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| Chapter 13: X Marks The Spot |
| Place: P8X-169 Date: 10/02/00 Time: 1625 SGC Time |
| Irish didn't want to tell Isis the news that they had just received. Standing up, she moved out of the communications tent and looked around for the General. She finally spotted her on a nearby hill with her binoculars carefully searching the area on the other side. She started walking up the hill. |
| Isis heard someone approaching and turned to see who had found her. Spotting Irish, she smiled briefly and saw her friend give a tight-lipped smile back. Isis knew that something was bothering Irish. "It would be a hell of a lot easier to spot signs of life if it wasn't so damn foggy all the time." Not bothering to wait for any reply, she continued on. "Spit it out Lass. Whatever it is can't be that bad." She continued to search the horizon for any signs of life. |
| Irish took a deep breath before she spoke. Looking at the horizon herself, in a quiet voice, she told the latest news. "Base camp just radioed. The Tok'ra said that this will be the last supply drop they'll be able to make." |
| "Did they say why?" Neither one dared to look away from the horizon, desperately wishing to find their lost comrades. |
| This time, an audible sigh could be heard as Irish turned to face Isis. "Apparently, Maybourne and the NID are getting suspicious." |
| "When is Maybourne not suspicious." Isis immediately thought that if Maybourne could figure out that they where gone, then that put them in greater danger when they returned. Besides, she still had to humiliate him herself...well, she was sure that 13 would want to help in the process. Perhaps a dunk tank would be useful... |
| "Well, apparently--he's looking for a way to get back into the good graces of the SGC. And of course, any mention of Maybourne anywhere draws the attention of the NID. And as a result of this attention," Irish paused. "Because of this attention, General Hammond can no longer send the Tok'ra any more supplies for them to pass along to us." Going back to searching the horizon for any signs of any type of life on this God-forsaken planet, she waited for Isis' reaction to the news. |
| "Well then, I guess Rei will have to drop that lawsuit about the torture of her taste buds now." Isis glanced at her long time friend and saw there was something else. "What else did the Tok'ra have to say?" |
| "General Hammond has made a request for us to return. He's declared SG-1 and SG-13, all of us, as MIA. He and the Tok'ra agree that if we haven't found them by now, then they're most likely not on this planet." She didn't like facing defeat, and even worse, she didn't like telling a General to face defeat. But it had to be done and now that it was complete, she didn't feel like she had to walk on eggshells anymore. |
| "What a beautiful sunset. What little bit we can see anyway." She felt, rather than saw, Irish slumping her shoulders at her obvious attempt to change the subject. "Tell me something Irish, do you agree with their assessment of the situation?" |
| "I don't think they would know their head from a hole in a ground Ma'am. It's only been a month and this is a big planet. And Parker is right. There is something not right about this lump of rock. Things just don't add up like they should and until we reach the bottom of the mystery--no one will ever find them." Irish ended her brief, passionate speech with her hands pointed out towards the tree line. And seeing the tree line, she felt she had to continue. "Take those trees over there--2 hill tops away. Have you ever seen a forest just suddenly end and begin like that? No thinning of the trees--nothing. And what is up with the two of the front trees making an X shape? If you believe in old pirate maps you'd know to look for the X and here--we've found it. An X. But what does all this add up to?" When she saw Isis shrug her shoulders, she continued on. "I'll tell you what this adds up to. It adds up to the fact that the reason why there isn't any life on this planet and why we're constantly enshrouded with mist and fog and rain is because this isn't a planet. It's a damn Douglass Adams novel and someone made this planet and the X is the exit door to the surface!" |
| Isis looked from Irish--to the trees that created the X shape--and back to Irish. "You know Lass, I think you just solved a piece of this puzzle." Isis started running down the hill towards camp. |
| Irish looked confused but followed her down the hill. |
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