Disclaimer: theicemenace and ladygris own nothing related to Stargate: SG-1 or Stargate: Atlantis. Any original characters and locations, however, are the property (and fault) of the authors and are not intended to represent a living person or real place…not purposely. ;-)
A/N: Welcome to the first ever collaborative effort between ladygris and theicemenace writing under the pseudonym "CodeNameFlashlight."
This story is an SG-1/SGA crossover with lg writing the SG-1 storyline and Ice doing her best to write the SGA action. We will be posting one chapter a week (on Mondays) with alternating POV beginning with a preview/teaser/prologue.
So get yourself a cup of coffee, water, tea, beer or other beverage of your choice, bring all chair backs into the upright position, and hang on for a wild ride!
~lg & Ice~
Illusions
Prologue
"Dr. Rodney McKay, you are under arrest for the murder of Dr. Peter Kavanagh. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?" The cuffs were snapped around Rodney's wrists while his family, wife and friends looked on in horror.
"I…" Rodney was so staggered at what was happening to him he could barely talk. "Yes. Yes, I do. But I didn't…I didn't kill him." The detectives ignored his attempts to proclaim his innocence.
"What are you doing?" Jennifer, still in her wedding gown, clutched at Rodney's sleeve, panic in her eyes and voice. John came forward to stand next to her, his jaw clenching with the need to suppress the desire to punch out the cops dragging his just married friend off to jail. "John! Mr. Woolsey! Do something! How can they think Rodney would kill anyone, even Kavanagh?"
Jennifer tried to hold onto to Rodney, to keep him from being taken away, but the female detective stepped between them. She jerked her hands free and stepped to the side to go around her, but John wrapped his arms around her as she struggled against his strength. The doors of the cruiser slammed and the last thing they saw was Rodney's face looking out the back window as it pulled into traffic.
"It'll be okay, doc."
"How do you know? He…he won't survive if he has to stay there." Now angry, she pushed away from John just as her father walked up.
"Jenn? I'm so sorry, honey. From what I've heard, this Kavanagh person was not very sociable."
"That's putting it lightly, Dad." She went to her father and was enveloped in his comforting embrace, her voice choking. "He didn't do it. He couldn't!" Gripping him tight, she let the tears flow.
Richard Keller rubbed his daughter's back in attempt to comfort her even knowing it was impossible. Her husband of just a few hours had been arrested as they left their wedding reception. The only way to soothe that ache was for Rodney to be released. "I know. Rodney's a good man. Something like this just isn't a part of his personality."
Behind her, John conferred quietly with Woolsey, Ronon, Teyla, Jeannie and Kaleb. Woolsey had a few words with the bell captain and a short time later, a four-door sedan pulled up to the curb. The expedition commander got in and it followed in the wake of the cruiser that had taken her husband away.
~~O~~
Agent Malcolm Barrett had never been one of Daniel's favorite people. He liked the guy well enough on a personal level, and he respected the man. His ability to overcome Ba'al's brainwashing was well-known at the SGC, and most people looked at Barrett with the same level of awe that they often looked at Daniel. But Barrett was still NID, and that, alone, lowered that opinion. The NID had caused more than its fair share of trouble for the SGC, leading most of the personnel to avoid them at all costs. Which usually undid any hero worship Barrett received.
Avoidance wasn't an option today, apparently. Daniel blinked at Barrett, trying to figure out why the NID agent stood in his office door. "Agent Barrett!" He stood. "What brings you down here?"
"Well, I was actually looking for General Landry or Colonel Mitchell, but I've been told they've both gone home for the night."
Daniel frowned. "What? What time is it?" He squinted at his watch. Midnight. Why wasn't he surprised? "Sorry about that. Is there something I can do to help?"
"Actually, there is." Barrett stepped fully into the office and held out a file for Daniel to take. "As you know, the NID keeps track of all Trust activities that we know about. That includes who works for them and what those operatives are doing at all times. With your investigation into Dr. Kavanagh's murder starting to stray into Trust territory, I figured you'd want to take a look at our most recent list."
Daniel opened the file and started flipping through it. Each page had the picture of a known Trust operative and his or her vital info, sort of a mini-dossier on each one. Daniel dismissed the first three pages, having never seen any of the individuals before. But, he froze when he saw the fourth page. "You're sure about these people?"
"As sure as we can be when dealing with the Trust. Why?" Barrett moved to the desk, craning his neck to look at the page that Daniel held.
Daniel skimmed over the pertinent information, his heart sinking. This was big. It affected him, his team, and his girlfriend. Handing it to Barrett, he sighed. "Because that is Colonel Mitchell's girlfriend."
TBC