Friday Afternoon in the Universe: An Alias/Stargate SG-1 Crossover
by: Sam Lincoln
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Ruins found off-world land SG-1 in the middle of a secret war on Earth.
Disclaimer: Characters from Alias and Stargate SG-1 are not my intellectual property and are used without permission. No beatings, please
Friday Afternoon in the Universe: Chapter Two
-Boulder Colorado, +4 days-
Sloane looked around the warehouse they had converted into a staging area. Mercenaries bustled about, gathering equipment and loading it into a series of military trucks. Satisfied that the work was going smoothly Sloane returned his attention to the blueprints he, Derevko, Mayborne, and Sark were poring over.
"Obviously speed will be the key," Sark said. "We must subdue the base as quickly as possible to minimize the chance of someone pushing the panic button."
"And there is now way to cut off the base's lines of communication with the outside world?" Derevko asked.
Mayborne shook his head, "No, they have strict protocols in place. If the SGC does not report in to SAC on an hourly basis the rapid response team gets set in. If somebody pushes the panic button a flight of B2 bombers are scrambled with orders to bury the base. Finally the entire base is wired for self-destruction if the situation is deemed to dire. They take the risk of alien takeover very seriously."
"Which is nice to know but does not concern us," Sloane said to the group. "We are not a hostile alien takeover. They are not about to blow up their very expensive facitlity and kill all those people just because we take control. We aren't aliens after all." Sloane tapped the blueprints. "I am worried about the rapid response team. I'll want fire teams at every junction, and I want to be sure that the base personnel are locked away and cannot escape."
"We could kill them," Sark offered.
"No, I do not want to raise the stakes to that degree," Sloane said. "Hostages are better than corpses."
Sark nodded, "As you wish," Maybe wasn't sure, but it sounded like Sark was disappointed by Sloane's decision.
"There's one more thing," Mayborne said. "It is crucial that you keep control of the SGC while the team is off-world. There is no other way home."
"I figured as much," Sloane replied, "That's why I want you and Irina to stay behind and make sure we do not get cut off."
"But you need me there to help you work the gate," Mayborne protested.
"I am sure you can teach Mr. Sark and myself how to operate this gate. It is important Colonel that we have someone who understands the Air Force and how it collectively thinks to stay behind. I'm sorry, but you're the best qualified person to advice Irina in this matter."
Mayborne sighed and nodded his head. "You're right, I wasn't thinking clearly, my apologies."
"You thought that the information you provided gave you some clout, and it does, because you are here, but that is the extent of it." Sloane warned Mayborne. "During the operation Ms. Derevko is in charge, is that understood?"
Mayborne nodded, "Perfectly."
"Do you have anything else you'd like to add?" Sloane asked.
"I was just wondering how reliable these mercenaries of yours are."
"Reliable enough, they're all ex-Spetznatz or Stasi, so they have no love for the United States. Really the end of the Cold War was the best thing to happen to the international mercenary market."
Mayborne looked over at the mercenaries loading the truck and shuddered slightly.
-SGC
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Vaughn asked Sydney. They were standing in the large room that housed the Stargate. All around them men and women dressed in fatigues were bustling about the room checking crates of equipment.
Sydney was dressed in a set of fatigues that matched everyone else in the expedition. "I'll be fine," she shouted to Vaughn. Behind them the Stargate spun, dialing the coordinates of PX1121. Besides if anything goes wrong I'll have this," she hefted the M4 she had taken from the armory.
"She looks like a little kid playing soldier," Vaughn thought to himself. Sydney's face was almost engulfed by the helmet she was wearing. "Except she's not," he reminded himself. He only had to look into her eyes and see the steely determination to know that. "Ok, you be careful out there, I don't want to have to go through that thing to rescue you."
Sydney laughed, "And who's going to rescue you?"
Vaughn's reply was cut off by the gate's activation. "Miss Bristow, that's our cue, get the lead out!" Colonel O'Neil shouted.
Sydney smiled apologetically then kissed Vaughn. "I'll see you in a few days," she told him.
"I'll be right here," he promised.
Sydney rushed up the ramp to where the SG-1 team was standing. "Sorry sir, Agent Vaughn and I were reviewing some intelligence."
"Oh really, is that what the kids are calling it these days," O'Neil quipped. Out of the corner of her eye Sydney caught Major Carter trying to conceal a smile. "Ok people, let's get this dog and pony show on the move," O'Neill shouted before walking into the glowing blue pool of light.
Sydney watched as Dr. Jackson and Teal'c followed the colonel into the gate. She took a deep breath and slowly walked towards the shimmering pool of light. She was so transfixed by the gate that she failed to notice Major Carter sidle up next to her.
"So are you and Agent Vaughn an item?" Carter asked Sydney.
"What?" Sydney asked in disbelief.
"You and Agent Vaughn. I saw the kiss you laid on him back there, and it wasn't a kiss you'd give a coworker." As Carter spoke she gently pushed Sydney towards the gate.
Sydney smiled, "Yeah we're dating."
"Well let me say you've got good taste. He's pretty cute. Oops, take a deep breath," Carter advised Sydney.
"What?" Sydney started to ask when Carter shoved her into the gate.
Vaughn watched the rest of the expedition enter the gate before turning to face General Hammond. "So that's it? He asked as the gate closed. "They're out there now?"
Hammond nodded, "That's how it works."
"And we have no way of knowing if they arrived safely?"
"Colonel O'Neil radioed in when he arrived on the planet and they will continue to check in on an hourly basis."
"But other than that we just have to wait?"
"Mr. Vaughn what makes you think I like that anymore than you do? Do you think I enjoy sending my people out there with only one way home?" Hammond snapped.
Vaughn winced. "I'm sorry, this has all been extremely strange, even for me."
"That's alright son, now why don't we go check up on your tech expert."
"You're keeping away from any alien technology you might have, right?"
"Why, would that be a problem? Your man has all the necessary clearances."
"He might, but Marshall can get a little overly enthusiastic when he comes across some new gadget. He might try to take it apart to figure out how it works."
"Then we definitely need to check on Mr. Flinkman," Hammond said with a chuckle. "The labs are down this hall, follow me please." Hammond lead Vaughn out of the gate room.
-PX1121
Sydney stumbled out of the gate and nearly collided with Colonel O'Neil in the process. She turned and glared at Major Carter who arrived shortly after she did. "What was that for?" Sydney demanded.
"People sometimes have a problem going through the gate their first time," Carter explained. "I just made sure you got that extra push."
"Ok people, fan out in a standard defensive perimeter," O'Neil ordered. "We've got to wait for the science team." He reached for his radio, "SGC this is O'Neil, send in the nerds."
"They really don't like it when you call them that Jack," Daniel pointed out.
O'Neil adjusted his sunglasses. "Well tough, I don't really like being here but you don't see me complaining."
"Actually sir..." Carter started to say.
"If you finish that sentence major your next duty assignment will be in Nome Alaska," O'Neil threatened.
"Understood sir," Carter replied deadpan.
"Teal'c, Daniel, wait for the science team to arrive, Carter, myself and the spook will go make sure nothing scary has moved into the temple."
"Is he always this..." Sydney started to say.
"Grouchy?" The older woman offered.
"I was going to asshole, but grouchy works to."
"The Colonel does a good job of looking prickly, but his bark is worse than his bite," Carter explained.
"Unless he decides to take a potshot at you."
"Well true, but the Colonel would never do that...unless you were a goa'uld, or a jaffa, or a...but that's not the point."
Sydney arched an eyebrow, "So what is the point?"
"The point is that Colonel O'Neil is a good soldier and a good man...he's just...crabby today."
Sydney nodded but didn't reply. Instead she looked around. "It's hard to believe," she muttered to herself.
"What was that?" Carter asked.
"OH I just can't believe I'm standing on a different planet," Sydney said. "It doesn't look that much different from Earth."
"Pretty cool isn't it?" Carter enthusiastically said. "That's the best part of this job, the exploring."
"What's the worst part?"
"Everything else," the two women smiled at Carter's joke. "So what's it like working for the CIA?"
Sydney frowned. "If it wasn't for some special circumstances I would have quit already."
Carter raised her eyebrows, "That bad huh?"
"It's the lies, they start to grind you down...I can't really talk about it."
"Hello, we're standing on an alien planet, I've got all the security clearance I need."
"No," Sydney said. "You don't." She increased her pace to catch up with Colonel O'Neil.
Carter frowned. "I'm pretty sure I do," she said mostly to herself.
"I don't want to sound like a little brat," Sydney told O'Neil, "but are we there yet?"
"Should be around here someplace," he muttered. "Hey Carter!" O'Neil shouted, "It was just across that tree line, right?"
Sydney stared at the colonel. "You don't know where it is, do you?"
"That's a harsh way of putting it. I've got the general idea, it's that way." O'Neil pointed to his left.
"Actually sir the temple is in the opposite direction," Carter patiently said and pointed to the right.
"It's not like I come here on vacations or anything," O'Neil grumbled.
"Of course sir."
O'Neil had his back to Carter so he could not see her face. "Are you smirking Major?"
"Smirking sir? No sir." Cater said with her hand covering her mouth.
"Good, because you know what happens if I catch you smirking."
"Nome sir?"
"Damn straight Nome. Have you ever been to Nome Major? It's very cold."
"So I've heard sir," Carter replied.
"Do I have permission to smirk sir?" Sydney asked as innocently as possible.
"You're CIA I expect you to smirk, and sneer, and skulk, and a whole bunch of other words that begin with s."
"You don't care much for the CIA do you?" Sydney observed.
"See, that's what I'm talking about, you find out the most obvious things and try o pass it off as great insight. You act like you know better than the rest of us when in actual fact most of the time you're just guessing."
"Colonel, I'm a field agent. I put my life on the line just as often as you do. I've spent the past year and a half in an undercover assignment where one slip meant I was dead. If you've got a beef with the analysts at Langley fine, but don't take it out on me because I've been there too!" Sydney snapped.
"Whoa, ease up there Miss Bristow. I wasn't trying to question your bravery. It's just that most, if not all, of the CIA agents I've met have been unmitigated sons of bitches. Guys out there with their own private agendas. So you'll have to excuse me if I don't care much for the CIA."
"Let me let you in on a little secret Colonel. Neither do I, but I have a job to do and I'm not going to let my personal feelings affect my job."
Carter raised her eyebrows and looked at O'Neil. "What?" O'Neil asked his subordinate.
"I think you owe someone an apology," Carter said.
"Like hell I do," O'Neil insisted. "I could be out fishing, but instead I'm on this forsake rock, and all because a couple stones look kind of like some stones on earth. Which, in case you haven't noticed is only accessible through the gate that we control."
Sydney shrugged, "I've been trying to go to San Diego for months and something at work always pops up. Sorry if I don't weep for you."
"You don't put up with much crap do you?" O'Neil noted.
"Not if I can help it," Sydney replied. "And especially when it gets in the way of my mission."
O'Neil stared at Sydney. "You know, if you weren't a CIA spook I might actually like you. Might," he added.
"And if you weren't a dumb grunt I might think you were competent," Sydney replied. "Might," she mimicked.
"This is going to be a long mission," Carter said to herself as the trio walked towards the temple's location.
"See, I told you I knew where it was," O'Neil said as the temple came into view.
"That's somewhat debatable," Sydney muttered to herself.
"So what do you make of it?" Carter asked Sydney.
"It's very big."
"Is that all you've got?" O'Neill asked.
"Rambaldi didn't build any temples like this on Earth. I'm just as in the dark as you are."
"Good to know the experts are here," O'Neil grumbled.
"Maybe I'll see something that looks familiar," Sydney said as she walked up to the temple's main gate. When she passed under the archway of the main gate a blue flash shot along the temple walls.
"Whoa, that was different," O'Neil observed.
-to be continued-