Sphinxes and Astrea Portas

Disclaimer: STARGATE belongs to Gekko and GARGOYLES to Disney and Greg Weisman. In addition, many characters from the online Gargoyles Saga (TGS) are going to be mentioned here. I just want to say thanks to the TGS staff for creating these magnificent characters and allowing me and other writers to use them in our own fics! THANK YOU!

Summary: Searching for the Sangraal, SG-1 travels to a world from the Ancient database. Surprises abound and once more Daniel's perspective on world history is tipped on its head.

Timing: After the ark of Truth before Carter goes to Pegasus to take command of Atlantis.

Author's notes: Not a long chapter, more filler before things really take off. Anyway, hope u like this :)

Chapter 16

Dominique Destine sat at her desk in her private office of New York's headquarters of Nightstone Unlimited, going over the initial reports from Nightstone Unlimited's R&D department. Or at least she was trying to. The words kept blurring in front of her eyes and even when she read a sentence, she had to reread it several times to understand it.

Her thoughts were too scattered to focus on the initial projections. Enhancements to current Nightstone anti-personnel laser weapons, plans for bigger artillery sized laser weapons, complete overhauls of the new Valkyries Mark VI, and other less destructive Nightstone products...

Idly, a part of her mind went back to her first meeting with the R&D scientists after she'd delivered the SGC's first batch of technological updates. Dr Daniel Bateson, the head of her Special Projects Division and main developer of her Valkyries robot series, mild timid scientist that he was had actually bounded into the meeting demanding answers. Actually demanding.

She'd stared at him icily until he realised just who he was demanding answers from.

She snorted as she recalled the moment he realised who he was demanding answers from. The look on his face as he blanched and stepped back were priceless as he stammered out an apology.

That interesting encounter aside, the expected profits margins from all of these were very lucrative...but it all paled in comparison to the prospect of actual legal protection and recognition of Gargoyles.

If the humans could be trusted...

Dominique growled to herself. It was long shot, the humans couldn't be trusted. Despite their so called advancements they would always be a treacherous people.

She shook her head and tried to focus back on her work, she needed to focus on this, it was out of her hands now. Goliath and the others would deal with them.

And the Dragon help them, if they crossed Goliath.

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"I'm sorry did you just say nuked?" came General Jack O'Neil's irate voice over the speaker phone.

Carter winced, "Yes sir."

Jack was silent for a while, "As in atomic bomb nuked and not nuked in the microwave?"

"Yes sir," repeated Carter.

Jack sighed, "That's what I thought you said. Just because we needed this to get even more complicated..."

SG-1 were gathered in one of the private rooms of their suite as they gave the General their first report, from their initial meeting with the Gargoyles. They had left Hypatia and Lord Thoth on the terrace enjoying a hearty meal while they reported in.

Carter could mentally see Jack sighing at the unexpected development, before continuing, "That aside, how receptive are they to us?"

Daniel answered, "Surprisingly...they're actually optimisticly eager. They appear to be willing to take the first trusting steps with us."

"Really?" came Jack's surprised voice, "You said we nuked them and they still want to talk?"

Daniel nodded, "I think they realised just how precarious their situation is...they need this offer to be real-which it is," he paused for a second before continuing gravely, "They realise just how close to extinction they are.."

"And just how badly outnumbered they are," interjected Cam pointedly.

Jack mulled this over, "So this can work?"

Daniel mulled it over for a minute before continuing, "For an initial meeting, this went quite well, this could have gone much worse..."

"Hostages..." Vala said between coughs.

Daniel glared at Vala, and continued on, ignoring her, "...I'm optimistic about further negotiations. Plus having Lord Thoth and Hypatia vouching for us went a long way in our favour."

"Because Brooklyn actually knew Thoth? From way back when?" added Jack, stressing the when. "Because Brooklyn's actually a time traveller?"

"Timedancer, actually. At least that's what Lord Thoth called him." Daniel corrected.

"Its still time travel, Daniel! Magical time travel!" Jack let out a long suffering sigh, "Nukes and magical time travel?"

Daniel shrugged helpless, "Yup."

Jack groaned, "Fine, ok." he paused before asking, "Teal'c, buddy, you're very quiet. Nothing else you want to add?"

Teal'c cocked his head to the side before answering, "They are all warriors. Their elder, Hudson, his bearing reminded me greatly of Master Bra'tac."

"Indeed," deadpanned Jack, "Anyone have anything else to add?"

A smattering of No and no sir answered him.

"Oookay...anyway, I'll give the President and the Joint Chiefs the tentative good news...and the weird news. Get back to me when you have more to report." The phone clicked as Jack hug up.

"So what now?" asked Cam in the silence that descnded on the group.

"Now we wait for their next move," responded Daniel.

"You mean sight seeing don't you? And shopping!" retorted Vala eagerly.

Daniel gave a long suffering, "Or that."

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Meanwhile, on the terrace Hypatia sat with Lord Thoth. The terrace was dominated by a large wooden table that stood before the lip of the balcony giving those sat at it a breath-taking view of the city. The table was loaded down with a veritable feast of unfamiliar, to Hypatia, foods.

The morning sun was shining down and illuminating the people as they moved far below, going about their daily routines ignorant of the momentous steps that were put in motion from a simple meeting from the evening before.

All this sat heavily on Hypatia, the luxury of actually being under the sun and still awake were lost on her. The information garnered from the representatives of the Gargoyle clans of Earth sat as a mountain on her shoulders.

She had been ecstatic to come to Earth and meet her cousins, was honoured to be accompanying Lord Thoth to reconnect with their original home, but only sorrow remained now...and some pride.

Pride that despite all the despondent stories told to them, that Sphinxes had persevered and survived.

Sorrow, that they had fought tooth and nail for their continued survival here. And they had survived but...there were so few of them.

She tried to shake off the melancholy mood and only partially succeeded, turning to Thoth, she saw that he also was lost in thought.

He stood gazing down at the human city, with sharp eyes, still in his human guise. His face was a solemn mask.

A loud thumping noise interrupted her revere.

Her eyes searched for the source of the noise and she saw a metal cabin with swiftly moving rotating blades flying through the air. It was not the first one she'd seen today and each time she saw one she was still struck by the impossibility of it.

They'd seen other flying contraptions and even flown inside one, but they had all had wings of their own.

She rubbed her shoulder, missing her absent wings, how could one fly without wings?

The flying cabin disappeared as quickly as it had appeared, the noise subsiding.

She turned back to Thoth, finding his gaze lingering on the contraption's distant path.

"How are they so advanced?" he mused inquisitively. "The millennia have passed them same as for us as for them and yet...how are they so much more advanced than Sanctuary?"

Hypatia bit her lower lip, the feeling of blunt teeth on her sensitive lips feeling strange to her, "I do not know my Lord, we still know little of their history," she suggested.

A small smile rose to Thoth's lips, "Well said and very true. There is much we have not been told. And yet even to my mind the power they command is considerable." he paused his expression turning grave, "And that is not including what secrets of the Alterans they have rediscovered."

He turned and gave Hypatia a speculative look, "Their revelations weigh heavily upon you." he stated evenly.

"They don't upon you?" she asked heavily.

Thoth pursed his lips before answering gravely, "I already knew it would be bleak."

Hypatia's jaw dropped, "How, my Lord? How did you know?"

Thoth frowned unhappily, "You forget that I knew Brooklyn back in Kemet?"

"But I thought that he wasn't supposed to share his knowledge of the future?"

"He didn't...but some things cannot be hidden and others inferred from actions and reactions." Thoth paused with a deep sigh, "The first time he saw the assembled clan of Kemet, there was a look of awe in his eyes...along with much sorrow," He paused again, "he'd never seen so many Sphinxes before." He let out a mournful sigh, "That was but the first of many indications of how bad the future of the Sphinxes would be."

A sudden realisation struck Hypatia, "That's why you took our ancestors to Sanctuary," she said in awe, eyes wide with surprise.

A large smile blossomed on Thoth's face, "Clever girl."

Hypatia blushed with pride.

"The future of your kind is secure, have no fear of that...the future of the Earth Sphinxes less so, but we shall endeavour to change that for the better."

Hypatia felt her spirits lighten, "There is always hope."

Thoth nodded, "Indeed there is, my apprentice." he nodded towards the table, "finish your meal our hosts have promised to show us their city today, you will need your energy. In the evening, when the Clan awakens we will see about helping make the future more secure for all-Sphinxes, Fey and humans."

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Elsewhere, the Illuminati operatives continued their preparations, they were only going to get one chance at this.

Author's notes: I think I was channelling Rogue One with Thoth and Hypatia at the end there (Good movie, but I would have preferred to see Bria Tharen and Red Hand Squadron's last stand on Toparawa. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go read Rebel Dawn by AC Crispin:P ), anyway, hope you enjoyed this. Now go add a review! Or several! :P :D