Read SG1-17 Sunrise for Free Online Page B

acceleration the elevator began to rise, and Jack felt an irrational relief that it was going up instead of down. After a few moments it slowed and the doors opened onto a bright, rectangular room that Jack figured took up one whole floor in the spindly tower that topped the building.
    Windows along one side let in evening sunlight that painted long stripes across a tiled floor, strip-lights overhead casting a whiter, baleful glare. Shelves lined the walls, and in front of them stood a desk stacked with a neat pile of papers. At the far end of the room, crammed between the shelves, there was another door, which opened to admit a short, wiry man of middle years. His hair was graying and pulled back from a pasty face, his clothes as sober and unremarkable as Ennis’s. If he’d lived on Earth, the guy would have had his very own pocket protector.
    “Pastor Channon,” the archivist said with a smile, closing the door behind him. “Well met.”
    “Well met, Professor.” Ennis turned to Daniel. “Allow me to introduce you, Daniel Jackson, to our archivist—Professor Liam Kermit.”
    The pause dangled. Daniel seemed determined not to look at Jack, but in the end he couldn’t help himself.
    Neither could Jack. “Kermit?”
    “Ah, of Gaelic origin,” Daniel said, fixing Jack with a pointed glare. “It means ‘without envy’—a variant of Dermot, actually.”
    “Without envy?” Jack permitted himself a smile. “So—what you’re saying is that Kermit’s
not
green?”
    The archivist—Kermit—darted a perplexed look between them and said, “Please, there is no need for formality. You may call me Liam.”
    With an exasperated roll of his eyes, Daniel turned away from Jack. “Sorry—uh, Liam. I’m Daniel Jackson, this is Jack O’Neill.”
    “I know.” He smoothed a hand over his hair. “I understand you wish to browse our archive?”
    “Yes. I’d love to. Um, specifically we’re looking for any texts that might reference the
Sciath Dé
—or maybe a shield, Shield of the Gods?”
    The archivist frowned, glancing at Ennis for clarification. “I’m not sure I understand…”
    “I told them,” Ennis said, with an unmistakable air of warning, “that they would not find any answers here.
Sciath Dé
is no more than a children’s fable.”
    Jack cut him a look, but Ennis’s face was unreadable.
    “Could I just have a peek?” Daniel asked, taking half a step toward the shelves. “Maybe start with some of your older material?”
    Kermit—that name would never get old!—hesitated. “Ennis is correct, you will not find the information you seek here.”
    Here
? Was he imagining things or had there been a slight emphasis on that last word? He slung a look at Daniel, but if he’d heard it too he was keeping quiet.
    “Nevertheless,” Daniel pressed, “I’d appreciate the opportunity to see some of your older texts. I’m an historian too—I study the past.”
    “The past,” Liam said, uncertain. “Ierna’s past?”
    “I hope so.” Daniel smiled his winning smile. “I’m sure you have much to teach me.”
    The archivist swallowed, his Adam’s apple quivering. “Why would you think so?”
    “Because…” Daniel gestured around. “You’re the archivist, the keeper of Ierna’s history.”
    Liam nodded. “Yes, of course. Indeed, we have every edition going back over one hundred and fifty years. You are welcome to examine them.” He turned toward the shelves, Daniel following. Jack took another look at Ennis, noted a sharpness in the man’s eyes, and stayed put. “This,” Liam said, pulling a box from one of the shelves, “is our oldest collection.”
    Placing the box on the desk he opened the lid. There was no dust, everything was spotless. Reaching in, he pulled out a somewhat faded copy of what looked like a newspaper or magazine. “Edition one,” he said. “The year forty-eight. Signed by—”
    “The year forty-eight?” Daniel interrupted.
    Jack caught his glance and knew what