Chapter 12 – Trouble at Home, Success Abroad
"Agent Barrett! I hope you're calling with good news about Cassie."
"I'm afraid not, General," the NID agent replied. "We still don't have any solid leads. However, we have found our two runaways."
"Ivan and Leah? Where are they?"
"Unfortunately, it's a matter of where they were, and it's not good. As you know, two Area 51 staff were indisposed for a couple of hours, and their IDs were used. With very close examination of the security footage, we were able to determine that Ivan and Leah gained access to Area 51."
"That's… frightening. What did they access?"
"We don't know for sure. They proved extremely proficient at avoiding cameras and other people in the facility."
"Great. I'll make finding them a priority, and have my people work alongside yours. These kids can't stay hidden for long."
Elsewhere…
"So… now where do we go?" Leah Lincoln asked.
Ivan didn't seem to be listening. "Hmm?"
"We just broke into Area 51. Now what are we supposed to do?"
"I didn't break anything," Ivan countered.
"No, but you don't want to get caught either."
"True. We'll need to keep our heads down. Literally."
"Huh?"
"I'm exhausted."
"Will we be safe in a hotel?"
"They shouldn't expect us to stay in town. And if they do come looking for us, I should know ahead of time."
"I trust you will. And… I need to apologise for doubting you. You're not crazy and you're definitely not making any of this up."
Ivan wasn't sure how to respond. "Thanks. No one has really trusted be before. No one who matters, I mean. My dad always checked on everything I did – he was never satisfied with my word on anything."
"It matters to you that I trust you," Leah observed.
"Of course. You're the only friend I have."
"Only?"
"Well, I guess I have a few friends back home, but there's no way I'm going back there."
"Won't you miss people?"
"No really. I didn't get the chance to make any really close friends, thanks to my dad. He wanted to keep me from 'bad influences'."
"Girlfriends?"
Ivan snorted in derision. "Yeah, the old man would have loved that."
"I'll take that as a 'no'."
"He wanted to keep me from making the same mistake he made," Ivan clarified. "Though I can't say it was so bad, since I'm alive as a result. Not that he didn't try preventing that." The young man shook his head sadly. "None of that matters now. Here, this looks likely." He pointed at a hotel with peeling paint.
"Looks rather run down."
Ivan shrugged. "It's a place to sleep. We should be safe from the Air Force for at least a while."
"Alright, but I'm not paying."
"Me neither, if I can help it." Ivan pushed open the front door, which announced his presence with a noisy creak.
"Welcome to The Curtain Hotel," greeted the unshaven proprietor, who sat behind a wooden desk. "Can I get you a room?"
Ivan slowly approached the desk, and finally replied, "One room, two beds, on Mario."
"You know Mario?"
"He sends his greetings from Vanuatu, and says to 'mind the step'."
"Ahh, any friend of Mario is a friend of mine."
"Great to hear that."
"Two beds," the man echoed, running a head through his greying hair.
"One room?" Leah questioned.
"That's what I said," Ivan confirmed.
The man scribbled in a notebook with a chewed pen before tossing Ivan a key. "Drop that off when you need to check out. Stairs are to your left."
"Will do," Ivan agreed, before ushering Leah to the stairs.
"What was that 'Mario' business about?" Leah wondered, once they had reached the floor above.
Ivan shrugged. "Some old war buddy."
"Oh. You read his mind."
"I read his past. Not the same thing."
"Why the one room?"
"So I can keep a close eye on you, in case someone comes after us. If you're in another room, I might not be able to warn you in time." As he said that, he unlocked their door and they stepped inside. It wasn't particularly impressive, but they didn't need impressive.
"Fair enough. You know, you don't look so good."
"I don't feel so good," Ivan agreed. "All that focussed… whatever you call it…"
"Precognition?"
"That sounds alright. The Area 51 stuff took a lot out of me, and then there was the card trick and ensuring that we'll be safe from the Air Force, and the Mario thing." He kicked off his shoes and plopped down on the nearest bed. "Wake me up in three hours and we'll see about some dinner."
"Okay." Leah watched as Ivan quickly fell asleep. Looking for a way to kill some time, she took a small notepad out of her pocket and began jotting down ideas of what to do next.
Meanwhile…
"Fools! I am most displeased at your display on incompetence!" Charlotte Mayfield bellowed. "I instructed you to keep her sedated!"
"I don't know how she woke up!" Gordo protested.
"Perhaps the naquadah in her bloodstream…" Don suggested.
"Perhaps. You will know better next time. And you will also remember to use plastic restraints!"
"Yes boss," the men answered contritely.
"Now, get back to the area you lost her, and see if you can find any sign of her. As soon as you or any one else finds any sign of her, I want you to bring her to me. And by Anubis, do it properly!" She muttered something to herself which sounded like, "May his scaly hide burn with Netu."
The men quickly left and were soon replaced by a messenger. "My lady, we have received word that Sage and Lincoln recently infiltrated Area 51."
"That is pleasing news. I expect they are still in the region. Have them found and brought to me. Anyone with the skill to breach such security will be of value." Athena's eyes flashed as she smiled malevolently.
"It shall be done, my lady."
At the Alpha Site…
"She's nearly there," Lieutenant Hailey announced, referring to Snakeskinner's progress.
Sam pressed a key on the subspace communicator. "SGC, this is Snake Handler 1. Snakeskinner is approaching the target zone."
"Understood," Jack replied. "Standing by to watch the show."
The lieutenant read out items from the computer screen. "Dropping out of hyperspace in 3, 2, 1, mark." The Replicator ship entered normal space in Bastet's primary system. "Scanning for targets. A total of 4 Ha'tak class vessels detected."
"Let's see how soon they notice us," said Sam.
"Detecting transmission from the closest ship. Translation: 'Surrender or be destroyed.' Automatically broadcasting pre-recorded Goa'uld message: 'Hand over Bastet or we will board.'"
Jack spoke from the SGC. "Let's see what they think of that."
"Message received: 'You will pay for your insolence.' They are opening fire. Responding with boarding party."
"Are they hitting us?"
"The Replicator block hull has not been affected by the Goa'uld energy weapons. Two more ships are drawing into firing-range. The first Replicator mass has breached their shields and attached to the ship. They are beginning to eat their way inside while ensuring atmosphere is not vented. Boarding party has been fired towards the other two ships, and the fourth is drawing near."
"Nice!"
On the first Ha'tak…
Mol'nok was the highest-ranking ship commander of Bastet, which wasn't saying much, since the Goa'uld naturally gave little actual authority to her Jaffa. He surveyed the scene before him, and observed the lack of damage the intruder was taking. "Shall we launch the Death Gliders, O Goddess?" he asked.
"Yes, have them ram the enemy vessel," the face in the communication ball replied.
"It shall be done," Mol'nok replied. He shouted an order and his best pilots began to march to their posts. Their progress was interrupted.
"There are creatures of metal crawling through the halls!" a worried Jaffa reported. "I have never seen such a thing!" another added.
"Show me!" Mol'nok commanded. This was not necessary, as a wave of Replicators swept into the room. They were unholy creatures of animated metal. Such a thing should not exist. "Destroy the abominations! They are an affront to Bastet!"
Futile staff blasts were fired. The machines were knocked back, but not damaged. Zat'nik'tel bolts did not harm them either. The creatures appeared to be harmless until one wrenched a Zat away from its wielder and succeeded in stunning several Jaffa. Mol'nok kept out of the way and returned to the communication globe. "My Lady, the ship has been overrun by creatures of metal! We can not destroy them, and they are preventing the glider bay doors from opening."
"This is not acceptable."
Mol'nok tried some more of the controls. "There is nothing we can do, Goddess. They control the ship."
"Set the self destruct. I will not let them have my ship."
The Jaffa tried his hardest, but it was in vain. "I have failed you. The creatures are preventing all actions. May I suggest you have the other ships destroy this one before they attempt to escape?"
"The other ships are in the same situation. The intruders may control the ships, but they do not rule my army. You will use the rings to evacuate as many as you can."
"It shall be done."
Bastet sat in her jewelled throne within her gold-walled palace, watching as slaves catered to every whim. Idly she rose, deciding to destroy the living machines herself, after her captains had withdrawn. They had become too confident; now she would remind everyone that she was the Goddess, and no mortal could presume to have any power but that which she provided. She slunk towards the transport room, hearing it activate for the first time. The walls glittered with light as the payload materialised.
Instead of a group of Jaffa, a pile of irregular metal shapes sat before her. As she watched, the stack broke up into separate crawling entities, each squeaking and whirring as it moved. The machines crept toward her, splitting into two streams in order to surround her. She the jewel in her palm glowed, and a stream of energy blasted the leaders. They were knocked back a couple of feet by the force of the disturbance, and responded by leaping forwards, landing at her feet.
The Goa'uld took a step backwards and activated her personal shield. It kept the attackers out, but did not prevent them from creeping up and over her. The blocks reformed into a solid cylinder surrounding her. Not willing to accept defeat yet, she pressed a button to expand the protective field. The cylinder of force pushed out against the rows of interlocked Replicator blocks. They gripped each other tightly, drawing additional energy from their subspace link.
For a minute, nothing happened. However, the shield was designed primarily for deflecting short energy bursts, not for sustaining a constant force against a heavy kinetic attack. The naquadah power source could not sustain such a long energy drain, and eventually gave out. Bastet was divested of the hand device by metallic claws, but before she could complain, a blast from a stolen Zat gun silenced her.
At the Alpha Site…
"Bastet is out," Jen reported. "Waiting to see if the host is able to surface."
A faint voice was detected, speaking Goa'uld. "Please… kill me."
"How long have you been host?" The pre-recorded question was sent through subspace link to the Replicators surrounding Bastet, and was rendered audible as a spooky collection of vibrations.
"Hundreds of… years. Please let me die… free."
"Do it," the voice of General O'Neill ordered.
Sam typed the appropriate command, and the Zat released a lethal energy bolt.
"Good work, Carter and Hailey."
"Thank you, Sir. It's not over yet, there's still the cleanup phase. Teal'c is preparing to address the now leaderless Jaffa." The Jaffa who wished to join the resistance would be left in control of the ships, and the others – which should be few - would be prisoners. Once the situation became stable, an SG team could make peaceful contact with the human inhabitants. The Replicators would also locate and secure any sarcophagus and other interesting Goa'uld technology.
"Excellent. Do you think you can save us a ship? Snakeskinner is cool and all, but I'd like to have something that's not made of tiny moving blocks." A Replicator ship was just too creepy for Jack's liking. Goa'uld ships were ostentatious, but they were pieces of solid unchanging engineering.
"Jack, you know they'll be best used by the Jaffa resistance. But there are plenty more System Lords, so I'm sure we can find a spare one later."
"I'll hold you do that, Sam. I'll leave you to it. Call if you need any supplies sent for the freed inhabitants, and I'll see what we can do for them."
"Yes sir, and good luck with the situations on Earth." There was a lot more Sam wanted to say, but now was not a good time.
Author's Note: Hooray, finally a success! Let's see how long it lasts. Also, I just noticed that it won't let me put multiple line breaks between sections...
