Part Nine: Four Corners


The BIA man walked into the Crownpoint police station that evening with a swagger that said what he thought of his own importance. The Bureau of Indian Affairs reports to the Secretary of the Interior, who reports to the President.Jack took one look at him and had no patience. It was already the end of Day Two that Ellie was missing.

The longer this goes on the less her chances. Better to nip this one in the bud .

Jack let the man approach sporting a self-satisfied smile.

"Which one of you is "The Colonel," he said making the two finger gesture for quotation marks. The FBI agent, Shel Littleton, rolled his eyes. Calvin Watley was a jerk on a good day. This was not a good day. Cal was the proof for the Peter Principle, the one about rising to the level of one's own incompetence.

"Colonel Jack O'Neill, Air Force," Jack stuck his hand out. The man hesitated and took it giving Jack the once over. "And you would be?"

"Cal Watley, BIA. Aren't you out of your jurisdiction, Colonel?"

"Actually, no."

"I see. And how do you figure that? I got a call from Washington telling me to show up and take over this little woman hunt. Dropped everything just for you, Colonel." He laughed at his joke on the Colonel. O'Neill's relationship to the missing woman. That informationwas already making the rounds. Calling Ellie the 'little woman' was pressing a point. No one in the Bureau could understand why they were all chasing their tails over a Colonel's woman. She probably had a fight with him and took off. It happened all the time in these parts.

"Well, then you'll be glad to know you are relieved of command. I'm in charge now." Jack said it evenly but knew he would have to make the point. Jack shoved his hands in his pockets and threw a nod at Major Carter.

"Says who?"

"Cal, you oughta hold your tongue. He is in charge." The FBI agent announced it with some pleasure. He couldn't stand the BIA man.

"I don't take orders from the FBI, Shel. You know that. So what's going on? I have people ready to move on this." Cal took the seat behind the desk to emphasize his command position. Captain Tsosie just shook his head. Cal was a putz to put a fine point on it.

"That's ok, sir, here's the order." Major Carter handed him the fax from the White House deputizing O'Neill as an FBI agent in charge and a White House Special Investigator, to boot. All the bases were covered in that fax. The BIA man's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. He got up.

Jack sat down, twirled in the chair and pointed at the BIA man, "first order of business, get me one of those cool jackets."

"Then, what's your plan?" He looked down to cover his embarrassment.

"As we speak," began Shel the FBI man,"every FBI agent, Navajo policeman, State Trooper from four states, and several platoons of Special Forces from Kirtland AF Base and Cheyenne Mountain are securing the area. No one gets in or out. We are telling the press that a number of escaped murders are loose and this is the biggest manhunt in history. We have roadblocks on every paved highway and a few of the more traveled gravel roads. So the only way out is by the rivers where we have patrols or by air." Shel glanced up at O'Neill. "Does that about cover it?" Jack nodded.

"We've deputized a number of men here on the Reservation to go to the outlying farms and make their own searches. And we've called in the best trackers in case we have a chase on our hands." Captain Tsosie eyed the BIA jerk with no emotion. "Not everyone will want to get involved. But we've made an appeal to the younger generation to keep an eye out for anything unusual. It's tough reaching the outlying settlements. But word can travel when it has to. We are broadcasting in Navajo on the radio as well."

"I have the State Troopers out on the Checkerboard to stop traffic where we have jurisdiction between the Reservation Lands. And," the New Mexico Chief of the State Police sighed, "and we have the canine teams searching through any public or industrial buildings out by the oil company wells."

"What about searching the mines?" Lt. Bistie knew that was problematic. There were so many abandoned old mines and caves all over the Reservation. Originally, miners looked for gold or silver. But in the last part of the century, coal and uranium had been discovered. Most of those mines had played out and were abandoned.

"Special Forces will go into those with someone from each jurisdiction on hand." Major Carter pointed to the wall. "I have laid out each area and each search party with color codes for each jurisdiction on the team."

"Carter, how will everyone keep in touch?" Jack asked innocently.

"As the Colonel knows, all teams will get special communication devices since cell phones are not reliable." She paused to let the men examine the charts. "I've apportioned areas of no more than 25 square miles to clear, beginning with the most likely to the least. We have helicopters standing by to move troops into areas that need back up or extra hands."

"Ma'am, that's over a thousand areas. And those canyons and mesas are filled with brush, outcropping ledges hiding what's underneath, as well as ruins all over the place. We don't have the manpower." Lt. Bistie objected.

"That's why we've prioritized. And that's why we need the help of the local population. If they know anything, they need to be encouraged to report it." The Major continued, "and that's why we've posted a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of the convicts. Later we shall announce that they have taken a woman hostage if we must. Then the reward will go up."

The BIA man whistled.

"We also have satellites imaging this area. And high altitude reconnaissance drones with infrared heat seeking sensors to fly over the tougher terrain." Jack raised his hand and Major Carter stopped to answer him.

"Will we need any UAV's?" Jack frowned at the BIA man.

"As the Colonel knows, we have sent for special UAV's for this operation. They will arrive in a few more hours." Carter turned to take another question. But Jack raised his hand so politely again. "Yes, sir?" She knew this game.

"Carter, what about Search and Rescue teams?"

"The Colonel is reminding me that we have National Park Service and local Search and Rescue teams assembling in different locales. The Special Forces teams include Navy Seal and Green Beret Search and Rescue units."

"Major, will we need civilian help from any scientists?" Jack looked directly at Daniel, who looked around to see if Jack was looking at someone else.

"As the Colonel already knows, we have a preeminent anthropologist and an well known archaeologist on hand to help. We have a few more joining these two in the morning. If she's stuck in some ruin, maybe they can figure out which one."

The BIA man saw Daniel checking out his service pistol with disbelief. "Are you sure he knows what to do with that thing?" Cal pointed to Daniel's holster and knife sheath.

Daniel pulled out the knife and asked innocently, 'oh I forgot to ask, which end do the bullets go in?"

Captain Tsosie snorted a laugh. Daniel rolled his eyes and sheathed the knife.

"Is $50,000 enough, do you think Ben?" Shel Littleton wasn't too sure. But Captain Ben Tsosie nodded.

"It's a start. As we know more, we can adjust our efforts." Major Carter nodded to the men and turned to Jack, "sir?"

"Good work, Carter. And now, gentlemen, let's get busy."


The Press had a field day with the news of the manhunt in progress over four states. CNN picked up the story shortly after midnight and ran with it. Flights into Gallup and Albuquerque booked up. News media from several major national affiliates sent film crews out to cover the event.

The question on everyone's lips was how did those convicts escape and what was wrong with the penal system to allow such dreadful criminals to find the means out? The talking heads on the TV skewered the U.S. Penal system and law enforcement in general. Overseas, the pundits worried about the poor Indians being abused again by the American government. And the populace spent the next morning glued to their TV sets.

The President spent the morning calming down the angry Governors of the Four Corners states. The Governors of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico would be affected in their re-election campaigns having this on their heads. The three who were his fellow party members were promised significantly increased support during those campaigns. The other one was left out in the cold. He called his state's Senators and told them what was up and to block a critical piece of the President's legislative initiative. Then he called in some markers from a few PAC lobbyists to suspend additional contributions to the President's party. Then he got those in his party's leadership to make their dissatisfaction known on the national news. In other words, he raised a stink.

The President called back later to offer his support. Then he called General Hammond to ream him out about not containing the situation and how did aliens move in across the street from the commander of the Stargate Program's flagship team? The conversation wasn't pretty. The President had Senator Kinsey berating him as well. The finger pointing went down the food chain from there.Aliens were running amok in the Four Corners region and they had to be found. No one had a better solution, so Hammond kept his job.


"Doc, over here. I want you to take a look at this." Colonel O'Neill held out his finger. "I have a splinter from a cactus. If you promise not to poke me with one of your needles, I'll let you take it out."

"Let me see it, sir." Dr. Janet Fraiser held out a latex gloved hand to accept the wounded appendage. Speaking very softly, Dr. Fraiser made her report. "Sir, I took a look at the body they found out by the oil well site. It was a staff blast. I'm sure of it. Whoever he was, and they say he was a local, must have seen something he shouldn't have."

Jack winced as she dug out the cactus thorn. Those things burned. He was glad she got it out so fast. "Teal'c went up to check the site, but so many people had tracked over it he couldn't do much. He went with some of the SF's to try to pick up a trail farther back up the canyon."

"Ow! That's enough, thank you, Doctor."

"What did you do, sir? Try to wrestle a cactus?" Dr. Fraiser smiled as she plucked out more fibrous thorns.

"No, I dropped my keys and they went into a cactus bed." Jack frowned. "I never knew they burned too." He winced as she went for another broken piece embedded in his thumb. "This Datura stuff they keep talking about. What can you tell me? Is it something to kill over?"

"Sometimes. It is a powerful hallucinogenic. It's found all over the world in different varieties. Ancient peoples used it for an anesthetic, like when they set bones. If it is taken improperly, it can kill, especially if someone is sick with kidney disease. There are other complications including a drying of all the tissues and membranes of the body. It's a wonder the illegal drug trade hasn't done more with it. But it is used in this area for visions and such. Down in Mexico and farther south they use peyote. Every culture has some variant. Why?"

"Just wondering if she witnessed a drug deal gone bad. But if a Goa'uld is involved, then I don't know. I keep wondering what a Goa'uld would be doing way out here. There isn't much, but then there must be something he wants." Jack stood up. "Thanks, Doc."

"Yes, sir. I'm going with one of the policemen to the local clinic to set up shop there. If you need me, that's where I'll be, sir." Dr. Fraiser saluted and moved off leaving Jack puzzling out why the Goa'uld would be here and be here now. If he wanted Ellie, it was so simple to get her in Colorado Springs. Or was it? Spying Dr. Svenson, Jack decided it was time to have a heart to heart chat about a few particulars.

"Lars, I want to talk to you. Let's go over to my truck and climb in." Jack unlocked the vehicle and climbed in. The two men shut the doors and Jack decided to drive off down the dirt road near the station. When they could not be observed, Jack parked. "Ok, Lars. Let's have it. And I mean all of it. Why is a Goa'uld out here? Why did he take Ellie? Why couldn't he take Ellie at home? What's in that house you don't want disturbed? Pick one."

Lars looked out at the scrub brush and the cottonwood trees dotting the landscape. The colors of the ground were so astonishing. There were shades of pink, purple, yellow, browns, grays, blacks and pure white. The flat top mountains called mesa's loomed in the distance. It was a stark but beautiful land. He sighed.

"Colonel O'Neill, Ellie found something that could have a profound effect on the Goa'uld. She found it by accident. And these people here have it right under their noses with no idea of the importance."

"I'm listening. Profound as in what?"

"We have discovered how to poison them."

Jack sucked in his breath. "Don't symbiotes have the ability to neutralize poisons?"

"Yes, they do. But every living thing dies. This compound works so fast the symbiote doesn't have a chance to fight it. And Ellie knows what it is." Lars looked off into the distance and began the story.

"Ellie studies pre-industrial societies. On her last mission, she went to a planet with humans descended from the native population that disappeared here 800 years ago. You call them the Anasazi. They are still fairly primitive, were, but they were more advanced than they were 800 years ago. In her talks with the elders who keep their stories and histories, she realized that they were describing how they poisoned the Goa'uld and his Jaffa who brought them there. It took some time, but once they accepted her, she learned enough to report back to the Academy. However, there was a Goa'uld spy there. In fact we found more than one on our world. That's a long story and unrelated to this one. Anyway, he must have reported back. The System Lords sent an ashrak, an assassin after her and anyone who could be connected to this information. And they wiped out the Anasazi in the process. We decided to bring her here when the Eldridge family went home. She could continue her research on the Anasazi while she ran our program. She must have discovered something here as well. Why the Goa'uld didn't find her or act against her in Colorado Springs, well he did. And that's why we don't want the house disturbed."

"It's booby-trapped, isn't it?" Jack shook his head. "And you didn't want to tell me? I have people going in there in another twelve hours and I would not take it kindly if they were killed by your toys."

"Colonel, I would have told you before the deadline. But I was hoping the Goa'uld might take her there or go there himself while she was away. He would want to destroy the evidence and all her research. If he had taken the bait, we could do something for her."

"And you can't track her? Aren't you supposed to be way smarter than we are?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You heard me, answer the question."

"No, her implant has been removed. It stopped transmitting sometime after she went missing."

"Do you have a ship here, in orbit?"

"No. And one will not come for some time. So we can't scan the surface either."

"Oy. Ok, I got the picture." Jack started up and drove back to the Crownpoint station. He was not happy. Getting out he called for Major Carter.

"Carter, did we reach our friends the Tok'ra?"

"Yes, sir. They are sending a ship to scan the surface. But it will be another six hours before getting here. Why sir?"

"Because we have to step on it. If she isn't dead now, she will be soon, or worse."