Stargate Genesis Season 2
Episode 1
"The Grand Experiment"
Part One
/Author's note: This is season two of the fanfiction series Stargate: Genesis. If you haven't read season one, don't worry! We have provided all the essential information within the story. Plus, if you like what you read, you can always go back and read season one! Episodes of season two will be posted every single Tuesday from here on out, until the end of the season. Follow us to stay updated!/
Samantha Carter stepped into the conference room, sending a wave of silence rippling through the attendees, which consisted of members of the IOA and various representatives from around the world. They were eager to hear what she had to say, and not only because of the funding they had devoted to the Genesis mission. The Stargate program was once again about to make a great leap in mankind's understanding of the universe. Sam took her place at the podium, and Colonel Cameron Mitchell, leader of SG-1, stood beside her.
"Good afternoon," she began, looking around the room to see the faces she knew well from long hours of negotiation. "We have just received word that the Gateship known as the Elizabeth Weir is preparing to make the final jump to what we believe is the origin point of the Genesis Address."
A murmur sprung up in the room. Sam waited for it to die down, then continued.
"As most of you know, the Genesis Address is a subspace signal we picked up several years ago, that many, including the late Dr. Nicholas Rush, believe to be the origin point of our universe," she said. "Where everything started."
"In 2009, when the Icarus expedition dialed the ninth chevron and travelled by stargate to the Ancient ship Destiny, we discovered that the probable purpose of the ship was to seek out the Genesis Address and discover its secrets," said Sam. "The Destiny had been travelling for millions of years before the Icarus crew boarded it. At the rate it was travelling, it would have taken millions of years more to reach its destination."
"However, in the process of researching experimental Lantean technologies, a team of scientists at Area 51 made up of both human and alien members was able to construct a new hybrid stardrive that far surpasses any ship we had yet built or encountered," continued Sam. "We call it the Wormhole Drive, and through a fusion of Lantean technology and human ingenuity, it is able to project a wormhole large enough for the entire vessel to travel through, making jumps as far as one hundred and fifty billion light years in a matter of seconds."
"Several months ago, the first ship outfitted with a Wormhole Drive, the Elizabeth Weir, was launched in a rescue effort when we received word that the Destiny was about to be destroyed. Only a few members of the Destiny's crew survived. Among them Eli Wallace elected to join what would become the Genesis mission," said Sam. "To further the purpose of the Stargate program, a crew was assembled, and the Elizabeth was sent to continue the mission that the Destiny began millions of years ago, and find the Genesis Address. The difference is that the Elizabeth has an advantage: in a matter of weeks, it is capable of covering the same distance that the Destiny took millions of years to travel."
"Now, the Genesis mission is about to come to fruition," said Sam. "In just a few short hours, I will be communicating with Colonel John Sheppard via ansible to confirm the final jump was a success. Whatever secrets lie at the origin point of the universe are about to be revealed, and it wouldn't have been possible without the cooperation of the great nations of Earth. Thank you, and I look forward to sharing more information as it becomes available."
The room erupted into raucous noise as the representatives seated around the room began to ask questions. Sam was escorted out of the room as Cameron Mitchell stepped up to the podium.
"No questions right now, but we'll update you as soon as we've communicated with Colonel Sheppard," said Cam. "Thank you."
Cam walked out of the room and caught up with Sam, who was making her way down the hallway toward the elevator. The meeting had been held on one of the higher levels of Stargate Command, but now they were headed down to the gate room floor, where the real work was done.
"Didn't feel like telling them about the Wraith who just reverted to his natural human-eating state?" asked Cam. "Or the Lucian Alliance psychopath who all but hijacked the Elizabeth, and insisted on being made part of the crew?"
"That information is need-to-know, Cam," said Sam. "And they don't need to know."
"I suppose that rules out telling them about the presumed dead Lucian Alliance woman whose consciousness now resides in a floating robot camera, or the alien woman the crew of the Elizabeth found in a stasis chamber on an alien world that had been laid to waste, or the fact that the ship may be about to come face to face with an enemy stronger than anything we've ever encountered?" asked Cam.
"You got it," said Sam.
~~00~~
Bailey Evans prepared herself mentally for the jump. By this point, she was used to the disorientating sensation of travelling through a stable wormhole, but jumping across millions of lightyears in a fraction of a second brought with it a host of unknowns. The universe, though mostly empty, was startlingly full of hostile aliens. According to every calculation Eli, Ginn, Todd, and the other scientists on board had done, this was to be their final jump before reaching the origin of the Genesis Address. What they would find there was entirely uncertain. Bailey hated being uncertain.
"Are you ready for the jump?" said a mechanical voice suddenly, startling Bailey, who thought she was alone. She turned around to see the floating metal orb that was currently housing the consciousness of the Lucian Alliance woman, Ginn.
"Holy hell," said Bailey. "Where did you come from?"
"I just arrived," said Ginn. "I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to being a Kino."
"Knock, will you?" asked Bailey. "I don't really appreciate people barging into my quarters like that."
"Your door was open," explained Ginn. She tried to adopt an apologetic posture, but as she was a floating camera, her body language choices were limited.
"It's fine," said Bailey. "Just give me some warning next time."
Ginn didn't say anything, so Bailey turned around to look at her.
"Did you want something?" asked Bailey.
"Well, it's just I wanted to say…" started Ginn. "I wanted to say I'm sorry."
Bailey swallowed and pursed her lips. Her first encounter with Ginn had been a violation - Eli had used ancient communication stones to swap Ginn's consciousness (which was trapped in his subconscious mind) with Bailey's. As a result, Bailey spent several hours trapped in the dark recesses of Eli's mind, while Ginn masqueraded as Bailey in her body. The memory was painful and not easily forgotten, despite Bailey's best efforts.
"It's not your fault," said Bailey. "Eli is the one who handed me the stone."
"I know," said Ginn, "but I went along with it. I could have made him switch us back, but it felt so good to have a body again. It's as much my fault as his."
Bailey looked away.
"I'm really sorry, okay?" said Ginn. "I just hope eventually you'll forgive me, and we can be friends."
"We're about to jump," said Bailey. "You should probably go report in."
Bailey looked out her port window and waited for Ginn to leave. She took a deep breath, and stood up. Commander Sheppard would want her on the bridge.
~~00~~
Orlando Reynolds stood with his arms folded over his chest, smiling the smile of a man who knows more than he's saying and wants everyone to know it. He had been afforded the finest accommodations the Elizabeth Weir had to offer: a brightly lit cell in the brig with one padded bench and a doorway with a state-of-the-art matter shield blocking his exit, for all the good it would do. Orlando was wearing a Lantean personal shield generator, which he was certain would allow him to walk right through the barrier. An airman stood outside with his back to the door. That wouldn't stop him either, if he really wanted to get out. Orlando was playing the part of the good prisoner, both because it amused him and because he was already precisely where he wanted to be.
"Lovely day for a stroll to the origin point of the universe, isn't it?" asked Orlando cheerfully.
The guard said nothing. He had been warned not to indulge the prisoner.
"It's a shame we don't have a view," said Orlando.
"Space is big," said the airman, without turning around. "When we come out of the wormhole, we won't be staring at the Genesis Address. We'll probably have to travel to the exact location at sublight."
"Oh you are a clever boy," said Orlando. "I was afraid they'd leave me with a mindless dolt. I am familiar with the type. I spent some time among them in the Lucian Alliance."
The airman turned around to look at him.
"Where do you think you are, Mr. Reynolds?" he asked callously. "Stargate Command only lets the best of the best join up, and this mission is Stargate Command's top priority. Each and every member of the crew is cross trained in multiple disciplines, both military and scientific. We were handpicked by Commander Sheppard and vetted by an international team of experts. Despite what you may think about us, we are, each and every one of us, more than a match for any trick you might throw at us. Even the cook could disable you with one hand while elucidating the finer points of wormhole physics. So next time you want to insult me or any of my crewmates, you might want to choose your words more carefully."
"Look at you, making me eat my own words," said Orlando, chuckling. "I'm impressed. And very pleased. I didn't come all this way for the companionship of fools. I came to walk among giants!"
The airman turned back around and fell silent. He had said his piece.
"Say," said Orlando, "are we there yet?"
~~00~~
Commander John Sheppard sat in the captain's chair on the bridge of the Elizabeth and contemplated his situation. He was further from home than anyone from Earth had ever been, leading a crew of his own choosing toward what was most probably the origin point of the universe. The ship was about to make its final wormhole jump. As historical moments went, this one was pretty huge. John could feel the eyes of his officers on him, and sat up a little straighter.
"Eli, are we ready to jump?" John asked into the comm next to him.
"Just finished the final calibrations," said Eli. "You know, this always goes faster when I have Todd's help."
"Are we ready or not, Eli?" repeated John.
"Yes, we're good to go," said Eli. "On your signal."
John looked around at his officers. Lieutenant Colonel Jacoby, Major Ročenka, Major Burnette, and Dr. Evans looked back at him, awaiting the order. He took a deep breath.
"Go ahead," ordered Sheppard.
"Gate drive is engaging," reported Eli through the comm. After a moment the air in the bridge distorted, and through the forward display they could see an explosion of blue light settle into a stable wormhole just large enough for the Elizabeth to pass through.
"Take us out, Major Burnette," said Sheppard.
"Yes sir," affirmed Burnette, engaging the sublight engines. Within seconds the ship had reached the wormhole, and the Elizabeth and all her passengers were atomized and flung across an impossible distance before miraculously emerging on the other side, whole and unharmed.
"Officers, report your status," said Sheppard, recovering himself.
~~00~~
Todd the Wraith felt himself rematerialize as the Elizabeth arrived on the other side of the wormhole. Though he was in stasis, his Wraith physiology prevented his mind from resting. He knew this would be the final jump; that the Elizabeth had arrived near enough to the Genesis Address to approach it by sublight. A human mind, Todd suspected, would buckle under the monotony of weeks trapped inside its own body, unable to do anything except think. The Wraith mind, however, especially one as ancient as Todd's, had no such weakness. He had taken the time to contemplate the nature of his situation, and the actions he would take when he was released from stasis.
The anti-wraith serum Doctor Beckett invented had been destroyed weeks ago by the Lucian Alliance spy, Amelia Reynolds, and Todd's attempts to create more had been thwarted during an unfortunate incident involving communication stones and Todd's primal, conscience-less body. The end result was that Todd had begun to revert to his Wraith form. Feeding pads reappeared on his hands, and the hunger which had driven the Wraith to conquer an entire galaxy once again emerged. Realizing there was no other option short of draining the life force of his crewmates, Todd came clean to Commander Sheppard, and agreed to be put into stasis until a solution could be found. Before he entered the stasis pod in the medical bay, however, he had already decided that even if the crew managed to create more serum by the time he woke up, he would not be taking it. For too long, Todd had denied his own nature. He would live as a Wraith, or he would not live at all.
The medical bay was silent, except for the shallow breathing of the comatose alien woman in the hospital bed a few meters away from Todd. Soon, the Elizabeth would find what it was looking for, and perhaps with it, new worlds full of life. Worlds where Todd could disappear and forge a new future for himself, free of humanity forever.
~~00~~
"I'm picking up something nearby," reported Lieutenant Colonel Jacoby. "It's big enough to be a planet, and there are a ton of radio signals coming from it."
"There appear to be power signatures that would suggest a highly sophisticated population," confirmed Major Ročenka.
"Can you pick up any of the signals?" asked Sheppard.
"Yes," said Jacoby. "Hold on, I found something that appears to be visual data. Displaying now."
A holographic display of text appeared in front of Sheppard. The characters seemed familiar.
"Is that..?" began Sheppard.
"The same language from the abandoned planet," finished Bailey, who was standing next to him. "I think so, yes. This text looks like the language we saw inside the monolith - so it must belong to the invaders."
"I'm not sure I like what that implies," said Sheppard, shifting uneasily in his seat.
"Me either, sir," said Bailey.
"Can you read what it says?" asked Sheppard hopefully.
Bailey brought up the display on her personal tablet, and ran it through the rudimentary encryption program she had begun developing based on the small amount of data the crew had been able to collect from the monolith before it vanished. Though the language was clearly a precursor to Ancient, there wasn't enough data to construct a reliable translation program.
"I can't tell you much," said Bailey. "But this is definitely the same language we found in the monolith. My best guess is that this is some kind of scientific report. There are mentions of a control group. Are there any other transmissions?"
"Tons," said Jacoby. "I just picked that one at random."
"Download as much as you can," said Bailey. "With any luck, we can use it to refine the translation program and figure out exactly what we're dealing with."
"What about the alien woman we picked up?" asked Ročenka. "Couldn't she read it?"
"Maybe," said Bailey. "But she's in a coma, remember? And even if she wasn't, she can't speak any languages we know. She'd hardly be a good translator."
"Orders, sir?" asked Burnette.
"Hold position," said Sheppard. "I want that translation program up and running before we attempt to make contact."
He turned to look at Bailey, but she was already gone, headed to her lab to process the data dump Jacoby was downloading onto the ship's servers. He activated the comm next to him.
"Eli," said Sheppard.
"I'm here," said Eli through the comm.
"We've found what appears to be a planet with a technologically advanced population nearby," said Sheppard. "We've intercepted a large volume of radio transmissions, and Jacoby is downloading as much as he can to the servers. I want you to check them out and see if you can determine anything useful about the level of technology these people possess."
"Already on it, boss," said Eli.
~~00~~
Eli Wallace hadn't even bothered to go back to his lab. He was already pouring over the incoming transmissions on the console in the gate drive room. He began to see patterns, and sorted the files into probable categories. Though he couldn't read any of it, the language was similar enough to ancient that he could recognize much of the visual data as clinical reports.
"It's all scientific data," said Ginn, hovering near his shoulder.
"That's what I'm getting too," said Eli. "I just wish I could read it."
"Bailey is making quick progress on the translation software," said Ginn. "It shouldn't be long before we can read it in English."
"What I'm wondering is why there isn't anything else," wondered Eli aloud. "It's like these people are all scientists. Wouldn't there be other transmissions? Like news, or art?"
"Maybe the planet is a research outpost, and doesn't have a civilian population," proposed Ginn.
"Jacoby, is this all the data you've intercepted?" asked Eli over the comm.
"Well, there's a lot more than I'm going to be able to download in a short time," said Jacoby. "But it's a pretty good sample of what I'm seeing."
"Is there anything you haven't downloaded that looks like it could be poetry or music?" asked Ginn. "Or pictures?"
"Yes, there are images," said Jacoby. "Hold on, I'm sending some to you now."
A series of images appeared on the console in front of Eli. The photos appeared to be documenting an autopsy of a bipedal creature. The subject looked almost human, if not for the pointed ears and long, fur-coated tail.
"That looks just like the woman we found on the abandoned planet…" said Eli.
~~00~~
She awoke with a start. Sitting up, she put her hands on her face, and feeling the tube protruding from her throat, she gripped it and pulled, gagging as it came out of her mouth, covered in bile. Ripping off several other tubes attached to her body, she stood up and took stock of her surroundings. She was in a bright white room with many metal objects arranged in neat patterns. Against one wall was a large translucent pod, much like the one she had been kept in after she was captured by the Opifex. A wave of panic overtook her, and she leaned on the bed to keep herself from falling over.
When she had recovered, she walked over to the pod and saw that inside was a large blue creature, who looked more monster than person. She put her hand on the glass and cocked her head slightly. She had never seen such an alien. It had no tail.
Hearing a noise near the door, she spun around and crouched low, assuming a defensive stance with her tail sweeping back and forth on the floor in anticipation. Seeing no intruder, she stepped carefully toward a metal tray filled with small instruments and chose one with a sharp end, clutching it tightly in her hand. Then she walked cautiously toward the door and peered out the small window. Seeing an empty hallway, she pushed the door open and stepped out, still holding the knife.
A voice from the other end of the hallway shouted at her. She did not understand the words but turned to look. There was a creature which looked like a person, if a person had small, round ears, and no tail. It was holding a black metal object, which she assumed was a weapon from the aggressive stance the creature had adopted. Wasting no time, she lifted her arm and threw the knife at her assailant with deadly force, hitting it between the eyes. It fell backwards, crumpling to the floor. She ran forward toward the body, and lifted it into her arms without hesitation.
~~00~~
"I know I'm supposed to stay here until Commander Sheppard comes to let me out, but honestly, I don't have that kind of patience," said Orlando.
The airman guarding the cell began to turn around to face Orlando, but the scientist turned terrorist had already walked through the cell shield and was standing next to him.
"Stop-" said the airman, reaching out to grab Orlando's arm, but as soon as he touched it, an electric shock erupted at the point of contact, and surged through his body. He immediately lost consciousness and crumpled to the floor. Orlando straightened his trenchcoat and smiled down at the subdued man.
"I apologize," he said. "I was really starting to like you."
Orlando took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He reached up to his lapel and touched the Lantean shield generator attached to it, deactivating the personal barrier. He was rather proud of the upgrades he had managed to make, though he knew that trick would only work once or twice before Commander Sheppard's crew grew wise to it. He turned to a control panel on the wall, considering his next move before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small device the size of a quarter. When he pressed it against the control panel, it magnetized to the surface and immediately took control of the interface, giving Orlando full access to the ship's computer network.
"Tisk, tisk, Commander," said Orlando to himself, "you've got to work on those security protocols."
~~00~~
The lights on the bridge suddenly went out.
"We've lost power, sir," reported Rocenka.
"Thank you for stating the obvious, major," sneered Sheppard. "Can someone tell me why we lost power?"
"Auxiliary power cells online now," said Jacoby as the lights once again lit up. "Running an analysis of the electrical systems now."
"Oh no…" muttered Sheppard as he made a terrible realization.
"What is it, sir?" asked Jacoby.
"Get me the live video feed from the brig," ordered Sheppard, hoping he was wrong. Jacoby accessed the security camera in the brig and displayed the feed. The airman assigned to guard the prisoner appeared to be unconscious on the ground, and Orlando Reynolds was standing outside his cell, accessing a control panel on the wall.
"Dammit!" shouted Sheppard. As he spoke, Orlando turned and looked directly at the camera before smiling the unreasonably cheery smile of a madman, and waving excitedly.
"Isn't this fun?" asked Orlando. Then he turned and looked at something just beyond the range of the camera.
"Oh hello," said Orlando. He paused for a moment before glancing back at the camera. "Well, I suppose we won't want the good captain to know about this."
The live feed went blank.
"He's shut down the camera, sir," said Rocenka. "He appears to have control of the ship's systems."
"Well that's not very good, is it?" growled Sheppard. "Shut him out, and let's get some men down the brig. Now!"
~~00~~
Orlando looked at the woman who had just appeared in the doorway to the brig. Though she was wearing the clothes of an officer, it was difficult to hide the tail she had tucked into one of the pant legs.
"I was hoping I'd get to meet you soon," said Orlando. "I wonder if the Commander knows you're missing?"
The woman cocked her head.
"Of course, you can't understand anything I'm saying," said Orlando. "Perhaps that linguist girl, Dr. Evans, has made some progress on her translation efforts. One moment, please."
He turned back to the console on the wall and pulled up Dr. Evan's language program on the display. Alien characters began to flash across the screen, and just as quickly, the alien woman began to babble incoherently.
"Yes, yes, hold on," said Orlando, without looking up. The woman walked up to him, yelling at him and gesturing wildly. When he did not look up, she grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him to face her.
"Opifex!" she said.
"The monolith people?" he asked, eyes wide. "Are you one of them?"
She sighed, and motioned with her hands to indicate that she still couldn't understand him.
"This is almost finished," said Orlando, turning back to the console. "The little fat girl can write one hell of a translation program, I'll give her that. And…. go."
The program initiated.
"Alright, you should be able to understand me now," said Orlando. After a moment, the computer began to recite his words in a stilted and monotonously accented version of the alien woman's own language. Still, she seemed to understand. She spoke in response.
"It is not safe here," intoned the computer in English. "The Opifex are not safe."
"But that's the whole point, isn't it?" asked Orlando. "Danger! Adventure! The unknown!"
"We must leave," translated the computer after she spoke again. "Do you know a way off this ship?"
"Well I suppose so," said Orlando. "But I just got here! I was even starting to get comfortable!"
The woman sighed. She grabbed one of his arms and began to walk back toward the hallway, dragging him with her. He tried to resist but she was much stronger than him.
"Fine, fine, there's just one more thing I have to do," he said, reaching out to the console screen and jabbing a few buttons. "Just to make things a little more interesting."
The woman yanked on his arm, dragging him away from the screen.
"I'm coming, I'm coming!" he said, allowing himself to be drug toward the hallway by the strange alien woman whose intentions were entirely unclear to him.
~~00~~
The stasis pod in the medical bay began to whir as the thawing sequence began. After just a moment, the glass door slid open, and Todd the Wraith gained consciousness. He opened his eyes and looked around to see the room empty. He breathed deeply, and stepped out from the pod. He was hungry.
To be continued!
Written by Caleb Palmquist
Story by Caleb Palmquist and Andrew Marron