The morning eventually wore into afternoon as Mia sat hunched over documents and translation keys, struggling to decipher her section of the Furling text. Beside her, Jonas reviewed everything they had at breakneck speed, then began scribbling words and phrases over every scrap of note paper they had available, trying to work out his half of the text. They had decided to divide it up to work out as many of the individual words as possible before having to move on to the grammar to decipher the rest. It was slow going, to say the least, and not much was said as they each focused intently on the puzzle at hand.
At last, the silence was broken by General O'Neill barging into the room saying, "O-kay, kids! I have a briefing scheduled for 14:00 hours, which is precisely three minutes from now. Get your gear packed up and head to the mess for some lunch."
"Ugh," Mia groaned, scooping up her share of the papers.
"Leave those in my office," said the General, nodding to Mia's armload. At her quizzical look, he added, "You need a break. It'll all still be here when you get back."
Mia rolled her eyes, but handed O'Neill the papers nonetheless before following Jonas from the room.
"So how are you making out?," asked Jonas conversationally as they strolled along the hall. Mia groaned again, rubbing her eyes. "Not so great," she replied sincerely. "And I can't help but think that if Daniel were here, he'd have the whole thing figured out by now." Jonas grinned. "Dr. Jackson is an amazing scholar," he replied earnestly.
"General O'Neill seems to think so of you, too," she replied in turn. "How are you faring?". Jonas' grin widened. "I think I just about have my section of text worked out. I'd be happy to show you what I've come up with so far when we get back, maybe give you some pointers..." Mia grinned wanly. "Just tell me we'll be done soon, and I'll be happy."
"Okay, then," he said cheerfully. "We'll be done soon." Mia shook her head at him, giving him a half-smile. "I'll believe it when I see it," she replied at last.
"Oh, come on!," he said, nudging her arm. "This is fun! Besides, isn't this why you joined the Stargate program?" Mia's eyebrows shot up in surprise and she stopped dead in her tracks, the SF behind her stepping painfully on her heel as she did so. She winced, choosing her next words carefully.
"I haven't joined the Stargate program," she responded slowly, watching for his reaction. His smile dropped a little as he studied her, clearly waiting for her to say something more. "Didn't General O'Neill tell you anything about who you'd be working with?," she asked, genuinely taken aback.
"Not really," said Jonas slowly. "I just assumed you were another linguist..."
"I am and I'm not," replied Mia obscurely, shaking her head. "I have fifteen years worth of Daniel's teachings crammed into my head, which is why the General asked me to help, but translating an ancient dialects of an alien language I've never seen before is more than a little outside my comfort zone. I'd be much better off translating Goaul'd or Ancient than some obscure Furling dialect," she explained, waving her hands in mild frustration.
"Okay, I'm a little confused here," he said. "How are you not a linguist?"
Mia considered the question carefully. "It's not what I would have chosen, given the chance. So even though I'm fluent in nearly as many languages as Daniel himself, it isn't quite as much fun for me as it seems to be for you," she replied at last. Jonas studied her thoughtfully, obviously still confused. Mia sighed. "You spent some time with SG-1, right?," she asked.
"I was a member of their team for a year after Dr. Jackson ascended," he affirmed, nodding.
"Then you know about the unusual circumstances they sometimes find themselves in," she stated. Jonas nodded again. "Well, let's just say I'm the product of one of those unusual circumstances," she continued. "And Daniel taught me what he thought I would need to know to set things right again." Mia watched as Jonas' expression changed from one of mild confusion to deep intrigue as he tried to work out what she had really just said. She bit her lip, hoping he'd catch on without too much more prodding and then drop the subject. If the General hadn't told him anything, there could be a reason, and she did not want to be the one to breach base security by saying something she wasn't supposed to...
Jonas studied her quietly for a moment, lost in thought. Watching him in return, Mia caught the flash of understanding in his eyes the moment he grasped the truth. Finally Jonas shook his head, as if to clear away some errant thought, and met her gaze before asking, "So if this isn't really your thing, why did you agree to help the General?" Mia paused, taken aback by the question. She had seen recognition dawn in his eyes. Shouldn't the answer be obvious? "Linguist or not, I have the skills he needed," she replied cautiously, "and there was no one else available."
Nodding slowly, Jonas accepted her explanation and motioned for them to continue on towards the commissary for lunch. Mia followed gratefully, silently acknowledging the truth that if SG-1 were in trouble, she had to help.
