Field testing on another planet. That was something Kylee never expected to hear, but then in all fairness she was pretty sure that notion was going around a lot this past week.
It's almost been a week. She breathed that in, and thought about the psyche evaluation she had gone through with Doctor Mackenzie the previous afternoon. Doctor Fraiser had explained that they had reason to believe she was suffering from psychological effects due to her trauma and they wanted to make sure she was receiving the best possible care, both physically and psychologically. Kylee wasn't sure that MacKenzie really understood the unique set of circumstances that led her to being here, but he did recommend regular sessions.
Whether she took him up on it was a matter of her personal choice, and she was inclined to take them up on it. It was strange how much they seemed to care about her wellbeing. Heck, even in her normal life, health care like this was unheard of. She chuckled mirthlessly of all the implications of that and shook her head as she parted from her escort and walked into the lab.
Ky ran her fingers through the middle of her hair to part it better. then glanced over to Daniel who was reading some book that seemed to be printed in a language she didn't recognize as he sipped his coffee. Either he was busy or just giving her space, either way he seemed like he was in his own little world. He'd proved himself to be an incredibly thoughtful person, with the books and snacks that he had gotten her, and over dinner she'd grown a bit more comfortable around all four of them.
Though she was now roped in to making them cookies at some point after she boasted about how good she was at baking. It was probably that remark she had unthinkingly dropped at lunch before that made O'Neill, or Jack, demand proof of her ability.
She snorted softly at the thought, then fought back a yawn.
Daniel looked up and caught her eye before gesturing to paper cup of coffee with a lid on it. There were three of them; one for him (which he had in his hand), one for her and one for Sam as well. She walked over and took the one he'd gestured to
"Stay up late?" Daniel asked.
"Later than I'd wanted to for a 6 am wake up call. I'll be okay," And crash the minute they came back to the base she was sure. They were waiting on Sam before getting breakfast, but Sam had to go check out Kylee's personal items from the storage locker before they could get going.
Her eyes drifted to the computer in the corner which looked like a typical set up, unlike most of the other stuff which she simply refused to touch less she short circuit or press the wrong button. She wiggled the mouse and it was running windows, so she looked to Daniel and gestured to the computer.
"Can I use this?" Kylee asked, clicking on the login button.
"Um. Why?" Daniel asked cautiously.
"Internet," Kylee said crisply.
"Oh. Well," Daniel hesitated for just a moment before walking over to look at the computer and logging her in under one of the secured accounts that would have every keystroke recorded. He moved aside and leaned against the workbench, intent on watching her for a while. Ky glanced at him a moment before sitting down and exploring the OS, visibly wincing at it.
"This operating system is older than I am," she complained, biting her lip as she looked for the browser. No Firefox, no Chrome, almost nothing. Then again, what was she even expecting? Her stomach churned a little as she was forced to use explorer, and tried . It worked, but then she was at a loss of what to actually search for.
It was basically a choice between news or checking out the online shopping scene. Sam and Jack had mentioned, after all, that she could make requisitions if she needed anything, which was generous.
After typing in her search parameters she ended up on Amazon, browsing the the sight in perplexed confusion. She slid her chin into her hand as she stared at a screen, waiting as the seconds ticked by as the link she clicked on loaded. She caught Daniel smirking out of the corner of her eye and shot him a look. She didn't know what was so funny, because this was intensely frustrating to her. This should be frustrating to him if all internet was like this.
"You guys live in the internet stone age," she muttered in defeat, tapping her finger as she watched the image load at, what was for her a snail's pace.
"Hm?" Daniel asked, turning his head over his shoulder as Major Carter walked in with a suitcase.
"It's slow," she wrinkled her nose as she clicked impatiently at a link, tapping her fingers against her cheek, "And there's nothing here."
"Really? It's pretty speedy compared to what I have at home," Carter said looking bright eyed and bushy tailed. Definitely a morning person. Ky shot her a look of exasperation but otherwise opted to take it in stride.
"100 megabytes a second, this isn't," she said, rubbing a hand down her tired face and opted to drink the rest of her coffee. "No Youtube, no Netflix... how do you guys even live?"
"Sounds rough," Daniel replied glibly, clearly not understanding the joys of high instant gratification. "What's netflix?"
"Uh... the future of procrastination," Ky muttered as she pressed her lips together, trying to keep herself from grinning at the predicted response. Her eyes flicked to an advertisement for a dreamcast and she chuckled softly. "I guess I'll just need to find some new hobbies."
Carter opened the suitcase and Ky abandoned her fruitless search at the computer to rejoin the scientist and linguist as they prepared for day ahead.
Daniel finished his coffee, setting the cup in the trash before joining the girls at the work table. Inside the case was a folded vest which looked as though it was made of some kind of leather or kevlar material. The crisp cyan lightning bolts against the blue certainly fit her powers. Kylee was in the process of pulling off her shoes that, after a short four days of use, were looking as if she had been wearing them for at least a year, and smelt of burnt rubber.
"What made you want to be a superhero?" Daniel found himself asking, watching as Kylee slipped the blue boots (which seemed to be in far better condition than the cheap sneakers she'd been issued - how did they hold up so much better against her abilities?) onto her feet.
"Wouldn't you be, if you had powers? Seems like the thing to do, as opposed to going bad bad evil evil. I heard you guys got powers once." Daniel wondered who had told her that story. He smiled briefly, guessing that it had been Jack.
"Ah, well be that as it may, I'm not entirely sure if I'd don a costume and use an alter ego." He couldn't even imagine that, although in a way the things that they did every single day were almost similar to what the characters in the comics did. Only they did it with the full support of the US military.
"What's yours?" he asked, unable to reign in his natural curiosity.
"It's Hightail. Y'know, like the idiom. 'Hightail it out of here.'" Kylee looked to Sam who cracked a smile at the girl's call name.
"You know, it's funny; people say that around here all the time," Sam remarked before her eyes caught something in the box. Daniel didn't know what it was, but it had a cracked surface and the word 'Samsung' scrawled on it. Was it some kind of miniature television? Interesting.
He figured she'd tell them about it when she wanted to and focused back on their previous topic. Hightail, huh? "It means 'to flee quickly', actually. But I guess it does technically have the implied meaning. Then let me ask you this. How long have 'superheroes' been around in your world? Is there a long legacy, or is it a more recent occurrence? Also, do they have comic books in the same way that we do? Like Batman, Superman...X-men?" Daniel asked, struggling to name any more of the popular franchises. He wasn't exactly the most well versed as far as superheroes go, as he was a bit more into pulp novels as a kid. That and reading everything he could find on Egypt and ancient cultures.
"I chose the name for the emphasis on quick. And uuh, I've had my powers for almost a year now. We're pretty much the first thing that resembles something from like in comics and TV and I guess that answers both your questions," Kylee replied, reaching for her goggles and running a finger across the crack in them.
"It does," Daniel nodded. "I guess it's just fascinating that it would work out that way."
"Fiction imitates life," Kylee replied, mulling over her words before shrugging. "Or the reverse of that in this case. Either way."
Sam kept looking at the rectangular device, popping open the back of it to see how it's insides fit together. She could see Kylee watching her out of the corner of her eye. Obviously the device was important to her so Sam handled it delicately. What she found went beyond fascinating. The streamline and efficacy of the circuits… she could learn so much from this!
She noted Kylee eyeing her warily and took a deep breath. "I can get this working again, if you like," Sam offered Kylee, handing it to her. Kylee set it down and nodded.
"I'm sure you can, but if the screen is broken it'll be almost impossible to replace," Kylee reasoned, looking at the cracked screen. It had been a miracle that this thing had even made it there in one piece. She pressed a finger against the power source, and held the power button, showing Sam as it turned on. "Maybe it would be better to just get the data off of it.."
"Or we could reverse engineer it and build a new one," Sam responded with an excited smile. "After three years of reverse engineering alien technology, this should be a cinch." Reverse engineering this alone would put them at least ten years ahead in digital technology, she estimated.
"Point. The parts are all there if it works," Kylee conceded, setting the technical marvel aside for later.
Sam gave the device one final, longing look before picking up the vest inside the suitcase and more closely examining the craftsmanship. It looked to be handmade, rather than manufactured. The non-uniform stitch gave it away although it was still very well crafted.
"Did you make this?" Sam asked, turning to look to Kylee who nodded reaching in for a pair of fingerless gloves, both of them looked rather tattered which seemed to disappointed the girl.
"Well, sort of. There's a friction issue with conventional fabric so that problem had to be solved, and that was my part. Actually sewing the pieces together we got some outside help, Kylee said while tossing the gloves back into the case. "You would not believe how many pairs of shoes I burned through or shirts that caught on fire…"
"Caught on... Oh boy," Sam said breathlessly.
"Think I might need to make a new suit anyway," Ky said, giving Sam a look which she read as 'welcome to my life'. She reached through the leg of her pants, eyes searching for something and her face fell slightly when a finger poked through a inch wide hole in the thigh. It was in that moment that Sam was glad that they had gotten her in to see MacKenzie. That expression was a look disbelief and pain, likely from loss.
After a moment's hesitation, Kylee spoke again."I'm gonna need some goggles. But all of this should be fine."
"I'll get you a replacement pair before briefing. Go get read-" Sam said reaching for the girl's shoulder, no longer afraid of the girl lashing out at her in fear, before being interrupted by Kylee disappearing and reappearing in the clothes from the case, sans the goggles. She withdrew her hand and glanced at Daniel who shrugged helplessly.
"At least we don't have to worry about her being late," Daniel said, Kylee glancing up at him coyly.
Sam would issue her an extra BDU jacket, given that the entire ensemble didn't seem graded for all weather, they might as well be prepared for it if it happened. Last thing Kylee needed was to catch pneumonia on an alien planet.
"Speaking of late, we need to get going. Briefings in half an hour," Sam said, looking over the young speedster with a thoughtful gaze, thinking of something that her CO had suggested when they had gone on that mission to destroy the ship while wearing the arm bands.
"Don't forget to pack snacks."
George Hammond watched as Major Carter explained the basics of the stargate to the girl. She seemed bright enough and she was cooperative which worked in her favor. His superiors had expressed some concerns, given that she was being considered a foreign entity, and there had been talks about transferring her to another facility. The General had done all he could so far to ensure that she could remain under the jurisdiction of the SGC for her own safety (as well as based on maintaining overall containment without compromising her well being).
It was a joint effort between himself and Doctor Fraiser that had kept pentagon personnel and the NID from approaching the situation tactlessly and without those considerations in mind. Honestly, it would be a minor miracle if the situation stayed as stable as it had been up until this point.
He turned to the girl once Carter finished her explanation.
"Now Miss,understand that you'll be under the command of Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. The planet you'll be visiting is largely uninhabited and mostly unexplored. There are potential environmental hazards that we have yet to account for. Further, the only way back to the SGC is for you to come through the gate with an SG-member as the gate is protected by an iris which makes it impenetrable by any matter coming through an incoming wormhole. Further, you will not be given the gate address or instructions on how to use the stargate until we feel that you are ready to be trusted with that information. Do you understand?" Gen. Hammond explained, carefully watching the girl's face for her reaction.
"Um. Yes. I think I get the message." She said, nodding but thinning her lips.
A reaction like that signaled to Hammond that the girl had comprehension of the consequences, and she probably already understood the implications of taking her off world to do the tests rather than doing it right here on Earth. He was still glad to see that she was willing to work with them, however. Even he had to admit the resemblance to Carter was uncanny, perhaps a bit less refined in her mannerisms and certainly not as educated, but still similar.
Besides, she was young. She'd learn.
And she may yet become their greatest ally.
"Then SG-1, you have a go. Dismissed," Hammond said as he stood up from the briefing table. The mission was simple enough. Once they embarked it was up to Carter and O'Neill to make their own evaluations as per their additional orders. He just hoped he wouldn't regret this decision.
O'Neill watched the kid, who was already mostly dressed, slip into their typical BDU jacket. The whole neon thing the girl's homemade outfit sported was going to have to be retired, he thought. That is if she was ever going to join the fight against the Goa'uld. Granted he had no idea how long she was going to stay, but he assumed, based on the fact that Carter had no idea how to get her back, it was going to be a while. Sooner or later they were going to have to quit the babysitting gig and resume their usual duties as well. Hopefully, if she had to stick around after that, she'd be able to make this place her home. She wasn't the first refugee from another planet but she was, by far, the strangest and most worrying one. It was just too easy for something to go wrong for her, even with the best of intentions.
"Y'know, I'm pretty sure I have a jacket just like this back home," Kylee said as she pulled the BDU over her shoulders, reaching to brush her fingers over the blank circle where a patch would be adhered to were she actually on a team.
Sam handed her the goggles and a tactical vest, as well as the backpack full of gear that she was expected to carry. Just incase anything happened, they might need the supplies. Sam smirked at the girl's exasperation at the extra equipment as she put her own on, but the girl compiled and pulled a pair of goggles on and pushing them up to her forehead. He'd excuse the lack of headgear, with hair like that they'd be lucky if it would even stay on.
Once everyone was geared up, Jack led the way to the blast doors, allowing an Airman to open it for them. He could hear the chevrons locking while he waited. Once inside, they lined up to wait for the final chevron to lock into place.
The kid stood between Carter and himself, adjusting her goggles a bit as she watched with curiosity and it occurred to the Colonel that this was her first time going through. At least while she was aware of it. He caught her eying his p90, then glancing down at his side arm, looking wary of the weapons, and that amused him because he was decently sure that she could dodge most of their conventional weapons easily. They met eyes for a moment and Ky averted her gaze back to the gate, stepping forward to get a better view as the seventh chevron was put into place.
The Colonel grabbed the strap on her backpack before she got too close, just as the plasma blast shot out of the gate.
"Don't wanna get too close to the gate when it's about to connect. That stuff'll vaporize you," Jack told her, then nodded to Daniel and Teal'c who started walking up the ramp as a pair.
"Whoa."
The girl hung back with them and watched the two go through, staring at the shimmering surface of the event horizon. He knew he probably shouldn't compare Carter to her alternate's kid but heck, with the way the girl looked so mesmerized by the gate, he wasn't at all surprised they were related. At least she wasn't spouting science at him.
O'Neill turned his gaze to Carter and smirked at her. She shot him a look in turn and shook her head, moving forward and putting a hand on Ky's opposite shoulder. With that, the three of them walked onward, pulling Kylee along for the ride.
Once they exited through to the other side, the fresh crisp autumn air hit Ky's senses and she took in a breath. She was at a loss for words and the only thing she could do was take it all in. A pat on the shoulder from Sam snapped her out of the stupor of amazement and she moved to follow along with her group, passing several airmen who were now guarding the gate.
From her.
She supposed it didn't bother her that much since they were just taking precautions but it did serve to yank her back down into reality.
"Welcome to Alphasite. We're about 40,000 light years from earth," the Major said as she stepped down from the gate's platform.
"That's so cool!" Also surreal, and the fact that she was outside made it even better. Still, after traveling between realities, and to another realm on her own world with alien environments, she had expected something a bit different than this. It reminded her a bit of some state parks she's been to. "Why does it look so much like Earth?"
"Most of the planets the stargates connect to were terraformed for human life, when the Goa'uld took them from Earth thousands of years ago," Daniel explained.
"So everything that's here are basically just evolved versions of Earth plants and animals?"
"For the most part," Sam replied as they began walking towards the base camp. "There have been other animals which don't exactly fit in with the Earth tree of life. At least no direct links have been found with some of the ones we've discovered, but it's often rare to find animals or plants that don't have some kind of Earth counterpart."
"Soooo... Alien maple syrup is a possibility?" Kylee asked, half seriously. She would not say no to trying that.
O'Neill seemed to consider this when he looked back at Ky for that inquery. "That's not out of the question."
Kylee turned her gaze to Teal'c then, that typical analytical gaze falling on her face. "What about Star Trek rubber forehead aliens?"
"So far, nothing like that, no," Daniel said. O'Neill shook his head, eyebrows raising briefly. No such luck on klingons? Probably a good thing. It was about as silly as every alien speaking english, though.
"I always found it was odd that all the aliens in those shows looked mostly human anyway," Sam replied. "How did they explain that?"
"Some old humanoid aliens seeded the universe with-" Ky began, only to be interrupted by the Colonel.
"Enough geeking out, now we got work to do. Carter, Daniel, you head off to the air strip and get your testing done," O'Neill said, then looking to Teal'c. "Teal'c and I'll go check in with the base commander."
"Yes sir," the Major said dutifully, nodding off in the opposite direction to head towards their destination.
The path was rugged(although, probably about as easy to walk on as anywhere else judging from what she could see), but it was clear of long grass and packed with dense sand to make it easier to walk on. Kylee found herself sandwiched between the two, Sam taking point with Daniel bringing up the rear. A thick forest lined the camp and it took them about five minutes to hike through it to their destination. The air strip was merely a constructed clearing with a pyramid of stripped trees on the edge. it was a long way to being a paved runway but who the hell knew what kind of aircraft they were planning to fly here? Or perhaps a spaceship?
"So, uh… Kylee," Daniel began, causing Kylee to glance back at him before moving to walk in step with him. "How fast are you, anyway?"
Kylee paused, trying to do the math in her head. "Pretty close to Mach five these days."
It wasn't exactly light speed like in the comic books and movies, but it was fast enough to be pretty much a blur on most cameras, even high speed cameras.
"Might take a while to get up to that speed, though."
"Why?" Major Carter asked as she selected a spot to set up the equipment, then turned to look at the girl.
"I haven't been eating my wheaties," Kylee joked, glancing to the Major. They both smiled but still looked at her for the actual answer, so she decided to humor them. "I haven't been running for a couple days so my reserves are gonna be pretty low."
"What about all the times you've used your speed on the base?" Carter asked, raising her brows with interest.
"Not really enough to build up the energy required to go almost five times the speed of sound," she said, pulling off the heavy pack and and unzipping it to grab one of the candy bars to munch on before taking off the tactical vest and jacket. When were they going to get this show on the road?
With the tripod set up, there was a matter of charting out the best path to go to. Kylee may have to go some distance to get to her top speed so they would need to give her a tracer transmitter to be able to keep track of her.
"So, kinetic energy needs to build up. The more you absorb, the faster you go?" Sam asked, walking over and handing Kylee a ear piece for her radio and as well as pinning a tracker on the inside of her vest collar to protect it from the high frictions that she would undoubtedly face. Did that mean she was immune to injury by heavy impact?
"HmmMM," Kylee said while she attached the earpiece. Sam hoped that it would withstand the high velocity and friction as well. If not she'd just have to work on a new one for round two. Part of her couldn't help but be excited now that they had access to Kylee's abilities. Thinking about the things they could learn about the effects of high speed travel, about training their pilots to withstand the G-forces more efficiently, and even replicating Kylee's suit material would all be a great step forward developing new equipment. In fact, the modified sensors she gave to Kylee to apply to her chest over her heart will hopefully withstand her speed with the new plastic coating she used. Hopefully they will give them some insight to her unique endurance abilities.
"What about energy you don't use?" Sam asked, stepping away from the girl and pulling out the radar gun to set that up and plug in to her computer.
"Well, uh… I might have had some insomnia now and again. All I know is that it's better to expel it than keep it in. Maybe a light show later?" Kylee said, letting her fingers crackle a bit as a visual.
"I brought the ammeter so you'll have plenty of opportunity to show us that later," Sam said, screwing the device in and standing to face the girl again.
"What happens if you expel everything?" Daniel piped in.
Ky hesitated, looking between the two of them, as though she wasn't sure if she trusted them with the answer.
"I don't really know. Maybe I'd get knocked out, maybe kick the bucket. It's not something I really like to think about, but then it's really a worst case scenario," Kylee said, nervousness lacing her voice. "I guess if somehow someone where to suck it all out somehow, it could kill me."
"Basically you're saying you've never been able to expel everything before?" Carter asked, wondering if that meant that there was a consistent charge, or if it didn't affect or base life force. What would happen if they just turned her powers off? Should she be searching for a cure instead of encouraging this? A pit grew in her stomach the more she thought about it, but this wasn't just a pet project. They, her commanding officers and their superiors, wanted to know as much as they could about Kylee. And honestly, Sam did too. If she came to the conclusion that this was harmful to the girl, she'd bring it up with everyone else later. After she had solid proof.
Kylee looked back towards the two, crossing her arms, clearly growing uncomfortable with the line of questioning. "Can we get on with it? I'm ready."
"Good," Sam said as she pressed on the radar gun. "Get into position."
Kylee did so, moving between her feet to get warmed up before she pulled her goggles over her eyes and crouched in a loose ready position.
"On your mark!" Really, Sam couldn't help herself but get into the racing spirit. Too bad she opted not to use her gun to signal her to go, but that didn't seem appropriate.
"Get set," called out Daniel, happy to join in.
Ky shot him a brief look, though she was grinning widely, blue static beginning to bounce off he back and shoulders as she prepared herself to run.
"Go!" And she was off.
Kylee didn't know what the numbers were and frankly, she didn't care. The wind in her hair, the ground beneath her feet, the crisp, coolness of the world around her, it was almost as though she could fly. The sense of freedom that gave her swelled in her, sending her up into the air as she leapt as high as she could and cheered with unbridled glee. She would have laughed if Sam heard it, uncaring about saving face at the moment, it just felt so good to run!
By the time she had been running for only two minutes, she heard a staticy crackle in her ear piece.
"Kylee. Swing back around. You're about ten miles out now," Sam told her. So they wanted to see something fast, huh? She had turned tail and ran, continuing to build up speed and adjusting as she gained more momentum. She saw Sam and Daniel pass by, and kept going. She hoped they needed more data than that because after the last couple weeks she could do this all day!
It wasn't long before O'Neill and Teal'c finished their security checks and explained the situation to the Alpha Site staff. They'd already been briefed, but Jack had been ordered to give them a more thorough run down of who they were testing, what she was capable of and if they see a blue blur, they shouldn't shoot. It was Teal'c who voiced a desire to see the girl in action, and O'Neill decided they may as well rejoin the rest of the team. They were planning on staying for at least a few hours so why not let the kid burn off some of that excess energy? At least that was the idea.
They walked the perimeter of the base, O'Neill wearing his sunglasses in the bright evening sun, his cap doing more work than his shades to shield his eyes. He figured they had at least a couple hours of light left with the sun dipping that low. Guess they didn't time it that well. They probably didn't need a full day's worth of time here anyway, not with how fast she moved. He had no doubt that the tests would be done in no time.
In a way, this was more than just a medical or scientific experiment. This was a test of trust. She had freedom here, to a degree. There was nothing stopping her from taking out the five guys guarding the gate, and if she wasn't exactly what she said she was, or what the data implied, they'd probably find out by giving he a clear shot at nigh-unlimited access to the galaxy. Honestly, they were banking on the fact that, no matter the speed, people needed time to dial out. They'd tried 'speeddialing' when they'd gotten powers before, but nothing had worked. They had a sniper with tranqs on the ready should she even come near the gate, and two hidden airmen armed with zats.
It wasn't that he couldn't trust Kylee, it was just that she needed to prove herself and earn that trust before they could ease up even the slightest on security protocol. So far he hadn't heard any chatter on the radio indicating any concerns from Daniel or Carter, so onward he went. It would be a darn shame to have to drag her back to the SGC just to throw her in a cell, but he doubted it would happen. Jack had a gut feeling about this one (although even he could admit that he could easily be biased, though not nearly as biased as Jacob had seemed when they'd spoken earlier).
The superhero thing, that never could not be cool, but it was the fact that they shared a state of origin helped endear her to him a bit. That didn't mean he wasn't going to follow his orders.
A bright flash above the treeline drew his attention, and he turned his eyes up as a streak of white light darted through the sky like a meteorite, a shooting star as it were. Maybe it was a bit paranoid to assume that it wasn't something like that, just some debris burning up in the atmosphere, but big enough to see even in the late afternoon?
"Hey T," He said to his Jaffa compatriot. "Did you see that?"
"Indeed I did, Colonel O'Neill," Teal'c said, turning his gaze to survey the treeline where it had seemingly disappeared to.
"Meteorite? Spaceship? What do you think?"
"I believe if it were a vessel it would not have given way it's location in such a manner unless it were crashing, and if it had, there would have been sufficient noise to indicate where it had landed," Teal'c replied, certain of his answer. "I am not familiar with such a phenomenon."
"Right. We'll keep an eye on that," Jack said as he resumed the trek back to reunite with his team. It wasn't too long before he could see the airfield, Kylee nowhere in sight. Sam was crouching, typing her computer. Daniel stood nearby with a pair of binoculars directed towards the south. The two of them were about to start down the hill before Teal'c heldan arm to Jack's shoulder to stop him before gesturing towards the opposite direction of where the pair was looking. There was some kind of massive white animal running towards them.
"Fire a warning shot," O'Neil said, raising a hand to indicate that Jack resume his position as he started running to intercept his team. "Look alive people! We've got a bogey at six o'clock!"
Carter whipped her attention away from her computer at Jack's voice, then turned towards the incoming creature headed straight for them. She was on her feet in an instant, and Daniel peered at it with the binoculars. A staff blast hit the ground halfway between them, which was now only about thirty feet, but with the massive animal's size it seemed much closer. By all accounts it looked like a lion, its fur bleached white with no visible pupils. It was about a foot taller than Jack was, and given that it was proportionately a regular lion but scaled up a few sizes, it was pretty damn freaky looking. Almost like a giant lion ghost.
It moved around the area where the staff weapon had been shot looking as confused as a lion could, his eyes turned up to Teal'c who remained on the hill. This was not in the Alphasite biological survey. Not even close.
"Easy, big guy," Jack said to the beast as if it could understand English. Both he and Carter had their weapons trained on the beast, but he wasn't sure if it would do any damage or deter it even at this range. He was hoping if thing attacked them Kylee'd swoop back in for the save.
The Lion turned its massive head back down, peering at Jack, then staring at Carter pointedly. After a moment holding his gaze on the Major, he spoke.
Yes, spoke.
"I have come to see the girl. Where is she?"