A/N: Okay, I confess, the next few chapters are a lot more mission-related than you might expect after so many chapters spent building relationships, but again, please bear with me. I swear it'll pay off in the end.
And thank you to everyone who keep coming back for more! I love reading your comments and impressions!
With the members of SG-1 currently off world, Mia had had very little to do for the past two days other than read. Although her Daniel had taught her to read several different languages as a child, this experience of sitting curled in a chair with a book in her hands was quite new to her. Growing up, papyrus had been extremely hard to come by. All of her lessons had been carefully traced into the dirt floor of their home, only to be erased again as the day wore on. Mia much preferred this new method of reading. Wrapped snugly in her new sweater and comforter, sipping what Tom had called 'hot chocolate', she felt blissfully content for the first time since her arrival. And although she had at first resented the stack of books Daniel had handed her to review before leaving through the Stargate, she was now grateful for those silent companions who so filled her days with their studied wisdom.
Flipping through her third book in as many days, Mia was startled out of her solitary reverie by a knock at her door. "Come in," she called, rising from her seat, the comforter falling in a heap to the floor. General O'Neill stepped tentatively into the room, shutting the door behind him. Eyeing her appraisingly, he raised a hand holding a small number of loose pages and asked, "When you said Daniel taught you everything he knows, did you mean everything he knows, or just everything he thought you should know?". Mia gazed curiously at him, holding out a hand for the pages he had brought along.
"To the best of my knowledge," she replied, gently taking the pages from her pseudo-father, "Daniel taught me absolutely everything he knew. Though this," she said, indicating the images he had just given her, "doesn't look familiar at all. What is it?".
"Images taken by SG-12 on their initial survey of P7X-294. SG-1 was just sent to explore the planet more fully, but somehow, these images were left out of the briefing. And I'm pretty sure that if Daniel had seen them, he'd have had more to say about the mission." Mia studied the images closely, noting the faint lines etched into the stones figured in each one. She shook her head. "If it is a written language, it isn't one of the ones I know." O'Neill exhaled slowly. "All right," he said, squinting at her. "How about if I give you access to all of Daniel's research? Would you be able to help us figure this out?," he asked, nodding towards the images in her hands.
Mia gazed at the images again. "I can try," she said uncertainly, "but I can't guarantee any sort of success." O'Neill nodded his understanding. "Do you really think these markings could be important?," Mia added, a note of concern tingeing her voice.
"I don't know," he replied cautiously. "But I have a feeling they might be. I'd like for you to get to work on this as soon as possible," he said seriously, removing a swipe card from his pocket and handing it to her. "This'll only work on Daniel's door, so don't try snooping around anywhere else," he added, a wry smile on his face.
"Of course," she said, accepting the card. O'Neill reached for the door. "General," she called just as he was about to leave. "Don't you have anyone else on base to handle situations like this?," she asked curiously. Jack sighed. "All off world right now," he replied somewhat tersely. Then he shrugged. "Who would've thought we'd need more archaeologists around?." Mia grinned at that, watching as the General's form retreated through her door and down the hallway. Well, she thought to herself, at least now I'll be able to put some of that studying to good use. Following the General through the door, Mia headed in the opposite direction, anxious to get started on her new assignment.
Entering Dr. Jackson's office, Mia gasped in surprise. She had never fully appreciated the scope of his work until she stood face to face with the amassed evidence of years worth of research. Shelves and tables alike were stacked high and deep with books and artifacts from every conceivable civilization known to this planet and many others besides. Papers were scattered haphazardly around the room, buried beneath books, stuffed into drawers, stacked on top of already cluttered shelves. And then there was the computer. Mia had never before seen one, but knew it on sight. Daniel's computer would house thousands of files detailing SGC missions and their related findings. Mia stood immobilized in the doorway, slowly taking stock of everything before her and the improbability of completing the mission she had just agreed to see through. Taking another step into the room, the SF posted to keep an eye on her let out a sudden, low whistle. She looked at him curiously, and he flushed slightly.
"Sorry, Ma'am," he said by way of apology. "I don't envy you your job." Mia sighed. "Right now, neither do I," she replied, making another searching sweep of the room with her intelligent blue eyes. If there was any sort of cataloguing system in here, she'd be very surprised. Daniel was by no means known for his organization. She handed two of the photos from General O'Neill over to the guard. "Here," she said, "We're looking for something that can help us identify these markings."
"We?," he asked cautiously, looking around. Mia sighed again. "You're not just going to stand around all day making sure I don't touch anything I'm not supposed to," she reprimanded lightly. "Make yourself useful," she added, gesturing to the mounds of information all around them. The guard looked at her incredulously, then at the general disorder of the room. Deciding at last that she was serious, he said, "Alright, where do we start?". Mia smiled. "You take the sides to the left and front of the door, I'll take the sides to the right and back. We'll meet back at the central table and go from there," she replied authoritatively.
"Yes, Ma'am," he answered, grinning. His charge may not have appeared like much of a security risk when he first met her, but he sensed she was certainly going to give him a run for his money now. No longer a lounging teenager holed up in her quarters with a stack of books, this young woman had the same air of command and authority as the General himself, in his more serious moments. The similarity was almost comical as she divided their workload and left him to his assignment with utter confidence in his motivation and ability to actually be of any assistance to her. Still smiling, he set to work, silently wondering if he'd have the chance to see her and the General square off on an issue. It would be fascinating to see whose will would win out in the end.
For her part, Mia quietly began scanning books and papers, searching for any clue as to the nature of the markings that had raised concern with General O'Neill. Hours passed while Mia and her companion sifted through eight years worth of Daniel's notes, and a lifetime worth of research. Lunch was brought to them, then supper. Tom returned for his evening shift, relieving her earlier companion and taking his place in the hunt for something useful. Nothing seemed to match the markings on the stones found by SG-12. Finally, around midnight, Mia was ready to call it quits for the day. Exhausted and discouraged, she rubbed her dry, tired eyes and opened her mouth to let Tom know the search was over for the night when the young SF turned suddenly to face her, grinning. In his hand was a ratty old notebook. "I think I've found something!" he exclaimed triumphantly.