CHAPTER 87
EPISODE…………………………MORPHEUS
But before that, here's what I couldn't put in the last chapter or the one before it. Size of file problems arose. I know some people are probably going to go what the hell is he doing now, but please read on. You'll see where I am going and what I am doing. Remember that long winded authors note I left two chapters back? Same sort of thing kinda goes here.
About a week or so after finding out he was a Time Lord, and finding out his new physical status wasn't going to be much help, he didn't think much of it as being anything that would be considered a really great gift or surprise. He did notice he could recall information better and seemed to learn things a little better than before. And if he concentrated hard enough, he could feel the Earth slowly moving. Which was kinda creepy. Other than that, well, a downside seemed to be his sleep pattern was a little screwed up. He didn't have to sleep as much as the normal person anymore.
The two had gotten up and were getting ready for work. Sam took Sally next door for the day as Ford was getting ready still. She came back finding him looking under the General's hood.
"What's wrong with him?"
"Low on fuel. I'll have to go fill him up before coming to work. Let everyone know I'll be a little late."
"Means I'll have to take my car then. Works for me, mine is much better looking anyway." she said tossing her purse and a few other things into the Mustang.
"Hey, I thought we agreed not to poke at each other's cars?" he said closing the hood and seeing the big smile on her face.
"We never said that." she said still smiling.
"I guess I just thought we did." he said walking up.
"Nope. Never came up in any conversation I can recall. Can't deny the truth though."
"I tend to think the cars have different points that make them equal."
Seeing he didn't want to argue, she just nodded. After a quick kiss that ended up being at least a minute, she took off. He left a moment later. Another few miles and he was going to be running on fumes, which wasn't the case thankfully as he pulled up to the large hanger where he had built the high tech General Lee he was driving. He hit the button near the visor to make the door open, but nothing happened. After hitting it a few times, he tried scanning the door to see if there was a mechanical failure. But the scans came up not being able to detect anything. Like a sensor jamming field was in place.
"That's strange." he muttered as he had the car do a diagnostic.
He got out and when up to the door that was several feet away to the right of the larger hanger door. When he tried to put the key in, it didn't go in.
"What the…" he said looking at the lock.
The key he had was never going to fit in and whatever key he needed to put in was like nothing he'd ever seen. The lock hole was a bit bigger than the key he was given those years ago.
"Who the hell changed my lock on me without saying anything?" he exclaimed as he pulled out his cell. "Yeah this is General Carter. Why wasn't I notified of a lock change on my hanger? What do you mean the locks haven't been changed? I can't get the door to open nor the hanger door to either. The lock on the side door is not the same size as the key I was given. Nobody…." he began saying when he felt like someone was behind him.
He turned around quickly pointing the hidden gun in his sleeve. No one was there though, but a small yellow envelope was under his windshield wiper.
"General?"
"Hang on airman." he said as he walked over slowly while looking around. Seeing no one around and no wires or anything on the envelope, he pulled it out slowly and opened it. "Silly me, I was using the wrong key. Sorry to bother you."
"No problem sir. Just call if there is any other trouble." the officer said.
"A gift from a friend, and it isn't your alternate time line self. Enjoy." he said reading the note again. "Hmm. Interesting."
He turned the envelope over to have a small and strange looking object fall out. He recognized it instantly since he had a pewter version of it. This one wasn't pewter though and it shocked the hell out of it so much he was lucky the General was next to him or else he would have hit the ground butt first.
"No way." he muttered in so much shock he could barely move as he looked at the key and then the door.
He walked up slowly to the door and slid the key in. It turned as expected and he opened it slowly to show him something he never thought possible.
"Oh my god." he said slowly as he hit his knees.
He was laughing and crying at the same time and loudly as he crawled through the door. But after taking the key out, which took a good few minutes since he was having trouble getting off his back. It took him about two hours before he was able to calm down enough to finally make a phone call. But that happened after he passed out shortly after entering and the door closing. He was out for a good half hour before he woke up and got started on a few things.
Mitchell didn't understand why he and Teal'c weren't told to come as well and Mitchell figured that it was because one, Teal'c never carried his cell phone on the base. Two, he didn't carry his since no one really called him anyway. And three, it was probably because he figured that Ford was letting Sam or Daniel come get them. Vala was elsewhere and they didn't get her to come with. Carter drove to the location, unsure of what they were coming to find. She knew he had a warehouse or hanger or something out at the Peterson Air Force base he was renting from them. Kinda weird in some ways since you weren't suppose to be able to rent space on an Air Force base, but he was doing it. The guards let them through and they drove up to a hanger that had the number twenty five on it even though there wasn't that many hangers to begin with. The General Lee was parked outside the large hanger door and he wasn't to be seen.
The hanger itself was one of the bigger versions that you'd find the planes that folded their wings up and placed inside. The hanger door was big enough to allow at least three semi trucks to drive inside all at the same time. Sam knocked on the door but no one came.
"It's locked."
"Hey General! We're here!" Mitchell said pounding on the hanger door.
The hanger door parted going sideways as it opened. He stepped out heading for the General.
"Hello?" Daniel asked when Ford didn't seem like he noticed them.
"Sam, bring your car inside."
He drove in and they followed. She came in next and parked next to his. The door closed as he got out of the car. When Mitchell started to push the curtain aside to look beyond it, Ford told him to stop and wait. Rather loudly too. The cars were definitely parked on concrete that they were all standing on. Around them was a large blue workshop curtain that was rather heavy they noticed. Unless it was a rather strong wind, it wasn't going to be swaying with the breeze. Above them was the same way, but stretched tighter.
"Sorry General." he said backing away.
"What I have beyond here is really impressive, but not as impressive as where we are now." he said grabbing some hanging strings. "You'll see what I mean in a few minutes. As for what's beyond this curtain, it took awhile to make and do. But I, started all of this well before I got married. This is the place where I made the technologically advanced version of the Genera Lee."
They were really impressed as the curtain pulled apart and kept going back until it not only showed in front of them, but also on either side. Even Teal'c was amazed at the site. Along the left wall was a very long counter that had many drawers. It had to be at least 100 feet long or more and four feet high. Above the counter was metal shelves, metal cabinets and poster board that had a large variety of tools handing from it. Everything needed to build a house or a vehicle was here. There was even tools for working on cell phones to computers to appliances. And vehicles. Mitchell was surprised as was Carter when they noticed a few tools that were used to work on tanks was in the group and some aircrafts. He surprised them all further when he said he had the tools needed to work on what he now considered Jaffa cargo ships. A few crystal were even in one drawer for research purposes. There was more than one computer system set up, with printers, scanners, copiers, and each had a few slave towers. Toward the middle of the room was three lift systems that lifted a vehicle off the ground so it could be worked on from beneath. If fact, the whole set up needed to work on just about any vehicle and any way possible was nearby each lift system or was on one of the counters. There was even two naquada generators setting on one shelf. Some of the heavier equipment for repairing or even making new parts for the vehicles was in the far back. Ford told them there was everything here needed to do everything they could see on the, Pimp My Ride show. And the Trick My Truck show too.
Carter kinda thought it strange when Ford said he built the General Lee from the ground up, but she figured someone else had molded the pieces and sent them to him to put together. Now she realized he wasn't kidding, he literally built the whole car from the ground up. Even the tires and rims.
Above them, at least fifty feet or more was a large lattice work of metal hanging from the ceiling. It lined the walls going all around the room. In each corner was a metal lattice that was holding the upper part in the air. Several large metal cables attached to the ceiling held the middle section up. Along this large metal lattice was a variety of plants. Some hanging from the lattice while others were in a sort of trench like system he set up. There was even a small water pipe system that gave water to the plants when needed. The large metal cables were hooked up through a round free spinning wheel that was attached to the roof. The cables went from there down the sides of the wall to large spools of more cable. He said the system was designed to lower the assembly to ten feet so the plants could be repotted and stuff.
Several feet away in front of the large tools that took up the back of the room, there was some large round object on the floor. A black lining covered the top and inside. Around and under the large circle was red bricks that curved all the way around bringing the large circle four feet in the air. Inside this large circle, which had the black lining was a fountain system. The bottom part and about a foot above the water line was an octagonal concrete block. Each side measuring two and a half feet each. On top of that was large metal and plastic model of Deep Space Nine. The inner ring system where the space station fired its photon torpedoes was shooting water past the outer rings. Six of them. The large outer ring had scale sized models of the six Enterprises. The first Enterprise with Captain Archer, then Captain Kirks Enterprise A, followed by the Enterprise B that Captain Harriman had, took up the top pylons. The lower pylons had the Enterprise C, D and E. A scale sized version of the Defiant was attached to one side of the outer ring system. Lights were blinking on and off with all the ships and the station, different intervals and such to give it a more real appearance.
In front of that large fountain, was cars, covered under tarps.
On the right wall, which took up the entire right wall, was a large shelving system that had car parts, the bigger parts. Like the frame, bumpers, hoods and such. The General Lee, Sam's car, semi truck parts, Delorean parts, and parts needed for a M1A Abrams Battle Tank. Except for one single strange door that had large circles on it and a metal handle like those found on old refrigerators, that was what the wall had. And the cable spools.
"Oh my god." Daniel muttered as Ford gave a explanation of what they saw and couldn't see.
"How long did it take to do all this?" Carter asked.
"About a year or so. You and me weren't going very steady at the time. We only went out once or twice a week so I had a lot of free time at night." he said as they walked past the lift systems.
"What's under those?" Mitchell asked as they crossed a open section in the room that had nothing on it.
"The first one is a Time Machine that I really haven't had time to look at. The flying circuits are fried. The fusion system is completely shot."
"Fusion?!" Carter exclaimed. "Like Cold Fusion?"
"There's a lot of problems with it I haven't even addressed." he said pulling the tarp off the Delorean. "I don't know how my A.T.S. does it, but he managed to get this off the train tracks before it was hit. Something to do with stopping time and replacing it with a mock up version."
"A.T.S.?" Mitchell asked.
"Alternate Time Line Self." Carter said.
"Got it."
"Where are the tires?" Daniel asked.
"I laid them somewhere." he said glancing around. "Not important really. In case you are wondering Sam, I had K-9 scan the car. The cold fusion system is totally shot to hell. Given time, we might do a miracle and reverse engineer it. K-9 doubts it though. The engine needs a tune up so bad it'd be better off replacing it and the flying circuits are pretty gone. Or so K-9 says. The only thing really working is the time circuits. I'll let you play with it later anyway."
He replaced the tarp and moved to the other one.
"This is still a work in progress. Also built from the ground up, to a point. The frame and such. Beyond that, I bought the parts and still am continuing to do so. K-9 says that the power in this thing is so great that the vehicle would fall apart before I could even hit top speed. Which is why it has never left this room."
He removed the tarp slowly, making sure he didn't scratch the paint job. It was another General Lee, flag and number on it like normal, but all black instead of orange. A very dark black. So black it was like staring into a void. He was rather high off the ground, with large tires. What made him different was the massive engine that came out of the hood.
"Whoa! What is the horse power on this thing?!" Mitchell asked.
"I really don't know. Top speed is somewhere near 400 hundred K-9 says, according to what I have done anyway. This car is illegal on any road. He roars like a pissed off dragon. Blew my ear drums once. Though that happened because I was in an enclosed space at the time."
"Do you not mean lion General Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"A lion can't roar like this thing can." Ford said as he nodded in understanding. "K-9 says the HP is way over a thousand, or it was over two? I don't remember the exact number. I haven't had much time lately to do anything with this General. Say more than several months now, so I forgot a lot about it. Saving the world kinda makes you forget the little things."
"You're afraid of it." Carter stated.
"Damn straight. I'm liable to kill myself in this thing. And I mean in the not come back sense." he said swiping his hand across is neck. "He'd probably be less loud outside, but I've never taken him beyond those doors. Only has a few miles on the odometer. Driving up to the lift and then back here. Even with the M.B.S. system, K-9 assures me the car would strip itself apart before I hit the top speed."
"I'm impressed with all this Ford, but why did you call us here? None of this is really any help to our work at the base, no offense." Carter said.
"Have you noticed the walls? Look familiar?" he said moving his eyebrows and smiling brightly.
They all looked to see the walls were all the same. They all had circles on them, all the same size and the same width apart, just like the door. Kinda like looking at the Connect Four game, except on a larger scale. The color was a kinda yellow, like faded. Even the ceiling was the same color, though completely flat.
"They seem familiar." she said.
"Yeah, they do." Daniel said. "But I don't remember where from."
"Same here." she said.
"You two?"
"Got nothing." Mitchell said.
"Indeed. I do not recall this type of design for any decoration purpose."
"I was hoping someone would notice enough. Oh well. What does this say?" he said pulling a small black bill fold that had a single piece of paper in it.
They all looked to see his credentials for being the SGC Commander. They'd seen it before when he'd have to flash it to get into the base and get out. They had the same thing, except for the rank part.
"You put your identification card in here." Carter said handing it back.
He closed it and waved it lightly.
"You can all see I didn't mess with it, or even open it and put anything in. Now look at it."
It now showed him as President of the United States. They had all seen the President's identification card, the one issued for him to enter the SGC. In this case, it showed Ford as the President.
"What the hell?" Mitchell exclaimed.
"How'd you do that?" Carter asked.
"It's a special paper." he said smiling as he took it back and closed it. He opened it back up and it showed nothing, and then he put it back in his inner breast pocket. "I'll explain later. There is something else I want you all to see. Also, you can take this as an official order, everything you see in here, I mean everything, you do not talk about to anyone. Especially this item."
They walked up to the fountain which really impressed Carter.
"Bet that cost a pretty penny." Mitchell said.
"Million and….um, I forget. I had someone else make it. Now, do you all notice that the top of this black lining has nothing on it. Even though there are a few plants living in the water, I didn't put anything on the top of this large circle."
"We notice now." Daniel said seeing them also looking.
"Notice there are sections in spaced out areas that are raised a little higher in places? Nine spots to be precise."
"Yeah." Mitchell said.
"Feel it Daniel. As to what's under the lining. The rest of you do the same. Toss out what you think you feel. If you really know what it is, don't…."
"This is not possible General Carter." Teal'c said knocking on the object underneath with his knuckles. "I am quite sure this is a real Stargate."
"Teal'c." Ford whined. "You blew the surprise."
"This is a Stargate?!" Carter exclaimed. "Where in the hell did…."
"Mission with Ba'al and all the stolen gates. A few of those planets he took them from were uninhabitable. Several of them were taken to be used on other planets, other sites with new addresses. This is one doesn't officially exist. The President doesn't even know I have it. Only the people in here knows it's here. I'd like to keep it that way in case the Russians try something again later or something happens to our gate."
"A hidden back up. I like the idea. I never saw anything. Not that we can see anything anyway." Mitchell said nodding. "Is there a DHD that goes with it?"
"Yeah, but it's taken apart so this one doesn't end up activating. If forget where I put it at the moment. Sure I have another fountain just like this one, but I don't want to dig it out of storage."
"You have another storage unit? How many do we have?" she asked.
"A few, which will be zero pretty soon." he said removing a object from his inner breast pocket.
"That looks like the Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver." Carter said.
"It is." he said making it come on. It didn't do anything but glow the blue light at the top and have a slight hum. "Any of you connecting the dots yet?"
The other's shook their heads.
"You made the interior look like the inside of the Doctor's ship. Well, one of the older Doctor Who's. That's why I recognize it. And you got one of those toy versions of the Sonic Screwdriver. I know you like Doctor Who Ford, but I think this is stretching things. I know you even became one, somehow, but you don't….."
She stopped as he was smiling and nodding. It took her a minute to say anything as he kept nodding as she kept trying to speak. He was even waving his hand in a rolling fashion.
"What's going on here?" Mitchell asked seeing her suddenly look extremely excited.
"No way." she muttered in unbelief.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her to the door. The other's didn't know what was going on as they went through it leaving them behind. As they started to get near the door, they heard Sam shriek. And it was from pure joy. When Mitchell opened the door, they all heard hysterical laughter and crying at the same time from the two. It wasn't until they went through the hallways, which had the same walls as the room they were just in, that where they were finally kicked in. It took them a couple of minutes to finally find where the other two went. They went through a door finding them both looking over a large hexagonal console system.
(A.U. It is the console room that the Seventh Doctor had.)
"We actually have one of the greatest Time Machines ever created in our hands!" Ford said as she was wiping her eyes.
"I don't believe it! There is so much technology here! I could spend the rest of my life…."
"There's only one serious problem!" he said with a whine as he was also wiping his eyes. "I have no idea how to run this thing."
"Say what?" she said as the adrenalin rush faded. "It's all worthless?!"
"No. Hell no. Everything works, to a point. I don't know how to run a T.A.R.D.I.S. Sure I have one now and as far as I've found out from reading this book, she's almost totally functional. But it's going to take awhile of reading this a few times more to really get it down." he said holding a book that said T.A.R.D.I.S Manuel, that was almost a foot thick.
"That's the biggest book I have ever seen." Daniel said taking it from his hand. "Wait, I can't read this."
"I know. No one but me can. I'll have to translate it for you and Sam so you can help me read it better." he said wiping his eyes still.
"Wait a minute. You said almost totally functional." Carter said. "What have you not told us?"
"She's missing a vital power component needed in making her go to other places and planets."
"I thought she ran off a black hole?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait a minute here! You're telling me, this ship, which from what I gathered from watching what little of the show I did with the General here, has a black hole as a power source?!" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah, it's called the Eye of Harmony. The T.A.R.D.I.S pulls power from it to allow her to travel through space and time. This whole ship is extremely huge and built around a containment field that keeps the black hole from sucking us into it. At least that's the way I understand it from the show and this book."
"And that much power isn't enough to allow us full use of the ship?" Mitchell asked.
"No. It's not. Ziton 7 ore is needed to help it along. We have none, or only a small bit actually. And that small bit is only about the size of a golf ball. Not enough to do much. Here, think of it like this. You have a car. It has the battery which is fuel to run all the electrical parts. But it won't move the engine. Need the gas for that, which is another fuel. Then you need the oil, which is a sort of fuel that allows to engine to move. Then you have the transmission fluid which…."
"I get it. Then comes the steering fluid, power steering fluid and the other fluids needed to actually help the car or whatever it is to move and keep moving." Mitchell said rolling a hand.
"Right. In this case, we have all the other things and some extras of the others needed just in case. We might even be able to synthesize some of them, but this ore, I don't know. According to a note I got, this unknown friend wasn't able to give me a fully functional T.A.R.D.I.S, claiming I might find a different way. And there is another problem, one of a few actually. Even if the T.A.R.D.I.S. was fully functional, I couldn't go anywhere. Not even three feet any direction."
"You need the spatial coordinates."
"Right. You catching on quickly Sam." he said impressed as he rubbed her shoulder. "There is no destinations or coordinates of any kind in the system. I don't even know the coordinates for where the T.A.R.D.I.S is right now. But then I haven't figured out how to activate the scanning system yet. But I'm betting it has a range far beyond this planet. Supposedly, it has a range to scan a whole solar system just by being in it."
"Wait a minute." Daniel said. "You said you read the book, several times."
"Right, with this." he said showing the wrist thing.
"Anises armband." Mitchell said.
"You're beginning to scare me Mitchell."
"You're beginning to remember things better."
"I think that's because I'm a Time Lord. Or half anyway. We all already know how I am able to use this so. I read it, yes. Understand a lot of it, no way. Half the math in that thing makes no sense at all. The Delorean I can understand. The Ancient Time Drive for the Puddle Jumper, I understand. This…." he said waving a hand around. "Only part of it so far. You two will have to help me with it. Along with K-9. The other problem, which is actually a missing part that was taken away on purpose, is the translation circuit."
"Is that that part in the T.A.R.D.I.S that the Doctor talked about saying it telepathically allowed anyone whoever came into the T.A.R.D.I.S the ability to read and understand any language?" Carter asked.
"You paid even more attention to the Doctor than I thought. That's the one. In some ways it is a good thing that it isn't here."
"Why?" Daniel asked.
"You'd be out of a job."
"I'm not working at the SGC for only that reason." he said insulted.
"I was kidding Daniel. But it would be partially true."
"So, we have a ship that isn't fully functional. What can we do with it?" Mitchell asked.
"Well, I have some ideas. Maybe with Sam's help we can come up with a substitute power source and make it possible for the T.A.R.D.I.S to go whenever and wherever."
"Is there any technology in this vessel that can help us at the SGC General Carter?"
"Not that I've really seen. The basis of the ship alone needs the black hole as a power source and we don't have the technology to even try anything close to that. And I'd rather not try taking any parts out to look at because we might remove something that keeps that containment field going. I also have the only key, until I find the spare. There is a room with tools where I got the Sonic Screwdriver, which I haven't figured out how it fully works yet. Me and Sam will have to go over them in our spare time and see if there is anything that can help us at work. There is spare parts, but I haven't actually looked at them yet either."
"Sounds like a plan. Stay away from this room and don't touch any buttons. Got it. Now, what plans do you have in mind?" Mitchell said.
"Well, we can touch this and this." he said turning a dial.
One the wall a screen lifted up to show the outside above the single door. He did something else on the console and they saw the screen move to look back and forth. He lowered the screen and pulled some red handle. Part of the wall split opening two doors. A sound accompanied it, just like in the TV show as they opened. Beyond the doors was a single white door.
"We can also get out on here this way. I can even change how the exterior looks." he said bring up a 3D line picture of the hanger they were in on a small monitor screen that was on the console. "This is currently what the outside looks like, which gives us the access inside by both openings. If I were to change it to say, the police box look."
A 3D line picture came up of a British Police box.
"Then we could only get in through the one door."
"What can you make this look like? Is there a limit?" Mitchell asked.
"I can only make it look like things that have doors, in a sense. The Master liked using a old Greek column look to his T.A.R.D.I.S which had a hidden door. I couldn't make this look like, say, a motorcycle or anything that you couldn't really get a door on. A small cabinet wouldn't count either. For now, I'm leaving it as the hanger."
"Where did the hanger go then?" Carter asked.
"It was converted into a room in the T.A.R.D.I.S. There is actually more rooms that are that big. This ship is kinda like its own planet. From what I remember, the Doctor never actually saw all of his ship and he'd been in it for over a thousand years. Anyway, my plans." he said turning away from the console and closing the door. "Daniel, I'm leaving you in charge of the books and clothes. The rooms that usually have clothes in them are totally empty. So let me know when you find or see something that we need, for any and all eras. Never know, we could get this beauty running and be able to travel around. May even need to go into the past again. In which case we can be actually prepared."
"I assume you're paying for everything then?"
"Everything. We can deal with putting it away later. Or you can. I'll show the rooms later. Sam, you will be dealing with everything we need technologically. Maybe a few monitors in here and in other rooms. Maybe along some of the walls so we can map the ship out and not get lost. Anything else anyone thinks we might need as well. First thing I need other than spatial coordinates is for us to look at that cryo-freeze unit that Jack and that Anubis clone was in. If we can figure out how to duplicate that, and on a larger scale, I want to install it in one of the bigger rooms."
"For food I take it."
"Yeah. All kinds and such. Mitchell, you and Teal'c can help me later with the weapon inventory and anything else you think we need to do. I already have a large room that is set up for making almost every gun and bullets. I'm going to make some arrangements with Rally and have a lot of weapons and ammo sent to be added to the collection I already have."
"How big is the collection right now?"
"Big enough to supply everyone on the base with two maybe three weapons and enough ammo to fight off a small army. Probably more actually." he said seeing their jaws drop. Except Teal'c who nodded in approval. "There is also a added bonus. Seeing as I consider you all family and such, you all can pick a room, once we go back there some time and fix it up just about any way you want."
"Just about?" Mitchell asked.
"I'd rather not come down there sometime to get you and find naked women posted on the wall. Do that at your own home, outside."
"Well, I don't so that so, no need to worry there." Mitchell said when Carter looked at him. Even Teal'c gave him a glance.
"As for anything else anyone come us with that we'll need, just let me know. I'm going to have everything shipped to this base and they can stick it in one of the hangers here until we get here to sort through it all."
"Won't there be a lot of questions?" Carter asked. "They still think it's a hanger and it will only hold so much. Not to mention you'd have to have forms to bring in stuff that big."
"Oh, right. Um, well, I have a semi truck with trailer I've built. Really big one too. I could have everything shipped here, no that won't work because of the forms. Hmm." he said looking at the floor thinking.
"Why not bring the ship to the base?" Mitchell asked. "Or to some other location that no one would notice?"
"How would we do that?" Ford asked.
"You said the size and shape changes. I did watch one of the episodes where the Doctor's ship was carted off."
"We could buy some property in the woods. Secluded area. Park this ship there in plain view for anyone that comes us. Just keep it hidden as, say looking like a large storage shed. Big enough for a couple semi trucks to park in. We could build a house out there, big one. Car garage and stuff to make it look like all those supplies we'd be ordering would be coming in for building the house and such." Carter suggested. "Say like a vacation or dream home."
"I believe that is a most formidable idea." Teal'c stated.
"A retreat house sounds good." Daniel suggested as a name.
"What would I do without you all? That's a great idea!"
"We'll need one other thing and person to help us though." Carter said.
"Vala?" Ford asked confused. "No offense to her but…."
"Not her. Janet. Even if she doesn't want to go with us, assuming we ever get this ship running to where we can go somewhere, we'll need medical supplies."
"I'll bring her down in a couple of days and show her around. There is a medical bay, but with her help, we'll probably figure out how all the computers and stuff works down there. Good thinking Sam. I'll pass on the message to Jack, but I want all of you to come up with ideas as to what we want at this house. Size, items, stuff like that. We'll get together sometime later and discuss it in private. Oh, and the T.A.RD.I.S. talked to me. I'll explain later."
And so they got started. A week later and a baffled commander at the Peterson Air Base, the T.A.R.D.I.S was hiding on some mountain property, in Colorado, and several dozen miles from any neighbors. They did a night run a few days later bring in a large semi truck that had certain needed materials for the plan. Ford changed the shape to look like the British Police box and they took it away after setting it in the back and unloaded the explosive stuff quickly. With a little help from the team, they made it look like a massive fire broke out and burned the building down from the inside out. It took a little work from a confused Colonel on the Odyssey when Ford had him beam over a large pile of metal that was the same as the hangers were made from. The commander wanted to know what he had been doing to cause such a powerful fire that didn't spread to the other hangers or the base, much less cause an explosion. All they knew was that suddenly some personal noticed a large hotly burning fire with a lot of molten metal. Ford said it was classified, but dealt with a new jet engine and a new type of fuel. He and a team looked a few days later after the apparent burn down to see if they could find anything. Ford handed over a report that basically said that they figured there was a problem with the fuel mixture and it ignited burning everything to the ground. Since he paid for the damages, the commander didn't push the issue.
And now, MORPHEUS………
Teal'c was coming back from Dakara to inform them of information he obtained that the Jaffa had learned. Without any ships to explore and keep a look out, since the Odyssey was still being repaired, they had to rely on other sources. Vala and Sam hadn't showed up yet, but Mitchell and Ford were standing at the bottom of the ramp waiting for Teal'c to walk through. The gate had been dialed just a few seconds ago.
"I've noticed that you seem to be here, unless you are off world, whenever any of the team shows up through the gate."
"I wouldn't be much of a good leader if I wasn't there to check on my team after they come back from wherever it happened to be, even if it was from one of our bases out there." Mitchell said.
"You are a good leader Mitchell. I have to admit that what you said about Ferguson is true. He is a better pilot. He's broken a few of your records."
"I talked to him recently. He's really enjoying it up there on the Odyssey. Part of me is glad he wasn't there when those Ori ships showed up."
"I can understand that. Hopefully he'll make a difference like you did. Saving us…"
"I get it General. I hope the same. Maybe it will be us sometime."
"Hey guys, what's the hold up?" Carter asked as she and Vala walked in.
"None that we know of." Ford said.
"You know Teal'c. He only walks fast when he has to." Mitchell said as he walked through.
"T. What's the word?" Ford asked.
"Six more worlds have fallen to the Ori. Two were Jaffa strongholds." Teal'c stated as he came off the ramp and the gate shut down. "They attempted to resist but were overwhelmed in a matter of hours."
He was in his Jaffa robes and whatever was underneath. Ford wasn't really sure what it was but suspected it was probably that metal mesh armor.
"Better than we did at the Supergate." Ford muttered.
Teal'c did nod in agreement but understood Ford meant it with a sad but respectful intent.
"Anything else?"
"Indeed. Those that witnessed and survived stated that the Ori are being led by a young woman with extraordinary powers." he said looking at Vala. They all looked at her.
"What? I didn't ask to have her." she said with some sincerity.
"Let's go." Ford muttered with a wave.
"Six planets in eight days and they don't even have their full team in yet." Mitchell muttered as they left the gate room. "I've forgotten how many worlds it is they have taken over now."
"Same here. I knew the number, once. Even if I could remember, we can't even take into account how many other planets they have we don't know about."
"True."
"Any idea's why they haven't made a move against Earth?" Carter asked. "I'd like to think it's because you are here, but somehow I doubt that's the case."
"I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm the case either." Ford muttered.
"I am lead to believe that they avoid this planet on purpose because of the Ancient weapon in Antarctica." Teal'c stated.
"Now that sounds more like it. Almost wish they would come here so we could take them out with it."
"We're not even sure if we have enough of those Drones much less if they would do anything." Carter stated.
"True." Mitchell said. "I'd rather us not have to test that option unless we had too. Then again, they could be waiting till they believe they have more than enough ships to send against us, Earth personally, and survive against that Ancient weapon."
"Such a assessment could be correct."
"I got it! I got it!"
They stopped and turned around as Daniel came running up holding a book with excitement on his face.
"Got what?" Ford asked.
"The connection. Sir Gawain…."
"You found one of the planets that Arthur and his Knight went to, I mean an address?" Ford asked as he saw the other's hidden but mentally rolled eyes.
"Ah, yeah." Daniel said a little upset at the interruption.
"Sorry Daniel. We're on a time schedule, Ori got another 6 planets, two of which were Jaffa owned. You can tell me about it later in more detail."
"Okay. We going to go today?" he said a little brighter.
"Yep, after Teal'c does his infirmary visit and we do a quick post briefing."
They were now around the table, several minutes later, and Daniel was walking around it reading from a book and talking. Mitchell, and empty chair and Vala were seated on his left while Carter and Teal'c were on his right. Though Daniel hadn't dug into the bag of miniature chocolates, the other's had. Except Teal'c.
"On PX1 767, we got the names of three planets."
"Which planet are we going to?" Ford asked as Daniel walked behind his chair.
"Wouldn't you like to know how I got the address?"
"I'm guessing from a book."
"Yes, and with Vala's help, I did find it." he said taking a book she handed to him. "I was looking up information on the Knight Sir Gawain and found through his travels and quest, one of them was the name of one of the planets. The address for that planet is inscribed on this sword that Sir Gawain carried with him."
The book he showed them was from Merlin's library and it showed a long two handed sword that had seven gate symbols inscribed into the blade. The book's language was also in Ancient.
"Well, let's go check this place out. Hopefully we'll get a break for once." Ford said sliding back.
"Anything from your two's end yet?" Daniel asked.
"On what?" Ford asked.
"The Supergate thing?"
"No. So far ever plan we've came up with that dealt with trying to shut down or dial out as failed." she said.
"There is a mothership in the area that will alert us to the arrival of any other ship." Teal'c stated.
"That's good. Staying in one of those cargo ships isn't all that fun over a long period of time." Ford said.
"You two and Teal'c did that once, trying to contact the Asguard. Um, the Replicator incident before your copy was made." Mitchell stated.
"Right Mitchell." Ford said with a small shake of his head. "You must have read all those mission reports a few times."
"They were important to learn. My point was is that you all must have had some interesting ride, all being coped up in that thing for so long."
"Not really." she said as they got up. "Just another day of work."
"Are we going to talk or leave, because we can do both." Daniel said.
"More importantly, can I go?" Vala asked.
"I don't see why not." Ford said taking his coat off the back of the chair. "If we fight more people or holograms that want to fight us with swords, it will be a learning experience for you."
"Great." she muttered as General Landry walked in.
"General. I assume from the looks of things you and SG-1 are leaving?"
"Yes. We're all going to hopefully find this weapon that Merlin made." he said adjusting his coat. "Vala, don't forget your sword and act like you forgot."
"I…" she began getting a look. "You saw that plan before it got started."
"Yes."
"I'm sorry General, but she's not allowed to go."
"What?" several people including Vala asked.
"Why not? Her background isn't perfect, but she's been learning…" Daniel began.
"I've given her quite a few privileges, including taking her off base myself to allow her to gets things she wants. She's….behaved, I guess is the best word."
"Thank you." Vala said.
"I've seen some of the reports. But the decision stands, by order of the Pentagon." Landry said.
"What's their problem?" Ford asked.
"They don't trust her enough to let her be allowed off world." Landry said.
"Let me make a call. I need to get my gun anyway."
"Why does he have that in there?" Landry asked as Ford picked up the phone.
The group looked at each other then at Carter.
"Um, well sir, other than because he stated if the base was infiltrated through the gate, at least he'd have another weapon on hand. And also because anyone else could take it and use it, or remove it from the base if it was in the armory with the other weapons."
"Ah." he said nodding.
"What?! You're kidding?! And because……yes I said it wasn't a big emergency. Fine, tell them to do something about it when they get done."
He grabbed the Tommy gun and walked out shaking his head.
"They said no." Vala said disappointed.
"No. They are in some top secret meeting with the President and a few other people and probably will be there for a few more hours. So unless the world was in serious trouble, I can't even talk to the President. But I did tell them to figure out something and then get back to me. Sorry Vala, I tried."
"Very well." she said with a pout. "Isn't there something I can do to possibly prove myself?"
"They want to do a psych evaluation." Landry stated.
"A what?"
"I'll explain it to her on the way." Daniel said.
"We stay here any longer, the Ori might show up wanting to know where their competition is." Mitchell said sarcastically.
That did make Ford laugh a little as they walked out. Daniel had to grab something from his office before they left and they met up with him at the ramp.
"What's wrong Daniel?" Ford asked seeing a downed look.
"Vala."
"Feeling sorry for her?"
"Some. I admit she's a pain in the ass." he said as the event horizon settled. "Anyway, I tried to explain…"
They showed up on the other planet to find it somewhat dark and as one could call it, dead. The plants looked really bad, like water wasn't really getting to them. There was a thick fog over the place as well. The trees even looked bad, no leaves, needles or anything. Just black branches.
"Explain what the test was. She thought it meant something else and is now looking through my computer and god only knows what else to find material to pass the test. Still trying to figure out how she knew my password."
"I know your password. Oh man." Ford muttered rubbing his face. "That lady is complete idiot sometimes. But we might as well cut her some slack in this department since she is from another world. I'll try talking to after we get back."
"I think I see a town of some sort up ahead." Mitchell said.
"We must have showed up during a fall season." Ford said.
"Fog is pretty thick." Daniel said. "How do you know my password?"
"You told me it once, long time ago. Well before I married Sam."
"You didn't tell Vala….." he began asking when he got a look. "Right, stupid question."
"She's got quite a few problems Daniel, but being stupid isn't one of them. Knowing you, she probably notice it when you weren't looking."
"Hey…"
"Daniel, I have came in a few times and read the screen over your shoulder while you were working on the said computer, and you didn't even notice I was there." he said seeing Daniel cave in mentally. He knew he couldn't argue with that.
"I haven't seen fog this thick in a long time." Carter muttered as they entered the village.
The buildings were rather tall, three to four stories. Most of them seemed to be made of stone though a few seemed to be made of wood.
"This kinda reminds me of an old Doctor Who episode. I almost feel like I'm in London, back a few decades ago. Even that dead street lamp looks like it's from that country. The only thing out of place is the vines and other weeds that seem to be growing on just about everything." Ford said kicking a small brick. "Even though they are dead too."
"Hello? Hello!" Daniel yelled looking around.
"It is obvious this village has long since been abandoned." Teal'c stated as he knocked over a broken wooden bench next to what was once a well.
"That could be good or bad news." Mitchell muttered.
"I say both. Good for the fact we can look for the, whatever it is called and not get bothered with investigating."
"And the bad?" she asked.
"Well, we can't get clues. Plus, this village could have been abandoned because of illness or something worse. Maybe a Prior showed up here back in the beginning." Ford said still glancing around.
"I do not believe that to be a possibility. I saw no evidence of anyone or anything being near the gate recently after we arrived." Teal'c stated.
"I have to agree. I didn't see any evidence either." he said then cleared his throat.
Daniel was a few feet away just glancing around when he jumped from the sound of a loud whistle behind him. They other's had noticed he was going to do it and was prepared.
"Thanks for the scare."
"Sorry Daniel."
"Got some lungs there General." Mitchell said digging at his ear.
"Run every morning and playing the flute helps. Anyone within a mile of here should have heard that. Guess we are alone."
"You play the flute?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, one of those ones you hold out in front of you, not to the side. Actually, it's the same one that Patrick Stewart used in Star Trek, well a replica anyway."
"Sally either likes to hear a story or him play to help her get to sleep. That is if I'm not around to read to her."
"She likes you reading better than the General?" Mitchell asked.
"Yeah. He reads too fast sometimes and she likes the sound of my voice." Carter said with a smile. "I used to read to her at night before she was born."
"Maybe we should look around some more as we talk." Daniel suggested.
"Well then, lead the way Jackson." Mitchell said.
She was in fact on Daniels computer looking up info and writing things down as Landry walked in.
"General Landry." she said looking up as he knocked. She went back to writing something.
"I'm sorry you were able to go. I know the members of SG-1…"
She gave him a look.
"Okay, certain members of SG-1 have respect and what I can figure, some confidence in you. Especially after what you did those few months back. But it was out of my hands and the Joint Chiefs didn't want to talk to Ford so. Anyway, I came to see how you were doing since they left?"
"Research. Daniel told me a bit about the test I have to take so I'm reading up on it."
"What? But you can cram for a psychiatric evaluation." he said with a small laugh.
"Ah, but that's what they want you to think." she said still writing.
"I can't wait till see what happens when General Carter hears about this." he said with another laugh.
"What do you mean? He's not giving the test is he?"
"As far as I know, the base psychiatrist is doing the job. It's not a test Miss Doran."
When she began telling him about questions she had answers to, that's when he walked out shaking his head.
Carter, Daniel and Ford entered a building that looked like a hotel or Inn as it would best be described. They entered with their lights on. Everything was dusty and full of cobwebs. Thankfully, despite the amount of everything that was decaying, there was no bugs. Or spiders thankfully.
"I'd almost swear this place is haunted. Things are here but no one else is." Ford muttered glancing around with his blue light. Daniel opened a nearby door and entered as the others came into the building. "It's like they evacuated or something and didn't take anything. But whatever it was they left for made them leave without causing much clutter."
"Um, guys, you might all want to see this."
Ford and Carter entered after Daniel to see they were in a bedroom. In the large bed was two people, both dead. They had decayed pretty badly too.
"The plot thickens." Ford muttered moving past Daniel as he headed for the right side of the bed. "Stay back."
"Why, we can see they're dead and not getting up. Unfortunately." she said.
"Remember that mansion in Raccoon…"
"Let's not go there." she said quickly. "I do not want nightmares again."
"Same here." Daniel said. "But seeing as they have decayed so…."
"I rather be safe than sorry." Ford said waving his hand over the faces.
"That file alone was creepy." Mitchell muttered as Ford tapped one of the heads gently with his barrel. "Can't believe we came up with a virus that turns people into zombies."
"I think it's safe to assume they aren't getting up. I don't think we'll have any incidents like with the Sodan either. Even though we can see through them, I am not taking any chances. No wonder this place felt creepy to me. We need a medical team here."
"I'll go. Can anyone explain why we'd create a virus like that? Even if it was a biological warfare weapon, all you end up with is dead people you have to fight instead of….people with weapons. I don't get it."
"Me neither." Ford said with a shudder.
Mitchell went back with Teal'c to gate to inform them of what they learned. Landry said someone would be along shortly and signed off. The other three checked out the rest of the village finding it just the same as the other room. Mitchell came back and told him who Landry was sending.
"Wait a minute." Ford said tapping the table with his finger. "That team's been up for over 20 hours or more now. I was going to give them a day or so off when they got back. Why he is sending them?"
"I don't know General. I'm just a messenger."
"SG-1 niner, do you copy?"
"Yeah, this is General Carter. A couple of us will meet you outside the village."
"We see it and are almost there."
"I'll go, again." Mitchell said heading for the door.
"Me too. I need some fresh air. Well, at least the air outside I can say is better than in here." she said.
He waved them on and sat down rubbing his eyes.
"For some reason I feel tired. Should have went to bed like Sam did, not kept reading that book for another hour or so." he muttered. "Only wish I could understand half of it."
"Doctor Reimer." she said as they walked up.
"Colonel Carter. Colonel Mitchell. I hear we have a bit of a medical mystery on our hands." Reimer said as he followed with three other's behind him.
"What we have here is a village full of skeletons." Mitchell said.
"We've found a few lying on the ground but most of them seem to have died in their beds." she said. "I think we can rule out violence."
"Anything left besides bones?"
"Whatever happened her doc, it happened a long time ago." Mitchell said.
"Let's go take a look." he said following them into the Inn. "General, I thought we were going to get the day off after we got back?"
"Sorry guys. I wasn't there to let you go. Once we figure this out, you can go home and have three days off."
"Well then, the sooner we get started the quicker we get home boys."
Daniel had found the library and was seated at a table looking through scrolls and books while writing in his notebook. Teal'c was with him, mostly other than to keep him company, but to watch him. Daniel was, as Jack put it once, the klutz of the group and more prone to getting into accidents or trouble, on purpose or otherwise. Ford had to agree, but he didn't tell it to Daniel face. Though he had noticed Daniel had gotten better over the years at avoiding things, he tended to attract trouble sometimes anyway.
"Did the village records give any recollection to what befell the people here?" Teal'c asked sitting in a seat next to him.
Like everything else in the village, it was dusty and slightly un-kept. And surprisingly small.
"No, but it does make mention of an Ancient lore around this area. According to legend, a cave overlooking the village was once home to Morgan Le Fay."
The look on Teal'cs face was information enough to Daniel.
"Ah, in Arthurian legend, she was a powerful sorceress, King Arthur's half sister and an adversary of Merlin."
"That would suggest that she may have had a hand in the disappearance of the weapon we seek."
"Now Morgan, like Merlin, was a purported magic user, so it makes sense, that once again, like Merlin, she was once ascended."
"One who foresaw the dangers presented to her and her kind, by a weapon capable of destroying her and ascended beings."
"She took the weapon and went into hiding." Dnaiel said seeing Teal'cs reasoning.
"On three possible worlds. This being one."
"We've got to find that cave."
While the other team was still in the process of setting up Daniel explained what they needed to do.
"Alright then, let's go cave hunting." Mitchell stated as he got up. "Um, should we take any one of them with us?"
"I don't see why." Ford said. "I know you all have been up quite awhile so just do whatever you can here and stay awake. We may call one or all of you to come help at any second."
He got a groan from them but a yes General. Somewhere deep in the forest away from the village, which was surprisingly a bit more brighter. There was no sun, but they could see without needing lights. They decided on keeping quiet in case there might be any traps or such around. Mostly it was Daniel and Ford's idea since Morgan Le Fay wasn't someone that should be trusted. Teal'c and Ford stopped and looked around.
"What's wrong?" Mitchell asked.
"You did notice Teal'c?"
"Indeed."
Sam looked around and realized it quickly.
"You know, I don't mind the bugs and spiders being missing, but no sounds of any animal life is creepy." she said.
"You're right, I don't hear anything." Daniel said listening. "How'd you figure it…never mind."
"Hang with me long enough and some of my traits are bound to be passed on." Ford said with a smile that went away rather quickly. "This can't be a good sign."
Teal'c nodded as he kept glancing around.
"I see no indications of animals bodies either. I noticed this unease stillness as we entered the village."
"No offense T, but I'm glad I'm not alone."
"Maybe that cave will tell us something. Let's keep moving." Mitchell said walking past them.
Vala entered the office of the doctor who was evaluating her.
"Hello Vala, I'm Doctor Hutchinson."
"Hi." she said cheerily as she shook his hand.
"Have a seat." he said with a wave.
She took it still smiling as he sat across from her sipping his coffee. He had a briefcase, still closed, on the table. Behind her was another table against the wall with papers and a few other items, which included a lamp that was on for some reason. A couple large computer bank system were on either side of the table and a few photo's were on the wall behind the doctor.
"So, how are you feeling?" he asked sitting back.
"Very well. Very well." she said stretching slightly. "Well, all things considered. I mean, you'd assume I'd be a prime candidate for acculturation difficulty. Dealing with feelings of displacement and alienation. Even a little paranoid ideation, hmm?"
He smiled as she leaned onto the table with both her arms.
"But the truth is, I was able to adopt a abstract attitude, which allowed me to release some of my repressed feelings, ultimately providing me with an cathartic actualization." she said as he nodded. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine."
She smiled with a nod.
They found the cave and were looking around with their lights.
"Damn, I should have brought my glasses." Ford muttered.
"Why didn't you?" she asked.
"Other than some tinkering as Jack would say, they needed time to recharge."
"Recharge?" Daniel asked. "I'm probably going to regret this, but from what?"
"Um, well if Jack was here I would say something smart and really try to make him believe it. In this case, the truth is, I forgot to turn them off one night and well…" he said with a shrug. "And I was trying to see if I could use anything in the T.A.R.D.I.S from the tools and such to maybe upgrade it. Like I did me and Sam's cell phones."
"I don't know about you guys, but there's nothing here." Mitchell said waving his light around.
"Maybe it's the wrong cavern. We should continue to look around." Daniel said.
"No way. Getting too dark out. Besides, we have no idea what has caused all this and it could be some very fast animal or some other creature that attacks at night."
"We have no evidence that supports that theory." Teal'c stated.
"All those people could have died from a Wraith and we'd only figure that out because of the injury on the bones of the chest, at least from a visual point. Beyond that, who knows. If it is a creature, it could fly around very quietly and kill in the dark. Kinda like that Pitch Black movie."
"Those creatures made noises though." Mitchell stated. As Ford was beginning to open his mouth though. "I get what you're meaning though General and agree we should head back. We can check it out tomorrow Jackson."
He groaned lightly but nodded and followed.
The doctor decided to do a ink blot test, to which she answered with answers that made him realize really quickly that she was not be truthful. He told her he thought she was not being honest and to please cooperate. She nodded and did the same thing with the next one. He put the ink blots away and sat back drinking his coffee while glaring at her. Landry was keeping a slight watch on things. He informed the doctor of what she was doing after finding her at the computer. So the doctor agreed to allow a hidden microphone to be placed for him to hear. Mostly it was Landry doing it for Ford to hear, if she ended up doing the supposed test the way she was doing.
"Boy is General Carter going to have his hands full." Landry said with a laugh.
Night settled in rather quickly as they got back. There still was no noises of animals or anything really, except for anything they did. The complete quietness was so eerie that it was beyond creepy. The other's went back to the Inn while Daniel was back in the library looking for more information. One of the lanterns they always brought along was sitting on top of a stack of books. It was battery powered and a halogen type.
"Red teams wrapping it up. I figure it's best if we do the same." Mitchell said walking in.
"This can't be a dead end, there has to be something here." he said looking around from where he was sitting.
"Take it up with the General. Red team wants to go home and so does he. This place creeps him and Sam out and I don't like it here either. We can come back tomorrow and you can sit here reading till your eyes fall out."
"Umm." he said sitting back and glancing around again. "Yeah, a fresh start in the morning would be nice. Good dinner and probably even better breakfast, made by him of course."
"Of course." Mitchell said with a smile as Daniel grabbed a few things before following him out. "You know, if something ever happened to me where I couldn't go off world and was stuck here doing a desk job or something, his cooking alone would be worth staying on at the SGC."
"Many other's would probably agree with that."
They all met up in the middle of the village near the old fountain or well.
"Let's go home." Mitchell said waving his flashlight.
"Wait a minute. Ackerman is missing." one of the Red team members said.
"He was the most tired out of you all." Ford said pulling his personal cannon and changing the clip.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Something I've had an idea about since we got here. Close your ears."
The sound resounded for several seconds like an echo. They kept listening in case anything was going to show up, especially Ackerman, but they heard nothing and saw even less.
"He should have at least came running or called on the com." Mitchell stated. "Hang on, I think we left him in that Inn."
"Well, nothing is out there. Or if there was, I scared it off." Ford muttered putting the weapon away.
"Here he is!" Mitchell yelled from outside the door. "Ackerman, let's go."
The man was sitting at a table with his arms crossed while holding his flashlight that was still on.
"Ackerman, get up. We're going home to warm and comfortable beds." he said slapping him on the arm and heading for the door. He turned around after hearing a thump noise. "Better get in here!"
They ran over to find Ackerman on his back completely out of it. The Red team tried a few things, even splashing water in his face but it didn't work. Even smelling salts didn't wake him up.
"Okay, we aren't going home yet." Ford said setting his Tommy gun against the wall.
They moved a few things around and got a bed against the wall in the main room of the Inn.
"Well, as far as I can tell, he's asleep." Reimer stated standing up after examining him for several minutes.
"Sleeping?" Ford asked. "Guy must have really been tired."
"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Mitchell asked.
"Not until I've looked over his blood work." Reimer said going to the table nearby to look at the blood he had drawn.
"There's got to be something more than that, like a coma." Mitchell said.
"No, I'm afraid not. Coma patients don't respond to outside stimuli. Pain, sound, touch. He reacts to all three. He flinches even in his sleep state." Reimer said.
"He didn't get up, but his body did react to my gun firing again." Ford said.
"Then why can't we wake him up?" Daniel asked.
"I don't know. I need to do more test until I can say for sure."
"I'm starting to think that this village was hit by some illness we can't see. Check us all out more thoroughly." Ford ordered.
"Including you General?" the doctor asked.
"Might as well." Ford said removing his coat.
"We'll need the necessary equipment needed to perform the test." the doctor said.
"I'll go call the SGC. Give me a list of what you need doc." he said putting the coat back on.
He nodded and went to the table.
"Why can't we all just go back to the SGC and do this?" Mitchell asked.
"Whatever Ackerman has, we have as well. Everyone's white blood cell count is high and a marked increase in our serotonin levels. Well, except for you General."
"That doesn't surprise me."
"I shall accompany you General." Teal'c stated.
"Is this what killed all the villagers?" she asked.
"I'm not sure, but it is possible. Until I know what this is, I recommend that we all stay awake as long as possible." Reimer said handing Ford the note. "If any of us fall asleep, we may never wake up. You may be immune General, but I suggest that you do the same. Just in case."
"And that's what Reimer suggest we do and what he needs."
"The supplies will be along shortly General." Landry said. "I can have another team in hazmat suits……"
"No. Don't want to expose anyone else, just in case."
"What about airman Archer?"
"No. I don't think she'd like it here. Besides that, I'd rather not be sneezing every time she gets back in range and such. Me and Teal'c will be waiting. Since Reimer wants us to stay awake as long as possible, have Lam send anything she thinks we need to keep awake and a list of side effects and such."
"I'll have her get right on it. Landry out. Walter."
Carter and two members of the Red team were looking at information on their laptops as Teal'c and Ford came back. Mitchell was pacing around the area, keeping himself awake. Daniel was back in the library looking for clues again.
"We're back. Looks like you're all awake still." Ford said setting down medical equipment cases. "Lam send along some pills and coffee help us stay awake."
As Teal'c sat the box down, one of the airman from the red team came over and grabbed one of the bottles downing a few pills quickly.
"Dude, take a it easy on those and remember how many you take. Overdosing will only make things worse."
"Yes General." he mumbled as he took a drink from his canteen and went back to his laptop.
Reimer got up and started unpacking the medical equipment.
"I know most if not all of us have pulled all nighter's before right? Is it just me or does this feel worse?" she asked trying to suppress a yawn.
Mitchell pulled out a few pills as he thought.
"I was beginning to think it was only me."
"I too am more fatigued than I would have expected." Teal'c stated.
"What about you guys?" Ford asked the Red team. They gave the same sort of answer, but with more stronger responses. They had been up much longer after all.
"It's got to be this infection then. It doesn't just keep you from waking up, it makes you want to sleep in the first place." she said.
"Rather strange disease or whatever it is." Ford muttered as wrote on a small pocket note book. "I admit I felt really tired earlier, so it might have hit me for a moment and then, well….."
"Yeah, lucky you. Teal'c?" he said holding out a few pills.
"I prefer to allow my Tretonin."
"Okay, here Sam." he said giving her the pills. "Cheers."
"You're keeping a note book on us?" she said swallowing.
"Someone has to. Reimer's busy."
"Anything yet doc?" Mitchell asked sitting down.
"Oh, hmm? Right. Um, since we've been monitoring Ackerman, he's been in stage four level, which we call delta sleep, or slow wave sleep."
"We also noticed that his brain is producing a surprising amount of the chemical melatonin." she said. "It's a hormone synthesized by serotonin, a sleep inducing agent. That's what is keeping him asleep."
"So all you have to do is figure out why his brain is producing melatonin?" Mitchell said waving at Sam's laptop in front of him.
"We're working on it." she said.
"Hey Daniel, take a choice here, coffee or a pill to stay awake?" Ford asked as Dnaiel entered with a small book in hand.
"Um, I'll do the coffee for the moment."
"Find out anything Jackson?" Mitchell asked over his shoulder.
"Yeah, I found a record made by the village doctor that talks about a sleeping sickness that affected the town. There's isn't any great detail, but it does mention a possible source for which it was happening."
"Let me take a wild guess and say Morgan was behind it." Ford said as he put the pot on the electric heater.
"Yep. It states that they believe she cursed them when they revealed her whereabouts when King Arthur and his knights came looking for her."
"So, did Arthur find her here?" Mitchell asked.
"Probably not. If the villagers believed she cursed them, then it's more than likely that she escaped. Which means we need to go back and look at that cave."
"Oh man." Ford said rubbing his face.
Landry was working on paperwork that Ford purposely left behind. It was mostly the small stuff, the every day stuff. Requisition orders, some of the bills, things of that nature. Basically most of it was papers that came across the desk daily that needed a General's signature. That sort of paperwork was worth about a tree or so a day, at least from what Ford told Walter once. All the seriously important and other important papers he did earlier leaving Landry with the depressingly boring stuff. He set the pen down and rubbed his eyes while yawning.
"Stuff like this makes me wonder if early retirement would be a good idea." he muttered picking the pen back up.
He looked up as the door opened and Vala came in. She didn't even bother to ask, she just walked in. He figured it was something that Ford allowed her to do, or it was that she hadn't learned to knock before entering.
"General, have the reached a decision on my mental well being yet?"
"No. Doctor Hutchinson is not finished with you yet." he said signing a paper and shaking his head. "You're to meet with him later today."
She walked in, still wearing the SGC BDU coveralls and sat down across from him.
"Though he doesn't like what I say sometimes, Ford does let me speak my mind. I have to admit I've….gotten better at not saying things I shouldn't."
"You're point?"
"May I speak the same with you?"
"Well, you did ask nicely. What is it?" he asked setting the pen down.
"I think Doctor Hutchinson is troubled."
Landry laughed as she started to continue.
"He's got a headache from that running around you did on him."
"I didn't run him around."
"You aren't taking the test seriously. It's not something you can try to study up on. All he wants is straight honest answers, and you won't give them." he said with a sigh.
Doctor Hutchinson had talked to Landry for a good half hour about his problem with her. Almost gave Landry a headache. Hutchinson even thought about leaving, but he decided to try again and if she decided to do what she did the first time, then he'd fail her and leave.
"Look, just go back later and tell the truth."
She got up with a sigh and left.
Red team was staying behind to keep working on the problem while SG-1 went to the cave. Except Daniel. So the rest of them was hiking up the mountain side.
"You know, it's things like this that make me happy to be working at the SGC." Mitchell said eating one of the non perishable items, at least not for a few days anyway, that Ford made.
It was sometime after he had taken over and she was back at the SGC that he found an interesting device at Sears. He showed it to Sam and after telling his idea, she agreed with him that it should have been done sooner. She also agreed he needed to be smacked for it and whacked him up the backside of the head with her hand. It was one of those press and seal food devices. Suck the air out and such to make the food last longer. So he and the other chefs began making different food items that would stay safe for a few days in a bag or such. Most off world travel didn't last more than a day or two so the idea had more than merit. Some teams actually liked the MRE's but most took whatever they wanted for going off world. The MRE's still came with them as the standard rule in case anything happened to the pack they were carrying. Such as becoming water logged or dropped down a rocky hill. A new larger refrigerator was installed on the base to hold the items that were sealed and were only available to off world teams. A lot of different people on the other teams were glad to not be taking plastic containers and such anymore. Daniel was one of them. Several months ago, during a simple surveying type mission, SG-1 was off world looking around and such when they stopped to eat. Daniel had packed up something Ford had made, a very good dish that was rather tasty cold, but better when hot. He had placed it in a Tupperware container which worked to keep it safe and warm and such, until he tripped and some of it slipped out in his bag. After opening it and not even five minutes into the meal, several creatures that looked like Grizzly bears came along. They ran away leaving most of their food behind.
"I really should have done it sooner." Ford said eating of one his famous brownies. Sam was doing the same while Mitchell was eating some sandwich. "When I told Jack about it, he was instantly fuming. Wanted me to go back in time and change things so he didn't end up with that slop everyone ate when the program started."
"Thought about it, but that would change to much."
"Did they give you a sign to not do it?" she asked.
"No. Figure they think I know well enough not to try."
"Indeed." Teal'c stated as he ate an apple he brought.
"Sam, tell me that Daniel didn't grab several bags of those brownies before we left."
She stuffed the one she had into her mouth and made a few gestures that indicated she couldn't talk.
"Come on Daniel. You're going to get me in trouble. I'm going to have to smack him around or something later." he said tossing his hands in the air with exasperation. "Wait, he was suppose to take the one's I left personally for him."
"Those one's you made that tasted like his favorite coffee?" Mitchell asked. "Those weren't to bad General."
"To this day I still never even got to try one. I have no idea how he does it, but every time I make them and go to try one, he comes along and takes the pan before I can get it. And despite the fact I order to him to stay away till I call, he never listens."
"Maybe because you use his special coffee." she said. "That stuff is imported and expensive."
"Maybe, or he's got an accomplice." he said with narrow eyes as he looked at them.
"Don't look at me." Mitchell said waving his free hand.
Teal'c didn't bother to do or say anything. He already knew that Teal'c would not be into a plan like that.
"Sam?"
"Not me." she said waving her hands.
"Have you ever thought of spiking the brownies?" Mitchell asked.
"Hell no! A good cook doesn't sabotage his efforts like that. Even for petty revenge. I'm beginning to wonder if he's paid off the security guards so that they tell him when I'm cooking. Never thought to find out if they are monitoring me on the cameras."
"Jackson doesn't seem like the person to do that." Mitchell said.
"You haven't been around him long enough then Colonel Mitchell." Teal'c stated.
Mitchell shook his head as both Carter's laughed.
"Finally. I was getting tired of all this hiking." Mitchell said as they got close enough to see the cave.
They quickly put away their trash and got their lights out.
"It was Doctor Jackson's idea to come back up here and check out this cave." Mitchell said as they walked up to the entrance to the cave. "I can't help noticing he's the only one of us that didn't make the trip."
Sam and Ford entered first. They had all been up all night and dawn had left about an hour ago. Unfortunately the fog was back so they didn't see any sunshine.
"Daniel Jackson made it quiet clear that his time would be better spent in the library looking at the town records." Teal'c said as he followed behind Mitchell.
"Likely story. He's probably down there so he could stuff his face with all those brownies he took without the General saying or doing anything."
"Now that I think about it that way, he probably is." Ford muttered waving his light around. "Remind me to give him a swift kick in the ass when we get back."
"Here." she said handing over a case that Ford had been carrying. "Doctor Reimer wants us to take soil samples."
"Why?" Mitchell asked as he turned his light on and took the case.
"Just in case whatever infection Ackerman caught is up here as well. Daniel did say that the villagers believed it came from here."
"Great." he muttered walking away as she activated her scanner.
It beeped as she swung it around. Ford and Teal'c were looking around, though Ford was feeling the wall in different areas.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Never know. Might be a hidden switch somewhere." he said tapping it in different areas.
"What about those wonderful glasses?"
"Um.." he said not looking anyone's direction as he heard them all stop and look at him. "I, um, they….are back home. Recharging."
"Say what?" Mitchell asked.
"I left them on the other night, by accident, while I was working on something. I forgot to turn them off and…..so I need to, let them recharge. Didn't I tell you all this yesterday?"
Teal'c only grunted lightly as he went back to looking around. The other two groaned lightly.
"Great. So much for getting the job done sooner." she muttered looking around with her scanner. "What about the Sonic Screwdriver?"
"Still trying to learn it. Wrong setting and I could bring the cave down on us."
"Great."
Her voice tone was very grumpy, but seeing as they were all tired, Ford understood and was letting everything slide. Up until they started yelling at each other, if it came to that. Red team was grumbling a lot. Reimer was the only one that at least remembered enough protocol to call him and the other's by rank. Not that Ford cared much if they had stopped entirely.
"How many of these things do I got to fill?" Mitchell asked rolling his eyes as he looked down into the open case. Inside the Styrofoam lining was 32 small glass vials with two larger glass specimen containers. "There's a couple dozen in here."
Vala was back in her room putting on perfume and fixing her hair. It was in a couple of pony tails that were either side of her head, not the one's that come from the back of the neck. Now she was letting it sit free as she was brushing it in front of the large mirror. She looked at the door, in the mirror, as it was knocked on.
"Hello."
The door opened and she somewhat thought it was either General Landry or perhaps the doctor. It wasn't either. It was actually someone she didn't expect.
"Hello." Woolsey said as he entered the room, but kept his hand on the door. "May I have a moment of your time?"
"I'm sorry, I'm on my way out. I've got a meeting to go to." she said as she kept doing her hair.
"I know, that's why I'm here."
She turned around as he looked out the door and then came in closing it.
"My name is Richard Woolsey…"
"Yeah. I know you." she said getting a surprised look on his face. "Well, not personally. Ford's talked about you and….um, whoever you work for."
"The I.O.A." he said.
"Yeah, that committee." she said pointing a finger.
"Should I ask what he said about me?"
"Well, despite
the fact you work for a very….what was his words." she said
looking up as running her hands through her hair. "Oh yes. A
little too power hungry and way too inexperienced to be running
anything to do with the SGC. You though, he has some respect for.
You understand, well, somewhat understand the….what was his
word….um…….started with a P if I remembered
correctly."
"Plight?"
"Yeah, that word. You understand the plight of this place and such, seeing as you've been in danger here more than once."
"Well, at least I know I'm on his good side. Seen the bad, somewhat."
"Beyond what he said and a few other, I don't know you personally. Why are you here anyway?"
"Well, I'm not sure if you can help me now."
"Help you?" she asked as he sat down in a chair by a table near her.
"Well, it's more of a both way sort of thing. You see, we know about this test that's going on and that you really want to pass it. General Carter could have probably pushed a little harder to get you pass this test and allow you to just go, but he didn't. It could be because he also had to take the test just like everyone else here and maybe he'll only bend the rules so far."
"I think I get what you're telling me. You'll help me pass the test if I do something for you?"
"With flying colors. Though if you agree to help us, you can't tell anyone what you're doing. And considering your record, if you told anyone about this conversation, I'll just deny it."
"Very well." she said setting the hair brush down as she sat on the edge of the table. "What is it you want me to do anyway?"
"Not everything that goes on here is told to us. Certain things happen here that, according to the treaty and my employers, aren't being told about when they should be. If you could give us an idea, say a weekly report on some of those things and maybe a few things we might ask about…."
"You want me to be a spy."
"If you wish to call it that." he said getting up. "Think it over Miss Doran. Remember, this conversation never took place. The I.O.A. isn't the only ones that know about your file."
She didn't say anything as he left, she just sat in thought.
Sam was running her scanner over the wall as Ford was tapping the wall with another rock. So far, nothing hollow. Teal'c was still looking around and Mitchell was still doing soil collection duty, while grumbling slightly.
"Hey guys, I found something."
"What do ya got?" Mitchell asked as he and the other two walked up.
"I'm picking up a faint energy spike. I almost passed over it without noticing." she said feeling the wall while looking at the device.
"Seems like a rather hard wall. Might be a hollowed out spot behind it. Hard to tell." Ford said after he tapped it a few times. "Then again, it could be a hidden door that's a few feet thick. Oh! I got an idea!"
"What sort of…" she began as he pulled out the Sonic Screwdriver.
"Let's see if this works." he said adjusting it. "Worse case, I cause the cave to shake and fall in on us."
He pointed it at the area she pointed at and activated it. Nothing happened so he tried a different setting. Two settings later they saw a large stone in the wall depress slightly.
"Ha, ha! It actually worked! Gotta love it."
It sank in and just to the right of it part of the wall disappeared. They all aimed their lights at the now open passage and stepped back with weapons ready in case anything came out. It was only because Ford lifted his as the door vanished that they raised theirs.
"I don't think there is anything coming out." Mitchell said lowering his gun.
"Never know." Ford said as he put the Sonic device away. "Getting better with this thing."
"Daniel was right. There is something here." she said.
"He usually is right." Ford said as Mitchell walked in pointing his light around.
"We need to check this out."
"Would it not be prudent to return the samples to Doctor Reimer?" Teal'c asked.
"Me and Sam will go back. You two take a look. If you pass a mile going in, stop and come back. Not worth you two getting lost or passing out asleep in there."
"You take the lantern. We won't be needing it to get back." she said handing it to Mitchell. "Check in every so often."
He gave them both a two finger salute and headed in. Teal'c gave them both a nod and then followed.
"Good luck guys."
"Thanks!" Mitchell called back.
Shortly after the two were gone.
"You think we might find anything in here?"
"I am uncertain. I believe a Earth phrase I once heard it appropriate to this situation."
"Really, which one?"
"This place has been picked clean down to the bone."
"Yeah, I'd have to agree." he said looking around with the lamp. "I don't see anything in here. Not even a tree root or any plant life for that matter. Not even water trailing down anywhere."
"Indeed."
"Never know though. Could be anything in here. Probably pretty deep in here, hidden away to keep others out."
Teal'c grunted in agreement as he ducked down to avoid the low part of the ceiling that entered into another section of the cave.
"Any reason why you're not going with them? Don't tell me it's to keep me protected."
"Well, partially that." he said picking up the case. "Mostly it is to help maybe find out what the problem is. And to make sure that the rest of you don't fall asleep. Someone has to keep a watch on all of you, and since I'm not as sleepy. Besides, you know Daniel, he'll fall asleep on his keyboard if you let him."
"True." she said hiding a yawn as they left the cave. "I really want my bed right now. That bed we put in the T.A.R.D.I.S sounds really good."
"Makes two of us. And I've caught you on your keyboard asleep before too."
"That was once. I can remember that rather clearly."
"No, that was the third time. The other two times I got you off the keyboard before we got married. Those times I just put you on the bed…."
"That's why I woke up not remembering how I got onto the bed on the base. Been awhile. I do have to admit, that other way of waking me up by nuzzling my neck startled me. Almost knocked several important objects over. But what happened when we got home…"
"Sex is the last thing we need to do, especially with how tired we are. Well, more you than me."
"I know." she said rubbing her eyes. "I can fantasize though."
"If it helps you stay awake."
Vala was back with the doctor and a lie detector machine was hooked up to her right arm.
"Do you really think these will hold me?" she asked as Hutchinson's aide stepped away after finishing.
"Oh, those aren't restraints Miss Doran." Hutchinson said as he wrote on his paper. "We're hooking you up to a polygraph. It's also known as a lie detector. It measures certain variables like blood pressure and heart rate, to determine whether you are being truthful or not."
"Oh, I see." she said with a fake smile that went away quickly.
"Okay, I think we are ready." he said to his aide. The machine switched on and he started with his first question. "Okay, what's your name?"
"Vala Mal Doran."
She looked at the machine and saw it barely making any lines.
"Okay." he said writing on a pad. "Where did you spend your last week on Earth?"
"Here, at Stargate Command."
They both looked and the machine hadn't moved. Another few notes.
"Okay, have you ever stolen anything?"
"No." she said tilting her head slightly.
That machine started scratching frantically with one of the needles.
"That depends on how you define stolen?"
"These are controlled questions. Designed to gauge your reaction to questions by elicitating both truthful and deceptive answers from you. You're doing fine. Try to relax."
She sat back deeply and sighed, but it really didn't help. He looked at the machine then at her and quietly spoke.
"You look very nice today." he said making a small gesture about her hair.
She smiled and laughed lightly.
"You are looking very dashing yourself."
The machine said otherwise.
"I mean nice."
It started going faster.
"Not objectionable."
It kept going and it took everything she had not to smash the machine. He was not a happy camper.
"You're pushing the limit there Sam, be careful." Ford stated as he jotted down that she was taking another couple of pills.
"I'm tired and it's taking a lot to stay awake."
"Use the coffee then. Heap on sugar like Daniel does."
"Hey Colonel can you look at this?" Reimer asked from his seat at the table.
"Sure, give me a moment." she said swallowing the pills with what she considered bitter coffee. Ford got up and came behind the man to look with her.
"This was in that soil sample that you brought back from the cave." he said sitting back slightly.
"What is it?" she asked looking at the microscope picture that was on the laptop.
It showed lines of information on either side of the large circle in the middle of the screen that had a blueish white sort of negative looking image of some sort of bug.
"I think it's a parasite."
"Another ugly bug. Great." Ford muttered.
"Is it dead?"
"No." he said crossing his arms. "No, it's dormant. I think that Ackerman somehow awakened one though."
"Well how? It doesn't seem to respond to movement." she said.
"Excuse me a moment." he said reaching past her to grab a blood pricking device. He stuck himself in the finger and dropped the blood onto the microscope slide next to the computer. "Let's see what happens when they come into contact with live tissue."
The image changed to a slight color of red and the bug started moving.
"Whoa." she muttered.
"I'd lay odds, that's your culprit right there." he said.
"These people would have no understanding of microbiology." she said still watching the screen as the bug kept twitching. "They came up with the story of Morgan's curse because they couldn't understand what was happening to them."
"Morgan could have caused this or brought this. Who knows." Ford said poking his finger with a small scalpel. He handed the slightly bloody knife back. "I want to see what happens."
"So would I." Reimer stated putting another slide in.
It also had a bug on it that was dormant. The color changed again and the bug started moving as expected. Three seconds after that, the bug vanished.
"Wow." they all said as Daniel entered carrying several books.
"Well, if we could only reproduce that for everyone else." Ford muttered.
"Hey guys. Find anything?"
"Yeah." she said then looked behind him. "Where's Grimsby?"
"He said he was on his way back…."
"You tell Daniel what we've found. I'll go find him." Ford said removing his gun. "Might want to close your ears."
They jumped anyway as he fired off two rounds and called for the missing man.
Teal'c and Mitchell were getting farther and farther in, but not seeing much or anything different. Mitchell stopped to lean back against the wall and remove his gloves.
"Perhaps we should rest." Teal'c stated.
Mitchell nodded lightly and started to sit down. He hadn't even squatted when he stood back up.
"Oh no, bad idea. I'm ready to pass out as it is. I'm really regretting staying up last night and watching that movie, Deuce Bigalo, European Jiggalo."
Teal'c obviously didn't know which movie that was by the way he tilted his head at Mitchell but before he could ask, they heard a skittering noise.
"Did you hear something or was I imagining it?"
"Indeed." Teal'c stated as he glanced around with the lantern.
They took off down the incline as the heard the sound moving.
Ford was glancing around still calling the guys name as he took the route that went to the library. And he found their missing man curled up on a tilted cart of old hay.
"I would rather be fighting some contingent of bad Jaffa or even the Replicators again than this." he muttered firing a round into the air. The guy twitched but did little else. "Great, too late to wake him."
Daniel had gotten apprised of what they found while Ford was gone. When Ford walked in carrying Grimsby, he saw them standing by Ackerman's bed.
"I found him. He's dead asleep though."
"Great." Reimer muttered.
Ford put the unconscious man onto another bed and shook his head.
"Ackerman's dead I take it?" he asked sadly.
"Yep." Carter said with a sad tone. "Now we know why everyone else died, in a sense."
"I think we already knew, but…." Ford muttered rubbing his eyes. "Damn. I hate losing someone. Command sucks. We need to know how long he was asleep before he died."
"Might give us a time reference for the rest of us." Reimer stated as he turned back to the table. "I'll get right on it."
"I'll do it." Ford said halting him from sitting down. "We think that ugly bug is the problem like you stated. Can you do an autopsy on him? See how it killed him?"
"Yeah, I can. Can you help me Colonel?"
"Sure. We can do it in the other room." she said.
"I'll bring him in there. Just make sure if you call me in for help, at least cover him first." Ford said.
Less than an hour later, Reimer and Carter had his head open and were looking at his brain. They had Ackerman on a white sheet on the table, and they both were wearing white hospital garb, which included the mask.
"I see evidence of a ruptured aneurysm near the pineal gland."
"There's something else in here." she stated taking it out with a small prong tool. "Oh god."
It was the bug, just much bigger. About the size of a quarter, with half inch long tentacles.
"It's that parasite from earlier."
"Only its grown a thousand times bigger." Reimer said.
"And we all have one in us." she said setting the bug down.
"Except the General. You can go get cleaned up. I'll handle this."
"Thanks." she muttered shaking her head.
Vala came back to her room after the questioning was done and practically slammed the door before jumping onto her bed angrily.
"I'm assuming things didn't go well." Woolsey said as he looked at one of the books on her book shelf.
She got up slowly and turned to him.
"I fail to see the point of that ridicules exercise. Unless its point was to thoroughly humiliate me." she stated with a tone that suggested she was ready to cry. "Those questions didn't have anything to do with my character or to delve deeply into my subconscious. They were little reminders as to exactly why…..I don't belong here."
He smiled lightly, though it wasn't totally a happy smile.
"Then I take it you've considered our offer and have come to a decision?"
"I have."
Teal'c and Mitchell continued down the incline with their lights shining on everything as they continued to hear small moving noises. A sort of buzz or rattle noise, possibly both was heard too. They stopped as a small reptile of some sort climbed up the wall and around the corner. Mitchell sat down on the floor as Teal'c leaned against the wall.
"Question, if whatever killed all the villagers also took out all the wildlife here, then how come that little thing is still alive and kicking?"
"It may posses a immunity to whatever is this mysterious affliction."
"Yeah, that's my point. All we have to do is catch.." he said pointing his light. "Joe Bob there, take it back to the smarter people who will reverse engineer an antidote. Don't tell them I said that."
"Indeed." he said with a small smile.
"We get cured then go home to sleep till Tuesday."
"Indeed."
"Carter, either one of you, this is Mitchell."
The com line buzzed with static.
"Great, guess we are too deep. Probably past a mile by now. Well, let's get this thing and go while we are still awake."
Daniel was off outside doing something, which Ford had forgotten, but he was seated across from him earlier looking at one of the books. Carter was on his right looking at her laptop while Reimer was on his left. Seeing as microbiology wasn't really his thing, Ford was helping the best he could looking at another laptop. K-9 would have been able to find out an answer, possibly. He glanced at the other's to see them still awake, except one.
"Sorry Reimer."
"What?" he barely muttered as Ford slapped him upside the back of his head. "Ow!"
"You were falling asleep."
"You could have just yelled at me General."
"True, but pain might help you stay awake."
"Would you have hit them too?"
"Yes." he said without hesitation. "Though with Sam, I'd probably pinch her arm."
"Okay, I don't feel as bad now." he muttered grabbing the bottle of pills.
Daniel walked in as Carter was rubbing her face.
"Anything new?" he asked holding himself up with his knee on the chair.
"Well…" she began as she was interrupted.
"I'm not going to be able…." Reimer began as Ford took the bottle away.
"Drink coffee." Ford said putting the lid back on and tossing the bottle at the crate with the other pills. He missed as expected. "You're over your limit as it is. All of you are."
"I'll try it." he said getting up.
"Get me a cup please." Daniel asked. "What's going on in us again?"
"We've been theorizing that when the parasite enters the bloodstream that it causes the body to activate its immune response and cause the production of serotonin in the body." she said waving a hand at the screen. "From the bloodstream it makes it way to the person's brain where it lodges and feeds. We all know what happens later."
Daniel thanked Reimer as he was handed the coffee. Pulling his chair closer, he sat down to look at her screen.
"So, what does it feed on?"
"Melatonin." Reimer stated as he took a drink. "I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out General."
"Walk around. It's kinda cold in here so you could take off your coat and shirt."
"I'll think about it." he said getting up.
"And this Melatonin does what?" Daniel asked blinking.
"It's what causes the body to fall asleep." Ford stated as he got up to get himself some coffee. "I once had to knock out a few people, but I had to do it without force and they had to think that nothing was happening. Basically, we didn't need them to know that they were going to be used and such. One of our problems was that they had some guy who used a device to check out their drinks and food for hidden devices or other chemicals. I don't know how the people I worked for did it, but they were able to get a real high dosage of Melatonin into these people's food and drinks. I don't even know how it was undetected. Not an hour later and they had all went to bed. I did my job and left."
"What did you do and when was this?" Daniel asked.
"Before the SGC. I don't think I've ever actually told you or I should say anyone this, but were I was from. That other universe. In many ways, they were, more advanced in technology."
"How so?" Carter asked with interested.
"With the right amount of money, you could buy a hover car or a car that had a 200 miles to the gallon carburetor."
"Did you have one?" Daniel asked.
"Nope. I never had enough money. Besides that, I had enough trouble with the branch of the government I worked for to begin with. I didn't need to be watched in case I tried to sell the secrets of those sort of items. Some of the other things out there was completely computerized homes. Could cook for you and such. Even self cleaning."
"Wow. And you left it to be with us primitives." Daniel said jokingly.
"I never had the money to buy that stuff anyway. Not that I cared much." he said sitting back down. "There was a few other things, but unless you were really rich and such, not worth it. Can we please change the subject?"
"Okay." Daniel muttered hearing the hidden tone. "Do any of you have an idea of how to stop this thing from killing us then?"
"We think we might be able to starve it out." Carter said as Ford started looking around. "What's wrong?"
"Reimer is missing and I didn't see the door open."
"I see him." Daniel stated getting up.
He was on the other side of the large room somewhat laying against one of the walls. His coffee was all over his chest and from the looks of it, he leaned against the wall to rest a moment and slowly slid down passing out. It also looked like he was trying to get out of his coat and shirt too.
"Reimer, wake up." Ford said shaking him.
Ford and Daniel both jumped as they heard a gunshot behind them.
"Guess that didn't work." she muttered putting the nine back into its holster.
"He twitched. Well, we have over a few hours before it kills him." Ford said picking him up.
"Thanks for the wake up call Sam." Daniel muttered.
They started back to their seats when Ford picked his gun from off the table and more or less pointed it at them.
"What are you…" Daniel began.
They both jumped, big time. Daniel fell back covering himself while she backed against the wall rubbing her eyes, blinking a lot.
"I'd say relax, but you need to stay awake."
"You almost shot us! What the hell.." she yelled.
"If you both haven't noticed already, I'm firing blanks." he said setting the gun back down. "As much as I hated doing that, I'd rather you both hate me and have to sleep on the couch for the rest of our marriage than take you both home and bury you. Fear brings on a nice adrenaline rush which can help you stay awake."
"It worked." she muttered shaking her head. "Don't do that again."
"A little too well. Scared the hell out of me." Daniel said getting off the floor. "I think I need more coffee since I spilled what I had."
"Me too." she said following quickly.
Obviously they did not want to do that again. And he didn't even say sorry.
Vala was walking through the SGC, passing by people and giving them nods but little else as Hutchinson walked up.
"Vala."
"Oh, not you again."
"You still have another scheduled appointment."
"What would be the point of that? You people have obviously made up your mind about me."
"Is that what you think?" he asked as they stopped in the corridor.
"It's not like I haven't encountered this sort of thing before." she said waving her hands slightly and then started walking again. "I saw it in the eyes of the people I saw everyday who couldn't separate me from the Goa'uld who enslaved them. So instead of becoming a victim of their arrogance and stupidity, I chose to take advantage of it. So I lied, I cheated and I stole. I'm not going to apologize for it, and to be perfectly honest with you, I can't guarantee that I won't do it again."
She walked up to the elevator and slid her card before turning back to him.
"But you know, rather recently I have noticed I have been risking my life for something other than my own personal gain. Maybe it's just a phase. Hold the lift please." she said stepping back slowly as another guy got out and the airman that didn't leave held the door. "Or maybe, for the first time, I've actually met someone who in some small way, believes in me. But I'm sure you're right, it will just pass."
The door closed as she leaned against the wall shaking her head. The tall black airman in the lift with her gave her a nod and smile which she returned.
Daniel was looking at a book and started to nod off. Sam looked up as Ford picked his gun up. He aimed it at the floor next to him and shrugged.
"Not again." she muttered holding her ears.
Daniel jumped out of his chair and fell with it onto the floor. A few choice words in another language that Ford and Sam didn't know came out, but they had a pretty good idea.
"Could you please do something other than that?!" he shouted.
"I'm thinking." he said twirling the gun different ways and directions.
"How about we talk. I'm too tired to read so let's talk about something that will keep me interested."
"Like what?" Ford asked still spinning the gun.
The small lizard was still crawling around with the two worn out and dead tired men still following along. It easily jumped from rock to rock as a light came around the corner. Mitchell knelt down setting one light on the ground as he slowly crept forward.
"Easy there. Don't worry. I'm not going to hurt ya." he said as the thing got off the rocks and onto the ground.
He made a jump for it and it scurried away quickly.
"Damn!" he yelled as he shook the dirt from his hands.
Teal'c managed to grab the creature into a bag as it tried to run past him.
"I've got it Colonel Mitchell!"
He gave a thumbs up signal and laid his head down as Teal'c came over and knelt down.
"On your feet Colonel Mitchell. We have much ground to cover if we are to reach the surface."
"Oh no….you go on ahead without me." he said with his face still in the dirt. "I'm…just gonna wait right here…."
"Then if I must, I will carry you."
"No, no you're not." he said squirming away as he turned over. "Tretonin or not, it's gotta catch up with you at some point. The important thing is for you to take curly back to….whoever those people are and…..find that cure or whatever."
"Indeed. I will return for you Colonel Mitchell."
"And I will be…" he said rolling back over as Teal'c left. "Right here, waiting for you."
"Well, how about this one. I've been wondering it a long time." Daniel said taking a big drink. "Why didn't you ever tell me that Sam was your first?"
Sam couldn't come up with the energy to look at him with a glare. A moment later, after Ford had quit coughing from inhaling his coffee, she just didn't care anymore.
"What the….where, this is Jack's fault! He told you!"
"Jack knew?! Why'd you tell him and not me?" he asked insulted.
"I didn't tell him. He figured it out on his own. Teal'c only figured it out when I told him by accident. How'd you figure…."
"Remember what I do? Teal'c knew? Great, I'm last again. Truthfully, I didn't realize it until a couple of months into your marriage. Jack told me his first time as did Teal'c."
"They never told me! Not that I was asking. As far as I know, I'm the only one she's told who her first was."
"That would have to be true. Unless she told Janet."
"She tells everything to Janet. Come on though Daniel, your profession doesn't include a sex education."
"Jack once came to me and told me something I didn't really need to know. He said by watching the way you two worked that day you could tell if you two…were intimate the night before. And how intimate. Did you ever wonder why Jack sometimes shook his head at you two in the mornings?"
"Now I know why he wouldn't say anything about that gesture." she said sitting back.
"It took you 53 years. Well, you did go through puberty again…"
"Don't remind me."
"You must have been really nervous."
"Nervous doesn't really cover it." she muttered.
"You didn't have a, problem…"
"If you mean, E.D., no." she said drawing the word out. "Once I took my shirt off, there was no problem there. And there never has been. I'm the first woman he actually saw in that way."
"We were up all night. Actually I think it was more than one night."
"No. We did stay up all that night and somewhat most of the next day. Sleeping on and off."
"I can guess what happened between the sleep sessions. I gotta know though, where do you two get the energy? Between what we do and having Sally to take care of. I can say with some certainty, you both….are together at least three or four times a week still. No offense Sam, but you should be a mother several times over by now."
"It's called birth control Daniel. All women who want to go off world have to take the pill so nothing happens in case of capture or something else."
"Right. I forgot about that." he said nodding, and a little off.
"Daniel. I'm going to shoot this closer next time." he said waving the gun as he pulled back the hammer.
"Right, right." he said sitting back up.
"Sam…"
"I'm awake. Barely though."
"Where's the energy though? I'm not trying to pry, but seriously. You two aren't on drugs or…."
"No." they both stated quickly.
"We run every morning, well almost every morning. And then we try to work out together when we can. If it wasn't for me being so tired and we were at home…."
"Sam." he said with more of a whine than as a warning.
"I don't care anymore." she said shaking her head. "Janet hasn't said anything but I can tell she's tired of hearing me talking about it since she doesn't get any and hasn't for sometime now."
Ford groaned as she kept going. Daniel just listened with a smile on his face. It wasn't the info he was about to get, it was the fact he was going to know something that Jack didn't. And he could brag about it later.
"Our problem is, all I have to do is….like say move a certain way and I can set him off. When he says certain things, it sets me off. Hell, if he were to take his coat and shirt off right now it would turn me on."
"Any idea why?" Daniel asked.
"Other than because of how sexy he looks, I think it's because out of everyone I've loved, in a relationship sort of way, they've all died on me and some of them before I could have sex with them. Ford is the only one that has ever came back and part of me wants to enjoy him while I can. Before Ford came along and quite literally swept me off my feet, I would have jumped Jack had he asked me too. We just wouldn't risk each other's career's and neither of us would make a move or even ask for special compensation."
"Personally, I'm glad that you two never got together." Ford said setting aside his empty coffee.
"I know this may seem like a really personal question and if you don't want to answer, I can understand, but do you still have feelings for Jack? I've noticed you've used his name instead of his rank sometimes."
"Honestly, yes. He finally admitted he felt the same way, but even after everything that happened, before Charlie was brought back, he still loved Sarah. But I wouldn't leave Ford if he came to me. Jack just doesn't have….what Ford has."
"Better endowment?" Daniel said without thinking.
"I wouldn't know." she said as Ford blushed, badly. "But I'm guessing from how red you are Ford, I would have to say yes."
"I wouldn't know either! I tend to shower alone if I can. And if anyone is in there, I don't look."
"Oh come on. Women are always checking each other out, some discreetly, in the locker rooms." she said waving a hand. "Men just naturally do it."
"Not this one."
"Get this Daniel, Janet told me she once wanted to have Ford just because of how he looked. Janet still thinks it's funny that Ford was her only patient that even though he cooperated in whatever medical test she wanted, short of a few, he was the most nervous when it came to completely undressing."
"Maybe that's why me and her never really hit it off. She saw me in more ways than one and I never saw anything on her." Daniel said.
"That was all medical….."
"Doesn't matter." both men stated.
"Did she ever ask for a….you know, sample?" Daniel asked. "Seeing as you used to have a problem."
"Yes. But I told her it wasn't happening and it never did. At least not until me and Sam decided to get married. At that time I wanted to know if there was going to be any compatibility issues. She ask you?"
"No. I never had to have that sort of test done, thankfully. Jack did once, I don't remember why though."
"I heard they did the same to Teal'c, was that true?" Ford asked.
"I don't think so."
"Janet checked me out more than once. After the different accidents and other things that have happened to me. Always was relieved to know that I could still have kids after the test where done. Then reality kicked back in and I realized I was still alone." she said rubbing her face again as Daniel did the same. "Get this Daniel, before the wedding night, it had been many, many years before I had been other than alone in bed."
"Wow. I kinda figured but otherwise…..you know, can we change the subject." he said yawning behind his fist. "This is reminding me of what I don't have anymore."
"Daniel, I know Vala has feelings for you. She's admitted it. But her attitude is a complete turn off."
"I know. She is attractive and really looked good in those red undergarments, but I knew that all she was looking for was to have sex. Just to have it. I told Jack about it over the phone once and he told me I should have went with it."
"Figures. I'm guessing he stated why."
"He said something alone the lines of it being years since I got laid."
"Janet told me the same thing once too. I told her I didn't need to get laid to have fun in my life. Now, I don't think I could live without it."
"No wonder you never get in trouble." Daniel stated looking at Ford.
"No. I make sure I do the right things and stay out of trouble."
"He does it very well. He's sometimes even knows what I want by just looking at the expression on my face."
"She means cooking, mostly. My only problem is it's very hard to find new gifts to surprise her. Jewelry isn't something she really cares much for."
"Usually if I want something, I just tell him. Everything else he's done and does makes up for presents. The first Christmas we had together was really great. Got me new chaps and other bike accessories. Even got himself one of the new Indian Chief bikes to ride around with me. The only problem we have, and still do, is teaching him how to ride it properly."
"She scares the hell out of me every time she pop's a wheelie on hers. Keep thinking she's going to crash."
"I've only crashed a couple times, but not because of that."
"Ever going to come to work riding your bike so we can see it?"
"Maybe. I also have chaps."
"Kinda makes him look like the Terminator. Glasses are wrong though and the helmet throws it off as well."
"Hmm." Daniel said having trouble keeping his eyes open. "I really need to find someone again."
"Though you are both dead tired, this conversation does not leave this planet."
"Ah, and I was going to goat Jack." he said with a whine.
"No, please no." she said. "Bad enough he knows when we've been together by looking at us."
""As much as this conversation is….something." he said with a slightly murmured voice. "I can't stay awake any longer."
"I can't do it either." she said as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I don't want to die, I want to see Sally grow…..but I can't….."
They both dropped their heads onto the table and barley moved as he fired at the floor again.
"Come on, get up!" he yelled shaking them both.
"I can't anymore." Daniel barely muttered. "Sor…."
"I really……help…" she said slowly falling out of the chair.
He caught her and set her back in the chair holding out her left arm.
"Sam, can you still hear me?"
There was a very small mutter along with a few tears.
"Please forgive me then. I can't think of anything else to do."
She heard the gun fire but it didn't help her wake up, that was until her arm suddenly felt like it was on fire. That woke her up quickly. She jumped out of that chair yelling in pain as she did a little dance. Another gun shot rang out and Daniel got up doing the same thing. Ford sat down on the table as the two moved a few more steps before turning to him. A smile was on his face that went away quickly.
"YOU SHOT ME!" Daniel exclaimed first. "What the hell are you thinking?! Bad enough you….."
Sam was in extreme pain, but it didn't take her long to realize she wasn't bleeding to death or anything. Wasn't really bleeding at all. Her coat was burned as was the shirt underneath and the arm. It wasn't third degree, but she guessed it had to be second by the redness.
"Enough Daniel! He didn't put a hole through us!"
Daniel looked at his arm while still gritting his teeth.
"I'd say second degree burns if I did it right, which looks to be the case. I can heal you when we get back to the base. Until then, concentrate on the pain to stay awake." he said sadly. "I didn't want to do that, but I had little choice. Though the little dance was funny. I'll keep that out of the report."
"You going to do the same to Teal'c and Mitchell?"
"If I have to. Teal'c may try to attack me afterward, possibly." he said grabbing his com. "I hope they are still awake. Teal'c, Mitchell?"
He only got static and then a voice came through the line.
"This is the hazmat team one General. We heard gun shots. Is everything okay in there?"
"Yeah, it's safe. Did you see Teal'c or Colonel Mitchell out there?"
"No General. We're coming in."
Several people in red hazmat suits came in carrying medical equipment and quarantine beds.
"All three of you need to enter these before…."
"No. Not yet."
"None of you can come back unless in these. You know protocol…."
"I'm overriding it for the moment. We'll get in at the gate, not before. They cannot fall asleep. They do, then they die within a few hours." he said so sternly the hazmat team stood at attention subconsciously. "I'll join you at the gate. Keep them awake as long as possible and don't fix their arms or give them anything for the pain."
"Thanks." Daniel muttered.
"Better pain than death Daniel. Though in your case you'd probably ascend again. And we really don't need that. I'll go find the other two. A couple of you come with me just in case."
"Understood General."
"You better do the same thing you did to us to them." Sam stated as she walked out with help.
"Can you tell us what is happening Colonel?"
"I'll try to explain things along the way." she said giving her arm a squeeze to keep the pain coming.
Teal'c was coming down the mountain when Ford and the other's found him stumbling along. Ford barley managed to catch him as he started falling.
"You're a lot heavier than you look T. We found out the problem, but if you sleep, you die."
He nodded in understanding as Ford helped him stand. But he couldn't stay standing.
"Teal'c, I can possibly help you stay awake, but that means shooting you."
He got the strangest look Teal'c ever gave anyone.
"I shot the other two. In the arm, burn blast. Keeps them awake."
"I will try without." he said handing a bag to him. "This creature is not asleep."
"Here." Ford said handing it over to one of the scientist. "Where's Mitchell?"
"He fell and did not get up."
"Great. I'll come back with him. The rest of you get Teal'c to the gate. I'll meet you there with Mitchell."
Ford raced through the caves, bouncing off the walls every so often. Even fell down an incline. When he started hearing someone cussing up a storm though.
"Mitchell?!"
"Now dammit Teal'c, get out of here or so help me I will kick your freaking alien ass as soon as we get back…."
Mitchell was on his back still ranting and swearing as Ford stood over him.
"Do I look like Teal'c? I'm not even black. Not that I have anything against them, though you could be seeing my hair and it is dark in here.."
"Gen….no. Can't be you. Get out of here Teal'c." he said slowly nodding off.
The loud sound of a gun going off got Mitchell awake again. He quickly rolled onto his left side grabbing his ears and trying to dive for some cover. As pain suddenly flared up in his left arm he got up yelling and grabbing it.
"Ah! Oh hell that hurts! What the h….." he said dancing around more than the other two did. Which caused Ford to laugh this time.
Then he saw Ford putting his gun away and he looked at his arm.
"You are here. And you shot me!"
"Let's go Cam." he said pulling his right arm.
"Why in….."
"You almost fell asleep. We found out why everyone died and falling asleep means death. Daniel and Sam passed out and I shot them too. Same way. Is the pain keeping you awake?"
"Hell yeah." he said pulling his right arm from Ford's grip. "I think I can walk on my own now. At least for awhile. You shoot Teal'c too?"
"No. He walked away on his own power. If you start feeling like passing out, do what Sam was doing and squeeze."
"Ah! Yeah, that keeps the tiredness away alright!" he said through gritted teeth.
"We're going home. Hazmat team came along and with that strange creature, looked like a lizard, they should be able to find a cure from it."
"Yeah, so we hope." he said as Ford pushed him ahead a little faster. When he bounced off the wall slightly.
"You start passing out and my steel toes boot goes up your ass Colonel."
Mitchell walked faster.
The next day they were in her office. All but Vala.
"I was just laying there, cussing up a storm at Teal'c, only to notice that I was alone and talking to myself. That was until he came along and shot me."
"And a few more choice words followed that. Along with the little dance of pain he had like you two." Ford said chuckling. "He had a funnier dance though. I didn't want to do that and trust me, I took no pleasure in doing it either. Hell, I had to shoot Sam too. Now if Jack had been with us, with him I'd probably have a bigger laugh. I probably would have kicked him to for the heck of it."
"I would have." Daniel stated quickly. "He shot me and didn't even say sorry."
"Anubis was in control of you Daniel." she said.
"Still didn't say sorry. Hey, did any of you have any strange dreams or hallucinations?"
"Part of me felt like I was being placed into a coffin alive." she said. "That was until I squeezed my arm several times. I actually managed to stay awake as I was brought into an isolation room. I don't remember anything much beyond that."
"I passed out in the gate room." Daniel said.
"Somewhere in one of the hallways." Mitchell said.
"I do not remember going through the gate." Teal'c stated.
"What about you General?"
"It wasn't until a few hours later after they found a cure that I was able to rest without worrying anymore. Even after being found out I was completely clean as were my clothes, after decontamination, I didn't leave the room."
"You know, we went to that planet and all we got was trouble. Even the cave was a total bust." Mitchell said fiddling with one of the objects on her table.
"You'd swear he's related to Jack." Ford muttered.
"I know." she said.
"What?" Mitchell said looking at them both.
Ford cracked up hard as did Sam and Daniel.
"On the bright side, I did find one thing out. One of the books talked about Atlantis. I have to go." Daniel said with a begging tone.
"I have to think about that first."
"What?! I've been wanting to go since day one! You know that! I've missed going on the trip there twice now!" he said holding up two fingers. "You can't do this to me Ford! Wait a minute, you're pulling my leg."
"I was wondering how long he was going to keep going." Ford said with a smile as he looked at her.
"I almost believed it. Almost." she said.
"That wasn't funny Ford. I know you miss Jack being around to bug me and me do the same to him, but you don't pull it off as well as he did." Daniel said upset.
"Sorry Daniel, but it was too easy to not ignore that opening."
"That opening was so big." Mitchell said with his hands apart. "I can't even measure it."
"Very funny. So when do I get ready?" he asked getting up.
"Um, first I have to tell Jack we're all going and then…."
"Wait a minute. We?" she asked quickly.
"Why not? It may take an Ancient or someone with the gene to find out this information or item. And since I'm that sort of person and this is a team effort to begin with. Besides the most important reason for going."
"Finding that stone?" Daniel asked. "Or seeing my face when I get there?"
"Oh no. This about me and seeing my home again. Where I was born and grew up. Liz says that there are a few room that will not open, short of being blown up anyway. And one of those rooms is where I used to live. I left a few things behind that might still be there."
"Works for me." Mitchell said. "I did want to see the city at least once."
"We'll try for two days from now, if possible." he said as the phone rang.
"Carter. She's what? Okay, we'll be right there."
"She? Must be Vala, what did she do?" Ford asked with a sigh.
"She's trying to leave."
"Oh brother." Daniel muttered rubbing his nose.
"The base?" Ford asked.
"Through the gate."
"Oh."
Vala was yelling at Walter to dial just about any planet so she could leave. Her bags and stuff were at the ramp base along with a few guards. The people in the gate room were trying not to laugh at her while the four guards were trying to get her to come off the large crate she was standing on.
"Get away from me! I'm leaving!" she shouted as she shoved the man away. She glanced to her right a moment before looking back at the window.
"What are you doing Vala?" Ford asked waving the men off as he looked at the cases and put away his hanky.
He didn't realize she had accumulated so much stuff. Probably clothes and some of the items she bought when he took her to town a few times.
"I'm not staying here when I'm not wanted. So I'm leaving." she said grabbing a bag. "And don't even think you or anyone else here can keep me against my will."
"Okay. If you feel like leaving. Which planet did you have in mind?"
"I don't care. As long as I can get off it without dying."
"Don't you want to know the results of the test first?"
"I failed. What's else is there to say." she said gruffly.
"Daniel."
"What?"
Ford dropped his head shaking it.
"Do you want to tell her?"
"Oh, right sorry."
"Get Atlantis off your brain. You are going so don't worry about it."
"Like the last two times."
"Okay, granted Vala messed that up on the first, but it's a good thing she did or else the Ori would have already been here. As for the second…"
"That was her fault too."
"You passed the test Vala." Carter stated as Ford tried to say something.
"I did?" she said surprised as the bag dropped.
"Hutchinson thinks you are a good addition to this place. You have some problems that need to be ironed out, but otherwise, you have many assets that would help a lot of people here. That is assuming you don't want to leave." Ford said.
"No, I'll stay. I'm a little overwhelmed by it all." she said as tears did form in her eyes.
"If it helps any, I always thought you had potential. You attitude needs help though."
"You've told me that before." she said then excitedly pointed at him. "Woolsey came to me and tried…."
"Hello Vala." Woolsey said from behind her.
"He tried to offer me…."
"I know. It was Landry's idea along with a few other's. It wasn't something I helped in, but I have to agree with it. He was sent to see if you could be trusted. And you passed admirably." Ford said.
"Congratulations Vala. You've managed to surprise even me. In a good way." Daniel said.
"Thank you." she said crossing her arms. "I knew it was a test."
"Yeah right." Daniel muttered.
"Was his sexual advances part of the test?" she asked seriously.
That got Woolsey several looks. Ford instantly saw through it, but decided to play along.
"Woolsey?!" Ford cried out with his best intimidating voice.
"She's lying!"
"Some of his, ideas were a little, unusual, even for me."
"Might want to leave while you're still in my good graces." he said with narrowed eyes.
"But….she's…." he stuttered out before walking out quickly.
Once he was well out of range, they cracked up. As did a few other people.
"That was rather good. I almost believed that." Ford said. "The look on his face was priceless."
"How did you know I wasn't being…."
"We know." the group said.
"Everything was taped." Ford said.
"Well, when do I get a SG-1 badge?" she asked.
"You don't." Mitchell said walking over and standing in front of her. "You're not a member of SG-1. You are a probationary member of Stargate Command who will be subject to some very intense scrutiny over the next several months."
"Oh."
"Don't screw up."
"I'll try not to."
Daniel nodded as Mitchell looked at him.
"Oh, and welcome to the club."
"Do I get to go to Atlantis?"
"Yeah why not. We are the best people to watch out for her."
"Guess that's true." Daniel said after a moment.
"I think this is a good time for a celebration." Vala stated.
"It is isn't it? Well, I did make some special items earlier today." Ford said as they left.
"Oh, do I get paid now that I officially work here?"
"Yeah, Daniel will help you understand how our system works."
"What? Why me?"
"Because you two work so well together. I don't have the time."
Daniel groaned as Vala bumped him lightly with her hip. He was about to shrug her off, but just gave up.
"Wait, why can't you tell her since you've already taken her to town before? You're better at all that money stuff anyway."
"You've taken her to town? Why?" Carter asked.
"She needed clothes and a few other items. Janet came along to help with some of the…female products."
"Why you?" she asked suspiciously.
"Vala is attractive yes, but not that attractive. No offense Vala. Besides, if she had tried anything, such as seduction or running away, I was the perfect person to watch her. Her advances don't work on me and I can easily overpower her. The main reason I took though should be quite obvious."
"And that is?" Mitchell asked as they kept walking and he didn't say anything.
"What is it that Kate, Vala and I have in common?"
The other's got it quickly while Sam slapped herself in the forehead.
"I forget that you aren't the only one on the base that has that ability." Carter said.
"Don't worry about it." he said ruffling her hair. "Hey Vala, I gotta ask this. When you showed up, the first time, why didn't you ever try to seduce me?"
"Well…" she said crossing her arms. "I'm not really into authoritative figures all that much. Mostly it was because I don't go after men I know I can't overpower."
Carter barely managed to hold in a laugh. She failed and ended up leaning against the wall with one hand. Mitchell didn't get it, though Teal'c smiled. Daniel was glaring at Vala. Ford had lost it. He was gone. He fell back into the wall laughing with his hands over his face. Tears streaming down his face.
"That is not funny!" Daniel practically shouted at the two before turning to Vala sharply. "Need I remind you that I kicked your ass back then. You didn't get away with the ship because I stopped you."
"Oh please." she said with a small huff as she crossed her arms. "It was your ass I kicked Daniel. After I believe it was a head butt I gave you, or was it something else, whatever it was, you were laying on the floor with me on top. I asked you if we were going to continue and you said you were finished or done. I got off you and you had to shoot me in the back with a zat gun. You aren't strong enough to take me Daniel."
Teal'c didn't openly laugh, but it was obvious that he was laughing inside.
"I saw the tape Daniel. You fought well but…." Mitchell said as he kept from laughing.
The other two were totally gone. Tears streaming down their faces. Daniel stalked off with Vala following, once they entered the elevator and several seconds after that Mitchell lost it. Daniel wasn't too upset at them laughing and they did apologize a lot and promised not to tell Jack about it. Vala also promised to try and not bring that up ever again.
