Disclaimer: If either of these series belonged to me, I think you'd know about it :)
Reviewers: thank you very much, especially to Astrophysikerin for the in-depth constructive criticism. I am a bit of a weird one in that I've watched lots of SG1 in completely the wrong order, and have probably missed several key episodes... This is probably because I've moved house approx. 9 times since 1997 (some had cable, some didn't), and lived on 3 different continents in the same time period. In that sense it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if I were writing some of the characters a little off-centre... I'll keep trying though.
Treat of the day: Marmite on warm buttered toast... mmmm... UK Marmite that is, not the road tar they sell in NZ! Unless you actually like it that is... (same goes for Vegemite, uhngh...). All hail the mighty mate Marmite!
P.S. All this blabbering about Hemuset is not just me going slightly mad, it is part of the storyline (told you it's run away with me!).
Stargate Command – 20th September 1998
Daniel's POV
"Daniel, are you ok?"
"Mmmmhhhh."
The archaeologist in question was holding the bridge of his nose tightly, trying to head off what promised to be a headache of momentous proportions. He hadn't had enough sleep last night... or maybe he hadn't drunk enough coffee today. More likely it was the terrible knowledge that a band of jarheads was pawing through his things, people who had no respect for anything but weapons! Well some of them might do, he corrected himself, but judging by Major Castleman's attitude he was going to keep a tight rein on the investigation – and his men would follow orders, nothing more, nothing less. Chances were the closest they got to archaeology were TV documentaries and standing outside his door...
"Daniel?" Sam asked again, more gently this time. She sounded closer. A soothing arm brushed his shoulder.
He released his nose, replaced his glasses and smiled wanly. "Sorry Sam, it's just the usual – allergies, stress, having your life's work being violated..."
"Uh-huh," Sam nodded understandingly. You could always trust a fellow scientist to grasp the depth of traumas like this. "You can take a break if you need to – it's not like we've been making much headway on this thing, with or without your books."
Daniel shook his head. "No, don't worry – I'll be fine in a moment. I just need to get back into the zone and ignore the excess chaos." He grinned. "Maybe I should try a little kelno'reem, Teal'c."
The Jaffa smiled his appreciation. "You could be correct, DanielJackson. Kelno'reem can be very beneficial during times of hardship."
He left unsaid the fact that Daniel's current mental state was far to active for a spot of meditation – he wouldn't be able to sit still long enough to get past the breathing exercises for starters. Work would be a far more effective screen for the clanging in his head, Daniel decided.
"Anyway... Where were we?" He asked, hoping to deflect the team's interest in his well-being.
"Well," Sam began. "We were about to interrogate Teal'c for any clues regarding Hemuset, because this device is a dead-end right now." She sounded business-like enough, but Daniel could see for her expression revealing that she wasn't buying it for one moment. She would be checking up on him later, he was sure of it. She was almost as much of a mother hen to him as he was to Jack.
"May I see the artefact you speak of, CaptainCarter?" Teal'c asked. Of course, Daniel remembered, he hadn't been with them on the mission and had only just gotten back.
"Go right ahead," Sam was replying. "It seems to be safe to touch and it hasn't responded to any radiation or other bombardment so far. We literally have no idea what it is, nor why it's so important to Hemuset."
"Jack's dubbed it the 'popcorn machine'," Daniel added. "Probably because of those bumps on the side."
The artefact in question was innocent enough to look at, being shaped somewhat like a small football – or rugby ball, the linguistic side of him pointed out; 'football' means a lot of different things to different people. It was also covered with what could only be described as shallow circular bumps, all exactly the same shape and size, which made the artefact look like a football-shaped lump of popcorn, or so Jack had said. As usual, his name had stuck... at least it wasn't 'doo-hickey' for once.
"Why do you believe that it is a machine?" Teal'c asked, eventually.
Daniel and Sam looked at each other dumbly, realising that this was one concept that they had not second-guessed before.
"I do not know the word that I am searching for in your tongue, however I do not believe that 'machine' is the correct term," he continued. "I believe that a 'machine' usually has moving parts – is that not true?"
"Essentially, yes," Daniel allowed. "We do tend to use other words like 'device' or 'appliance' for other items that do something without the use of moving parts. Like a telephone, for instance – or even a GDO."
Teal'c stretched his hand toward the artefact and looked at Sam with a questioning eyebrow. She nodded in encouragement.
"Go ahead, Teal'c – pick it up."
This object looked more like a lemon than a football in Teal'c's large hands, Daniel realised. Sadly though, it remained as inert as ever. He'd been holding his breath in case something in the other man's Jaffa physiology had set off... anything... but it hadn't, of course. That would have been too easy.
"The inscription that I've been trying to translate is engraved around the base of one of the... erm... bumps," Daniel pointed out, wishing that for all its complexity the English language could have come up with something better then 'bump'. 'Contusion' might sound more fitting, but then no one would have a clue what he was going on about. "I have an enlarged copy somewhere in my files."
Teal'c was still frowning at the artefact, turning it over in his hands and pressing some of the bumps as if to test them as buttons. Sam had already tried that the previous night of course, as testified by the weary look on her face. She could do with a night out, Daniel thought to himself, despite her protests that she didn't need to watch a touched up version of Return of the Jedi because she lived through it every day. He knew she'd join them though, she always did.
"I believe that I have found the word that I was looking for," Teal'c commented finally, placing the artefact back in its makeshift cradle. "It is a 'gadget'."
Daniel sighed audibly. Why did Jack have this effect on people? Why did he feel the need to pass on the most useless phrases? At least it was better than 'doo-hickey'...
"Do you have any idea what it does?" Sam asked eagerly.
"No," was the simple reply.
"Well do you know anything about Hemuset?" Daniel followed quickly, trying not to sound too impatient.
"Yes."
Daniel grinned elatedly. Sam had had her turn, showing Teal'c the gadget – no, artefact! – so it was only fair to try the anthropological end of the spectrum next. He could show Teal'c the inscription and maybe they could all work it out from that angle!
"Go on..."
The Jaffa took a seat, his forehead furrowed with concentration – though the golden brand of Apophis remained smooth. Daniel quashed the bad memories that threatened to surface and chose instead to listen. Maybe this artefact would be the one that could help him get Sha're back after all.
"Hemuset is a minor Goa'uld who has remained on the fringes for many centuries, perhaps millennia," Teal'c began. "I do not recall any attacks upon the System Lords, nor tales of past glory – or defeat – however she is feared. Apophis would give her planet a wide berth when nearby, and she owes allegiance to no higher ranking Goa'uld."
"Isn't that a bit unusual?" Sam interrupted, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I thought that most of the Goa'uld were linked in one way or another, at least politically."
Teal'c nodded slowly in her direction. "You are correct, CaptainCarter. The majority of Goa'uld do find a niche within the hierarchy, either serving the higher ranks or fighting for status with the aim of becoming a System Lord one day."
"So Hemuset tends to stay away from the power struggle," Daniel prompted, not wanting to stray too far from the original question. "Does she ever make alliances? How does she remain independent? I didn't think the Goa'uld liked mavericks?"
"You too are correct, DanielJackson. Hemuset is indeed a strange creature, and she does appear to act alone. Stories of her centre around her invulnerability, usually involving her ability to predict attacks against her and overcome enormous odds." Teal'c smiled vindictively. "It was said that Apophis himself once had his 'ass whipped' by Hemuset. The First Prime before Bra'tac was promoted following that incident, as his predecessor was summarily executed for his failure."
Daniel was taken aback. Apophis had a huge army of Jaffa and a dangerous fleet – plus the First Primes before Bra'tac had to have been no less fearsome than the Master himself, who constantly complained that standards were slipping. He glanced at Sam, who appeared equally shocked.
"How does she do it?"
"No one knows, CaptainCarter. Occasionally she sends an emissary to a System Lord who is known to be under threat, offering her 'services'. It is unknown what these may be, however the threat to these Lords – which is always from another System Lord – often dwindles or even vanishes shortly afterward. Hemuset herself merely receives her payment and remains on her planet throughout."
Daniel scratched his head, knowing as he did so that he epitomised the cliché. "What does she ask for in payment?"
Teal'c paused. "Nothing that one could associate with her continued ability to remain unallied, DanielJackson. It is said that she never requests control of other planets or systems, nor a place at the side of a great Lord – just those items that would facilitate her lifestyle, such as only slaves, teltacs, or similar items. Not even Jaffa or ha'taks. She has moved her base at least twice according to the stories, however this was always by her own means and never due to an alliance. She does not raid planets controlled by other Goa'uld and has never been known to pursue a particular spouse or even a host, choosing instead from among her own people."
"So as Goa'uld go, she's not actually that bad," Sam commented, and Daniel stared at her in disbelief. She held her hands up in surrender. "Ok, ok – so she's still a Goa'uld, but she doesn't seem to be a megalomaniac for once!"
"More like a spymaster to me..." Daniel grumbled, offended that any Goa'uld could be described as 'not that bad'. With the exception of the Tok'ra, of course. "Would that fit the stories? If she had spies everywhere?"
Teal'c pondered the question. "It is possible. I recall that the attack by Apophis never actually occurred, due to a range of accidents that delayed its launch. The setbacks became so great that Apophis' mothership was vulnerable, following which a transmission was received from Hemuset detailing her full knowledge of his plans and accepting full responsibility for the covert strike upon his own forces. It was an embarrassing defeat."
"So she infiltrated his army with saboteurs?"
"That is what Bra'tac was taught, and is the common perception... however it has never been understood how her agents gain the necessary access to disable critical systems." Teal'c paused dramatically. "For Hemuset's agent to disable Apophis' ship so thoroughly, he had to have the authority of the First Prime."
"But Apophis executed his First Prime, didn't you say that earlier?" Sam cross-examined. "Was he the saboteur?"
"Kai'rac was declared shol'vah, as I was, and Apophis declared to all his subjects that no... double-crossing? ... would go unpunished. Kai'rac himself maintained his innocence throughout his torture however, and no other offenders were ever identified. It is for this reason that Apophis and many others fear Hemuset: her ways and means are secret and leave no trace, yet implicate those who have been trusted at the highest levels."
Daniel pinched his nose again, his thoughts racing. "Let me get this straight. A minor Goa'uld who has very little in the way of power and stays on the sidelines, somehow corrupted the First Prime of one of the nastiest System Lords out there? To the point that he... left his ship drifting in space? It doesn't make sense!"
Sam looked confused. "It's strange, yes – but why shouldn't it be possible? Teal'c here was a free-thinker himself, along with the rest of the rebels, which isn't the same thing I know but it's still a sign that not all Jaffa think alike."
"Because," Daniel continued, "Hemuset doesn't recruit Jaffa – she doesn't even get paid in Jaffa. It sounds like she doesn't have much in the way of military forces at all, so how could she infiltrate a man with the gifts to become a First Prime into Apophis' army? And presumably into others', if I'm hearing you right Teal'c."
"It's not that unusual Daniel, look at Teal'c – his father served Cronos, and yet Apophis still took him on. And we have nothing to say that she used the same tactics against different System Lords," Sam pointed out. "Do you know anything about why other System Lords fear her, Teal'c?"
"I am afraid not, CaptainCarter," the Jaffa apologised. "However sabotage or other covert means would account for the System Lords' unwillingness to speak of Hemuset – or to allow their servants to speak of her. She is known of by all, but in very little detail. A defeat in battle may still be used as a tale of glory, but a defeat from shadows is a severe embarrassment to any commander."
Daniel took his glasses off and began to polish them while Teal'c spoke, looking back toward the 'popcorn machine'. Finally satisfied, he placed them back on his nose and fumbled through his papers. He stared at the enlargement of the writing on the gadget for a moment, then handed it to Teal'c.
"Ok, so we have a couple of ideas about Hemuset herself – what about this inscription though? It still doesn't seem to make sense to me..."
Teal'c frowned as he read the symbols, and Daniel was disappointed to see that it was not a frown of comprehension. "This appears to be an ancient dialect, DanielJackson. I can only understand a little."
"Ancient?" Sam's ears had perked up at the word, but Daniel waved his hand to calm her excitement.
"No capital letter Sam – besides, don't you think I'd have mentioned something like that by now?"
"Ok, ok," she blushed. "What was the translation you came up with again?"
He gave a short laugh. "'Bear this token behind the Stargate to ensure quick return and continued future'. That's the bare bones of it, but there are some inflections and accents in there that I'm not sure about – the kind that could make all the difference."
"Like in tonal languages when a change in pitch can turn a word into something entirely different?"
"You've got it. The 'quick return' is what I'm least sure about, and 'continued future' makes it sound a bit life and death-ish don't you th-"
Daniel cut himself short as Sam's phone rang. The pair of them darted a quick look to the clock, and Daniel guessed that Sam was worried they'd missed General Hammond's 5 o'clock deadline with their brainstorming... but it was just gone half past four. They looked at each other and Sam shrugged, picked up the phone on its second ring.
"Carter here... General, I- ... oh, right away sir... yessir, Daniel and Teal'c also."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow and Daniel tapped the desk nervously as Sam listened.
"What was all that about, Sam?" He asked as soon as the phone was back on the receiver.
"Your office, Daniel – they've found some fingerprints that aren't on file for this base."
A few minutes later, the whole of SG1 was gathered around the briefing room table along with General Hammond and Major Castleman. Daniel was glad to see that Jack was still in his wheelchair, looking as uncomfortable as ever but at least giving his ankle the time it needed to heal.
"Thank you for coming, people," General Hammond began. "As I'm sure your aware by now, we appear to have had a serious breach of security this morning... however due to a distinct lack of data we cannot yet assess the full extent of that breach. Dr Jackson, I'm afraid that your office will have to remain off-limits for the remainder of today, but Major Castleman assures me that his team will have completed all the necessary checks by later this evening. Major, it you could bring SG1 up-to-date?"
"Of course sir," Major Castleman stated briskly before fixing Daniel with a very clear gaze. "Dr Jackson, we have found several instances of a specific set of fingerprints throughout your office – on the desk, the bookshelves, even on the door handle – and of course on the piece of paper that you gave me earlier, though they appear smudged."
Daniel flushed red in embarrassment. "That was probably when I tried smoothing it out – it was crumpled in the bin, and I thought it was one of my normal notes to start with."
The Major nodded. "Understandable. We've also found numerous hairs of course, but it'll be some time before they're fully analysed. They'll belong to a number of people, as did the fingerprints, but the goal will be to identify each individual until we have something we can't recognise. We already have DNA records for all personnel who travel off world, but we may need to take samples from other people like the cleaner.
"How long will all this take, Major?" Jack asked anxiously. He looked pale, Daniel thought. Probably worried about whether it had ever happened before without anyone noticing.
"If the fingerprints come through we should have results by tomorrow afternoon – but it could be longer. We've already checked the fingerprints through the Cheyenne Mountain database, so the next step is to search the wider armed forces database. We've also sent copies to the FBI in case it was a civilian, but there are a lot of people out there who would never have had their prints taken," Major Castleman's mouth took a downturn. "Identifying the hair will take a lot longer – it's the sort of thing that would be used as evidence when we catch the intruder and prosecute."
Jack nodded weakly as Castleman then turned to Daniel: "Now, are you sure that nothing was taken?"
"Definitely! No matter what some people say, I have a very precise filing system," he answered, glaring at Jack.
"And you didn't leave your door unlocked while you were away from your office this morning?"
"No, I didn't – but it was unlocked while I was asleep. I asked Jack to wake me up at 11 o'clock, and since there's no such thing as a spare key I just left the door unlocked. Probably a bad move in light of recent events..." He trailed off.
"What about CCTV or access cards?" Sam asked, drawing attention away from Daniel for a moment – for which he was immensely grateful.
"No clues there either – whoever this is, they knew what they were doing. We've also checked the server logs, and there was nothing there either."
Daniel remembered that there was a camera on every major intersection within the complex... not to mention the well-guarded entrance and perimeter fence. "There has to be something? Isn't my door covered by one of the cameras?" he pleaded.
"I'm afraid not, Dr Jackson, and unfortunately the camera near your office is just that: near, but not wholly visible," the Major replied, looking sideways at General Hammond. "And as I explained to the General earlier, we're taking this breach extremely seriously. The reason for the break-in is now only part of the investigation – the fact that it happened at all, and with so little evidence, is enough to make sure that we will be checking every possible angle."
"Have you ruled out alien involvement then?" Jack interrupted.
"Yes sir, we have. There has been no unidentified off-world activation of the Stargate recently, and the fingerprints we've found are almost certainly human. In addition, and as Dr Jackson pointed out himself, very few alien intruders would write in English. The writing itself is of course another possible source of identification that we'll be running through the armed forces database. It's not as wide a sample as we have for the fingerprints, but every little helps."
General Hammond leant forward. "This is a very serious matter people, and I want to assure you all – especially Dr Jackson – that I have the utmost confidence in Major Castleman and his team. However this person got in, and whatever it was that they were looking for, they will find out."
Daniel scratched the back of his head and sighed.
"Do you have something to add, Dr Jackson?"
He looked up guiltily. This was the trouble with the military, he thought – no matter what you did, they were either watching or listening. Even a sigh could be declared reprehensible... or at least that was the feeling he got something.
"Er, nothing sir – nothing at all," Daniel replied apologetically. "I was just thinking... well..." All eyes were on him now. He spread his arms in a gesture of helplessness. "It doesn't make sense!"
"In what way, Doctor?" Major Castleman had his blank face on again. Probably thought he was questioning his methods, or treading on his patch or something...
"If someone went to all this trouble to break into a top secret military base, 28 floors below ground, surely they'd take something?" he asserted. "Ok so they might have taken photos, or memorised something, but we're talking about a person who has broken into the SGC for no apparent reason. Not only that, but they've come into my office and touched my stuff – probably while I was asleep in there! Either that or they're great at picking locks, right? But then if this person was so wonderfully covert, why didn't they wear gloves? And it still doesn't explain why – you know, the motive." He knew he was rambling now, but he couldn't stop. "Sure a reporter would love to get their hands on information about aliens and so on, but surely the pickings would be far richer in say Sam's lab? Why me?"
Major Castleman looked toward General Hammond, who held up a hand to halt him. Jack and Sam exchanged a look, and Teal'c tilted his head to observe the General. Daniel lifted his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose again, feeling his headache returning.
"I'm sor–"
"Dr Jackson," General Hammond interrupted. "I am fully aware that we cannot answer your questions at this time, and I am sorry that you have been so badly affected by this intruder. You will not be alone however."
Daniel looked up, a sense of foreboding coming over him.
"Starting tonight, the Marine security squad under Major Castleman will be checking all areas of the base for additional fingerprints. They will start with easily accessible areas and obvious surfaces like door handles, and move in to check any other offices or labs that appear to have been visited by this individual."
Sam took the news that her lab might be checked pretty well as far as Daniel could tell, since her only response was: "Sir, the number of fingerprints on such surfaces has to be immense!"
"I know Captain, I know," the General sighed. "But we have to start somewhere, and we need to know the extent of this breach. I've even had the armoury inspected out to make sure that nothing is missing, because the last thing we need is a zat being sold on the black market."
Jack was nodding, looking worried. He looked more afraid than anxious though, which was strange.
"So what do you need us to do, sir," he asked, almost stumbling over the words.
"Nothing Colonel, nothing at all. Just go out with your team tonight, and come back in the morning in time for your departure to the Alpha site – nothing has changed there," General Hammond emphasised with a look to both Jack and Teal'c. "And Captain Carter, I'll take your report in the morning at say 0900 hours? I have a few more things on my mind right now."
"Of course, General," Sam replied. "Just let me know if you need any help searching the labs."
General Hammond took one last look around the table, his gaze settling on Major Castleman. "I don't envy your task, Major, but I know that you will do your utmost."
He stood, and all others bar Jack – still in his wheelchair – followed suit.
"Dismissed."