Chapter 2: First Interview
Dawn was glad that she'd stopped making a habit of always carrying at least a knife with her, as she passed through the metal detectors that guarded the entrance to the American Embassy in London. They were monitored by Marine guards, who, despite their rather pretty blue and red dress uniforms, didn't look like people that Dawn wanted to make nervous.
She approached the reception desk, and waited her turn among the other people who had business at the embassy, all the time aware that she was under scrutiny from the guards, and video cameras.
She didn't make it to the receptionist. A young Marine in an olive service uniform approached her first. "Excuse me, Dr. Summers?"
"That's right," said Dawn.
He handed her a plastic card, on a chain. "If you would put this on, please, and come with me, Ma'am, Colonel Davis is expecting you." He gestured with his hand toward a side entrance to the main lobby.
Dawn looked at the card. She was a little surprised to see that it had a copy of her passport photo on it, taken a couple of years ago, before she'd cut her hair. It had "VISITOR" printed across it in large red letters. "Lead the way, uh…" She looked at the two chevrons on his sleeve. "…Corporal?" She put the chain around her neck. She wasn't sure how she felt about this boy—he couldn't be twenty yet—calling her "Ma'am." It made her feel old. She also wasn't sure how she felt about the fact that they had obviously taken some effort to prepare for her visit.
The corporal nodded, and led her across the lobby. "That's correct Ma'am, Corporal Turner." He reached the door, and swiped his own ID card through the reader beside it. There was a slight buzz as the electronic lock in the door released, and he pulled it open. He gestured for Dawn to go first.
The door led into a corridor that was much more utilitarian than the embassy's entrance lobby. Corporal Turner took Dawn down it to an elevator that also needed his card to access. They went up to the fourth floor, and down another hallway. They stopped in front of a door, and Corporal Turner knocked on it.
"Enter!" said someone inside the room.
Corporal Turner opened the door, and stepped through it first. He braced to attention in front of the desk. "Dr. Summers is here, Sir."
Dawn had followed the corporal through the door, and saw a man in an Air Force uniform rising from behind the desk. "Thank you, Corporal. That will be all." He came around the desk and extended his hand to Dawn while the corporal exited the office, closing the door behind him. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. Summers. I'm Colonel Davis."
Colonel Davis was handsome, about forty years old, with a bit of grey starting to appear in his close cut, dark hair. Dawn shook his hand. "Hello, Colonel."
Davis gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Please, sit down."
Dawn sat in the offered chair, while Davis returned to his own. "So, what is this about?" she asked.
"I'm afraid that before I can tell you very much, you're going to have to sign a non-disclosure agreement." Colonel Davis picked up a folder, and passed it across to her.
Dawn read over the paper in the folder. It looked like a fairly standard version of similar agreements she'd had to sign in the past, to get an advance look at some of her colleagues' research, and things like that, but she was reluctant to sign the one being handed to her without knowing anything about why she was doing so. She set the folder down on the desk. "I'm sorry Colonel, but I think I have to know something about what you want from me, before I can agree to this."
"I can tell you a few things first." Colonel Davis grinned at her. "The work we want you for should have nothing to do with demons, Slayers, or any of the other usual interests of the Council of Watchers."
Dawn wasn't surprised that Davis knew about that. She'd talked to Riley, and he'd told her that he'd had dealings with Davis in the past. Davis worked for a department in the Pentagon that handled 'the weird stuff.' Though Riley had never reported directly to him, Davis had been present at many of his post-mission debriefings. He also told Dawn that Davis had been involved in the Shetland Island matter, six years ago.
Riley had also told Dawn a couple of other things about the work that he thought Davis did, even though he didn't really know anything about it: he knew the cover story. "So…does it have anything to do with Deep Space Radar Telemetry at Cheyenne Mountain?" she asked.
Davis's grin expanded into a smile, and he held out a pen to her. "Sign the agreement, and you'll find out."
Dawn watched Davis for a moment. He looked a bit like a little boy with a secret that he wanted to share. Something really juicy that he expected to surprise and delight the person he was about to reveal it to. Dawn shrugged, and took his pen. She signed and dated the document.
"Yes," said Davis. "If you accept our offer, you will tell people that you are working on the DSRT project at Cheyenne Mountain."
"What will I really be doing?" asked Dawn.
"You are familiar with Dr. Jackson's theories about the construction of the pyramids," said Davis.
"Yes," said Dawn. "I even referenced some of his papers in my own dissertation, over the objections of my advisor."
"Dr. Jackson's theories were much closer to the truth than even he believed at the time," said Colonel Davis.
"So aliens really did visit the Earth in the ancient past?"
"Several times…and also in the not so ancient past. In fact, there are some here now."
"Like Teal'c," said Dawn.
"Yes, but he's not really an alien. His ancestors came from Earth. That's one of the reasons why we need linguists specializing in ancient languages. There are a lot of people out there, whose ancestors were taken away from the Earth in the past. We need linguists to be able to talk with them."
"So, when you said I might travel to exotic locations in your letter, you really meant other planets?" asked Dawn. "How?"
"I'm afraid that I can't answer that question for you at this time," said Colonel Davis. "If you join us, you will find out, but the ways and means by which that happens are among the most closely guarded secrets in the government."
Dawn smiled at him. "So, you've really got some alien spaceships hidden away in Area 51?"
Colonel Davis didn't say anything, or even smile back. He just looked at her.
"No way!" said Dawn. It really was too bad that she'd just promised not to talk about this with anyone. Andrew would freak.
"If you join us, you'll find out." Colonel Davis did grin now. "And then you won't be able to tell anyone about it." He tapped the folder that had the non-disclosure agreement in it, and his grin vanished. "I have to warn you that before you learn any specifics, you will have to sign more documents, and then if you reveal what you learn to anyone without the proper authorization it won't be the sort of civil action that signing that document made you liable for. The charge would be Treason."
That gave Dawn pause. Whatever this was, if she agreed to it, could change her whole life. She was used to keeping secrets, but they were the sort of secrets that were enforced by her loyalty to her friends, not the full weight of the American government. "So, um, you're not asking me to enlist or anything like that?"
Colonel Davis shook his head. "No, nothing like that. You will be a civilian employee of the Air Force: just another civil servant."
"It's still a lot to think about," said Dawn. "This is a change in my whole life."
"I know," said Colonel Davis, "and I don't expect you to make a decision right away. In fact, before you make any sort of final decision, there are some more people you'll have to talk to."
"Is one of them Dr. Jackson?" asked Dawn.
"Yes, it is," said Davis. "He's a bit busy right now, or he'd have been here himself to talk with you. As it is…" He pulled a small folder, like for an airline ticket, from a drawer, and passed it across his desk to her. "These are vouchers for airline tickets, good for flights from London to Denver, and back again. We'll also cover your expenses for a rental car, hotel, meals and such, while you're there."