"What did the President have to say this time?" Jack asked sitting in front of the General's desk next to Sam.
Hammond leaned back into his chair with a sigh. "He wasn't happy that Willow is here but since she is and already knows about the Goa'uld, we are authorized to make whatever deal we can to secure her assistance."
"Does he know that she's claiming to be a witch, Sir?" Jack still had a problem believing that.
"Not only that, but he confirmed it."
This time Sam spoke up. "Excuse me Sir, but how can he confirm that and still deny that this Initiative exists?"
"I don't know but he assured me that Willow Rosenberg is the genuine article.
"If this is true then what makes her different from everyone else and how does her powers work?" Sam wondered out loud.
"I imagine that the Initiative tried to answer those exact questions themselves." Jack suggested
"And you think they were hostile about it?" it clicked for Sam.
"They must not have been to friendly about it if Willow's reaction is any indication." Jack theorized.
"So any suggestions on how to convince Ms. Rosenberg to join us?" Hammond implored.
"I think that honesty is the best policy here. We've already seen her express dislike toward the Goa'uld. Maybe if we fill her in with some of the details on exactly what they're capable of she'll decide to look past her mistrust." Sam suggested.
"I agree with Carter. She did save Jarin, a complete stranger, and easily could've attacked us when she thought we were this Initiative, but she didn't; she investigated first. That says a lot about her. I still have trouble buying this whole witch thing; but if she can kill snakes as easy as she did that Ashrak, I don't care what she calls herself. Plus I don't think she'll turn her back when she finds out how much is at stake." Jack added.
*** *** ***
When Daniel and Willow arrived at the briefing room the remaining members of sg-1, Dr. Frasier, and Hammond were waiting for them.
"So what's the verdict?" Willow asked anxiously after she took a seat next to Daniel.
"The President was a little concerned when I told him you were here; but since you are, he gave the go ahead to bring you onboard. That is if you're willing to work with us." Hammond informed the witch from his seat.
"And if I'm not, then what?" Willow asked with a certain amount of distrust.
"Then we would hope that you would agree not to tell anyone about what you've learned."
"That's it?" She sounded surprised. "No threats no intimidation anything. You're just going to pat me on the head and send me on my way?"
"Other units might work that way but we don't." Jack was insulted.
"Oh really?" Willow replied curtly.
"Yes. Really." Jack shot back with a dirty look.
"Could you two not do that?" Hammond reprimanded. "You two sound like my granddaughters."
"Sorry Sir" Jack apologized.
"Me too, I'm sorry." Willow also said looking guilty.
The General nodded, "Good. Now can we all get back to business?"
Daniel casually leaned forward catching everyone's attention. "I think it would be better if Willow knew more of what we do here before she makes a decision."
"Agreed. Let's start with the basics first." Hammond suggested, "Doctor." He qued his C.M.O.
Dr. Frasier looked at the witch as she started her lecture
"Well, to start off with, the Goa'uld are parasitical. They take control of human hosts by attaching themselves to the brainstem."
"Whoa, hold up. Are you saying that the man I killed in the park was really a human being controlled by a goa'uld parasite?"
"Technically, yes."
"That means that I not only killed a goa'uld but an innocent human too." Willow's voice and face showed her horror at that thought.
Everyone in the room understood what she was feeling at that moment and silently sympathized.
Daniel was the first to try comforting her. "There wasn't anything else you could've done. The Goa'uld tend to hang on to a host for hundreds, sometimes thousands of years. In that time the host is subjected to countless physical and psychological traumas until their mind is destroyed."
"Daniel's right. There wasn't anything else you could've done." Jack added.
"Can't the parasite ---"
"Symbiote." Frasier corrected.
"Can't the 'symbiote' be removed? That would save the host, wouldn't it?" Willow questioned.
"It's not that easy. We don't have that ability, some of our allies do, but even then, sometimes the host doesn't survive the procedure." The doctor continued to explain.
"Oooh." Willow's voice dropped.
"So you see it was to late to save the host anyway." Jack consoled.
Willow collected herself. "What else? What do these guys do after they take over someone's body?"
This was Daniel's area of expertise. "The Goa'uld have a feudal culture. Where the top of the ladder is the system lords who each have their own empire and a number of minor goa'uld beneath them. Their ultimate goal is to conquer the entire universe. They accomplish this by using their advanced technology to pose as gods and jaffa armies to enforce their will on the planets under their control." He lectured.
"And you guys try to make sure that doesn't happen here."
"Right."
"That's what that big round thing that created the portal does. It takes you to other planets?" Willow only had to half guess.
This is where Sam picked up the lecture. "Yes, we call it a stargate. It is able to generate a stable wormhole that connects to any one of thousands of other stargates scattered across the galaxy."
"So, you just turn this stargate thing on, walk through and just like that" Willow snapped her fingers, "you're on another planet?"
"Kind' a cool ain't it." Jack piped up.
"And you do this a lot, go to other planets?"
"We have to. We need to make all the friends we can and find any new technology that we can use to keep the planet safe. In fact that's how we met Jarin. We brought him back from his homeworld and set him up here so he could help us develop a way to fight the Goa'uld." Daniel spoke up.
"You mean that guy, Jarin, is another alien? Why did he feel human then; and where is he now?"
"Probably because he is human. All throughout Earth's history the Goa'uld have transplanted people from here and placed them on other planets. And now the descendants of those people like Jarin are still out there. But since we don't know if another Ashrak will show up we had to relocate him."
"Ashrak?" Willow was confused. I thought he was a goa'uld?"
"An Ashrak is a goa'uld. The word Ashrak is what they call their assassins. Literally it means hunter." Daniel explained.
"Ooh. But if you guys have the stargate under guard, how did this Ashrak get here in the first place?"
"We don't know for sure. Right now the theory is that he managed to sneak here on a ship but so far we haven't been able to find it." Sam picked up.
"Ships, You mean they have spaceships! Why don't they just fly here and blow us up that way?"
"Oh they've tried but we managed to stop them so far." Jack's pride showed.
"But they're still trying." Willow deduced
"Yeah the protected planets treaty with the Asguard held them at bay for a while but now there's no way to enforce it anymore." Daniel said.
"O.K. you lost me there. Asguard? Protected planets?" Willow wanted an explanation.
"A few years ago, a very powerful race ---"
"The Asguard." Willow guessed.
"Right. Any way, they negotiated a treaty with the system lords that forbid them from attacking Earth. But now a system lord by the name of Annubus has acquired technology that surpasses even the Asguard's. Add to that; the Asguard are busy with their own problems and aren't in a position to help much anyway."
"So Earth is vulnerable again."
"Yes, the only thing stopping him so far is that we've managed to convince the other System Lords to team up against Annubus while we try to find a way to beat him for good."
"Will finding this Ashrak's ship help that much?" The redhead wanted to know.
"Maybe, we hope that it will have either more technology or perhaps provide some intelligence that we can use. And even if it doesn't, we still need to find it before a civilian does."
"Well then that'll be my first order of business." Willow declared.
"Does that mean you'll join us?" Hammond asked for clarification.
"Under a few conditions. One, I decide what, when and how I use my power as well as any other resources I have. Two, I get to bring someone else in on this. Thr--"
"Hang on what do you mean 'bring someone else in'. This isn't a ---" Jack started but was cut off.
"This is the way it works. You get a two for one or you get nothing."
"And who would this other person be, another witch I guess." Hammond asked.
"No, Kennedy is definitely not a witch. She's a slayer."
"And what exactly is a slayer?" Jack didn't know what he should think about someone called a slayer.
"A very powerful supernatural warrior."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow at the witch's answer but remained silent.
"Look we come as a package. Take it or leave it."
"What can this girl do?" Hammond asked.
"More than you might imagine." At everyone's stares she continued. "Look. Get back on the phone with the President or whoever you have to. In the meantime I'll see if I can find this ship."
"Just how are you goin' to do that when we haven't been able to? No, let me guess a magic spell." Jack scoffed
"Exactly, I'll just need a few supplies." Willow ignored the tone of Jack's voice.
"What exactly will you need?" Sam asked.
"To start with, a map of the area we think the ship is at and something that belonged to that goa'uld from the park. His knife or gauntlet will do. The rest of the stuff I'll have to get myself from a magic store.
"We can't let you leave here alone with goa'uld technology." Hammond informed flatly.
"Then I won't go alone." The witch rolled her eyes at the obvious solution.
"I'd like to go with her and observe this spell." Daniel volunteered.
"Me too Sir." Sam wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to see if she could find a scientific explanation for the witch's powers.
"Do you have any objections to Dr. Jackson and Major Carter accompanying you?" Hammond asked.
Willow thought a moment then answered. "No, they can tag along if they want. But this does bring me to my third condition. Like I said earlier, we have other responsibilities outside your jurisdiction or whatever you call it. That means that Kennedy and myself need to have complete freedom to come and go as we please in order to tend to these duties without interference. And there's no way we're going to live under a mountain; so we'll be getting our own place in town." Suddenly Willow stiffened. "Here we go again."
Before anyone could say anything else the alarms went off and a voice not Sergeant Stiller's came over the p.a. "Unscheduled Offworld Activation!"
"Does that happen every time we get to the good part" Willow asked no one particular as everyone rushed to the control room.
*** *** ***
"It's the Tok'ra, Sir." A man that was thinner and about 10 years younger than Stiller reported when Hammond walked up next to him.
"Open the iris." Hammond simply ordered.
Sam was already on her way down the stairs as the Iris slid back. A few seconds passed by then Jacob Carter stepped out of the blue wormhole.
"Stand down." Hammond ordered the guards over the speaker and the guards relaxed.
"Hi dad." Sam greeted her father at the foot of the ramp.
"Good to see you too Sam." The Tok'ra agent hugged his daughter. Looking up to see his friend General Hammond and the rest of his daughter's team enter the gateroom, he released her and moved toward them. That's when he noticed a pretty redheaded girl glaring at him with a look that he couldn't help but take as hostile.
"How are you Jacob?" Hammond asked with a handshake.
"I'm good. I understand you rescued one of our agents."
"It appears so. He's still unconscious but Doctor Frasier assures me that he is healing."
"Good." Then Jacob's attention turned to Willow, who was still glaring suspiciously at him. "And who is this?" He attempted to be friendly.
Sam noticed the look Willow was giving him and quickly spoke up. "Dad I would like you to meet Willow Rosenberg. Willow this is my dad, Jacob Carter and Selmak." She introduced.
Willow was feeling the same presence from Jacob that she felt from the goa'uld in the park and had silently gathered her power. However everyone's reactions to him made her ask. "O.k., you guys know that he's a goa'uld right?" her voice showed her wariness. "Why are you acting all buddy - buddy?"
Jacob's eyes flashed white as Selmak took over with the intent of making this human woman understand that the Tok'ra were not goa'ulds but Sam placed a firm hand on his chest preventing him from stepping forward. "It's o.k. Willow isn't quite up to speed on everything yet." She tried to calm him down.
Selmak relaxed his posture but still held an angry look on his face. "I came to see the operative you rescued so if I may I would like to see him now." He spoke with a reverberating voice.
"Of course." Hammond answered and started to lead the way out. The rest of them started to follow.
Daniel placed a hand on the witch's shoulder to get her attention and stopped her from following the rest of the people out of the gateroom. "The Tok'ra are very sensitive about being compared to the Goa'uld. They don't consider themselves the same species." Daniel explained.
"But they are the same species; I can feel it" Willow argued
"Technically that's true they are physiologically the same but they have drastically different philosophies. They don't take hosts against their wills and they have been at war with the Goa'uld for centuries." Daniel continued.
"You mean Sam's dad volunteered to let a symbiote live in his head? Why would anyone volunteer for that?"
"Come on." The archeologist gestured for the witch to follow him. "I'll explain while we catch up." And the two of them left the gateroom and headed for the elevator.