Five Things Cam Lost Over the Years Part 2fridayschild85March 15 2010, 20:52:42 UTC
4. His Nerve
His hands are sweating as the jeep slows, stopping just a few feet from the thing that still makes him jerk awake most nights. He wants to wipe his damp palms on the thighs of his flight suit, but knows the alien material won’t absorb the moisture.
Besides, there’s a two-star general watching.
Jack O’Neill is already settled in the F-302’s second seat, doing an informal pre-flight and, if the slightly frazzled looking ground crew is anything to judge by, being a nuisance.
He learned a long time ago that when generals ask for favours, the right answer is always “of course, sir.” That’s why he’s here now, standing on the tarmac and gazing up at the very thing that nearly killed him, temporarily crippled him and robbed him of his love of flying.
The highest he’s been since the accident is the fourth floor of the Pentagon.
He drove from his parents’ house in Kansas to Washington for his re-assignment briefing, then from Washington back to his parents’ place to pick up his things, and then on to Colorado Springs to start at the SGC.
Flying back and forth hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Now here he is, standing on shaky legs while his heart hammers in his chest and blood roars in his ears, trying to come up with a good reason for backing out of this favour.
But watching him, expecting him to climb into the cockpit and fly first seat for a test run with the F-302’s new operating software, is General O’Neill.
The man who’d promised him anything he wanted and delivered.
The man who, General Landry had hinted, was rooting for him to succeed in getting the band back together.
The man who, if he does get the band back together, will trust him to keep them safe.
Beneath the weight of expectations, he closes the distance to the ladder and wraps clammy fingers around the side rails. He doesn’t look up, doesn’t look down, just concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other.
Somehow, despite his shaky legs, he makes it up. Even though he’s still terrified, sliding into the smooth leather seat feels like coming home.
5. His Mind
“That is just not even close to possible.”
“Shush. You’ll spoil it for the aliens.”
“Having flown a variety of spaceships over the years, I think the aliens know that’s not even close to possible.”
“I don’t know... There’s this little place we could get a ship that comes close. With a bit of work…”
“Anyone on board a vessel attempting such a maneuver would be killed instantly.”
“If we cranked up the inertial dampeners…”
“Anyone on board would simply be killed more slowly. The result would still be an undesirable one.”
“See? Not spoiling it.”
“Never watching sci-fi with you again.”
“Never watching Indiana Jones with you again.”
“Is that the one about the dashing archaeologist? By the way, darling, you should think about getting a whip. Rrrrow!”
“There are, in fact, four movies in the Indiana Jones franchise.”
“Oh, excellent!”
“Oh, no! No, no, no! We are not…”
“Fine!” He sighs, exasperated, then pushes himself up off the couch and tries to ignore the triumphant smirks being traded as he reaches for the DVD cases. “We’ll watch Space Balls. Again.”
He loves his team, but movie nights with them are really starting to take a toll on his sanity.
Re: Five Things Cam Lost Over the Years Part 2antares04aMarch 16 2010, 07:20:47 UTC
Lovely! I like all five reasons, but 5 is my favourite; the twist at the end is great. *g* He loves his team, but movie nights with them are really starting to take a toll on his sanity.
His hands are sweating as the jeep slows, stopping just a few feet from the thing that still makes him jerk awake most nights. He wants to wipe his damp palms on the thighs of his flight suit, but knows the alien material won’t absorb the moisture.
Besides, there’s a two-star general watching.
Jack O’Neill is already settled in the F-302’s second seat, doing an informal pre-flight and, if the slightly frazzled looking ground crew is anything to judge by, being a nuisance.
He learned a long time ago that when generals ask for favours, the right answer is always “of course, sir.” That’s why he’s here now, standing on the tarmac and gazing up at the very thing that nearly killed him, temporarily crippled him and robbed him of his love of flying.
The highest he’s been since the accident is the fourth floor of the Pentagon.
He drove from his parents’ house in Kansas to Washington for his re-assignment briefing, then from Washington back to his parents’ place to pick up his things, and then on to Colorado Springs to start at the SGC.
Flying back and forth hadn’t even crossed his mind.
Now here he is, standing on shaky legs while his heart hammers in his chest and blood roars in his ears, trying to come up with a good reason for backing out of this favour.
But watching him, expecting him to climb into the cockpit and fly first seat for a test run with the F-302’s new operating software, is General O’Neill.
The man who’d promised him anything he wanted and delivered.
The man who, General Landry had hinted, was rooting for him to succeed in getting the band back together.
The man who, if he does get the band back together, will trust him to keep them safe.
Beneath the weight of expectations, he closes the distance to the ladder and wraps clammy fingers around the side rails. He doesn’t look up, doesn’t look down, just concentrates on putting one foot in front of the other.
Somehow, despite his shaky legs, he makes it up. Even though he’s still terrified, sliding into the smooth leather seat feels like coming home.
5. His Mind
“That is just not even close to possible.”
“Shush. You’ll spoil it for the aliens.”
“Having flown a variety of spaceships over the years, I think the aliens know that’s not even close to possible.”
“I don’t know... There’s this little place we could get a ship that comes close. With a bit of work…”
“Anyone on board a vessel attempting such a maneuver would be killed instantly.”
“If we cranked up the inertial dampeners…”
“Anyone on board would simply be killed more slowly. The result would still be an undesirable one.”
“See? Not spoiling it.”
“Never watching sci-fi with you again.”
“Never watching Indiana Jones with you again.”
“Is that the one about the dashing archaeologist? By the way, darling, you should think about getting a whip. Rrrrow!”
“There are, in fact, four movies in the Indiana Jones franchise.”
“Oh, excellent!”
“Oh, no! No, no, no! We are not…”
“Fine!” He sighs, exasperated, then pushes himself up off the couch and tries to ignore the triumphant smirks being traded as he reaches for the DVD cases. “We’ll watch Space Balls. Again.”
He loves his team, but movie nights with them are really starting to take a toll on his sanity.
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So lovely.
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He loves his team, but movie nights with them are really starting to take a toll on his sanity.
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