I went back to the rooftops and patrolled. The other LXG members patrol whichever city they live in. My mobile started to vibrate, I obviously don't have a ring tone. It's difficult to be stealthy with your phone blurting out some music tune. I picked up the phone and flipped it open,
"Is that Mark"
"Hi general, how's things?"
"It's okay, can you come down to the SGC we might need your help with something". Now that sounded ominous, I'd installed a few different teams at SGC. When I say this I refer to; mutants, a couple of Lycans, a Slayer or two, a few Vampires, and one Immortal. Although the sun on other planets doesn't make vampires combust like here on Earth, which means they are ecstatic at being able to walk in the sun. I'd theorised quite a few explanations for this, yes that's right I didn't haven't a clue.
These other teams I was responsible for, although they reported directly to Jack O'Neill, formerly a Colonel, recently promoted to General.
"I'll be there in about 6 hours, or did you have mind sooner, can you tell me what's up as it's a secure line?"
"Not really you should see this, it could be quite a problem" I hated bloody cryptic puzzles.
"Ok, I could be there quicker if you want?"
"No six hours will fine". Jack always got jittery when I implied mystic transport, and was never keen on it; despite the fact he'd used Asgard transporters, and Goa'uld rings hundreds of times. So I went home and got all my gear together, and took the helicopter.
I do not always take my team with me, but if any of us get in over our heads we can always call the others for backup. So six hours later I land at Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Base. I'm met by Colonel Samantha Carter, "Hi Sam, Jack sounded pretty freaked"
"So am I. Before I, or all of us met you we never thought magic existed, so we were concerned" As I got out I shook hands with her.
"Why do I get feeling I should have stayed in bed this morning?" I got my backpack full of spare ammo and laptop, and made my way inside with Sam. We entered the lift and made our way down to the lower levels. We step out on level 28, and walk down a few corridors, and I see Jack standing outside a room with Daniel and Teal'c. "Hi folks" as I walk over to shake hands with them. Jack just gestures over his shoulder, pointing with his thumb at a room, "Take a look at that will ya?"
"What Jack is trying to say is that we would like your expertise to evaluate some of the script in this room, as it looks vaguely mystical", that was Daniel Jackson.
"Indeed". I've always found that Daniel and Teal'c to be at opposite sides of the scales, the former will say three sentences to get his point across. Teal'c tends to be more two or three words. Don't get me wrong, both work well. Sometimes when I want details I get too much, and occasionally not enough. Anyway I walk into some sleeping quarters at SGC. Bed pushed against the walls. "It also feels kinda hot in there too" ventured Daniel.
"Jesus Christ", that was me. You know when you walk from an air conditioned building and then go outside to get hit by a wall of heat. Walking into the room was a bit like that. The power washing over me from the magic in this room was incredible, it was like standing on a beach and being hit by wave after wave; only in this case it was energy. Every hair stood up on my forearms, and I had to take a deep breath to steady myself.
The room is full of mystic circles with runes inscribed in blood. There were four seperate double circles in all, each about three feet in diameter surrounded by another larger circle, about 3 ½ foot diameter. In between both of these circles were the runes. The walls were also inscribed with various mystic script.
I then sent a little bit of my power outward, probing the mystical wards, starting very slowly and lightly. SG-1 were standing next me, and you could see that Sam & Daniel could sense something. Daniel almost gasped for breath, and his hairs were standing up on his neck and forearms. I've been told that sometimes my power can feel cooling, but not cold. I concentrated on making it feel cool, to cancel some of the excess energy. I then let my energies subside.
"Wow, was that you?" asked Daniel
"Yeh it was. This is quite a little magic storehouse at the minute. Managed to cancel some of it out though"
"Any clue?" said Sam.
"It certainly looks like some kind of necromancy, with a hint of something else. It is designed to raise the dead, and lots of them, but what I don't get is why here at SGC or near a Stargate. Do you know who did it?" I replied putting my 'thinking cap' on.
"We have the soldiers in question under arrest, officers McTimoney and Alters, do you want to speak to them?" Jack offered.
"I'd like to see their files before I interview them. Bugger, if I could just understand some of the other symbols", I said standing there slack jawed for a second. The main part of SGC stood there looking worriedly at me.
"A problem?" ventured Daniel.
"Er yeh. Some of these sigils are unfamiliar even to me" just because I've been alive a millennia or so even I don't have all the answers. Whether it be magic or otherwise. "Some parts of the mystic arts have been lost, or kept alive by those sad and insane people that worship things they shouldn't, namely Great Old ones or their lessers the Old Ones".
"Are you talking Lovecraftian type monsters" said Daniel.
"Spot on my young scholar, now it looks like these circles are also designed to act as a focus to open a doorway, using the Stargate. All I need to do is work out where"
"What are Lovecraftian monsters or whatever?"
"Well Jack. He wrote horror stories in the 1920's, full of extraterrestrial beings that generally sent most people insane to view them." said Sam.
"What kind of monsters?" Sometimes Jack utters really helpful comments.
"They were…"
"I met Lovecraft" I said interrupting Sam's comments, "wasn't in slightest bit human"
"What" exclaimed Jack, Sam and Daniel both turned to look at me, Teal'c looked slightly neutral as per usual.
"Made I sure killed him or it. Intended him to stay damn dead too! Looked like an frog or octopoid cross" I still carried the mental scars of that confrontation, facing the preternatural isn't for the timid or weak minded. "I did have it's magical flute locked up under physical and mystical barriers". I don't like to put my eggs all in one basket
"Flute?" said Daniel and Sam in unison. Teal'c just cocked his head to side looking puzzled. "What did you mean did? Sorry that's not what I mean to say. You mean did as in past tense, or no longer?"
"I think I'm getting a migraine" said Jack rubbing his temples.
"No I don't have it any longer. It stunk of long forgotten or at least very dangerous and extremely high sorcery, things that mankind isn't ready to play with yet. Quite frankly it scared the living crap out of me. Over the years I've rounded up a lot of mystic artefacts, deliberately and had them all quarantined by the Oracles; they are links to the Powers that Be, or the Ascended Ancients to you"
"You speak with the Ancients" Sam ventured.
"No I speak to their intermediaries, the Oracles sometimes if they permit it. I had to ask very politely, but I suspect they knew I was coming. All of the sudden all the artefacts vanish, and the male said 'it has been done as you requested, now begone lesser being' and with a gesture I flew out of portal outside an old post office entrance".
I feel some explanation is question is called for. I'd met some good courageous people over the years, Indiana Jones was one. He drunk from the Holy Grail, found the Ark of the Covenant, a lingam of Shiva. He went on to other adventures, but I sort of suspected these artefacts were too dangerous to be left in the open. So I took them and did initially place them behind very potent physical and mystical barriers. It wasn't until Methos told me of the Oracles in 1900, I investigated much more seriously. Obviously a visit was required and I took my gift to them as you are supposed to. I started from there really; been in their service ever since. I'll explain this in more detail later.
"Wow" was Daniel's comment. I don't if Daniel if was referring to the Oracles or the fact the entrance was an old Post Office doorway. "I need to sit down, get a coffee and think for a sec, oh and lock that door tight, and don't let anyone but me in there". I hate days like this sometimes, and wish magic didn't exist then SGC would able to handle it on their own. Now I'm having a dangerous thought here, I could teach Daniel to read rune magic. He can read just about anything else! Not the actual casting etc. of circles or runes, but the actual reading principle. Mmmmm, now there's thought.
"I'll join you he says".
"Mind if I join you too" said Sam. Teal'c then just falls in tow.
"I'll just go back to my office then" said Jack walking off.
Ten to fifteen minutes later, a quick ride in a lift I arrive in the canteen with some of SGC-1. I order some food and a coffee. Now if you've never tasted military coffee, it tastes like yak spit, really, it's bloody awful stuff. I wish I'd packed a thermos flask. Now I had actually invented a spell to create coffee, but it never tastes as good as one from Starbucks, and besides it was more energy than it was worth. I keep that spell for cold climates where weather is an issue.
I'm thinking here about the circles and the runes, deeply there was just something that wasn't right. It was right in front of my face too. So pulled off my backpack and got my laptop out. I turned it on, waiting for the 'boot up' nonsense to finish. "What are you looking for?" asked Daniel.
"I have no idea" says I.
"That'll narrow the search a bit" replies Daniel sarcastically. After about 2 – 3 minutes my laptop is ready, and several mouthfuls of yak spit later, I open the language database. These are what are known as 'demon' languages. In short, alien. All the things a Slayer fights are mostly aliens that have left their homeworld, and decided to live somewhere else. One of the races on Pallatia are Wolfen, big wolves. Well they have a saying, 'new forest, more food, new home', pretty much mirrors our human phrase, 'to pastures new'. The 'demons' obviously wanted to be elsewhere, pretty much like I did right now.