"Fawkes?" Hammond echoed, confused, ducking as the bird swooped in and screeched again. Now he noticed that there was a large package of some sort attached to the creature's leg.
"It's Dumbledore's phoenix," Sam said, noticing the package as well, and barely dodging being brained by it when Fawkes swooped close to her and hovered above Jack.
"What does he want?" Jack asked, scowling.
"Dumbledore's the wizard leader?" Hammond asked at the same time.
"Yes, sir. Reach up and take the package from him, Colonel."
She'd read the books, after all, and had pretty much figured that the phoenix was delivering the package – and since he was hovering over Jack…
"What?" Jack didn't want any part of the bird. "He'll bite me."
Daniel reached up to take the package, but Fawkes squawked and pecked at his hand, and Jack looked at Carter with a there you go gesture.
"See?"
"It's probably for you, sir," Sam said. "Which means he won't let anyone else take it."
Jack scowled, and reached up gingerly, but the phoenix didn't attack his hand like it had Daniel's, so he untied the cord that held the package to the delicate-seeming leg of the bird. As soon as it was released, Fawkes flew over and settled easily on the rail to the ramp that led to the Stargate, a splash of color against the normally steel and concrete backdrop.
"What is it?" Daniel asked, curiously.
"How did that bird get down here?" Hammond asked, looking over at it.
"Probably through the air ducts or something," Sam said, looking at the package that Jack was unwrapping.
"It's a book," Jack told them, turning it over. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."
"A note fell out," Daniel said, reaching down and picking up the envelope – after glancing at Fawkes to make sure the bird wouldn't care. He looked at it, and handed it to Jack. "It's addressed to you."
O'Neill handed the book over to Sam, and looked at the envelope.
Colonel Jack O'Neill
Stargate Command
Colorado Springs, Colorado
USA
"Yeah, I'd say it's addressed to me…"
He opened the envelope, and pulled out a letter.
"What does it say?" Daniel asked.
"'Dear Colonel O'Neill. Here is the latest installment in the series, I thought you might want an advanced copy-'"
"You haven't even read any of the other ones, have you?" Daniel asked, interrupting.
"No."
He hadn't seen any real reason to – and things always seemed to come up when he actually considered it.
"What else does the note say, Colonel?" Hammond asked, slightly annoyed. He didn't like having wildlife appear unexpectedly in his gate room. His high security gate room.
Jack looked back down at the note.
"'If it's at all possible, I'd like to meet with you some time this week. I could come through your fireplace at 7:00 PM (your time) on Wednesday. If this is acceptable, please write back – simply tie the note to Fawkes' leg in the same fashion as the package I've sent you – and he'll deliver it to me. Yours, Albus Dumbledore.'"
"He's going to come through your fireplace?" Hammond asked, confused.
"Yes, sir," Sam said. "It's called the floo network, or something like that. All fireplaces are connected – wizard ones are, at any rate."
"I wonder what Dumbledore wants…" Daniel said, looking over at Fawkes, as if expecting the bird to answer that question for him.
"We'll have to wait until Wednesday to find out," Sam said, looking at the book in her hands. "This is great; this isn't supposed to be out for weeks, yet. I wonder how he got a copy so quickly."
"He's a wizard," Jack said, shrugging, as if that said everything. And it probably did.
"Write him back," Daniel said, intrigued to see how the phoenix would leave – maybe he'd just vanish into midair like they had when they'd had the portkeys used on them.
Jack scowled, patting his pockets. He didn't have a pen – or any paper.
"Here, Colonel."
Hammond reached into his own pocket, pulling out a pen and a small notebook that he used to write himself reminders, and handed both over to O'Neill.
Jack simply wrote okay on the first piece of blank paper, and ripped it out of the notebook before handing the pen and notebook back to the general. Then he looked over at the phoenix.
"I just tie it to his leg, huh?"
"That's what it said," Sam agreed.
He went over to where the bird was waiting, and eyed the sharp beak warily. To his surprise, the phoenix raised his leg, offering it to Jack as if he understood the colonel wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.
"Thanks…"
Jack tied the note carefully to the leg, and stepped back, and Fawkes gave a chirrup of satisfaction and spread his wings, launching himself from the railing and heading for the closed door. It opened on its own just before the phoenix would have crashed into it, and with a soft rustling of wings, the bird was gone.
"Wow."
"Yeah."
Hammond frowned.
"It's not going to get lost on the base, is it?"
"It didn't get lost coming down here," Sam reasoned.
The general hesitated, obviously debating whether or not to have a security force watch the bird to make sure, but he eventually shrugged. Obviously if it could get in, it could get out. And what would they be able to do to stop it, anyways?
"I want to know what this Dumbledore wants with you, Colonel."
"I'll let you know as soon as I do, sir," Jack promised.
"You do that." He scowled at SG-1. "Report to the infirmary, and I'll see you in debriefing as soon as Doctor Fraiser clears you."
"Yes, sir."
Hammond left, and Jack and the others headed for the door as well, Sam looking at the book she was still holding.
"Do you mind if I read this, sir?"
O'Neill shook his head.
"Somebody probably ought to."