traitors

Traitors and Fossils and Goa'ulds…Oh My
By
Denise

Disclaimer Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author.

Daniel exited the elevator and walked down the bare corridor nodding at the personnel he passed.

"Howdy Doctor Jackson," Sergeant Phelps said, using his card to open the door for him.

"Morning Sergeant. Thanks. Here you go," Daniel said, handing the man a cup of coffee.

"Thanks Doc. Hope you got something in there to keep him occupied," he said taking a sip.

The sergeant pointed at the pile of paper airplanes in the corner. "Cabin fever. If it keeps up there won't be an intact memo left in the place."

"Yell if you need anything Doc," the man said, closing the door behind him and leaving Daniel alone with the sole occupant of the cell. It felt almost surreal to be visiting Jack this way. Normally if the man was behind bars the rest of the team was in there with him, usually on some backwater planet where one of them had done something to tick off the natives.

Instead Jack was in the cell where he'd been escorted after returning from his self appointed mission to fix a nightmare. True, the gate wasn't their personal toy and every time it was used explanations had to be made but…well he'd have thought that bringing Sam back to life, deprogramming General Hammond and possibly saving Daniel from permanent handicap status would have been enough to mollify the Pentagon.

However Jack's current status as jailbird was physical proof that maybe it wasn't enough, this time.

"Morning Jack," he said, forcing a cheerful note into his voice. The colonel ignored him, staying as he was, lying on his back, his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. Daniel knew he wasn't asleep. First of all it was after 9am and second Jack was one of those annoying people who could march ten miles, sleep five hours then be up at dawn ready to go ten more. Cooped up as he'd been, allowed out once a day for a shower and change of clothes., Daniel considered it a miracle he hadn't gone totally stir crazy.
"Brought you breakfast," he continued, ignoring the lack of response. He held out a bag from a donut shop his friend liked to frequent through the bars along with a large Styrofoam cup of coffee.

He stood there feeling more than a little stupid until Jack rolled off the bunk, crossed the cell in three steps and took the food. "Thanks," he muttered, sitting back on the bunk. He took the lid off the cup and sniffed it, closing his eyes appreciatively. "One thing hasn't changed around here. The coffee still sucks." He took a sip, set the cup down and dug into the sack for a donut. "News?"

Jack nodded. That was to be expected. Daniel had told him how Calvert had taken him away, at least not in chains this time. Though that didn't make much difference. Jack had read some of the NID's proposals, the tests they wanted to run. He feared their clinical research would be harder for the Jaffa to endure than anything the goa'uld could come up with.

"She's…aah…freaked," Daniel wavered, searching for just the right term for his friend's behavior.

Jack sighed, not having to work too hard to imagine what his teammate was going through. Even after ten years he still had nightmares of his time in Iraq. And his assailants had been anonymous bullies.

"She won't come in here. You know that," Daniel reminded. Jack was housed in the same cell they'd put Sam in while she'd been blended with Jolinar. Even three years later she wouldn't cross the threshold.

"Officially?" Jack nodded. "Officially he's been cleared of all charges and is taking a sabbatical. Scuttlebutt has it that he's resigned."

"Damn it," Jack cursed quietly, getting to his feet. It was what he'd been expecting but had been hoping he would be wrong. "Daniel," he said urgently, stopping by the bars. "I need you to make a few calls for me."

"Yeah. Snuck in late last night while he was grabbing some dinner," he said smiling at the tiny conspiracy that had taken place. Once Kensington had left his office he'd been besieged by at least a dozen people who had urgent questions that just HAD to be answered then. Between Sergeants Siler and Davis and the rest, the general's 'quick bite' turned into a ninety-minute ordeal.

"Well I didn't think it would be prudent to say I think the new general is a crackpot and makes Bauer look good…"

"So I settled for 'It's important can he call me back', which means I'll never hear from them," he finished with a shrug.

"No. I mean CAREFUL," Jack said, enunciating the word. "I don't exactly have the Air Force roster memorized but I've never heard of a Robert Kensington."

"Daniel trust me. After almost twenty years in the service you learn names. I've never heard of Kensington," he said urgently.

Jack felt the back of his neck crawl. This wasn't good. They were fully staffed at the moment. And it was odd to get so many new personnel at once. Not into a facility as highly classified at the SGC. A normal background check took weeks not days. "Get a hold of Hammond, ask him what's going on. If he can't help us maybe he'll know who to call."

"General Hammond's dropped off the face of the earth. Janet said she went over to check on him and his house is closed up."

Jack thought a minute. "Ask Carter. George and Jacob go way back. Maybe she knows of some retreat of his or something. But watch your back," Jack warned. "Something tells me there's a lot more going on than we know about."

Daniel nodded seriously, turned and knocked on the door, signaling his desire to leave.
"I'll be back later," he said as Sergeant Phelps opened the door for him. "Unless of course you've got plans," he quipped.

Teal'c sat on the floor of his cell, listening to the facility wake up. Though it was appointed much the same as his room at the SGC, like O'Neill he considered any room in which he was locked a cell.

He found the events of the last few days were rather confusing. Given his past encounters with the NID he'd expected an arduous experience. But his treatment had been rather decent. Immediately upon his arrival he was escorted to his room where he spent an uninterrupted night. During the next two days he had been mostly left alone except for interrogation sessions.

Considering the attitudes he'd experienced before, he had steeled himself for treatment bordering on torture. However these interview sessions had been reminiscent of his original debriefing when he'd first come to the SGC. The personnel would question him for a few hours about planets, addresses, relations between the various goa'uld and other bits of intelligence. They had simply written down his comments, then had the guards escort him back to his room. All in all his treatment had been incredibly civil.
He did not know if this was evidence of a change in the NID's behavior or if they were simply lulling him into a false sense of security.

The lock on the door rattled and he opened his eyes expecting the sergeant who normally escorted him. Instead a different officer was at the door. "On your feet," he ordered.
Teal'c gracefully gained his feet and stood before the man. "Come with me."

Teal'c followed him into the hall noticing that they were headed a different way. "To where are we going?"

"You'll find out when we get there," the man said coldly. Teal'c followed him, taking note of which corridors he chose. They were headed for a part of the facility he had never been to before, either in the last couple of days or in his previous visit in the company of the rest of SG-1.

The man swiped a key card in a lock and motioned for Teal'c to precede him through the door. He entered the room, steadying himself as he recognized it as an infirmary.

"I am healthy and in no need of an examination," Teal'c said, catching the gown.

"Look buddy. I don't care if you're Duncan MacLeod; the orders say you're spending the day here…so you're spending the day here. Now change before I have to get someone to help you change."

With a shrug Teal'c started removing his clothing, carefully folding it into a pile on the bed. As soon as he was changed, the guard took his discarded clothing and left the room, leaving him alone.

Daniel peeked around the edge of the door to Sam's lab, not at all surprised to find her there. If he had learned nothing about his friend in the last five years he'd learned that she and he shared a common behavior. Both of them tended to bury themselves in their work, especially when they needed an escape from reality. In the weeks after Shau'ri's death he'd literally spent days in his office. And after Martouf's death Sam had spent so much time in her lab Jack had threatened to have her bodily removed.

"You know I don't think Janet considers this rest," he said, walking into the room.

"I thought you were supposed to go home?" He knew exactly what the doctor's instructions had been, he'd been waiting for Sam on the other side of the privacy curtain as she'd gotten dressed.

'I don't care if the sarcophagus healed every damaged cell, you were still dead. We're not talking Miracle Max and mostly dead here, we're talking about completely dead. I just shredded your death certificate,' Janet said with a catch in her voice. 'And despite how many times that's happened it's still tough on the human body. I want you to go home and get some rest.'

"If you've been here a couple of hours you must have gotten up at the crack of dawn to make the drive…you stayed on the base last night didn't you?" he accused, knowing the answer before the guilty look in her face gave her away.

He gave her an appraising look before mentally slapping himself on the head. Returning to where he'd been murdered wouldn't be high on his list of things to do. He'd certainly had more than a few bad feelings going back to his office, the memories of General Hammond attacking him were still very vivid. He'd been so busy with useless phone calls he hadn't even noticed she hadn't gone home.

"Sam. I'm sure it will be tough going back there but you have to go home sometime. You can't live on the base."

"Was there something you needed?" she asked abruptly, ruthlessly changing the subject.

He sighed. He recognized her stubborn mood, a trait that she and Jack shared, although neither would admit to it. He knew from past experience that if he pushed her she'd just clam up tighter. "We need to find General Hammond," he said.

Her eyes grew cold and she turned back to her work. "I'm sure his numbers are on file."

"Well, maybe there's a reason for that," she replied, tinkering with a small alien device.

"Oh. Just because my dad used to hang around with him I'm supposed to be privy to all his secrets?" she asked bitterly, slamming the device down on the workbench.

"No," he said evenly. "I just thought maybe you'd heard of somewhere over the years."

"Yeah. It's fine. Jack is locked up, Teal'c is stuck in Area 51, we hope. God only knows what they're doing to him," He replied angrily.

"If you're looking for someone with friends in high places, talk to the colonel. He has more connections than I do. And I'm sure Teal'c will be fine," She dismissed, picking the artifact back up.

"Ok," he gave in, attributing her behavior to the trauma of being stabbed and left for dead. He turned to leave, then stopped and reached into his pocket, pulling out his house keys. He took one off the ring and laid it down on the counter. "If you want to get out of here you can crash at my place," he offered quietly, then walked away, leaving her alone.

Sam looked at the key, lying on the counter top. She dropped the alien device and slumped over, burying her head in her arms. "Damn it," she muttered. It wasn't Daniel's fault she was feeling this way. She shouldn't take it out on him. At least he was trying to do something. It wasn't his fault that she was too damned scared to leave the mountain.

She'd tried to go home last night. She'd even made it as far as the front gate. She'd flashed back to the night in her house, the fear at seeing someone in it with her. How easily he'd gotten in the first blow, as she'd stood there, shocked into inaction. How she hadn't wanted to hurt him but had in the end, when her survival instinct had taken over and she'd realized it was going to be him or her. She could still hear the hateful words he'd spat, punctuating each physical blow with a verbal one.

As she'd stood at the last checkpoint she'd realized he was out there too…somewhere. If he had gotten into her home once, he could do it again. With unaccustomed fear overwhelming her, she'd muttered an excuse about forgetting something and fled to the sanctuary of the mountain. But she wasn't the only victim. Daniel had been through a nightmare too. Janet had told her how Hammond had assaulted him, how his time in the sarcophagus had possibly saved him from a life in a wheel chair. And he wasn't running around trying to ignore just how messed up stuff was, hoping that it would just fix itself.

'Jacob's little brat. Too scared of life to live it. It's too bad you weren't with your mother. It would have saved Jacob so much grief.'

She felt her heart beat faster as the flashback washed over her. Never. She'd never seen so much hate in someone's eyes. Hate that was directed at her. Not even Jonus had…

She opened up the envelope, catching a key in her hand as it fell out. She looked at it cautiously, and then pulled out the piece of paper.

Sam, sorry I can't be there for you. I know you loved Jonus but…He really was no good for you. In time you'll be able to see that. I'd give anything to be able to be there but this mission just won't wait. Why don't you take some time off? George has a tiny cabin back in the hills. It's a little rough, no electricity but it does have lots of hot running water and best of all no phone. Take some time for yourself and I'll see if I can get away this weekend and come visit.
Dad.

She remembered the cabin. It was just like dad had said, at the end of a gravel road halfway up the side of a mountain. She'd spent a week there after breaking up with Jonus. Of course her dad had never quite made it, no big surprise there. But she had found a lot of peace in that week.

And it was exactly the place a person would go if they wanted to disappear for a bit. Even with detailed directions she'd had a hard time finding it. And there was no way in heck Daniel would ever find it, not with out getting lost. She fought a case of hysterical giggles at the thought of her friend getting lost in the woods and having to ask Smokey Bear for directions.

Resolutely she got up, quickly signing off her computer. He had to be at the cabin. She'd show Daniel how to get there. If he could go retrieve the man after what he'd done to him then so could she.

"That's it. We're finished Mr. Teal'c," the petite African-American doctor said, writing down her notes in the chart.

Teal'c pulled up the flimsy gown and sat calmly on the edge of the examination table. When he'd been brought in here for an examination he'd felt more than a little trepidation expecting arduous experiments or something cold and clinical. Rather this woman had treated him much as Doctor Fraiser did at first, with cautious respect. He could not blame her for her insecurity. Many females exhibited the same behavior when confronted with a male that was larger than them in stature. In the beginning even the then Captain Carter had eyed him warily.

"This is amazing," Doctor Jean Styles enthused, looking at him. For an alien he looked incredibly human. In fact if it weren't for the tattoo on his head and the pouch in his stomach, she'd have sworn he was human. "I've never seen a person who's so fit. You say it is a result of your…friend." She made a vague gesture towards his abdomen.

"My symbiote imbues me with increased strength, immunity to diseases and a longer life span," Teal'c said quietly.

"I am 102 years of age as of several months ago," he said, enjoying the way her eyes widened. This particular reaction among the Tau'ri was one he enjoyed watching.

"One hundred and two of your years. On Chulak the solar year is longer so I am only eighty-five Chulakian years old."

"Thank you. In addition to extending my life span the symbiote also protects itself by allowing me to heal more quickly from wounds."

"You've been wounded before?" She asked, looking at the chart. She'd noted no scars save the one on his forehead.

"Many times. However healing me is not a benevolent act on behalf of the symbiote, rather an act of self-preservation. If I die, it dies," he stated baldly.

"Major, I am in the middle of an exam here," Doctor Styles blustered, stepping in front of her patient.

"Your exam is over," he said coldly, pushing her aside. Before Teal'c could react the man pulled out a pistol and shot him in the chest. Styles screamed as Teal'c staggered back, pushing the bed askew as he fell to the floor, the wave of shock and pain stealing his equilibrium.

"What the hell did you do that for?" She yelled, pushing Ganzer aside to kneel before Teal'c.

The major pulled her back as two burley Marines hurried into the room. She watched in shock as they lifted her patient onto the bed, firmly securing him to the bed with heavy leather restraints they pulled out of a closet.

She watched in horror as the man struggled weakly against the bonds, his dark face contorting with agony. The front of the white gown was turning red, crimson flood of blood spilling over his chest and dripping onto the starched white sheets.

"Your Doctor Fraiser has called your symbiote 'resilient'. Let's see how resilient it really is," he sneered as he pulled Styles out of the room followed by the two guards. The men took station at either side of the door. "If you treat him, you'll find yourself unnecessary around here Doctor. Do I make myself clear?" he asked the woman.

"Let me know if he lives," Ganzer ordered as he turned on his heel and stormed down the hall.

Daniel glanced from the narrow gravel road at the woman beside him. She'd shocked the heck out of him when she'd come hurrying after him and invited herself along in his search for the general. Given her attitude in her lab he'd half expected her to run and tell Kensington his plans.

Once she'd put him on course with directions dredged from her memory she'd settled back in the car seat and silently stared out the window at the passing scenery. He'd made a few token attempts at conversation but after the tenth monosyllabic response he'd settled for turning the radio up and directed his attention at not running his car off the twisting mountain road.

She hadn't been kidding when she'd said the cabin was off the beaten track. It was off almost every track. They'd left paved road behind nearly an hour ago and even the gravel was starting to give way to a pair of narrow dirt ruts shrouded by grass. If the road got any worse they were going to have to get out and walk.

"There," she said, perking up. "Turn there." She pointed out the window at a barely discernable break in the dense trees lining the road. He braked and slowly made the turn, frowning a bit as the road started to go uphill and was even more overgrown than the one they'd just left.

He followed the road and came to a stop in front of a small cabin nestled in a clearing. It was a rather small building; single storied and maybe contained two or three rooms. He could see a thin tendril of smoke curling out of the chimney indicating the structure was occupied. There were a couple of rough wooden chairs on the tiny porch; curtains blew gently through the open windows. He turned off the ignition and unbuckled his seat belt, looking at Sam who made no move to get out of the car.

"He is," she said quietly, pointing at the backside of a car just visible around the corner of the cabin.

She took a deep breath and unbuckled her seat belt. "No. I'll go with you," she said, though her tone told him there were about a hundred places she'd rather be.

They walked slowly across the area of shorter grass that could be called a lawn and onto the porch. Sharing a quick glance Daniel knocked on the door. When they didn't get a response Sam stepped over to the window and peeked in.

"No. He's in there," she said, walking back to him and opening the door. He followed her into the dim interior, squinting a bit as his eyes struggled to adjust. "Sir?" she called.

"I seem to remember an invitation to come anytime," she said, approaching the man. George was seated in a battered armchair, starting at the fire in the river stone fireplace.
He was dressed in a plaid shirt and faded jeans and she could see it had been several days since he'd shaved, given his grizzled appearance. It was a shock to her to see him this way, even the few times she'd seen him when she was younger he'd always been immaculately groomed. She took a seat on a chair next to him while Daniel stood by the fireplace.

"If we're not welcome you're going to have to evict us cause we're not leaving," Daniel spoke up.

"Major, I order you to get the hell out of here, and take him with you," he said bitterly.

"Since rumor has it that you resigned, you can't give me orders anymore," Sam said.

"Sorry general. Just ask Jack, I have a hard time following orders," he said, leaving the fireplace and moving closer.

With speed the belied both his age and girth the man jumped to his feet and pulled a pistol out from his side, pointing it at the pair. "Get the hell out," he ordered.

Daniel took a surprised step back while Sam reflexively shot to her feet. "General, you don't want to…"

"Daniel, why don't you go outside for a minute," Sam suggested, keeping her eye on the wavering barrel of the pistol.

Sam watched him reluctantly leave and turned her attention back to George as Daniel shut the door. She slowly reached out and gently wrapped her fingers around the barrel of the gun, pulling it from the general's grasp. "I seem to recall someone giving me a lecture once on not playing with guns," she said, popping the clip from the weapon and clearing the barrel.

He plopped down in the chair like a puppet with its strings cut. "Would you please leave," he begged quietly.

"I said the same thing to you…a few years ago," she said softly, sitting on the ottoman in front of him. "When this guy came into my bedroom and told me to stop behaving like a spoiled brat and give my dad a break, that he was going through a tough time too and that he was trying his best," she said, fighting tears as memories of those weeks following her mother's death when all three of them had been in so much pain they had lashed out at each other. It had created rifts that were just beginning to heal. She remembered throwing a fit over something and storming off to her room. A few minutes later there had been a knock at the door and a man had let himself in, someone she only recognized as being one of her dad's Air Force friends.

He'd sat on her bed and tried to talk to her. Of course she'd ignored him, playing the tragedy queen as he'd called it. Instead of sympathetic platitudes he'd responded to her complaining with a gruff, 'Grow up. Give Jake a break for crying out loud Sam. Can't you see he's trying as hard as he can? He's lost a lot too you know. You're not the only one who loved her.'

She remembered his words bringing forth the tears that she hadn't been able to cry since her dad had walked through the door and broke the news.

Over the years she'd seen the man she'd called 'Uncle George' just a few times, mostly in passing. She'd initially been shocked when she'd arrived at the SGC and realized her new CO was the same man who'd knocked a little sense into her so many years ago.

He closed his eyes, reliving again his memories of his attack upon her, the look of terror on her face, the sound of the knife tearing through her flesh. "It was me," he insisted.

"No," she said, taking his hand and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "It. Wasn't. You. I don't blame you. And…I want my Uncle George back," she whispered.
She saw tears well up in his eyes and she leaned forward to hug him.

"Come on in Daniel," Sam invited, pulling back and wiping her face with her sleeve.

"Ooh. Good. Because it's boring sitting in the car. The radio reception sucks," he said closing the door behind him while George blew his nose.

"Bygones," George accepted, clasping his hand. "Now, can the two of you tell me what dragged you out here?"

"Sir. We need you help," she said, going on to explain about the events of the last few days, with some of the details filled in by Daniel.

"I've never heard of a Robert Kensington," George said, offering them a glass of water.

George sighed and looked out the window. He wanted nothing more than to dash back to the mountain and reclaim his command. And there was Teal'c to consider. Lord only knew what he was going through in the clutches of the NID. Then common sense won out over his desires. "It's too late to risk that road tonight. We'll leave first thing in the morning."

Robert hung up the phone and rubbed his forehead. Claire hadn't been kidding when she'd said the imagers caused horrible headaches. And he was hungry too. But the touch of nausea he'd dealt with off and on for the last several days had put him off his feed so to speak. And the last time he'd left the office and traversed the halls he'd been so besieged by questions he'd started avoiding going out. The risks were too great someone would ask the wrong question and his answer would give something away.

It hadn't been planned for him to maintain his façade for this long. But thanks to an annoyingly persistent tropical depression and serious thunderstorms over the plains, the plane carrying the rest of his team was delayed.

Twenty-four more hours. He just had to keep it all under control for twenty-four more hours.

Jean slipped into the room, giving an anxious look at the two guards slumped in the hall. "Drag them in here," she whispered as she hurried over to Teal'c. She reached out and cautiously checked his pulse, praying that he still had one.

"Ssh," she whispered, laying her fingers over his mouth. "We're going to get you out of here. Jason, help me," she told her son, who let the second guard drop on the floor.

He went to the other side of the bed and started to struggle with the restraints. "God. Is he ok?" he asked, staring in horror at the stiff rust colored stain on the gown.

"We have to hurry. It won't take them long to find out you're missing," she said, finishing with the restraints. "Let me dress that wound."

"Well I know it'll heal but you're not going to bleed all over my car. Now will you let me dress it or do I give you the same thing I gave them?" she asked her hands on her hips remembering how easy it had been to drug the guards. Never underestimate the power of homemade brownies laced with sleeping pills.

Teal'c met her gaze with an amused one of his own. "Since you are no doubt risking your life to liberate me, I will willingly acquiesce. However might it not be more prudent to wait until we have fled this place."

"Prudent. Sure. But since you're going to escort us out, you need to be able to play the part."

He reached back and lowered the soiled gown, setting it aside and sitting on the edge of the bed clad only in his shorts.

"Jason, get the clothes," she ordered, pulling a flashlight and pair of forceps out of her bag. The boy, or more accurately young man, clad in fatigues, reached into the gym bag he'd been carrying and began to draw out what looked like a uniform. "This is going to hurt. I can give you a local," she offered.

She shrugged and applied herself to exploring the wound, looking for the bullet that had to be in that massive chest somewhere. She noticed his arms clench and his hands dig into the stiff mattress as she dug deeper and deeper. "Just another second…I can feel it…there," she said, holding up the bloody piece of metal triumphantly. She set it aside and pulled out a piece of gauze, using it to wipe the trickle of bright red blood off of his smooth chest. She then quickly applied a thick bandage and securely taped it to his skin.

"Is it safe now?" Jason asked from his place by the door where he'd been keeping a look out.

"The bloody part's over," she answered, a tolerant note in her voice. "He'll play with any animal under the sun but faints at the sight of blood," she explained to the jaffa that was struggling to regain his composure. He certainly was no stranger to pain but it was not something he cared to experience often. "Put this on," she ordered, motioning towards the uniform.

He picked it up and looked at it curiously. "This is an Air Force officer's uniform," he stated.

Teal'c nodded and carefully slid his feet to the floor. He put on the crisp blue pants and white shirt. He put on the socks and shoes, grimacing a bit as the shiny black leather pinched his toes. "I have no experience with this," he said, holding out the navy tie.

"Here. I'll do it," Jason offered coming towards him. Teal'c bent over a bit to accommodate the boy who was tall for his age.

"We're just going to walk out of here. This place is so huge and secretive no one will pay any attention," she said. "And the few that do know better than to ask."

Jason finished tying the tie and Teal'c nodded his thanks. He picked up the uniform jacket off the bed and slipped it on, buttoning it as he had seen O'Neill and General Hammond do. He then crossed to the unconscious men and relieved both of them of their side arms, grunting a bit as he bent over and put pressure on his wound.
"Should we not depart?" he asked his rescuers.

Teal'c placed the item on his head and opened the door to the room. The trio slipped out into the halls, counting on the peace and quiet of the late hour to mask their escape.

Jack's internal tally stopped suddenly as the door clanked open and Sergeant Phelps walked in, carrying a tray. Jack peeked at his watch again, 1213. Lunchtime. He flipped the cover back over the crystal and popped to his feet. "Sergeant. Where's Doctor Jackson?" The man didn't reply but set the tray on the floor by the tiny slot cut in the bars. He turned to leave. "Sergeant?"

The man stepped away, turning his back to the camera in the corner. "We're not supposed to talk to you sir," he said quietly.

"Since 0800 this morning sir. And we're especially not supposed to tell you Doctor Jackson and Major Carter are AWOL as of 0801 and the new personnel, whose security clearances are all signed by General Kensington, are arriving at 1600 today. We're also not supposed to tell you that these new people are all scheduled for a mission at 1730," the man reported, his voice still low and barely audible.

Jack sighed and considered his options. "I need to see Doctor Fraiser," he demanded.

"Well Sergeant, I have one hell of a headache. So your choices are to either get Fraiser in here or take me to her," Jack said, recognizing the difficult position he'd put the man in. But he really didn't have a choice. Something was wrong. Really wrong. It wasn't normal for Daniel to just disappear, and there was no way on Earth Carter would be AWOL without a good reason. Then again both of the people she'd report to were either off the base or locked up. And these new people. It was just wrong. He knew from experience, the commanding officer of a base over-riding normal security procedures was an old Special Ops trick. Dollars to donuts the mission these new people were going to go on was going to be their last…officially anyway.

"It must be a bad one sir," Phelps said. "More than you can stand," he prompted.

Jack frowned, then caught on. "Yes. It is. Quite more than I can stand. Excruciating even."

A large wet tongue licked the side of his face, disturbing his kel-no-reem, or more accurately, the closest state he could attain squeezed into the backseat of a late model sedan. A space he shared with a rather large and quite frankly unattractive animal.

'There is no need. I am awake," Teal'c said opening his eyes. It was dark outside although it was starting to lighten a bit with the coming dawn. He shifted in his seat, trying to ease cramped muscles. In his time on Earth he had found few of their vehicles that he could comfortably ride in, save for O'Neill's large truck. Major Carter's small car was especially uncomfortable for him.

"That's timing. I was starting to think you were going to sleep through Utah," Jean said, glancing in the rear view mirror. Teal'c looked again out of the window and watched the scenery speed by. They were on a large divided highway. The landscape was barren and reminded him of the scenery he had seen on his trip last month through eastern Colorado and into Kansas.

It had been amazingly easy to make their escape from Area 51, although he was sure the General's uniform and the fatigues Jason was wearing had a lot to do with it. As Major Carter had once said, the military was often more concerned with keeping people out than keeping them in.

The uniform had belonged to Jean's late husband. He had been a colonel when he'd died but a trip to the local military surplus store had provided the necessary insignia to make him a general.

The trio had simply walked out through the various checkpoints and driven away. A few miles down the road Jean had pulled over and they had traded vehicles. They were now traveling in a car belonging to an elderly neighbor of the doctor. He hoped the subterfuge would be enough to cover their tracks for a few more hours.

Teal'c was sure that once they reached the SGC General Hammond or Colonel O'Neill would give the woman sanctuary, if not on Earth, then perhaps off world.

"It just makes things easier with you awake," the woman replied fighting a yawn.

Jean laughed. "And breakfast for the bottomless pit over there. I just didn't want you to wake up and find us gone," the woman said, taking an exit off the highway.

They found a gas station located right next to a McDonalds. While Jean pumped the gas and Jason procured the food, Teal'c walked Horse, trying to remain inconspicuous. At least as inconspicuous as a six foot tall Brigadier General could be when walking a canine that his son could use as…well as a horse.

Five more hours. They just had to remain undetected for five more hours. That was how long Jean estimated it would take them to drive the remaining miles to Cheyenne Mountain.

Seeing Jason hurrying towards the car balancing a large bag and several cups, Teal'c urged Horse back to the car, ushering the animal inside and settling himself in the driver's seat.

"Aah…Mr. Teal'c…" the woman started walking towards him, shoving her change into her pocket and finding her seat occupied.

"I am capable of controlling this vehicle. And you have been driving for several hours and are likely too fatigued to safely continue," he said gently.

She cast him a look, clearly torn between her body's desire for sleep and her instincts to keep her son safe.

"Ok," she gave in. "We'll have a bit of a trial. The next town is thirty miles away. If I don't like your driving we'll switch back when we get there," she said, getting into the car.

Janet stood at the Sergeant's side and waited for the man to open the door. "I'll be right outside Doc," he said.

"Thanks Sergeant," she replied, stepping quickly into the room. "Colonel. I hear you have a bit of a headache."

Jack looked at her, a puzzled look on his face. "Doc? What? Oh yeah. Bad headache," he said, walking over to the bars. "Have you heard anything from Carter or Daniel?" He whispered when he was closer.

"Last I knew they were off to find the general. I could try their cell phones," she offered, taking his pulse.

Janet shrugged. "He's been closeted in his office all day. Didn't even leave for lunch. In fact I don't think he even went home last night," she reported, digging a small packet of pills out of her pocket.

"Something's wrong, doc, really wrong with him and these new people. No one goes on a mission on their first day," Jack said emphatically.

She nodded and made a show of taking his temperature. "I scheduled them for physicals at 1630. I'll see what I can find."

"Do that, but watch yourself. My gut is telling me there is more to Kensington than meets the eye."

Robert leaned his elbows on the desk and massaged his temples. God his head hadn't hurt this bad since the day he'd received his globe, trident and anchors. He was grateful that George ran such a tight ship. One that could practically run itself. Which is pretty much what it had been doing for the last few days.

A knock at the door reverberated through his skull. "What?' he growled not looking up. What part of 'do not disturb' did these people not get?

"Reporting as ordered sir," a voice boomed causing Robert to wince. He looked up, relieved to see the six members of his team.

"Shut up," a woman ordered. "Is it safe here?" she asked Robert as she threw the lock on the door.

Almost in unison the sextet reached under their shirts and removed the small devices attached to their chests. The air seemed to shimmer and instead of six sharply dressed Air Force officers, he saw a half dozen rather scruffy looking people.

"Have you had yours on the whole time?" Claire Tobias asked stepping forward and sitting on the desk.

"Unlike you mutts I used to work here," Robert Makepeace said his voice bitter. "I couldn't risk anyone finding out. Enkidu's been helping," he said, tapping the side of his head.

He still couldn't believe he was sitting in Hammond's chair talking about the symbiote he had in his head, and attempting to get himself and said symbiote to another world.

There were times when the events of the last year seemed more like a bad TV show than reality.

After a couple of months in a stockade he'd been approached by a person who offered him a way out of his 'life without parole' sentence. His deal had been an eerie ghost of the one offered O'Neill by Maybourne. 'Say yes and I'll tell you what's going on, say no and I'll tell you nothing.'

Figuring whatever the man and his employers were up to had to be better than staring at stone walls 24/7, he accepted. Less than a day later he found himself host to a millennia old creature and co-leader of a tiny group of goa'uld.

These weren't your garden-variety snakeheads like he's spent the better part of three years blowing away. These were different. They knew now that while the Tok'ra were Ageria's children, they were the offspring of Utnapishtim and Ninsun. The same basic breed as the present day goa'uld…but with one important difference, they had no naquadah in their blood. And because of that, they had little interest in goa'uld weaponry. Without the naquadah it was as useless to them as it was to humans.

They'd been on Earth practically since it's beginning. They had originally been a scientific team sent to study the humans' potential to become hosts. Their original mission was to observe, then leave. Unfortunately their reconnaissance of the planet hadn't said a thing about seismic activity. Soon after their arrival a large earthquake had damaged their ship beyond repair. With them being the last of their kind, there was no one to rescue them. They were marooned. Their small group witnessed the arrival of Ra.

They stood as silent sentries, spectators to endless years of human history. That knowledge made it easy for them to survive. They would switch hosts every so often; each new host building upon the foundations laid by those that had come before. Many of them held seats of power and wealth. Positions which also made life easier than when they were scrabbling amongst the populace for survival. And it also put them in the perfect position to find out about the stargate. After millennia of exile they finally had a chance to go home.

A home they weren't even sure existed any more. There were those among them that felt it was too great a risk to leave. They were established here on Earth. Some of them did not want to give up their power. Others were simply comfortable living on a planet that they already knew. Over the millennia their memories of the home world had faded, turning into more of a myth than reality. They had tried to go home once during Ra's reign but that attempt ended in tragedy, several of their already small number had been killed. After that tragedy, and the humans burying the gate, they abandoned any ideas of returning home. Earth was now their home.

That was why several of them wanted to stay. They felt they faced extinction if they ventured through the gate, leaving their fates to the fickle mistress of providence.

Robert and his people were not among the group that wished to stay. When Enkidu's previous host, an attaché to a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, had stumbled across a report written by Doctor Jackson and the late Robert Rothman, claiming to have discovered the Goa'uld home world, he knew the time to reclaim their home had come.

They felt that if they contacted the SGC and asked for help their request would likely be refused or would result in their presence becoming public knowledge. And several among them felt even if the SGC kept their secret, the NID would find out. And that was a risk none of them could take. The people at the NID reminded them of the witch hunters, and persecutors of centuries past.

And so the plan was concocted for all of them to take new hosts, people who knew the worlds on the other side of the gate and how to operate the alien machine. An opportunity presented itself when O'Neill and the alien allies busted the rogue SGC. The goa'uld now had access to hosts who had been through the stargate, something they themselves had never done. And several of these new hosts had nothing to lose.

Through contacts at Area 51 they attained several of the imagers from P3X118, which they reprogrammed to allow themselves to change their appearance or become invisible as the situation warranted.

The original plan had been to slowly infiltrate the SGC and then 'disappear' on missions. This had changed the moment Doctor Jackson discovered the fossilized remains of one if their ancestors in a streambed in Kansas.

They had no more time to slowly infiltrate but felt they had to move quickly and get off Earth before their presence was discovered. Then when General Hammond fell victim to the zatarc programming, they knew their time had come.

It had been incredibly easy to prey on the confusion and insecurities generated by the fiasco. That was one thing that made the much-vaunted Tau'ri military so vulnerable, it's people were trained to follow the orders of their superior, regardless of who he was.

It had been simple for Robert to generate the mirage of an Air Force general and assume command. His subterfuge had been made even easier by George's bout of self-pity. And tossing O'Neill in the brig had been an extremely satisfying way of keeping the man out of his hair.

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure Carter and Jackson had gone in search of the errant general. And once Hammond got back and made a few phone calls, all their plans would come tumbling down like a house of cards in a hurricane.

"What's the plan boss?" Neumann asked, walking behind Robert to explore the contents of the shelves, picking various items up like he was browsing in a store.

"We ship out at 1730. I've got the coordinates for the home world. It might take some 'persuading' since Hammond locked it out," he said.

"No one is to be hurt," Enkidu said, his voice firm. "We have no quarrel with these people. And put that down," he snarled at Neumann, pulling the eagle statue out of his hands and replacing it on the shelf.

"He was also my CO for three years, and a damn good one, no matter how misguided he may be," Makepeace said recognizing the beginnings of an argument. Neumann was going to be trouble one day.

A knock at the door stopped the conversation. "General sir?" he heard Janet Fraiser call through the door.

"Get those things back on," he whispered, sitting back down in his chair. Once they had all resumed their identities he nodded at Claire to unlock the door.

Doctor Fraiser stood in the doorway, a puzzled look on her face. "I'm sorry sir. Am I interrupting?" she asked, stepping into the room giving the people a wary glance.

"No. Not at all doctor. What can I do for you?" Robert asked, keeping his voice even.

"Then it's a case of good timing. I was just coming to ask you about their physicals. I'd scheduled them for half an hour ago then when no one came I thought I'd come see if anything was wrong."

"Nothing's wrong doctor. And there is no need for the physical. They had one before they arrived."

Janet paused. "General, with all due respect, that's not standard procedure. Everyone in the facility HAS to have a physical before they start work. And especially before they go off world."

"Sir. I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist. If for no other reason than if things go wrong on your mission I'll have no baseline…"

"Doctor," he interrupted, shooting to his feet. "Do I have to make it an order?"

"You can sir. And I'll countermand it. General, for the safety of this facility everyone has to have a physical on record…" Her words trailed off as Claire pulled her gun out of her waistband and hit her over the head. Janet collapsed to the floor in a boneless heap.

"She was trying too hard. She knew something," the woman said, replacing her gun.

Robert sighed and agreed with her. He'd never known Fraiser to be this tenacious, not about a standard physical. "Ok. Tie her up. We're leaving now."

A chorus of 'yes sirs' greeted his order. Janet was bound and stuffed behind the desk where she would be invisible from the door. Makepeace then led his people out into the halls and towards the room where he'd hidden their gear. They didn't have much time.

Daniel drove through the last checkpoint with a tiny frown. "This may sound like a silly question sir, but if you've been relieved of your command should you be able to get in here so easy?" he asked, parking in his spot and turning off the car.

"He's right. We should have been turned back at the outer gate," Sam affirmed, also getting out of the car.

"Well maybe…" Sam started, then stopped as a car sped up to the outer gate, a pair of police cruisers on its tail. They stared in amazement as the car was waved through followed by the police cars and then the SF's on foot, guns drawn, ready to defend the base against this breech of security.

The car squealed to a halt and they saw Teal'c unfold himself from the driver's seat followed quickly by a diminutive older woman, a young man and an incredibly ugly dog.

"General Hammond…" He started then stopped as the police officers jumped out of their car, guns drawn and aimed at Teal'c. The SF's, recognizing the friend, aimed their weapons at the police. A cacophony of 'Freeze. Police', 'Do not move', 'Lower your weapons', filled the air as Teal'c turned, sheltering Jean and Jason behind him.

"What the Sam Hill is going on here?" Hammond bellowed. "What the hell are you doing chasing this man onto US Government property?" he demanded of the police.

George realized he was still in civilian clothes and as such appeared as a simple bystander to them. "I'm Major General George S. Hammond, the commander of this facility. And these are my personnel. Who are you and what are you doing on restricted property?"

"Sir. We're following a fugitive. This man is wanted for grand theft auto and kidnapping in Nevada. He was reported to be armed and dangerous and using this woman and her son as hostages," the officer said, not lowering his weapon.

"Do I look like a hostage to you?" Jean demanded, stepping from behind Teal'c. "He isn't the one pointing guns at me sonny," she said heatedly.

"Lower your weapons officer," George instructed. "Before my men take offense to you threatening one of their own," he said, the unspoken message clear and punctuated by the half dozen more guards who'd seen the fracas and moved up from their positions closer to the entrance.

The two police officers, recognizing that they were severely outgunned, lowered their pistols and returned them to their holsters. "General. This man is wanted," he insisted in a calmer tone of voice.

"You have to be mistaken. The aah…General here wouldn't kidnap anyone," Daniel said, stepping forward.

"He was on his way here. We have an emergency inside the facility that requires his personnel attention. Unfortunately we couldn't get a staff car to him fast enough so he drove his own," Sam spoke up. "See, he was even in such a hurry he didn't have time to put on his shoes," she said, pointing at Teal'c's bare feet struggling to keep a straight face. Her teammate was going to have a lot of explaining to do.

"They are my wife and child," Teal'c said. "I did not have time to return them to my domicile before arriving."

"Ma'am?" the officer asked Jean. "Is this true?" he asked, not wanting to leave a victim to her fate.

"It is. This here's my hubby, and his son. Can't you see the resemblance?" she asked, taking Teal'c's arm possessively and pointing at Jason.

The officers shared a look. "Ok sir. They're all yours. In the interests of civilian/military relations," the officer said.

"Thank you," Hammond replied. The two police officers got back in their cars and left. Once they were gone the SF's faded back to their positions.

"As am I Daniel Jackson," the warrior replied as they all made their way into the mountain. "General Hammond. I am pleased to see you well again."

"You're not the only one. And I can't wait to hear how the hell you busted out of Area 51…Later," the man said with a tolerant grin eyeing the big dog warily.

George thought for a moment. "Teal'c, escort your guests to the VIP suite on level 25. Major you will release Colonel O'Neill, and Doctor Jackson, you're with me."

Jack glanced at his watch and put his arm back under his head. 1712. If all went well in about a half-hour Kensington's team would be on their mission. Assuming that's what it was. He had a funny feeling his last chance for answers would go through the gate with them. Which meant no one was in charge right now. He just hoped they didn't forget he was in here. He chuckled grimly as he pictured someone finding him in a year or two and wondering whom the skeleton in the cell was.

The zinging sound of a zat had him rolling to his feet and reaching for the weapon he didn't have. The door opened and he watched Carter pull Phelps into the cell.

"Carter? What the hell are you doing?" he asked as she let the man slide to the floor and turned towards him.

"Don't you recognize a jail break when you see one sir?" she asked, pointing the zat at him. He saw her finger tense on the trigger and he cringed, waiting for the shock to come.
When it didn't he opened his eyes and saw her pull the door open.

"For cryin out loud, what's wrong with using the key?" he complained, gratefully leaving the cell.

"I thought C-4 was a bit of overkill. Besides I've fantasized about blowing that door for years," she said with a shrug.

Jack nodded, making another mental note NOT to get on her bad side, especially when she was armed. "What's going on?" he demanded, moving towards the door as she handed him a zat.

"The general's in his office right now. He made a few calls on the way in. No one, including the Pentagon, has heard of a Robert Kensington," she reported, following him out into the hall.

Sam rolled her eyes, not responding. "We're meeting up in the general's office."

Daniel followed the general down the corridors of level 27, his eyes scanning the halls as if he could see through the walls and have some clue as to what was going on. He saw the general tense and square his shoulders as the man approached his office door. For a brief moment Daniel felt pity for Kensington. General Hammond at full steam was a sight to behold.

The man twisted the doorknob and strode into the room. He came to an abrupt halt as his eyes took in…nothing. The room was empty. "I am going to get to the bottom of...Oh my God," the general declared, rounding the desk. Daniel saw him kneel down. He hurried to his side and saw Janet bound and gagged and stuffed under the desk. "She's alive," he declared, gently pulling down the gag and reaching into his pocket for his penknife. The woman started to stir and moaned as George cut the neck tie that held her hands together.

"Yes. Major, what happened? Where is Kensington?" he asked again as Janet struggled to focus.

"Umm…I heard them say something about a mission…I think they're going through the gate sir."

Just then they heard the familiar chunking sound of chevrons locking. Daniel shot to his feet and ran from the general's office to look through the briefing room window.
A few seconds he hurried back. "It's the new people," he reported. "At least I think so. I don't recognize them."

"I'll be ok. Go," she ordered. With a reassuring pat George got to his feet and followed Daniel down to the control room.

Jack and Sam hurried down the stairs to level 28, avoiding the elevator out of a need for expediency and the desire to avoid any more confrontations.

While she knew zatting Phelps was the best thing she could do for the man since it clearly made him a victim instead of an accomplice, she still hated assaulting her comrades in arms. It was so rude.

As they exited onto level 28 the door further down the hall began to grind its way down. Someone was trying to isolate the gateroom from the rest of the facility. They shared a quick glance and took off at a run towards the impending barrier.

"Come on," Jack urged, running faster. She followed him, quickly calculating the distance from the door, its rate of descent and just how much it would hurt if either of them happened to be under it when it made contact with the floor.

With unspoken communication they both threw themselves under the door rolling to a stop on the other side as the metal barrier hit the cement floor with an echoing clang.

They both laid there for a second, breathing heavily with their exertion and the close call.

Jack looked up to see a very tall, very imposing Jaffa standing over him. "T," he said, taking the man's hand and allowing him to help him to his feet. "Buddy. You're back."

"Indeed," Teal'c answered helping Sam to her feet as well. "I believe Kensington is planning to flee the planet. We must hurry."

"We…whoa. Wait a minute. You leave here a glorified lab rat and come back a general? A two star no less?" Jack said taking in the sight of the barefoot jaffa in an Air Force uniform.

"Married? Teal'c you…" Jack stopped as he heard the faint sound of chevrons locking. "Damn," he cursed quietly and ran towards the control room, Sam and Teal'c on his heels
They skidded around the corner just as the door to the gateroom closed and took the short flight of steps at a run. A glance confirmed that the blast doors in front of the windows were down also, shielding it from view.

"Get those doors open! Shut down that gate!" Jack ordered as Sam stepped over an unconscious Sargent Davis to claim his terminal.

The blast doors slid up revealing seven people in the gateroom. They saw the tail of a FRED disappear through the event horizon followed by a second one.

Hearing the doors grind up the group turned back and made eye contact with the people in the control room.

"Stand to Kensington. Or whoever the hell you are!" Hammond ordered over the PA.

"I don't take your orders any more," Kensington yelled. Following a bit of intuition and remembering her theories on how an assailant had run amuck in the SGC a few weeks ago, Sam typed in the command to trigger the harmonic generators they'd installed after the alien invasion. They stared in amazement as Kensington's true face was revealed.

"He's opening some options colonel," Neumann said as they edged closer and closer to the gate.

Robert's eyes flared brightly. "We have no quarrel with you but if you follow us you will die," he said, ushering his people through the event horizon.

Two hours later they sat around the briefing room table. "I went through the whole system sir. I found no evidence of any tampering," Sam reported alleviating the fear that the goa'uld could have sabotaged their systems.

"We redialed and sent a MALP through. There were no signs of life. In fact it looked like they used it as a transfer point. The FRED tracks lead right back to the gate."

"An inventory shows no weapons missing from the armory save two zat-nik-a-tel," Teal'c reported. "Every GDO is accounted for as well."

Jack and Sam shared sheepish looks. "Sorry," Jack muttered pulling the zat out of his pocket and laying it in the table. Sam did the same.

Hammond gave his head a tiny shake and sighed. "That seems to tie up all the loose ends," he said with a note of finality in his voice.

"Major. I have been exposed to alien mind control technology. I have been compromised and I should no longer be in command," he said, cutting her off.

"We can't know that major. Both Major Graham and Lieutenant Astor had several MRI's after their mission and nothing showed up," he said.

"I think there is," Daniel said, walking into the room followed by Teal'c and Janet. He strode purposefully to the general and set the gold figurine of Hathor down in front of the man, quickly stepping back.

George stared at the statue for a moment then looked up, a puzzled look on his face. "Care to explain this Doctor Jackson?"

"The zatarc programming is activated by a trigger. Until you see or hear it the programming is dormant," Janet said.

"From the way you acted before THAT was your trigger. If the programming was still intact you would have flipped out by now," she continued, taking a seat.

"Which means you are no longer compromised and there is no need for you to leave this facility," Teal'c declared.

George stared at the statue a tiny smile creeping across his face. It was more than he had hoped for. He looked around at his best team and saw the trust on their faces. Something that had been missing in recent days.

"Now that that's settled sir, do you think we can plan that return trip to P2Z383 to scavenge some goa'uld goodies?" Jack spoke up. "Before someone else raids the store and I have to pay Teal'c twenty bucks."

Daniel walked into his office and snapped on the light with a sigh. God he was tired. Even with SG-6, 4,8 and 13 helping it had still taken them all day to crate up and transport the goa'uld weapons. He rolled his shoulders to ease a cramp and stretched, grimacing as pulled muscles announced their presence. He had to hurry. He was due at Sam's house for a 'welcome to the SGC' party for Doctor Styles and her son. Given that the woman already had clearance and how she had helped Teal'c, Hammond had found a place for her in the Medical Department and a job for her son at a local store. Using a few contacts he'd even wangled the woman base housing at Fort Carson until she could find a place of her own.

And Daniel couldn't wait to see the outcome of Siler's little favor. From what he'd heard the man had worked wonders; tearing out and replacing the bloodstained carpet and repainting the walls to cover every sign of the attack.

His eyes lit on a paper wrapped bundle on his desk. He thought back. The last time he'd been in his office was when he'd asked Siler for his help…and there had been no package on his desk. He looked at the key in his hand that he'd just used to unlock the door. Ok. Either Sam was picking locks again or someone had been in here.

Curious he picked up the package, surprised at how heavy it was. He carefully unwrapped it and stared at the small cuneiform tablet. A small piece of paper fluttered free and he picked it up.

He looked at the tablet again, feeling timelessness in the stone. He frowned and tried to translate the ancient language.

In a rush his mind made the connection. He set down the tablet and scrabbled for the report he'd gotten back on the fragment of Pandora he'd sent off for tests. The dates were right…Ninsun was a minor Sumarian goddess…Gilgamesh and Enkidu. One man's search for immortality. The oldest story in the world. The first heroes…the lack of Naquadah…How Sam hadn't been able to sense them…The glow in Makepeace's eyes… "They've been here all along," he whispered to the empty room.