Cordelia drove for more then twelve hours straight. She was exhausted when they arrived in Colorado Springs and checked into another hotel. Hopefully they'd find this naquada and the answers Xander was sure were with it, whatever it was, tomorrow.
When they woke up, they followed the sensor's indicator and stopped down the road from a mountain. A mountain with a lot of military people going in and out.
"The military has it." Xander said.
"Has what, Xander?!"
"The astria porta."
"What is that?"
"I don't know, Cordy. Trust me, I'm as scared as you are. I have no idea why I'm saying the things I'm saying or acting the way I am. I just know, the astria porta is in that mountain and I need to get to it. The Nox can help me."
"Who or what are the Nox?"
He just looked blank and shook his head. "Come on, I'm going to need some parts. This base is going to be a whole lot harder to get into then the last one was."
He drove to a hardware store and then a computer store. He came out with a laptop and opened the back and began pulling out the guts of the computer and began changing things. Cordelia watched anxiously. Asking him what he was doing wouldn't do any good, because she was sure he didn't know. Finally he looked up and said. "That'll do. We need to sneak around to the back. They'll have evac points."
She just followed him, praying that whatever was going on, they'd soon have answers and would be able to fix whatever was going on with Xander. They stopped near what looked like a closed well. Xander went to a tree and Cordelia could see a small camera nestled into the tree's branches. Xander opened it from behind and hooked the laptop into it. After a few minutes he said. "The cameras are all on a loop now. They'll show the last ten minutes over and over. It's a good thing we're both in shape, it's about thirty stories down."
"Thirty stories? How are we going to get down and how did they?"
"They hollowed out the mountain to make their base. And as for how we get down." He walked over to the well and lifted the grate off and looked down. "I'll go first." And climbed in. Cordelia looked down and saw the ladder attached to the side of the well.
"So this why you insisted I wear tennis shoes. Something fancier would give me some really severe blisters."
He didn't answer, just indicated she should close the grate. She did and they began to work their way down the ladder. Xander finally stopped and helped her off the ladder. He checked his sensor and said. "It's on this level, that way." He motioned to his left and pried open a panel by the door. He hooked the laptop into it and went to work. Cordelia was amazed and scared. Computers weren't Xander's thing. How was he doing this? After a few minutes, she heard a grating noise and realized the door had unlocked. Xander eased it open and peered out, seeing no one, he opened the door completely and moved into the corridor. He stopped at a corner and peeked around it, there was a guard down the hall. Just one. Xander made a scraping noise on the wall and the guard looked up and then walked towards them. What was Xander doing?! As the guard neared them, Xander darted out and grabbed the guard, turned him around and wrapped an arm his neck, with his elbow pointing forward. The guard was so surprised he didn't have time to defend himself before he was unconscious. Xander pulled a card off the guard's shirt and used it to open a door nearby. He dragged the guard into it and began stripping him.
"Xander, what you doing?!" Cordelia asked anxiously.
"Hiding in plain site." He said as he put on the uniform. "We'll get you one too." As he used the guards bootlaces to tie him up and his t shirt to gag him. They found another guard and Xander did the same thing and soon Cordelia was wearing a uniform as well. They walked down the corridor and passed people who didn't give them a second look. It seemed to be working.
Then they came to a room where they could see computers and alot of fancy looking equipment. Xander spotted the computer and could see some symbols on the screen. They looked familiar. They moved into the room and that was when things went wrong. An older man came out of a room connected to this one and saw them. He saw the name tag on Xander uniform and said. "You're not Lt. Stephans, who are you?"
Xander opened his mouth and said. "Ego deserde asordo. Locus novus egeo. Ego deserdo Nox."
"What? How do you know about the Nox?!"
"Xander, speak English, please! Whatever that weird language is, it's scaring the Hell out of me!" Cordelia said desperately.
"Trying. I'm loosing it."
"Loosing what? What's going on, young man?!"
"You're a General."
"Yes. I am. General Hammond.
"I need the astria porta. Ego deserdo Nox."
"The astria porta? How do you know that term?"
"Repository."
"Repository? You found a repository? That's why you're here?"
"Yes, please. Nox."
"General, person, please help us! There was this cave and the wall disappeared when he touched it and these hand things came out of the wall and grabbed his head and he's building things and talking in a weird language. Help us, please!"
"When did this happen?"
"About two and half weeks ago. He just keeps saying he needs to find the astria porta, that there are answers to why he's behaving like this here."
"There are. We'll find a way to help. Sargent." General Hammond turned to Sargent Harriman. "Call SG 1 here."
"Yes, sir."
