Ripple Effect - With Years to Make Up - Chapter 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1, I am only playing in the world
A/N: Here is another side story / companion piece to my series of SG-1 tales. I went a little long on the story of Shaftboy and his Sam
Previously: Ch 1
Ripple Effect - With Years to Make Up - Chapter 2
Stargate Command, January 2006 (alternate reality) about fifteen minutes earlier
Sam looked down at the hem of her jumper and minutely adjusted the ID badge which hung from it, then looked up and breathed out a great nervous sigh before she turned the corner which, she remembered from the layout she'd memorised, led to the briefing room. She was finally walking these halls after having devoted four years to making it all just... work. She lifted the corner of her mouth wryly at the thought of how she had been constantly denied the chance to be a more active participant in the Program. Now was her chance and she was going to seize it. She was going to grab it and she wouldn't let anyone mess things up for her. This was far too... important. Not exciting. Important. She swept into the room, knowing she was about fifteen minutes early, and had to admit to some surprise at finding she wasn't the first one there. She saw an Air Force officer, a Captain by the double bars on his shoulders, standing by the window overlooking what her mental map told her was the Embarkation Room. She frowned. He was doing what she realised a good part of her wanted to be doing, but which she would have denied herself so as to not appear overawed. It irked her.
"Captain Mitchell, I presume?" she asked as she walked in, when he turned around to see who had spoken she had to school her features because he definitely had something about him that made her think... Holy Hannah, he's gorgeous. Just a little... Around the eyes. She walked forward around the table and held out her hand which he turned around to shake. And the smile... her heart nearly stopped. That was just... not right.
"Yes, ma'am, and you must be Dr. Carter." he replied and she tried very hard to keep the smile on her face as he called her 'ma'am'. It didn't help that his voice was doing unfair things to her hind brain. She was having trouble breathing. He turned that flashing smile away from her as he looked down on the Stargate once more and she took a deep breath. "Can you believe it? Man, I can't wait. This is my chance, you know? I'm just gonna grab it and never let go." She almost smiled at how closely he was mirroring her thoughts. "I mean, this is so cool, am I right?" She blinked and frowned at how he was now mirroring her thoughts a little too closely.
"I'm sure you could call it that, Captain, but the Stargate Program is vitally important to the future security of the entire human race." she intoned a little testily. "We mustn't lose sight of what's at stake." She was wondering where all these words spilling out of her mouth were coming from. She didn't know why she was saying them. And the look she was getting from him in return wasn't helping. He was frowning, a little resentment flashed in his eyes, she didn't want to make this sort of impression on him. Even though he still looked adorable.
"I know that, Doctor. I didn't mean to imply I wasn't going to take this seriously. I'm a professional, but come on..." he motioned towards the dark grey metal ring hanging from bright red clamps over the metal ramp below them. "You can't tell me the idea of walking through that to visit other planets isn't just a teensy little bit exciting." He finished by pinching his thumb and forefinger together as he held a hand up close to his face and she frowned angrily at what he had just implied.
"I'm not denying that, Captain. I'm just trying to impress upon you that we are being trusted, quite literally, with the fate of our planet every time we step through that event horizon." She crossed her arms under her breasts and stared into his flashing blue eyes. And not because they were quite possibly the bluest eyes she'd ever seen, including her own. Not at all.
"Well consider me impressed upon, Doctor." he replied with a slightly scathing tone as he held out his arms and shrugged theatrically. "And I thank you for taking the time to do all that impressing." She frowned, this isn't what she wanted. "I'll be sure to remember each time I step through that 'gate," he swept his arm to point at the Stargate below them, "onto the soil of an alien world that I carry humanity's future on my shoulders," his very broad shoulders, "and I will banish from my mind any thought that this could quite possibly be the best job in the world!" She fumed and pointed at his chest with a raised finger.
"Please don't twist my words or my intentions, Captain. I'm not saying that it's wrong to be excited or to enjoy the work." she explained forcefully. "Believe me when I say I think this is going to be the most important and enjoyable thing I will ever do in my-"
"Settle down, children, we have a long, loo~ong week ahead of us." She turned to glare at the owner of the voice that interrupted her, finding a tall man with greying hair at his temples walking into the room with a younger man in glasses trailing behind and watching her and the Captain beside her with a raised eyebrow. "At ease, Captain." She glanced back to see him loosening his stance. She gritted her teeth, angry at herself for what must be the worst first impression in the history of first impressions.
"Colonel, we were just-" he began only to be waved away.
"None of mine, Mitchell. What you two lovebirds do on your own time is completely up to you." interjected O'Neill. Sam's eyes widened in horror and Mitchell beside her tensed noticeably.
"Jack!" reprimanded the other man who had walked in as he glared at him fiercely.
"What?" asked Jack with a shrug of his shoulders.
"Settle down, people." Intoned a distinctive drawl which had Mitchell coming to attention immediately and had Sam smiling broadly. General Hammond managed to give her a smile before sweeping his gaze back over the others in the room. "At ease, Captain." She could not imagine having to do that every time a superior officer showed up or left the room. "Take your seats, please." She moved over to the table and paused when she found that Mitchell had moved towards the same chair as she had, he paused as well, but then just pulled the chair out and looked at her expectantly. She sighed and sat down in it. He was the chivalrous type too.
Stargate Command, January 2006 (alternate reality)
Cameron stood at attention in Major General George Hammond's office and waited for the older man to signal him at ease. And waited. And waited. The flag officer simply sat at his desk with his elbows propped up on the dark surface and watched him with narrowed eyes. And watched him. And watched him. Cam was starting to feel nervous.
"At ease, Mitchell." Hammond intoned and he let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding in. The older man picked up a file folder and opened it as he leaned back in his thickly upholstered leather chair. "I don't like the look of your record, Captain." Cam frowned. "It's too clean. Even if you've only been out of the Academy for a handful of years." He put the folder down on the desk and looked up. "I'm given to understand you are a gifted pilot, son, with exceptional marksmanship and survival skills and outstanding leadership qualities already displayed in the field." He turned over a few pages and tapped a finger on a paragraph. "Not to mention you were hand-picked for the X-301 program over a host of other officers with more seniority, more combat experience, more just about everything." He closed the folder and put it away. "None of that matters to me, however, there's only one thing I care about." He stood up and Cam came to attention again. "Follow me, son." Cam took his cover from the crook of his arm and fell into step slightly behind the General as he walked into the briefing room and came to stand at the wide windows overlooking the Stargate.
Cam looked down and the first thing he noticed was her, she was always the first thing he noticed now. She stood on the ramp, pointing at the Stargate while technicians ran around carrying tools and other pieces of equipment under her direction. She put her hands on her hips and looked up to see him watching her and he held his breath. He didn't want her to think he was... urg. He didn't know what he wanted. His eyes widened slightly when he saw her smile and wave up at him and it wasn't until he caught movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to see General Hammond smiling and waving back that he realised he hadn't been the target. He clenched his jaw slightly.
"That's all I care about, Captain." Hammond rumbled dangerously. "She's my godchild, and if anything happens to her I will hunt you down." Cam turned to stare at the General with wide eyes. "You're a valuable asset to this Program, Mitchell, incredibly valuable. However, Dr. Samantha Carter is invaluable. Do I make myself clear?" Cam stiffened and rattled off a smart 'yes, sir' as he looked down at her once more. "You will have many duties and responsibilities under my command, son. None have a higher priority, as far as I'm concerned, than her safety. You are her armour."
P9R-152, January 2006 (alternate reality)
He was resting his hand on the stock of his gun again. She tried not to look up at him because if she saw him looking off into the distance from under his patrol cap with that serious look in his narrowed eyes just once more... looking all... handsome... and stuff... she'd lose it. It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. She busied herself recalibrating the guide alignments again, she'd done it twice already, but she was putting off actually telling him because it would mean Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson... Daniel... would return to carry on with the work. She was enjoying being alone with him too much. They hadn't even said more than a few words to each other and it just felt... comfortable. He looked good in those green fatigues... BDUs... as well. And she didn't know what to say to him after that disaster of a first meeting. Well, yes, she did know what to say. She sighed and put down the fine precision torque screwdriver.
"I'm sorry." she muttered. He shifted to face her, but remained silent. She looked up from under her own patrol cap and saw him looking at her in confusion.
"What for, Doctor?" he asked and she sighed.
"For that." she explained and looked back at the high resolution scanner in front of her. "For how we spectacularly got off on the wrong foot. For how I bit your head off just for telling me you were feeling exactly the same way I was, but was too afraid to admit." He blinked at her a few times, but seemed unsure of what to say. She looked down at the ground between them. "I was excited too, but I didn't want to seem... eager. This is too important to me and everyone expects me to be-"
"Perfect?" he interjected and she looked up at him. "I don't expect you to be perfect. I don't even expect you to know what you're doing most of the time." She frowned and he chuckled at her. A sound she was hearing for the first time and which she already found... she shook her head. "Look at what we're doing." he cried as he waved his hands across him to encompass the whole area where they had set up. "We're on an alien planet, scanning ruins left behind by a race of technological supermen." He turned back to her and his eyes softened and a small smile played across his lips. "We're in undiscovered country. It's okay to be a bit... less than perfect." She had to smile.
"Call me Sam, okay?" She lifted an eyebrow when he frowned slightly. "Something wrong?"
"No, just... I was reminded of my sister for a bit." He shook his head. "Call me Cameron and I'll call you Sam and we can start over." He smiled at her and she couldn't help but grin.
"See? What did I tell ya, Danny." Jack said brightly after he came from around a high wall and spotted them. "I was right, wasn't I?"
"Jack, I don't think you know what you're talking about." replied the archaeologist with a warning glance at his friend. Jack waved him away and pushed his sunglasses back up his nose before resting both wrists, one over the other, on the stock of his P90.
"So how's it goin', Carter, we ready to go?" he indicated the machine beside her with a nod of his baseball cap.
"Yes, Colonel. I just finished up my calibration checks. We're all set." she replied, realising that even if she couldn't get any more time alone with him they had at least cleared the air.
"Great, you and Mitchell can help Daniel do all that scanning malarkey." He waved his hand back and forth in the direction of the ruins. "I'll go take some personal time, just me and the trees, and a perimeter check or two or three or until you're done."
"Yes, sir." replied Cameron with a quick nod. Jack gave him a little smile and clapped Daniel on the shoulder before moving off. Daniel closed his eyes for a moment as he rolled his arm slightly in its socket.
"I know this may seem a bit... like grunt work to you, Sam-" Daniel began until he stopped at her vehement head shake. He lifted his eyebrows and pushed his lips out in curiosity. "What? It seems like grunt work to me so I just thought..." She smiled as Cam began chuckling again. "I'm just saying, this is kind of what we do. Most of the time. When we're not being shot at."
"That's quite alright, Daniel, I'm here because I want to do more for the Program than just write all the code that runs the computers." She smiled until she saw his eyebrows shoot up.
"You did that? Wait. You're the one who solved the initial sequence field equations that fixed the power calculations we needed to get the 'gate up and running?" he asked incredulously. She blushed and glanced quickly at Cameron who was just looking off into the distance.
"Uh, yes." she replied at last. Daniel blinked and looked away.
"I thought you would have been way older." He shook his head slightly and pointed at Cam. "You grab that end, Mitchell, we'll be looking to position it in several places to get overlapping readings." The younger man nodded and moved to the other end of the scanner from Daniel and they both hefted it. Sam pointed off towards one of the spots she'd calculated would give optimum coverage.
P9R-152, January 2006 (alternate reality)
Mary and Joseph, now he understood what General Hammond meant by 'invaluable'. She was just the reason the whole damned Program even existed in the first place. He cursed himself over and over and over and glared furiously off into the trees. How could he even consider for a moment that anything could happen... He clenched his jaw tight and gripped his P90 in a vice-like grip. He had to calm down, his mind had been reeling most of the evening now and his turn on watch was coming to a close soon. He'd need to get some sleep once he woke up Colonel O'Neill. Not to mention he had to stay alert too.
He turned around slightly to face the moonlit clearing beside the ruins where they'd set up their small camp. He could see the outline of her sleeping form by the fallen log next to which he'd told her to sleep. It kept the cold wind off her during the night. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead with his fingers. They'd just gotten off to a new start too. He had to admit to himself their first meeting had been a bit of a debacle. He'd overreacted so badly to what she'd said that he was afraid he'd blown it completely. He was lucky that she had felt the same because it was clear he hadn't had the courage to fix things himself.
He stared off into the trees and cursed himself again for his presumption. He should have known right off the bat anyway. He could tell immediately she was way smarter than anyone he'd ever met before. He chuckled, reminded again of his sister and her raving about 'Sam, the future astronaut' who was so smart and capable and he should watch his back because 'Sam' was going to be an astronaut before he ever would and he only had his skills as a pilot going for him whereas 'Sam' had all the brains in the world. He gritted his teeth because he knew that was his sister's way of teasing him. She was always giving him that look when she talked about 'Sam'. The look that sent him running because it was the look she always had when she teased him about getting a girlfriend. Why the two were related in that melon his sister had for a brain he had no idea. Well, where was 'Sam' now, huh? Here was Cameron Mitchell on an alien planet. And just where was 'Sam, the future astronaut'? He grinned malevolently. It was just a pity he'd never get to rub it in his sister's face. He'd just have to be content with looking at her smugly from now on.
He turned to look at Sam sleeping again, resting her head on a forearm as she lay on her side. The moonlight did wonders for her. It was shocking how beautiful she looked under the pale light of the two... he looked up at the sky again... three moons which orbited this planet and bathed the night in a faintly blue light. She must be exhausted, she'd worked from sun-up to sun-down almost. She seemed the driven sort, likely to pull all-nighters for fun, but still, she worked hard today.
He smirked as he remembered earlier that day when he'd taken it upon himself to check how well she handled a Beretta. Colonel O'Neill had given him permission to set up a few targets off on some rocky outcroppings. Cam may not be a genius, but he was smart enough to know not to invoke Dr. Jackson's wrath by suggesting a set up near the ruins themselves. Jackson could be kinda scary if you didn't properly show respect to the crumbling rock walls all around.
She had shied away from the weapon, but he'd managed to convince her she should at least let him see how much work she'd need in future because if Dr. Jackson proved anything it was that everyone who went through the 'gate needed to learn how to defend themselves and their teammates. She would learn one way or another. And his way was going to be a damn sight better than the alternative, which would also include a crash course in dodging bullets as an added 'bonus'. Her grip was wrong, her breathing was wrong, her stance was wrong, her posture was wrong, she even closed one eye when she aimed. It was all as he expected. He had a lot of work to do, but strangely... he was looking forward to it.
He glanced at his watch and touched the button to light up the display. It was time to wake the Colonel.
P9R-152, January 2006 (alternate reality)
She stumbled and fell to one knee as her breaths came in sharp, shallow gasps. She looked around with wild eyes for any sign of... anyone... not just him. She got up again when she heard shots from behind her. He told her to keep ahead of the sound of shots because he'd be covering her 'six'. The 'gate was this way she was sure of it.
"Come on, Sam. Get a move on." Daniel called from behind her and looked over his shoulder for a moment before grabbing her elbow and helping her along. "Jack and Cameron are holding them up, but we gotta have the 'gate dialled for when they catch up to us." She wondered how things could have gone so wrong. This was supposed to be an uninhabited world. "Move." He gave her a shove in the direction she'd been going, she had been right about the direction of the Stargate after all, and turned around to open fire with his hand gun. She flinched with each loud report as she ran headlong through the tall trees, looking frantically for the clearing with its standing stones and rocky plinth and the vine covered ring which sat atop it. Vine-covered! Holy Hannah, why had none of them noticed that?
She heard a branch breaking off to the right and raised her own pistol, the one Cam pushed into her hand as he sent her running, she squeezed off a shot when she saw a dark shape that wasn't wearing green. Cam said she didn't need to hit anything, she just needed to pin them down behind cover. She kept running even though her hand was stinging after firing off that shot. She could see it! There it was! She made for it as quickly as she could and broke through into the circle of standing stones and flat rocks piled one atop another and made for the DHD. She began dialling Earth as quickly as she could. Slapping down hard on each symbol on the circular face of the device. She'd punched in four of them before something in the back of her mind told her to duck. She rolled to the side and heard the clang of metal on metal as she gave a little cry when she realised she'd just been standing there! The man clad in furs and leathers growled at her as she scrabbled backwards in her prone position. He moved forward again and raised the curved sword with one hand and swung down at her only for it to rebound off the underside of a P90 and slide into the loamy forest soil. Cam got up off his knees and kicked the man in the gut before smashing the butt of his SMG into the man's face.
Where'd he come from? Why hadn't he just shot the man with his gun? Before she could say anything he reached for her hand and took the Beretta she held and pointed it at the man as he struggled up onto his knees and snarled at them. He fired and fired and fired. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the noises, at the sight of him so casually killing someone. She'd completely forgotten she'd just been asking herself why he'd not shot the man earlier. He handed the gun back to her and pulled her up with a little push towards the DHD. She nodded stupidly and groaned when she realised the device had reset itself and she had to start over again. She wracked her brain for the symbols, but the only thing she could think about was that the man standing next to her slipping a new plastic magazine into his P90 had just killed a man right in front of her. Just shot him. She glanced down at the body. Three shots, right in the heart. Her eyes began to sting and she flinched when a hand came down on her shoulder.
"Sam, dial the 'gate." He looked away. "You can hate me later." Her brows knit tightly, but it was enough that she could see the symbols in her head again. She started thumping down on the panels with the heel of her hand then pressed the red half-sphere in the center of the DHD. The Stargate finished it's spinning and a wormhole formed inside it. "Stargate Command, this is Captain Mitchell. We are under attack and coming in hot!" He took a hold of her arm again and raised her sleeve to reveal the GDO. "Punch in the IDC, Sam." He moved off to the side and raised his gun as he spotted something in the trees and opened fire. She flinched again, but began pressing buttons on the device, punching in SG-1's code.
"Captain Mitchell, this is Stargate Command," blared an unfamiliar voice from Cameron's radio. "Repeat your designation." Cam growled and looked at her, she shrugged, the GDO was flashing that the IDC was correct and had been accepted, but the iris was closed.
"This is Captain Cameron Mitchell of SG-1, we are under attack by several dozen armed assailants. We are coming in hot as soon as Dr. Jackson and Colonel O'Neill-" he stopped when he was forced to fire off into the trees at a group of three men who were charging them with what looked like axes. She saw Daniel running towards her with Colonel O'Neill laying down covering fire behind him. She looked down at the GDO and it still said the IDC was correct, but the iris was closed.
"Understood, Captain. We are opening the iris." came the reply over the radio and Cam grabbed her arm and shoved her towards the 'gate. She had a moment to look down and see the GDO was showing all greens before he pushed her one last time into the event horizon. She blinked when she stepped out at the other end as she found herself staring down the barrels of several high calibre machine guns being wielded by some very serious looking men. She instinctively put her hands up even though she was holding a gun in one of them.
"Don't shoot. It's me. Dr. Samantha Carter." She looked up into the control room only to tilt her head at the stranger who was looking back at her. No one lowered their guns so she was afraid to move forward, only when Daniel came barrelling into her from behind did she move along the ramp after he grabbed her to keep her upright.
"Sam, you okay? You gotta move out of the-" he stopped when he spotted an impossibility. She saw it too. Daniel Jackson was looking back at them from the Control Room. "What the..." She turned her head around, wondering where he was, why hadn't he come through yet? Then he did, running through in a semi-crouch with Colonel O'Neill close behind.
"Close the iris!" the Colonel yelled at the top of his lungs and she nearly fainted when massive scythe-like blades of metal spiralled in over the event horizon and several loud bangs could be heard before the blue glow faded from behind the closed off Stargate. "What the Hell is that?" She was shaking her head in disbelief. What was that? Where was her paracrystalline liquid mesh iris? O'Neill looked around at the guns still pointed at them then looked into the control room. "You're not George."
Stargate Command, January 2006 (alternate reality)
"He's my husband, George!"she cried as she slapped the top of his desk from her seat across from him. Her eyes were glittering fiercely, half in anger, half with tears which simply would not fall. George watched her silently for a moment until she closed her eyes and took in a shuddering breath, letting it out in a pained sigh. She looked up at him apologetically, shaking her head slightly. "I'm sorry, General. I just..." It was his turn to shake his head in understanding. "I need him." she breathed painfully as her hands moved unconsciously over the swell of her belly. "I can't do this without..." She hung her head again with a grimace before looking up again, her eyes haunted. She looked as she did when they first encountered her, alone and afraid, being chased by half the galaxy. "I'm a stranger to your world, and he's all I have." George stood up and walked around his desk to sit in the chair next to hers. He reached across and took her hand after she'd pushed her black hair back around her ear and fussed nervously with one of her pigtails.
"Vala, I understand how you feel. After all, my godchild is out there too." He patted her hand affectionately as she gulped down hard on a shudder and nodded. "We don't know what's happening yet, I'm sending out SG-3 to the planet to try and re-establish contact." He smiled reassuringly at the alien woman who had formerly been the host to the Goa'uld Qetesh. "I'm sure Dr. Jackson is fine. In the meantime if you'd like to stay here on base I can arrange for that." Vala nodded eagerly and began standing up. The General helped her and walked her towards the door. She stopped on the threshold and turned back to him.
"I need my Daniel, George, I will do whatever I need to do to be with him. Just letting you know." She reached up and patted his cheek with a smile as if she hadn't just threatened him with only God knows what. He closed his door and shook his head, wondering again for the umpteenth time just how much that woman was capable of, even in her condition.
On to Chapter 3