*******
The four of them stood in front of the gate, the wormhole open. One of the MALPS had gone through, and Mulder and Scully had seen the images it had sent back. Jack was grinning. Mulder's mouth was open, and for once he was silent.
"I don't believe it." Scully said. "I can see it, but I don't believe it. It's impossible.".
"That's what I thought at first." said Sam, then turned to Scully. The two of them launched into a high speed conversation that was so full of techno-babble that the two men couldn't understand a word they said. Mulder and Jack watched as the two scientists tossed theories back and forth, and talked in words of no less than four syllables.
"Yours does that too huh?" Mulder asked.
"Oh yeah." Jack replied.
"Jack, why are you showing two complete strangers the gate?" a slightly petulant voice came from the control room.
"It's ok, Danny." replied Jack patiently. "They're FBI agents.".
"Oh good, that makes it a whole lot better." Daniel replied, almost as sarcastically as Jack.
The four of them moved up to the conference room to join Daniel and Teal'c. Jack left last, and he couldn't help but see how Mulder laid his hand lightly on the small of Scully's back as they left the room, how he bent his head down to listen intently to what she said, how she nodded, and smiled up at him. They seemed so close, so wrapped up in each other. Jack almost envied them. Jack couldn't help but wonder, how did he and Sam appear to them? Did they seem close? Did Mulder watch Jack sharing a joke with Sam, silently holding the door open for her in a moment of unspoken communication? Did he even take his eyes off Scully long enough to notice Sam and Jack?
Mulder didn't, but Scully did. Scully noticed the touching, the closeness. She'd noticed the pride in Jack's eyes when Sam had been explaining the physics of the gate to her. Scully had been semi-aware of Mulder's feelings for her for a while now, ever since that interrupted kiss in the hall, but she'd held back, afraid of upsetting the delicate balance of their relationship. Now she was aware that Colonel O'Neill felt the same way about Captain Carter, but he was holding back.
Scully could also see that Captain Carter had no idea of what the Colonel felt for her.
"Daniel, Teal'c, this is Agents Mulder and Scully. Agents, this is our archeologist, linguist and all round know-it-all, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."
Scully held her hand out to Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, I've heard of you. I studied some of your papers during some research I was doing into ancient myths of UFO's. I was very impressed.".
"Thank you!" Daniel stammered.
Mulder stared at Scully in surprise.
"Do you know EVERYONE?" he whispered in her ear. She just smiled enigmatically.
"Teal'c, is an alien." Jack mentioned casually. "Agent Scully doesn't believe in aliens." he explained to Teal'c.
"Ah." said Teal'c. "Maybe I should show her 'Junior'.".
"Junior?" Scully asked.
"It is is the nickname Colonel O'Neill has given my symbiont.".
"Symbiont?".
Teal'c stood up and pulled up his t-shirt. Scully saw the cross cut into his stomach. Then she saw Junior, poking his head out. Jack winced, and looked away. Scully just stared.
"Scully?" Mulder asked.
"I...I really have nothing to say right now." Scully replied.
Jack smiled, then asked Mulder to tell him what he knew.
"We were following up an abortive mission we'd made to Area 51 some time back. We'd failed to enter the base last time, and we'd thought we'd try again. We got in, although I suspect we had help from an unknown source on the base. Someone high enough to look the other way for us. Once we got in, we saw..we saw that death glider, amazing things. Well, you know. You saw them first.
Then we found ourselves eavesdropping on a conversation. Maybourne, and an unknown official. Maybourne had flooded the base with soldiers. He mentioned that he'd seen to it that SGC would be empty on the Fourth, and that then would be the perfect time, then he made a crappy joke about Independence Day.
We managed to leave, again unseen, and we both got the impression that our unknown source had wanted us to overhear Maybourne's conversation. We guessed he wanted us to bring the information here. We got an ...acquaintance to track down this place, and here we are.". Mulder looked round at the suddenly serious faces around him.
"Do you know this Maybourne?" Scully asked.
"Oh yes. A bastard. A complete bastard." Jack replied.
"I wish we knew what he was up to." Sam said. Jack got up.
"Only one way to find out." he said. "I'm going there. Want to come?" he said, turning to Mulder.
"I don't think we can sneak in a second time." said Mulder.
"I have clearance. No need for sneaking. Daniel, you come with us. If anyone wants to know why we're there, you're checking up on that Heliopolis stuff. Carter, try and hack into their computers, find out what's going on. Just do science stuff.".
"I'll stay and help." offered Scully. Mulder looked across. 'Are you sure?' his eyes asked. Her smile answered yes.
"Captain Carter, I'm leaving you in charge of SGC.".
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Are you sure?" she asked. He smiled at the sudden apprehension in her eyes.
"Who else can I leave in charge? You can do it Sam, you're perfectly capable. I trust you completly." He leaned forward, and lowered his voice. "I'm leaving Teal'c here. If anything happens, just stay behind him. He could probably stop a nuclear bomb in its tracks.".
"Sir, I'm..."
"...perfectly capable of looking after yourself, I know. I just have a really bad feeling about all this, and I don't want to come back and find you dead. Is that clear Captain.?".
She would have argued more, but she was struck by the sudden concern in Jack's eyes. He really was worried. Things must be worse than she suspected, and he was right. Tough as she was, Teal'c was tougher, and she had other work to do. She nodded, then turned to Scully, thus missing the relief in Jack's eyes.
"Scully, if anything happens, get behind the big guy and stay there." Mulder whispered to Scully.
"Mulder.." she said, experasted.
"Scully, I know you're a trained FBI agent, but I have a bad feeling about all this, and if something happens here, I don't think you can deal with it alone. Stay safe Scully. Promise me?" He pulled her towards him slightly, bending down so his face was mere centimetres from hers. She nodded slightly.
"You too." she said.
"I promise." he whispered. They stayed like that a moment, gazing at each other. Partings had become more difficult since he had almost lost her.She moved away, and broke the spell. He glanced up to see O'Neill talking to Teal'c. Teal'c glanced towards Carter and Scully, and nodded slightly, then Mulder joined O'Neill and Jackson, and they left for the helicopter pad.
Sam watched Jack leave, nodding to her slightly as he did so. Scully watched Mulder leave, smiling to her as he did so. They felt oddly bereft. Sam took a deep breath.
"Right." she said briskly, trying to shake off the dark mood that had suddenly landed on her. "I'll show you the lab, and we'll get started.".
*******************
The four of them stood in front of the gate, the wormhole open. One of the MALPS had gone through, and Mulder and Scully had seen the images it had sent back. Jack was grinning. Mulder's mouth was open, and for once he was silent.
"I don't believe it." Scully said. "I can see it, but I don't believe it. It's impossible.".
"That's what I thought at first." said Sam, then turned to Scully. The two of them launched into a high speed conversation that was so full of techno-babble that the two men couldn't understand a word they said. Mulder and Jack watched as the two scientists tossed theories back and forth, and talked in words of no less than four syllables.
"Yours does that too huh?" Mulder asked.
"Oh yeah." Jack replied.
"Jack, why are you showing two complete strangers the gate?" a slightly petulant voice came from the control room.
"It's ok, Danny." replied Jack patiently. "They're FBI agents.".
"Oh good, that makes it a whole lot better." Daniel replied, almost as sarcastically as Jack.
The four of them moved up to the conference room to join Daniel and Teal'c. Jack left last, and he couldn't help but see how Mulder laid his hand lightly on the small of Scully's back as they left the room, how he bent his head down to listen intently to what she said, how she nodded, and smiled up at him. They seemed so close, so wrapped up in each other. Jack almost envied them. Jack couldn't help but wonder, how did he and Sam appear to them? Did they seem close? Did Mulder watch Jack sharing a joke with Sam, silently holding the door open for her in a moment of unspoken communication? Did he even take his eyes off Scully long enough to notice Sam and Jack?
Mulder didn't, but Scully did. Scully noticed the touching, the closeness. She'd noticed the pride in Jack's eyes when Sam had been explaining the physics of the gate to her. Scully had been semi-aware of Mulder's feelings for her for a while now, ever since that interrupted kiss in the hall, but she'd held back, afraid of upsetting the delicate balance of their relationship. Now she was aware that Colonel O'Neill felt the same way about Captain Carter, but he was holding back.
Scully could also see that Captain Carter had no idea of what the Colonel felt for her.
"Daniel, Teal'c, this is Agents Mulder and Scully. Agents, this is our archeologist, linguist and all round know-it-all, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c."
Scully held her hand out to Daniel. "Dr. Jackson, I've heard of you. I studied some of your papers during some research I was doing into ancient myths of UFO's. I was very impressed.".
"Thank you!" Daniel stammered.
Mulder stared at Scully in surprise.
"Do you know EVERYONE?" he whispered in her ear. She just smiled enigmatically.
"Teal'c, is an alien." Jack mentioned casually. "Agent Scully doesn't believe in aliens." he explained to Teal'c.
"Ah." said Teal'c. "Maybe I should show her 'Junior'.".
"Junior?" Scully asked.
"It is is the nickname Colonel O'Neill has given my symbiont.".
"Symbiont?".
Teal'c stood up and pulled up his t-shirt. Scully saw the cross cut into his stomach. Then she saw Junior, poking his head out. Jack winced, and looked away. Scully just stared.
"Scully?" Mulder asked.
"I...I really have nothing to say right now." Scully replied.
Jack smiled, then asked Mulder to tell him what he knew.
"We were following up an abortive mission we'd made to Area 51 some time back. We'd failed to enter the base last time, and we'd thought we'd try again. We got in, although I suspect we had help from an unknown source on the base. Someone high enough to look the other way for us. Once we got in, we saw..we saw that death glider, amazing things. Well, you know. You saw them first.
Then we found ourselves eavesdropping on a conversation. Maybourne, and an unknown official. Maybourne had flooded the base with soldiers. He mentioned that he'd seen to it that SGC would be empty on the Fourth, and that then would be the perfect time, then he made a crappy joke about Independence Day.
We managed to leave, again unseen, and we both got the impression that our unknown source had wanted us to overhear Maybourne's conversation. We guessed he wanted us to bring the information here. We got an ...acquaintance to track down this place, and here we are.". Mulder looked round at the suddenly serious faces around him.
"Do you know this Maybourne?" Scully asked.
"Oh yes. A bastard. A complete bastard." Jack replied.
"I wish we knew what he was up to." Sam said. Jack got up.
"Only one way to find out." he said. "I'm going there. Want to come?" he said, turning to Mulder.
"I don't think we can sneak in a second time." said Mulder.
"I have clearance. No need for sneaking. Daniel, you come with us. If anyone wants to know why we're there, you're checking up on that Heliopolis stuff. Carter, try and hack into their computers, find out what's going on. Just do science stuff.".
"I'll stay and help." offered Scully. Mulder looked across. 'Are you sure?' his eyes asked. Her smile answered yes.
"Captain Carter, I'm leaving you in charge of SGC.".
Her eyes widened in shock.
"Are you sure?" she asked. He smiled at the sudden apprehension in her eyes.
"Who else can I leave in charge? You can do it Sam, you're perfectly capable. I trust you completly." He leaned forward, and lowered his voice. "I'm leaving Teal'c here. If anything happens, just stay behind him. He could probably stop a nuclear bomb in its tracks.".
"Sir, I'm..."
"...perfectly capable of looking after yourself, I know. I just have a really bad feeling about all this, and I don't want to come back and find you dead. Is that clear Captain.?".
She would have argued more, but she was struck by the sudden concern in Jack's eyes. He really was worried. Things must be worse than she suspected, and he was right. Tough as she was, Teal'c was tougher, and she had other work to do. She nodded, then turned to Scully, thus missing the relief in Jack's eyes.
"Scully, if anything happens, get behind the big guy and stay there." Mulder whispered to Scully.
"Mulder.." she said, experasted.
"Scully, I know you're a trained FBI agent, but I have a bad feeling about all this, and if something happens here, I don't think you can deal with it alone. Stay safe Scully. Promise me?" He pulled her towards him slightly, bending down so his face was mere centimetres from hers. She nodded slightly.
"You too." she said.
"I promise." he whispered. They stayed like that a moment, gazing at each other. Partings had become more difficult since he had almost lost her.She moved away, and broke the spell. He glanced up to see O'Neill talking to Teal'c. Teal'c glanced towards Carter and Scully, and nodded slightly, then Mulder joined O'Neill and Jackson, and they left for the helicopter pad.
Sam watched Jack leave, nodding to her slightly as he did so. Scully watched Mulder leave, smiling to her as he did so. They felt oddly bereft. Sam took a deep breath.
"Right." she said briskly, trying to shake off the dark mood that had suddenly landed on her. "I'll show you the lab, and we'll get started.".
*******************