"I don't see any more…"

"Doesn't mean none got off the base," Hunt replied, looking at the single red dot that was surrounded by the dots that represented his people. He could imagine that they all had weapons trained on the last of the intruders, but he couldn't imagine why they hadn't killed him. The Ashrak wasn't going to tell them anything – it probably didn't even speak English, and he was pretty sure none of them spoke whatever language the Ashrak did.

"How are we going to figure that out?"

"We'll cross that bridge once we make sure the base is secure. None of them can return as long as the Guardian program is up – at least not invisible. We haven't tracked any ships landing anywhere…"

Which didn't mean that they couldn't, but since one of the first programs that had gone up – long before Ian Brooks had vanished to Atlantis only to return for family visits and infrequent meetings with the President or himself – had been the Multi-spectral shield, and brilliant device that could detect any craft that might fly through the designated airspace that it protected, cloaked or not. Since that airspace had started with a area of Colorado, but was now extended as far as the oceans on either side of the country, Hunt was relatively certain there wasn't a ship anywhere. But that didn't mean there weren't Ashrak on foot running through the area, and that was enough to worry him.

They let the conversation drop, and both men turned their attention to the screen once more.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"He's not going to tell you anything, sir," one of the Marines said.

Since the Ashrak standing in front of them couldn't even move his eyes to look around, he couldn't nod his head to agree with that particular statement. Provided he could understand anything they were saying anyway. Which Ian was pretty sure he could. He had more experience with the Ashrak than anyone there – except Shawn, who had the same amount.

"He doesn't have to tell me anything, Lieutenant." Ian told him, stepping closer to the Ashrak. "That doesn't mean I'm not going to find out."

"What are you going to do, Colonel?" Mathews asked, curiously. She didn't know Brooks well – not many people on the base did – but she'd heard probably a million rumors about him and the Ancient technology he had access to. Whatever the thing was that he'd used to freeze the Ashrak must have something else under its sleeve that was equally impressive, because he didn't look at all nervous to be near the intruder – despite the fact that he was a powerfully built being and still bristling with weapons that were as still as he was.

"Find out how many of them escaped the base – if any – and what their objectives were."

He triggered the other stage of the device he had in his hand, and was suddenly wracked with images that didn't mean anything to him. He went to his knees, unable to concentrate enough to stay on his feet, and heard worried sounds from the people behind him, but couldn't concentrate on them, either.

The mind was alien, as he'd known it would be and had tried to prepare for, but he hadn't truly understood what the word meant until just then. Places he'd never seen, creatures that were only legends or pictures in the Ancients' memory banks on Atlantis, weapons and craft of all sorts inundated his mind in a steady stream that he only barely managed to control enough to make any sense of. He groped for something that he knew – anything – and finally the device he was holding helped him focus on just that. There were images of the SGC, of the other Ashrak and more weapons than even the armory was able to hold. He heard them talking in his mind as they discussed their invasion plan and was shocked that they were speaking Goa'uld and he could understand it without having to try and get the language directly from the memories of the Ashrak prisoner. They understood English, as well, he discovered, as the memories skittered over the past few days that they'd been hiding on the base learning as much as they could about the habits and the ways of the Tau'ri while they waited for their objective to arrive on the base to be eliminated.

Ian jerked away from the contact with the Ashrak, closing the connection as forcefully as slamming a door, and felt a hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he reeled, even in his kneeling position.

"You okay?" Shawn asked.

He nodded, but wasn't ready to stand up just yet. His mind was still reeling and he closed his eyes against a wave of dizziness.

"Kill it."

He heard a single shot above his head, but didn't open his eyes, even as he heard a thud that was clearly the body dropping to the floor in front of him.

"Colonel?"

"I'm all right," Ian told Mathews. "Just give me a minute."

"Do we need the bodies for anything? Should we zat them?"

It would make clean up a lot easier.

"We should keep their technology," Rodney said, suddenly. "And their weapons…"

"No," Ian shook his head. "Clear them out, Captain." He opened his eyes and looked up at McKay. "Are there any left?"

Rodney shook his head, looking down at the detector just to make sure nothing had come up out of nowhere.

"The base is clear."

"None left the base," Ian told him, lurching to his feet. "Call General Hunt and tell him he can lift the lockdown."

"You're sure?" Shawn asked, steadying him when he leaned a little.

"Yeah."

"What did you learn?" McKay asked, as one of the Marines pulled out a zat and fired it three times at the prone body on the floor – and then did the same to what was left of the others.

"Give me a minute to sort through it," Ian replied. "It wasn't like before…"

"We can let the kids out, too," Mathews said.

"Not until Ian gets changed," Shawn disagreed, looking at the various pieces of Ashrak that were drying in Ian's hair and on his clothes.

"Let them out," Ian said. "I'll need a shower, but you guys can reassure them while I do that. I'll meet you up in the briefing room."

Shawn nodded.

"And call Cassie and let her know what happened."

"I will."

"Thanks."

Ian headed one direction, and the others headed for the armory now that they'd cleared as much evidence of the Ashrak off the floor and walls as they could without a cleaning crew to assist.

"Is he going to be all right?" Mathews asked. "We should send someone with him."

"He'll be fine," McKay told her. "Come on; let's get the kids."