FYI, I'll be switching between first person (Marion's point of view) and third person omniscient throughout the story, but it shouldn't be hard to differentiate. I hadn't realized that putting the main character as oneself was considered Mary Sue-ish, but I promise, since I myself am not perfect and wonderful, nor will Marion be. She'll really only be based on me anyway, the way I imagine this story playing out.
And sorry it's taken me…over six months (!) to update. I lost interest for a while, but then I looked and saw I had subscribers and felt bad. Haha. But guilt isn't my only motivation. This is a surprisingly fun creative outlet. However, you probably shouldn't expect anything from me until after school lets out at the beginning of May. I might make a foray into the Harry Potter fandom and write a oneshot or two, but this is a bigger project and will take more planning.
And if you're wondering about a timeline, there really isn't one, but I'm taking inspiration from seasons 1-7ish.
Please review. I'll take all your comments to heart. Plus, if you have any advice, I'd be glad to hear it. I'm still very new at this.
SG-1 was in a tizzy.
"You can't be serious," said Colonel Neal O'Toole, a dumfounded expression on his face.
"Sir, how can we allow this? There are millions of different things that could happen because of their presence here on base that could compromise our work here. Not even that fact that we are allowing a television network control our actions."
"Alex has got a point, General. What if something happens so that we're all confined here, like a breakout of an alien disease, or these fan-girls see something that they just shouldn't see. It's a huge risk, especially since I've got some artifacts coming back from Area 51 that day that have finished being analyzed. What if they see them? They're not exactly what anyone would describe as earthly, although the writing does seem to have Mesoamerican roots, and..."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we've got it," said the Colonel. He wasn't in the mood for a history lesson.
"I concur, DavidErikson. This is most definitely poor judgment on the part of the, as you would say, 'higher-ups.'"
"Now, now, let's not overreact. These two ladies are under the impression that NORAD is the only thing that goes on in this facility. They will be given the lowest amount of security clearance possible, and the only areas inside the base that they will be seeing are some labs on the top five floors and the commissary, and they won't be here more than an hour. I don't like this idea much, either, but it'll be good PR, and having two huge fans of the show come back from the experience without any new 'conspiracy theories' to add to the mix would probably do us quite a bit of good."
The Colonel sighed and sunk a bit in his chair, admitting defeat. Yesterday's mission had been a long one, and although he enjoyed a good argument, today, he just did not have the energy. "I guess we can deal with it, but…it's just that show…have any of you ever watched it and felt like it was a little, I don't know, spooky? Like someone has been following us around for the past 5 years, logging every mission down to the quirks in our personalities."
"Well, it is based off Martin's experiences here with us at the SGC…but you do have a point, sir. And how does he know so much about the Goa'uld? It seems unlikely he picked up so much knowledge just from spending a few days with us."
General Portwell spoke up. "As to that, the 'higher ups' thought that the closer to the truth the show was, the better our plausible deniability would hold up against scrutiny. Whether the logic will hold up or not is anyone's guess, but it was not my decision."
David chuckled. "Well, there definitely are some inconsistencies. From what I've seen, they draw fairly accurately from history and culture, but I'll never get over how multiple galaxies, with the exception of one planet, speak English as their primary language. Even the Goa'uld don't bother speaking Goa'uld more than a few krees and Shol'vas."
"I'm just glad our own lives aren't nearly as dramatic as they put in the show. I know what we do is dangerous, but do they really have to have Daniel die fifteen times a season? Sam can't hold a boyfriend for more than a month without him dying in some way, and both Teal'c and O'Neill's marriages are toast." O'Toole said this with a surprising amount of frustration. "AND they killed off my kid! What the hell kind of people are these writers? That's just cruel."
"By the way, how is Darcy, sir?"
A smile lit up O'Toole's face. "Great. MVP at the hockey tournament last weekend. She was the only girl out of all the teams, too. Two games in a row she had hat-tricks and-"
"Anyway," the General butted in, stopping the Colonel from bragging any more about his talented daughter, "this is happening whether we like it or not, and it shouldn't affect us besides not being able to go above level 18 between 1500 and 1630 on the 15th. That's most of the reason why I called this briefing for you four. These two ladies are big fans of the show. I don't want any suspicions being raised about the show's real –life counterparts. Now, I'm sure you've all got work to do. Dismissed."
SG-1 filed out of the briefing room, still unsure of what to think of the situation at hand, pensive looks on their faces. Major Carmichael broke the silence, "So, Colonel, do you watch the show often?"
"What?"
"Well, you seem rather knowledgeable about the show, sir. Are you a fan?"
"Carmichael…"
"Sir?"
He hated how she could tease him and be slightly disrespectful but not even borderline insubordinate. "So? I don't have much better to do on Friday nights when I'm not off-world. I blame Darcy actually. She started watching a while ago, and I made it into father-daughter bonding time…and she likes to pretend that I have a cool job like Colonel O'Neill, instead of being stuck under a mountain when I'm not out of the country going on 'diplomatic excursions'. Ironic, eh?"
Alex chuckled. "Yes sir."
"I, however, doubt that she is completely fooled by the cover story. We are all familiar with your skills in diplomacy, or lack thereof, and it is quite possible that DarcyO'Toole sees this as well."
"Thanks, J," replied the Colonel, an annoyed look on his face.
"You are welcome, O'Toole."
The Colonel's look turned from annoyed to disbelief. "Ja'tok, I wasn't actually thanking you."
"Then why did you show your appreciation for-"
"Never mind, J." For crying out loud, he's been on earth for the past 4 years. You'd think he'd pick up on sarcasm by now, thought O'Toole. At the same time, Ja'tok wondered how long it would be until O'Toole would figure out that he was not truly ignorant to the Tau'ri's strange sense of humor and even used it himself on occasion. "Anyway, besides some annoying things having to do with our personal lives, the writing's good and the special effects are good, and watching the show is a generally enjoyable experience. David, you know what I'm talking about."
"Excuse me?" the young archaeologist replied, blushing just enough for O'Toole to detect it.
"C'mon, Erikson. I know you watch it too. You outed yourself back there during the briefing. No point in lying about it now."
"Okay, I admit it. I find it to be an interesting experience. It's like watching a version of me from an alternate reality who-
"manages to get a girl on every planet. Too bad for the real-life you, that's the exception rather than the rule."
David tried to pretend that the Colonel's statement about his love life didn't bother him, but he knew his face would betray him eventually, so he managed to chuckle and say, "Yeah, too bad for me. Well, I've got some translations from P4X-299 that I've got to finish before SG-7's mission tomorrow. I'll see you all later." He turned and walked briskly toward his office.
"What's his problem?"
"With all due respect, sir, you were rather obtuse with him just now. I know it's been two years, but…" She trailed off, leaving O'Toole to think about how what he said had probably affected David.
He sighed. "Yeah." Unfortunately, the show's story arc involving Daniel's wife being taken as a Goa'uld host was all too true. However, they had managed to find her, but the Goauld killed itself and took Na'fey with it rather than be extracted by the Tok'ra. David often thought of the woman who stole his heart on Abydos and how little time he had with her. Even after two years, grief still left pain in his heart, more of a twinge than the ache it once had been, but it was still there.
It was Alex who finally broke the slightly-uncomfortable silence. "Well, I've got some work to do on that…thing that SG-11 brought in last week. I've been working for three days and I still have no idea what it does, but I feel like I'm on the verge of a breakthrough. Oh, and team-night's at your place this Saturday, right, sir?"
"Yes, indeed-y, Carmichael. But it's your turn to pick out the movie."
Alex, O'Toole, and Ja'tok bantered playfully as they walked towards Alex's lab where they parted ways, the upcoming visit of two fan-girls completely removed from their thoughts.