Beyond the Iris: A Stargate Story

Chapter 4

Eleanor

It had been an early morning for me, I secured tickets to a museum exhibition later this afternoon before it closed to celebrate the start of Spring. There was a collection of impressionists, and something about Monet felt very springtime to me. I knew that I had three new crates of artifacts that had been sent from Area-51 for a project the science department needed in a few weeks. When I walked into my office back from lunch I noticed that Daniel's was partially open. The schedule had him home sleeping due to his late night coming back from a trip to DC with Sam. They were acting as liaisons to discuss possible security leaks of information that had been written up in the back pages of a national tabloid. It seemed to put a lot of stress on Colonel O'Neill who would send icy glares at me when I sat in occasional debriefing meetings. I knew his level of distrust was high due to all the altercations he had dealt with over the years.

I heard a small ding from the bell I'd installed at my desk chime for my attention as I was working between shelves.

"One moment!" I called back hoisting a box into place and scribbled down the label on the corresponding paperwork. I came around the corner, setting the clipboard down on the table in the center of the room, and saw Daniel standing there with two paper cups in hand and a pleasant smile.

"Coffee?"

"You're an angel among us. I've been at the new crate from PX4-236 all afternoon." I rubbed my temple and took the steaming paper cup from him.

"Then I suppose it would be too much trouble to ask for a moment of your time."

"I'm easily bought." I took in a deep sip and momentarily closed my eyes to savor the sweet combination of caffeine and cream. "What is it I can assist you with?"

"Next door?" He motioned to his office and I followed him into the cozy museum of a cave he studied in. Whenever I walked into the room I felt as if I were wrapped in an oversized flannel, the soft warmth and comfort was such a stark contrast to the sterile compound we worked in. His ugly collection of furniture that had been strategically gathered from abandoned sections of the base all were being used for more than their original purpose. Shelves that when constructed had no possible idea they'd house both Plato and alien texts. A corduroy loveseat was pushed against one wall with multiple patterned blankets shrouding the rips in it just so there could be somewhere to crash in the late evenings. The tang of stale bergamot and earl gray from forgotten kettles of tea tickled the air, swirling with old parchment and an ancient earthen smell. My eyes always darted around to the visual feast that was wall hangings scattered almost haphazardly wherever there was a blank space to be found.

He pulled out an avocado colored mid century looking metal chair with a gray wool field blanket from across his desk. "You don't have any afternoon meetings do you? I may need you for a while."

It took everything in me to restrain the girlish smile that threatened to escape from me. I could kick myself for being so blindingly obvious of what I feared was a workplace crush delving into dangerous waters.

"Completely clear, for the greater good of humanity." I gestured to maps spread across his desk and sat down. Watching him slowly ease into his own rolling chair, the only thing in this office aside from his computer that was made within the last decade.

"You worked with Dr. Yoke for a short period?"

"I did, that opened the door for my work at Area-51." I took another drink from the coffee, letting it wash over my insides.

"Where all did you go?" With a capped pen in his hand he mimicked a circle over a map of North, Central, and South America.

"Well, that's a bit of a hard answer. The Mojave here," I used my index finger to circle but he uncapped and handed me the pen as I circled points in. "Argentina, Guadeloupe, where we apparently were not asked to go and that ended in a mess," lastly I circled back up to Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada. "And that's where I was last when I requested transfer."