Title: Nabu

Author: P.L.S.

Rating: PG /PG-13

Warning: Alternate Universe, Exploitation of a Minor,

Summery: AU- Project Nabu was created by a stroke of luck on the NID's part but luck runs out and sometimes fate won't let you wander off your path.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 tv series, and are copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. In other words, I don't own it, I'm not making money off of it, so please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is my first long Stargate only fan fic, so critics are welcome to bash, thrash, and give this thing a baptism in fire. I don't know where this idea came from, but this first chapter was fueled by TM Revolution's Chase the Thrill' on repeat.

ooOooOoo

Chapter One- Puzzles Solved

It was just plain luck that he was in town the day that the Jacksons' were there, or maybe it was a blessing. All in all, he thought that nothing was as good an opportunity as this. Dr. Claire Jackson nee. Ballard could practically read hieratic as well as a number of other ancient scripts, the New Yorker said that people in the academic world thought that of all the people on Earth, she had the best chances of figuring out puzzles like Linear A & B. Dr. Melbourne Jackson seemed to have a bone deep understanding of people long dead and could tell fakes from the authentic just with a few looks. Only downsides to trying to hire the two was that they were not willing to stay in one place for too long, they were too open minded and idealistic, and they had a young son.

But he was given the go ahead to at least feel them out as the couple was in New York setting up an exhibit. That was three days ago. The meeting went well enough, the two archeologists were picture perfect absent minded professors; kind, innocent, far too intelligent, and indulgent towards their son who was in the middle of an informal lesson in cuneiform. Their son was what caught his eye, he looked younger than his eight years, had deeply tanned skin which contrasted with his long sun-bleached hair. When the meeting started the boy was in what looked like bedouin robes and was laughing as his mother scolded his father for making sculptures of Chinese dragons when he was supposed to be rolling out the play-dough so that Daniel could practice using a stylus. To be honest he enjoyed the meeting, but knew that the Drs. Jackson just wouldn't be of any real help.

But the boy... Daniel had asked questions, made suggestions, and seemed to understand just how to communicate what neither of his parents could. The boy often clarified points when he saw that his parents were starting to drift into areas that only the adepts could reach. Yes, the boy was also at an age that he knew was very impressionable. Kidnapping the boy to start to nurture him and get that brilliant mind on the right path... Distasteful, but if push came to shove it would be done. He made his report and the day after tragedy hit the Jacksons.

In the confusion he did what he had to. He swept Daniel away, faked a corpse, and no one was aware of any of it.

March 11, 1979- 20 miles outside Santa Rosa, New Mexico

Rubbing his face and looking into the white bright noon sun, he felt the warmth sink in. Nothing was as good as desert sun, it was just so pure and uncompromising. Of course, he did have his favorite deserts but this place and the Sahara were home. He remembered when he first was brought into the whole program thing, they tried to keep him inside and made him live in cities and in cold places. But luckily, they figured out a cooped up unhappy boy was not only resourceful, but also a pain. Now he spent most of his time in tents, working on the puzzles and translations that were asked of him. If he wasn't doing that he was on trips all around the world, seemingly alone and immersed in other cultures and languages for a month at a time. He learned quickest that way and often he was dropped in cites but his handlers always found him in backwater villages acting as a full member of the community.

Before that started he practically memorized ancient western and eastern myths and blazed through the survival and self-defense lessons that the soldiers who were sent to keep and eye on him imparted. The scientists who he sometimes worked with while doing translations taught him stuff too, enough that he could follow them when they started talking. He needed to be able to understand them because he was only useful if he was right and more than once his translations and puzzles hinged on the science behind what he thought was either ancient or alien technology.

Au, you're up already? complained Major Maybourne, the keeper of the month.

Yeah. That cartouche has got my mind on overdrive, and I can't siesta when I'm like this.So you thought you'd soak up the sun? asked Maybourne.

he grinned at the officer who snorted.

Fine, fine. But you know you at least need to have a theory for the eggheads to chew on or your trip out to Hirara is gonna be scrapped. Maybourne sighed and pulled him down to sit on the hot sand, I'm not saying this, but if it gets too close, maybe fudging the truth won't hurt. I can't sneak you out, but I know how much seeing your friend get married means to you.Yeah, thanks Major. the boy ran his fingers though his now short messy hair. He had put up a good fight but in the end all the adults in his life convinced him that short hair was more practical and easier to maintain than the chin length hair he wanted.

Hey, no big deal. And call me Harry. Maybourne said with a grin. The boy shrugged.

his blue eyes unfocused for a moment then just before Maybourne thought he was going to pass out, they snapped back to reality, They aren't words... The boy started chattering rapidly in a mix of languages and drawing things in the sand. Maybourne had seen this happen enough to know to fetch the boy a pad of paper and a pencil.

I need to get to a library. muttered the boy as he surfaced from his storm of thought.

Help pack up camp and we'll go to town.

March 31, 1979- Area 51

And so other than the delta with the circle on top, all the signs are just another way to chart constellations, probably used by some advanced culture to navigate using the sky as a map. he concluded with a sigh. He was tired and wanted nothing more than coffee and sleep.

He had worked all through his little vacation to Ryuichi and Mai's wedding on the material, finding the corresponding stars for each symbol, trying to figure out the whys, and getting everything in a condensed and slightly more logical form than it was in his head. Ryu's father helped because he was an astronomer who could be trusted and had faith. Maybourne knew about Mokomoto-san but kept his mouth shut because he could see that there wasn't anyway that one fifteen year old kid could do it all by his lonesome.

Are there any questions? asked the boy.

No, Nabu, we can wait until you rest. said the senior scientist on the project. He and the other scientists always called him by his code name, never any of his given names or nicknames. The soldiers, well, depending on where they picked him up from or what they knew, they called him various things. But again he never heard his given names used. He wasn't allowed to give out his given names to anyone. Names had power, and just once he wished that he could ask someone to call him Daniel or even Danny so that he could feel like that part of his life wasn't a dream.

He walked out of the room and to this quarters, the rooms he always used when he was at the base. They were unusual in that they connected to his office/library instead of being with the other VIP quarters in the complex. All his books were also on floppy disks that only his computer could use but when he was here he liked to indulge himself by using the originals.

Every time he came back he added to the collection of texts, and every time before he left those books were added to his collection of disks along with updated maps, new journals and other periodicals, and whatever else the project thought he needed. They were also trying to make it smaller, or at least faster, not that it needed to be fast or anything. For him it was just a portable library, but still nothing could stop the computer programers from messing with what was his. He was thankful that at least the shell of the still experimental laptop computer stayed the same, water, fire and, sand-proofed, battered, and covered with stickers and scribbles of permanent marker, but also his. Why that was important, he wasn't sure. And he knew without a doubt he needed sleep now, if he was thinking this much about just his computer.

----

He had seen many strange things in all his time in the project; technology and tablets with odd derivatives of Norse runes, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and something that seemed to be the precursor to Latin. But this was just plain cool.

It was a giant ring with his constellation runes. It just looked cool. The ring was set up on a stand and somehow they were making it spin, like an old rotary phone. The scientist behind him was nattering on about wormholes, strings, and other things, making excuses for why nothing was working. He wasn't listening to that, he was thinking about the very few geometry lessons he had, and about making a map.

You're not setting the origin. he said, If this does go from one place to another you need the six symbols in the cartouche to set the destination and that one symbol that doesn't have a constellation as the origin of travel. Like making a map.Try it. said one of the military officers, And kid, if you get anymore bright ideas, spill them.Sure thing, sir. He watched as they dialed again, using his idea by finishing with the origin. With a roar and a wave of what looked like water it came to life. It looked like an endless pool of water, only it glowed and just sat there.

Good job, Nabu. said the officer. He just nodded, too enthralled with this new thing to do anything else. Yes sir?Take the kid to the commissary, he needs to eat and we need to run tests to see if thing is safe to be used by humans. The boy let himself be lead out of the room and into the halls.

Hey, Harry?Uh, you think that I can go though it? he asked, I mean it's practically mine, I did all the translations, created the key, and I just opened it. Harry looked at the kid and sighed.

I don't know. On one hand you are the one who opened it and you just maybe the one who can get the other side to work too. But then again you're invaluable. You know they had your brain insured? The boy shook his head, Lloyd's of London, your brain alone is worth sixteen million in pounds sterling. Talk is that if it weren't for the fact that you work best in the deserts, they'd put you in a padded room and seal you away because they don't want you hurt. Crazy, huh?Yeah. I mean, I'm not worth that much, I was just raised to be what I am.Who told you that? Maybourne looked like he was just hit over the head.

No one, really. he shrugged, It's just kind of obvious to me. If they wanted to, I'm sure the project could do the same with other kids, but I know it was just simpler to start with me rather than from scratch.You are very wrong about that one, kiddo. And if anything in this world is just, you have more than earned the right to be part of the first people to step through that ring. Maybourne grinned, I'll fight tooth and nail for you on that one. And he knew, even if he really only had known the major for just two months, that if Maybourne fought for him then he was going to go unless an act of God stopped him.

(Well, that's the pilot- you know the first bit that puts the characters in the places they need to be so that the action can start. Again, please give me feedback. I am so nervous about this, you know thinking it's just gonna fall flat.)