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• Infinitas	By : Kali Category: Stargate: SG-1 > Slash - Male/Male Views: 2504 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
  Disclaimer: Kali & muses do not own Stargate: SG1 nor make any money from this work; we just borrowed it for the sake of this fiction.

• Chapter List
  • 1-Part I
  • 2-Part II
  • 3-Part III
  • 4-Part IV
  • 5-Part V
• • 1
  • 2
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• 
  
  
  
  

  Disclaimer: Kali
  & muses do not own any of Stargate; we just borrowed it for the sake of
  this fiction.
  
  Warnings: The
  usual types of Stargate-type action, craziness, and fun; slash in the form
  of Jack/Daniel.
  
  If you don't like it or are too young, don't read it!
  
  Author Notes:
  Takes place post-season 10, pre-Ark of Truth; also, beware of mega-spoilage!

  INFINITAS

  By FireKali Chaos
  
  Big thanks to Sets for the beta!

   

  ~
  Part I ~

  Chapter I

  {Daniel}

  Early Saturday
  Morning:

   

            All he wanted to do was to crawl into
  his bed and sleep for at least a decade.

            The week had been…trying.  A perfect euphemism for the ever-increasing
  chaos, trials, and tribulations that was life at the SGC.  Seven – no, eight (he groaned as he noted the
  date and time at the bottom right corner of his computer screen) – days ago,
  SG1 and General Landry had returned from their close brush with the Ori ship
  after being gifted the total repertoire of technology and knowledge of the
  Asgard, and sudden absolute destruction of the Asgard race.  No one but Teal’c knew exactly what had
  happened during the time-dilation period he reported occurred – but apparently
  that had been the only what to save them and the ship that now carried the
  legacy of the Asgard.  Once they’d
  returned home, SG1 returned to its usual mission schedule, though this now
  included revisiting some planets to determine if they had fallen to the Priors
  and their crusading armies, and to warn new allies on new planets about the
  threat that now threatened everyone in the galaxy from human to Goa’uld to
  Jaffa to Tok’ra – and everyone in between.

            The grand total of Ori planets was
  rapidly nearing the 100 mark.  Another
  seventeen had been counted this past week by the various SG teams who had
  ventured off-world.

            And if this were not enough, they
  still didn’t know if Merlin’s weapon worked or failed, didn’t know if the Ori
  themselves were destroyed when Daniel and SG1 hijacked an Ori ship to send the
  weapon to the Ori galaxy.  To do so,
  they’d had to shut down the Supergate, thus leaving it available for use once
  more by the crusading Priors and their precious Orisei – who was now Ascended
  herself, thanks to them.  Or perhaps she
  was an Ori rather than the Ascended he knew. 
  He really didn’t know what would have happened to Adria when she went
  glowy, though if he wanted a silver lining, he hoped the Ancients and the rest
  of the Others would have better luck convincing her she’d been deceived and was
  following the wrong path, hoped they would be successful where he and Vala had
  failed miserably.

            …Because the alternative was a
  powerful Ascended (Ori?) being with all their knowledge, out there somewhere in
  the galaxy, who was not bound by the
  rules of the Others.  And with no way of
  making another of Merlin’s weapons (which he didn’t want to use here anyway as it would result in the
  destruction of the Others as well as Adria – if it did work) they had no way to
  combat her, not allies to rely on.  As it
  was, he could only hope that the Others would
  enforce their rules if she did try anything here.

            It was nearing 0400, and Daniel had
  only just returned from a trip to P4X-639. 
  SG1 had gone to check up on Harry Maybourne and his adopted home, and to
  warn him about the Ori’s creepy minions and zealous armies.  They’d gotten lucky this time – Harry and his
  people had been blissfully ignorant thus far – but there were so many planets
  that the Tau’ri were having little luck contacting.  They still
  hadn’t heard from the Serrakins or the Langarans (meaning Jonas Quinn), though
  intel said both planets had been visited by the Priors and Ori ships were seen
  in the area.  And with the Jaffa
  scattered and warring amongst themselves, and the Tok’ra no longer even pretending to live up to a treaty that
  had always been tenuous at best, Earth was back to being relatively isolated
  and friendless even if they were the Fifth Race the Asgard had such high hopes
  for.  The sword had firmly, suddenly,
  been passed to them, effectively making the Tau’ri the protectors of the
  galaxy.

            Taking his glasses off to rub at his
  reddened, dry, and scratchy tired eyes, Daniel gave up working on a translation
  for SG23.  He wanted to get it done, but
  he was so tired he just couldn’t concentrate enough to remember his name let
  alone conjugate verbs in obscure dialects of Goa’uld.  Saving his work, he put his glasses back on
  and shut down his computer before closing up his lab/office and making his
  weary way to the elevator.  He wasn’t
  going home…because he no longer had one, really.  Instead, he was heading further underground
  to Level 25 where his on-base quarters were.

            He’d sold his house after the
  Osiris-dream incident, finding that not only did his neighbours wonder and
  speculate (and distrust) him thanks to that event, he couldn’t live in the
  house without feeling exposed, uncomfortable, and violated.  Besides, he wasn’t home long enough to enjoy
  it, and owning a house came with all those extra responsibilities he didn’t
  have time for (ie. mowing the lawn in summer, shovelling sidewalks in winter, gardening,
  house cleaning, etc.).  He honestly
  didn’t know how Jack or Sam ever managed to do all that with their own houses.

            Daniel used the money from the sale of
  his house to add to Cassie’s university fund. 
  He didn’t need the money anymore (the government paid him ridiculously
  well), and he knew Janet Fraiser would want her adopted daughter to go as far
  as she could in her education, in whatever field Cassie chose.  He’d moved himself into a small, decent
  apartment in a respectable neighbourhood after that, though he was rarely
  there.  Then…the final showdown with the
  Replicators – and Anubis on the peripheral edges – went down.  Daniel waged his mental battle with
  RepliCarter, though he didn’t really feel like he’d won anything with that.  He’d Ascended for the second time, finally
  gotten some answers out of Oma Desala that weren’t riddles or Zen-like pieces
  of advice, and witnessed the subsequent “defeat” of Anubis when she engaged him
  in what he knew would likely be an eternal fight, thus removing his threat to
  the galaxy.

            Somewhere in there, Atlantis was found
  and Elizabeth Weir took her team through the Gate to the Pegasus Galaxy – and
  were essentially lost for a while when no ZPMs were immediately discovered and
  they had no way of powering the Gate to dial home.  But, when Catherine passed away (mere months
  after Ernst Littlefield) and left Daniel the bulk of her estate (all the texts,
  scrolls, tablets, artefacts, and library, anyway), and the oddity of a video
  camera with a ZPM that still held a full charge was discovered among it all, the
  Pegasus Galaxy was no longer so far away. 
  Once communications were re-established, and with the newest Earth ship
  to roll of the factory lines – the Daedalus – now available and capable of
  reaching Atlantis thanks to Asgard hyperdrive technology, it seemed a new era
  for the SGC was at hand.

            Then the news came down that General
  Hammond was planning to retire from his post in Washington DC as head of
  Homeworld Security – and that he wanted Jack to replace him.  Jack had grumbled about it, not really liking
  the idea of having to dive into the muddy political waters of DC and fly a desk
  away from the frontlines (after all, the Goa’uld were still out there, if less
  of a threat than before).  So he’d given
  SG1 two weeks leave, and they spent the first week of that together at the
  General’s cabin in Minnesota – fishing. 
  Memories of that final team outing were both sad and bittersweet as well
  as happy for Daniel.  Happy because he’d been
  with the people he loved most, the people who were family to him.  Happy because they’d had a lot of fun that
  week, had laughed and relaxed as they hadn’t since…well, ever, if he really
  thought about it.  Happy because for once
  they didn’t have to run off to save the world or the galaxy from some great
  evil or alien threat, and they could just be normal people for a little while
  where their only great concern was whether or not they should BBQ or roast hot
  dogs, or how much money they wanted to lose to Teal’c in a poker game.

            The bittersweet and sad parts came at
  the end of the week – when the happiness Daniel thought he’d finally get to begin to enjoy was doused
  by the scattering of his family.  He
  still – to this day – didn’t know exactly what happened between Jack (his best
  friend and the man his foolish heart had gone and fallen in love with) and Sam
  (his self-proclaimed Big Sister whom he loved as such but sometimes really
  wanted to hate), but suddenly there was tension and stormy clouds hovering over
  the cabin, and the vibes flowing between the two were enough to light up glaring
  neon signs proclaiming troubled waters. 
  At supper that fateful evening, Jack quietly announced his intention to
  accept Hammond’s post.  Almost angrily,
  Sam then declared she was going to accept a post as the new head of Research
  and Development at Area 51 – ostensibly to be close to Cassie, who needed her
  more than ever now that Janet was gone and she was venturing out into the world
  for university.  Stunned, Daniel hadn’t
  been able to say anything, not even to protest. 
  Teal’c remained his stoic Jaffa self, and hadn’t said anything
  either.  He merely gave an accepting
  head-bow and wished them both success before excusing himself for the night.

            Sam had packed up and left early the
  next morning.  By the time Daniel (and
  Teal’c) returned to the Springs, she was gone. 
  Jack didn’t waste much time getting the hell out of Dodge, either.  He was gone before their second week of leave
  ended.  And Daniel had never had the
  chance to talk to him.

            With SG1 splitting up, Teal’c was
  convinced by Bra’tac to return to Dakara and devote his time to helping set up
  the leadership and structure of the new Jaffa Free Nation.  With no one left, Daniel found himself
  utterly alone and at loose-ends.  The
  only thing left for him at that point, the only way he could still be useful to
  the programme – the place had people he’d given the last 8 plus years of his
  life for (several times!) – was to hop a ride on Daedalus and go to
  Atlantis.  Otherwise…he was obsolete…or
  at least that’s what it felt like.

            So…he started packing his bags.  His apartment was cleared out and his
  belongings were placed in storage.  He’d
  been 48 hours away from his flight, in his lab packing it all up, when Lt. Col.
  Cam Mitchell strolled in and tried to convince him to stay.  He offered Cam his apartment and turned him
  down as gently as he could.  Cam hadn’t
  wanted the apartment – he’d already found himself one – so Daniel simply turned
  in his keys and let the place go.

            But it seemed he was the universe’s
  favourite puppy to kick, because the next thing he knew, that deceitful, feisty
  wench, Vala MalDoran, waltzed back into his life and once again screwed up his
  travel plans.  He woke up in the
  infirmary ‘bonded’ to the woman and stranded on Earth.  Daedalus had left without him.

            He’d never bothered to go out and get
  another place.  By this time he gave up
  trying to find something he’d never truly had – home.  Not even Abydos (through beloved and much
  cherished for the brief year of happiness he’d had there with Sha’re, Ska’ara,
  Kasuf and the rest of the Abydonian people) had been home.  And really, he’d rationalized, why bother
  when he was barely Earth-side long enough to be able to leave the base for some
  reason that wasn’t work-related?

            Now he lived on-base, though his
  quarters were moved from the civilian housing on Level 15 down to the senior
  housing on Level 25.  He didn’t really
  understand why (he was a civilian and certainly not a ranking military officer)
  but didn’t argue with General Landry about it. 
  He’d welcomed the move silently, in fact, once Vala became a permanent
  fixture at the SGC.  As much as he liked
  her (and he couldn’t help but like her, despite her larcenous, deceitful
  predilections, because she was almost like a female Jack – minus the years of
  military discipline and military rules and regulations to moderate his often
  twelve-year-old mentality, and the home-life and up-bringing Jack grew up
  with), she was often a little too much, and clever enough that it took
  everything Daniel had to stay ahead of her. 
  Despite their rocky start, he did come to accept her foibles and count
  her as a friend – a good one.  And she
  became a steadfast ally, too, when the Ori became the greatest threat to the
  galaxy…

            For which all blame was laid at
  Daniel’s feet, and no one would be able to convince him otherwise.  He should have realized that the Peaceful
  Explorer bit wasn’t going to work, and he should have kept his mouth shut.  But…it wasn’t in him to not try to talk his
  way out of trouble.  Being responsible
  for the Priors finding their way to his galaxy, and everything that came after,
  was something that Daniel would never forgive himself for, and was something he
  would spend the remainder of his life trying to rectify.

            “Good morning, Dr. Jackson!”  A Sergeant Daniel didn’t recognize greeted
  him as he stepped off the elevator.

            “Good morning, Sergeant.” He returned,
  stifling a yawn.  He nearly collided with
  Vala as he turned a corner.  “Whoa!  Geez, Vala.”

            “Daniel!  There you are.  Where have
  you been?  I’ve been looking all over for
  you.”  She planted her hands on her hips,
  blocking his path as she scowled at him.

            “Office.  Translation.” 
  He didn’t try to stifle the yawn this time.  “Now bed.”

            Frowning she took in his
  appearance.  “You mean you still haven’t gone to bed?  Look at you! 
  You’re nearly the walking dead!”

            Wincing, he held up a hand then gently
  set her aside so he could pass by. 
  “Please.  Don’t even joke.  They’re not very much fun.”  Memories of Honduras flashed and he shoved
  them back down quickly.  Of course, Vala
  had no idea what he was talking about, so she merely shrugged with a confused
  expression and followed him to his door.

            “Don’t forget the briefing at
  1100.”  She reminded him.  “We’ll find out where we’re going next, after
  all.”

            “Yeah, yeah.”  Daniel waved her off.  “Why are you still up?  I thought you said something about beauty
  sleep.”

            “I had a nap.  I’m wide awake now.  I promised Mitchell that I’d remind you that
  you’re scheduled for a weapons skill evaluation.”  Vala leaned against the door frame, standing
  inside his door and watching with unconcealed interest as Daniel stripped off
  his uniform BDUs until he was just in boxers and a t-shirt.  Once upon a time, he’d have been modest and
  chased her off, but he’d long since given up, the futility of it and the fact
  that he was much more comfortable in his body than he’d ever been before
  lending to his lack of caring.  “He wants
  to get it done before our next mission.”

            “Fine. 
  Whatever.  But now I’m sleeping,
  so…” Daniel pointedly put his glasses on the bedside table and shut off the
  lamp, crawling under the covers of his bed. 
  “Go ‘way, Vala.”

            She rolled her eyes and gave a
  mock-huff.  “Well.  I know when I’m not wanted.”  Grinning, she left.  Once the door closed behind her, Daniel let
  out a relieved sigh (because at least this time she didn’t try to join him in
  bed) and relaxed, letting sleep claim him for even the bare few hours he’d get.

   

  Early Thursday
  Afternoon:

   

            Three days later, SG1 tromped down the
  ramp from the Gate upon their return from a new planet they’d been sent to
  check out.  At least this one had been
  uninhabited, and they’d all come home healthy, alive, and in one piece.  As they handed off their weapons to the SFs,
  Master Chief Sergeant Walter Harriman called down from the control room, “Dr.
  Jackson, you have an urgent message waiting for you.”

            He glanced up in surprise,
  nodding.  “Thanks, Walter.  I’ll be there after the post-mission stuff.’

            “Yes, sir.”

            Sam grinned at Daniel’s exasperated
  sigh.  “You’ll never convince him to call
  you just ‘Daniel,’ you know.”  She nudged
  him in the ribs with an elbow.  “Give it
  up, Daniel.”

            “I believe he refuses because he has
  great respect for you, DanielJackson.” 
  Teal’c stated mildly.  “As is
  appropriate and richly deserved.”

            “Maybe.  I stopped fighting the ‘Dr. Jackson’ but
  ‘sir?’”  he shook his head.  “I am not
  an officer.  I never made any of my
  students call me ‘sir’, so why should anyone around here?”

            “Well, we military folk tend to react
  to everyone high on the chain of command the same – civilian or military.”  Mitchell clapped him on the shoulder and
  directed the group toward the elevator to head for the infirmary.  “And fact is, you are the most senior personnel on base.  The only thing you’re missing is the
  commission and rank, and everyone at this command knows that, unofficially,
  you’re on par with General Landry, if not above him in the chain of command.”

            Daniel blinked a few times, absorbing
  that.  “It’s ridiculous!  I’m not in command of anything and I don’t
  really want to be.”

            Vala leaned in to Teal’c and said in a
  low voice, “I didn’t know my Daniel was such a big shot among the Tau’ri.  But why doesn’t he know that?”

            Apophis’ ex-First Prime actually
  quirked a small smile, watching as his other teammates were led off by
  infirmary staff for their post-mission exams. 
  “Have you not also noticed DanielJackson’s knowledge of self-worth,
  ValaMalDoran?  For as long as I have
  known him, he has never understood his value to not only this programme but to
  his peers here and even to us, who are his closest friends.  I have never known anyone to be as unselfish
  and giving of themselves as DanielJackson.”

            The dark-haired woman frowned.  “He certainly is one-of-a-kind, Muscles.  But I know what the galaxy is like, and I
  don’t know how he’s survived this long. 
  Because I’ve seen people like him eaten alive by the bad guys out
  there.”

            “As have I.”  Teal’c agreed.  “However…I believe DanielJackson to be a soul
  with a higher purpose and thus some measure of protection, whatever that
  purpose may be.  I have witnessed too
  many miracles in my time with this Tau’ri, to believe otherwise.”

            Vala nodded.  “I get that. 
  He certainly changed things for me.” 
  She beamed at him.  “And you all
  wonder why I want to have ridiculous amounts of wild and crazy monkey sex with
  the man!”

            Teal’c, had he not been the mighty,
  stoic Jaffa he was, might have either laughed or rolled his eyes at the
  boisterous female’s remark.  He was
  becoming quite accustomed to her ways, however, and merely tilted his head with
  a slightly raised eyebrow and drawled, “Indeed, I do not.”

            Mitchell and Daniel reappeared first,
  and the remaining two members of the team took their places.

            “I’d better go see what that message
  is all about.”  Daniel waved over his
  shoulder.  “See you at the debriefing,
  Mitchell.”

            “Sure thing, Jackson.”

            As he walked back to the elevator,
  Daniel smiled ruefully to himself.  Only
  Cam Mitchell could get away with calling him by his last name alone.  Anyone else tended to get a displeased frown
  – just as Jack was the only one who ever got away with calling him ‘Danny’
  (among all the other various nicknames he’d pinned on Daniel over the
  years).  The smile faded, and he absently
  rubbed the heal of his hand against his chest, as if that would soothe the ache
  that always hit him there when he thought of Jack and their barely-there
  friendship.  Daniel actually missed those
  names – whether they’d been said in anger, concern, or to tease, they’d always
  been said with affection.

            Climbing the stairs up to the control
  room, Daniel shoved aside his memories to focus on the present.

            “So, Chief, what’s the message?”  He inquired, approaching Walter.

            “Ah, an email from Dr. Gardner, sir,
  was passed along through channels.  We
  received it early this morning.”  Walter
  pulled a page from a clipboard at his elbow and handed it to Daniel.

            “From Sarah?  Huh. 
  Okay, thanks, Walter.”  Daniel
  took the paper and began to read the short email.  For security reasons, he hadn’t been allowed
  to give Sarah his email address once she’d been released after her
  de-Goa’uld-ing.  Daniel had thought it
  was a stupid precaution (like she didn’t already know far worse things that
  were a threat than his email address), but he’d complied.  He tried to stay in touch with her, but of
  course it was hard to do that with his job. 
  This email was one she’d most likely sent via the USAF out of
  desperation to find him when she couldn’t get a hold of him with a phone.  He felt a bit guilty for that, as he hadn’t
  contacted her in over a year, which meant of course she didn’t have a current
  phone number or address for him – and the USAF wasn’t going to release such
  info to anyone thanks to the nature of his classified, ultra-secret work.

            “Daniel,”
  the email read, “I think you should come
  to New York ASAP.  Steven was on a recent
  dig in Southern France and some amazing artefacts were found.  However, there were some in particular that
  your people will be concerned about, I believe, and despite my efforts to
  convince Steven of this, he’s insisted on presenting them at a special presentation
  and lecture in New York City on October 15. 
  Please call me as soon as you get this. 
  I hope you are still in good health and doing well.  Take care. 
  – Sarah.”

            “Fantastic.”  Checking his watch, Daniel blew out a breath
  as he saw he didn’t have time to phone Sarah right away before the debrief.

            “Bad news, Dr. Jackson?”  Walter inquired.

            “Hard to say, yet.”  Daniel replied, tucking the page into a
  pocket.  “Thanks, Walter.”

            “No problem, sir.”  Walter replied, watching the anthropologist
  hurry off upstairs to the briefing room.

  ~*~*~*~*~

            An hour and forty-five minutes later,
  the debrief was over, but before everyone went their separate ways, Daniel
  pulled out the email and pushed it down the stable to General Landry.

            “Walter passed that on to me when we
  got back, sir.”  Daniel folded his hands
  on the table in front of himself.  “I’m
  going to call Sarah and get more information if I can, but I wanted you to be
  aware that I may need to go to New York, and that we may have a potential
  problem.”

            “Daniel?”  Sam asked, his name inquiring all the things
  she wanted to know.

            “New York?”  Vala’s eyes widened.  “I’ve heard of that place.  Shopping…”

            “No
  shopping.”  Mitchell cut that idea off
  before it could mutate.  “What’s up,
  Jackson?”

            “Dr. Steven Rayner is giving a special
  lecture and showing some new artefacts he and his team found in Southern France
  on a dig.  According to Sarah, these may
  be items that we don’t want the world to see just yet.”  Daniel explained.

            Sam frowned.  “But…he signed those non-disclosure
  agreements after the Egypt incident.”

            “Yes, but he doesn’t really know anything except that I was much
  more right about my theories than he and everyone else ever knew.  He knows nothing specific, and whatever he
  found wouldn’t automatically click as ‘alien’ to him.”

            “Rayner…Egypt.”  Mitchell snapped his fingers.  “Osiris! 
  I remember that file.  Amazing
  that he hasn’t learned his lesson from that.”

            Daniel sighed.  “Steven has always felt over shadowed by me
  and under-appreciated by our colleagues. 
  He really is an excellent archaeologist, he just…lacks a certain scope
  of vision.  He’s probably seeing this as
  his opportunity to redeem his name in the community after all that Osiris stuff
  – that he couldn’t tell anyone about – and doesn’t see the cons to what he’s
  doing.”  He shrugged.  “He’s doing the best he can with the
  information he’s got.  It’s not his
  fault.”

            Mitchell nodded.  “Too bad we may have to shut him down.”

            “Yeah.”

            “Dr. Jackson.”  General Landry passed the email back.  “Find out what you can from this friend of
  yours.  You have a go should you feel
  that you must go to New York, and you have full authority to do whatever you
  must to enforce security. I’ll clear SG1’s mission schedule until this  has been dealt with, but I want regular
  updates on the situation and a full report at the end.”

            “Yes, sir.  Thank you, General.”

            “Dismissed.”  Landry stood and went to his office, leaving
  SG1 to trail after their linguist and head for Daniel’s lab.

  ~*~*~*~*~

            Daniel sat at his desk and reached for
  his phone, pulling a rolodex over to flip through until he found Sarah’s
  contact information. His team found places around the room to sit or lean on
  while they waited and listened in.

            Dialling quickly, Daniel tried Sarah’s
  land-line first.  On the second ring, he
  realized he was calling at a late hour for her, having forgotten she was in the
  UK.  But, he got lucky as she answered on
  the fifth ring with a sleepy, “Hello?”

            “Sarah, it’s Daniel.  I’m sorry to get back to you so late.  I just got in and forgot about the time
  difference.”  He saw Sam glance at her
  watch and wince in agreement and sympathy. 
  “But you’d said to call ASAP, so…”

            “Oh! 
  Daniel, no…don’t worry about that.” 
  His old friend assured him.  “I
  was beginning to fear you wouldn’t get back to me or that my message hadn’t
  reached you.”

            “It did. And I’m fine.”  He smiled a little.  “It’s a secure line, so go ahead and tell me
  what Steven’s done now.”

            “Last year, Steven was invited to
  participate in a dig near Narbonne.  He
  joined up, thinking it was a good way to start fixing his name after the
  disaster with Dr. Jordan’s murder…and all that.”  Sarah swallowed audibly, and Daniel wished
  she didn’t have to remember any of the time she spent trapped in her mind by
  Osiris.  “They were expecting medieval
  finds, probably Roman ones also, but they found much more than that.”

            “Like what?”

            “That he told me…there’s a couple
  tablets with writing he’s never seen before, and some strange objects that look
  like jewels but aren’t.  He said the lab
  results are inconclusive about what material they’re made of or how old they
  might be.”

            “But you haven’t seen any of this
  yourself?”

            “No.” 
  Sarah made a frustrated sound. 
  “He won’t let anyone but the others from his dig team see any of what
  they found.  I tried, Daniel, but he
  refuses to let me near it.  I don’t know
  if it’s because he doesn’t trust me or because he’s trying to protect me
  after…well.”

            Daniel picked up a pen and grabbed a
  writing tablet.  “He trusts you,
  Sarah.  He’s just being protective.  He doesn’t know what happened to you, only
  that you went missing for a couple years. 
  Listen, I have to start making plans to be able to go to New York;
  where’s this lecture and show at?”

            “Conference rooms five and six at the
  New York Museum of Art.  He’s supposed to
  begin unpacking and setting up the displays tomorrow.  I was going to get there the day before the
  lecture, but I can be there sooner.”

            “Um…I don’t know what you could do,
  Sarah.”  Daniel hesitated.  “It may be best if you leave this to
  me.”  He made a few quick notes about
  what she’d just told him.

            “Daniel, I’m probably the only one
  he’ll listen to when you tell him he’s being shut down.  He resents you too much.”

            He pinched the bridge of his nose
  against the headache coming on.  “I
  know.  Alright, I can’t stop you from
  being there.  But…don’t be offended if I
  can’t say much to you.”

            “I won’t.  I know better than anyone how important
  secrecy is for you.  And I’ll try to
  impress that upon Steven.”

            “Yeah. 
  He won’t get it, but yeah.” 
  Daniel handed the tablet of paper to Vala, who passed it to
  Mitchell.  “One other thing before I let
  you go…”

            “Yes?”

            “Do you know if he’s told others
  outside of his team and yourself?  Any
  other colleagues?  Museum people?  A significant other?”  Daniel asked. 
  His eyes met Sam’s and she nodded approval at the inquiry.

            “I don’t, I’m sorry.  Though I imagine he has told a few people in
  order to arrange this exhibition.”  Sarah
  replied.

            “Alright.  I’ll have to start rattling some chains but
  we’ll figure it out.  Thanks for giving
  me a heads up on this, Sarah.”

            “Anything I can do to help you,
  Daniel.  After everything I…saw and had
  to experience…anything to help.”

            “It wasn’t your fault.”  Daniel reminded her gently.  “No one blames you for any of it.  But believe me, I know that’s little
  comfort.  If it helps at all, this is a
  big help to us.”

            He could almost picture the sad smile
  on her face.  “A little.  Take care, Daniel.  I’ll see you in New York.”  She hung up on him., and he replaced the
  phone in its cradle softly.

            “Well, people, it looks like we get to
  take a little trip to the Big Apple.” 
  Mitchell declared, handing the pad of paper back to Daniel.

            Teal’c raised a curious eyebrow.  “…Big Apple?”

            “Ah…I’ll explain that later, T.  He means New York City.”  Daniel clarified.  He shoved away from his desk and went to his
  bookshelves to grab his pack where it was leaning on them on the floor.  It wasn’t the same pack he used for off-world
  missions, but another just like it that he had used for a few years now to
  transport work home with him.  Since he
  lived on base now, he rarely had occasion to use this pack anymore.

            “I’ll make travel plans, Daniel, and
  Cam and I will inform the General.”  Sam
  hopped off her stool at his workstation and headed for the door.

            “As soon as we know when we’re
  leaving, we’ll let you know.”  Mitchell added, following his fellow officer
  out.

            “Thanks, guys.”  The archaeologist said absently, already
  running through a list of things he might need to pack for the trip.

            “We shall leave you, DanielJackson, to
  attend to our own preparations for departure.” 
  Teal’c declared, indicating himself and Vala.  “Unless you require assistance with
  something?”

            “Oh, no thanks, Teal’c.  I’ve got it. 
  You guys should go ahead.”  Daniel
  looked over at them and smiled.  The big
  man acquiesced with a final head bow and left the room quietly, leaving Vala
  behind.

            “Okay, so what might I need to bring along?  I don’t know what sort of things I’m expected
  to pack.”  She picked up a statuette and
  fiddled with it.

            “Clothes for a couple of days and
  any…you know, girl stuff.  Ask Sam.”  Daniel hastily added with a faint blush.  “Otherwise, make sure you have your ID, your
  cell phone, and…” Daniel thought quickly, then shook his head.  “No, that’s it.  I’ll bring the stuff necessary for cataloguing
  things and a camera.  You can help me
  with that when we get there.”

            She made a face, but nodded.  “Fine. 
  I’ll go get started picking out some suitable outfits.” Vala waltzed out
  the door.

            “Dress warm!  The East Coast can get cool this time of
  year!”  He yelled after her.

            “Fine!”  Came the far away, yelled reply.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Chapter II

  Wednesday Morning:

   

            The
  nice thing about being on such a highly classified, military team was the
  benefits of being number one with all the people in power.  Daniel mused, settling comfortably into his
  seat on the flight to New York.  We get our own jet and we don’t have to deal
  with civilian airport traffic and security.

            Although in this case, if he was
  honest about it, he almost wished they didn’t rate so highly for the sheer
  amount of stalling it could have provided. He had lots of reasons for not
  wanting to have to deal with this, not the least of which was the upcoming
  confrontation with Steven and the awkwardness of being around Sarah once
  again.  Bt even more distressing was the
  museum itself.  Daniel wasn’t sure how he
  was going to handle being there again, even after so many years.

            Mitchell was stretched out in his seat
  catching a power nap while Teal’c and Vala sat at a table in one corner of the
  cabin where the Jaffa was entertaining her with the Tau’ri card games he had
  learned over the years.  Sam sat near
  Daniel with her laptop, working away on…whatever projects she had going.  But after a while she shut down the computer
  and set it aside.

            “Daniel?” she reached out to pat his
  knee.  “Hey.  You look thoughtful.  Penny for them?”

            Dragging himself out of his memories,
  he glanced over at her and managed a faint smile.  “They’re not worth that, Sam.”  At her expression he just shook his
  head.  “I’m fine.  Just tired and hoping to get this over with
  quickly.”

            Sam nodded and leaned forward,
  speaking quietly.  “Listen.  I know this will be difficult.  It didn’t click right away, but I did
  remember the significance of that Museum. 
  It is the same one from the Gamekeeper’s simulation, right?  The one where…”

            “Where my parents died?”  Daniel finished softly.  He looked out the window at the topside of
  the clouds.  “Yes.  But I imagine it has changed a lot in the
  thirty-odd years since then.  I’ll be
  okay, Sam.”

            “You will.”  Sam smiled. 
  “Because you know we’re there with you, right?  If you need to…escape at all, or just want to
  talk…”

            “Thanks, Sam.”  He gave her a grateful smile.  “I appreciate the concern.”  And he did. 
  Maybe he had most of his family back again, but the most important
  member was still beyond him and would probably stay that way, and as much as he
  appreciated Sam’s concern for him (and the others’, since he had no doubt she
  was their appointed spokesperson), Daniel didn’t feel like talking about
  it.  Discussing his emotions was one of
  the few things he and Jack always had in common – they didn’t like to do it;
  oddly enough, they’d always been comfortable doing so with each other.

            Just another aspect of their weird
  relationship that was a paradox to everyone around them – not to mention
  themselves.

            In the corner, Vala eyed Teal’c’s
  cards and quickly nabbed one, letting out a huff.  “Damn. 
  I don’t think I’m going to like the outcome of this… ‘Old Maid’ game.”  She pulled the joker.

            “It is better than ‘Go Fish.’”  Teal’c replied, disliking anything that had
  to do with fishing, even the card game.

            “Why couldn’t we play poker?  I was getting really good at that when we
  played at the cabin.”  Vala affected a pout
  and held out her cards for Teal’c to choose from.

            “Because it is less entertaining with
  only two participating.”

            “Hmph. 
  The bunch of wet blankets!”  Vala
  sent an ineffectual glare toward the dozing Cam, then looked over at her Daniel
  and the perky blonde head of Sam Carter. 
  She noted how they sat together, how they were deep in quiet
  conversation and looking a little sad. 
  Frowning with irrepressible curiosity, the dark-haired reformed thief
  leaned across the table closer to Teal’c and spoke in a conspiratorial
  whisper.  “What’s that all about?”  She asked with a head jerk in their
  direction.

            Teal’c raised an eyebrow and calmly
  snagged a card from Vala’s hand (not
  the joker).  Tossing his pair down, he
  simply said, “If they wished for us to know, they would include us in the
  conversation.”

            “No, they wouldn’t.”  Vala scowled to herself. “Daniel tells me
  nothing unless I drag it out of him with promises of sex and/or extreme bodily
  harm.  And even then he usually just
  ignores me.”  She studied her opponent’s
  cards.  “The only time he ever volunteers
  information is when he thinks it will help someone feel better, and when he
  does, it’s still vague.”

            Nodding, Teal’c waited for her to
  choose another card.  “This is not a
  reflection of his relationship to you, ValaMalDoran.  Daniel Jackson has never spoken of himself to
  others easily.  Other than O’Neill, of
  course.”

            Vala took a card and tossed down her
  pair, holding up her hand for him. 
  “Yeah, why is that?  I noticed
  their ways with each other during the ride home from the whole Merlin’s weapon
  thing.  But I didn’t really get the
  chance to get to know the guy.”

            “O’Neill and DanielJackson were the
  original Tau’ri that went through their Stargate once DanielJackson correctly
  interpreted the symbols on it and what it was for.  They defeated the supreme System Lord, Ra,
  together.  However, even I do not know
  the details of that first mission; I know only that a bond formed between them
  that surpassed that of two warriors or that of two brothers.”

            Saying nothing, Vala let the subject
  drop.  She had her suspicions about them
  – a girl doesn’t get refused this
  many times without a good reason – but she wasn’t quite ready to call Daniel on
  it.  Even if it did hurt that he
  continuously turned her down though he obviously thought enough of her to
  believe she was capable of redemption, of reformation.  She’d also heard plenty of rumours around
  Cheyenne Mountain concerning Daniel and the absent General O’Neill.  After a couple more hands, her game with
  Teal’c ended and by silent, mutual agreement, they put the cards aside.

            “Well if you won’t tell me what
  they’re getting all cozy about over there,” Vala declared slyly, “At least give
  me something of a hint.  A warning.  Because if I don’t know what to expect, I
  can’t help properly, can I?”

            Teal’c smiled his small, enigmatic
  smile (which was, on the Jaffa, the equivalent of a huge, bright, and happy
  grin on any human).  He understood her
  curiosity, but he also knew that it was born of her fondness for Daniel, and
  the innate need to protect that the man’s existence evoked in everyone around
  him.  Still, it was not for him to speak
  of his brother’s past (for that is what Teal’c considered the linguist).  He could, however, tell Vala enough to
  satisfy her and allow her to be there should Daniel need it.  Although he tried to fill the empty hole left
  in Daniel’s life by O’Neill, always looking out for him and protecting him,
  there were some things that even Teal’c could not provide that his brother
  needed.  Vala has seemed to do what he
  could not, to an extent, and he would help her to help Daniel if he had the
  power to do so.

            “DanielJackson may experience a
  particularly unhappy memory at the place we are to visit, ValaMalDoran.  One from his childhood.  ColonelCarter merely wishes to reassure him.”

            “I see.”  Vala turned to watch the two again for a
  moment.  Sam went back to her laptop, and
  Daniel had his nose buried in a book. 
  Turning back to Teal’c, she eyed him suspiciously.  “And how do you know of this bad memory?”

            “Indeed.  Daniel Jackson may never have spoken of it to
  any of us had not the Gamekeeper allowed us all to see and experience it
  through his simulations.”

            Vala raised an eyebrow of her own, not
  knowing what the big guy was talking about, but she didn’t inquire
  further.  Teal’c wasn’t looking
  particularly talkative any longer, and getting information out of him was even harder than it was from
  Daniel.  She supposed that she would live
  with what he told her, and simply keep an eye on Daniel while they were in this
  place called New York.  After all, she
  knew how traumatic childhoods could be.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Thursday Morning:

   

            SG1 and the six SFs that were assigned
  to assist them by Generals Landry and O’Neill (Jack had insisted on a little
  extra help when he heard what was up) spilled out of the two military Hummers
  in the loading bay area at the side of the New York Museum of Art.  Mitchell looked around, taking in the scene
  quickly and assessing the area for potential problems and, if necessary, escape
  routes.  Slipping on his sunglasses, he
  joined his teammates and the SFs, who stood nearby awaiting their orders.

            “So, Jackson…where’s this curator guy
  who’s supposed to meet us?”  He
  inquired.  Daniel shrugged, his own eyes
  busy assessing behind his own sunglasses (Jack would have been proud).

            “He said he’d be here, though to be
  fair we’re a little early.”  The
  archaeologist replied.  “I still don’t
  get why we have these guys along.”  He
  jerked a thumb at the SFs, who regarded him impassively.  “No offense, guys.”

            “None taken.”  One answered tonelessly.  “Sir.” 
  He added at the dark glare he received from both Sam and Teal’c, and the
  frown from Mitchell – not that Daniel noticed.

            “We don’t know exactly what we’re
  going to find in there, Daniel.”  Sam
  pointed out, her hands slipping into her leather jacket pockets.  “Even if we don’t run into any situations, we
  may just need the extra muscle for moving stuff.”

            “True.”  Daniel looked down at Vala, over the top of
  his sunglasses, with a serious threat of bodily harm in his azure blue
  gaze.  “As for you, hands to
  yourself.  I will happily have you strip
  searched before we leave if I even suspect
  you’ve been tempted and fallen back into your larcenous ways.”

            “Why, Daniel!  I am shocked and hurt.  Deeply hurt.”

            “It won’t be me stripping you, but I
  will be watching – along with everyone else in the Museum.”

            Pouting, though not offended or even
  surprised by the threat, Vala crossed her arms and huffed with mock
  indignation.  “You are absolutely no
  fun.  Don’t you trust me at all?”

            “No.”

            “And neither do I, so make that threat
  double.”  Mitchell added, though it
  wasn’t entirely true.  They’d all come to
  trust Vala a great deal, just not when she was around valuables or things she
  felt could be profitable.  “While we’re
  waiting, let’s go over a few things.”

            “Hold off, Mitchell.”  Daniel raised a hand.  “Here comes Dr. Glasser.”

            A short, balding, middle-aged man in a
  grey suit came bustling towards them from the service door next to the big bay
  delivery doors of the museum.

            “Daniel Jackson!”  the man declared, smiling in genuine
  welcome.  “It’s good to see you again,
  young man.”

            “Hello, Dr. Glasser.  Thank you for meeting us like this.”  Daniel stepped forward and shook the
  curator’s hand.  “We really appreciate
  both your assistance and that of the Museum’s Board of Directors on the matter
  I discussed with you yesterday.”

            “Yes, of course.  I must say, I wasn’t expecting to hear from
  the military about anything, and I was even more surprised to learn that you were currently employed by them.”

            Daniel smiled a little,
  shrugging.  “Civilian consultant,
  sir.  It pays the bills.  But seriously, the work I do is extremely
  important.  I wish I could tell you all
  about it, but…for now it’s classified.”

            Mitchell coughed behind the linguist
  and Daniel took the hint to move along.

            “Anyway, this is my team.  Lieutenant Colonels Cameron Mitchell and
  Samantha Carter, Murray,” Daniel didn’t even pause to consider the use of
  Teal’c’s Tau’ri name, “and Vala MalDoran. 
  Guys, this is Dr. Henry Glasser. 
  I took several courses with him during my graduate studies, and he was a
  good friend of my mentor, Dr. Jordan.” 
  He introduced the curator to his friends.  They greeted one another and Daniel gestured
  at the SFs.  “Did you find the security
  uniforms I requested?”  He asked Henry,
  who nodded.

            “Yes. 
  I have them just inside, if they would like to change.”

            Mitchell gestured for the SFs to do so
  and they saluted, leaving SG1 behind. 
  “You boys know what to do and where to be.  Move out!”

            “If you’ll follow me,” Henry
  suggested, “I’ll show you to the conference room where Steven’s team has all
  their discoveries awaiting the exhibition.”

            “Lead on.”  Daniel nodded, walking alongside the
  curator.  SG1 fell in behind them,
  letting their linguist take point.  As
  they walked, Henry spoke in low tones to his former student.

            “I have to admit I’m quite curious,
  Daniel, about these artefacts you’ve come to inspect as a matter of National
  Security.”  The older man rubbed the back
  of his neck ruefully.  “I know you can’t
  tell me anything, but…”

            “I know.  I don’t blame you, sir.  I’d be curious, too.”  Daniel sighed.  He hated this aspect of his career with the
  programme. “And honestly, I wish I didn’t have to be here, doing this.  Covering up discoveries goes against my
  nature, but…on the other hand, I know why it’s been deemed necessary, and I
  have to agree.”

            “Daniel, my boy, you were one of my
  brightest students.  And I always knew
  you would go far someday.  If you say
  it’s necessary, then I believe you, because I know it’s against your nature,
  and because you wouldn’t allow it to happen otherwise.”  Henry shook his head.  “However, I’m not so sure Steven will
  understand – nor his team.”

            “I know.”  Annoyed by that fact, as well as sad and
  resigned to the upcoming confrontation, Daniel scowled to himself. “Just
  another reason for him to hate me.”  He
  glanced at the curator.  “Is Steven
  here?”

            “No. 
  He and his team were returning sometime this afternoon.  I believe they left yesterday to do some last
  minute research and make final arrangements for their artefacts for after the
  lecture and exhibition.”

            “Well, I won’t know for sure until
  we’ve looked through everything, but he may still have enough to show.  Just…not the most exciting parts.”  Daniel winced a little internally, knowing
  how he would have felt if someone did to him, what he was going to do to
  Steven.

            “Here we are.  I see your military people are frighteningly
  efficient.”  Henry drawled, spotting two
  of the SFs (now dressed as museum security) guarding the doors to the
  conference room.

            “Report, Airmen.”  Mitchell stopped and inquired in a low voice.

            “We’re in position, sir.  Johnson and Locke are in the security room on
  the second floor.  Whyte and Montoya are
  inside here at the doors joining this room with the other.”  One soldier reported in equally low tones.

            “Good. 
  We’re all on channel three on coms. 
  Shout if there’s a problem.”  Sam
  gave them a quick salute.  “As you
  were.  Lead the way, Dr. Glasser.”  She invited the curator.

            Henry pulled out a key-card and swiped
  it through the security scanner next to the doors.  “Certainly.” 
  Once inside, he flipped on the lights. 
  “Well, here it all is.”

            “Thank you, sir.”  Daniel scanned the room as the others moved
  to beginning the search.  “I have no idea
  how long this will take, and I don’t want to keep you from your work.”

            “Oh, it’s no trouble, Daniel.”  Henry smiled and patted the younger man on
  the arm.  “However, I’ll make it easier
  for you to keep your secrets and leave you all to it.  I may have seen nearly everything here, but I
  don’t know what some of it may be nor do I remember exactly what everything
  else is that’s here.  Therefore, I don’t
  know enough of anything that could be bad.” 
  He winked.  “Let’s keep it that
  way.  If you need anything at all, just
  call.”

            “We will.  Thanks again, Dr. Glasser.”  Daniel watched the curator leave the room,
  then turned to take stock of the crates, boxes, and display cases set up
  everywhere.  This, at least, was a
  familiar sight.

            “Where should we start, Daniel?”  Sam asked, coming to stand next to him.  “It looks like we may be here a while.”

            “Yeah. 
  I think you and Vala could start by scanning things for power sources or
  radiation.  Each of you start on opposite
  sides of the room and work your way to the middle.”  Daniel made his way to a long table that had
  yet to be laid out with artefacts, setting his backpack down on it and opening
  it to take out a notebook and a pencil. 
  “We’ll start with the stuff that’s already out and unpacked.”  He gestured at the room in general, speaking
  to Teal’c and Cam now.  “If you see
  anything even remotely…otherworldly, yell.”

            They began the search, splitting up as
  Daniel directed.  They’d only been at it
  for nearly an hour when one of the SF ‘security guards’ radioed in about
  someone wanting into the room.

            “Col.
  Mitchell, come in?”

            Cam set down the box he was carrying
  and pulled out his radio.  “Go
  ahead.”  He replied.

            “Sir,
  there’s a woman insisting she be allowed inside.  She claims to have been invited.”

            Cam looked around for Daniel and shot
  a questioning look at him.  Daniel
  blinked at him and pulled out his own radio.

            “What’s her name?” He asked.  There was a pause, then, “Dr. Sarah Gardner.”

            Sam came up next to the archaeologist
  and set a hand on his shoulder. 
  “Daniel…you know she probably shouldn’t be here.”

            “Why? 
  She’s the one that tipped us off about this lecture.”  Daniel argued.  “Not to mention that she’s already mostly in
  the know about us, the programme, etc. 
  If we find anything, we don’t have to tell her what it is, what it’s
  for, or anything.”  He gave an
  exasperated eye-roll at Mitchell’s raised eyebrow.  “Okay fine. 
  I want her here because sooner or later Steven is going to show up, and
  Sarah was always the best at running interference between us.”

            Cam studied him for a moment, then
  spoke to his radio.  “Let her in,
  Airmen.”

            “Yes,
  sir.”

            “I’ll hold you responsible for her,
  Jackson.”  Cam warned.  “No info leaked to her, understood?”

            Daniel just waved agreement at him,
  already walking toward the doors that had just admitted his former
  colleague.  “Hey.  Glad you could make it.”  He greeted her.

            “Daniel!”  Sarah Gardner gave him a big hug and smiled
  up at him.  “It’s very good to see you
  again.”

            “You, too.  How are you doing?”  He asked, concern colouring his tone.  She squeezed his hand, her eyes reflecting a
  sadness that would never really leave her and knowledge beyond her age.

            “I’m well.  Things are…getting much easier every
  day.”  She said softly.

            “Dr. Gardner.”  Sam interrupted, holding out a hand.  “You may not remember me…Samantha
  Carter.  I work with Daniel.”

            Sarah 
  shook her hand and nodded slowly. 
  “Yes.  Yes, I do remember
  you.  And you.”  The former host to Osiris looked up at the
  towering bulk of Jaffa just beyond Sam. 
  “Teal’c, was it?”

            “Indeed.”  Teal’c gave her a head bow in greeting.

            “And this is Lt. Col. Cameron
  Mitchell.”  Daniel introduced the man who
  stood nearby, leaning on a stack of crates with his arms folded across his
  chest.  “He’s new to the team, but he
  fits right in.”

            “And I’m Vala.”  The energetic woman herself declared,
  stepping around Daniel and insinuating herself between him and this red-haired
  woman that was far too familiar with her
  Daniel for Vala’s comfort.

            “Yes, well.”  Daniel hastily moved onto the subject at
  hand, deflecting any ideas the dark-haired ex-thief might have had about
  staking a claim on him – no matter what Daniel thought of it.  “We haven’t been here long ourselves, and we
  haven’t found anything extraordinary yet.”

            Sarah nodded.  “I wish I could point you in the right
  direction, but I don’t even know what the things Steven found look like.”

            “Let’s get back to it, people.”  Mitchell motioned for the others to go back
  to where they’d been searching, pulling Vala away bodily.  “I’d like to be out of here before supper
  tonight.”

            “I’ll help.”  Sarah offered, following Daniel to the crate
  he’d been unpacking carefully.

            “Thanks again.”  He said after a few minutes of silence as
  they worked.  “For letting me know about
  this, and for coming all the way out here.”

            “As soon as Steven told me what he’d
  found, I knew you had to know about it.” 
  She shrugged, repacking the crate now that they’d found nothing unusual
  amongst its contents.  “He knows you were
  right, Daniel, but he’s still jealous and resentful of your brilliance and
  success.”

            “Ah, but no one amongst our peers but
  you know how successful I was in my theories. 
  And they won’t for a long, long time because the world’s not
  ready.”  Daniel stated firmly, making
  notations in his notebook.  “I haven’t
  published a thing since I joined the project, and likely never will.  As far as academia is concerned, I’ve
  disappeared off the planet.”  He smiled
  wryly.  “They’ll never know how true that
  is.”

            “Doesn’t that bother you?  Even a little bit?”  She asked, watching him closely as he
  carefully closed up the crate.  “The one
  thing you were ever ambitious about was proving your theories, Daniel, and
  proving to all those who criticized and maligned your work that they were full
  of crap and far too staid in thinking.”

            Daniel paused in his hammering.  “Not this again.  Sarah, you and I will never agree on the
  subject of career ambitions.”  He went
  back to hammering the lid to the crate down, perhaps a bit more forcefully than
  before.  “And yes, for a while it did
  frustrate me that I couldn’t tell people everything. But that didn’t last
  long.”  The galaxy-hopping linguist set
  aside the hammer and met her gaze with fathomless blue eyes that held not just
  knowledge but the wisdom of ages.  “The
  reality I know and deal with every day is infinitely more important than my
  academic ego.  None of us fight the
  battles we do for personal gain.  We
  fight for survival.  We search for
  knowledge and explore because we seek to better ourselves as a race and to
  understand how we come to be and why we’re here.  There’s nothing more important than that.”

            Stunned by the vehemence with which
  Daniel spoke, Sarah stared at the man she thought she knew and understood.  “I didn’t mean, Daniel, to…”

            “DanielJackson!”  Teal’c’s voice cut across her words and she
  snapped her mouth shut.  Daniel turned to
  see what the Jaffa wanted.

            “Find something, Teal’c?”  He called back.

            “Indeed.  Many somethings.  Perhaps you should inspect these,
  DanielJackson.”

            “Be right there.”  Daniel glanced at Sarah.  “Look, I’m sorry I went off on a tangent like
  that.  I know you, better than anyone,
  understand the reality I live with.  But
  even you, Sarah, don’t know half of how bad things really can be, or the true
  evils that exist out there.  The Goa’uld
  are only the tip of the iceberg.  And
  until my dying breath – the one where I truly die, permanently – I’ll do
  whatever I have to in order to make certain the people of this planet are given
  the chance to reach the point where they can deal with the things I know.”  Picking up his notebook and pencil, Daniel
  left Sarah to see what Teal’c had discovered.

            “Hey, T, what’d you find?”  The linguist strode up to Teal’c and peered
  into the open crate.

            “They appear to be those stones that
  were used by the Ancients as communication devices.”  The Jaffa replied, holding one out to his
  friend.  “In this crate, I also
  discovered these stone tablets.”  He
  indicated three slabs of rock on the table next to the crate.  “The writing appears to be of Ancient origin,
  though I cannot read it.”

            “Huh. 
  Yeah, you’re right.”  Daniel set
  the little polished jewel-like stone aside and picked up one tablet, studying
  the text.  “Well, just at a glance, this
  one appears to be instructions for the stones. 
  I’ll take a closer look later, but this stuff is definitely what we were
  looking for.”

            “What shall we do with these items,
  DanielJackson?”

            “Set it aside from the other stuff,
  for now.  Once we have everything and
  know what all we have to pack up and ship home, we can ask Dr. Glasser for some
  proper packing materials.”  Daniel looked
  around the room, searching for Vala. 
  “Vala!”

            “What?”  She popped up from behind some crates in a
  far corner.  Cam was with her, digging
  through open boxes.

            “Bring my pack and come over
  here.  Time to earn your assistant
  credentials.”

            Perfectly happy to leave Mitchell to
  his own devices, the former host to Qetesh weaved her way over, stopping to
  grab Daniel’s pack.  She flashed a
  bright, completely smug smile at Sarah before swaying over to join Teal’c and
  Daniel.

            “Assistant Vala reporting for duty,
  Dr. Jackson.”  She announced blithely,
  giving him a sloppy salute.  Teal’c
  raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

            “Cut it out.”  Daniel chided, pointing at the stuff Teal’c
  continued to unload on the table.  “My
  camera’s in my pack.  Take pictures of
  everything you see here, and make sure that these tags are visible in the
  pictures.”  Daniel showed her the
  archival tags each item had from the dig team. 
  “Then re-tag them with ours and make sure you record which became what
  in the log.”

            “Right.  Got it.” 
  Vala was already pulling out the camera and necessary items from
  Daniel’s pack. “Wow.  So many of those
  little communicators.  Is there one of
  those big devices they go with, too?”

            “I don’t know yet.”  He shrugged. 
  “Keep looking, Teal’c.  Now that
  you found this stuff, if there’s anything else, it’s likely to be in the same
  area.”

            “Understood.  I will continue my search and assist
  ValaMalDoran, also.”

            “Thanks, T.”

            “Daniel!  Got something here!”

            This time it was Sam calling for
  him.  He hurried over, Mitchell not far
  behind.  “What is it, Sam?”  He asked.

            “I’ve got a faint energy reading
  here.  I don’t think it’s from any of the
  buildings’ wiring, either.”  Sam frowned
  as she scanned the pile of crates and boxes.

            “Maybe it’s whatever is hidden under
  that tarp behind all this stuff.”  Cam
  pointed out the canvas.  “Help me move
  these crates, Jackson.”

            Together they began clearing aside
  everything in front of the covered object. 
  Sam scanned each crate and box they moved, just in case, but in the end
  it was the object under the canvas.  Cam
  yanked it off and all three let out a low whistle.

            “It’s a big hunk of rock.”  Cam decided.

            “With Ancient text all over it.” Sam
  agreed.  “But why the power source?”

            “It’s a broken obelisk, with Ancient
  writing that once I translate will hopefully explain why it needs power.”  Daniel was already crouching down to study
  the base.  “Not here through.  I think this may be a bit more than we were
  prepared to crate up and take to go.”

            “Well, if Odyssey’s out and about, we
  could always ask them to beam it to the SGC labs for us.”  Sam pointed out.

            “Good idea.”

            Mitchell called out to the
  others.  “Hey guys!  Y’all need to see this.”

            Teal’c, Vala, and a hesitant Sarah gathered
  around the obelisk that was missing a large chunk of its top.

            Vala whistled.  “Wow. 
  I wasn’t expecting that.  How are
  we getting that back home?”  She
  inquired.

            “Asgard beams, probably.”  Cam answered, watching as Daniel brushed away
  dust, dirt, and debris from a spot near the top of the base that the obelisk
  sat on, which was right at the height of about Daniel’s stomach when he was
  standing.

            “We have seen many obelisks in our
  travels.”  Teal’c said, also watching the
  archaeologist work.  “And many of those
  had some form of Ancient writing inscribed upon them.”

            “My scans showed a power source,
  Teal’c.”  Sam informed him, answering his
  unspoken question of ‘what is so special about this one?’

            “I see.  That is, indeed, unusual.  I can think of only one other such
  case.”  The Jaffa looked meaningfully at
  Mitchell.  “The Sodan.”

            Mitchell’s eyes widened slightly and
  he nodded.  “Yeah.  Maybe.”

            “Ancient?”  Sarah asked. 
  She wore a slightly puzzled expression. 
  “I remember a lot of things, but all I remember of that is that the name
  referred to a race of beings that Anubis seemed quite obsessed with.  I don’t remember ever meeting one.”

            “We don’t know much more than that
  ourselves.”  Cam replied easily, shooting
  the others a warning look.  “And I’m afraid
  we aren’t allowed to share.”  It was still classified information, after
  all.

            A faint flash of disappointment
  crossed Sarah’s face, for the archaeologist in her.  That much of herself she had not lost to
  Osiris.

            Daniel, already gaining some suspicions
  from his cursory exam of the obelisk, dusted his hands and looked over at his
  team.  “Well, I’ll study this more
  later.  Let’s just get everything else.”

            Vala held up the camera.  “Want me to get a few shots?”

            “Yes, please, when you’re done with
  that other stuff.”

            At that moment, SG1’s radios
  crackled.  “Col. Mitchell, come in.”

            Cam pulled out his radio.  “This is Mitchell.  Report?”

            “Sir,
  there are several people outside, here, demanding to be let in.  They claim this is their exhibit.  Orders, sir?”

            “A moment, Airman.”  Cam glanced from Daniel to Sarah and
  back.  “Friends of yours, Jackson?”

            “Friends?  Highly doubt it.”  Daniel’s reply was snarky, but truthful.  He held up a hand when Mitchell looked like
  he was going to start a lecture.  “However…I
  may as well get this over with.  I’ll go
  see if Steven is out there, and if he is, I’ll bring him back in here where we
  can argue without our colleagues listening in.”

            “Fine.”  Cam agreed, a moment of sympathy showing on
  his face.  “Just…keep the info
  classified, alright?”

            Daniel nodded absently, his mind
  already a million light years away as he turned and began weaving through the
  room to the doors.

            “I’ll come with you, Daniel.”  Sarah hurried after him, determined to help
  in any way she could.

            Sam watched her ‘little brother’
  sadly, exchanging a look with Teal’c.  “I
  think it may be time to bring both Steven and Sarah into the programme.  The SGC could always use more minds, and it
  would relieve Daniel somewhat, I think.”

            Vala crossed her arms, leaning on a
  crate.  “So why haven’t they before now?”

            “SarahGardner was taken as host by
  Osiris many years ago.  Once we were able
  to capture her and the Tok’ra assisted in the removal of Osiris, SarahGardner
  was in no fit state to lend her knowledge to the SGC.”  Teal’c explained.  “She did not seem to want to have any further
  contact with anything or anyone associated with such a traumatic experience.”

            “Hmph.”  Vala tossed her head in disdain.  “Although I sympathize with the whole host
  aspect, she’s a fool.  Running away won’t
  make her feel any better and she’ll never forget entirely.”

            Cam squeezed the feisty woman’s
  shoulder.  “You’re right.  But…cut her some slack, Vala.  You grew up with hardship and you know how
  things are out there in the galaxy.  Dr.
  Gardner didn’t.  And some people just
  don’t have the strength of spirit people like us seem to have.”

            “She’s still a fool.”  Nothing anyone said would change Vala’s mind.

            “We’ll ask Daniel what he thinks
  later.”  Sam sighed.  “He pretty much oversees the civilian aspect
  of the mountain – the linguistics, anthro-archaeology parts at least.  He might have some positions that they could
  fill.”

  ~*~*~*~*~

            Daniel pushed open the doors and
  stepped out into the brightly lit corridor that was occupied by several annoyed
  social scientists and two stoic SFs in their museum security disguises.  Sarah stood quietly to his side and slightly
  behind him, willing to let him take charge and only speak up if Daniel needed
  assistance – though she had begun to think he probably wouldn’t.  He had changed so much from the Daniel she’d
  once known.  This Daniel Jackson commanded a presence and respect he’d never had
  before, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to deal with that.

            Stepping forward, the SFs flanking him
  subtly, Daniel raised his voice and spoke in a tone he’d perfected in lecture
  halls and classrooms.  “Attention,
  please!  If you’ll all just be quiet for
  a moment…”

            “Hey! 
  What’s going on here?”  One of the
  nearest man demanded.  “Why are we being
  denied entry to our exhibit?”

            “We’ve got to be ready by
  tomorrow!”  A female voice added from
  somewhere in the middle.

            “I’m very sorry, but under the
  National Securities Act, this exhibit and lecture is under immediate
  investigation.  Until we have finished,
  no one without clearance will be allowed in, and any one of you involved may be
  asked to turn over all data, records, photographs, etc., regarding the
  artefacts and the dig they were discovered at. 
  If you do not comply, you can be charged and held under the NSA for an
  unspecified time.”  Daniel announced,
  internally wincing at both having to tell these people that and their
  expressions of shock and outrage.

            “And just who the hell are you?”  A woman from the front of the crowd
  demanded.  “What authority do you think you
  have?”  She didn’t even let him answer
  before turning to the others and asking, “Where’s Steven?  And Joel? 
  Someone call them and get them here now! 
  And someone find Dr. Glasser!”

            Daniel eyed the crowd and narrowed his
  gaze at them.  “Yes, please, do find
  Steven.  We need to question him
  anyway.  As for the rest,” he turned the
  full force of his glare on the woman, pulling out his civilian military ID and
  holding it up like a cop flashing his badge. 
  “My name is Dr. Daniel Jackson, and I’m a civilian consultant to the
  USAF via the Pentagon.  I have full
  authority through them.  But if that’s
  not good enough for you, how does Presidential authority grip you?”

            The woman’s eyes widened for a
  moment.  “Presidential?  As in of the United States?  Don’t you think that’s laying it on a little
  thick?”

            “Excuse me.  Pardon me.” 
  Dr. Glasser pushed his way through the crowd and hurried over to
  Daniel.  “Daniel, is there a problem?  I can call for more security if you like?”

            “No. 
  Thank you, sir, that won’t be necessary.”  Daniel gave the poor man a small smile of
  reassurance.  “But if you could recommend
  a room that these fine people could wait comfortably in, that would be very
  helpful.”

            “Of course!  Next door in the conference hall.  I’ll unlock the doors.”

            “Perfect.  Thanks.”

            “Wait a minute…” a young man pushed
  ahead of the others and studied Daniel suspiciously.  “Jackson… 
  Aren’t you that weird guy that insisted the pyramids of Giza were built
  by aliens and that civilization is over 10,000 years old.”

            Daniel just looked at him impassively,
  having long since been validated and not caring if any of these people still
  remembered him as the extremely outrageous academic with crazy, ridiculous
  theories that were the laughing stock of academia nearly twelve years ago.

            “Yes, he is.”  A new voice answered for him.  Dr. Steven Rayner had finally shown up, and
  his expression vaguely reminded Daniel of Teal’c when the Jaffa was suffering
  from indigestion – a much more frequent occurrence since the loss of his primta. 
  “And I should have known you wouldn’t keep out of this, Daniel.”

            “Steven, don’t.”  Sarah pleaded, stepping out from behind
  Daniel.  “This isn’t something personal.”

            He glared at her.  “And I really
  should have known not to tell you anything. 
  I should have known you’d go running to him.”  Steven stared darkly
  at them both.  “Why can’t you just stay
  out of my life, Daniel?  Hmm?  Out of my career?  I’m never going to earn anyone’s respect
  because of you!”

            Daniel sighed, pinching the bridge of
  his nose as he contemplated the situation and his options for handling it.  “Look, I’m sorry this isn’t going to happen
  the way you want it to, and I’m sorry to be the one that has to enforce it.  I wish you could have this, Steven, I really
  do.”  And he did.  Honestly. 
  “But the world’s not ready.  And
  you should have recognized that you’d never be allowed to go through with
  it.”  He held up a finger, waggling it
  when Steven opened his mouth to refute him. 
  “No!  Not here.  In a moment.”

            “Dr. Jackson, what should we do with
  everyone?”  One SF asked him politely.

            “Pull Montoya and Whyte from
  inside.”  The linguist replied.  “They can cover these doors while you and
  Sgt. Connor keep an eye on our…guests in the lecture hall.”

            He got a smart salute for his
  trouble.  “Yes, sir.  And him?” 
  He gestured at a seething Steven.

            “He’s with me.  For now. 
  SG1 and I will handle it.”

            “Very good, sir.”

            Daniel nodded at the SFs and motioned
  for Steven and Sarah to precede him into the exhibit room.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Chapter III

   

            “Listen, Steven, I’m not going to
  argue with you about this or old issues.” 
  Daniel stated in a weary, but firm voice.  “Whether it was me here, shutting down this
  exhibit, or not…someone would.  Be thankful it’s my team and I that you’re
  working with because believe me, there are many worse people you could be
  dealing with on this.  At least we’re
  reasonable.”

            “I don’t understand why ‘your
  people,’” Steven stalked along beside Daniel (Sarah following behind),
  complaining as he went, “As you call them, think they have the right to just
  barge in and interfere with legitimate academic pursuits!  And why the hell would a few artefacts –
  though strange – be a threat to National Security?”

            “Like I said before…it’s classified,
  and I can’t tell you.  If you don’t like
  it, take it up with the President, next time you see him – though I’m fairly
  sure he’ll just ignore you.”  Daniel
  spotted his teammates continuing on with the search.  “Until then, you and everyone else on the
  dig, as well as anyone who had access to any of the related data, artefacts,
  etc., will have to turn over everything you’ve got; every single paper, file,
  data disk, email, photo, video…hell, post-it notes, even.  And expect to be signing another mountain of
  disclosure forms and agreements, Stephan.” 
  With that warning, the linguist went over to where Mitchell and Teal’c
  were stacking crates around the obelisk. 
  “Hey, so..what’cha doing?”

            Cam dusted his hands off.  “Well, Sam called General Landry, who agreed
  to task the Odyssey to assist us.  Apparently
  they’re just lazing around up there, playing with all the new toys.”  He replied, referring to the Asgard
  technology their little alien friends had bestowed on the Tau’ri before their
  mass destruction a few months ago.

            “We are preparing the artefacts for
  transport, Daniel Jackson.”  Teal’c
  added.  “Col.Carter and ValaMalDoran are
  making a final sweep of the room to make certain we have not missed anything.”

            “Wow. 
  You guys finished already?  That’s
  great!”  Daniel, impressed, smiled at his
  friends.  “I gotta tell you, I can’t wait
  for this day to be done.”

            “Daniel, my darling,” Vala sidled up
  next to her favourite person as Steven and Sarah approached the group.  “Sam had an excellent idea that you should
  probably ask her about before we leave.” 
  She hooked an arm through Daniel’s comfortably and held on, her eyes on
  both archaeologists.

            With an eye-roll, Daniel extracted his
  arm and steered Vala around his former friends and peers, heading for Sam.  “Okay, then let’s go talk to her.”

            “Hey.” 
  Sam’s blonde head turned to glance at them briefly before returning to
  study the scanning instrument in her hand. 
  “So how did it go?”

            “Oh, same old schtick.  You know…’why are you here, Daniel?  Why are you determined to ruin my life,
  Daniel?’  But Vala says you have an
  idea?”  He prompted, not wanting to dwell
  on Steven’s anger and accusations.

            “Yep. 
  I’m thinking if you want the guy off your back, then the best way would
  be to bring him into the programme.”  Sam
  shut off her equipment and sat on a folding chair.  She spoke quietly.  “I’m not even suggesting as an off-world
  asset.  Both Dr. Rayner and Dr. Gardner
  could be very valuable to your department for research and on-world study.”

            Daniel pondered that for a
  moment.  “Maybe.”  He agreed slowly.  “But there might be some issues there,
  especially for Sarah after what she went through.”  And then, as it always was, a few mega-watt
  light bulbs went off and his mind took Sam’s idea much further than even she
  ever seemed to go.  Although to be fair,
  he’d had this fantasy floating around in his brain since Vala and her ‘treasure
  map’ and her ‘marriage bracelets’ led them to Glastonbury Tor and Merlin’s
  treasure.  But he’d never dreamed he’d
  actually see a way to make it happen.

            “Daniel?”  Sam inquired curiously.  He’d gone all thoughtful on her, and she
  recognized the expression he wore as his ‘I’m about to be brilliant’ one.

            Her adopted little brother raised a
  finger, eyebrows furrowed deeply.  “In a
  minute.  Hey, guys?”  Daniel called out to their teammates.  “Could I have a moment?  Sorry, Sarah. 
  Steven.  This will only take a
  moment, if you could just wait there.”

            Sarah nodded, holding Steven back with
  a hand on his arm.  The archaeologist
  scowled, getting more and more annoyed.

            Teal’c and Cam joined Vala, Sam, and
  Daniel.  “What’s up?”  Cameron asked.

            “Well…how many alien discoveries have
  we – meaning the SGC – made right here on Earth since the Stargate first
  opened?”  If the strange question
  confused anyone, they didn’t show it.

            “Several.”  Teal’c answered after a moment.  “Many important discoveries have been made on
  this planet – not always by the SGC, but sometimes by others, as this exhibit
  exemplifies.”

            “Antarctica, Honduras, Mexico,
  Egypt…”  Cam listed off countries where
  such things were found from his memory of mission reports and his own
  experience.  “…England, and now France.”

            “Right.  Now, I admit it annoys me that no one thought
  of this sooner – including myself, and I only got the idea after Glastonbury
  Tor – but with everything we now know, all these discoveries that keep being
  made…does anyone know why we don’t have a permanent on-world
  archaeological/research team to deal with right here at home?”  Daniel wondered, glancing around at each of
  his friends in question.

            “I don’t even pretend to understand
  how Tau’ri society works half the time,” Vala drawled, studying her nails, “but
  you said it yourself, Daniel; no one else has thought of it yet.”

            “And we did sort of…cull the academic
  pool and send a large number of the world’s best and brightest off to Atlantis
  with Dr. Weir.”  Sam pointed out.  “But you’re right.  It does seem strange that we’ve ignored our
  own planet all this time – not that I’m trying to invalidate the entire
  programme or anything, because…no way.” 
  She hastily added.

            “Indeed.  Perhaps now that we face a much graver enemy
  than even the Goa’uld or the Replicators, our focus should include the First
  World.  I have often noticed that Earth
  features more often than not in the pasts of not only the Tau’ri but of the
  enemies – and allies – of the Tau’ri, also.” 
  Teal’c stated.

            “So…what?  You think it’s time to start a team?  With those two?”  Cam asked, indicating Sarah and Steven with
  his thumb.  “Is that such a good
  idea?  And why haven’t you tried
  recruiting them before now?”

            “Well, yes.  I think they’d be perfect for the job of
  leading an Earth-side team.  And before
  there was no place to put them, not to mention Sarah was still dealing with
  her…traumatic issues.”  Daniel explained,
  sotto voce.  “And quite honestly, I don’t think either of
  them are suitable for active, off-world duty, at least not yet.  I doubt they’d be able to handle the
  field-training;  even Sarah, who is quite
  feisty when she wants to be.”

            “Okay, so what do we do now,
  then?”  Vala wanted to know.  “I can tell that Steven guy isn’t going to
  let us just beam out of here with his precious stuff without an explanation.

            “She has a point, Daniel.  And I don’t think there’s any possible cover
  story we could come up with that he – not to mention the rest – will believe or
  accept.”  Sam agreed quietly.

            “Well, I’ll have to call General
  Landry and see what he says.  Then…I
  guess I’ll have to go pester Jack so he can pester the IOA and those Pentagon
  suits about it.  At least I can get them
  clearance, for now.”

            “Right.  Jackson, you make your call to the
  Generals.  Sam, Vala, and I will finish
  packing and get this stuff aboard the Odyssey.” 
  Cam decided.

            Teal’c glanced at his young friend,
  already with his cell phone out and punching numbers on the keypad obliviously.  “I will remain with DanielJackson and lend my
  assistance.”

            “Fine, fine.”  Cam waved him off, leading the females of
  their group back over to the artefacts they were packing up.

            “Dr. Jackson for General Landry,
  please.”  Daniel said when the switchboard
  operator answered at the Mountain.  A
  moment later, Hank Landry’s jovial – yet serious – commanding voice responded,
  “Landry.”

            “General, it’s Dr. Jackson reporting
  in, sir.”

            “Good, good.  I was just about to call one of you.  I just got off the horn with Col. Davis at
  Homeworld Security.  He’s sending some
  Pentagon pencil-pushers to deal with your crowd of archaeologists and their
  disclosure agreements.”

            “Oh! 
  Good.  One less thing to worry
  about.”  Daniel breathed a sigh of
  relief.  That had been one aspect he did
  not want to deal with if he didn’t have to. 
  “I’ll let the rest of SG1 know, sir.”

            “Thank you.  Now, what can I do for you, son?  I suspect this call was more than just a
  check-in.”

            “Um…yes, actually.  I want to request that Dr. Gardner and Dr.
  Rayner be issued clearance – full clearance – so that I can explain to them
  what’s going on.”  Daniel hastily kept
  talking, fearing the immediate answer would be ‘not on your life, kid – not
  matter how many you’ve got.’  He
  explained the situation, his reasoning, and the idea he had proposed to the
  others.  When he stopped talking, there
  was a moment of silence on the line as Landry absorbed the info and thought
  about it.  “Sir, I hadn’t expected to
  ever see my idea happen, so I don’t have a proposal in the works, but as soon
  as we get back I’ll get started on a formal proposal, and I’ll oversee the new
  team’s work personally if you want…” he added, after a few more seconds of
  silence.

            “Whoa, now, Dr. Jackson, just back the
  truck up a bit.  We’ll deal with that
  later.  You’ve made an excellent point
  about this new team, and I will be bringing it up as soon as possible with all
  the necessary parties.”

            “Really?  Uh, wow. 
  Thank you, sir.”  Stunned, Daniel
  smiled a little.  He wasn’t sure he’d be
  able to convince Landry – or anyone else – that such a team was necessary or
  worth the expense.

            “Don’t thank me until it happens.  You know how much of a fight it is for any
  new expense with the IOA.”

            “Very true, General.  Unfortunately…”

            “As for the other…are you certain that
  they’re trustworthy, Dr. Jackson?  And
  for what reason would I have to ask the President for permission?”

            “Well, I think Sarah has proven
  herself trustworthy, sir.  And like I
  said, Steven bought the cover story we cooked up for him last time, but he
  won’t this time.  Not when he’s seen as
  much as he has and with us – me –
  here shutting him down.  I honestly think
  when he hears and sees the truth, he’ll be completely on board with the secrecy
  of the programme and an asset to the SGC.” 
  Daniel just hoped the guy could see past his own insecurities and
  desires for recognition long enough to comprehend the importance of it all.

            “Alright.  And if your plan for this Earth-side team
  doesn’t pan out?  What will you do with
  them then?”

            “They would still be assets to the
  SGC, sir.  We still need researchers,
  translators, and archaeologists trained in the archiving and preservation of
  artefacts and delicate materials.  They
  would earn their salaries, sir.”  Of
  that, at least, Daniel was positive.  “If
  you need something more to tell the President, or if he needs a more formal
  proposal, I’ll be happy to…”

            “Yes, Doctor.  So you’ve already stated.”  A pause. 
  “Very well.  I’ll start making
  phone calls, and to begin I’ll give you permission to talk to them only about the current mission you’re on
  and those artefacts.  Nothing else until
  you hear from me, understood?”  Landry’s
  voice was stern, but Daniel could hear the slight smile in it.

            “Loud and clear, General.  Thank you, sir.”  Daniel shut his cell and pocketed it, smiling
  up at Teal’c, who raised an expressive eyebrow in question.

            “He’s actually going to try and make
  it happen.”  The linguist explained.

            “Why would GeneralLandry not see the
  value in such a plan, DanielJackson?  It
  is a reasonable suggestion regarding the exploration mandate of the SGC.”  The Jaffa regarded the younger, brilliant man
  knowingly.  “You feel your ideas are of
  little worth to those Tau’ri making the political and economic decisions for
  the programme.”

            “Well…yeah.”  Daniel flushed a little, stuffing his hands
  in his jacket pockets self-consciously. 
  “I’m not well-liked by the pencil pushers in Washington or the IOA.  And the recent little…incident where I went
  Prior doesn’t really help much.”  He
  wouldn’t add how he was certain that same incident had irrevocably broken what
  might have still remained of his roller coaster friendship with Jack.  The man hadn’t talked to him since they’d
  come home, and the ride back had been cold, lonely, and uncomfortably silent
  between them.

            Teal’c merely tilted his head in
  undisguised disgust.  “They are
  fools.  They do not see the reality of
  which you and I see every day, only what is written on paper.  And they do not hear the wisdom of your
  words, DanielJackson, because they do not believe in anything beyond their own
  desires and petty needs.  This, however,
  I do not believe will prevent you from doing what must be done.”

            “No, you’re right.  Besides,” Daniel’s grin flashed and there was
  a hard gleam in his surreal blue eyes that was usually reserved for Goa’ulds,
  Priors, and Jack O’Neill, “It was worth it just for scaring the total crap out
  of Weasel-Woolsey.”

            Teal’c smiled in a peacefully content
  way, as he did when fools were made to see how foolish they truly are.  “Indeed.”

            Daniel rubbed at the bridge of his
  nose and sighed, gearing himself up to go talk to Steven again.  “Let’s go, my friend.  Might as well try and calm the storm brewing
  over Steven’s stubborn head.”  The big
  black man followed Daniel calmly, staying just far enough behind to remain
  overtly protective and yet still be immensely intimidating.

            “That’s a poor excuse and you know it,
  Sarah.”  Steven was saying to the weary,
  sad female as they approached.  “You’ve
  sold out to the military, too, haven’t you? 
  Wherever you went to after Dr. Jordan died…”

            “That’s enough, Steven.”  Daniel snapped, stepping between the two and
  giving his former colleague a stony stare. 
  “That’s none of your business, and you know it.  Leave Sarah be.  And as for right now, you can just stop
  throwing accusations and blame around. 
  Like I said before, if Sarah hadn’t told me, then you’d be dealing with
  much less agreeable people, and probably staring at the inside of a prison cell
  right now.”

            Livid, Steven threw his hands in the
  air and gave a short, growling scream of pure frustration.  “Are you just completely insane?!  What have I done that’s so goddamned awful
  I’d be imprisoned for it?  Tell me, Daniel…” Steven was right in Daniel’s
  face as he spoke now, poking the other man in the chest.  Daniel merely glared back at him, unfazed –
  after all, one didn’t face down System Lords, hoards of Jaffa, and hundreds of
  Replicators (not to mention die a few
  times) without growing a backbone. 
  “…what do I have to fear from you?”

            “There’s only one way I can tell you
  anything, Steven.  I’m working on that,
  but at the moment I’ve only got permission to discuss the current
  situation.  The artefacts we’re
  confiscating are a threat to National Security because knowledge of their
  existence is a potential threat to the programme I am a part of – have been for
  the last eleven years or so.”  Daniel
  folded his arms over his chest.  “If
  you’ll kindly back off and calm down, we can discuss this like the
  professionals and adults we are.”

            “Steven, please.”  Sarah laid a hand on Daniel’s arm, stepping
  out from behind him.  “I know you’re
  confused, and upset, and that you don’t really trust either of us, but Daniel’s
  telling you the truth.  He’s only telling
  you what he’s allowed to, and if you ever believe me about anything at all ever again…please believe that what he isn’t
  telling you is for your protection, not because he wants to ruin your career or
  your life, nor because he wants the credit of your discovery.”

            Rayner stared at her for a moment,
  then looked back at Daniel before taking a slow, deliberate step back.  “Fine. 
  Start talking.”

            “Thank you.”  Daniel flicked his eyes toward Teal’c, who’d
  tensed and looked very much like he was prepared to jump in and restrain Steven
  if he dared touch one hair on Daniel’s head. 
  In a small nod, the linguist conveyed to the Jaffa that the situation
  was under control.  Teal’c simply nodded
  back and planted himself where he stood like a titanium wall.  Realizing his self-appointed guardian wasn’t
  budging, Daniel shrugged.

            “Well?”  Steven demanded impatiently.

            “There isn’t really much I can tell
  you because I haven’t had time, yet, to really study things.  But what I do know is this: the material some
  of those artefacts are made of can’t be found on this planet, and the writing
  on the broken obelisk and those tablets is a language that very, very few
  people anywhere have ever heard of,
  spoken or read or written in millennia, or are currently able to translate.”

            Sarah’s eyes widened in apparent
  recognition.  “I…I remember…”

            “If you do, then you know how much
  more important it is that we take this stuff and figure it out before someone
  who doesn’t understand the technology fools around with it.”  Daniel hastily interrupted, shooting her a
  warning look.

            Steven frowned.  “You know what it is, Sarah?”

            “No. 
  I only…vaguely know of who may have built it.”

            “I suspect it’s some form of
  communication device.  Sam was getting
  power readings earlier, so it may be still working.”  Daniel shrugged at the incredulous look on
  Steven’s face.  “Like I said, I’m making
  educated guesses because I haven’t had a chance to really study it.”

            “Okay…but…you can read the
  writing?  You know who made that
  stuff?”  Steven kept on frowning.  “I don’t understand how that’s possible.  No one has seen anything like that writing before.”

            “I wish I could tell you how,
  Steven.  And if my request is granted, I
  promise I will.”

            The dark-haired man shook his head,
  trying to process things.  “What
  request?”

            Teal’c stepped up to Daniel’s side,
  dropping a hand on his shoulder and squeezing gently in support.  “DanielJackson has petitioned of our
  superiors to be allowed to bring both yourself and SarahGardner into the
  programme, with full-disclosure of the programme’s mandates, activities, and
  achievements.  He believes you would be
  great assets to…your nation if you agree to join us.”

            Blinking at the giant of a man, Steven
  looked shocked.  “What?  You want us
  to work for the government?  And who are
  you?”

            “This is…Murray.”  Daniel hesitated, using the Tau’ri name Jack
  had once pinned on the Jaffa as a cover because he still didn’t know how much
  he could safely tell Steven.  “He’s a
  very good friend of mine, and he’s a member of my team.  Yes, Steven, I’m waiting for permission to
  recruit the both of you.”  He smiled
  faintly.  “You want to work on something
  important?  You want recognition and
  credit?  I guarantee you’ll get it.  This project is the greatest adventure you’ll
  ever have, Steven.  You’ll learn things,
  see things, you never dreamed possible. 
  And…” Daniel’s expression saddened, his eyes holding a wealth of
  knowledge and sorrow.  “…you’ll discover
  just how insignificant all of that is. 
  What I do – what we do – is
  more important than any personal desire or the ridiculous squabbles the nations
  of our world are constantly mired in.”

            “He’s not exaggerating, Steven.”  Sarah added, her voice quiet and full of deep
  sadness and conviction.  “I only remember
  small parts of what happened to me, but it’s enough to know that Daniel is a
  part of something profound.  Not just to
  the academic world but to all of humanity.” 
  She looked at Daniel.  “I don’t
  know if I can be involved, Daniel.  I
  don’t think I can ever go out there again…”

            “No, Sarah.”  He took her hands and clasped them
  tightly.  “Of course not.  You wouldn’t be expected to be on a field
  unit.  Your feet would stay firmly
  planted on terra firma, I promise.  No,
  what I have in mind would suit you both much better than the kinds of things I run around doing on an average day at
  the office.”  Daniel quirked a
  smile.  “You would have your own
  team.  I’d supervise, advise, etc., but
  your team would essentially be free agents.” 
  He sobered.  “I won’t lie and tell
  you that you’d be in no danger, however.”

            “Indeed.  There are yet many…snakes to be wary of.”  Teal’c agreed sagely.  “And you may often be required to travel to
  places of unrest and strife around the world.”

            Daniel’s smile was weak.  “Yeah. 
  Snakes don’t have the monopoly on evil, after all.  Humans can be just as bad.”  He coughed and straightened.  “Anyway, I just want you to think about
  it.  I’m afraid I can’t say anything
  further at the moment.  And Stephan,”
  Daniel threw an abjectly apologetic expression at the other man.  “I am truly sorry to bust up your
  exhibit.  If the world was ready, I’d
  have done what I could to help you share it with everyone. But not quite
  yet.  We’re still…much too young.”

            Frowning because he had no idea what
  Daniel meant by that, Steven warily nodded. 
  “I’ll reserve judgement.  For
  now.  And I’ll think about what you want
  to offer, Daniel.  But no promises.”

            “I’ll think about it, too.”  Sarah said. 
  “I…have to decide if I’m strong enough to face that reality again.”

            “If it matters, I think you are.  And I think you both can make a
  difference.”  Daniel glanced over as Vala
  called his name.  “Duty calls.  Come on, T…Murray.  Let’s go see what’s up.”  Together, the teammates joined the others,
  leaving Sarah and Steven alone to talk everything over.

            “You bellowed?”  He drawled, sidestepping a crate.

            “We’re done.”  Vala ignored the jibe.  “We were wondering what General Landry said.”

            “He’s looking into the whole new team
  thing.”  Daniel informed them, feeling a
  bit more pleased about it now that the possibility of it really happening was
  setting in.  “And he said he’d try and
  talk the powers-that-be into bringing Sarah and Steven into the fold.  They only have clearance regarding this
  mission, for the time being, however.”

            “Right.  Any new orders?”  Cam asked.

            “No. 
  He did say the Pentagon was sending some people to deal with the rest of
  Steven’s dig team.”  He’d almost
  forgotten that part.

            Sam rolled her eyes.  “Col. Emerson offered to beam us all up to
  Odyssey and drop us off back in the Springs instead of us flying back the
  conventional way.”

            “Great.”  Daniel shrugged.  “Beats jet-lag.”

            “What about the two Doctors over
  there?”  Cameron pulled out his radio
  when it crackled, holding up a hand. 
  “Hold that thought…Mitchell.”

            “Col.
  Mitchell, a team from the Pentagon has arrived, sir.  They’re requesting to speak to SG1 before
  they debrief the archaeologists in the conference room.”

            “Copy that.  We’re coming.”  The officer answered.  “You heard the man, folks.”  He ushered them forward.  As they neared Sarah and Steven, Sam
  indicated that they should follow.

            “You two better tag along.  I’m sure the Pentagon sent a nice big stack
  of forms for you to sign off on as well.”

            Steven raised both eyebrows in
  surprise at the implied official brass that was getting involved, but didn’t
  protest.  Daniel suspected his curiosity
  was slowly overriding his animosity and hopefully tweaking his interest in the
  prospect of Daniel’s offer.  Both he and
  Sarah allowed themselves to be herded along to the lecture hall next door.

            The first one of SG1 to say anything
  at the sight of who was requesting their presence was Vala.

            “Oh no.  Not you again.”

            Richard Woolsey looked very much like
  he’d rather be elsewhere, too.  “Ms.
  MalDoran.  How nice to see you
  again.”  No one mistook that for anything
  more than sheer politeness.

            “If it isn’t the little weasel-y
  man.”  Vala returned the greeting none to
  fondly – not that any of her friends rushed to interrupt.  “Why do you insist on turning up where we
  least want to see you?”

            “I’m only trying to do my job.”

            “Alright.  So do it. 
  You don’t need us for that.”  Cam
  jumped in, aware that there was an entire roomful of curious onlookers staring
  and listening raptly to the exchange.

            “No, I don’t.  I do, however, have need of Dr. Rayner and
  Dr. Gardner.  I believe their statements
  and forms will take considerably longer to get through, and I’ve been asked to
  administer to them personally.”  Woolsey
  drew himself up to stand as straight as he could, trying to appear in control –
  though both he and SG1 knew better.  “As
  they were not among these others, I assumed they would be with SG1.”

            “Why personally?”  Sam asked suspiciously.  “And by who? 
  General O’Neill?  Or are you here
  doing the IOA’s dirty work again?”

            “Because just before I arrived,
  General Landry contacted me with direct orders from the Joint Chiefs to work on
  their forms for full clearance and disclosure, Col. Carter.”  Woolsey frowned at her.  “And I take offence at the implication that
  the IOA has any part of any untoward activities!”

            “Ha!” 
  Vala tossed her hair over her shoulder indignantly.  “Of course you do.”

            “Daniel?”  Sarah looked at him questioningly.  The SGC’s top civilian sighed and rubbed at
  his eyes.  He could feel the headache
  coming on fast.  “It’s a very long story,
  Sarah.  Don’t worry about it.”  Daniel gestured to one of his least favourite
  people.  “This is Richard Woolsey.  He’s apparently been appointed the task of
  debriefing you both and helping you fill out all the stuff you’ll have to in order
  to get official full clearance.  You’re
  going to be asked a lot of questions, Steven.” 
  Daniel warned, turning to the other of his former peers.  “And you will probably be asked to turn over
  every little thing you’ve got regarding…all that stuff we are taking with us.”

            Steven nodded slowly.  “Fine. 
  So…what?  Once we fill out papers
  and answer questions, then what?”

            “Well, you can still give your
  presentation and hold your exhibition, but you’ll have to comply with any
  editing these folks make.”  Daniel nodded
  toward the JAG lawyers in Air Force uniforms standing behind Woolsey.  “I’m afraid it won’t be quite as exciting as
  it was going to be, but it’s up to you. 
  After that…I think you’d both better pack up your belongings because
  you’ll likely be moving.”

            “Hey! 
  Colorado Springs isn’t so bad.” 
  Cam smiled and clapped Daniel on the shoulder, the down-home Southern
  charm rolling off him.  “You’ll like it,
  I’m sure.”

            “Yes, well…” Woolsey interrupted.  “We have a lot of work to do, so if you don’t
  mind, I’d like to get started.  Oh, and
  Dr. Jackson?”

            Daniel gazed heavily at Woolsey.  “What?” 
  He wanted to smirk at the decidedly nervous expression on the man’s
  face.  “For cryin’ out loud, relax, Dick!  I can’t wiggle my fingers and hang you
  half-way up a wall by the throat anymore.”

            Clearing his throat and flushing in
  embarrassment, Woolsey tugged at the collar of his shirt.  “Yes, well, I merely wanted to pass on a
  message from General Landry.  He’s
  meeting you on the Odyssey, and he’s requested you report to the briefing room
  immediately when you arrive.”

            “Ah. 
  Fine then.”  Ignoring the man now,
  Daniel turned to smile reassuringly at Steven and Sarah.  “Well, I’m leaving you to it.  You’ll be fine.  Just answer all his questions, be as truthful
  as possible, and it’ll be over sooner than you think.”

            “Wait! 
  You’re leaving?”  Sarah held onto
  his arm.

            “I have to.  I’ve got a job to do.  And a General waiting.”  He grinned, shooting a wink at his
  teammates.  “First rule of working in a
  military setting: never keep a General waiting.”  He leaned in and gave Sarah a quick kiss on
  the cheek.  “When you’re brought to the
  Mountain, I’ll probably be there.”  He
  held out a tentative hand to Steven. 
  “Good luck.”

            Slowly reaching out, Steven accepted
  the handshake.  “Thanks.  I still don’t know if I believe you or that
  any of this is worth it, but…”

            Daniel nodded, stuffing his hands in
  his pockets.  “I won’t make promises or
  guarantees because, frankly, my work is far too unstable and uncertain for
  that.  But…I honestly believe you’ll
  agree how important it is, once you know.”

            “That’s fair.”  Steven allowed.

            “If you’ll follow me, Doctors?”  Woolsey motioned them to come with him.  They left, and Daniel watched them go with a
  sigh of relief.

            “Daniel?  You okay?” 
  Sam dropped a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in concern.

            “Yeah. 
  I’m fine, Sam.  Just…hoping that
  by bringing them in, I won’t be getting them killed.”

            Sam looked in the direction they’d
  gone.  “You’ve warned them, and Sarah has
  a pretty good idea already how dangerous it could be.  And no doubt Woolsey will do a thorough job
  of listing off all the dangers before they sign anything.  If they decide to join after that, then…”

            “Then it’s their choices,” Mitchell
  drawled seriously, “And anything that happens to them on the job after that
  will not be your fault, Daniel.”  Two years with SG1 and he’d gotten to know
  Daniel’s penchant for guilt quite well. 
  “Now, let’s go.  There’s a General
  waiting, and like the man said, we don’t want to do that!”

  ~*~*~*~*~

   

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