In the space of one week, Della was pleasantly surprised to find that pop culture, with all its nuances, remained largely the same in this reality as it had in hers. Music was just one instance of the similarities this world shared. She had spent the past few hours losing herself to the familiar grinding guitars of Soundgarden, the serene ingenuity of Lauryn Hill's lyricism and the wacky but catchy songs of Cake. It certainly made up for the fact that she wasn't to be allowed away from Cheyenne Mountain.
She could understand the reasons why, even though she wasn't fully amenable to the idea. The complex had a very grey, spartan atmosphere with little in the way of decoration. Each floor had the same tunnel-like pattern that made it very easy to get lost in; it felt just like when she was exploring McDuck Manor for the first time.
After being thoroughly chewed out by Dr. Lam about building a new leg without medical consultation, she appreciated the outlet music granted her.
Internally, Della was a wreck.
She did her best to project a happy demeanor around the air force personnel, but she didn't think Sam or Teal'c were fooled. Her mind kept flashing back to Cameron's cryptic statement when she lay on the hospital bed, and to Dr. Lam's thoughtful but pensive look. Cameron hadn't bothered to elaborate on that since, which had only served to increase Della's curiosity.
The quandary, however, was that her curiosity now had to walk hand-in-hand with her caution. She dreaded to think what would happen if she lost herself to impulse yet again.
The laptop Dr. Lee had lent seemed to glint at her, as though inviting her to do an internet search on Donald or Scrooge. She put her hands on either side of her face and began pacing the guest room, trying to will her temptation away.
Her saving grace came in the form of a grumbling stomach.
Della had never felt so thankful to be hungry before. She immediately made a dash for the hallway, ignoring the twinge in her leg, but in her haste she failed to see that the door was already being opened. She ran beak first into a kneecap and fell onto her tail. "Agh!"
"Are you injured, DellaDuck?"
She looked up at Teal'c, massaging the front of her beak. "No," she ground out. "I'll be fine. I was just about to head to the commissary for some food."
"Might I suggest a change in attire?" She looked down at herself and found he was right: she was draped in her hospital gown. To be fair, it was the only thing that served as pajamas around here that actually fit. She really owed Sam for getting her clothes. Especially since the only clothes in Della's size had to be bought from the kid's section at the Old Navy Outlet.
"Give me a minute?" she asked Teal'c, grinning abashedly.
He bowed in assent and shut the door to allow her time to change.
Her beak scrunched in slight disgust at her limited options, but she resigned herself to putting on a pair of yellow khaki shorts and a fuchsia colored tank-top with the AC/DC band logo. She stole a quick glimpse at herself in the mirror and shrugged; it wasn't a great choice for casual wear but when did she ever care about fashion trends?
Teal'c stood outside in the corridor, hands clasped behind his back. They fell in step beside each other and the SF guarding her room followed. "Are you feeling well, DellaDuck?"
She sighed. "As well as I can be, under the circumstances." She looked up at him, squinting at his greying sideburns. She debated goading him, but didn't think it would go too well. He reminded her of Duckworth, solitary and poised seemingly without fault. The thought sent a cascade of homesickness over her. "I made a terrible mistake, Teal''c."
"How so?" he asked, pushing the elevator button.
"When I left in the Spear of Selene, I had just given birth. I have three sons, still unhatched as far as I know. I didn't lend them a second thought when I stepped into the rocket. I said I would give them the stars, but…"
"You have realized that what you had done only served your own interests."
Della felt a tear escaping as they stepped into the elevator. "Yeah. I was caught up in exploring the unknown; I wanted to be the first of the McDuck family in outer space. Adventure was my lifestyle, and while that may not change, it would be best if I were a little more…" she trailed off, at a loss of what word to use.
"Prudent," Teal'c supplied.
"Prudent, right," she said, her tone containing bitter humor. She paused for a moment as the doors opened and they exited. "That fits the description of my brother Donald: Prudent when I'm spontaneous."
They arrived at the commissary which, given the time, was serving a plethora of breakfast food. Having been made accustomed to Della for the past week, the commissary staff had acquired stepping benches to allow for her difference in height. She quickly zeroed in on the line, grabbing scrambled eggs, three strips of bacon, pineapple chunks and a coffee with two creams. Teal'c kept his breakfast simple, she noted: just a bowl of cornflakes, an apple and a cup of orange juice.
She practically inhaled the eggs and bacon and the pineapple acted to counterbalance the bacon grease with its acids. Despite the distraction the food served, her mind soon shifted. "I wonder if they'll even know me."
Teal'c directed his attention at her, but said nothing.
"My sons. I stuck around my reality long enough to know what gender they'd be," she elaborated. "I even wrote them a lullaby."
"I would like to hear it."
Della shook her head. "No. If you don't mind, Teal'c, I'd like to keep that private. What good is it trying to give my sons the stars when I couldn't even reach them myself?"
She downed her coffee in a massive gulp, then jumped out of her chair and approached the SF. "I'd like to go back to my room now." She turned to Teal'c, who had remained sitting. "I'll see ya later, T."
He raised an eyebrow and made his formal bow in lieu of a verbal response.
"Hey, Della! How's it going?" she heard a voice exclaimed as she followed her escort.
Della barely glanced up. "Not a good time, Cameron. I'll talk to you later."
She heard him sigh. "Fair enough."
Her last sight was of Cam and Teal'c exchanging words at the table before the elevator closed.
A knock at her door startled her into consciousness.
Rather, it startled her into alertness.
All she had been doing since leaving the commissary was sitting cross-legged on the bed. She hadn't even bothered changing out of her clothes. The open laptop sat on the opposite end, and she kept giving wary glances toward it, not unlike the chimaera she had once fought off in Thessaly.
Sparing it a final look, Della headed for the door.
She was understandably surprised to see General Landry on the other side. They hadn't interacted much at all since her arrival at the base, and no more than a handful of words were spoken between the two of them.
"General!" she greeted, smiling uneasily. "What brings you here?"
He walked in, not that she was able to protest it; he ran the base, after all. "Well, I just thought I'd inform you of your new status here," he said, looking down at her.
She was sure her confusion was showing. "My...status?"
"Yes. President Hayes has been keeping tabs on your situation." Now that was a surprise. She at least didn't have to ask what he was the president of. "He thought it best, given your indeterminate station here, that you should be read into the program."
Della didn't think her befuddlement would get any bigger.
He chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Since it's clear you don't know what I'm referring to, I'll show you. Follow me, Ms. Duck."
"'Della' is fine, sir," she said blankly, as they walked out of her room.
"Noted."
They stopped at the elevator as it opened. Cameron was waiting inside. Della was immediately wary. "What exactly is going on here?" she asked, glancing up at the men.
The colonel and the general traded a glance, before Cam looked back at her. "Trust me. You're gonna love this." He guided her into the elevator gently, which did little to quell her apprehension. General Landry pushed the button for floor 28. It was odd, considering she hadn't been there yet. The Air Force had put limits to her exploration of the base, and she assumed she was only now going to find out why.
The ding came sooner than expected and she was led into a board room of sorts. The table was smaller, but it reminded her a lot of Scrooge's office at the Money Bin. On her left and in front were two windows: the left was clearly showing Landry's office and the front one displayed a large grey room with numerous steam and electrical pipes leading downwards. She couldn't see much beyond that, however. Cameron and Landry stood back as she grabbed a chair, rolling it over to get a better view. She could now see a giant ring made of metal with a ramp leading up to it. The symbols on the ring itself were indecipherable.
Della cocked her head. What, exactly, was the purpose of this?
"There's more to show you," Cam said from behind her. "Follow us downstairs." She jumped off the chair, now feeling the 'surprise' was a bit lackluster. As she descended, she saw General Landry hang up a phone on the wall.
They stepped into a control room. Numerous mainframes and maps dotted the walls, but she could now see the room with the ring much clearer. A little balding man, 'Harriman' his nametag read, sat in front of what she assumed was the main console. "Chevron seven, locked," he announced.
And the ring imploded.
Della yelped, covering her face and...nothing happened
She looked at the ring again, only this time she saw a pool of bluish-purple liquid within its confines, just floating in midair. There didn't seem to be anything holding it up. Astonishment was a poor term to describe what she was feeling.
Teal'c came to stand on her right, placing a strong hand on her shoulder. "You can give your sons the stars after all, DellaDuck."
It took a moment for Della to figure out what he meant, and she could almost feel her brain crack at the implication.
"Are you kidding me?!"
End Note: Another secret revealed! Haha! I think this may be the longest chapter in the story thus far and I really enjoyed writing it, if not only because I get to introduce Della to the Stargate, but it gave me a chance to further my writing skills (seeing as I needed the practice). I plan to shift the focus to Vala in the next chapter, given that she's as rich a character as Della is. As usual, please feel free to leave a comment and kudos when you're finished! Thanks!
