Hunt looked down at the embarkation room below him. The security personnel looked calm, but were definitely on guard. Weapons were all ready, heads were turning as the men and women charged with base security looked all over for whatever threat may come from the gate – or from the doors that led to the rest of the base. The few technicians who had been in the area were already being escorted to secured rooms, where they would wait until the all clear was given.

"Report."

The Marine that was standing beside him stiffened immediately. He had been the one to talk to Brooks on the phone and was also the most senior of the Marines that were in the embarkation and command center areas.

"Colonel Brooks was attacked by one – and probably more – of the intruders. He suggested-"

"He's not certain how many?"

That wasn't like Ian at all, Hunt knew.

"They're invisible, General."

Hunt frowned, immediately taking in the ramifications of that statement. For all he knew, his base could be teeming with them. There could even be some in the room with him right now. Unlikely, since he wasn't being shot at, but it was possible. He couldn't help but look around, and the Marine knew what he was thinking and spoke up again.

"Colonel Brooks suggested you activate the Guardian, Sir."

Actually, he'd ordered it, but a colonel didn't tell a general what to do and the Sergeant knew it. Better to paraphrase than get Hunt in a snit over chain of command.

Hunt scowled.

"What the hell is that?"

"The Guardian, General?"

"Yes, Sergeant. What are you talking about?"

"You don't-" the man interrupted himself. Obviously no one had told Hunt about the program when he'd taken over the SGC. "It's a program for base defense, General. If I may?"

He gestured to the computer, and Hunt nodded, watching with interest while the Sergeant typed in a quick command.

"I don't know all the details of it," the Sergeant explained. "You'll have to ask Colonel Brooks – or Sam O'Neill. They put it in under General Brooks' watch in order to block any invisibility technology on the base."

A security screen came up on the computer and Hunt frowned again.

"Put in your security code, Sir," the Sergeant told him. "It'll activate the program."

Hunt did as he was told, but he was clearly annoyed at not having this information at hand when it would have been nice to know it.

"What does it do?"

"Beats me. Makes them visible, I guess."

"Did Colonel Brooks give you any indication of who he thinks it is we're looking for?"

The screen changed color and suddenly there was a soft whooping noise coming from several different parts of the command center – as well as the gate room. Before the Sergeant could answer, there were startled shouts from below and both men looked out the blast windows just in time to see the security forces below open fire on a form that had suddenly materialized in the corner of the gate room.

As the form crumpled to the floor, and the men converged on it, the Sergeant nodded.

"Ashrak, Sir. He was pretty sure of it."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Sir?"

Jack O'Neill looked up from Molly, who was a drooled on mess of a doll, but only had one tooth mark as far as he could see. Nia looked up as well, her mournful eyes clearly concerned over her dolly and not at all interested in what the Secret Service agent needed. Murray never turned his cheerful gaze from the doll in Jack's hand.

"What's up?" Jack asked, instantly alerted by the serious expression on the man's face.

"We just received a message from NORAD, sir. General hunt just ordered the SGC sealed."

"What?"

Jack stood up immediately, handing Nia the doll and snapping his fingers to warn Murray that it wasn't something he was allowed to steal again. At least not right now.

"They sealed the base, sir."

"Any idea why?"

"Not yet. We're still going to land at the academy. Hopefully by then we'll have more information for you."

"Thank you."

Jack turned without another word and headed back to the private room he and his family used while they were traveling, and Nia followed, still cooing over her doll, and scolding Murray for stealing her. While Jack turned into the private room, Nia and her brother had their own small play area and she was more interested in that – besides, she knew that Murray would follow her dad, and that would leave her free to play in peace.

Jake was playing video games and barely noticed when his sister returned. He happened to glance up at the door when she came in, however, and noticed more than one Secret Service agent heading for the room his parents were probably in. That piqued his curiosity and his attention, and his character in the game died almost immediately, while Jake tossed the controller aside and headed for the door to see what he might be able to overhear.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

By necessity and good design, the armory wasn't that far from the control area of the SGC. Too far as far as Rodney McKay was concerned – mainly because he felt like he had a giant target on his back – but also because he was really and truly scared. And not completely for himself, which wasn't always the case. Ian's boys were honestly two of his favorite people in the world. He'd known them since they were born and had nurtured their brilliant minds since they'd been old enough to totter around behind him. Not that he allowed Ian – and especially the people that worked under him – to see it, but he felt it all the same, and now they were in danger. The thought that a stray blast might cut short what were going to be brilliant lives filled with who knew what kind of discoveries was enough to make him ill.

He worked furiously after each door they passed to make sure that no one without the same knowledge he had would be able to get through the door behind them, knowing full well that it wasn't going to stop the Ashrak – if that's who it really was – from blasting their way through the doors, but it would slow them down enough for them to get a head start. And when you were as smart as Rodney McKay, all you needed really was a head start. And a bunch of guns would be nice, too.

"Stop, McKay," Ian ordered, right before he opened the final door that would lead them to the corridor that ended at the armory.

"What? We're-"

"Stop."

Ian took point, just as capable as McKay when it came to jimmying a door control, and stuck his head cautiously through the doorway. Nothing happened.

"What are you waiting for?" McKay asked, watching as Shawn pushed the kids once more into the small area that formed at the door to get them as much protection as possible while they waited.

"If you were trying to ambush someone here , what two places would you go?" Ian asked.

"Command center and the armory," Shawn answered.

"Right." Ian looked out, again, and the looked up and around him, scowling. "What the hell is taking them so long?"

"Who?" Carter asked, curiously, despite the fact that he knew his daddy wasn't talking to him.

Suddenly there was a soft whooping noise that seemed to come from all around them, and all three adults looked a little relieved.

"What was that?" Michael asked, looking around, afraid.

"Guardian just went up," Ian told them. "Now we'll have a chance…"