Xander had just gotten Cordelia settled into a bed in the infirmary when a call came in on the radio earpiece he'd been given calling him back to Dr. Weir's office. General O'Neill wanted to talk to him.
"Harris, what the Hell did you do?! I sent you there to help defend the city, not open a new can of worms!"
"You don't have room to through stones, Jack. Ancient repository ring a bell?"
"Fine, who all needs to know what's going on?"
"Dr. Weir, Dr. McKay, Major Sheppard, Dr. Beckett, Cordelia got a broken arm during the fighting, she'll be fine, but Beckett had to scan her and I'd recommend, Ambassador Emmegan as well. The rifts and such might be an issue here in Pegasus as well. She could help direct us in regards to that."
"Fine. Level One Clearance. No more than that. Like General Hammond used to say, whenever you were visiting, try to keep the bombshells to a minimum, please?"
"And didn't you and I establish that blowing things up is alot of fun?"
"That was before I got put in charge of dealing with the fallout. Behave!"
"Yes, Jack."
"I'm going to add irritating kid on top of meddlesome kid."
"But didn't my meddling turn out good? Say hi to Sam for me."
"Humph!"
"Okay, if you would kindly call Dr. Beckett and Ms. Emmagan, I'll fill you in on a sister Command to the SGC. Level One Clearance means bare bones. You're unlikely to get more than that, so don't ask, McKay." Xander said, as Dr. Weir called Dr. Beckett and Teyla to come to her office.
Once they arrived, Xander began to explain.
"Scattered across Earth are what are being called dimensional rifts, tears in the dimensional fabric. They're millions of years old and date back at least as far the Ancients occupation of Earth. Things come out of those rifts. Intelligent beings with language, culture and beliefs of their own. 95% of them think humans make tasty treats. Learning their languages or them learning ours, doesn't change that. During the Civil War, a Top Secret Command was established to deal with incursions in places the military could go. That did not include the reservations. During this time, it was discovered that the Tribes in America, Africa and Australia were all well aware of the rifts and what comes out of them. For thousands of years, they've been making what the SGC calls hok'taurs to deal with these incursions. Protectors, as we're known as to the Tribe's, deal with incursions on Tribal lands. We predate the Gou'ld occupation and helped though them off Earth 5000 years ago. The procedure used to make Protectors only works on children, must be begun by age ten and takes five years to complete. It can only be done on children with a certain potential. Two years ago, the President asked my Pack and I to determine if these rifts and incursions might be a problem off planet as well. They are. So far, we've dealt with five that we've found. It was while we were temporarily stationed at the SGC that it was discovered that we all have the Ancient gene. Very, very strongly. It's the potential that the Tribe's use to determine eligibility for the procedure. Anyone without it, can't handle the procedure and is mutated by it. At the time, it was theorized that the Ancients might have taught our ancestors the procedure. It was also theorized that the presence of the gene meant descent from the Ancients. Introducing an artificial version gives extremely limited access. Those with a natural gene, have a much easier time interfacing with the technology after all. Which means our brains are already different. The procedure makes us more so. That hologram knew what I am. That confirms, the Ancients knew what a Protector is. And it appears to be someone with the authority to make decisions for Atlantis."
"You're claiming to be descended from the Ancients?!" McKay spluttered.
"I'm presenting a theory that fits the known facts, Dr. McKay."
"And these so-called rifts? What caused them?"
"We don't know. The Command we're affiliated with, has their own scientists studying them. So far, they haven't found much. Maybe they're a by product of research into something else. I don't know. I'm not a scientist. I'm a soldier and a construction worker. I have a degree in America Literature because I like to read. If you want more information on the science, maybe you can get clearance for it. Ambassador Emmegan, we would formally like to request your assistance in determining if Pegasus has a similar problem with dimensional rifts and incursions. We could, at a later time, sit down and discuss specifics of the hallmarks of a rift and incursion."
"I would be happy to help. It is bad enough that the Wraith feed on us. We certainly do not want anything else trying to consume us."
"Oh, I quite agree."
"And that hologram, what was it talking about?" McKay asked.
"I think it was referring to what you call the ZPM. It mentioned a processing plant where the Potentia, as it called it, are produced. There may be more ZPM's there. I recommend a recon."
"I agree, we should check out that address displayed on that screen." Dr. Weir said.
"There's just one problem with that." McKay said. "The address looked familiar, so I checked it. We've already been there. Or a least Sheppard and Ford have been there. It's the dinosaur planet."
"There's a planet with dinosaurs on it? In Pegasus?! The same kind of dinosaurs that Earth had?" Xander asked, alarmed because he knew that some demons could be dinosaur sized and some, like Olvicon, had even been mistaken for dinosaurs.
"Yes, so going back there is going to be difficult." Major Sheppard said.
"Well, my Pack could go and provide security. We can take a jumper, that would give us extra protection." And Xander thought silently, a chance to determine if there are demons there.
"I'm willing to try." Major Sheppard said.
"Very well. Get some rest. Tomorrow you and your team can accompany Major Sheppard's team to hopefully recover some ZPM's." Dr. Weir said.
