A/N: Okay, I know you guys are pretty sick of the chapters dealing with explanations and are waiting for me to get to the heart of the story. Well I promise this is the last chapter leading up to the fun part. Unfortunately the coming chapters are going to be a little harder to write, but I hope you'll have patience with me as I attempt the nigh impossible. And now on with the show…
Chapter 2: Level 29 -
"This is absolutely crazy!" Daniel exclaimed as he paced up and down the deserted F302 bay. "How does he expect to conceal a second stargate?"
"Probably by storing it in the lowest levels of the SGC." Vala answered offhand.
Sam and Mitchell shot shocked looks at the former thief.
"We're already storing a gate in the lowest level of the SGC…it's called the gateroom." Daniel retorted.
"That's not…"
"Vala!" Sam interrupted. "Could you help me for a minute?"
"Wait…" Daniel interjected. "There are more than 28 levels?"
"Daniel…" Sam admonished.
"How did I not know about this?" Daniel paused. "Wait…how does Vala know?"
"Former intergalactic thief extraordinaire." Vala explained.
"I don't know how Vala knows, Daniel." Sam said. "Because only a select few are aware – it's need to know."
"So…why would we need a second gate, unless…" Daniel's eyes got big. "It's a backup, something's going to happen to the one we have and…"
"Perhaps it is not wise to speculate Daniel Jackson." Teal'c interrupted. "O'Neill is a formidable warrior. I am certain he knows what he is doing."
"So about these lower levels…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Colonel Carter we have arrived at the planet's coordinates." Caldwell said over the radio.
"Thank you Colonel." Sam responded. "I'll need control of the Asgard beaming technology in here."
"Understood. Transferring now. Let me know when you're mission is complete."
"Will do. Carter out." Sam looked at her team. "You boys ready to go?"
When Daniel, Teal'c, and Cam nodded their heads, Sam beamed the three men to the planet below. Daniel was to tag the DHD, Cam the stargate, and Teal'c was to provide tactical cover if anything went wrong. Less than a minute after being beamed down, one of the homing beacons had been switched on, but the other had not.
"Carter to Mitchell." Sam tapped her radio. "I'm picking up one beacon, but not the one for the gate."
"That's because we're having a slight problem down here." Mitchell said over the sound of gunshots.
"I thought the planet was uninhabited." Vala interjected.
"Uninhabited by humans." Sam explained. "Anyone we thought might be using the gate."
"Just because there aren't any humans doesn't mean there aren't any creatures here." Mitchell yelled. "We've got a creature down here that is the size of my house."
Sam shared a look with Vala before throwing a third beacon at her. "I'll put you as close to the gate as possible."
Vala nodded before disappearing in a blinding light. She was prepared to attach the beacon and turn it on the second she was on the planet, but caught sight of the creature the guys were fighting.
"A dragon?!?!" Vala exclaimed. She quickly dove out of the way as its tail came crashing down next to the gate.
"Samantha…" Vala clicked her radio. "We're going to need you to reset those beaming coordinates."
"What? Why?"
"Cameron filed to mention that they're fighting a dragon. One that seems intent on protecting the gate."
"Okay. Use the beacon I gave you Vala."
"Got it." Vala answered. "Hey Muscles, catch!"
Having seen the dragon's tail swinging toward Teal'c, Vala threw the beacon to him. In one fluid motion he caught it, turned it on, and attached it to the swinging tail.
"Now Samantha!" Vala yelled across the radio.
Instantly a bright light filled the clearing and when it faded the dragon was gone.
"That dragon can fly Vala." Daniel said. "Beaming it away won't work for long."
"Then I suggest we not wait around for it to return." Vala shot back. "Cameron, the beacon?"
Cam tossed his beacon to Vala, who attached it to the gate before turning it on. As the light of the Asgard transporter surrounded them, they caught a glimpse of the dragon heading back in their direction.
"Boy that was close." Cam exhaled as the team, gate, and DHD rematerialized in the F302 bay.
"Indeed." Teal'c agreed.
"Remind me to tell Jack to check for all life forms not just humans." Daniel griped as he sat down on a crate to check his wounds.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Jack led Alexa through the halls of L28 in the SGC, not stopping until they were standing before a remote supply closet.
"Supplies?" Alexa asked incredulously. "That's what you wanted to show me?"
"Only to the untrained eye." Jack smiled.
Stepping into the closet, Jack made his way to the back where a breaker box hung on the wall. Opening the front cover Jack revealed on eye scanner. Once it scanned his eyes, the wall panel beside it retracted to reveal a hidden elevator.
"Level 29." Jack said after stepping into the elevator. Immediately the doors closed, but the elevator didn't begin its descent.
"Identify yourself." A mechanical voice answered.
"Major General Jack O'Neill."
"Welcome General. Who is accompanying you?"
Jack looked at Alexa and nodded, she got the hint.
"Lieutenant Alexa Stephens."
"Enjoy your ride." The computer acknowledged and the elevator began its descent.
"That's…special." Alexa quipped.
"One of Carter's pet projects." Jack smiled. "I think she had just a little too much fun with it. Not to mention I'm pretty sure she was watching some Sci-Fi show when it came to her."
"Does it have a name or just 'computer'?" Alexa asked.
Jack shrugged. "You'll have to ask Carter that."
Alexa noticed that they had been descending at a fast pace for quite some time.
"I thought you said level 29."
"I did."
"But…"
Jack smiled. "There's 150 feet of solid rock between the floor of L28 and the ceiling of L29 and another 100 feet to the floor of L29."
"Oh."
A moment later the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened into a short hallway. As the two officers stepped into the hallway, the lights flickered on. They moved along the hall toward the door at the end, passing four doors along the way.
"These are storage rooms currently." Jack explained. "But we're in the process of turning them into crew quarters for you and your team."
They continued down the hall to the blast doors opposite the elevator. With a quick card swipe the doors opened revealing a room similar to the gateroom, but with minor differences. This room was about 25 percent longer, 10 percent higher, and the control room was across from where they stood rather than on the end.
"Through that door," Jack pointed to the blast doors next to the control room. "is a hall with half a dozen labs and rooms. This level isn't complete yet, but there's plenty of room to grow as needed."
"There's one thing I don't understand, General." Alexa began.
"Only one?" Jack teased.
"It takes a lot of energy to run a stargate, how in the world are we going to hide a second one?"
"Science and engineering aren't really my areas of expertise…"
"Why do you think we created the dialing device – what you call the DHD?"
Jack and Alexa turned around to see Thalin and Korin standing behind them.
"Wait…did you just say we?" Alexa exclaimed.
"Greetings Alexa." Thalin smiled. "It has been a number of years since we last saw you in person."
"Excuse me?"
"You forget Thalin," Korin interjected. "She would have no memory of meeting us."
"You're Alterans." Alexa found her voice. "My alternate self met you in Atlantis 10,000 years ago." She paused. "You're my team?" She turned to Jack. "You're putting me on a team with gate builders? What the hell are we going to be doing down here?"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Colonel Carter!"
Sam turned around to see Colonel Caldwell walking along the corridor toward her.
"What can I do for you Colonel?" Sam asked as Caldwell caught up with her.
"I understand Dr. Jackson and Colonel Mitchell had to report to sickbay after beaming down to the planet." Caldwell answered.
"Minor scratches garnered in an unexpected altercation on the planet." Sam explained.
"I know about the dragon, Colonel." Caldwell replied. "What is so important that you have to fight a dragon to get it?"
"I'm under strict orders, Colonel." Sam reminded Caldwell. "You know I can't say anything."
"I know your orders come straight from General O'Neill, but I don't like being kept in the dark about missions on board my ship." Caldwell stressed.
"If it makes you feel better, Colonel, the item you're transporting has nothing to do with the dragon." Sam conceded. "The fight was unlucky happenchance."
"But…"
"If you'll excuse me Colonel, I need to relieve Teal'c in the F302 bay."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Now you understand why this is off the books?" Jack asked Alexa.
"That I understand." Alexa answered. "But I still don't understand why I'm being added to the team."
"Two reasons actually…" Thalin began.
"You add credibility to the project." Korin interrupted.
"Does he always speak his mind like that?" Alexa asked Thalin.
"Unfortunately." Thalin sighed. "Korin's never been known for his diplomacy." Alexa smiled. "And while Korin isn't far off, the main reason we wanted you on the team is because of our brief interaction in Atlantis."
"I'm not sure I understand."
"You showed some unique talents and an ability to improvise under pressure."
"Uh huh." Alexa grunted before turning to Jack. "Colonel Carter has no idea why she's bringing a second stargate, does she?"
Jack looked sheepish as he answered. "Uh…no."
Alexa shook her head and chuckled. "So, you never finished explaining how we're going to afford the electric bill. You said something about the DHD?"
"Ah, yes." Thalin smiled. "The DHD was designed to provide the necessary power for the gate, so as long as the two are connected the gate won't be draining power from the generators. In fact, it may even manage to lower the power bill for the SGC as well."
"But I thought that having a gate connected to a DHD made it the primary gate." Alexa interjected. "How are we going to make sure that SG teams come back through L28 rather than our gate?"
"That of course will be a little trickier." Jack jumped in. "Unfortunately SG teams don't always stick to their schedule, so even though we'll be careful to schedule your missions around the SGC's schedule, there may be some overlap."
"So how are we going to compensate for that overlap?" Alexa reiterated.
"That's part of the reason we have the two gates in such close proximity." Korin answered. "When a wormhole is incoming from another planet you can see it dialing in and with the close proximity both gates will show the first couple chevrons, giving us time to unplug the DHD if necessary."
"But how will we know that it isn't us returning?"
"Using the 10th chevron the gate doesn't dial in, it just activates." Korin said.
Alexa thought for a minute. "So we need a really good gate technician."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Colonel Carter?" Caldwell's voice came over the radio.
"Go ahead Colonel." Sam responded.
"We're arriving at Earth. Where will you be delivering your cargo?"
"Set up orbit above Cheyenne if you would Colonel. Thank you." Sam turned to her team as she changed radio frequency. "Colonel Carter to General O'Neill."
"Welcome home, SG1. How was the mission?"
"About that Jack…" Daniel interjected.
"There will be time for that during the debriefing." Sam interrupted Daniel's tirade. "But first we have cargo to deliver."
"Ah yes." Jack replied. "We're ready when you are Carter."
"It's on its way, Sir. We'll see you at the debriefing. Carter out."
"Sam…" Daniel whined.
"Radios aren't secure Daniel." Sam explained as she beamed the gate and DHD to L29, before erasing the coordinates. She looked up at Daniel. "There will be plenty of time once we return to the SGC."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
As the lighting returned to normal in the L29 gateroom, four sets of eyes took in the awesome sight of the stargate and DHD. Jack turned toward the two Alterans.
"While you two set up the gate and unhook the DHD, Lieutenant Stephens and I are going to go meet with SG1. I only have a couple more days before I have to return to Washington so if there's anything more you need from me it'll need to be taken care of before I leave."
"Understood, General and thank you." Thalin acknowledged. As the two Air Force officers left he turned to Korin. "Do you still have doubts about this?"
"Fewer." Korin admitted. "But some still remain."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"What the hell happened to you two?" Jack exclaimed as SG1 beamed into the briefing room and he took in Cam's and Daniel's injuries.
"A dragon, Jack." Daniel grated out. "There was a bloody dragon on your uninhabited planet."
"Ouch." Jack replied.
"That's it?" Daniel yelled. "You send us to a planet thinking this is an easy pickup and delivery, we get attacked by a dragon and all you can say is 'ouch'?"
"What do you want me to say Daniel? I'm sorry you misunderstood the term 'uninhabited'?" Jack's irritation was growing. "I wasn't concerned about animals seeing as they don't generally use the gate. When I had Walter scan for a planet I was focusing on finding one where the gate wasn't being used." Jack paused. "And is it just me or did you survive?"
Daniel's jaw dropped open at Jack's callous attitude. "This secret of yours better damn well be important, Jack." He bit out.
"It is, Daniel." Alexa spoke up.
"Wait…she knows?" Daniel exploded. "Alexa knows, but you can't tell your own team?!"
Jack sighed and shot a glare at Alexa. "The Lieutenant knows because she is part of the team that will be working out of L29. Her…talents…are specially geared toward the work being done with the second gate." Jack sighed again. "For the time being, Daniel, it's better that fewer people know the details."
Daniel sighed, nodded, and sat down so they could begin the briefing. An hour later SG1 got up to leave.
"Hey Daniel," Jack said. "I really am sorry about the dragon…I didn't know."
"I know Jack." Daniel replied. "But next time…"
"Don't worry." Jack smirked. "I'll make sure to check for all mythological creatures from here on out."