a/n - Okay, two things -
1) I've moved this off of the crossover section because apparently readers over there can't comprehend what the word slash actually means. Since it's names I don't recognize from this fandom, I'm going to assume that they're SG1 fans. Yeah, pre-slash means they're working towards becoming a couple.
2) Don't threaten me. I'm serious about this, folks, and that threat didn't come from a SG1 fan. My parents are in their 80's and in failing health. They're also very homophobic and my mother is mentally ill. That's why I have two separate profiles. They read my gen stories, they read the reviews almost every day. Therefore, going onto one of my gen stories to complain about my writing slash instead of gen is not okay in any way shape or form. It's not a friendly nudge to get me working more on those stories. Luckily, this was from a reviewer that wasn't signed in (even though she put her name on it), so I was able to quickly remove it. I'm not going to play this game, people. I'll pull every damn story I've got on both profiles if it continues.
All that being said, here's the next chapter. If you can remember that I'm a real person, living a real life, then I hope you enjoy it. If you think that my only function in this world is to churn out stories to your personal order, then this is probably a good time to stop for everyone's sake. I hope you stick around.
"Wow." At ground level, the Stargate was even bigger and more impressive looking. Tim looked at it from this new angle while a six-wheeled transport rolled up to the base of the ramp.
Behind Tim, Gibbs was equally impressed. "We're really going to just walk through that thing and end up on another planet?" Despite the danger and seriousness of the mission, even Gibbs couldn't ignore the excitement he was feeling.
O'Neill and Carter walked up with the rest of their team. Wanting to see the reactions, O'Neill made the introductions. "You've met Dr. Jackson, of course, but I'd like you to meet Teal'c. He's a Jaffa, former First Prime of Apophis, and now he's on our side."
Speechless, the two agents stared at their first alien. Slightly taller and broader than most humans, the dark skinned man would have looked right at home on a football field if it hadn't been for the raised, golden tattoo on his forehead. Teal'c stepped forward and bowed his head slightly in greeting, his voice rich and melodious. "Welcome, your assistance is an honor." After a second nod, he turned away to check with the added security going through the Gate with them.
Tim looked thoughtful and then slightly amused. Curious, Gibbs stepped close behind him. "What?"
Tilting his head to whisper softly in Gibbs' ear, Tim's smile grew. "If Ziva were here, we'd have to pry her off of him."
Gibbs smiled and tilted his chin towards Carter, who was moving to join Teal'c. "I think she'd have a fight on her hands."
O'Neill approached them with another man. Realizing now that not all of the staff here were from Earth, they watched closely, but Gibbs recognized a fellow Jarhead, even without looking at the insignia on the uniform. "Gibbs, McGee, this is Lieutenant Anderson. He and his squad will be backing us up on this mission."
Gibbs shook the offered hand. "Didn't realize you had a Marine detachment here."
Anderson grinned. "You ever see Flyboys fight? It ain't a pretty thing."
It was obviously an old joke between the two men and O'Neill just shook his head. "We've got some Marine, some Army. Pretty much everybody is represented here but Coast Guard."
The joking ceased when General Hammond arrived, supervising the delivery of the last of the equipment. "Gentlemen, these are your GDO devices. Everyone off-world carries one, in case you get separated from the rest of your team. It will transmit your personal code to open the iris back here on Earth. If the iris is not opened before you step through the wormhole, you will die when you reach this end. We've pre-programmed them with your NCIS employee ID numbers to make it simpler. Key it in, activate the device and we'll know you're coming."
Hammond had been around scientists long enough to know the question was coming even before McGee opened his mouth. "What does GDO stand for?"
"Garage Door Opener, Colonel O'Neill named them." Hammond let his humor show through before turning serious again. "Good luck, agents. We will be waiting."
The teams lined up at the base of the ramp. The Field Remote Expeditionary Device, or FRED, would be the first thing through the Gate, loaded with the gear that could not be carried, plus extra weapons and ammo. It would be followed by the Marines tasked with protecting the civilians. Once the Marine squad was convinced the site was secure, Gibbs and McGee would step through the Gate, with SG1 right on their heels.
From the control room, a voice came over the loudspeaker, calling off the count down. "Chevron one, engaged. Chevron two, engaged." As the voice droned on, the inner ring of the Gate spun back and forth, lining up the necessary points. Finally the last call came. "Chevron seven, locked."
As the lock was called, an energy vortex began to form inside the ring, bubbling out, before pulling back and stabilizing. The FRED unit rolled through, disappearing instantly as it went through the event horizon, and the four men of the Marine squad calmly walked through behind it.
Exchanging a look, Gibbs and McGee walked up the ramp to stop in front of the Gate. Both men stared at the event horizon as the blue and silver waves of energy rippled like water. While McGee leaned close and stared, Gibbs reached out and poked it with a finger.
"Told you it would be Gibbs." Grinning, Daniel elbowed Jack and held his hand out. Jack grumbled and pulled out a twenty dollar bill, which Daniel gleefully took. Jack started to step forward, but another hand held out stopped him.
Now looking over their shoulders, Gibbs and McGee watched at O'Neill paid out another twenty to Major Carter. She grinned and explained as SG1 joined them at the Gate. "Daniel and I were both convinced that Agent McGee would study the Gate and you'd take the more hands-on approach, Agent Gibbs."
Teal'c looked amused as he gave his own reasons for not participating in the betting. "I have no need for any more of Colonel O'Neill's money."
"Yeah, yeah. Come on, we're burning daylight." Jack stepped up behind Gibbs and McGee and pushed them through the Gate.
-NCIS-
A hand on his back, then instant cold were all that Tim was aware of as he stumbled out of the Stargate on P3X-518. Even with the dose of Dramamine he'd received from the base doctor, he was feeling like he'd just spent days on a boat at sea. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at Gibbs. The older man definitely looked green from their trip through the Gate, but he was staring at the SIG strapped to his waist, coated with frost.
"Damn."
McGee immediately looked down at his own sidearm, seeing the same thing. "Wow."
One of the Marines tugged them away from the Gate. "That's one of the reasons we carry the P90, sirs. The polymer stock doesn't ice up or warp like a lot of standard weapons. Sit down for a minute, sirs. The first time through the Gate is rough on all of us."
Tim didn't have to be told twice and immediately sat on the steps, off to the side, just in time to see SG1 come through. He was pleased to note that their entry wasn't perfectly smooth either.
Gibbs, on the other hand, was staring up at the sky as he sat next to McGee. Following his gaze, Tim looked up also, and saw what a strange world they were in. Two suns lit up the sky, giving everything a double shadow effect. The heat reminded them of the Middle East, but there were still patches of trees and bushes in the distance. Probably the most striking difference, though, was the eerie green sky.
SG1 came down the steps from the Stargate and Gibbs stood to join them, tugging Tim up as he did. They walked for almost an hour before they began to see signs of civilization – blast craters and burned out tree stumps. Eventually they came onto several burned out buildings.
"All of this was done by the drone weapons? Why?" When McGee didn't elaborate further, Gibbs did.
"Do the Gao'uld treat all the planets under their control this way?"
Teal'c shook his head as he bent down to examine a few bones, partially covered with dirt. "This does not fit the Gao'uld. If there was something here they felt was valuable, they would have a legion of Jaffa here to protect it. Otherwise, they leave the planet alone until they need to harvest potential hosts. The technology is similar to that of the Gao'uld system lords, but I have never seen weapons such as the ones found here."
Yelling and shouting could be heard in the distance and they picked up the pace, bursting out of a patch of destroyed trees to find themselves at the edge of the remains of a village. On a raised platform in the center, a young girl was tied to a pole and was being whipped by one of the elders. Gibbs' P90 was raised before he even realized it, but Carter grabbed the barrel and pushed it back down.
"We can't interfere yet."
"You're going to just stand here and watch him beat that child?"
"No, but wait." She tilted her head toward Dr. Jackson as he moved forward, speaking in a strange language. Jack was right behind him, Teal'c to Jack's left. As Daniel negotiated, Carter continued to explain. "These people have lived in terror of those weapons for generations, their world has been utterly destroyed by them. They've become a rigid society for fear of any mistake bringing down the wrath of the demons they believe control those weapons."
"So a child's mistake is punished by a public whipping?" Gibbs quit talking, but Tim could see the tension on his face.
"It's the only way they know to survive." Samantha pointed out the faint outline of the foundation that once supported a large building. "A hundred years ago, this was a thriving civilization. Now, they're living in caves, on the verge of starvation. Stopping these drone attacks will not only save our people, it will save what's left of this entire culture."
Daniel jogged over to bring them up to speed. "I've told them again that the weapons aren't ours, but that we've brought someone who might be able to stop them. They're going to wait in the caves where it's safer."
"And the hostages?"
"They'll let Jack and Teal'c see our people, Lieutenant Anderson. We'll be allowed to give them food, also."
"And medical care?"
Daniel glanced over at McGee. "Let's just get these weapons shut down, okay?"
Understanding that they weren't out of the woods by a long shot, McGee and Carter got right to work. Their first step was to tie their own equipment into the alien technology. Everyone else was ordered to stay back, in case there was a hidden auto-destruct failsafe program wired in.
Gibbs watched nervously as the casing was slowly pried loose on what they hoped was the master control. It was almost a meter tall with a glowing panel on the top.
Wearing the bulk of an ordinance protective suit, Tim looked both brave and terrified as he lifted the back panel free while Carter rerouted the wires that attached it to a small naquadah explosive. A few moments later everyone smiled when they announced that they were in.
Anderson quickly got them back on track as he brought his weapon up. "Eyes open everyone. That probably got their attention." Sure enough, less than five minutes later a low flying drone appeared on the horizon headed straight for them. "Incoming bogey, three o'clock!'
Gibbs took his position between McGee and the fast approaching craft, vaguely aware of the others scrambling to take up their own positions. The weapon opened fire, laying down a line of laser fire that had them all ducking. Gibbs braced himself on the side of the console and returned fire.
Jack and Teal'c came running from the other direction, trying to draw its fire. Teal'c had a large energy weapon that looked like a long walking stick, while O'Neill carried a P90. When the drone turned to fire at them, Gibbs was able to take a better look at it. Small, the size of a briefcase, it had no wings or obvious source of propulsion. The only protrusion on the rounded form was the small firing port on the bottom that swiveled as necessary. Hoping that was a weakness, Gibbs aimed and fired off a burst of rounds. The drone immediately turned back toward him, but it was definitely damaged.
"Could use some help over here." Gibbs yelled over his shoulder, then saw more drones coming from another direction.
Anderson was already lining up on the new arrivals. "We'll try to keep them off your back."
Gibbs risked a quick glance down at McGee and Carter. He didn't know exactly what she was doing inside the control center, but he'd never seen Tim's fingers moving that fast as he reacted to the commands she was reading off.
The first drone was circling around to make another strafing run and Gibbs loaded another magazine as he watched it come straight at him. It was firing non-stop and he waited until the laser was hitting the ground only a few feet in front of him before letting loose with the P90, emptying the entire clip in a matter of seconds. At that distance every bullet hit its target and the drone began to corkscrew down, hitting the ground and coming to rest less than a foot from the base of the control panel. Gibbs didn't have time to even think about what he'd done as the sky was now filled with more of the drones than he could count.
