Project Icegate, Project One
Chapter 2: Project S.O.L.D.I.E.R. {part 1}

The Pentagon was a mess of activity in the NEST war room. Lennox had reported the kidnapping of one of their field operatives and was trying, with help from the Autobots, to locate her before Swallowtail went on a hunting spree. General Morshower paced in the War Room as it was called, the place was setup only for NEST to use and only NEST knew about it, as did most of the analysts that were hired to find out what caused the network breach and also to get the whole frakking network back online.

But now questions were raised due to a recent look into things. Project Soldier, for one thing, confused Morshower to the extreme, and he was asking Lennox about it. Who, sadly, did not know a thing about such a project. However, Lake One was mentioned. There was also something of a Icegate. Prompting Morshower to ask Optimus about it, and what it meant.

"The Icegate is a link back to our planet, one of the nine moons of Cybertron had a item encased within the ice of its northern pole. If another is here on earth as we have come across so far, it is possible we may have a link to our home," Optimus calmly replied.

"So this, Icegate, what does it do exactly?" Morshower asked over the TV hookup system as a soldier brought in a box of papers. The top of which was marked TOP SECRET in red letters. Upon opening the box, the first file seen was a item called PROJECT SOLDIER, under it was a thicker heavier folder, labeled PROJECT L.A.K.E. ONE. And that made him confused. Colonel Lake was a pet project ? That didn't make sense.

Optimus sounded a bit on edge, as if he didn't want to share that he didn't know what the Icegate as they called it was able to do. Finally he said simply in his deep voice, "I do not know, All I know is, that it was uncovered during the war on Cybertron Zulu, the home world, so to speak, of Wheelie, and Brains, and also several Predicons."

Morshower nodded, "That's right, Swallowtail mentioned something about that. Lennox." Morshower turned his gaze towards the TV system once more. Lennox stood at attention. "I'm going to send you some files that might be helpful. Swallowtail might have need of them. Where is the Mustang anyhow?"

"Looking for Colonel Lake sir. We lost her in New York, last we knew, Frenzy was with her somewhere out west, he broadcast ed his location this morning about ten minutes before we made daily contact with you sir." Lennox replied

"Did they locate Col Lake's location?" Morshower asked.

"yes sir. Brains transmitted Frenzy's location until the connection between the pair was terminated" Lennox replied

"Do we have the coordinates?" Morshower asked.

"Yes sir, the location of Frenzy is 38,97 north, 104.89 west." Lennox said, reading off a piece of paper that a metal hand gave him with a hiccup. Screecher somehow got hold of some Energon Goodies

"Cheyenne Mountain, NORAD complex?" Morshower asked aloud, "What in the world is Lake doing there? Its a research station, not a jail"

"That's what I thought too Sir." Lennox said, "Optimus sent Ironhide with some of the other Autobots with Swallowtail to check in at a hotel near there. Their current location is in Colorado Springs, about a mile to the east of Frenzy's last broadcasted location."

Morshower nodded, Ironhide was a good soldier. He liked the truck a lot. Very dependable. A lot like his farm truck back home. "Alright, next contact here at daybreak tomorrow or until you hear from Frenzy or Swallowtail, understood?"

"Yes sir, Lennox out." The screen died. Morshower sat back in his chair as his aids leafed through the box of papers. "Someone tell me why one of our best field operatives are supposedly the pet project of the United States Military ?" The aids had no idea how to answer.


Frenzy typed on the screen keyboard frenetically and speedily, breezing through files and folders with ease like he did before on Air Force One. He found a rather important file that made him nervous, Project L.A.K.E. One and with it a file labeled project S.O.L.D.I.E.R. What was it about ? The frenetic robot wondered as he scanned through the files,s looking for Project Icegate. Finally he found it.

"Project Icegate located!" He transmitted over his comm, "Location search, NORAD, Cheyenne Mountain complex, Colorado Springs. America." he also sent the direct location point as well over a grid system of the world. Well, that was easy to find.

"Location confirmed" Came a voice, it was Swallowtail, "Lake is also free according to Brains and Wheelie, meet up with her and get to the surface, we detected you exactly a mile below sea level at your current location, Get Lake and get to the surface, will meet you there. In the mean time, try to not cause too much damage to their computer network."

"What about a dead end virus?" Frenzy asked, rather then shut down the entire global network like last time he'd only shut down a small area.

"Fine, shut down their radios in that area as well, a six grid circle, according to Brains scan as well, there is a tunnel that leads through the mountain, We'll meet you guys there, good luck!" the connection died.

Frenzy cracked his fingers, this was going to be fun. He started typing madly into the computers on screen keyboard and spiked a data node into one of the hard drives of the machine, a second later the virus was uploaded. "Lake, Lake, Lake!" the robot chittered happily as he spotted the locks of all the brig cells popping open, perfect, now to meet up with her.

Frenzy though started to wonder why he was helping the Autobots, though it confused the little former 'Con, Swallowtail had pointed out to the tiny robot, with the threat of being the lobbing ball, that, according to data collected from Cybertron, He was technically neutral, and if he helped the Autobots, they'd also protect the tiny drone from Megatron and Starscream, the latter of whom scared Frenzy. Frenzy agreed to work with the Autobots as long as he was able to computer hack, though Brains and he often clonked domes when it came to Chess.

Nevertheless, the frenetic hacker finished up what he was doing, but was in the middle of activating the virus when he heard Silers voice "We're on sub-level 33, power control room clear." he said, He turned a corner, and looked briefly into the room where Frenzy was, seeing just a radio and active computer terminal "Someones tampered with the Database mainframe" he said.

"Find out who and why." Came a static filled reply as the radios died. Siler tried without success at getting his radio working. Well, that sucked. He passed into the room and shut down the terminal, passing Frenzy as he did so, the radio poked its white optics up then reformed as Siler stood to leave and looked in his direction. Not giving the radio another thought he left the room and finished scouting the level for intruders.


Lake turned a corner, two more soldiers down, so far two were dead, or stunned, she felt the necks of the two, they were still alive, just stunned, two disc cuts were in their chests, Frenzy had been that way. Apparently under the order to stun and not kill outright. It didn't matter, the woman moved around a corner. Briefly spotting a camera at the corner, She found a room and entered it, there, her things were set up there on a table, nobody in sight. She picked up the small bracelet sized item. Sedative needles. Perfect.

She slid the bracelet onto her arm and wrapped the dark red cloth already on her arm around the bracelet, locking it in place. She also picked up her sidearm, the desert eagle was unloaded, the magazines set on the table beside it. She slid a magazine into the grip of the weapon, hearing a satisfying clack of the weapon loading and ready for use. She slid it into its proper place on her hip. And then, picking up her stolen weapon, she left the room.

She ducked behind a pillar and jumped upwards slightly as she heard voices, "Radios're down, need to find a way to get them working again," One voice said, "What about short wave?" A second voice asked as the owners of the voices came into view. "Carter, if you can get the radios up and working again I'll give you a pay raise." Jack said as he came into view, Col Carter with him, they passed under where Lake had hid.

A soldier came running up "Sir, Ma'am, The prisoner escaped, her guards were stunned." The soldier reported, Lake was directly above him in the heating system. This place was an absolute maze!

Jack threw up his hands, "Alright, I admit it, this day is crazy, first a good vacation wrecked with a woman in red flying through a window into our dinner table, then seeing giant robots in New York after the woman landed in my soup, now our lovely red prisoner is gone and the radios are down! What next? A mustang saying its looking for its owner ? Don't answer that, Carter!" Jack said when Carter was about to say something

Lake snickered where she hid directly above the three, the two men and the woman, doubtless Swallowtail was indeed looking for her. If only you knew, Lake thought, If only you knew the truth. Lake wondered then where Swallowtail was, and how things were going with the Autobot when she went missing. Doubtless Swallowtail was taking her going missing very hard on herself. And surely Ironhide was with her, Though for some reason Lake found herself wanting the Twins, Skids and Mudflap somewhere close by. Her radio was Cybertronian in nature, and it'd work easily, She waited until the three below her moved on. Continuing to listen to the group as Jack gave some simple orders. Lake hissed under her breath when she saw Carter directly below her. She had a bone to pick with that woman from several years ago.

"Lieutenant Lang, I want you to act as runner, you stay in the elevator and go to each floor with information, inform everyone the radios are dead and our prisoner is missing. Also, inform everyone to use the zat if they come across her. Carter, get the radios back online ASAP, Walter, get me a new coffee. I'll be in my office doing the paperwork that I love to do(!)" Jack said going up the stairs into the control room, then from there to the briefing room, then from there to his office as Carter continued on to her own area of the control room. And Lt Lang headed for the elevator.

With them gone Lake keyed her radio, "Frenzy, come in." She said once she heard the backwash of a lubricating robot over the comm system,

"Presentandaccountedfor!" came the fast reply from Frenzy, clearly he'd stuck his fingers in a wall outlet that was slightly blacked. "Lake, where are you? Orders are to join and head upwards fast as we are able."

"I can understand that, have you heard from the others?" Lake asked

"Indeedyso! Swallowtail wants to bomb the place, Ironhide is having a bad day and Optimus wants my hide, so what else is new with you Warrior Empress ?" Frenzy replied giving a brief sit rep. Well, that was easy to dicepter.

"Alright, considering the fact that you have my location, I want you to head up as fast as you can, contact Swallowtail, no, better, contact Optimus directly and let him know where we are, I heard something about a certain someone I need to meet up with."

"Copy that Lake, see you at the top! Oh, and Wheelie and Brains have complete control over the bases camera system." the connection died, It was time for Lake to have a meeting with an 'old friend' lake easily dropped without a sound to the floor two meters down and scampered towards the direction she heard Carter go, ducking behind some computer towers Lake watched as Carter set to work, the only person in the room aside from herself. Perfect.


Two men paced down a corridor of the SGC, both of them Alesian, Mark was fuming, with him was Gaius, possibly the most level headed soldier of Alesia, the two men were conversing over the strange events in new York, and of the seeming madness of Max, one of their leading diplomats and scientists. "You are sure he is not mad?"

"Quite sure, if he was then we would know it and clearly see it." Gaius replied calmly, Mark looked ready to blow a gasket, "I think Max may be right, If this is a new race of people that we never knew about then it is possible that we could have an ally and possibly further our technology."

Mark looked at his second in command, Gaius wads a good soldier, having the best record in keeping a cool head when it came to missions and doing strange solo missions for the High Council that took Gaius into deep forays to strange places in the galaxy. "I think you are both mad. That is a machine, not an intelligent being, you know that. You saw it yourself. Heard it scream."

"Yes and my ears are still ringing from that, how are you anyway, after that woman crashed into you after being blasted through a plate glass window I mean." Gaius asked, concerned for his friend, what had happened almost a full day before in New York had everyone on edge. What were those strange machines.

"Mine are as well, it was not human, it is sentient yes, but it is not meant to be alive, that much is certain." Mark said.

"You are that set on killing the creature ? Max said that we could have a possible link to the fourth race.' Gaius said

Unbeknownst to either man a pair of white optics poked around the corner behind them as Frenzy came out of the stairwell, Swallowtail made it clear, come with Lake, or get shot, he chose the first option out of need to survive alone. Uh oh! Soldiers! Frenzy thought, he did a quick scan of their genetical structure and noticed some similarities to Lake. But also some other things, for one thing, the two men he was looking around the corner at were huge brutes of men. Clearly football players as Wheelie labeled them. To which Brains had asked, "American or European?" which caused even Ironhide to snicker.

That didn't matter, he had to find Lake, there. The wireframe map of the place had her a few meters away around another corner. Now to get past these two first. He watched the two Alesians carefully, scanning them carefully to take in everything about the two. There were more, and one of them were identified with what Wheelie had on file. Whatever the two men where was useless in what Frenzy could find.

Mark turned and walked down the hall, away from where Frenzy poked his ice-white optics around to view to see if the coast was clear. Passing by a door which was labeled on Frenzy's wireframe map as the only direction to go to get to where Lake was, so he headed that way as quickly as he was able.

Within the Control room of the base, Lake waited a few minutes in quite, just watching Carter, she spotted Frenzy's white optics as the little robot scampered in rather quietly, into the control room, the stargate just beyond the window where Carter sat at a computer. Lake put a hand over Frenzy's mouth and shook her head when the robot tried to make a sound and head for the woman. Frenzy froze at Lakes unspoken command and let the human make the first move.

Lake stood up from where she hid, and with out a sound, stepped forwards to within a meter of Carter, "Of all the people in the galaxy to meet up with, I have to meet you again." She said

Carter froze at the sultry voice of Lake, once her teammate, then someone she worked to avoid, and if possible, have fired. And yet, Lake was too good, solving mathematical problems, and not to mention kicking some major Ori butt as well. And then she had managed to annoy Sam to the point of where Carter had shot Lake twice in the knees. Lake had sworn she'd get even with Carter for her misery. But that was six years before.

Carter reached a hand to her sidearm, quickly raising it up she found it missing as Lake knocked it from her grasp with an easy slap. "That wont be needed." She said, She stepped back about a meter or two. Allowing Carter to turn around in her seat, "its been along time hasn't it ?" Lake asked.

Carter just looked at Lake, taking in the scarlet dressed soldier of a woman. "Yes it has. Though I do not think you are here merely to chat and say hi are you lieutenant One ?" Carter replied

Lake shook her head, "I said I'd get even for the pain and misery you brought me. That was six year ago. And I still am not set on what to do to you to thank you for shooting me and leaving me for dead in Death Valley." Lake replied, watching Carter, "But that does not mean that I am just here for a brief visit. I am here for both that and to warn you, in a way."

"What do you mean ?" Carter asked.

"If you try to fix your radios within this base, it wont work, they're down until the dead end is reached and it unravels within your system of the local intranet down-link When the dead end is reached you'll be able to use your radios again just fine."

"What do you want Lake ?" Carter asked, now angered, slightly, now she knew why the radios were not working. Same with the phones.

"I want out of here. I'll have Frenzy give you a code to put a temp hack into the dead-end to allow a brief message to everyone searching for me to let me pass freely unhindered." Lake said moving towards the stairs, "I am quite sure you do not want to have your infirmary packed with soldiers after I am through with them Colonel..."

"What do you mean ?" Sam asked cautiously. She didn't exactly hate Lake, but she did not like her very much and was easily annoyed by the Asian woman in scarlet. Her gaze was then taken by the sudden appearance of a robot that looked like the skeletal structure of a human with four ice-white optics for eyes and blueish colored teeth in a strange mouth-like thing. "What is that ?" Carter all but screamed when she saw Frenzy as the robot ambled into view and planted himself at a computer terminal.

"That is Frenzy, what he is does not concern you Colonel, or should I say, Captain Carter" Lake snarled. Frenzy jabbered something, something that sounded like absolute gibberish to Carter, but Lake was able to understand his meaning with her rather good grasp of Cybertronian.

"adsitadfvrd avreevsd rreeeefvdvdvdfll, ggeersffddfcc gurkgurkgazoo zerk!" Frenzy said, which translated into "I managed to find a lift station to grab and send up. It's the only one I was able to lock everyone out of before the radio codex overwrote the dead-end hack for five minutes"

Lake nodded, she turned to Carter, "By your leave Captain Carter!" She said with a slight bow to the blond haired woman, Lake took a step up the stairs and turned her gaze towards the robot, "Frenzy, gishak zablo siksik!" She said in Cybertronian, basically saying "Lets go while the going is good. Now, Frenzy!" The robot nodded and bolted from his seat, gibbering the whole way in a odd guttural language of mechanical grunts and otherwise.

In her time with Swallowtail Lake had learned some Cybertronian, at least, enough to get by with. Frenzy gibbered something about "Soldiers in white" Lake nodded, she knew of just the fellows. One of them wanted to shoot Wheelie with some type of weapon. Even wanted to shoot her. Lake turned as she went up the first flight, then to the landing and went up the next flight. As she as she stepped onto the last step she spotted one of those same soldiers in white, his back to her. Though the man looked more the diplomat then anything else at that moment.

Max was fiddling with his comm system, he was unable to get hold of the AES Raincloud, A small science vessel, lightly armed, yet mostly for exploration. Beaming was somehow jammed, and communications were cut somehow. Though the voices from below of Carter and another woman alerted him, so it was only for an hour or so ? He heard Carters radio call over the base-wide PA system.

"Attention all personnel and off world visitors. Lieutenant Lake One has requested a clear path to the surface. I am currently trying to get the radios online and working. Contact with the surface is out of order. If anyone comes in contact with Lt One, let her be. Carter Out" the radio then died in a fit of static.

Maybe if I could speak with this, Lieutenant Lake, something may come to light about these... Cybertronians. Max thought turning around and halting in his tracks as a woman dressed in scarlet of a design similar to that of the High Councilors elder sister, or Silver Wolf's own appearance of attire. Stood at the opposite end of the conference table. With her was a four and a half foot tall skeletal creature with four brilliant white optics for eyes at her side.

The hazel eyes of the woman were what Max focused on when he looked her over. He'd never seen anything like the woman before. And nothing like the robot at her side. Max looked thoughtful for a moment before entering the briefing room and standing at the head of the table, placing his hands on the back of the chair in front of him he seemed to show Lake that he was not going to harm her.

The robot looked from Lake and the man in white, they dressed similar, sort of. Wherein Lake had a ancient Chinese style of clothing to her outfit design, the man had a more ancient roman look to him. It seemed as if Frenzy was at a loss of what to do. The robot jerked his head, or at least what passed for a head, between the two humans.

Finally, Lake broke the silence. "What do you want ?" She asked the Alesian

Max smiled and turned his gaze slightly to the right and down, "You know very well what I want." He said.

Lake smirked, "Humor me then. Offworlder." The woman snarled.

Max cast his gaze back to Lake, "I seek merely knowledge, and maybe a partnership, if not that, a good relations wherein there would be a trade agreement and perhaps a friendship between you and Alesia."

That didn't make much sense to Lake, though it made plenty of sense to Frenzy, the little but jabbered something strange and pointed at Max, his sensor package took in the guy carefully, he jabbered in literal gibberish, "Phasellus maecenas lobortis venenatis nibh venenatis nonummy sem vehicula faucibus ut fusce, massa iaculis Ad convallis netus faucibus. Rhoncus tortor aliquet risus bibendum, imperdiet nascetur condimentum nunc tincidunt montes blandit fermentum. Molestie id purus ac convallis vel pharetra. Risus proin. Lectus inceptos, diam mus tincidunt mus curabitur. Pellentesque fringilla donec. " but only one single sentence was said in English, "Alesian, Enemy of Energon!"

At that Frenzy sprang from his place at Lake's side and jumped onto the table with a growl of a guttural sound. He withdrew a pair of weapons from seemingly nowhere. Two of his four upper limbs held strange star-shaped weapons with small belts of sorts hanging off them. Like a replicator in its movements, only far quicker. And clearly deadlier. Had it not been for Lake's sudden shout of something, Frenzy would have attacked the man before him.

Frenzy immediately halted on the table, his gun still drawn towards the Alesian. At Lakes question Frenzy explained in Cybertronian, "Megatron sent spies to their world, they were never heard from again after they touched down. Megatron feared the worse, he then sent Soundwave, Soundwave gathered data, Brains has most of it somewhere on his servers." he said, Lake understood him clearly, yet again, to Max, the robot sounded as if he were speaking complete gibberish. "What I recall, Alesians used Energon as a weapon. Soundwave fled before he could be noticed by the creatures. But not before he lost several drones of his to their weapons."

Lake turned towards Max, "I do not think that Frenzy likes you. For what you are." She said.

"And why is that ?" Max asked her, his eyes on Frenzy. He knew of the robots ability to kill, only he never saw it first hand in combat, at least until that morning in New York two days previous

"It appears that your race and his have clashed once before, and as a result earned eternal hatred of the Cybertronians.' Lake replied moving around the table, towards the door, She chattered something to the robot, known now to Max as Frenzy, Better not let him near any coffee cans, the man mused to himself. The robot hopped off the table, keeping its weapons on the Alesian as lake and the robot moved to leave the briefing room, just as Jack arrived,

"Carter, what's this about Lieutenant One coming back from a mission gone bad ?" The man was calling out as he arrived from his office and stopped in his tracks, his eyes on the woman in red, yep, that was Lake alright.

"Colonel O'Neill Good to see you again" Lake snarled as Frenzy split his attention between Max and Jack, a weapon on each.

"Lieutenant Lake, good to see you too sweetheart, for a second I didn't believe my ears when Carter said it was you that wanted off the base." jack said seeing the woman clearly, his eyes then dropped slightly to the robotic being at her side. The weapon aimed at him, and the other weapon aimed at mark. "I take it that is your bodyguard ?"

"That and more, give me a clear path out and maybe everyone on this base will be spared a trip to your medical hall, including yourself. Colonel." Lake said, not taking Jacks rank of General as official, as far as Jack was concerned, Lake outranked him as she was a NEST Operative.

Jack shook his head, "Its General, not colonel, not any more, Lake." he said,

Lake shook her head, "As far as I am aware general," she said, "Your rank means nothing to me thanks to Frenzy and his comrades" she said. She had never expected to land in his soup, but she had. Pretty much at least. Thanks to Starscream she had gotten to the place she did not want to be in the first place.

"Its a he now ? And its got a name ?' Jack asked. Max just stared, a smile on his face, Frenzy twitched his four ice-white eyes back and forth between the two men. Muttering in Cybertronian to himself. He didn't like this, none of it. He jabbered something in a strange language as he kept his guns ready, though Lakes scant use of Cybertronian was strangely akin in Ancient Chinese from thousands of years ago.

Lake nodded, "Yes, he has a name, and a gender. He also has an old hatred for certain people." She eyed Max, who still stood at the conference table, his eyes locked on the robot. "So, without the need, for now, to shed human, or nonhuman blood at the moment. I suggest that you allow us both direct passage to the surface. I do believe my car is looking for me. It is very hard to keep a Mustang busy." Lake said, a smile playing on her lips as she watched Jacks eyes go wide as dinner plates. "I can keep Frenzy calm only so long... general. So if you want your men to remain alive, and possibly only asleep and waking with headaches, I suggest you let us free."

Jack shook his head, "Not until I get some answers" He told her. Lake just looked at him.

It was then that Mark arrived, "I heard the call, who is this... One" He said, trailing off when he caught sight of the woman, and another robot with her. How many of the damned things were there on Terra anyhow ?

Lake turned her gaze towards the man, almost in a heartbeat withdrawing her own sidearm and aiming at the man before he could make a move to draw his own weapon had Max not spoken up to keep him from doing so, "Let us not be too hasty, what happened in the past may yet be reconciled. Until that happens, having a Goa'uld!Tok'ra standoff is not the best option." He said. Mark agreed, he was more curious then angered now, thanks to his talk with his second in command. And also what Max said.

"What do you mean, what happened in the past ?" Mark asked his current XO. The Alesian soldier though young by his peoples standards, was confused by what the one he was merely to protect, and follow orders from, meant.


Meanwhile on the outskirts of Colorado Springs, William Lennox drove what once was a major movie star of a 1967 Mustang GT500 King of the Road, known commonly as Eleanor, down a country road. Thanks to the extreme speeds the car could attain, it took the man less then a day to rejoin his team at their hotel. Along the way, the Mustang and human spoke between each other. A hard-light hologram of Swallowtails Pretender Unit had been seated in the passenger seat of the strangely made car.

Lennox was used to American muscle cars, having their steering system on the left of the car, only Swallowtail was different insofar as somehow she got her transcsan messed up and the driver-seat was where the passenger seat, or shotgun, was normally located. Which made Lennox feel as if he were driving a mail jeep, or a Toyota Landcruiser.

"Do you think we can get to Lake in time?" Lennox asked

"I don't know." Came the reply, Swallowtail was strangely subdued during the trip from New Jersey to Colorado. And to Lennox, that was a very bad thing.