Dedication: I would also like to dedicate this story to all insomniacs. If this can't put you to sleep, nothing will.

After calling security, the officer waved Brenna through the first check point. "They're waiting for you doctor. Just park in Lot A and report to the main check in at the entrance to the mountain. They'll check you through security and escort you to the debriefing."

"Thanks." Brenna forced a smile and steered her Jeep toward the parking area.

What in the world was going on here? She had been on the road for hours trying to sort out the events of this morning. Brenna rubbed her temple. The only conclusion she had come to was that mysteries gave her a headache. She had been in her office compiling the data she and her students had collected over the weekend. The results were inconclusive, the data was incomplete. It looked like she would be stuck in her office all day and all night.

Then the call came. She was asked, rather forcefully she thought, to report to the Cheyenne Mountain Complex immediately. Her expertise was needed. She wanted to say no. In fact she politely refused. Unfortunately she was working for the government and no was not an acceptable answer. They needed her skill, they needed her security clearance, and they needed her now.

Digging into her backpack she found the bottle of aspirin. Tossing her head back she popped two pills and choked. Could this day get any worse?

An alarm began to blare just as Brenna introduced herself to the officer on duty. "What's that?" Brenna yelled at the officer as she brought her hands up to protect her ears. Thank God for aspirin!

"Lockdown ma'am. Security breach." The officer placed a firm hand on his firearm. "Sorry ma'am. No one enters or leaves the mountain till the General gives the ok. I think you should wait in your car." The last comment was not a suggestion.

The day had just gotten worse! Brenna was getting very annoyed. She had left her reports half finished at the "request" of her superiors and God-only-knew who else. She had spent hours on the road driving to a military complex, a destination she had been blissfully ignorant of just hours before. Now she had been instructed to wait in her car. What next?

Brenna was half way to her Jeep when she stopped. No, waiting in her car was so not acceptable. Why was she here? For what possible reason could the commander of this base have requested the services of a Zoologist? They certainly didn't need her in that underground maze of concrete they referred to as a base. Brenna shivered, the thought of entering the complex set her claustrophobia off. No windows. No air! Closing her eyes and breathing deeply Brenna tried to relax the muscles she had unconciously tensed.

No they couldn't possibly need her in the base. The answer to her mysterious summons must lay in the forest surrounding the base. Perhaps the patrols had run across an animal unusual for the area. An exotic? That would be interesting. Trouble for the ecosystem but interesting none the less. Maybe there was a chance that an endangered or more likely threatened species had been spotted in the area. Brenna snapped her fingers, that must be it. She could certainly help them assess the situation.

No point sitting in the car. Brenna decided to give the area a preliminary investigation and started up the mountain.

She had been exploring and shooting pictures of the forest for about an hour. It couldn't have been longer than that, she was just on her second roll of film. Photography tip number one: carry a lot of film.

Brenna placed her finger on the shutter release, when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.

"Uhmm.... Hi."

Startled, Brenna swung around to face the voice. Blue eyes. The owner of the voice had the most intense blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Dr. Wallace? Is there a reason for that?" He asked pointing at the camera.

"Oops. Sorry." Brenna realized she was looking at the man through the lens of her camera. The whir of the motor meant she was still taking pictures. She released the shutter and lowered the camera. God, she was sure the camera would love him. She couldn't wait to develop the film.

"You can call me Brenna." She smiled extending her hand. "And you are?"

"Daniel Jackson. Please call me Daniel." He smiled back shaking her hand.

"Daniel?" A deep voice yelled through the trees. Echoing Daniel's own introduction. The echo did not sound friendly.

Daniel glanced behind him. "Over here, Jack. I found her."

A few minutes later, two more men came into view. One of the men, the owner of the deep voice, was waving his hands in Brenna's direction and mumbling something about scientists. Then he turned towards Daniel. Though all three men wore fatigues he was the only one that looked official. Not that Brenna had any experience with the military to have an educated opinion on the subject.

"Just what that hell is she doing out here?"

"Jack, you shouldn't...." Brenna raised her hand to silence Daniel. Then she turned to face the arrogant jerk, her hands bunched into fists at her sides. "Why don't you ask her yourself? Jack?"

"OK. What the hell are you doing out here? You were ordered to wait in your car." Brenna opened her mouth to respond but Jack hadn't finished. "And the name isn't Jack, you can address me as Colonel O'Neill." Pointing at her camera he continued. "This is a secure military post so I'll just take that."

He reached for the camera but Brenna stepped back quickly. It was her turn.

"First of all, I may work for the Department of the Interior but I am a civilian and I do not take orders. If you want me to do something ask nicely. Then if it's something I want to do, then and only then will I do it." Brenna took a step toward Jack.

"Secondly, I am out here because I am a Zoologist. I deal with population growth, ecosystems, endangered species, etc. I don't know why I have been called here but I thought I would look around." Brenna took another long step towards Jack.

"Finally that as you so ignorantly referred to it is a Nikon 90s. I lived on Ramen Noodles for three months so I could afford this camera, and nobody touches it but me." Brenna jabbed her finger into the colonels chest. "You got that."

"What is a Ramen Noodle?" The third man inquired. Brenna took her first long look at the final man in the group. He was big. And what was with the gold tattoo? Brenna didn't know what freaked her out more the tattoo or the fact that his face showed no emotion. She was sure that if he had asked for her camera she would have handed it to him without comment.

The tension was broken by a resonding....."Hahahahahahaha." Jack's laugh was warm and surprisingly friendly. Then he smiled at everyone in the group. "You explain it to him Daniel. While I apoligize to the lady."

Brenna smiled back. Maybe the man wasn't a jerk after all.

As Daniel adjusted his glasses and began his explanation Jack extended his hand out to Brenna. "Sorry. My nerves are kinda shot. It's been a long day. And the name's Jack."

"Tell me about it." Brenna smiled as she shook Jack's hand. Then she removed the film from her camera and gave it to him. Obviously a good move because he smiled again. Brenna couldn't help but notice that the man was rather attractive and he had a great smile. "I was working on a report this morning dealing with Sorex nanus and it's possible appearance in Rocky Mountain National Park, when - "

Brenna stopped at Jack's confused look and was about to explain when Daniel saved her the trouble. "It's a shrew, Jack."

"I knew that," Jack unconvincingly replied.

Daniel just nodded his head in ammused agreement. Then turned toward Brenna for confirmation. "The dwarf shrew. I believe, it's one of the smallest mammals in the world. Though I didn't know they were found in the National Park."

Brenna's face lit up. Daniel was fabulous. "That's exactly right. That's the point of my study to determine wether the species is indeed found within the park's boundaries. I was asked to conduct the study because a specimen was found a couple of years ago. The species was placed on the Resource Management Plan last year but we just got the funding for the go ahead. Did you realize that shrew's are excellent bioindicators of environmental change."

"You mean like amphibians. The deformities of frogs....."

"Excuse me, Doctor's. This is all very fascinating." Jack waved his arms. "But we do have our own problems."

Brenna blushed slightly. She always got excited when she talked about her work. A characteristic she was sure Daniel would understand. "Sorry."

"It's okay. I'm used to it." At the comment Daniel blushed. Yes, Daniel definitely understood.

"Why am I here? Did you find an exotic species?"

"You could say that." Jack's reply was cryptic. "Besides an expert in fuzzy little mammals couldn't hurt right now."

Brenna ignored the last statement. Jack must have been making a joke. "If you tell me how I can help. I can get started right away."

"Excellent." Jack grabbed Brenna by the arm. Then just as quickly released her. "If it's ok with you we'll head back to the base."

Stifling a laugh, the man was quick, Brenna nodded and allowed Jack to guide her back to the base. "Oh so you have a specimen contained in the lab?"

"Well, it's specimens and contained isn't exactly the word I would choose." Jack replied sarcastically. "I think you'll understand our problem better if I just show you."

"Umm... Jack don't you think you should give her a little warning."

"I agree with Daniel Jackson. I do not think that it is advisable to pull this on her all at once."

"Spring.. That's 'spring it on her, Teal'c. And if anybody should explain this situation it should be Daniel. He brought it back."

"Jack that's not fair. I had no idea."

Jack threw his hand up in front of Daniel's face. "I told you not to touch it. Didn't I?"

Daniel nodded. This entire conversation was making Brenna's head spin. What in the world were they talking about?

They had passed through security and were waiting on the elevator to arrive. Brenna took a deep breath and tried to concentate on anything besides the cold walls and the stale air.

"Well Daniel are you going to explain?"

"Well you see...ummm.... Then I...ummm....and they..." Daniel pushed his glasses back in a nervous gesture.

"Enough. I'll explain it."

"No Jack! Your explanations always end with the entire situation being my fault."

Jack stared back at Daniel, who shut up. He kept his eyes turned away from Jack as the group entered the elevator.

"OK" Jack took a deep breath. "Tell me Brenna have you ever watched Star Trek?"

Brenna was very confused by the abrupt turn the conversation had taken. "Hasn't everyone?"

Jack laughed and glanced at his two companions. "Not everyone." Then he became serious. "Remember the episode 'The Trouble With Tribbles'?"

The elevator doors slid shut.

The End

Feedback to Brenna