Chapter 8
Dr. Catherine Langford drove her silver sedan to the warehouse as she was offered a job for Milton Knight to work on the project that would involve the artifact her father found in 1928. She tried to press the military into researching more on the ring but got nowhere. She found a second chance with the rich business man. She stepped out of the car sporting a gray skirt and jacket over a white blouse. Her hair was short and turning gray. She stood before the warehouse feeling a bit overdressed but determined to make a good impression in her new job. She walked into the warehouse expecting a level of resistance for she was often brushed aside for her theories. Instead, she found a handsome man wearing glasses and sporting a pair of fatigues waiting for her. The name "Jackson" was over the left breast pocket.
"Catherine." Daniel smiled at her. "Do you recognize me?"
She cocked her head, "You are that young man who I spoke to in 69." she recalled. "How come you still look the same?"
He gave a smiled, "My name is Daniel and we are old friends."
"We are?" she asked unsure.
"Will be." he assured her. "This way," he held out his elbow to escort her.
Catherine was led into the warehouse and found the Star Gate was standing in its glory in the far side. She was so happy to see her dream of researching her father's discovery come true once more. "I see Wilton Knight was true to his word."
Daniel agreed, "That he is."
Her eyes landed on Sam as she was busy working on the Gate with another woman, Bonnie. Both wore green fatigues for work clothes as Milton Knight supplied them with military surplus.
Sam looked over her shoulder. "Catherine is here," she told Bonnie. She stood up and walked over with Bonnie in tow.
"Wait," Catherine started. "I saw you in 1969 too when you came to visit me and asked about my father's discovery."
She nodded, "That was me."
"You look the same." she told her.
Sam stated, "We have a debriefing to give you, Catherine."
Meanwhile
Michael Knight sat behind the wheel as KITT patrolled the coastline scanning for an energy signature that would indicate an alien vessel. Michael was reading a book as KITT took over controls. KITT grew board on the long drive and had been thinking about his new friend, Sam Carter.
"Michael," KITT spoke.
He glanced over the top of the book hoping KITT found the energy signature and thus one step closer to finding Ba'al. "Yes KITT." he replied.
"Do you think Samantha Carter would like to join us on a sniffer run soon." he wondered. Sniffer run is what the military labeled the scans that Airwolf and KITT were sent out to perform.
He replied, "I think she's busy getting that Gate up and running. That thing is not something Bonnie can do on her own, KITT." He then questioned, "Why do you want to bring Sam on the run anyways?"
"I find her intriguing." he confessed. "I've never met a female that I can communicate with on that level before."
He cocked an eyebrow, "You like her."
"She is fascinating. Nearly as fascinating as me." he agreed. "Brilliant even. And she's pretty." he added.
Michael sat beside himself, "If I didn't know any better, KITT…I would say you have a crush on her." He pondered the words. Pretty! KITT found a human pretty.
KITT was miffed by the assertion. "I simply enjoy her company."
He smirked, "You call her 'Samantha'. No one else calls her Samantha. Everyone calls her 'Sam'."
"I call you Michael and not Mike." he rebutted. "That doesn't mean I have romantic feelings for you, Michael." He sounded rather defensive.
He figured KITT did indeed have a crush on Sam. He rebutted, "I would say you do have a crush on her."
"I do not have a crush on her." he denied. KITT decided to focus on the scans. "I will focus on the scans now." he sounded rather upset to Michael.
He pondered talking to Colonel O'Neill about KITT's infatuation with Sam. He never seen KITT request someone ride with them for his own personal reasons before. He found it alarming.
Airwolf
Stringfellow Hawke was at the stick of Airwolf with his brother riding as an observer in the jump seat by Dom in the back of the cabin. Caitlin flew co-pilot as they patrolled the Pacific Coast searching for the energy signature with Airwolf's sensors.
Dom was in all his glory as the brothers were together and on the same mission. He felt like celebrating. "Boys, I can't tell ya how you two being on this same mission makes me feel." he beamed like a proud father.
Saint John stated, "I'm just observing, Dom. I'll get a crew together and we can alternate talking Airwolf on sniffer runs. It's a lot of ground to cover for just one chopper."
"I know that." he grinned. "I'm just glad you are both here."
Caitlin understood his joy. "I'm happy we get to fly with both too, Dom."
String had to agree, "This is nice."
An alarm suddenly sounded. Dom checked his scanners, "We got a boggie, String. Coming up fast from behind." The computer identified the craft, "String it's a Death Glider." he reported.
"Engage the energy shield." String instructed.
"Engaged," Dom reported.
They felt a hit as Ba'al had opened fire upon coming across them as he flew the Death Glider up from his secret base. The Goa'uld assumed he could easily take down a chopper and was most surprised when the energy bolts were absorbed by a shield. He turned the craft around to engage.
String and his crew got a visual of the high tech alien craft that had circled back to fire upon them once more. String opened fire with the machine guns. The projectiles made no impact on the alien craft.
Ba'al opened fire again scoring another direct hit for the energy bolts had a much higher velocity than traditional projectiles and thus the pilot had little time to react. He found it disturbing that the helicopter had some kind of energy shield that looked almost Asgard to him. He decided to try to get some information on the helicopter and opened a communication channel.
"O'Neill." he accused the pilot of being Jack O'Neill.
The crew found the voice echoed over the radio. String replied, "I'm a friend of his, Ba'al." He then spoke to Dom, "Get me a missile lock."
"Attempting to lock on." Dom reported.
"A friend?" Ba'al teased. "O'Neill has friends! I'm surprised. Where did you get that shield?"
"None of your business." String replied figuring the Goa'uld was attempting to get information out of him.
"Did SG-1 and Thor follow me here?" he asked.
"Why do you ask?" he replied not giving away any information.
Ba'al rolled his eyes for the pilot seemed to be as much as a wise guy as Jack O'Neill.
"You humans are so predictable." he declared.
String fired off a missile at the alien craft. The missile impacted but did little damage.
Ba'al bragged, "I have hardened my vessel. I also made some improvements. Your weapons are useless. I will let you live to deliver a message. Tell O'Neill and that absolute pain in the ass team of his that I am here and I am not going anywhere. And give Thor my regards." He broke off the fight and continued towards orbit.
String instructed, "Dom, opens a comms channel to Thor. Tell him Ba'al is headed his way." He then perused the Death Glider at Mach One and was falling behind.
Dom stated, "I'm on it. Airwolf to the O'Neill."
"This is the O'Neill." Thor replied.
"Ba'al is on his way up there." Dom stated. He was shaken up a bit by the echo of the voice and sheer arrogance of the alien.
"I have him on my scanners." Thor reported. "I am about to engage."
Before Thor could open fire Ba'al used the warp drive engine he installed into the small Death Glider and was gone in an instant. Thor reported, "Ba'al appears to have installed the warp drive engine in the Death Glider. He had activated it and is now in warp drive. I was not able to engage."
The crew sat stunned.
Dom replied, "Thank you for you help, Thor." He asked String, "He's just gone? Just like that?"
String gave a heavy sigh, "Yeah. Just like that."
Caitlin concluded, "We need to find out where he went. He can come and go as he pleases."
"This is bad." String agreed. "Let's get back to base."
Warehouse
Catherine Langford had to take a moment to process the information she was told. She found herself in the middle of a top secret government project, spurred by her father's discovery and it was more than she ever dreamed of. She realized the Gate was a doorway to the stars but to find she was to be instrumental in establishing the program, in recruiting Daniel Jackson and have come full circle along time distortions and alternate realities it was more than she ever expected. Daniel sat with her at the table as Sam had gone back to help Bonnie work on connecting a state of the art, Knight Industry computer system that would rival KITT to the Star Gate.
Daniel softly touched her hand for he still had more to tell her. He assured, "I know it's a lot to take in."
She confessed, "This is more than I could have imagined. I knew what it did but after Earnest went through back in 45 and never returned, I thought they would never start it up again."
"We found him." he told her. "A few years from now. We brought him back. If we go after him, he would come back over a decade sooner than he did first time. You two spent your golden years together." He waited for her reply knowing that she had been engaged to Ernest Littlefield.
"You found him?" her eyes grew wide. "He comes home?"
He nodded, "I don't see any reason to wait all those years to bring them man home considering how off the rails the timeline already is. No reason to leave stranded and alone. Sam agrees with me. So does Jack. Soon as Sam and Bonnie get the computer hooked up and programmed to account for the celestial drift we plan on dialing out and bring him home." He then added, "We can use his help too."
She wiped a tear that stream down her cheek, "This is like a dream. I can't believe it and I can believe a lot of things."
"Kind is like a dream at times." he agreed.
Jack walked into the warehouse with Hammond and Archangel behind him. He had a worried look upon his face. "Daniel…Catherine." he called.
"What is it?" he asked knowing the look.
"Just got word from Thor. Ba'al has a Death Glider, he put the warp drive engine in it and left the planet's surface. He also engaged Airwolf on the way out. They are okay, shields did their job."
He gave a heavy sigh, "So Ba'al can come and go without a Gate and figured out how to work that device."
"Thor said the energy signature left from the warp drive is so small it will be hard to detect. I guess size matters. Smaller the craft, harder to find." he informed.
Hammond stated, "I'm called a briefing as soon as Airwofl's crew gets back. Michael and KITT are already on their way back. Devon called them."
Catherine realized that she needed George's expertise to succeed as Daniel informed her of the other reality where she ran the SGC and died sending him back. She agreed, "Thank you, General Hammond." She hinted she knew who he was to become.
"I'm still a colonel for now, Dr. Langford." he reminded her.
"I know how vital you will be to their success." she informed. "I trust your judgment. Wilton wants me to run this program. But if we are going to succeed we do need military expertise." she assured. She decided, "I am a place holder until we can get the Star Gate Command up and running the way it should be. At that point, I will push for you to be my successor." She looked to Daniel, "We maybe ten years early but we can work to keep things on track."
He smiled grateful, "I knew you would understand." He looked to Jack, "Ba'al went up against Airwolf in a Death Glider and Airwolf survived it. Guess we might have a chance after all."
"Hope so." he agreed concerned what things off world would look like.