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 Training With SG-1

Chapter 9

Determined not to be separated again, Casey and Daniel wrapped their arms around one another’s waists. Sam had a death grip on Jack’s hand. Teal’c had unobtrusively put his hand on the back strap of Nyan’s backpack. The three pairs were as close together as they could be and still walk.

Teal’c stepped around his teammates. He put his hands on the gold levers that operated the doors. The rest of SG-1 and their ‘cadet’ stood behind him, weapons at the ready. He turned his head to look at Jack.

"Whenever you’re ready, T-man," Jack said calmly, quietly.

With a nod, Teal’c opened the doors. Behind which was another passage. This one, however was different from every other hallway, corridor, or passageway they had seen before. The team stepped through the open doors as one.

The corridor in which they now found themselves was wide and bright…tall mullioned windows lined the pathway on both sides. They could see the mountains in the distance, slow swirling white clouds in an azure blue sky. A wide, double door…larger than the door behind them…was at the end of the corridor. With exchanged glances of concern…and not a little fear…the six began to move down the corridor.

The closer they came to the door, the more they were able to discern the details and appreciate the intricate carvings.

"One thing we have to admit about this place," Sam mused, breaking the silence that had fallen over the team, "is that it’s a mechanical marvel. The hydraulics to move that bed chamber alone must be massive. Then there’s that maze-"

"Let’s not talk about that maze, shall we?" Jack said, his voice rough.

"Jack, it had to have been worse for you, seeing everything that we were going to be facing," Casey said. "Wasn’t quite as bad for us because we knew it was a test of some sort. It was just a matter of figuring out the right solution to each problem. And…I don’t think we were ever in any real danger."

"Not…not in real danger?" Jack sputtered. "Are you nuts? That pit Sam…Carter almost tumbled into wasn’t a real threat? What about those friggin’ blades, swinging back and forth? And that fire was no illusion!"

"No, they weren’t illusions…but…I’m not certain they’d have stayed there if we made a wrong guess," Casey argued.

Jack rolled his eyes. "Are you trying to tell me that pit that Sam…" He cleared his throat when his voice started to break with emotion. "That pit Carter almost tumbled into was real! Those blades were real and sharp…we saw you test that theory!"

"Yes, they were real…but, c’mon, Jack…that pit ‘forced’ us to take the right…or rather the correct…path. Those blades? They were moving slowly, there was enough room for us to wait between them without being at risk, and they were timed so that it was easy to get past each one."

"And the fire?" Jack asked.

"Okay, that was scary at first," Casey replied. "But there was plenty of room to crawl beneath those flames to get to the other side. It was just a matter of figuring that out."

"I think she’s right," Daniel said.

Jack snorted.

"If whoever built and designed this castle had wanted to hurt, or even kill the people who stumbled into that maze, there wouldn’t have been a need for anything more than the pit," Daniel pointed out. "If they did make it past the pit, having those blades closer, swinging faster, and swinging randomly rather than in a pattern would have made more sense. And the fire…why not just get the poor fool who’d found the maze into that narrow passageway and fill it completely with fire? There would have been no escape from that."

"Daniel and Casey are right," Sam said. She smiled up at Jack, and squeezed his hand. "Like Casey said, it was a test." Her smile widened to a grin. "And we passed with flying colors!"

He stared into sapphire eyes for a moment, seeing her triumph at having overcome the puzzle that had been put before her reflected there. Wait…she’d been put into the puzzle. Either way, she was proud as hell of herself for having solved it as quickly as she had. He’d been watching, and it hadn’t taken his wife and Casey more than five minutes to figure that whole swinging blade thing out. He knew they’d been tired by the time they’d reached that damn fire…but even then it hadn’t taken more than ten, maybe fifteen minutes for the three of them to work out the solution. Again he noted the glee in his wife’s eyes. "Well, it worked out well for us, because we’re brilliant," Jack said, his usual crooked smile sliding into place.

Casey made a sound very much like a strangled laugh. "Right. Daniel and Sam are brilliant. Teal’c is pretty damned smart. I’m average. You, however, boss, got the short end of the stick when it came to brains. You’re more brawn than brains. Actually…more grunt than brawn, given your age…"

Jack reached out, tugged the pack on the slender seer’s back, and whirled her to face him. "I dare you to say that to my face!"

"Sure. I said-"

"You wouldn’t!" Jack declared.

"Wouldn’t what?"

"Be so insubordinate to my face!"

"Why should today be any different than any other day? I’ve never had a problem being insubordinate to your face. Or your back. Or your side," Casey teased.

"Did you hear that? Carter? Teal’c? She just admitted to being insubordinate!" Jack crowed gleefully.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Daniel said. "We all heard it. Of course, if we ever have to testify as to why she was so insubordinate…"

Sam snickered. "Sorry, General, but he’s got you there."

"You’re supposed to be on my side," Jack complained.

"There you go again, assuming that just because we’re married, I have to automatically agree with everything you say or do."

"Well, isn’t that what a wife is supposed to do?" Jack demanded. No one missed the fact that his cheek was twitching, and Sam’s eyes were sparkling.

"Usually. However, when the husband is known for being rather…" she paused, as if searching for the right term.

"Stubborn?" Daniel offered.

"Unreasonable?" Casey suggested.

"Puerile," Teal’c said firmly.

Four sets of eyes turned toward the Jaffa. Nyan was looking from one face to another, trying to determine if the group was teasing one another, or being serious in their rather pointed comments.

"Puerile?" Jack said, sputtering slightly.

"Indeed. The word means silly, or childish, or can be used to indicate craziness," Teal’c replied calmly.

"If you don’t stop using that online thesaurus, I’m gonna ban you from using the internet," Jack warned.

"I do not believe it is possible for you to do so," Teal’c countered.

Casey was the first to burst into laughter, followed in quick succession by Sam and Daniel. Teal’c was smiling, and even Nyan was chuckling loudly.

Jack rolled his eyes again, and then looked over Nyan. "Do you see what I have to put up with? I think I’ll see about putting you on my team. I’ll get rid of the smartass…" he looked directly at Casey. "Of course, if I get rid of her, Danny boy is certain to follow…which really wouldn’t be a bad thing, since you’re an archaeologist as well, and probably not nearly as apt to set off traps as he is. What I’ll do with the Jaffa, however…" He gave an exaggerated shrug.

Nyan smiled widely. "As much as I’d be honored to be part of SG-1, I don’t believe it would be wise to join the team if not all of the members are in place. I’ve heard about the ‘magic’ of SG1, and I’m fairly certain it takes all of you to make that ‘magic’ happen."

"You are indeed wise," Teal’c said, nodding slowly.

"Very wise," Sam nodded.

"He gets it," Daniel added.

"I really think Nyan has us figured out," Casey agreed.

Jack grinned from ear to ear. "SG-1 magic. May it never run out." A chorus of ‘hear, hear’ surrounded him. By now, the team was standing directly in front of beautifully carved door. "Okay, let’s see what lovely surprises are behind this door."

Daniel reached toward the long bronze handles. Scenes of hunting were depicted in each panel…stags, rabbits, foxes, even something that resembled a woolly mammoth. That certainly piqued his interest! Had someone associated with this castle actually hunted the giant Earth creatures? Before his fingers came into contact with the metal of the handles, the doors began to swing open. And revealed a lavishly decorated throne room.

"Wow," Casey breathed quietly.

"Yeah," Daniel whispered in agreement.

At the opposite end of the room was a dais. On that platform was a throne, the back of which had to have been eight feet tall. Even from a distance the intricate carving was noticeable. A thick cushion, covered in what appeared to be purple silk, topped the wooden seat. On either side of the dais were shiny silver suits of armor. Each ‘knight’ held a lance and sword at the ready. Whether those suits were occupied, the team had no clue.

Just like the corridor, the room had tall, mullioned windows on each side, although these windows were filled with stained glass. The sun shining through the windows cast colorful shapes on the long, wooden benches just in front of them, and onto the floor. Banners depicting a dozen different crests hung between the windows. A narrow red carpet led from the door to the front of the dais.

Still occupied with taking in the setting around them, a bright flash of light surprised them. All eyes swung toward the ceiling, where the light had come from. A small, black box was affixed to the white ceiling, in between two of the numerous wooden planks that created a trestle on the ceiling.

Before Jack could order the team to retreat, a booming voice greeted them.

"Welcome!"

"Holy Hannah!" Sam whispered.

Sitting on the throne was a large man. Jack estimated he would stand at least seven feet if he were to stand up. Long, flowing black hair covered his shoulders, and a tall, gold crown, decorated with numerous jewels sat on top of his head. He had a thick black mustache, and his black beard was long and carefully curled. His eyes…it was hard to discern the color from where they stood, seemed to crinkle slightly at the corners. He was definitely smiling, Jack thought, even though all the thick facial hair hid that fact.

"Step forward, worthy warriors," the man continued.

"Us?" Nyan asked, his voice squeaking slightly.

"Yep," Casey replied. She studied the man for moment, then, with a smile. She watched her feet, and stopped when she was standing inside the outline of a shield that decorated the carpet.

"Radar!" Jack hissed.

"Relax, boss. He’s a hologram…or something like that. Standing here will give us a chance to hear the whole recording," Casey replied.

Daniel chuckled, then joined his wife. Teal’c did as well, Nyan hesitating only a second before stepping beside the Jaffa.

Shaking his head, Jack followed Sam. The entire team stood with ease within the marked spot.

"Many have walked through the doors of this keep, but few have made it as far as this. You are most worthy," the man said. "You have proven your courage, your devotion to one another, your honor, and your intelligence. Your success will prove to your king that your service as knights in his realm will be noble."

"Uh…what…did he just say?" Jack stammered.

"Knights?" Sam asked incredulously.

"Like…King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?" Casey gasped.

"When you leave this place, you will take your place at the side of your King, His Majesty…"

A slight hum filled the air for a moment.

"You are blessed, my friends…You are Holy Knights, your hearts are true, and you will win each battle you enter," the man finished. He seemed to beam at the team. No doubt the recording played for whoever managed to stand in the right spot.

"Okay, someone want to explain to me what the hell this place is?" Jack demanded. He was only slightly less pale than his teammates.

"This must be some sort of training facility," Sam speculated. "That…pause, after he said ‘his majesty’…I’m guessing the king would come here, make arrangements for his men…er…knights…to go through the tests this castle provides. The recording would then use whatever name had been entered."

Jack looked around the room. The hologram was still on, although it was paused. If it were waiting for a response, he had no idea what it might be. And why the hell were the Goa’uld interested in this crazy castle? "Okay, I’ll bite…what the hell does Ba’al want with this place?"

"He probably thinks it has some sort of weapon or treasure," Casey grumped.

"If he believes there is a weapon concealed here, he would be determined to prevent other Goa’uld from learning of its existence," Teal’c said.

"So that’s why he’s been talking about a new fort here," Jack said. "Trying to prevent too much interest in this place."

"Wouldn’t announcing that he’s putting a fort here cause the other Goa’uld to question what is so important here?" Daniel asked. "I’d think he’d want to keep it quiet."

"Unless this planet is in a position near other planets that have naquadah," Teal’c replied. "If that is so, it would be taken for granted that the fort here would be used as defense for those planets."

"We should check our star maps," Sam said. "If we can find out what’s nearby, it might give us an idea to what Ba’al is up to."

Casey harrumphed. "He’s up to no good, like always."

"Well, if the warning outside is any indication, at some point Jaffa were here, and didn’t fare so well," Daniel mused.

"I would love to know how this place works," Sam sighed.

"Not gonna happen, Carter. We’re gonna find a way out of here, and then we’re heading back to the SGC as fast as our feet will take us," Jack said. "Let’s go."

As soon as the team moved off the shield embossed in the carpet, the holographic king disappeared. The two ‘knights’ saluted, and then pointed their swords toward the door.

Not at all sure what would happen next, the team moved cautiously back into the corridor. None of them wanted to return to the maze, but it seemed they had no other option.

"We’re not gonna have to make our way back through all that, are we?" Jack asked incredulously.

"I hope not," Casey said, shivering slightly. She’d made it through that thing once, she wasn’t about to tempt fate and try to traverse the maze a second time, in reverse. She wasn’t even sure it was possible.

Two of the large windows began to slide apart, the walls beneath them moving as well, leaving a large opening.

"That campers, is our invitation to leave." Jack led the way, watching every shadow, every corner. Each of the dozen or so statues in what turned out to be a garden were carefully examined. Half seemed to be statues of kings, the others were maidens…perhaps a reminder to the knights of whom they would defend.

Following the stone path through the garden, the team found themselves back in the courtyard where they had first entered the castle grounds.

"We are so out of here," Jack announced. "Teal’c take lead. Double time, campers. I don’t want to be here if Ba’al decides to show up."

Casey stopped when they reached the boulder where the warning in Goa’uld had been carved. "Wait up!" she called. She pulled her hunting knife from its sheath on her thigh. "Just want to leave a little message."

Jack turned around. Even from the distance he could see the absolute glee in green eyes. "You wanna what?"

"Well, it’s only fair that the Jaffa be warned…they can’t make it through all that." She glanced at Teal’c. "Present company excepted."

Teal’c gave a regal nod of his head.

"But, we should let everyone know that Tau’ri, on the other hand, have nothing to worry about."

It was impossible not to grin. "Make it a short note, Radar."

With an impish grin in return, Casey stepped toward the boulder. She took the knife in both hands, and began to etch out the words she wanted to leave behind.

Teal’c stepped up beside her. "Allow me, Casey Jackson. I have more strength in my hands, I will be able make the marks deeper."

"Go for it, my friend." Casey stepped back.

Tracing over the letters she’d etched, Teal’c dug just a bit deeper each time. It took fifteen minutes before the letters were deep enough that it would be some time before the elements would wear them away.

"Perfect!" Casey declared.

Jack had wandered back to where the team was now gathered around the stone. He read the new message.

"Beware! Jaffa will die here. Tau'ri win."

He roared with laughter. "That’s certain to piss Ba’al off!" Jack declared.

"I hope so," Casey grinned.

"Okay, double time, campers. I want to be off this damned rock in less than fifteen minutes," Jack said.

The team was winded when they reached the Stargate. But they were alive, a little wiser than they had been upon arrival, having learned what Ba’al’s possible interest in the planet was, and what the ‘fort’ consisted of.

"Dial us home, Daniel," Jack panted.

Daniel eagerly did so, as anxious to get off the planet as the others. The thought of running into Ba’al right now brought a myriad of emotions; fear, anger, determination, the desire to kill the Goa’uld once and for all, but most important – the need to protect Casey from that particular enemy at all costs.

Sam sent the signal, received the corresponding response, and nodded. "Let’s get out of here."

Boots clanged against the metal ramp as the five ran into the ‘gate room of the SGC.

"Welcome home, SG-1," General Hammond said. "Did you find the fort?"

"No, sir," Jack replied. "What we found was a freaky castle that some group of kings from…no clue where…used for training their knights."

"Excuse me?" Hammond said, one eyebrow moving up slightly.

"It’s a long story, sir," Casey said wearily. "Could we have a shower and something to eat before we do the debrief?"

Hammond smiled. "Meet me in the conference room in two hours."

"Thank you, sir," Casey acknowledged. She handed her pack to the supply sergeant. "Be careful…after where we’ve been, I’m not sure what might happen when you open it."

"Got it, Miz J," the sergeant grinned.

Casey stood in the shower, eyes closed, letting the water flow over her face. She turned slightly, took a deep breath, then opened her eyes. Sam was standing beneath the flowing water, chin on her chest, eyes closed. "Are you all right?"

"Just tired," Sam murmured, not opening her eyes.

"Me, too."

Comfortable silence fell between the two women, the whisper of water against the tile walls and floor the only sound in the room. "I wonder if Daniel will be able to figure out who built that place," Sam said after several minutes.

"I dunno. There really wasn’t much to go on…could have been anywhere from the twelfth or thirteenth century on up to the eighteenth," Casey replied. "Whoever built that castle had a hell of a lot more mechanical knowledge than any of the knights of the realm from good ol’ Earth."

"Not necessarily," Sam countered. "There was a lot of innovation and invention going on just before the dark ages hit."

Casey rinsed the conditioner from her hair. "Good point. Although I have the feeling that whoever built that castle might have been familiar with Earth, but not from here."

"I’d have to agree," Sam said. She finished rinsing her own hair. She grabbed her facial scrub. "It still would have been fascinating to see how that place worked."

"No doubt." Casey grinned. "Jack won’t let anyone back there…but especially you. If you figure out how to tear that place apart to learn about it, he knows he’ll never get you away from there."

Sam burst into laughter. "He knows me well. I might be able to use a computer program to come up with some ideas of how that place worked."

"I get the feeling there weren’t many actual rooms," Casey said. "Too much space was needed for all of the mechanical devices that were used."

"My thoughts, exactly."

"It was beautiful, though."

"Very," Sam concurred.

Daniel sat on the bench in front of his locker and pulled on clean socks. "That has to be one of the weirdest places we’ve ever been."

"No argument from me," Jack replied. He tucked in his tee shirt, pulled his BDU shirt over his arms and began to button it.

"It was confusing, and a bit frightening," Nyan said. He smiled. "But it was also very interesting. That castle would be intriguing to study. I wonder where the machines that operated all of the moving walls-"

"And rooms," Daniel interjected.

"And rooms," Nyan repeated, nodding in the archaeologist’s direction. "To move such weight would require massive lifts and motors."

"Well, no one from the SGC is gonna find out," Jack declared. "In fact, I’m going to suggest to General Hammond that we put that place on the ‘do not call’ list."

"Is that really necessary?" Daniel objected. "There could be a lot to learn from the place. We know what to avoid, in fact, if we took the right equipment, we could probably find the mechanical center of the place."

Jack closed his locker door. "No. No way in hell. Sam would want to lead the friggin’ team to investigate. I’m not letting her anywhere near that place again. Ever."

Daniel nodded, images of what his wife, best friend, and their newest SGC member had endured. "Fair enough."

"With the message that Casey Jackson left, I do not believe the Goa’uld will be eager to send their Jaffa into a situation that would certainly lead to their demise," Teal’c stated calmly.

Jack looked over at Teal’c and grinned. "I do believe they’d be rather offended at the message, and would try to prove her wrong."

Teal’c studied his friend and comrade, then smiled. "Perhaps you are correct, O’Neill. Casey Jackson should have signed her name to the message. It certainly would have made Ba’al determined to prove her wrong."

Daniel chuckled. "Now I’d be willing to be locked in that tower room again to watch Ba’al go through that maze."

"He’d never make it," Jack said. "He’s just not smart enough to figure it out."

Nyan stood by the door, ready to leave the locker room. "He might be smart enough, but the question would be, is he physically able to do what needs to be done?"

Daniel and Jack exchanged a look. "Yeah, we kinda wondered that ourselves," Jack admitted. "Don’t think we could have made it, especially the Big Guy." He pointed at Teal’c. "No way could Teal’c have fit under those jets of fire."

"Then it seems that we were…maneuvered…to the parts of the test that we were capable of dealing with," the Bedrosian said.

"I believe you’re right, Nyan," Jack agreed readily. "Okay. Let’s grab something to eat, and then debrief."

The team members met in the cafeteria. They’d made it back to the SGC just in time for dinner to be served…beef stroganoff and Caesar salads were the main course offerings. There was the usual variety of cakes and pies to choose from, three of the teammates grabbing chocolate cake on the way to have their trays filled with dinner.

Nyan was carefully buttering his roll when he glanced up, and noticed his companions watching him curiously. "What? Am I doing something wrong?"

"No," Daniel chuckled. "I guess we forgot you’ve been in Area 51 for the past few years."

"According to Detrick…he was my best friend there…the meals at the commissary there were pretty good. He said the food at some of the bases was so bad that they couldn’t even get the K-9 dogs to eat there."

Casey and Sam giggled.

Jack chuckled. "Well, some of the bases don’t have the best cooks, but for the most part, the food is edible. Some days are better than others around here."

"Never know which day is a good one," Casey added. "So we usually just avoid the whole thing. One of these days we’ll take you to Sonic for lunch."

Nyan smiled. "I like their onion rings."

"Me, too!" Casey beamed. "And their chocolate shakes."

"Did you know that even though it’s not on the menu, you can order Frito-chili ‘pie’?" Nyan asked. "Detrick was especially fond of those."

Casey nodded. "I didn’t know about it when I first got here, I think it was Tony Sabotti who told me. They’re as close to nachos as you can get without actually ordering nachos."

"And Casey loves nachos," Daniel teased.

Conversation lulled as the team ate, all of them far hungrier than they’d realized. What they had endured had not only been wearing on their nerves, but had definitely worn them out physically.

A A A A A A

General Hammond glanced through the photos that the SGC lab had printed out. "Do you believe the objects in this room are real?" he asked, pointing to a group of photos taken in what the team had described as a ‘treasure room’.

"There’s no reason to believe they weren’t." Daniel replied.

Casey studied the general for a moment, then cocked her head sideways. "We didn’t have time to actually examine or test any of the objects…they could have been gold-painted tin and colored glass."

"That’s what I thought," Hammond nodded. The relief on his face was obvious. "I’ll put that in my report."

"I’ll do the same," Daniel said, having caught the look his wife had given the general. The general’s expression only validated his concerns.

"As will I," Sam added. She too, had noted the unspoken request that had been layered within the general’s question.

"Anything to keep the greedy bastards in DC from demanding that someone go there and empty the place out," Casey grumbled. "If they want to go there and grab all that treasure for themselves…well, I say let ‘em go for it."

Jack chuckled. "Might wind up with fewer politicians, if they do. We don’t know what might have happened if we’d disturbed any of that stuff."

"And the problem with that would be?" Casey asked.

"No problem at all," Jack said, still chuckling.

"I suppose we should just avoid giving those morons any reason to even consider a return," Casey sighed. "As far as I could tell, nothing in that castle was ‘authentic’. Just knock-offs of whatever the creator had seen."

"Isn’t that sorta like plagiarism?" Jack asked.

Daniel shook his head. "Plagiarism is when you steal someone’s written work. With works of art, or furniture, it’s called forgery."

"Yeah, whatever. Just call it all fake," Jack muttered.

Hammond couldn’t help but chuckle. He could always depend on SG-1 to give him the ‘out’ he needed when dealing with the president or the Pentagon. And Casey had never failed to pick up on any of his concerns. She often gave him answers that were so carefully worded that he knew she was trying to make it impossible for any nay-sayers or trouble makers to find any footing at all for involving themselves in any given situation. The general took a deep breath, then blew it out slowly. "You didn’t find anything that could have been a fort or compound of any sort?"

"No, sir," Jack replied. "When we reached the road…there was a bit of a path from the ‘gate to the road…it only went in one direction. That cobblestone road might have gone on for about ten feet past where we came out, but there was nothing but forest around it."

"The castle was visible in that valley as soon as we stepped onto the road," Daniel added.

"It was really pretty…it was white with blue tiled roofs and a gorgeous rose garden in the front." Casey frowned. "It was so inviting. When we first stepped inside, the illusion remained the same...I mean, the entry and the rooms we could see were beautiful. But it was a very dangerous place."

"I’d like to recommend that we put it on the ‘do not call’ list," Jack said. "There’s no reason for another team to go through that. Not even sure it would be possible for some of the teams."

"How so, general?" Hammond asked.

"In that maze, Sam…er…Colonel Carter, Casey, and Nyan had to crawl beneath these jets of fire. Nyan is a slender man. Carter and Casey…" Jack waved a hand in the direction of the two women, who were seated side by side. "I don’t think Daniel, Teal’c and I could have made it."

"I see," Hammond responded. "It seems that it would be best to list this planet as dangerous. Perhaps at sometime in the future one of our ships can do a scan from above it. But I can see no reason to send any teams back there, knowing what’s there." He gave a small smile. "And what’s not there."

Jack nodded with satisfaction. No way did he want anyone to risk being caught in that freaky place. Any planets that landed on the ‘do not call’ list were shared with allies as being dangerous.

"Well, Nyan, what did you think of your first mission?" General Hammond asked the Bedrosian. He had, so far, remained quiet during the briefing.

"It was…" Nyan studied his folded hands for a moment, then looked up at the general. "It was a bit frightening. But…the team worked together to solve every problem. It was…impressive. I look forward to being able to work with a team in such a way. In a way that will help the team, and will ultimately help the SGC and the war against the Goa’uld."

"I believe you’ll be an asset to the SGC," Hammond said. "Welcome, son. We’re glad to have you."

Nyan smiled. "Thank you, sir."

Hammond closed the folder. "SG1, well done."

"Thank you, sir," Jack said, replying for the team.

"I’ll see you all here, tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

"Dismissed." Hammond nodded, smiled, and rose to his feet. SG-1 followed suit, Nyan only a second or two behind them.

"Well, Nyan, you’re part of the family now," Jack grinned.

"Thank you."

"Yeah, wait a few days. You might not be so happy about it," Casey smiled. "There are days I want to smack Daniel for bringing me down here." She glanced around at her teammates. "But not very often," she whispered conspiratorially.

Daniel smiled as well. "I think we all have days when we wish we didn’t know about this place. But…"

"But, for the most part, none of us can imagine doing anything else, being anywhere else," Sam finished.

"I’ll show you around the archaeology department tomorrow. I’m sure we can find a project or two that needs to be worked on," Daniel said, his smile going wider.

Nyan smiled as well. "I look forward to it."

"Have you been assigned quarters?" Teal’c asked.

"I have," Nyan replied. "Although I thought I might search for an apartment after I’ve been here long enough to learn my way around."

"We’ll be glad to help you with that," Casey offered.

"Thank you," Nyan said. "Right now, I think I just want some sleep."

"Good idea," Jack said. "Okay, campers. Let’s call it a day, shall we?"

Casey shrugged. "Okay. It’s a day."

"Monday, I believe," Daniel added.

"Smartasses," Jack mumbled.

Nyan chuckled. The bonds between SG-1 were as tight, as strong, as ever. Something that Teal’c had been proud of, and awed by, when they had met. He could very well understand that pride. And now he felt the awe as well.

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