:Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1 or any of the characters in the show. The only character I claim any rights to is the (as-yet) nameless woman. Also, the concept I present here as the way the Stargate system "really" works is my own idea. Just FYI, this story takes place during Season 7 of the show, sometime before the episode "Heroes." Please review, and hope you enjoy:
P.S. – I now accept anonymous reviews, so please please please review!!:
"I can't explain it, General," Dr. Frasier said, showing Hammond and SG-1 the various charts, graphs, and other test results from her examination of the woman. "She has twice as much DNA as a normal human being."
"What is she, Doctor?" asked Hammond.
"She's human, sir," Janet replied. "She's just…better. More advanced, more evolved somehow. See, here's an example of a normal human being's DNA. A typical double helix. But take a look at hers—it's a quadruple helix. The DNA itself is human, but there's simply more of it. I've never seen anything like this before."
"So you're saying she's perfect? Like, biologically?" Jack asked.
"Well, I don't know if I'd say perfect, exactly, but a lot closer to it than we are, Colonel."
Jack looked into the infirmary through the large glass window in Dr. Frasier's office. The woman was sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, her legs dangling and her hands clasped in her lap as she gazed around the room, bored. Proper clothes had been found for her, similar to what the SG teams wore while at the base. She had refused the shoes, saying that they were too uncomfortable.
"What does she want, Doctor?" Hammond asked Janet.
"She keeps saying that she has to repair the system, whatever that means."
"I think she means the Stargate system," Daniel said, thinking out loud.
"What?" several people asked at once.
"Well, she said she was the human component of the Stargate computer system, and that she was created for the purpose of repair. And the first thing she did was to list several things that were wrong with our Gate. So the logical assumption would be that she's here to repair our Gate."
"What exactly would that entail?" General Hammond left the question open for anyone to answer.
"That's impossible to say, sir," Sam replied, running her fingers through her short blonde hair as she tried to imagine it. "I mean, we've got this system pretty much jury-rigged. We've all known from the beginning that there might be problems with it."
"MacGyvered, I believe, was the term you used originally." Jack's comment sounded a bit vague, as he was examining a printout image of the strange woman's DNA, turning it sideways and upside down.
"I'm not even sure I'm prepared to allow her to 'repair' anything," said Hammond.
"General, with all due respect, I think maybe we should ask her what exactly she thinks she needs to do," Daniel countered. "It might just be a matter of us teaching her how to use our computers so that she can create a program that fits whatever specifications the Ancients originally intended the Stargate to follow."
"But Daniel, what if those specifications are going to cause problems for us," argued Samantha. "I mean, we have no idea exactly what she thinks is wrong with our system. She said something about not having a Destination Designation Apparatus, and I'm pretty sure she means a Dial Home Device. Without a DHD, she might decide that our gate should be shut down."
"We don't know that for sure. But, best-case scenario, we'll have all the safety protocols in place, so we won't go gating through any more suns, or black holes, or…whatever else we're not supposed to do. It can't hurt to find out before we just say, 'no, thanks, not today, we'll just take a -- "
Janet, glancing through the observation window, interrupted Daniel. "What on earth?" She dashed from the room, with everyone but Daniel close behind her.
"Rain…check…on that," Daniel finished lamely before following suit.
In the infirmary, the woman had placed her hand on the screen that was monitoring her vitals. Her head was lolling to one side, her shoulders were slumped, and her eyes were fluttering wildly. As Janet and the others rushed to her bedside, she straightened up.
"This terminal does not connect to the larger computation system on this base. We will require a direct conduit into that system if we are to adapt to your technology."
"What just happened here," asked General Hammond.
Janet simultaneously said, "How are you feeling? Are you all right?" She began checking the woman for symptoms of some kind of seizure.
"We are fine, Doctor Janet Frasier. We were merely connecting to the device to learn what we could about your technology." After a brief pause, the woman continued. "When may we leave the…infirmary…and proceed with our work?"
Hammond answered. "As to when you'll be released, that's up to Doctor Frasier. But as to your…work, we want to know more about you and what you do."
"We are in perfect health, General Hammond. We were designed to come into existence fully prepared to complete our work. And we well understand your reason for delaying that work. You trust the Gateway itself to perform its function, why do you not trust us? We are simply another component of the system you've been abusing for several years." The woman showed little emotion on her face, but judging by her tone of voice she was deeply insulted. Undeterred, Janet shone a tiny flashlight from one of the woman's eyes to the other.
Daniel jumped in, hoping to defuse the situation. "I'm sorry, please forgive any insult, but we have a lot of reason not to trust the unknown. Trust is something that needs to be built. We are…very cautious when it comes to letting strangers, no offense, near our technology."
"So you do not believe that we are what we say we are," the woman said, her tone icy.
Janet put a stethoscope to the woman's chest, moving it occasionally. The woman gave no sign of noticing the doctor.
"Well, honestly, we don't know what to believe," said Daniel. "We know of no precedent for a human repair component being…created by the Stargate. We don't mean to offend you in any way, but this is all very strange to us. We simply want to make sure we're doing the right thing before we put our entire world in danger."
The woman still sounded angry, but replied, "very well, Doctor Daniel Jackson. We will attempt to be patient. But we will require better accommodations than a medical wing if we are forced to wait." She looked thoughtful for a moment. When she spoke again, the anger was gone from her voice. "We suspect that we are behaving in an unseemly manner. If that is so, we apologize most profusely. We ask that you consider the fact that, in all the times we've been activated since the Makers left our branch of the system, we have not needed to interact with other beings. We are…out of practice."
"We understand," said General Hammond. "And we have no intentions of keeping you here for the duration of your stay. We've had the VIP room prepared for you, and as soon as Doctor Frasier releases you, you'll be escorted there. And I'm sure we can find someone to show you around."
"And from whom we can re-learn our social skills?" The woman now wore a rueful smile.
"I guess so," said Hammond, chuckling slightly.
"General, I'd like to volunteer – "
"I thought you might, Doctor Jackson. Permission granted."
Dr. Frasier made one last note on the woman's chart. "She is right, General, she's in perfect health. I see no reason to keep her here any longer."
"Alright, then – Doctor Jackson, if you would, please escort our guest to the VIP room."
Daniel offered the woman a hand as she hopped off the hospital bed. As they walked out of the Infirmary, Daniel apologized again for any misunderstanding.
"Please, Doctor Daniel Jackson, there is no need for further apologies. You were being cautious, and we were being quite impolite. The fault belongs as much with us as it does with you and your people."
"Um, yeah. You know, you can call me Daniel."
"Is that a way of shortening one's name, a…nickname?"
"No, no, it's actually a bit more complicated than that." As they reached the elevator, Daniel tried to figure out where to start in order to best explain about titles and the use of first names and last names.