Another Trail

Ronon could hear the smack of wood on wood, before he even entered the Training Room. It was followed by a heavy thud and he walked in to see Sheppard on his back, Teyla crouched above him, pressing a bantos rod to his neck. Both were breathing heavily and they glanced up at Ronon, who just smirked, crossing his arms as he leant against the wall. Teyla stood, offering Sheppard a hand, who accepted with a smile, groaning as he stood.
"That hurt."
Teyla smiled at Sheppard as she took his Bantos rods.
"You are improving though Colonel. It is getting harder to take you down."
"You think so?"
Sheppard rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. Ronon snorted, receiving a glare from the Atlantean. Teyla shook her head in amusement as she hung the Bantos rods on a rack on the wall.
"Shall we go have lunch? I believe Doctor Beckett had plans to remove Rodney from his lab and then join us."
It was Sheppards turn to snort, as he grabbed his water bottle and headed for the door.
"We should have plenty of time to get to the cafeteria then."
He slipped his radio back into his ear and the two Pegasus natives followed, sharing an amused look. Suddenly, Sheppard paused, one hand coming up to his ear as he listened.
"Yes sir."
He glanced at his team mates for a moment, before turning around and bruskly heading down the hallway.
"I'm with Teyla and Ronon. We're on our way."
He tapped his radio, signalling the end of his conversation.
"What's going on?"
Ronon asked, his long stride easily keeping pace with Sheppards.
"Woolsey says we have a mission, sent over from General Landry."
"Who is General Landry?"
Teyla asked from his other side.
"He's the General in charge of Stargate Command, the base where they keep Earth's Stargate."
"Does that mean, that the mission will take place on Earth?"
Sheppard shrugged.
"I guess so. Not like we have a working gate."
It didn't take them long to get to the Gate Room and they found Woolsey in the Conference Room, along with Doctor Rodney Mckay, who was too busy tapping away on his tablet to notice anything else. Once they had all sat down, Woolsey leant forward, hands linked together.
"General Landry wants you to check out a disturbance reported in the Oakland Ports in San Francisco."
"What sort of disturbance?"
"We're not entirely certain but it is suspected as potential Goa'uld activity."
Sheppard glanced up sharply.
"Goa'uld activity? We have no experience in dealing with the Goa'uld."
Woolsey nodded.
"I know, but for now, it is just a check up on some suspicious calls to the police. Phone calls speaking of bright blue flashes of light and strange high pitched noises. When a couple of uniforms went to check it out, the only thing they found was a large cargo ship, whose entire crew have vanished. One of the calls was from a homeless man in the area who spoke of several men armed with strange looking guns, who shot the crew several times, resulting in the bodies disappearing into ash. When no blood was found on the scene, the local police figured it was a hoax. General Landry is concerned that what the homeless man witnessed was actually Zat'nik'tel."
Rodney rolled his eyes.
"We're running around on the word of some homeless guy on the street? I thought the Goa'uld had been destroyed long before the Ori showed up."
Woolsey scowled slightly.
"It has been decided that any potential threats should be chased up and dealt with. Saying that, I would rather give you some random rumour to chase, then hear about yet another lab you've blown up."
Rodney huffed but said nothing and Teyla leant forward in her seat, gaining Woolseys attention.
"If this was the work of the Goa'uld, what will we be required to do?"
"If possible, track them down and bring them in. SG1 are standing by in case you need help."
Sheppard nodded. It was nice to know they would have the backup of a team use to facing the Goa'uld.
"When do we head out?"
"There is a boat arriving in two hours."
Rodney threw up his hands.
"Oh come on. I have experiments set up that need careful calibration."
He quieted down at Woolseys glare.
"I'm sure Doctor Zelenka can manage."
Sheppard dragged Rodney out of the room before he could continue ranting, not that it seemed to make a difference. They could hear Rodney ranting at Sheppard instead, but the soldier just kept walking, nodding periodically.

Sheppard parked in the Oakland Ports, unknowingly in the exact same spot the Jaffa had parked. Opposite them, silent and dark, sat The Helix, whose crew had been reported missing. Sheppard glanced round at the docks, watching lorries moving cargo and cranes shifting large containers, all interspersed with the racket of power tools as people worked. He glanced at Rodney who, having already pulled out a scanner, was walking around on the pier, eyes fixed to the readings.
"Anything yet?"
Rodney waved a hand distractedly and Sheppard wandered closer to The Helix. He looked up at the ship and frowned. How could the entire crew of a cargo ship just vanish and what had caused the lights so many had reported seeing? He turned back to Rodney, who had come to a stop in the middle of the dock and was about to pester for the readings again, when he noticed someone watching them, stood by the doors of a large warehouse. The man was peering cautiously around the corner of the building and when he realised he had been noticed, he fled.
"Wait."
Sheppard called out, running after him, breezing past Rodney who looked up baffled. Ronon had vanished but Teyla was already following Sheppard. He rounded the warehouse, expecting the man to be long gone, only to find the man pinned to the wall by none other than Ronon, struggling against the Satedans iron grip. Sheppard clapped Ronon on the shoulder.
"You can let him go Ronon, he won't run, will you?"
The man scowled fiercely, before he lowered his gaze and nodded. The Lieutenant Colonel gave him an easy smile, removing his sunglasses as Ronon let go of the man's coat and stepped back. Ronon though, had no intention to put the man at ease and continued to scowl at him.
"Don't mind him, he's actually quite friendly once you get to know him. Just takes a bit to get to know him."
"What do you want?"
The man snapped, his voice rough. He twisted a beanie between his hands and fidgeted restlessly. Sheppard screwed his nose up at the stench of alcohol and sweat.
"I want to ask why you were watching us?"
The man shrugged sullenly.
"You're different. It's obvious you don't work here. Was curious, that's all."
Sheppard raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, that's why you ran."
Rodney muttered from behind the Colonel. Sheppard ignored him, running his gaze over their scruffy captive. His clothes were a size too big, worn through in places and filthy. His face was weather worn and he was in desperate need of a shave and haircut. Sheppard estimated he was somewhere between his mid fifties, early sixties.
"Why did you run? A lot of people watch newcomers, but they don't usually run when they are caught watching."
The man shuffled, looking around as though to find an escape. Ronon shifted slightly, as though to remind the man that he could try to run, but he would not get far. The man pressed back against the wall, glaring at Ronon.
"Why do you care? I tried telling them before, but no one believes me. I'm just a mad old drunk."
The man spat the last words with contempt and Sheppard frowned.
"Who doesn't believe you?"
The man shrugged.
"The cops and those two feds in suits that came around asking questions. Who else? Came round looking for bright lights and missing people. I told them what I saw, but they just laughed and told me to go easy on the beer."
Sheppard snorted.
"What feds?"
The man glowered at the Colonel.
"Two men in suits. They had badges claiming they were with the FBI. Looked genuine."
Sheppard glanced at Rodney, exchanging a confused look. With SGC ordering them to look into this, the FBI and any other agency should have been called of already. Shaking his head, Sheppard decided to look into it later.
"Why don't you tell us, what you told them?"
The man gave him a sour look.
"Do I look stupid? I made that mistake yesterday, I'm not making that one again."
Ronon growled but Sheppard raised a hand to stop him doing anything rash. When the man twitched again, Sheppard thought he saw a flash of light on his chest under his jacket.
"What's your name?"
All he received, was another glare. So he stuck out a hand, hoping he was right.
"My name is Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force."
The man froze, eyes narrowing as he looked at Sheppard.
"You're a flyboy?"
"Yes I am. Flew in Afghanistan. You?"
The man hesitated a moment, before his shoulders slumped and he shook Sheppard's hand.
"Captain Frank Henry, honourable discharge. Fought in Vietnam. How did you know?"
Sheppard grinned.
"Saw something round your neck. Took a lucky guess that they were dogtags."
The man grunted, shoving his hands into his pockets.
"So, why's the military scouting round the docks?"
Sheppard grinned.
"To find out what happened on the docks the other night. Find out what you saw."
The retired Captain raised an eyebrow and huffed.
"What's it to the flyboys? This is home soil. You got no rights here."
"It's classified."
Frank snorted again, rubbing his nose on the back of a grubby hand, before shoving it into a jacket pocket.
"So, you're one of those flyboys, eh? All blacked out files and secret missions. What about your friends? They don't exactly look like military personnel."
Sheppard shrugged.
"Sort of. These are my team. We are part of an international research base. This is Doctor Rodney Mckay and these are two of our civilian contractors, Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex. Now Frank, how about the reason we are all here? What did you see?"
Frank sighed, glancing around once more as he twitched. Sheppard suspected the cops weren't far off with the drunkenness. The twitching was definitely either drug or alcohol withdrawal, if not both.
"Bunch of men in suits came round the other night. They met the people on the big ship, Helix and they killed them. Killed them with this blue light. It would hit them two, three times and then the bodies just vanished. Poof, turned to ash."
"You saw them?"
The man nodded rapidly.
"Yeah, me and a mate of mine. We both saw them. Tried to tell the police, but they didn't believe me. Told them about the girl to. The girl with the fancy car, but they thought I was making it all up. Thought I was drunk or something. I can't help it if that's the only way I can stop the dreams."
Teyla lay a gentle hand on the man's shoulder, causing him to flinch. He gave her a small smile though.
"Did these people see you or your friend?"
He shook his head instantly, then paused.
"Wait, actually, yes. The girl, she saw us, but she didn't seem to mind. She just told us to be quiet and drove away. She smiled all nice and that. I don't think they knew she was there either."
Sheppard frowned in thought.
"What makes you say that?"
Frank nodded his head to the warehouse.
"Cause she came slinking out of this building and when they drove past, she hunkered down out of sight."
Can you describe the girl? Was there anything noticeable about her?"
The man seemed to think for a minute.
"I remember it was a really fancy car. Some red convertible with a cat on the front."
"A Jaguar?"
Frank nodded quickly.
"Yeah, yeah I think so and she was real pretty. I mean really pretty, but her eyes, they were strange."
Sheppard glanced at his team, crossing his arms.
"Strange how?"
Frank shrugged.
"Well, this is going to sound crazy."
"More so then everything else you have said?"
Sheppard glowered at Rodney, who just shrugged. He indicated for Frank to go on and the former soldier sighed.
"He's right. It's crazy, but I know what I saw and it wasn't through drink. Saying that, I might have been mistaken about the girl. It was dark and it could have just been some of those fancy contacts kids wear nowadays, or maybe just the light reflecting."
"Ignore Rodney. He doesn't have a filter between his mouth and his brain at times."
Ronon and Teyla smiled at the scientists indignant squawk.
"What did you see, or think you saw?"
Sheppard went on and Frank crossed his arms, eyes on the floor as he scowled.
"It looked like she had yellow eyes. Deep gold eyes, like a cat. I only saw them for a moment, but that's what her eyes looked like. Yellow eyes, like a cat."

Chimera watched the large mansion from across the road. It was clearly a rich neighbourhood. She had followed the convoy to a large pharmaceutical company, where the lorry had been left in the hands of several workers. The three cars though, had left again and vanished through the wrought iron gates of this large house. She had parked the Jaguar just down the road, surveying the place from a distance. So far, she had seen guards at the gate, all wearing hats that covered their foreheads. She had also heard dogs on the perimeter, so that was going to be fun. She had seen the woman, Anna, through one of the large windows, speaking to a man in a suit, smoking a cigar as he lounged beside her.
'Two Goa'uld, working together? That is going to work so well, not.'
She had seen them both going over paperwork in an office that morning and now, Chimera wanted to look at it. Just a few minutes ago, a black limousine had gone through the gates and she saw the Goa'uld leave the office, no doubt to greet their guest. It was a good time to sneak in, everyone would be distracted. Chimera glanced around, checking for cameras or people, then slipped out of the Jaguar and into the bushes around the edge of the property. Safely concealed from prying eyes, she scaled the wall with ease. She silently landed on the other side, eyes scanning the surrounding garden, motionless. Chimera slipped out of the shadows and quickly made her way up the path, only to round the corner and find herself face to face with a large black and tan dog. Both froze for a second in surprise and then it growled, baring it's teeth as it hunkered down. Chimera scowled in annoyance. She closed her eyes for a second, then growled low and deep. The dog seemed to stop growling, it's whole body tensing up as she opened her eyes. They had changed to a deep purple, her skin was darkening to a sapphire blue and her canines were elongating into sabre like fangs. Fur flowed from her skin as she started to grow in size, her nails forming into long claws. She snarled and the dog fled. Chimera allowed the shift to leave her and grinned as she returned to her more human form. It was always fun to scare things of. She heard voices getting closer and slipped into a more earthly feline form, a domestic tabby. slipping into the bushes around the garden, she crept closer and found two people entering the house, laden down with boxes. Chimera swiftly slipped into the house, before the door could be shut and vanished into the nearest room.
'Of course, I managed to find the kitchen. Where else would I end up.'
It was sheer luck, that the kitchen was currently empty.
'Lets hope I pay better attention this time.'
Chimera thought to herself, thinking back to her eventful encounter in Los Angeles. She padding under the large table and through an open door on the other side. Checking there was no one nearby, she slipped through into a corridor, slinking quietly from shadow to shadow. She paused to peer through an open door and saw a man sat drinking what smelt like coffee. He leant forward, placing the mug on the coffee table, smiling at someone opposite him. Whoever it was though, was hidden by the door.
"Everything is going smoothly. Your delivery arrived last night and the labs are processing it already. In fact, I believe we may be able to process faster then anticipated."
"Excellent. I am pleased to hear that. How soon can we begin testing?"
Chimera's tail twitched. That was the voice of the woman from the restaurant. The man settled back into his seat.
"A few weeks. I just need to know where to send the completed product for distribution. I can organise the paperwork and the scientists assure me, they only need a few weeks. A month at most, but they are optimistic that they can do it in half the time."
Another male voice spoke this time.
"We will use the Travis Air Base as our testing ground."
The man nodded.
"Excellent. Close by but contained."
Chimera slipped away from the room, more interested in finding the office while the risk of being caught was minimal. She padded down the carpeted hallway and found another door that was not quite closed. nudging it with her nose, she slipped inside and gave a pleased rumble when she saw it was the office. Changing back to her human form, she carefully closed the door and hurried to the desk.