card. "Nice picture. Good thing we bought those new cameras. Usually those other cameras make you look like a convict. They aren't very complimentary. But it looks like yours turned out really good," he remarked and smiled.

She blushed when he said that. "Thanks," she said suddenly shy. They went back to where Rick was in the bar. Lothar looked at Rick. "I think I'd better go now. It's gonna be a busy day tomorrow, if it's true that your paperwork is more a mountain than a hill," she said to Rick.

Jack looked at her. "You're welcome. But don't forget, I'm taking you to your car. I have to make sure you get there safe and sound," he stated.

Lothar nodded. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked Rick. He nodded. "Drive careful and get home safe," he said. "I'd like to see you at 8.00 tomorrow morning." "I will be there," Lothar promised.

Then she left the room together with Jack, to go to her car. They took the elevator down to the exit of the building. Lothar felt a bit restless. Jack glanced over and noticed Lothar looking a bit nervous. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked with concern.

"No, no," she shook her head. How could she tell him, that HE was making her nervous?

Jack nodded. "That's good. I hope you're not one of those people who get claustrophobia when they get in small spaces like elevators. Otherwise we'll have to take the stairs," he remarked.

"I'm not claustrophobic," she said. She was glad when they arrived at the parking deck and the doors opened. She got out of the elevator and walked to her car, Jack was right behind her. When she reached her car, she turned to Jack. "Thanks for bringing me," she said. She opened the door and wanted to get into the car.

Jack nodded. "You're very welcome. And by the way, try not to get overwhelmed by the paperwork. Rick doesn't expect you to do it all in one day. He's very patient. He's definitely a no pressure or stress person," he remarked.

Lothar smiled. "Yes, I noticed that." Then her curiosity came back again. "And you? Are you someone with patience?"

Jack nodded. "Yes. I think I am. In fact, I've been waiting for six months to get my own parking space, but so far I don't have it. But for now, I just park where the other security people park," he replied.

She raised her eyebrows. "Why do you need your own parking space? There are plenty places to park here," she said while she looked around on the huge parking deck.

Jack chuckled. "Hey, if my cousin can have a space with his name and number on it, so can I," he replied. He looked at Lothar and smiled. "Actually most of the employees here sooner or later get their own parking spots. It's a status thing, but I really don't care. Just as long as I can get from here to there, I'm satisfied," he stated in earnest.

Lothar shrugged. "I don't care either where to park my car. If it is here on this lot, or on the other side. I just park there where a space is and which is not claimed already." She stepped in her car. "Bye Jack, and thanks again. See you."

Jack nodded. "I agree. You have a safe ride home. See you tomorrow," he replied and smiled. "You're welcome," he added.

Lothar started her car and drove to the exit of the parking. When she looked in the mirror, she saw him looking. It made her more nervous than she wanted to admit. He was just making sure she got out ok. Jack slightly blinked, then walked back to the elevator to collect his things before he left. Fifteen minutes later Lothar arrived at her apartment. She made a sandwich and a cup of coffee and sat down to relax and watch TV.

End of Chapter 4

---

After Lothar leaves, Jack goes to Rick's office where he is asked by Rick to do a background search on one of their employees...Cliff Simon.

CHAPTER 5

---

Jack punched the button on the elevator. A few minutes later the doors opened, and he stepped inside. He punched a number on the panel that would take him to his office. As he rode to his floor, he thought about Lothar and smiled. She seemed like a nice woman. He had a feeling that Rick liked her too, and that she would make a good employee. She seemed excited about her new job, and at the same time a bit anxious. But he was glad that Rick was the kind of boss that made all his employees feel good about themselves, and always paid them a compliment when they did a good job. He just knew that Lothar would be a nice addition to their staff.

A few minutes later the bell dinged, and the doors opened. Jack stepped out of the elevator car, and went to his office to collect his briefcase, and paperwork. He happened to remember his talk with Rick.

After he picked up his briefcase, and papers, he took out his keys and locked his office. He put his keys in his pocket, then headed for Rick's office. Luckily his and Rick's office were on the same floor. He walked down the long hallway, and headed for his cousin's office.

A few minutes later, he finally arrived. He noticed the door was closed and knocked on the door.

"Come in," Rick announced. Jack opened the door and walked into the office. "Hey, you wanted to talk to me?" he asked.

Rick nodded. He gestured to a chair in front of his desk. "Yes. Have a seat," he replied.

Jack sat down in the wing backed soft brown leather chair, and looked at Rick. "So, what's this about?" he asked a bit curious.

Rick clasped his hands together, and rested them on his desk as he leaned forward, and looked at Jack. "I didn't want mention this in front of Ms. O'Neil, but when I was showing her the sauna room, and I introduced her to Cliff, she suddenly became ill. I don't know what was wrong, but it was as if just being near Cliff, made her ill. So, I took her to Janet to make sure she was all right. Fortunately Janet couldn't find anything wrong. But it just came on so sudden, that I got worried. I don't know what happened, but it was very strange," he explained.

Jack thought about what Rick said and nodded. "You're right. That is really strange. I have to admit, that sometimes, Cliff comes on a bit strong. And some people are often intimidated by him. He has such a presence about him. But over all he's a good worker and seems to get along with the rest of the employees," he replied.

Rick nodded. "Yes he does. But it just seemed odd that she would react to him so strongly," he commented. He looked at Jack a bit thoughtful. "You know, we really don't know that much about him except for what he had on his resume. I usually don't take much stock in résumés. I just go for what they can do, and how well they can do their job. You're right about Cliff. He does have a presence about him, but he does his job, and that's important," he stated. He briefly sighed. "Well, just to be on the safe side, do a complete background check on him. You probably won't find anything, but as they say, better safe than sorry," he remarked.

Jack nodded. "I'll be glad to do that. I'll even get with Sam. She's good at doing background searches on the computer. She knows where to look," he stated and winked.

Rick nodded. "That's very true. If there's anyone who knows how to do a background search on someone, its Sam," he agreed and smiled. Every since Sam had worked there, their security had been greatly improved. She had records on every employee who worked there. She had a way of getting information from places that were impossible to access. Rick looked at Jack and smiled. "Thanks. I really appreciate this. That will put my mind to rest, and hopefully ease Lothar's," he stated.

Jack nodded. "No problem, cousin. That's what I'm here for," he replied.

Rick quietly sighed. "I'll call Sam and tell her that you're coming. And try to keep this as secret as possible. We don't want the whole complex talking about this," he stated in a serious tone.

Jack nodded. "Don't worry. I've done enough Co'Ops to know the drill," he assured.

Rick nodded. "Right. I always said you were the best," he stated and smiled.

Jack looked a bit modest and smiled. "Thanks," he replied.

Rick nodded. "You're welcome," he replied.

Jack got up, and picked up his briefcase and folder of papers. "Tell Sam I'll be there in ten minutes. I'm going to pick up some coffee and some sandwiches at the cafeteria. I have a feeling this will take awhile," he stated.

Rick nodded. "Good idea. Yes. Those kinds of searches always do," he replied and sighed. Jack nodded to Rick, then turned, and walked out of his office.

Rick immediately got on the phone, and punched in Sam's number. Her phone rang a few times, then she finally answered. "Samantha Carter, who's calling?" she replied. Luckily she had her headset on and was able to work on her computer while she talked on the phone.

"Hey Sam. It's Rick. How's it going?" he greeted.

Sam smiled. She always enjoyed getting calls from Rick. "Hey Rick. Not too bad. Just catching up on some files. What can I do for you?" she asked. She had worked with Rick long enough to know that whenever he called, he needed her help on something that had to do with computers. And she was glad to help. "Let me guess... you found another virus on your computer," she commented.

Rick chuckled. "You're just in luck. No virus. Computer is all clean," he assured.

Sam smiled. "That's good," she replied.

Rick quickly became serious. "Jack is coming to your office. I asked him to do a background search on one of our employees. I wanted you to help him," he stated.

Sam nodded. "No problem. Who do we need to check on this time?" she asked a bit curious.

"Cliff, who is in charge of the sauna," Rick replied a bit disappointed.

Sam suddenly became concerned. "You mean Cliff Simon? Him?" she asked with surprise. "Why him? Did he do something wrong?" she asked worried.

"Well, I sure hope not. But I want you and Jack to check him out, just to make sure. We don't want anyone working for us who might jeopardize the company," Rick stated in a serious tone.

Sam nodded. "I understand. Don't worry. We'll do all we can to help," she assured.

Rick nodded. "Thanks Sam. I knew I could depend on you," he replied.

Sam smiled. "You're welcome. Is there anything else?" she asked.

"No, not at the moment. Just that Jack is bringing you and him some coffee and sandwiches," he stated.

Sam chuckled. "That's very thoughtful of Jack. I'm sure we'll need it," she replied.

Rick smiled. "Yes," he replied. He glanced at his watch. "Well, if you two find anything, just let me know. I'll be at home. I need to pick up my daughter. She's staying at a friend's house. I told her I might be working late and made arrangements for one of her friend's mom to pick her up. So I need to go get her," he stated.

Sam nodded. "I understand. Give her a hug for me," she replied.

Rick nodded. "Thanks, I will. Take care, and good luck," he parted.

Sam nodded. "You're welcome. Thanks, you too," she replied.

"Thanks. You're welcome," replied Rick. They finally ended their call, and hung up. Rick got up, and stretched. It had been a long day and he was ready to go home. He checked his pockets to make sure he had his car keys, and ID badge. Luckily he had them both. He didn't have to worry about locking his office. Along with Jack, there were other security guards scattered about the building, and they always made sure the offices were locked up at night. The only thing he had to worry about was having plenty of gas to get home. But he had filled up his car that morning, so he didn't have to worry about that. He sighed, and left his office, then headed down the long hall to the elevator.

He finally came to the elevator, then punched the down button, and waited for the doors to open. A few minutes later, a bell dinged, and the doors slowly opened. Rick got into the elevator car, and punched a button that would take him to the parking deck. The doors closed, and Rick leaned against the wall, and rode down to the parking deck. A few minutes later, the doors opened, and Rick stepped out of the elevator. He walked over to his car, then took out his keys. He punched a button on his key bob to unlock his car door on the driver's side. He got into his car, and closed the door and locked it. He put his key into the ignition and started his car. He put on his seatbelt, then put the car into gear, and backed out of his parking spot. He turned the car around, then drove out of the parking lot, and headed for the main gate. There he showed the guard at the gate his badge, then headed out of the parking lot to go pick up Wylie.

End of chapter 5

---

While Jack and Sam are going over Cliff's files, they happen to find a familiar language that ends up revealing some very dangerous information. But they need Daniel's help to translate it.

CHAPTER 6

---

Meanwhile, in the cafeteria, Jack paid for his and Sam's sandwiches, and coffee, and even bought some Jell-O on the side. He also bought two slices of pumpkin pie in case they wanted some dessert. The cook put everything on a tray, then looked at Jack. "Have a nice dinner," she said and smiled. Jack nodded and smiled. "Thanks. You have a good evening," he replied. The cook smiled. "You're welcome. Thanks," she replied. Jack nodded, then turned, and walked out of the cafeteria. He walked down the hall with his tray of food until he came to the elevator. He punched a button, and waited for the doors to open. A few minutes later the elevator doors opened. Jack stepped inside, then punched a button that would take him to Sam's office. The doors closed, then Jack rode the elevator to Sam's office.

After a few minutes, the bell dinged, and the doors slowly opened. Jack stepped out of the elevator, and carried his tray of food to Sam's office. Luckily it wasn't very far. As he walked into the room where Sam's office was, he noticed her still sitting at her computer. He walked up to her desk, and set the tray of food on the desk. "Sam, don't you ever go home!" he scolded in a joking manner.

Sam looked up from her computer, and smiled. "Once in awhile. But some of us have to work over time," she replied.

Jack nodded and smiled. "Well, in this case you're right. But luckily I brought us some food. It's not much, but it beats going hungry," he replied.

Sam paused from her work, and removed her headset. She looked at the sandwiches, Jell-O and pie.

"That looks really good. I was getting a little hungry myself," she admitted.

Jack nodded. "Well, let's eat, then we can work on that background check," he replied.

Sam nodded. She got up from her computer and walked over to her desk where Jack had set the tray. She took a drink of her coffee and sighed. "Ahh! Coffee. Just the way I like it. You always know just how I like my coffee, Jack," she stated.

Jack nodded. "Well, after working with someone for eight years, you get to know them pretty well," he replied and smiled.

Sam nodded. "That's very true. Thanks," she replied.

Jack nodded. "Think nothing of it," he replied.

They found some chairs, and pulled them up to the desk, then started eating their sandwiches. While they ate, Sam thought about that background check on Cliff. "Say, what's with the background check on Cliff? Rick wasn't too clear on that," she remarked.

Jack wiped his mouth on his napkin, then looked at Sam. "It had something to do with this new woman Rick hired today, Lothar," he replied.

Sam nodded. "Oh yes. I remember her. Strikingly pretty woman," she remarked. Jack nodded and continued eating his sandwich. Sam looked at him with curiosity. "What does she have to do with Cliff? Did anything happen between them?" she asked.

Jack shook his head. "Not really. Rick said it was really strange. The minute he introduced Lothar to Cliff, she suddenly became ill. Frankly I don't blame her. Sometimes he makes me ill too," he joked. He became serious. "Actually I'm not sure what really happened. But it seems that Rick thought it was serious enough for me to do a background check on him," he stated.

Sam nodded. "I'll say. He sounded really worried over the phone. Let's hope we don't find anything. Cliff has only been here just three years, but he seems to be working out ok. I haven't heard any complaints," she stated.

They ate the rest of their sandwiches, then ate some of their Jell-O. They drank some of their coffee, then wiped their mouths on their napkins. Sam quietly sighed. "Well, that was really good. That cafeteria really makes good sandwiches. That turkey sandwich was good," she remarked.

Jack nodded. "Yes. And so was that Jell-O," he stated. He looked at Sam and sighed. "Well, guess we'd better start on that background check," he stated.

Sam nodded. "Yes. Hopefully we won't find anything. But if Rick thinks it's necessary, then we'd better do it," she stated.

They got up from their chairs, then walked over to the computer. Sam sat down to her computer, and located a special folder that showed all the employees who worked there. Jack sat in a chair beside Sam and watched as she looked through the list of employees until she came to Cliff's folder. She opened his folder, and together they read his files. As they read his files, they didn't find anything incriminating, or unusual. Sam quietly sighed. "Well, so far, his files look normal. Nothing out of the ordinary," she stated.

Jack nodded. "But it's the out of the ordinary that we're looking for," he stated.

Sam nodded. "That's true. I'll do a detailed search and see if anything unusual pops up. I just have to type in the right information," she stated. Jack nodded. Sam proceeded to type in some key words that would give her the right information that she was looking for. She even used some information from some of Cliff's files. So far nothing seemed to show up. She typed in other key words that might help in her search.

After about an hour, something seemed to catch her eye. "That's odd. That wasn't in any of Cliff's files. And it certainly wasn't on his résumé. But then again you don't have to put everything in a résumé," she stated.

Jack looked at the screen. It was obvious that he wasn't seeing the same thing Sam saw. "What is it? What do you see?" he asked.

Sam sighed. "It's probably nothing, but it doesn't seem to go with the rest of his information," she stated.

Jack was getting impatient. He hated it when she did that. "Sam, just tell me what it is!" he stated a bit anxious.

Sam pointed to the screen. "See this thread here... for some reason, it's in a foreign language. I can't read this. It looks familiar, but I don't quite understand it," she replied a bit confused.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Same here. I can't make it out either. Maybe we should get Daniel up here. He would know for sure," he stated.

Sam nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. We could really use his help," she agreed. She looked at her watch. "Six fifteen. He's already gone home for the day. But I could fax this thread to him. And tell him to help us translate it," she stated.

Jack nodded. "That's a good idea. Tell him to contact us at home the moment he gets it translated. Rick doesn't want anyone here in the building to know about this. So tell Daniel to keep this secret," he replied in a serious tone.

Sam nodded. "Right. I'll do that," she replied. She saved the thread she found and was able to fax it to Daniel's home computer. She left him a message to contact them the moment he was finished translating the message. When she was finished, she looked at Jack and sighed. "Well, guess we'd better go home. I'm anxious to see what that message is," she remarked.

Jack nodded. "Me too." He noticed that they had not eaten their pies. "Say, we forgot our pies. Don't want to see those go to waste," he teased. Sam nodded and smiled. They got up and walked over to their pies and ate them. When they finished, they wiped their mouths, then looked at one another, and smiled. "Well, that was good," Jack commented.

Sam nodded. "Yes. They always make good pies," she agreed. Jack nodded. He looked at his watch. "I'll be glad to walk you to your car. It's getting pretty late," he remarked. He liked Sam, and never minded walking her to her car when it was late. Being head of security, that was his job to keep the employees safe.

Sam nodded. "Sure. That will be great. Daniel will be leaving us a message on our answering machines and we don't want to miss it," she stated.

Jack nodded. "Yes. It could be very important," he replied.

Sam nodded. She collected her purse, and her briefcase, and her lightweight jacket, then looked at Jack. "I'm all ready," she informed.

Jack picked up his briefcase and folder with all his papers, then nodded to Sam. "Well, let's go," he replied. They walked out of Sam's office and down the long hallway until they came to the elevator. Jack punched the button on the wall, and soon the elevator doors slid open. They got into the elevator car, and then Jack punched a number that would take them to the parking deck. The doors closed, and soon they were on their way to the parking deck. They both kept thinking about that strange language they had seen on the computer, but for some reason they didn't recognize it. "I sure hope Daniel can translate that language you faxed him," Jack remarked.

Sam nodded. "Well, if anyone can do it, Daniel can," she assured.

Jack nodded. "That's true. He can speak fifty different languages, so hopefully he'll know this one," he agreed.

After a few minutes, the bell dinged, and the doors opened. They walked out of the elevator, and out to the parking deck. Jack walked Sam to her car, and waited for her to get in. She opened her car and got inside. She closed her door and locked it, then rolled down her window. She looked at Jack. "Whoever gets the message first, can call the other person," she stated.

Jack nodded. "Right. Good idea," he replied. He looked at her with concern. "Take care and be careful," he cautioned.

Sam nodded. "Thanks, I will. Same to you," she replied.

Jack nodded. "You're welcome. I will," he replied.

Sam put on her seatbelt, then put her key into the ignition, and started her car. She waved to Jack, then put her car into gear, and backed out. She turned her car around, then headed out of the parking deck. Jack watched her drive away, then walked to his car. He unlocked it with the button on his keybob, then got inside. He shut the door, then put on his seatbelt. He put the key into the ignition then started his car. He put the car into gear, then backed out of his parking spot. He turned his car around, and then he too drove it out of the parking deck and headed to the main gate. That strange language still stayed in his mind. The way it was written was so familiar, but like Sam, he still couldn't recognize it. Hopefully when he got home, Daniel would have a message for him and an answer too. For now, he just concentrated on getting home.

End of chapter 6

---

Jack, Sam, and Teal'c arrive at Daniel's place. While they are there, they finally reveal the contents of the fax that Daniel received from Sam, and they suddenly become alarmed. Aside from their discovery, they also suspect that Rick's new employee may also be a Goa'uld.

CHAPTER 7

---

Daniel had just arrived home, and had walked in the door. He always made it a point to check his messages. He hung up his jacket, then walked over to his phone. He pressed the button on his answering machine and listened to his messages. He was about to make some coffee when he heard a message from Sam.

"Hey Daniel. It's me. I just want to let you know that I've faxed you some important information. We need your help. We found some information on Cliff that didn't look right. So just check your fax machine and see if you can make it out. Let me know what you find," she informed. The message ended and Sam hung up. Daniel stared at his machine for a moment and wondered what could be the problem. Sam sounded concerned. He walked over to his fax machine and turned it on. He punched a button on the machine, and waited for it to respond. It beeped a few times, and then it printed out the information that Sam had sent him.

When it had finished, Daniel studied the paper with interest. He saw some symbols on the paper that he immediately recognized as Goa'uld symbols. This was really strange. He couldn't figure out why there would be Goa'uld symbols on Cliff's file. How would Cliff know about Goa'ulds. That baffled him even more.

As he studied the symbols, they were in a type of language that he didn't understand. It was as if it were in some kind of code. He took the paper and walked over to his library where he kept all of his books on ancient languages. He searched through the books until he found a notebook he had where he had made a dictionary of different languages he had translated over the years. He flipped through the notebook, to the section on Goa'uld languages, and looked at all the symbols they used. For some reason the symbols on the paper didn't match the symbols in his notebook. This was going to take some time. He decided that he needed some help and decided to call Teal'c.

Teal'c answered the phone after a few times. "Teal'c, it's me, Daniel," he said. "Listen, I got a fax from Sam. Something she found in Cliff's files. Now I found symbols that are definitely Goa'uld. But I can't figure out what it means. Can you come over and help me?"

The Jaffa listened to Daniel. "I will be there," he just said and hung up. Daniel smiled. Teal'c never said much. He turned back to the fax and the notebooks. Some symbols were familiar. There was a part, that spoke about the arrival of the queen. Another part said 'conquer'. And then a symbol that he recognized as 'fleet of ships'.

Teal'c finally arrived at Daniel's house. He walked up to the front door, and rang the doorbell and waited for Daniel to answer. Daniel opened the door for his friend and let him in. The dark, tall Jaffa with the golden tattoo on his forehead followed Daniel into the library. Daniel showed him the fax he got from Sam. Teal'c studied the fax for a moment.

Despite he never showed very much emotion inside he became worried when he saw the symbols on the paper. He looked at Daniel. "These appear to be plans for an invasion, Daniel Jackson," he informed trying not to sound alarmed.

"An invasion?" Daniel repeated surprised. "How could that be in Cliff's files?" he asked himself out loud. He stroked his hand through his hair.

Teal'c suddenly got a strange feeling. "I have not seen symbols like these for a long time. The last time I saw symbols such as these was when Ba'al made an attack on Yu," he explained.

"Ba'al? That's one system lord we only heard of, but we've never seen him," Daniel said. "Can you tell me, what the whole message says?" Daniel asked Teal'c.

Teal'c studied the fax again. "It says, that the fleet is on its way. And as soon as the mothership has arrived with his queen, the invasion will start."

Daniel suddenly felt ill. He couldn't imagine a Goa'uld attacking Earth. That was just unreal. "Are you sure about that Teal'c?" he asked just to make sure he had heard his Jaffa friend correctly.

Teal'c just nodded. "Quite sure, Daniel Jackson. And if I am correct, then Cliff Simon is Ba'al. We have to inform Colonel O'Neill and Mr. Anderson."

Daniel stared in disbelief. "Oh man! This is serious. This is going to be hard to explain to Rick. He has no clue about Goa'ulds. For that matter he doesn't even know that you're a Jaffa. And once we tell him that he has a Goa'uld working for him, it's really going to be quite a shock," he stated in a worried tone. He thought about the part about the queen. "Who is this queen he mentions in his message?" he asked.

"That must be Qetesh," Teal'c said. "According to master Bra'tac, Qetesh and Ba'al were always together. But I have never seen them," he continued.

Daniel scratched his head once more. "This is going to be difficult. Hunting down a Goa'uld we've never seen. But if we don't head this off, this could mean the end of Earth," he stated in alarm. He looked at Teal'c. "Quick. You call Jack, and I'll call Sam. We have to tell them what we found. I'll order some pizza and we'll tell them to come here so we can make some plans on what to do," he stated. Teal'c nodded and took his cell phone to call Jack. In short terms he told Jack about the translation and asked him to come over to Daniel's place.

Meanwhile Daniel had called Sam, who had promised to be there as soon as possible. Now Daniel called for pizza. Not much later, Sam and Jack arrived at Daniel's place.

As Sam and Jack walked in, Jack smelled the aroma of the pizza and smiled. "My favorite. I hope you have some beer to go with that Daniel," he remarked.

Daniel nodded. "I have a few bottles left over from the last time you were here," he replied.

Jack nodded. "No problem," he replied. He looked at Daniel and Teal'c a bit more serious. "So, what's this I hear about Cliff being a Goa'uld? How did he get past our security system?" he wondered.

Sam looked at Jack. "Jack, our security only picks up weapons, or drugs. They aren't programmed to detect aliens like Goa'ulds," she explained.

Jack nodded. "Remind me to get that fixed," he stated. Then he looked at Teal'c. "Didn't Junior tell you there's a Goa'uld around?' he asked him.

Teal'c looked at Jack serious. "He must have used some kind of drug to mask the presence of his Goa'uld," he explained.

Daniel nodded. "Yes. That would explain it. Ba'al would have some kind of alien technology to hide his symbiote," he agreed.

Sam nodded. "Yes. Otherwise Teal'c's larva would have detected him right away," she agreed.

Jack thought for a moment. "Wait a minute. I think we have another Goa'uld on the payroll. That new woman, Lothar. Rick said she suddenly became ill when he introduced her to Cliff. It was as if something came over her. That's when he asked me to do that background check Cliff. How else would she know about him?" he stated.

Sam looked surprised. "What? You mean she's a Goa'uld too?" she asked.

Jack shrugged. "Well, I can't be totally sure, but it seems to make sense," he stated.

Daniel became worried again. "Oh man! I sure hope she isn't in on this invasion plan with Ba'al. She seemed like such a nice woman," he said and sighed.

Teal'c thought for a moment. "Maybe she too was using some kind of technology to hide her symbiote. I did not sense one in her either," he decided.

Sam shook her head. "I can't believe she's a Goa'uld," she said. "I talked to Amanda this afternoon. And she described her as a polite and even a bit shy person." She looked at the others in the room. "Maybe one of us should go and talk with her. Ask her what really happened this afternoon."

Jack nodded. "Good idea. She comes in tomorrow morning. I'll see her then, and talk to her during her break," he replied.

Meanwhile Sam and Daniel got out some paper plates, napkins, and glasses for their drinks. Daniel got out some juice for Teal'c since he didn't drink beer. They put the pizza on the table, and everyone sat down to eat their pizza. As they sat around the table eating, Jack sighed. "This is really strange. How could two Goa'ulds just happen to land on our planet, and no one notice?" he asked in disbelief.

Sam looked at Jack. "They do have advanced technology, so that's probably why they weren't detected," she explained.

"How old was that file you found?" Jack asked Sam. Sam shrugged.

"Not very old, about 2 days," she answered. "Ba'al's fleet may be on its way as we speak." She looked at Teal'c, who bowed his head. "Indeed."

"We might not have time to wait until tomorrow," Daniel said. "We need to act now, starting with a visit to Lothar."

Jack nodded. "You're right, Daniel. Maybe she knows more. But if not, I want to know what exactly happened this afternoon. Why she reacted the way she did. And if she really is a snakehead..." He didn't finish the sentence, but his friends knew what he wanted to say. They knew how he hated the Goa'ulds. He finished his beer and stood up from the table. He hardly had touched the pizza. "I will go to Lothar's apartment now. I'll see you all at work tomorrow." Then he went to the door and left. He stepped into his car and drove to Lothar's place.

End of chapter 7

---

Jack arrives at Lothar's apartment, only to encounter an old enemy from another planet who tries to kill Lothar.

CHAPTER 8

---

In her apartment Lothar just had finished her meal and was cleaning the dishes. She let her thoughts go back to her first day as Rick's employee. This job was just to good to be true. It looked more like a health center, than a company. Well, she looked forward to the next day, when she could really make a start with Rick's paperwork. If it was true what Jack had said, and it was a mess, then she would probably have her hands full on it. Suddenly she heard the doorbell ring. She dried her hands on a towel and opened the door. When she saw the man standing outside, she wanted to close the door as quick as she could, but he was stronger and forced her to let him in. She stepped backwards, away from him, scared to death. Cliff Simon closed the door behind him and with slow movements he walked towards Lothar. Finally she found her voice. "What do you want from me?" she asked in panic.

He didn't say anything, but moved up to her. With every step, he came closer; she stepped back. But then she reached the wall, and had no way out. Her heart pounded fast in fear. Again she saw his eyes glowing and when he started to speak, his voice sounded strange, metallic, echoing.

You know who I am, he said when he had reached her.

She wanted to run away from him, but he grabbed her arms. "NO!" she screamed. "I don't know you, I've never seen you before..., let me go!" She tried to free herself.

At that moment the doorbell rang again, but Cliff didn't have the intention to let her go. Again ringing, then someone knocked.

"Lothar? Are you there?" she heard Jack's voice. "JACK!" she screamed. "HELP M..." She couldn't finish the sentence, because Cliff covered her mouth with his hand. "Shut up," he whispered.

In the hallway Jack heard her cry for help and he took out the gun he always had with him. He shoved his shoulder against the door with all his strength, but with the deadbolt lock, he couldn't break it down. He stepped back and aimed his gun at the lock and fired a few shots. Splinters of wood flew out from the lock as the bullets hit their mark. Then with all his strength he kicked the door open and saw what was going on. He pointed the gun at Cliff. "Let her go, Cliff," he said warning. "I won't hesitate to shoot you, if necessary." But then he saw the knife in Cliff's hand, pressed tightly against Lothar's throat.

And I won't hesitate to cut her throat, if you don't let me go, the man answered. So I suggest you get out of the way, Colonel O'Neill. He started to move to the door, using Lothar as a human shield.

As they moved toward the door, Jack knew this was going to be tricky. He was a good marksman, but he had to make this really good to keep Lothar from getting killed. He pointed his gun at Lothar and gave her a serious look. "I'm sorry Lothar," he said with compassion. He fired one shot into her shoulder. As Lothar slumped to the floor, Cliff was briefly caught off guard. Jack took this advantage and fired a shot into Cliff's shoulder. He noticed that the shot just barely fazed him. He fired two more shots into his stomach, then watched him fall to the floor. He watched for a moment to see if he was going to move. When he was sure that Cliff was down, he hurried over to Lothar. He picked her up and held her in his arms. "I'm really sorry. I had to do that. But don't worry. I think the bullet went right through. I'll call an ambulance," he said with compassion.

Lothar just nodded. Her face was pale like moonlight. Her shoulder hurt like hell and tears of pain came into her eyes. Jack took out a handkerchief, and pressed it against her shoulder. He took out his cell phone, and quickly called the SGC. Walter Harriman answered and Jack told him what happened and where to come. When he was finished, he hung up, then picked up Lothar, and carried her over to a couch. He gently put her down, then sat beside her while they waited for the medics to show up. He checked her shoulder and winced. "Ow! I know that hurts. Believe me. It was the only way I could distract Cliff. Just try to stay calm. Help is coming," he said in a calm voice. Jack made another call, this time to Daniel. "Ask Teal'c to come over to Lothar's place," he said, after he told Daniel what had happened. "He can keep an eye on Cliff while we go to the infirmary at the SGC."

"He's already on his way, Jack," Daniel answered him. "Sam had a feeling that something could be wrong at Lothar's place, so she asked Teal'c to go there too. He should be there any minute now."

"Ok, thanks Daniel." Jack ended the call and turned back to Lothar. "Hang in there, girl," he said. "Teal'c is on his way, and also an ambulance. I'll stay with you ok?" He suddenly remembered the way Cliff's voice sounded and the way his eyes glowed. He looked at Lothar. "I know this is going to sound weird, but the last time I heard someone talk like Cliff, and their eyes glowed, they were an alien, and I don't mean from another country. I'm talking alien... as in from another planet," he reflected.

"I heard it too," she whispered painful. "He said... that I know... who he is... But you have... to believe me Jack..." She blinked with her eyes, fighting against fainting. "I... don't know..." But then she collapsed. The pain was getting too much for her.

Soon the paramedics from the SGC arrived, and right behind them, was Teal'c. As Jack listened to Lothar, he seemed to sense that she knew who and what Cliff was, but she was in too much pain to explain. As the paramedics came in Jack waved them over to where Lothar was. A couple of medics came over and checked her blood pressure, and started putting a bandage on her wound. They also hooked her up to two clear bags filled with Lactated Ringers solution which consisted of a type of saline solution for her electrolytes to keep her from passing out. They carefully put her on a stretcher, then put some straps across her to keep her from falling off. Before they rolled her out, Jack looked at her and smiled. "Don't worry. I'll be right beside you," he assured.

They brought in another stretcher, and started working on Cliff. They bandaged up his wounds, then hooked him up to two IVs as well. When they had finished, they carefully put him on a stretcher and strapped him down. They put oxygen masks on both Lothar and Cliff then rolled them out of the apartment.

Jack saw Teal'c standing in the apartment with one of his many hats on that he usually wore when he was out and smiled. "Nice hat," he complimented. Teal'c nodded.

He looked at Jack with concern. "Are you all right, O'Neill?" he asked.

Jack nodded. "Yes. Thanks. We need to get to the SGC and see what this is all about," he stated. Jack turned to Teal'c. "Call Daniel and tell him to go there too, together with Sam. We will meet them there."

End of chapter 8

---

Once Lothar is back at the SGC, Hammond and O'Neill decide to interrogate her. Once she starts talking, she reveals some very surprising information.

Author's note: We hope you are enjoying our story. There's more to come. Feel free to leave a comment. We appreciate your comments.

CHAPTER 9

---

Soon they were on their way to the SGC. Jack followed the ambulance in his own car, together with Teal'c. Daniel and Sam were called and would meet them together with General Hammond at the base. Jack ordered Sam to call the general to tell him what happened. Daniel called Janet who was at the base at the moment. When they arrived at the SGC, they brought Cliff into a secured part of the infirmary. Jack told Hammond what he had seen at Lothar's apartment, so Hammond didn't want to take any risks and kept Cliff under surveillance around the clock. Meanwhile Lothar was brought on the stretcher to the OR, where Janet already was waiting for her. She saw the scared look in Lothar's eyes. "Don't worry," Janet said. "We will make an X-ray to see where the bullet is, remove it and clean your wound."

Lothar just nodded weakly. Making the X-ray didn't take much time and soon Janet was looking at it to see what she had to do. But then she noticed something else on the X-ray. "Oh my god," she said. She took the phone on the wall and called Jack. "Sir, you'd better come to my office," she said.

Jack noticed the urgency in her voice. "I'll be there right away," he replied. He hung up the phone and hurried to her office. When he arrived, he walked over to where she was standing. "What's the problem?" he asked.

Janet pointed at the X-ray. "Here," she said. "That's a symbiote."

Jack looked closer at the picture. "For crying out loud, do we have another Goa'uld here? I can't believe it, I haven't noticed anything."

Janet shook her head. "Well, I don't know if it's a Goa'uld or not, but it's definitely a symbiote. I'll have to do some blood tests to see if it's a Goa'uld or not," she stated. "But first I need to remove that bullet," she said. "Goa'uld or not, I'm a doctor and I can't let her suffer."

Jack nodded. "You're right. She's suffered enough. Thanks Doc," he replied. He studied the X-ray more closely. "I sure hope we don't have another Goa'uld on the base," he remarked a bit anxious.

"So do I," Janet said. Then she went back to the OR.

While Janet was in the OR, Jack decided to inform Hammond about the symbiote. He knew he would want to be informed. He walked down to Hammond's office and knocked on the door. "Come in," the older General answered. Jack opened the door and walked in. Hammond looked up from his desk, and gestured for Jack to sit down. Jack walked over to the large brown leather chair and sat down. Hammond looked at him with curiosity. "Hello Jack. How are things going with your new job?" he asked.

Jack briefly smiled. "I really enjoy it sir. Of course it's not as exciting as going off world, but I like it," he replied.

Hammond nodded. "Well, I'm sure it is a lot different than what you did before, but glad you like it," he replied and smiled. He thought about the young woman. "Have you got any news about that young woman you brought to the base? What's her situation?" he asked with interest.

Jack quietly sighed. "That's what I came to tell you sir. Dr. Fraiser was showing me the X-rays of her, and it appears that she has a symbiote inside her," he replied.

The minute Hammond heard the news he immediately became alarmed. "What? You said she has a symbiote inside her?" he said in disbelief.

Jack nodded. "Yes sir. But for now we don't know what kind. We don't know if it's a Goa'uld or Tok'ra," he replied.

Now Hammond was really worried. "Well for now, we need to keep her under close observation when she comes out of the OR. And I want to have a talk with her as well. We need to find out just what kind of symbiote this woman is carrying," he stated with concern.

Jack nodded. "I agree sir. We can't afford to have another Goa'uld on the base," he stated.

Hammond looked at Jack. "Keep me informed the minute she comes out of the OR and wakes up," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Yes sir," he replied. He got up from his chair, then looked at Hammond. He thought it was really strange that Lothar didn't tell him about her symbiote. But he guessed she wasn't aware it was there or maybe she was just too scared to tell him. "I'll keep you posted General," he stated.

Hammond nodded. "Thank you Jack. And it's good seeing you again," he replied and smiled.

Jack nodded. "Thank you sir. It's good seeing you again too," he replied and smiled. He turned and walked out of Hammond's office. He decided to wait in Janet's office.

About two hours later, Janet came back to her office.

"How is she?" Jack asked immediately.

"I got the bullet out of her shoulder, and I cleaned and bandaged the wound. It's up to her symbiote to do the rest," she informed him. She thought for a moment, then she said. "She was scared, Jack. I saw the fear in her eyes. Maybe you should go to her, so that she won't be alone when she wakes up."

Jack nodded. "Ok. I'm sure she is pretty scared. That was quite a shock having Cliff attacking her like that," he stated. He thought about Cliff. "You know, the more I think about this situation, the more Cliff reminds me of that Goa'uld Ba'al. In fact, his voice even sounded like Ba'al. Maybe you should do a blood test on him too, just to make sure," he stated with concern.

Janet nodded. "I agree with you," she said. "I already took some blood from Lothar, I could do the same with him."

Together with Jack she left her office and went to the secured part of the infirmary, where Dr. Lam was still working on Cliff. "How is he?" Janet asked her.

"He's got some serious wounds in his stomach, but nothing that his symbiote can't heal, now that I got the bullets out," replied Lam.

"Good, can you get me a blood sample from him? I want to run some tests to see if he's Goa'uld or not." Her colleague just nodded, took what she needed, and a few moments later she handed Janet the blood sample. "Thanks," Janet said and left to the lab to run the blood tests.

Before Jack went to the infirmary to be with Lothar, he decided to stop by the security room where they kept all the alien devices in their lock up. Despite he was working for Rick, he still had clearance on the base. He walked into the room and looked at the guard. "Open that vault soldier. I need two of those devices," he ordered. He showed the guard his security card then the guard turned and opened the vault. Jack looked inside and saw the ribbon device that they had taken from one of their trips through the gate, and the healing device. He picked them up, then looked at the guard. "Thank you. I need these for an experiment," he stated and briefly smiled. The guard nodded. "Yes sir. You're welcome," he replied. The guard closed and locked the vault, then stood guard by the door. Jack nodded and went to the infirmary to wait for Lothar. As he walked to the infirmary, he wondered if Lothar could use the devices. He was certain that she had that nahquadah in her system, and he knew that both Goa'ulds and Tok'ras had the ability to use such devices. It was just a matter of testing her ability.

When he arrived at the infirmary, she was just waking up. Slowly she opened her eyes and saw Jack coming toward her. "Hey," he said, "how do you feel?" She didn't answer.

Though the bullet was removed, her shoulder was still hurting. She looked away from him to hide the tears. Jack felt sad, not to mention guilty for shooting her. But it was the only thing he could think of at the moment to distract Cliff. He pulled up a chair beside her bed, and sat down. "It's ok. I know it hurts. I've been shot a few times myself," he said out of sympathy.

Lothar turned her head to Jack. "There's something I need to tell you," she started. "Something I never told anyone else. They would freak out, but I have the feeling you won't." Jack didn't answer. He just sat beside her bed and waited for what would come. She took a deep breath. "I share my body," she said. "In other words, I have a symbiote inside me. That is the reason why I noticed about Cliff. He's dangerous, Jack. I sensed his symbiote, just like he sensed mine. The only difference is that his symbiote has taken full control of him. Mine on the other hand, stays in the background. Her name is Jadzia, but she only takes over control, when I allow her."

Jack was surprised to hear the news but didn't seem upset. He had seen the X-ray that Janet had shown him. He was concerned but when she said her symbiote was nonviolent, he was relieved. "Yes. I saw the X-ray that Doctor Fraiser showed me. I can see how you would notice someone like Cliff. Believe it or not I'm familiar with symbiotes. I had one in me a long time ago, but it left. It was a nonviolent symbiote too," he reflected. He looked at her a bit thoughtful. "So, does that make you a Tok'ra?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, Jadzia is neither Goa'uld, nor Tok'ra. She is useless to both sides and was banned to that lake where she took me as a host." She saw the surprised look on Jack's face and decided to tell him the whole story. "I used to swim in a lake, a few hundred miles from here. No one ever came there. But one day there was a shield which said 'No swimming allowed'. I didn't care about that warning, because I came there for several years already. And never saw any danger. So I went into the water. When I was in the center of the lake, I noticed something coming toward me under the water. I went back to the shore as fast as I could, but it was faster than me and then I felt a short pain in my neck. Then it was over... the thing that was following me was gone, so I didn't think about it anymore. Next day I heard a voice in my head, that told me not to be afraid. Of course I was... I was thinking that I had gone nuts. Hearing voices aren't that good. But then the voice told me what happened in the lake and that she would leave me, if I wanted to. She also told me, that she is able to cure almost everything. And that in exchange for sharing my body with her, she would keep me healthy. She told me about the Goa'uld and Tok'ra. And how she was of no use for them and ended up in that lake. The shield was to prevent her from taking a new host. So she took the first person, who came in the water. Not knowing, who that could be. We had some hard times together, times of misunderstanding each other. But now I'm used to having her around. We do well together now."

Jack nodded. "Say, that's quite a story. I'm not sure if Hammond would believe it. He hates symbiotes as much as I do. But considering your symbiote is nonviolent, maybe he will accept it better. For now, I think he may want to keep you in isolation, until he is sure that you and your symbiote are not a threat to anyone. I hope you understand," he replied. He thought about her symbiote. "It's too bad my symbiote and I never got along like the two of you. Mine was on a mission and needed to save a woman. After that, it left. In a way I felt used and that wasn't a good feeling. But I'm glad it's not the case with you," he said and briefly smiled.

"I'm sorry to hear that you had a bad experience with that one," she said quietly. "And that you hate them."

He nodded and sighed. "Well, I think over the years we had so many negative things happen that related to symbiotes, that it just left a bad taste in my mouth. However, there was one incident where Major Carter was taken as a host by a Tok'ra symbiote, and it ended up saving her life. So I guess that was a good thing," he stated a bit more positive.

"I'm glad to hear that," she answered. "But I hope you don't hate me now, for being a host. I assure you, you won't even notice that Jadzia is there too."

He shook his head. "I don't hate you. You were just a victim of circumstance. As they say, you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But luckily your symbiote doesn't possess you like the Goa'uld. It lets you live a normal life," he replied. He thought about the name of her symbiote. "Jadzia... I like that name. I was just thinking... there might be a place for you and your symbiote here at the SGC. Maybe in intelligence. When a team goes on a mission, they would need someone who is familiar with the Tok'ra and Goa'uld. You might be an asset to the SGC," he stated and smiled.

But Lothar shook her head. "No, I can't do that to Rick. He just hired me for his paperwork. And two jobs will be even for me too much. And besides that, I don't like working underground."

Jack nodded. "I understand. But you wouldn't be working underground all the time. The SGC goes on very special missions. You would be going to places that are not on this planet. They have this transportation device called a Stargate. It goes to other planets, and they meet other civilizations. You would be a big asset to them. You wouldn't have to stay underground all the time. You could live where you live now," he explained.

"No, Jack. Jadzia isn't very familiar with Goa'uld or Tok'ra. So I don't know much about them either. I can only sense if someone has a symbiote or not." Lothar looked at him. "Please, don't force me to go on those missions."

Jack patted her hand. "Don't worry. I'm not going to force you to do anything. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. That big fella Teal'c, the one who teaches self-defense, he carries a symbiote in him. He can sense things about people too. That surprised me. I wondered why he couldn't sense your symbiote, but I guess she has a way of protecting herself," he stated.

Lothar nodded. "Yeah, as I said she's always in the background. That's probably why Teal'c didn't sense her. She has this ability about not showing herself."

Jack took the two devices from his pocket and showed them to Lothar. "Do you recognize these?" he asked her.

Lothar looked at both. "Yes," she answered him. "That one is to kill..." She pointed at the first one he showed her which was the ribbon device. "And that one is a medical device." She pointed to the healing device.

Jack nodded. He was surprised that she knew about the devices he had shown her, but he decided that her symbiote had informed her of their uses. "I see. So you think maybe you know how to use these?" he asked a bit curious.

"Yes, I know how to use them. But I will refuse to do so," she said a bit angsty. "I hate those Goa'uld devices. They scare me."

Jack nodded. "Yes. They scare me too. Especially this one," he agreed and held up the ribbon device. "This one will knock your socks off," he half way joked. He held up the healing device and smiled. "This one is a little less violent. Sam used this on one of the system lords and healed him," he explained.

"I don't wanna know that," she said and tried to get more distance between her and the alien devices. "Please keep them away from me," she almost cried.

Jack got worried. He put the devices on a table far away from Lothar. He put his hand on hers and looked at her with concern. "It's ok. They can't harm you by themselves. They are only activated when someone, who has a symbiote inside them, uses them," he assured.

She relaxed when the devices were out of reach. She had Jadzia's memories and knew what torture that ribbon device could give. And how the victims were healed with the other one, so that the torture could start again. She shivered when she remembered it all.

Jack sighed with relief when he noticed her relax. He thought of her symbiote. "I was just thinking... would it be possible for me to talk to Jadzia? If we're going to have someone with a symbiote here, I would like to get to know it better," he stated. Lothar nodded, bowed her head, and closed her eyes for a moment. When she started to talk her voice sounded a little metallic. What can I do for you, Colonel O'Neill? she asked.

Jack thought his heart was going to jump out of mouth when he saw her eyes glowing, but he managed to calm down. "So, you're Jadzia," he acknowledged. He held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you," he said in a friendly tone.

Hesitating she laid her hand in his. She had seen his slight reaction on her glowing eyes. I am sorry, that will not happen again.

Jack nodded. "It's ok. No offense, but I'm used to seeing people with symbiotes in their heads. I just haven't seen one in a long time," he apologized.

Jadzia smiled briefly. I understand, she said. What do you want to know?

Jack thought for a moment. "Well, for starters, I'm just curious. Why didn't the Goa'uld or the Tok'ra want you? You seem fairly intelligent to me. Surely they could have used you for some purpose," he remarked with interest.

I am what you humans would call, a misbreed, I do not have all the knowledge of Goa'uld or Tok'ra. And besides that, I do not want to fight against whoever. That is why they dumped me in that lake and placed the shield. To prevent me from taking a host.

Jack nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that. I'm glad that the Goa'ulds didn't take you, but that's too bad about that Tok'ra. That must have hurt you knowing that no one wanted you," he said with sympathy.

She didn't give Jack an answer about her feelings. I am only thankful that I met Lothar that day in the lake. I know that I did not give her a choice. But I was afraid, that no one else would come into the water, because of the warning.

Jack nodded. "I suppose that's true. You would still be swimming around in that lake if it hadn't been for Lothar," he agreed. He rubbed the back of his head. There was still a lot of things he didn't know about that symbiote, but he was going to find out. "I've been thinking, there's something that's been bothering me. How did you get in that lake anyway? I mean, there aren't very many lakes here on earth, that have symbiotes swimming in them," he stated.

Jadzia thought for a moment. Then she decided that she could tell Jack the truth. She sensed that she could trust him, all though he shot her host. The one you called Cliff, he is a Goa'uld. His name is Ba'al. He set me free in that lake and placed the warning shield. I suppose he didn't expect, that someone would ignore the warning.

Now Jack was really surprised. He had a feeling that Cliff wasn't your ordinary human, by the way his eyes glowed. But he had no idea that he was in fact that dreaded system lord Ba'al. Just the mere mention of his name, made him shiver inside. "Ba'al? Are you serious?" he asked just to make sure he understood what Jadzia had said.

She nodded. Yes, colonel. I'm telling you the truth.

He ran his hand over his face, and sighed. "Oh man. When Hammond hears about this, he's going to be furious," he replied anxiously. He looked at Jadzia. "How in the heck did Ba'al get here undetected?" he asked with concern.

He landed with a cloaked ship. I do not know where he went after he left me behind in the lake, Jadzia answered.

Jack nodded. "I see. That explains it. I'm familiar with those cloaking devices on those transport ships. No wonder none of our space radar picked him up. Very clever that Ba'al!" he briefly smiled. He looked at Jadzia more serious. "So, Ba'al landed here undetected, and ditched you in a local lake, then Lothar, just happened to come by and take a swim. That's when you took the opportunity to make her a host," he recounted. He happened to think of her being with Ba'al. "Say, I know what you said about no one wanting you, and that you're one of those benevolent symbiotes, but how do we know that you're not really a spy for Ba'al. Maybe you're on some secret mission for him, and needed a host to carry out your mission," he stated.

You really think that? Do you think Lothar was selected to become a host? Lothar doesn't even know about Ba'al. I have not shared all my memories with her. She would freak out. I only told her things on a need to know base. Just enough for her to trust me. I do not wish anything else from her. Jadzia paused and took a deep breath. When she saw Cliff today, she sensed that he was different, and also that he is a danger to Earth. But she did not know why and that scared her even more. Cliff on the other hand, knew exactly who she is carrying inside. That is why he came to her apartment this evening. To make sure that she would not tell anyone.

Jack nodded. He felt bad for giving Jadzia the third degree as it were, but he had to make sure she wasn't a threat to his planet. "I see. If she didn't know about Ba'al before, I guess she will now," he remarked. He quietly sighed. "Ok. I'm sorry for all the questions, but you have to understand something, I have to make sure that you're not here to compromise our planet," he stated. He thought about what she said about Cliff. "You say he's here to attack Earth. Do you have any idea what his plans are?" he asked.

She shook her head. No I am truly sorry, but I do not know anything. And I cannot blame you for asking questions. If I were you, I would have done the same. I can only say, I will never work for or together with Ba'al. The only thing I ever wanted is a host, so I can live. And I promised Lothar, to do everything I can to give her a long and healthy life, in return for being a host for me. Then she closed her eyes. For Jadzia the talk was over. She had told Jack enough. When she opened her eyes again it was Lothar, looking a bit disoriented at Jack. "Jadzia took over didn't she?" she asked.

Jack noticed her confused look, and nodded. "Yes. And we had a nice long talk," he replied and smiled.

"I hope you're convinced that you can trust her," she said. "I trust her..." He nodded. "Yes. She told me everything I needed to know," he replied. He put his hand on the young woman's hand. "Lothar, despite what Jadzia said, we still have to keep you in isolation. But once I talk to General Hammond, I think that situation might change," he assured.

"I understand," she answered. "How long would that be? Rick expects me to be at the office tomorrow morning. Please, Jack. Let me come with you to General Hammond. I promise I will behave."

He patted her hand. "I think you need some rest. You've been through a lot. And I feel bad enough for shooting you. If only I could have had my zat, you wouldn't be laying here in bed," he replied feeling guilty. He happened to see an orderly nearby, then looked at Lothar. "After all that's gone on, you must be really hungry. I'll get an orderly to bring you something to eat," he stated.

"I'm not hungry," she said and laid back on the pillows. She felt a bit disappointed, because she had to stay here in the infirmary. She wanted out of here. Home, to her apartment.

Jack nodded. He noticed the look on her face. "Hey, it won't be for long. With that symbiote of yours, you'll be out of here in no time. It's just a precaution we have to take. I hope you understand," he stated with sympathy.

"Oh yes, I do understand it," she said with a bitter voice. "This is just what I was afraid of. When someone finds out about my symbiote."

Jack looked sad and he knew she was upset but he had to follow procedure. He was still a military man, and everything at the SGC had rules and regulations he had to abide by, and often there was no reason, you just followed them. He thought for a moment, then smiled. "Hey, if there's anything I can get you, just let me know. Magazine, radio, yoyo..." he trailed trying to lighten her mood.

"No thanks. I better get some sleep," she said. "Please make sure that I can leave here as soon as possible. I don't like it here."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, this isn't any resort. It's pretty drab as far as infirmaries go. I'm sure you've seen better," he stated apologetic.

"Well, at least the bullet is out." She touched her shoulder. The pain was almost gone. The wound was healing fast, thanks to Jadzia.

He noticed her touching her shoulder. "By the way, how's the shoulder?" he asked with concern.

"Much better now," she said and smiled briefly. "Jadzia is taking care of it now." Jack nodded.

"That's great. It's good to know that those symbiotes are good for something, besides creating havoc and destruction," he halfway joked.

"Go to the General, Jack. Make sure that he lets me out, before morning," she pleaded.

Jack nodded. "Ok. I'm sure it's no picnic being stuck down here," he agreed. He looked at her a bit thoughtful. "Are you sure I can't get you anything?" he asked with concern.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. The only thing I want, is to get out of here." Jack patted her hand once more. "Ok. Calm down. Let's don't get your blood pressure up. Doc Fraiser might have you restrained," he joked. He got up from his chair, and sighed. He pointed to the little button on the cord that lay on her bed. "If you need anything, just press that little button. A nurse will come and take care of you," he informed.

"Thanks Jack," she said tired and closed her eyes again. But this time not to let Jadzia take over. She wanted to sleep and forget for a while what happened that evening.

Jack nodded. "You're welcome," he replied. He quietly sighed, then turned, and walked off to Hammond's office. He had a lot of information to give Hammond, and he just hoped that he would believe it.

End of chapter 9

---

Lothar has a nightmare while she is in the infirmary. She later reveals to Jack and Hammond her mysterious past.

CHAPTER 10

---

Jack looked at the young woman for a moment and then he left the infirmary. On his way to the briefing room, he encountered Teal'c. "O'Neill," the Jaffa greeted him. "General Hammond wants us all together for the debriefing." Jack nodded. "Then we shouldn't let him wait." He patted his friend on his shoulder and together the walked down the corridors to the briefing room.

In the infirmary Lothar tried to get some sleep, but images from that evening came back to her. She turned from left to right in her bed and after a long time she sank into a restless, haunted sleep. And even in her sleep the happenings from that evening followed her. She started to dream. She was back in New York, where she worked as a waitress. One evening she went back home, she heard loud voices. Carefully she moved closer to see what was going on. Two men, one on his knees begging. The other one had a gun in his hand. Then a shot rang through the night and the man who was on his knees, now laid dead on the ground. She couldn't hold back a scream and ran away from the horrible scene. The man with the gun looked in her direction and saw her disappear in the night. He followed the woman. Lothar ran for her life. The man fired his gun and hit her in her upper leg. She fell down on the ground. The pain almost took her breath away. The man approached her and she saw his face in the moonlight. A face she would never forget. "You've seen too much," he said and pointed his gun again at her. "NO! Please NOO!" she screamed. "NO! NO!"

In the infirmary Janet rushed to the screaming woman. "LOTHAR! Wake up,' she said and took her not wounded shoulder. She shook the woman carefully. "Wake up, you're safe here."

Finally Lothar opened her eyes and saw Janet standing above her. She took a few deep breaths, before she calmed down.

Hammond and his number one team sat in the briefing room. They always met there to discuss whatever happened that day. It was a big room, with a long oblong-shaped two-toned colored wooden table in the center of the room that had several chairs around it in case important people showed up and they needed the chairs for important discussions or briefings. But today just Hammond and SG1 occupied the room. Today they weren't discussing any missions, but instead, a series of events that could possible have a drastic effect on the planet. The older General sat at the head of the table, with his hands clasped and rested them on the table. He looked at his team in anticipation of what they were going to tell him. Since Jack O'Neill had been the leader of the team, Hammond eyed him expectantly hoping he could shed some light on this current situation with this young woman and older man that had been brought to the SGC. "So Jack, what's the news about this young woman you brought in? How is she doing?" he asked.

Jack rested his arms on the arms of the black leather chair and looked at Hammond. "I think she's going to make it sir. She's still pretty shaken up from what happened, but over all I think she'll be ok," he informed. He still felt guilty for shooting Lothar, but it was the only thing he could do at that moment he kept telling himself.

Hammond nodded. "Good," he replied. He noticed Jack looking a bit remorseful. "Jack, you did what you had to do to save Lothar. Thankfully she's going to make it. Don't let it get you down," he consoled.

Jack nodded. 'Thank you sir," he replied, but he still felt bad.

Hammond nodded. "What about this man you brought in? What was his name?" he asked.

"Cliff, sir. His name is Cliff," Jack supplied. He thought back at the conversation he had with Jadzia. "Sir, I have some information about Cliff," he informed.

Hammond nodded. "For now, just tell me what happened at Lothar's apartment. What prompted you to shoot this man?" he asked.

Jack quietly sighed. "Well sir, I know this is going to sound bizarre, but I have a feeling that Cliff is a Goa'uld," he replied.

Hammond looked at Jack surprised. "What? A Goa'uld? What gave you that idea?" he asked not believing what he had heard.

Jack leaned in and folded his hands and rested them on the table. He gave the General a serious look. "His eyes glowed sir, and he had that metallic sounding voice you immediately recognize the minute they start talking," he replied.

Hammond nodded. "Are you sure Jack? Are you sure he's not a Tok'ra?" he asked trying to make some sense out of all of this.

Jack thought back at the conversation he had with Jadzia. "No Sir, Cliff is definitely no Tok'ra. I can assure you. He is in fact Ba'al, a system lord of the Goa'uld." he replied in a serious tone.

Now Hammond was really surprised. In fact he was shocked. "WHAT? Ba'al? Jack are you sure, about this? What makes you think this man is Ba'al?" he asked in disbelief.

Jack looked up. "Lothar, or better, Jadzia told me," he answered.

Now Hammond was confused. "Jadzia? Who's Jadzia?" he asked.

"Jadzia is... a... non-violent symbiote. Lothar's symbiote," Jack answered, a bit hesitating. He looked around at the people around the table. "I know this is hard to believe, but I have reasons to believe that she is telling the truth." He started to tell, what Jadzia had explained to him. About being banned to Earth, Ba'al who had set her free in the lake. About Lothar swimming there... ignoring the warning. How Jadzia was able to make her a host. And at last what Jadzia had told him about Ba'al.

Hammond nodded. He couldn't believe they had two people at the SGC who had symbiotes inside them and they were living here on Earth. He accepted Teal'c because he had been a good ally to them from the time he came to the SGC. But now, here were two people whom he hardly knew and they were carrying symbiotes. "Are you saying that both Lothar and this Cliff whom you believe is Ba'al, are carrying symbiotes inside them?" he asked in an anxious tone.

Jack nodded. "I've seen Lothar's X-ray and I talked with her symbiote." He looked at Hammond. "Sir, you know how I think about those snakes, but in Lothar's case I am almost sure, that she's no threat to Earth or the SGC."

Hammond nodded. He knew his colonel well enough, and always trusted whatever he said. He knew Jack wouldn't lie to him. "I trust your opinion Jack. But it's this man or Goa'uld Ba'al that has me worried. Are you sure this symbiote Jadzia isn't in league with Ba'al and is just using Lothar as a host to carry out whatever plan Ba'al has? As you know, Ba'al was very powerful, and his main objective was to take over Earth," he said.

"Lothar is no part of his plan, sir," Jack stated. "In fact, she is an innocent victim. He knew she could identify him and wanted to make sure, that she would keep her mouth shut about him."

Hammond nodded. "I see. This changes everything now. We need to interrogate this man Cliff who is in reality Ba'al. We need to find out what his intentions here on Earth are. We can't just have him roaming around the planet. This is serious. It's obvious that he's planning something big if he tried to kill Lothar to keep her quiet. We need to find out just what that plan is," he decided in a serious tone. He looked at Sam. "Major Carter... if I can still call you Major... do you have any information on Ba'al?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes sir. I don't mind if you call me Major," she smiled. She quickly became serious. "I looked up Cliff's, or rather Ba'al's files on our computer at work, and found a document that contained some strange language. I faxed it to Daniel, and between him and Teal'c, they found out that Ba'al had made some plans to come to Earth, and is bringing a fleet of ships along, that are commanded by his former queen, Qetesh," she stated.

Hammond stared at Sam in disbelief. "What? Qetesh? You mean Ba'al and Qetesh are working together again to take over Earth?" he asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes sir. As far as we know that's the plan," she replied.

Hammond nodded. "I see. This is more serious than I thought," he replied. He looked back at Jack. He knew Jack's position at the business where he worked now, and was concerned about anyone else knowing the current situation. "Jack, I know you would never reveal anything that goes on around here, but I have to ask... does your boss know of this situation that has just occurred?" he asked just to make sure.

Jack shook his head. "No sir, no one knows about this facility or the Stargate program. That is also the reason why I want to take Lothar back with me. She is my cousin's personal assistant and he will be anxious, if she doesn't show up tomorrow."

Hammond nodded. "I understand. I'm glad no one at your company knows about this. And for now I think we should keep it that way. We don't want to start a full scale panic among the people here on Earth. We still don't know all the details. But I can assure you, we're going to find out," he stated. He thought about the young woman. "Jack, for now, make sure Lothar doesn't say anything about this. I know you're good at covering your tracks, so just make up something that will sound plausible for your boss," he stated in earnest.

Jack wanted to answer Hammond, but then Janet literally stormed into the briefing room. "Colonel, you have to come to the infirmary. It's Lothar..., she's..." She stopped when she saw the look on Hammons face. "I'm sorry to interrupt, sir. But this might be urgent."

Hammond nodded. "Jack, you're dism...," he started, but then he saw that Jack already had left the room. "Permission to leave, sir?" Sam asked. "Granted," Hammond answered. He wanted to say more but the other team members rushed out of the briefing room to follow Jack to the infirmary. Jack hurried into the infirmary and made his way to Lothar's bed. "Lothar, what's wrong? Dr. Fraiser told us something was wrong," he asked with concern.

"He was going to kill me," she cried. "I was back again..." Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, Hammond, and Janet looked at each other confused. Jack was confused as well. "What are you talking about? Who was trying to kill you?" he asked. "He was...," she answered still crying. "I'm sorry..., I'm not supposed to talk about..."

Jack pulled up a chair, and sat down by her bed. He took her hand and looked at her with concern. "Just calm down. Don't worry. Anything you say, won't leave this room. Just tell us what's going on," he assured.

But she shook her head and wiped her eyes with the tissue that Janet gave her. "They made me promise not to tell anybody," she said.

Hammond looked at her curious. "Who made you promise?" he asked with interest.

"I don't know where they worked, I only know one name... I don't know if I can give you that name," she said, still afraid after all that had happened and that horrible nightmare.

Jack and Hammond looked at each other. It was obvious that Lothar was under some kind of oath not to reveal the secret that she concealed. Yet, they were curious about what had caused her to be upset. "Lothar...," Jack began. "Don't worry. You're in a very secure facility. Nothing gets out of here without the General's permission. You can tell us. You'll be safe. We'll protect you," he assured.

Lothar looked at all the people standing around her bed. Then she looked at Hammond. "You are Jack's superior?" she asked.

Hammond nodded. "Yes. I'm in charge of all the teams here on the base," he replied. She nodded. Then she gave in. "I can tell you and Jack, what happened. I'm sorry, but the less people who know about my past, the better it is." She looked apologizing at Sam, Daniel and Teal'c. "I'm sorry...," she said again.

Jack nodded. "Ok. But let me tell you, Sam, Daniel, and Teal'c, are sworn to secrecy. You don't have to worry. They would never reveal your secret. They've signed a document stating that they would never reveal anything that happens in this mountain," he assured.

Sam nodded. "He's right. We have top security clearance," she stated.

"No," Lothar said stubborn. "It's Jack and the General, who can hear my story. Or no one. It's up to you."

Sam looked at Daniel and Teal'c. "I guess we'd better leave. We don't want to upset her any further than she already is," she told her friends. Daniel and Teal'c nodded. "Very well," replied Teal'c. "All right. I understand," replied Daniel.

Sam looked at Jack and Hammond. "We'll be right outside if you need us, sirs," she stated. Hammond nodded. "Thank you, Major," he replied. Sam nodded. She smiled at Lothar, then she, Daniel, and Teal'c walked out of the infirmary.

After they left, Hammond looked at Lothar. "Now, what's this all about?" he asked.

Lothar took a deep breath, and still hesitated for a moment. But then she started to talk. "It happened two years ago. I was working in New York as a waitress and one night when I walked home from work, I saw a man getting killed. The murderer noticed me and knew that I had seen him. He came after me and shot me in my leg. When he reached me he wanted to kill me. But someone, who's name I still don't know, came up from nowhere and saved my life that night. The man was caught by the police and I became an important witness in that case. I had to identify the killer. And later in court I had to testify against him. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, but before they took him away, he swore that he would get out and finish what he started. So they gave me a new identity. My face was altered, my passport changed and I got another name." When she was finished, she looked at the two men who had been quiet all the time.

Hammond and Jack thought about her story, and nodded. They understood about being in a witness protection program, and knew that Lothar still feared for her life. "That's quite a story Ms O'Neil," Hammond stated. "But you don't have to worry. Your secret is safe with us. This is a top security base. If you need it, we can give you full protection. Nothing will happen to you," he assured.

Jack nodded. He thought her story was pretty amazing too. But he understood her privacy. "He's right. You're safe here. No one will hurt you," he assured.

"But I don't want to stay here," she said. "I want to go back to normal life, the life I had for the last two years." She didn't want to say anything about her symbiote. She didn't know how much Jack had told the general about that.

Jack looked at Lothar. "Don't worry. You won't have to stay here. You're not a prisoner here. You can return to your home. But if you need anything, we can provide you with any kind of help you need. So far it looks like the government has you covered pretty well. But if something happens that your cover is compromised, we can make sure that no one ever finds you," he stated.

Hammond nodded. "The Colonel is right. We can even give you another identity, and no one will ever know your real identity," he assured.

She smiled at them. "Thank you, both of you."

Hammond nodded and smiled. "You're very welcome," he replied.

Janet looked at Lothar. It was obvious that telling her story had taken a lot out of her and she was looking tired. She looked at Hammond and Jack. "I think for now, Lothar has had enough. She needs her rest. She's been through a lot today," she stated with concern.

Jack nodded. "That she has," he agreed. He looked at Lothar. "If you need anything, just let us know," he assured.

Lothar laid back in the pillows again. "I will, Jack. But the only thing I need now is sleep and I want to go back to work tomorrow."

Jack nodded. "Don't worry. I'll have you back at work in no time. You just get some rest. I don't want to be responsible for Rick's new assistant falling asleep on her job," he half way joked.

She smiled briefly and then closed her eyes. Jack got the hint and together with Hammond he was about to leave. "I will stay here too for the night," he told Hammond. "I can take her to the office with me tomorrow morning."

Hammond nodded. "Good idea, Jack," he replied. He happened to remember their other 'guest'. He looked at Jack serious. "I'm glad you're staying here, Jack. We need to find out some information on that Goa'uld Ba'al we have," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Yes. I've been wanting to question him ever since he arrived," he replied.

Hammond nodded. "Yes, so have I," he agreed.

Jack got up from his chair, then looked at Lothar. "Get some rest. I'll be back later to check on you," he stated.

"That's ok," she said.

Then Hammond and Jack left the room to go the secured room, where Cliff was held. When they got there, he was sitting up on his bed. His wound was totally healed. Obviously his symbiote was much stronger then Lothar's.

As Jack and Hammond walked into the security room where Ba'al was, Jack walked up to his bed, then folded his arms across his chest as he eyed the Goa'uld with disgust. "So, you're Ba'al!" he remarked in recognition.

Cliff stared at Jack in disbelief. "I don't know what you're talking about. You know me, Jack. I'm Cliff!" he replied.

Jack shook his head. "Don't give me that crap! I saw you almost kill that woman we brought in with you, and your eyes even glowed. You're a Goa'uld and you know it!" he argued.

The dark eyes flashed a moment.

Jack briefly laughed. "Ha! I knew it!" He turned to Hammond. "See, what did I tell you! He's a Goa'uld all right. Aside from a Tok'ra, who else has those flashing yellow eyes," he remarked.

Hammond nodded. "You're absolutely right, Colonel. He's definitely a Goa'uld," he agreed. He looked at Ba'al. "So, what are you doing here on Earth?" he questioned.

Ba'al smiled. Do you really think I will tell you that? he said. Then he looked at Jack. Colonel Jack O'Neill... he said lazy. The system lords talk a lot about you... and your team... SG-1 right?

Jack nodded. "I'm sure they do. And I would imagine that whatever they say about me and my team, is none too complimentary. But we're not here to talk about SG-1. We're here to interrogate you. However, if you refuse to talk, we have ways of forcing you to tell us what we want to know," he warned in a threatening tone.

Ba'al just looked at him in a brutal way. Is that a promise? Or a threat, he asked. Nothing you will say or do, will stop what already is happening, he said mysterious.

Hammond stepped up a little closer to Ba'al's bed and eyed him intently. "And just what is going to happen? What are your plans?" he asked in stern tone.

The Goa'uld only laughed. I will tell you nothing. You will see when it is time. He got up from the bed and stepped forward to Jack.

Immediately a few soldiers aimed their guns at him. Jack raised his hand to signal the soldiers to hold their fire. "It seems to me that your wound is healed," Jack stated. "So there's no need to let you stay here in the infirmary." He signaled the soldiers again. "Bring our guest to his new quarters," he ordered them. Then he turned again to Ba'al. "Enjoy your stay here. You will have to stay here for a while."

Hammond nodded. "That's right. And you will be a prisoner here until you tell us what we want to know," he stated. He looked at the soldiers. "Make sure he doesn't have any weapons on him, then put him in lock up. I want a tight security on him too," he ordered.

Jack looked at Hammond. "Maybe we should have Teal'c, interrogate him. He knows all the tricks to making these Goa'ulds talk," he suggested.

Hammond nodded. "That's a good idea. He might be able to get this Goa'uld talking," he agreed. The soldiers walked up to Ba'al then put some restraints on his wrists, and on his ankles so he couldn't run away. They searched him from head to toe, then when they were finished, they took him away to the brig.

"Tough guy," Jack said and watched the soldiers leaving with the Goa'uld. He happened to think of Lothar and her symbiote. "Sir, I have an idea. If Teal'c can't get Ba'al to talk, maybe Lothar and her symbiote can," he suggested.

Hammond looked at Jack curious. "How is that, Jack?" he asked.

Jack briefly smiled. "Well, since Lothar has that symbiote, she can operate that hand device. And as we both know, that can be pretty painful. But it's just a matter of getting her to use it," he stated a bit thoughtful.

Hammond nodded. "I see. Well, I'll use anything I can to get that Goa'uld talking, Jack. Good idea," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Thank you sir," he replied.

Hammond sighed. "In the meantime, talk to Teal'c and get him to help us too," he stated.

Jack nodded. "Yes sir," he replied. They turned and walked out of the room.

Jack remembered that the others were waiting to know what had happened. He and Hammond walked down the long hall and found them still waiting outside the infirmary. As he approached them, they stood up and looked at Jack and Hammond.

"What did you find out Jack?" asked Daniel with interest.

Jack looked at Daniel. "Well, we found out that Lothar was a witness to a crime, and that she was placed in the witness protection program. So we promised to keep her identity a secret and offered her any assistance that she needed," he explained.

Sam shook her head. "That poor woman. She must be terrified," she said out of sympathy.

Hammond nodded. "I agree with you, Major," he said. Then he turned to Jack. "Make sure that she is safe, when you take her back into the real world, Colonel," he ordered him. "This young woman now falls under the protection the SGC."

Jack nodded. "Yes sir. I'll do my best," he assured.

Hammond nodded. "I know you will," he replied. He turned, then walked back to his office.

Jack thought about telling Lothar about his plan, but considering how tired she was, he decided to wait until tomorrow. She had been through quite a lot and she needed rest. For now he decided to talk to Teal'c about Ba'al. Knowing Teal'c's Jaffa code of honor, he had a feeling that his alien friend would enjoy being in on the interrogation. Hopefully between Teal'c and Lothar, they could make Ba'al reveal his evil plan, whatever, that could be.

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End of chapter 10