Author's Notes: Still just for fun. thank you to those of you who reviewed; it's really quite encouraging. ;) Please keep reviewing and let me know if you think the characterization is right - sometimes I think I might be off.
Daniel stepped out into a throng of people, doing his best to ignore the offers for rides or translators. He readjusted the straps on his backpack and looked through the mass of people. Suddenly, he saw the person he was looking for and threw an arm into the air, waving. "Dr. Pendry!"
An older man, tanned from working long hours in the desert sun, was dressed much like Daniel in khakis and a light, cotton button down. He turned at the sound of the voice calling him. "Daniel!" He pushed up the sunglasses he was wearing into his greyish-white hair and moved forward to meet the younger man halfway. "How many times must I tell you: call me Kurt." He pumped Daniel's hand energetically and pulled him into a quick hug. "Ah, well, it's wonderful to see you!" Pendry held Daniel back at an arm's length and looked him over before smiling jovially. "You look good, my boy!" He paused again before slapping the younger man on the back and guiding him through the crowd. "Come, come."
Daniel walked where he was told, until he came upon an old, dilapidated jeep.
"Go on, go on." Pendry gestured as he himself walked round to the other side of the vehicle.
Obediently, Daniel dropped his backpack on the back seat and climbed in. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out the sun clip for his glasses and a bandanna. He settled himself and waited for the journey to begin.
"Didn't take you long to get comfortable, did it?" the older man asked, smiling.
Daniel returned the smile as Pendry turned the ignition and put the jeep in gear. "It's like riding a bike." He replied.
"I'm glad. Because we've got quite the ride yet." Dr. Pendry deftly guided them through crowded streets and errant pedestrians.
Daniel raised his eyebrows questioningly. "Yes. About that... where exactly are we going? Your emails were a little..." he searched for the proper word. "...vague."
A genial laugh escaped. "Yes! Vague, they were. I knew you couldn't resist so great a mystery!" Off the confused look of his companion, he continued. "You are rather predictable, aren't you? So are we all, in this field, I suppose." Pendry exposited. "Wave a rock, or in this case, the words 'untouched excavation' in front of us and off we go, wanting to examine it and determine what significance it may have. An interesting breed, archaeologists!"
Daniel frowned slightly as his friend unknowingly confirmed Jack O'Neill's sarcastic assessments of the character of SG1's civilian contingent.
Pendry saw the change in demeanor and continued. "Yes, well: back to the point! I assume you are still familiar with Assyro-Babylonian mythology?"
"Yes, of course." Daniel replied.
"Good! Good!" Pendry beamed, exclaiming enthusiastically. "We are driving far to the south. We have found something, Daniel!" His voice grew softer. "You remember Otto Farber?" the older man didn't wait for a response. "He has yet to tell us how, but he learned of a potential undisturbed site. He called a few of us together, and of course we were more than interested at the possibility of a new discovery, even if it seemed absolutely mad!" Pendry grew slightly reflective, but remained exuberant. "Of course, I think some of us were looking for an excuse to just be back out there, regardless of whether it was a wild goose chase."
Daniel's curiosity increased steadily. "And you found something." He attempted to bring his friend back from his tangent.
"Did we ever!" Now a little further out of the city crowds, Pendry was able to focus more completely on Daniel. "We have found the ruins of a small temple. It's entirely out in the middle of nowhere, which is probably why no one has discovered before now. And as I said, we still don't know how Otto found it, but you know about his... well, he's always had a few shady companions, hasn't he!" Daniel marveled at the man sitting next to him: what normally might have been taken as an insult came out more of a compliment. He couldn't help but be swept up in the enthusiasm.
"Well, this is certainly incredible, but... what do you need me for?" Though still excited about the potential for discovery, Daniel also couldn't help but wonder why he'd been called upon to participate.
"Ah. Yes." For the first time since picking up Daniel, Dr. Pendry was hesitant. "Well, to be perfectly honest, this site seems to have us all perplexed." Seeing the younger man's puzzled expression, he suddenly burst out, "Alright! We're stuck!" His confession out of the way, Pendry relaxed a little. "You see, Daniel, we've been out in the Iraqi desert for weeks now, and we don't seem to be making any headway. When we arrived, there were pillars visible, and we initially uncovered a relatively small structure, but there are no markings of any kind! We eventually managed to stumble upon what appears to be several storerooms. Elena of course, set right to work on examining the few ceramics and other such things that we found. There are some intriguing stones that we can't seem to get a hold on as well. That's about it I'm afraid." Pendry looked back over to the younger man sitting next to him. "We need a fresh, young mind, Daniel. And I'm afraid none of us have so vast an array of knowledge that you do." He smiled impishly. "But of course, if asked again, I will furiously deny ever having said that, as I'm sure our colleagues would, if ever they were even able to admit it themselves."
Daniel grinned shyly, modesty etched over his countenance. He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm happy to offer whatever assistance I can."
"Absolutely grand!" Pendry exclaimed.
"Will we be going directly to the site?" Daniel asked.
"No, no, my boy! We've been staying at an inn of sorts the past few weeks." The older man explained, then spoke under his breath, "quite honestly, we'd been waiting on tenterhooks for your response!" eliciting another smile from his companion. "Imagine the suspense! A bunch of relics ourselves, waiting to be rescued from archaeological hell by one so young as yourself!" he dismissed the apparently horrific thought with a shake of his head. "We'll meet up with everyone there."