Stargate: Genesis
Written By: The Ascended Ancient
Chapter III: "The Genesis Colony"

A/N: Nighshae brought up an interesting question that I feel I should address. Lieutenant Daryl Reynolds in this story is in no way related to Colonel Reynolds, the commander of S.G.-3 on S.G.-1. Just thought I should clear that up.

One month after colonization...

Colonel Crawford ran through the thick forests of P4X-337. Ever since arriving she had gone out for a long run early in the morning, as soon as it was light enough to see where she was going in the dark forest.

So far, life in the colony was going well. It had taken the better part of a week for people to finally get settled in, but they'd done it far easier than anyone had expected. The farmers had begun to cultivate their fields a few days later, preparing to plant their crops. The teachers had opened the school, and children were attending it. And the television hookup had been activated, allowing people to watch shows that had been recorded from the previous day.

It was the scientists that were causing trouble. Since they had no prior experience off world, nor did they enjoy following military regulations, they wandered wherever they felt like, whenever they felt like. Keeping track of them was a serious chore.

As she ran along the path she'd made through the woods these past few weeks, she spotted a man off in the distance. What's he doing out here? she thought in frustration. Turning away from her running path, she headed over in his direction. The man, who had been crouching next to a tree, stands up as she approaches. He's a tall man, with long brown hair coming down to his neck and a black leather duster.

"What are you doing out here?" Leslie asked, panting heavily from her exercises.

"Just looking around," he replied. "That is allowed, isn't it?"

"Did you check in with the military personnel?" she asked. "Because they would've told you that no one is allowed out here this far without and escort."

"I was unaware that we were being held prisoner here," the man responded.

"You're not a prisoner," Crawford replied. "You're just safer as long as you're within the confines of the colony."

"I thought this planet was safe," the man said with a smirk.

"It's as safe as Earth is," Leslie replied. "Which means you can still have an accident and be severely hurt and possibly die because you're too far out for help to find you."

"So what are you doing out here?" the man countered.

"Morning run," Leslie told him. "And I'm carrying a locator beacon." She indicated the device strapped to her belt. "If I don't show up for duty, they can track me down."

"I see," the man says slowly. "Very well. I'll return to the colony with you." Leslie nodded.

"Good," she said. "This way." They turn and start walking away.

"You're the person in charge around here, aren't you?" he asked.

"Of the military," she corrected.

"Of course," he said. "But, as a military colonel, I'm surprised you don't show more modesty." He indicated her chest with his eyes. Leslie looked down to see that the thin tank top she was wearing was nearly transparent from all the sweat. She wasn't incredibly endowed, but what she had was starting to show. Leslie blushed.

"I wasn't planning to run into many people out here," she replied.

"Obviously," the man said with a smirk.

"If you're trying to make me uncomfortable, good luck," she told him matter-of-factly. "I'm very good at ignoring people."

"Oh, I'm sure of that," he said with a wider smile. "After all, you wouldn't be out here wearing a shirt that thin if you gave a damn what people thought."

"Oh, I give a damn what people think," she told him. "But I'm good at ignoring what I don't want to hear." The man chuckled.

"So, who are you anyway?" she asked him.

"Jeremy Spalding," he replied. "I am... was a professor of Shakespearean Literature at UCLA."

"Wow," Leslie said. "I didn't think many college professors were brought on this trip."

"Well, I guess you thought wrong," he told her. "Because I'm here. I don't know why, but I'm here."

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As he walked back to camp with Leslie, Jeremy Spalding felt a wave of relief that he hadn't been discovered. His plan was working so well, he couldn't afford to blow it now. And, just his luck, he'd been stationed on a planet with a high naquadah concentration in the soil, a concentration more than high enough for what he planned. And with his infection spreading throughout the colony's systems, it was only a matter of time before he was able to transform this world into the stronghold from which he could launch his army.

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Leslie arrived back at the military section of the colony long before she was to be on duty. She showered, changed, and headed out to the control room.

The colony was set up in a giant circle. In the very center was the control room and military barracks. Surrounding them were civilian homes and shops. And on the very outskirts of one side of the colony was a large farm. This was all located about half a click from the Stargate.

Right now Leslie walked towards the large, two-story dome-shaped building in the heart of colony. Striding through the front door, she turned a few corners, walked up a flight of stairs, and entered the main control room on the second floor. Standing in the heart of it was Donald O'Connor, the red-haired Irishman standing proudly in the center of the room.

"Ah, Colonel Crawford!" O'Connor greeted. "I've been meaning to talk to you."

"Talk to me, sir?" she asked. "You haven't wanted to say two words to me since we got here. What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"I've been preoccupied, Colonel," the colony's governor explained. "Running an off world colony of two-hundred and twenty-three people is hard work. Now, I'd very much like to talk to you."

"All right," she replied. "What do you want to talk about?"

"I'd prefer if we could do it in private," he told her. "Say, my office?"

"Ok." The two of them turned and walked out a door to the side of the control room. Stepping into the governor's office, the colonel was immediately struck by the fact that he had the best view in the whole colony.

"It's nice, isn't it?" the governor said, indicating the window. "I spend hours each day just staring out there, wondering what I'm doing here, why I'm in charge of these people." He sighed. "I am starting to get used to it, though. Which is why I called you here. We need to decide just how we're going to work together."

"What do you mean, sir?" she asked.

"I've been reading your record," Donald told her, indicating a file folder on his large, oak desk. "The declassified portions of it, anyway. Quite impressive. You follow your orders to the letter... unless you feel they're wrong. Then you go off and do what you want. That attitude gave me pause at first, until I looked at the file more closely. You have disobeyed direct orders seventeen times since you joined the S.G.C. Each time, you have been right, and the powers that be have simply refused to listen to you." He walked towards her. "That, along with your absolutely incredible actions over the course of your military service makes me glad to have someone like you here."

"Thank you, sir," she said, not quite sure where he was going with all this.

"Please, call me Donald," the governor told her. "I have a feeling we're going to be working quite closely after this."

"Is that so, sir?" she asked.

"Oh, yes," Donald replied. "I plan to reorganize your troops into a less... threatening posture."

"I wasn't aware that we appeared threatening, sir."

"Maybe you're not," O'Connor explained, "but to most people here it seems like the military is running the show, not the civilian government. Now, they came here because they were assured that this was a civilian mission with a civilian leader. I need to reassure them that they made the right choice."

"With all do respect, governor, you have no authority over the deployment of my troops," Leslie said coldly.

"I am well aware of that, Colonel Crawford," Governor O'Connor told her. He walked over and placed his hands on her shoulders. "I'm hoping I can convince you to make a few changes on your own. I assure you, this is not a power play. In the end, the decision will be yours to implement my suggestions or not." Leslie shrugged free of his grip.

"What suggestions?" she asked.

"I'm not asking for you to lower security," he explained. "But there are some areas around the colony where I feel that security is too obvious. Around the control room, for example. There is an incredible amount of security around here. People feel like they've been removed from their leader, and that will only lead to them distrusting me. When I was mayor, I was loved by the people because I appeared to be one of them, just another citizen doing his part for the community. That's how I want to be seen here. That's how I want to run things. I want to do whatever it takes to make sure that this colony flourishes and every single person in it is happy."

"I could have some of my guards take slightly less... obvious positions," Leslie conceded. "But I don't think we should lower security."

"I disagree," Donald told her. Leslie sighed. Colony security was her job, and she didn't want to compromise it to appease this politician. However, he did have a point. Generally, people felt better about their leader if they thought he wasn't holed away in some fortress while they were all out in the open.

"Fine," she said, "I'll decrease my guards to five men. That's all." She said those last two words with such force that Donald knew there was no use in trying to persuade her further. "Anything else?"

"Actually, there is," Donald replied.

Half an hour, and a fierce debate, later, both of them reached a suitable compromise on the deployment of troops throughout the colony.

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Hiding in the shadows, Jeremy Spalding watched in silence as the military personnel walked by him. Straight past them was the control room, the one building in the colony Jeremy hadn't gained access to. He had to get in there if his plan was to have any hope of succeeding.

It was quite simple, really. Just one touch was all he needed, and the control systems in that place would be his.

But how to get inside? He didn't know.

"Excuse me?" a voice asked from behind him. He turned around to see a short, brunette woman standing behind him.

"Oh, hello," he said, pretending to be surprised.

"I don't think you're allowed over here," the woman told him.

"I'm so sorry," he told her with false sincerity. "It's just..." He trailed off as an idea occurred to him, one that could get him inside the control room.

"Just what?" she asked.

"I have nothing to do," he confessed. "Back on Earth, I was a professor at a respected university. Here, I have nothing to do."

"I'm sorry," the woman told him. "If you want to go back to Earth, no one's stopping you."

"Oh, no, that's not what I want," he told her. "Just being here is an incredible experience, one I don't want to just give it up. I'd just prefer if I had something to do around here."

"Well, if that's how you feel," the woman said, "I'm sure we can find something for you to do." Jeremy smiled.

"That'd be wonderful," he told her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied. Jeremy extended his hand.

"Jeremy Spalding," he said. She shook his hand.

"Major Jennifer Hailey," she replied. "Now, let's see what there is for you to do around here."

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It took a week before Jeremy got inside the control room. Until then, he'd been doing odd jobs all over the colony. Moving equipment, serving food, helping out at the school, that sort of stuff. Today, finally, he had a slightly more important job. He was helping to transport a newly arrived mainframe to the control room. He worked with his fellow laborers to unpack the device and move it onto a transport cart. Then they started to push it along towards the control room.

Five minutes later, they were through the door and on their way into the mainframe room. They unloaded the mainframe, and then they all walked out.

But Jeremy remained behind. He was careful in how he did it, slowly slinking away, back down to the mainframe room. Looking around to make sure that no one was there, he reached up towards a nearby security camera and extended his index finger. Slowly, the tip of his finger transforms into a smooth, silvery substance. This substance extends from the tip of his finger and enters the camera. A moment later, Jeremy stepped out into the center of the room. He walked towards the nearest mainframe and injects it with his finger as well. Then he does it to another mainframe. And another. And another.

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At a makeshift basketball court that had been set up in the colony, Major Hailey and Lieutenant Banks were engaged in a hardcore game of one-on-one basketball. Banks had the ball, and he dribbled around his female opponent. But Hailey wasn't going to let him get away with that. She ran forward and got to him just as he was making his shot. Jumping up, she smacked the ball right back down before it could reach the net.

"Oh!" she said gleefully as she grabbed the ball. "Take that!"

"You're not getting away with that!" George told her with a laugh as he moved to guard her.

"Hey!" a voice called from off the court. Both players turned to see Leslie Crawford and Daryl Reynolds walking towards them.

"Mind if we join in?" Leslie asked.

"Sure," Hailey told her. "It can be girls versus boys."

"I'm all for that," Leslie replied.

"You always are," George told her with a chuckle as he turned to Daryl. "You got game, old man?" Daryl couldn't help but smile a little at the affectionate, but annoying, nickname the younger man had given him.

"Believe me, son, I got game," the older man replied in his best ghetto voice.

"Ok, you may be black, but you're way too old to do that," George told him with a laugh as the game began.

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An hour later, they all sat in Daryl's house, drinking beers, talking, and laughing. Actually, size-wise, it was more of an apartment than a house. The basketball game had ended with the guys winning by one shot at the last second. The shot was made from half court by Daryl, causing George to stand still in mocked-shock staring at him.

But now, the competition over, the team that had become so close over the years was just kicking back and enjoying a few beers.

"So, do you have any idea where you're going to have the wedding?" George asked, once again changing the subject to Jennifer's engagement. The young major blushed.

"No, not yet," she admitted. "We've stayed in touch, but it's kind of difficult to plan a wedding if you're living on two different planets."

"I'm sure you'll manage," Leslie told her reassuringly.

"Yeah, of course you will," George added. "You don't hate men like the colonel over here." Everyone broke out laughing.

"I don't hate men," the colonel said, barely containing her laughter. "I just think women are better."

"Has anyone besides me considered the fact that she's gay?" George said with a smirk, pointing a thumb at the colonel.

"Hey!" Crawford said. "That's a little over the line, Lieutenant." George made a mock salute.

"Sorry, ma'am," he said mock-solemnly. Everyone broke out laughing again.

"Well, while you may not be interested in dating," Daryl said to Leslie, "you should still consider living a little. Maybe even buying some comfortable furniture so we can have one of these gatherings at your place for a change?" Everyone laughed once more.

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Standing outside of Daryl's house, crouching in the shadows, is Jeremy Spalding. He looks through the window and watches S.G.-1 enjoy a nice evening together.

It won't be long now, he thought to himself. Already, he could feel the computer systems of the entire colony at the fringe of his mind. He had infected them all, and they were slowly becoming his to command.

He loved the feeling of a computer. A human mind gave him sentience and the capacity to do great things, but nothing was better than the smooth, cool feeling of the circuits of a computer. Even though these computers used silicon rather than Sallium, they still felt wonderfully.

And very soon there will be many Sallium computers to expand my mind, Jeremy thought with glee. And then I'll be able to finish what I started before the Alterans interfered!

Even as thoughts of his impending victory coursed through his mind, his subconscious search of the colony's computer systems uncovered something that could lead to his downfall. An emergency bunker, equipped with a computer system capable of overriding every system in the colony. To make matters worse, the bunker was the most secure part of the colony, and the computers had firewalls that his virus couldn't bypass. There was no way to...

Suddenly, he smiled. There was a way to reach those computers. And as he ran off into the woods to implement his plan, he reveled in the fact that his victory grew closer by the moment.

End of Chapter III

A/N: Quick question: who here knows how far a 'click' is? I know it's military unit of distance, but I have no idea how long it is. And am I spelling it right? If someone knows, please, tell me.