AN1: Here it is, because you asked for it…. This chapter is dedicated to Knight of Avalon, rquestforme and ManicTater for demanding a sequel to chapter 3.
Comparing Markings – Story Tag
As Timothy McGee entered the lab, he realised that even though the stereo was turned off, he could still hear a faint tune. Rounding the corner, he discovered the source of the tune sitting at her computer, engrossed in line after line of programming, humming absently.
"Abs. Abs! ABBY!"
Shocked aware by her shouted name, Abby jolted away from her computer and stared blankly at him.
"Huh? McGee? When did you get here?"
"Just now. So... working on hacking your pen-pal again?"
Abby widened her eyes in an obviously fake attempt at innocence. "McGee, what on earth would make you think that?"
"Abs, you were humming the 'Mission: Impossible' theme music."
Abby's innocent look faded into sheepishness and then morphed into righteous indignation. "Well, it's all Bob's fault. He set off my Hinky-O-Meter! And the when I tried to trace his email, I ended up going through NORAD of all places, so I had to abort the trace before scary guys in black suits tracked me down and threatened to put me in jail for breaching some weird National Security thing, and I would have had to make friends with my cellmate or else I would have been traded for cigarettes…"
"Abby, slow down. How many Caff-Pow's have you had today?"
"Two."
"…"
"Okay, five and a half, but I am serious. In his last message Bob said that he was working as an assistant to an archaeologist, so why would his email go through NORAD? It's just too weird."
"Bob? I thought his name was Murray?"
"Yeah, but I call him Bob. Do you have a problem with that McGee?"
Turning away from Abby's accusing glare, McGee scanned the screen looking for a distraction. "So, do you need my computer skills at all, or do you want me to be a cheerleading section while you hack it all on your own?"
"Sorry McGee, but its pleated skirt and pom-poms time for you. I've already set up a tracker that will trace where the email gets picked-up from, and I'm just waiting on the results. Last I saw, it was heading towards Colorado."
Both of them fixed their attention on the screen, anticipating the final destination of the trace.
"I still can't believe you sent him a picture of your new tattoo. I haven't even seen it yet"
"Keep up your whining Timmy and you never will. Besides I promised I would send him a photo. I edited it so he can't see exactly where it is."
"But you still don't know what kind of a person …trace is done!"
"See Timmy, Cheyenne Mountain, Colorado. That's a NORAD facility. What does this guy do for NORAD? I have got to find his personnel file!"
As Abby turned determinedly to her keyboard, McGee had a moment of moral indecision before it was quickly squashed by his rampant curiosity and he grabbed the keyboard of the other linked computer.
"Maybe if you tried to …"
"I tried, McGee, it didn't work last time, but if we…"
"No that's too tricky, you'll have to try to dodge the …"
Tapping away furiously at the keyboard, both of them spoke in an abbreviated shorthand, holding entire conversations within half a sentence. As they tried to navigate their way through the multitude of firewalls and security barriers, Abby was firstly amazed, and then dismayed at the high level and the complexity of the security programme.
"C'mon Tim, they're tracking us down. We have to get out soon or the scary guys in the black suits…"
"Got something…copying it….done! I think I managed to get some personnel files!"
Quickly cutting their connection into the high-security system, Abby jumped up from her terminal and started punching the air in victory.
"Yes! We rock! Nothing can beat the wonder team of Sciuto and McGee!"
"Shouldn't that be McGee and Sciuto? Alphabetical makes sense…"
"Don't even try it Elflord, unless you want all of your private files downloaded into Tony's computer."
"Sciuto and McGee it is."
"McGee!"
Turning sharply at the barked command from the silver-haired agent standing in the doorway, McGee immediately started stammering.
"Boss, I…that is, we…um…we…"
Inwardly smirking at his ability to reduce his agents to guilty children, Gibbs kept his face blank as he demanded "What are you doing down here McGee? We're heading out in five minutes!"
"Hi Gibbs! I had to borrow McGee for a while, but we're done now so you can have him back. Hope I didn't break him!"
Realising that he now had no chance to look over the information that they had retrieved, McGee had to be satisfied with indicating to Abby that he wanted any news later as he followed Gibbs from the lab.
Smiling to herself, Abby turned back to the computer in order to peruse the appropriated files.
"Okay, here we go…wow, lots of marines. Marine Sgt Dobbs - nope, Marine Sgt Taylor - nope, Staff Sgt Harriman – nope, but kind of cute in a 'King of the Dweebs' way. Technician Silar – nope, but one hell of an injury record. How is he still alive? Huh, what kind of name is Teal'c …"
As the information from the personnel file filtered past her greedy eyes and into her disbelieving brain, Abby Sciuto could think of only one thing to say.
"…Holy Hannah."
Meanwhile, back at Cheyenne Mountain.
"General Landry, Sir?"
"Yes Walter, what is it."
"Sir, we've been hacked again. It looks like it was the same person as last time."
"The strange girl who sent Teal'c a photo of her tattoo?"
"Yes sir. It looks like she managed to get past Dr McKay's new security features and download some information. Our people are still working on what she accessed."
"So what you're telling me is that this girl has managed to navigate her way past some of the strongest security measures known to man not once, but twice, and left us completely in the dark as to what she knows about the Stargate programme?"
"…Yes, sir."
"Why have we not recruited her yet?"
THE END!!
AN2: And it's over (sobs in relief and disappointment). This was both the easiest and the hardest thing that I have ever written. Some of the characters were not what I had originally planned (John Sheppard originally didn't appear), and some of the scenarios where completely different (Jack and Kate was a lot less depressing the first time around). But it is done now, and I am happy with it - apart from the occasional spelling mistake. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and I will have a new story starting up soon in the SG1 verse, so keep your eyes open!
Fred the Wraith Queen