Daniel woke up to a blinking light somewhere in the room. He looked around
blearily, while he blindly groped for his glasses. Slipping the wire frames
on, he watched the world come into focus. He turned his head towards the
blinking, a sour feeling started in his gut. His clock. Crap.
It was blinking at 2:54, which meant three things. One, there had been a
power outage overnight at least three hours ago. Two, he really needed to
put fresh batteries in the clock. Three, the alarm wouldn't have gone off
when it was supposed to, and from the light filtering in through the
curtains on his window, it was morning. They had a mission briefing at 0800.
Jack was going to *kill* him.
What would have the right time? His watch. Where did he put it? He couldn't
even remember going to bed last night, he had been so tired.
He looked around the room and found his pants in a crumpled heap next to the
bed. He lifted them up and shook them, hoping the watch would fall like an
apple from a tree. Plunk! Great! He'd found his watch!..... only to lose it
to the darkness under his bed... He was about the throw the pants across the
room when he felt a heaviness from the waist. His beeper!
That made him feel a bit better. If he were late enough, they would have
beeped him. And called. And, eventually, come by to yell at him. Since none
of these things had seemed to have had happened...
He glanced at the beeper. 8:30. Double crap.
Breaking new land speed records, Daniel got washed, dressed and made himself
a cup of coffee. Once in the car he picked up his cell phone and dialed the
base. They put him through to Jack, who picked up after only a few rings.
"Jack. Hi. I'm, uh..."
"Late?" Jack said acidly.
"Not on purpose. Alarm didn't go off."
"Well, get here yesterday. You're the only one we're waiting on. Even the
new guy's here."
A squirrel darted out into the road, and Daniel jerked the wheel to avoid
it. "New guy?"
"Tell you about it when you get here."
Daniel heard the distinct click that meant Jack had hung up. "Not even a
goodbye," he mumbled to himself.
He managed to make it to the base in record time, but the six security
checks between him and the briefing room seemed to take forever. He decided
to skip his office and go directly to his final destination. Glancing at his
beeper, because he hadn't had time to find his watch, told him it was around
9:15. "Not so bad," he mumbled.
He pushed the door open, and got the distinct feeling that security had been
instructed to call ahead when he got there. They had all been looking in the
direction of the door, waiting for him.
"Uh... hi."
"Glad you could join us, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said.
"Power outage," Daniel muttered as an explanation. "What'd I miss?"
"World ended. Goa'uld started tap dancing. Pigs flew." Daniel got the
distinct impression that Jack was still annoyed at him.
He shot Jack a 'we'll talk *later*, now's not the time' glare. Jack gave him
an insolently bland look in return.
"Gentlemen," Hammond said, sounding like he wanted to use a different term.
"Doctor Jackson, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
Daniel looked around the room and didn't see anyone he didn't recognize.
Hammond continued, "I'd like you to meet Dr. Peter Adams."
A tall, bookish man who had been leaning against the wall in the back of the
room came forward, seeming cautious in his approach. "Hello Dr. Jackson," he
said in an accented voice. Daniel examined the[,] thin almost lanky,
dark-haired man before him as he offered his hand in greeting. A slightly
shocked look passed over Dr. Adam's face, but he went to take the hand
anyway.
As their hands met, Daniel's mind caught up with his body and he paled. "Oh
my god."
"Nice to meet you," Peter said, quirking his mouth in a smile. "I've read
your reports. Fascinating stuff."
Daniel tried to get his mouth to catch up to his brain. "Adam?"
There was a flicker of -- something -- in Peter's eyes, but he shook his head, face bland. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."
"I don't-- I--" Daniel frowned. "I guess."
Jack, who had been watching the exchange with bemusement, said laconically,
"Something wrong, Daniel?"
"What?" Daniel turned to Jack and asked, "I mean.. um.." He turned again to
Peter and looked closely this time, "You look.." Peter simply stared at him,
his face still bland. Daniel shook his head. "I'm sorry, you just reminded
me of someone I hadn't..."
"Is something wrong, Daniel?" Jack asked. Flustered Daniel could be amusing,
but he looked too shocked for Jack's comfort.
"No.. I.. no." He turned back to Peter, "I'm sorry, you just reminded me of
an old... friend."
"I get that a lot," Peter said, smiling. "Shall we get down to business?"
"Business?" Daniel stared blankly at him before shaking his head. "Right.
Um. What *is* the business?"
"Doctor Adams is joining the SGC research staff," General Hammond said.
"He's an expert on ancient languages."
Daniel shot a sharp look at Peter, but said only, "Good. We need someone
like that."
Peter tilted his head slightly. "The General thought I could assist you with
the texts from -- P2X-568, I believe it was?"
"Oh," Daniel said, and then, "oh! Yes, see, the writing base is, as far as I
can tell, an ancient Mesopotamian dialect, and I haven't quite been able to
translate..."
Jack tuned Daniel out as he continued; the terms he was rattling off with
increasing eagerness meant absolutely nothing to Jack, though Peter was
nodding with seeming understanding. Instead of listening, he watched the
interaction between the two men. There was something there, something
between the two of them, that he wasn't quite getting. It made him uneasy,
not to mention concerned for Daniel. When he'd seen Peter, he'd looked like
he'd seen a ghost. And Peter... Peter had looked almost guilty. He knew
*something*.
Jack shrugged. He could talk to Daniel later, figure out what was going on.
Figure out if having this Peter on base would cause problems. His priority
was Daniel, and if Daniel was going to have issues, Jack wouldn't hesitate
to get Peter out.
Peter and Daniel had continued to chatter in what seemed to be a different
language when Hammond's voice rang out, "Gentlemen." They both looked up,
slightly guilty about having drifted into their own little world.
A grandfatherly smile spread over his face, "Go to work. Dismissed."
Everyone get up to leave with three exceptions, Daniel, Peter and Jack.
"I'll see you in your office Daniel?" Peter asked.
"What?" Daniel had been distracted again. "Yes... my office. I'll be there
in 10 minutes."
With a nod, Peter left the room. Daniel watched him leave, lost in thought.
Jack frowned at him. "Daniel."
"Hmm?" Daniel said without looking away.
"Is there something you want to tell us? Off the record?"
"What?" Daniel blinked, genuinely startled. "About what?"
Jack, in answer, jerked his head towards the doorway that Peter had gone
through.
Daniel flushed slightly and said, "No."
"You sure?" Hammond's voice was soft with concern. "If there is something,
we need to know."
"It's nothing," Daniel said, a bit too harshly. He rubbed his arms together
in an uneasy gesture. "I just...he looked like someone."
"I gathered that," Jack said dryly. "Could he *be* that someone?"
"No." Daniel closed his eyes. "Adam... died. It's just a coincidence. Gotta
be."
"Right," Jack said, but he was frowning. His mind leaped to the immediate
parallel -- Apophis, who had died. Several times. Granted, Peter wasn't
Apophis, but nevertheless...
"Very well." Hammond nodded at Daniel. "Dismissed."
Jack stretched out in his chair, waiting until Daniel left, and then said to the empty room, "I don't like this."
blearily, while he blindly groped for his glasses. Slipping the wire frames
on, he watched the world come into focus. He turned his head towards the
blinking, a sour feeling started in his gut. His clock. Crap.
It was blinking at 2:54, which meant three things. One, there had been a
power outage overnight at least three hours ago. Two, he really needed to
put fresh batteries in the clock. Three, the alarm wouldn't have gone off
when it was supposed to, and from the light filtering in through the
curtains on his window, it was morning. They had a mission briefing at 0800.
Jack was going to *kill* him.
What would have the right time? His watch. Where did he put it? He couldn't
even remember going to bed last night, he had been so tired.
He looked around the room and found his pants in a crumpled heap next to the
bed. He lifted them up and shook them, hoping the watch would fall like an
apple from a tree. Plunk! Great! He'd found his watch!..... only to lose it
to the darkness under his bed... He was about the throw the pants across the
room when he felt a heaviness from the waist. His beeper!
That made him feel a bit better. If he were late enough, they would have
beeped him. And called. And, eventually, come by to yell at him. Since none
of these things had seemed to have had happened...
He glanced at the beeper. 8:30. Double crap.
Breaking new land speed records, Daniel got washed, dressed and made himself
a cup of coffee. Once in the car he picked up his cell phone and dialed the
base. They put him through to Jack, who picked up after only a few rings.
"Jack. Hi. I'm, uh..."
"Late?" Jack said acidly.
"Not on purpose. Alarm didn't go off."
"Well, get here yesterday. You're the only one we're waiting on. Even the
new guy's here."
A squirrel darted out into the road, and Daniel jerked the wheel to avoid
it. "New guy?"
"Tell you about it when you get here."
Daniel heard the distinct click that meant Jack had hung up. "Not even a
goodbye," he mumbled to himself.
He managed to make it to the base in record time, but the six security
checks between him and the briefing room seemed to take forever. He decided
to skip his office and go directly to his final destination. Glancing at his
beeper, because he hadn't had time to find his watch, told him it was around
9:15. "Not so bad," he mumbled.
He pushed the door open, and got the distinct feeling that security had been
instructed to call ahead when he got there. They had all been looking in the
direction of the door, waiting for him.
"Uh... hi."
"Glad you could join us, Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said.
"Power outage," Daniel muttered as an explanation. "What'd I miss?"
"World ended. Goa'uld started tap dancing. Pigs flew." Daniel got the
distinct impression that Jack was still annoyed at him.
He shot Jack a 'we'll talk *later*, now's not the time' glare. Jack gave him
an insolently bland look in return.
"Gentlemen," Hammond said, sounding like he wanted to use a different term.
"Doctor Jackson, there's someone I'd like you to meet."
Daniel looked around the room and didn't see anyone he didn't recognize.
Hammond continued, "I'd like you to meet Dr. Peter Adams."
A tall, bookish man who had been leaning against the wall in the back of the
room came forward, seeming cautious in his approach. "Hello Dr. Jackson," he
said in an accented voice. Daniel examined the[,] thin almost lanky,
dark-haired man before him as he offered his hand in greeting. A slightly
shocked look passed over Dr. Adam's face, but he went to take the hand
anyway.
As their hands met, Daniel's mind caught up with his body and he paled. "Oh
my god."
"Nice to meet you," Peter said, quirking his mouth in a smile. "I've read
your reports. Fascinating stuff."
Daniel tried to get his mouth to catch up to his brain. "Adam?"
There was a flicker of -- something -- in Peter's eyes, but he shook his head, face bland. "I'm sorry, you must have me confused with someone else."
"I don't-- I--" Daniel frowned. "I guess."
Jack, who had been watching the exchange with bemusement, said laconically,
"Something wrong, Daniel?"
"What?" Daniel turned to Jack and asked, "I mean.. um.." He turned again to
Peter and looked closely this time, "You look.." Peter simply stared at him,
his face still bland. Daniel shook his head. "I'm sorry, you just reminded
me of someone I hadn't..."
"Is something wrong, Daniel?" Jack asked. Flustered Daniel could be amusing,
but he looked too shocked for Jack's comfort.
"No.. I.. no." He turned back to Peter, "I'm sorry, you just reminded me of
an old... friend."
"I get that a lot," Peter said, smiling. "Shall we get down to business?"
"Business?" Daniel stared blankly at him before shaking his head. "Right.
Um. What *is* the business?"
"Doctor Adams is joining the SGC research staff," General Hammond said.
"He's an expert on ancient languages."
Daniel shot a sharp look at Peter, but said only, "Good. We need someone
like that."
Peter tilted his head slightly. "The General thought I could assist you with
the texts from -- P2X-568, I believe it was?"
"Oh," Daniel said, and then, "oh! Yes, see, the writing base is, as far as I
can tell, an ancient Mesopotamian dialect, and I haven't quite been able to
translate..."
Jack tuned Daniel out as he continued; the terms he was rattling off with
increasing eagerness meant absolutely nothing to Jack, though Peter was
nodding with seeming understanding. Instead of listening, he watched the
interaction between the two men. There was something there, something
between the two of them, that he wasn't quite getting. It made him uneasy,
not to mention concerned for Daniel. When he'd seen Peter, he'd looked like
he'd seen a ghost. And Peter... Peter had looked almost guilty. He knew
*something*.
Jack shrugged. He could talk to Daniel later, figure out what was going on.
Figure out if having this Peter on base would cause problems. His priority
was Daniel, and if Daniel was going to have issues, Jack wouldn't hesitate
to get Peter out.
Peter and Daniel had continued to chatter in what seemed to be a different
language when Hammond's voice rang out, "Gentlemen." They both looked up,
slightly guilty about having drifted into their own little world.
A grandfatherly smile spread over his face, "Go to work. Dismissed."
Everyone get up to leave with three exceptions, Daniel, Peter and Jack.
"I'll see you in your office Daniel?" Peter asked.
"What?" Daniel had been distracted again. "Yes... my office. I'll be there
in 10 minutes."
With a nod, Peter left the room. Daniel watched him leave, lost in thought.
Jack frowned at him. "Daniel."
"Hmm?" Daniel said without looking away.
"Is there something you want to tell us? Off the record?"
"What?" Daniel blinked, genuinely startled. "About what?"
Jack, in answer, jerked his head towards the doorway that Peter had gone
through.
Daniel flushed slightly and said, "No."
"You sure?" Hammond's voice was soft with concern. "If there is something,
we need to know."
"It's nothing," Daniel said, a bit too harshly. He rubbed his arms together
in an uneasy gesture. "I just...he looked like someone."
"I gathered that," Jack said dryly. "Could he *be* that someone?"
"No." Daniel closed his eyes. "Adam... died. It's just a coincidence. Gotta
be."
"Right," Jack said, but he was frowning. His mind leaped to the immediate
parallel -- Apophis, who had died. Several times. Granted, Peter wasn't
Apophis, but nevertheless...
"Very well." Hammond nodded at Daniel. "Dismissed."
Jack stretched out in his chair, waiting until Daniel left, and then said to the empty room, "I don't like this."