Tense Introductions

"And just who exactly the Hell are you?" said general growls at Rei Takahashi, quickly getting over his surprise at her appearance. "And while at it, just what are you? Some representive for the Angel side of those wargames that ran amuck here?"

"My name is Rei Takahashi and I happen to be a former . . . .employee of the organization called Nerv," Rei begins slowly, not exactly sure how to explain the fiddley details of this mess without sounding insane even by today’s weird events the general must have lived through. "In particular, I happen to be a former Pilot of an Eva Unit similar to the ones that happen to be moving about this area…"

Rei silently shakes her head at some of the data her hacking had gleamed from Tokyo 3. The number of analogs of her old Unit 00 alone was . . .worrisome to the former mecha pilot turned magic user. The general should be worried by the damage alone the massed numbers of Prototypes (the weakest of the EVA series) represented.

"The wings are a side effect from being exposed to various ‘energies’ that had been used to save my life in a battle with an Angel," Rei continued. "Being that as it may, I am not a representative to the alien invaders known as ‘Angels’."

Rei of course was leaving MUCH out of that explanation, but franklhy did not wish to go into the rather convoluted (and rather unbelievable) nuts and bolts as to what went into how she’d been saved earlier, years ago. She’d been grateful towards what had eventually become her family, but right now such matters could only muddy the water needlessly, shall we say?

Silently Rei was hoping against hope that the general would be rational enough to talk and NOT just go and blow everything to two places: Hell and Gone. Not to say that Rei thought that General Hummel was some kind of cardboard cutout stereotype of a military officer but rather the thing that Rei deeply feared right now was that Hummel (like a LOT of US folks in the know here and not in the dark, wondering what the Hell was going on with the Dome here) was enraged beyond belief and prone to making . . .harsh decisions. Strike back and back hard at those who’d DARE harm America and American lives and all that, not to make light about it.

Not a totally unreasonable fear on Rei’s part, though. She had been upon worlds where a terrorist attack that had happened on the eleventh day of September in the early years of the 21rst century (local calander). America’s response to such insults had been violent enough towards those responsible in those worlds, and that had just involved several planes flown into the Pentagon, the Twin Towers in New York (and the White House in at least one world).

Now imagine what could be the response to somebody who’d done nuke a small town (or three) off the face of America? Ah yes, returning onto those as they had done upon them? Most assuredly if Rei’s fears turned out to be true.

Besides, Hummel had stated as much earlier, right? Or were you not paying attention? It had been only one page earlier here, folks.

…

Whatever.

The general looks at Rei for a few seconds blankly before drawing a breath and calming a little.

As weird as what Rei was saying sounded, the general was willing to at least hear her out. After all they had said that those rifts had been giving off readings that the scientist were screaming were VERY different from this world's . . .physics. Weird energies giving girls wings? About as believable as giant robots fighting alien invaders: something that the general wasn't totally sold on (he still thought from evidence gleamed that NERV and the Angels were . . .somthing else than serious combatants). However, given everything today he wouldn't immediately dismiss Rei's words.

Give her enough rope to hang herself if she was lieing? Yep. But not just dismiss her words without a hearing.

Still, This is good. VERY good! Though Rei and the others will be cautious themselves, not sure at the sincerity of the General's words.

Those not from this Betty Ragan's world will know the general from the movie: The Rock. Hummel may have been a man of honor in the film (albeit a will intentioned extremist one), but still and all . . .one mustn't be too trusting and all that. Hummel was a senior officer and . . .senior officers don't get to such rank by being easily fooled or foolish. They had such skills like "bluff" and such.

Best be cautious themselves or find themselves within an unwelcome trap, right?

"Well . . .if nothing else despite your rather bizarre appearance even by today’s standards you are the first actual person to actually answer our calls for surrender and standing down," Hummel finally allows after giving the blue haired and winged woman an odd look and then eyeing her doubtfully. "I do not suppose that you, young lady, are authorized by Nerv or whatever to lay down their arms and cease and desist your war gaming? That and turn off whatever device causing those dimensional breeches. My associates here at SGC are getting rather alarmed at some of the readings we were able to get from inside the Dome before it finally collapsed and your signal reached us, you know."

Questions about just why exactly Rei has to have what appears to be real wings coming from her back will wait (the general had not failed to note a distinct lack of amplifying detail in Rei's explanation at their presence). This was the first real break in an incredibly tense (albeit a ridiculous one if one looks at it) situation.

Rei's signal was actually coming FROM inside the area of where the Dome had covered, giving it a certain . . legitimacy of sorts. At least enough street cred for the man to listen. For now, anyway.

Still . . .

When the President had announced the truth about aliens like the Greys, the Goa'uld, and Star Gate Command this morning it had been increasingly like some episode from a demented Twilight Zone episode. It had been almost like the world had been conspiring against him in continuingly trying to shake his worldview to the ground!

Why oh why had the President install HIM as the Commanding Officer of SGC when General Hammond had to just HAVE that lethal heart attack earlier today right before the Dome somehow had began interfering with the wormhole generation of the Stargate, stranding the rightful second in command (Colonel O’Neill) and the rest of SG1 on the other side at some God forsaken end of the galaxy instead of HERE!

Yes, he could well understand why HIM instead of that military HACK of a general that that bastard, Senator Robert Kinsey (guy was part of the crony network within Congress who kept withholding funds to survivors of various black operations he had commanded) had jockey for filling in at SGC.

Still, while it had brought some measure of satisfaction that look of anger the Senator had shown upon being foiled yet AGAIN in gaining control of SGC--a reoccurring problem he’d been informed by his Air Force (ye GOD!, him a Marine in charge of what was mostly an Air Force operation).

And now this!

And that damn background music wasn’t HELPING his mood at all right now, thank YOU!!

"Our spaceship’s sensors," the general continues, shaking his head slightly at the sudden reality at finding that the US actually had starships straight out of some kind of bad scifi show.

Betty Ragan blinked, looking first at Rei and then at the general on the screen. Spaceships? What had she been missing while she’d first gotten swept up into things by first’s Stacy’s unexpected arrival and story (and everything else afterwards)?

"They’re talking about an explosion that on the low end could actually destroy the Solar System. I’d . . .rather not have that happen, you understand of course."

“Perfectly understandable General," the Master snarked, not exactly impressed with the General's gift of unterstatement. "That I assure you."

1. "And you are sir?" Hummel frowned at the interruption and rolled his eyes. "Besides 'Rei' here, you . . .do rather have me at an advantage. I admit that politeness on a battlefield of sorts is odd, BUT . . ."

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