George called a brief gathering in the mess hall at 09:00. The rumor mill had already circulated the news, but the General made it official. Teal'c was dead. The remaining members of SG-1 were most likely still alive, and everything possible was being done to retrieve them.
Occasionally, people died under this command. It had happened to some of the other teams; now it had happened to SG-1. The day went on.
George felt a little sick.
"It seems to be as we suspected, sir. The Goa'uld didn't have time between escaping the infirmary and SG-1's gate-out, for her to have done any damage."
Siler's bottom line brought George's thoughts back to the meeting.
"Good work, Sergeant. Colonel--did you have any luck breaking into our systems?"
"Well," admitted Mayborne, "there were a couple of software back-doors that I knew of which we immediately disabled."
Siler shifted uncomfortably. Knowing Mayborne, Hammond guessed that these 'back doors' were something that would have served inter-agency espionage quite nicely.
"He's not much of a hacker but he is definitely familiar with the technology. The Colonel was able to break into three of our systems as they were originally configured," said Siler. "We've re-worked them so now he doesn't have a clue where to begin."
"It seems, General, that your base is now Mayborne-proof," Mayborne said, "though I dare say a few of my superiors will be annoyed by that."
George smiled inwardly. It doesn't take a Goa'uld to have a snake in the room, he thought.
"To the best of our ability," added Siler.
"Colonel Mayborne, I hope you are right--and being candid with us--because if you've missed even one of these 'back doors' you spoke of, that Goa'uld can potentially get into our systems here."
"Candid, sir?" The Colonel's expression was an insincere mixture of hurt and bafflement.
George would feel much more comfortable once Mayborne and his NID cohorts were off his base. But setting aside inter-agency rivalry--and that very, very suspicious incident with the second Stargate--George had to believe that Mayborne would not willingly do something that would leave the Earth vulnerable.
"I also hope that whatever access you did know of, you allowed our Sergeant here to fix. That Goa'uld was watching you for three months, so I'd say it's a good guess it can predict your actions for the next week or two--including things you might choose to use as a password."
The Colonel smiled insipidly. It wasn't taking long for the man to return to his usual disingenuous self. George hoped Mayborne hadn't learned any new forms of deceit from the alien.
"Really, General. I am a people-person. I wouldn't dream of trying to fix something technical, best left in the hands of your capable staff."
"While this has been going on, have you remembered anything more about the Goa'uld?"
"Yesterday I remembered a rock and some sand. The other Goa'uld--oh, excuse me, the Tok'Ra--Martouf--said it sounded like Abydos. I wouldn't know. I haven't been there."
"Anything that might help identify who this Goa'uld was, or what it was doing here?"
"Only what I've already told you. It went diving a few times in Dr. Coleman. It remembered the fish."
"What about last night? Dr. Warner said he had to give you something to sleep yesterday."
"I had a nightmare. Disconnected, violent images. Nothing I could make sense of."
"I see," said Hammond.
"Sir, if I may, I have a question for you. You were contacted by a Jaffa from that shipyard."
"Yes," Hammond confirmed.
"What did he say?"
"Nothing that you need to hear."
"Well." Mayborne said, "I'm sure I'll read about it in the reports, when this is all over. Provided we still have a planet."
"I'm sure you will," the General said. "In the meantime, your own people want you back at the NID as soon as we're done with you here, which it sounds like, we are?" He eyed Siler; the sergeant nodded with a trace of excess enthusiasm. "So, you may leave as soon as you are ready."
"Thank you, sir," the wan smile returned; Hammond could tell Mayborne was not looking forward to being re-interrogated by his NID peers.
"Dismissed," said the General.
He caught Siler's arm on the way out.
"Sergeant," he murmured, "As soon as our NID guests are off base, I'd like your men to go over these systems--just one more time."
Siler smirked. "Yes, sir, I hear you."
George sighed. There had been one advantage to having the Goa'uld inside Mayborne--it gave the SGC an excuse to keep him tied up.
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