Authors' Notes: Stargate belongs to Showtime, MGM, Gekko, and Double Secret; Godzilla: The Series belongs to Toho and Tristar. In reference to N. americanus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Updates and New York Endangered Species Factsheets disagree on whether the adults stay until the larvae finish pupating. Outside of that, everything's as accurate as I can make it.
"We got a live one, jefe!"
Dazed, Daniel felt rubble shift, shoved aside by implacable force. A scent of salt and fish drifted past. Strong hands seized his. "Stay calm. He won't hurt you."
Who won't- The archaeologist froze.
An amber eye blinked, long as he was tall. Emerald-tinted gray scales flexed, nostrils sniffing his scent. A creature too massive to be real stared down, eighteen stories of reptilian curiosity.
Daniel swallowed. Help.
"Easy." Was that a touch of laughter in the hands' voice? "Just breathe. We've got you."
The archaeologist blinked away powdered concrete, catching sight of serious blue eyes, a thin radio headset nestled in dark hair. Dusty sage denim knelt beside him, a loose red-brown shirt bunched under the deadly rifle slung over one arm.
And even when that massive chin brushed his shoulder, there was no fear in his eyes.
A quiet wuffle. The lizard's jaw leaned ever so lightly against the man's shoulder, enormous pupil fixing on the wreck of steel and glass that had been the upper wall of the concourse. "Yeah," the man breathed. "I see it. Randy?"
"Got it, jefe." Dark hands laid aside a plasterboard panel, dreadlocks shaking off dust.
"Some of the ceiling's loose," the blue-eyed man said calmly. Sunset painted concrete gold, glinted off twisted steel like fire. Gleamed off a wall of scales, limning emerald gray in topaz and amber. "It's holding for now, but we need to get you out. Are you hurt?"
"I... think I'm okay," Daniel managed. Outside of the cockroach goo still stinging in his mouth. Outside of the impossible creature standing overhead, knife-ridged tail weaving lazy figure-eights in sunset air.
The creature his rescuers seemed to take in perfect stride. Anthropological training kicked in. When in doubt, act like the locals.
Especially when the ceiling creaked ominously over their heads.
Randy helped him to his feet, let him lean on a blue-jacketed shoulder as the smaller man led them out onto claw-gouged tarmac. Gods, he's short, Daniel realized, stumbling as massive footfalls shook the earth. But there was no question who was in charge. The pale young man radiated the same focused intensity as Jack in the middle of a firefight.
"Rinse before you drink," came the calm advice as the leader passed him a bottle of water. The man matched steps to shuddering earth with no more thought than Jack walking under a helicopter's blades. "And try to relax. The mantis roaches aren't toxic."
"Just gnarly," the teen shuddered. A hand wiped at fresh bandages on his left arm. "Ugh!"
Daniel spat out diluted slime, splashed water over his face. Wiped his glasses with the paper towels pressed into his hand. "Thank you. I'm Daniel-" He blinked, glanced back at gigantic talons touching down on their right. Realized what the jagged irregular shape they were skirting had to be. "Is that a footprint?"
"G-man's not usually this hard on asphalt," Randy shrugged. "Guess those roaches already tore up the place, looking for - what'd you call it, compadre?"
"Trace elements. Maybe the salts. More likely the jet fuel, given what we found on the bioassay." The fierce blue gaze swept the area, lighted on a motley group near other dazed airport visitors. Some of the tension went out of slim shoulders. "Have we got everyone?"
An armed redhead in an oversized green sweatshirt gave him a smile; with a shock, Daniel recognized her as yesterday's maid of honor. "Looks like that's the only building damage. Airport security's going in with the EMTs to check."
"Destruction of the nest was successful." Dark eyes raked Daniel; narrowed. A dark-nailed hand rested near her rifle as the French Vietnamese woman weighed his threat potential, then turned back to her leader. "Rescue efforts should be left to experienced personnel."
Daniel blinked, catching the cascade of meanings in that level statement, the touch of gaze on gaze. I know you had to go, said dark eyes; cool and worried as Teal'c's. But danger is my job.
But you weren't there, and we were, was her leader's casual shrug. A wry flicker of a smile. And it's our job too.
A stocky blond in a labcoat grumbled incoherent curses as he pulled bits of yellow metal out of slime and chitin. "Nick, tell me we're going to get another parts shipment?"
"Already on its way," the leader assured him, watching the giant lizard stalk towards the ocean. "Thanks, big guy."
So that's Godzilla, Daniel thought, still dazed. Guess Jack's right. I do need to watch more TV. "Ahh... does anyone have a phone I could borrow? I was in the middle of a call, and my friend's going to be worried...." Panicked, more likely. Jack never would believe he could keep himself in one piece.
And when Jack panicked, things started getting blown to pieces.
Nick dropped a phone into his grip, wandering over to a patch of weedy greenery. Standing still, the man breathed slow and deep, watching one slim leaf as if it were the first new growth in the world.
Post-combat nerves, the archaeologist recognized, catching that tremor in pale hands. Daniel scanned the airfield with more alert eyes, picking out seared and smashed roaches, crumpled planes, scorch marks as if someone had let loose a giant flamethrower. Gods... how close was it?
"Cheyenne Mountain," came Naomi Jarvis' efficient voice over the line.
"Ms. Jarvis, it's Dr. Jackson," the archaeologist identified himself. "Could you put me in touch with General Hammond or Colonel O'Neill? I need to tell Jack I m all right."
The secretary snorted, punching buttons. "Between you, me, and the wallpaper, you need a lot more than that, Dr. Jackson."
Daniel winced. "Is it bad?"
"You tell me," came the wry reply. "Scuttlebutt has it Janet's still putting in the stitches...."
"Hey." Elsie Chapman put a gentle hand on Nick's shoulder. "You okay?"
"Not sure." Nick touched his particle beam rifle, double-checking that the safety was in place. "The fight... when we were in the middle of the mantis roaches...." Images of the panicked, terrifying melee rose up; charging through the nest's defenders to find Randy, setting Monique's charges in a cavern full of hungry larvae, firing back to back at creatures armed, angry, and carnivorous. "It was just a little-" He hesitated. "Intense."
"Usually the mutations aren't interested in eating us," the paleontologist acknowledged. "It's okay, Nick. I think even the French Fry's a little shaky over this one."
"No... it wasn't that." The biologist shook his head. "Or... part of it wasn't."
A red brow arched. "What?"
"I was angry," Nick admitted. "I felt like - like they shouldn't be here. Like they were trespassing." He ran a hand through dark hair, dislodged another fragment of carapace.
"Nick, they tried to eat your research assistant." Elsie nudged him in the ribs. "If that's not your territory, what is?"
"No, it wasn't- oh." His voice dropped to a whisper. "Oh, look."
Elsie tensed. "What?"
"Shhh." Two glossy black beetles, each over an inch long, were digging themselves out of the dirt. Orange marks gleamed on black carapaces as they clawed their way free; black wings buzzed like a bee, preparing for flight.
Footfalls behind them, as a dozen more beetles broke the surface. "Jefe?"
Nick raised a warning hand. "Easy, people. We've got an endangered species here."
"We do?" Daniel's voice; dazed, but with the first stirrings of curiosity. "What are they?"
"Nicrophorus americanus, I think," Nick said softly. "The American Burying Beetle."
Elsie brightened. "The Red Book silphid?"
"The one and only." Nick watched dark mandibles clean orange-knobbed antennae. "Last reintroduction I knew of was in Massachusetts."
She shrugged. "Maybe a grad student thought they'd make it here."
Mendel got down to watch. "What's so special about a bug?"
Nick pointed at disturbed dirt. "If you dug right down there, you'd find a skeleton. Bird, possibly small mammal." He watched the first pair take off. "Those were probably the parents. Somewhere around two months ago they found the carcass, buried it, and started raising their larvae."
"Ahhh...." Randy paled.
"It's already dead when they find it," Nick reassured him. "They're scavengers, not predators."
Monique studied the Halloween-colored insects in the fading light. "Beetles do not raise larvae."
"You've got to love biology," Elsie chuckled. "There's an exception to everything."
"Like wolf pups, on a small scale." Nick watched wings take the wind. "The parents feed them, protect them, take care of them." A wry smile touched his lips. "You wish some people would handle things that well."
"Vertebrate behavior's a little more complicated, Nicky."
"You really care that they make it." Daniel's tone was thoughtful.
"They've been around millions of years. They're part of the ecosystem. You don't let someone die just because the building's burning down." The biologist stared at the first pinpricks of stars. "Did you get in touch with your friend?"
"Ah... yeah. Thanks." The tall blond fumbled with black plastic, moved to hand it over-
Monique intercepted the phone.
Frowning, the biologist rose to his feet. Ordinarily their resident spy wanted them to take the phones everywhere. H.E.A.T. had a knack for ending up in dangerous situations at a moment's notice; communications had saved them more times than he could count.
But Monique didn't want him to take the phone back.
She thinks Daniel's dangerous, Nick realized. Why?
Wandering away from the rest of the civilians, Daniel leaned against a handy wall. General Hammond had told him in no uncertain terms to keep his head down, stay put, and wait for the plane Sam was on. Apparently Teal'c was needed to keep one stubborn Colonel in bed where he belonged.
Poor Teal'c.
Daniel took the opportunity to watch Tatopoulos' team coordinate with the rescue personnel. He'd been on the receiving end of Janet's staff often enough to appreciate the smooth rhythm H.E.A.T. helped establish, the quiet efficiency with which they separated the frightened from the hysterical from those bleeding over the concrete. They're good.
Apparently they'd also been lucky; the concourse had taken the only major hit. There were a multitude of minor injuries, but nothing the paramedics couldn't handle.
"Ecoute." A soft whisper in the night. Listen.
Daniel whirled - to meet a grip of steel.
Dark eyes probed him, searing as a staff blast. He felt something ruffle through his thoughts, fixing on alien worlds, a circle of shimmering silver-blue, the sun-topped pyramid that marked Earth-
"So." Monique's gaze was sad. "The ancient peril returns." Slim fingers pressed against his cheek. "Forget."
Major Sam Carter let out a relieved breath, spotting her target leaning against a wall. Dusty, water-stained, and a bit worn around the edges, but definitely in one piece. "Daniel?"
The archaeologist blinked, straightening with a shy smile. "Sam! Sorry. I guess – my mind was somewhere else...."
"Just as long as it's on the same planet," the astrophysicist joked, leading him toward the waiting jumpjet. The little jet was parked on one of the flatter stretches of asphalt, away from the few intact runways. "Wow. Godzilla really did a job on this place."
A frown creased Daniel's face. Puzzled brows drew down, as if chasing a thought; he shook his head in frustration. "Why didn't anyone ever tell me there was an eighteen-story lizard running around Earth?"
"Daniel, you read the report on Site Omega...." Sam caught the look of confusion as they boarded. "You didn't read the report?"
"What report?"
Sam sighed. "Daniel, we have got to do something about that black hole you call your office."
Waves sloshed against the H.E.A.T. Seeker's hull, catching shards of starlight. Soft snores echoed up from the hold; Elsie's quiet breaths, Randy's raspy rumble, the whistling sigh that meant Mendel was catching another cold. Perched on the rail, Monique Dupres gazed at the stars. So. It begins again. After so long....
Quiet footfall. "Something we should know about?"
Nick. Of course. "It is - personal."
The biologist nodded slowly. "If you ever want to talk...."
A dark brow slanted up. "I will, of course, know where you are."
Nick grinned. "Of course."
The agent listened to his footsteps retreat. Turned to the silent stars.
And smiled.