Fic: Minor Characters I: Odd Man Out (8/19)
Title: Minor Characters I: Odd Man Out (8/19)
Fandom: Stargate
Rating: T
Genres: action/adventure
Summary: Everyone knows SG1... but what about the other teams on the roster? Here's one of them. Meet Major Thomas Moore, Captain Laura Greenspan, Lieutenant Maureen Reece and Master Sergeant Simon DeLisle - also known as SG10 - and accompany them on the mission that made them a team.
A/N: So, since I promised there'd be more story posting here than just Not in Kansas Anymore, I figured I should actually follow through with that. Also still promoting my Holiday Fic Request meme!
(also, again, not betaed, but hopefully still okay)
( Odd Man Out 1/19 )
( Odd Man Out 2/19 )
( Odd Man Out 3/19 )
( Odd Man Out 4/19 )
( Odd Man Out 5/19 )
( Odd Man Out 6/19 )
( Odd Man Out 7/19 )
Chapter Eight
Greenspan
Okay, when I finally knew what the SGC was and had signed up for it, I had expected some situations slightly stranger than what I was used to. But they never mentioned magic knickknacks that make people change their bodies. I mean, even if we were allowed to tell people outside the SGC and government about what we did on our missions, they just plain wouldn’t believe us this one. Hell, I’m not even sure if our people will believe us.
If it wasn’t such a serious thing I’d be laughing out loud by now. Reece - no, screw that - Tom in Reece’s body is leading the group with a determined and slightly annoyed expression on her… his… whatever face, while Tom… Reece… BLOODY HELL!
I look back, throwing a glance at Dee. Even he seems to be irritated by the whole body-switching thing, and that’s really saying something. Further back, the very male form of Tom is walking, only he’s totally lacking his usual brisk walk. Instead it’s more of a careful step-by-step, almost bordering on hesitating. It’s definitely Reece. Oh dear.
When he… she catches my eyes, I see a frustrated rolling of eyes cross his… her features. I try to give her an assuring smile and turn back to the front. In that moment Tom turns around, and on Maureen’s pretty face there’s a frown I can’t recall ever having seen before. I mean, I already saw her frown, but… not like this.
Good God, we really gotta solve this situation, because I’m starting to feel dizzy with all this confusion and those totally unnerving appearances of traits I never associated with the respective body. I hear myself let out a sigh of relief when we finally reach the ‘Gate, and I’m almost 100% sure I just heard Dee make the same sound.
Tom orders Dee to dial up the address, but just as he arrives at the DUD, the ‘Gate suddenly whooshes open and a group of soldiers step through. I’ve never seen Reece getting defensive so fast before, nor have I seen Tom being so slow to react. Oh well, I mean their bodies, not their personalities. Ah, hell.
Now there’s someone stepping through the event horizon. Oh, look who’s coming back to the scene of crime. A whole bunch of guys wearing slightly worn SGC Marine uniforms and carrying zat-guns and other non-USMC-reg weapons with them. Hooray, the target just arrived. Only that now we have other things to worry about.
Or maybe not. A zat-gun is pointed at each of us, and one of the not-anymore-Marines speaks up, “Who are you, and what are you doing on our planet?” Well, they like it directly, I’d say.
For a second or two, all of us are silent, but then a miracle happens: Reece - the one inside Tom’s body - clears her throat and comes out of her crouching position beside the DUD. She regards the one that is obviously the leader with a suspicious expression, holding her P90 on guard. “Your planet?” She lifts an eyebrow. Thank God those guys don’t know us. They’d immediately register that this isn't exactly Major Thomas Moore across from them.
The leader, a heavy-set man in his late thirties, takes a step toward her, all the while pointing his zat-gun at her. “I’m the one asking the questions here. Who are you, and what the hell are you doing here?”
Reece is amazing. She looks completely unimpressed by the guns pointed at her or the absolute hostility in the man’s face. As if nothing from them could really touch her. Which is another minor miracle because I’m absolutely sure that inside she's feeling as miserable as hell. If - when we survive this, and Tom doesn’t give her at least a recommendation, I’m personally going to give him the most humiliating post-mission check-up he ever had.
“You know, what we really wanted was to get in touch with you guys, but since we got such a really warm welcome…” She shrugs, daring to turn around to us and saying, “What do you think, people? Do those guys deserve our enlightening company?”
As if on cue, Tom is the first to answer. “But didn’t you say… we needed to meet them… sir?” Oh Lord, this day is full of miracles. First Reece speaking up against Tom, then Reece playing the cocky bastard and now Tom joining her improvised game.
“Yeah, we did, Lieutenant. But really, people… is that how you would welcome a group of fellow Marines who recently defected from the SGC?”
To be honest: even if I assured her that she was doing okay as an officer, I never thought she’d have this in her. I mean, she’s not only pretending to be our commanding officer, she is our CO. Which means that her subordinates should be answering her questions. But before I can say anything, the rogues’ leader speaks up again, “The SGC, huh? Old Hammond still in charge?”
“None of your business. Now you’re gonna take us to someone with brains or not?”
Moore
Wh… I want to walk up to her and smack her a good one. Does she even know what she’s doing there? She’s got all our lives in her hands and she’s acting like she doesn’t care? If we ever get out of here alive, I’m so gonna kill her.
I mean… Good God, who is that? Well, okay, in the last two days I had the privilege of watching Mousy Reece transform into something actually resembling a Marine, but I never expected her to be able to act like that. Good thing I’m a bit of an actor, too, or I would have never been able to grab the situation so fast and play her role. Feels strange though, seeing myself in cocky-bastard-CO-mode. Am I like that when being in the body I belong in?
For a few moments it looks as if we’re all going to be zat-gun fodder. But instead of ordering his cronies to shoot us, the traitor Marine just gives all of us - especially the women - a taxing look and then says, “Fine. We’ll take you with us. But you’re not gonna meet any other people until we verified your personal data through our contacts.” He looks at his cronies, then gestures towards us, “Search them. If anyone carries something even only slightly resembling a bug, shoot them.”
The other Marines step forward and start searching us. The one that comes to search me has a strange look on his face. It’s… some perverse form of lust. For a moment I’m about to taunt him with some sarcastic remark about his masculinity when his groping fingers remind me of the fact that the body I’m in is female. When he’s done with searching - or better groping and molesting me - and steps away I feel another wave of disgust well up. For maybe the very first time in my whole life I fully understand how a woman must feel when she has to endure all those small taunts and gropes we men so like to torture women with.
I share a short look with Laura, and she just gives me a light shrug, obviously telling me “What did you expect? That’s normal male behavior”, and suddenly I wonder how much of that she had to endure up to now. If I ever find out she had and at whose hands I’m personally gonna skin that guy alive.
They’re obviously done with searching us, and are now covering our eyes with makeshift bandages. I just hope Reece remembers my advise about that and how to avoid being blinded completely. If she’s to play our leader, I want her to behave like one.
After a few more moments I hear the ‘Gate whoosh open again, and some guy grabs my arm and hauls me through.
~*~
TBC in Chapter Nine.