Gods and Bullies
Gods and Bullies
by Rana
Title: Gods and Bullies
Author: Rana
Email: cdcoe@compuserve.com
Category: Crossover
Crossover: Farscape
Season: any Season
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: PG
Warnings: minor language
Summary: Marguerite causes even more trouble at the SGC and at home
Sequel to: Marguerite
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Margaurite heard the knock on the door. "Come in if you can, George locked the door." She called, not moving. There was a click, and the door swung open, and Jack walked in.
"Hi Jack."
"Hey Margaurite. Making yourself comfy, as usual, I see."
"Well, you practically live here, so I don't know what the problem is." Jack raised an eyebrow. Margaurite changed the subject. "So. What did you do to piss of the general this time?" she asked.
"I made a couple of comments. I don't know why he sent me out."
"Did they happen to be annoying, bad joke-like sarcastic comments?"
"Yeah, but I always do that!"
"Aw, poor little Jack. You're not used to someone bringing Hammond to the end of his tether then letting you have at it, are you?"
"So it was you who wound him up! As soon as I found out you were here, I thought it might have been you stretching his patience."
"I'm hurt."
"Aw, poor ickle Margaurite not used to someone having as smart a mouth as she does?"
"No one has as smart a mouth as I do, you're close, but you're still missing the mark."
"I'm hurt."
"Good. Mind if I ask a question?"
"You just did."
"Yeah, but here's another one. Are there many Stargates dotted around the universe?"
"Yeah, there's plenty but - woah! How the hell did you find out about that?"
"There's a shelf full of files over there." Margaurite said, pointing lazily to the corner. Jack glanced over and stood over Margaurite. That dominance thing again. she thought.
"Margaurite Crichton, you should know better than to read those files. General Hammond trusted you to leave things that didn't involve you alone."
"Sit down Jack."
"Margaurite, you know better. Your dad was airforce, as was your sister and brother, you know they work hard, why don't you follow their example? I know you can do better than this Margaurite, it isn't exactly hard, for crying out loud!" Margaurite jumped up. She was shorter than he was , but still, they were nearly nose to nose.
"Now you sit down and shut up for once in your life, Jonathan O'Neill! For starters, Hammond has known me since I was tiny, he should know better than to lock me in an office and expect me to stay still. Secondly, I don't need your crap about how I should follow my family's example, because I get that from my family. Just because I didn't know what to do with my life when I was three seems to mean I'm a complete failure. I've heard it before, no need to repeat it. And, Sir, I excel in many things you don't, same goes for the reverse. So you stick with your specialities, and I'll stick with mine. Is that understood?"
"So what do you specialise in?" Jack asked, trying to put her on the spot.
"Do you want a list?" Margaurite asked sarcastically.
"Go right ahead."
"Okay, let's see. Nuclear physics. Astronomy. Statistical status. Tactical work. Maths. English Lit. Molecular Science. Nuclear/Atomic mechanics." Margaurite paused to draw a breath. She looked at Jack. "Should I go on?"
"Please do." Jack hadn't caught half the names she had spat out, but he was sure she couldn't go on for much longer.
"Fine. Neuropsychiatry. Nucleonics. General psychiatry. Numerology. Stichometry. Anthropogy. Ancient languages, orally and written, i.e reading and writing. Also, I speak roughly 6 languages, 7 if you count English, Now, I bet you couldn't do that when you were fifteen."
"No, and I still can't."
"Well then. As I said. You stick with your specialities, and I'll stick with mine. Deal?"
"Deal."
"SG-1 come to the gate room immediately." Jack got up, and moved towards the door.
"Don't read any more of those reports. They are nothing to do with you, so leave them alone, okay?" Jack said.
"Okay , fine, whatever." Margaurite said, not bothered.
"I mean it."
"You sound like George. Now hurry up, or you'll keep everyone waiting. And don't tell George I read those files. It's not like I'm going to expose one of America's biggest military secrets."
"hmm." Jack left, and Margaurite heard the door lock behind himg.
"I'll say it again. That's bloody cheek." Margaurite got up and headed towards the bookshelves again. She wasn't going to read the reports, but there were some other incredibly boring books that Margaurite could read, just to kill time. It reminded her of a song she had, and she hummed it as she scanned the bookshelves for something to read.
"Bingo." Margaurite muttered, pulling out a huge, heavy book on astrophysics. She dropped it on Hammond's desk, and sat down on his chair, opening the text, and began reading.
It wasn't easy reading, but Margaurite was fortunate that her brother had left his class notes behind when he went to university, because Margaurite had read them and understood them, mostly, so she had an idea what the astrophysics book was on about. Plus, as she had told Jack, she had minors in both astrology and physics. She hadn't said astrophysics, because she wasn't great with it, but considering she had only studied it for a couple of months, it wasn't all that surprising. Photographic memory or not, you could hardly expect her to know all there was to know in detail in any subject in just a couple of months. She had spent the last five years learning all the subjects she had given Jack except for maths and english lit, and she still wanted to learn more. The fact she was out of school, or rather, that she didn't bother going, meant she spent the day in the library, studying and learning about whatever subject grabbed her interest.
The phone rang and Margaurite absent-mindedly picked it up. "Hello?"
"George?" a man's voice came down the phone.
"Nope, sorry. I'm sure he's here somewhere, but not here." Margaurite said, still reading.
"Who is this?" the man asked, sounding impatient.
"Margaurite Crichton."
"Margaurite? But you're only fifteen. What are you doing there?" the man asked.
"George is meant to be babysitting me."
"Babysitting? You're fifteen. I wouldn't have thought you'd need babysitting." The man sounded like he was chuckling. Margaurite liked him. She folded down the page of the astrophysics book and shut it, concentrating on the phone conversation.
"That's what I said. But no one believes the fifteen year old who plays hooky from school."
"You play hooky?"
"Only cause the only thing school could teach me is how to deal with bullies. But then I get in trouble, so that's a waste of time."
"So you can't learn anything from school?"
"Not really. I knew a lot of what they are teaching me when I was thirteen."
"Have you asked to be moved up a grade?"
"Yeah, but I don't go to school often enough for them to justify it, so they don't bother."
"So what do you do all day?"
"Go to the library and totally baffle the librarian by asking for university tomes on things like astrophysics and ancient cultures."
"You interested in that sort of thing?"
"Wouldn't read it otherwise."
"Know a lot about it?"
"quite a bit. Not enough."
"Like your brother. Always wanting to know more."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Margaurite suddenly noticed she was talking on the red phone. "Um, who is this?"
"The President."
"Oh. Okay."
"Didn't George tell you who this phone went to?"
"Nope. Didn't tell me anything about anything. He brought me here, sat me down, told me to stay in his office, and to stay put. He locked me in, like that's gonna stop me."
"You're good at lock picking?"
"Yep."
"Anything else that borders on illegal you can do?"
"You gonna blow the whistle on me?"
"No, unless it's something really drastic."
"Like murder?"
"Yeah, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about."
"Leave the police their jurisdiction, huh? I don't even think they've noticed anyway."
"Noticed what?"
"Not much. Look, I think the biggest thing that ever went suspiciously missing was a notepad from Max's when I was eleven."
"So what do you do now?"
"Mostly, just know how to do it, not actually do it."
"So what kind of thing do you know how to do?"
"Well, I'm good with computers."
"Aah." He said, like he'd got the answer he wanted.
"Not always that kind of good. I can do productive things on them as well."
"Oh?" she could tell he was smiling.
"Yes! Oh, and congrats on NASAs security program. Didn't keep me out, but it's got a super-quick tracer."
"Thanks, I think. You're good if you can get past NASA's security, then get off before the tracer gets you."
"Thanks."
"Ever gone into something else?"
"What kind of something else?"
"Military computer systems."
"I've never actually tried it, but it's something to do if I get bored, thanks."
"Margaurite, don't. it wasn't a suggestion."
"Neither was my dad asking George to take me for the next week. But George still took me, unfortunately. Can't do anything with the General over your shoulder."
"Nothing bordering on illegal anyway."
"Oh, I can do that, but it spoils all my plans for world domination." Margaurite said, laughing.
"Know the feeling." He replied. Margaurite could practically hear his smile.
"Got your very own watchdog General?"
"Whole handful of them."
"Margaurite! Get off the phone immediately!" Hammond's voice barked down another line. Margaurite cringed. She was gonna get it bad this time.
"See ya, Mr President."
"Good bye Margaurite."
Margaurite put the phone down. She reopened the text and looked down at it. It was the part about wormholes, and how they joined black holes and white holes.
"Now there are some original names." She muttered.
"What are?" Sam asked from the doorway. All of `SG-1' stood there, including a black guy with a gold tattoo on his forehead.
"I guess you're Teal'c." Margaurite said, standing up.
"I am."
"Cool. I'm Margaurite." The black guy nodded. SG-1 came in and Sam asked again, "What are original names?"
"Black hole and white hole, though I've got no idea where the name wormhole came from." Sam and Daniel exchanged worried looks, and Jack looked a little bit angry.
"Margaurite, I thought I told you not to-"
"It's a book on astrophysics, Jack!" Margaurite showed him the cover.
"Didn't know you had a minor in that too." Jack said, only half joking.
"I don't yet." Margaurite said, not joking at all.
"So what have you been doing, other than reading books that might as well be in Ancient Egyptian to me, not that it would make a difference to you?"
"Well, I answered the phone, and talked with the president, he's nice." Margaurite stopped. SG-1 sat there with their mouths open. "What?"
"You talked with the president?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah. So what?"
"What did you talk about?" Sam asked.
"Why I play hooky from school, my only halfway legal extracurricular activities." They heard someone approaching. "Oh shit. Someone save me. George is gonna kill me."
"He can't do that. He said he'd babysit you, not kill you." Sam said.
"So he'll use something to bring me back with."
"I didn't know humans had something similar to a sarcophagus on your planet." Teal'c said.
"What? Never mind." Margaurite hopped off the general's chair, and sat down in the one in front of the desk, taking the astrophysics book with her. The lock clicked, and the general stormed in.
"Margaurite Crichton! What the hell did you think you were doing?" Hammond demanded. SG-1 edged towards the open door, and Margaurite fixed them with a look that said clearly, `Cowards.' And Jack nodded and mouthed, "You Betcha." Margaurite rolled her eyes and focused on the general again... he was reading her the riot act, and now he was talking about her family, and how she should follow their example. Blah blah blah. Margaurite didn't need this crap. She stood and brushed past him. Hammond seemed to be in shock. Looked like no one had walked out on him in a long while. She turned right outside his office and walked swiftly down the corridors. She came to the end of the corridor and the elevator doors were just shutting. "Hold the doors!" She called, jogging to get to the elevator . A corporal closed the doors. "Where are you going?" he asked. Margaurite scanned controls. He was going to the observation deck. Good enough.
"Same place you're going, Corporal."
She smiled her sweetest smile, the one she reserved for guys ruled by what was between their legs, and he smiled, or rather grinned back. The elevator stopped, and the Corporal grinned again, that was, if he had ever stopped grinning in the first place, and said, "After you." She walked out, and the Corporal drew up alongside her. She was careful to match his movements, so it looked like she knew where she was going, yet could still follow his lead. He turned into a room full of computers and equipment, with big windows in the front. She moved to the front, just behind a guy sitting at a computer with a weird keyboard. It took her a moment, but then she realised the symbols were constellations. She looked through the window, and her mouth fell open. She closed it, but her eyes widened. A huge metal ring stood in the room. Inside the ring, was a rippling blue surface, like water. Other than that, the room was practically empty. She tuned herself back into what was going on in the observation room.
"The gate won't shut. We don't know why." The man in front of her said, still typing. "The drone is sending signals, and we can't shut the gate so SG-7 can get through. The wormhole is still stable. Margaurite leaned over his shoulder, reading what was on the screen. Wormholes could only go one way, so...
"Stop transmitting to the drone.. turn it off if you can. The gate should shut if you do." Margaurite didn't realise she's spoken until everyone looked at her in amazement. She shrugged. "Just a suggestion." A lieutenant looked at her for a sec, then nodded.
"Do it!" a few seconds of furious typing, a beep, and then nothing happened. The lieutenant stared at her, "Any other suggestions?"
"Is there anything else on the end of that wormhole that could be transmitting signals?"
"I don't know."
"Find out." Margaurite said. What was it with guys?
"We'd have to turn the drone back on."
"So?" What was his point?
"So once we did that, we can't deactivate it for another hour."
"Well, it's pretty obvious that it isn't the drone alone that's causing the wormhole to stay open, so we need to find out what is. And for that, we need the drone."
"How do you know it isn't the drone?"
"Honestly lieutenant. What did you get promoted for? Sure as hell ain't your brains. Does anyone else have an idea what I'm talking about?" two people raised their hands. "Okay. I'm glad that there are some brains here. No offence, you guys could probably kick my ass anytime you wanted. But I'm a scientist. Not a soldier. Scuze me. Can I sit down?" One of the dopey computer guys let her sit down. She began typing. "Okay, so we turn on the drone, have a look around at what could be sending signals and then we work out how to deactivate whatever it is, then turn off the drone. Okay?" she asked the two intelligent ones. They nodded.
"Sounds good to me. Shall we get the drone to bring back some of whatever it was?"
"Depends. It could be radioactive material that's doing this, in which case, it needs to be destroyed, cause deactivation just doesn't work. If it's a machine that can be deactivated, then we'll see what we can do with it, but we need to find it first. Can the drone pinpoint if there is something out there?"
"Yeah, hold on a sec." The man typed in a couple of commands, and there was another beep, as the drone turned on, then..."Got it. About a quarter of a mile from the stargate."
"Okay. Let's send the drone to Oz." There were multiple beeps and Margaurite watched the screen to see what the drone was viewing. Ahead there was something pulsing a dull green-blue light. The drone approached the light. "Stop the drone here. Take any measurements you want to. Temperature etc. What do you think Sam?" Sam hd just come in.
"It looks like a cross between Goa'uld and Asgard."
"Okay. How do we deal with it?"
"Destroy it. It's too complicated to disable." Sam said.
"Plus," Margaurite looked at the screen, "it's giving off radioactive pulses, which would explain the signals."
"Okay. Set a small charge for a minute and a half, then get that drone away from there." Sam ordered.
"Yes major." They complied, and Margaurite set the charges. Sam leaned over her shoulder.
"General Hammond is looking for you." She murmured in Margaurite's ear.
"I'll bet he is." Margaurite muttered. "There. I need a clearance code." Sam typed hers in.
"Okay. I'm ready." She said. The drone set the charges and got away from the device. When it blew, the drone's reading went crazy, then it automatically shut down. "Why'd it do that?" Margaurite asked.
"It was overheated." Sam said, looking at the readings.
"Try and shut down the stargate now." Margaurite said. There was a hiss, and the blue disappeared. "Keep an eye out for SG-7s signal."
"Margaurite!" General Hammond stormed into the room.
"Uh-oh. Busted." Margaurite muttered. She stood up and faced the general. To Hammond, "Sir."
"I told you to stay in that office." He said angrily.
"You watched me leave." Margaurite said evenly.
"You shouldn't have left. I was talking to you."
"I'm not military, Sir. I won't follow your orders."
"Unless they suit you."
"Yessir."
"I can't be dealing with this. There is a team out there who can't come back, and I'm arguing with an underage delinquent." Margaurite raised her eyebrows.
"Permission to speak freely sir." Came a voice from the gate room.
"Granted." The general said tiredly.
"That delinquent just saved our asses. You go Margaurite!" Margaurite smiled, still looking at the general. "Was that SG-7?" Hammond asked.
"Yes sir." Said one of the computer guys.
"I thought the gate was stuck going to PXI 776."
"It was sir. Margaurite fixed it."
"You fixed it?" Hammond asked Margaurite incredulously.
"Yessir." Hammond glanced out the window.
"Go to the infirmary, debriefing in half an hour." Hammond turned back to Margaurite. "You, young lady, have some serious talking to do." He said. He left the observation room, Margaurite followed. Jack came jogging up.
"We haven't found her yet sir, but...oh." Jack saw Margaurite. "Where the hell have you been?"
"The gate room." Margaurite replied.
"What were you doing there, for crying out loud?"
"In the words of Colonel Jameson, saving SG-7s asses." Hammond said.
"But I thought the Stargate was stuck." Jack said.
"Keep up, Jack." Margaurite chided.
"It was. Margaurite fixed it."
"Sam helped." Margaurite added.
"Sam?" Jack asked. He looked confused.
"Yeah, Sam. You know. Blonde major. Your second in command. Ring any bells?"
"I know who she is, Margaurite."
"Good. Just checking. Look, are you guys gonna read me the riot act, cause if you're not, I want to do something else, like, read a book about astronomy, or, um hack into the computer to see what the Stargate actually is. You might as well tell me you know. I have a good idea about what it is and what it does already, enough to bring this base's secret crashing to the ground if I wanted to, which I don't, in case you're wondering. But really. Come on you guys. I saved SG-7's asses, the least you can do is tell me." Margaurite pleaded.
"I hate to think what the most we can do is." Jack muttered.
"And, George. You know I'm gonna keep up at you until you tell me. And I can be VERY persistent."
"I know." General Hammond said. "Alright then." And George told Margaurite about the Stargate.
An hour in George's office later, General Hammond finished his long and detailed explanation that Jack nearly fell asleep in and Margaurite understood. "Oh shit." She whispered when he had finished.
"Now you see why I wanted you to stay in my office?" George asked.
"Hell yeah. Doesn't mean I'm sorry I left it though."
"Crichton through and through." Jack commented. Margaurite hadn't realised that Jack had woken up.
"You can talk." She retorted.
"Could General Hammond and Margaurite come up to the observation room please." Sam's voice came over the intercom. They all went up, and when they got there, Margaurite stepped forward.
"What's up?" she asked.
"I'm not sure," Sam said. Margaurite looked over her shoulder at the screen. There was another team meant to be coming through, but they couldn't because the last chevron wouldn't lock. It kept locking then suddenly being thrown off.
"Can I sit down?" she asked the computer guy. He nodded. She sat down and looked at the readings the computer was spitting out. A few theories crossed her mind, but they were really far out.
"Could it be...I'm not sure, but could it be something obstructing or intercepting the wormhole. Like an asteroid field or something, so that it would be clear for a couple of seconds, but then it would be blocked again, so that the wormhole could never actually get through?"
"But the wormhole is meant to be able to stay steady, no matter what the obstruction." Daniel said.
"But what if it never actually got established, so that it kept trying to form, but couldn't as it was being stopped in its weaker stages, before it actually properly established herself."
"Margaurite may have a point." Teal'c said. "It may be possible that the wormhole is being intercepted by something, cutting it off and preventing the stargate to actually become a receptor for it, because it is simply not getting that far through space."
"How long do you think it will take for the obstruction to pass?" Hammond asked.
"There's no way of telling. Is the obstruction around the planet SG-3 is on, or is it just between that planet and earth?"
"No idea." A computer guy said.
"So what do you think we should do?" Hammond asked Margaurite. Jack noticed the general's growing irritation, and tried to edge his way out of the room Teal'c and Daniel followed, but Sam saw him and glared at him threateningly. He knew she could kick his ass, not that she would dare, and reluctantly sidled back into the room. Margaurite really wanted to know how she did that. Margaurite seemed oblivious to his irritation. "I think, since we have no real communication with them, we just have to wait for the obstruction to pass."
"And how long do you think that will take?" Hammond asked, sounding angry. Even Sam noticed the edge to his voice.
"Why should I know how long it will take? But, another thing we could do, is send another team to a planet nearby, and then they could go to the planet where SG-3 is from there, and bring them back the same way."
"PX10 FY3 is a new planet. There aren't really any other planet's close by to go from."
"I wouldn't have though that mattered, Hammond, as long as they had a dialling device, you could go from pretty much anywhere." Margaurite said.
"Alright. We'll send out a team tomorrow, if here isn't any news by then. I'll need some volunteers to stay behind tonight, in case SG 3 gets through."
"I'll stay." Margaurite and Sam said together. Hammond looked at them.
"Anyone else?" he asked.
"I'll stay." Dr. Fraiser said. "I'll need to be there when they come through, whether it's tonight or tomorrow."
"Anyone else?" Hammond asked. Nobody volunteered. They all had jobs to do. Elsewhere.
At 22.00 the base went offline, and Margaurite and Sam settled in for a long night in uncomfy chairs. They ran scans, dozed, ran more scans, and dozed some more. There wasn't anything much happening. Margaurite woke up long enough to see that Sam would have neck ache once she woke up, and shut the iris, and went back to sleep.
About 01.00, alarms went off, and the iris opened automatically. The alarm sent Margaurite sprawling to the floor, and Sam just woke up with the predicted neck ache. Margaurite knelt in front of the table, looking blearily at the computer Sam was busily working at. Sam looked wide awake. "How do you do that?" Margaurite muttered.
"What?"
"Wake up instantly. I can't do that."
"You're a teenager. Of course you can't do that."
"That's just ... I don't know. Can't think of the word. But it's not fair anyway."
"Something's coming through. But it isn't a someone. It's a something." Margaurite stood, feeling drunk. She held onto Sam's shoulder, and Sam smiled to herself. Two square slabs came through the Stargate. Margaurite looked hard at them.
"They have writing on them! I'm going to go look."
"Wait. There's something else coming through." A pile of sludge ended up dumped on the slabs. Margaurite was already out the door and running to the gate room.
"Wait, Margaurite! Don't touch anything!" Sam came to the door. Too late. Sam grabbed a gas mask and gloves. She could make out Margaurite's figure in the dim light given off by the observation room lights. "Margaurite, put these on."
"What, gas masks and gloves? Sam, I'm breathing. I'm fine. Don't need gas masks."
"Put it on anyway."
"Fine. Gloves? Sam, please."
"Do it Margaurite." Margaurite sighed, pulling the gloves on. They spent the next four hours trying to sort through the slime in the gate room. Margaurite was all for dumping it all except the slabs, which they still hadn't uncovered, but Sam wanted to check everything. Margaurite also spent the next four hours itching her hands. She hated gloves. Always had. John had always laughed at her in winter, when her fingers were blue, and she refused to wear gloves, while he wore gloves and pelted her with snowballs. They worked in the dim light, until suddenly they both heard the extra generators come to life. They stared at each other.
"Oh shit! Oh shit oh shit oh shit!" Margaurite said. "We are screwed if George sees us."
"Me more than you." Sam said.
"When does Jack come in?"
"Usually first thing."
"That's it. Sam. You go and get Jack to stall General Hammond. It'll give us some extra time to write wills and stuff."
"Mine's written." Sam said matter-of-factly.
"So you can go and spend some quality time with your very own Colonel." Margaurite said cheekily.
"Why don't you go yourself?" Sam asked.
"Because my feminine charms won't work on Jack. Yours will. Come on Sam. Do you want that last minute, to-hell-with-the-regulations time, or not?"
"Jack may not be the best person to choose for this."
"Who else would do it? I mean, honestly. We're his favourite blondes, though I'm getting jealous, cause he likes you better, but Jack is the only one who will do it. It isn't technically our fault that this junk is in here, but Hammond will still kill us. And Jack wouldn't want to see you get killed."
"Fine." Sam left, and Margaurite felt very pleased with herself. With Sam out of sight, Margaurite pulled off the gloves and gas mask, and continued working.
Sam stood in the lobby. Hammond hadn't checked in yet, so hopefully, O'Neill would arrive before Hammond did. O'Neill did arrive before Hammond. Sam ran her fingers through her hair, and stepped around the corner. "Sir!" she said, getting Jack's attention.
"What is it, Carter?"
"I need a favour."
"What?" Jack said. Not quite suspicious.
"I need you to keep General Hammond busy for as long as you can."
"Why?" Jack was definitely suspicious now.
"Well, There was a little unexpected gate travel, and Margaurite and I need more time to clean it up."
"Are you and Margaurite all right?"
"Yeah. We're fine. But we won't be if Hammond gets in there before we have a chance to clean it up properly, and I think Margaurite said you were the only one who would do it for her, since she was your favourite blonde."
"Among others. Fine, I'll do it. But don't expect miracles. You should have picked Daniel." O'Neill said, walking off.
"Thanks!" Sam called, and she hurried back to the control room. She walked in and the first thing she noticed was Margaurite without safety gear.
"Margaurite..."
"Stop acting like my mother, Sam. I haven't died yet. When I do, then you can say `I told you so, "
"Much good it will do me then." Sam muttered, and Margaurite laughed.
Five minutes later, the fluorescent lights came on. Daniel's voice came from the control room. "Jeez, and I thought I drank a lot of coffee. What's going on? Whet the hell did you do to your hair, Margaurite?"
"What do you mean?" Margaurite said, not pausing from her work.
"Um, it's bright blue, like electric blue. Had a busy night you two?"
"Blue?" Margaurite straightened. Sam looked at her and put her hand over her mouth. "Oh crap. It is blue." Margaurite put her hands to her head and yanked out a strand. It stood out clearly against her hand. There was a beep at the door. Sam and Margaurite instinctively moved in front of the mess. Margaurite kept twisting and flicking her fingers. It was a nervous habit she had, when she couldn't chew her thumb. Since everyone knew she chewed her thumb when she was nervous, it wasn't a good idea anymore. Hammond strode into the room, followed by an apologetic looking Jack.
"What's going on here?" He demanded.
"Nothing." Margaurite said quickly, before Sam could say anything. To start, Sam was a terrible liar, and second, she had a guilty look, that looked like she was up to something. No need to make a situation worse.
Jack knew Carter was feeling guilty. It was written all over her face. "Margaurite! Why is your hair blue?"
"I got bored."
"You were permitted to say here to see if you could get SG-3 home. Not to dye your hair!"
"It just happened. Sam watched the computers, and I dyed my hair." Margaurite was a better liar than Sam, Jack thought, but that wasn't saying much.
"What are you hiding?" Hammond asked.
"Nothing" said Margaurite, again, before Sam could say anything.
"Move over." Hammond ordered. Sam and Margaurite did, feeling pain and dismissal very much a hand,. However, there wasn't anything there. Sam and Jack looked at each other, Jack questioning, and Sam shrugging. Margaurite looked up, more a reflex than anything else, and her eyes widened. There, stuck to the ceiling, was the mass that had come through the Star Gate. There was a drip, that looked like it was heading for Hammond's head, and Margaurite flicked her fingers upwards. The drip stopped, and shot back upwards. Margaurite gaped, then it struck her. She flicked her fingers to the side, and the entire mass moved in that direction. Margaurite flicked her fingers back again, and the same happened again. She focused on the conversation again, and realised Hammond was yelling at her. She blanked out again, and practised moving the mass. She focused on the conversation again. Hammond was finishing up. Good. "Carter, have you been up all night?" Hammond asked.
"Yes sir."
"Go see if you can get a couple of hours sleep. You, young lady," Hammond jabbed his finger at Margaurite, " have some explaining to do. Go to my office immediately, and wait there."
"No Sir."
"Excuse me?" Hammond was really, really mad now, and Jack was mouthing at her, `Are you insane?'
"I said, `no sir.'"
"And why not?"
Margaurite crossed her arms. Jack looked at her. With blonde hair, she could be called gorgeous, if she hadn't been less than half his age, and his attention focused on a different blonde. The blue hair made her look harder, meaner, and weirder. The air of indifference and boldness around her seemed amplified when she had blue hair.. "To start with, I'm not military, so you can't make me do what you want, and also, if I leave, there is a huge mass of organic/cybernetic material about to fall on your head, which will fall on your head, if you upset me."
"Excuse me?"
Look up George." Margaurite said.
He looked up. " What in god's name is that?"
"That's the mass of organic/cybernetic material I will drop somewhere. I haven't decided where yet." Margaurite flicked her fingers. A big drip fell at Hammond's feet. he looked at her. She smiled,a cynical, taunting smile. She flicked her fingers up, and the drop collected and flew upwards to join the rest of the mass. Hammond just stared at her. Her smile disappeared, and she moved her hand over and down, and the mass moved across the ceiling, and settled gently to the floor behind the Stargate. Margaurite's taunting smile returned, and she left the room, leaving everyone open mouthed. Hammond nodded to Jack, and Jack ran after her.
Margaurite walked quickly down the corridor, trying not to cry. Her world was hell at the moment, and if the gods thought granting her with telekinesis would help, they were sorely mistaken.
"Margaurite! Margaurite! For crying out loud, wait up!" Jack could be heard running down the corridor behind her. Margaurite walked faster. "Margaurite!" Margaurite felt his hand on her shoulder, then she was spun around to face Jack. "What the hell is going on? I've known you since you were, like, three, and you've always been difficult, but nothing like this."
"It's nothing to do with you Jack. You can't help. I've gotta deal by myself."
"Deal with what?"
"With life in general. My family, me. My friends, or lack of, you lot, George. You know, life in general."
"What's going on?"
"Everything Jack." A tear escaped Margaurite's eye, and she rubbed it away angrily. "I'm leaving." Margaurite turned and walked off again. Jack jogged to catch up with her.
"Where are you going?" Jack asked.
"As far as I can get by hitch-hiking."
"Why? You'll find it hard to find a ride out here."
"Jack. When you lost Charlie, didn't you feel like giving up? Didn't you join the SGC because it seemed like a suicide mission? Well, I'm tired of being strong. Now, I'm going to turn tail and run."
"Margaurite, your brother disappeared two years ago."
Margaurite faced him, getting right under his face. "Yeah, well. You know what? I'm not as strong as you are. Sure, you joined this as a suicide mission, but you're okay now, aren't you. It still hurts, but you're not on a suicide mission now. Well, I'm not okay. I have spent the last two years going through hell, and now I'm tired of it. So I'm running."
"What about your dad?"
"He can buy another bottle of drink, find another sickening bimbo, and forget me. It's not like it'll be a new skill. It's worked pretty well so far."
"Maybe you haven't given him anything to notice you for."
"Oh yeah? Six months after John disappeared, I graduated lower high school. I was doing bottom and middle set high school work for the last four years. I graduated that, and you know what? Dad didn't even come. And when I got home, Dad was asleep, drunk, and there was a bimbo in his bed. I'm fifteen Jack. I don't need this shit. I gave him something to notice me for, and he voted on staying home, drunk and with a play girl, instead of coming to the ceremony."
"It's been hard for him." Jack said.
"No, you don't get it. Ever since I failed that first year, it's like he gave up hope on me. I fail a year, I fail life. Do you know how awful I felt? I came home crying that day, when I learnt I had to redo the year. Dad was in the garage, I dropped the report card on the kitchen table, ran upstairs, and lay on my bed and cried. John found me and we lay there, me crying and him not saying anything. Then when I couldn't cry anymore, we talked. About stuff, but mostly about all the bad things John had done. Then, at dinner, I went downstairs, and dad had just read my report card. he just sat there and looked at me and said, "I'm really disappointed in you Margaurite." And then he wouldn't talk to me. John was really supportive. I spent the summer working, to make sure I didn't fail the year again. And did you know how old I was? Do you have any idea how old I was?"
"Twelve?" Jack guessed.
"It was third grade Jack. I was nine years old. I didn't have any conventional fun that summer. I worked my ass off all summer. When I wasn't studying my stuff, I was reading John's SAT level physics and chemistry and maths and English. I worked so hard. After that, I've passed every grade with honours. Dad never noticed. Ever. I still work off my ass, and since my dad doesn't notice, I learn what I want to. I've learnt all my school can teach me, so now I do those `Home University' programs. I don't even think my dad's noticed I don't go to school anymore. I don't even pretend to anymore."
"Don't you think you're missing something, like friendship?"
"Ever since John disappeared, no one talks to me. There was a new girl at my school once, and all the girls were flocking to meet her and everything, and I walked past and I hear her ask, `who's that?' and I heard my old best friend say, ` she's the weirdo whose brother went into space and blew up.' My best friend. I'm definitely not missing anything there Jack."
"What about us? You said we were part of your life that you had to deal with."
"You guys...god, I don't know. You can't decide whether to be supportive or to act like my dad. Hammond just acts like my dad would act if he was ever sober enough for rational thought. Sam and Daniel are just, I don't know. Daniel is just really quiet around me, and considering he knows 27 odd languages, you'd think he'd find one he was comfortable talking to me in. Sam acts sorta like my mom, I guess. Leslie died when I was three so I wouldn't really know. But my life is a load of crap at the moment, and I can't cope, and I'm tired of trying to. You know if Hammond catches up with me he'll yell at me again. And I'm sick of it."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. I really don't."
"How about you give life another chance."
"How about it gives me another chance."
"I don't think you want to get another chance. You're not trying to make your life better. And your dad must notice you if he asked General Hammond to look after you."
"He asked him to baby-sit me."
"Big deal." Jack said.
"Margaurite!" General Hammond barked from the other end of the corridor.
"Here we go." Margaurite said.
"Margaurite, you don't walk out on me. Your father would not approve."
"I stopped working for my dad's approval a year ago."
"Don't you care? About your dad? He's going through a very hard time right now, and you should be supportive, not taking advantage of everything he tries to do for you. He's tried to please you. But you play hooky, and flaunt yourself around." Hammond said. Jack raised his eyebrows.
"And let me guess. Michelle told you this." Margaurite said.
"She's trying to help your father." Hammond said.
"So let her help him. He doesn't need me. He's made that very clear."
"She told me you've been, frankly, an impossible brat since John disappeared, and though we all liked him, and we all miss him, you're just taking it a bit far Margaurite. You need to get your act together." Margaurite was silent. Jack realised how Margaurite said that Hammond was acting like her father would. Hammond certainly sounded like her dad.
"Are you done?" Margaurite asked quietly. "Because if you are, I'd like to get a few hours sleep."
"You volunteered to stay here."
"Sir, don't you think she should get some sleep? She might rethink her attitude once she's had some sleep." Jack said.
"Very well." Hammond gave Margaurite some on base sleeping quarters, and Margaurite gladly collapsed onto the bed.
When Margaurite woke up, she got the feeling something was wrong. She got out of bed, pulled on her boots, and went to the observation room. SG-1 were just going through the Stargate. "Stop!" she called. It was too late. "Don't close the wormhole." She said to the man sitting at the computer. Margaurite ran down into the gate room, and went through the Stargate, before anyone could do anything to stop her.
It was icy cold. The wormhole, or that's what Margaurite thought it was, was freezing. Margaurite was spat out literally on the dirt of whatever planet she was. She hit the dirt, rolled, then stood. She found out what had felt so wrong. It had been an ambush. Apophis, and lots of his little Jaffa friends stood there, staff weapons aimed at SG-1, who were sure they were going to die. Margaurite's arrival seemed to have gone unnoticed, fortunately. Margaurite crept closer to the stand off. The guy wearing gold, Apophis, was speaking in a variation of Ancient Egyptian, so basically, only she and Daniel could understand it. It had been a trap, apparently, it was punishment for Jack shooting Apophis' son.
Now, he said, they would all die. The soldier people aimed the staff weapons, and Margaurite had a fleeting thought of `oh shit' and then, without thinking, she lifted all the staff weapons in the air, out of the soldiers' reach. But when she was doing this, she missed the scout, and consequently, landed herself in very deep trouble.
The soldier didn't kill her right off, he merely picked her up, kicking and hitting, and carried her to Apophis and dumped her at his feet. Before she could move, Apophis did something, and suddenly it felt like her brain was being put through a shredder. He released her, grabbed her shoulders, stood her up, and a set of rings fell around her and Apophis. There was a feeling of vertigo, and then nothing.
On the planet, SG-1 had suddenly kicked into gear. Sam, Teal'c and Jack were trying to kill everyone they could while Daniel worked on getting them of the planet. The Stargate fountained into life, and Daniel sent the radio signal a split second before they leapt through. They tumbled down the metal ramp, with Jack shouting, "Close the iris!" which was followed by a couple of dull thuds. General Hammond came into the Gateroom. "Where is she?" He asked.
"Apophis apprehended her, sir." Jack said, serious for once.
"She did save our lives though." Daniel said.
"It was either a very brave, or a very foolish thing that Margaurite did." Teal'c said.
"You left her behind?" Hammond roared.
"Apophis took her up to his ship sir." Sam said.
"Her father is going to kill me." Hammond muttered as he went to his office to get his jacket. Some things you had to tell a person face to face.
Margaurite woke up to a voice that was really bugging her.
"Wake up! Wake up!" It sounded like Lizzie, one of Margaurite's old friends.
"Alright already. I'm awake." Margaurite snapped. Only she didn't say it out loud, she couldn't. But the voice seemed to hear it well enough.
"You shouldn't talk to me like that."
"Why not?"
"I'm a goddess."
"Oh? Who?"
"Isis."
"Goddess of completion."
"So you do know me."
"I can't say I've met you personally."
"Silly human, I'm inside you."
"WHAT?"
"I'm a Goa'uld. A goddess, cause father was a god, my brother's a god, and my grandfather was a god."
"Right. So you're the ones with plans to dominate Earth."
"That's father and my brother. I'm not really bothered. As long as I'm safe, the whole Universe can implode for all I care."
"But if it all implodes, you'll die too."
"That's why I have to be safe." Margaurite rolled her eyes at this logic, or tried to.
"Why can't I move my body?" Margaurite said.
"Because I have control, silly. You're just my host. I take care of you, and control you."
"I don't like this arrangement." Margaurite said.
"It's best this way. Goa'uld don't try and kill each other over an argument. We have a good system, that has minimal deaths. We're just trying to spread the system around, and by taking over your planet, we'll prove it to you. Watch this. I got this out of your own memory." A series of pictures followed. Bombings, trouble in the Middle East, famine in Africa.
"You see, we fix all this. It becomes a world of equality."
"The entire world isn't like that." Margaurite remembered John's Farscape party, graduation, birthday parties, football games, base ball games, all scenes of happiness.
"But that is only you. Not everyone experiences this."
"But a lot of people do."
"With our system, everyone will."
"Do you actually want to conquer earth?"
"Not bothered." Isis replied with disdain.
"But everything you just said to me"
"was what my father and brother say. Speaking of which, daddy want's me to go see him, so he can see how you're getting on." Margaurite felt her body get up and get dressed, in a gold crop top and a tight long skirt. It was in Ancient Egyptian style, strips of fabric wound round the body. On Margaurite's left hand was a weird kind of bracelet. It had gold finger caps that covered up to the second knuckle, and strips of gold that went form the caps to the strip wrapped around Margaurite's wrist. Isis brushed through Margaurite's short blue hair.
"Strange. Is all human hair like this?" Isis asked. Margaurite laughed mentally.
"No. There was a small accident or something, because I have telekinesis, and my hair's blue."
"I like it." Isis said, brushing through it. She got out a weird head-dress, a gold circle with gold chains and emerald beads, and put it on. Margaurite looked at herself. She looked pretty good.
"What's that?" Margaurite asked.
"What?"
"The scar on my neck."
"Oh this." Isis said, tilting her head to see the large, X shaped scar in the mirror.
"Jeez! Yeah, that's the one. What made that?"
"Oh, that's what I made went I went in you."
"So you are a physical body in me."
"Yes. According to your memories, I believe I look rather like a snake."
"Nice."
Does this repulse you?"
"What, you looking like a snake? No. The idea of a snake being in me, yes. That definitely repulses me."
"Oh." Isis sounded rather upset.
"Isis, I didn't mean it like that. I'm sure you are a really nice person. Looks are only skin deep, right?"
"You mean it?"
"Course I do. After all, I have blue hair." Isis laughed. In her head, it sounded really pretty. Out loud, it was disconcerting. "Isis, can I ask a favour?"
"I don't know that I will be able to grant it."
"Don't worry about that. Can I um, control my body, except when you need it? I'm not used to my body moving on it's own."
"No one is at first." Isis said, looking at Margaurite in the mirror. That was disconcerting as well.
"Please?"
"Please?" Isis asked questioningly.
"It's a courtesy, like you wouldn't expect a soldier to make demands of you, without calling you milady, now would you?"
"Of course not!"
"Well, saying please on my planet is sorta like that."
"Oh. It's never been done before, I'm not sure my father would like it." "No one on
my planet ever had their hair turned blue by a gas that gave them telekinesis either. And your father wouldn't have to know. When you are talking with him, you can control me, okay?"
"I suppose so."
"Are we ready to go see your father?'
"Oh no. We still have to put makeup on."
"Of course." And Margaurite knew what was coming next. Sure enough, ten minutes later, they were done. Heavy eyeliner, gold lipstick, exactly what you would expect of an Egyptian Princess, well, except for the blue hair.
Isis controlled Margaurite as they walked down the hall, towards wherever Isis's father was.
"So are we on a planet or a ship?" Margaurite asked.
"At the moment we're on a ship, heading for the planet where me and my brother will rule."
"Where `we' and your brother will rule."
"It's never been done before."
"Don't you want to be truly remembered?"
"Of course."
"So do something to get their attention. And be remembered. But not killed. I don't like the idea of being killed."
"Neither do I." Said Isis.
"I'm glad we have an agreement on that at least." Isis walked into the room, and at the end, Apophis sat, waiting. Isis ran up, ignoring Margaurite's mutters about kidnap, and abduction.
"Father." Isis knelt and bowed her head.
"Daughter. How is your new host."
"She is very willing. Curious about anything and everything." Isis said, half-listening to Margaurite's murmured, `don't say anything about what we want to do.'
"Curious is she? Well, she will learn the art of co-ruling a planet very soon, not that she will ever get the chance to use what she learns." Apophis smiled. He reached out and traced Margaurite's jawbone. "I chose well for my little daughter. Does your host know much about our culture?"
"My host requests respectively that you refer to her as Margaurite. She does know quite a bit about the culture. Margaurite can actually read and write and speak our language to an extent without my help. She sees my presence in her as a blessing, that she learns more about our culture."
"That's laying it on a bit thick, Isis." Margaurite said.
"She finds it fascinating."
"That's true." Margaurite commented.
"Well, I am glad you have a compliant host. I am sure you can learn much from each other. But remember Isis, you are the all-powerful goddess, and she is the mortal blessed to be your host. Be careful when considering her requests."
"Yes father." Apophis flicked his hand at her, a dismissal. Isis turned to leave, with Margaurite's outraged words in her ears. "If you are such an all-powerful goddess, why do you let him dismiss you like that?"
"he is even more powerful. Margaurite, are you being nice to me because you like me, or because you want to use me?"
"Isis, look into my mind, and you will see I'm not lying when I say you seem really nice. But I haven't known you long enough to actually say I like you."
"You're not lying."
"No, I'm not."
"We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other though."
"We will." Margaurite said.
And they did. About three days after Margaurite arrived on the ship, as far as she could tell anyway, they arrived at the planet where Isis and her brother would rule. Isis's brother was called Horus, god of the all seeing eye. The host was an old one, another of Isis's brother's had had him last, but had displeased Apophis. The host hadn't been killed, only the inhabitant. The host was called Scaara. The name rang a bell with Margaurite, but she didn't know where she had heard it.
They spent a year on that planet and Isis and Margaurite became good friends. When Apophis offered to find Isis a new shell, Isis refused. Margaurite was fervently grateful, since Apophis would have killed her once a new host had been found.
A stronghold had been built for Isis and Horus, not far from a Stargate. Margaurite had seen it with a flare of hope, which she quickly squashed. She was Goa'uld now, and not welcome on Earth. There was an entire community on this planet, who the Goa'uld had conquered not long before Isis's and Horus's arrival. Plenty of clean host bodies, and at the celebrations of light and celebrations of dark, hosts were taken and inhabited. When Margaurite had first seen the procedure for `infestation', Isis had had to grab control back very quickly, to stop Margaurite from being sick. It was like that between them now. Margaurite could take control from Isis, and visa versa.
When Margaurite had first seen the Stargate, she had felt homesick. Isis hadn't understood at first, and Margaurite had tried to explain. Finally, Isis asked if she could go into Margaurite's feelings, something she had never done before, and find out for herself what it was like. Isis had started asking questions about earth, which Margaurite would dutifully answer. Isis finally understood what it was like to be homesick, and Isis, for the first time in her life, longed for something.
When Isis told Margaurite about it, Margaurite had been confused. "But what could you possibly want?" Margaurite had asked. "You have everything."
"I don't know. Perhaps having everything is the problem. I never want for anything, so when I receive something, it isn't special. I envy you."
"Me? Why? You've seen my life."
"I have seen your life, and you have more than you realise. You're smart, you have friends like Jack and Sam, people to look after you like George and people who honestly like you for who you are."
"I also have a father who couldn't care less if I lived or died."
"So do I."
Your dad does care about you. He tried to get you a good host, and he did. He's given you this entire planet to co-rule. Listen to me, Isis. You're smart. People look after you, and I like you for who you are. I'm your friend."
"He's just getting me out of the way. You're my only friend. I can't trust anyone else, because they all want favour, something to promote them. Jack and Sam didn't want that."
"I couldn't give it to them."
"Exactly, and they still liked you."
"Isis, I was forced on them when I was three!"
"And they didn't resent you for it."
"I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
"No, you're not."
"Never argue with a goddess." Margaurite muttered.
"That's right. But now we have to go look at possible hosts."
"I hate this job."
"I know you do. That's why I have control why we do it, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember. Don't forget the veil."
"I won't." the veil was a gold gauze that reminded Margaurite of a wedding veil, that fell shorter in front than in back. Margaurite still had short blue hair, but she was taller, and thinner. Her skin was a little darker, but not enough for Isis, who complained often that Margaurite didn't look Egyptian. Margaurite argued that she wasn't Egyptian, and neither was Isis, so there was no point in complaining. Margaurite still wore a variation of the gold two-piece, the top was layered gold spider-silk, with a v-neck caused by the fabrics crossing at the base of the shirt. The skirt was a little looser than before, since even with Isis in control, Margaurite couldn't move in the tight skirt. it hung in graceful folds, collected on the hip by an elaborate lapis lazuli, emerald and gold pin. Margaurite's arms were bare, apart from a gold snake armlet, and the bracelet with the finger caps. Isis had demonstrated what the bracelet did, and Margaurite had been suitably awed. But still, the bracelet looked good with the outfit. Margaurite/Isis passed up on the dramatic litter, and instead went with the ten guards. Five on either side of them, Margaurite/Isis walked down the corridor towards the cell holding the people who might be suitable for hosts. Isis, in control at the moment, waved a hand, and the door swung open. She descended the stairs into the gloom, and said to a guard in Egyptian, "Light!" he scurried to do her bidding. Veil down, it was hard to recognise the blonde girl that had caused so much havoc at the SGC only a year ago. Isis walked among the prisoners, gesturing her picks to the guards. She walked along the rows, watching their faces, doing her best to keep her face neutral. Margaurite was watching too, it wasn't like she had a choice, and she wouldn't shut up about how scared they all looked , and how cruel this was to them, and in the last year, Isis had learnt to look the prisoners in the face and recognise that fear as well. But there was nothing she could do. She tried to keep her choices neutral, but still, the ones that were scared the most got freed, and the ones that looked strong were chosen.
Isis walked towards the back corner, and stopped. Sitting there were four people. All in a strange uniform. One of them was Jaffa, the traitor called Teal'c. Margaurite was silent for once. Then: "Isis, if you value our friendship, please don't let them get hurt." Margaurite hissed.
"Listen to me!" Isis said loudly in Egyptian. "These four are not to be freed, but they are not to be hurt either. Isis commands it." Isis tightened her control over Margaurite and spun to walk away, she wasn't out of earshot when she heard one of them say: "For crying out loud Daniel, how many deities do the Ancient Egyptians have?" Isis stopped. Margaurite took control for a minute.
"They have lots, Jack." Margaurite said, just loudly enough that he could hear her. She continued walking away. She heard someone scramble to get up, but the two guards prevented him getting to her.
She turned, and Isis made her eyes glow white-gold for a second, then left, going to her room.
"What was that about?" Margaurite asked, as Isis went around the room, getting a cloak, one of those weird guns, and a mini staff weapon. It actually looked like a sceptre, but appearances can be deceiving. Margaurite had long since gotten used to her body doing things without her command.
"Your friend Jack needs to realise what you are." Isis replied calmly, still getting things together.
"What are you doing?"
"You want to get them out of here and through the Gate to the Heavens, don't you?"
"Gate to the Heavens...the Stargate! Of course I do!"
"Well, you can't just walk them through the palace, which is where staff weapons come in handy."
"You're going to blast through the wall?" "No. you're going to blast through the wall, and then if we get caught, I'll say you suddenly grabbed control from me, and did it yourself."
"And if we don't get caught?"
"Then your friends go through the stargate, and go home. And they don't come back here. We can't keep getting them out of trouble. If this keeps happening, Horus and father will get suspicious, and we will both have had it. So it happens once, and never again. Do you understand Margaurite? This will have to be the last time that you see them. It's too dangerous for all for you to see them."
"I understand." Margaurite said.
"I knew you would, which is why I'm doing this for you. It will have to be after the ceremony. If I'm absent and they get away, Horus will know what has happened." Isis said.
"Thank you."
"Is that a courtesy like please? I've heard it before."
"It means I am grateful." Margaurite said quietly.
"We're friends. Friends do this for each other." Isis replied softly.
The ceremony seemed to last forever. Only seven people were picked, and they all had to be inhabited, and then they had to go through the sarcophagus. When it had finally finished, Isis made her traditional speech, then left. She pulled on the cloak, grabbed the staff and the little gun, and ran down to the cell level. She relinquished control to Margaurite, and Margaurite used her telekinesis to pick the lock to the cell door. She shut the door, and ran down the steps. She came to the first guard.
"My brother Horus needs you. There has been a rebellion. You have seen my skills. I will be safe here!" The guards all turned and clomped up the stairs to the door, finding it locked, they turned. "It's locked, Isis." Margaurite took aim and fired. The guards were confused and couldn't get their act together in time. Margaurite killed them all.
"Now isn't that a fact." Margaurite said, smiling grimly. She ran into the darkness, heading for the corner. Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind, with a knife at her throat. With one hand pushing the knife away from her neck, she elbowed her attacker in the stomach, which produced a satisfying `oomf!' and spun away. "Jeez, Jack. Don't you know when someone is trying to help you?"
Margaurite aimed at the wall with the mini staff weapon, and fired. A hole appeared, revealing a beautiful sunset. She turned.
"Catch!" she gestured, and a couple of staff weapons flew towards SG-1. Teal'c and Jack caught one, and the five climbed through the hole. This is a really bad idea. Isis muttered.
Changing your mind?
No. This is the part when I pretend to regain control, and fail.
Fine. You keep pretending. And keep an eye out for scouts or other Goa'uld. We don't want to run into anybody. The five came to the top of the hill, breathless.
Listen! Isis hissed. Margaurite listened, and heard the low hum of approaching Death Gliders.
How many? Margaurite asked.
Sounds like two, maybe three. You'd better hurry.
"Are you talking to yourself?" Jack asked her.
"No, I'm talking to Isis." Margaurite answered.
"Who?"
"Isis. Egyptian goddess. You know, Goa'uld symbiote."
"You have a symbiote?"
"Yep. But we have to go, like now. There are about three death gliders coming our way."
"Okay." Jack said. They all ran down the hill to the Stargate, and Daniel started dialling as fast as he could. He got it wrong twice, and Margaurite shoved him out of the way, handing him her gun.
"Aim and fire that way." Margaurite turned the gun around in Daniel's hands, so it wasn't aiming at his heart. Once he got it right, he was having a blast. The Stargate fountained into life, and she shoved him through the wormhole. Sam followed, and Jack shouted at her, "You first!"
"I can't! Isis belongs here. I'm Goa'uld now, Jack."
"The hell you are." Jack grabbed her hand and yanked her through the wormhole. She vaguely remembered thinking, `I am so screwed.'
Jack exited the wormhole, still pulling Margaurite by the hand. They both came down the ramp, and Jack yelled, "Shut the iris!" The titanium doors spun shut, and Jack let go of Margaurite's hand.
"Colonel O'Neill! Why have you brought a Goa'uld back with you?"
"She's not just any Goa'uld sir, it's our favourite MIA teenage blonde!" Jack whipped the veil off Margaurite's head with flourish, and Isis took back control.
"Wasn't that just a little bit extravagant?" She asked, eyebrow raised.
That's just Jack. Margaurite commented.
"Margaurite?" Hammond asked. Margaurite took control back.
"That's me." She called.
"Are you alright?"
"I have my very own alter-ego, but other than that, I'm fine."
You don't have to act like you don't like me, like I'm a burden. Isis sulked.
You know I don't mean it like that, Isis. Now stop sulking. We're going to show General Hammond and my friends what I like about you.
You mean it?
Course I do. Now stop sulking. Isis perked up.
"You have a symbiote?" General Hammond said, sounding concerned.
"Yep. Gorgeous gal called Isis. Wanna talk to her?"
"Um, yes, alright." Hammond sounded a little flustered. Margaurite gave control to Isis.
"Isis?" General Hammond asked.
"Yes. I'm Isis."
"Do you control Margaurite?" Margaurite groaned.
"To an extent. We share." Isis answered.
"Share?" General Hammond sounded like he didn't know the meaning of the word.
"Yes. You know, sometimes I control her, sometimes she controls herself."
"In what circumstances do you control her?"
"When I have to make it look like I am in total control, like when I talk to my father, and when Margaurite doesn't want to do things she has to, like oversee the joining ceremony."
"The joining ceremony?" Hammond asked. Isis relinquished control. She was nervous. It's alright, Isis. You did fine.
He's mean Isis said.
No, he just wants to know who's in control.
I told him.
So now he knows. It's fine Isis.
"The joining ceremony is when symbiotes and their hosts are joined." Margaurite said. Everyone knew it was Margaurite, her voice dripped disgust.
"You went through this ceremony?" Hammond asked.
"George, are we gonna stand here all day? I finally have the chance to wear something other than tight skirts and crop tops, and I want to use it. Yes, I went through the ceremony. Yes, I have a symbiote. She's called Isis, and she is Apophis' lazy daughter, no offence I. It isn't such a big deal. I was lucky to get Isis. Now. Can I have a shower and go get changed?" Margaurite said.
"Yes, I suppose so." Hammond said.
"Thank you." Margaurite said, relieved. Her feet were killing her. Those sandals weren't meant for running in.
Margaurite showered, and borrowed a set of Sam's uniform. Isis wasn't too pleased. She preferred the gold. Margaurite met Jack and Sam in the lobby, and they went to Jack's jeep, and they went to Margaurite's house. "Margaurite, there's probably something you should know before you get home." Sam said, looking into the backseat.
"What's that?" Margaurite asked.
"Your dad married again."
"Oh my god! Who? Please tell me it wasn't Michelle."
"It wasn't Michelle." Jack said automatically." Margaurite rolled her eyes.
"Her name is Linda. She's already got two kids called Belinda and Jonathon." Sam said.
"Great. Little siblings. I liked being the youngest." "Tough little girl." Jack said, teasing her.
"Is she nice?"
"Wouldn't know. I just got the information out of databases and marriage records." Sam said.
"Okay. I guess that's fine."
Margaurite didn't have anything with her, so she just walked in, Jack and Sam behind her. A woman sat reading on the couch with a little girl. Linda and Belinda?
"What do you think you are doing in my house?"
"I'm Margaurite Crichton." Margaurite said politely.
"The runaway huh?"
"I didn't run away."
"Of course you didn't." They were interrupted by Jack's mobile. He answered it.
"O'Neill. Yeah. Sure. Okay. See you." Jack closed the phone and looked apologetically at Margaurite. She knew what was coming. "Margaurite, I'm sorry. We have to go."
"Okay." Margaurite said, but her eyes were screaming, `don't leave me here!' Jack and Sam walked back down the driveway and got into the jeep. Sam waved as they disappeared.
"So, sit down. I'm Linda, your step mother."
"Cool. I'm Margaurite."
"I guessed. So where have you been the last year?" Margaurite was stuck. Couldn't say another planet. Kidnapped sounded so fake.
"Around." What else could she say?"
"So you did run away." Margaurite shrugged. "Well, young lady, that doesn't happen in my house. Your father will be home soon, and you are not to cause him any upset. Is that understood?"
"Yes."
"Good. Now, I don't know where you are going to sleep."
"How about my bedroom?"
"I won't take sass from you. You can hardly expect to keep your room if you run away for a year. That's Jonathon's room now."
"What about all my things?"
"What about all your things?"
"Do you still have them?"
"What would we need them for? Of course we don't have them. You'll just have to make do."
"Excuse me?"
"Didn't you hear me? Now. Where are you going to sleep?"
"In the attic."
"It's full."
"So I'll get rid of the stuff."
"That's my things!"
"You threw mine away. I'll dump your stuff, cause it's in the attic, so you obviously don't need it."
"You can't!"
"I can. Is the telescope up there still?"
"It' going out tomorrow, someone's coming to pick it up."
"No they are not. Or rather, they are, but they can pick up your stuff instead. The telescope stays. I take over the attic, and your stuff goes."
"You can't just waltz in here and try and take over the house."
"Why not? You did. Anyway. I'm only taking over the attic."
"I married him!"
"And I'm his daughter. I have more right to this house than you do."
"His daughter probably by some whore."
Margaurite drew in a deep breath, and backhanded Linda across the face. Linda's lip bled slightly, but it looked like she had all her teeth. Margaurite walked up the stair to the attic, to the sound of Linda's indignant gasps.
Once in the attic, Margaurite had a look at the stuff in the new boxes. A load of crap, all of it. Margaurite separated the stuff to keep and the stuff to stay. Box of Linda's ornaments. Out. A box of John's stuff. Trophys, yearbooks, etc. staying. Definitely staying. A box of her stuff. Staying. More of Linda's stuff. A lot more of Linda's things. Out. Around the time her dad came home normally, Margaurite climbed out the window and down the side of the house and went up the road, from where her dad usually came home. Sure enough, her dad's blue pickup came round the corner. She put out her hand, like she used to do, before John had disappeared, and he stopped. She opened the door and hopped in. "Margaurite?" Jack whispered.
"The one and only dad." Margaurite replied.
"Oh my god. And Linda said you were never coming back."
"Linda read her tea leaves wrong."
"Apparently. God, I'm so glad you are home. I mean, after you left, I felt awful."
"You did?" Margaurite asked. This was a little unbelievable.
"Course I did. Drinking and messing around like I had lost everything. When I still had you."
"Gosh..."
"And making such a big deal of third grade! You were nine for god's sakes!" Something about this speech sounded familiar.
"You've talked to Jack O'Neill, haven't you?"
"General Hammond and Colonel O'Neill came around just after you disappeared. They weren't able to tell me how, only that they didn't know if you were still alive or not."
"That must have been awful for you."
"But now...Linda's kids have taken over and all you stuff has gone, except John's telescope, but I think Linda's trying to get rid of that too."
"I saved it. I'm moving into the attic."
"That's a good idea. You can have it redone. And you need clothes. I bet Major Carter will want her spare uniform back at some point."
"Probably." Margaurite said. She was pretty sure she was grinning like a lunatic, but she wasn't completely sure. They pulled into the driveway, and Margaurite hopped out and went round to the front door. Jack came up behind her and on impulse, she hugged him as tight as she could. He hugged her back, and Margaurite realised that it was the first time in nearly two years that he had hugged her.
They walked through the door and Linda was waiting. She was suitably shocked when Margaurite walked in as well.
"How did you get out? I didn't see you."
"Wouldn't you like to know." Margaurite said.
"Margaurite. Don't worry Linda, she probably went over the roof and down the wall she's been doing it since she could walk."
"We should have the window sealed. What if one of my angels tries it? They could fall and..."
"They won't, Linda. The attic's going to be my room, and they won't be in my room."
"Jack, you'll seal it, won't you darling."
"Sorry, Lind. That is going to be Margaurite's room, and she'll probably want the room to open so she can use the telescope."
"But I'm having that taken away!"
"Listen Linda. I'll sleep on it." Margaurite said.
"Well, I'm glad she knows how to compromise." Linda said huffily. She huffed all the way back to the kitchen. Jack turned and spoke to Margaurite quietly, pulling something out of his pocket. He pressed it into her hand.
"Margaurite, I appreciate you telling Linda you'll sleep on it. I know you won't let her take it away, but at least she feels better."
"She doesn't look like the type to piss off."
"She isn't. Here." Jack gave Margaurite a credit card. "You can have a eight hundred for clothes, and any things you want. You might have more later, but if I give you any more now, Linda will have my guts for bootlaces."
"Yes sir. Thanks dad!" Margaurite said, slipping the credit card into her pocket and hugging Jack.
"Dinner." Linda said grumpily. The whole family sat down, but Margaurite was on the couch by the table. Not that she was upset or anything. She was still reeling from Jack's loving reception and the eight hundred-dollar plastic in her pocket. The talk was quiet, and she saw Linda's two kids glancing at her. She smiled at them, and they smiled tentatively back, but then went back to their meal. Linda was watching them all with eagle eyes. One good thing about her, she could cook. After dinner, Margaurite went upstairs and opened the window. There was a shy tapping on the door. Margaurite opened it and there stood two kids. The girl was the oldest, about 5 and the boy looked about 4. Not old enough to sleep apart Margaurite thought, but hey! Who was she to say?
"Hi." She said.
"Hello." The little boy whispered.
"Do you want to come in?" Margaurite asked.
"We can't. We're not supposed to be here. Mom says we can't talk to you." The girl whispered.
"Why not?" Margaurite asked.
"Cause mom says you're bad, and that you came back to rob Jack, and that after you do that, you'll disappear again."
"She said that?"
"mm-hmm." The little boy nodded.
"Come in. I won't hurt you. I just want to show you something." Margaurite took them by the hand and led them to the telescope. She lowered it a little bit, then pulled the girl, Belinda close to it. Look through that. What can you see?" Margaurite had the telescope aimed at the Andromeda galaxy, and it was pretty clear out side, so it ought to be a nice view. Belinda looked through, and gasped.
"It's really pretty!" she said, awe-struck.
"Can I see?" the little boy, Jonathon asked.
"Sure." Belinda said, moving out the way. Jonathon couldn't quite see, so Margaurite knelt under it, and Jonathon stood on her knees.
"That's really cool!" he said.
"It's another galaxy, called Andromeda, a bit like ours." Margaurite said.
"Are there people there?" Belinda asked.
"I don't think so." Margaurite said.
"Can I look again?" She asked.
"Be my guest." Margaurite sat on the floor by the telescope, and Jonathon climbed onto her lap.
"We were meant to say goodnight." He said sleepily.
"Am I keeping you up then?" Margaurite asked.
"Not much later." Belinda said. The telescope spun a little, and Belinda saw a whole lot more than the Andromeda galaxy. "God, there's hundreds!"
"And some of them are much older than the earth and our sun."
"You mean there's more than one sun?" Belinda asked.
"Most of those stars is a sun, some bigger, some smaller than ours."
"Wow." Belinda said. Margaurite looked down at Jonathon. He was asleep. Margaurite carefully stood, carrying Jonathon, whose head leaned against her shoulder.
"Come on, Belinda. It's bedtime. Linda will be mad at me if I keep you up too late." Belinda walked down the stairs, and Margaurite followed, holding Jonathon. He was really sweet. Linda stood at the foot of the stairs.
"What were you doing with my children?" She hissed.
"Saying goodnight, and showing them Andromeda."
"Andromeda?"
"A galaxy next to ours." Margaurite said.
"She's nice mommy." Belinda said.
"You were told to say goodnight, not get to know her."
"They are my siblings." Margaurite said.
"You don't belong here." Linda said.
"Can we discuss this later?" Margaurite said, nodding to the sleeping Jonathon.
"What have you done to him?"
"Showed him Andromeda and let him fall asleep in my lap. Relax Linda. He's asleep, not dead." Linda came and took Jonathon from Margaurite, making baby noises, as she took him to bed. Belinda came and hugged Margaurite quickly, then ran off to her room.
In the morning, Margaurite woke early enough to catch Mars setting, then rolled over and went back to sleep.
A couple of hours later, she woke up and dressed again in Sam's clothes. She had a quick conversation about Goa'uld fashion sense, and went downstairs to hear Linda yelling at Belinda and Jonathon for going up into Margaurite's room.
"No biggie. I told them to come in." Margaurite said, pouring herself a bowl of cereal.
"Stay out of this." Fine. Margaurite would. She looked at the clock. It was 8am. By the time Margaurite had eaten, and the man had come to take away Linda's boxes, Target would be open. In Margaurite's opinion, Target was the best. You could get anything and everything from there. After breakfast, Margaurite hung around, after hearing from Linda that the man would come for the telescope at 9. He wasn't buying it, just taking it to a second hand shop. Linda's boxes would do well there. She put them out on the flat part of the roof, got the ladder from the garage, and brought the boxes down that way, and hid them round the side of the house and put the ladder away. When the man came, Margaurite met him.
"The boxes are round the back." She said, leading him to the side of the house. "I decided not to donate the telescope, my brother's you see. But I have boxes of stuff you can take instead."
"Sure, whatever miss."
"Good." Margaurite helped him load the boxes into the van, and he grinned and drove off. Margaurite climbed back into the attic and grabbed Jack's credit card. She ran down the stairs and out the door, yelling, "I'll be back soon!"
She caught the bus at the end of the street to downtown, and the biggest Target she could think of. On the way, she thought of the things she needed. Underwear, trousers, shirts, shoes. Just about everything. This was going to be a fun shopping trip.
Six hours later, she was done. If there was one thing Margaurite prided herself on, it was shopping. She'd been to Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Dillards, Neiman Marcus, TJ Maxx, and she had 6 hundred bucks worth of stuff. She put it by the side of the house, and went to the front door, no point in advertising the fact she had money to Linda. The door was locked. Margaurite got the grip out of her hair that she usually had with her, and picked the lock. She grabbed the bags and went up to her room and put them to the side.
The attic was much emptier with Linda's boxes gone. There was an old closet full of moth eaten coats and jumpers in the corner, and Margaurite opened it up. It smelt. Margaurite went down the stairs and grabbed a couple of bin bags and brought them back up. The contents of the wardrobe filled one of them. She set that one to the side. She got some of the air freshener out and sprayed it around inside the wardrobe, and left the doors open. She opened the unsealed window, and let some air into the room properly. She ran downstairs and grabbed the broom, and swept what dust and mess she could up. She had an airbed and sleeping bag, or rather, she had bought an airbed, and she would use one of the old sleeping bags. She looked around. There were boxes of Christmas things in the corner, they could go into the other wardrobe. She opened it, and found it full of more winter stuff. Stuff that hadn't been used in a long time. She pushed the boxes into it, fairly neatly so you could still find what you were looking for, or at least she could find what she was looking for. She sprayed some air freshener in there as well, and shut the doors. The attic was practically empty now. She unrolled the air bed and began blowing it up. Once up, she looked for a sleeping bag that hadn't been thrown or messed up. The dog had gotten hers when it was practically brand new. John's should still be in one piece though. She dug it out. It smelt a little musty, but everything up here did. She dumped it on the airbed, and looked up. The insulation didn't seem too bad. She went to the open wardrobe and ducked her head inside. Smelt fine. She went downstairs and raided all the wardrobes for coat hangars, and hung up her new clothes. There wasn't actually that much stuff, but there was the basics, and both Margaurite and Isis had agreed on them. The sun was beginning to sink low, and Margaurite started work on the sealed window. Both windows had originally been sealed, but between her and John they had opened one of them, time for the second. Margaurite dug out her pocket knife and began working the seal. It was an old seal, and was wearing off. It wasn't hard to get it open. Isis said it was a filthy window.
You need to wash it.
I will in a sec, Isis. I'm getting it open first.
The window opened to one of Margaurite's sharp tugs. Looking through it, she saw the blue pickup drive in, with only Jack in it.
I suppose it would be a bit much to hope that Linda had taken the kids and disappeared.
Just a bit. You thought that the boy was sweet Isis said.
When he was falling asleep in my arms. Not when he's making a mess at breakfast.
One comes with the other.
So I'll pass on having kids.
"Margaurite!" Jack called up the stairs. She came out and looked over the banister.
"Hi dad."
"There are going to be some guys coming over tomorrow, they're going to check out your room, make sure it's safe and everything, and they'll take away the stuff you don't want."
"What time are they coming round?"
"About twelve. Also, if you want, you can have it redecorated. I brought a couple of decorating magazines home."
"You have decorating magazines?" Margaurite just couldn't see her dad decorating.
"A friend at work has a son who is a professional decorator. I told him about you moving into the attic, and he said he'd bring in some magazines. He did, and I have his son's phone number." Margaurite came down the stairs.
"Thanks dad." She hugged him, and he returned it a little stiffly. She drew back and took the magazines, and looked at him. "Linda give you a hard time dad?" she asked.
"She's not happy about you being here." Jack said,
"Well, it's only for about 3 months. I'm applying to the Air Force when I'm seventeen."
"You finally decided? That's great!" Jack sounded really happy.
"Well, Jack and Sam look like they are having fun and I think I'll apply to their part of the airforce."
"I'm glad. Decided not to be an astronaut?"
"Nah. This family's had enough of them. I don't know what I'll do, engineering or something."
"Dropping out of school is going to make it difficult." Jack said.
"You noticed?" Margaurite was surprised.
"Course I noticed, Madge. What did you do all day?"
"Went to the library and studied all sorts of interesting things."
"Like what?" Jack was interested. What had Margaurite been learning? "Like Neuropsychiatry. Nucleonics. General psychiatry. Numerology. Stichometry. Detailed history of the Greek, Phoenician, Latin, Turkish, Roman and Egyptian cultures. Ancient languages of those cultures, orally and written, i.e reading and writing. Also, I speak roughly 7 languages, 8 if you count English, Nuclear physics. Astronomy. Statistical status. Tactical work. Maths. English Lit. Molecular Science. Nuclear/Atomic mechanics."
"Whoa. You've been busy." Jack was amazed. And he thought she was hacking into things and stealing.
"Yes, learning how to be an accomplished liar." Linda said from the doorway. "Where have you been all day? I needed your help."
"What? Grocery shopping?"
"Yes!"
"Forget it."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard Linda. Now go and put the shopping away or something." Linda went off in a huff.
"That didn't help much, Margaurite." Jack said.
"Do you believe me?"
"You are a smart girl Margaurite, and you had to be doing something all day. And since 3rd grade you've worked very hard. But Linda doesn't like you, and I'm finding mediating between you two difficult. I believe you can do all you say you can, but I wish you'd be more polite to Linda. She is your step mother, and when you come home for leave, she will be here, so you really ought to get used to her."
"Yes sir." Margaurite said. She went into the kitchen where Linda was putting away the shopping. "What can I do to help?"
"Other than leave you mean? Don't worry, I wouldn't dream of asking you to do something."
"Okay." Margaurite said. It was getting dark anyway. Margaurite went up to the attic and got out her new small handheld telescope. She climbed onto the roof and looked up. It was a much better view than from the window.
So you are going to go to the academy. Isis said.
Yeah. I have to do something to make my dad feel he hasn't totally failed with his youngest.
He doesn't feel that, he only wishes that you'd be nicer to Linda, who bullies him.
That's so strange. I would never have thought of my dad as the kind of man who would let himself get bullied.
He's been lonely. Isis said.
I know. But so have I. And I didn't marry the first bitch that came around, now did I?
You are under the legal age of marriage, Isis pointed out.
That's not the point I.
The next day, the men came, evaluated the attic, and left. It was in good shape, and it wouldn't be too expensive to paint. Around two, Margaurite grabbed her new leather jacket and pulled on the purple dock martins. She had narrowly missed getting stuff on the new grass green halter neck shirt. It was, as usual, a crop top, which missed the top of the tight black jeans by about four inches. Her hair was blue, as per usual, and was a mess, but an artistic mess. Little makeup, mascara and tinted lip gloss mainly. The dipping neck of the halter neck allowed for the gold chain and a replica of a medieval coin. It was cheap, but it looked good. She grabbed Sam's stuff, stuffed it in a Target bag, and stepped outside, tucking the spare key into her jean pocket. She walked to the freeway, and loosened her jacket, so it covered enough so women drivers weren't disgusted, but so male drivers could use their imaginations. It worked. A guy picked her up. "Where you going?" he asked.
"Cheyenne mountain." Margaurite replied. "That's an army base."
"Air Force. I need to see a friend."
"I can take you to 79. Then I go a different way." He said, pulling away form the edge, into the mainstream of traffic. "That'd be great, thanks." He took her to 79, and left her. Considering some of the rides Margaurite had had before, he was really nice. Just talked about himself, and his girlfriend, and his job, normal stuff. At 79, Margaurite was picked up by a woman who could take her to the exit for Cheyenne. That was as close as Margaurite was expecting to get, but the woman remembered her sister was going to work at Cheyenne Mountain, and she might be able to take Margaurite straight to it. Unfortunately, they missed her, so Margaurite was stuck walking the last three miles. Margaurite walked quickly, coming towards the base from the public entrance. The receptionist looked a little surprised when Margaurite asked for a pass to see General Hammond. The receptionist picked up the phone and Margaurite told her to tell them he was coming. After a minute the receptionist nodded and signed the pass. After the bag was searched, Margaurite quickly made her way into the bowels of the mountain, passing AF personnel that gave her funny looks. She shrugged them off. Big deal.
Hammond wasn't at his office, and Margaurite went to the observation room. They told her he was in a debriefing, and that he had left orders that she was to wait in his office.
"It's locked." She said.
"Oh. Okay." He said. Whoever he was. He went back to work and Sam wandered around the observation room, looking at things. Finally he broke the silence. They were the only ones in the room.
"So you're Margaurite?" he asked.
"That's me." Margaurite replied.
"There were rumours that...you did...that it..."
"That I received a Goa'uld symbiote?"
"Yes."
"I did. Her name is Isis. An Egyptian goddess. My best friend."
"Are you in control?"
"Usually."
"What do you mean usually?" he asked.
"We share. Sometimes I'm in control. Sometimes she is. It's usually me."
"Margaurite!" General Hammond said from the doorway. The computer guy got back to work.
"Hello sir."
"Would you like to come to my office?"
"Sure. No problem." Margaurite followed Hammond to his office. When they were there, Hammond gestured for Margaurite to take a seat. "I came to return Sam's spare uniform."
"I'm sure she'll be glad to have it back. Margaurite, I'd like to offer you a position in the training corps, after your seventeenth birthday. You don't have to take it now. Think about it."
"Sir, one of the things I was planning on telling you was that I wanted to join the airforce."
"Really? That's good. Very convenient."
"I'm glad, I think."
"How is it at home?"
"Weird. Linda's a bitch, and dad's getting bullied by her, if you'll imagine it! She threw out all my stuff, and I'm shopping more than usual. I've been chucked out of my room, which isn't a big deal cause I have the attic now, and Linda hates my guts."
"Not too bad?"
"It's okay." Margaurite smiled wryly. "So where's Sam?"
"SG-1 are on a mission to P3X 197."
"Cool. New planet?"
"Quite new. How many months until your birthday?"
"3."
"Not too long then, here, take the form, fill it in, get your dad to sign it."
"Okay"
Margaurite took the form and walked back to the lobby, ignoring the wolf whistles from a couple of young cadets.
"Whoa, Tiller, take a look at her!"
"Hottie alert Macmillan."
"Oh please you two. Give me a break, and the rest of the female population while you're at it."
"Feisty."
"Puh-lease!" Margaurite breezed past them. "You don't look old enough to wear uniform."
"Next year, watch out." The one called Macmillan said.
"Is that so? Then you better watch out too. You're not the only ones in the program."
"You're joining? Bit of fun we'll `ave, what do you think bud?" Macmillan said.
"I think she'll kick your ass for ways from Wednesday." His friend, Tiller said.
Margaurite hitch hiked home and got the form signed then sent it back to General Hammond and waited impatiently for her seventeenth birthday.
It rolled around, came and went, but no notice was taken. After that first encounter, Jack had become reclusive and had bowed to Linda's wishes, so Margaurite spent all her time in her room, checking out stars and other stuff on the internet of the computer Jack had bought her before Linda regained her dominance.
On the starting date of the academy training program, she got up early, showered, got dressed in some hipster jean and a tight spaghetti strap top. She ate breakfast for once and sat at the table, talking with Belinda and Jonathon. When Linda came in, she looked surprised.
"You're up early."
"Training program starts today."
"Ah yes, joining the Air Force and leaving my house."
"Wrong. Joining the AF but leaving my stuff here and expecting it to still be here when I return on leave."
"You're coming back."
"Yep. Just like a bad penny. I never go away forever."
"Shame that is." Margaurite left soon after, hitch hiking to Cheyenne. It was faster than the bus. There was a bunch of new people standing around, and when she walked in, Macmillan whistled.
"The babe I've been talking about."
"Oh go and give yourself a headache." Margaurite said. She signed in at reception and waited. General Hammond came in shortly afterwards. He smiled subtly at her, and they went to their first debriefing. It was rather full in the debriefing room, and Margaurite stood at the back. Everyone had to say their names so they could be checked in one last time, just in case anyone got lost in the 30 yards between the lobby and the upper debriefing room. Hammond gave them the low-down on cadet life, then assigned them rooms. Apparently their uniforms would already there. Margaurite wasn't worried, General Hammond usually got her a sweatshirt or something for Christmas, he knew her clothes size.
After they got changed, they were to report to the gym, and meet Captain Centin. In the gym, Margaurite looked around. Everyone looked closer to being the same now. They all stood to attention in a line, reacting to Centins snappy comments. He walked along the line of cadets, and stopped in front of Margaurite.
"Crichton!"
"Yes sir!"
"Why is your hair blue?"
"Permanent colour after an accident in the Gate room sir!"
"You've been in the Gate room?"
"Yes sir!"
"I want to talk to you at dinner. Skip it, I don't care. Training's hard. I expect at least 5% of you to drop out."
He went along the line, making comments like, "Straighten that uniform!"
"Brush your hair once in a while."
"Don't try and wear that much makeup next time I see you, this is the Air Force, special training, not a beauty contest!" And similar comments. At dinner, Margaurite went to meet Captain Centin at his office. She knocked on the door, and he opened it.
"Captain sir! You asked to see me sir!"
"Come in Crichton." She came in and stood until he gestured to her to take a chair. "You've been in the Gateroom?"
"Yes sir."
"You know about the Stargate?"
"Yes sir."
"How?"
"General Hammond told me sir."
"Don't lie to me!"
"I didn't sir." Margaurite tucked her hair behind her ear, and Centin caught her hand, too late, she realised it was the hand with the gold bracelet.
"What the hell is this?"
"A Goa'uld bracelet sir."
"Goa'uld?"
"Yes sir."
"Only Goa'uld have them, am I right?"
"I believe so sir."
"So how did you get one?"
"Permission to speak freely sir?"
"Granted."
"Sir, I have a Goa'uld symbiote. Two years ago, I went through the Stargate after SG-1 to warn them of an ambush. I was too late, but I did draw attention away from them long enough that they were able to fight and beat the Goa'uld down there. I was taken by Apophis, and I carry his daughter, Isis. A year later, I saved SG-1 again and let them go before they were killed. I escorted them to the Stargate on that planet, and Jack pulled me through. After that, I went back to living with my father and his new wife."
"Come with me. I don't believe a word of what you are saying, and you and I are going to go talk to General Hammond about why I am dismissing you before you have even completed your first day. Lying was not the best way to get started, Crichton, and I hope you realise that." Margaurite followed Centin to General Hammond's office where Centin told Hammond that he would not accept Margaurite into the program because of her lies.
"She is not lying Captain Centin. If there is one thing all Crichtons possess, it is honesty. She did got through the Stargate, and does have a Goa'uld symbiote called Isis."
"Sir, I"
"You misunderstood, Captain."
"Yes sir."
"Crichton will do very well in your program if you give her a chance, Centin."
"Yes sir."
And Captain Centin hated Margaurite ever since. He didn't injure her or anything, but he barely talked to her, and looked down on her. Most of the class didn't notice, and those that did, pretended they didn't.
The first time it all really came to a head was in the sparring lesson. Centin taught the hand to hand sparring, and they were told to pair off. Macmillan immediately came to Margaurite, and she shrugged. No biggie. Centin ran through his instructions.
"On the count of three, you will begin to spar with your opponent. The one who hits the ground and stays there is the loser. Understood? Right. 1, 2 -"
Macmillan launched a kick at Margaurite's midsection. She had known he would do it, yet hadn't moved. It hit her, and she doubled over. Macmillan hit her on the back, but before she fell to her knees, her hand shot out and hooked around Macmillan's knee, and yanked. He fell to his knees, and Margaurite rolled out of the way. The others had all begun spaaring, but no-one was fighting as hard as Margaurite and Macmillan. Macmillan got to his feet, and looked at Margaurite who stood just out of reach, in a casual fighting stance. He kicked out at her, which she caught, and deflected. He landed heavily, and his other foot swung out in a move that was going to cost him a few muscles. It hit her in the chest, and she fell backwards. He sat on her, and her legs swung up, around his front and down. Margaurite disentangled herself, and sat on Macmillan, hunching low so his legs could not do the same thing. He stayed down.
"Okay everybody, release your partners.," Margaurite stood, and Macmillan landed her. "Well done, Macmillan. It isn't always easy to best a cheater. Sometimes you have to cheat." Margaurite stayed down and Macmillan stood, walking around her, smiling, she swept a leg up behind his legs, bringing him to the ground.
"Same goes for everyone, sir." Margaurite said.
"Excuse me? Are you calling me a liar?" Centin demanded.
"No sir. I am saying that perhaps your judgement was off."
"50 press ups and 50 sit ups. Get on with it Crichton!" Margaurite began the press ups. It wasn't a big deal, she was in great shape. She was doing sit ups when everyone left. Centin walked over to her and pushed her down mid-sit up.
"Crichton, you need to learn that I am your superior officer. You are not here to think whether my judgement is wrong, you are here to do as you are told, so that maybe, just maybe, you can graduate to be a grunt."
"As opposed to what, a floor sweeper?" Centin kicked her in the side. Not hard, but it still hurt. He smiled and left the room.
"Bastard." Margaurite muttered as she did the last five sit ups.
"Okay. All of you draw slips, and you'll see what your positions are on the simulation." Centin held out a bag, and everyone drew slips. Margaurite got `TEAM 4 - MEDIC/MECHANIC OFFICER'
She just dreaded to think who was leading the team.
"Team 1, over there. 2 there, 3 there and four in that far corner." Centin instructed. Margaurite went to the far corner, and looked at the team. This was not good.
"I'm leader of the team. Who's my 2iC?" Macmillan said.
"I am." Tiller said.
"Scientist?" Macmillan asked.
"Me." Thomasson said. He was the only nice person on the entire team of four, Margaurite thought. He was really smart, but a bit weedy. Reminded Margaurite of Daniel.
"Medic/mechanic?" Macmillan asked. Margaurite stepped forward.
"That would be me."
"Ah, the alien girl. Well, you have to follow orders now."
Macmillan smirked. Margaurite smirked back.
The simulation was about four miles away from the mountain, in an old warehouse. It was rigged with guns, lasers, and stuns. The idea was to get the paper with the stargate code on it.
Everyone got rigged up, and they were driven down to the warehouse. Centin gave them their instructions.
"Get the piece of paper with the Stargate code on it. There is at least one bomb in there set to blow in about five minutes. There are guns that are movement sensitive, and lasers that won't chop you in half, but they'll burn pretty bad. Good luck." Macmillan led them into the warehouse.
"Split up. If you find the sheet, yell. Try not to get hurt. I want to be the team that gets it the fastest, with the least injuries. Got it? Don't mess it up, alien girl."
"I'll leave that to you, sir." Macmillan swelled up at being called sir, like those puffer fish that are really tiny but try to make themselves look big, then he realised what else Margaurite had said. He clipped her hard around the head, his watch leaving a scratch on her cheek. "That wasn't a good start. We've not gone in the building and I'm already injured."
"You should be more careful." Macmillan said.
They entered the warehouse, keeping low, and split up. Margaurite kept Thomasson in her view, since he had a tendency to get hurt. Sure enough, not a minute into the simulation, a laser clipped his shoulder. It barely touched him, but Margaurite saw him wince. She made her way to the centre of the simulation, where the bomb was. Once that was out of the way, it would be easier to find the paper. She got to the bomb, and there, tucked inside it, was the paper.
"I have it!" She yelled. Macmillan ran up.
"Give it to me." She did. He checked the time on the bomb.
"Leave the bomb. Everyone out!" He shouted. Margaurite headed for the exit then noticed Thomasson wasn't there.
"I'm going back for Thomasson!" She called, turning around. Macmillan grabbed her arm.
"Don't. You'll cost us the entire mission!" He said.
Margaurite yanked him to the side, and a laser shot over their shoulders.
"It's already lost if he doesn't come out." She said.
"I won't let you." He tightened his grip.
"Sorry, sir." Margaurite said, and she punched him in the gut. He let go, and she ran back in. Ducking behind things, she heard Macmillan yell,
"Let's go! Leave them, that's an order!"
"Bastard." Margaurite muttered. "Thomasson!" She called. "I'm here!" He yelled. In the far corner of the warehouse, go figure. She sprinted across the open area, seeing the time on the bomb. She ran to it, and opened it up. It wasn't a complicated bomb, fairly simple. She pulled a Swiss army knife out of her pocket, flipped open the scissors, and cut the wire. The timer abruptly went dead. She headed towards where the voice came from, weaving her way through the boxes, and piles of junk, she reached Thomasson. He was lying propped against the wall. She knelt beside him.
"Hey soldier." She said, checking his ankle, which lay at a strange angle.
"Hey Doc. Ow!" he said.
"Sorry. It doesn't look broken, just twisted, and sprained. Anything else I should look at?"
"I heard them leave."
"I know. I gutted Macmillan, I didn't expect him to wait for me. Now, what else?"
"You gutted him? About time someone did. My shoulder. I got skimmed the first time, then I got full on. I didn't see it."
"Let's take a look." Thomasson leaned forward, and Margaurite grimaced at the burn on his shoulder. "Icky. You might want to have Dr Fraiser have a look at that when we get back."
"How are we getting back?"
"Walking. You can lean on me, and we'll get as far as we can and then we'll hitchhike."
"Hitchhike?"
"Yep." Margaurite spread some burn cream on the red mark. Thomasson winced. There was a loud beep, and Margaurite leaned over Thomasson as the second bomb blew. It sprayed shrapnel all over her. "You okay?" she asked him.
"Yeah. You?"
"Fine. I didn't realise there was a second bomb." She said. She helped Thomasson to his feet. Propping him up, Margaurite headed for the exit. As they passed through the bomb area, Margaurite took a quick look. "The second bomb must have been under or inside the first. That's why I didn't see it." She said. She helped Thomasson to the exit. The jeeps they had arrived in were gone, no surprise there. Margaurite and Thomasson started down the road. It was a dusty dirt track that went along the highway for a little bit, until the exit for Cheyenne Mountain, where it became a road.
As the two walked slowly down the track, they talked. "I heard you had a Goa'uld symbiote." Thomasson said.
"Is that a rumour?" Margaurite asked.
"Yeah. Is it true?"
"Yeah, it's true."
"What's it called?"
"Her name's Isis."
"Egyptian goddess of completion."
"You know Egyptian mythology?"
"Yeah, some."
"Cool."
"So you got a goddess, huh?"
"Yeah, Apophis chose me to be her host."
"You know Apophis?" Thomasson sounded awed.
"Yeah. He's Isis's father." Margaurite said.
"No kidding!" Thomasson asked. Margaurite laughed.
"No kidding." They were silent for a little while.
"How did you meet him?" He asked.
"When I was fifteen, General Hammond was keeping an eye on me for my dad. I got out of the office and wandered around. I came to the observation room, and saw the Stargate. It wasn't working properly, and I fixed it, with Major Carter's help. Hammond found me, and he was really pissed. I made him tell me what the Stargate was, and he did. Another team was late, and he asked volunteers to stay the night to see if hey came through. Me, Sam, I mean Major Carter, and Dr Fraiser stayed. Something came through, and I went down and looked. I breathed something in, or touched something, because by the end of the night, my hair was blue, and I was telekinetic. Hammond yelled at me, and then I took a shower, and then went to bed. When I woke up, SG-1 was going through the Stargate, and I ran after them, because I was too late to stop them. It was an ambush. Apophis was there with lots of Jaffa, I lifted all the weapons up, and SG-1 came back through. But I got caught by Apophis, and he gave me Isis."
"Wow." Thomasson said.
"Yeah, wow." Margaurite said.
"Look! There, you see it, those dust clouds." Thomasson pointed with his free hand.
"Yeah, I see it. Someone's coming to pick us up."
"Good."
"Weren't looking forward to hitchhiking?" Margaurite teased.
"Not really." Thomasson smiled. The jeep drew level with them and Major Carter hopped out, opened the back, and helped Margaurite lift Thomasson into the back. Margaurite jumped in, and sat by Thomasson's head.
"Thanks for picking us up, sir." She said to Jack, who started the engine.
"No problem. Now I want to hear what really happened." He said.
"Sir?" Margaurite asked.
"Macmillan said that you blatantly disobeyed orders, and the only reason he found the sheet was luck, because you wouldn't deactivate the bomb." Margaurite sat there, opened mouthed. "I didn't think so." Jack said, looking at her in the rear view mirror.
"Like to tell me how it really happened?"
"I headed straight for the bomb, and opened it up to deactivate it, because then we'd have more time to find the paper, but the paper was inside the bomb. I yelled for Macmillan, like he told us to and he took the paper and told us to get out. I headed for the exit, then realised Thomasson wasn't with us. I said I was going back, and he grabbed my arm and said he wouldn't let me. I punched him in the gut and ran back. He left us, and I deactivated the bomb. I went to Thomasson, and checked him over before the second bomb blew. We were both in pretty good shape, apart from the burns on his shoulder and his ankle, and we left. I checked the bomb before we went, and I guess the bomb must have been under or inside the first." Margaurite said.
"It was under it." Jack said distractedly. "You punched Macmillan in the gut?" he asked suddenly.
"Yes sir." Margaurite said quietly.
"That could land you in big trouble Crichton."
"I know sir, but Macmillan was saying how I would lose them all the mission, and I said that without Thomasson, it was already lost. He still wouldn't let me go, and I punched him. The bomb was still armed sir. I had no idea whether Thomasson had cover or not."
"And if he hadn't?" Carter asked.
"I would have dragged him to the nearest I could find."
"That would have hurt him." Jack said.
"Better than having chunks of shrapnel landing on your head." Margaurite said.
"Which happened anyway." Thomasson said.
"Yeah, but it could have been worse. We only got tiny bits raining on us." Margaurite said.
"True." Thomasson agreed.
Jack turned into the Cheyenne car park, driving close to the door so Sam and Margaurite could support Thomasson into the base. The receptionist waved them through, and they stood in the elevator for a minute. They came out, and helped Thomasson to the infirmary, where Janet had a look at him. Margaurite went to have a shower, but go waylaid. She passed the gym, and a hand yanked her inside the room. It was Macmillan and his cronies.
"Guys, look. I need to have a shower. So if you don't mind, I'm going to-oomph." Macmillan gutted her. She bent double. Someone kicked her knees from behind her. Falling to the ground, she heard a wush of air, and then had the head-ache of the century. On her hands and knees, she hung her head. Tirrel kicked her underneath, and she flipped onto her back, and could see her attackers. Tirrel, Macmillan, Peterson, Patricks, Clark. Macmillan put his foot on her chest and leaned down.
"Bad girl., you disobeyed orders. Tut tut." Margaurite punched up at him, hitting him on the nose.
"Yeah, well, rather disobey orders than be a snivelling coward!" she rolled over, and stood up. She planted a sidekick in Macmillan's middle, and Tirrel leap on her back, and she bent, and he landed on the floor. She kicked him in the side and he curled up. Clark took a run at her, and she stuck out her foot, and he tripped. "Oaf." She muttered. Peterson came forward and she put a roundhouse in his face, wrenching his neck to the side. He landed with a grunt. Margaurite came to Patricks, and slammed a front kick into his stomach. She followed that with a low side kick, and her landed on the floor. All of them were down, and didn't look like they were getting up anytime soon. Once Margaurite stopped kicking the crap out of them, she realised how much she hurt. Her jaw killed, and her stomach felt like it had been bull dozed. The side of her head throbbed, and Margaurite's back felt wet. She put a hand to it, and felt sticky wetess. She looked at it. Blood. She went straight to the infirmary. Janet looked really surprised when she came in. "What happened to you?" she asked, tugging at Margaurite's black t-shirt. Margaurite pulled it off, and saw the beginnings of bruises on her front. Janet looked at her back. "That's a nasty collection of scratches there." Janet commented.
"Not surprised. First shrapnel, then testosterone." Margaurite said.
"Who?" Janet asked, as she applied some really painful oinment.
"Ow, careful!"
"Who?"
"Will you tell?"
"I might."
"Don't. I'll settle it."
"Fine."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
"Macmillan, Patricks, Clark, Tirrel, Peterson." Margaurite recited.
"Five of them against you?"
"They're lying on the floor in the gym, or at least they were when I left them."
"Good going."
"I thought so."
"So what are you going to do about it?"
"I dunno. Work through it? I'll think of something."
"I don't want you in here every week."
"Nice to know I'm loved."
"Marguerite, you can't work your way through training if you're always in here. Plus I have other things to worry about."
"Okay, okay. I'll do something about it."
"Good. You're done. Now do something about them. Tell O'Neill, or something."
"Yes ma'am."
"Good. Now scoot!" Marguerite left the infirmary with one thing clear in her head. She wasn't going to tell anyone.
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