Part Two: Of Gods and Gates
"It's you…" Jack said, looking at Logan with shock, and a sense of wonder. "Just the same." He shook his head in disbelief.
Logan was taken aback, frowning. "Have we met?" he asked, puzzlement clear on his face.
The elevator doors slid open, and Jack shrugged. "Never mind, we're here," he said, starting down the corridor. A few twists and turns later, he ushered them into a conference room lined with whiteboards, a seal with the letters SGC on it flanked between two flagpoles, one American, the other with a similar design on white to the seal.
Jack gestured at the group to take their seats, then went to knock on the door leading to the general's office. "Sir, we're here," he said, then snapped to attention as the shorter man came out. "General Hammond, I'd like to introduce Miss Katherine "Kitty" Pryde, codename Shadowcat, Mr. Peter Rasputin, codename Colossus, Mr. Kurt Wagner, codename Nightcrawler, and Logan, codename Wolverine of the X-Men," he said, gesturing to each in turn. Kitty arched an eyebrow in an expression of mild surprise, since earlier he'd acted as if he was unaware of their identities.
"Please, make yourselves comfortable," Hammond said, as the team hadn't moved. "Dr. Jackson should be joining us shortly to begin the briefing."
With that reassurance, Kitty, Peter, and Logan took three of the high-backed chairs, while Kurt, looking over the chair carefully, perched on it in his usual crouch.
After settling down into place, Kitty looked at Kurt, and leaned in to hiss, "Kurt, your tail."
Looking chagrinned, the Cary Grant look-alike gave a forced laugh. "Ah, yes," he said, pressing a button on his wristwatch. The holographic image flickered and then disappeared, leaving the blue-furred truth behind. With a shy wave, he grinned, flashing pointed teeth. "Hello."
The momentary surprise on both officer's faces might have led to a less than diplomatic statement, but they were instead interrupted by the entrance of Dr. Jackson. The scholarly-looking man was carrying a stack of folders, as well as several rolled up charts, apparently visual aids prepared to the briefing.
"Sorry I'm late, General, Jack," he said, as he struggled to put the objects down on one end of the table. "So, yes, the history of the Stargate program," he said, absently. "That's the topic, right?" Daniel glanced at the two officers, as if for confirmation, then looked at his audience. His gaze traveled across Logan's rugged appearance, paused briefly with the young couple of Pete and Kitty, a stopped dead on Kurt. "Well, this is certainly different," he said, and paused to polish his glasses, having finally deposited his load.
Hammond began passing out the folders, and gestured for Daniel to begin.
"Right, the Stargate. The gate itself was first uncovered in Giza in 1928 by an expedition lead by Dr. Langford, pictured here," Daniel began, as he unrolled one of the posters and began tacking it up on a wall. "Here with the crew as they first lifted up the device. Now, Major Carter will be here later to cover how the device actually works, but a summary would be that the gate is part of a vast network, any two of which, with the right address, can be connected by a wormhole.
"However, none of this was discovered until much later. In 1997, a group of scientists studying the device and the cover stone it was buried under finally discovered the means to activate the Stargate, and Colonel O'Neill, myself, and a group of soldiers passed through to investigate the other side.
"While there, we encountered a being calling himself Ra, who apparently had transplanted the people living on the planet from ancient Egypt and had been posing as the Sun-god for thousands of years. In fact, Ra was the first representative we met of the parasitical race known as the Goa'uld. These aliens take human beings as hosts, controlling the body and leaving the original person a prisoner in their own mind, able to see what the Goa'uld does, but not act."
A look of disgust crossed Kitty's face, as she recalled her own experience as a prisoner in her own body.
"We have encountered many of these Goa'uld on various planets accessible by the stargate, and because of our success in eliminating several of the more powerful members of their race," Daniel continued.
"They don't like us very much," Jack interjected, raising a nervous laugh from the four X-men.
"Anyways, because of the threat posed by the Goa'uld and their armies, the Stargate program was created to explore the worlds accessible by wormhole for the purpose of gaining advanced technology and allies among the stars."
Kurt, who had been paging through the folder Daniel had brought looked up at him. "These beings, these Goa'uld? They pose as gods?" he asked.
"Yes, that's correct. Now, they aren't the only race of aliens we've encountered that have chosen to take on roles from Earth mythology, but they are the one we most encounter. Another example would be the Asgard, whom we have an alliance with. The Goa'uld are a threat to us, because of our abilities. They prefer to keep their enslaved human populations subservient and primitive, disguising technology as magic or miracles. When the body they inhabit grows too old, or is otherwise rendered uninhabitable, or if a new Goa'uld comes into maturity, they harvest candidates from among these peoples to choose a new host."
Daniel continued in the same vein for what seemed like hours, explaining the culture of the Goa'uld, their servants, the created race of Jaffa that serve as incubators for the larval Goa'uld. He then moved on to explaining that the gates themselves were built by yet another race, and then, finally, he sat down, his portion of the presentation finished.
"So this facility is a gateway to other worlds?" Kitty finally asked. "So why do you need us?"
Hammond seemed startled by the question. "You four were the final selection for a team to operate both independently and as a supporting team to SG-1, led by Colonel O'Neill, here. I was under the impression that you would be told of this assignment at the time you were offered transportation to this facility."
Logan snorted at that. "Like they'd even ask."
"Well, you may, of course, refuse the position," Hammond said. "There is no reason to expect any of you to feel obligated to put your lives at risk for this command. I do believe, however, that you are all uniquely suited to this task."
Kitty looked at the faces of her companions, and chuckled. "Sir, I think I speak for all of us when I say we're staying. It's not like we can turn our backs on planet Earth."
Hammond nodded. "Thank you, Miss Pryde," he said.
Someone knocked on the door, and a moment later, a woman with short blonde hair cut in a carefree style came in, flanked by a huge black man with a strange golden tattoo on his forehead. "I hope we're not interrupting, sir," the woman said, giving the room a quick look.
"No, Major, we were just about to—"
Hammond's statement was cut off by the sound of a chair crashing backwards as Logan sprang to his feet, his claws sliding out with the familiar snickt as he pointed to the black man with one fist.
"Logan!" Kitty cried, desperately.
"He ain't human," Logan snarled.
"How do you know?"
"I can smell it."