"-About it." Lorne said and shrugged one shoulder as he repeated Carter's micro briefing.
She chewed her lower lip and fingered her seatbelt where it pressed against her collarbone through the uniform.
"So your commander tells you to spring a convicted mass murderer from an all-male federal prison so she can accompany you on an intergalactic flight to possibly fight space vampires and you're like, totally cool Ma'am when do I leave?"
"It was an order and I trust Colonel Carter, her judgment has saved lives in the past. Believe it or not I'll probably get weirder orders."
"Right. Fair enough." Max agreed.
Minutes later they arrived at the gates to the SGC and Max had a random thought, years ago at the alpha site…the security breach. She wondered if anyone had ever traced the culprit.
"Follow me Sergeant." Major Lorne said, he was holding the door for her.
"Sergeant?" She asked then remember the stripes on her uniform arm. "I, yes sir, I didn't realize they had reinstated my rank." She said with a frown and got out of the car. He lead her through the maze of security, at the end of it she had a valid military I.D. and clearance. She wondered how the hell that had been managed but didn't question it.
As they cleared the last of security Max noticed a group of uniformed personnel milling in a clump ahead of them, then a familiar raucous voice cut through the hum.
"Unless you have something that literally has to be dealt with in the next four minutes scram, I mean it." Seconds later the buzz of people had thinned leaving Harriman, the dedicated but odd gate technician, and Jack O'Neill waiting for Lorne and Max.
Max started to move into attention and Jack ordered her at ease.
"Long time." He said warmly.
"Yes sir, I'll be honest sir I didn't think I'd see you again so soon."
"Like the star? Not sure I do."
"It suits you sir." Max said honestly and glanced at Harriman then back to Jack.
"Major Lorne couldn't tell me much sir."
"Ah security, to be fair we couldn't tell him much either, come on campers it's show and tell time, Harriman to do the honors." Jack said as he lead them to the familiar briefing room. Harriman presented Max with a plastic case she accepted it with a hurried, thank you sir, and jogged to catch up with O'Neill and Lorne. Harriman smiled his knowing smile and followed.
"Major Lorne, you've seen some exceedingly odds things in your career, yes?"
"Yes sir." The young officer agreed though there was no bravado in his tone, just simple agreement.
"Cool, now for some seriously weird shit." Jack grinned almost savoring the profanity. Max entered the room with the case in hand.
"Holloway, what are you doing unarmed? Open the case." Jack said sternly though his eyes glittered.
Max looked at the confused Major back to the pleased General, behind her to smirking Harriman back to Jack then down to the case. She gently set it on the briefing room table and popped the dual latches. She took a breath and held it then slowly lifted the cover.
Her asp blade glittered at her. It was something she and Methos had designed, a gift from him in the end. It was telescoping blade built around the design of a self-defense Asp. It was shit as a defensive weapon it would chip, buckle, or shatter within a few blows but it wasn't meant to be a primary weapon, it was a secret weapon, an unpleasant surprise for an immortal or mortal enemy. She let out a sigh of immense satisfaction and relief.
"You kept it sir, thank you."
"Well it's neat, so yeah." Jack agreed and looked at Lorne, poor confused Lorne.
"Why don't you demonstrate it and y'know bring Lorne into the fold?" He suggested lightly. Max hesitated for a moment then nodded.
She picked up the collapsed weapon then flung it out with a whipping gesture and felt a shiver of pleasure as the contraption telescoped neatly to its full length, wicked edge gleaming in the overhead lighting.
Lorne tensed slightly but otherwise seemed content to watch. Max nodded and smiled at him.
"This is going to freak you out sir, there's no way around it but I promise I'll be fine, okay?"
Lorne glanced at Jack then at Max and nodded. She drew the blade across her palm, deep enough to expose tissue and bone. She laid the blade on the table and lifted the mangled hand, almost immediately the thin blue-white light of her Quickening crawled along the surgically neat injury leaving blood smeared intact flesh behind.
"I have a condition." Max said. Lorne had started to rise from his chair when Max injured herself, now he slowly sat down and remained quiet.
"I can't die unless I'm beheaded. My kind…uh we hunt each other. When one of us kills another we take their power, that light you saw. It sucks actually, hurts like hell. Anyway, point is I'm really hard to kill and really good with a sword. I almost always carry one, or did, do I guess." She said and picked up the blade, wipe it clean with a cloth retrieved from the case then thumbed the release on the handle and put it back in the case once the blade had collapsed.
"Are you an alien?" Lorne asked.
"No idea, don't have a clue where we come from. We're all foundlings, though apparently we're unique to Earth. Go figure."
"Sir –"
"Why would we risk letting the wraith find out about Earth and Max's people?" Jack interrupted knowingly. Lorne allowed himself a small sigh and nodded.
"Because Carter thinks she might be immune to them and we can use that to stop them, or at least bloody their weird noses."
"Yes sir." Lorne agreed he liked the idea of kicking wraith ass.