GENERAL MAYHEM
BETA-SITE CALL IN
The scene is Star Gate Command in the infirmary Col. Carter, Dr. Lam and Sgt. Harriman looking at a small canister, when the alarm goes off along with the well known announcement "unscheduled gate activation, unscheduled gate activation "as the three automatically head for the gate control room. As they enter the control room, Sgt. Syler is at the consol
"What do have Sgt.?" asks Carter
"It's the Beta Site again" moans Syler
Syler relinquishes the chair to Walter
"We're receiving a transmission Col." says Walter
"Put it up." says Carter
On the screen are both Generals O'Neill and Landry. They both start to talk at once, making it impossible to understand either of them.
"Generals, What can we do for you today?" asks Carter
Injecting his seniority is General Landry.
"AHEM! (O'Neill backs off ) Thank you, Col. Carter I hope you have something substantial to give us today." says Landry
"I'm sorry sir the investigation is ongoing and I can only give you what they give me and right now…" Carter stops mid-sentence as large bold flashing graphics flash across the screen , one large word at a time HELP!…THEY…ARE…DRIVING…US…CRAZY!Carter, Lam and Harriman's eyes all go wide at first but as the words continue to flash they are besides themselves trying to keep from bursting out laughing.
"You were saying Col." says Landry
"Sorry sir, lost my train of thought" says Carter
The threesome continue desperately told hold back the snickers which doesn't go unnoticed
"You find all this humorous Col." says Landry
"No sir of course not" says Carter
Dr. Lam interrupts
"I'm sorry sir that's my fault, We were all just in the infirmary where we discovered this leaking canister( showing the Generals the canister she was still holding ) Nitrous Oxide" says Lam
"To bad I could have used a good laugh" says O'Neill
"Sorry sirs , but as I was trying to say Daniel and Col. Mackenzie are following up leads in Chicago, Vala and Admiral Chegwidden are doing the same in New York City" says Carter
"I apologize if I was a little brusque Col. We're all just pulling out what little hair we have left waiting for answers." says Landry
"We understand sir." says Carter
"Well keep us updated whenever you have news Please" says Landry
"When We have anything you'll be the next to know." says Carter
"Beta Site out." says Landry
The screen goes dark and the gate disconnects
"Isn't there suppose to be a huge lake about 20 clicks from the Beta Site" asks Carter
"Understood Col. I'll get right on it" says Walter
With that Walter gets up and leaves the control room
"I hate when he does that" says Lam
"You'll get used to it He's our very own "Radar O'Harriman"" says Carter
GATE ROOM SEND OFF
The scene is the gate room Col. Carter and Dr. Lam await the arrival of Sgt. Harriman. The gate room door opens and in drives Walter in an over sized golf cart pulling an ATV utility trailer overflowing with all kinds of gear.
"Ta-Da !" says Walter
"Very nice" says Dr. Lam
"You out did yourself Sgt. This is all of the Generals personal gear correct?" asks Carter
"Yes ma'am. I have the keys to General O'Neill's during his absence and Dr. Lam retrieved General Landry's." says Walter
"Shotguns, fishing poles, tents and all the camping accessories they should need." says CarterDr. Lam holding up a box labeled live bait
"Night Crawlers?" asks Dr. Lam
"Minnows too, as well as clay pigeons with a manual thrower. Wait ! your going to love this." says Walter
Sgt. Harriman opens a door on the cart exposing a mini mini Naquadah generator "Fresh off the prototype assembly line the smallest Naquadah generator yet. It will power the cart and everything else requiring electricity."
"You think you could hook one of those up to my Hybrid (smiles all around) All the bells and whistles, you really think it will take their minds off the investigation." says Dr. Lam
"Cross your fingers and pray if it helps." says Carter
Walking into the gate room is Sgt. Syler dressed in ACU's and carrying his own gun and fishing equipment.
"Excuse me?" asks Carter
"You told me I had some mandatory leave I needed to take, so with your permission I'll take the generals gear to the Beta Site and stay there for a couple of weeks." says Slyer
"Dr. Lam would that qualify as his mandatory leave." asks Carter
"As long as he leaves the base and goes to the lake with the generals, Of course we will have to tell the generals that he is on leave not their care taker" says Dr. Lam
"I'll tell them" says Slyer
"No Sgt. I will tell them." says Dr. Lam
"Very well , Walter dial it up" says Carter
Walter walking towards the door pauses to whisper to Syler
"See, I told you it would work." says Walter
"Yea thanks." says Slyer
Walter enters the control room sits and proceeds to dial the Beta-Site. The gate spins the appropriate chevrons lock and the wormhole is established . Sgt Syler puts his gear in the trailer with the all the other and climbs into the driver seat.
"Enjoy yourself Sgt. That's an order." says Carter
"Yes Ma'am" says Syler
"If the generals seem hesitant to take advantage of this opportunity lead by example." says Dr. Lam
"No problemo" says Syler
With that Syler drives up the ramp and through the event and Dr. Lam turn to look at each other and simultaneously hold up both hands with fingers crossed
BETA-SITE ARRIVAL 2
The scene is the Beta-Site control room the alarm sounds and the announcement is made "unscheduled gate activation, unscheduled gate activation " the Beta-Site commander enters.
"What do we have Sgt.?" asks Col. Havlat
"It's the SGC sir" says Sgt. Sharp
"Put it up" says Havlat
"No transmission sir they're sending something through" says Sgt. Sharp
"Open the Iris" says HavlatYes Ma'am " says Sharp
Before the Iris can even open the generals are in the control room ; without even looking Col. Havlat stares at the ceiling
"Col. Havlat?" says O'Neill
"It's the SGC sir, someone or something is on its' way" says Havlat
Havlat no sooner finishes and Syler drives out of the event horizon
Col. Havlat and the generals leave the control room and go to the gate room.
"SURPRISE!" says Syler
Looking over what Syler brought with him they start to recognize things
"Is this my shot gun?" asks Landry
"Mine too" says O'Neill
"Looks like my fishing gear" says Landry
"Mine too" adds O'Neill
"Enough with the three bears. What's going on Goldie locks?" asks Landry
"Col. Carter sent this care package for the generals hoping to take their minds off of things for at least a little while." says Syler
"AH !The lake." says Havlat
"Lake? " asks O'Neill
"Recon discovered a huge lake about 20 clicks from here" says Havlat
"And we're just hearing about it now." says O'Neill
"Are you our babysitter Sgt.?" asks Landry"No sir, I'm taking my mandatory leave and this sounded like my kind of vacation, middle of nowhere, big lake, no Tvs', no screaming kids" says Syler
"All right Sgt. We get the picture" says Landry
"I like it. When do we leave?" asks O'Neill
"Well I guess it couldn't hurt , How's now sound?" says Landry
"OH! I am so there" says O'Neill
The Generals head for their rooms to grab their duffels while Havlat and Sharp show Syler the way out doors for the golf cart
"Sgt Syler I give you about two days before you change your mind about the screaming kids" says Havlat
This get a laugh out of both Syler and Sharp
"You guys are going to owe me big time for this" says Syler
"If it works we will be forever in your debt" says Havlat
"That's one big if" says Sharp
TIME TO REGROUP
BACK TO NEW YORK
The next morning the Admiral is in the middle of his calisthenics when his cell phone rings
"It's your nickel" says Chegwidden
"I am truly amazed; How did you get this much detailed information so fast?" asks Webb"Never under estimate the power of a tight budget" says Chegwidden
"Tight what?" asks Webb
"Never mind; did it all check out?" asks Chegwidden
"Absolutely, now we know where most of our leads were generated from" says Webb
"So your guys will take it from here?" asks Chegwidden
"They're already in place, so come on home, We've booked you on a flight that leaves JFK at noon; all the info has been e-mailed to you" says Webb
"Ok, see you soon" says Chegwidden
Chegwidden hangs up as he turns around and sees Vala standing in the doorway between rooms
"You heard?" says Chegwidden
"Yep; Already packed" says Vala
"I guess I'd better get to it" says Chegwidden
"I already ordered breakfast and I'm not leaving until I've thoroughly enjoyed it" says Vala
"Good for you" says Chegwidden
BACK TO THE SGC
The next morning Dr, Jackson and Col. MacKenzie meet with Col. Carter, Mr. Woolsey and Agent Webb in the SCG conference room
"It sounded like you guys had a real productive trip" says Webb
"When will we get a look at those artifacts?" asks Woolsey
"We only just found the owner to ask for a shot at them the day before yesterday" says Jackson
"We didn't want to go overboard and take the chance of spooking someone" says MacKenzie
"Relax Woolsey my guys didn't let either artifact out of their sight until they were on a Fed-ex plane this very morning" says Webb
"They should be delivered to our drop shop by 10 AM tomorrow, which means you'll have them in your hot little hands by noon" says Carter
"I'm sorry if I seem a little impatient, but we all have a lot riding on getting to the bottom of this" says Woolsey
"Mr. Woolsey you need to realize that these artifacts (as big a find as they are) might not have anything to do with our situation" says Jackson
"You really think so?" says Woolsey
"Everything we have is so vague" says Carter
"Webb already has everything we found on the Smith family; Whatever he manages to find out about the son will go a long way in the investigation." says MacKenzie
"Well it will either confirm his involvement or create an entirely new mystery" says Jackson
"Your kidding" says Carter
"Nope; Well I still have the pictures of the slates pages to decipher" says Jackson
"Then we need to decipher the deciphered dates and locations" adds MacKenzie
"Come again?" asks Webb
"Simply put the only language that can be used on the tablet is "Ancient " which means there were no words for cities, states or any other modern terms that we use today; So whoever used it did so with relatively simple yet cryptic codes, that we have yet to finish deciphering, So Col. MacKenzie and I will be in the computer lab" says Jackson
"How are The Admiral and Vala doing?" asks MacKenzie
"They had an amazing stroke of luck; Letterman actually invited them to stay for dinner last night and when Letterman's security cameras spotted someone in their control room they went with to investigate; It was only the director and a guy from I.T., but they had found a large number of files that looked like an on-line fantasy game; sound familiar? Says Webb
"Very" says Jackson
"The Admiral asked Letterman to give him a copy of those files to have our people look them over and see if they were causing any problems and Letterman handed it right over" says Webb
"We have an information overload right now and we need to find someway to put it all together" says MacKenzie
"Vala and the Admiral are catching a flight today and will probably be here late tonight" says Webb
Jackson and MacKenzie head for the computer lab leaving Woolsey, Webb and Carter to contemplate their next move. Once at the computer lab Daniel plugs in his lap top and downloads all the pictures to the main frame, there he can bring them all up at once on the big screen so they can try to match decrypted day planner pages to post cards from the Smiths son.
"If there is a work station I can use, I'd be able to crop, cut and paste each post card individually while you're deciphering more pages" says MacKenzie
"Great, That will save a lot of time" says Jackson
So Daniel shows Sarah a work station she can use and she jumps right in cropping individual postcards and then pasting them into groups by location, while Daniel deciphers additional day planner pages
"There are multiple post cards from the same cities" says MacKenzie
"Not surprising, just group them accordingly" says Jackson
MacKenzie gives Jackson a look he's seen before
"Sorry, you already knew to do that" says Jackson
"Ya Think!" says MacKenzie
"I deserved that" says Jackson
"How can we be sure every post card relates to a meeting place? He might actually have taken a vacation" says MacKenzie
"We can only see the front of the post cards so we have no dates and only those sent during the 30 days we have on the planner matter" says Jackson
"Man! This guy got around; Machu Picchu, Peru, This one is of Antarctica / McMurdo Base" says MacKenzie
"Yes, That fits this day quite nicely" says Jackson
"What's the description?" asks MacKenzie
"Cold, Cold" says Jackson
"Do you think we would have gotten that one without the post card?" asks MacKenzie
"When your finished sorting the post cards you should peruse the data base on Antarctica / McMurdo Base and see what you think" says Jackson
Jackson no sooner finishes his sentence when the alarm for an unscheduled gate activity goes off; an exited MacKenzie jumps at the chance to see the gate in action"Can We?" asks MacKenzie
Daniel knows what she means ands leads the way
"Follow me" says Jackson
They traverse several corridors before entering the control room seconds before the wormhole engages giving MacKenzie a birds eye view
"Way Cool!" says MacKenzie
"You'd think after seeing it happen 100's of times It wouldn't impress me the way it still does" says Carter
"Really?" says MacKenzie
"Oh Yea" says Carter
"I'm betting you can guess what it is" says Walter
"The Beta Site; put it up; The Generals have been driving everyone crazy wanting updates several times a day" says Carter
The connection is made and Col. Havlat is(to everyone's amazement)the only one on the screen.
"Is there anything wrong?" says Carter
"No, NO on the contrary, we just called to extend you our most sincerest thanks for coming up with that most wonderful diversion" says Havlat
"It's working?" asks Carter
"We haven't heard a peep in two days" says Havlat
"Are you sure they're ok?" asks Carter
"Your forgetting we have our very own satellite now, so we peek in now and again to make sure" says Havlat
"Excellent and your very welcome even though it was to all of our benefits" says Carter
"As long as I have you is there anything we can pass along to keep them happy?" asks Havlat
"We're currently sifting through a lot of data that we've retrieved, but it's going to take a while before we have anything definitive" answers Carter
"I'm not going to volunteer this , but if they call I'll pass it along" says Havlat
"You know we'll call if we get anything worth knowing" says Carter
"Thank you; Beta-Site out" says Havlat
"I wish we had more to give them" says MacKenzie
"Any new developments today?" asks Carter
"Nothing good" says Jackson
"What is it?" asks Carter
"It looks like they managed to get to McMurdo and possibly further" says Jackson
"How can that be; security there is almost as tight as it is here" says Carter
"We're either dealing with members of the military or the scientific community" says Jackson
"Unfortunately Just one General could make that happen" says MacKenzie
"Let's keep that little piece of information between us for now" says Carter
"My job is to get to the bottom of this good or bad" says MacKenzie
"I know, but until we know how they obtained access we don't want them to know we know, ya know?" says Carter
"Say that again three times really fast" says Jackson
"Your not helping Daniel" says Carter
"Sorry couldn't help myself, but your right, we don't want to play this card just now" says Jackson
"Agreed" says MacKenzie
"I guess we can go back to the computer lab" says Jackson
"I was finished sorting the cards, so if you don't mind I'm going to stay here and pick Col. Carter's brain a little to get a different perspective on things" says MacKenzie
"That's an excellent idea, as long as it's OK with Sam" says Jackson
"Who's Sam?" says MacKenzie
"Me, Sam short for Samantha" says Carter
"Did daddy want a boy?" asks MacKenzie
"He already had one, go figure; Any way It's fine with me, right now I need to get involved before the paper work drives me up a wall" says Carter
So Daniel heads back to the lab leaving the Col.'s behind
"Have you had lunch? Scratch that you've been working with Daniel I know you haven't" says Carter
"The term "tunnel vision" did come to mind a few times" says MacKenzie
Carter leads the way out of the control room headed for the cafeteria Having picked out their meals they find an open table and sit down to eat
"That's a pretty nice selection for a military cafeteria" says MacKenzie
"There have been times and situations that have required us to be here for weeks on end, so they try hard to make it as pleasant as possible" says Carter
"That's nice" says MacKenzie
"So, How was Chicago and what was the other town?" asks Carter
"Rockford; It was interesting. I had to keep reminding myself that what we find might bring a generals career to an end; otherwise I was having to much fun, I can see where Webb thought it was a fantasy role playing game, So much of it just didn't seem real. Symb…. You know the snakes" says MacKenzie
"Symbiotes; yes , I heard you found a dead one on display at a museum" says Carter
"That and the Tablet thing. The strangest thing was how Dr. Jackson just went about his work like it happens every day" says MacKenzie
"You'll come to understand around here it does" says Carter
"After I finished sorting the post card pictures I had a chance to start reading the files of past missions and until I saw the gate operate for myself; I was beginning to doubt their authenticity; Now I want to go through it
myself" admits MacKenzie
"I felt the same way when I got here and let me tell you it wasn't easy breaking into the all boys club" says Carter
"As a female JAG I know just what you mean" says MacKenzie
"Let's grab Daniel something to eat otherwise he'll keep going until he's ready to pass out" says Carter
"You know him better then I do, but I couldn't agree more" says MacKenzie
Carter puts together a balanced meal (the only time Daniel ever gets one) and they run in down to the computer lab; to find Daniel so involved at deciphering the tablet pictures, he doesn't even hear them enter. Carter walks over and sets the food tray right in front of him.
"OH, I didn't even hear you come in. Thank you, just let me finish up, then I'll eat" says Jackson
Carter turns the monitor off on Daniel
"These aren't going anywhere; Eat now, That's an order" says Carter
"Yes mother" says Jackson
"I thought you weren't military" says MacKenzie
"I also know better then to argue, when she's so right" says Jackson
"I'm going to remember that" says MacKenzie
"Has Webb been able to get anything on Smiths son?" asks Jackson
"Daniel You didn't give us much to go on" says Carter
"Let me try to narrow the search parameters" says MacKenzie
Col. MacKenzie sits down at the work station and goes straight to the internet "What was the Rockford newspaper?"
"The Rockford Register Star" answers Jackson
A quick search of the obituary archives from 6 months ago for "Smith" turns up 2 possible within the search parameters "Mary" age 55 and "William" age 30
"It fits" says MacKenzie
"Ok, so now we have one William Smith age 30 from Rockford, IL" says Jackson"Are we sure he was born there?" asks Carter
"The antique store has been in business since 1970 at the same location according to its web site" says MacKenzie
"Well if he was military we can pull those records with this additional information, I'll get someone right on that" says Carter
"While you're doing that I'm going to…." starts Jackson
Carter and MacKenzie simultaneously say "EAT!"
"One mother wasn't enough" says Jackson