Stargate SG-1: It's Never Boring at the SGC, PG-13, gen
TITLE: It's Never Boring at the SGC
AUTHOR: Matt
SUMMARY: The SGC is surprised when an old friend comes to visit. Can rediscovered memories help in the fight against the Ori? Landry POV, hints of D/V insinuation. Spoilers for all episodes, Learning Curve in particular.
RATING: PG-13, just because of Vala
DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of MGM et al. Author doesn't own the property rights and no offence is intended.
NOTE: This is for the loose_ends_fic ficathon, especially written for keenir
THANKS: To alliesings for the beta read, fact finding, and suggestions.
There were days when General Landry just wished the entire universe would go away. He’d only been at the base for an hour, and already his day had fallen to pieces. SG-3 had come in hot, Doctors Lee and Felger had double-teamed him over some insane - not to mention dangerous and expensive - experiment, and finally Vala had bounded up to him in the cafeteria.
“I’m getting Daniel’s breakfast,” she informed him. “He’s still in bed.” The accompanying wink had not improved Hank’s mood.
“Morning, General,” said Harriman as Landry exited the elevator by his office.
“Chief.” Hank took the proffered cup of coffee - his third of the day - and headed towards his sanctuary. The trusty sergeant followed. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
Walter Harriman recited the schedule, which included meetings with General O’Neill, the mildly annoying Wolsey, and the highly annoying French representative of the Oversight Committee.
Speaking of annoying… “Does SG-1 have a mission scheduled for today?”
“No, Sir.”
Damn! Oh well, it had been worth a shot. Maybe Ms. Mal Doran could restrain herself to only hanging out in Doctor Jackson’s vicinity. Hank certainly didn’t want her around the visitor from Oversight.
“Any messages from the Ori?”
Walter smirked. “Just the usual, General.”
“Ah.” Hank sank into the leather chair behind his desk. “’Hallowed are the Ori,’ that sort of thing?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Well, it’s comforting to know at least someone’s keeping to schedule. How are SG-3 doing?”
“Doctor Lam thinks they’ll be ready to debrief after lunch.”
“Good. Schedule it. I want to know exactly…”
His words were drowned out by the sound of the Stargate spinning into action and the ‘Unscheduled Off World Activation’ alarm. He looked over to Walter, but the man just shrugged. Evidently he didn’t know who it was either.
Hank moved quickly through the conference room and down the spiral staircase that led to the control room. It wasn’t a surprise to see three members of SG-1 already in there; the team ALWAYS appeared when there was unscheduled travel.
“Morning, Sir,” Mitchell sung out.
Hank nodded in his direction. “What have we got, Colonel?”
Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter sat in front of a computer. “Still waiting to find out, Sir,” she said as she studied the data appearing on the screen. Then her eyes widened. “Open the Iris,” she told the technician beside her.
“Colonel?” Hank was concerned at who might be coming through his Stargate.
She turned her head to face him. “It’s the Orbanians, Sir.”
“Who?”
“They are friendly, General Landry.” It was the first time Teal’c had spoken. “If not for them, we would not have a naquadah generator.”
“Ah.” Hank nodded and began the descent to the Gate Room. “I guess that makes it all right, then.”
Inwardly, he wasn’t so sure.
“So, what are these Orbanians like, Sam?” Mitchell asked as the group walked to the bottom of the ramp. “Besides ‘friendly.’”
Carter thought for a moment. “They’re fairly advanced. As Teal’c said it’s because of them that we were able to develop our naquadah generators.”
“Cool,” Mitchell enthused. “Think they can help us against the Ori?”
Carter didn’t reply. Instead, her attention was focused on the person emerging from the wormhole. “Merrin?”
Their visitor moved gracefully to the bottom of the ramp and inclined her head. “Major Carter. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“It’s, ah, Lieutenant Colonel now, and, er, it’s good to see you too.” Clearly, Colonel Carter had been caught off guard by the young woman, though Hank couldn’t understand why.
“Teal’c,” the woman continued, acknowledging the former Jaffa and exchanging head nods with him. “Where is Colonel O’Neill?”
Hank decided to step forward. “General O’Neill is no longer based here. I’m General Landry, the Commanding Officer of this facility.”
Once again, she nodded. “I am Merrin. Thank you for letting me through your Stargate. I was not sure if this would be a one-way trip.”
“No way,” Carter exclaimed. “I mean, once we knew it was you…”
“I understand.” She looked towards the room’s exit. “I would very much like to discuss a matter of great importance with you. However, I suspect you will require me to visit your infirmary first. Is this correct?”
Hank arranged for Teal’c and Mitchell to escort their visitor to his daughter’s domain, and pulled Colonel Carter to one side. “Okay, Colonel, talk to me. What’s got you so off-guard?”
Carter looked toward the direction the other three people had gone. “Sir,” she began, “the last time we saw Merrin, she had no idea who we were. For want of a better description, well, her memory had been erased.”
Hank stared at her. “Erased? Why?” He waved her back towards the briefing room, where he had asked the other two members of SG-1 to return with the girl.
Carter took her usual seat at the conference table. “Merrin was one of a group of children called Urrone. They were a special group who were implanted with nanites prior to birth. Their task was to learn about various subjects and then share that information with the rest of the population.”
Hank was confused. “So, she was a teacher?”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Not exactly, Sir. Once an Urrone child reached a certain age, they went through a process called the Averium. In short, the nanites containing all the information learned were ‘harvested’ and given to the rest of the people. The children were then left pretty much like vegetables.”
The General paled. “They did this deliberately to their children.”
“It was considered a great honor to them. Daniel and General O’Neill tried to protest, and even offered Merrin sanctuary here once they found out, but she insisted on returning to Orban for the process.”
“Why her?”
“She was considered an expert on the naquadah generator. She taught me how to build it.”
“But she must have been a child at the time.”
Sam nodded. “She was. Urrone children commence the absorption of information very young.”
“And you say the last time you saw her, her memory was gone. She was in this vegetative-state?”
“Not exactly. It seems that before she returned to Orban, General O’Neill took her off-base. He’s never said what actually happened, but it must have been beneficial. The information she shared with the Orbanians taught them how to play, and how to learn at a normal rate. However, there was a price. She no longer remembered any of us.”
Hank made a note to mention the young woman’s visit to Jack when he arrived. He thought it was possible that his friend might be willing to share more information with him than with the members of his former team.
“So that would explain why she asked for O’Neill? Because she knew him?”
“She remembered him, Sir. She remembered all of us. I just don’t understand why or how.” She looked rueful. “Sorry.”
Hank laughed. “I don’t expect you to have all the answers, Colonel. You’re allowed to have as many questions as the rest of us.”
“Yeah, but I normally manage to answer those questions. This has me stumped.”
There was a laugh from the room's main entrance. “Well, that’s a first.”
Hank stood to greet his friend. “Jack,” he said, extending his hand. “You’re a little early for our meeting.”
General O’Neill shrugged. “What can I say? Washington actually allowed me to leave on time. Carter,” he said, nodding at his former second in command.
“It's good to see you, Sir.”
"You too, Carter." Jack slid into his old seat at the table. “Although I am a little curious as to what’s got our resident genius so stumped.”
She sighed. “We’ve had a visitor, Sir. From Orban.”
The gray-haired General’s face clouded over. “What do they want?” Yes, Hank observed. There was definitely a story there.
Mitchell entered the room. “Seems they got information about the Ori.” He took the chair opposite Jack. “Teal’c’s bringing her back up, Sir,” he told Hank.
“The Ori? What do they know about them” Jack asked.
“Quite a lot, apparently. At least according to…” Cameron trailed off and looked directly at Sam. “Why were you so surprised to see her? I mean, I realize it’s been a while but you were completely out of it.”
Sam opened her mouth to explain the situation, but someone beat her to it.
“She was surprised because I remembered her,” said Merrin as she walked into the room with Teal’c following close behind. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of the newcomer. “Colonel! I’m sorry, General!”
Jack’s jaw dropped as he stood up. “You remember me?”
Merrin nodded. “I do. It is good to see you again. I have thought of you often.”
It seemed Hank wasn't the only one to be surprised when she gave Jack O'Neill a warm hug. "Definitely good to see you too," Jack replied after he returned the gesture. "And I hope those were good thoughts," he added jovially as he indicated for their visitor to take a seat.
“But how?” Carter burst out. “I’m sorry, but you didn’t remember any of us the last time we visited you.”
Merrin nodded and sat down across the table from the other woman. “I realize that. It is part of the Averium. We give of ourselves for our people. It is a great honor.”
“It sapped your personality,” Jack snapped.
“Still against our ways, General?” Merrin asked, with a sparkle in her eye. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Merrin,” Sam said gently. “The last time we saw you, you didn’t know us. You spent the entire time scribbling pictures on a wall, just as a much younger child would.”
“Purple dogs,” Merrin recalled, looking at Jack. “They tell me that for weeks I was obsessed with drawing purple dogs.”
“Best color for a dog,” Jack said with a grin.
Hank was mystified. He looked over at Colonel Carter, hoping for insight. However, she merely shrugged her shoulders as though she was putting this down to another facet of Jack O'Neill's character.
“As I said, I knew what I was doing. Play was such an unknown concept to my people, as was teaching and learning. I knew my time with you would be shared.”
“It appeared you were correct,” Teal’c observed.
“Yes, my people discovered how to play, and how to share information. Even though we had been through the Averium, the brains of Urrone children were still stimulated. It was then that an important discovery was made.”
“Oh?” Hank was interested. “Would that be how you regained your memories?”
She nodded. “We discovered that some of the nanites go into hiding as a form of self-protection at the time of the Averium. Consequently, they are not removed. When the Urrone brain is stimulated, these nanites come out of hiding and this is how my memories were rediscovered. Urrone children of all ages also found there was additional information that had not been previously shared. That includes information regarding the Ori.”
“Anything you can share would be good,” Hank told her.
“We would be delighted to share,” was the reply. “We consider it our repayment for all that you gave to our people.”
There was a discreet cough from the doorway. Hank looked over to see Harriman standing there. “Yes, Walter?”
“Mister Wolsey is here to see you, Sir.”
Jack grimaced. “Sooner you than me.”
Hank stood up. “Thanks, Jack. If it gets too much I know where to find you.” He turned to SG-1. “Find out what Merrin’s people have. If it’s useful, I want to know.”
Merrin’s visit was possibly the highlight of General Landry’s day. Both Wolsey and the French ambassador had complaints and demands. Very little pacified the Oversight Committee, and Wolsey even knew of Merrin’s visit to Earth. “If she knows anything,” Wolsey said scathingly, “it’ll be what Earth already knows, that the Ori are nothing more than an intergalactic nuisance.”
“Who want to dominate us,” Hank reminded him. “We’ve already faced down one invasion, and now they dial our Stargate every day just to threaten us.”
“I hardly think a repeated message of Hallowed Be The Ori is a threat,” Wolsey sniffed. “It’s like saying that Allahu Akbar, repeated constantly is a threat by Islamic terrorists. It’s when they stop the talk and take action that we need to worry.”
“And that’s what I worry about,” Hank said. “The day they stop preaching is the day they attempt another invasion. We need to be ready for that day.”
"Tell me she has something," Hank pleaded with his friend that afternoon. He needed something uplifting after his previous meetings.
"I think she might, Hank," Jack responded. "Daniel's been given a stack of material to work through, and he definitely sounded excited when I stopped by to see him." He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you know how Daniel gets."
Hank laughed. "Yes, although I think Vala's attempting to change that."
"Good luck to her! Oh yeah, and Carter thinks it's possible to extract further data from those nanites. She and Merrin have been with Carolyn for the past couple of hours, examining those things." Jack shuddered. "I still don't like the idea."
"The nanites, or the studying of them?" Hank queried.
"Both."
Walter appeared in the office doorway, knocking hesitantly. "General O'Neill? I have General Myers on the phone."
Jack nodded and reached for the phone. "No rest for the wicked," he said with a sigh.
Hank smiled in agreement and left Jack to his call. He'd barely closed the door to his office when Wolsey reappeared in front of him.
"Ah, General," he said with an obviously fake smile. "I need to discuss this nanite situation with you..."
It was almost comforting to see Vala in the cafeteria that evening. Once again, she made a point of stopping at his table with a laden tray. “Daniel is studying something boring,” she informed him archly. “When he gets like this, he forgets to eat. And I can’t have his energy being depleted too much.”
Before Hank could tell her that was more information than he ever wanted, the alarm sounded and once more the voice of an Ori Prior came over the loudspeaker. “Blessed are the Ori. All Hallowed are the Ori.” One day, Hank was going to make a point of discovering how exactly they could remotely control every single communication system in the SGC.
Vala rolled her eyes. “Time for prostration again, already? My, how time flies. Doesn’t seem that long since the last time they told to be on our knees for six hours.” She picked up her tray. “Well, they’ll just have to proceed without me. I’ve got better things to do.”
Hank laughed as she strode out of the room, turning heads even in her drab green BDUs. Whatever life threw at him, it was a relief to know that some things could be relied upon to never change.
FINIS
AUTHOR: Matt
SUMMARY: The SGC is surprised when an old friend comes to visit. Can rediscovered memories help in the fight against the Ori? Landry POV, hints of D/V insinuation. Spoilers for all episodes, Learning Curve in particular.
RATING: PG-13, just because of Vala
DISCLAIMER: Characters are property of MGM et al. Author doesn't own the property rights and no offence is intended.
NOTE: This is for the loose_ends_fic ficathon, especially written for keenir
THANKS: To alliesings for the beta read, fact finding, and suggestions.
There were days when General Landry just wished the entire universe would go away. He’d only been at the base for an hour, and already his day had fallen to pieces. SG-3 had come in hot, Doctors Lee and Felger had double-teamed him over some insane - not to mention dangerous and expensive - experiment, and finally Vala had bounded up to him in the cafeteria.
“I’m getting Daniel’s breakfast,” she informed him. “He’s still in bed.” The accompanying wink had not improved Hank’s mood.
“Morning, General,” said Harriman as Landry exited the elevator by his office.
“Chief.” Hank took the proffered cup of coffee - his third of the day - and headed towards his sanctuary. The trusty sergeant followed. “What’s on the agenda for today?”
Walter Harriman recited the schedule, which included meetings with General O’Neill, the mildly annoying Wolsey, and the highly annoying French representative of the Oversight Committee.
Speaking of annoying… “Does SG-1 have a mission scheduled for today?”
“No, Sir.”
Damn! Oh well, it had been worth a shot. Maybe Ms. Mal Doran could restrain herself to only hanging out in Doctor Jackson’s vicinity. Hank certainly didn’t want her around the visitor from Oversight.
“Any messages from the Ori?”
Walter smirked. “Just the usual, General.”
“Ah.” Hank sank into the leather chair behind his desk. “’Hallowed are the Ori,’ that sort of thing?”
“Yes, Sir.”
“Well, it’s comforting to know at least someone’s keeping to schedule. How are SG-3 doing?”
“Doctor Lam thinks they’ll be ready to debrief after lunch.”
“Good. Schedule it. I want to know exactly…”
His words were drowned out by the sound of the Stargate spinning into action and the ‘Unscheduled Off World Activation’ alarm. He looked over to Walter, but the man just shrugged. Evidently he didn’t know who it was either.
Hank moved quickly through the conference room and down the spiral staircase that led to the control room. It wasn’t a surprise to see three members of SG-1 already in there; the team ALWAYS appeared when there was unscheduled travel.
“Morning, Sir,” Mitchell sung out.
Hank nodded in his direction. “What have we got, Colonel?”
Lieutenant Colonel Sam Carter sat in front of a computer. “Still waiting to find out, Sir,” she said as she studied the data appearing on the screen. Then her eyes widened. “Open the Iris,” she told the technician beside her.
“Colonel?” Hank was concerned at who might be coming through his Stargate.
She turned her head to face him. “It’s the Orbanians, Sir.”
“Who?”
“They are friendly, General Landry.” It was the first time Teal’c had spoken. “If not for them, we would not have a naquadah generator.”
“Ah.” Hank nodded and began the descent to the Gate Room. “I guess that makes it all right, then.”
Inwardly, he wasn’t so sure.
“So, what are these Orbanians like, Sam?” Mitchell asked as the group walked to the bottom of the ramp. “Besides ‘friendly.’”
Carter thought for a moment. “They’re fairly advanced. As Teal’c said it’s because of them that we were able to develop our naquadah generators.”
“Cool,” Mitchell enthused. “Think they can help us against the Ori?”
Carter didn’t reply. Instead, her attention was focused on the person emerging from the wormhole. “Merrin?”
Their visitor moved gracefully to the bottom of the ramp and inclined her head. “Major Carter. It is a pleasure to see you again.”
“It’s, ah, Lieutenant Colonel now, and, er, it’s good to see you too.” Clearly, Colonel Carter had been caught off guard by the young woman, though Hank couldn’t understand why.
“Teal’c,” the woman continued, acknowledging the former Jaffa and exchanging head nods with him. “Where is Colonel O’Neill?”
Hank decided to step forward. “General O’Neill is no longer based here. I’m General Landry, the Commanding Officer of this facility.”
Once again, she nodded. “I am Merrin. Thank you for letting me through your Stargate. I was not sure if this would be a one-way trip.”
“No way,” Carter exclaimed. “I mean, once we knew it was you…”
“I understand.” She looked towards the room’s exit. “I would very much like to discuss a matter of great importance with you. However, I suspect you will require me to visit your infirmary first. Is this correct?”
Hank arranged for Teal’c and Mitchell to escort their visitor to his daughter’s domain, and pulled Colonel Carter to one side. “Okay, Colonel, talk to me. What’s got you so off-guard?”
Carter looked toward the direction the other three people had gone. “Sir,” she began, “the last time we saw Merrin, she had no idea who we were. For want of a better description, well, her memory had been erased.”
Hank stared at her. “Erased? Why?” He waved her back towards the briefing room, where he had asked the other two members of SG-1 to return with the girl.
Carter took her usual seat at the conference table. “Merrin was one of a group of children called Urrone. They were a special group who were implanted with nanites prior to birth. Their task was to learn about various subjects and then share that information with the rest of the population.”
Hank was confused. “So, she was a teacher?”
The woman shook her head sadly. “Not exactly, Sir. Once an Urrone child reached a certain age, they went through a process called the Averium. In short, the nanites containing all the information learned were ‘harvested’ and given to the rest of the people. The children were then left pretty much like vegetables.”
The General paled. “They did this deliberately to their children.”
“It was considered a great honor to them. Daniel and General O’Neill tried to protest, and even offered Merrin sanctuary here once they found out, but she insisted on returning to Orban for the process.”
“Why her?”
“She was considered an expert on the naquadah generator. She taught me how to build it.”
“But she must have been a child at the time.”
Sam nodded. “She was. Urrone children commence the absorption of information very young.”
“And you say the last time you saw her, her memory was gone. She was in this vegetative-state?”
“Not exactly. It seems that before she returned to Orban, General O’Neill took her off-base. He’s never said what actually happened, but it must have been beneficial. The information she shared with the Orbanians taught them how to play, and how to learn at a normal rate. However, there was a price. She no longer remembered any of us.”
Hank made a note to mention the young woman’s visit to Jack when he arrived. He thought it was possible that his friend might be willing to share more information with him than with the members of his former team.
“So that would explain why she asked for O’Neill? Because she knew him?”
“She remembered him, Sir. She remembered all of us. I just don’t understand why or how.” She looked rueful. “Sorry.”
Hank laughed. “I don’t expect you to have all the answers, Colonel. You’re allowed to have as many questions as the rest of us.”
“Yeah, but I normally manage to answer those questions. This has me stumped.”
There was a laugh from the room's main entrance. “Well, that’s a first.”
Hank stood to greet his friend. “Jack,” he said, extending his hand. “You’re a little early for our meeting.”
General O’Neill shrugged. “What can I say? Washington actually allowed me to leave on time. Carter,” he said, nodding at his former second in command.
“It's good to see you, Sir.”
"You too, Carter." Jack slid into his old seat at the table. “Although I am a little curious as to what’s got our resident genius so stumped.”
She sighed. “We’ve had a visitor, Sir. From Orban.”
The gray-haired General’s face clouded over. “What do they want?” Yes, Hank observed. There was definitely a story there.
Mitchell entered the room. “Seems they got information about the Ori.” He took the chair opposite Jack. “Teal’c’s bringing her back up, Sir,” he told Hank.
“The Ori? What do they know about them” Jack asked.
“Quite a lot, apparently. At least according to…” Cameron trailed off and looked directly at Sam. “Why were you so surprised to see her? I mean, I realize it’s been a while but you were completely out of it.”
Sam opened her mouth to explain the situation, but someone beat her to it.
“She was surprised because I remembered her,” said Merrin as she walked into the room with Teal’c following close behind. Her eyes lit up as she caught sight of the newcomer. “Colonel! I’m sorry, General!”
Jack’s jaw dropped as he stood up. “You remember me?”
Merrin nodded. “I do. It is good to see you again. I have thought of you often.”
It seemed Hank wasn't the only one to be surprised when she gave Jack O'Neill a warm hug. "Definitely good to see you too," Jack replied after he returned the gesture. "And I hope those were good thoughts," he added jovially as he indicated for their visitor to take a seat.
“But how?” Carter burst out. “I’m sorry, but you didn’t remember any of us the last time we visited you.”
Merrin nodded and sat down across the table from the other woman. “I realize that. It is part of the Averium. We give of ourselves for our people. It is a great honor.”
“It sapped your personality,” Jack snapped.
“Still against our ways, General?” Merrin asked, with a sparkle in her eye. “I knew what I was doing.”
“Merrin,” Sam said gently. “The last time we saw you, you didn’t know us. You spent the entire time scribbling pictures on a wall, just as a much younger child would.”
“Purple dogs,” Merrin recalled, looking at Jack. “They tell me that for weeks I was obsessed with drawing purple dogs.”
“Best color for a dog,” Jack said with a grin.
Hank was mystified. He looked over at Colonel Carter, hoping for insight. However, she merely shrugged her shoulders as though she was putting this down to another facet of Jack O'Neill's character.
“As I said, I knew what I was doing. Play was such an unknown concept to my people, as was teaching and learning. I knew my time with you would be shared.”
“It appeared you were correct,” Teal’c observed.
“Yes, my people discovered how to play, and how to share information. Even though we had been through the Averium, the brains of Urrone children were still stimulated. It was then that an important discovery was made.”
“Oh?” Hank was interested. “Would that be how you regained your memories?”
She nodded. “We discovered that some of the nanites go into hiding as a form of self-protection at the time of the Averium. Consequently, they are not removed. When the Urrone brain is stimulated, these nanites come out of hiding and this is how my memories were rediscovered. Urrone children of all ages also found there was additional information that had not been previously shared. That includes information regarding the Ori.”
“Anything you can share would be good,” Hank told her.
“We would be delighted to share,” was the reply. “We consider it our repayment for all that you gave to our people.”
There was a discreet cough from the doorway. Hank looked over to see Harriman standing there. “Yes, Walter?”
“Mister Wolsey is here to see you, Sir.”
Jack grimaced. “Sooner you than me.”
Hank stood up. “Thanks, Jack. If it gets too much I know where to find you.” He turned to SG-1. “Find out what Merrin’s people have. If it’s useful, I want to know.”
Merrin’s visit was possibly the highlight of General Landry’s day. Both Wolsey and the French ambassador had complaints and demands. Very little pacified the Oversight Committee, and Wolsey even knew of Merrin’s visit to Earth. “If she knows anything,” Wolsey said scathingly, “it’ll be what Earth already knows, that the Ori are nothing more than an intergalactic nuisance.”
“Who want to dominate us,” Hank reminded him. “We’ve already faced down one invasion, and now they dial our Stargate every day just to threaten us.”
“I hardly think a repeated message of Hallowed Be The Ori is a threat,” Wolsey sniffed. “It’s like saying that Allahu Akbar, repeated constantly is a threat by Islamic terrorists. It’s when they stop the talk and take action that we need to worry.”
“And that’s what I worry about,” Hank said. “The day they stop preaching is the day they attempt another invasion. We need to be ready for that day.”
"Tell me she has something," Hank pleaded with his friend that afternoon. He needed something uplifting after his previous meetings.
"I think she might, Hank," Jack responded. "Daniel's been given a stack of material to work through, and he definitely sounded excited when I stopped by to see him." He rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you know how Daniel gets."
Hank laughed. "Yes, although I think Vala's attempting to change that."
"Good luck to her! Oh yeah, and Carter thinks it's possible to extract further data from those nanites. She and Merrin have been with Carolyn for the past couple of hours, examining those things." Jack shuddered. "I still don't like the idea."
"The nanites, or the studying of them?" Hank queried.
"Both."
Walter appeared in the office doorway, knocking hesitantly. "General O'Neill? I have General Myers on the phone."
Jack nodded and reached for the phone. "No rest for the wicked," he said with a sigh.
Hank smiled in agreement and left Jack to his call. He'd barely closed the door to his office when Wolsey reappeared in front of him.
"Ah, General," he said with an obviously fake smile. "I need to discuss this nanite situation with you..."
It was almost comforting to see Vala in the cafeteria that evening. Once again, she made a point of stopping at his table with a laden tray. “Daniel is studying something boring,” she informed him archly. “When he gets like this, he forgets to eat. And I can’t have his energy being depleted too much.”
Before Hank could tell her that was more information than he ever wanted, the alarm sounded and once more the voice of an Ori Prior came over the loudspeaker. “Blessed are the Ori. All Hallowed are the Ori.” One day, Hank was going to make a point of discovering how exactly they could remotely control every single communication system in the SGC.
Vala rolled her eyes. “Time for prostration again, already? My, how time flies. Doesn’t seem that long since the last time they told to be on our knees for six hours.” She picked up her tray. “Well, they’ll just have to proceed without me. I’ve got better things to do.”
Hank laughed as she strode out of the room, turning heads even in her drab green BDUs. Whatever life threw at him, it was a relief to know that some things could be relied upon to never change.
FINIS