ALL IS FAIR IN LOVE AND WAR
Chapter 1 – Welcome to the dance
"What?!?" the cry reverberated around the halls of the SGC. Personnel in the immediate vicinity turned to look at the closed office door of Colonel Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill. As the door handle began to turn, they scattered. A pissed off Jack O'Neill was about as safe to cross as a heard of marauding elephants.
As he marched towards the office of his CO – General George Hammond, men and woman jumped aside to avoid getting in his way. Eye contact was avoided at all cost and several of the scientists were seen ducking into supply closets in an attempt to evade an encounter with the fuming colonel. He rapped on the office door barely waiting for the cursory, "Come in" before swinging the door open. Major General George Hammond, commander of the SGC looked up from his desk to see his 2IC clutching a piece of paper so hard he was beginning to crease it. He stared up into a pair of angry eyes and set face.
"Is there something I can help you with Colonel?" His 2IC, practically threw the piece of paper down onto the desk,
"I was wondering if you could explain this, Sir?"
Hammond looked down at the offending note and winced internally. It was a memo – unusual in itself since Jack O'Neill was famous for never reading his memos. In fact, General Hammond had been almost counting on his not reading this one; it would have meant that by the time he found out about it he would not be in a position to object. Of course this would have to be the one memo Jack O'Neill actually read. Hammond spoke calmly to the irate Colonel in front of him. "I think it is pretty self explanatory Colonel."
A muscle twitched in the other man's jaw, "Sir you can't honestly be telling me you agree with this?"
"That is exactly what I'm telling you Colonel, in fact it was partly my idea. Ever since the Stargate programme was disclosed, the British government has been asking – as one of this countries closest allies on Earth – for a more active role in the Stargate programme and –"
"For crying out loud we've already given them their own team what more do they want?"
Hammond chose to ignore the outburst, "And Doctor Jackson has been complaining that not enough personnel are devoted to his department. He claims he needs more help in his research. This was seen by the President and the Joint Chiefs to be a solution to both those problems."
"So they assigned a James Bond wannabe. With all due respect Sir –"
"This topic is not up for discussion Colonel. You will be fully briefed as to the reasons behind this decision in two weeks time, along with the other members of your team. I will expect you to wear full dress uniform and to conduct yourself in a manner becoming of Air Force Officer. Is that understood?"
"Yes Sir. But –"
"This conversation is over Colonel. Dismissed."
Looking back on the conversation, Jack O'Neill – USAF Colonel, 2IC of the SGC and leader of SG-1 winced. His attitude had not been one to endear himself to his CO. He still thought the idea of having an MI6 agent on base ridiculous, but he had no say in the matter. He guessed that Hammond wanted to use this meeting to get him on board but he doubted that would happen. This was a military base; they needed military personnel not 'secret agents'. He sighed and glanced over at the members of his team who were present.
Doctor Daniel Jackson was seated on the other side of the table, the team's official diplomat (as well as archaeologist, anthropologist, linguist etc). He was ludicrously smart and possessed a heart of gold. Jack smirked slightly as the young man took a sip from his ever-present cup of coffee, whilst simultaneously pushing his glasses further up his nose as he read the briefing file. Jack's lay closed on the table in front of him.
His gaze shifted to the man seated beside him. Teal'c, the ex-first prime of Apophis, was wearing his usual stoic expression, eyes closed as he meditated to pass the time. Feeling his CO's gaze upon him he turned opening his eyes, "Is something the matter O'Neill?"
Shaking his head, Jack focused on the empty seat opposite him. The seat should have been occupied by his 2IC – Major Samantha Carter. Unfortunately, she was with the Tok'ra helping them fix something or other and wouldn't be back for another three weeks. Jack sighed. He missed her, he missed her smile and the way she would laugh at his poor jokes. He missed he techno-babble and hanging out in her lab. He missed the way she would frown at him if she thought he was not paying enough attention in briefings and the way her eyes would light up when she found a new piece of alien technology to play with. He absent-mindedly picked up a pen and started tapping it against the tabletop, his mind lost in thoughts of a woman who meant more to him than she was supposed to.
He was shaken from his reverie by the sound of a manila file being slapped closed. Both he and Teal'c looked up to see a scowling Daniel Jackson. Realising he'd drawn attention to himself; Daniel blushed, "Sorry" he muttered, "I was just wondering how long we were going to sit here for." His eyes flicked towards the closed door of General Hammond's office.
Jack winced in sympathy. Whilst Teal'c had been permitted to wear BDUs Daniel had been forced to wear a suit and he looked about as comfortable as Jack felt in his uniform. "Don't worry Space Monkey wont be long now. This briefing was meant to start 30 minutes ago and you know Hammond doesn't like to keep people waiting."
As if on cue, the door to the office opened and General George Hammond walked out. At once all three men rose to their feet, standing respectfully as their CO made his way to his seat at the head of the table. A greying man in an ordinary black suit followed him and at the General's request took the seat normally occupied by Major Carter. Jack frowned; everything about the man was average. His face was one, which you would look at one and then forget the moment you looked away. His haircut was short but not too short, his suit was well cut but not obviously expensive or cheap, he had no distinguishing features, nothing to make him stand out. He was the sort of man who blended into the background, who everyone saw but no one realised was there.
Once they were all seated General Hammond made the introductions, "Gentlemen this is Mr Robert Jones, head of operations for MI6. Mr Jones this is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."
Mr Jones nodded to them, "It is an honour to meet three of the members of the infamous SG-1. I only wish I could have had the pleasure of meeting Major Carter also, but I understand she is unavailable at the moment so I suppose that cannot be helped." Jack noted with curiosity than even his voice was unremarkable. There was almost no trace of an accent. Though there was a hint of Britain in a few of the words, for the most part his voice was again one you heard but could not recall. Nodding his acknowledgements, Jack turned his attention back to the General.
"As you are all aware. It has been decided that, in light of the agreement made with the British government, one of MI6's agents would be assigned to the SGC. We are here today, because that agent has now been chosen, and will be joining us shortly. Colonel O'Neill a copy of this agent's personnel file will be given to you at the end of this briefing. I'm afraid that neither Doctor Jackson nor Teal'c have the clearance to view this file. However Mr Jones will now tell you that information which it is permissible for you to know."
As the General finished speaking, attention focused the man sitting next to him. "Agent Barnes, has been with us for 3 years. Aged 24 years old, she has a BA from Oxford and is fluent in a range of languages. One of the reasons she was selected was that she would therefore be able to assist Doctor Jackson with his research," Daniel's ears perked up at this, but Jack frowned.
"I was under the impression that we would be receiving an agent who would benefit the SGC as a whole, someone who would be expected to join an exploration team. From what you've described your agent hardly seems suitable. She appears to have no field experience, a narrow field of expertise and to be quite honest nothing that we do not already have."
To his surprise Mr Jones smiled. A thin icy smile, combined with a calculating look. "You are right Colonel. The woman I have described would be of almost no benefit to the SGC. The most she could do would be to file papers behind a desk. In which case she might as well have stayed in London. So I will be frank with you Colonel and with you gentlemen," he said nodding to the other men in the room, "What I just told you was only the official 'bio' as it were for Agent Barnes. This is the truth. Agent Emeline Barnes is 24 years of age. She has officially worked for our organisation since she left Oxford University with her BA in Egyptology at the age of 21. She speaks a total of 8 different languages – both Modern and Ancient – and is well versed in Classical Civilisation.
"Though she did not officially work for us until then, she began her training when she was recruited at the age of 19 whilst she was studying. She was chosen from a range of candidates and on the surface she was probably the least promising. Young, naïve and idealistic she was nothing that we look for in an agent. She wore her heart on her sleeve and lived more in her imagination that in the real world. Nevertheless there was something in her which caught the attention of our head-hunters. Since that time, she has transformed into one of the best agents I have ever seen. She is dedicated and loyal, with a level of competence I have rarely seen in an agent so young. To become a field agent at her age is almost unheard of, but to be honest she would be wasted anywhere else. She is a skilled marksman, diplomat, and actress. She has never failed to complete an objective and does not turn down assignments or question orders. Her last three years have been spent mostly on assignments I'm not at liberty to discuss with you. But I can assure you gentlemen she is one of the best. We would give you nothing less. Agent Barnes is a solution to a problem."
Daniel seemed impressed, if a little perturbed by the nature of the speech, but Hammond could tell both Jack and Teal'c were reserving judgement. "Well I think it's time we met Agent Barnes," he nodded to the SF stationed by the door, "show her in."
As the young women walked into the briefing room Jack was hit with a strong sense of déjà vu. He remembered back to the first time he had met then Captain Samantha Carter—she had walked in full of attitude and with a chip on her shoulder the size of Alaska. He noticed that this time it was almost the opposite. At 5'8" Emeline was shorter than the Major though she appeared taller as she was wearing heals. She was wearing a simple black skirt suit with a silver cross, hung round her neck. Her thick chestnut hair was laced with gold and copper and pulled back in a high ponytail. Her eyes were large and dark; brown with flecks of amber in the iris. Her skin was a creamy colour with a hint of summer tan, high cheek bones accentuating a full mouth. Her beauty should have been soft and sensual but instead it held an edge of something cold and hard. A mouth, which should have offered pleasure, gave a hint of pain. Eyes that held warmth on the surface were marred by an icy depth, which threatened to grow and intensify until it filled her gaze.
Mr Jones stood turning towards her, "Agent Barnes"
"Sir."
"This is General George Hammond, Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and Mr Teal'c"
Agent Barnes nodded. "Sirs."
She moved towards the seat indicated by the General with a grace and elegance, which spoke of almost perfect balance. Silence grew in the room, all eyes except those of Mr Jones were fixed on the new comer, her gaze meeting theirs calmly.
Her eyes connected with Colonel O'Neill's and whatever she saw there caused one eyebrow to arch gracefully. Three of the men were reminded forcibly of Teal'c. Her attention shifted to her boss, "What did you tell them?"
The men of the SGC were surprised by her tone, friendly but guarded, respectful despite the lack of formal address, yet her words held a sense of familiarity between the pair. Jones' mouth curved in a wry smile. "Well, I tried to tell them the 'official story' but they didn't by it. I told them the truth cherie."
Eyebrows all around the table shot upwards at that sentence. Daniel's gaze met Jack's before flicking to the two agents seated at the table and then back again. Teal'c's eyebrow had yet to leave its perch high up on his forehead. "The truth is a dangerous toy mon seigneur."
Though she had an obvious English accent, her voice caressed the French words, sounding as natural as her own native tongue. Daniel felt his stare inexplicably drawn to the young woman seated at the end of the table. There was something about her, that small smile that played along her lips seemed to hold the weight of years.
Everything spoke of a enigma, one who was closed off and secretive. For some reason he was reminded forcibly of Jack—a man with a history he cannot talk about and issues he wont. This woman was only 24 and yet there was already a weight to her gaze. At her age there should still be that innocent light in her eyes but from what her boss had said, she'd lost that light years ago. Suddenly, a question sprung to mind, one he was surprised had not occurred to him before. "Um General not to be rude, but what are Teal'c and I doing here. I mean I can understand Jack's presence he's your 2IC and should therefore meet new personnel but why us. I mean I could have met Agent Barnes at any time, especially if she will be helping me with my research. I'm sorry but it all seems a bit ...odd."
General Hammond nodded, "I understand your concerns Doctor Jackson, but there is a very good reason why you are all here. As you know Agent Barnes will be joining one of the exploration teams, and in the light of Major Carter's absence I have arranged for Agent Barnes to temporarily join SG-1—you will show her the ropes Colonel."
A snapping sound was heard from the end of the table. All eyes swivelled towards the noise. "Are you alright Agent Barnes?"
Barnes nodded, hand swiftly covering the broken pieces of pencil lying on the table. Daniel frowned. The young agent's composure had not slipped once since she had arrived. He wondered what had caused her to break the pencil.
General Hammond looked once more around the table. "Very well. This meeting is adjourned. SG-1 if you could please give Agent Barnes a tour of the base and then show her to her quarters. Before conducting the basic training assessments."
"Yes Sir."
"Very good. Dismissed."