10h24m
"'Come join the SGC,' they said. 'Analyze lots of interesting, highly classified data,' they said. 'Do your part to save the world,' they said." Wendy was leaning with her back against the elevator wall, quietly banging her head. She sighed. "They said nothing about an hour of security checkpoints, nothing about disallowing luggage, and definitely nothing about the elevator breaking down."
She glared up at the Air Force sergeant assigned to babysit her. He was a foot taller than she was and probably weighed twice as much, but it wasn't doing either of them any good as they stood in the stalled elevator car. The sergeant was still trying to get the elevator's emergency phone to work.
"Why didn't I get a memo about this, Sergeant... Siler?"
The sergeant glanced at her. "Ma'am?"
Wendy started to pace, ignoring the black duffle bag that had caused such much trouble with Security. She pulled a modified PDA off her belt (also problematic), tapped a few keys, and showed Siler the screen.
"In the past week alone I've received no less than forty-seven memos dictating rules and regulations on everything from clearance levels to cafeteria hours." She looked at the screen herself, scrolling down the list. "Forty-seven. Indexed by date and cross-referenced by subject." She peered at Siler over the small screen and quirked an eyebrow. "Did I really need three separate reminders about bathroom privileges?"
Siler smiled. "Well, ma'am, they say you can never be too careful."
"Maybe someone should have said that to the elevator repairman the last time he was here." Wendy sniffed. "Or at least sent him a memo."
The elevator lurched and started to descend. Wendy cocked her head, listening. Siler hung up the useless emergency phone and stood patiently by the door.
"Well, I don't hear any gears grinding. No sound of cables snapping. That has to be a good sign." Wendy shut down her PDA and clipped it back on her belt.
"Yes, ma'am."
She picked up her duffle, wondering if there was a way to get it to her room that wouldn't involve making her even later than she already was. From what she understood of the maps, her room was on a different level than the Data Analysis Center. And she still needed to go to Orientation. She looked at her watch: 1032. She sighed. Hopefully, things would get better.
The elevator stopped. Siler turned to smile at her. "Here we are, ma'am." The doors opened and Siler stepped into the hallway, and right into the path of a gray-haired colonel.
"Oops, sorry about that, Siler." The colonel grinned down at Siler and continued on his way.
Siler winced. "No problem, sir."
Wendy took a cautious step forward, wary of any other human projectiles. The only person in the hall other than Siler was a fatigues-clad man walking by with a large armload of books and papers.
"Come on, Danny, you're gonna make us late!" yelled a voice from somewhere around the corner. Wendy identified it as the colonel's.
The man wrestling with the papers startled at the sound and the book on top of the pile started to slide. Wendy caught it before it could hit the floor.
"Thanks." The man- Danny, she assumed- smiled at her. He had clipped brown hair, blue eyes, and wire-rimmed spectacles, but no rank insignia on his collar. She filed that away for further study.
"No problem. You should be more careful, though." Wendy eyed the lop-sided stack with a critically. "If you'd take a couple of extra seconds while you're compiling your... data, you should be able to organize it in a more efficient way that won't cause you to lose things en-route."
Danny winced. "I know, I know, I just-"
"Daniel!" The colonel reappeared at the end of the hallway. "Move it! You can hit on her after the briefing."
"Coming!" Danny- Daniel, she corrected- grinned apologetically. "He's really much nicer once you get to know him."
"I'm sure." Wendy glanced at the book before placing it back on Daniel's pile, centering it as best as she could. "Enuma Elish? Hey, that's good stuff."
"Yeah, uh, it is." Daniel bobbed his head. "Thanks again." He started down the hall towards the still-waiting colonel.
"Ready, ma'am?" Sergeant Siler motioned for her to follow. Wendy shouldered her pack and fell in line behind him, wondering how long Orientation was going to last. Another memo she had never received.
"Wait!"
They turned to see Daniel hurrying toward them, the book now clutched awkwardly in one hand.
"Is there a problem, Dr. Jackson?" Siler asked.
Wendy smiled as the last bit of information clicked into place. Dr. Daniel Jackson, the primary archaeologist and resident cultures expert on the Project. And a great source of information, from what she'd heard. Logic indicated that the impatient colonel was most likely Jack O'Neill, the commander of Daniel's team, SG-1. She'd received at least six memos warning her to avoid him. Wonderful.
"Problem?" Daniel blinked at Siler. "Uh, no... No problem. I just wanted to ask..." He looked at Wendy. "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
"Wendy Hathaway. I just got assigned to the Data Analysis Center."
"I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson. It's nice to meet-" The papers wobbled as he tried to free a hand for her to shake. Wendy took a cautious step back.
"So you're in the DAC?" Daniel asked, giving up. "That's great. They've been an absolute mess since the accident."
Wendy straightened. "Accident?"
"Uh, sir?" Siler stepped forward. "We're running kind of late..."
"Accident?" she repeated, sidling away from the sergeant.
Daniel shuffled uneasily. "Right. Right, sorry. I just wanted to ask, ah, Wendy..." Daniel waggled the book in his hand. "How'd you know this was Enuma Elish?"
Wendy took it from him and pointed at the embossed lettering on the cover. "It says it right here. Enuma Elish."
Daniel stared at it. "Right... I got that... But that happens to be written in Cuneiform."
"Well, of course it is. It's the Babylonian creation epic, isn't it?" Wendy opened the book and rifled through the pages. "Although I must say, it's a bit surprising to see it as a paper book. I thought they were strictly the clay tablet types."
"They are." Daniel squinted at her. "I'm... I'm sorry... You can read Cuneiform?"
"Of course." Wendy looked at him, her brow creasing. "It's one of the first recorded languages. I wouldn't be much of a data analyst if I didn't know something like that, would I?"
Daniel started to reply, then hesitated. "Ah... I- I guess not. It's just that I've never-"
"Daniel!"
Wendy and Daniel both jumped as Colonel O'Neill strode towards them.
"Uh oh," Daniel mumbled, turning to greet him. "Jack, hi..."
"Sorry to interrupt your little chit-chat, here," The colonel frowned down at Wendy. "But Daniel and I are needed in the Command Room ten minutes ago." He rested a hand heavily on Daniel's shoulder.
"My apologies, Colonel O'Neill." Wendy shifted her pack warily. "I was just returning Dr. Jackson's book to him." She held up the copy of Enuma Elish.
"And Dr. Jackson thanks you." O'Neill grabbed the book, glancing at the cover as he did. "Hey..." His eyes narrowed as he looked back up at her. "You can read this?" He waved the book at her.
She closed her eyes briefly, suppressing a sigh. "Yes, sir. I can read a lot of things."
"Uh huh. You're not a... scientist, are you?"
Wendy shook her head. "No, sir. I'm just a lowly data analyst who's--" she glanced at her watch. "Approximately an hour and forty-one minutes late to her first day of work."
O'Neill raised his eyebrows. "Data analyst, huh? Good. That's good. We seem to be running out of those lately."
"Well," Daniel said, "After the accident..."
O'Neill grimaced. "Oooh, yeah, that was nasty."
"What accident?" Wendy demanded.
"Uh, sirs?" Siler interjected. "I really need to get Ms. Hathaway to the Orientation Meeting."
"Right." O'Neill started backing away, taking Daniel with him. "And we really need to brief General Hammond on the latest threat to Earth. Carry on, Siler." O'Neill nodded to Wendy. "Good luck with your first day."
"Yeah." Daniel smiled over his shoulder at her as O'Neill propelled him down the hallway. "Good luck. I'm sure you'll enjoy working here."
"Right," Wendy muttered as she followed Siler in the opposite direction. "Assuming I live that long." She glanced up at the sergeant. "So what's this about an accident? Or was that on the same memo as the elevator problems?"
Siler stared straight ahead. "Don't worry, ma'am. The DAC has been thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. It shouldn't happen again."
"Uh huh." Wendy sighed, wondering what else hadn't been covered by the memos. "This is going to be a long, long day..."
Feedback to Shadow [Wendy]
