The Report, part 5

The staff car drove the four officers back to Cheyenne Mountain, and into the underground facility know to the outside world as NORAD. O'Neill led the way to the fist set of elevators, and they descended down into the depth of the base. They got out at the bottom of the first elevator shaft, and O'Neill led the way through the security checkpoint into the SGC itself. Clark and Chavez where impressed by the set-up, but felt it strange to see so many scientists walking around.

Carter recognized their confusion, "Most of our teams are off-world at the moment, so it's mainly the technical and support staff right now."

"It must take a lot of brainpower to run a place like this." Clark nodded.

"Well I wouldn't know anything about that sir." O'Neill smiled.

"This from a man with degrees in political science and astronomy." Clark raised an eyebrow.

Carter looked at her commanding officer, shocked.

O'Neill shrugged, embarrassed that someone had seen through his carefully constructed mask of ignorance, "Hey, I had to take the political science bit at the academy when I was doing OCS, and the astronomy's more of a hobby..."

Carter shook her head, "But all those times when you acted like you didn't know what you where doing?"

O'Neill looked increasingly uncomfortable, "The Arabs have a saying: Never tell anyone anything they don't ask."

Clark decided to save O'Neill any further embarrassment, and changed the topic, "Is it possible for us to see the Stargate?"

Carter nodded, and led the way to the control room.

Chavez whistled when he saw the Stargate through the bulletproof glass, "And you say that this thing was found in Egypt?"

"Yes, by a dig near the pyramids near Giza." Carter nodded, "It took years to work out what it was and how it worked."

Clark leaned forwards, "No wonder: doesn't look like much, certainly not like a device for space travel."

O'Neill nodded, trying to suppress memories of the first Abydos mission, "We better go; General Hammond is waiting."

Hammond was sat as his desk when the intercom sounded, "General, Col. O'Neill and Maj. Carter have returned with the two officers from the Pentagon."

Standing, Hammond pressed the send button, "Show them in."

The door opened, and O'Neill stepped thought, followed closely by a tall man in a Army Generals uniform, one star attached to his shoulder. An Army Major followed right behind him, and Carter brought up the rear. Hammond saluted, and then held out his hand, "General Clark, an honour to meet you."

Clark returned the salute, and then shook the offered hand, "Like wise, and please, call me John."

"Only if you call me George." Hammond smiled, "Please, take a seat. What can we do to help you?"

Clark smiled, sitting down across the desk from the SGC commander, "Well, to put it bluntly, we need proof that you are doing a good job so that President Ryan can tell Senator Kinsey where to get off."

O'Neill smiled, but his joy was short lived when the alarms started going off, "Unscheduled off world activation!" Followed shortly by, "Receiving Tok'ra GDO signal." Without saying a word, he stood and led the way to the control room.

To Be Continued…