The time flew by for Sam, as she was kept very busy. She had picked up one more project since her arrival, and was assisting one of the other scientists do a study on an artifact brought from another planet. She was surprised to find that she didn't slip back into old habits. Daniel had stopped by her lab in the evening to see if she was ready to go, for the first few days, then after she beat him home for almost a week straight, he stopped. She spent her evenings running, organizing her apartment, looking at potential houses and hanging out with friends. Teal'c had visited the SGC several days after her first day, and Sam spent several days with him and Daniel on base, talking.
She had found many new friends among all the people who worked at the base, civilian and military alike. She had liked Carolyn Lam's dry humour the first time they met, and was surprised to learn who her father was. Sam agreed with Daniel on General Landry. He didn't have the patience of Hammond, or the humour of O'Neill, but everyone seemed to enjoy working under him. Dr. Lee was still in the same lab, now only several rooms from hers. He was the one she was currently assisting, as he still looked to her for help, which she found slightly flattering. It hadn't taken long for her to find her own niche as a civilian scientist, as opposed to her old position, a high ranking female military officer, and scientist.
She had been nervous about returning, and was glad that Daniel had driven her that first morning. She'd had a short meeting with General Landry, and an airman showed her where her new lab was located. She was on the same floor, one above her old one, as the other non-military scientists in the base. Daniel's lab was several rooms away and always made a point to stop by frequently, usually with some coffee for her. After several days, the feeling of apprehension dissipated. She felt like she had finally come home.
The teams had changed as personnel left or died. SG-1 still existed, but none of the original members were on it. Daniel had told Sam that while he was in Atlantis, Cam had tried recruiting him back to the team. He had also gone to visit Teal'c with the intention of pulling the original team back together, with no luck. Now there was only three members, with Cam leading one scientist, and a Major.
Sam had liked Cam the instant she met him. His humour was off beat, and he quoted his grandmother far too often, but there was something about him that made you like him. He had shared his frustration with Sam about the issues with his team. He had arrived at the SGC five years ago, to find that he was the only member of the famous SG-1. He had tried to recruit Teal'c and Daniel with little hope that they would join him. After that he had interviewed countless people and offered several positions. He was continually changing the members, and due to that, couldn't get a 'team' feeling with the groups. One had been killed, but most had quit, or requested a transfer. Cam complained that even though they were still hunting goa'uld, there wasn't the action he had read in the reports of the previous eight years. Sam thought that might be the reason that several of the civilian members had quit. Perhaps Cam's enthusiasm was a little too much to bear.
Sam met Vala in Daniel's lab, and found the interaction between the two of them hilarious. No wonder Cam tried to get them at each others throats continually. Vala was a woman who knew what she wanted, and wouldn't let anything get in her way. One evening in the commissary they had started talking, and Vala had shared some of her experiences as a goa'uld host. Even though Sam's own experience with a Tok'ra was different, she could understand Vala's feelings of helplessness at being completely out of control. After Sam told her of her background with Jolinar, Vala's somewhat aloof attitude disappeared.
Daniel had shown up as Vala was venting her frustration at not being allowed to explore Earth, and had told Sam later that he was glad Vala had found someone else to talk to. He explained the reason she was here, and that he hadn't done much of the translation on the tablet she had brought. Sam teased him about procrastinating on the translation so she could stay on Earth longer, and laughed when Daniel stopped walking to stare at her, mouth open, trying to think of a comeback.
She kept in contact with Vikki and Scott, and was pleased with the progress they were making. They were working on a delivery system for the SGC for the gas and had run into some problems. The gas was much heavier than air, and when vented into the test rooms, immediately sank to the floor. While still effective, it would take longer to render the enemy unconscious. Another problem they had run into, was that as the base was built underground, it would be difficult to build a new network of pipes behind the walls to carry the gas. The 'higher ups' had decided they wanted to do this with as little construction possible, and it was proving to be quite the task.
Sam had to provide several floor layouts of the base to Scott and Vikki and had received several questions regarding the use, and strange layout of some of the rooms. As they didn't have the clearance to know about the gate, Sam had not been able to explain much. She pretty much steered clear of the subject whenever it came up. She was hoping that someday she could show them what their hard work had been for.
Sam had to fly out and visit the lab at least once a month, unless something unexpected happened. She had made one trip so far, and was impressed at the way Vikki and Scott worked together. She hoped that once this project was completed, there would be a chance to bring them to the SGC and work as a team once more.
She was sitting in her lab, rechecking her notes from the day before, when Daniel strolled in to her lab.
"Morning Daniel."
"Hey."
"What's the plan for the day?"
"I finished the translation on the tablet that Vala brought."
"And?"
"I checked the name of the person who 'signed' the tablet with the names of the ancients who returned to Earth from Atlantis."
"Find a match?"
"Yes."
"Well, spit it out."
"The name on the tablet was Myrddin. One version of that name here on Earth is Merlin."
"Merlin... you mean, like Merlin the wizard, the Merlin with Arthur, sword in the stone? That Merlin?"
"It's a possibility."
"How did you come up with that idea?"
"Think about it. Legend says that he was a man of magical powers. The powers he had as an ancient would seem like magic to the people living in those times."
"Daniel, it's a bit of a stretch don't you think?"
"But it could lead us to many discoveries about the legend. Think of what we could find!"
Sam wanted to cut Daniel off before he went on one of his never ending speeches about how legends always had some basis in truth, and then he would branch off into many other areas.
"Did you talk to Landry?"
"Briefly."
"What did he say?"
"He wants to know where this 'treasure' is hidden."
"Treasure?"
"According to Vala the tablet will lead us to untold wealth."
"Where is Vala?"
"She's locked in her room."
"Why?"
"The tablet came with two gold strips, definitely goa'uld. When I picked them up to look at them, she tried to attach one to me."
"Attach one?"
"Yeah, like those old bracelets from the 80's where you slap them onto your wrist. I moved before she got one on me, and now she's locked up in her room, until Landry talks to her."
"When's Teal'c due back?"
"Tomorrow. I'm going to ask him to have a look at them, see if he knows what they are."
"So, back to the tablet. Does it tell you where the treasure is?"
"Not directly, but I have an idea."
"Great. Where do you think it is?"
"I've got to do a little research on the Arthur and Merlin legend first, but I have a briefing with Landry tomorrow."
"Just you and Landry?"
"No, Mitchel is going to be there too."
"Colonel Mitchel? Why?"
"The remaining two members of his team are in the infirmary with a bad case of the flu. He's got nothing to do right now, so if I can figure out where this tablet is referring to, he'll join me and possibly Teal'c in finding it."
"Oh."
Sam suddenly felt like the outsider for the first time since she had arrived at the SGC. A wave of nostalgia swept over her as she remembered the excitement of going to places unknown to find whatever they could imagine. Daniel didn't notice her mood change, and continued on with what he was planning to do if he found the place. Sam shook herself and smiled politely as she tried to get back into the conversation. Her phone rang, and when she answered and started talking to Scott, Daniel left.
Jack O'Neill drove towards the base, trying not to speed. It was a perfect sunny day for fishing, but he was going to see Daniel. Hank had called him yesterday and updated him on the translation of a tablet that the new girl had brought with her. Apparently whatever this thing was referring to, was here, on Earth. He had offered to come so he could hear the briefing in person, and a chance to see Teal'c, who would be arriving that morning.
After going through security, he swung his rental car into one of the few available parking spots, cursing the one driver of a wide truck who obviously couldn't park. As he maneuvered into the space carefully, he knocked the car on the other side lightly. He hated these luxury style cars with the ridiculously long hoods, but it had been the only style available. Opening the door cautiously, he climbed out, and checked the car he had hit. It was an older car, a 68 Mustang he guessed, but looked in good condition. He ran his hand down the drivers door to check he hadn't dented it, or removed any paint. Once done, he admired the vehicle. The paint job was new, a royal blue, but the interior needed some work. He wondered how she ran, and his hands itched to take a look under the hood. Wondering who could own that car, he walked the short distance to the entrance of the mountain.
AN: Hopefully there'll be one more chapter before Christmas. Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter. I did consider Sam driving an hybrid or electric car, but when AT Fan suggested a classic Mustang, it just seemed like the perfect car.