Chapter 5
Natasha Romanoff and Clint Barton stood beside Phil Coulson and SG-1 in the warehouse as they removed the crate from the Star Gate. As the large wooden box was disassembled the stone Gate stood looming before them.
"Wow," Phil gasped upon seeing it for the first time.
Daniel squinted, "Some of the addresses are different." He walked closer to the inner ring with Sam right behind him.
"The constellations are different in this universe," Sam figured.
"That makes sense since the Asgard here are nothing like our Asgard." he agreed.
Natasha stood gaping, "You have actually got that thing to work in your world?"
"Yup," Daniel nodded. "Only thing is your universe has different configurations from ours. Some of these symbols are unknown to us."
Jack asked, "They have a DHD by any chance?"
"Don't see one," he shook his head peering about.
"None was listed," Sam recalled. "We have to figure out the addresses for a whole new universe."
Jack asked, "Will that take long?"
She looked back over her shoulder and smirked, "It could! We will need to set up this Gate and figured out the configurations. Then we have to establish what is out there and if any of races match up. Hopefully, we can find a few friends."
Jack gave a heavy sigh, "This is gonna be work."
Daniel replied, "We are stuck here, Jack. We have two choices: Either we go after a damaged mirror that we might not even be able to repair or we go off world and see if we can find another way home."
"I'll take off world," he placed his chances. He looked at Phil, "Where are you guys gonna put the Gate? I suggest a bunker of some type."
"Where do you have it in your world?" he wondered.
"Cheyenne Mountain," he told him.
"NORAD?" he asked thinking of the possibility.
"It will be safe there," Jack told him.
Natasha looked at Clint and then at the Gate, "If I and Clint were to become a part of this new program we would have to move to Colorado."
"It helps," Jack told her. He asked Phil, "Who will be in charge of your Gate program?"
Phil smiled, "I am."
Jack and SG-1 traded glances. He then asked, "Not Furious Fury?"
"He's running SHIELD," he told him. He tried to keep a straight face but found Jack's tease funny.
Clint shook his head and told Jack, "You must be a trip to work with."
"I can be," he admitted.
Sam stated as she gazed upon the Gate, "I wonder if I can rig the Gate to send us home?"
Clint asked her, "What do you mean?"
"The Gate also displaces particles when it creates the wormhole. I know we have a Gate in my reality and if I can get the wormholes to connect…" she threw Jack, Daniel and Teal'c a grin. "We can go home."
Jack cheered, "I knew that big brain of yours would kick in sometime."
She rolled her eyes, "Thanks sir."
Daniel pondered, "We might be able to do that. We traveled through time once using the Gate. Why not travel to an alternate reality?"
Clint held up a hand, "Wait! You just said you traveled through time."
Sam nodded, "A wormhole through a solar flare can do that."
"Nice hazard to know about," he admitted.
Natasha stood beside him, "You want in on the Gate Program?" She knew by Clint's expression he wanted to be in the new program.
"Don't you?" he asked knowing.
She wondered, "Should we bring in some of the Avengers on this?"
"Like who?" Clint asked. "Banning? Captain Rodgers? Tony Stark?"
Jack miffed, "Not Stark!"
Amused he asked, "Why not?"
He pointed to himself, "One smart ass is enough."
"I couldn't agree more, Jack." Daniel smirked.
Jack snorted, "I stand corrected. We have two smart asses."
Sam had to admit, "We could use Stark. He's brilliant and we would need a computer system to control the Gate and install an iris." She then winced, "I'm not sure who is worse to be honest: Rodney McKay or Tony Stark." She looked at Jack and Daniel.
Jack told her, "McKay is worse."
"Why?" she asked.
"Cause he's always hitting on you," he recalled.
"You had a problem with that?" she asked amused. She had no idea Jack was upset.
He admitted, "Didn't exactly float my boat."
Phil asked, "Would you like me to see if we have a Rodney McKay to recruit?"
"No!" Jack, Sam and Daniel spoke at once.
Phil looked at Teal'c who simply looked displeased.
"Guess not," he figured.
Meanwhile
Captain Rodgers had spent the day at the library going over the Egyptian gods and mythology. He pondered how the notebook and the myths were connected. He took the notebook and headed to Stark Tower for a meeting with Tony and Thor.
As Steve walked off the elevator he found Dr. Bruce Banner on hand and chatting with Tony and Thor. He was told about the mirror, the strange team of agents and how Natasha and Clint seemed to be siding with the strangers.
"Odin's Mirror," Bruce pondered. "You think they are somehow connected to this mirror that Loki stole?"
"These four are not your average SHIELD spooks," Tony told him. "And the leader, apparently a former Colonel, is a real pain in the ass."
"All four could lift my hammer," Thor added. "I have no explanation for that feat."
"I think I might have something," Steve told them walking towards them. He held up Daniel's notebook. "I took the liberty of finding out where Colonel O'Neill and his team live. SHIELD provided them with apartments. I did some digging around and found some very interesting stuff."
Tony asked, "What ya find?"
"I don't think they are really SHIELD," he started. "I think we are looking at some kind of top secret military operation. I found in each of their closets uniforms…Battle dress uniforms complete with field gear and weapons. They each have a driver's license for Colorado. They each had military ID for the US Air Force and each uniform had a patch with 'SG-1' on it."
"S.G. One?" asked Tony.
"SG and a number one." he nodded. "The apartments are furnished with just the basics. No pictures of families, friends…Nothing like that. Each is furnished exactly the same and they have a number of the same suits. It's like it was assigned to them. Two are actual military…Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. Dr. Jackson and Teal'c Smith are contractors." He waved the book, "I found this in Dr. Jackson's belongings. Thor, he references things in here that I never heard of before."
"Such as?" Thor asked.
"The Goa'uld," he stated.
Thor looked surprised, "The Goa'uld! They are a symbiotic race that my father banished to their home world eons ago. They attempted to take Asgardians against their will and control them."
"According to this notebook a number of them are dead," he informed.
Thor shrugged, "No tragic loss." He seemed to hold contempt for the Goa'uld though they were not a threat.
"Okay," Steve went onto the next question, "He makes notes about other races…The Nox!"
Thor cocked an eyebrow, "A race that died out eons ago."
"How about the Furlings?" he asked.
"The Furlings!" he stated surprised. "At one time the Asgard and the Furlings were great allies but they have gone into isolation."
"The Ancients," he stated next on the list.
"I am not sure who he speaks of," Thor admitted.
"How about something called a Star Gate?" he asked.
Thor's eyes grew wide, "That is forbidden! My father has forbid its use during the great plague. It was housed with the mirror on Asgard."
Tony asked, "What is it and why is it forbidden?"
"I do not know who made it. It's a large ring that can create a primitive portal through space and connect to other planets. It allowed for the spread of a great plague and has been forbidden ever since. Asgardians do not travel beyond the realms of the Asgard unless it is absolutely necessary."
Tony asked, "You think SHIELD might have one of these Star Gates?"
"More like the military," Steve figured. "I found full military gear and ID."
"But why have that in an apartment?" asked Tony. "They would keep that stuff on base."
"I'm not sure," he admitted.