15: Recluse

Aithris had his own locker, although there was little in there save for his off-duty clothes and a small data-pad containing a handful of images, mainly of his parents. Photos taken when he had been younger and a little more carefree, or as carefree as someone trained from the age of five to fight could be. He was at his locker now, having dressed into the gear appropriate for an off-world mission. His uniform was a little tight in places, as the tailors down here had still not been able to get his size right.

The room was bare, little more than a grey room lined with lockers, benches running in between them. He was alone for the time being, and he shut the door on his locker before he turned around and adjusted the laces on his boots, propping one foot upon a bench at a time to do so. He had fixed up the last lace when Natalia walked in, giving the Nomad a warm smile when he turned to look at her. Natalia was in her full off-world gear, complete with a gas mask dangling from around her neck, there to be thrown on if they encountered any dangerous fumes.

"You ready to go?" She asked him. "The General's expecting us."

It had been six hours since the meeting, and much of that time had been spent waiting. Captain Kav'rak had returned after the first hour, as he said he would, while SG-21 had gone on ahead to Dalabrai. Their first check-in half an hour ago had made it clear that the town of Blaskane was a rubble-strewn warzone. They were to move on ahead to scope out the Calsharan maglev station. SG-1 would follow and the two teams would meet up.

"Here." Natalia held out a second gas mask, one that was somewhat larger than hers to account for the Nomad's greater size. "You might need that. Unless your fancy implants make you immune to poison gas."

"They can help," Aithris replied. He took the respirator from her, clipping it around his neck for the time being so that it simply hung over his chest like an oversized necklace. "Still, I'd prefer to avoid breathing in anything unpleasant, as would anyone else."

"This Dalabrai, sounds like a real nice place."

"I cannot comment on that," Aithris said. "I've never been there." He paused, an awkward silence falling between the both of them. He went to say something to end it, to thank her again for her help at the settlement and to tell her that he had enjoyed having her around, but something unexpected kept him from speaking at that moment.

Someone else entered the room, albeit the kind of someone neither of them were expecting. Aithris' hand shot for his gun, only for him to remember that he was not actually wearing one right now, being on base. He was yet to pick up his weapons for the mission from the armoury. Seeing a Calsharan soldier barge right into the locker room immediately set him into a ready pose, hands raised in front of him, legs slightly apart.

Natalia emitted a startled gasp when she saw the visitor. This Calsharan soldier was in a black officer's uniform, complete with armoured vest and the silver armbands of a member of the Union Political Directorate. Yellow reptilian eyes scowled at the pair and his mouth, set on a face of near black scales, was curled into a smile.

"All right you two, hands up. Don't move." He barked the orders in a gravelly voice, yet it was one that was edged with a tinge of something oddly familiar. Aithris frowned, trying to place it.

"Stay very still," the Calsharan officer added. How one of his kind had ended up in the SGC was something both Aithris and Natalia were trying to work out. No answers came to mind, nor any as to why this officer had come to the locker room, of all places. Another unusual fact was that the officer held a SIG 9mm pistol in his hand, and not the expected plasma pistol.

"Now, if you could both start dancing a jig." The two of them stared at the uninvited guest with mounting confusion. "You know, a jig. Like they do in Ireland." The officer kicked his feet out a few times as an example. "Or do you prefer disco?"

"What?" Natalia's expression was one of sheer befuddlement. The Calsharan officer let out a deep chuckle, before he lowered the gun and racked the slide. The gun, it appeared, was empty. One hand went to somewhere at his collar, manipulating some unseen item that caused the officer's sheer appearance to visibly wobble. There followed a faint shimmer as the image faded, replaced with the very familiar figure of Colonel John Sheppard. He was in the standard SG-team uniform, and from beneath his collar he pulled a small, silver disc. He held it up for the pair to see, smiling broadly as he did so.

"Holographic disguise," he said. "It's based on the holograms those mimetic aliens used, the Field Marshall and his followers. The charge is good for only so long, according to the lab techs. It'll burn itself out after prolonged use." His voice was his normal one. Evidently, the device had altered his voice as well as put up the illusory appearance.

"Seriously?" Natalia was aghast. "Colonel, now is not the time for jokes."

"There never is a good time for jokes nowadays," he said, and he slipped the device into a pocket on his vest. "The General thinks it'll be handy on the mission. Thing is, it's the only one they've got working so far." He slid his unloaded pistol into the holster at his waist. Aithris was unsure of whether to be amused or shocked like Natalia was. Instead, he just watched the Colonel with a careful frown.

"How long does it last?" Aithris asked.

"Twenty minutes, at most." John shrugged. "That would be pushing it, I think. We'll crack it out when we really need it." He glanced at his watch then. "We probably should get going. I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely rearing to plunge headlong into a warzone." He did not try to hide his sarcasm, nor his overall displeasure at the circumstances of the mission. Aithris had his doubts, but he also followed orders, such was the way this team functioned. They could all agree that the makalvari were using them. However, Aithris respected and trusted both Janssen and John enough to go along with them.

The three of them made their way for the embarkation room, stopping along the way at the armoury to gather their weapons. Jonas waited at the foot of the ramp leading into the stargate, already geared up and ready to go. Kav'rak was there also, outfitted in a rugged grey uniform and black armour vest. He turned to the group as they entered. It was the first time John had seen the makalvari Captain in anything other than his dress uniform, and he noted that any giveaway rank insignia on his current outfit was small and unpronounced, with a gold armband at the alien's left arm denoting his position as a Captain, along with the standard rank insignia on his vest that was somehow even less noticeable than what Colonel Sheppard had on his own uniform.

Kav'rak appeared uneasy for a moment, but he quickly composed himself and offered the group his version of a friendly smile, baring pointed teeth along his beak-like snout. Above, from the windows of the control room, General Janssen stood and observed the group as they gathered at the foot of the stargate's ramp.

"You didn't bring your friends along?" John asked Kav'rak, whose bodyguards were absent.

"There will be plenty of my own people on Dalabrai," he answered. At his waist, he wore a bulky grey-metal pistol, the size of the barrel indicating some sort of high calibre. The makalvari utilised a mix of energy and ballistic weapons, and it appeared that Kav'rak had chosen something of the latter for this mission. "I hope all of you are prepared. Dalabrai is a warzone."

"Yeah, you told us before." John's doubts about the mission were plain, although he did not voice any of the grating questions. He was simply here because it was an order, and had it been down to him they would not be bothering to help the makalvari. Certainly not when it was apparent that they were working their own agenda and using the team to do it.

"Colonel Sheppard." General Janssen's voice was loud and clear through the P-A system. John turned to the windows of the control room, making eye contact with the General, who stood behind the array of computer monitors that controlled the stargate's workings. "SG-21 are overdue for their expected check-in. They called two hours ago and suggested that they were headed for the Calsharan outpost in Blaskane. You may want to look for them when you're on the other side. In their last report, they mentioned that the town had become a haven for Calsharan snipers. Keep your heads down and move cautiously." He paused, if only briefly, before he spoke again in a sincere voice: "Good luck out there, SG-1. I feel like you're going to need it."

John gave the General a nod, followed by a thumbs-up.

Aithris turned to Natalia, who was fully kitted out, a rifle slung around her shoulder. A Russian flag emblem was stitched to one shoulder, just underneath the insignia of her rank. She was fiddling with some of the pouches she wore, sorting through the equipment she carried. Explosives and electronics, among other things, including a device that was supposed to have some luck at bypassing Calsharan systems. That was something that the lab techs had devised, although the team was yet to give it a proper field test.

"You sure you packed enough?" Aithris asked her. She looked to him, shaking her head.

"I don't know what I should be bringing," she said. "How many explosives do we need, do you think?"

"How many do you have?"

She pulled a claymore from her pack, an item that Aithris found unusual. Especially with the very clear instructions printed on one side: FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY.

"I could only squeeze one claymore in, unfortunately." She stuffed it back into her pack, amongst a couple of satchel charges. Aithris had to wonder how a woman like her had become so embroiled in matters of demolition, as that was something about her she had not told him about. Sure, she had joined the army to make something of herself, and circumstance had seen her sent here. At the time of her exchange to the SGC, the stargate program had been operating at a fraction of its former self. The job had been intended as a dead-end for her, with the Russians much more focussed on adding to the couple of starships they had at their disposal, as well as fielding specialised teams for interstellar missions. Natalia had been sent here because she had more or less 'won' the position, a position that a handful of others had gone for. Far fewer than expected, and the higher-ups here in the SGC had seen the value in having a combat engineer around instead of simply another shooter.

Why she had chosen demolitions, that was what Aithris found himself curious about. Now, however, was not the time to bring it up. Ahead, the stargate was spinning into life, chevrons lighting up.

"You know, I'm kind of excited." Jonas was the one to speak then, and he received some bemused looks from the others, Kav'rak in particular. "It's been a while since I've done this kind of thing. I never thought I'd actually be back in SG-1."

"You might not be so excited when you're getting shot at," John remarked.

"Maybe." Jonas shrugged. From a pocket in his vest, he pulled out an energy bar. Peeling back the wrapper, he took a sizeable bite, chewing loudly. "I think some people find that kind of thing exciting." He spoke between bites. "I mean, when I look back at what I did, I feel like that, aside from the shooting and near scrapes with death, my life was at its fullest when I was gallivanting around as part of the team. I missed it, in all honesty."

The last chevron lit up and the vortex exploded forth, only to snap back and reform into the shimmering, standing portal. Kav'rak was first up the ramp, and he motioned for the others to follow.

"Come along, Colonel." He set his piercing yellow eyes upon John. "We cannot waste any further time."

"Our first priority is SG-21," John said, and he followed the makalvari Captain up the gangway. "We need to know if they're all right."

"Your first priority is the mission…"

"My people are the priority, Captain," John interrupted, and his tone hardened, eyes narrowing. The two of them stopped at the threshold of the wormhole, the familiar alert siren sounding off nearby. Aithris stopped a few paces behind the pair, noticing the way in which they were very clearly sizing each other up, as if they intended on fighting right there and then.

"Have it your way, Colonel," Kav'rak said suddenly, and he stepped on through the wormhole. John, shaking his head, followed him through. Aithris was next, with Natalia and Jonas trailing behind. As for the Langaran, his excitement would quickly be tempered by the grim reality of what lay on the other side of that wormhole.


The journey out to Doctor McKay's hideaway was a tricky one, if only because the address Woolsey had provided was not so much of an 'address' as it was a series of coordinates. Those coordinates did not actually describe how one was to reach the point they indicated, and given the mountainous terrain, it seemed unlikely how anyone could get to it without either getting lost or having to take significant detours.

The flight from Colorado Springs had been comfortable enough. Daniel and Teal'c had landed in Fayetteville, Arkansas. That was their first stop, and there they had hired a car and also acquired some proper civilian attire for Teal'c. This included a rugged jacket to help with the chilly mountain air, as well as a black beanie that was more intended to cover the golden seal of Apophis on his forehead than to actually keep his head warm. The pair had then proceeded on a lengthy drive north, crossing the state line to enter Missouri. The car they had hired was a proper four-wheel drive with the necessary all-terrain tires if they were to go off-road. And off-road was where the GPS took them, sending them along uneven dirt roads through some picturesque Middle America countryside. There was the odd property out here, even the odd farm, but otherwise much of it was simply forest and rolling, grassy hills. Afternoon was gradually morphing into evening now, with the first stars making themselves known in the darkening sky overhead.

Daniel had to admit, there was a definite beauty in the greenery that surrounded them as they drove along. He had been to some exotic locales during his early years as an archaeologist and even more during his time on SG-1, so he had seen all manner of natural and manmade wonders. Yet, he had never really travelled within his own home country to any significant extent, certainly not like this. Catching a flight from one city to another was normally how he travelled within the United States. Driving along through the backend of nowhere was a relatively new experience, and he was reminded of just how much natural beauty was here on Earth. No need to go travelling across the stars for it, as there was plenty to be found right here at home.

Teal'c was driving now. Daniel had done most of the journey, until he had decided he needed a rest and so had allowed Teal'c to take the wheel. The Jaffa did have a license, although he did not have it with him. He had acquired it many years before, during his days living on Earth as a full-time member of SG-1. As far as Daniel knew, it had been buried in his files somewhere. Nonetheless, Teal'c had a good grasp of the finer points of driving a car, even as one as large and unwieldy as the grey four-wheel drive they were travelling in.

The highway wound its way around a hill and straightened out with forest flanking it on both sides. The GPS on the dashboard was telling them to take a right, although no road was apparent, not even a dirt trail. Daniel leaned forwards, attempting to discern anything amongst the foliage on either side of the road ahead, yet nothing stood out. Trees and bushes, no roads.

"Teal'c, slow down. There's supposed to be a turn off here."

"I do not see it, Daniel Jackson."

"It's up ahead somewhere." He pointed in the general direction of 'up ahead', realising when he did so of just how little help he was being. "Look, it should be on the right."

"There is no signage there."

"There doesn't have to be. It's an old road."

"Why would Doctor McKay be out here?" Teal'c slowed the car down, and the GPS was now outright telling them to turn. Daniel looked to the treeline on their right side, noticing that there was some faint semblance of a gravel road there. It was well hidden, as the undergrowth had taken over what had once been the entrance to this forgotten backroad. A rusted old gate was buried amongst it all, having fallen over many years previously. The road wound on deep into the woods, and Daniel found himself thinking it looked appropriately foreboding.

"I do not understand why Doctor McKay would choose to live here," Teal'c said. "I always thought that he did not enjoy the outdoors."

"He didn't. People change." Daniel motioned for the trail. "Come on, take us in."

Teal'c shifted the car back into gear, gently sending it off of the highway and onto the bumpy, overgrown trail. They were going along a gentle incline, which gave the car that little bit more momentum than Daniel was comfortable with. Teal'c kept a good handle on the vehicle, however, as good with the wheel as he was with a weapon. The dirt road went on for several hundred metres before a clearing appeared ahead, or at least, a patch where the trees had been removed. There was plenty of undergrowth taking up the clearing, and amongst it were several pieces of outright junk. An old washing machine for one, rusted to a hulk, jutting from amongst some shrubs. A pile of corrugated iron sheets, most of them rusting to the point of no return. A cabin was ahead, situated in the middle of the clearing, carrying the same beaten-up appearance as the rest of the place. Windows were dusty and the curtains inside were drawn; the front porch was built from decking boards that were coming apart in places, the whole thing having gone without proper maintenance for many years.

"I think I saw that cabin in a movie once," Daniel said. Teal'c brought the car to a halt a short distance from the cabin itself. The whole clearing was quiet, almost eerily so. With night falling, this apparent eeriness only increased, and Daniel found himself having second thoughts. They had come out here on his gut feeling, following up on a lead that was paper thin. Still, if McKay was out here, then he would most certainly have a very good reason why.

"Keep an eye out," Daniel told Teal'c. The big Jaffa nodded, and the two of them opened their doors and climbed out into the cool forest air. Daniel noticed the tell-tale signs of more recent occupancy in the cabin then: for one, the cables running through a small penny-sized hole near the top of the front door that, in turn, were connected to the ceiling over the porch and continued out to a post halfway across the clearing. From there, they went off into the trees, running between them to some far off, unseen point. There was also an antenna on the roof of the cabin, suspended such that it stood much higher than any regular television antenna. No doubt a means to improve its signal when surrounded by woodland.

There was also a camera above the front door. Its lens was directed out to the clearing, specifically to where Daniel and Teal'c had emerged from their car. Daniel nodded towards it, as he came up alongside Teal'c at the front of the parked vehicle.

"You see that?" He asked him, his voice low. Teal'c had seen it, his warrior's senses keener than Daniel's own. He gave a simple nod in response.

"We're not alone," Daniel added. It was hard to imagine Rodney McKay living out here like some kind of hermit. The man enjoyed his luxuries, so roughing it out in the wilderness was not at all within his character. That was providing he was even here to begin with. So far, it could have been anyone in there, and that was what worried Daniel most. They could be walking up to the front door of an axe-wielding maniac for all they knew.

Daniel went for the front door, but Teal'c stopped him. The Jaffa stepped in front of him, essentially putting himself on the firing line ahead of his friend. Teal'c paused at the door, looking about once more, taking in the porch and the camera above the door and the surrounding clearing. After a moment, he knocked loudly upon the rickety wooden door, the force of the strikes enough to rattle the whole thing in its jamb. No response came, not immediately. Daniel, still at the base of the few steps that lead upon the porch, noticed the way in which the camera above the door moved slightly. It lowered its lens down towards him, and Daniel got the strong impression that he was being watched.

Teal'c knocked again, another trio of loud strikes that echoed throughout the quiet clearing. Footsteps became audible on the other side, and there sounded the rasp of metal sliding against metal as multiple locks were disengaged. Teal'c took a step back as the door opened, and Daniel had to do a double-take when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

The thick, greying beard stood out, as did the somewhat rugged outfit the man wore. The trousers were worn in places, as was the red flannel vest above it, giving the impression of someone who had been living out here for a long time. Like an old hunter, although Rodney McKay was not the kind of man to go hunting. His hair had grown out, making it long and scraggly, and for a moment there Daniel did not recognize him. He looked like, in no uncertain terms, a mess.

"McKay?" Daniel met the man's eyes, positing the question uncertainly, still unable to decide how best to approach the cabin's lone occupant. McKay, who appeared tired and worn, regarded Daniel and then Teal'c with a confused mix of bemusement and calm acceptance.

"Daniel." McKay then glanced to Teal'c, who quirked one eyebrow as he regarded the bedraggled man standing before him. "And Teal'c. Not who I expected." He spun around then, walking back into his house. He left the door open, and for a further moment there neither of his visitors moved.

"Come in," he called after them. Daniel exchanged glances with Teal'c, before the two of them walked in after the physicist. Daniel made sure to close the door behind them, if only to keep out the increasingly chilly evening air.

The cabin had a simple enough layout, with a main living area and adjoining kitchen. A short hallway went to the bedroom and bathroom at the other half of the building, and a set of stairs at the far end went down into a basement. The usual touches of home were present, ranging from a fireplace to a deer's head mounted above it and a mantel adorned with framed photos. However, much of these finer touches were buried amongst piles of documents and clippings and electronics, including multiple laptop computers of varying models, some twenty years old. Most had not been used for some time, judging from the thick layers of dust that covered them.

McKay had walked over to the kitchen. He had to step around piles of books and papers to do so. The kitchen itself was also piled up high with empty food packages and bottles. There was a monitor on part of the bench, and it was connected to the cameras outside, providing real-time feeds of the cabin's surrounds. McKay poured himself a glass of whiskey, which struck Daniel as highly unusual. The man never touched alcohol, at least from when he had previously known him.

"Ah, Rodney?" Daniel noticed that McKay had apparently forgotten they were in his house. Teal'c stood nearby, hands behind his back as he looked about the cabin. McKay looked up, glass poured and bottle empty. Somewhat carelessly, he threw it over one shoulder, intending it for an overflowing bin by the kitchen counter. Instead, it bounced off of the wall and landed with a loud clunk upon the floorboards.

"Hmm?" McKay turned to him, putting the glass to his lips.

"What the hell is going on?"

McKay took a sip, which quickly became a gulp, and then he had his head tilted back as he downed the entire glass in one go. With this done, he put the glass back down and set his weary eyes upon Daniel, his expression still indicating that he was only half aware they were present in the room with him.

"Woolsey said you'd be here," Daniel added, hoping that the name would jog his memory. "What the hell have you been doing?"

"Oh, a bit of everything. It's quiet out here." McKay pulled open one the kitchen cupboards below him. From inside, he retrieved an energy bar which he quickly unwrapped. "Let's me think. I need the peace and quiet."

"You've been out here for seven years."

"Has it been that long?" McKay gave a light shrug. "Time flies. I did suspect that one day you, or John or even Carter would find me."

"I saw your report."

"What report?"

"The one you wrote before disappearing."

McKay looked confused again, as if he had no idea what Daniel was talking about. Suddenly, and as Daniel watched, the realisation struck him, and his eyes lit up somewhat. The weariness seemed to fade from them, if only briefly.

"The crazy one?"

"Yes, Rodney, the crazy one." Daniel got the strong impression that for one, McKay had been living on his own for far longer than was probably healthy. Secondly, he had been drinking a lot, which again was hardly healthy. Seeing him like this was a sobering sight, as the Rodney McKay that Daniel had known was a confident and arrogant man. He was not seeing much of either of those two traits from him now.

"I came to find you because I want to know what happened," Daniel continued. "You thought people were after you. You were doing research in Atlantis, the same kind of thing you did with Project Arcturus."

"Why do you want to know about all that?"

"Because it could help us now. Because you could help us now."

McKay appeared to think about this for a moment, before he suddenly shook his head. He started walking away as he did so, going down the hall at a brisk pace, muttering to himself. Daniel followed, shooting a worried glance at Teal'c who trailed after him.

"Rodney, what's wrong with you?" Daniel watched as McKay disappeared down the stairs at the end of the hall. They passed a few small rooms as they went, each one as cluttered as the last.

The stairs lead down into a basement. It was a dusty space underneath the cabin, walled with brick. There were no windows, with the light provided by a couple of dangling old globes. Daniel came to the base of the stairs and stopped in his tracks when he saw what was down here. Computers, dozens of them, cables snaking across the floor between them and even suspended upon the walls, were spread out across multiple tables in a circular setup that was akin to a control centre in a military command bunker. Monitors were suspended upon the far wall, blinking through newsfeeds from multiple online sources. And to the left, a pinboard was attached to the wall there and covered in photos and printouts with a veritable maze of strings tied across them, indicating the connections McKay believed existed between them. One look at this suggested to Daniel that McKay truly had gone off of the deep end. There were also the questions that came to the fore, specifically how he had built all of this and got it working so far from any urban centre. Where did the power come from, for one? At least this question was answered when Daniel noticed the familiar cylindrical shape of a naquadah generator at the far end of the basement, hooked up to several trailing cables that snaked across the floor and provided power to the elaborate setup. Presumably this one had been stolen, or McKay had actually built it himself. This latter possibility was not at all unlikely where McKay was concerned.

He had stopped by a table before the pinboard. He continued muttering to himself, sorting through printouts whilst he did so. Daniel recognized a few of the people in the photos upon the board, if only because they were prominent politicians.

"You've been working," Daniel commented. McKay turned around, his muttering having ceased.

"What?"

"You've been working. That's what I said." Daniel narrowed his eyes. "Rodney, are you okay? I think you've been out here too long."

Behind him, Teal'c appeared on the stairs. He kept a relatively straight face, even when he saw the mess of humming computers and displays stuffed into the basement.

"I have to stay out of sight," McKay replied, and he started pacing around the central table, head down as he spoke. "They know I know, and they can't have me knowing, you know? So I ran, and I hid and I came out here and now I know what's going on but I don't, really because it's all so much bigger than any of us and…" He trailed off suddenly, aware that both Daniel and Teal'c were staring at him. He looked up, regarding both with widened eyes. "You both think I'm nuts, don't you?"

"Well, that's a matter of perspective," Daniel answered, doing so as gently as he could.

"No, no, you think I'm crazy. The genius who ran off because the men in black were after him. They tried to kill me, Daniel. Don't you get it?"

"Well, ah, no, not really. You're going to have to start from the top."

"They tried to kill me and they killed her. They killed her, Daniel. They say it was a car accident but I know better. Car hacking, it's a thing, they're all digital nowadays. They can switch your brakes off, send you into a tree or off a bridge. And they did it as a warning. I know what they are, Daniel. I saw it. That energy, that Arcturus project? I tapped into something so much more."

Daniel found the subject matter increasingly unnerving, and this was compounded by McKay's increasingly frenzied expression. He was talking more to himself than the others in the room, although now he fixed his eyes firmly upon Daniel as he spoke further:

"They tried to kill me. I stopped the research, I destroyed it, but it wasn't enough. I tapped into Hell itself, Daniel. I saw what they are, I know who they're working for. And it's not just us, it's everyone else. They're corrupting our people, turning us against each other. No more alliances, just war and disorder everywhere. It's what they want, because it's divide and conquer and it's the oldest strategy in the book. Don't you get it, Daniel?"

"Slow down, Rodney." Daniel took a few steps towards him. McKay flinched and backed up against the table. He looked panicked now, his previously weary eyes now filled with something borderline crazy. He swept an arm across the table, knocking aside some papers, before he retrieved something from underneath it. A pistol, a Beretta M9 specifically. He pointed it at Daniel, who froze in his tracks. He raised his hands, a sign that he was unarmed and no threat, yet McKay did not appear to notice this.

"Don't you understand?" His eyes widened. "They've been working at this for years. And now, now they're starting to kick it into high gear." He wiggled the gun threateningly. "Stay back. You could be with them." McKay's voice was laced with fear. Daniel could see it etched on his face, the mark of a desperate man, one pushed to the edge. And in McKay's case, pushing an already eccentric man to the edge would not have been so difficult.

"All right Rodney, drop the gun. We're here to help." Daniel was not sure what he could say to allay McKay's fears. From the look he gave, it seemed the physicist was about ready to shoot.

"No, no, they sent you, didn't they?" McKay sounded certain of this. "They got to you, made you think I'm dangerous. Well, I'm not dangerous. I'm a reasonable guy."

"Then put the gun down."

"No, because going defenceless would be unreasonable. Now—" He was silenced suddenly, for Teal'c had appeared on his flank and let fly with a quick and powerful punch. It connected squarely with McKay's face, knocking him over. He hit the table behind him, taking with him a laptop computer and several printouts. The laptop clattered onto the floor, with McKay landing in a heap next to it, dazed with his head throbbing. The gun had fallen from his grasp, landing a short distance away. Daniel was quick to move in, stoop down and pick it up. He unloaded it, ejecting the magazine and racking the slide to clear its chamber. Indeed, it had been loaded and cocked, ready to fire. McKay had apparently been serious in his threat to shoot.

"Help me with him, Teal'c," Daniel said, and he hooked one arm under McKay's own. Teal'c stepped over and did the same for the man's other arm. "Let's sit him down, get him an aspirin or something. We need to have a proper conversation."