Adjusting the badge that read "Melissa Jones", the woman nodded to the guard at the gate as he motioned for her to pass.
Reaching the elevator, she flashed the same badge to the airman manning it without actually letting him get a good look. Smiling, she requested Level 28. The man's eyes widened, but he pressed the buttons without asking any questions.
She nodded to him once more as she stepped off the lift, then began striding purposely down the hall. The key was to look like you belonged. She had been told this often enough and it was the mantra that kept her from faltering as she received many curious glances. Turning the corner, she sighed inwardly, relaxing a little because the hallway she was now in was much less crowded.
Walking up to a door three quarters of the way down the hall, she knocked once. Pretending an answer of "enter" had been given, she tried the door handle. Locked.
She stepped back only slightly and unpinned the brooch she had on her lapel. With cursory glances over both shoulders, she slid the sharp pin into the lock tumbler. To her mild surprise, the lock gave barely any resistance and she slipped inside the room which was marked, "Colonel O'Neill".
The woman hurried over to the file cabinet that sat in the corner, she opened the top drawer. Inside she found a bag a chips, a box of paperclips and several old magazines. Shutting it, she bent down and opened the bottom drawer. Inside she found several files. Bending even further to read, she whispered the names aloud.
"Ma'at O'Toole, Anise (Freya), Selmak (Jacob)..... hmmm, very interesting." She snagged the first and slipped it under her shirt.
Meanwhile, walking down the hall towards his office, was Colonel Jack O'Neill. Slightly peeved at himself for forgetting his yo-yo, he stopped short just outside his office door. As he twisted the handle slowly, his brain registered that the door was no longer locked. Throwing the door open, he flipped on the light. He was just in time to see a dark head duck down behind his desk.
"I know someone is in here. Slowly stand and put your hands up where I can see them." Jack's commanding voice filled the room. The intruder contemplated her choices. Sliding the file out, she nudged it under the desk with her foot as she stood. She attempted her best "annoyed" look.
"Yes?"
Jack gazed at the lithe woman in front of him. Impressed with what he saw physically, he remembered that she had no business in his office.
"You clearly don't belong in the mountain, and you most definitely don't belong in my office, so why don't you just cut the crap and allow me to escort you to General Hammond's office. We'll call the arresting officers from there." He smiled, confident that she would be cowed by his tone.
Walking carefully from behind his desk, she waited a beat, said, "Like hell," and punched him dead in his face. She tried to scramble past him, but he grabbed her before she could make it out the door. Slamming her into the wall hard enough to take her breath away, he snarled, "Where do you think you're going, Missy?"
"Missy?!" The woman punched him again and this time when he stumbled, he fell, taking her with him. She landed half on top of him, the wind knocked out of her. At that point, General Hammond arrived in the doorway.
"Colonel O'Neill, perhaps you'd allow our new guest to settle in before her unofficial initiation ceremony?" The General was hard pressed to keep the amusement out of his voice.
Attempting to stand, the woman responded with, "Good afternoon, General," before falling over again, still caught on Jack's jacket.
Still laying on the floor, not exactly complaining was Jack. "Ah, sir, spoil all the fun, why don'tcha?" Stopping, he looked at the woman then back at Hammond.
"How about she explains what she was doing in my office going through my files without my permission and then I'll let her go?" Colonel O'Neill tried to keep his mind on the problem at hand. Suddenly, the woman disengaged herself from his zipper and stood.
"No, now."
General Hammond chuckled.
"Good afternoon, Miss "Jones", I see you're finding your way around?"
The woman smiled. "Yes, General. Thank you. Shall we brief and debrief in your office or may I clean up and change first?"
All business, the General responded with, "I think it might be best if we brief first and organize you an escort around the base. Not all of our residents are as restrained in their greetings as Colonel O'Neill here." He motioned for her to precede him out of the office.
As the woman stepped over Colonel O'Neill, she flung him a smile. Once she was out of the office, General Hammond said under his breath, "I know, Jack. I'm not entirely happy about this either." Louder, he said, "Colonel O'Neill, if you'd accompany us?" Hammond followed "Miss Jones" down the hall.
Under his breath, Jack muttered, "Sure I'll accompany you. I'm a colonel in the United States Air Force and I still get no respect." Pouting, he followed them both.