Cheyenne Mountain complex, Level 28, Colorado
"Off world activation. Off world activation. Incoming wormhole." There was a slight pause. "Its SG2, sir." Sgt. Davis turned and glanced up at General Hammond, who nodded.
"Open the iris."
Jack wandered into the control room, and nodded at Davis & General Hammond.
"SG3, hunh. Wonder if Ferretti found anything interesting. Planets supposed to be uninhabited, right?"
Hammond nodded. "According to the MALP readings, it is."
Jack sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes. The infamous MALP readings. We all know how accurate those are."
By now SG3 was through the Stargate, and it had shut itself off. The colonel followed the general down the gate roomy greet the newly arrived team.
Jack was glad to notice no obvious wounds, broken bones or other injuries. Hell, no one as even sunburned. That's always a good sign for any of the SGC teams, but especially for SG1 & SG2. As it was, Dr. Janet Fraiser, CMO here at Cheyenne Mountain, was put on stand by every time that SG1 went off world. She was also alerted every time that SG2 went off world, because usually when SG2 went off world, it was usually to back up, or rescue, SG1.
Most of the other teams were ok. They got the usually run of injuries, pulled muscles, sprains, sometimes broken bones, and wounds from fire-fights, but it seemed that teams 1 & 2 got most of the snake-head's attentions. No one was able to find out if they were blessed or cursed on that score.
"Welcome back, any problems?" the general tried to be subtle about it, but he was visually checking each individual team member over, looking for anything wrong.
"Well, no problems...per say." That was Louis Ferretti, leader of SG2. "But the planet wasn't as uninhabited as we thought."
"See! What'd I tell you! Stupid MALPs." Jack smirked.
General Hammond frowned repressively at him, and turned back to Ferretti. "I'm guessing that you made contact with the natives?"
Ferretti shrugged, and looked sheepish. "Well...kinda. About 2 hours into the mission, we thought we kept hearing someone...or something, following us. But we never saw anything, other than a few birds. They looked kinda like crows...or ravens, we couldn't figure that part out. The strange thing was, sir, is that they appeared to be following us."
Jack looked startled for a minute, but shook his head at the General's questioning look. "Just a thought, nothing important. Continue on."
Ferretti glanced at him, curiosity plain on his face, but kept going. "Well, two days ago when we were setting up camp for the night, one of those birds flies in and lands on one of the packs. Next thing we know, a man walks out of the trees, and I swear, General, he wasn't there two seconds ago. He just walks into the camp, and perches himself on a rock. And I do mean "perch." If he'd had feathers, him and the bird could've been twins. Anyhow, we kind of just stood there for a few minutes, until suddenly he grinned at us. Calmly introduces himself as Derick Blackfeather. In English, non the less." Ferretti paused, and shook his head in obvious amazement.
"Said that he'd been waiting for us, but that we weren't the ones that he was looking for. Told us that the planet was totally safe, and to enjoy the fine evening, and the respite from the, get this, snakes."
Jack and the General exchanged a startled glance, because in all their travels, SG1 and the Tau'ri were the only ones who used that expression. Everyone else called them Gods, Goa'uld, or parasites. For this stranger to have used the expression was an anomaly.
"And then, he just...disappeared. As if into thin air. And the bird just flew off. If I hadn't been wide awake, I'd have sworn that it was either a dream or a hallucination. Except, there were these two black feathers laying where the man, Derick, had been sitting. See?"
And he held up two black feathers, feathers so black, they looked blue. General Hammond took the feathers, looked at them briefly, and handed them to Jack.
"Head over to the infirmary, get yourselves checked out, just in case. Briefing at 13:00."
"Yes, sir." Ferretti saluted, and him and his team slowly walked out of the room, with Ferretti glancing back, just as they exited.
"What do you think of this, Jack?" When he got no reply, he looked at Jack. He was staring at the feathers in his hand.
"Jack?"
Jack looked up, and said, "I think we need to talk to Daniel about this one, sir."
"And why is that, Colonel?"
"Because we were just talking a bout crows and ravens earlier today. And all the myths and legends that surround them. And when it comes to Daniel, I don't take coincidences well, sir."
The General looked startled for a moment, then nodded. "Neither do I, son, neither do I. Brief him on what Ferretti just told us, and have him come to the briefing. In fact, get your whole team up to speed. I have the feeling that they'll all be involved in this one."
Jack nodded, and headed towards the door. "Me too, Sir, me too."
Jack found Daniel exactly where he thought he'd find him: sitting in front of the computer, book in one hand, mouse in the other, and surrounded in notes. Two half-empty coffee cups sat on the desk, both stone cold. Sitting on the corner of the desk was a small statue that Jack had never seen before. But then, there were a lot of things in Daniel's office that he'd never seen before. Or at least claimed that he'd never seen before. But this statue was a bit different then the usual, and he used the term "usual" very loosely, considering the job they did, artifacts that graced his desk. It was about 4 inches tall, and looked to be carved from either onyx or obsidian. And it was a large bird, obviously a crow. It rested rather precariously on the edge, and when Jack nudged it more fully onto the table, it seemed warm to the touch.
"So. Tell me, what is it, where's it native to, what stories and legends does it come with, and why is it following you?"
Startled, Daniel looked up at Jack, automatically opening his mouth to answer, then paused. Jack could tell that Daniel's over-active mind had finally registered the questions.
"How did...?"
"How did I know that you'd look it up the first chance you could? Because I know you. You didn't know, so you had to know. Besides that, two reasons. One, it's a puzzle to you, and you love puzzles."
Jack paused, staring at the statue. "Did that just move?"
"Did what just move? The statue? Jack. It's a statue. Statues don't move."
"Yeahsureyoubetcha."
Daniel waited expectantly, but it seemed that Jack was lost in thought.
"Jack. And two?"
Jack sighed. "And two, you seem to have this uncanny knack for finding out information just before we need it. And now, we need to know about crows and ravens. And their legends, and myths."
"Hunh?" A blank, astonished look crossed Daniel's face. "I do?"
"Come on, I'll explain everything once we've got Teal'c and Carter."
"Yeahsureyoubetcha." Daniel grabbed his copious amounts of notes, his cold coffee, a couple of pens, and the book that he'd been looking at when Jack came into the room, and followed Jack out of the room.
Neither of them noticed the small statue that was still sitting on Daniel's desk. It seemed to shudder silently, feathers slowly ruffling, then settling back down. The only other thing that move was its silver-bright eyes, slowly following the two men out of the room. And then it settled down to wait.
"Off world activation. Off world activation. Incoming wormhole." There was a slight pause. "Its SG2, sir." Sgt. Davis turned and glanced up at General Hammond, who nodded.
"Open the iris."
Jack wandered into the control room, and nodded at Davis & General Hammond.
"SG3, hunh. Wonder if Ferretti found anything interesting. Planets supposed to be uninhabited, right?"
Hammond nodded. "According to the MALP readings, it is."
Jack sarcastically rolled his eyes. "Ah, yes. The infamous MALP readings. We all know how accurate those are."
By now SG3 was through the Stargate, and it had shut itself off. The colonel followed the general down the gate roomy greet the newly arrived team.
Jack was glad to notice no obvious wounds, broken bones or other injuries. Hell, no one as even sunburned. That's always a good sign for any of the SGC teams, but especially for SG1 & SG2. As it was, Dr. Janet Fraiser, CMO here at Cheyenne Mountain, was put on stand by every time that SG1 went off world. She was also alerted every time that SG2 went off world, because usually when SG2 went off world, it was usually to back up, or rescue, SG1.
Most of the other teams were ok. They got the usually run of injuries, pulled muscles, sprains, sometimes broken bones, and wounds from fire-fights, but it seemed that teams 1 & 2 got most of the snake-head's attentions. No one was able to find out if they were blessed or cursed on that score.
"Welcome back, any problems?" the general tried to be subtle about it, but he was visually checking each individual team member over, looking for anything wrong.
"Well, no problems...per say." That was Louis Ferretti, leader of SG2. "But the planet wasn't as uninhabited as we thought."
"See! What'd I tell you! Stupid MALPs." Jack smirked.
General Hammond frowned repressively at him, and turned back to Ferretti. "I'm guessing that you made contact with the natives?"
Ferretti shrugged, and looked sheepish. "Well...kinda. About 2 hours into the mission, we thought we kept hearing someone...or something, following us. But we never saw anything, other than a few birds. They looked kinda like crows...or ravens, we couldn't figure that part out. The strange thing was, sir, is that they appeared to be following us."
Jack looked startled for a minute, but shook his head at the General's questioning look. "Just a thought, nothing important. Continue on."
Ferretti glanced at him, curiosity plain on his face, but kept going. "Well, two days ago when we were setting up camp for the night, one of those birds flies in and lands on one of the packs. Next thing we know, a man walks out of the trees, and I swear, General, he wasn't there two seconds ago. He just walks into the camp, and perches himself on a rock. And I do mean "perch." If he'd had feathers, him and the bird could've been twins. Anyhow, we kind of just stood there for a few minutes, until suddenly he grinned at us. Calmly introduces himself as Derick Blackfeather. In English, non the less." Ferretti paused, and shook his head in obvious amazement.
"Said that he'd been waiting for us, but that we weren't the ones that he was looking for. Told us that the planet was totally safe, and to enjoy the fine evening, and the respite from the, get this, snakes."
Jack and the General exchanged a startled glance, because in all their travels, SG1 and the Tau'ri were the only ones who used that expression. Everyone else called them Gods, Goa'uld, or parasites. For this stranger to have used the expression was an anomaly.
"And then, he just...disappeared. As if into thin air. And the bird just flew off. If I hadn't been wide awake, I'd have sworn that it was either a dream or a hallucination. Except, there were these two black feathers laying where the man, Derick, had been sitting. See?"
And he held up two black feathers, feathers so black, they looked blue. General Hammond took the feathers, looked at them briefly, and handed them to Jack.
"Head over to the infirmary, get yourselves checked out, just in case. Briefing at 13:00."
"Yes, sir." Ferretti saluted, and him and his team slowly walked out of the room, with Ferretti glancing back, just as they exited.
"What do you think of this, Jack?" When he got no reply, he looked at Jack. He was staring at the feathers in his hand.
"Jack?"
Jack looked up, and said, "I think we need to talk to Daniel about this one, sir."
"And why is that, Colonel?"
"Because we were just talking a bout crows and ravens earlier today. And all the myths and legends that surround them. And when it comes to Daniel, I don't take coincidences well, sir."
The General looked startled for a moment, then nodded. "Neither do I, son, neither do I. Brief him on what Ferretti just told us, and have him come to the briefing. In fact, get your whole team up to speed. I have the feeling that they'll all be involved in this one."
Jack nodded, and headed towards the door. "Me too, Sir, me too."
Jack found Daniel exactly where he thought he'd find him: sitting in front of the computer, book in one hand, mouse in the other, and surrounded in notes. Two half-empty coffee cups sat on the desk, both stone cold. Sitting on the corner of the desk was a small statue that Jack had never seen before. But then, there were a lot of things in Daniel's office that he'd never seen before. Or at least claimed that he'd never seen before. But this statue was a bit different then the usual, and he used the term "usual" very loosely, considering the job they did, artifacts that graced his desk. It was about 4 inches tall, and looked to be carved from either onyx or obsidian. And it was a large bird, obviously a crow. It rested rather precariously on the edge, and when Jack nudged it more fully onto the table, it seemed warm to the touch.
"So. Tell me, what is it, where's it native to, what stories and legends does it come with, and why is it following you?"
Startled, Daniel looked up at Jack, automatically opening his mouth to answer, then paused. Jack could tell that Daniel's over-active mind had finally registered the questions.
"How did...?"
"How did I know that you'd look it up the first chance you could? Because I know you. You didn't know, so you had to know. Besides that, two reasons. One, it's a puzzle to you, and you love puzzles."
Jack paused, staring at the statue. "Did that just move?"
"Did what just move? The statue? Jack. It's a statue. Statues don't move."
"Yeahsureyoubetcha."
Daniel waited expectantly, but it seemed that Jack was lost in thought.
"Jack. And two?"
Jack sighed. "And two, you seem to have this uncanny knack for finding out information just before we need it. And now, we need to know about crows and ravens. And their legends, and myths."
"Hunh?" A blank, astonished look crossed Daniel's face. "I do?"
"Come on, I'll explain everything once we've got Teal'c and Carter."
"Yeahsureyoubetcha." Daniel grabbed his copious amounts of notes, his cold coffee, a couple of pens, and the book that he'd been looking at when Jack came into the room, and followed Jack out of the room.
Neither of them noticed the small statue that was still sitting on Daniel's desk. It seemed to shudder silently, feathers slowly ruffling, then settling back down. The only other thing that move was its silver-bright eyes, slowly following the two men out of the room. And then it settled down to wait.