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Casey slammed the pad down on the desk and tossed the pencil down on top of it. "I give up!" she declared. "I can’t figure this damned thing out! It just does not make sense!"

"Easy, Tiger," Daniel chuckled. She had been working on the translation all day.

"Daniel, what if we took a team and went back to the site this was recovered from? Maybe they overlooked something, maybe there’s more buried somewhere. If we don’t, we’ll never get it translated." She'd already looked to see if there were other tablets, or anything else that had arrived with this particular artifact that might help with the translation. There was nothing, other than a few shards of pottery.

He turned his chair and looked at her. "Not a bad idea," he said slowly.

"We can make sure that Sheilakins goes with us, that will certainly reduce her chances of causing any trouble, for anyone. Plus, we might find out sooner just what she’s up to. And," she added, her eyes dancing, "Duncan can have somebody go over her apartment and see what they can find."

He stood up, walked to the desk where she sat, leaned back against it. He couldn’t help but reach out and run his fingers through her silky hair. "You're sneaky, Mrs. Jackson."

"Yep. But you love me for it anyway, Doctor Jackson."

"Yep, I do. Okay, let me talk to Duncan. I shouldn’t be long."

"Just let me know when to meet you at the jeep."

"I’ll do that. Love you, babe," he said, leaning over to kiss her sweet lips.

"Love you, too," she said softly. She watched him leave, then turned to look down at the gallery floor. Sheila Roberts was already heading for the door. ‘Heads up, My Heart, you’re about to have company.’

‘You have got to be kidding!’

‘Nope. I’ll call Duncan, let him know you’re on the way.’

‘Thanks, babe.’

‘You’re welcome.’ She reached over and picked up the phone. "Becca…could you do me a big favor? Grab the elevator, ride it to the surface, and then back down with Daniel. And when he leaves, have someone ride up with him. Keep it strictly on the QT, don’t even let Daniel know…thanks, I owe you!" She sat back in the chair. You’re not as smart as you think you are, she mused. Not as smart at all. She dialed Duncan’s office, a smile on her face.

A  A  A  A  A  A

Duncan agreed that an archaeological dig would be beneficial, not only could it help them find the key to translating the tablet, but it could also help force Sheila’s hand, and reveal to them exactly what the NID was up to.

Sheila didn’t even bother running for the elevator when Daniel left MacLeod’s office. There were already two other people waiting for it, and she needed Daniel alone to succeed. If she could force him into a…confrontation…he would feel guilty enough to reveal it to his wife, and that would effectively remove her from the way, if not the picture. She turned to find Duncan staring at her; looking at her as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. She shuddered. Being around all of these Immortals was more difficult than she'd expected. Which is probably what The Boss intended. She shook her head slightly, went towards the elevator, realizing she didn’t even have a legitimate reason for being inside the mountain. She was starting to lose her touch. The men weren’t panting after her, and the women didn’t find her a threat, just an…annoyance. She sighed. She’d work on a new plan tonight. Sooner or later she would have Doctor Daniel Jackson in her bed. Then, she’d worry about finding a way off of this damnable planet.

Daniel had requested SG-6 for the mission, and had already briefed the team on Sheila in Duncan’s office. He had called all of the archaeologists that worked in the Center together. Besides Mike and Terry, were Arlen and Susan Whitman, Immortals who had been on digs with men such as Howard Carter. The scientists, as well as the men of SG-6, were seated at the conference table.

"Okay, folks, listen up," Daniel said. "We’re going on a dig. We have a tablet that needs a key, and we think that key is located somewhere at the same site on PX7 199. We’re all going, and that includes you, Ms. Roberts."

All eyes swung to look at her. She tried not to blush by the unexpected attention. She'd tried to get a seat beside Daniel, had planned on playing a little "footsie" with him, but she found out upon entering the room that the seating was arranged by ‘pecking order’. "I’ve never been on a dig before," she admitted.

"Not once? How in the hell did you get your degree?" Mike asked, his eyes wide.

"I…uh…I have allergies," she stammered. In truth, her degree had been awarded to her despite the fact that she had not earned it. Her father had made sure that her credentials were as legitimate as if she had.

"So did I," Daniel said coldly. "It never stopped me."

"Well, my dear, we shall see just how much you paid attention in class," Arlen said. Mike had talked to him and Susan about this young woman. He already disliked her, simply because of her connection to the NID.

She tried not to panic. She hadn’t actually done much of that either.

Casey watched her, could sense her disquiet. She had to bite her lip to keep from smiling. The young woman was about to find herself completely over her head, off world with no less than half a dozen Immortals, and a team that considered Casey one of their own. The woman didn’t stand a chance.

"When do we leave, Danny?" Mike asked, his eyes already glazed with the excitement of going on a dig. Something he hadn’t done for years.

"First thing in the morning. I want F.R.E.D. packed and ready; so Mike, you and Terry take care of that. Arlen, Susan…I need for you to make sure that all the kits are ready. Get them to Mike or Terry for loading as soon as they are. Case, get all the photos of the last dig, I want to take them along. We’ll meet in the gate room at eight. That’s 0800 for you guys," Daniel said, grinning at Tony and Texas, Major Parker and young Trenton. "Case, you and I will gear up with 6 in the morning. Pack extra socks folks, we could be there for awhile. Let’s get ready to go."

Mike stood up. "You heard the boss, let’s go people," he said, looking directly at Sheila.

She shivered. She glanced at Casey, found that woman watching her with an amused smile. Don’t get too comfortable, honey, she thought. I haven’t given up yet. I’ll still get that husband of yours into my bed.

Daniel put his hand on her shoulder as he moved behind her, waited for her to stand, then took her hand and led her to the office. "So much for not going on any missions," he said as they walked up the stairs.

"Daniel, a dig is hardly a mission. The team that worked on this site reported that there was no life at all, other than plants."

"Yeah, well, I’m still glad that Duncan is sending the MALP through today, just to make sure."

As soon as they were in the office, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "It’s fine, my love. It could even be fun," she said, a wicked smile on her lips.

He grinned down at her, his arms around her waist. "Think so, huh?"

"Daniel, when was the last time we were on a dig?"

He frowned. "It’s been awhile."

"And you love them," she continued.

"Almost as much as I love you."

"So you can’t tell me you’re not excited about this. In spite of Sheilakins."

He laughed, then kissed her gently. "Love you, Angel."

"Love you, too, Sweetheart."

"Ahem." They turned in unison to see a grinning Jack leaning against the doorframe. "Do you two ever stop?"

"Not if I can help it," Daniel grinned in return.

"Look, Duncan just told me about this little dig you’re going on, and the fact that you’re taking that little NID witch with you. Do you want Sam and I to come along?"

Daniel shook his head. "Thanks, Jack, but I think we can handle this. SG-6 will be our back up, and I’m taking all the people who work here. They’re all Immortal, and all onto her. I don’t know if she’s aware of who is Immortal or not. With luck, she isn’t. But it doesn’t matter. We’ll find what we need, and find out what she’s up to as well."

"You check in every four, Space Monkey," Jack said.

"We will, Jack."

The older man nodded. "Okay, see you when you get back."

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