Changing of the Guard 3: Be All That You Can Be 6/22 [PG13] xover
Ecolea (ecolea@WT.NET)
Mon, 24 Sep 2001 08:47:08 GMT
Chapter 7
Three large sedans came to retrieve the nine people who were
waiting. And while Methos found himself comfortably ensconced
with his old friends Ramirez and Ptahsennes, and Daniel traveled
with Dawson and MacLeod, Jack ended up trying to make small talk
with the de Valicourts.
"So, ah... Pierson tells me you used to be a pirate, Robert. What
do you do now?"
"Corporate raider," de Valicourt answered cheerfully. "Same thing
-- just without the sea."
"Nice," O'Neill smiled painfully. "And do you still teach
Sociology, Gina?"
"Not really," she admitted. "We've both taken a sort of leave of
absence. We're honeymooning."
"They usually give you time off for that, don't they?"
"We like to take our time," Robert confided. "Sail round the
world. Spend a decade or so on a deserted island somewhere. I
know some really hard to find places. Off the beaten track so to
speak. We were in Barbados just having a few repairs done and
stocking up the yacht when MacLeod reached us."
"A decade or so... Nice," O'Neill smiled even more painfully.
"And you, Colonel O'Neill?" Robert asked politely. "What do you
do exactly?"
"Oh... Nothing special. A little black ops, the occasional war, a
lot of traveling. Really a lot of traveling," he muttered
disgustedly. "Nothing as exciting as corporate raiding or making
a difference in the lives of young people."
"Nice," Robert smiled -- painfully.
***
"So, what do you think?" Methos asked O'Neill as he gave a final
tug to his uniform jacket before tucking his hat under his arm.
They were all going to be part of General Hammond's formal
presentation to the Immortals waiting in the visitors lounge in
the above ground portion of the facility. A small conference room
had been prepared and while they waited the prospective recruits
would be served food and drink. It was Hammond's idea really, a
friendly gesture to keep their guests from feeling trapped and
endangered.
Not surprisingly, Methos had agreed. He'd come to the SGC already
feeling trapped and endangered, but for entirely different
reasons. And no one had even suspected he was different. The
waiting Immortals had no such luxury. Hammond had felt that since
they had no reason to trust a military with which they were
unfamiliar -- and one which had been demonized so completely by
the media -- they might be a bit more open-minded if they were
not immediately stripped of their weapons, marched into a missile
silo surrounded by armed soldiers and asked to "cooperate"
because aliens were invading.
"What do I think?" O'Neill finally responded as Major Carter
joined them. "About what?"
"You know," Methos nodded toward the locker room ceiling. "About
them."
"They go well with the decor."
"What?!"
"Come on, Pierson," O'Neill chided as they headed toward the
elevator. "We've got Alexander the Great, a pirate, a French Lady
in Waiting, a Highland warrior, an Ancient Egyptian high priest
and the Chief Metallurgist to the King of Spain. I'm beginning to
wonder if I'm really trapped in the worst science fiction novel
ever written."
"Alexander the Great?!" Carter stopped dead in her tracks.
"You didn't get the memo?" Jack raised an eyebrow, but showed a
suspicious lack of regret.
"Colonel, you don't write memos," Samantha responded beginning to
move again.
"Well, not to you," Jack said defensively. "I can just call you."
Methos grinned as they reached the elevator and he picked up the
thread of their previous conversation. "You forgot to mention the
other character in the fantastical little melodrama we're living,
O'Neill."
"And that would be?"
A sudden announcement over the loudspeaker interrupted them.
"Colonel O'Neill, Captain Pierson, please report to Guard Station
AG-1 immediately."
"That would be Amanda," Methos smiled winningly as the elevator
opened and the announcement repeated. "The world class
jet-setting jewel thief."
***
"Darling!" Amanda called as she stepped out of the stretch
limousine sent to retrieve her from the airport. One arm held a
bouquet of long stem yellow roses, the other a tall fluted
champagne glass -- still half full.
"You sent champagne and flowers?" O'Neill muttered sotto voce as
they approached.
"She'd have bolted at the first guard post otherwise," Methos
responded between tightly clenched teeth held in a polite smile.
"Amanda," he said warmly as she leaned in to give him a quick
kiss.
"Have you lost your mind?!" she hissed angrily against his cheek.
"You're perfectly safe," he whispered back. "Would I be anywhere
the danger is?"
"This had better be good, Methos!" Amanda raised her brows as she
stood back, looking him up and down. "You do clean up nice
though," she said in a normal tone, grinning at the uniform.
Behind them Jack cleared his throat and Methos turned to make
introductions. "Amanda...Darieux ?" he said questioningly and
received a slight nod from the lady. "Meet Colonel Jack O'Neill,
U.S. Air Force."
Amanda shoved the flowers and her glass at Methos nearly spilling
it on him in the process then offered her now free hand to the
colonel. "Charmed," she smiled warmly as he took it.
O'Neill smiled back trying hard not to stare but with Amanda that
was almost impossible. The skimpy black sheath dress she wore set
off her tall, feminine figure to perfection. And her dark hair
framed her face in a short blunt cut that made her eyes seem
twice as large as they actually were.
"Welcome to Cheyenne Mountain, ma'am," O'Neill responded falling
back on protocol when all else failed to get his mind off the
woman's long, seemingly endless bare legs. Distantly he wondered
how she managed to walk in a pair of six inch spiked high heels.
Very nicely, he had to admit a moment later as she took his arm,
ignoring Methos as he polished off her wine and tossed the
flowers and glass back into the limo before leading the way
inside.
"So," Amanda asked with a touch of forced gaiety. "You're a
friend of...Adam's?" She glanced back at the other Immortal who
gave her a tight nod.
"Actually," O'Neill responded gently disengaging her arm as they
reached the guarded entrance to the conference center. "I'm
Captain Pierson's Commanding Officer."
"And how commanding you are, Colonel," she cooed softly.
O'Neill coughed, ignoring the gleam in the Airman's eyes as the
soldier opened the door and stepped aside to let Amanda pass.
Beside him, Methos didn't even bother to hide a smile.
"Amanda?!"
MacLeod had turned with the others as the door opened. He scowled
darkly at Methos, who merely shrugged. Of course MacLeod would be
annoyed Methos thought as he moved into the room. He tended to
think of women, especially Immortal ones, as precious objects in
need of protection. But Amanda was clever, inventive and had
skills that could only be an advantage at some point. And as a
fighter... Well, she'd survived for more than 1200 years and that
was no mean feat for an Immortal, let alone a female.
The woman in question briefly surveyed the room as she moved
toward MacLeod, abruptly coming to a complete halt as another
Immortal came forward. Her mouth opened but no sound came out as
the other man silently took her hand, kissed it then held it
comfortingly between his palms.
"My deepest sympathies for your loss," Ramirez told her gently.
"Rebecca was an extraordinary woman. She is truly missed by those
of us who knew her."
"She-- We--" Amanda choked, tears welling up in her eyes. "Damn
you, Ramirez!" she finally shouted, suddenly throwing her arms
around his neck. "I thought you were dead!"
"There, there," he patted her back soothingly as Amanda sniffled
and at last pulled away. "I am sorry, but when one is asked by a
god to remain silent, one can do nothing more than keep his
promise. I hope you will forgive me, my dear."
"Of course I forgive you," she said, carefully wiping at her
eyes. "But you aren't making any sense. What does God have to do
with anything?"
There was a stir at the door as someone entered. "We shall talk
later," Ramirez told her as they were asked to be seated and
MacLeod came forward to take Amanda's arm. The old Egyptian bowed
graciously and moved aside to find a seat beside Ptahsennes.
Methos glanced around the room, finally spotting Daniel, who
looked a little paler than usual.
"You all right?" Methos asked as he joined Jackson and Carter
near the door where the general would soon make his entrance.
"Yeah, fine," Daniel muttered, flushing as Alexander waved in his
direction. "Just feel like a fool," he said, raising a hand and
wiggling his fingers in tepid response.
Methos stifled a chuckle. "What'd you do? Tell him he looked just
like a bust of Alexander the Great you'd recently seen?"
Daniel grimaced. "Worse. I told him his Ancient Greek was
flawless." Methos burst out laughing. "It's not funny!" Daniel
insisted. "And you could have warned me before I made an ass of
myself!"
"What, and give you preferential treatment?" O'Neill murmured as
he joined the group and overheard the last comment.
The young archaeologist's eyes widened eagerly. "Pushups?"
"Over two hundred," O'Neill confirmed.
"Thanks, Jack. I feel better now."
Carter tried not to smile as Methos frowned. "You guys are no fun
anymore," he grumbled, coming to attention with the rest of the
troops as the general entered.
There was a pause as Hammond came to the podium and O'Neill
quickly introduced him to the assemblage. With a few formal words
the general thanked everyone for coming then began to reel off
the standard VIP tour speech.
"Now, ladies and gentlemen," he suddenly broke off from the
accustomed formula. "I realize that I'm about to ask a great deal
of you. And I would like to offer you my trust by revealing our
little secret to you. In order to do that I need for you trust me
-- by laying aside your weapons for the time being."
There was a small stir among the participants and for a moment it
looked like Ptahsennes and Robert de Valicourt were going to lead
most of the group in revolt and walk out the door.
"If I might have your attention for a moment," Hammond said with
quiet authority. "First, I would like to point out that the only
mortals on this base who know your secret are standing in this
room -- unarmed. Second, as with all military bases the only
folks carrying weapons here are authorized personnel guarding
secure locations. And lastly, this is holy ground. I for one
would not like to stand before my Maker on the day I am judged
and try to explain how I butchered unarmed civilians on land
consecrated to His Glory."
There was a small titter of laughter at this last and MacLeod
rose silently to remove his still sheathed katana.
"Pretty lady," O'Neill nodded appreciatively as he opened a small
weapons locker and stood back while the Highlander placed his
sword.
MacLeod grinned and went back to stand beside Dawson. Then one by
one the other Immortals got up until only Alexander and Amanda
remained. The first hadn't carried a weapon since he'd set foot
on the base and the second... Well, if she was armed O'Neill was
going to start instituting strip searches.
"Now, if you'll please follow me," General Hammond began, leading
the way to the elevator which took them down to the main guard
station where they were processed through security. They were
quiet for much of this, the occasional whispered conversation
taking place as most of those who had never seen the inside of a
high tech, high security installation avidly took in the details
of the operation. Most especially Amanda, Methos noted.
"Stop that," he murmured into the tiny shell of her ear as he
slid into the elevator behind her.
"Stop what?"
"Planning," he told her.
"I'm not planning," she muttered. "I'm... I'm taking a
professional interest."
Methos chuckled low in his throat. "Trust me, little girl, there
are only two things of any real value in this place. The first is
so big you'd need a crane to lift it. The second..." Methos
thought about the larval Goa'uld Teal'c carried. The thing that
kept him healthy and alive as long as it remained inside him.
"The second would be worth your life if you tried to remove it."
She stared at him for a long moment as the elevator made it's way
down. "I'll remember that."
"You do."
The elevator finally came to a halt and they disembarked, waiting
as the other half of their group was escorted down. Finally, they
all trooped off in the direction of the Stargate, General Hammond
launching into his 'discovered in 1928' speech which was quickly
followed by the tried and true show and tell method of letting
his visitors see the gate in action.
"But this is wondrous," Gina whispered as those who hadn't seen
it already stared in awe. "A gateway to other planets? Perhaps
one day we will answer the question of whether or not we are
truly alone in the universe."
"Actually," O'Neill said uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his
neck. "We got that one on the first try. Meet Teal'c," he waved
the Jaffa over. "So Teal'c, tell us where you're from and what
you do for a living."
The big man looked over the Immortals assembled in the gate room.
"I was born on Chulak, a world many light years from this place.
For many years I served as the First Prime of Apophis, a false
god who enslaved my people and those of many other worlds. Now,
here on the world of the Tau'ri, I fight against the tyranny of
the System Lords."
"That'd be the aliens?" Alexander asked from where he stood not
far from MacLeod.
"Excuse me," the Highlander interrupted, "but do I know you?"
Alexander shook his head. "Don't think so, but then I'm told I
have one of those faces. Al Philipson," he nodded then winked at
Joe whose mouth suddenly dropped. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd
really like an answer to my question."
"Yeah," O'Neill nodded. "That'd be the bad guys."
The small group seemed to waver between disbelief and dismay.
"They call themselves Goa'uld," General Hammond explained as he
held their attention. "A race of sentient parasitical beings who
exist by taking humans as hosts. Ten thousand years ago they came
to this world and made it their home. They enslaved mortal man
sending thousands as slaves through the Stargate to serve their
needs in a variety of ways. Eventually, the people of this world
rebelled and they were forced to flee. Now they control most of
the galaxy, taking who they want and what they will with
virtually no one to stand against them."
"You said 'mortal man'," Robert commented. "Not," he looked at
the others, "us?"
"Captain Pierson," Hammond nodded.
"We're immune," Methos told them. "They can't harm us at all.
But," he added. "That doesn't mean we're safe. For a long time
this world has been like a bad taste in their mouths. One they
were willing to try and forget because there is nothing here they
cannot find elsewhere. Unfortunately, human curiosity being what
it is," he smiled ruefully, "has caused them to take notice
again. Which makes us a thorn in their side. And I'm afraid," he
looked to Alexander, "that they no longer wish to conquer this
world. They simply want it gone."
"Good god!" Robert breathed, holding Gina close.
"They're coming?" Amanda asked, looking nervously at the gate.
"When?"
"To tell the truth," O'Neill responded. "They've been and gone.
But," he added. "They'll be back. You can count on it."
"They will not rest," Teal'c interjected, "until they find the
means to destroy this world and end any chance for freedom humans
may have."
"And Immortals?" Ramirez asked gravely. "What would happen to us
should they succeed?"
"It would be unpleasant at best," Teal'c acknowledged. "At worst,
they would find the means to annihilate you as a threat to their
power. For while they may claim to be gods, you possess that
which in the eyes of the people would make you truly gods."
"They aren't immortal," Alexander stated, nodding slowly in
understanding.
"As if," Jack snorted. "Of course they do have these sarcophagus
things they use to keep their hosts young and healthy. With them
they can live in the same host for... Well, forever. Without
'em," he shrugged. "They've got some healing abilities but they
can be killed. Believe me, I've snuffed enough of them to know."
"But if you can kill them," Ptahsennes spoke up. "Why have you
come to us?"
"Because something has them scared," Joe murmured and the others
silently nodded.
"It's true," Hammond agreed. "Recent events have proven to us
that the benefits of having more than just one Immortal in our
midst would be to our advantage. To all our advantage. What we'd
like to do is assemble a strike force. A small, tightly knit unit
of men and women who could be called upon only in the most dire
of circumstances. That's why you're here."
"It's never been done," Alexander murmured, openly shocked, but
like the others clearly intrigued.
"Yes, it has," MacLeod responded, staring at Methos who refused
to acknowledge his glance. "But this time it'll be different."
Ramirez smiled broadly. "Indeed."