20: Conspiracies

McKay was stirring. This was good news, as it at least indicated that Teal'c's blow had not scrambled the man's head too badly. Daniel and Teal'c had placed McKay on the couch in the cabin, amongst all the clutter, whilst Daniel sat himself down on an armchair across from it (after having cleared away the documents and such that had been piled upon it). Teal'c stood nearby, keeping an eye out through the front window, ever the vigilant Jaffa. And Daniel, during the half hour or so it took for McKay to come out of it, had been rifling through the physicist's clutter in an effort to find something that might have hinted as to why he was so volatile. McKay had changed, which was to be expected as Daniel had not seen him for over seven years. However, the extent at which Doctor Rodney McKay had changed was worrying, for he was now more akin to an erratic recluse and not the arrogant, if frantic scientist that Daniel had known before.

"Rodney?" Daniel leaned forwards. McKay groaned, rubbing his head as he slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Teal'c turned around to look towards him, regarding McKay with his usual stoicism.

McKay rubbed at his jaw and cheek, which were no doubt sore from having been punched by Teal'c. He looked to Daniel and then to the Jaffa, some confusion apparent on his face before it gave way to recognition. Memories of their previous exchange in the basement came flooding back to him and he managed an uneven, if sheepish, smile.

"You hit me," McKay stated.

"No, not me. Teal'c did."

Teal'c quirked an eyebrow at Daniel, as McKay directed a shocked glance towards him.

"You hit me," he repeated. "Why?"

"You were acting erratically, Doctor McKay," Teal'c said. "You threatened Daniel Jackson with a firearm."

"Oh, yeah, I did." McKay nodded his head, remembering that little fact all too well. "I mean, I did, but I have my reasons."

"What would those be?" Daniel asked. McKay turned to him, and for a moment he appeared to consider how best to explain it.

"Well, you know, I have people who want me dead."

"Who, Rodney? What people?" Daniel figured it best to get straight to the point. They had come out here intent on uncovering the mystery surrounding McKay's abrupt exit from the stargate program, and his reaction earlier certainly raised questions.

"I don't know who, exactly. That's why I'm out here. And for all I know, you could be working for them." McKay said this last part, although it was clear he did not really believe it. "You could be a clone, or a hologram or something, I don't know. I haven't had visitors in years. Out here, I can dedicate myself to my work with no interruption." He paused briefly, and he offered Daniel a curious glance. "You came out here to find out what happened to me? Why I'm like this?"

"Yes, that about sums it up." Daniel nodded. "You mentioned earlier that someone had died. Who was that?"

McKay did not answer straight away. He sat upright and rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands, massaging them for a moment, his head still sore. It was not only the blow he had received that had left him sore, but also the pounding headache brought on by his excessive alcohol consumption. McKay had never been a drinker, and yet here he was downing spirits as if they were going out of fashion. That was bound to mess with him, even a little.

"Keller," McKay said, and his voice was low, barely higher than a mutter. "Jennifer Keller."

Daniel knew the name. He had met the woman a few times, years before when the Atlantis expedition had been in full operation. He had heard that she and McKay had been in a relationship, which Daniel had been surprised to hear, for McKay had hardly struck him as the 'relationship' sort. Hearing of Keller's death now was certainly news to him. Granted, he did not keep up with all of the many acquaintances he had made over the years, so missing out on this piece of news was unsurprising.

"Seven years ago, they killed her because of what I discovered," McKay said.

"And what did you discover, Rodney?" Daniel was intrigued. He had known for at least eighteen months that there was some sort of conspiracy in play, something that had seen money diverted from the stargate program to shadier operations, such as the construction of the Broadsword. No one knew who was behind it, just that they were powerful and operated in the shadows. Janssen had even enlisted the help of Jack O'Neill to find out more, only to hit a dead-end. McKay, on the other hand, could very well have crossed paths with this same group.

"I don't know, Daniel. Not entirely." McKay shook his head. "But I tried for a long time to get sent back to Atlantis. So did John. And they denied us, each time. They were winding down the stargate program by that point, and the money was being sent elsewhere."

"Yeah, I know all about that." After the attempted Wraith attack against Earth, Atlantis had ended up cloaked and parked in San Francisco Bay. Some months later, another expedition had been launched that had seen the Ancient city return to the Pegasus galaxy. The Wraith, after a lengthy conflict, had been beaten back and reduced to a small fraction of their previous power. John and McKay had been there, at the forefront of this second expedition. And when events in the Pegasus galaxy had seemingly stabilised, the two of them had been recalled to Earth and sent their separate ways. More than once, they had requested to be sent back to Atlantis. Each time, they were rejected. Daniel, with what he knew now, suspected a shadier hand behind these denials instead of the usual IOA-bureaucratic nonsense.

"They finally let me back because I had made a breakthrough on my Project Arcturus research," McKay explained. "I needed the facilities on Atlantis to pursue this new breakthrough properly, and safely. You know, Project Arcturus?" He looked at Daniel, who was also familiar with the trouble that project had caused in the past.

"Yes, we know about that, more or less. You blew up a solar system, I believe?"

"And I almost ruined an entire parallel universe the next time around," McKay added. He looked at Teal'c then, having seen the startled way in which the Jaffa had quirked an eyebrow, again. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I was pursuing some very sound scientific theory, both times. And sometimes, with science, things don't go as planned."

"I would expect destroying a star system was not within your plan?" Teal'c asked.

"No, no it wasn't." McKay shot him an annoyed grimace. "Look, that was a long time ago. I was on much sounder scientific ground when I went back to that project, all right?"

Daniel spoke again, trying to guide the conversation back on track. No use going off on a tangent.

"They let you back to pursue the project," he said. "All right. Then what happened?"

"I setup on Atlantis, amongst a skeleton crew run by people I didn't know, nor were they part of the stargate program. It was an entirely new administration there, run by a man named Conrad Holt."

Conrad Holt. Daniel frowned, realising that he had heard that name before. Janssen had spoken of someone named 'Holt', back when the General had been conducting his own investigation. That had been nearly two years ago. No first name had been given, just 'Holt'. And with 'Conrad Holt' running Atlantis seven years ago, the same surname could not be a coincidence.

"Go on, Rodney." Daniel wanted to hear more. McKay appeared a little uneasy, eyes darting between him and Teal'c. Some of that previous instability was returning. It seemed that McKay had been by himself for far too long, obsessed with whatever work he had pursued out here.

"I carried on with the project," McKay said. "And I made some progress. I tapped into an incredible source of extra-dimensional energy. But it wasn't the kind of discovery I had hoped to make. This stuff was volatile, and that was the reason the Ancients, with Project Arcturus, could never properly control it. This 'Arcturan energy', at least that's what I called it, was inherently destructive. And…" He trailed off, his eyes wandering, his mind going off into another place altogether. Daniel reached over and put a reassuring and stabilising hand upon McKay's shoulder, gently shaking him in an effort to return him to reality. He had to be careful with McKay, for it was apparent that he was in an uneven state of mind.

"What happened, Rodney?" Daniel asked, his voice gentle, with the smallest hint of something sterner under it.

"I tapped into another dimension," McKay answered, his gaze fixing upon Daniel's own. "Something beyond our own, not a parallel universe but something else. I looked into an abyss, Daniel, and it looked right back at me." His voice faltered, his fear becoming apparent, and he reached out with one hand to grasp Daniel's forearm with a surprisingly firm grip. "I can't describe the feeling I had when I looked at what I'd tapped into. It was something primal, a fear dredged up from the very core of my being. The Ancients had tapped into it and they regretted it. They abandoned Project Arturus not simply because they couldn't control it, and they couldn't, but because they must have realised where this energy was coming from."

Daniel had never seen McKay with the look of sheer dread he saw on him now. McKay had never been a particularly brave man, although he had often surprised the people around him with sudden acts of courage. Here and now, however, Daniel saw nothing but cold fear upon McKay's bedraggled features and in his blue, weary eyes. Something had scarred him, and it was this that had likely pushed him to the brink.

"I destroyed my research," McKay said, and he released Daniel's arm. With that grip gone, Daniel was able to take his hand away from McKay's shoulder. "I had to. Holt wanted me to pursue it further, but I wouldn't. And that's when the trouble started. I get back to Earth and I notice I'm being followed, I find my apartment bugged and my phones tapped. And then Keller dies in a car accident, but she was a careful driver. Somehow her car wrapped itself around a tree. The investigation suggested the brakes had failed, but I don't believe that. Not at all." He spoke quickly now, and Daniel had to listen carefully to try and keep up with him. There was not quite enough 'meat' to McKay's explanations for Daniel's liking, yet the scientist spoke every word with conviction. He believed all of it, and Daniel recalled McKay's mention of 'car hacking'. That was a conspiracy theory thing, even if Daniel figured it to be well within the realm of possibility. After everything he had seen, all the fanciful technology he had stumbled across over the years, then the notion of hacking a modern car fitted with a digital computer to affect its brakes hardly seemed unusual.

"I moved out here to escape them," McKay said.

"Escape who, Doctor McKay?" It was Teal'c who asked this, and he stepped forwards, watching McKay with intrigue. "Who has been tormenting you?"

"I am convinced that there is a group or some sort of cabal behind it," McKay replied. "And I know Conrad Holt is involved. I've been out here trying to piece it all together."

"What happened when you did your experiment?" Daniel felt that he needed to know. That if he did not find out, it would nag at the back of his mind for the rest of his life. "What did you find in that other dimension?"

"I only opened a window, not a door," McKay explained. "I wish I had never opened it at all. I was never a religious man, Daniel, you know that. Strictly science, that was me. Everything has its scientific explanation, no matter how outlandish. And yet, when I think about those experiments and the things I saw, the things I felt…" Again, he trailed off. He was no doubt reliving the unpleasant memories in question.

"It was like I looked into Hell itself," McKay finally finished. "And the Devil, I'm convinced he's real. I swear, I've seen his cage."

There followed a long pause, as the two visitors registered what had been said. For a self-proclaimed man of science to speak of Hell and the Devil with such conviction worried Daniel on a deep level, and he wondered if this had anything to do with the 'Void Demons'. Daniel had perused ancient texts recovered by the Nomads during the evacuation from Sanctuary, as well as some writings supplied by the makalvari. Both species had similar legends about evil, demonic beings, same as many religious mythologies here on Earth. They were all strangely similar, to an extent that suggested more than the expected influence of one culture upon another. Again and again, the same sort of imagery cropped up. John had seen one of the 'Heralds' on Sanctuary, and Jonas had seen one on Langara: both described it as 'demonic' in appearance. McKay may very well be the man they needed to uncover the truth about this new, yet ancient, enemy.

"You said Conrad Holt was running Atlantis?" Daniel asked him.

"Yes. He was not with the SGC or Homeworld Command. I don't even think he was with the IOA, not back then."

"Do you know where he is now?"

McKay's eyes lit up and he nodded his head. He rose to his feet then, motioning for the pair to follow.

"I've been trying to piece together those connections," he said, and he started for the hallway. "Down in my basement, that's where I've got it all setup. Come on."

Daniel rose to his feet, exchanging a worried glance with Teal'c. McKay had certainly spoken truth, and it was frightening to think of what it meant. Were the 'Void Demons' the influence of all those evil, demonic beings written about throughout history and in religions all over, even within cultures located far across the galaxy?

They took the stairs down into the basement. McKay walked them over to the pinboard at the wall, where photos and printouts of articles and the like were stuck. Strings were placed between some of them, indicating apparent connections. It was a near-incomprehensible mess, with scrawled notes on some of the items that were barely legible. McKay appeared proud of it, and he pointed to a photo of a stern-looking man with close-cropped hair, dressed in a black business suit.

"Conrad Holt," he said. "Forty-nine years old, former Marine, then member of the Secret Service. He was in charge of the Atlantis expedition for three years. Now he's become a Deputy Director for the NID."

"From Secret Service to Atlantis to NID?" The National Intelligence Department was one organization that had given the stargate program all kinds of grief over the years. They had not been such a problem in more recent years, having fallen under much more thorough government oversight. Janssen had described Holt to him, and the photo Daniel was gazing at now seemed to fit that description.

"A real interesting resume," McKay said. Some of the other photos were of similar-looking sorts, the kinds of people you would expect to see running intelligence organizations. There were also prominent politicians amongst them. A real web of conspiracy, if McKay was not mistaken. Daniel's gut feeling told him that McKay was right, and that was all the more reason to be concerned.

"I stumbled into something I shouldn't have and they tried to intimidate me, even silence me," McKay said. "I rigged-up this whole system here, tapped into the Homeworld Command network. I saw all the mission reports from the last couple of years."

"You did?"

McKay smiled, apparently proud of his hacking.

"The Broadsword was Holt's project, I'm sure of it," McKay said. "And I don't think he'd be too pleased at its loss. They built that to impose tyranny, here and abroad, against allies and enemies alike. To have it used to fight a war against evil instead, that's almost poetic."

"What else do you know, Rodney?" Daniel had to admit, he was impressed by what he saw. Sure, it reeked of obsession, even madness, but it had netted McKay information very few outside of the stargate program were privy to. So, it seemed obsession and madness had their benefits.

"I know that Holt is only the tip of the iceberg," McKay said. "But I don't know who he's working for and what their motives are. It wasn't until I saw some of the more recent reports from the SGC that I started to piece it together. These 'Void Demons', they're supposed to subvert and drive races to war."

"From what we've found out, apparently so," Daniel said.

"The Broadsword would have been the perfect vehicle for that. To implement tyranny here and then spread it across the stars."

"You think the Void Demons have something to do with it?" Daniel always felt strange saying 'Void Demons'. That was what the Nomads called them. He thought that they could do with a better name, although none came to mind. Besides, they did look like 'demons', or at least the Heralds did.

"It's just a small part of their plan," McKay replied. "I saw the reports about this war, between the Calsharans and just about everyone else who crosses their path. That was probably spurred on by these same 'demons', or whatever it is they are. It's divide and conquer, the oldest strategy in the book. They soften up those they perceive to be threats without putting themselves in danger. We do half the work for them so they can barge in and wipe the floor with us. Just thinking about it pisses me off."

"Yeah, I can tell." McKay's voice was picking up in volume, and his movements became more frantic. The situation was enough to make anyone anxious, even more so an eccentric scientist who had gone off of the deep end already.

"There are people in the highest levels of the government, not just in the United States but everyone, whom I believe are in league with these demons."

"Can you prove that?"

McKay shook his head and he let out an annoyed huff.

"Even if I had rock solid proof, they're too powerful. They'll bury the proof, plunge it into a mass of disinformation. Same thing we do with the stargate program." He had a point there. The stargate program had been the subject of 'conspiracy theories' since its creation, and like all black projects, it was a closely guarded secret. Even now, when the knowledge of the existence of not only aliens, but of Earth's space fleet, was widespread, the stargate itself still remained a secret. The philosophy there was that the public would learn a piece at a time, over a period of many years. To let them know everything at once had been deemed likely to start civil unrest and an accelerating cascade of diplomatic incidents.

"Where is Conrad Holt now?" It was Teal'c who asked this, and his intentions were clear. This conspiracy, this group or 'cabal', had to be stopped. All of what Janssen and O'Neill had uncovered eighteen months ago indicated the existence of such a group, but they had found out little beyond that. Conrad Holt was their best lead, that much was obvious.

"Last I checked, he was in Washington DC, working his job at the NID headquarters. Why?" McKay appeared to know what the Jaffa was thinking, yet he asked the question anyway, as if he could not quite believe what he was suggesting.

"You're thinking we should go have a talk to him?" Daniel asked, turning to Teal'c. It seemed like a good idea, up until the point that outright abducting the deputy director of the NID was likely to make them all fugitives in the eyes of the law. Somehow, Daniel doubted that the man would agree to a meeting.

"Perhaps we do not need to meet him?" Teal'c suggested.

"What did you have in mind?"

"He is with the NID. He would have an office, and in that, a computer. I believe we could uncover a great deal if we gained access to that computer."

McKay looked to Teal'c with widened eyes. He seemed to think the idea was crazy.

"You want to hack the computer of the deputy director of the NID?" He asked. "That would mean going to Washington DC, for starters. After that, we'd have to somehow gain access to the headquarters of one of the country's most powerful intelligence agencies. And then, even if we got that access, we'd need to get to his office."

"You know computers better than I do, Rodney," Daniel said. "You could gain access. If we do that, we could find out everything we need. We could blow a lid on whatever's actually going on. I know it's something bad, and what you discovered with Project Arcturus plays a part in something much larger, I just don't know what yet. We can start with Holt and see what we learn."

McKay's looked to him, disbelief on his lined, heavily bearded face.

"You're actually serious," he said, shaking his head. "Holy cow, you want to do this? You come back into my life and straight away you want to go and do something crazy? Why do you think I'm living out here, Daniel? These people, there's no limit to their reach. They'll find me, just like you found me. You go after Holt and they'll be all over you. Even with your SGC security clearance, they won't let you into the NID."

"I don't know about that, Rodney. I might have one or two people I can ask about access." Daniel had the loose beginnings of a plan forming in his mind. He was amazed at just how easily he had come to decide on this dangerous plan of action, but he had engaged in far more insane plans during his time with SG-1 over the years. Here and now, infiltrating NID headquarters seemed almost quaint compared to what he had done with the team back in the day.

"But if we're going to do any kind of computer hacking, we're going to need you, Rodney." Daniel set his eyes upon McKay's own, his expression firm. "I'm not the most technologically-minded guy, as you probably know."

"You really want to do this?"

"I do. As for you, Rodney, don't you want to know who killed Keller? Because Holt might know." Daniel could see that he had him there. McKay might have seemed cowardly at times, but he was not one to back down from a challenge like that. Someone had killed the love of his life, and Daniel felt only sympathy for the man, having been there himself when he had lost his wife. McKay had spent years trying to piece it all together, and now was his chance to try and take proper action.

"You don't want all the time you spent out here to be for nothing, surely?" Daniel also knew that the team and the SGC as a whole needed Rodney McKay. Sure, he was not the most likable person, that much was apparent. However, there was no denying his intellect, not that Daniel was likely to tell McKay of just how smart he considered him to be. The man's ego had been tempered by the years spent living in seclusion, and it had given way to a volatility that Daniel saw even now on his face.

One eye twitched as Daniel watched him then, and McKay's mind worked through the potentials to the hasty plan that had been concocted.

"We can make a difference," Daniel added. "A real one. This group obviously have plans for the entire planet. Not good ones, I'll bet."

"No, not good ones." McKay slowly shook his head. He closed his eyes for a moment, pondering his options further, before he opened them and looked to Daniel with a newfound determination. "All right, Daniel. We'll do this, but only because I trust you."

"Thank you, Rodney." He looked to McKay and then to Teal'c, before he shifted his attention back to McKay and gave him a friendly smile. "I think we'll make a great team, don't you?"


Doctor Rodney McKay would be the first to admit that he was a mess. He had let himself go, there was no denying that. Sure, he was not overweight, but he did have the overall appearance of a homeless man, complete with worn-out clothing and a long, greying beard that made him appear at least twenty years older than he actually was. It did not give the appearance of someone 'wise', as McKay had thought a beard might. He was no Gandalf, and he decided then and there that such a full-fledged beard was not for him.

His anxiety was taking hold again, with the notion of returning into the world at large. Not only that, but to return to a world where some very influential people wanted him dead. Well, maybe not so much 'dead' as under constant surveillance. And when he did step out of line, for whatever reason, they would come down upon him like a ton of bricks.

The wilderness of the American heartland had been his home for nearly seven years. He had rarely seen other human beings during that time, only making a once-a-month supply run to the nearest town before returning to his own company. And even that town was little more than a speck on a map, consisting of a small cluster of houses, a general store and a gas station. It was quiet out here, and that was how McKay preferred it. To plunge back into the big cities so suddenly, now that was a worry. And he certainly could not do it whilst looking like someone who had escaped a lunatic asylum.

Now, he stood in the bathroom of his cabin, staring into a mirror. He had dug out an old electric razor, complete with trimmer attachment for the thicker, bushier styles of facial hair. He ran a hand through the beard, and then up to his longer, uncontrolled hair. Seeing his reflection now, he could see that he was getting no younger. He was in his fifties after all, and he thought, as he regarded his reflection, that things would only go downhill from here. No use wasting his life out in the wilderness, not when he had an opportunity now to act. A terrifying notion, and he had no idea how he might cope back out in the real world, but he had to take a chance. And that meant making a few changes to himself to start with.

He switched on the electric shaver and went to work on his beard. He sheared away at it, again and again, gradually slicing it down and sending the greying, slightly wavy hairs falling into the sink before him. Wind whistled outside, rustling the surrounding bushes and trees. A few errant branches scratched against the small window at the other end of the bathroom. Noises that might have sometimes made him jump, made him think that maybe his enemies had finally come for him. Now, however, he remained fixated on his work. He rid himself of the beard, paring it down before he switched out the trimmer attachment for a standard shaver. With that, he finally rendered his face clean-shaven, as smooth as the worn and lined face of a middle-aged man could get.

After that, he began on the hair. He used a small pair of scissors for that, cutting it down back to a shorter look that he was familiar with. It was a somewhat futile attempt to recapture some of his youth, he knew this. Even so, there was no doubting that he appeared a little younger with the beard gone. With his hair under control, he might have dared suggest he looked 'respectable', like the scientist he had been until things had fallen apart so suddenly. He could still remember the experiment on Atlantis, not to mention the deep, almost primal sense of dread he had felt when he had looked upon the results. Sometimes he thought that it might have been a bad dream, only for reality to soon set in and remind him that it had indeed occurred. A window into something dark and horrifying had been opened, and McKay sometimes saw it in his dreams, feeling that dread all over again.

When he finished shaving, he had a shower and then dressed into something a little less 'hobo-like'. This included a set of grey cargo pants, a blue flannel shirt and a black jacket he dug out of his wardrobe, a piece of clothing he had not worn for a long time. Both Daniel and Teal'c were waiting for him out in the living area, and when McKay emerged he saw Daniel give him a nod.

"You look much better now," he said.

"I feel a little better." McKay ran a hand along his now clean-shaven chin. It had been sometime since it had been hairless.

"We should go," Daniel said. "We'll head for Washington and try and sort out some kind of plan."

"Sounds promising." McKay meant very much the opposite, even if he had agreed to go along. The whole thing was bound to end in tears, he was sure of this. Still, he could not continue staying here, not after Daniel and Teal'c had come by. It was the call to action, and it was one call McKay knew he could not ignore. All he had to do was dredge up that old courage, the kind he knew he had buried deep somewhere. Thinking of Jennifer Keller spurred him on, as it was for her he would be doing this. Years spent finding out everything he could had to come to something, and this would have to be it. If this failed, he did not know what he would do. Evidently, the stargate program needed him. They were in trouble, faced with new enemies across the galaxy. When this was done, perhaps there would be a place there for him?

Daniel had certainly believed him, about his experiment and everything else that had followed it. The idea that these 'Void Demons' were somehow connected with what he had experienced only worried him further. This was all so much bigger than some homegrown conspiracy.