Chapter Eleven (Present Day- Antarctic Base)
"Hey Daniel, we have a frozen girl!"
"What?" Daniel Jackson was surprised to see in one of the suspended animation pods, a young girl of around seventeen years old with a look of anger in her eyes.
"Maybe my ZPM idea was right after all."
"Maybe."
"I wonder what she knows."
"She's a sixty-five million year old ancient, she could probably tell us a lot."
"Do you think we should try to revive her?"
"Yeah."
"I'm gonna need a med team standing by with blankets and be ready to take her into a sterile environment."
"I'm on it!"
"Thanks Daniel!" While Daniel went to get the medical team Sam prepared to thaw out the chamber.
"Okay Sam, everybody is here."
"Okay!" Sam ran her finger around the already active consol. The girl fell out and her eyes locked on Daniel. She gasped and scuttled backward, clearly afraid.
"Check her out." Sam ordered. The medical team approached slowly but the girl appeared to plaster her back to the wall of the chamber. It was obvious she feared that the team was going to cause her physical harm. They checked her heart rate and tried to take a blood sample, but she thrashed so much that they were afraid to stick her, incase she started hemorrhaging.
"Off! Get off!" She finally screamed and the technicians jumped back, as though they were burned. Sam looked in shock and amazement that the sixty five million year old girl could speak English.
"We won't hurt you." Sam said as she dropped down to Alana's level and looked her squarely in the eyes. "We just need to screen you for pathogens. Will you let us do that?" Sam's voice was calm, even and soothing. Daniel had only heard her talk like that a few times, and one of them was as she consoled Cassandra. The girl slowly nodded and one of the officers approached with a vial and extracted a tube of blood. She watched, transfixed, as her blood flowed into the small container.
"Sam, make sure to be careful, remember Aiyana. This girl could be carrying the plague."
"What plague?" The cowering seventeen year old stuttered looking from one to the other
"Two years ago we found someone like you. She made us very sick. It was a plague that wiped out your kind."
"All dead?" she murmured softly
"Yes, I'm afraid so." The girl surprisingly leaned her head back and smiled. She began to laugh, but slipped into unconsciousness.
"Get her monitored and back to the SGC ASAP." Sam ordered and the medical teams began moving as fast as they could.
Infirmary, several hours later
Alana woke up and Sam began to gently ask
"Hi, how are you feeling?" but Alana shook her head and motioned to her throat.
"I understand. Those breathing tubes can be nasty."
"Nasty?" She stammered through the word.
"Yes, it's a sort of idiom. It means unpleasant or odd."
"I see." Her voice was weak, as was expected after several million years in suspended animation. Quite literally frozen in time.
"What do you call your world?" Sam began the questioning gently.
"You don't even know that? Huritatrea." Alana reacted as we might.
"Huritatrea?"
"Yes." Alana's eyes fluttered slightly and something in Sam clicked.
"I think I notice a pattern." Sam picked up a piece of paper and wrote the word Huritatrea. Crossing off each letter as she re-arranged it, she made two words: Earth and Tau'ri.
"Why did you have to make me suffer more?" Alana turned her head to face Daniel who looked very frightened.
"I did nothing, my name is Daniel."
"You look very much like my husband, Dintael Jansok."
"I'm not him; I have a similar name though, Daniel Jackson."
Alana studied his face more closely. "No, you are not him." But I don't think I shall ever trust another man again. Alana thought to herself. Her face fell as she looked at the machines around her
"I don't want him here." She whispered and looked back at Sam.
"Why is that?" Sam had taken a renewed interest in the conversation. Alana didn't say anything; but she turned her eyes on Daniel and pierced him with the two glittering emeralds.
"I'm going to take that cue to leave now."
"Probably a good idea." When he had gone, Alana turned her head back to Sam.
"I will talk to you about these matters and you alone. I trust you because you are a woman. I was born with a life of misfortune. My mother died when I was but three years old. After that my mother's friend, Sheria Emmagen, was my only comfort. My father abused me, and aided my brother to the same end. Whenever I cried it was made worse. My father always insisted that tears belonged to pain, so he would hit me when I began to cry." The long statement seemed to drain Alana's energy and she slumped backward onto the infirmary bed.
"No woman should ever be treated like that!" Sam reacted appalled.
"I know, and my own husband felt no differently about women, that they should be slaves. That devious treacherous liar looked so much like your friend here, that I could not help but think it was he who had come to mock me."
"I trust this man with my life daily; you have nothing to fear from him."
"Perhaps, but I still shall not trust men."
"So getting back to that, you built the Stargates?"
"Yes, he delivered the naquadah to me and I built two rings. Then a sensor pad that tracked the constellations as they separated. My first experiment was a success. I managed to send matter from Adybosa to Huritatrea using my invention. Before that worthless man stole my research." Again Alana's passionate opinion caused her to breathe heavily and close her eyes to regain strength.
"We call that planet Abydos now."
"Oh, well how lovely. I want revenge on him!" Alana's heart rate began to rise.
"Calm down, we don't want you going into shock."
"How will I have revenge?"
"I'm not sure that will be possible, you see, that was sixty-five million years ago."
"Sixty-five-million-years?" Alana coughed in an attempt to comprehend
"I'm sorry, I'm afraid, pretty much everyone you ever knew is probably gone." Sam paused. She wondered if she should call security because Alana seemed a little unstable
"How do I know that I can trust you? How do I know that sixty five million years have passed?"
"I guess you'll just have to believe."
"I've trusted too many people and been stung too many times." Alana spoke literally, as a young girl she found a scorpion and did not know that it could hurt her. She barely survived because her father didn't want to admit that she existed and take her to a medical facility. That only deepened Alana's mistrust for Egome Maltra.
"I'm sorry, I don't know how to prove to you that I'm telling the truth." Sam was getting impatient. This had worked on the Tok'ra! Alana was unconvinced. If sixty-five million years really had passed, why wasn't the society of these humans more sophisticated? Why hadn't they screened her already?
"We'll, I killed my father. I had never contacted my nurse after I left and there is no way Dintael could have survived, so that makes sense."
"You killed your own father?" Sam was shocked. The way she felt about her own father and what happened. She felt like she had lost him twice.
"Indirectly of course. I submitted information about my brother to a data broadcast program. He met a girl named Cyria and when my brother announced that he would marry Cyria my father had a shock induced cardiac arrest." Alana could string together longer sections of speech without being drained.
"You have to understand, that patricide is highly frowned on."
"It was when I did it too. But no one ever knew it was me!" Alana leaned her head back and began to laugh. Sam sat up and looked at the Airman standing in the doorway.
"Airman, could you procure restraints for this young woman?"
"Yes ma'am."
"That will be unnecessary."
"I'm afraid it is. We can't have a murderer loose on our base."
"My father was the target because he was a cruel, malevolent, sonofa—what are you doing?" Alana stopped mid-thought as restraints were fastened around her wrists. She struggled against the bonds and then sat back in defeat. Sam said the only thing of which she could think
"I just want you to know I am sorry for your losses." She thought of how odd it sounded and was interrupted by Alana's next statement.
"Don't be, Sheria Emmagen is the only one you should feel sorry for, and my brother Dar I suppose. The rest don't deserve pity. In fact, I hope that they are in a place that is much warmer than their hearts." Alana smiled and cracked her knuckles with a gleam in her eye. Sam had a rather warped sense of curiosity now.
"What happened to your brother?" She asked timidly
"Well, after he married Cyria, he had an enormous change of values. Prior to that he would attack me and beat me whenever he could. After he was married he became compassionate, loving and caring. My mind was spinning so fast I didn't know what to do."
"What did you do?"
"I let him help me. When I told him that I was in love with Dintael he tried to discourage me. He told me that Dintael was awful and wicked. I should have listened."
"Why didn't you?"
"My relationship with Dintael had progressed too far."
"Oh." Sam said and with it came a wave of understanding.
"I could have been killed for it. It was a strange rule in our otherwise Utopian society. My father however wasn't much for that."
"What did he do?" Sam thought she already knew the answer.
"He abused my mother, and later me."
"That's awful." Awful didn't quite cut it, but it was the only adjective that came to Sam's mind.
"I realize."
"What else did you do?"
"I was given part of the inheritance, my brother passed it birthright to me."
"What was your share?"
"A planet in another galaxy called Athos."
"Athos?"
"Have you heard of it?" Alana inquired excitedly.
"Yes. Who did you leave it to, since you were obviously presumed dead?"
"I left it to Sheria Emmagen, she was my nurse, and her three sons."
"That would explain it."
"Explain what?"
"Even now, sixty five million years later, the planet of Athos was still under Emmagen control."
"What do you mean, was?"
"They had to be evacuated when the Wraith attacked."
"What are Wraiths?"
"They are actually a hybrid of human DNA and that of an alien creature we have called the Iratus bug."
"These, bugs, are they about two feet long, they have four legs, a hard armor and a fleshy under-part?"
"Yes as a matter of fact."
"I visited Athos once, I saw those bugs there. Are you saying they adapted human DNA into their own strains?"
"Yes."
"Amazing, I mean the ability they must have had to map out the DNA strand that far..."
"They didn't map it out."
"How did they incorporate the DNA?"
"They fed off of humans and adapted that way."
"How?"
"As near as we can tell, they attack the cells themselves, as the cells age they take that excess life in through glands in their make-up."
"Were more Stargates built?"
"That was a fast snap of subject." Even Sam's mind didn't leap that fast and it sent her reeling
"I know, I have a mind that is constantly jumping from topic to topic."
"A vast network of Stargates was built, unfortunately two deadly enemies found out how to use them. The Goa'uld and the Wraith used your invention to further the worlds that they had conquered so they wouldn't have to spend days in a ship. Meanwhile, while all that was going on, your race suffered a plague and ascended to a higher plane of existence to avoid it. They then descended and used a device on Dakara to restore life to the galaxy. We are the second evolution of your kind."
"Second evolution?" Alana wheezed. She leaned forward to make sure she had heard correctly
"Yes, then, about sixty five million years ago, the Ancient Empire—"
"Ancient?" Alana cut her off, confused.
"Yes, that is what the Asgaard called you, the ancients, the road builders, the Romans learned how to built roads from gods known only as the 'ancient ones' I believe that is where the name originated. What did you call yourselves?"
"We were known to all as the Alterrans."
"Really?"
"Yes, please continue."
"Um, oh yes, then, the Ancients up and left for the Pegasus Galaxy. They built a city called Atlantis where they lived until about ten thousand years ago. The Wraith attack had gone on for more than a hundred years and they had sunk the city with a great shield beneath the ocean to protect it. Finally, they had not other option but to leave. So they packed everything up and came back to Earth where they spread the myth of Atlantis and died out. That's why some of us have the gene that you have. It allows some of us to operate your technology."
"Such as the terminals."
"Yes."
"Well, the Alterrans must have had some reason for all the genetic research."
"Hey Daniel!" Sam called down the hall
"What is it?"
"Come here a second!"
"Why?"
"Just do it!"
"Oh." Daniel groaned in disappointment
"You control him?" Alana asked Sam incredulously
"Only when necessary, Daniel you had better get yourself in here NOW!"
"All right, all right, geez. What'd you want me for?"
"You were right; before they ascended the Ancients were Alterrans."
"Really?"
"Ask her yourself."
"I don't think she'll tell me."
"Hello? 'She' is right in front of you guys. For crying out loud!"
"Okay, so she built the Stargates so she's a science genius, she's an ancient so she can tell me about her culture, half the time she talks like Teal'c, and she's sarcastic the other half? She's SG-1's dream!"
"Well one thing's for sure, The General will like her."
"No kidding."
"What?"
"You seem to be perfect to interact with every member of my team."
"You command these men?" Alana was still getting used to the idea of a woman controlling men; and she had a positive attitude.
"Only two of them; the General is my superior officer, he is a few ranks above me in the military."
"However, most of the time he acts like a five year-old so you don't really have anything to worry about, he is intimidated by more intelligent people anyway." Daniel added and Sam rounded on him
"Daniel you, I, Teal'c, and the SGC all know that the General isn't as dense as he lets on."
"That may be so, but we are talking to the woman who invented the Stargate! No offense Sam but she's smarter than you!"
"How so?" Sam got defensive
If she created the Stargate, she had to have created the DHD. It was a wonderful accomplishment but I have to agree with Rodney McKay on this one. All you came up with was a bunch of computers lashed together that glosses over half of the Stargate's codes."
"Oh really? How about I revert to calling your precious technologies 'rocks'?"
"Don't you dare! I just got Jack trained out of that."
"Why don't you go dig up some rocks while I tie a bunch of computers together to make a lame jury-rigged dialing system?"
"You!" Daniel threw a punch at Sam's face, which she blocked with her hand, punching him in the stomach she threw him across the infirmary. He landed with a scream and a groan and she rushed over to him.
"Daniel, I am very sorry."
"I don't know what happened."
"We got in a friendly argument Daniel."
"Yeah, real friendly, I tried to punch you and you threw me across the room."
"At least you admit to starting it. That takes a lot of character."
"We'll what can I say? Other than OWWW!"
"Sorry about that, but there's a lesson, never try to hit an angry Air Force officer with advanced hand to hand training."
"Believe me, I'll remember."
"I'm sorry." Alana jumped in.
"Why?"
"I think I transferred some of my violent attitude into you two. I am still quite irate about the fact that my husband stole my research."
"What?"
"My feelings or my actions."
"The combination of both really. Are you telepathic?"
"Huh?" Alana made an inquisitorial noise
"You transferred you feelings into us because you got so mad your body couldn't hold it?"
"Something like that."
"Wow."
"What?"
"You have an exceptional range of abilities."
"We're sorry about the whole research thing." Daniel piped in and both Sam and Alana looked over at him. For the first time Alana responded civilly to something he said.
"So am I. You said something about needing a dialing device?"
"Yes."
"I can build you one."
"You can?"
"Of course, I had invented it recently when Dintael locked me in there; all the information is still fresh in my mind."
"Really?"
"If you have enough naquadah I could build you another Stargate if you wish."
"That would require..."
"...a lot of work." Sam started and Daniel finished.
"Obviously the technology has evolved in the last sixty-five million years, but I still have the basic knowledge."
"Colonel Carter to the debarkation room. Colonel Carter to the debarkation room." The technician summoned over the loud speaker. She made her way to the designated area for the receiving of the Prometheus objects and personnel.
"What is it?"
"This was just arrived from the site." A folded sheet of clear material had a streaming message written on it in Ancient. The message reached the end and started over.
"What have you found on it?"
"Only that it is addressed to Alana Maltra." Sam took the message back to the infirmary.
"This just arrived for you." Sam said and handed her the message.
"Then it must have been left behind after everyone had gone." Alana unfolded the data screen and read it to herself. Tears welled up in her eyes, but it was visible that she bit them back.
"What does it say?"
"It's an apology."
"Who is it from?"
"Dintael."
"You mean the one that tricked you and locked you in the chamber?"
"Yes."
"What does it say?"
"A lot of things that I'd like to keep private, but here's the choker: Alana, I'm sorry I had to do what I did. I know you'll never forgive me and I'll never see you again, but I truly did love you."
"That's so adorable!"
"Don't believe a word of it. He said it to me himself that snakes are the best actors."
"I believe that."
"Why?"
"That's a long classified story."
"I understand."
"Good." Sam suddenly wondered if she had given away too much information. She couldn't help but have a flashback of Linea. Then much more recently there was the "Replicarter" incident. Come to think of it, the nickname actually worked. However, by trusting aliens she had left the SGC open to an attack. As she walked away from the infirmary this graced her mind, and she bit her lip. But it was too late for second thoughts.