The Awakening
Chapter 6

Jack pulled up in his SUV. He was a little early for a change, it was Monday and he wanted to get the worst day of the week over with fast. The car park was just about empty, only a skeleton staff and a few officers that lived on the base were in at the time. The Stargate locked for the weekend.

But there was one car there that shouldn't be, at least not yet. His newly promoted second in command was on the base. Jack sighed, even Daniel was at his apartment. Hopefully getting ready to get down here and not poking himself in the eye with a spoon, again.

At the front desk he signed in. The airman at the door was at attention so quick Jack wondered if the boy had a broomstick up his shirt. 'What time did Cap... Major Carter sign in?'

'Sir,' he turned and flicked through the previous day's log book.

'Oh no' Jack groaned as the young man put it down and went for Saturday's book.

'I'll ask her.' Jack surrendered to that battle.

'Yes sir.'

There was that broomstick again. 'Son. You know they over-trained you right?'

'N... no sir. Y..you just saved the planet. Again.'

Moving as quickly as he could Jack muttered 'Not directly, earth this time. I've REALLY got to go.' Jack didn't breath freely until he was down the second elevator.

Stepping out he saw a familiar face 'T! Morning.''Good morning O'Neill. I trust you are well this day.''I was until I found Carter didn't leave the base.'

'I have not seen her O'Neill. Could you be mistaken?'

'I might be. The logbooks aren't.'

Teal'c thought about that, Jack could have sworn he saw a faint worry on the big Jaffa's face. 'Perhaps we should ask Sergeant Siler.'

High in orbit a spaceship slid into place, undetected by Earth technology. It began scanning for the Stargate.

Deep within a hollowed out volcano the most powerful supercomputer in the galaxy detected everything.

'Supreme Commander Thor. We are being scanned from the surface.'

Thor jumped from his seat and almost leaped to the Asguard on the scanner station. 'Is it Goa'uld?'

'No Supreme Commander. Far too powerful for this galaxy.' Suddenly one of the console's stones spun and flew across the interface on its own.

Thor and the officer jumped back, that was not only unheard of but almost physically impossible. 'What in the seven spiral galaxies...' Various cries came across the bridge as every console began acting on it's own.

The weapons officer was actually standing on his console, both hands on the control stone. He was pulling with all his strength at the feather light interface, as immobile as its namesake. 'Something has taken control of the ship!' he gasped.

The Supreme Commander had to agree. When the main viewer flickered and the image was replaced with a glowing red face he knew what had happened.

Across galaxies that symbol had been etched into great cities. Towering vistas of metal, long abandoned. Hand in hand with a violent purple face. Leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. Devastation older than the Asguard race.

Uninhabitable worlds, littered by the craters and destruction of a war that only nightmares can conjure. No one knew what it meant, who had been there or when the wars were fought. Only that a whole race, maybe two, were completely destroyed in the struggle. Not even the Ancients knew what had happened. A handful of vague stories telling of great battles where giant ships pounded each other into debris was the only thing gleaned from the Ancient's records. Along with one standing order:- AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

The face stopped glowing and faded away, another replaced it. 'I am Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots. This world is under our protection. Identify yourselves.' He wore an armoured blue helmet, a polished metal face plate and some sort of blue visor split in the middle.

As a child, long before the cloning process was started he was fascinated by the city builders. The stuff of nightmares and dreams. Thor had often walked amongst the wrecked vistas. Strange shapes and ideas that were always just beyond his scope. Now he was about to talk with one of them. 'I am Supreme Commander Thor, of the Asguard high council. We are here to warn the humans of Earth of an impending attack by the Goa'uld.'

The Autobot frowned at him, Thor was amazed to see metal shift like flesh around the eye, what he had assumed to be a visor, and had the uncomfortable idea that these people might be so far advanced as to make the Asguard children. 'I invite you down to my headquarters. I'll contact the General and we will discuss it.'

'I can not come down if my ship is under your control.' Thor wasn't going to let this Optimus Prime hold anything over him. 'Would you consent to come here?'

The weapons officer pitched backwards, arms and legs flying.

'Control restored.' The man on the view screen nodded as the ship came back to life. 'I'm afraid your ships design limitations would not accommodate me. We are gong to have to meet in person down here.' A series of co-ordinates flashed up.

Thor recognised that returning control of the ship was a sign of good will. All his life he'd wanted to meet the Builders, he wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. 'Thank you. Commander.' One of the monitors flickered back on it showed a space ship buried within a mountain side. Thor gestured to the science officer and was transported down.

The bright golden red room was classic Builders design. Harsh angles, oversized rooms in contrast to the curving, almost organic shaped, outside. Strangely it was full of muti-coloured columns, unlike anything he had seen before. 'Optimus Prime?'

Two blue towers moved backwards and in an instant Thor finally understood why the Builders works had eluded him for so long, why this Optimus Prime had worried about design limits. He was looking at them from his perspective, his size. These Autobot's, as they called themselves, were nothing like his perspective.

As Optimus Prime slowly knelt, ever more of him sliding into view Thor stepped back. All the columns moved back with him, a respectful distance that felt like you could park whole battle cruisers in. 'Hello Supreme Commander.'

'G... Greetings Optimus Prime. As I said I am here to warn the humans of this world...'

'Of a Goa'uld attack,' Optimus Prime opened a panel on his armoured wrist. 'George; did you receive that?'

'I did Optimus. I'm on my way.' A human voice replied

'We would also like to talk to Colonel O'Neill.' Thor said into the built in communicator

'I am afraid he's busy at the moment. I'll have to see what I can do. Hammond out'

'Carter, I know your in there!' No one but Siler and a couple of other geeks had seen her since Friday afternoon when the Autobot gun had been delivered. That little bunch, that were helping her, had left soon afterwards for the weekend. Siler had told Jack they had left her in there.

As part of the treaty between the Autobot's and the USA they were allowed to study low level Autobot weapons. Hand lasers and the like, while Jack would have preferred a Particle Fusion Cannon (Prime had mentioned this as an example and it sounded cool) he took what they could get.

The door was opened by a mop of blond hair with dirt attached. 'Sir?' It blinked owlishly at him.

Jack was taken aback. This gave T the chance to ask; 'Major Carter, are you unwell?'

More blinking. 'Teal'c?'

'Yes Carter it's us. What day is it?' Jack looked at her. This was not the second in command he was used to.

There was a long pause 'Friday?'

'No Monday. You've be in there all weekend.' Jack sighed, this was not good.

She looked like someone had hit her over the head with a dead fish. 'I've travelled back in time?'

'...No' Jack answered VERY slowly. This was the definition of not good

'Indeed not Major Carter.'

Another pause before she looked at him again 'Teal'c?'

'...Okay.' He talked to her like a child. 'Why don't we put down your toys and go get some blue Jell-O'

Her face lit up. 'Yes...' Jack smiled to her encouragingly.

But she had already retreated into the Lab, leaving him smiling at the door frame. 'Jell-O! That's it!' Came a shout from the disaster. Jack and Teal'c followed her into the lab. Inside it looked like a small bomb had gone off. After the big one had scattered everything around the room. Scraps of paper pinned to an overflowing blackboard were covered in letters, doodles and shapes that made no sense. Gismos and various things were throw into corners and the wrappers from her once unlimited candy supply littered the room. In the middle of all this the Major was leaning over a table, papers spurting out of piles of books like tufts of her hair. In the only clean space the alien pistol sat on a stand. It was about half the height of a man and a bit too long to be used easily '...And it runs off Jell-O!' She cried.

'Wow. Good guess Carter.' Jack was backing out of the office or disaster area as he would call it. Today was not his day for good exits.

'Are you quite sure Major Carter?' The Jaffa asked with a sceptical look. Jack gave Teal'c a quick dig.

'She has a solution.' He whispered urgently 'So what if it's the wrong one. As long as she's not going nuts its okay.' Just before the door he caught the phone. 'Infirmary' he almost shouted down the speaker

Teal'c bowed to him and then asked Carter what else she had discovered.

She proceeded to tell him in great detail how Jell-O was used to power the gun and how they could power coffee machines with it, she wasn't sure if the coffee would taste funny but that's something to find out.

'Doctor Fraiser, get down to Major Carter's lab with your honking big needles and a stretcher. ' Carter grabbed Teal'c's shoulders and with a fanatic glint in her eye and explained why she was a banana. 'Yes that's her in the background... Big honking needles yes... ASAP? Well if you could do that.' She had forced Teal'c into a corner and was gibbering at him about the laws of thermodynamics, or how a jellyfish was really a pineapple. It was kind of hard to follow.

It didn't take long for Fraiser to get there with a couple of nurses and a gurney. The doctor took one look at Carter and the besieged Jaffa and pulled out a needle. Teal'c, his eyes a little wild, stayed in his corner while Jack helped lift the sleeping Major on the gurney.

'Colonel.' General Hammond walked up before watching the sedated woman wheeled away. 'Do I want to know?'

Doc Fraiser shook her head. 'Not really sir. Sam's going to be under medical supervision for the rest of the week. Next time these Autobots lend us anything I'm issuing a medical order that she has to be off-world.'

'Indeed' Teal'c added as he finally came out of his corner.

'Speaking of our friends Optimus Prime just contacted me. A Supreme Commander Thor just appeared. He's warning us of another attack by the Goa'uld.'

'Isn't Thor an Asguard. One of those guy's Daniel said was like a Roswell Grey?'

'The same Jack.' the General turned to Fraiser. 'I'll have Siler and Walter get that gun back to the Autobots. Keep Major Carter as long as you have to.' He turned to him. 'Jack, you and Teal'c come with me. Thor asked for you personally Jack.'

Optimus watched as the small alien hovered in the high backed chair he had sent for. 'Since we first stepped out into the stars two races have been superior to us. The Ancients, who have long past from our space, and yourselves. We call you the Builders, great cities of bleak metal and towering spires linked together with winding bridges and twisting walkways. Always the same red face on every building, like it was a concept beyond our understanding.'

The other Autobots were watching silently. 'What happened to the Autobots that built the cities?' Optimus already knew the answer to his question.

'We don't know. What cities few we have found are all but destroyed, all the technology broken and so different from our own we don't know where to start. The only clue is a purple face made of sharp edges that seems to appear shortly before the destruction.'

'Decepticons.' Optimus's fist pulsed with raw energon. 'They followed them. Almost nine million years ago Megatron and his Decepticons arose from our world and laid waste to it. I led a counter attack, eventually. The result was a five million year stalemate, endless wars sucking most of our resources dry. Those that could fled. Using the last of our energon less than a half of our civilian population escaped into space. We Autobots are a peaceful people who respect life and freedom. For most of us battle is something we cannot accept. The Decepticons are our opposites in just about every way.

'The Decepticons must have followed them, hunted the Autobots that refused to fight from one side of the cosmos to the other.' Optimus could feel his anger rising. 'Butchering innocents, sparklings and protoforms that would never fight back.'

The small Asguard looked sick 'Why?'

'Why else, because they could. Because it's in their nature. Because they enjoy it.'

Ironhide laid a restraining hand on his shoulder. 'Prime. It wasn't your fault...'

'Yes it was, old friend. I couldn't convince them to stay, couldn't protect them. I am the bearer of the Matrix, Optimus Prime. It's my duty to guard all life, defend it from the likes of the Decepticons. Instead I let them be slaughtered millions of light years from home. I slept here, oblivious to the horror. Worst of all; I bring the very war they tried to escape from to an innocent world. A world of children who can't defend themselves that are already at war with a cruel foe we don't know anything about.'

'Prime, what are you talking about? The war is over, Megatron and his lieutenants are sealed in the hold.'

Optimus ran his choices through his logic processors again. The universe or damnation. Was there a choice?.

Telatran 1 bleeped a notice, the General was coming. Thankful, the Autobot leader stored the problem for later, putting off the devil until the fires burned hotter. With a wry smile Optimus had to admit the humans graphic metaphors were addictive.

Jack watched the small grey alien hovering at Autobot head height swoop down to his level and then land 'Greetings. I am Supreme Commander Thor.' the alien welcomed him.

'I am General Hammond' George nodded, his dress blues' hat firmly tucked under one arm. Jack followed suit, thankful he was able to get changed on the way from the mountain. 'Welcome to Earth.'

The little grey guy nodded politely before turning to Jack 'You are Colonel O'Neill. And you are Doctor Daniel Jackson.' he looked at the out of place archaeologist in a normal suit.

'Err Yes' The space monkey answered quickly but the Asguard had already turned back to Jack.

'The Goa'uld attack force will be here within one of your weeks.'

He smiled back. 'Well now we have you guy's AND the Autobots to help us. They haven't a chance.'

'On the contrary, most of the Asguard forces are dealing with a threat in our own galaxy. We did not anticipate the Builders presence so we arranged for the Goa'uld system lords to send representatives here. We were to discuss Earth's acceptance as a protected planet under treaty. '

'But now that their here there's a problem?'

The grey looked up to Prime. 'Apologies but yes. No planet under the protected treaty may advance to a point that threatens the Goa'uld. Your presence must be noted and you are a threat to them.'

'Damn strait we're a threat.' The big one called Ironhide growled. 'If I even see one of those saurian suckers I'll stomp them into a puddle and freeze it over so I can blast them all over again. Enslaving sentient beings? Restructuring them into incubators for their young and then sending them out to die? They're going to wish I never heard of 'em.'

'Ironhide, I'd like to crush them myself and free the humans enslaved across the galaxy but we can't.' Prime cautioned. 'I've told you there are still Decepticons we have to defeat back on Cybertron. Only when they are stopped can we turn our attention to the rest of the cosmos.'

Jack looked between the two of them. 'So you've both got bigger fish to fry. Where's that leave us?'

Thor blinked at him. 'The protected planets treaty is your best chance for survival. The Goa'uld system lords fear our technology.'

Daniel frowned: 'But didn't you just say you're too busy?'

Hammond tried to get back into the conversation. 'It's a bluff. You let them think you're going to take action if they brake the treaty. But you can't can you.'

'No. As I said, we too are fighting our own war.' Thor admitted. 'I strongly suspect that the threat of the Autobots will keep the Goa'uld from this world but without a treaty...'

'They'll crush you.' Prime finished.

After a short discussion it was agreed to hold the talks on the Ark, the Autobots would move their weapons off site and the Asguard would transport the Stargate into the massive space ship. Nodding Thor moved a small stone and vanished in a flash of light. 'You don't really trust the Goa'uld will just leave Earth alone do you?' Jack asked Prime.

'No I don't. That's why I wanted the meeting to take place here. They need to see just what defences we provide this planet.'

Hammond coughed. 'Why should we trust the Asguard though?'

'Sir, they did help when Cimmeria was invaded by Heru-Ur ' Daniel supplied.

Jack waved his hand 'They also pulled that knowledge stuff out of my head. They seem to be on the level.'

'Were they not part of the great alliance with the Nox?' Teal'c said.

'Yeah. I find it hard to think those guy's would be friends with anyone on the dark side.' Jack agreed. 'If we're looking for references I think we got them.'

'I agree.' Prime said. 'However if something or someone does try to attack you will find that my Autobots and I can improvise.' Prime flexed his blue hand and it slid back into his arm. There was a solid crack of energy and a glowing red axe flashed out of the opening.

'A lightsabre-axe. Talk about having tricks up your sleeve.' Prime's axe vanished and his fist slid back in place. 'About that, we need to talk. That gun you guys lent us. Do anything weird to it?'

'Define "weird"? Colonel?' The big guy asked.

'Major Carter spent three days studying the weapon. She failed to understand it's function.' Teal'c explained. 'She worked without rest to discover anything she could.'

'Good grief, from the moment we gave it to you?' The group simply nodded. 'I knew your people were far too primitive to understand even its basic functions. I had hoped that you'd learn that for yourselves.'

Hammond asked a question; 'You knew we wouldn't trust your word, so you showed us just how far ahead you were.'

'Yes. I didn't think your people would study it without time for standard maintenance. Follow me.' Prime strode off down one of the rooms.

The humans had to run to keep up with the big robot's strides. A couple of rooms away he stopped and knocked on a door. 'What are we doing?' Hammond asked

'Watch.' Prime nodded to him. Wheeljack are you there.'

The door opened. 'In here Prime.' what do you need.' Jack had thought he had seen a messy lab when he walked into Carter's den that morning. This place was on a much bigger scale. A white and grey robot stepped out around a pile of broken gismos. It honestly looked like someone had shuffled up Daniel and Carters offices with a few storage rooms and then let a pack rat lose. 'What do you need me for.'

'How's the study on trees going?' Prime asked earnestly

'Oh, sorry I haven't had time. we were finally able to divert power to the labs and well. I've been working on these experiments... You se this.' the faceless Autobot pulled a device from a pile, the whole mound fell apart and scattered across the lab. 'It's a kinetic energy displacer. Basically this thing displaces all movement in a given area.'

'What use is that?' Jack asked.

'Don't know, but I'll find one. I call it the Immobiliser.'

Prime nodded. 'Good work Wheeljack. I'l expect a report when you've finished.'

There was a small explosion from somewhere in there 'Sorry I'm working on my matter duplicator at the moment, Prime. If you excuse me.' The Autobot ran behind another pile and was blown back in a series of bigger explosions.

Prime took a step back and tapped a control panel. The door shut as he brought his wrist up. 'Prime to Ratchet; your needed at Wheeljack's lab.'

'Not again.' muttered the medic as the Autobot leader switched off the radio.

'You see I guessed your lead scientists would react much like mine. This wasn't the case, and I'm sorry.'

End chapter 6