Hey! You know, I couldn't remind for the life of me, why the hell I made them go to another planet. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this.
M.
Chapter XXVII
March 26th, 2004
P3X-O72
"If you are entering here unwilling to come clean then I won't hear you, Helen," Stella announced as soon as she spotted Helen and William walking towards her. Magnus smiled and crossed the threshold without doubting.
"If you won't listen to us, then how will it be possible for us to come clean?" Helen asked, entering the room and finding a chair while Will closed the door behind them.
"Why are you here, Helen?" Stella huffed.
"I suppose you'll want the truth, not the version we had to create to justify our presence in this place?" Magnus questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"I expect you to be honest with me at least this once."
"I was never dishonest with you."
"Yes, of course. Faking a death has nothing to be dishonest," Stella rolled her eyes.
"Indeed, it doesn't," Helen added. "Alas, we are here because back on Earth, someone got a lead that might prove them I'm not dead. If they discover I am not; then they will start to haunt me until they get me and most likely, kill me. We were at the SGC when they got alerted of the possibility of us being there. The Stargate was our only way out of being found in there by those people. That's, of course, information to your ears only."
"So, someone wanted to kill you, and that's why you blew out your house?" Stella asked unbelievingly. "Is that the reason why you felt you needed to send someone to tell me to stop digging on your situation? Or is that the real reason why I'm here?"
"Yes, to the first one," Helen frowned. "I have no idea what the answers to your other two questions might be. What I know about your current position is that when the President asked for names of prominent Xenobiologists and some other specialties, your name and Francis did make that list, I'm not sure what means they used to decide which one of you was more acceptable to whatever their plans were."
"And the visitor?" Stella embraced herself in a defensive position.
"I have no clues about any visitor. How did that occur?" Helen asked with a frown. Stella huffed.
"I know it was ages after we talked for the last time, and although that didn't happen in the best way," she looked at Will before she shook her head. "Well, I couldn't accept you were gone. I couldn't believe it not even when everything pointed as it was the truth. I kept asking and questioning everything surrounding you and the so-called accident."
"It was prepared to be like that," Will pointed. "Not even I knew it was fake until months later."
"Hmm. One day, a large man appeared at my doorstep, and he told me I needed to stop asking questions about your case. Then, another two entered my condo and proceeded to interrogate me. Luckily, they didn't have enough clearance for me to give them more answers and I had to call my boss over some questions they were making, and once they realized I wasn't lying about it, they stopped questioning me. The most strange part wasn't all the questioning or their appearance, but the fact they had a warrant for my blood. I have no idea why my blood could hold any interest to them."
"SCIU?" Helen and Will said to each other with a frown.
"Yes," Stella frowned. "That might as well be the name they gave me. It sounded so fake I thought it was related to you or one of your many businesses," Stella shrugged.
"No. It's not related to me, it is the same group who's after me now," Magnus added pinching the bridge of her nose.
"You know why they wanted my blood?" Will looked at Helen with a warning look. Helen sighed.
They didn't need their abnormal mind skills to understand SCIU thought Stella was abnormal. She probably was out of their radar until she started asking questions she wasn't supposed to ask. However, to help the situation, Stella didn't know much about abnormals.
Helen kept her teachings attached to the premise that more significant mutations only happened to animals and plants, yet due to the complexities of human DNA, despite minor variations, Humans remained 'pure.' Yes, the Sanctuary needed more Xenobiologist to help with the cause. However, Helen needed to filter out those who would be able to understand and accept the true nature of abnormals before she could explain to them the reality in which she lived. Magnus knew by experience that knowing about it, and admit its existence were two different things altogether.
"My guess is they were trying to verify you weren't the one person who was carrying a rather sensible virus in her body. I have no means to know if that's the truth, alas is the only motive I can think of for forcefully requesting your blood for analysis," Helen told her, years of experience told her instantly that Stella wasn't buying it.
"Ah, a couple of months before the explosion, I was contacted by a Doctor. Charlotte had figured a way to make herself a safe carriage for a highly lethal virus."
"What could she possibly want with you? I mean, you teach, do research and have many companies but a virus carrier? What good could that bring to you?"
"She made quite the presentation;" Helen shrugged. "Doctor Benoit considered that by giving herself as part of my research, she would be not only safer but making the world a better place. Charlotte was afraid of what would happen if Charlotte was to fall into the wrong hands, her fears where well-founded. She thought that I could keep her safe. "
"Yeah, right, 'safe.' Probably all warm and cozy too, right?" Stella added, a hint of jealousy in her tone. Helen decided not to pay attention to it.
"Well, during that time, we also found that all the incoming and outgoing calls were under surveillance. That included my private phone and cellphone. Therefore, they had overheard my conversations with Charlotte. When we figured the breach, we found a workaround to keep her safe. She moved to a different facility, and the last thing I knew is that she was freed of the virus and working on a cure. I had to explode my home before I could learn about her progress," she finished with a grimace.
"What this SCIU will want with her?"
"They are trying to find anything that could give them a safe pass to me, sort to speak."
"And why they want you?"
"Knowledge, money, contacts, Magnus has access to many facilities, and contracts with most of the agencies of our government and that's only nationwide," Will explained, "her contact network spreads worldwide, and so it is the reach of our research."
"Let's say I believe you," Stella trailed looking at them.
"How else do you think we would be here at this moment if I hadn't the needed contacts at hand?"
"Okay, I believe you."
"Thank you," Helen smiled and stood up, Will followed suit.
"It doesn't mean I trust you," Stella called over loud enough for Magnus to hear her. She nodded to Will before she turned around to face the younger woman.
"I've never asked for it, Stella, not even back then," Helen added with a sad smile. "I had only ever asked for your time and company all those years ago. We had an agreement, and then I finished it without giving you any chance to change my mind. I understand I wasn't the most articulate person when it happened, therefore if I hurt you then, I apologize," she finished before she turned around and left.
Same Time
Somewhere in the facility
"Doctor Young, I believe we haven't had a chance of being formally introduced," Daniel said, extending his hand. He had caught the Doctor leaving his room, so he jogged to get to him.
"Ah, Doctor Jackson. No, we haven't, but your fame precedes you, and of course, your voice is the same that the one on the phone," Francis grabbed the offered hand. "I'm Doctor Francis Young, pleased to meet you."
"Daniel Jackson. So, how did you meet Janet? I mean Doctor Frasier," Daniel started his line of questioning smoothly.
"Ah, care to walk to a place in which we can seat?" Daniel nodded, and they began to walk. "I met Doctor Frasier a couple of years ago, I just finished my Doctorate on Xenobiology, and with the help of some unnamed associates, I opened a small office that thankfully has grown over time. Anyhow, somehow she heard about it and had some questions I could answer. The government was kind enough to give me some clearance on this issue, which also kept me from asking the one person I know had way more knowledge than I did anything about this."
"You mean Doctor Magnus," Daniel trailed.
"Yes. You ought to understand that Doctor Magnus knowledge base is immense. She was born into the field, so to speak, while we didn't even know the specialty existed. I'm sure things we have trouble grasping would be quickly understood if we had access to her or her knowledge base. But, when I asked all I got was a no. Thus, I was on my own. I knew Xenos was on the same track we were, and it was a race between Stella and me to get to the truth. It seems to me she did it better since she landed the job on the other planet."
"What's Xenos?" Daniel frowned, remembering someone had mentioned before.
"Ah, my company is called Xenotech. Stella also landed in some funds, and she opened Xenos. When the government contacted us, it wasn't surprising that Janet followed," he smiled as they reached what looked like an empty office. "You think we can use this?"
"I don't see any reason not to use it," Daniel shrugged. "I guess they will tell us if they need it," he finished. They entered the room and found themselves sitting at a couple of sofas that took most of the corner of the room. "How did you find out about the program?"
"Which program?"
"The one with Doctor Magnus," Daniel answered.
"Oh, I didn't found about it, the program found me. Granted," Francis rolled his eyes, "all my studies pointed to a rather extensive knowledge of living forms, but I knew nothing of a program on Xeno. Hell, I didn't even know what Xeno was!" Francis chuckled. "Back then, I had just earned my masters in Biology, which joined the one in bioengineering, and I had no idea what to do with myself. I walked to my dorm; yes, I lived in the dorms. I had an awful amount of student debts to go and rent something," he explained. Daniel smiled. "Well, anyhow, I got to my dorm after I presented my thesis, and I found this envelope on the floor. They congratulated me on my new degree and invited me to participate in a presentation for this scholarship."
"What's the name of the scholarship?"
"It doesn't have one; what it does have is an urban legend. In the few colleges I've attended, there was always a rumored unnamed scholarship. The alumni often would tell histories of one in hundreds of students getting a brown envelope inviting them to participate in a meeting for what seemed it was a scholarship. After they disappeared for a couple of years, they would always end up being filthy rich and famous among their peers."
"That's a good catch," Daniel grinned.
"Yes and no, I mean. Fame and money can be quite alluring. However, back then, I knew someone who had received the envelope before, and she was faring pretty well compared to my situation, but she was an artist. A painter actually, and as I didn't see the relationship between her academic skills and mine, I thought it was an art scholarship that used the mystery to be trendy. That was until I was inside," he raised his hand to stop Daniel's question.
"Yes, I went to the presentation. Supposedly, a Doctor Magnus was going to present it to a bunch of us. For some reason, she couldn't make it, and a couple of Doctor's, the Cunningham's, they explained to us why we were there and how it worked. Gerald and Rachel were incredibly happy to explain everything about the scholarship and the benefits both during and after we finished the program. Then, they told us that we were from the most different areas of knowledge, and we shouldn't worry because we were all assigned to a different program and schedule with four students per class. They ended the day saying we would get more information during the following days, but after that, it was our choice to take it or not. We left the meeting not quite knowing what we were going to learn, but excited about the whole experience."
"And yet you took it."
"Well, as I've said. I was in need. I got the call a day later, and there was a knock on my door to pick me up not even an hour after I hung the phone. I was driven to the airport, mounted in a jet, and flown to a city I didn't know existed. I was scared, I mean, I thought I got myself in a prostitution ring, the mob or something. Then, I was led inside one of these corporate buildings, way up to the last floor, straight to an office and was told to wait there. I was sweating my ass off out of nervousness, then suddenly, the door opens, and this gorgeous woman comes out."
"Doctor Magnus," Daniel guessed.
"Yeah, Doctor Helen Magnus, she said with her eyes twinkling and that accent of hers. In that meeting, I learned she knew everything about me; she explained to me why I was selected and what I was expected to learn. I was offered to choose between two sets of programs; one would take me to a combined program with two well-renowned national colleges. The other one would get me under her wing in a combined program with ten well-renowned universities national and abroad. Magnus then gave me a folder with the details of both sets of programs, and the resume of all the teachers I would've met. Then, she asked me to consider both options and assured me that if I weren't interested in either everything would be okay. There was a knock on her door, and Ashley entered. Helen introduced her to me and explained she usually joined her on some classes, and I was doomed."
"You and Ashley Magnus?" Daniel asked, looking a bit amused by that thought.
"Yeah, right. I know how that looks. I thought I was dreaming when Ashley finally took my offer. I don't know what made her change her mind, but something did. For years she didn't want anything to do with me and then, bam! One day Ashley was super distressed, I asked her if she wanted to get dinner, she said yes, and we started dating. Ashley mentioned something about a cameraman dying."
"Okay, I'll trust you. How was that? She doesn't seem like the super romantic dating type."
"Oh, far from it. Ashley was, is special. When Stella told me she died, I couldn't believe it. I never dared to go to her house after that, not when I saw how Stella was affected by it. I decided to mourn her in private, not that Doctor Magnus ever called me."
"It makes sense, I believe. So, you visited Ashley's house?"
"Yeah, it was a huge house. I joked it looked like a mix between a church and a castle. But the times we were there, we rarely left her floor. Especially after one day when we went to the kitchen and found Stella and Helen having breakfast. I almost died of embarrassment."
"You didn't see anything weird going on at their house?" Daniel asked, hoping he would disclose anything useful.
"Weird? No. Look, I was there two or three times at most, but as I've said, we rarely left Ashley's floor. Not even Stella, who was visiting Doctor Magnus herself, was able to roam their home freely Actually, Stella told me about one time when she tried to walk to the kitchen by herself to surprise Doctor Magnus with breakfast. Stella mentioned that someone rushed towards her and stopped her from entering the kitchen, and then made a big fuss until Magnus reached them. She told me, Magnus was very flustered about Stella wandering the house by herself. After that, their meetings were few and far in between but never at the house anymore. After that, my dates with Ashley took the same pattern.," Francis finished embarrassed; Daniel pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know what the issue was about anyone roaming the house alone. I guess there were too many valuable things everywhere. I mean, tripped once and Ashley hurried to catch the vase I toppled over. Ashley looked at me and shook her head, telling me I needed to be more careful because the vase I almost broke was a Ming Dynasty one. I almost broke a 7.8 million dollars vase!"
"Holy Hannah! I guess if you have things as valuable as those you would be careful about the people who go around the house. What about your scholarship?"
"Oh well, the program was incredible, one of the best parts of the scholarship was that if I took it, they would cancel all my student loans. Also, the financial support during and after the program was exceptional. They gave me part of the funds I needed to open my company, and they presented me with other funders."
"And what did you learn from it?"
"Well, with what I already knew, I learned to explain and manipulate biological devices and systems. We learned how to synthesize some biomaterials. I know now that we were using alien DNA for many of the experiments and probably it was the reason behind the secrecy on our field. I mean, there were four of us when my program started, and we weren't the first. However, only Stella and I know about the aliens. The others still believe we were working with synthetic DNA."
"You were working with alien DNA even back then?" Daniel asked in awe.
"It's not so outrageous," Francis smirked. "We all know about that incident in the Nevada Desert; even only a few of us can say it was true. And no, we both had finished the program when we had our chances at those relationships with the Magnus women. We were around because Doctor Magnus had some interesting experiments under development and we wouldn't be able to be part of it otherwise," he grinned, before he checked his watch. "We should go, dinner supposedly will be ready soon." Doctor Young left the room, leaving a dumbfounded Daniel behind.
Outside
Same time
"You shouldn't be here alone," Jack warned her.
"Don't worry, Colonel. I'm a big girl. I know how to keep myself safe," Ashley grinned.
"Are you?"
"I'm pretty sure my mom showed you the video of what I can become," Ashley crooked her head turning around to observe the Colonel.
"A punching bag for your mother?" He hissed.
"If I recall correctly, Colonel. I beat up a trained airman, your alien friend, and then my mother. She's one of the few how can fight against me and have a hope of success. Why would you even consider I was the abused one?"
"Because the one in the position of power it was her," he scrunched his nose.
"Was she, really?" Ashley grinned, turning around to watch the horizon. "You know? The composition of the air and soil of this planet is almost a 100% match to Earth."
"What it has to do with our conversation?"
"It means I can do some things here that I can do back home, without the issue of having easily scared humans around," Ashley shrugged.
"Is that a threat?" Jack squinted at her. Ashley grinned and touched his shoulder, disappearing both of them back to the gate. "What the…"
"Cool, isn't it?"
"How?" Jack frowned.
"It's one of my many skills," Ashley shrugged, sitting on the floor, "I can transport myself and whoever is with me to any imaginable place, inside the same planet, of course. I do prefer to know the place before trying to transport," she smiled. "I don't want to end up reappearing on a rock or something."
"This is so much more Carter field than mine," he sighed, plopping himself on the floor next to her.
"It's funny," Ashley said after a while.
"What's funny?"
"You are. I mean, if you put all of us in a room, the most dangerous one is me. They are puppies beside me if I'm to lose control. However, for some reason, I'm the one you feel comfortable around. And I'm not sure if that's because of my looks or because of my mom's looks."
"Well, she's," Jack trailed
"A lot like you, and a lot like your Carter. You like her, right?" She asked, and when she noticed the widened eyes, she chuckled. "I mean, Samantha, not my mother. It's alright; it's not like you need to answer it. It shows." She said, picking the grass from the soil.
"You are very ... random," he sighed as she kept changing subjects.
"Am I? I think everything is related though. Don't look at me like that, Colonel. I can show you how everything I've said is linked. The real question is, can you take the truth from someone you see as a child?" She asked raising an eyebrow, Jack sighed
"I've often found that children are the best at telling the truth; whatever it might be, but you are not a child."
"No, I'm abnormal. One in who, for some reason, you trust. Or at least, regard with some confidence," Jack raised his eyebrows. "Oh, come on, don't lie to yourself; you are sitting on the floor ripping grass with me. Name someone who you don't trust at least a little that would be allowed in this kind of situation. I mean, can you imagine you seating like this with my mom instead of me? That's hilarious."
"Alright, let's say I sorta trust you." She grinned.
"If you gave my mom a chance, you might be able to trust her someday. Or maybe, you will never be able to do it. Even when known, my mother can be a terrifying person. Or rather, intimidating," Ashley looked at the gate falling silent, still unconsciously grasping the grass beside her.
"Why things are related?" He dared to ask, and she turned around to watch him.
"Everything has to do with you and your feelings for Samantha," he opened his mouth to negate it. "There's no need to lie to yourself; it is pretty obvious you do have feelings for her. Anyhow, you see Henry, Nikola and even Will as possible suitors. Henry is a tech guy; Sam, a tech girl. They should be able to have a relationship based on their same hobbies, right? Then Nikola, if you know the history version of his mind and skills, how couldn't she be attracted to him? And I happen to know he can be as charming as he is annoying. Finally, there's William, the nerdy looking guy. His mindset goes with Samantha mindset way better than yours. Or so you believe, probably unconsciously."
"Okay, that explains my reaction to them," Jack rolled his eyes. "Do please point the reason why I don't trust your mother. You can't honestly say that she might be after Carter."
"And yet, you think she might be," she chuckled at his expression. "Not in the same way! You are conscious and probably afraid that she will offer Sam something you can't. You can give her a life with aliens, wars, visit other planets and the occasional time to play with her tech; and due to regulations, one where all you two can be is CO and 2IC, but, hey, at least you can be somewhat together. Now, my mom can offer her a life of abnormals and some safety, that would be the same strange 'alien forms' with better pay and access to technology that even if you've seen out here, you are yet to develop. She could also decide to try an have a real relationship with you. That sounds lovely, but your fears point that once she is away, she will notice how different you are and how you have not much in common. My mom's dangerous for you because she can take Sam away from you in the worst way," Ashley shrugged.
"And then, there's me; I'm only her daughter. You know Sam isn't interested in females, and even if we share certain tastes, I can't take her from you," Ashley finished with a grin. Jack shook his head and smiled.
"It's a nice theory the one you have all figured out, kid, but it's not right. I'm not afraid of your mother or any of your friends taking Sam somewhere. I'm conscious that your mom has enough connections to grant her and you all the permission to be here, and before here, the clearance to enter the SGC. We know she is an abnormal of some kind, and for some reason, people want her gone. We are aware she has money to do whatever she wants and buy whatever she needs. I don't trust her; there's something off in her."
"Hey, you said it, she's abnormal. Of course, there's something odd in her!" Ashley laughed and grasped his hand, and they reappeared on the same stop they had left before. "That was nice, having this chat with you, Colonel. Hopefully, it was as useful for you as it was for me," Ashley grinned. Jack frowned, "Don't worry, I know Doctor Jackson will come to give it a try; he might be a little luckier."
"Why him and not me?" Jack asked with an eyebrow raised before noticing it was a dumb question.
"Well, your friend is hot," she grinned mischievously, and for some reason it made him remember Sam. "I could've been into you, Colonel; you are not half bad yourself. There's only one problem from where I stand. You are pretty much taken, and I don't like to share," Ashley whispered knowingly to him before she walked inside the facility.
Jack watched her go with a frown, he hadn't learned absolutely anything useful from her, and he wondered if he gave away anything without notice. It seemed to him that his deceiving skills were rusty while the girl ones were in perfect shape.
"Hey! Here you are," Sam's voice brought him back to the planet. "I was looking for you, sir. For some reason, I thought I would find you questioning one of them," she joked, but the grimace on his face told her more than he needed to word. "Who?"
"Ashley," he confessed in a breath. "Did you know she can teleport?" He added, hoping the change of subject or the surprise of the topic would take her annoyance away.
"Yes, I know the specific details behind it too. Ashley's very well versed in the science of it. What did you ask her? Sir," she added belatedly.
"Well, I could say she told me everything she knows," he trailed, then blushed under her unwavering eyes. "But she didn't say a word. She teleported us to the gate, and then she talked about," he frowned. "Nothing significant, she brought us here as soon as she finished. I believe she likes Daniel," Jack said, still quite dumbfounded with the result of their encounter. Sam squinted at him, "Has there been any contact from the base?"
"No, sir. No radio contact with the SGC yet," Sam frowned, he had his radio with him. "Are you alright, sir?"
"Yeah, Carter. I'm okay."
Inside
"So, whatcha find out?" Henry asked Ashley as he saw her almost skipping to the dining room.
"Oh, plenty."
"What did you give away?" He whispered with an eyebrow raised.
"Nothing."
"Ashley…" he trailed.
"Really, dude. I've given nothing away. I might have told Colonel O'Neill he is afraid of mom stealing his girl, but nothing about anything else."
"And?" Henry asked curiously looking at her.
"He's freaked out by it," she grinned.
"You sure?"
"Sure? Have you forgotten who did the questioning of bad, and 'not-so-bad guys'? Or who dealt with the mob all the time?"
"No need to get offended, geez. I was only asking," Henry raised his hands in defeat.
"What?" she asked in annoyance, and he kept his stare on her. "Okay, I might have shown him my awesome teleporting skills. Yes, but he didn't freak out, which is good. Right?"
"Did I hear correctly, Ashley Magnus?" Ash sighed and closed her eyes.
"Busted," Henry whispered, and she glared at him.
"Yeah, but I asked first to know if it was safe to do it here. It's totally safe, mom."
"Oh, Ashley, whatever I'm going to do with you?" Helen sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Love me because I'm your flesh and blood? And maybe because you are right and he is freaking out on you taking his girlfriend," Ash smiled.
"She isn't his girlfriend," Henry defended.
"Isn't she a friend who happens to be a girl?" Ashley winked making Henry puff in frustration.
"Stop it, both of you," Helen warned. "How did he react to your traveling skills?" she asked frowning when her daughter smiled.
"Well, for someone who supposedly fears abnormals he looked, well, not freaked out."
"Therefore, he isn't afraid of abnormal's skills," Henry concluded.
"That's what I've thought too!" Ashley nodded.
"Allow me to put a damper on your emotions. We can't be entirely sure he's not afraid of our skills," Helen added managing to make them change expressions quickly. "He might have found your most benign one as interesting, or he might know or even have experience with other transportation's means similar to yours."
"Wait, are you saying that our government might have been able to create tech to teleport and we didn't provide it?" Henry asked bemusedly.
"That's preposterous Helen," Nikola added outraged as he reached the dining room.
"Shouldn't we discuss this in a more private place?" Will asked entering the common area right behind Nikola.
"Well, we should. However, Ashley and Henry were here discussing it when I arrived. I'm quite confident we will hear them approach; or smell them, in some cases," Magnus added with a grin. Ashley, Henry, and Nikola scrunched up their noses.
"As I was pointing, the last time I've had the pleasure of working for your Government," he waved towards Henry and Ashley. Helen raised an eyebrow. "It's not mine nor yours, Dear Helen. Therefore, it is theirs. I digress, the last time their scientists barely knew how to blow their noses let alone how to create technology capable of teleport matter, and they are approaching if you haven't sensed them."
"We all know you have some experience with their government, Nikola. Most of us remember your last experience with it. However, you forget a little something," she trailed. "Good evening," Helen said, greeting SG-1 with a smile.
"For the smell of it, and the lack of noise from the kitchen, I'm sure food is ready," Ashley grinned. "We don't know the procedure; we thought it would be polite to wait for the lab owners to join us."
SG-1 eyed at them, and for once, the Sanctuary team looked like they weren't trying to conquer the world or explain some conspiracy in which SG-1 had miraculously not fallen. Nikola looked at Helen waiting for her to disclose the information which she didn't.
"I guess we can all behave for now," Jack spoke openly, "we still must pretend to be here for some experiment of yours."
"I've told you, Doctor Jackson! See they are already here! We are late," Doctor Young commented out loud entering the room; Daniel merely shrugged at the man's complaint.
"What do they have, Helen?" Nikola pleaded quietly using the distraction to move closer to her.
"Her, Nikola, they have her." She answered proudly, and he closed his eyes.
"Oh, right. Her," Tesla nodded, stealing a glance towards Sam.
A group of scientists from the base entered the dining room, and once they were all seating in place, both teams followed their example and sat all camped out in a large table.
"If I may get your attention," Stella called loudly, seeing that both teams were on the same table, eating away and trying to ignore each other as best as they could. They all turned, and she saw the hopeful glances from the SG-1 members. "We haven't got any communications from SGC. However, the weather here is extreme at night and therefore, even if they contact us, you are all stuck here unless you have brought extreme weather clothing items. We will lose all radio contact in an hour; the climatic conditions render our devices unusable."
"What? It was sunny and warm out there recently," Ashley commented.
"Well, yes. However, once we enter the dark side of the rotation, it gets ice cold. Once we reach what we would call midnight, the temperature outside goes below freezing. It starts raising as soon as the first rays of the sun reach the planet."
"Winter should suck then," Henry muttered.
"Not exactly, Henry," Stella commented. "The position in which we are on the planet allows us to keep nice weather yearly. The freezing at nights is also yearly. We know that further north and south climate only gets worse, and that's why they located the facility here. If you don't mind, I will get my dinner and then to bed."
"Thank you for the information, Stella." Helen bowed her head, while Colonel O'Neill shook his head in defeat. "Don't look so disgruntled Colonel; I'm quite confident that SCIU is still checking the SGC."
"How can you be so sure?"
"It's not the first time they do searching. The SCIU officers won't leave until they had revised every available piece of paper and moved every single thread to get further inside. Your SGC has plenty of spaces for hiding someone if you put your mind to it."
"What is this SCIU anyways?" Daniel asked
"Didn't you search? It's a counter-intelligence agency, a special one." Helen nodded towards Ashley.
"Okay, and why are they searching for you?"
"Would you believe me if I told you that I helped one of the most dangerous prisoners to escape?" Helen asked. "Before you jump to the worst conclusion, he is dead. Let's say he and four of his worst and strongest soldiers were collateral damage to the explosion of my home."
"Like you?"
"Oh no, I had means of surviving. They didn't. They attacked me, and by doing so, they blew the hero complex facade they were using to try and control the ones who do believe in my work," she smiled. "Well that, and I'm a rather uncomfortable pain in the arse."
"I can attest to that," Colonel O'Neill muttered.
"Jack!" Daniel exclaimed.
"What? It's the truth. She only tells us what she wants to say; she won't disclose valuable information. She certainly hasn't shared why they are here, or what's their real interest and she's playing mind games with us."
"Oh, you wish she was playing with you, Colonel O'Neill," Nikola smirked. "Our dear Helen is exactly like this. She has been like this forever. You know, women and their needs to keep an air of mystery around themselves."
"Well, that explains why she isn't talking. What about you, Mister Tesla?"
"I would never reveal secrets in my possession," Nikola grinned, Helen chuckled. "Well, not those which aren't mine at least."
"Meaning that if we ask you about the reason behind both Doctor White and Young calling you Doctor Broomthing, you might confess?" Jack questioned, and Nikola sighed at the Colonel's inability to say his other name.
"We all need an alter ego from time to time. However, what people call me shouldn't be of your concern."
"Nikola," Helen called, and both Jack and Nikola turned towards her. "It might be wise to give them some rope. Even if when the time comes, it means we are the ones who need to jump it."
"If you insist, dear. I will place whatever fallout it provokes in your delightful hands," Nikola leered.
"Stop the flattering and start with telling," Magnus ordered him.
"You always have to be the bucket of cold water," Tesla huffed. "Let me put this simple enough for you, Colonel. It's not easy to make people believe I'm me; it's complex explaining to others how I look like this, as the numbers between what you see and my real birth don't quite match up. It's irritating how complicated it can be doing anything in your country while being legally dead or in any other nation for that matter. Therefore, to have something reminiscing of what you call real life, both under and hiding from Helen's protection, I needed to create some alter egos to use to start things as complicated as my global domination plans or buying wine without being a suspect of petty crimes."
"Global domination plans?" Jack asked in surprise.
"Yes, I had a couple of those, since several Governments can't take their heads out of the ground and figure we only have one Earth. Or at least only one we could access when I was creating my master plans. Sadly, Helen found about those, and she all but eradicated them."
"And this Doctor BoomLaugther is one of your alter egos?"
"I won't even try to correct you; I'm under the impression you do it to try and ruse me into ditching more information which won't happen. Yes, it is one of my alter egos. Even when I have all my papers in order as Nikola Tesla, meaning I have a fake group of them printed with different birth dates, it's easier to present myself as someone else. Particularly in the last few years when people had finally come to their senses and started to notice my geniality. "
"Nikola used that alter ego to keep me in the dark from the fact he was talking with my students. I didn't know he had access to them until both Stella and Francis recognized him."
"That doesn't say much about security on your facilities." Jack pointed.
"My facilities are secure. However, colleges tend to be unique to place their conditions when one requires much more of what they are already offering. I couldn't keep my students all day under my wing; they had other Professors and projects; there was no possible way I could always supervise them. Sometimes, Colonel, you have to know when to delegate."
"I don't see someone like you delegating things, Doctor. You seem like the control freak kind," Jack pointed, making Helen smile.
"Even the best of us can't help it but give in into sharing the burden, Colonel. I might be a control freak as you've so delightfully put it, yet, I've come to know my limits for quite some time."
"Can we just eat in peace?" Ashley sighed. "Oops, sorry, that wasn't meant to be loud."
"I agree with Ashley, sir. There will be plenty of time for questioning after dinner."
"I don't know, Major, I might find a need for a decent sleep," Magnus winked at her.
"You can hide in your room, Doctor Magnus. But you will have to speak sooner or later."
"Yes, but if I hide in my room, Colonel, I'll only do it, so you get more time to interrogate the people you are still missing. Maybe, I'm just waiting for you to get your whole idea of me formed before I try to explain to you who I am and bring your concept down. Tell me, Colonel, did you believed my daughter would give away something that would be useful for you?" Jack clenched his jaw.
Will observed the exchange and also the expression on Sam's face. He placed a hand over Helen's tight under the table and gave it a light press. She eyed him from the corner of her eyes, and he pointed quietly towards Sam. Helen nodded almost imperceptibly.
"I would love to continue this, Colonel. However, it's not useful for you or me, and we are wasting time. You can decide if you want to keep inquiring whatever is that you want to know with my team, or you can ask your questions directly. For the second option, we will need a safe environment out of the prying ears; much like the one at the SGC."
"Are you sure?" Will intervened for the first time in a long while.
"Yes, Will. We can't keep trying to evade their inquiries; they must have valid questions which need an answer. And if we possess them, then why don't we simplify their lives?"
Jack looked at the Doctor dumbfounded, for some reason, the expression on her face reminded him of a dream he knew he had many times since the whole issue started, and yet couldn't remember. He was aware that it had to do with the Sam who had crossed over the mirror. However, he only knew there was something in there he was missing; something important related to this Doctor or his Sam. Or maybe, it was just the likeness between all of them. He shook his head.
"I'll arrange the room before they all turn over for the day."
"Excellent, Colonel."
He didn't like one bit the change of mind of the Doctor, but he would make sure to get a room ready before she had a chance to change her mind again and place, yet another, excuse over why she wasn't disclosing information as she had told them she would.
"I trust you will be able to find me, once you manage such feat," she added, and with that, she raised from the table and disappeared out of the room.