1 comments/ 2357 views/ 1 favorites Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01 By: RibaldWriter Several weeks have passed, and work continues in both cities. Tammy is making progress on her new toy...and an unexpected event alters the course for the future... (-) Confirming Carter Three, Changes Chapter One Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 0610 Hours Sam walked across the living room and went into the kitchen, and was surprised to see it empty. Going back out into the living room, she looked at the marine by the porter. "Have you seen her this morning?" She asked. "Yes, ma'am." He said. "She went over to her lab. She took a team with her." She nodded. "I guess I should go see what she's up to. Call ahead, and tell them I'm on the way over." "Yes, ma'am." He said as she stepped into the porter. When she stepped out of the porter, she turned and walk down the hall to Tammy's lab. The marines outside the door came to attention as she approached. She nodded as she walked by them, stepping into the room and around the partition just inside the door. "What the hell are you doing?" She laughed. "And this is why you put that partition up, isn't it?" "Hi." Tammy grunted, not stopping her steady up and down pumping. She was up on a table with Boris's midsection strapped to it, straddling it as she rode his cock. "I'm just giving him a test drive. I made a few modifications." "Good morning, mistress." Boris said as Sam came into his sensor range. His upper body was on a table at one end of the table Tammy was on, and his legs were laying on another on the other side of it. "Good morning, Boris." She said, feeling a little creepy talking to half his body. "How long have you been down here?" She asked Tammy, walking around the table and leaning close, looking between her legs. "Did you make it bigger again?" "A couple hours. And yeah, a little thicker." She looked up at Boris on the table in front of her. "Lubricate, then vibrate and shimmy. Clitoral probe full extension, half power." She told him. "Oh god." She grunted, jamming her hips down as she rested her forearms on the table. Her body shook as she came again and again. "You are such a slut!" Sam laughed, climbing up on the table behind her. She reached down and wrapped her arms around her, cupping her tits in her hands. She smiled up at Boris. "Thrust Boris, full speed, full extension. Vibration and shimmy to maximum, add suction to clitoral probe, full power." "No, Sam! Don't!" Tammy screeched as Boris's cock started pounding into her like a jackhammer. She tried to raise up off of him, but Sam was holding her down with her own body, and she couldn't move. "Reduce thrust, quarter speed, half extension, lubricate, add quarter hip twist." Sam told Boris as she kissed Tammy's neck, her fingers pinching her nipples. "Cum again, then I want my turn you greedy bitch." She laughed. "O...okay." Tammy panted. She looked up at Boris. "Thrust to zero, vibrate to half, gee nodule, quarter extension, quarter power, increase extension and power ten percent every ten seconds." She groaned, spreading her legs wider as she tried to get the full length of his cock into her. The G-spot stimulator was working its magic on her, and she felt a fresh wave of orgasms bursting over her. "T...thrust to Ro...Romeo, vib...vibrate to Dizzy." Tammy panted as she writhed under Sam, her body twitching and jerking as each new sensation worked on her. Seconds later, she stiffened, her body going flat on the table as she orgasmed powerfully. "Ejaculate Boris, full volume, and repeat." Sam said, humping her own dripping pussy on Tammy's ass. "Oh god...oh god...oh god." Tammy whimpered as Boris shot off inside her again and again. His cock kept jerking and twitching inside her, even after the reservoir was empty. "En...enough...tu...turn it off." "All settings to zero, Boris." Sam said. She laid out on Tammy's back. They lay quietly for a few minutes, then Sam slid off and smacked her on the ass. "Get up, I want my turn." She said as she opened her pants and let them drop to the floor. Tammy slid up on the table, letting Boris's cock slip from her, then collapsed again, breathing heavily. "Good god, Tammy!" Sam gasped as she came back over to the table. "How big is that thing?" "It's only ten inches, it's just thicker than the other one." Tammy said as she finally managed to slide off the table. "Well, there's no way I'm putting that thing in me." Sam said. "Where the other one? The one I like." "Right here" Tammy said, reaching over and picking up an attachment from the table next to her. "I'll put it on for you." Sam looked over and shook her head. "No, not that one, I want the one with the foreskin on it. I like the way it feels. Where's that one?" "Look on the shelf over there." Tammy said waving at a row of shelves across the room. "It might be over there. I'll clean the table off while you're looking for it." "You better." Sam laughed as she walked across the room. "It looks like you pee'd all over it." "Well, I told you that this was going to be a...damn, what now?" Tammy said as the comm on the table chirped. She hit the button on it. "Yes, what is it?" "Good morning, Tammy." Andi said brightly. "Is Sam over there with you?" "Yeah, she's here, Andi. What did you need?" "I have that information she asked for, and I have a few other things I wanted to go over." Andi said. "Are you going to be much longer? The marines say you've been over there a couple hours." Tammy looked over at Sam, and she nodded as she came over and picked up her pants. "We'll be over in a few minutes, Andi." Tammy said. "Why don't you put a pot of coffee on, and order us breakfast?" "I can do that." Andi said. "See you in a few." "It's always something." Sam muttered as she pulled her pants on. She brightened suddenly, reaching under the table. "Hey, I found it!" She said, holding up the attachment she'd been looking for. "I'm going to take this with me, I want to play with it later." Location-Unknown Time-Unknown Running headlong through the village, her breath rasping in her throat, she darted around the corner of a shanty to dodge a flurry of arrows, grunting as a bullet grazed her side, leaving a burning furrow of pain in its wake. She knew that her only chance was to reach the portal while the merchants were still moving their goods to the next markets. Glancing over her shoulder as she turned another corner, she groaned when she saw that her pursuers were closing on her. The impact of a body colliding with hers knocked the breath from her as she was lifted from her feet and fell heavily to the rocky ground. She screamed as the child was torn from her grasp. Fighting to get to her feet, she felt the sharp pain of a knife punching into her body again and again. White-hot agony blossomed through her, searing waves beating at her senses. She fought them back even as she wrestled with her attacker, wrenching the knife from his grasp and slashing savagely at him. Her blows struck home, one opening a gaping gash across his throat, and he fell to the ground, a gurgling whimper issuing from his mouth. "No!!" She screamed, her eyes going wide as she saw a woman scoop up the child and dash down the narrow lane, clutching it to her breast. She stumbled after her, then heaved back and threw the knife with all her strength. The blade found its mark, burying itself between the woman's shoulder blades. The woman fell, her body tumbling limply, already dead. The body landed on the child, and moments later, she kicked it aside, grabbing frantically for him. She finally got him in her grasp, and staggered as quickly as she could toward the portal. Sounds of pursuit grew louder behind her, but her goal was in sight now. There was still a chance. "Stop her!" A voice behind her cried out. "By order of the Dorquan, she must not escape!" Heads turned as she ran past, her frock soaked with her own blood now. She heaved a sigh of relief as she saw a merchant dialing the portal, and forced herself to go on. Leaping onto the dais as the vortex sprang from the ring, she dove toward the portal. A dozen arrows struck home down her back and legs as the vortex receded and she disappeared into the event horizon. Interior-Gateroom 0935 Hours "Unscheduled gate activity." The Ops tech said, his hands working the controls on his console. Moments later, a bloody figure tumbled through the event horizon and collapsed in a heap on the polished stone floor. "Raising secondary shield. Medical teams to the Gateroom!" The tech yelled into his mike as he stood up and looked over the balcony. His breath caught in his throat as he stared at the woman by the gate. "Colonel Sheppard to the Gateroom!" He barked in his mike, adding, "Security teams to the gateroom, immediately!" "Ops, this is Sheppard. What's the problem?" He said as he turned around and stepped back into the porter. He had been on his way to his new office when the call came through. "We have an unscheduled dial up, Colonel. A woman came through the gate. She's injured, and I have medical teams on the way." The Ops tech told him. "Colonel, I...it looks like...I think...You have to see this for yourself sir. And you need to hurry." Sheppard punched in the code for the gateroom and stepped out when the doors opened. As he came around the corner of the stairs, saw several med techs kneeling over a body in a large pool of blood. 'Whoever she is, she's not going to last long.' he thought as he made his way over. He looked over one of the medic's shoulder, then pushed the man out of the way and knelt beside her. "J...John?" She gasped, her eyes meeting his in a penetrating gaze. "Yo...you're dead. How?" "Sshhhhhh. Save your strength." He said softly. "We're going to take care of you, you're safe now." Shaking her head, she held the child out toward him. "J...Jacob." She breathed, then went limp as death finally took her. Sheppard looked at the child, then held it to his chest as he stood and tapped his comm. "Sheppard to Tammy." "Go ahead, John. What can I do for you?" she replied a moment later. "We have a situation in the gateroom." He said tightly. "Have you seen Col. Carter?" "Yes," Tammy laughed. "She right here with me. What kind of situation? Anything serious?" "You need to bring the colonel down and see for yourself. And bring Jennifer." He answered. "I'm going to secure the area, and keep everyone involved isolated. You need to come down here, now." "We're on the way." She replied. Interior-Gateroom 0945 Hours "If I wasn't seeing it, I'd never believe it." Tammy said softly as she stroked the woman's cheek lightly. She turned, her eyes filling with tears as she looked at Carter. "Its okay, Tammy." Sam said, stepping over and taking her in her arms. "We've seen things like this before, or at least, I have. But we need to find out what's going on." She looked at the Ops tech over Tammy's shoulder. "Why wasn't the shield up?" She asked him. "It was, ma'am. That's why I put up the secondary." He told her. "I ran a diagnostic. The system says the shield was up. She came right through it. Don't ask me how." "I am asking you how, and I want an answer." She said as she released Tammy and moved over in front of him. "Have Chuck do a complete check of the system, and tell him to brief me as soon as he knows something. I want answers in an hour." She turned and looked at Jennifer as she started to pull the sheet up over the body on the gurney. She stopped her, staring at what could have been her own lifeless body. Shaking her head, she drew the sheet gently up over her and walked away. Interior-Kitchen 1105 Hours "There's no doubt, Sam." Jennifer said, glancing back and forth between her and Tammy. "It's a one hundred percent match on the DNA. It looks like another Samantha Carter came over from another reality, or a parallel universe." "I can confirm that last part, Colonel." Chuck said from the door. "May I come in?" "Yes, Chuck. Please, have a seat." Carter said, waving toward the place next to Jennifer. "What did you find?" "Matthews was right. The shield was up on the gate when she came through." He said, sliding a folder over to her. "I don't have the science background to tell you why, but an energy source from Atlantis, our Atlantis, intercepted the wormhole she was in and redirected it here. Dr. McKay, or maybe Dr. Zelenka could tell you how. I don't recognize the energy signature. We've seen the same thing happen with solar flares though." "I know, that happened to me. And I know what this signature is, and where it came from." Carter said as she looked at the printouts Chuck had included in his report. "What I can tell you, is she got through the gate because the shield didn't recognize her as solid matter or an identifiable energy stream. Dr. Zelenka is trying to find out why." Chuck added as he pointed out where the entry occurred on the readouts. "What about the baby?" Tammy asked quietly, looking at Sam. "That's another positive DNA match." Jennifer said. "The alleles mat..." "She was talking to me, Jennifer." Carter said, not looking up from the folder. "Well, you have time to think about what you're going to do, because I'm going to keep him in the infirmary until he stabilizes." Jennifer said. "He's a newborn, one, no more than two days old. I don't know what happened in her reality, but she got out of a sick bed to run with him. From my post mortem, it looks like it was a difficult birth. And she wasn't going to have anymore children after this." "She named him Jacob." Carter said softly. "That's my father's name. I was going to name my first boy after him." "You still can, Sam." Tammy said. "There's no reas..." Carter stood up, looking at Tammy for a long moment. She smiled softly, then turned to Jennifer. "Would you ask Andi to come over, Jenn. I need to speak to her." She looked back at Tammy and held out her hand. Tammy got up and followed her out of the room. Interior-Bedroom 1125 Hours "Before you say anything," Sam said as she walked over and stood looking out the windows. "I'm going to keep him. And I'm going to make him my heir." Tammy came up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, resting her chin on her shoulder. "For once, I was going to keep my mouth shut." She said. "And I was asking Jennifer about him, how he was, and if he was going to make it." Carter turned around, hugging Tammy to her. "What do you think happened? She was running for her life over there. Sheppard said that she knew him, but thought that he was dead. She gave him her baby, said his name, and died." Tammy held her as she cried quietly into her shoulder. "We'll never know, but she fought with everything she had to stay alive, and to keep him alive. Just like you would. I think she'd like that yo...we're, going to take care of her son for her." "I need to talk to my Dad." Sam whispered into Tammy's shoulder. She pulled back, looking at Tammy with a pained expression in her eyes. "Will you go to Ops with me? I want to ask Gen. Landry if they'll find him for me, and let him come through." "We don't have to go to Ops for that." Tammy said as she led her over to the bed. She got her settled, pulling one of her big pillows down for her. "You just rest here for a few minutes. I'll be right back." She went into the kitchen, and was relieved when she saw that Jennifer was still there. "Jenn, call Susan and tell her to have the med bay ready." She said as she sat down next to her. "I doubt if we're going to need it, but I want it ready just in case." She looked at her closely, resting her hand on her leg. "And how serious were you about keeping the baby for observation? I may want to bring him over here later." "He's healthy enough, but we do need to watch him." Keller said. "I just wanted to make sure he was getting fluids. I'm not sure if she was feeding him or not. She was lactating, but he's showing signs of dehydration." "Okay, get some fluids in him. I'll let you know if we're going to need him tonight." Tammy said as she stood up. "Call Susan, and get her moving. I'll be in Sam's office." Interior-Carter's Office 1155 Hours It had only taken a couple of minutes to get Landry on a video conference. Tammy smiled as his face popped up on her laptop. "Gen. Landry, I don't believe we've been formally introduced. I'm Tammy Ford. We've had a change in structure since the last time we talked to Earth, and I'm now Sam's sister queen. Co-equal partners if you will." "I remember you from our first official meeting, and if I remember correctly, it was Capt. Ford before Atlantis declared its independence." Landry said with a smile. "You set a broken finger for me a couple of weeks before the Atlantis expedition left. You did a good job too." "I had forgotten that!" Tammy laughed. "You slipped on the ice on the way down to the ancient outpost. You twisted your ankle too." "Yes, thank you for reminding me." Landry laughed. "What can I do for you...I'm sorry, what should I call you? Do you have a title?" "Officially, it's Lady Tammy, but please, just make it Tammy, everyone else does. At least for now." She said lightly. "I called because I need a favor, and I really hope you can do it for me." "I'll do anything I can." Landry said. "Just what do you need me to do?" "We need you to find Jacob Carter, and if possible, get him to Earth and send him to Atlantis. If you can't do that, I can give you the address of a gate that can reach Atlantis." She paused, taking a deep breath. "I know that this is alot to ask..." Landry held up his hand and reached over, picking up his phone. He spoke quietly for a moment, then hung up and smiled at her. "If you'll bear with me for a moment, Tammy." "Hank?" A voice in the background said a minute later. "Your sergeant said you wanted to speak to me." Landry grinned at Tammy, then looked at his visitor. "We have a request to send you to Atlantis, Jacob. What do you say, do you want to go?" "What? Sure, I've been dying to see that place. And it makes what we were talking about a moot point." Jacob said with a laugh. He paused, and his voice was serious when he spoke again. "Is Sam alright? They wouldn't ask for something like this unless it was serious." "Sam is fine, Jacob." Tammy said quickly. "But we have a situation, and she could really use her father to help her deal with it. She asked me to call for her." "Who is that?" Jacob asked. "They'll explain everything when you get there, Jacob." Landry said as he stood up. He leaned back down, his face inches from the camera. "Would it be alright if I came with Jacob? I'd like to see Sam again, but I'd have to be able to return, today, tomorrow at the latest." "We'd be glad to have you visit us General. And I guarantee your safe return." Tammy laughed. "Excellent. We'll see you in a few minutes." Interior-Bedroom 1230 Hours Tammy greeted them at the gate and took them up to Sam's suite. She pointed their bedroom out to Jacob, then led Landry into the kitchen. "Sam?" Jacob said softly as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Are you okay baby?" "Oh daddy! She died so horribly!" Sam whispered into her pillow. "And I don't know if I can raise him the way she would want. I just don't know what to do. I don't know how to be a mother." "Who died, Sam? I don't know what you're talking about." Jacob said. "And you haven't called me daddy since you were ten years old." Sam looked back over her shoulder, then sat upright, clutching her pillow to her tightly. "How? Oh my god! How did you get here?" She threw the pillow off to the side and scrambled off the end of the bed, then pulled him to his feet and hugged him tightly. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01 "Your friend Tammy called Landry, and I was at the SGC, so we decided to come on through." Jacob said. "She met us at the gate a few minutes ago." "Us?" Sam asked, looking at him quizzically. "Landry came with me. We have to go back tonight, tomorrow at the latest." He laughed. "Apparently relations between Earth and Atlantis are kind of rocky right now? It wouldn't be good to have it look like you were holding hostages." "Where is he? And where's Tammy?" Sam said quickly, taking his hand and leading him toward the door. "I don't know. She pointed me in there, and took Hank off into another room." Jacob said as she dragged him across the living room and down the hall toward the kitchen. Sam let go of his hand and ran across the kitchen, throwing her arms around Tammy and began planting kisses all over her face. "I love you so much!" she smiled as she reached down and took her hand, then turned to face her father. "Dad, this is Tammy Ford, my sister queen. And my wife. Or she will be, once we make it official." "I kinda thought we'd just go with girlfriend for a while, you know, to see if we're compatible and all that." Tammy said, trying not to smile. "Yeah, like that's gonna happen." Jennifer muttered. "You two were made for each other." "Wife?" Jacob said tightly, his face clouding over. He looked over at Tammy. "Can I speak to you? Privately?" "Sure Dad, but I..." "Not you. Tammy." He said, then turned and walked out of the room. Jacob was pacing back and forth in front of the porter when she came into the living room. She stopped next to him, and waited for him to speak. "Do you love my daughter?" He asked suddenly, stopping and facing her. "With all my heart." Tammy said, looking at him steadily. "Neither of us expected it, but circumstances put us together when we needed to be, and we fell in love." "How long has she been a lesbian?" He asked. "There's been talk for yea..." "She's not a lesbian, and neither am I." Tammy laughed. "So if that's all that's bothering you, you can relax. And let me tell you, I'm a lot better catch than the last guy she was talking about marrying!" "We're both basically heterosexual, but because of what happened to Sam, we were put in a position where we had to be sexual. Our love didn't come out of that, it came out of what we went through together." She related what had happened, beginning with Sam's initial exposure to the korathis, their first meeting, then each event leading up to where they were now. It took her almost half an hour, and Jacob listened spellbound as she stepped through their short relationship. "Good god!" Jacob said softly when she finished. He stared at her for a moment, then stepped forward and put his arms around her. "Welcome to the family." He said. "Anyone that would go though what you have, is worth having as a daughter!" He stepped back, smiling warmly at her. "I need a moment, Selmac wants to say something." "Who's Selmac?" Tammy asked, then her eyes went wide as his eyes glowed briefly and his face changed subtly. "I am Selmac." He said, his voice taking on a deeper timbre. "I am Tok'Ra. Jacob is my host, and I am his symbiote. Samantha made it possible for us to meet, then blend, an act which saved both of our lives. I will let Jacob give his own blessing, but wished to share my good wishes. I also wish to say that I believe that she will make an excellent queen for your people, as will you." "Thank you. I didn't know that Jacob was Tok'Ra. Sam never told me." Tammy said. "It looks like I'm marrying into an interesting family." "The Carter's have done much for their world, the Tok'Ra, and all that they meet. They have a selflessness about them that makes them stand apart from other beings. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with Jacob." "Dad? How long are you going to keep Tammy ou...? Sam began as she stepped into the room. She stopped when he looked up at her, his eyes glowing briefly. "Selmac? Is everything okay? What's..." "I was sharing my good wishes with your sister queen, and telling her about our relationship." Selmac said. "I will allow Jacob to return." His eyes glowed again, and his features softened as he shook his head. He held up his hand as she opened her mouth to speak again. "Tammy just spent the last little while telling me what you've been up to, and if you don't marry her, I'll disown you." He laughed. "My little girl is queen of an ancient city, and is going to reshape a galaxy. That wasn't on my wish list, but I guess it beats being an astronaut." "Co-queen, and we're shooting for two galaxies." Tammy laughed. She looked over her shoulder at Sam, and held out her hand. "I promise to take good care of your little girl Jacob. And I know that she's going to take care of me. And we're going to do good things together." "Great things." Sam said, coming over to take her hand and stand beside her. "But that's not why we asked you to come here, Dad. Something's happened, and I...I just needed you." "You said something in your bedroom, but I didn't know what you were talking about." Jacob said. "You said someone died, and something about being a mother?" "If you'll excuse me." Tammy said as she let go of Sam's hand and started for the kitchen. "You don't have to leave, Tammy." Jacob said. "I'll be back. I need to speak to Jennifer. There's someone else we'll need to help you understand what's going on. Sam, wait a few minutes, okay?" Sam nodded, taking her father's hands. "So catch me up. How did you get here so fast. I had just asked Tammy if we could ask Landry to find you, and there you were." * * * * * "Jennifer, would you call the infirmary and ask them to send our little friend over?" Tammy said as she walked into the kitchen. "And let's start calling people. We have honored guests, so we might as well have a party!" Interior-Office 1310 Hours "He's here, Sam." Jennifer said from the door. "Tammy said to go ahead and start, and she'll bring him in in a few minutes. And she said to tell you that we'll be doing dinner in the formal dining room. Andi already has things going on that." "Thank you, Jennifer." Sam said. "But I'd like to eat in the kitchen. I..." "Not gonna happen, Sam." Jennifer laughed. "Tammy says we have guests, so we're gonna have a party. With the court and the knights, we won't have enough seats. But I think she's inviting some other guests too." "Okay." Sam said, turning to her father. She sighed as she took his hand. "A woman came through the gate this morning, Dad. She shouldn't have been able to, because the shield was up on the gate, but we know how it happened now." She paused, gathering herself before she continued. "Have you been briefed on my Space Time Matter bridge research?" She asked. He nodded, not saying anything. "Good, that saves me some time. What happened is, my STM bridge touched her universe as she was going through the event horizon, and somehow, the matter stream was redirected here." Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the woman in the gateroom. Jacob squeezed her hand, smiling softly at her. "its okay, Sam. Take your time." "She was in bad shape when she came through the gate. She had been stabbed repeatedly, and had eleven arrows in her back and legs. She died a few minutes after she came through." She stopped again, throwing her head back and taking a deep breath. "She...she was another Samantha Carter, Dad. She was me." "She wasn't you, Sam. You're here with me right now. But are you thinking that if something like that could happen to her, it could happen to you?" Jacob asked her softly. "Oh god, no!" Sam said, managing a laugh. "No, what I haven't told you yet, is that she had just given birth. And she had the baby with her." "He's right here if you'd like to meet him, Jacob." Tammy said from the door. She stepped into the room. "His name is Jacob too." Sam said as she held her arms out. Tammy laid the baby in her arms, and she held him to her gently. "You're gonna do just fine as a mom." Tammy whispered. Sam smiled up at her, then looked down at the baby. "I'm going to raise him, Dad. And I'm going to make him my heir. He's the first child born of my line, and he may succeed me someday." "He's not your child, Sam." Jacob said. "I don't know about succession or any of that, but he's someone else's baby, alternate universe or not." He paused for a moment, then smiled. "Selmac says that it doesn't matter where the child came from. He's family, and we should take care of him. He said to tell you that he's proud of you. I guess I should be too." "Oh god." Sam said, bursting into tears. She handed the baby to Jacob, then stood up and buried her face in Tammy's shoulder. "It's okay, Sam." Tammy said softly, stroking her back lightly. "We're going to get through this, and we're going to raise him right." She eased Sam away from her, lifting her chin with her fingers. "You still have to have a baby with me. This doesn't get you off the hook." Interior-Dining Room, North Tower 1900 Hours "Ladies and gentlemen, the queens of Atlantis, Col. Samantha Carter and Lady Tammy Ford, accompanied by Jacob Carter and Selmac of the Tok'Ra, and Gen. Hank Landry of Stargate Command." Ronin said as he stepped into the room. He went over and stood behind Geraan and Phinnar, resting a hand on their shoulders. "Thank you, please be seated. We'll be eating shortly, but before we do, we'd like to introduce a new addition to the family, Sam's and my family." Tammy said as she walked over to stand behind her chair. Sam stopped at the head of the table, cradling Jacob in her arms. She smiled at the people seated at the table. "This morning, a unique event occurred. One of my experiments intercepted the matter stream from a stargate in an alternate reality, and brought the traveler here, to Atlantis." She paused, looking down at Jacob, then glanced over at Tammy. "While such an occurrence is unusual in itself, what makes it extraordinary, is that the woman that came through the stargate, was another Samantha Carter. Sadly, she died shortly after her arrival from injuries she had received in her universe." Tammy looked over at Sam, who picked up the narration. "She did not come through the gate alone. She had recently given birth, and she brought her child with her." She held the baby up so everyone could see. "His name is Jacob, after my...her, father. We do not know what her, or the father's last names were, so he will be known simply as Jacob, the only name we were given. And I am making him my heir." Caldwell stood up at the other end of the table, clapping his hands. "Long live Prince Jacob!" He said, looking around at his peers. Sheppard grinned and got to his feet, joining him in his applause. In moments, everyone in the room was on their feet, smiling and applauding as Sam walked around the table showing off baby Jacob to everyone. Interior-Dining Room, North Tower 1940 Hours "You do not do anything small, do you, Samantha?" Arrin said with a smile. "In the short time I have known you, I have come to expect certain grandeur, but this..." "It is unusual, I have to admit." Sam laughed. She had Jacob cradled in her arms, and he was sleeping peacefully. "I just hope my own children are as beautiful, and that I raise him as well as his mother would have." "You will be a wonderful mother." Arrin said. "I can see it in you already. As to how they will look, we take what we can get, and love them anyway." "Ronin introduced three people when you entered." Waleen said as he came over, "But only two entered, your father, and Gen. Landry. Will this Selmac not be joining us this evening?" "He's been with us all evening, he just hasn't had anything to say." Sam smiled. "Let me get him over here, and introduce you." She waved Jacob and Tammy over, then turned, looking for Pharris, waving her over as well. "I really wish that Larrin had come, she'd love this!" She laughed. "Dad, our Traveler friends would like to meet Selmac. I hear he hasn't put in an appearance yet." She said to Jacob as he came over. Jacob looked at her for a moment, then turned to the Travelers, his eyes glowing briefly, and his voice deepened as he spoke. "Do not be alarmed," He said as they stepped back. "Jacob and I have a symbiotic relationship, he shares his body with me, and I give him good health and long life in return. We share many common traits, not the least of which, is pride in his daughter." "Ar...are you one of the false gods, Bra'tac spoke of? A Guld?" Waleen asked. "No, The Tok'Ra are different from the Goa'uld. We share common ancestry and form, but that is all. The Goa'uld take hosts by force, without their consent, while the Tok'Ra share with the host, to the benefit of both." "If you will excuse me, I need to speak to Dr. Samuels." Arrin said, looking slightly queasy. He started toward Samuels, then darted out the door. "We need to have someone check on him in a few minutes." Sam said lightly. She looked over at Tammy. "Would you say something to Andi, or better yet, John, he can go in the men's room." "Andi can too." Tammy laughed, "But I'll send John." "My apologies, Selmac." Pharris said. "Our people are not used to such occurrences. But tell me, how long have you been...inhabiting, Jacob? Do you get along? I mean, do you have arguments, or disagreements? And how do you handle them?" "We disagree frequently, but rarely argue anymore." Selmac said. "Jacob is quite young, less than sixty of his years old, and can be childish at times." "How old are you, and have you had other...what do you call the people you inhabit, hosts?" "I am almost two thousand earth years old, and have had thirteen prior hosts. And we blend with our hosts, we do not inhabit them." Selmac replied. "I'm sorry, I just think it's fascinating that such a union could be possible." Pharris said, stepping closer and examining Jacob closely. "You will not be able to see me, if that is what you are trying to do." Selmac said. "Oh no, I was looking at his face." Pharris said. "His skin tone is much better than you would expect of a man sixty years old. This is delightful." She said, reaching up to touch Jacob's face. "Please don't do that." Jacob said, reaching up and taking her wrist between his fingers. "Both of us think its annoying, and rude." "I'm sorry, this is just so interesting." Pharris said. "But tell me, what made you decide to join with Selmac? You are Jacob Carter again, aren't you?" "Yes, I am." Jacob said tightly. "I had terminal cancer, and was going to die soon, I had weeks, if not days to live. Selmac's host was dying of old age, she was over two hundred years old. What started as a marriage of convenience, has become a true friendship." "It's still creepy, having that snake in your head." O'Neill said as he walked up. "You can't judge the Tok'Ra by your short experience, Jack." Jacob said, glaring at him. "Most of them are decent beings. But like every species, you get some that break the rules. And they have been fighting for their lives, which gives them a different perspective than yours. They're getting better, now that the Goa'uld threat has been eliminated." "You have been blended as well, O'Neill?" Pharris asked. "Why did you not keep the...I'm sorry, what is Selmac called again?" "It's called a symbiote, and I didn't keep mine because he used me as cheap transportation, and dumped me when things got too hot for him." O'Neill said. "And I didn't do it willingly. I was in a coma, and it was done without my knowledge or consent." "And you're still alive because of it." Jacob said. "I'm alive because Ba'al kept putting me in a sarcophagus every time I died, so he could torture me some more. The snake didn't have anything to do with it." "I agree that Kanan's actions were inexcusable O'Neill, but I also know that you have always distrusted the Tok'Ra, and disliked our methods." Selmac said, taking control. "Your attitude has been one reason we deal with you the way we do." "That's a crock and you know it, Selmac." O'Neill said, shaking his head. "You people were playing fast and loose long before we ever stumbled across you. Our first encounter with the Tok'Ra was when Jolinar took over Carter here. Without her consent, I might add. And it almost got her killed." "I think that's enough on this subject for the evening, considering that neither of you is going to change your minds." Carter said. "So why don't you two find different sides of the room, and see if you can be nice to people?" "I wanted to see the baby." O'Neill said. "I haven't got to hold him yet." "Okay." Carter laughed, handing Jacob over to him. "And while you've got him, his diaper needs to be changed. You remember how to do that, don't you Jack?" "Yeah, I remember how to do it." He said, walking over and picking up a bag near the door. Carter watched as he sat Jacob down on a table in the lobby and started unwrapping him. "Why does he have to be..." "I said we were going to change the subject, Dad." Sam said lightly. "And if you won't be nice for the daughter you haven't seen in over a year, do it for your host, the queen of Atlantis." "Either way, you're going to do it." Tammy said. She turned and looked around the room. "Knights of Atlantis, stand forward to defend your queen!" In seconds, the five knights stood before her. "Gentlemen, we would like you to make it your goal for the remainder of the evening that no disagreeable conversation take place near, or around your queens." She said seriously. "Should you hear something that you feel would make either of us uncomfortable, please remove the offending party to another part of the room. Politely, and discreetly of course." "Yes, my queen." they said in unison, then fanned out in a small circle, each of them making sure to stay in earshot of the queens. "That really wasn't necessary." Jacob said. "All I meant was that..." "Excuse me, Jacob." Sheppard said, taking his arm and leading him away. "But I've been meaning to ask you about the colonel when she was younger. Did she have any pets, or favorite activities?" "What? Wait! I was..." Jacob sputtered, trying to pull away. Ronin came up on his other side and gripped his arm, and together, they moved him over by the windows. "Very impressive!" Pharris laughed. "Nah, they should have thought of it on their own." O'Neill said as he came over. He held Jacob so his head laid on his shoulder, his hand supporting his bottom. "And they've always got to be..." "Isn't he a cutie." Lorne said as he stepped over and picked Jacob up off of O'Neill's shoulder. "He's going to look just like his mom, you can see it already." He said as he handed him to Tammy. He turned back to O'Neill. "I've been going over the specs on the Apollo, general, and I was wondering if you could help me figure something out." "Oh no, don't you try tha..." "We really do need to talk about the manning on the Daedalus, general." Caldwell said as he came up behind him and slipped his arm around his shoulders. "I think we can talk better in that corner across the room." Pharris burst out laughing as they led him away. * * * * * "The colonel said you had a son." Ronin said quietly as he walked over next to O'Neill. "What? Yes, I had a son. He died along time ago." O'Neill said, his face coloring. "Why would you ask me something like that?" "I spend a lot of time with the boys." Ronin said. "When we're in the gym, or Amelia gives them something to do, they're fine. But sometimes, they ask me questions, and I don't know how to answer them." "Welcome to being a parent." O'Neill laughed. He looked at Ronin, flinching when he saw him glaring at him. "Oh, you were being serious. Okay, I can do that." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01 He stepped over to a table and picked up a pastry, then came back over to Ronin. "Okay, what kinds of questions are they asking you?" "Stuff about their schoolwork, or why Tammy and the colonel are hugging and kissing all the time." Ronin said. "I don't know what to tell them." "The second part is easy. Tell them to ask Tammy. Not the colonel, but Tammy. Let her explain the birds and the bees to them. or in their case, the birds and the birds." O'Neill laughed. "Now as far as their schoolwork goes, do you study with them?" "I watch them, and sometimes I'll look over their shoulder while they work a puzzle." "So start asking them questions." Jack smiled. "Or you can get one of those tablets and get them to show you what to do. I used to do that with Charlie all the time. Kids not only have to learn, they need to know how to teach too." "So you think that might work, asking them questions?" "For a little while." O'Neill laughed. "Then we'll think of something else to hold them off. They do the same thing with me you know. I just give them something else to do." He looked at Ronin for a moment. "So, did you volunteer for this job, babysitting the boys, I mean?" "I don't babysit them." Ronin said, bristling slightly. "I train them. We spend a few hours a day in the gym, then I make sure that they get to whoever has them next. Dr. Samuels offered to help, but she's always busy when I call. Vala and Dr. Jackson spend alot of time with them when I have other things to do." "I'll talk to Tammy about it. It sounds like we need a schedule of who does what with them, and when." O'Neill said. "You're way too important to have you running in circles trying to figure out what the boys need to learn, and how." "Why do you say that?" Ronin asked. "You're the guardian of the realm, charged with protecting the queens." O'Neill said seriously. "And from what I can tell, you're doing a great job. You already have them reined in so they take a security team with them, or call ahead to have one waiting when they leave the suite. And Sheppard tells me that you're working up a strike force along with organizing the household guard. You should ask for a raise." "I just want to make sure I do it right. Everyone else is smarter than me, so I have to work harder." "We know more about things you don't need, or aren't interested in." O'Neill said with a smile. "You know a hell of a lot more about fighting, tactics and strategy than any of us, except maybe Caldwell and Bra'tac on the strategy. We all do what we know, and go to someone else for the stuff we don't. You should do the same thing." Ronin nodded, then looked closely at O'Neill. "Why did you tell me to go to Tammy about things, and not the colonel? They both listen to me, and tell me what I need." O'Neill just looked at him, then grinned, stepping closer and motioning Ronin to lean forward. "Sam and I worked together for over ten years, and there was always this...pressure. But we never did anything about it. And after a while, it got...well, it's just more comfortable for me to go through Tammy now." "I know what you're talking about, and she's over it. She forgave you when you got here." Ronin said. "She needs you here with us. She trusts you, and cares about you. Be straight with her, and you'll be fine." "What are you two over here whispering about?" Tammy laughed as she came over. She looked up at Ronin and grinned. "You're not keeping him away from us because of what I said earlier, are you?" "No, I asked him about what to do with the boys when they ask me things I don't know." Ronin told her. "He gave me some good ideas." "I also told him that it sounds like we need a schedule for them." O'Neill added. "Who do we go to on that?" "I want to say Andi, but she's got so much on her plate already." Tammy said. "Let me talk to Daniel when he gets back from St Louis. I made him head of the education department. We've got close to twelve hundred kids in the city now, based on the last count I saw. So we need to look at how we're going to train them too." "What happened to Landry?" O'Neill asked. "I saw him come in, and haven't seen him since." Tammy laughed and turned around, pointing to a far corner of the room. Landry, Vala, Waleen and Arrin were in a heated discussion. "Waleen started chatting with Landry, and he called Vala over to make a point, then Waleen called Arrin over, and they've been at it ever since." "So why didn't you break them up?" O'Neill asked. "I mean, what with disagreeable conversation and all." "First," Tammy said, "They appear to be enjoying themselves." She pointed at the group again. Vala was hanging on Arrin, both of them laughing hysterically. "Second, they're out of earshot, so I don't care." "I hope he stays overnight. I'd like to spend some time with him before they go home." O'Neil said. "Go join them. I doubt if they'd mind." Tammy said. "And they are staying the night. But let me warn you Jack, we already told Landry we wouldn't ask anything that might put him at risk, or cause him a problem. So that means you can ask him how he's been lately. Nothing about Earth or the SGC." * * * * * "I don't know what's wrong with him." Sam said, cuddling Jacob and making soothing noises. "His diaper is dry." "He's probably hungry. Babies need to eat every few hours." Tammy said, reaching over and taking him from her. She sat down at the head of the table. "Are there any bottles in that bag we brought over?" "I don't know, I'll have to look." Sam said as she sat next to her. "Send someone." Tammy told her. "In the mean time, let's try this." She unbuttoned her vest and drew him closer. His mouth found her nipple, and he began suckling hungrily. "I thought it might be something like that." She said softly. "I doubt if you're lactating yet, Tammy." Andi said a moment later, holding out a small baby bottle. "But that is so beautiful." "Give Sam the bottle, she's going to feed him." Tammy said as she drew him away from her breast. Jacob's face screwed up in protest, and he began crying again. Tammy laughed as she handed him to Sam. Sam took him, cradling him in her arms as she leaned back in her chair. Bringing the bottle up to his mouth, she ran the nipple over his lips until he took it in and began sucking on it. Tammy leaned closer, smiling gently as she watched. She reached over and held the bottle as she looked up at her. "Give him your breast now, Sam. Alternate them. We want him to think he's being breast fed." Sam looked at her, then unbuttoned her vest. Tammy pulled the bottle away gently, and Sam guided his mouth to her breast before he could protest again. "Oh...ohhhhhhh." She cried softly, her eyes going wide. "I know, I felt the same thing." Tammy whispered. "It's okay. It's natural, and we need to practice anyway." "He...he's biting me! Well, more like gumming me." Sam laughed. "I don't think he cares that there's no milk, he just wants something in his mouth." "No, he wants to eat." Tammy said, easing his head away from her breast and replacing it with the bottle. Jacob began sucking again, and Sam held the bottle as she rocked him slowly. It only took a few minutes for him to finish half the bottle. He turned his head and forced the nipple out of his mouth, his breath coming in soft pants. "You need to burp him now." Tammy said as she slid out of her chair and knelt in front of them. "You're going to want a towel for that." O'Neill said from behind them. "What? " Tammy asked, looking up at him. "Take my word for it. At that age, half of what he ate is going to come right back up. Put a towel over her shoulder." Tammy reached up and grabbed a napkin off the table, shaking it out and holding it out to him. "Show me." O'Neill took the napkin and laid it across Sam's shoulder, then squatted beside her chair. "Have you ever done this?" He asked her. Sam shook her head, and Tammy reached up and lifted Jacob from her arms, handing him to O'Neill. "Show us, Jack. You seem to know what you're talking about." O'Neill took him and stood up. Sam put the napkin on his shoulder, and he laid Jacob across his chest. "You want to hold him like this, your forearm under his butt, your other hand behind his back to support him. You have to do several things at once, so pay attention." He grinned at them as they watched him carefully. "Go ahead, Jack. What do we do next?" Sam asked. "Use the arm under his butt to jiggle him, gently, just enough to get the stuff in his stomach moving around a little." He said as he started bouncing Jacob lightly. "Then you want to alternate patting him on the back, then rubbing him." He had only gotten in a few pats when Jacob made a gurgling noise as a gush of milk came from his mouth, soaking the napkin. "Wipe his mouth with the edge of the napkin, he's not done yet." O'Neill laughed. Tammy wiped around the outside of his mouth with the napkin, laughing as he turned his head, and let out a long, quiet belch. "Oh my god! That smells awful." She said as she backed away, waving her hand in front on her face. "You should have smelled what came out of the other end when I changed his diaper." O'Neill grinned. "But you get used to it. You don't even notice it after a while." He looked over at Sam. "You can move the towel now, I think he's done." He looked back and forth between them as Jacob laid his head on his chest and drifted off to sleep. "If you don't mind, he looks like he's comfortable. And I kind of like holding him. It's been a while, ya know?" "After that show, you can hold him as long as you want, Jack." Sam laughed, reaching out to stroke Jacob lightly. "Kewl. and since you're done feeding him, would you mind putting those away?" He said. "They're kind of distracting." Sam looked down and saw that her breast was still hanging out of her vest. She colored slightly as she closed her vest and buttoned it. Tammy laughed as she adjusted her clothes, then stepped over and kissed him softly on the cheek. "Well, Uncle Jack, what do you think of our little princeling? He's a cutie, ain't he?" "All babies are cute, Tammy." He said softly, running his hand lightly up and down over Jacob's back. "Ask me again in six months." Interior-Living Room 2230 Hours "What was Sam like as a baby, Jacob?" Tammy asked. She was stretched out on a couch with Jacob laying on her chest. "Terrible!" Jacob laughed. "She was colicky all the time, and would cry for days on end! And it didn't get any better when she got older, let me tell you. She went right from crying to whining, and her mother..." "Lies. Lies, damn lies, and fabrications." Sam said as she came from the bedroom. "Do not listen to anything this man tells you about me, you'll get a different story every time." "Jacob reports accurately in this case." Selmac said, taking control. "Samantha had a difficult childhood. She was sickly as an infant, and her parents feared she might not survive her first year of life." "I never knew that." Sam said as she sat on the end of the couch, lifting Tammy's feet into her lap. "All Dad would ever say was that I was a beautiful baby, and everyone loved me." "This was not a memory your father shared easily." Selmac said. "We had been together for almost a year before he would speak of it. He has the same issues with your brother." He paused, closing his eyes for a moment. Sam thought that her father was going to come back, but when he spoke again, Selmac was still in control. "This is not what I meant to speak of." He said. "When we heard that you had taken control of Atlantis, then declared your independence, the High Council discussed how we..." "No." Sam and Tammy said at the same time. Tammy waved at Sam, signaling her to continue. "We've established relations with the Jaffa, and intend on beginning trade with them as soon as we get the city geared up for that. We're thinking that we should be ready inside a year." Sam told him. "But we've also informed them that we will not welcome the Jaffa into Pegasus, not as immigrants. And when we get to that level of the discussions, we're going to tell Earth the same thing." She paused, giving him a chance to respond. When he said nothing, she continued. "The Pegasus galaxy has enough problems without importing more, even if I happen to be friends with some of them. The Jaffa are a warrior race, they're bred for it, and we have few worlds here that would stand up to a small force of Jaffa warriors, much less a heavy influx. The same goes for Earth. We're going to bring in small groups of people with skills we need for what we want to get done. But we're not going to let them dump their excess population on us. There's room in the Milky Way for that. And it's safer for them there anyway." "It would appear that you have considered this issue already." Selmac said. "We have, but to be honest, we never considered the Tok'Ra. We didn't think you would have any interest in Pegasus." Sam said. "Why would the High Council want to come here?" Selmac was silent for a long moment. "The Council has concerns about you and your people being mature enough to be trusted with the ancient technologies you have taken possession of." He said. "They have discussed the situation with the Asgard, who do not share their misgivings. But they believe that you may cause harm if allowed to continue unsupervised." "What did the Asgard have to say? Were you present for the talks?" Tammy asked. "We were, though Jacob spoke for us, being more familiar with the parties involved." Selmac said, a smile crossing his face for the first time. "The Asgard think highly of humans, and believe you to be what they call, the Fifth Race. They believe that your recent actions will speed up your evolution, to the benefit of many races." "Wow, that's high praise from them." Sam said "The Asgard made it clear, that had it been anyone besides you, Samantha, they would have stepped in and taken action already." Selmac told her. "They believe that based on their history with you, you can be trusted to act responsibly." "What were you and my father doing on Earth, Selmac?" Sam asked him, watching him closely. "We were discussing this subject with General Landry." Selmac replied. "He also has faith in you, and has reviewed your plans for what you wish to accomplish here in the Pegasus galaxy. We have read the materials your people provided to the SGC, and when I return to the Council, I will also tell them of my belief that you be allowed to proceed, without interference." "I do however, have one cause for concern, that I just became aware of." He said after a moment. "O'Neill?" Tammy asked. "It's pretty obvious that he doesn't like you people." "Yes. He has never understood, or cared for our methods. And his distaste for us makes many uncomfortable." Selmac said. "He has good reason to feel the way he does, Selmac." Sam said quietly. "You know as well as I do, that the Tok'Ra haven't exactly dealt with us as equals over the years. You've dealt with us because you had to, and we got results when you couldn't." "While this may be true, the fact that he is here, and has influence over you, will not sit well with the Council." "Well, all I can say to that is, that's just too damned bad." Sam said tightly. "Jack is one of our senior counsels, Master Bra'tac is the other. I chose them because I know and trust them, and they have proven themselves over the years." She paused, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "We are Atlantis, Tammy and I. We act as co-queens, elected by vote, and acclimation. Our people told us that this is how they wanted us to run our city after we took possession of it. They said that they wanted a monarchy, with me as it's head. I asked them to let Tammy join me in this, and they consented." "I was not aware how you came to be in the position you were in." Selmac said. "We assumed that you had simply taken charge after taking control. This will be well received by the council." "Let's go back to O'Neill." Sam said. "We chose our court and advisors based on what they could do for our city, and our people. You can tell the council that we do not care what they think, believe, or imagine, because it is none of their concern. What we do with the technologies here in Atlantis is our business, and the business of the Pegasus galaxy, no one else's." "You met Pharris, Waleen, and Arrin of the Travelers." Tammy said as she sat up and handed the baby to Sam. "They are the ruling council of the Travelers, one of the most technologically advanced races in this galaxy, after the Wraith, of course." Selmac nodded, trying not to smile. "I found the woman, Pharris, to be most unpleasant. While her acceptance of us was welcome, her incessant questioning was not." "Well, they have agreed to be our partners as we try to begin trade, and improve the quality of life for the peoples of this galaxy." She said, leaning forward. "And it may surprise you to know, that they have more ancient technology than we do, and have had it for generations. Will your council feel the need to reach out and interfere with them as well?" "Please, understand that they only wish to do what is in the best interest for all." Selmac said. "We..." "No, they want to do what is in the best interest of the Tok'Ra, they've shown that repeatedly over the years." Sam said lightly. "They don't believe that humans are smart enough to do anything without guidance. The problem is, the Tok'Ra haven't offered any guidance. They've just said, do this, this way, because I said so. Humans don't respond well to that kind of treatment." "Your father is the first host to express his dissatisfaction with our methods. I believe it is because your world had been isolated for thousands of years. Your people have a sense of independence than we find disturbing." "Well, it's an adjustment the Tok'Ra are going to have to make, because if they don't start expanding off of Earth in the next decade or so, I can guarantee that you'll see outposts from the peoples of the Pegasus galaxy. Either way, you're going to have hordes of independent humans to deal with." "You would allow the races of the Pegasus galaxy to move into the our home galaxy?" Selmac asked. "No, we're going to help them." Tammy said. "That was pretty far down on the to do list, call it a hundred years or so, but I don't see any reason why we can't move it up a little. Say, in the next two years?" "Such an action would be seen as a threat by the Tok'Ra. Other races may feel the same." "I doubt it." Sam said, lifting Jacob and laying his head on her shoulder. "The Jaffa High Council has already offered to assist us, should we need to relocate people to their worlds. They have also offered to assist in finding uninhabited worlds with stargates, should we decide to go that way." "Selmac, We've already established relations with more than a third of the races we reached out to since we declared our independence. And we've taken in almost forty thousand refugees from worlds ravaged by the Wraith. All this has taken place in only a few weeks." Tammy said, smiling brightly at him. "The people we take in are tested for the ancient gene, and those that have it are given our gene therapy, which works on roughly eighty percent of them. The ones that it takes on, are offered training with ancient teaching machines. First we teach them ancient, then we teach them how to run the equipment we need to make goods to distribute throughout the galaxy." "We're doing the same thing with the Travelers, testing and treating their people for the ancient gene, and giving them training on the equipment they think they need. Especially the warships." Sam said, looking over at Tammy. "They really seem to like their warships." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 01 "Especially the Aurora class, those big battle cruisers." Tammy laughed. "Andi says they'll have the first one manned up and ready to go early next week. She wants to start making drones for it." "Tell her I'll get with her. I want to be sure they have people trained before we start giving them drones." Sam answered. "I'll talk to Pharris, and see what she has to say." "You are arming other races here, in the Pegasus galaxy?" Selmac asked, his eyes going wide with alarm. "This is what the Council fears." "No, Selmac. We're not arming the Travelers." Sam said. "We are however, assisting them in restoring and repairing equipment they already have in their possession. As the Tok'Ra has done with Earth." "The Travelers reached out to us after a recent engagement we had with the Wraith." Tammy told him. "They had decided that based on what we had done with them against the Replicators here in Pegasus, that it was in their best interest to open relations with us. They waited until we had declared our independence, because they didn't trust our leaders on Earth. It seems many of the races here in Pegasus felt the same way." "We explained what we hoped to accomplish, and what we saw as their part in it, and offered them a partnership." Sam told him. "We're taking in the population that they can't support, and putting them to work in the cities production and manufacturing areas. It's a win/win for both of us." "This is what the Asgard said you would do." Selmac said. "Reach out and bring in others to assist you in your efforts. It is only logical that you begin with the most advanced races first." "We're working with anyone that wants our help, Selmac." Tammy said. "We can't do what we want to do without help from all our neighbors here in Pegasus. More than half of our new citizens came from worlds that had populations of less than a thousand people. We're taking in the ones that can't fend for themselves, offering them our hospitality and a safe haven." She smiled, leaning forward on the couch. "And word is spreading, Selmac. Just like we knew it would. As more people hear about what we're doing here in Atlantis, and what we did to the Wraith, they're reaching out to us, and asking if they can join us." "We're waiting to hear from the Genii, the strongest race militarily." Sam said as she stood up. "I'm going to lay him in our bed, or do you think we should keep him in here with us?" She asked Tammy. "He'll be fine in there. But bring my tablet back with you, so we can watch him. It's on my desk." Sam nodded and walked into the bedroom. "You have taken great strides in the short time you have been in control here." Selmac said, shaking his head. "This was not expected. No matter what the Council decides, I believe that it may already be too late for them to have any significant impact." "I agree." Sam said as she came out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch next to Tammy. She handed her the tablet, and looked over at Selmac. "And to ensure that they will have no impact on what we're doing, I'm going to have you scanned before you leave, so we can adjust the cities life signs detectors to look for Goa'uld and Tok'Ra lifeforms on a regular basis." "I was going to suggest that." Tammy said as she tapped on her tablet, then held it up so Sam could see it. "That really is not necessary, Samantha." Selmac said. "We wi..." "That's bullshit, Selmac. The Tok'Ra are infiltrators, and not to be indelicate, but you're all a bunch of sneaky little fuckers, with your little plots and plans. I wouldn't trust any of you as far as I could throw this planet." "That was uncalled for, Sam." Jacob said. "Selmac has been being honest with you, and..." "And we've been being honest with him as well." Sam answered. "And you need to tell their High Council, that the Tok'Ra are not welcome, or needed in the Pegasus galaxy. We'll make our own mistakes, at our own pace, with the people that are going to be affected by them." She grinned at him and added. "I'll put that in writing, or you can take the video with you, if you think you might forget any of it." "That's no way to speak to your father, young lady." Jacob pouted, slouching down on the couch. "I don't think either of you really understands what's happening here." She said as she got up and went over to stand in front of him. She held out her hand to him. "Come with me, Dad. I want to show you something." She turned and looked at Tammy. "You come too, hon. You helped make it happen." Tammy grinned as she got up and followed them into the city side bedroom, turning the lights off as she came in. Sam led her father over to the window wall, and stood looking out over the city for a moment. Nearly all the towers were lit, and every building had at least a few lights burning. The city glowed like a gem against the night sky. She reached out and took Tammy's hand before she spoke. "That's our city, Dad." She said softly. "Six weeks ago, only a thousand people lived here, and only the central tower was occupied or used. It was going to waste." She paused, letting him absorb what she'd said. "Today, there's fifty thousand people living and working here. We're using more than a third of the shops and factories already, and more come online every day. And our people are happy, Dad. They feel safe, and they feel like they're doing something worthwhile." She turned and looked at him, and her voice broke as she tried to speak again. Tammy came up behind her, putting her arms around her waist. "Aren't you proud of her, Jacob? Don't you think we're doing a good thing here?" She asked over Sam's shoulder. She smiled as she added, "Think about it, Jacob. Your daughter is queen of all she surveys, and she is much loved by her people." "And you two did this, together." Jacob said softly, unable to take his eyes off the view before him. "We had a little help, but yes, it was our idea." Sam whispered. "I don't think proud covers it, baby." Jacob said, still not looking at them. "I was going to say something before we left...no, really, I was. But this. I don't think I understood before...the scale of it all." Tears were running down his cheeks when he turned to face them. "God, I wish your mother was here to see this. She'd know what to say right now." Tears burst from Sam's eyes as she threw herself into her father's arms, pulling Tammy along with her. Hugging him tightly with one arm, her face buried in his chest, she squeezed Tammy's hand as she pulled her around beside them. "I think you said the right thing." Tammy said softly as she put her arms around them both. "Shut up." Sam laughed, "You're spoiling the moment." Interior-Bedroom 0015 Hours Both Jacob and Landry had been scanned, Jacob to get a usable lifeform scan of the Tok'Ra, and Landry to see if he was carrying a symbiote. Both Sam and Tammy were relieved when they were told he was clean. They had been put in separate suites in the North Tower for the night, with half a dozen marines outside each door. Squads of marines patrolled the floors above and below the one they were on. When they had the scan of Selmac, Tammy called Zelenka and ordered him to program the cities life signs detector to include it, and to have the system set for hourly sweeps, with a lockdown protocol in place. They were laying in bed now, with baby Jacob between them. "I can't get her out of my mind." Sam said, looking over at Tammy. "What the hell happened over there? Why would someone want to kill them?" "I don't know, Sam." Tammy said softly, not taking her eyes off the baby. "But she gave us a gift, and a tremendous responsibility. We're going to raise her son for her, and hopefully, help him become a man she would be proud of." Sam smiled, and Tammy smiled back. "What are you thinking?" She asked. "I like that smile." "I didn't...I can't believe how good it felt when he was nursing on my nipple!" Sam giggled, her face turning bright red. "I know, I wasn't expecting it either." Tammy laughed. "I guess it's just going to be a bonus, because I really think we should alternate between breast and bottle when we feed him. Kids that breast feed just do better. There's statistics on it and everything." "And can you believe, O'Neill?" She said. "If he hadn't said something, junior here would have barfed all over you. I didn't know that newborns did that. I mean, I know babies puke and all, but he knew that it was a done deal. He didn't even flinch when it happened." "He had a son." Sam said softly. "His name was Charlie. He died before Jack joined the program. I guess there's some things you just don't forget." Tammy reached out and took Sam's hand, looking at her with a soft smile on her face. "You don't want to wait till after the coronation, do you?" Sam smiled. "I don't either, I don't want him to be an only child." "We can talk to Jennifer in the morning. She wants to do it in vitro, and I thinks that's a good idea. We'll only have to wait a day or two." Sam smiled as she nodded. "We're starting our family." She said softly. "I'm so happy right now." "I know, so am I." Tammy said. She looked down at Jacob, stroking his back gently. "What do you think of that, little man? We're going to make you a brother and sister to grow up with. Pretty kewl, huh?" (-) So ends Chapter One of Book Three, Changes. Read Chapter Two to see what happens next. Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process... Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 02 Another unexpected visitor shatters the calm of the city...and his appearance brings out Carter's dark side. A new character is added, Steven (Cisco) Carter. I see Gerard Butler in the role, mainly because he projects the attitude I wanted, and has a kewl accent... (-) Confirming Carter3 Changes02 The Next Day Interior-Gateroom 0650 Hours The vortex burst from the gate, consuming the makeshift pyre they had put up, along with the body. As the vortex receded, a man stepped from the gate. "Whore!" He shouted, his face twisting into a mask of rage as he drew a handgun, pointing it at Carter as he began firing. "Don't kill him, we need him alive." Tammy shouted as she pushed Sam to the floor, covering her body with her own. Her hand pawed at the personal shield as they tumbled off the platform. Ronin stepped forward, his own gun whining as he set it to stun. Weapons fire sounded from all around him as the marines opened up on the man. Walking forward slowly, he fired again and again, not taking his eyes off the man until he lay limp on the floor. "Are you and the colonel okay, Tammy?" He called, glancing over at where he had last seen them. He kicked the body lying on the floor in front of him, rolling it over. He kept his gun trained on it the whole time. "I...I took a hit...I couldn't get my shield up. Sam...Sam's okay." Tammy panted, rolling off of Sam onto the floor. "You're hit?" Sam cried out as she scrambled to her knees beside her. "Where, baby? Oh god." she moaned as she saw blood soaking Tammy's vest, just above her waist. "I need a med team in here right now!" She shouted as she ripped Tammy's vest open, and felt around the wound. She looked up at the marine closest to her. "I mean now, goddamn it! Move!" "They're on the way, colonel. They'll be here in two minutes." He said calmly, pushing her aside as he knelt beside her, then pulled a battle dressing from his flak jacket and tore it open. "Roll her toward me so I can get this on the wound." He said as he shook it out, then pressed it to her side, applying pressure. "What's your name?" She asked him as she sat back on her heels, watching him work. "Carter, ma'am. Steven Carter." He said. "No relation." "Did you shoot at him?" She asked. "Two hits. Hip and thigh." He said as he lifted the dressing and looked at the wound. He smiled as he glanced over at her. "In and out, it just grazed her." His face got hard again and he added, "I'm sorry ma'am, I had to pull low when she yelled not to kill him. That let him get off more shots." "You did your job. Thank you." She said softly, leaning over and kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I'm sorry, Sam." Tammy groaned, trying to sit up. "I should have had the shield on. Thank god you did." "I know, he scored two hits on me, both center chest." "Oh god." Tammy gasped, tears rolling down her face. "It's ok, baby. We're both gonna be okay." She said softly, brushing her hair away from her face. She looked up at Ronin as he stood over the man's body. "Is he alive, Ronin?" "He's alive. How's Tammy?" "Flesh wound. It looks like it just grazed her." He nodded, his face clouding up with anger. "What do you want me to do with this?" He asked, kicking the man as he began to stir. "Take him to detention. I'll be with you as soon as I can." She said as the med team came up behind her. "I want to know what's the hell is going on, but there's something I have to do first." "Carter." She said, looking back over her shoulder as she strode across the gateroom. "You and your squad, on me." * * * * * Sgt. Carter stood with his back to her as he waited at the door to her office. Sam was at her desk, going through the logs of the STM bridge. Her face paled as she saw the entries in the logs matched the gate events. There was no doubt that it was the bridge that was causing all this. She got up, and moving quickly, she pushed past Carter and went into the kitchen, digging in drawers for the biggest knife she could find. She ran the blade across the back of her arm to test the edge. "Colonel?" Carter said softly behind her. "What?" She grunted as she pulled open another drawer, looking for a whetstone. "If you want that knife for what I think you do..." "Shut up marine." She grunted, looking back over her shoulder at him. She stopped, then turned around when she saw what he was holding in his hand. "This'll do a better job for what you have in mind than anything you have in here." He said quietly, holding his fighting knife out to her, butt first. "Bowie. Not standard issue." She said as she took it and turned it in her hand. She smiled at him, then turned and walked out of the kitchen. "Come on. I'm going to ask that asshole some questions." * * * * * "He's not going to last long if we don't get someone to look at him." Ronin said as she walked into the detention center. "He doesn't have to." Sam grunted as she stared at the man in the cell. He was kneeling, bound hand and foot. A short piece of wood spread his knees apart, and a long pole ran up his back to keep him upright. "Open the door." "Are you sure?" Ronin asked, then hit the control as she glared at him over her shoulder. "Who are you?" She asked the man as she backhanded him in the face with the butt of the bowie knife, knocking him backward and making him topple to one side. Stepping over him, she grabbed him by the hair and jerked him up, getting him settled back on his knees. "Who are you?" She asked again. She drew the knife back, getting ready for another swing. "Sulan Qint, Knight of Atlantis." He shouted at her. He spat a mouthful of blood at her. "But you know that, you witch whore! I served you faithfully before you betrayed us!" "Who wants us dead? And why." She leaned down, her lips brushing his ear. "And if you call me whore again, I'll cut your balls off and let you wear them for earrings." "It doesn't matter what you do to me, witch." He grunted, staring up at her. "The Dorquan will see you dead before this is through. Your demon spawn as well." "Who is this Dorquan, and why does he want us dead?" She asked as she squatted in front of him and dug the blade of the knife into one of the wounds on his leg. Qint screamed, and she pulled the blade back and stood up. "I asked you a question. Who and why. Tell me, or I start cutting off pieces." "You know, but I'll play your game witch." He groaned. "The Dorquan decreed that you and the child must die when it was discovered that you had mated with a demon, replacing your husband's legitimate heir!" "And you believed that bullshit?" She laughed. "Where the fuck are you from, Oz?" "Ronin, my brother knight, I beg you! Slay this witch and her demon spawn so our people will know peace." Qint cried out suddenly. "Why do you serve her? You kno..." Carter backhanded him across the mouth with the butt of the knife again, sending blood and teeth flying across the room. "Shut up!" She screamed as she kicked at him. "He serves me because it is just and right that he serve me you piece of shit! Now tell me why your master wants her dead!" Qint fell in a heap on the floor, staring at her. "You..." "You're finally getting it, huh asshole?" She whispered harshly. "This isn't your Atlantis. You jumped into a different universe on your way to wherever you were going." She leaned closer, her face a mask of hate. "But I'll tell you this. You succeeded. She's dead, we were having her funeral when you came through the gate and started shooting up my city." She leaned even closer, her hands resting on either side of him, her face inches from his. "But you only did half the job. The child lives." She paused, smiling down at him as his eyes got wide. "That's right. And I'm going to raise him as my own, as I hope my sister would do for me." She stood up, holding her hand out behind her as she looked down at him. "I'm going to kill you now. Not because you killed her, but because you shot my wife you piece of shit!" She said, her voice rising to a shriek. She kicked him again, looking back as Ronin put his gun in her hand. "Thank you." She said softly. "What's it set to?" "It'll do what you want to do." Ronin said softly as he stepped back. She nodded as she stepped right up over Qint, her feet straddling his body. She looked down at him, her eyes blazing with hate. "If you thought she was a witch, you ain't seen nuthin yet, asshole." She said quietly. "After I kill you, I'm going to go kill your precious Dorquan, your family, your world. I'm going to go kill your whole fucking universe. And when her son is old enough to understand, I'm going to tell him about you, and how I avenged his mother." She stared him in the eye as she raised the gun and fired point blank at his face. The blast disintegrated his head, sending pieces of flesh and shards of bone flying in all directions. Her next shot hit him at the neckline, and she continued firing, working her way down the body until it fell in half. She started shooting at the pieces, moving the gun from side to side. Ronin stepped over and grabbed the gun, jerking it from her hand. "He's dead, colonel. You can stop now." He said gently, putting his arm around her shoulders and leading her out of the cell. "I'm not done yet." She said as she shook him off and walked quickly toward the porter. "Come with me, both of you." The rest of Carter's squad was waiting for them just outside the detention area, and they stared at her as she strode passed them. She stopped at the porter and looked at the marines. "Give us your weapons and ammo, and go back to your quarters." She said as she looked from man to man. "What happened in there, colonel? Are you okay?" A corporal asked, staring at her. She looked down, noticing for the first time that she was covered in blood. "I'm fine." She said smiling at him. "It's not mine." "You heard the queen! Weapons and ammo, now." Carter barked, holding out his hands. He looked at one on the end and added, "Wilson, gimme your flak jacket, you're not gonna need it." He looked back over his shoulder at Ronin. "I'm good, but thanks." Ronin said as he took weapons from the marines, handing one back to Sam. When they'd collected everything, they stepped into the porter and Ronin keyed in the code for her suite. He grabbed her arm, stopping her as the doors opened. "Take off your clothes." He said as she looked up at him. "You'll get blood all over everything if you don't." She nodded and ripped her vest open, shrugging it off, then opened the button on her pants and pushed them down. She looked down, then wiped her feet on the wad of clothes on the floor. She looked at Carter as she stepped out. "Hold the porter. I'll be right back." Ronin followed her into the office, and stood watching as she worked at the keyboard of her ancient terminal. "Are you really going to do it?" He asked her quietly. "Do what?" She asked him, looking up at him with a bland expression on her face. He nodded, and stepped over by the door, letting her work. A few minutes later, she stood up and took his hand as she went out the door. "Yes, I am." She said quietly. "Good." Was all he said. They joined Carter in the porter, and she tapped out the symbols for the gateroom. When the doors opened, He stepped in front of her and held up the flak jacket. "Put this on." He said, holding it out to her. "I'm not letting you go into a firefight butt naked." He glanced over at Ronin. Ronin nodded, then squatted down, picking up her vest and lifting the shield pendant from it. He handed it to her, and she pressed it to her skin. It began to glow as she ran her fingers down the center of it. "I'm good." She said as she brushed him aside and walked over in front of the gate. She turned and looked up at the techs on the balcony. "Open the gate, it doesn't matter what address. And give me an open channel. Squeeze as many frequencies onto it as you can." "Yes, ma'am." The tech answered and a moment later, the gate began to dial. "Clear the gateroom. Everybody out." She said, looking around. "I'll let you know when you can come back" The last tech was stepping into the porter as the seventh symbol locked on the gate. A moment later, the vortex burst into the room. "Fan out, three meter spread." She said, reaching up and touching her ear. "I don't know what's going to...damn, I need a comm." "Here." Carter said, tossing his over to her. "I want that back." She put the comm on and pressed the button on it, waiting for the beep. When she heard it, she stepped forward, her arms spread wide, and shouted at the gate. "Dorquan! I am Samantha Carter, Queen of Atlantis, and I come to avenge my sister, who you have unjustly murdered! Come face me you coward, or face a death you cannot escape!" She looked at the men on either side of her. "Shoot anything that comes through the gate. Don't give them a chance." Both men nodded, guns at the ready. "I'm waiting for you, Dorquan." She said, stepping closer to the gate. "Come face me. Or do you need your minions to do that for you." "What of the child?" A calm voice asked a moment later. "Does it live?" She froze, her heart skipping a beat. "He lives, and I will raise him as my own. I believe she would do the same for me." "You did not know her. But perhaps you are right, filth begets filth, and clings together." "Why. I would know why she had to die. It seems such a pointless death." "She displeased me, and I grew tired of her. As I grow tired of you." The voice said in her ear. She took a step toward the portal, then gasped as she felt a hand grip her arm, pulling her back. She looked over her shoulder, and saw Ronin looking at her. 'Trap', he mouthed, pulling her further back. She nodded, and turned back toward the gate. "I'm sure she tired of you long before..." "SILENCE!" The voice shouted. "What have you done witch? How is this possible? What magic do you use..." "There are many forms of magic, little man. What you are seeing is but one." She said calmly. "You will be dead before the portal closes, long before, I would think, but I'm going to wait to make sure." "How? No such magic exists." the voice said. "Not in your reality. But I have reached out and touched yours from mine. A fateful accident. But one with dire consequences. For you." "Stop this! I am Dorq..." "And I am Samantha Carter, Queen of Atlantis. I come to avenge my sister. You don't fuck with my family." she said softly. There was no response, so she stood, waiting patiently. Before she knew it, the gate shut down on its own. She turned and looked at Ronin. "Has it been thirty-eight minutes already?" He nodded, coming over and taking the guns from her hands, handing them to Carter. "Come on." He said, taking her by the hand. "Let's go the infirmary, they should have Tammy patched up by now." * * * * * Jennifer spotted her as they walked into the infirmary. She hurried over, pointing at her office. Carter started to walk by her, but Jennifer stepped in front of her, stopping her. "Go in my office Sam." She said softly, looking over her shoulder at Ronin, then back at Sam. "Tammy is fine. It was a clean wound, no damage to any organs. But we need to get you cleaned up, and get you some clothes before you see her." Sam looked at her, then nodded and stepped into the office with Ronin. Sgt. Carter stopped and stood in front of the door, looking around as he held his weapon at the ready. Jennifer went over to a cabinet and pulled down a set of scrubs, then got a box of wipes and a bottle of antiseptic, and went into her office, closing the door behind her. "Sit down, and don't give me any shit." She said as she pushed Sam back onto the couch. She knelt in front of her, tossing the scrubs onto the couch as she tore open the box of wipes. "I don't know what you've been doing, but I'm not letting Tammy see you like this." Pulling a handful of wipes from the box, she poured antiseptic over them, then began wiping the blood from her face. "Thank you, Jennifer. You're a good friend." Sam said softly, sitting quietly as she let her work. "This isn't your blood." Keller said, dropping the wad of wipes on the floor. "No." Sam said. Keller looked at her as she began cleaning her neck, then moved down to her hands. She looked up at Ronin. "There's a brush in my top desk drawer, left side." She said. "Get it for me?" Ronin nodded, and moved around behind the desk. He found the brush, and came back, standing quietly behind her. "Can you tell me what happened?" Jennifer asked, pulling Sam forward so she could wipe some blood off her shoulder. She examined her quickly as she cleaned her, relieved when she found no wounds. "A man came through the gate, and started shooting." Sam said quietly. "I know about that. What happened after?" Keller said, reaching over and picking up the scrub top. She shook it out and handed it to her. "How did you get all this blood all over you?" "Need to know, Jenn." Carter said as she took the top and pulled it over her head. "You don't." She stood up and grabbed the pants, stepping into them, then holding her hand out to Ronin for the brush. She ran it through her hair quickly, then shook her head, and looked at Keller, handing her the brush. "Take me to her." * * * * * "Tammy?" She said quietly as she stepped up next to the bed, taking her hand in hers. "Hi baby." Tammy smiled groggily, squeezing her hand. "I'm so sorry. I should have had my shield on. It was stup..." "Shhhhh, it's okay. You're going to be okay." Sam whispered as she leaned down and kissed her forehead. "That's all that matters, so don't think about it anymore." "Did he tell you anything?" Tammy asked her. Sam nodded and smiled softly. "Who and why. It was pointless, and sad." She shook her head as tears ran down her cheeks. "It was such a waste, love." "What are we going to do?" Tammy asked her. "It's done. We won't be hearing from them again." Sam told her. Tammy looked at her for a moment, then nodded. "Thank you." "I did it for all of us." Sam said, her voice cracking as she spoke. "But mostly for her. She deserved better." "Sam?" Jennifer said as she came up behind her. "We need to let her rest. The meds should wear off in a couple hours, and I'll let you take her home then. But for now, I want her to try to sleep." "Yes ma'am." Sam said, looking down at Tammy and squeezing her hand. She leaned down and kissed her gently, then looked back at Keller. "Call me when I can come get her, Jenn." "Go sweetie, you have things you have to do." Tammy said. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in a little while." Sam nodded, then turned and walked away. Ronin followed, and as she passed Carter at the infirmary door, he heard her say, "Come with me." Interior-Kitchen 0845 Hours She told them to wait for her in the kitchen as she stepped out of the porter and went into her bedroom. Pulling off the scrubs, she went into the bathroom, showering quickly, then getting fresh clothes from her closet. Still buttoning her vest as she walked into her office, she moved behind her desk and checked the STM bridge. The bridge had collapsed, because the universe it had been connected to no longer existed. She looked at the screen for a moment, watching the 'No Target Selected' message flash, then shut the system down, and turned off the terminal. Opening her desk drawer, she picked up her spoon and moved out from behind her desk. She walked out the door and down the hall to the kitchen. Most of the court was gathered in the kitchen when she walked in. She looked around, then stepped over next to Ronin and Carter. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 02 "I need the room." She said. "We'll be with you shortly." She waited as they filed out, then turned to face Carter. Ronin glanced down, and saw that she had her spoon in her hand. "You stood by me today, defending my city and my love." She said softly. "I didn't do it alone, colonel." He said, meeting her gaze. "After...what we did...after." She said, stepping closer to him. Ronin put his hand on Carter's shoulder, pushing down lightly. Carter looked at him and Ronin nodded. "Join us, in the brotherhood." Carter stared at him, then dropped to one knee in front of her. "Steven Carter, in recognition of your service to us, we wish to reward you with honors befitting your loyalty and your deeds. Do you accept this honor, and pledge to serve us faithfully and well?" "Always, my queen." he said quietly, his head bowed. She reached out with her spoon, and laid it gently on each of his shoulders. "Rise, Sir Steven." She said. "Welcome to the Knighthood of Atlantis. May we serve each other well." She took him in her arms as he got to his feet. "Thank you." She whispered as she drew back. "My sister will do her part when she returns. For now, let me introduce you to the family." * * * * * "Knights of Atlantis, stand forward." She said as they came into the living room. The four officers stepped away from the group and assembled before her. Ronin stepped past her and joined them. "Gentlemen, allow me to present your brother, Sir Steven Carter. Please make him welcome to the Knighthood." The officers came to attention, with Ronin imitating them. They saluted as a group, then dropped it and gathered around him, drawing him off to the side. "What di..." Caldwell began, but Ronin cut him off. "He was rewarded for service to his queens, and our city." He said softly. "I was there, he's worthy of it. That's all you need to know." Carter came up behind them, joining the circle. "I said make him welcome, not run off with him." She said lightly. She looked over at Carter, smiling softly. "Now I need to figure out what to do with you. I like to keep my knights close." "I need a captain of the guard." Ronin said. "Someone I can trust." "And?" She asked, her smile widening. "I want him." "Steven?" She said, then shook her head. "That's not going to work. I already have a Stephen. And we can't just call you Carter, that will be confusing too." "Cisco. My friends call me Cisco, ma'am." he told her. "That fits." She laughed. "Especially with that big ass..." She stopped, staring at him. "Oh my god, Your knife! What did I do..." "You gave it back to me. But you still have my comm." He told her. "And you said you wanted it back." She said, reaching up and pulling it off, holding it out to him. "I finally got one that worked." He said as he took it and put it on. "I just don't want to jinx it." "Can you tell us what happened?" Caldwell asked her. "We heard that a man came through the gate and started shooting at you, and that Tammy got hit." She nodded at him. "That about covers it." She said. "Ronin and Cisco's team took him out. I know how it happened, and it will never happen again." "This has something to do with Prince Jacob, doesn't it?" Caldwell said, "There's more to this that you're not telling us. We can't..." "Jacob and his mother...my sister, along with the intruder this morning were intercepted and brought here by my STM bridge." She said, looking at him. "I've taken steps to ensure that it won't happen again. Including shutting down the bridge. We really don't need it right now, so it's not a hardship." Caldwell opened his mouth, and she glared at him. "The situation has been dealt with, Stephen." She said, cutting him off. "We won't need to speak of this again." She looked at each of them. "Is that understood? "Yes, ma'am." They all said. "Ronin, Cisco. A moment if you will?" She said, then walked over to the windows. "Ronin," She said as they came up behind her. "Get with Andi, and get him quarters near you. Introduce him to your teams, and get him into the rotation. I want you two to split the teams between you. One of you will be on at all times." She paused, then turned, smiling at them. "I'm sorry, Cisco. But you need to audition." She glanced over at Ronin. "We'll do it in the morning. Let me know when you're ready. Make sure you bring Amelia." Ronin nodded. She saw Sheppard heading toward them, and she met him halfway. "John, I'm sorry, but..." "We need to talk." He said. "Can we go in your office?" She looked at him for a moment, then nodded. She led the way, closing the door behind them. Sheppard held out a flash drive. "I watched the video feeds from the gateroom and the detention center. I copied them onto this, and deleted them from the servers. No one else needs to know what happened this morning." She stared at him, then took the drive and slipped it into her pocket. "Did anything happen here? Did you talk to..." "No. Nothing that anyone can use to make a connection, even Andi." She said. "The most they'll see is me working at my terminal, and you can't see what I'm doing on it. There's no audio in this room either." Sheppard nodded. "Good. I'll discharge Carter, and get him transferred over to Ronin. We should do that quickly. What do you want to do about the rest of his team?" "Nothing, they don't know anything. The most they can say is they saw me with some blood on me." She said. "Promote one of them to sergeant, we should keep them together." He nodded again and stepped toward the door. "John?" He turned and looked at her. "Did I do..." "Don't start second guessing yourself now." He said, coming back to stand in front of her. "It's done. Would I have done the same thing? Yes. My only regret is you didn't get to watch the bastard die." She nodded, looking down at the floor. Lifting her chin with his fingers so her eyes met his, he looked at her, then said, "Put this behind you. We need you. Our people need you, and Tammy is going to need you. Don't dwell on this. It's done, and we need to move forward." Interior-Floor 140, North Tower 0940 Hours "As captain of the guard, you'll report directly to Ronin. He'll give you duty assignments and brief you on what may be going on with the queens, or anything else you need to be aware of." Andi said as she led him into the suite. "This is a city view. There's two other open suites on this floor, so if you don't like this one, we can look at one of the others..." "After two years in an open bay with twenty other guys, this is fine." Cisco said, looking around. He turned back to her after a moment. "When can I expect to report for duty? And when will I meet the guards?" He asked. "You won't go into the rotation until Ronin and Amelia give you an audition." She said. "You're going to have to prove yourself to them before they'll let you go out with the queens." He nodded. "The colonel mentioned that. She says she wants to do it in the morning." "She's planning on being there?" Samuels asked, looking at him closely. "I wasn't expecting that. You must have impressed her. Just what happened this morning? I went to look at the video from the gateroom, and it had been deleted." "I'm not at liber..." He began. "Sergeant, I'm the foreign minister of Atlantis, and I've been in on this from day one." She said. "When I ask you what's going on in the city, you tell me, is that understood?" "Yes ma'am, I understand." He said carefully. "But you'll need to take this up with the colonel. I'm sure she'll tell you whatever she thinks you need to know." Samuels nodded, staring at him. She looked down at her tablet, then pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and handed it to him. "This has your access code on it, you need it to get in and out of the royal residence, that's building fifty-eight on the southwest pier. The first set of symbols will get you into the colonel's suite. The next one is for your quarters. We're on floor one forty of the north tower. The conference room is up on forty-four. The last set of symbols is for the east tower. That's the formal dining room. With me so far?" "Yes ma'am." He said, nodding as he looked at the slip of paper "You and Ronin will be on call twenty-four seven." She told him. "He's been doing twenty hour days since he started, and I'm amazed at how well he's holding up. You can work out a division of labor, but one of the first things I'd like you to do is work with him on how we do things, and teach him how to use our computers. I'm not sure he knows how." She paused, then smiled at him. "You can expect to put in some long days for the next few weeks. The colonel and Tammy are going to want to have you around so they can get used to you, and I'm sure Ronin is going to have you working with the guards, either teaching them what you know, or catching up to them." "So how did you get the name Cisco?" She asked, changing the subject abruptly. "Got anything to do with the Cisco Kid? You a cowboy or something?" "No ma'am." He laughed. "My dad works at Cisco. And when I first got here, he was sending me care packages from their mailroom. They let employees ship free to military family members. So every time I'd get a package, the sergeant would yell 'Cisco', and it stuck." "That's precious!" Samuels laughed. "And I think we're done for now. Why don't you go get your gear and bring it over here. Sam is visiting with her father, and Tammy is still in the infirmary. I'm pretty sure it'll be a couple hours before we need you. But keep your comms on, and plan on joining them for dinner." Interior-Guest Quarters, North Tower 1000 Hours "I'm sorry I couldn't get over sooner, Dad." Carter said as she came into the suite. "It's just been a busy morning." She walked over and hugged him quickly, then went over and sat down on a couch. "It looks like it." Jacob said as he came over and sat beside her. "Selmac and I have been going over what we talked about last night, and we have some ideas." He glanced over at Ronin and the marines standing by the door. "Can we speak privately?" "We are speaking privately, Dad." She said. "I trust these men with my life. None of them will repeat anything they hear." "I see." He said. "So you don't trust us either." "Dad, I haven't seen you in over a year, and before you found out about the stargate program, I was a disappointment to you because I didn't want to be an astronaut, and fly on the shuttle." "That's not tru..." "Yes, Dad. It is. But I'm over it, and I like having you in my life again, accepting what I'm doing. It makes me feel good. But to be honest, I don't trust the Tok'Ra anymore than they trust me. That's why I can't be alone with you." "You believe that I would try to blend with you." Selmac said, taking control. "I'm just not sure, Selmac. And I don't want to put you in the position where you might be tempted." She said. "I've always liked you, as an individual. You have a better sense of humor than most Tok'Ra I've met. And I'll always be in your debt for what you've done for my father." "I owe you a debt as well, and if only for that, I would never blend with you without your consent." He said. "But I understand that you must protect yourself, and your people. I take no offense." "Good." She said, leaning back on the couch. "My Dad said you had some ideas. And can I have him back? I really need someone to rub my feet for me, and..." "Martouf enjoyed having his feet rubbed as well." Selmac said, a small smile on his face. He held out his hands as he slid back on the couch. "If I may? I can assure you that your father does not enjoy this activity. He believes it to be unsanitary." "Knock yourself out." She grinned, twisting on the couch so she was leaning back against the armrest. She lifted her feet into his lap and sighed happily as he began rubbing them gently. "Given what we saw last night, and I must admit, the view of your city, lit as it was, was magnificent." He said as he massaged the ball of one foot. "But what you told us about your plans, with what the Asgard have told us, has convinced me that our best course of action is to leave you alone, and let you progress at your own pace. This is what I will tell the High Council." "I'm glad to hear that." She said, sighing as he increased the pressure on her foot. "But you said basically the same thing last night, you just didn't commit to it. I haven't heard anything new yet." "You mentioned establishing trade with the Jaffa." He said. "We know that you can deliver goods to anywhere in the Milky Way galaxy, but trade implies an exchange of goods and services, or compensation for goods delivered. How were you planning on moving goods from my galaxy to this one?" "That's one of the issues we're still looking at." She said. "And to be honest, it's our biggest roadblock. We're still trying to figure it out." "The ancients left many outposts in both galaxies, perhaps if one could be located and restored, it could be used as a gateway of sorts." He said. "That's a great idea. Do you know of any outposts like that?" She said. "Having you assist in locating some of those outposts would go a long way toward convincing me that we can work together, as partners." "I do not have specific knowledge of any at the moment." He said. "But should the council know of any, why would they wish share that information, given your reluctance to allow them into this galaxy." "Well, to begin with, I wouldn't expect them to do it out of the goodness of their hearts. I'd be willing to compensate them, probably in the form of technology and research. I might even throw in training with our ancient teaching machines if they got me a really good one." "That is an attractive offer, and I will pass it along to the council." He said. "But I fear that it still may not be enough. They will wish to be active participants in any venture you establish between our galaxies." "Well, the best I can do there would be to make them my agents in the Milky Way. They can act as brokers, managing the network on their end." "The High Council will not accept simply being merchants, and shopkeepers." Selmac said. She lifted her feet from his lap and sat up on the couch. She smiled at him as she spoke again. "Let's put it all on the table, shall we? I don't need the Tok'Ra. I already have the Jaffa looking for ancient outposts for me. And their asking price isn't anywhere near as high as yours is. Sometime in the next few months, we'll normalize relations with Earth, and you can bet they already have teams out scouring the galaxy for outposts. They both need me to provide them ZPM's to power them, and my asking price for that is full control, with no interference. My people run them, and I say who and what goes through them. They'll both give it to me, and you know it." "What you say is true. Both the humans and the Jaffa will be eager to deal with you on your terms. They would both benefit immensely." He said. "I fear that the Tok'Ra will be left behind as other races do business with you." "Then your people think less of themselves than I gave them credit for." She said. "With the last of the system lords out of the picture, the Tok'Ra have access to more Goa'uld technology than anyone in your galaxy. And you not only know what and where it is, you know how to use it." "What are you suggesting, that the Tok'Ra do as you seek to do, and distribute Goa'uld technology to any that ask for it?" "Not quite. I'm saying that you should use the technology you have to help people live better lives, not try to tell people how to live their lives." She stood up and stretched, then looked back down at him. "Tell me something, Selmac. Why did the Tok'Ra begin fighting the Goa'uld in the first place? I thought it was because you objected to how they treated the people under their control, that you wanted to help free them. Was I wrong? I was there when they found Egeria on Pangara. She was proud of what your people had accomplished fighting the Goa'uld. What would she think if she knew that you were making moves to replace them?" "That is not what we are doing, Samantha..." "That's what it sounded like to me last night. The first thing you said was that the High Council had concerns about humans having control of ancient technology. That told me that they wanted to limit our development, just like the Goa'uld did with the rest of the galaxy." "Yes, I can see how you would interpret it that way, but that is not what was meant." He said. "We only wish to prevent you from making mistakes that will cause harm. Not just to the Tok'Ra, but to the galaxy itself." "But what gives you the right to make those decisions? The fact that you've been running around the galaxy longer then we have? You didn't make any of the technology you use. You stole it from the Goa'uld, who stole it from the people that developed it. We came into possession of technology abandoned by its creators. That falls under the law of finders keepers in my book. I'm doing the same thing you did, and you want to tell me I can't. That's just not right." She paused to catch her breath. "There's one more thing I want you to tell the council for me." She said. "Tell them not to confuse experience with wisdom. And remind them that the capacity for intelligence, doesn't guarantee it. Just because you're older than I am, and genetically disposed to be more intelligent than I am, doesn't mean that you're smarter or wiser. Tell them to think about that." "Wow, you knocked his socks off baby. " Jacob laughed. "The Asgard were right about you. And I think we're going to have to get you to meet with the High Council, that's the only way we're going to get your case across." "I'll do a video conference anytime they want, we do it with Earth all the time." She said as she walked over to Ronin. "Comm." She said, holding out her hand. "Carter to Cisco." She said as she put the headset on. "Go on Cisco." He answered immediately. "What are you doing?" "I'm putting my gear away ma'am." "Good, what do you think of the new place?" she asked. "It's nice, and the view is great." He said. "I'm going to have to stock up, the cupboard is bare." "We'll take care of that." She laughed. "Meet me in the infirmary in ten minutes. We're doing lunch with my Dad and Landry, and I want them to meet you. I also want to spend some time with you." "Yes ma'am, I'll be there." "Dress is casual. You won't be wearing a uniform anymore, so wear your civvies till we get you something else." "Yes, ma'am." He said. "Anything else?" "That's all for now. Carter out." She handed the comm back to Ronin and turned back to Jacob. "I have to go down to the infirmary for a few minutes, Dad." She said lightly. "Ronin is going to take you over to the house, and when I get back, we can eat lunch before I send you and Gen. Landry home." She turned to Ronin and grinned. "Have Landry brought over to the house, and call ahead and have someone order food. You can go ahead and start eating, I don't know how long this is going to take." He nodded, smiling as she moved towards the door, motioning to the three marines. "You three, on me." She said as she walked through the doorway. Interior-Infirmary 1140 Hours "Jenn?" She said, standing in the door of Keller's office. "Sam. I was just about to call you." Jennifer said, standing up and coming around from behind the desk. "How is she?" "Oh, she's fine." Jennifer said as she led her out the door. "The bullet went in and out through the transverse abdominis on her right side, here." She said, running her hand over her own side just over her hip. "She's going to be sore for a few days, but she's in no danger. It never got close to a major organ." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 02 "So can I take her home?" Sam asked. "Oh god, would you? Please?" Keller laughed, leading her over to Tammy's bed. "She's been a pain in the ass since she woke up." "Sam!" Tammy said when she saw her. "For the love of god, get me out of here!" "Well, it looks like you're in agreement." Sam laughed as she took Tammy's hand. "You want out of here, and she wants you out of here." "Let me take these leads off before you try to get out of bed, okay?" Jennifer said. "For god's sake Tam..." She stopped suddenly when she saw a man standing a few feet behind Sam. "Can I help you?" she said as she looked over at him. "I'm here to see the colonel." he said quietly. "I can wait." "Who's the stud, Sam? You replacing me already?" Tammy asked, looking him up and down. Carter turned around, her eyes going wide when she saw Cisco. "Wow. Not quite what I was expecting when I told you to wear your civvies. But she's right, you're hot." He was wearing a pair of skintight jeans, cowboy boots and a black Willie Nelson t-shirt. The t-shirt clung to him like a second skin, and every muscle on his upper body was on display. He shrugged his shoulders as he put his hands in his pockets and ducked his head. "Sorry colonel." He said. "But these are my civvies." "Oh my god, he's blushing." Tammy laughed. "So who is he?" Sam held out her hand and he came over, standing beside her. "Tammy, Jennifer, allow me to introduce Sir Steven Carter. No relation." She grinned as she looked over at him. "He's going to be our new captain of the guard." "Sir Steven?" Tammy asked, looking back and forth between them. "When did this happen?" "He goes by Cisco." Sam said. "And it happened this morning. I'll explain later, okay?" "That's fine." Tammy said, turning and sitting on the side of the bed. "Did you bring it?" Sam reached into her pocket, pulled out her spoon and handed it to Tammy. "You put the battle dressing on me." Tammy said to Cisco. "Yes ma'am." "How many times did you hit him?" "Twice, hip and thigh. I had to pull low when you said not to kill him." "What else did you do? Why did she knight you?" "Tammy, I said I'd..." "Let him answer Sam." Tammy said, not taking her eyes off him. "I stood with my queen to defend our city, ma'am." He said quietly, meeting her gaze. Tammy nodded as she slid off the bed and said, "Take a step back and kneel." He took a step back, glanced down, then took another step back. Dropping to one knee, he bowed his head and waited. "Steven Carter, in recognition of your service to us, we wish to reward you with honors befitting your loyalty and your deeds." Tammy said as she stepped forward. "Do you accept this honor, and pledge to serve us faithfully and well?" "Yes, my queen." he said quietly, his head bowed. Tammy reached out with the spoon, and laid it gently on each of his shoulders. "Rise, Sir Steven." She said. "Welcome to the Knighthood of Atlantis. May we serve each other well." He stood and Tammy put her arms around him. "Thank you." She said softly, then released him. "What did Ronin have to say?" She asked Sam as she reached for her hand. "He asked for him as captain of the guard." Sam said. "I think he's been studying." "So you're loyal, discreet, and buff." Tammy said. "I think I'm going to like having you around." She turned to Jennifer and grinned at her. "Get a sample before you send him home." She said as she walked away, pulling Sam behind her. Jennifer handed him a plastic cup. "I'm sorry." She said, trying not to smile. "But we don't have any magazines. You'll just have to use your imagination." Interior-Kitchen 1220 Hours "So how much did you get, Jenn?" Tammy asked as she saw Keller and Cisco come onto the kitchen. "He's a bull. He damn near filled the cup." Jennifer laughed. "I think he did it twice though." "Really..." Tammy said slowly. She glanced over at Sam and grinned. "Ask him if you want. I got mine." Sam said. She looked down the table at Ronin. "Let's do that audition today, Ronin." She said. "Call Amelia and ask her to come over. We can do it after lunch." "Let's do it now." Cisco said. "I don't like to workout on a full stomach." "He's got a point." Sam said, standing up. "What's going on?" Landry asked. "I'm sorry, Hank." She said as she walked over toward the door to the gym. "This is Sir Steven Carter, known a Cisco. He's going to be the captain of my guard. He has to audition first though. Come on up and watch." She looked over at Cisco, a sly smile on her face. "And judging by his attitude, I'm betting it's just going to be a formality." She opened the door and started up the stairs. Ronin looked over at Cisco, looking him up and down. Cisco just stared back. * * * * * "Full speed, full contact, anything goes." Tammy told Cisco as they gathered at the far end of the gym. "No deathblows, and keep the broken bones to a minimum. A win is a knockout or a submission. Understand?" "Yes." He said. "Straight-up hand to hand, no weapons?" "Not to start. We just want to see what you have." He nodded and pulled up his pants leg and pulled his knife from his boot. He paused and pulled his boots off, stuffing the knife in one, then reached behind his back and pulled two small pistols from the waistband of his jeans, dropping them in the other boot. "Whoa! Hold-up there, Cisco." Sam laughed. "Let me see those peashooters you got there." He looked at her, then pulled the guns from his boot. He broke one open and shook the rounds out into his boot, then dropped the clip from the other one into it. He worked the slide, then handed them to her. "Pepperbox. I've heard about these, but I've never seen one." She said as she turned it in her hand. She handed it to Tammy as she looked at the other gun. "You're not going to stop anything with this little thirty-two though." "I use explosive rounds, mercury tipped." He said as he opened his pants and pushed them down over his hips. He pulled them off over his feet, then pulled his socks off and dropped them next to his boots. When he stood up, he was wearing his t-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. "Nasty ammo." Tammy said, looking at him. "But it does add punch." Ronin had been watching him as he spoke to them, then stepped forward when Cisco faced him. They circled on the mat, and Cisco opened with a spinning backhand roundhouse that Ronin blocked easily. Ronin's eyes went wide as his feet were swept out from under him and Cisco landed on top of him, his arms closing around his neck, the fingers of one hand griping his chin, the other pressing on the back of his head. "You're dead." Cisco said softly. "I just snapped your neck." Ronin nodded, and Cisco released him and moved back. Ronin got to his feet and faced him again. He leaped at Cisco with an overhand punch. Cisco stood his ground and took the punch on his shoulder as he drove both fists into his kidneys and ribs half a dozen times. Ronin staggered back and Cisco followed him, grabbing the front of his shirt and jerking him forward, head butting him, then bringing his knee up into his crotch several times. Ronin collapsed on the mat, and Cisco looked over at Sam. "Next." He said quietly. "That's me." Amelia said as she stepped onto the mat and helped Ronin to his feet. She was guiding him off the mat when she spun and darted at Cisco, dropping low, going for his legs. He dodged to the side quickly, and landed a punch on the back of her head. Amelia dropped to the mat and didn't move. He circled her slowly at a distance, then squatted, turning his head to get a better look at her face. Standing up, he took another step back. "Would someone check her, and make sure she's okay? At this point, I'd just shoot her." Amelia rolled over and got to her feet, laughing as she rubbed the back of her head, then went over and stood next to Ronin. "I'm not going to be able to beat him, not if he's gonna act like that." Sam nodded, looking over at Tammy. "What do you think?" "I like what I've seen so far, but I wish Teyla was here." Tammy said. "And I wish I wasn't hurt, so we could double team him." "On the mat? Or..." Sam laughed. "Either, or both." Tammy laughed. "If you would indulge me, Samantha." Bra'tac said as he pulled off his robe and stepped over to the weapons rack. He picked up two staffs and tossed one to Cisco, stepping onto the mat in his breechclout. They circled each other, probing with their staffs, each trying to find an opening. Bra'tac stepped forward, his staff a blur as he worked it from side to side. Cisco blocked every blow, then spun to the side, dodging out of the way. Bra'tac planted his staff on the mat and swung around on it, driving his feet at him. Cisco ducked out of the way, and Bra'tac released his staff and dropped onto his back, driving his fists into his sides in a flurry of blows. Cisco had twisted under him before they hit the mat and had his arms locked around his throat, his legs wrapped around his ribcage, squeezing tightly. Bra'tac had an arm across his throat, choking him, and was driving his other fist into his face when Sam called draw. They broke apart, and Cisco picked up his staff, facing Bra'tac. Bra'tac shook his head and picked up fighting sticks. Coming back onto the mat, he held a pair out to Cisco, then swung at his head as he was reaching for them. Cisco ducked, gripping the sticks and driving them into Bra'tac's midsection, then pulled back and got one in each hand, a small smile on his face as he faced Bra'tac again. Bra'tac nodded, and Cisco charged him. The sound of wood on wood sounded through the room as they exchanged blows, neither of them able to land anything. They broke off, going back to circling each other. Bra'tac opened with a flurry of swings, and Cisco let his guard drop, taking one on his left side as he reached over Bra'tac's back, pounding up and down his spine with the blunt ended stick. Bra'tac dropped to his knees and Cisco brought the other stick around, stopping it just before it connected. Bra'tac looked up at him and nodded, and Cisco stepped back and held out his hand, helping him up. "You've had training, that much is obvious." Sam said. "Let's hear the resume." "Karate, judo, jujitsu, savate, street, and a little of whatever the Jaffa call what they use. Plus some stuff I made up on my own." He said. "Are we done?" "I want to see Ronin and Amelia at the same time." Tammy said. Cisco nodded and faced them, waiting calmly. "No, he'll take us both." Ronin said. "Make him head of the house guards, and your personal guard." "I agree, we can learn alot from him." Amelia said, then looked at Cisco. "What belts?" "Red." "Which disciplines?" Cisco grinned and put his head down for a second, then looked up at her. "All of them. Well, I don't know about the Jaffa stuff, I don't know their ranking systems." "Master." Bra'tac said, stepping over and holding out his hand to Cisco. "You matched me easily. And you willingly took damage to win, few in my experience would go so far." He looked over at Sam. "I agree with Ronin. With his skills and attitude, no harm will come to you in his presence." Tammy saw him wince as he bent over to pick up his jeans, and she walked over to him. "Hold up a second, Cisco. Let me look at you." She said as she lifted his t-shirt and ran her fingers over his side. "I thought so. You've got at least two broken ribs." "A couple fingers too." He said, holding up his hand. "Okay, let's get you down to thirty-one and get you patched up." She looked over her shoulder at the group. "Someone call ahead and tell them we're coming down." She bent down and picked up his clothes and boots, handing them to him. "Let's go." * * * * * "Why did you want a sperm sample?" Cisco asked Tammy as they got on the elevator. She looked over at Sam. "Don't look at me. You're the one that wants it." Sam laughed. "I want to have your baby." She said bluntly. "We'd go in vitro of course, after Jenn picked which little swimmers she'd want to let into the pond." She looked at Sam again, then stepped closer, running her fingers lightly over his chest. "But you can still make a direct deposit if you want, I wouldn't mind." He stared at her. "Are you serious?" "About which part?" Sam asked as she moved to the other side of him. "She's serious about wanting a baby, we both do. I already have my donor, we were going to use the same one, but you look like good stock, and having different fathers might be a good idea." She dragged her fingers over his chest next to Tammy's. "But would that be a problem? Having sex with us, I mean?" "We're really good in bed, and..." Tammy said. "I...I don't know what to say." He said blushing furiously. "We'd have to be discreet of course." Sam said. "But since you're going to be with us all the time anyway..." She dropped her hand down and stroked it over the front of his briefs. She looked up at him, then over at Tammy. "Big?" Tammy asked as she glanced down. Sam nodded, then stepped back, taking his hand and pulling him behind her off the elevator. "Think about it, Cisco." She said as she led him to the med bay. "It's going to take a few days for those ribs to heal, and Tammy's hurt too, so there's no hurry." "Speak for yourself." Tammy laughed. "I can't remember the last time I had a good shtupping." "Shtupping? Did you actually just use the word 'shtupping'?" Sam laughed. * * * * * "What would happen if I said no?" Cisco asked as he laid on the bed in the med bay. "To which part?" Sam asked, glancing at Tammy. "The second thing." He said, looking at Susan as she stood at the controls of the scanner. "I'm fine with the other one, honored even." "Nothing would happen." Tammy said. "You'd do your job, and we go on business as usual. We won't take it personally." "I'll be back in a minute." Susan told him. "I need to go next door and get the other scanner. I don't know who keeps moving it in there." "We're not asking you to be our boyfriend or anything." Sam said as the doors closed behind Susan. "It's just that sometimes, it would be nice to..." "To get fucked till our brains run out of our ears and make a puddle on the bed." Tammy finished for her. Cisco laughed, wincing and holding his side. "Oh god, don't do that. Please don't make me laugh again." "You're going to see us having sex anyway." Tammy said. "We do it a couple times a day, all over the house. Most of the time we clear the floor, but we forget sometimes." "Just think of it as one of the perks of the job." Sam said, walking over and standing in front of Tammy. She pulled her hands up so they were cupping her breasts, her eyes closing as Tammy started nibbling at her neck. "But it's not like we're going to want it everyday. Not after the first few weeks, I mean." Tammy moved her hands down to Sam's waist when she heard the door swoosh open, and she looked over at Susan as she pushed the ancient scanner over by the bed. "Why did you want that one, Susan? Did you see something on the other scan?" She asked as she walked over next to the bed. "I'm not sure." Susan said. "And I wanted to get a better look. This thing will give me a 3D view and let me look from different angles. Here, take a look, and tell me what you think." She said as she handed Tammy her tablet. "Is something wrong?" Cisco asked, looking back and forth between them. "Based on what we just saw upstairs, I want to say no." Tammy said. "But looking at this, I don't know what to think." "Let's do some blood work, Jennifer's going to want it, and have you called her yet?" She asked Susan. "Yeah, she's on her way." Susan said, going over and opening a cabinet. "She should be here by now." "Oh my god!" Jennifer laughed as she came in. "You just couldn't wait to get him into bed, could you?" "Would you pass up beefcake like this?" Tammy laughed. "We were gonna tag team him." "I'm in." Susan said as she came over with a tray. "Susan!" Keller laughed. "What would Robbie say?" "I wasn't planning on telling him." Susan said as she wrapped a rubber tube around his upper arm. She tapped on the inside of his arm to bring a vein up, then slipped a needle in and quickly filled two vials with blood. "Not that I'm complaining," Cisco said, looking around at them. "But is anyone going to look at my ribs before I start servicing you all?" "Your ribs are fine, a couple of hairline fractures. I'm more worried about the fingers." Susan said as she picked up another syringe from the tray and injected a clear liquid into his hand at the base of his middle finger. "Let's get the scanner set up before you do anything on that." Keller said. "I looked at the first scans, and I want a better look with the ancient one." "What did you see?" He asked. "Nothing serious, definitely not life threatening." Susan said. "It's just that your internal organs seem to be...larger than normal." "It looks like the external ones are too." Tammy said, looking at his crotch. "Oh for god's sake." he laughed, reaching down and pulling his briefs off to one side. His cock flopped out, dangling limply over the wrinkled sac of his scrotum. "Happy now?" "Wow." Susan muttered, stepping closer. "That's a nice dick you got there, Cisco." Tammy said. "Can I touch it?" "Move over, I want to see too." Sam said as she came up next to Tammy. "John's is bigger." Jennifer said to no one in particular. "Yeah, but it would be weird doing it with him." Sam said. "I can't even fantasize about that." "I do." Tammy and Susan said at the same time. "Really?" Sam asked, looking at Tammy. "Just...sometimes. You know, when I...never while we're doing it." Tammy said. "I wake up and..." "Uh huh." "I can save you some trouble." Cisco said as he pulled his briefs back in place. "They saw the same thing on my initial medical exam. They said it was no big deal." "I wasn't done with that." Tammy said, reaching for his crotch. "Yes, you are." He said, grinning at her as he sat up. He looked over at Keller. "Why don't you do this. Look at my records, then if you still think there's a problem, I'll let you check me out again. But before you do that, can we do what we came down here for, or do I have to go over to the infirmary?" "He's assertive too." Sam said, smiling at him. "I think I made a good choice." "Let's do this." Jennifer said coming around in front of him. She pushed Tammy out of the way and grinned at him. "You're here, we have the equipment ready, and it will only take a couple of minutes to do the scan we want. If it will make you feel any better, I'll throw these two out so you can relax." "You wouldn't dare." Sam said, glaring at her, "Okay, Doc. Do your scan." He said, laying back down on the table. "But let them stay. I didn't realize that this job was going to be this much fun." "I think he likes us." Sam said, putting her arm around Tammy's waist. "I know he does." Tammy said, smiling at him. Interior-Kitchen 1450 Hours Bra'tac and a squad of marines had taken Landry and Jacob over to the gateroom so they could go back to Earth while they'd been in the med bay. They'd said their goodbyes, and assured Sam and Tammy that they would stay in touch. "Your heart is more than eighty percent larger than the average human heart. Your lungs a little over fifty percent larger." Jennifer was telling him. "Kidneys and liver not quite forty percent. This isn't a genetic defect or anomaly. There's something else at work here." "You already know what it is doc." He said. "Just tell them, so they quit fretting." "When did you start martial arts training, or what sports did you play in school, at what level?" She asked. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 02 "I didn't play sports in school, my family moved around alot." He said. "But I started learning how to fight before I could walk. I have five brothers. I started martial arts when I was four." "I thought it was something like that." She said nodding. "Who gave you your early training? Did you study with the same person for a while at the beginning?" "Yeah, we took lessons from a crazy old chinaman who thought Bruce Lee was a fag." He told her. "I was already a brown belt when they enrolled us in the new dojo. I think I was eight, maybe nine. I got my first black belt at ten." She looked over at Sam and Tammy. "Now that we got his booboo's taken care of, he's gonna be fine. Susan overreacted, I guess she's never seen a world-class athlete before. At least, not the inside of one." "His internal structure is the same as a typical olympic athlete, they demonstrate the same traits. I knew there was nothing wrong with him when I saw that his resting heart rate was thirty-two." "You took Ronin down twice in less than a minute both times. I don't think that first one lasted twenty seconds." Sam said. Cisco nodded. "I watch him all the time in the gym, I like his roughhouse style. He hasn't had much formal training, he learned what he does by fighting, and incorporating what works for him. I had an advantage, he's never seen me fight." "Why is that? That we didn't hear about you, I mean." Sam asked him. "And why didn't you tryout already?" "I didn't know that there were open tryouts, and I don't spar in the gym. There's no one I can go with and not worry about hurting them." He said. "I tried when I first got here, but I kept sending people to the infirmary, so my sergeant told me to knock it off. Now I just do my kata's out on the east pier. I guess I just slipped under the radar." He paused for a moment, then looked over at Sam. "What's the old man's name? I've seen him before." "That's Master Bra'tac." She said with a grin. "Teal'c was his apprentice, and succeeded him as first prime of Apophis." "I thought so, I just wasn't sure. I know Teal'c, I used to spar with him. I spent three years at the SGC before I came here. I was on SG-14." "Is he going to be okay?" Ronin asked as he came into the kitchen. "I'm fine, they got me taped up." Cisco said, starting to get up. "You need me for something?" Ronin waved him down and stopped next to Carter. "I wanted to talk to the colonel about how we're going to set up the guard, now that we have you." "We can do that." She said, looking up at him. "Have a seat, and let's hear what you have to say." "You don't need me for this, so I think I'm going to go back over to the infirmary for a while. I have a few things I need to catch up on." Keller said as she stood up. She looked down at Cisco as she went by. "Change the tape on those fingers everyday, and keep the splints on for at least a week. You can get the wrap on those ribs changed day after tomorrow. Come to the infirmary, or Susan can do it downstairs. It's waterproof, so you can shower in it." "Thanks, doc." He nodded "Come back for dinner later if you want, Jenn. And bring John, we're going to want everyone to get used to having Cisco around." Tammy said, getting up and filling her glass from the tap. "We'll do that. Thanks." "What's on your mind, Ronin?" Carter asked as she left. "I said it upstairs, make him head of the guard." Ronin said, looking down at the table. "I don't know what I'm doing. and I don't want what happened this morning to happen again." "No." She said. "You are my guardian of the realm, and head of the household guard. If you don't think you know how to do the job, we'll get people in to teach you how to do it. We just got you your first teacher. He can teach you the military structure we use here, and how the guard is going to fit into it." "And you've been doing a great job so far." Tammy said. "You've got people picked out, and are getting them trained. And you've got us trained not to leave the house without a team." "You didn't turn your shield on." He said, looking down the table at her. He looked over at Carter, then back at Tammy. "I keep telling you that you have to keep them on, because we don't know what's going to happen." Tammy looked away, and before she could say anything, Cisco spoke up. "She got the colonel out of the line of fire and was covering her while we took him down." He said. "She made a mistake, but she made up for it. And that was our fault too, for not checking." He looked down the table at Carter. "Can we do this here? Or do you want us to get things worked out between us, let him bring me up to speed, and set up a program, then come back and tell you what we're going to do?" "We don't have anything planned." She said. "I wanted to spend some time with the boys, and I haven't seen Jacob since this morning. But let's do it now." She looked over at Tammy. "Get them a couple tablets, we might as well write it down." "Okay, then item one, Ronin and I should have quarters in this building, not all the way across the city. We need easy, unrestricted access to you. Dr. Samuels said that she had moved everyone else out of this building. Give us two floors for our security teams." "Andi took a floor for the household staff, so having your guys here won't be any different." Tammy came back and slid a tablet over in front of each of them. Ronin looked down at his, and Cisco said. "I'll do it. I've got a couple smaller ones over in my quarters that will work better for us anyway. I'll show you how to use one later." Ronin nodded and pushed the tablet away. "Put your guys on thirty-two up to thirty-four, that will give you room for growth. You two take the suites on the next floor down from us." She said. Cisco nodded, and looked over at Ronin. "How many people do you have picked out so far for the guard? And how were you going to schedule them?" "We've found twenty-eight so far, Amelia wanted to bring in some of the special forces guys, but I don't trust them." Ronin said. "We talked about two teams of three on eight hour shifts." "I don't trust them either, they don't have any reason to be loyal yet." Cisco said. "But I'd go with a six hour shift. There's going to be a lot of standing around on this job, and that wears you down fast. Plus we want some time for training, and still keep it under a ten or twelve hour day." He looked at Carter again. "Can that porter out there be locked out?" He asked. "It is, you have to have an access code, and know the symbols for it." She said. "And how many people have access codes?" "I'd have to look." She said. "The senior staff, Daniel, Vala and Chuck. Call it a dozen." "I'd like to take that down to two. You and Lady Tammy." He said. "Everyone else can go through a security checkpoint on a lower floor and come up in the elevator. You should know who wants to come up, what they want, and approve it before they come up." "I wanted to do that, but they didn't like it." Ronin said. "They'll get used to it." Cisco said. "Besides adding a layer of security, it ensures them a little privacy. There's no reason for people to walk in and out of here anytime they want." "We might not miss as many meals that way." Sam said. "Next?" "Call your med bay. I think Tammy is bleeding." He said as he stood up and moved around the table, kneeling beside her chair. Lifting her scrub shirt, he nodded when he saw blood spotting the bandage. "Put your arm around my neck." He told her as he put his arm behind her back. She pushed him away and got to her feet. "I can walk, and do you really think you're going to lift me with those ribs?" She laughed. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "But thank you." Ronin led them to the elevator and they went back down to the med bay. Susan was waiting for them, and she got Tammy up on a table and cut her shirt off. She was cutting the bandage off when Jennifer walked in. "I thought I told you to take it easy." Keller said. She waited while Susan cleaned the wound, then stepped closer to look at it. "You didn't tear the stitches, this blood is coming from inside." She looked at Sam, then back at Tammy. "I'm sorry, I must have missed something. We're going to have to take her back over to the infirmary. I can't do what I need to do here." Sam turned and looked at Cisco. "How did you know?" "She was quiet, not as lively, and I noticed that she was getting pale. And I saw it on her shirt." They got Tammy laid out on the bed and wheeled it out to the porter. Cisco stopped at the door, and looked at Ronin. "Can you cover this? I need to touch base with Col. Sheppard, and I'd like to talk to Dr. Samuels again." He looked over at Carter. "Is that okay with you?" "That's fine, just stay on comms. And plan on doing dinner with us." He nodded as he stepped back and watched the porter doors close. Interior-Marine Barracks, Central Tower 1600 Hours "Second squad, front and center." Cisco called out as he stepped into the bay. The men assembled quickly, coming over to stand in front of him. Before they could say anything, he said, "Come with me." then turned and walked out of the bay. Leading them down the corridor, he stopped at a storage room, opened the door and looked inside, then stepped in, waving them in behind him. Closing the door after the last one, he turned to face them. "Where the hell have you been, Cisco? And why are you in your civvies?" One of them asked. Cisco held up his hand, and looked at them for a minute. "I'm being transferred to the house guard. I'm going to be working for Ronin Dex." He said. "But I need to talk to you about what happened this morning." "Yeah, what the hell happened in there?" Wilson asked. "And where's my flak jacket?" "Shut up, and listen to me, all of you." Cisco said, a hard edge in his voice. "Have any of you talked about what happened this morning, to anyone?" They all shook their heads. He looked at them carefully, then nodded and went on. "If anyone asks you what happened this morning, and I guarantee they will, you tell them that an intruder came through the gate, we took him out, and the colonel dismissed you and sent you back to your quarters." He paused again, letting them absorb what he was saying. "The video from the gateroom and the detention center has been deleted, so there's no official record of what happened. But I'm putting all of you up for commendations anyway. There's six of us, and he had fifteen bullets in him. We put him down good." "What happened in there Cisco?" Wilson asked. "She went in there with your knife in her hand, and we heard Ronin's cannon going off." "And she looked like she had skinned a whale when she came out. I ain't never seen that mu..." "Shut up! Just shut the fuck up!" He said softly "This is what's gonna cause a problem. You saw a couple things, but you don't know what happened in the middle. I do, and I'm gonna tell you right now, I was proud to be standing beside her." "No one else, not even your grandkids fifty years from now can ever hear about what you saw this morning. I asking you as a friend, and a fellow marine, keep this to yourselves. It's best for everyone. Running your mouths about it will only hurt the queens, and the city." "Did she send you down here?" Wilson asked. Cisco shook his head. "She doesn't know I'm here. They had to take Lady Tammy back to the infirmary, Keller missed something when they worked on her earlier." "What happened to your hand?" Wilson asked. "You looked fine earlier." Cisco grinned. "I had to audition for the job. I kicked the shit outta Ronin, then Master Bra'tac gave me a lesson in Jaffa dirty tricks." He lifted his t-shirt, showing them his ribs. "You sure about what you're getting yourself into, Cisco?" Wilson asked. "No, but they're good people, and I like what they've done so far." He said. "And I want to help them." "Okay, we'll do it your way, but just so we know, who's gonna come asking?" Wilson said. "Samuels, the foreign minister, maybe Caldwell. It won't be Sheppard." He told them. "She worked me over earlier, and he was pushing the colonel. They know less than you do, so just be cool, and don't volunteer anything." Interior-Col. Sheppard's Office, East Tower 1630 Hours "You're out of uniform, Carter." Sheppard said as he stood up and came from behind his desk. "You still work for me." "Yes sir, Col. Carter told me to report in civvies, and this is all I have." Cisco said, coming to attention. "Relax, I'm kidding. I already signed your discharge papers." Sheppard said as he held out his hand. "What did she call you, Cisco?" "Yes sir, it a long story." "Make it short." Caldwell said from behind him. "And when you're done with that one, tell us what the hell happened this morning, and why she made you a knight." "An intruder came through the gate and we took him out sir." "I suppose your squad is going to say the same thing." Caldwell said. "Yes sir." "Give it a rest Stephen," Sheppard said. "If anything else happened, the colonel has a good reason for not telling us. Need to know. Personally, I believe him." "Okay, I just don't like being left out of the loop." Caldwell said, getting to his feet. "There's a lot of loops Stephen, you can't be in all of them." Sheppard laughed. "You got that right." Caldwell said as he walked toward the door. "Teyla says we're doing dinner with them tonight, you going? "Lady Tammy had to go back to the infirmary, they missed something when they worked on her this morning." Cisco told him. "And?" "That's all I know, they haven't called me yet." Caldwell just looked at him, them looked passed him at Sheppard behind him. "I'll be in my office, John." He said, then turned and walked away. "Close the door, and have a seat." Sheppard said, pulling a chair over and dropping into it. "He's not a bad guy once you get to know him, it just takes a while. Give him a little time." "Yes sir." "You can call me John, or Sheppard." He laughed. "But that's going to take a little time too." Sheppard leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out in front of him. "I saw the video from the gateroom and the detention center. Was that your pig sticker she was hitting him with?" "Yeah, it was better for what she was gonna do than was she was gonna use. She didn't use the end I was expecting though." "Yeah, she has her own way of doing things, that's for sure." Sheppard said. He looked over at Cisco. "You understand what really happened this morning, don't you?" "Yes sir, we killed them." "She killed them, and I'm glad she did." "No, we did it. I knew what she was going to do when we went back up to her suite, and I let her do it. Then I went down and stood with her while she called him out." Cisco said Sheppard nodded. "Now I see why she knighted you. What happened to your hand?" "Master Bra'tac gave me a lesson in Jaffa dirty tricks." Cisco grinned. "Dinged my ribs up pretty good too." "How about Ronin?" "I don't think I hurt him too bad. Well, maybe his pride." Cisco said. "We're good. But tell me something, does he know how to read?" "Some, but not alot. We need to do something about that." Sheppard said. "Does he have the ancient gene?" "I don't know. Let me look." Sheppard got up and went over to his desk, bringing up a file on his laptop, he entered Ronin's name in the search field and waited. "It doesn't look like he's every been tested." He said. He keyed his comm as he stood up. "Sheppard to Ronin." "Ronin." "Is the colonel with you, and are you still in the infirmary?" "Yeah, I think they're about to bring Tammy out of surgery. I'll get the colonel." Ronin said. A moment later, Carter came on. "Yes, John?" "How's Tammy?" "I'm waiting for Jennifer, they're not out yet." "Okay. I don't have a record of Ronin ever being tested for the ancient gene. Can we get that done while you're there?" "Sure, what made you think of that?" "I didn't, Cisco did right after he asked me if Ronin could read." "Okay, I'll take care of that while we're waiting for Tammy and Jenn. That all?" "Yes ma'am. Call me when you know something?" "Of course. Carter out." He closed the channel and looked over at Cisco. "Tammy is still in surgery, and the colonel is going to have Ronin tested. You got any other ideas you want to throw out? You're on a roll." "There's only twenty-eight guards so far, not enough for two three man teams per shift." Cisco said. "It didn't hit me till after they had left, so I haven't mentioned it to Ronin. But we could go with two man teams augmented by marines, at least until we get the guard up to strength." "We can do that. Let's talk to Ronin about it tonight." Sheppard said. "I need to get him over for a beer, I've been neglecting our friendship. What else?" "I heard Ronin got captured and taken back to Sateda, and killed a boss Wraith there." Cisco said slowly. "Actually, it was Dr. Beckett that killed him, with a drone." Sheppard said "Do you know if the Wraith are occupying that planet?" "I don't think so, they took him back there so they could hunt him again. They meant to kill him that time. Why?" "I was just wondering if there's anymore of those hand cannons Ronin carries laying around. Maybe some other stuff." Cisco said. "From what I hear, his people were fairly technologically advanced." Sheppard just stared at him, then shook his head. "You've been working for me for two years, and I'm just now hearing about this stuff?" Cisco shrugged. "I'm just a grunt, colonel. I've mentioned it to people a few times. I just never heard anything else about it." "You're not a grunt anymore, you're senior staff now." Sheppard said seriously. "If you get an idea, talk to someone else on the senior staff, or go right to the queens, you're going to have their ear. It sounds like you have some interesting ideas, and we need all of those that we can get." Interior-Conference Room, North Tower 1740 Hours "Jennifer is going to keep Tammy overnight in the infirmary." Carter said as she looked around the table. "They missed something this morning, and she lost about a pint of blood. There's some other problems now as a result." She paused, wringing her hands in her lap. "They have Jacob over there too. He's okay, but Jenn still wants to observe him for a few days, because he's so young." "Are you going to be okay, Samantha?" Vala asked. "You can stay with us tonight, so you don't have to be alone." "Thank you, Vala. I'd like that." Sam said. "I have some things I want to talk to you both about, so we can do that too." She looked around the table again, her eyes finally settling on Samuels. "Andi, we were talking earlier, and Ronin's team is going to be making some changes in the residence." She said. "I want Ronin and Cisco moved into the suites on forty-three, and three floors blocked out for their guards. Those people should be close, just like the household staff." "That's a good idea." Samuels said. "Does it matter where? There are several large conference rooms around that building that they can use as assembly areas, or do you want them above thirty-one?" "Get with Ronin and Cisco about that, show them what you have, and the three of you decide." Carter said. She looked over at Cisco, then spoke to the group. "We're also changing the access to our suite. You won't be able to port right in anymore, I've already disabled all the codes." She said. "From now on, you'll come out at a security checkpoint on thirty-one, and only allowed up with approval." Heads nodded around the table, but no one said anything. "We found out today that Ronin had never been tested for the ancient gene, we had him tested, and as luck would have it, he has it." She said, smiling down at him. "He's been treated with the therapy, and it worked. Teyla is being tested right now, with luck, she'll have it too." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 02 "I don't have the gene." Daniel said. "But I don't think Vala has ever been tested for it. Can we get that done?" "As soon as we finish here." Carter said. "All of you that have the gene have been issued the ancient shields. Start wearing them. Andi and Daniel, I've ordered Kevlar vests that you can wear under your clothes like a t-shirt, that's what they look like. Gen. Landry is going to handle that for me, and send them along when they come in." "Can I ask why your father and Landry came over yesterday?" Samuels asked. "Sometimes a girl just needs to talk to her daddy, Andi. You should know that." Sam said with a sad smile. "It turns out that he was at Stargate Command when we called and asked them to find him for us. Landry asked if he could come too, and we said yes." "It was good seeing him again." Caldwell said. "And it was nice to meet your father. He's an interesting character. Selmac was talking to me about my Goa'uld incident." "Well, them coming here wasn't all upside." She said. "Jacob and Selmac were at the SGC talking to Landry about us. Apparently, the Tok'Ra have concerns about us being in possession of this city, and the ancient technologies here. Tammy and I talked to them about it last night." She looked over at Samuels. "Andi, send that out to everyone, I want them to see it." Samuels nodded, making a note on her tablet. "I had another conversation with them this morning. I made it clear that the Tok'Ra have no say in how we run our city, and that they are not welcome here, or in the Pegasus galaxy. They can have the Milky Way." She paused, looking around again. "I'm pretty sure that they know about St. Louis. Selmac turned the topic to us wanting to establish trade with the Jaffa, and Earth. He pointed out that trade is a two way street, and asked how we were planning on shipping back here." "I told him that we were still trying to figure that out, and he suggested that we consider looking for ancient outposts to restore." "Then they definitely know." Sheppard said. "Do we want to beef up the security team there, maybe send some jumpers or three-oh-two's over?" "Yes, you and Stephen work out what you can give up." She said. "And Andi, I want that outpost maxed out on drones. Once you have it at capacity, keep loading it. Half of all drone production goes there effective now." She looked at Daniel. "You just got back from there. How is it set up? Is the gate inside the main shield?" "Yes, but there's a shield up on the gate too." He said. "Have them pull the shield back around the outpost, so the gate is outside it, move the gate if you have to. If we get an intrusion, they'll still have to get through the main to get to the outpost." "Now, before you all start asking me questions. Yes, this is because of this morning's intrusion. I've shut the STM bridge down, and won't turn it back on unless we need it." She said. "But that doesn't mean that someone else out there, in this reality, or another one, isn't playing with the same technology. I think we're safe with our gate where it is, since we have the secondary shield now, so I don't think we need to move it. Does anyone have any thoughts on that?" "Having the secondary up all the time doesn't use that much more power, so that's not an issue." Chuck said. "And to be honest, we'd be alot more comfortable up on the balcony with it on, now that we've seen that things can come through the gate shield." "I spoke to Dr. Zelenka. He says that these people passed through the gate shield because it was in such close proximity to the wormhole. If anything passes through it again, the secondary should stop it, because it will have reformed into matter or energy. At least, that's what I think he said." "I'll talk to him about it, Chuck." Carter laughed. "I want to ask him about oscillating the gate shield too, to see what effect that might have." "From a practical point of view, we might consider moving the gate to one of the production piers." Samuels said. "Once we begin actively producing and shipping goods, it would just make sense. At a minimum, we're going to have to look at redesigning the gateroom for easier access." "Work something up. You'll need to get with Chuck to work out the logistics of it, and get input from the rest of the department heads." She told her. She looked back at Chuck. "We'd really only have to move the gate, is that right? We could leave the DHD in the tower, or just use a DHD in a jumper?" "Yes ma'am." He nodded. "There's no actual physical connection between the gate and the DHD. I don't know what the range on them is though." "We can figure that out. In the meantime, you two get me suggested locations, and what would be involved in getting it done if we decide to do it." She looked around the table again. "What's next?" "I was talking to Cisco this afternoon, he came over to do some paperwork." He said. He looked over at Ronin. "He had an idea, and we talked about it, along with some other stuff." "He told me." Ronin said. Sheppard nodded, and turned back to Carter. "Why not go with two man guard teams, augmented by marines until they get the manning up to where they want it on the guard. They cover you and Tammy, and the marines cover their back. That gives them some breathing room, and frees up some of my marines at the same time." "Work it out with them, and let me know what you want to do. Next?" She said. "He also mentioned something I hadn't considered, that I think we should start doing on a wholesale basis." "And what was that?" She asked. "Scavenging. He mentioned going looking for some of those hand cannons Ronin uses on Sateda. There's probably other stuff laying around too." He said. He looked over at Ronin again. "Your people were fairly technologically advanced before that last Wraith attack." Ronin nodded. "I think we should go look. I know where some of the armories were. But it's been eight years, and I know that Kell was selling weapons, and that's probably where he got them." "Work it out, and let me know what you find. We can send the Apollo or Daedalus if we need to." "Ronin and I were talking about the boys last night, and Tammy mentioned that there were more than twelve hundred children in the city now." O'Neill said. "That number is closer the seventy-seven hundred." Samuels said. "We had a problem in the census, and the numbers I gave her were off." "Anyway, she said that she would talk to Daniel about heading a department of education. With her down for a few days, I didn't want it to slip through the cracks." "Thank you, Jack." She said, smiling at him. "What were you talking about?" "Nothing you have to worry about for at least five years." He laughed. "They've just been asking him about stuff he didn't have the answers for. We handled it." "Before you ask." Daniel said, smiling at her. "Yes, I'll do it. I'm spending half the day with Geraan and Phinnar anyway. Picking up a few more won't be a problem. I'd like to make the cut off age twelve, anyone over that should just go right on a teaching machine." "Make it fourteen. Get with the other department heads, and make sure you talk to Pharris, she may have some ideas, and you can look at how their education system is setup." She said. "God." She sighed, leaning back in her chair. "We said we weren't going to use nannies, that we'd raise our kids ourselves. And I promised Bra'tac and Pharris that we'd spend time with the boys..." "It's going to happen Sam." O'Neill said. "But the boys are being well taken care of. Ronin and Bra'tac are teaching them warrior arts, not just how to fight, Daniel takes them out into the city to explore, Vala lies her ass off during story time, Amelia has them doing math and language lessons, and I've been teaching them how to fly a jumper. They're getting a well rounded education." "I don't lie." Vala said softly. "I embellish." "Thank you, all of you." She said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You know I couldn't have done this, any of this, without you." "Yeah, you being the notorious slacker that your are." O'Neill muttered. Interior-Med Bay-Tower Fifty-eight 1900 Hours "Are there any other languages in that thing besides ancient?" Cisco asked Sam as she scrolled through the menu, setting it up for Ronin's first lesson. "Probably, I haven't looked." She said, glancing over at him. She held out a headset to Ronin. "Put that on." Ronin put the headset on, and she started the process. When the cycle ended, she picked up a pad and wrote on it quickly, then held it up in front of him. "What's it say?" She asked. "I trust you with my life." Ronin said, his voice catching in his throat. "I do, so does Tammy." She said, coming over and hugging him. She reached in her pocket and pulled out one of the shield pendants and handed it to him. "Put this on, and take the headset off. Just sit it on the machine." She tossed one of the pendants over to Cisco. "You too." She said. "Now, why did you want to know about other languages?" She asked as she scrolled through the menus. "I was thinking that if we could find something obscure, we could hit our guys with it, and not have to work up a separate code system." "Smart." She nodded. "And everything in here is going to be obscure. But why not just use ancient?" "Because everyone in the city speaks it, and word is going to get around that we speak it." He said. "So other people may start trying to figure it out, and I want to be a step or two ahead of them." "Anything else you want while we're looking?" She asked. "Jumper training, how to use the terminals like yours, weapons systems, math, medical or first aid training, and anything else that looks like it will be useful." He said as he watched her. "I'll hit you both with jumpers, first aid, and the terminals now." She said. "Tell Andi to put a terminal in each of your suites, along with the standard desktop. Talk to Tammy, she has the boys tablets running games out of the ancient database. Ask her how she did it, or get her to set some up for you." She was working rapidly through the screens on the teaching machine, and after a couple minutes she looked up and tossed Cisco the headset. "Put that on. I included how to use the teacher so you can do your guys. This is going to take a couple minutes, so get comfortable." "I'm fine." He said "Have it your way." She said as she started the cycle. It was almost five minutes before the process ended this time, and Cisco swayed slightly as he took the headset off. Ronin grabbed his arm and led him over to a bed, and helped him get up on it. "Sit or lay down." He told Ronin as he handed him the headset. "I started getting woozy toward the end." Ronin nodded and sat on the other bed, then put the headset on and laid back. "Okay, I'm ready." He said. Carter started the machine again, and came over next to Cisco. "You give any thought to what we talked about?" She asked, not looking at him. "A little." She looked over at him, a small smile on her face. "You don't give up a lot, do you." "You already got your answer." "I did?" She asked. "When?" "Think about it. You'll remember." They waited quietly for the process to end, and when it did, Ronin sighed, then groaned. "Just lay still for a few minutes, Ronin." She said as she took the headset off. "Open your eyes and look at me." She felt his pulse as she looked at his eyes. They were glassy, and it was obvious that he was disoriented. She stayed with him, holding his hand until he turned his head and looked at her. "Feel better now." She nodded, and helped him sit up. She smiled at him. "You had me worried there. I thought we had hurt you." He shook his head. "So much...just so much." "Just relax, it should get better." She said. "Do you have a headache? You're looking better than when the process ended." He shook his head. "I keep seeing pictures, all jumbled up." "What do you for a severed femoral artery?" Cisco asked. "Apply pressure above the wound and clamp it off, then medivac." Ronin said immediately. "Think about a jumper. Can you see the control panel." Cisco asked. "Leave him alone, he needs to rest." Carter said. "No, this helps." Ronin said. "I can see it. Now what?" "Find the control for the HUD." "Got it." "What's right next to it, on the left." "The emergency hatch release, it's a handle." "Good, Just think about one thing at a time. That's what I'm doing." Cisco said. He looked over at Carter. "It is a little overwhelming at first, but it gets better." "So we just do one lesson at a time, and let you get used to them." She said. They both nodded. She made them sit for another fifteen minutes to make sure that they were okay. "I'm staying with Daniel and Vala tonight." She said. "Who wants to take me over?" "I will." Cisco said. He looked over at Ronin. "Sheppard said something about wanting to have a beer with you. Why don't you give him a call? I want to touch base with Samuels, I didn't get to her earlier." "And if he's still at his desk, tell him he's fired." Sam laughed. She turned to Cisco and held out her hand. "Come on, I want to talk to Daniel about his education program." Interior-Dr. Samuels Quarters-East Tower 2030 Hours "I'm glad you came by, I was going to call you." Andi said as she let him in and led him into the living room. She waved him toward a couch, and poured them both a drink. "Nice place, doc." He said as he sat down. He sat his glass on the table and looked at her. "Please, call me Andi." She said. "We're kind of informal around here. That'll probably change after the coronation." "I wanted to talk to you about getting the guard moved into the residence, and where we're going to put them." He began. "Ronin and I just got some training on the teaching machine, and one of the things we got was how to use the ancient terminals. The colonel said to talk to you about getting one of those, and a desktop in our quarters." He paused, looking at her for a moment. "Did you want to set up a contact for us, or would you prefer that we go through you?" "Let's go through me." She said. "I've been dealing with Ronin, and the house guard is under my department. Plus I'm Sam's resident psychiatrist, and I need to know what's going on with her." "I can't do my job if I'm left out of the loop on what she's doing." She added. Cisco just looked at her. "Did you know that their suite is monitored?" She asked. "There are video cameras in every room, and they're reviewed daily." "Can Ronin and I get access to that system?" He asked. "If the system is already in place, we can have our people monitor. Are any other floors monitored?" "Not that I know of." She said. "And you'll have to talk to Tammy about access, She set it up and installed the cameras." Cisco nodded, waiting for her to go on. "There was some interesting video this morning. Right after the intrusion, she came back to the suite and did something on her terminal, then went into the kitchen with you." "That sounds about right." He said. "She came back half an hour later, naked, with blood all over her, and did something else at her terminal, then left again. With Ronin this time. Oh, and one of the house staff found these in the porter." She said, reaching under the table and pulling out Sam's bloody clothes. She dropped them on the table. "The Ops tech said that the three of you came in, she had them open the gate to a random address, and a comm channel with a wide frequency spread, then cleared the gateroom." When he didn't say anything, she continued. "She didn't show up in the infirmary till forty-five minutes later. That's about the time it would take the gate to do a full thirty-eight minute cycle, and for the three of you to walk to the infirmary." He reached down and picked up his drink, tossed it back and reached for the bottle. He poured another shot, and sat back on the couch, looking at her. "You're not going to tell me what happened, are you?" She asked. "No." He said, tapping his comm. When he heard the beep, he said. "Cisco to Dr. Jackson." A moment later he said, "Yes sir, I need to speak to the colonel please." He waited, then spoke again. "Yes ma'am, Dr. Samuels needs to speak to you...yes...no, this needs to be handled now." He listened, then took the headset off and leaned over, handing it to her. Andi put the headset on and said, "Yes Sam?" She listened for a long moment, then said, "Of course, Sam. I can do that. No, that's fine. Have a good night, I'll talk to you in the morning." She closed the channel and tossed the headset back to him. "She said that that get up is all the civvies you have. Leave me your sizes, and I'll have your closets stocked. We can move you in in the morning, we should have everything setup in your quarters by then." She said. "Thank you." He said. "Do you have an opinion about how we should dress the guard? I'd like to avoid uniforms for the ones that go out with them, maybe put them in Atlantian style clothes? I've been seeing lots of people running around in them recently. I'm guessing that they're just raiding closets around the city." "They were. We started emptying the closets and clearing out personal items when we started moving people into buildings on the outer piers." She said. "We've got several warehouses full of clothes. Mail me names and sizes, and I'll get it taken care of." He looked at her for a moment, then said. "I know this has been an unusual day. But there's something I have to bring up. Emotionally, she's been all over the place, and the changes happen quickly. I'm going to need to know about her medical history, and what we need to do if she has some kind of incident." "Ronin already knows the whole story." She said, reaching out and picking up the bottle. She filled her glass, then held the bottle up. He nodded and held out his glass. "Sam was exposed to the Athosian herb korathis, but I suppose you already know that..." They spent the next two hours talking and making plans.. Interior-Infirmary 0110 Hours He stopped and talked to the marines at the door, then went into Keller's office and pulled her chair out from behind her desk. He rolled it out and put it next to Tammy's bed, then pulled a stool over in front of it. He sat down, and had just gotten settled when she said, "Did you come to keep me company?" "Yeah." He said. "Go back to sleep." "Okay." She said, smiling at him. "Thanks." He nodded and closed his eyes, and was asleep in moments. (-) So ends Chapter Two of Book Three, Changes. Read Chapter Three to see what happens next. Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process... Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03 Cisco learns that there are benefits to his new job while Ronin goes back to Sateda. Carter has an encounter with the leader of the Genii, and invites him to dinner... (-) Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes Chapter Three Interior-Infirmary 0620 Hours "Samuels to Cisco." "Go ahead." He said quietly as he tapped his headset. "Can you meet me in the colonel's suite?" She asked. "Five minutes?" "That's fine, I'll have coffee ready." He stood up, and saw that Tammy was looking at him. "You're a light sleeper." He said. "How are you feeling?" "Better." She smiled. "Who was that?" "Samuels. She wants to talk to me." She nodded, her eyes closing. "Go back to sleep. I'll be back later." She smiled, but didn't say anything. Interior-Kitchen 0630 Hours "Get some coffee, and have a seat, they need a few more minutes to finish getting your suite ready." Andi said, not turning around. He noticed that she had a tablet on the table in front of her, and there were pictures of the living room and kitchen on it. He waved his arm, and saw himself doing it on the tablet. "It's a live feed, we use it to monitor Sam. Or we used to, we don't need it that much anymore." Samuels said. "They both wear a bracelet that we monitor them with too." "Could those bracelets be modified to send out a distress signal, or to track them?" He asked as he sat down across the table from her. She shook her head. "The range on them is only about two hundred feet. It's a medical device. Sam has a subcutaneous transponder, I guess we could get Tammy one." "Since she's already in the infirmary, could we do that today?" He asked. "It might be a little soon for that." She said. "She may not be up to it." "She's feeling better. I just came from there." "When did you go down there?" "I was there all night." She looked at him, then nodded. "I check the video system here in the suite, the conference room, and anywhere they go that has a video feed." She said. "I use it to track Sam's progress as my patient, and also to make a historical record as foreign minister." She got up and refilled her coffee cup, then came back and sat down. "They withhold information from both Jennifer and I, but they know that we check the video. They don't object, or else Tammy would have shut it down. She set the system up." He nodded, and waited for her to continue. "I understand that your first loyalty is going to be to them, and that you're going to have to withhold information from me at their request. But I need you to share information about their state of mind, and their health with us. We can talk to Sam about that later, I doubt if she'll object." "My job is to protect the royal family, and that means more than just keeping them alive." He said. "Would you agree with that?" She nodded. "I'll need to speak to Ronin and the queens to see what that includes. But I agree, I doubt if they'll object to us sharing medical information with you." She nodded again, looking at him. "Let's go down and take a look at your suite." She said as she stood up. "I gave you the one I used to live in. It's got a rustic decor, I think you'll like it. Interior-Kitchen 0745 Hours "Carter to Cisco." "Yes, Ma'am?" "Where are you?" "Right here." He said as he stepped into the kitchen. "Neat trick." She laughed. "I like the outfit." He was wearing a light brown Atlantian style suit with a soft, cream-colored shirt. "I don't like the cut of the jacket. No collar." "Take it off." She said. "I want to see what you have on under there." He slipped the jacket off, revealing twin shoulder holsters, each with a large automatic pistol. "Turn around." He turned, and she could see the two small pistols clipped inside the waistband of his pants. "Now lift the pants legs." He drew up the legs of his pants. He had another pistol strapped to one ankle, and his bowie knife strapped to the other. "What else do you have? I know there's more." She said. He pulled a small knife from one sleeve, then held his other arm out, and a small pistol appeared in his hand. Ronin smiled. "What about the knife under your collar, and the one strapped inside your left leg?" "Those are carved bone, won't show up on a metal detector." Cisco said. "So another knife, or a bomb isn't going to pop out of your shoe? We've seen it all?" "You never see it all." He said as he reached up and slipped a thin piece of wire from under the collar of his shirt. "What's that for?" She asked. "Garrote." "And you're going to pack all that hardware around all the time?" She asked. "No. But at least one guard per team will carry most of it. The other one will have a small automatic weapon." He said. "I like the Mac10. But if we can find more of Ronin's gun, we can use those." "That's why we called you." She said as he sat down next to Ronin. "I want you to go to Sateda today. I'll send the Apollo with you." She told them. "Ronin can tell them where to look, and they can scan before they send you down." Cisco shook his head. "Ronin can do this. I'll be staying here." He said. "One of us will be in the city, with you, at all times." "He's right." Ronin said. "And I want to sit down with you and Tammy when she gets home. We need to talk about ground rules." Cisco slid a piece of paper with ancient symbols on it over to him. Ronin slid his own back to him. They both nodded as they looked at each others lists. "So you're going to lock us down." She said. "Only as much as we have to." Cisco said. "Once we get the security systems up, you'll have free run of this building, the conference center, and the formal dining room. Those areas are going to be kept locked down. If you go anywhere else, we'll do a pre-sweep of the area first." He paused, glancing over at Ronin, then back at her. "But the most important thing we're going to need you to understand, is what your job is in an emergency. It's going to be hard for you, because it goes against all the training you've ever had. You have to let our people protect you, and that means not resisting them if they try to move you out of an area, or try to cover you. You do not fight. If they go down, you run, you only fight as a last resort." She looked at Ronin, and saw the same stony expression on his face that Cisco had. "I don't know if I can do that." She said quietly. "You'll learn. We're going to practice it." Cisco said. "We don't expect you to get it right the first time, or every time. We just want you to be ready." "Do you really think something will happen that often?" "No, but it will happen. People will just lose it, and try to take it out on you because you're symbols. We have enemies, and will make more, things change." Interior-Infirmary 0930 Hours "Hi sweetie." Tammy smiled as they came up to the bed. "Hi, how are you feeling?" Sam asked as she took her hand in hers. "Better, I'm still a little weak though." Tammy said. "Jenn says I have an infection, and she wants to keep me here for a couple days." "Oh." Sam said, her face going pale. "I haven't talked to her." "She just left. She let me feed Jacob. Just the bottle though." She glanced over at Cisco. "Did he tell you that he stayed here with me last night?" She asked Sam. "No, Andi did." Sam smiled. "I don't think he was going to. He doesn't give up much." "As long as he gives up the good stuff." Tammy said, wincing as she started to laugh. "Oh shit, it hurts to laugh." She grunted. "Then don't laugh." Jennifer said as she walked up and stood on the other side of the bed. She looked over at Sam. "She's got a minor infection and a low grade fever. We've got her on a wide spectrum antibiotic." She said. "I'm going to keep her here today, and we'll see how she's doing tomorrow. There's no more internal bleeding, we got everything when we went back in." Sam nodded, but didn't say anything. "I'm really sorry, Sam. We thought we had gotten everything." Keller said. "I went back over the video, and still didn't see the bleeders, even though I knew they were there. That's why the second surgery took so long." "Tell her about the STID." Tammy said. Jennifer looked at Tammy, then back at Sam. "Andi called down and asked if we could put a subcutaneous transponder like yours in Tammy. We talked about it, and Tammy agreed." Carter looked over at Cisco. "This was your idea I guess." He nodded. "Dr. Samuels was telling me about the video system, and your bracelets." He said. "And I asked about the transponder after she said that your bracelets are medical devices, and only have a short range." "He's locking us down too." Sam told Tammy. "They want to sit down with us when you get home. Ronin says we're going to have ground rules." Tammy nodded. "Good, we should have done it before now." She said, looking at Cisco. "I just didn't think we'd need it so soon." "Neither did I." Sam said. "I don't want either of you to think about it after we get everything setup." Cisco said. "You won't even notice it most of the time. Just live your lives, and let us worry about the rest." Tammy looked at Sam, then over at Jennifer. "Can we have a minute Jenn?" She asked. "Sure, I want to look in on Jacob, then I think I'll go try to figure out how my chair got out here." Jennifer said, looking at Cisco. "No one seems to know." When she was safely out of earshot. Tammy looked over at Cisco. "Will you take Sam home and make love to her for me?" She said softly. "Tammy, not yet. You're hur..." "No, Sam. I want this for you." She looked back at Cisco. "Three times. Once for her, once for me, and once for us." Sam was blushing as she looked at Cisco, then quickly away. "Come here, baby." Tammy laughed. "Give me a kiss, and get out of here. I'm tired, and I really do need to rest." Sam leaned closer, bringing her lips to Tammy's. They kissed lightly, and Tammy ran her hand over her breast, pinching her nipple. "Your nipple is hard, is your little pussy wet too? That's why you're blushing, isn't it?" She whispered. Sam nodded, smiling against Tammy's lips. "Go Sam, just forget everything else for a few hours and have a good time." Tammy whispered. "I want you to." Sam nodded again and kissed her lightly. "I will, and I love you." "I love you too." Tammy said, closing her eyes. Sam stood up and took Cisco's hand, leading him away from the bed. She stopped by Jennifer's office on the way out, and stuck her head in the door. "Will you tell the senior staff that I'm taking the day off?" She said lightly. "I'll be available for dinner, if anyone wants to join me. I just won't be taking calls till after say...sixteen hundred?" "I think that's a good idea Sam. I'll let everyone know." Jennifer said. "But let's make it eighteen hundred. And I'd like you to stay with me tonight, or have Teyla come over and stay with you. I don't think you should be alone." Sam just nodded. "How about both of you come over? We can make it a girl's night in." Interior-Living room 1015 Hours "You don't really have to..." Cisco held his finger to her lips, smiling when he saw the soft green glow of her shield. "I want to. I have for a while." He said gently. "Turn your shield off, but don't undress, I want to do that." "I need a minute." He said as they stepped off the porter. He turned to the marine standing there and signaled for him to follow. He walked down the hall with him, then watched as he stepped onto the elevator. He stood for a moment, speaking quietly into his headset. "We can't be queen and subject when we do this." He said as he came up to her, putting his arms around her waist, holding her comfortably. "Can you do that?" Sam nodded, but didn't speak. "Do you want me to make love to you?" She shook her head, then smiled slowly. "With me." Interior-Apollo Bridge 1020 Hours "This was another storage area." Ronin said, pointing at a section of the map on the monitor. "Very few people knew about it. I was a guard there for a while." They had already been over the two main continents, and had only found a few weapons, and two small ammunition caches. "I'm getting energy and life sign readings from the west side of the city." Wilkins said. He enlarged the map, highlighting a cluster of buildings. Small red symbols dotted the area. "The X's are life signs, the yellow areas are buildings that I think are powered. At least two of them are underground." "What do you want to do?" Lorne asked. "This is your show. And they might be your people." "I'm with my people." Ronin said quietly. He looked over at Wilkins. "How many life signs do you see? And can you put us into one of those underground buildings?" Wilkins shook his head. "They're both too deep to put you down in them safely. I can put you in the buildings directly above them, they look unoccupied. There's only about twenty life signs all together, and those are all around the perimeter." "Let's beam one of them up, and ask them what they're doing there." Lorne said. "These are the first life signs we've found so far, so I think we may be on to something." Ronin nodded, and Lorne looked over at Wilkins. "Pick one that's alone, and beam him into the brig. Let's see what he has to say." Interior-Bedroom 1020 Hours "I like your hair short like this." Cisco said as he opened the buttons on her vest slowly. When he reached the bottom, he put his hands on her waist and ran them slowly up her sides. Sam sucked in her breath at his gentle touch, arching her back to force her breasts toward him as his fingers stroked lightly over her skin. He moved around her slowly, pressing himself against her as he drew her vest off over her shoulders and slid his hands around, cupping her tits and squeezing them. "I've always liked your body." He whispered. "From the first time I saw you. I never thought I'd be doing this with you." "When was that?" She gasped as he pinched her nipples between his fingers. "At the SGC, I used to watch you in the gym, and I was on the security teams for a while before I got moved to SG-14." He said, moving his hands down to her waist. "Turn around." His fingers opened the button on her slacks, then slid the zipper down slowly. Her pants fell around her feet, and she stepped out of them, kicking them aside and taking a step back, smiling at him. "You like?" She asked posing like Andi had had her do on the first day they'd met. "You're beautiful." He said, taking a step toward her. "Huh uh." She laughed. "My turn." Her hands came up and she jerked the front of his shirt open, sending buttons flying across the room. Her hands moved to his belt, opening the buckle quickly, then pulling it off and tossing it on the bed. "We're going to need that later." She muttered. "Get rid of the shoes." She said as she opened his pants and moved the zipper down. As his pants dropped down his legs, she pushed him backwards. His legs hit the side of the bed, and he fell back onto it. Sam dropped to her knees, pulling at his pants legs as he tried to kick off his shoes. "I don't have alot of experience with men, or with sex in general, if you want the truth." She said as she ran her hands up the insides of his thighs. She wrapped her fingers around the soft, warm shaft of his cock, looking up at him. "There's something that I always wanted to try, but was afraid to. Is it okay if..." Cisco smiled down at her as he rested on his elbows, watching her. "Go ahead. I'll tell you what feels good, and what I like." She was smiling as she pressed her lips to the side of his cock, then started rubbing it all over her face. Interior-Apollo Brig 1030 Hours The glare of an Asgard beam flared and faded, and a man appeared behind the bars in the brig. He looked surprised, then reached for his weapon, stopping when he saw six marines pointing weapons at him. He drew his sidearm slowly, then sat it on the floor, and stood up, facing them. "Genii." Ronin said with disgust, then stepped up to the bars. "What are you doing here?" The Genii looked at him, not saying anything. Ronin turned to Lorne. "Tell Wilkins to beam them out, and spread them around the island." He said as he turned toward the door. "Beam this one down too." "You're not going to question him?" Lorne asked. "No, let's go look for ourselves." Interior-Bedroom 1040 Hours "You smell different than Tammy does." She said softly as she inhaled his musky scent. Her tongue came out, and she dragged it slowly around the head of his cock, making him moan. "You liked that." She giggled. "You like what I'm doing, your thing is getting bigger." "It's a cock, or a dick, not a thing." He laughed. "Say cock. And tell me that you like mine." "I like your cock." She said, running her hand slowly up and down over the shaft. "You're not circumcised, and I really like that. One of Boris's cocks is like that, and it feels really good inside me." "Who's Boris." He asked, a puzzled expression on his face. "And how many..." "We'll have to show you." She laughed. "He's in the shop right now." Pulling the skin on his cock up and down, she watched as the foreskin came up and almost completely covered the head, then retreated when she pulled down on it. She picked up the pace of her stroking, smiling as his cock stiffened in her hand, getting longer and thicker as she watched. "That is so kewl." She whispered. She looked up at him, blushing slightly. "Ca...can I put it in my mouth?" "Don't ask, do." He said. "Do you want me to tell you what to do?" "No." She said as she kissed the tip of his cock. "I think I can figure it out." Her lips parted slowly, and she let the thick knob of his cock slip into her mouth. Exterior-Sateda 1040 Hours "You should be able to access the first underground area from the building in front of you." Wilkins told Ronin. "I'm not getting any life sign readings, but that doesn't mean no one is home, so be careful." "Copy." Ronin said, then waved the first squad of marines into the building. One of the marines stepped out a moment later, signaling that it was clear, and Ronin waved the second squad forward. Waving for the third squad to set up a perimeter, he stepped into the building. "Got a staircase going down over here, sir." A marine said. Ronin went over and looked down the stairs, then started down. The marine put his hand on his shoulder, and Ronin looked back at him. "That's my job, sir" he said, waving his squad forward. "Let us clear it. We'll tell you when to come down." Ronin looked at him and nodded, then stepped back out of the way. The marines went down the stairs quietly, disappearing as they fanned out at the bottom. One appeared a moment later, signaling that it was clear. Ronin went down the stairs, and the sergeant came up to him. "Seven rooms, most of them look like labs." He said. "No one has been down here in days, but it looks like they use it regularly. You should see this." He led Ronin down a hall and into a large room, stopping him just inside the door. "Those are nukes, sir. So we don't want to hang around here too long." He said. "I think we found one of the Genii's research labs." Ronin nodded. "Check the rest of the floor. Is this the only level?" The sergeant nodded. "There's a door at the end of this hall leading to a connecting tunnel, probably to the other building." He said. "I'd like to send second squad up and have them access the other complex from above, while we go in through there." "Send half of the other squad with them for support." Ronin said. "But have them stay topside unless we need them." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03 Interior-Bedroom 1040 Hours She moaned around the head of his cock, surprised that it filled so much of her mouth. She bounce her head up and down, letting the flaring rim slip in and out between her lips, then pressed her head down, taking in more of his shaft. She choked when the head of his cock hit the back of her throat, and she felt his hands on her head, pulling her up. Easing back till just the head was in her mouth, she looked up at him. "Don't try to take it all." He smiled. "Just take the head and the first inch or so into your mouth. Use your hand to rub and jerk on the rest of it." She nodded, not taking his cock out of her mouth. "Come up here with me." He said, guiding her mouth off of his cock. "We can lay out and get comfortable." She shook her head as she looked at his cock, watching her hand run up and down the length of it. "I like this." She said. "I'm in a good position for me. I can reach and see everything, and I can see your face too." "Okay." He said, reaching back and grabbing a pillow. "But before you start again, get my cock wet. Lick it, or spit on your hand and rub it in. Jerk me off, and play with my balls too." He laid back, spreading his legs wider as he relaxed against the pillow and closed his eyes, sighing as he felt her tongue running up and down over his cock. Interior-Sateda 1050 Hours The marines breeched the second part of the complex, and met no resistance. The sergeant came back down the corridor, a shit-eating grin on his face. "We hit the jackpot, sir." He said, then sobered. "I'm sorry. I forgot that..." Ronin waved him off. "Show me." The sergeant led him down the corridor, and turned into the first room that they came too. A marine was kneeling on the floor with half a dozen boxes open in front of him. Ronin leaned down and picked up a triple barrel shot gun, jacking the slide and checking the chamber. A fond smile crossed his face as he held it in his hands. "You look natural with that." The sergeant said. "I learned to use one when I was six." Ronin said softly, sitting the gun back in it's box. "What else do you have?" "There's thirteen rooms like this one on this level, and there's two more levels under this one." The sergeant told him. "I don't know if the beams will reach the lower level. We may need transponders. There's an elevator in this building. Worst case, we have to move it all upstairs." "Let them know." Ronin told him. "I don't want to hang around here any longer than we have too. I'm going back to the ship." "Yes sir." The sergeant said to Ronin's back. He was surprised when Ronin stopped and turned around. "I grew up not far from here." Ronin said. "On the other side of town." He looked at the sergeant for a moment, then turned and went up the stairs. Interior-Bedroom 1050 Hours "I changed my mind." she said suddenly, getting to her feet and clambering up onto the bed. "I want to feel you in me." Stretching out in the middle of the bed, she spread her legs, watching him as he rolled over and got up on his knees. He shuffled over until he was between them, the thick shaft of his cock sticking out over her belly. Sam reached down, wrapping her fingers around it, shucking the skin up and down as she pulled it closer to the fur fringed lips of her pussy. "Let me do it." She whispered huskily, running the tip of his cock up and down between the fleshy, cream coated lips of her pussy. She pulled him forward, letting his cockhead press deeper into her, then went back to rubbing it all over the puffy outer lips. She whimpered when the tip brushed across her clit, and she brought it back, centering the head over the stiff little nubbin, grinding her cunt up at it as she held it in place. Cisco groaned as she teased herself with his cock. His balls were already pulling up under the base of his cock, and he could feel them twitching in their wrinkled sac. "I...if you don't put i...it in soon..." He gasped. She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Oh my god! I'm sorry." She panted. She brought his cock back down between her juice slickened labia, lining it up with the opening of her pussy. "Do it! Stick it in and fuck me Cisco." She moaned as she reached for him. Pressing his hips forward, he forced the head of his cock into the warm, wet opening of her cunt. He groaned, dropping down and supporting his weight on his forearms, his lips seeking hers as he started stroking his cock in and out. Sam's legs wrapped around him and she snaked her arms up around his neck. Writhing under him, she marveled at how much better it felt than with her previous lovers. His cock was pounding in and out of her roughly now, his breath rasping in her ear. "Cum...cum for me. I want to feel it." She panted, humping her pussy up at his cock. Cisco slid his arms under her, cradling her, then starting to shuttle her up and down over the length of his cock. He spread his knees wider apart, changing the angle of his strokes, thrusting deep into her with long, tip to root lunges. "Oh god!" She groaned. "Don't stop! Keep fucking me like that you big beautiful bastard. Oh shit. I...it's nev...never been li...like this." She clung to him as he pounded his cock in and out of the spasming sheath of her cunt, waves of sensation crashing over her as he fucked her. Whimpering happily, she hooked her heels under his asscheeks, spurring him on like a rider with a horse. Cisco jaws clenched and he growled deep in his throat as he felt the first hot slugs of cum surging up his cockshaft, then bursting free, coating the soft inner walls of her pussy. He buried his cock balls deep, humping forward in short jerking strokes, barely withdrawing as his balls emptied themselves inside her. "Yesssss!" She screamed, thrashing and writhing under him frantically. His hot cum filled her clasping cunt channel to overflowing, and she could feel it running out of her as he kept slamming his cock into her. Her legs worked steadily as she humped and arched her cunt up at him. She clasped his hips between her knees, urging him to give her longer strokes. "Please." She whined. "Give it to me. Fuck me Cisco. I want to feel it moving in me!" Gasping and panting for breath, he nodded into her neck and started moving his hips, letting his cock slide in and out of her. He slowed his strokes gradually, but moved steadily over her as she wriggled under him. "Oh god." She laughed a couple of minutes later. "No one has every done it like that before. Well, Tammy has made me cum better, but I've never been fucked like that. That was amazing!" Letting her arms drop from around his neck, she flopped back on the bed. Her legs still held him, looser now, but she kept up a slow, steady pumping motion, digging her heels into his asscheeks. Cisco raised up over her, smiling down at her. "You liked that, huh?" He laughed. "I usually call that a quickie." "The first time is always a quickie." She giggled, and pulling him down onto her, she kissed him hungrily. When she pulled away, she smiled up at him. "We can take our time the next time." She paused, staring up at him as he started moving his hips on his own again. "And that's going to be soon, isn't it?" Interior-Apollo Bridge 1200 Hours "All the holds are full, but Daedalus will be here in about twenty minutes." Lorne said. "We'll stay and fly cover for them, just in case." Ronin just nodded. "I know this was hard for you, Ronin. But we did good today." Lorne said. "And I don't think your people would mind." "No, they'd want us to have it, instead of the Genii." Ronin said quietly. "I just didn't expect to feel this way. It's still my home." "I feel the same way when I go back to San Francisco. That's in California, back on Earth." Lorne said. "But Atlantis is starting to feel like home, and I want to make it safe for all of us." "It is home now, and we will make it safe." Ronin said slowly. "Sateda and Earth are the past, Atlantis is the future. It's time to make families, and be part of something." Interior-Apollo Bridge 1310 Hours "We should be back in about an hour, John." Ronin said. "We just broke orbit and went into hyperspace." He paused for a moment. "What's going on? I told Ops to put me through to the colonel, and I got you." "Jennifer said that she was taking the day off." Sheppard said. "And she would have called me in anyway. I am the military commander of the city." "If you say so." Ronin grunted. "Have you heard anything about Tammy? Is she doing better?" "Jenn says she has an infection, and a low grade fever. She's going to keep her for another night." "Then we need to get people in there." Ronin said under his breath. "There's a squad of marines at the door, and Jenn said Cisco was there all night." Sheppard said. "He slept in her chair next to Tammy's bed." "He didn't tell me that." Ronin said, looking surprised. He looked at Sheppard staring back at him on the monitor. "I like him, John. I think we just got real lucky." "Yeah, I had heard good things about him, but if I had known the truth about him, he'd be an officer, working for me, not your captain of the guard." "Like I said, we just got lucky." Ronin laughed. "So what did you get?" Sheppard asked. "You find what you were looking for?" Ronin nodded. "We don't have a count, but Apollo is maxed out, and Daedalus is close. Weapons and ammunition. There was also a Genii lab, your marines said that they were building nukes. We left it intact, I figured we were already taking what they think is theirs, there wasn't any reason to make the situation worse." "Good thinking." Sheppard said. "And if they don't come in diplomatically, we can always go back and blow it later, now that we know it's there. That was a smart move, not killing any of their guys." "They'll have a thousand men at that site tomorrow." Ronin said. "Or at least I would. Ladon Radim isn't as bad as Cowen, but he's smarter, and that makes him more dangerous." "We'll let Samuels handle it. That's what she's there for." Sheppard said. "She's still talking about sending Vala as an emissary. God help them." Interior-Bedroom 1430 Hours "Can we go over to the infirmary and see Tammy? I want to see Jacob too." Sam said. She was laying across his back, her head resting on his shoulder. "We've done it three times, and..." "Four." he said. "You forgot the time that you..." "That doesn't count!" She laughed, smacking his shoulder lightly. "You never pulled out, so that just counts as one long one." "If you're going to be that way, we've only done it twice." He said seriously. "I didn't pull out after the first time either." "And she did say that we had to do it three times." Sam said as she rolled off him and slid off the side of the bed. "But that just means that we can do it again when we get back. Or you can just owe me one." "Come on, let's get in the shower, then get dressed." She said as she skipped toward the bathroom. "I want to go by the mess hall too. I'm starving!" Cisco smiled as he followed her into the bathroom. * * * * * They ended up doing it again in the shower, then twice more in Cisco's suite, once on the floor in the living room, and again in his bedroom. Sam had explained that they had to break it in, or it would be bad luck. When they had showered again, and he'd gotten fresh clothes, they went over to visit Tammy in the infirmary. * * * * * Interior-Infirmary 1540 Hours "Can I see her, Jenn?" Sam asked as she stepped into her office. "Is she awake?" Keller looked up and smiled. "She's awake, and doing much better. So much better as a matter of fact, that if you promise to make her stay in bed, I might be talked into letting you take her home tonight." "Oh god, Jennifer. That would make me feel so much better." Sam said, coming around the desk and hugging her. She stepped back, holding her at arms length. "You and Teyla can still come over, and we'll call Vala too. We can have a slumber party!" She laughed. "That actually sounds like fun." Jennifer laughed. "But she can't have any alcohol, and I'm not kidding, she has to stay in bed. Or at least stretch out on a couch. She has to stay off her feet for a few days." "And I almost forgot, John called a little while ago." She said. "Ronin is back, and they're going through what they got right now. He sounded like a kid at christmas." "They got that much?" "Filled both ships apparently. At least, that's what John said." Sam let her go and turned toward the door. "Cisco." She said. "Call Ronin, they're back. Get with him and go through what they got. You guys get thirty percent, off the top." "I don't like leav..." He began as he stepped into the doorway. "There's a squad of marines outside the door, and you can send more if it will make you feel better." She laughed. "Now go, I'm not going to want you around when I talk to Tammy anyway." He looked at her, then nodded. "You keep your shield on. And stay in sight of the marines. Promise me." She nodded. "I promise." She said seriously. He stepped away, and she saw him talking to the marine outside the door as she came out of the office, and knew that at least one more squad was on the way. * * * * * "Hi, sweetie." Tammy smiled as Sam came over to her bed. She was holding baby Jacob cradled in her arms. He was sleeping, but he kicked and jerked every few moments. "Do babies dream, Jennifer?" Sam asked. "Everyone dreams, Sam." Jennifer said as she picked him up. "He's probably having dreams about still being in the womb." She looked down at Tammy. "I'm sorry, but I really need to put him back in the chamber and hook up the IV. It's doing wonders for him. He's put on almost a pound already." She paused, bouncing him gently as he made a whimpering sound. "But I promise, you can take him home tomorrow." They both nodded, and she walked off, heading for the back of the infirmary. "Well now, you have a rosy glow about you that just hearing that Jacob can come home wouldn't give you." Tammy smiled. "Well, before we came over here, Jenn told me that she might let you come home too." Sam smiled back. "But you'd have to stay in bed, or at least lay on a couch or something." "That is good news!" Tammy said, looking at her closely. "But that isn't what I was thinking." "I know." Sam said, blushing slightly, but smiling nonetheless. "So why are you holding out on me?" Tammy asked. "You know I want to hear about it!" "Can we wait till we get home?" Sam asked. "I mean, what if someo..." "Oh shit! He wasn't any good, was he?" Tammy gasped, a look of disappointment on her face. "Oh god no!" Sam blurted out. "He was incredible. He was the best I ever...I mean, except you of course...he..." "Tell me! My feelings aren't hurt." Tammy laughed. "As long as you had a good time. Did you do it three times like I told you?" "Oh yeah, we did it...we did it three times." "You did it more? You little slut!" Tammy giggled. "How many times." "I'm not sure." Sam said, blushing a deep red. "We couldn't agree on what counted as one. So we did it at least twice in our bed, once in the shower...and twice at his place. Once on the floor, and once in the bed." "Five times?" Tammy said. "I'm impressed. But what do you mean you couldn't decide what counted?" "Well, he didn't you know...pull out before we started doing it again." Sam said, looking down at the floor. "That happened twice. So I'm not sure if it's two, or four times in our bed." "Oh god!" Tammy moaned, her hand going under the sheets and between her legs. "Are you serious? Fuck! I'm gonna scrap Boris if he's that good." "Oh, don't do that!" Sam laughed. "I like Boris. I tell him what to do and he does exactly that. He...just did what he wanted. It felt good and all, but it wasn't the same. I like them both though." She looked at Tammy with a small smile on her face, then leaned closer, so her lips almost touched her ear. "Oooooohhhh, I'm going to like this!" Tammy said as she felt her warm breath on her ear. "I...I sucked his dick." Sam said in a conspiratorial whisper. "I had never done that before, and I felt so nasty doing it too! I was looking at his face while I did it, and he was really enjoying it!" "You never gave a guy a blowjob before?" Tammy said, looking at her in disbelief. "How old are you? And where did you grow up, a convent?" "They...you know, asked me too, but it just never felt like...I don't know." Sam muttered. "I did handjobs and stuff, but most of the time they would just get on top of me and do it." "Oh baby." Tammy said, taking her hand. "I'm sorry. You deserve better than that." "I...it wasn't them...well, not all the time." Sam said. "I...I was different, not like I am now. You wouldn't have...we wouldn't have..." "I know." Tammy said. "Andi fucking up like she did opened up a whole new world for you, for all of us. I'm glad she made us possible. I've never been as happy with anyone else as I am with you. Even when we're old and grey I'm going to like being your lover." Interior-Warehouse East Pier 1600 Hours Cisco walked the short distance from the porter to the warehouse, and as he stepped inside, he saw Ronin standing talking to Sheppard and Caldwell near a stack of crates. Sheppard spotted him as he approached. "What are you doing here?" He asked. "The colonel wanted some private time with Lady Tammy." He told him. He looked over at Ronin. "I left three squads of marines with them. One in the back of the infirmary, and two covering the door and corridors." Ronin nodded, turning back to Sheppard. Before he could say anything, Sheppard spoke up. "I know you want some of this stuff for your guards, but we can use it alot more..." "We get thirty percent, off the top. And we decide what we want first." Cisco interrupted him. "What?" Caldwell said. "Just who the hell do..." "That came right from the colonel." Cisco said. "And if you don't like it, take it up with her." He turned and looked at Ronin. "So what did you get?" He asked. "No problems? No one hurt?" "We got what we wanted, and more." Ronin said. "That was a good idea, going to Sateda. I'm glad you said something." "You okay?" Cisco asked. "That had to tough for you." Ronin nodded. "We need go through and see what we have. We might as well split it out three ways if she wants us to take thirty percent." He looked over at Sheppard. "Have our stuff stacked in the lobby of fifty-eight. We'll move it when we know where we're going to put it." "How do you know I'm not going to screw you?" Sheppard laughed. Ronin glanced over at Caldwell, then back at Sheppard. "Because that's not the kind of man you are, and we all know it." Interior-Tower Fifty-Eight 1640 Hours "The conference room I was telling you about is just down the hall." Samuels said as they stepped off the elevator. "It takes up half this floor, and we can set it up anyway you want." They went down the hall, turned a corner and went through a set of double doors. The room was dominated by a large table at the front, sitting in front of a large monitor flanked by whiteboards. the center of the room was filled with chairs, and the outside walls were lined with shelves and bookcases. "You're right, doc." Cisco said. "This will make a good assembly area, or maybe even a training room. We won't need all those chairs, but I'd like to keep the table, and maybe a dozen of the chairs?" "Are you thinking about using this space for workouts and training?" Samuels asked. "I can get you mats and some equipment, mostly things like free weights, speed bags, boxing kinds of stuff. Would that help?" "That would be great." Cisco told her. "How many of these rooms did you say you had?" Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03 "There's five more in this building." She answered. "But keep in mind, that the suites on these floors are smaller, and only have two bedrooms. There's four of them on the floors with the conference rooms." "So if we take two, that's sixteen people. How many suites on the other floors we can have?" "The other floors have six suites with three bedrooms each." She said. "Why, what are you thinking?" "I'd like at least two more floors, that's another thirty-six people. That should cover us for a while." "I'll give you two conference rooms, and four of the other floors." She said, making notes on her tablet. "Let me know as you start moving people in, and we'll get the closets stocked for them. You're still planning on sending them out plain clothes, not a standardized uniform?" "Yeah, having them blend in will be best right now. There's no need to advertise." He said. He smiled as he added, "And I think both the colonel and Lady Tammy will be more comfortable with them that way." "I doubt if Tammy will care." Andi said. "But you're right, Sam will be more comfortable if they blend in." Interior-Col. Sheppard's Office, North Tower 1650 Hours Sheppard stopped in the door to his office when he saw Sam and Lorne sitting across from each other, laughing. Sam looked over and smiled as she spotted him. "John! I was wondering where you were." She said. "I came over and no one was here, and Evan came in before I could call you. We got to talking, and it just slipped my mind. I'm sorry." "That's fine." Sheppard said lightly as he went behind his desk. "I just wanted to wrap a few things up and call it an early day. We got alot done today, so what's left can wait till tomorrow." "Well, don't wrap it up too early." Sam said, leaning back in her chair. "But we probably need Stephen for what I want to talk to you about. Did he come back with you?" "He went home already." Sheppard laughed. "He said he wanted to get ready for dinner." "Well, give him a call, and ask him to come back." She said. "I have something I want to talk to the three of you about." They traded small talk while they waited for Caldwell, and when he walked in, Sam stood up and waved him and Sheppard toward chairs in front of the desk. When they were seated, she pushed a pile of papers out of the way and hopped up on the desk. "Stephen, as commander of the navy, are you planning on staying on as commander of the Daedalus, or do you have someone in mind to step up into that spot?" She asked Caldwell. "I've been thinking about that." He answered. "We haven't been that active recently, so it was a low priority item. The department is shaping up nicely though, so doing both wouldn't be a hardship." "If you had to step aside, who would you put in command of Daedalus?" "It would have to be Marks." Caldwell told her. "But the problem there is we gave up our backup helmsman to the Apollo, and we're still training his replacement." She nodded, thinking for a moment. "I'm not looking to take you out of the big chair, I just want to be ready if it comes up." She told him. "I've already talked to Evan about the Apollo, so we can put that aside for the moment." She looked at the three of them before she continued. "I've decided that we're not going to help Todd with his eggs." She said, looking at them steadily. "We're going to reach out to the Travelers, and ask them to do joint ops with us. We're going to start aggressively hunting the Wraith down and killing or capturing their ships as we find them." "Yes." Sheppard said quietly, earning him a grin from her. "I knew you'd like that John." She said. "I'm going to let you talk to Larrin about it. I'd like the two of you to work out the details between you. But I want to see a plan by the end of the week. Two plans actually. One with joint ops, one with just our ships." "Do you have a preference on how you want this done?" Caldwell asked. "Evan has had Apollo out daily, and we have more than a dozen idle hives and their escorts tagged. We can take those out, or take them, depending on if you think we can use them." She looked over at Sheppard. "You know more about Wraith ships than any of us do, John. What do you think?" Sheppard looked at her for a moment before he answered. "I know the Travelers can use them, but we don't have what...who, we need to make it worthwhile for us to try to capture any of them. Zelenka never got off world that much, so isn't familiar with the technology. So the only one that really understands that stuff is..." "McKay." He nodded. "As much as I hate to say it, if you want to take and convert those ships for our use, there's only one guy that can do it for you." "If that's the case." She said slowly, "If we asked him to come back, could you work with him, and more importantly, keep him under control? I've kind of liked not having a crisis every other day, so I'd want him limited to what he had access to." "It has been nice having the problems coming at us from the outside, and not making our own, hasn't it?" He laughed. "But to answer your question, yes, I can keep him under control. For what I have in mind, he wouldn't need access to any city systems, and only a few in the science labs." "He has the ancient gene." Caldwell said. "Would you want to put him on the teaching machines, or do you think that that would make him more dangerous?" "He's only really dangerous if you let him go his own way." Sam said. "I think if we kept him on a short leash, we could limit the problems he could cause." She smiled at them, then added. "The problem with Rodney is, he thinks he's always the smartest one in the room. Well, that's not the case anymore. I was always at least his equal, but now Tammy and I both make him look like a preschooler. And I don't know how that's going to sit with him." "Teyla can fly a hive or a cruiser, if push comes to shove." Sheppard said. "I don't know if she could land one. From what Todd told us once, landing a hive is a tricky proposition even with an experienced pilot." "Why would we need to bring Dr. McKay back to Atlantis?" Lorne asked. "Couldn't we send him the information, have him build a control interface, then duplicate it for any ships we want to capture?" "I like the idea of the control interface, but it would be something that he'd have to be on site for." Sam told him. "Trying to send that much data back and forth would keep the gate open for hours at a time. I doubt if the SGC would go for that." "What makes you think they'd let McKay come here, even if he wanted to?" Caldwell asked. "He's an asset, and probably not one they'll want to give up." "You haven't spent as much time with him as we have Stephen." Sheppard laughed. "I guarantee, whoever he's working for will be glad to be rid of him." He looked back at Sam. "I like the guy. Once you get past the ego, he's not that bad. And he can be handy to have around." "You didn't have him hitting on you, convinced that you found him as, if not more attractive than he found you." Sam said with a wry grin. "But you have a different problem now, John. He was getting things going with Jennifer, and now you're with her. I don't know how that's going to go over." "I don't care how it goes over." Sheppard told her. "If we decide to ask him to come back, we tell him up front what he can expect. The only way I want him back is with a clear definition of his role. That's our definition, not his." "I agree." Sam said. "This is something we need to talk to Andi and Tammy about. I'll get with them later, and see what they think." "But back to Wraith hunting." She said. She looked over at Lorne. "Evan, keep doing what you've been doing. Find and tag as many of those idle hives as you can. If you run across an active hive, I'll let you decide how to handle it. Daedalus will be on call if you think you need backup." "Yes, ma'am." Lorne said. "John, get with Larrin and let her know what we have in mind." She said, moving on to Sheppard. "Let her know that they can have half the ships we've found if they want them. And ask her what they're doing with the ones they already have. Are they converting them somehow, or do they have people that can fly them? We may want to go with their method. It might make McKay a moot point." "Stephen." She laughed as she turned to Caldwell. "I don't have anything for you, except to step up and do what needs to be done, like you always do. I'm sure John is going to need help, and Evan may have you going out joyriding, so I doubt if you'll be bored." Interior-Kitchen 1830 Hours "Colonel Carter, Dr. Samuels is requesting permission to come up." "That's fine, send her up." Sam said as she poured herself a drink. "I'm expecting Dr. Keller and Ambassador Emmagan later. Just send them up when they get here." The comm sounded again as Andi walked into the kitchen, and she tapped the button as she walked by. "Samuels." She said as she opened the fridge and took out two cokes. She held one up, offering it to Sam, but she shook her head. "Ops, Dr. Samuels." The tech said. "We have an incoming video signal. It's Ladon Radim of the Genii." "And I wonder what he wants to talk about." Sam muttered. She smiled at Samuels and pointed at her tablet. "Can you get a video feed on that thing, or do I have to go in the office?" "We can take it on this." Andi said, tabbing through the menu on her tablet. "But I think we should go over to the conference center. And get the court assembled." "No, I know what he wants, and I know how I want to handle him." Sam told her, holding out her hand for the tablet. "Ops, send that up here, We're ready." She said. "Yes ma'am. Wait one." Andi reached over and tapped an image on the screen, and a moment later, Ladon Radim appeared. "You are Col. Carter, so called queen of Atlantis?" He said, glaring at her. "Yes, and you're Ladon Radim, so called leader of the Genii?" She replied. "My sister queen isn't available to join us, but I won't need her to deal with you." "You have committed an act of aggression against the Genii." Radim said. "Your action on Sateda can be considered an act of war." "Really?" Sam said lightly. "I think you're blowing what happened this morning out of proportion, but I've heard that your people do that. From my point of view, we recovered weapons and ammunition left by the Stedman's. No Genii were killed, and no Genii property was damaged." Radim stared at her, then turned and spoke quietly to someone off screen. "My court was discussing what we were going to do about the Genii the other day." Sam said casually. "We haven't gotten a response from you about opening relations, and we were debating whether we should bother sending an emissary or not." "You need not send an emissary." Radim said, then turned and listened to someone off screen. When he turned back, he was smiling slightly. "Good. I doubt you could handle who I had in mind to send." Sam said before he could say anything else. "Atlantis and The Genii have had a...difficult relationship, since we first met. The leadership here in Atlantis has changed since then, as it has with the Genii. We no longer have to follow orders from Earth, but make our own decisions." "And your first decision was to steal from the Genii." Radim said. "Dr. Weir and others have been told, you do not want..." "Want to make an enemy of the Genii. Blah, blah, blah." She finished for him. "But you exaggerate again. The action on Sateda was not our first decision, it was an afterthought. One of my advisors had an idea, and we checked it out. We had no indication that the Genii were occupying Sateda, not that it would have made any difference." She smiled at the camera. "You said that you considered our action this morning an act of war. So be it." She said coolly. "You can expect my ships over that research lab later this evening. And over your capitol city tomorrow." She closed the channel and looked at Andi. "So, how long do you think befo..." The comm sounded, and she grinned at Samuels. "Get that." She said. "He called back quicker than I thought." Samuels got up and answered the comm, speaking quietly to the Ops tech. She nodded at Sam, and she tapped the screen on the tablet. Radim looked at her for a moment before he spoke. "If we may begin again." He said softly. "I believe that we are starting down a path neither of us wants to travel." "I'm fine with the path you've chosen. But if you'd like to try again, I'm willing to listen." She said, looking at him steadily. "But I'd prefer to talk in person. Have you had dinner yet?" "It is midday here. I was about to order lunch." He said, a quizzical expression on his face. "Excellent. I have a taste for beef tonight." She said lightly. "You'll love the way my cook does up a ribeye. You look like a medium rare kind of guy. We'll see you in an hour." She closed the channel and slid the tablet over to Samuels. "Now you can get the court together. And reach out to Teal'c. See if he can get here in the next hour or so, I have something I'd like to talk to him about." She said as she stood up and walked to the door. "We'll meet him in the dining room. I'm going down to talk to Tammy." Interior-Infirmary 1910 Hours She sat quietly beside Tammy's bed, looking at her. "So what happened?" Tammy asked, not opening her eyes. "How long have you been awake?" Sam laughed. "Since you dragged that chair over and plopped your ass down on it." Tammy said, turning her head and looking over at her. "Now tell me what's got you so pensive." "We heard from the Genii." Sam told her. "Ladon Radim. He opened hard, talking about aggression and war, so I told him fine, we're at war. And hung up." "Then what happened?" Tammy asked, trying not to smile. "He called back a minute later, and tried to backpedal." "Did you let him?" "I told him I wanted beef for dinner, and to be here in an hour." Sam answered. "We're going to talk to him in the dining room if he shows up." "Then we need to get me some clothes..." Tammy began as she tried to sit up.. "No, you need to stay here, or if Jenn says it's okay, we can move you to our bed." Sam told her, reaching out to take her hand. "But you need to rest, at least for the next few days. I need you to get better, and that means you have to take it easy." Tammy looked at her, then nodded. "Have them get me a monitor set up in our room." She said. "I'd rather be in my own bed. This one sucks. And you can't get in with me here." "I miss just holding you." Sam said, squeezing her hand. "Me too." Tammy smiled. "So how are you going to handle Radim?" "I'm going to explain that the Genii are a second rate power, and if they don't like it, we can make them a fifth rate power." Sam said. "I've asked the Travelers to come over and join in, so he'll know where he stands from the gitgo." "Good idea. But be careful, the Genii can be dangerous." Tammy said. "They're only as dangerous as we let them be." Sam said, shaking her head. "They don't have any ships, and from what I've read, there's so much infighting that they have trouble..." "That infighting will stop if you give them an enemy to focus on." Tammy told her. Sam nodded. "That's why I'm bringing the Travelers over for this. Once he sees that they're in with us, he should lighten up. And they'll keep me honest." "Let Arrin do most of the talking." Tammy said. "Pharris says that he has the best relationship with the Genii. You say what you want to say, but let him tell them how things are. And are going to be." "I'll get with him before dinner." Sam said. She stood up and came closer to the bed. "I also had Andi reach out to Teal'c, to see if he could drop by. I know you said that having the Jaffa in Pegasus could be dangerous, but I was thinking that having a small force of them under our control might not be a bad idea." "And you're planning on using them against the Genii?" Tammy asked. "Yes, if Radim gives me any trouble, we're going to take that facility on Sateda, mainly to use as a bargaining chip. But I might let Teal'c bring in a couple hundred Jaffa to assault other Genii strongholds. I want to talk to him and see what he thinks about that." "But I have to go." She said softly, leaning down and kissing Tammy lightly. "I'll have them get you moved, and get everything else ready." Tammy nodded, closing her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Interior-Dining Room, East Tower 1945 Hours Cisco stepped into the room, stopping just inside the door. He glanced over at Sam, then stepped to the side when she nodded. "Ladies and gentlemen, Ladon Radim of the Genii, accompanied by ministers Phrenum and Colak." He said as they entered the room. Radim was wearing the plain, unadorned green and brown uniform of the Genii, while the other two men wore insignia of rank and rows of medals. "Ladon, it's been too long my friend." Arrin said as he stepped forward, taking Radim's hand. "I don't believe that you've been formally introduced to our friend Samantha. If you would allow me?" Radim looked at him, then followed him over to where Sam was standing. "Samantha, if I may present Ladon Radim of the Genii." Arrin said warmly. "Ladon has been a friend of the Travelers for many years, long before he became leader of the Genii." "We spoke earlier." She said, giving Arrin a soft smile. Her expression hardened as she turned back to Radim. "It's too bad he hasn't been as good a friend to Atlantis, considering everything that's been done for him." "A situation I hope to correct." Radim said, holding out his hand. "I was sorry to hear of the deaths of Dr. Beckett and Dr. Weir. I owe both of them for the life of my sister, and the other Genii that they treated." "I had expected to hear from the Genii sooner." Sam said as she took his hand. She held it, tightening her grip as she continued. "Had we known that the Genii were occupying Sateda, perhaps we would have asked before we went poking around." "A misunderstanding." Radim said, glancing down at her hand. He looked back up at her and smiled. "We're not occupying Sateda. We purchased that complex from the government in exile." "Kell." Ronin said softly, glaring at him. "Ronin! I almost didn't recognize you." Radim laughed. "But yes, we dealt with Kell until he disappeared last year." "He didn't disappear, he's dead." Ronin grunted, coming over to stand next to Sam. "He betrayed his people, and had no right to sell anyone anything." "We had no way of knowing that." Radim answered, looking at him steadily. "Ronin." Sam said softly as she took his hand in hers. "Come sit with me. Take Tammy's seat." She looked at Radim and waved him toward a seat on one side of the table. "We're having ribeye steaks for dinner. These are the last we'll have until we get relations worked out with Earth. I guess we'll have to start looking for a new source of meat." "I had something called a potterhoose with Dr. Weir." Radim said. "Is a ribeye anything like that?" "A different cut, but off the same animal." Sam said as Ronin held her chair for her, then sat down beside her. "And it's called a porterhouse, don't ask me why." "I'll remember that. I thought it was delicious." Radim said as he sat down. "But we have a similar herd animal, called a dron, that offers meat very close to the taste of what we ate." "Well, if your dron can get me a ribeye, or a sirloin, we might be able to do business." she said. "We've heard that you are taking in refugees, and talking of selling goods." Phrenum said as he came over and sat next to Radim. "Yes, we are." Pharris said, looking across the table at him. "The Travelers have entered into a partnership with Atlantis, to the mutual benefit of both." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03 All three Genii looked at her, barely hiding their surprise. "A partnership?" Phrenum asked. "Yes." Samuels came into the room at that moment. She glanced over at Sam before she spoke. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but is it okay to serve?" "Yes." Carter said, glancing over at her. "But have one of your people take care of that, I'd like you to join us. And put your foreign minister hat on." "I was going to do that." Andi laughed. "But this came up so quickly, I decided that it would just be easier to handle it myself. Give me a few minutes." Carter nodded and looked down the table at Pharris "I'm glad you mentioned our partnership, Pharris." She said lightly. "I think it's important for Mr. Radim and his aides to know that we're working together..." "If I may interrupt, Samantha." Arrin said as he turned toward the Genii. "Ladon, we do not just work with Samantha and Atlantis, but we stand with them in all things. Samantha and her people have reached out and offered a safe haven for our planet bound brothers, and a true partnership as they begin trying to improve the lives of the people of our galaxy." "What Arrin is trying not to say, Radim." Larrin said as she came into the room. "Is that we have, and will fight with Samantha and her people. They have proven themselves to be trustworthy allies, and formidable fighters. You'd do well to keep that in mind." She turned and smiled at Sam. "I'm sorry I was late Samantha. The first shipment of drones arrived today, and I couldn't resist taking the Kuneia out for a little target practice." She laughed as she sat down across the table from Radim. "That's quite all right, Larrin. How did she do?" Sam asked. "My helmsman still needs training, but the weapons officer is a natural in the control chair." She grinned down the table at Sheppard as she went over and sat with the rest of the Travelers. "He might even be as good as Sheppard." "Then I guess we won't have to have John help when you start bringing your other cruisers online." Sam laughed. She looked back at Radim as she stood up and moved down the table. "While we're waiting for dinner, it might be a good idea to introduce everyone." She stopped behind Sheppard, resting her hands on his shoulders. "I believe you know Sir John Sheppard, Commander of the Royal Forces. Next to him, we have Jennifer Keller, Chief Medical Officer, Sir Stephen Caldwell, Lord of the Admiralty, and his fiancée, Ambassador Teyla Emmagan." "We had not heard that Teyla Emmagan was betrothed." Radim said with a smile. "I hope I will be invited to the wedding." "I'll let them decide who's on the guest list. It's still up in the air if you're going to be invited to the coronation." Sam said as she moved around the table. "But to continue with the introductions, these are our senior councils, General Jack O'Neill of Stargate Command, and Master Bra'tac of the Free Jaffa Nation." The three Genii sat silently as they watched her continue around the table. "You know our Traveler friends of course, and my Guardian of the Realm and head of the household guard, Sir Ronin Dex." She said as she came to the foot of the table. "The man at the door is Sir Steven Carter, known as Cisco, my captain of the guard. My other two knights won't be joining us tonight, they're on a mission at the moment." She looked down, resting her hands lightly on Teal'c's shoulders. She smiled down the table at the Genii. "This is my old friend, Ambassador Teal'c of the Free Jaffa Nation, our ally in the Milky Way galaxy, and our trading partner there. Teal'c and I have been discussing establishing settlements for his warriors on worlds here in the Pegasus galaxy. We just haven't decided where or when. It was Ronin's idea to look at Sateda." "There is room on Sateda, should they decide to settle there." Radim said lightly. "We are only using the one island we purchased. But tell me, do you have other worlds in mind for these settlements?" "As a matter of fact, we do." Sam said as she came back around the table and took her seat next to Ronin. "We had taava beans with dinner the last time that Teal'c was here, and he loved them. So we'll probably look for planets that they'll grow on." "You wouldn't dare..." Phrenum rasped as he leapt to his feet. "Taava beans grow on many worlds, Colonel." Radim said, grasping Phrenum's arm and pulling him back down into his seat. "It is a hearty crop, well suited to many types of soil and climates. I'm sure you will have no trouble finding suitable worlds for your friends to settle on." He paused, a small smile on his face. "But are you sure that your friends would want to settle in this galaxy?" He asked. "There are many dangers here, the Wraith being chief among them." "Haven't you heard that the Wraith are at war with each other, and that their Primary, and all their other queens were killed recently in a battle that wiped out almost eighty percent of them?" Larrin laughed. "You need to get better spies, or pay them more." "We had heard that the Wraith were not culling as much, but did not know why." Radim said. "Has this information been confirmed?" "Yes." Pharris said softly. "I was present when the Wraith they call Todd asked for help fertilizing eggs to produce new queens. It was he that told us of the war, and the number of Wraith destroyed." "It might please you to know Pharris, that I've made a decision on that request." Sam said, smiling down at her. "We're not going to help them. On the contrary, we're going to start hunting them. I've already spoken to John and Stephen about it, they'll be getting with Larrin to set up joint operations in the next few days." "This is wonderful news, Samantha." Arrin said, smiling broadly. "We were concerned that you might decide to help them." "We already have more than a dozen idle hives and their escorts located, we'll get with you to work something out if you want any of them." Sam said. "The Genii would be interested in acquiring ships, especially Wraith hives and cruisers. Or perhaps you would give us one of the cruisers you spoke of, Larrin." Colak said, looking around the table. "We would have to discuss that with Samantha and her court." Waleen said, staring steadily at Colak. "But we do not feel that it would be in the best interest of the Travelers to have the Genii as a space faring people. You have not always dealt favorably with us in the past, and considering your failure to open relations with Atlantis..." "The food is here." Sam said as a server sat plates in front of her and Ronin. "Andi, Dr. Samuels, my Foreign Minister, has a rule about no business at the dinner table. I find that it makes for a much more pleasant meal." "My sister Dahlia has the same rule." Radim laughed, glancing at his ministers. "And I agree, not talking business while eating aides the digestion." "I think it's a waste of time." Larrin said. "I can talk and eat at the same time." "Yes, but you're a bronnow, Larrin. But we love you anyway." Waleen said, smiling at her. The Travelers, Teyla and the Genii laughed, while the humans looked around in confusion. "A bronnow is a herd animal, Samantha." Teyla explained. "It is akin to your pigs I believe." "I see." Sam smiled. "But I can't have my guests insulting each other at the table..." "But why not, Samantha?" Radim said quietly. "You insult and threaten me and my people at every turn. Why should our friends act any differently?" Sam smiled, but before she could say anything, a voice from the doorway answered. "Putting the fact that you threatened war on her city aside, she's trying to test your mettle, to see what you're made of. And you're failing miserably." Tammy said as Susan wheeled her into the room and over next to Radim's seat. "Personally, I think it's because you're afraid you'll be held hostage, like Phrenum did with Dr. Weir several years ago, but I could be wrong." "I'm Tammy Ford, Samantha's sister queen." She said as she held out her hand to him. "I was one of Dahlia's nurses when she was here. I hope you'll tell her hello for me when you see her again." Radim stood and took her hand. "I'll see her when I arrive home." He said, smiling down at her. "She manages my house, and my life. I do not know what I would do without her." "Well, have her get you some different clothes, or at least tailor that uniform. It doesn't do anything for you." Tammy laughed. "Now scoot over a little bit, and cut me off a piece of that steak, it looks delicious." Radim laughed as he slid his chair over to make room for her. Tammy glanced over at Sam, then at Jennifer, shrugging her shoulders at her. "I'll tell you a secret." She said softly, leaning close to Radim as he cut pieces off his steak and put them on his bread plate for her. "I wasn't supposed to attend this dinner, I'm supposed to stay in bed for the next few days. But I couldn't help myself, I just had to come over." "I was wondering why you were in a wheelchair." He said as he slid the plate closer to her, handing her a salad fork. "Were you injured?" "I was shot the other day, just a flesh wound." She said casually, spearing a piece of steak and popping it into her mouth. "Oh my god, that is perfect!" She purred as she stabbed another piece and held it out to him. "Here, you have to try it." Radim took the proffered morsel, nodding in agreement. "You're right, it is delicious. This is much better than the dish I had with Dr. Weir. Much more tender." "Now, I bet you're wondering why I'm being so nice to you, when Sam has been such a bitch." She said, smiling at him. "I know your henchmen are." "Not really, I was more interested in who would shoot such an attractive woman." Radim smiled. "It seems such a shame." "We had a man come through the gate from an alternate universe, and he started shooting up the gate room. I just got in the way." Tammy told him. "I got hit while I was getting Sam out of the line of fire. Our security teams took care of the rest." "Did you say he was from an alternate universe?" Phrenum asked. "How could you know that?" "He came through the shield on the gate, and he told us before he died. He was the second visitor from the same universe in two days." She answered. "We know how it happened, and have taken steps to ensure that it won't happen again." "Well, I'm glad you weren't hurt too badly." Radim said, taking another bite off his steak. "But to answer your question with a question, why are you being nice to me, when Samantha has barely managed being polite?" "Because I'd much rather have you on our side, working with us, instead of killing you." She said, looking at him evenly. "The Genii are the most organized military group in the galaxy, and has, by far, the best spy network. That's useful to us. We've found and isolated more than forty of your spies in the city, but I'm sure there are more." Radim looked over at Colak, who nodded, frowning. She continued before he could say anything. "You realized this morning when your men were beamed away from that research lab that your advantage in numbers means nothing against us. Add to that the fact that all of our installations are, and will be protected by shields so you can't get at us, and you see your people in a new light, one not quite as bright as you're used to." Radim nodded, staring at her silently. "And you're wondering why she asked you here." Tammy said softly. Radim nodded again. "You're here because you need to know that you have a place in our plans, but you need to understand what that place is." She said softly, so only he could hear her. "It's up to you if you want to step into that role, one that your people were made for." Radim closed his eyes, sighing heavily. When he looked at her again, he nodded, his face pale. Tammy looked around the table, smiling at Sam. "Pharris, Arrin, Sam, Andi, would you join Ladon and me in the residence for a little while?" She said as she rolled her chair back away from the table. She looked over at Radim. "Would you mind, Ladon? Susan my nurse left, and I really shouldn't be trying to push this thing by myself." Interior-Living Room 2100 Hours Cisco got everyone drinks while Tammy got the visitors seated in the living room. When everyone was settled, Tammy looked over at Andi. "Andi, show him the battle and Anchorage. Then we can tell him what we want." She said. Samuels looked at her for a moment, then glanced over at Sam. Sam nodded, trying not to smile. Radim took the tablet that Andi handed him and watched the video as she gave him a voice over. "This first video is the warship Daedalus doing a survey of the Wraith Gathering at Sector 347C3. They spent several hours moving around that cluster of ships. They were cloaked, and went undetected, even managing to scan most of the hives and beam materials off of some of them." She reached over and pressed an icon on the tablet, and the video changed. "The next day, the Daedalus, joined by the Apollo, set nuclear warheads on thirty-nine of those hives. This was the result." Radim stared at the screen as the video played out, then looked up, an expression of disbelief on his face. "What you were told is true, to a point." Tammy told him gently. "The Wraith are at war, but we started it. They assumed, incorrectly, that when that gathering went up like a super nova, that it had to be due to infighting. You can see that it wasn't." She looked over a Samuels. "Show him Anchorage." Samuels reached over and pressed another icon on the tablet. Another video started, this one showing an aerial view of a central spire surrounded by forests. "This is our second city, Anchorage. It is partially buried at the moment, and we're in the process of restoring it. We're expecting it to be space worthy within a year." She said as the screen changed to a slide show of still pictures. "The shield and weapons systems are already active, but we're putting production on hold until we get the raw materials we'll need for that. Pharris has been put in charge of Anchorage, and is in the process of settling some of her people there to begin farming, logging and mining." "We're looking at settling three hundred thousand people on the plains surrounding the city, and in the mountains to the south, we already have ten thousand people in the city itself, getting it ready for when we begin production." Pharris said. "Depending on how quickly we can get the equipment we need, we should be able to begin production in the next six months." "This is amazing." Radim said. He looked over at Samuels. "Will you play the explosion again? I still can't believe what I saw." "We had scouts in the area." Arrin told him. "They witnessed the blast, and saw the Atlantian ships in the area. One of the Atlantian ships was damaged when the shock wave hit them. We opened relations with them the same day, not from fear, but because they welcomed us, and offered to make us partners in their plans." "What plan is that?" Radim asked, looking back and forth between Tammy and Sam. "To improve the quality of life for the peoples of the Pegasus galaxy." Pharris said. "And we've already taken great strides toward that goal. Samantha's people took the first step alone, by eliminating most of the Wraith. The fact that the survivors began fighting amongst themselves was just an added benefit." "With the threat from the Wraith reduced, and hopefully soon eliminated, the peoples of the galaxy can stop living in fear of being culled." Arrin said. "So the next step is to provide food, tools and technology to help make their lives better." Radim looked over at Tammy. "What role do you see the Genii having in this effort?" He asked. "We need you to keep doing what you've been doing, gathering information." Tammy said, smiling at him. "But instead of looking at who is doing what, we want you to look at who needs what, and help us figure out the best way to get it to them." Radim sat back, staring at her. "And if I don't believe what you tell me, and decide not to join you?" He asked quietly. "Then we proceed without you." Sam said evenly. "We won't take any hostile action except in response to hostilities from you. We'll just leave you alone. And I guarantee, you don't want that." "You're saying that if we do not join you in this effort, the Genii will be left behind as the rest of the galaxy grows and moves forward." He said. "You will let us wither, while those that join you flourish." "Yes, that's exactly what we're saying." Tammy said as she watched him closely. "You knew where you stood before you came here, but you came anyway. I think you expected something like this, just not on the scale you're being confronted with." "This is true." Radim answered. He looked over at Sam with a sad smile on his face. "I knew we could not stand against you, so I sought to frighten you with bravado. You called my bluff so quickly, with such confidence, that I knew there was no point continuing the charade." "So what do you think?" Sam asked him. "Will your people join us, or are they so proud that they would prefer to be left behind as their neighbors prosper?" "We will join you." Radim said quietly as he stood up. "It will be more difficult to persuade my staff than it will be to persuade the people. The news that the Wraith will soon be no more, or of little concern, and that they can come out of hiding, to live in the light, this alone will make them wish to join you." "We had hoped you would see it that way." Tammy said. "As we told the Travelers, we will not force you to join us..." "But you do use force." Radim said. "By threatening to leave us behind, you threaten extinction. Your weapon is time. The longer we resist, the farther behind we fall." "We did not see it that way." Arrin said. "Even Larrin said that we should join them, because they were offering a banquet when they could have been dictating terms." "I see no banquet laid out before me." Radim laughed, pacing slowly back and forth in front of the couch. "Merely the status quo." "Because we haven't gotten to what we have to offer, and what you stand to gain." Tammy said. "I could give you a list, but you're in no mood to hear it. I think it would be best if you went home and talked to your people. We'll be returning the agents we know about here, question them about what they've learned. Talk to Arrin, and other leaders you have relations with. They'll all tell you what you stand to gain. You already know what you stand to lose." Looking over at Sam, Tammy grinned shyly. "I'm sorry baby, but I have to get out of this fucking chair. Don't tell Jenn, okay?" She kicked the footrests up and put her feet on the floor, then looked up at Radim and held out her hand. He looked at her for a moment, then stepped over and helped her up out of the chair. "Thank you." She said softly, holding his hands so he couldn't step away. "Now, what did you learn from that?" "I don't understand." He said, a look of confusion on his face. "I could have stood up on my own." She told him as she squeezed his hands. "But it's easier and safer when someone helps you. That's what we're asking you to do. Help us make this galaxy a better place to live, for everyone." "What we shared with you, about our second city, and our attack on the Wraith, are two of our most closely guarded secrets." Sam said as she came over to stand next to Tammy. "We gave you a weapon to use against us should you decide you need it. But I doubt if you'll use it, or even share it with your advisors. Because you already see the value in what we offer, even though your pride has taken a beating." "How can you know I won't betray your trust?" Radim asked, looking down at Tammy's hands still holding his. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 03 "Because Elizabeth Weir, Carson Beckett, John Sheppard, and everyone else that wrote a report about their dealings with you said that you were an honorable man, and would do what was in the best interest of your people." Tammy said, smiling at him softly. "And I saw you with Dahlia when we sent her home. That alone told me what kind of man you are." "Tell me why." Radim said. "Why do you go to so much effort for people you do not even know, will never even see? What do you stand to gain from this?" "To answer the first part of your question, we're doing this because someone should do it, and we're in a position where we can do it, or at least get it started. We may not live to see our plans completed." Tammy told him. "You'll have to come back if you want an answer to the second part, because that answer is long, and complicated." "We've been over here almost an hour, and really should be getting back." Andi said as she stood up. "Phrenum and Colak are probably getting worried about what we've done to you by now." "Phrenum hopes you'll kill me, so he can succeed me." Radim laughed. "And Colak will lick the boots of whoever replaces me to keep his position of power. But you're right, we should get back. Dahlia will be worried that I have stayed this long." Interior-Bedroom 2330 Hours They'd gone back over to the dining room and apologized to the rest of their guests for being away so long, then sat and talked while they had dessert. When the talk died down, they went down to the gate room with their visitors and said their goodbyes. * * * * * "You were wonderful tonight." Sam laughed as she snuggled close to Tammy, hugging her gently. "You handled Radim perfectly. I wasn't sure about telling him about what we did with the Wraith, but I think it will work out for us." "I really didn't have any choice, Sam." Tammy said. "I was sitting here reading through the files and listening to you, and the longer I listened, the more convinced I was that you were going to end the meeting by killing him. You'll have to have Andi play the video for you." "I wasn't that bad, was I?" "Yes, you were. Ladon was right, everything you said was either an insult or a threat, even the way you introduced people." Tammy said. "The way you were going, if they had managed to get out alive, there was no way they were going to agree to anything. It was almost like you were trying to provoke them, to make them do something." "You may be right, I did go in there with an attitude." Sam said rolling over on her back and throwing her arm over her eyes. "That 'so called queen of Atlantis' crack he opened with just pissed me off." "I'm more disappointed with our people, especially Andi and John, for letting you go on like that." Tammy said, laying her hand on Sam's stomach, rubbing it gently. "Arrin and Pharris didn't help either, they just kept throwing gas on the fire. And don't even get me started on Larrin! Good god! What was she thinking? She..." "Andi wasn't in the room, she was in the kitchen, and I don't think John knew what to do." Sam said as she rolled over, propping herself up on her elbows. "I think he signaled me a couple times, and I know Teyla was tugging on my pants leg when I was standing next to her." "And you just ignored them." Tammy said. "Oh, before I forget, you need to apologize to Teal'c in the morning. I'm glad he stayed over, if only for that." "I guess you're right, I dragged him over here, then didn't spend any time with him." Sam said. "But it worked out in the end, don't you think? Like I said, you handled Radim beautifully, almost like you were reading his mind." "I think I was a couple of times." Tammy said, reaching down and pulling Sam up so she could hold her. "Elizabeth and Carson both made detailed notes on him, and Elizabeth had video clips in hers, so I got to see his reactions to different stimulus. That helped alot." She looked over at Sam as she spoke again. "Is this how we're going to do things?" She asked. "You hit them with the big stick, and I sooth their bruised egos?" "God, I hope not." Sam said softly, rolling over and putting her arms around her. "I didn't like it when Bra'tac said it, but the warrior queen thing just felt so right tonight." She smiled at Tammy, and kissed her gently. "And you did say you would act as the conscience of our fair city in all things..." (-) So ends Chapter Three of Book Three, Changes. Read Chapter Four to see what happens next. Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process... Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 04 In this offering, Vala tries her hand at diplomacy, Sam and Tammy dispense justice for an indiscretion, and Boris gets introduced to the court... (-) Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes Chapter Four Four Days Later Interior-Sandy Wildon's Suite 0520 Hours "Mmmmmm, you got a big 'ol hard-on, don't you baby?" Sandy giggled, squirming closer to O'Neill. "Are you thinking about fucking me? That's it isn't it? You want to stick that big, hard dick in my tight, wet little pussy and just fuck the shit out of me, don't you?" "Huh? What?" O'Neill grunted as Sandy pushed him over onto his back. He struggled up out of the fog of sleep, then groaned, his eyes going wide as she rested her hand on his stomach, pressing down on his bladder. "Unggghh! No, stop! Fuck!" "What baby?" Sandy laughed as she wiggled her hips, sighing as his stiff cock slid slowly into her pussy. "Get off of me." He growled, pushing her to the side and rolling off the bed. "I have to pee, that's why it's hard. You never heard of morning wood?" "Really?" Sandy laughed, scrambling off the bed and following him into the bathroom. She went over to the shower and turned it on, then turned and looked at him. "Don't pee yet." She told him. "Come over here, I want to try something." "Oh god, you don't want me to piss on you do you?" O'Neill asked, staring at her, his cock twitching in front of him. "I don't know if..." "Not on me silly, in me." Sandy laughed. She turned around and bent over, spreading her legs wide so he could see the close cropped lips of her pussy. "Come on, Jack. Stick it in baby. You can piss while you're fucking me. I bet that'll feel wild!" "Are you sure?" He asked as he came over behind her. "Yeah, I want you to pee in me, then fuck the shit out of me." Sandy laughed, reaching back between her legs and grabbing his cock. She fit the spongy knob between the lips of her pussy, then pushed back at him, grunting at his thick cock plowed up into her. "Or fuck me then pee in me, I really don't care. Just do it!" "Okay." He grinned, putting his hands on her hips as he started stroking in and out slowly. "Oh god, that feels so fucking good, Jack. I love it when you fuck me in the morning." Sandy sighed, rotating her hips in slow circles. "Keep doing that, but go a little faster, stick it in all the way, I want to feel all of your big beautiful cock in me!" "It's not that big." He muttered as he started fucking her faster. "Eight inches is way above average baby." She giggled, pushing her ass back at him. "And you use it so well. God, I just knew you were gonna be good in bed." She looked back over her shoulder at him as she pressed her ass against him. Reaching between her legs, she grabbed his balls, pulling on them gently so he couldn't pull back. "Do it now, Jack. Pee in me." She whispered. "I want to feel your hot piss in my pussy." O'Neill spread his legs a little wider apart and closed his eyes. It was hard enough trying to piss through a hard-on, but the way her cunt was clenching and working around his cock, he wasn't sure he would be able to do it. Sandy squeezed his balls gently, massaging them with her fingers as she waited for him to cut loose inside her. She gasped when a small stream of piss spurted into her, filling her pussy with a sudden heat. "Oh God! More, Jack!" She squealed. "That felt so kewl! It's so hot...come on baby. Do it, pee in me for real!" O'Neill sighed as he relaxed, and a strong stream of piss rushed up his cockshaft to spray from his piss slit. He started stroking his cock in and out slowly as he pissed in her, surprised at how much he was enjoying the sensation of her pussy sucking the piss out of his cock. "Oh my fucking god!" Sandy screamed as her pussy spasmed around his cock meat. Her knees almost buckled as an orgasm surged through her, and she started pounding her ass back at him frantically, fucking herself mindlessly on his cock. Grinning down at her as he tightened his grip on her hips, O'Neill began fucking her hard and fast, and in seconds, felt his balls twitch in their wrinkle sac, then eject a load of hot cum. He groaned, burying his cock balls deep as the first jets of jizz burst from his cockhead, then pulled back and started plunging roughly in and out of her cumming cunt channel as the rest of his load spat from his cockhead in irregular spurts. "Oh shit! Fuck me, Jack! Oh god baby, I love it! I love the way you fuck me." Sandy babbled as she came again and again, her cum and piss soaked cunt sucking and milking his cock wildly. "Pl...please, oh god, don't stop. Please don't fucking stop!" O'Neill pounded his cock into her as hard as he could, then leaned over her, reaching around and easing his hand between her legs. His fingers found her clit, and he started stroking it lightly as he slowed his movements, finally bringing his cock to a rest still deep inside her. "Cum for me bitch." He whispered harshly as he teased her clit bud. "You're not done yet, and neither am I." Sandy moaned as she felt a fresh spray of hot piss flood her pussy, and her legs collapsed under her. She fell to her knees, and O'Neill's cock slipped from her cunt slit, a stream of piss still spraying from it. Stepping up over her, he aimed the stream at her ass, then moved it downed so it sprayed right into the gaping gash of her pussy. Sandy grunted, then sighed as she brought her hand down, holding her pussylips open, letting his hot piss fill her cunt. O'Neill groaned as the flow of piss trickled to a stop, he shook his cock so the last drops fell on her, then dropped to his knees and pushed his cock back into her pussy. "Mmmmmmm, I liked that, baby." Sandy moaned as he pressed her down till she was laying out on the wet floor. "We're gonna have to do that again. Maybe next time, you can do it in my ass!" O'Neill groaned, but couldn't ignore the way his cock throbbed at the prospect. He smiled to himself as he started fucking her slowly, knowing that it wouldn't be the last time they did it today. Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 0645 Hours "The guards said that you've been down here for over an hour." Tammy said as she came into the lab. "I didn't kno..." She stopped when she saw that Sam was over by a workbench talking to a man with his back to her. "What's going on here, Sam? I thought this was our secr..." "Boris?" She gasped as he turned around. "Is that really you? Oh my god! What did she do to you?" "You don't like him?" Sam asked as she stepped up beside him, brushing a piece of lint off his jacket. "I still didn't like those cheeks, and I trimmed his hair so it's more like Cisco's, just a little longer. I like that look, neat, but a little wild at the same time. And I put some clothes on him." "I love him!" Tammy gushed, coming over for a closer look. "He's beautiful Sam. You did a great job!" Sam nudged Boris, giving him a look. "Aren't you going to say hello to Tammy, Boris?" "Good morning mistress." Boris said in a deep baritone voice. "My cock is getting hard just from the sight of you. I can't wait to fuck you and empty my balls in your hot little pussy." "Holy shit!" Tammy gasped, grinning wickedly. "You messed with his audio package too!" "And I put your favorite dick on him." Sam laughed. "I talked to Jenn last night, and she said that you're healed well enough, so I thought you might want to..." "You're damned right I do!" Tammy laughed as she started unbuttoning her vest. "I'm hornier than a three tailed cat in heat! Come on Boris, get naked and get your ass up on the table, I want to..." "Why don't you use the bed?" Sam asked, pushing a panel aside, revealing a large, plush bed covered with pillows and surrounded by sheer curtains. "You'll probably be more comfortable." "Wow, you've been busy down here." Tammy said, staring in wonder at the lavish setting. "What else have you been up to while I've been stuck all alone in my sickbed?" "You haven't been all alone, I've been keeping you company." Sam smiled. "But I think I'll let Boris show you what else we've cooked up for you. I have a meeting with Andi in a little while, and I want to grab something to eat first." She turned and looked at Boris. "Program 'Welcome Home Tammy', Boris. Execute." She winked at Tammy as she headed for the door. "Have fun sweetie. I'll see you for dinner." She grinned. "Do you want to see what Boris has for you, you little slut?" She heard him ask as she went through the door, barely managing not to laugh as the door closed behind her. Interior-Kitchen 0710 Hours Sam was wolfing down a plate of biscuits and gravy when Andi came in. She smiled at her and waved toward the coffee pot. "Coffee is hot, I just made it." She mumbled around a mouthful of food. Andi smiled and got a cup of coffee, then came over and sat in her usual place. "I talked to Ladin Radim last night." Sam told her as she took her plate over and sat it on the counter. She got a fresh cup of coffee, then sat down and looked at Andi. "He thinks he's ready to go to his people about what we're doing, but he's getting resistance from his advisors. Apparently, Phrenum is balking about what we have in mind, and is stirring up dissent in the government." "What does he want us to do?" Andi asked her. "This sounds like it's an internal matter. I really don't see where there's much we can do. He doesn't want us to kill him does he?" "Nothing that extreme." Sam laughed. "I asked him the same thing. But apparently, Phrenum has contacts all through the government, and Radim can't kill him. No, what he wants us to do is send an emissary." "What does he think that's going to do? And did you have anyone in mind to send?" Andi asked. "I have three or four assistants that could handle the diplomatic end for us, unless you want me to go." "No, I need you here hon." Sam said, reaching over and patting her hand. "You've got enough on your plate without getting tangled up in this mess. And when we get done here, I want you to give me an overview of everything you have going, so we can look at what else you can split off from your department." "Okay, so who did you have in mind to send as an emissary? And when were you planning on sending them?" Andi asked, opening a file on her tablet. "I can send..." "I'm going to send Vala." Sam grinned. "I've already spoken to her, and she's ready to go. We already sketched out what we want to happen. Radim wants them to make an entrance at oh eight hundred local time, call it noon our time." "Them?" Andi asked. "Who else are you sending with her, Daniel?" "No, he's still working on St. Louis. They have the gate moved, and now he's working on getting a temporary runway put in." Sam told her. "She's taking two hundred marines with her as an escort." "Don't you think that's a little...provocative?" Andi asked. "I mean, that's quite a show of force, Sam. Are they going to be armed?" "Full combat rig with shields, which the Genii won't know unless they shoot at them, but they're standard equipment now that we're making them." Sam said lightly. "This was Radim's idea. He's going to welcome her in the plaza of their government center, and not even mention the troops. Or so he says." "So why send them, I don't understand what you're trying to do." And said, looking perplexed. "He wants to provoke a reaction from Phrenum, and hopefully, he'll do something stupid so Radim can get him out of the government, then get rid of him quietly." Sam told her. "The whole thing is going to be broadcast on state media, and he chose the time so there will be plenty of witnesses on hand as well." "It sounds like the two of you spent quite a while working this out last night." Andi said, not looking at her. "The three of us actually, I brought Vala in, and they worked out the details. They really hit it off." Sam said. "But don't feel left out. Tammy and I have been talking about this since Radim came to dinner. She wasn't happy with the way I handled him, then he reached out to us through his sister." "I think I understand, Sam. But you've been shutting me out recently, and I'm not really sure just what my place is now." Andi said. "If you feel the need to repl..." "You're the foreign minister of Atlantis, and my get it done girl, just like you always have been." Sam told her. "But no one is in on everything, Andi. There are things that Tammy and I are going to keep to ourselves, and you're not the only one that doesn't like it. Stephen feels left out too, but it's something you're going to have to get used to. We'll share what we need to when we need to share it, and that's just the way it is." "Yes ma'am, I understand." Andi said, getting up and filling her coffee cup. She held the pot up, and Sam nodded. Andi poured her a cup then sat down, picking up her tablet. "You said that you wanted to see what else we could split off from..." Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 0715 Hours Tammy moaned as Boris pushed her legs wider apart. His mouth was plastered on her clean shaved cunt mound, and he was licking and sucking at her hungrily. Her hands were buried in his short, shaggy brown hair, and she stared down at him in wide-eyed wonder. "Oh god, Boris, what has she being doing down here?" She gasped. "You're doing that just the way I like it. But I want to feel you in me! I want to you to fuck me!" She tried to push him away, finally bringing her foot down and pushing on his shoulder with it. Boris drew back and looked up at her blandly. "You may not modify my program mistress." He said. "If you attempt to do so, I will be forced to restrain you so I may perform as instructed." "Wh...what? Are you seri...what did she do, Boris?" She asked him, staring up at him in surprise. "How long does this program run anyway?" "My basic program runs three hours and twenty-nine minutes, with subroutines based on your responses that extend up to a maximum of nine hours twenty two minutes." He said as he started to put his head back between her legs. "May I proceed?" "It runs how long?" Tammy gasped, raising up to rest on her elbows. "You've got to be kidding me! Let me up Boris, I have to call Sam. I can't..." "I cannot allow you to do that mistress." Boris said as he slid up over her quickly. Before she realized what he was doing, he had both her hands locked in one of his, and was buckling a pair of leather cuffs attached to chains mounted on the headboard on her wrists. When he had her hands secured, he repeated the process on her ankles, using cuffs attached to the posts at the foot of the bed. When he was finished, he lifted her hips and slid a pillow under her, then threw his leg over her, straddling her chest. "Executing alternate program, running time, twenty-two hours, thirty one minutes." He grinned down at her evilly as he wrapped his hand around the shaft of his cock and pointed it at her face. "Suck my cock bitch." Interior-John Sheppard's Office, North Tower 0805 Hours "No, I want Stephen to take the Daedalus, John." Sam said, trying to hold back her anger. "I trust Evan, but I need Kevin at the controls of the Asgard beams. If this goes sideways, I want Vala out of there. She doesn't have the gene, and won't have a shield, just a kevlar t-shirt." "I understand, colonel, but the only way Wilkins is going to get the experience is to go on missions like this." Sheppard said. "From what you've told me, you've covered all the bases, so..." "No, John. It doesn't matter how many bases we cover, something can happen." She said quietly. "Tammy got shot because we thought the gate shield was enough. I'm not going to risk Vala when I have a way to protect her. I want you to make this happen, is that understood?" "Yes ma'am, I understand. When do you want them to leave?" Sheppard asked. "The Genii home world is less than an hour away by subspace, so we have some time. I want them on station just before the beam down." She told him, leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. "You look like you're having a rough day boss." Sheppard said. "Anything I can do, besides everything what you want?" "No." Sam laughed. "And it hasn't been that bad. I just spent an hour talking to Andi about this, then we went over what we're going to split off from her next. I think she suspects that I'm going to ease her out, which couldn't be farther from the truth. I need her, no one else can do the things she can. But I need to free her up to do the things that really matter." "Well, you're sending the person you should send to talk to her off world, so how about I drop in and talk to her? I have a few things I want to go over with her anyway, so it's not a big deal." "I'm not going to tell you not to do that, John." Sam said. "But I don't know how much good it will do. She ma'am'd me earlier, and she never calls me that. She's the only one that doesn't." "She must really be pissed, or at least upset." Sheppard said. "Let me feel her out, and I'll let you know, okay?" "Thanks, John. I'd appreciate that." She said with a small smile. Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 0830 Hours "Oh god, Boris." Tammy panted as she writhed under him. "Keep doing it like that you wonderful fucking stud! Ram that fucking cock in my cunt...harder, fuck me like you mean it you wimp!" She tried to pull her hands down again, but they were bound together over her head, still attached to the headboard with a short length of chain. The cuffs on her ankles were connected together with another piece of chain between them, and she was digging her heels into his asscheeks as she humped her crotch up at his stroking cock. Boris extended the G-nodule, setting the vibrate to oscillate slowly up and down as a spurt of lubricant spat from the tip of his cock. He picked up the pace of his fucking, adding a hip twist on alternating strokes so his cockhead plowed across the sensitive sidewalls of her creaming cunt channel. "Oh shit!" She screamed as she started to cum again. "I'm going to kill that bitch! I swear to god Boris, I'm gonna shove my fist in her hairy cunt while you fuck her in the ass and we're gonna fuck her to death. Oh fuck, that's so good, baby. Keep doing it like that. Oh god, I think I love you Boris!" Boris didn't answer, but there was a small smile on his face as he stared down at her. "Oh fuck, not again!" She groaned as he buried his cock balls deep in her spasming pussy hole, spurting an enormous wad of pseudo-cum against the knurled knot of her cervix. His cock started vibrating as he held it deep inside her, and Tammy saw stars as a fresh wave of orgasms surged over her. Interior-Sandy Wildon's Office, East Tower 0845 Hours "What do you have for me Sandy?" Sam asked as she sat down. "Is Radim legit, or is he going to screw us on this?" "From what I got this morning, colonel, it looks like he's legit." Sandy said, holding out a small stack of file folders. "The state media has orders to quietly have a crew in the government quarter, but they weren't told what to expect. And he didn't go to the top dogs, he went through a low level contact, so the bosses may not even know something is going to happen." "What do you think is going to happen?" Sam asked as she flipped through the files. "My gut tells me that just before our people beam down, Radim is going to tell the media to be ready to go live for a major announcement." Sandy said. "He'll already have a crew onsite, so if they balk, or try to go to the other leadership, he'll still have footage he can use if a propaganda war starts. I think he's going to get his message out about it being time to do business with Atlantis, and what the benefits to the people will be." "I hope you're right." Sam said quietly. "My gut is telling me that we're stepping into a puddle of shit that may not have a bottom. But there's no way around it, we either have to get them on our side, or kill them. Getting them on our side just sits better with me." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 04 "Me too, colonel." Sandy said. "I don't know if it will make you feel any better, but the average Genii is ready for a change. They don't like hiding all the time, and there's talk about wanting a change of government. They have contact with most of the cultures in this galaxy, and they see how other people live. I think once they hear that the Wraith have basically been eliminated as a threat, they're going to want things to change." "You're probably right, but that's one that we're going to stay out of." Sam said. "I don't want to get pulled into any civ..." She stopped when she noticed Sandy looking past her, a small smile on her face. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw O'Neill backing away from the door. "Coward!" She laughed, turning in her chair and looking at the door. "Get your ass back in here, Jack. We're just talking anyway." O'Neill shuffled into the office, giving Sam a sheepish grin. He stood just inside the doorway, kicking one foot into the floor as he looked around, avoiding eye contact with both of them. "Did you need something, Jack?" Sandy said, smiling brightly at him. "Huh? No, I was just in the building and..." "Really? What were you doing over here, Jack?" Sam asked, looking him up and down. "I was, um, you know...doing stuff...I do it all the time." He said. "Oh, isn't he the cutest thing?" Sandy laughed, getting up and coming around her desk. She went over and put her arms around him, leaning close for a kiss. "I shall avert my eyes." Sam laughed, bringing her hand up to cover her eyes. She spread her fingers and watched as he kissed Sandy eagerly, his hand coming down and cupping her asscheek. "No, really Jack, what are you doing over here?" Sam asked when they broke apart. "Well, if you have to know." He said glancing over at Sandy. "Bra'tac is chasing Pharris all over the house, naked mind you, and that's just too much wrinkled flesh for any man to handle." Both women burst out laughing. Sam recovered first, and she grinned at him as she stood up. "So you thought you'd come over here where you could check out some firm young female flesh?" She laughed. She patted him on the shoulder, then smacked him on the butt as she walked by him. "I'm proud of you Jack." She stopped at the door, her hand on the knob, looking back at them. "Sock. Doorknob. Nuff said." She grinned, then laughed as she pulled the door closed behind her. Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 0900 Hours "Unh, unh, unh." Tammy grunted as Boris hammered his cock in and out of her pussy in a series of rapid-fire strokes. He was kneeling between her legs as he fucked her roughly, one of her legs was stretched out and chained to the foot of the bed, the other was suspended from the ceiling. Boris was clutching the leg pointed toward the ceiling, jerking her down at his cock as he jammed his hips forward. Tammy tried to swim up through the mindnumbing storm of stimuli rolling over her, but every time she got close to reality, he changed his stroke, or added a new sensation to what his cock was doing. Boris stared down at her blandly as he pounded his cock into her, his program automatically varying his movements in response to her reactions. Interior-Andi Samuels Office, East Tower 0925 Hours "Got a minute, doc?" Sheppard asked as he stepped into Andi's office. "Not really, John." She said, not looking up at him. "The colonel just told me that she wants me to split off three operations and make them independent departments, the coronation is less than four weeks away and we're nowhere close to ready for that, and..." "Yeah, she just hit me with half a dozen new projects too." He said as he closed the door and dropped into a chair. "Okay, what do you want, John?" Andi sighed, pushing her laptop away and leaning back in her chair. "She's not trying to push you out, or replace you." He said lightly. "After Tammy, you're the most important person in the city to her. Without you, none of this would be possible. You're the architect of what we're doing, and she needs you to keep being there for her." "Did you send you over here to tell me that?" "No, as a matter of fact, she asked me not to say anything. But she cares about you doc, and she's scared that you might have the wrong idea about what's going on and..." "Then why is she shutting me out, John? She deleted the video from the gateroom the day Tammy wa..." "No, she didn't. I deleted those videos." He told her, looking at her steadily. "Ronin called me and told me what was going on, and I thought it best that there not be a record of what happened. I didn't tell her about it until later." "So what really happened, John? What's so important about that day that she doesn't want me to know about it?" Andi asked. Sheppard looked at her for a moment, then tossed a flash drive onto her desk. "If you really want to know, now's your chance." He said softly. "But it's going to be your only chance, because I'll be taking that with me." Samuels picked up the drive, looking at it as she turned it in her hand. She glanced up at him, then back at the drive. "Is this really that important, John?" She asked. "Am I goi..." "Those videos show her doing what was in the best interest of her city and her people." He said. "That's what she's always going to do. I think we should trust her, and help her, any way we can." "So only five people know what happened that morning. You, Sam, Tam..." "Four." He told her. "Tammy hasn't seen that either. The colonel told her that she had taken care of the problem, and she didn't ask any questions." "Tammy's not in the loop on this?" She asked. "What else does she have going that we don't know about?" "There's lots of loops, doc. And they all connect to one person." He laughed. "All we can do is make sure we don't tie knots in the ones we're in. Which can be a tricky proposition sometimes." "I guess you're right." She said, a smile spreading across her face. She tossed the drive back and leaned back in her chair. "I trust your judgment, Sir John. She made an excellent choice for her first knight of the realm." "Thanks, doc." He grinned as he dropped the drive in his pocket. "But can we talk about some other stuff? I want to reach out to McKay, and I need a wedding planner..." Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 1000 Hours Sam stepped quietly into the lab and walked across the room, stopping just outside the small bedroom she'd had installed. She smiled when she saw Tammy kneeling face down on the bed, blindfolded, her hands cuffed behind her back. Her legs were spread wide and chained to either side of the bed, with a stack of pillows under her hips to support her. Boris was on his knees behind her, his hands holding her asscheeks apart as he licked and sucked at the wrinkled pink ring of her asshole. There was a small probe between her pussylips, and the tip jiggled and vibrated randomly, teasing her G-spot. The other end of the U-shaped device was centered over her clit, and a series of nubs and bumps vibrated and moved over that tender organ. Tammy moaned, her body jerking and twitching as Boris feasted on her tender asshole. The probes stimulating her G-spot and clit kept alternating their rhythm, keeping her in a constant state of excitement, but never letting her actually cum. She was starting to get frustrated when she felt the pitch increase on both devices, and Boris moved his mouth away from her ass bud. "Awwwww." she whimpered at the loss of his mouth, followed immediately by a gasping, "Oh god!" Sam just barely kept from laughing out loud, then smiled as she saw Boris move up behind her, fitting the head of his cock into the tight opening of Tammy's asshole. She was relieved when she noticed that he had changed cocks, and the one he was about to shove up her ass was much smaller than the one he had started with. She was pleased that the subroutine she had written for that had actually worked. She watched as he pressed his cockhead into her ass, making Tammy gasp, a small whine coming from her throat. Sam's fingers worked the button on her slacks, and she slid the zipper down, then let them fall around her feet. Stepping out of them, she crawled up on the bed and knelt in front of Tammy, then eased down so she was sitting spreadlegged against the headboard, her pussy right under Tammy's face. "Fuck her, Boris. Fuck her tight little asshole while she eats me." She said quietly as she wrapped her fingers in Tammy's hair, pulling her mouth down onto the fur fringed lips of her pussy. Tammy started licking and sucking eagerly, moaning into Sam's pussy as Boris started stroking his cock slowly in and out of her asshole. Her hips humped back at him as her tongue drilled up into Sam's juicing pussy slit, her body responding instinctively to each new sensation. Boris pressed his cock steadily into the tight, wrinkled ring of Tammy's ass. Lubricant oozed from small pores lining the shaft, easing its passage. He forced the thick shaft deeper, not stopping until the hairs at the base of his cock tickled her asshole, making her moan. He held his cock still for a few moments, then started stroking it in and out slowly. Sam sighed, closing her eyes and smiling as Tammy's tongue darted between the lips of her pussy, then drilled deep into the juiced soaked hole. She groaned when she moved her mouth up, sucking her clit between her lips, then went back to fucking her tongue up into her pussy. Tammy shivered as she surrendered to the onslaught of sensations. The G-spot probe was vibrating wildly, while the one on her clit had changed to making delightful sucking motions. Boris's cock pumped slowing in and out of her asshole, each stroke getting progressively longer, but he was fucking her so gently that she jerked and spasmed every time he moved inside her. She was trying to figure out when he had put a pussy in front of her face, and how Sam had made it taste so much like her own pussy. A soft chirp sounded in Sam's ear, and she reached up and took off her comm. Pressing Tammy's face harder into her twitching cunt mound. She ground her crotch up at her face as she stared down at her. "Make me cum baby." She gasped softly. "Suck me, and make me cum in your face. Oh god, I need it so bad!" Tammy started eating her hungrily, her tongue moving up and centering over her clit. She sucked the stiff nubbin into her mouth, chewing on it with her lips, then dropped her mouth back down, plastering her lips to Sam's creaming cunt hole, her tongue lashing around wildly as she brushed her nose back and forth over her clit. "Oh shit! That's perfect, baby. Keep doing it just like that." Sam groaned as she felt her pussy flutter and spasm, then a wave a pleasure swelled over her. Her head rocked from side to side as she writhed under Tammy's talented tongue, and she whimpered happily as she came again and again. Tammy moaned and sucked harder, lapping up the pearly droplets of girl cum that drooled in a steady stream from Sam's pussy. She whined when her mouth was pushed away from the tasty morsel, then groaned when her face hit a pillow as she tried to get it back. Sam eased up on the bed, then slid reluctantly off the side. She picked up her pants and was pulling them back on as she stepped over to the bed, leaning close to whisper in Boris's ear. "Make her cum, Boris." She said softly. "Full sensory overload, reactive response routine bravo, execute." She kissed him on the cheek, putting her headset back on as she turned toward the door. The headset was chirping as she put it on, and she tapped it lightly, saying, "Go on Carter." Interior-John Sheppard's Office, North Tower 1030 Hours Sheppard, Caldwell and Vala sat in chairs in front of Sheppard's desk while she paced back and forth in front of it. She stopped and turned to them, directing her attention to Vala. "So you know what we want to do, and you think you can pull it off?" She asked her. "And you have the transponders on, right?" "We've been over it all already, Samantha, so yes, I know what we want to do." Vala told her. "And I have the transponders on, all five of them." She reached up, touching one of her small stud earrings. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to keep the ones in the earrings. They're precious!" "I hoped you'd like them." Sam smiled, then turned to Caldwell. "Stephen, tell Kevin that if anything goes wrong, he's to beam her out." She said. "If he loses the signal on her for more than a few seconds, uncloak the jumpers and take her out that way. Is that understood?" "We've got it covered, colonel." Caldwell said, trying not to smile. "Marks is ready, we all are. Now all that's left is to go do it." He stood up, holding his hand out to Vala. "Lady Vala, if you're ready..." He said. "Thank you, Stephen." She said as she took his hand and stood up. She leaned forward, smiling at Sam. "Everything is going to be fine, Samantha. We'll see you in a few hours." She said as she kissed her on the cheek. "You better." Sam muttered as she watched Caldwell tap his come. A second later, the glare of an Asgard beam flared and faded, and they were gone. "She's going to be fine, colonel." Sheppard said as he leaned back in his chair, stretching his legs out and crossing them at the ankle. "If it does get squirrely, the Genii will get a big surprise when they see they can't hurt our troops. My guys have orders not to return fire by the way. If the Genii fire on them, they're to hold position until Daedalus can beam them out. Stephen's jumpers have orders not to fire as well." "Good thinking." She said. "The last thing we need is for this to go balls up because one of our guys killed a Genii." She smiled at him as she walked toward the door. "I have one more thing to do. Tammy and I will see you in the conference room around noon. Why don't you order us up some food, I'm already a little hungry." "I can do that." He said, waving at her. "Where is Tammy by the way? I haven't seen her all morning." "Oh, she's been tied up." Sam said lightly. "I'm going to go see if I can free her up right now." Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 1050 Hours Tammy was still face down on the bed when Sam came into the lab, but now she was stretched out in its center, her arms and legs secured to the four posts on the corners of the bed. She wasn't moving, except for an occasional jerk or twitch. She had lapsed into unconsciousness a few minutes before. Boris was kneeling behind her, his cock slipping back and forth between her asscheeks as he pushed them together. He had changed cocks again, and the fat knob of the long, thick cock he was pumping between the fleshy mounds of her ass poked out every time he stroked forward. He looked over at Sam as she approached the bed, smiling and opening his mouth to speak. Sam held her finger to her lips, then motioned for him to come over and join her. "You did very well today Boris, and I'm proud of you." She said softly, leaning close and kissing him on the cheek. "Thank you, mistress." He said. "Now, be a good boy, and come down here and turn around." She said as she sat on the edge of the bed. When he was facing her, she reached between his legs, pressing into the flesh under his balls. His penis dropped off into her hand, and she sat it on the bed beside her, then picked up her favorite, the eight inch uncircumcised one, and snapped it in place. She pushed him back and took his hand, leading him around the bed. Stripping quickly, she crawled onto the bed, reaching over and unclipping the chains from Tammy's cuffs, then pushing her arm and leg out of the way. Rolling over onto her back, she held out her arms as she spread her legs. "Come make mama happy, Boris." She smiled as he climbed onto the bed and slipped between her legs, his fleshy cockhead gliding easily between the lightly furred lips of her pussy. "Mmmmmm, that's a good boy." * * * * * Tammy moaned softly as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt the bed rocking and shaking under her, but she couldn't feel Boris's cock inside her. She wiggled her hips, and realized that her left leg was free. She opened her eyes, surprised when she saw her left hand in front of her face. Lifting her head, she looked to that side, gasping when she saw Sam up on her knees, with Boris kneeling behind her, slamming his cock into her sloppy wet cunt slit with long, powerful strokes. Sam's face was buried in her forearms as she humped her ass back to meet his strokes. She was moaning non-stop, and it was obvious that they had been going at it for a while, and that she was going to cum soon. Tammy watched them for a few minutes, then reached over and unclipped the chain from the cuff on her other wrist, then slid down, repeating the process on her ankle. She smiled as she saw Sam shudder, her hips jerking more frantically back onto Boris's cock. "Oh fuck, that is so good." Sam groaned as her pussy fluttered and squeezed around his piledriving prickshaft. She looked back over her shoulder at him, her eyes glazed with passion. "Who's your little slut, Boris? Huh, who do you love, baby?" Boris pushed her away, making his cock slip from her quivering cunt channel. He pushed her over, and she rolled onto her back, her arms reaching up for him. Climbing up over her quickly, Boris straddled her chest, his asscheeks resting on her tits, and his knees nudging into her armpits. He reached down, his fingers wrapping in her hair as he guided her mouth onto his cock. "Yeah, that's a good little slut." He said as she engulfed his cockhead and started sucking on it feverishly. He looked down at her, his hips working in time with his hands as he fucked his cock in and out of her mouth. "You ready for a mouthful of cum you little cunt? You want a hot load of jizz in your mouth, and all over your little slut face, don't you?" Sam stared up at him in wide-eyed wonder, nodding her head as best she could as she sucked on his stone hard cockshaft. The knob of his cock drove into her throat, making her gag, but she just sucked harder, her hands on his asscheeks, pulling him up higher so he could plunge his cock deeper into her mouth. "Un-fucking-believable!" Tammy whispered as she watched them. She moved closer, and she saw Sam glance over at her, then look back up at Boris. Seconds later, her cheeks bulged, and she moaned around his cock, and Tammy saw rivulets of pseudo-cum drooling from around his cock as he fucked it into her mouth. Sam swallowed quickly, but Boris fired off another steaming load of spunk, filling her mouth to overflowing. She turned her head, forcing his cock out of her mouth, then brought her hand down, wrapping it around the twitching shaft, jerking on it roughly as another spurt of creamy liquid erupted from his piss slit. "Holy shit, Sam!" Tammy giggled as Sam pumped on Boris's cock frantically, her mouth open as she directed the spray all over her flushed, sweaty face. Boris fired off another half dozen enormous wads, and by the time he was done, Her face was coated with thick globs of sticky white liquid. Looking up at him, she sucked his cockknob back between her lips, milking the thick shaft as she moaned happily in her throat. Finally, Sam pushed him away, and Boris moved down, stretching out over her. His arms slipped under her, and he held her gently, his mouth coming down onto hers in a passionate kiss. He pulled away after a moment and smiled down at her. "I love you mistress." He said softly. "I love you too, Boris." Sam said, leaning up to kiss him lightly on the lips. "Now get off me, and go get cleaned up. That's a good boy." "What the hell was that?" Tammy asked as she watched Boris move around the end of the bed then go out into the lab. She turned and looked back at Sam, laughing when she saw her scooping his cum off her face and licking it from her fingers. "And what the hell are you doing?" Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 04 "Protection and reward protocol. His neural network builds new pathways that reinforce his affection for us, so he wants to keep us from harm." Sam said casually as she scooped a glob of cum off her chin and let it dangle from her finger before it dropped into her mouth. Her eyes rolled back in her head as she swished it around with her tongue, then swallowed it. "But how can you eat that shit?" Tammy asked. "It tastes awful!" "Oh, I changed the formula, made up half a dozen different recipes actually." Sam giggled. She wiped up a fingerful from her cheek and held it out to Tammy. "This one tastes like strawberry cheesecake. Wanna try it?" Tammy leaned forward, and her tongue came out, lapping at the tip of Sam's finger. Her eyes lit up at the taste, and she leaned closer, sucking her finger into her mouth. Their eyes met as she licked the sticky nectar from her finger, and she smiled around it. "So did you have a good time?" Sam asked, holding her arms out. "Oh god! Did I!" Tammy laughed, coming over to lay on top of her. Holding herself up with her forearms, she smiled down at her. "At first I was pissed, but the longer it went on...well, I forgot all about being mad, and just got into it. Damn girl! What the hell have you been doing down here? And when did you find the time? I mean he..." "It was easier that you think." Sam laughed, pulling her down and hugging her tightly. "Most of the subroutines were already in the database, and I just had to tweak them a little." She kissed her, their lips grinding together, tongues dancing across each other. They were both panting for breath when they broke apart. Sam smacked Tammy on the butt, making the spongy globe jiggle. She smiled up at her. "I'm sorry baby, but we have to get up." She said. "We have to be in the conference room at noon, but we have to go home to get cleaned up. I haven't put a shower in here yet." Tammy rolled off of her, and slid off the bed, walking into the lab. Sam followed, bending down and scooping up her clothes. She smiled when she saw Tammy looking at a terminal. "It won't do you any good." She laughed. "There's a lockout protocol in place to keep you from doing that to me." "You bitch!" Tammy screamed, watching her run out the door. She turned and looked at Boris standing quietly by one of the worktables. She smiled and walked over, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "Thank you, Boris. You were wonderful." "Thank you, mistress." He replied. Interior-Conference Room, North Tower 1150 Hours Samuels, Sheppard, Lorne and Wildon were already seated around the table when Tammy walked in. She had Jacob in a babypack, and he was busily nursing on the breast she had out of her vest. She sat down at the head of the table, smiling at the group. "Where's Sam, Tammy?" Andi asked, as she smiled down the table at her. "And where have you been all morning? I have a few things I nee..." "I've been tied up all morning." Tammy grinned, then looked down at Jacob, easing him away from her breast and holding a bottle to his lips. "And Sam is discussing secu..." "Enough already!" Sam said as she stormed into the room, Ronin and Cisco right behind her. She spun on her heel to face them, and Ronin almost knocked her over before he could stop. "See? That's exactly what I'm talking about!" She shouted at them. "Every time I turn around, one of you, or one of your guys is crawling up my ass! You knew where I was all day, and since I was in areas that you told me were supposedly locked down, there was no need for you to be with me! Now back the fuck off!" She stalked over to the table, jerking her chair out and plopping down in it. She caught a movement out of the corner of her eye, and spun around, glaring angrily at Ronin and Cisco as they started to sit down. "Oh no you don't." She said slowly. She pointed at the door. "You two can wait in the foyer. I mean, this room is actually SECURE isn't it?" Her voice rising to a shout. She watched as they walked out of the room, glaring at them the entire time. "And close the door!" She yelled, then spun around to face the table "Twenty fucking minutes...security this, protocol that...jabber, jabber, jabber. It never fucking stops." She muttered. She glanced down the table, noticing that Sheppard was hiding a smile behind his hand. "What are you grinning about?" She growled at him. "Well, is what they're doing any worse than the mother hen routine you put us through over Vala this morning?" He asked her. She glared at him, then shook her head, and got up, going over to the door. She stepped out, and they could see her speaking quietly to Cisco and Ronin. She hugged them both, and they followed her into the room, taking seats at the end of the table near her. "Sorry about that." She said quietly, then looked around the table. "So are they there yet? Somebody give me a status." "Daedalus is on station, and we're just waiting for a signal from Radim before we send them down." Sheppard said. "The jumpers are already in place around the government quarter, and we've got Caldwell standing by if you want to talk to him." "We'll get to him in a minute." Sam said, looking around the table. "Where are Jack and Bra'tac? And Pharris is in the city today, why aren't they here?" "None of them are answering their comms." Andi said. "I've been paging them every ten minutes for the last hour." Sam looked over at Cisco, trying not to smile. "Send someone over there to get them, but have them wait at the door. They may be...occupied." "Um...Jack is in my office." Sandy said, coloring slightly as she looked down the table at Sam. "He said he was going to take a nap." "They do that." Sam laughed. "I don't know why, I usually feel energized after..." She stopped, and glanced over at Cisco. He nodded, speaking quietly into his headset. She looked back at Sandy, grinning wolfishly. "You did take the sock off the doorknob I hope." Sandy blushed furiously, looking down at the table. Andi looked at her, then looked down the table at Sam. "If we can get back on topic." She said. "It's almost time." Sam nodded, and Samuels pressed a control next to her, and Caldwell's face came up on screens around the room. "What's happening, Stephen?" She asked him. "Radim is about to enter the plaza." Caldwell told them. "It looks like he's going to put on a show. This is what we're seeing..." He touched a control on his console, and four inset pictures replaced him on the screens. "This is the view from the jumpers, colonel." He paused, giving them a moment to take it in. A podium had been set up at the top of the steps of one of the buildings facing the square. On each of the other three sides of the square, ranks of Genii soldiers stood at parade rest. "That looks like three battalions to me, colonel." Caldwell said. "They're in standard Genii uniforms, but I'm betting that they're Radim's personal guard, or troops loyal to him." "That's sounds about right, Stephen." She said, as she looked at the images. "How do you want to handle it?" "I'm going to wait until Radim does whatever he's going to do, we haven't received his signal yet." He said. "When we do, we're going to beam our troops down in an open ended square, facing them. At the same time, the four jumpers at the corners of the square will uncloak. Vala will beam down at the open end of the square, boxed in by twenty marines, and walk to the podium while two flights of three-oh-two's do an aerobatic flyover from opposite sides of the square." "Is all that really necessary, Stephen?" Tammy asked, lifting Jacob and laying him on her shoulder. "Pomp and circumstance." Andi said. "It's too bad that we don't have a national anthem yet. I really have to get on that." "Actually doctor, the jumpers are going to play Stars And Stripes Forever as Vala beams down, and ease into Pomp And Circumstance as she moves to the podium. I wanted Hail To the Chief, but..." "You're having fun with this, aren't you, Stephen?" Sam laughed. "Yes ma'am." He grinned. "But this is all Vala. We spent the entire trip arguing over the music though." "It looks like something's happening." Sheppard said as he watched the view from the jumpers. "Confirm." Caldwell said. "We're receiving a signal. Three minutes. It looks like he's going to keep it brief." "Okay, let's see what the man has to say." Sam said as she sat back to watch. Exterior-Genii Homeworld 1200 Hours/0800 Local Ladin Radim came out of the building flanked by a squad of personal guards in dress uniform and strode across the patio to the podium. He paused, resting his hands on the podium as he looked out over the large crowd that had gathered. After a moment, He began to speak. * * * * * "What is he doing?" Phrenum shouted as he stared at the video monitor. He turned and looked at Colak, who stared back in confusion. * * * * * "Good people of Genia." Radim began. "Long have we suffered under the threat of cullings from the Wraith, living in fear, hiding behind a cloak of squalor, pretending to be simple farmers, and laborers." He paused, smiling at the cameras at the foot of the stairs. "But no more. We have confirmed that the Wraith are at war, with each other, and have decimated themselves." The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, many falling to their knees in tears. Radim waited for them to quiet down before he continued. "Many worlds and peoples, including our friends the Travelers, and the city of Atlantis have decided to put an end to the Wraith, and the terror they seed across the galaxy." He said, looking around at the crowd. "And I say we should join them, so we may live in the light, and show the galaxy the true strength and worth of the Genii people!" * * * * * "No!" Phrenum shouted as the crowd cheered wildly. He turned and charged out the door, with Colak on his heels. * * * * * "He's got a way with words, I'll say that much for him." Sam said as she watched Radim speak. * * * * * When the crowd had quieted again, Radim continued. "To that end." He said. "I have asked the queens of Atlantis to send an emissary, who we are..." The glare of Asgard beams flared around the square and the Atlantian troops began appearing in formation on it. In seconds, the square was filled with marines standing facing the Genii with weapons held at port arms. The Genii soldiers held their position, bringing their weapons to bear. Sgt. Wilkins stepped into the square from his position at one corner. He looked around, a small smile on his face, then shouted, "Company! Puhrade...rest!" As a unit, the Atlantian's brought their weapons down by their right foot, their left hand moving behind their back. Genii officers moved among the ranks, ordering them to stand down. In moments, the Genii soldiers had returned to parade rest as well. The Atlantian jumpers uncloaked at the corners of the formation, and music began blaring from speakers mounted on the drive pods as another Asgard beam flared in the center of the square. With the three-oh-two's flying a crossing pattern overhead, a group of marines appeared in a tight diamond in the center of the plaza, then opened as the marines slow stepped into a vee formation, revealing Vala in it's center. The music changed as Vala stepped forward, walking slowly toward the podium, smiling and waving at the crowd. * * * * * "Oh my god!" Sam laughed as she watched. "It's too bad Daniel isn't here. Look at her! She's loving being the center of attention like this." "Something's happening behind Radim, Sam." Samuels said as she leaned forward. "Oh my god, it's Phre..." * * * * * "Traitor!" Phrenum shouted as he burst from the door of the building. "I'll kill you!" He shouted, drawing his sidearm and pointing it at Radim. A two shots rang out behind him, and he staggered, a look of surprise on his face, then fell forward onto the ground. Colak stepped out of the building, his hands raised, smoke still swirling from the barrel of his gun. Soldiers surrounded him, and in moments, he had been disarmed, and ushered away. Other soldiers lifted Phrenum's body and carried it quickly back into the building. * * * * * The crowd drew back at the gunshots, but the Atlantian and Genii troops held their positions. Vala waved the marines back as they began to reform around her, then stood, her hands folded in front of her as she waited for Radim to restore order. * * * * * "Good girl." Sam muttered. She looked at the monitor and spoke to Caldwell. "Don't beam her out Stephen, let's see what happens." "She already told us to leave her in place, colonel. Her mike is live." He told her. * * * * * Radim looked around, feigning surprise as he heaved a sigh of relief. He noticed Vala standing calmly in the plaza, and waved his own guards back, then moved around the podium and down the steps to join her. Vala met him halfway, and they shook hands, exchanging a few words, then walked back up to the podium together. "What should be a day of joy has been marred with tragedy." Radim said solemnly, looking out over the crowd as they moved closer again. "But we cannot let this deter us as we take the first steps down a path that will lead to freedom for all Genii." He looked out at the crowd, then turned, motioning Vala forward. "Allow me to present the Lady Vala Mal Doran, emissary of the queens of Atlantis." He said, then bowed to her. "We offer our greetings, and our hopes for a peaceful, productive future together." "Thank you, Ladon. Our queens, and the people of Atlantis share your hopes for peace between us." She said. She stepped back, reaching down to draw a long, slim dagger from her boot. "But on my homeworld, it is customary for enemies to exchange weapons when they become friends. Please accept this token as a sign of that friendship." She held the dagger butt first out to him, smiling brightly. * * * * * "That wasn't in the script." Sam said. "What the hell is she doing?" "She's sealing the deal, in front of his people." Tammy said. "He's not going to be able to back out now." "I hope you're right." Sam said, watching the screen intently. * * * * * Radim stared at her, then reached out, reluctantly taking the proffered dagger. The crowd erupted in applause, and Vala leaned toward him. "Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked quietly. Radim turned away from the crowd, frowning at her. Vala smiled back, waiting patiently. Radim nodded abruptly, reaching down and drawing his sidearm, holding it out to her butt first. "A gift deserves a gift in return." He said, smiling tightly at her, bringing another round of applause from the crowd. "To our friendship." "Thank you, Ladon. This is a beautiful weapon." She said, pointing it in the air and pulling the trigger. The report when it went off startled the crowd, and Radim ducked out of the way as she turned it toward him. Feigning surprise, she dropped it on the podium. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was loaded! Please, forgive me." "Th...That's quite alright." Radim said warily as he looked at her, then the gun on the podium. "I should have checked it before I gave it to you. It is I, not you, that should seek forgiveness." "Think nothing of it." Vala said lightly, reaching out and taking his hand. "Friends forgive little indiscretions. Let's hope any that we have in the future are as harmless." The crowd laughed, and Radim looked at her with a new respect. He bowed, then raised her hand, holding it aloft as they waved at the crowd together. * * * * * "She did that on purpose." Andi said. "Of course she did." Sam laughed. "But it serves him right for handing her a loaded weapon." "She made herself look like the victim, and got the crowd on her side." Sandy said. "How the hell did she do that?" "Oh, our Vala's the sly one." O'Neill said as he went over and took a seat beside her. "How long have you been here, Jack?" Sam asked, smiling over at him. "I caught her entrance. You were all so intent on watching the show, I figured there was no point in distracting you." He looked over and grinned at Ronin. "And the next time you send your goons looking for me, tell them that you knock on a door, not pound on it." "They'd been knocking for almost five minutes before you answered, general." Cisco said. "Yeah, whatever." O'Neill muttered. Interior-Ladon Radim's Office 1230 Hours/0830 Local "You did that on purpose." He said as he closed the door behind them. "And there was no ment..." "Of course I did dear." Vala laughed. "Only a fool hands someone he's just met a loaded weapon. You're lucky I didn't shoot you. If Samantha didn't need you so badly, I might have." "But...you...I." Radim sputtered, staring at her in disbelief. "Can we get some coffee, perhaps some pastries, while I explain the facts of life to you? It's almost time for lunch in Atlantis, and I'm starving." She said lightly. She walked over and sat on a long leather sofa, looking around the room. "This is a nice office, Ladon. Very masculine. I like it." Radim opened a drawer and took out a pistol, pointing it at her as he moved around the desk. "What's to stop me from killing you right now, and telling them that a rogue element did it?" He asked as he came closer. Vala smiled at him as she stood up and said, "Stephen?" The glare of an Asgard beam flared and when it faded, she was gone. Another beam flared behind him, and when he turned around, she was smiling as she pointed a gun at his head. "I suppose you could try." She said casually. "But I'm an excellent shot, so you'll probably be dead too." Radim stared at her, then started to laugh, lowering his weapon then walking over and sitting it on the desk. "I like you. You're very strange." He said as he picked up the phone. "And I suppose I've built my nest, so I should go ahead and put my eggs in it." "Is that anything like making your bed, then lying in it?" Vala asked as she sat back down on the sofa. She laid her gun on the table and looked over at him. "My Daniel says that all the time, usually about me, and for the life of me, I have no idea what he means!" Radim laughed, then spoke into the phone. "Yes, would you have them send shinna and a large dessert tray to my office? Yes, for two. Thank you." "Our shinna is similar to your coffee, but has a fruitier taste." He said as he pulled a chair around and sat down across from her. "If you want the truth, I never really cared for your coffee, I find it too bitter." "I hope you don't find what I'm sitting in front of you too unpleasant." She said mildly. "We want you to be comfortable dealing with us. We think you're an ally worth having. An ally we have to have, to be honest with you." "I suppose our spy network is what makes us valuable to you." He said. "Yes, but Samantha was serious when she told you that our friends in the Milky Way loved your taava beans." She told him, looking around the office. "I don't suppose you have a few tons lying around that I could take home with me?" "I'll have some brought to the square. You can beam them up with you when you leave." He laughed. He sighed, leaning back in his chair. "It's not going to be that bad, Ladon." Vala said, watching him. "You're free to run your government anyway you like. What we're asking is for you to gather information about the needs of the peoples you already deal with, and be nice to your neighbors. That's not so much now, is it?" "And in exchange? What would the Genii receive." "As we told you, you would enjoy full access to goods from Atlantis, and the Travelers. That's not an exclusive arrangement, you're still free to deal with others as well." Radim nodded, getting up to answer a knock at the door. He spoke quietly for a moment, then pushed the door closed and brought a tray over, sitting it on the table between them. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 04 He poured them both a cup of shinna, pointing at a pale yellow liquid and a powdery brown substance in small bowls. "These are like your milk and sugar." He said. "I drink mine black." She said as she leaned closer, looking over the tray of pastries, then looking up at him. "Which ones do you like Ladon?" He grinned, pointing at a long round pastry on the end. "These are my favorite." He said. "They have a thick, sweet cream inside that I've loved since I was a boy." She picked one up and bit into it, her eyes going wide as she smiled broadly. "Oohh mawh gahw!" She gasped around a mouthful. "Thihh ihh..." She stopped, chewing, then swallowing quickly, then smiling at him again. "That is incredible, can I ge..." "I'll send a box home with you." He laughed. "Is there anything else you want to take home with you?" "Well, that lamp over there is lovely, and Daniel would love that parchment you have over by the door. He's an archeol..." She stopped when she saw the look on his face. "Oh, you weren't being serious, were you?" "No." He said, shaking his head. "But you were saying that we'd have unrestricted trade with Atlantis and the Travelers..." "I believe I said, full access to goods, not unrestricted trade." She said, shaking her finger at him. "But you would have access to our medical technology, assistance in testing your people for the ancient gene, and our therapy for any that have the latent gene." She took another bite from her pastry before she continued. "The therapy doesn't work on everyone, I'm sorry to say." She told him. "I've tried it twice, and it failed both times. From what they told me, it works in about eighty percent of cases. You can have the doctor's talk about that." "I'm a scientist actually." He told her. "So I want to hear more about it, but I can wait." He picked up a pastry, looking at her as he bit into it, nodding for her to continue. "We'd also offer training on any non-weapons ancient technology you may already have in your possession, or may acquire. We will not offer training on weapons, or supply you with any weapons systems themselves." "Understandable." He said as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. He smiled as he sat the pastry back on the tray. "After the performance in the plaza, I wasn't expecting you to be quite so generous. That show of force was meant to intimidate, so I have to admit, I am genuinely relieved." "Oh, that wasn't a show of force! That was pageantry!" She laughed. "A girl likes to make an entrance when she's meeting new friends! I mean, really!" "You certainly made an entrance." Radim said as he got up and walked over to his desk. He picked up the phone, speaking quietly for a moment, then turned and looked at her. "It's going to take a few minutes to get your things together. Would you like to meet my cabinet, and some of my other advisors while we're waiting?" He asked. "Not especially." She said, frowning slightly. She smiled as she added, "But I'd love to see more of your city. I thought it was lovely." Interior-Robotics Lab 1400 Hours "We're away, colonel." Caldwell said, leaning back in his chair. "What took you so long, Stephen? They finished talking almost an hour ago." Sam said. She stretched out on the couch, holding the tablet up over her so she could see him. "Radim took her on a walking tour of the city while they were waiting for some gifts he promised her." Caldwell laughed. "By the time they were..." "Oh no! She didn't!" Sam laughed. "She sure did." Caldwell laughed. "She had her escort loaded down like pack mules before they were done. From what I could tell listening to them, he was having as much fun as she was. He was actually pointing out things he thought she'd like after a while. They really hit it off." "He related to her much better than me last night when we talked, that's why I brought her in." Sam said. "I think he's a little scared of me, so I just sat back and listened." "Well, we'll be back in an hour or so, and she can give you a full report then." He told her. "That's fine Stephen, we'll see you then." She smiled, then tapped the tablet off and tossed it onto the table. She rolled off the couch and walked over to the porter. Looking the guard up and down, she smiled and said, "I'm going over to the robotics lab for a few minutes. I'll be coming right back, but do you want to come anyway?" "Yes, ma'am, thank you." He said as he followed her into the porter. "I like that suit." She said as they stepped of the porter. He followed her down the hall to the lab, and stiffened, reaching for his weapon when he saw a naked man standing across the room. "Stand down." She laughed. "He's friendly, very friendly, if you know what I mean." She glance over at him as she walked over and stood in front of Boris. "Hi Boris, how are you, baby?" She asked as she looked him over, turning him as she moved around him. "I am fine mistress." he said as she came back around in front of him. "My cock is gett..." "Abort Boris." She said quickly, glancing over at the guard. "Sorry about that." She said. "There's still a few bugs we have to work out." "Is that a replicator?" He asked, reaching out to touch Boris's cheek. "No, and don't do that." She said quickly. "He has a self protection protocol, and I don't want you to get hurt." She glanced over at him as she opened a cabinet against the wall. "What's your name? You're not as freaked out as I expected you to be." "Boris ma'am. Boris Matthison." He answered, trying not to smile. "But are you serious, would he really try to fight me?" "Not yet." Sam laughed, bringing a tray over and sitting it on the table. "Right now, he'll just give you a nasty shock to keep you away. I still have some work to do on the system." "That's amazing." Matthison said as he walked around Boris, looking at him closely. "What he for? I mean, why did you bui..." "I didn't build him. I'm just refining the programming." She said. "Tammy drew up the schematics, but he was built by an ancient system. He's actually an android, one of the predecessors to the replicators." She flipped the lid on the tray up and started going through the contents. Matthison came over, bursting out laughing as he looking in the tray. "I'm sorry, ma'am." He said, when he got himself under control. "That just took me by surprise." "That's okay." She smiled, "I got the wrong one anyway." She said as she closed the lid and slid it down the table, then went back over to the cabinet and pulled another tray out, lifting the lid before she came back to the table. She turned and looked at Matthison, trying not to smile. "Before I do anything else, I have to tell you that this is a classified project. Tammy and I are the only ones that know about it. On that note, you are not, under any circumstances, to discuss what you've seen in this room, especially with Ronin and Cisco. Is that clear?" "Yes ma'am." He said, then grinned sheepishly. "But you're a little late. The marines that were escorting Lady Tammy have been shooting their mouths off for days about what they heard going on in here. Apparently, she got pretty loud a few times." She stared at him in surprise, then smiled. "So they said they heard her in here, but never saw anything? None of them actually came in here?" "Not that I heard, but I got it secondhand, so I can't say for sure." He said. "Okay, then they probably just think she was meeting someone down here to fuck." She said to herself. She looked up at him and smiled. "What I said goes. Keep this to yourself. If it gets out, I'll know where it came from." "Yes ma'am." He said. "But you don't get this job by shooting your mouth off. Protecting the royal family means more than just keeping you alive." "Cisco told Andi the same thing the other day. I guess that's where you got it?" She said as she went over and opened another cabinet. She pulled out a suit, holding it up, then glancing back over at him. "This is about the same color as yours, don't you think?" "Yes ma'am." He said. "Good." She said as she came over and dropped it on the table. "Call Sheppard and get a list of all the marines assigned to escort Tammy last week. Then call Dr. Samuels, and tell her that I want a list of everyone that has accessed the porter on this floor and this room in the last week, tell her she can get Chuck to help if she needs to." She turned to her Boris and handed him the shirt, smiling at him as she dropped to her knees in front of him. "Let's get you dressed baby." She said as she changed his penis, putting her favorite back on. "Then you can come watch mama chop some people's heads off." Interior-Auditorium, Central Tower 1530 Hours Every marine in Atlantis had been assembled and were seated in the auditorium. At the front of the room, three enlisted men, three sergeants, and two officers sat behind a long table. Sam and Tammy sat off to the side with Boris, Matthison, and three other guards standing behind them. Sheppard stepped through the doors at the back of the room and strode up the aisle. When he reached the table at the front of the room, he picked up a folder, then turned to face the marines. "You have been assembled to witness criminal proceedings against nine of your fellow marines." He began, then paused, waiting for the marines to quiet down before he continued. "We will begin with the most serious of the proceedings. Bring in the prisoner." He said curtly. A marine wearing a t-shirt, fatigue pants and combat boots was brought in and marched up the aisle. His escorts stopped in front of Sheppard, and the three of them came to attention. The prisoner started to salute, but one of the other marines grabbed his wrist, forcing his arm down. "Prisoners do not salute." Sheppard said quietly, then opened the folder he was holding, glancing down at it. "Private Richard Harper, you are charged with breaking and entering, grand theft, sabotage of a scientific experiment, espionage, and treason. Have each of these charges been explained to you?" "They have, sir." Harper responded. "You have the right to representation by counsel of your choice. Do you wish to be represented at this proceeding?" "Yes sir, I request that Lt. Miller represent me." Lt. Miller stepped forward, coming stiffly to attention in front of Sheppard. "Lt. Miller, have you spoken to the accused, and reviewed the evidence against him?" Sheppard asked "I have sir." "Are you ready to proceed?" "No sir, but the accused wishes to proceed immediately to trial." Miller answered. "Very well." Sheppard said. He looked over at Harper. "Richard Harper, how do you plead to the charges against you?" "Not guilty, sir." Sheppard nodded and stepped to the side while Harper and Miller were led to seats in the front row. "Capt. Kleinman will present the state's case." Sheppard said as he sat down. "You may proceed captain." Kleinman stepped forward and spoke to the marines seated at the table. "For the first charge, breaking and entering, the state will to present evidence that on May Ninth of this year, the accused did willfully circumvent a door control pad, and illegally enter a secured research lab." He paused, nodding to a marine seated off to the side. "Video evidence will show the accused..." "Wait!" Harper said. "I want to change my plea!" Sheppard stood up, motioning for Kleinman to join him. They went over and stood in front of Harper. "At this stage of the proceedings, you only have two choices regarding a plea. Guilty, or not guilty. A plea of not guilty due to mental instability must be entered prior to these proceedings beginning. Do you understand what I'm telling you?" Sheppard asked. "I understand, and I want to change my plea, colonel." Harper said. "You understand that two of the charges are capitol crimes, and carry the death penalty?" Sheppard said slowly. "If you plead guilty, the panel will have no choice but to pass sentence." "I know, colonel." Harper said, glancing over at Sam and Tammy. "But I know they won't kill me. I just know it." Sheppard stepped closer, his face inches from Harper's. "They called these proceedings you moron." He said harshly. "What ma..." "Colonel, my client has stated that he wishes to change his plea to guilty." Miller said. He glanced at Harper and added, "I guess you want to throw yourself on the mercy of the court as well?" Harper nodded, and Sheppard stepped back, then turned to take his seat. "Get on with it." He said over his shoulder. Miller stepped forward, addressing the panel. "At this time, the accused wishes to change his plea to guilty, and throw himself on the mercy of the court. The defense rests." The marines seated at the table stood up and went into one of the rooms at the front of the auditorium. They were back less than five minutes later. When they were all seated again, a sergeant at the middle of the table stood up, holding a sheet of paper in his hand. "Private Richard Harper, you have pled guilty to all the charges against you." He said slowly. "Are you ready for us to pass sentence?" Harper and Miller stood up and faced the panel, Harper glanced over at Sam and Tammy, then back at the panel. "I am." He said calmly. "Very well." The sergeant said. "This court orders that you be stripped of all rank, medals, and honors, then dishonorably discharged from the Free Defense Forces of Atlantis, forfeiting all pay, benefits and allowances." He paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "This court also orders that you be executed by firing squad, said execution to be carried out at the discretion of the convening authority. May god have mercy on your soul." Harper stared at him as he sat down, then turned to face the queens. "I was stupid, but I never meant any harm." He said quietly. "I didn't know that she was a Genii spy, I was just showing off to a pretty girl. What I told her didn't seem that important, I wasn't giving her state secrets or anything, I don't know any." He paused, standing up straighter. "The rest is all true. I broke into that lab and took some stuff. I deserve to be punished for that. That's all I have to say." Tammy put her hand over Sam's as she started to stand up. She shook her head at her as she got to her feet and walked slowly over to stand in front of Harper. She looked at him, and he met her gaze, not flinching away. "I'm the one you hurt, the one you stole from, and betrayed." She said. "What this court says means nothing, it's my place to pass judgment on you." Harper looked at her, and nodded. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "It's too late for that." She said, then took a step back. "I'm going to commute your death sentence, but I'm going to exile you from my city." She said. "I won't have a man I know is a thief living with us." She paused, looking at him steadily. "We'll ask Stargate Command if we can return you to Earth, but if they refuse, you'll be sent to a habitable world to make your way as best you can. You are never to return to the city of Atlantis. If you do, you will be shot on sight. Do you understand?" Harper nodded, then snapped to attention and saluted. Tammy slapped him across the face, knocking him to the floor. "Don't you dare." She said quietly. "You no longer have the right. You gave that up when you betrayed our trust." She turned and walked back to sit next to Sam as two marines got him to his feet and escorted him from the room. "There are no capitol crimes in any of the remaining cases." Sheppard said as he stepped back up in front of the table. Before Sheppard could continue, Lt. Miller stood up. "Colonel, all of the remaining accused were charged as a group, with identical charges. They request that they be tried as a group, considering that the bulk of the charges are conspiracy to commit acts each of the others are charged with." "The state has no objection, and is ready to proceed." Kleinman said as he stood up. Sheppard nodded and returned to his seat. Lt. Miller stepped up in front of the table. "If it please the court, the accused also wish to wave reading of charges, plead guilty, and throw themselves on the mercy of the court." He said. "They feel that it is in the best interest of our city that this matter be concluded quickly." "This is highly unusual, your honors, but the state has no objection." Kleinman said from his seat. "The court accepts the guilty pleas." A lieutenant at the end of the table said. "We will deliberate, and issue our ruling." They didn't even leave the table this time, but passed sheets of paper down the table to the end. The lieutenant looked through the stack of papers, then stood and addressed the room. "The court has agreed on a sentence. Have the prisoners brought in for the reading." He said. "Your honors, the accused have authorized me to accept judgment in their place." Miller said. "They feel no good wi..." "Are the accused aware that these proceedings are a matter of public record, and that they will not find shelter of anonymity by refusing to appear before this court?" "Yes, you honor." Miller said. "As I stated before, they wish these proceedings to be concluded quickly so they may get on with their lives, and our city can put this behind us." "Very well." the lieutenant said. "It is the ruling of this court that all eight defendants be stripped of all rank, medals, and honors, then dishonorably discharged from the Free Defense Forces of Atlantis, forfeiting all pay, benefits and allowances. In addition, they shall serve a term at hard labor, for no less then twelve, but not to exceed twenty-four months. At the completion of that term of incarceration, their citizenship shall be revoked. The court adds the stipulation that they may re-apply for citizenship after a period of no less than five years." "Thank you, your honors." Miller said. "I will inform..." "Have them brought into the room." Sam said as she stood up and started around the table. Tammy stopped her, taking her hand as she stood. They moved to the front of the room and waited as the prisoners were brought in. When were lined up in front of them, she told the lieutenant to read the sentence again. When he finished, they looked at each of them. "Was it worth it?" Tammy asked softly. "You're no longer marines, and going to prison because you gossiped like old women and spread rumors about things you knew nothing about." She shook her head, tears running down her cheeks. "We trusted you...I trusted you, not just to protect my life, but my dignity. You robbed me of that." "It was my fault." A man on the end said quietly. "I heard things in that lab, and told the others." "We all did it, Simmons." Another said. "We had fun at their expense, and now we have to pay the piper." "Did any of you stop to think about what you were doing?" Sam asked them. "Didn't you realize that..." "Mickelson and Schultz." Simmons said, interrupting her. "They shouldn't even be here. All they did was listen." "But they didn't do anything about a breach of security." Sheppard said angrily as he stepped over in front of them. "You sat around laughing and having a good time, making shit up. Don't try to deny it, I watched the videos." He stepped over to a table and picked up several objects, then came back over in front of them. "I don't know what was going on in that lab, and I don't care." He said. "What I do know, is that because of what she was doing in there, when one of my troops gets hurt, loses an arm or a leg, or gets burned and needs new skin, we're going to be able to fix them." He held up an artificial arm in one hand, and a heart in the other. "Replaceable limbs and organs." He said as he walked down the line. "She found these in the database, and has already given the research to Dr. Keller." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 04 Pushing between two of the prisoners, he walked down the aisle looking out over the assembled marines. "When we took this city, and decided to stay and help make it a place worth living, we pledged our lives and our sacred honor to that cause. Then we asked these women to lead us." He looked back at Carter over his shoulder. "Colonel Carter didn't want to be a queen, we forced her to take the job, you were all there, you all voted." "And now, because of them, we speak ancient, and have the skills to make this city come alive again." He said as he looked around the room. "We've brought in fifty thousand new citizens, refugees from worlds ravaged by the Wraith, to join us so we can make goods for the rest of the peoples in this galaxy, and make their lives better." "John, you don't ha..." Sam said, coming down the aisle to join him. "No colonel, they don't see the pain you feel every time you send one of us out on a mission where we can be hurt or killed. They don't see the hours you spend trying to find new ways to protect us, or make this city a better place to live." "We can see colonel." A corporal several rows back said. He stood up and looked around the room. "Most of us have been on a protection detail, and we know what's going on. That's why we stayed, so we can be part of it." He paused, then looked over at Carter. "These guys, the accused, they fucked up. They shot their mouths off to their friends, but they always had your back colonel, just like the rest of us." She looked around, and saw heads nodding all over the room. She glanced at Sheppard, and he nodded. "I've got this." He said, then turned and walked back up the aisle, stopping in front of the prisoners. "As the convening authority, I'm going to overturn the court's sentence." Sheppard told them. "I'm sentencing you to ninety days confinement at hard labor, reduction in rank to private, forfeiture of all pay and allowances, and assignment to every shit job I can think of for the foreseeable future. This court is adjourned." "Now that's justice." Carter heard a sergeant mutter as he stood up. He grinned at her when he saw her looking at him. "Sorry, ma'am. That kinda slipped out." "Don't sweat it, I agree with you." She smiled, then turned and went to join Tammy. Interior-Conference Room, North Tower 1800 Hours "Are you sure about this?" Sam said quietly, leaning closer to Tammy. "Yeah, John just outed us when he told those marines about the medical benefits of what we've been doing." Tammy replied. "And you know that Cisco and Ronin are going to be asking questions about him, so we might as well get it over with." "Okay, you're probably right." Sam said. "But let me do it." Tammy nodded, and Sam looked around the table at the staff. "You've all heard about the courts martial we had John convene because of a security breach in one of our research labs." She said. Heads nodded around the table, and she smiled as she continued. "We've already spoken to Jennifer, and she apparently told John, because he showed an offshoot of our research to the marines a little while ago." She picked up the artificial arm, holding it up so they could see it. "Tammy found research the ancients were doing on artificial limbs and organs while she was doing database searches for a project we're working on." She said as she sat the arm down on the table. "I've been doing my own searches on technologies related to what Tammy gave me, Sam." Jennifer said. "I've found the surgical procedures related to attaching or implanting these prosthetics, and I don't mean to sound morbid, but I can't wait for someone to come in that I can..." "What kind of project, colonel?" Caldwell asked, frowning at Keller. "If artificial limbs and organs are an offshoot, it has to be something big." "Yes and no, Stephen." Sam said as she stood up. She walked down the table and stopped next to Ronin. She smiled down at him, then said, "Can I see your gun for a minute?" Ronin looked at her, then pulled his gun from a shoulder holster and handed it to her. She walked back to her seat and sat it on the table in front of her. Turning toward the door she said, "Boris, would you come in here please?" "Good afternoon mistress." He said as he stopped in front of her. "Hello, Boris." She said with a smile. "Stand right here baby. That's a good boy." "This is Boris." She said, as she looked around the table. "Tammy drew up the schematics for him based on information in the ancient database, and he was assembled in the lab we've been working in. I've been modifying his programming over the last few days." "You built a fucking replicator?" Sheppard said as both he and Ronin leapt to their feet. "Have you lost your mind?" "Ronin, John, sit down. He's not a replicator, he's an android." She said as she slipped Boris's jacket off, then started unbuttoning his shirt. "This technology was one of the steps the ancients took as they progressed along the path that resulted in their developing the replicators." "We have records that show that this type of android was used safely for thousands of years." She said as she slipped his shirt off, then lifted his arm and pressed into the skin under it. His arm came off in her hand, and she sat it on the table, then picked up the one sitting there and put it one in its place. "This one doesn't quite match his skin tone and build, but as you can see, the parts are interchangeable." She took the arm back off, and put his back on, then looked at him and smiled. "Disengage protection protocol, Boris." She said. Then lowering her voice she added, "Don't talk baby, we don't want to get mama in trouble." Tammy burst out laughing as Sam turned back toward the table. "Feel free to come examine him." She told the group. "Like I said, the ancients used these androids for thousands of years. Most of them were scrapped as new technologies were developed. We found a few parts in different labs around the city, and built the rest as needed." "So the ancients were using them for labor in their cities?" Caldwell asked as he came over to look at Boris. "Actually, no. It's was easier for them to build robotics right into machines, just like it is for us. It would have been wasteful to build androids to operate equipment." Tammy said. "This class of android was used for household duties, like servants, babysitters...and companions." "Compan..." Jennifer said, stopping abruptly, her eyes going wide. "Oh my god! They built a sextoy!" "I wouldn't have put it that way." Sam laughed. "But yes, that is his primary function right now. As I get his programming fine tuned, I'm going to add personal protection and child care, so we won't need guards in the residence, and won't have to depend on nannies." "And he has a...you know, all the..." Jennifer asked. "He's fully functional in every regard." Sam said, opening his pants and letting them fall to the floor. She helped him out of them, then picked them up, folding them and laying them on the table. "Erection, Boris." She said as she turned back to him. "Full extension, extend G-nodule and vibrate." There were gasps and giggles as the women gathered around him, forcing the men back out of the way. "You're actually going to..." Caldwell said, a look of disgust on his face. "Already have, Stephen." Tammy laughed. "It's no different than using a vibrator when you get right down to it. And this is a practical solution to a problem. I mean, it's not like me 'n Sam can go down to the O' Club and pick up one of your pilots for a one night stand." "But I thought..." "Nope." She said, shaking her head as she grinned at him. "We're sexual with each other, but we both like dick as much as the next girl." "You said that you wouldn't need guards in the residence once you got his programming fine tuned." Cisco said. "What did you mean by that?" "He'll be connected to the cities communication system, so in the event of an emergency, he'll be able to send out an alarm, fend of intruders until help arrives, or provide medical assistance." Sam told him. "Most of that is already built in, I just want to get a better look at what he can do before I bring it all on line." She noticed that Jennifer was kneeling in front of Boris, her hand wrapped around his penis. She grinned as she said, "Ejaculate Boris, full volume and repeat." Boris's cock twitched in Jennifer's hand, and a spurt of pseudo-cum burst from it, spraying across her face and into her hair. Another spurt spat from his piss slit, hitting her on the neck, soaking her shirt as she tried to skitter back out of the way. "He usually has better control than that, Jenn." Tammy laughed. "You must have really turned him on." "Fuck you." Jennifer shouted as she stormed out of the room, wiping her face with her hands. "I better..." Sheppard said. "Go ahead." Sam said. "We're done here anyway. But tell her I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist." "You'd think she'd be used to it by..." He stopped, blushing a deep red as he realized what he was saying. "I better..." He said again, pointing at the door. "Yeah." Sam said, doing her best not to laugh till he was out the door. Interior-Kitchen 1910 Hours "So this is what you've been doing down in that lab all this time?" Cisco asked, looking down the table at Boris. "Yeah, I didn't see any point in telling you till we were ready to bring him home." Sam said, mopping up gravy with a piece of bread. "I wasn't trying to hide anything from you, it's just that some of the testing..." "Got down right nasty!" Tammy laughed. "Today was the first time I've seen him fully assembled. Before I got shot, his midsection was strapped to a table. It was a little freaky..." She stopped suddenly, looking over at Sam. "Speaking of freaky, what's up with all the baby's, mama this and that, the that's a good boy's?" She asked her. "Bonding protocol." Sam said as she stood up and sat her plate on the counter. "Why don't you get us some drinks, tequila would be nice, and let's take this in the living room." She looked down the table and smiled at Boris. "Come sit with me, Boris. That's a good boy." She said as she watched him stand up. He followed her into the living room as Cisco and Tammy stared after them. * * * * * Sam was lying on a couch when they walked into the room. Boris had her feet in his lap and was rubbing them gently. Cisco sat a tray of glasses on the table and sat down while Tammy poured shots. She handed them both a glass, then went over and pushed Cisco toward the end of the couch, stretching out, her head in his lap. "So tell me more about this bonding protocol." Tammy said. "Am I going to have to do all the baby's and mama's too?" "Not with Boris, but you'll have to do it when we build yours." Sam said, turning her head to look at her. "You just lost me." Tammy said. "I..." "He can only bond with one of us." Sam told her. "I didn't realize what was happening until it was too late to back out without wiping him completely and starting over." She sat up and spun around on the couch, opening her vest as she looked up at him. "Play with my titties, baby. Em seven, bravo three, execute." Boris's hands came down and began massaging her breasts rhythmically, his fingers moving up to stroke and squeeze her nipples, then returning to kneed her fleshy tits. "Well that's just not right, Sam." Tammy said. "He was my idea, and I..." "I know, sweetie." Sam sighed as she opened her pants and slipped her hand between her legs. "But we built the guy I wanted. You let me pick everything that I liked, and I'm working out the bugs in the programming. So when we build yours, you can pick the stuff you like, and he'll be just what you want." She looked up at Boris, a dreamy smile on her face. "Delta two, Boris. Half insertion, vibrate fifty percent." One of his hands moved down and slid into her pants, and she groaned softly as his fingers moved between her legs. The fingers of his other hand pinched her nipple gently. "I love you mistress." He said softly. "Am I pleasing you?" "Mmmmmm, You're making me feel wonderful, Boris. You're such a good boy." "Maybe I shou..." Cisco said, starting to get up. "Sit your ass down." Tammy laughed, rolling onto her side. She brought her hand up, laying it on his cock, squeezing it gently. "You're not taking this hard-on anywhere." She looked over at Sam again. "Tell me more Sam." "I have sixty-five different subroutines programmed into him so far, and his neural network has mapped my responses to the ones we've been through." Sam whispered, her hips arching up at his fingers. "He has seventeen levels in his reactive response routines that increase the sensitivity of his sensors, so he can vary the stimulus based on my reactions and maximize my response." She looked over at Tammy and Cisco sitting on the other couch. "Are you going to fuck him?" She panted, her hips arching up to meet Boris's fingers. "I was thinking about it." Tammy smiled. "His cock is hard as a rock." Sam glanced up at Cisco, then back at Tammy. "Suck it. I wanna watch you suck his dick." "I don't think he wants me to." Tammy said, her fingers toying with the zipper on his slacks, dragging it down slowly. "I think we're making him uncomfortable, and he wants to leave." Cisco moaned softly, his hips moving on the couch, making his cock slide under Tammy's fingers. "No!" Sam moaned, then gasped suddenly, her body shivering under Boris's fingers. "Do it baby! He doesn't want to leave. He wants to feel your mouth on his cock." She looked up at him, a pleading look in her eyes. "Tell her Cisco. Tell her you want her to suck your big, beautiful cock." She whimpered, then her eyes rolled up in her head as her body shook in a series of spasms. "Oh god! I bet she sucks cock alot better than me, and you liked that, didn't you?" "You slut!" Tammy said harshly, grinning up at him as she pushed her hand into the opening of his pants, wrapping her fingers around the swollen shaft of his cock and pulling it out into the open. "You sucked his dick? When you bitch? Did you fuck him too? Did you?" Sam's head nodded up and down rapidly, her eyes clenched shut as she writhed on the couch. Gasping for breath, she spoke haltingly to Boris. "Ta...tango six...delta thu...three, fu...full extension, vibr...vib..." "Vibrate one hundred percent, execute." Tammy said as she turned her face down and lashed her tongue across the head of Cisco's cock. She looked up at him, and smiled. "Make alot of noise, and cum as fast as you can. And talk dirty to me. She loves it." With a loud moan, she sucked his cock into her mouth and started sucking on it frantically. Her fingers squeezed around the root, then started stroking up and down over the thick shaft. "Yeah." He grunted. "Suck my cock bitch. Don't just lick it, get it in your little slut mouth and suck on it." Sam's eyes popped open and she stared wide eyed at them for a moment, then she rolled off the couch, reaching down and pulling Boris to his feet. Her fingers tore at the zipper on his pants as she dragged him over in front of the other couch. Dropping to her knees between Cisco's legs, she fit the fleshy knob of Boris's cock between the lips of her pussy, looking back over her shoulder at him. "Erect, full extension, all systems to max." She panted. "Fuck me Boris. Make mama cum on your big cock." Bracing her forearms on Cisco's thighs, she leaned forward, her face inches from Tammy's as she watched her suck his cock. She looked up at him, grinning when she saw him watching her. "Fuck her in the mouth, Cisco." She panted, then looked back at Tammy. "Make him cum, Tammy." She whispered, humping her ass back as Boris fucked her roughly from behind. "Make him cum in your mouth, and on your face, I wanna see it!" Tammy smiled around his cock, her fist stroking faster as her lips plunged up and down over the top third of his cock. She pulled her mouth back suddenly, holding his cock out to Sam. Sam dove on his cock, her tongue lashing wildly across the plum colored knob, then across the top of the shaft as she sucked him deep into her throat. Her head bobbed up and down rapidly, then she pressed down, taking his cock balls deep into her mouth, holding it there for a long moment. She pulled up, spit dripping from her lips as she gasped for breath. "You. You do it." She panted, her eyes locked with Tammy's. Tammy's mouth dropped back onto his cock, her head bobbing up and down as she sucked on it as hard as she could. Her hand dropped off his cock, sliding down and cupping his balls, massaging them gently between her fingers. Cisco groaned, his hips arching up off the couch as his hands came down on the back of Tammy's head. He started jerking wildly, his ass a blur as it humped up and down at her face. Tammy's eyes bulged, and she choked as his cock plowed into her throat. A second later, thick strings of cum poured from her lips as his cock pounded in and out of her mouth. "On her face!" Sam cried out as she came again, her pussy fluttering and squeezing around Boris's cock. "Oh god, cum on her face, Cisco! I want to seeeeeeee!" His hand came down, wrapping around the shaft of his cock. He started jerking himself off into her mouth, then pulled it out, rubbing it all over her face as sticky wads of cum drooled from his piss slit. Sam pressed forward, trapping his cock between their faces, her lips seeking Tammy's, kissing her hungrily as he rubbed his cock all over their faces. Sam crawled forward, moving up over him, her hands tearing at Tammy's clothes. Tammy's hands ran all over her body in return, and they fell back together onto the couch, then rolled off onto the floor. Cisco watched as they got to their knees, still locked in their frantic embrace, then to their feet, moving slowly toward the bedroom. As they disappeared through the doorway, he looked down at Boris and grinned. "Don't even think about it, buddy." He laughed when he saw him looking at him. "Cisssssscohhhhhhhh! Get your ass in here and fuck me!" Tammy yelled, followed a moment later by Sam. "Boris, be a good boy and come make mama happy, baby." * * * * * "So, who's better, me or her?" Tammy asked. She was laying across the bed, her head resting on his stomach, her legs stretched out across Sam. Boris was laying behind Sam, his arms wrapped around her as she leaned back into him. "Hmmmmmm, that's a tough one, you both have your strong points." Cisco said, looking down at her, then glancing over at Sam. "Yeah, but you like one of us more than the other one." She said, looking up at him. "We won't take it personally, We just want to know." "Well, you're a wildcat all the time." He said, reaching down and pinching her nipple. "And that's really hot. I mean, dancing on the sun hot." "So you like me better." She said, sticking her tongue out at Sam. "I didn't say that." He said slowly. "Sam is like a little kitty cat. She's all soft and furry, and rubs up against you, purring and being cute. But then she changes into a saber-toothed tiger, throwing you all over the bed, ravishing you like nothing you've ever experienced." "So you like me better." Sam said, winking at Tammy. "That's not what I said either." He said, folding his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes. "Well what, exactly, are you saying?" Tammy asked "I like cats." He laughed. "And I'll probably have to do you both fifty or sixty more times before I can even begin to have any idea which one of you is better." Interior-Kitchen 2130 Hours The comm chirped, and Sam got up, going over and pressing a key. "Go on Carter." She said. "Yes ma'am, Col. Sheppard is requesting permission to come over." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 05 Tammy, Sheppard and Ronin go to Earth to check on Sheppard's brother, Keller gets a chance to try out the ancient medical systems...and an original character returns... (-) Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes Chapter Five Interior-Gateroom 0800 Hours "You check in every two hours." Sam said as she hugged Tammy. "We agreed on four, we're going to be moving around alot, and may not be able to do it every two hours." Tammy laughed. "We'll be back in eight, but you go ahead and worry, I know I won't be able to stop you." "Take as much time as you need." Carter said. "You just come home to me, all of you." She watched as they stepped through the gate, wincing when it shut down behind them. Interior-SGC, Earth 0800 Hours "Lady Tammy, it's a pleasure to see you again. I wish it was under more pleasant circumstances." Landry said, smiling broadly as he walked up the ramp to meet them. "Col. Sheppard, and...I'm sorry, but I don't think I ever got your name." "This is Sir Ronin Dex, Guardian of the Realm, and Head of the Household Guard." Tammy said, smiling at Ronin as she held out her hand to Landry. "My protector in all things." "It's a pleasure." Landry said, nodding at Ronin as he shook hands with Tammy. "We have an aircraft waiting for you on the tarmac at Peterson." He told them as he led them down the ramp. He handed Tammy a large envelope and added, "That envelope has cash, credit cards, and two satellite phones with contact numbers for the SGC, the White house, and a team a government lawyers in case you run into any trouble. There's a car waiting for you upstairs." He smiled as they reached the elevator. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" "Yes." Tammy smiled. "Start thinking about coming to work for me." Interior-St. Martins Hospital, San Clemente California 1020 Hours They were waiting at the nurses station when a tall doctor in green scrubs approached them. "Col. Sheppard?" He asked, holding out his hand. "I'm Dr. Wilson, your brother's doctor. I'm sorry for making you wait, but I just got out of surgery." "I'm used to it, doc." Sheppard said. "My fiancée is a surgeon." "Really?" Wilson asked. "What hospital does she work at? Maybe I've heard of her." "She's not local." Sheppard said. "What can you tell me about my brother, and can we see him?" "He's in intensive care at the moment." Wilson said as he turned and started down the corridor. "I'm afraid only family members can go in. Your friends can wait here, or there's..." "They are family, doc." Sheppard said tightly. "This is our adopted sister, Lady Tammy Ford, and our brother, Sir Ronin Dex. My father...it's a long story." "We'd like to see David, and hear more about his condition." Tammy said, taking John's hand. "Would you take us to him please?" "I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that there were other family members." Wilson said. "Only the colonel was listed as a family contact. But Dave rarely talks about his family during his examinations, so I'm not surprised." He led them down the hall and through a set of double doors. He stopped outside David's room, and they could see him in his bed though the open door. Wilson picked up a chart from a rack on the wall and started flipping through it. "He regained consciousness briefly following the surgery, but has been in a state of deep sleep since. He's not in a coma, He responds to stimulus, and his brain activity is normal. Basically, he's shut himself down so his body can try to heal itself. It's actually fairly common in patients suffering severe trauma." "Kelno'reim." Ronin muttered. "I've seen Bra'tac do it." Wilson glanced at him, then continued. "We did a double bypass, but that was a life saving effort. We had to restore the flow of blood moving through his heart. That's only going to buy us a few days though. His heart is degrading, and he's going to need a transplant. The problem there is, there are no matching donors on the registry, so we just have to wait for one. Based on the rest of his condition, he's a prime candidate, and is at the top of our list." "How long before he's in serious danger? Without a transplant, I mean." Tammy asked. She put her hand on John's shoulder, pushing him gently into the room. "He's in serious danger now, I'm sorry to say." Wilson told her. "There was no sign of this during his last physical, five months ago. And based on what I saw when we did the bypass, his heart is deteriorating rapidly. We're looking at putting him on artificial support in the next seven to ten days." "Do you have any idea what caused this?" Tammy asked, stepping closer to the doctor and looking down at the chart. Wilson glanced at her, moving the chart closer to his body, blocking her view. "Let's take him home." Ronin said quietly. "Jennifer can fix him." Tammy nodded, then looked at Wilson. "Can he be moved? I mean, can he travel safely?" "Yes, he's stable enough to travel." Wilson said. "But I don't think you understand what I'm telling you. It doesn't matter where you take him, There are no matching hearts available on the North American registry. We're waiting to hear from Europe and Asia but..." "I understand what you're saying doctor, I'm a nurse." She told him, holding her hand out for the chart. "But we may have other options that you don't have available. I need you to start whatever paperwork you have to. I'll let you know where we'll be moving him to." He handed it to her, taken back by her peremptory attitude. He watched as she flipped through it quickly, then handed it back. "We're going to need copies of that, as well as copies of any testing you've done on him since he was admitted." She told him. "You might as well give us his whole file, our doctor is going to want to see it." She turned to Ronin. "Tell John what we're going to do, and stay with him." Ronin nodded and went into the room as she turned and strode down the hall. Wilson caught up to her at the nurses station, stopping when he saw her speaking into a satellite phone. "I need to speak to the president please." She was saying. "Tell him this is Lady Tammy Ford, of Atlantis." * * * * * Tammy stopped Sheppard as he got out of the car and headed for the plane. "You're not coming with us John." She said as they followed David's gurney toward the plane, then watched it being loaded. "There's an F-15 in a hanger across the ramp for you and Ronin." She said as she stepped closer and hugged him, then turned and hugged Ronin. "You're cleared to fly supersonic above thirty thousand feet, so get there, do what you have to do, and get back to Cheyenne Mountain. I'll take David to the gate and get him through, and wait for you there." She smiled as she turned to Ronin. "You know what to do, Ronin. Don't worry about me, you just look out for John, and make sure you both get back as soon as you can." "I will." He told her as he watched her jog up the stairs into the plane. "But you be careful. We don't know what can happen here. Keep your shield on, just in case." "It is." She grinned. "I'm not taking any chances I don't have to." * * * * * "There's no room back here." Ronin grumbled as they taxied onto the runway. "That's the least of your problems." Sheppard said quietly. "It's been a while since I've flown one of these things, and there's no inertial dampeners." "Whatever." Ronin answered. "Just don't crash." "I'm just saying..." Sheppard said as he pushed the throttles forward, then kicked in the afterburners. * * * * * "Things are worse than we thought, Sam." Tammy said as she unbuckled her seatbelt and stood up, moving over next to David. "John's brother needs a heart transplant, and there are none available." She paused, listening for a moment, then said. "No, there's no time for that. We're bringing him home with us, Sam. Talk to Jennifer, and tell her to do whatev...yes, that's exactly what I want to do. She said she wan...yes, I'm on my way back to the SGC with him now. We should be there in a little over an hour, tell Jennifer to have her people waiting. I'm going to wait there for John and Ronin, and see if I can do some diplomatic...okay, I'll call you when we get there. I love you too, baby..." She hung up and tossed the satellite phone on the seat, then leaned over and checked the monitor attached to David's gurney. She made a quick note on the chart, then checked his pulse. She stood looking at him for a moment, then returned to her seat, picked up the phone, and started dialing. Interior-Infirmary 1210 Hours "Sam." Jennifer said, looking up at her from her desk. "Are you alright? Have you heard from John? Why didn't you..." "I should have called, but I wanted to talk to you in person." Sam said as she sat down. "I heard from Tammy. John's brother's condition is worse than they led him to believe. He didn't just have a heart attack, it appears that there's another problem with his heart, and he needs a transplant." "What kind of problem? Did they give you any..." "Tammy forwarded his records." Sam told her, sliding a flash drive across the desk. "She knew you'd need them." Jennifer took the drive and plugged it into her desktop. She scrolled through the records quickly, frowning as she read. "He suffering from cytodegeneration of the heart." She said, glancing over at Sam. "That's an umbrella term for the progressive loss of structure or function of cells, including death of the cells. It's fairly rare, and usually caused by exposure to an outside agent." "Are you saying he was poisoned?" Sam asked. "What?" Jennifer said, looking up from her terminal. "Oh no, nothing that sinister. Considering that there was no sign of this on his last physical five months ago, and given the current condition of his heart, I'd say that this has been going on for at least three months. It was probably caused by something environmental, maybe some sort of exotic mold." She looked over at Sam. "We need to tell them that they're going to have to go through his home, or anyplace else he frequents after the transplant, or it's just going to happen again, probably affecting other organs as well." "That's the problem, Jenn." Sam said, looking at her steadily. "There are currently no matching hearts in North America, so they'll have to wait for..." "They don't have time for that!" Jennifer said, her face going pale. "At the rate his heart is deteriorating, they'll have to put him on artificial support in two, no more than three days. Once that happens, his viability as a candidate for a transplant starts to go down fast." "They told Tammy seven to ten." Sam said. "But that's why I'm here. You said that you had been going through the ancients procedures on implanting those prosthetics we found and..." "You want me to..." Jennifer said, then nodded rapidly. "That makes sense, how soon can they get him here?" "Tammy is on the way back to the SGC with him now. They should be there in a little over an hour." "Good." Jennifer said, scratching out notes on a piece of paper. "I need Chuck to find me one of the ancient medical centers. Most of the process for implanting these devices is automated, but we need to find the equipment to do it. Here's a list of the files I found on the process. They describe the equipment, so he should be able to use that." She said, sliding the notes over to Sam. "I'm going to need training on the equipment, but Susan can help me with that." she said to herself as she got up and moved around the desk. She walked over to the door and stepped out into the infirmary. "Listen up everybody, we have an emergency case coming in, and this is what we're going to do." Sam watched as she spoke quickly to people as they came over to her, then hurried off in different directions. She smiled as she got up, tapping her comm. "Carter to Chuck..." She said. Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 1250 Hours "Dr. Keller, this is Chuck. Respond please." He said as he looked around the surgical suite. "Go ahead, Chuck." Keller said, stepping away from the teaching machine. "Yes ma'am. I found your medical center." He told her. "We have power, and I started an auto sterilization procedure that I found in the database. That's going to take about forty minutes to run if I read it right. I sent you the information on it, along with the porter code and a map of the floor this suite is on." "Thank you, Chuck. I hadn't thought of that." Keller said, glancing over at Susan. "Good thinking, that should save us some time. We're going through the training to implant the heart now, and should be ready in the next half hour or so. Let me know when David gets here, and I'll send someone down for him." "Yes ma'am, we'll be ready when he gets here. Chuck out." Interior-SGC, Earth 1330 Hours One of Jennifer's nurses and a technician were waiting at the foot of the ramp when they wheeled David into the gateroom. The nurse checked the status on the monitors attached to the gurney, and looked over at Tammy. "He's stable, but we need to get him through the gate so we can prep him for surgery." She said. "Dr. Keller will be ready in a couple hours, but wants us to monitor him until she is." "That's fine." Tammy said. "He woke up briefly on the plane, and I told him that he was being moved to another hospital. He understood, but wasn't strong enough to talk. He went back to sleep after a few minutes, and his vitals have been steady since we left California." "I'll tell Dr. Keller." She said as she waved the technician over to help her move the gurney. "His waking up is a good sign." Landry waved six marines over, then turned and looked up at the control room. "Dial the gate, and send our IDC, Walter." Moments later, the gate began dialing, and the vortex burst from it. The marines carried the gurney up the ramp, sitting it down carefully just short of the event horizon. "Atlantis advises their shield is down, sir." Walter said over the loudspeaker. The technician stepped up behind the gurney while the nurse took a position beside it. They passed through the event horizon, and a few seconds later, the gate shut down. "Do you have somewhere I can do a video conference?" Tammy asked Landry as he led her out of the gateroom. "I have some people I need to touch base with if it's not too much of a problem." "You can use the conference room. I'll make sure you're not disturbed." Landry said as they went up the stairs and into the room. "Just press star, then six-three, and Walter will connect you to anyone you need." * * * * * "Hello, Dr. McKay." Tammy smiled when his face appeared on her laptop. "Who are you? What do you want? I'm a very busy man, and don't have time fo..." "And you're still an asshole, I see." She said lightly. "I'm Tammy Ford, queen of Atlantis, Sam's sister queen actually." McKay just stared at her, so she went on. "Sam and I were wondering, would you like to come home?" She said. "After what she did to me? The way they treated me?" He said angrily, then stopped abruptly. He looked over his shoulder, then back at the camera. He leaned closer and said, "When?" "How soon can you get to Cheyenne Mountain?" She laughed. * * * * * "Mr. President, I'd like to thank you for everything you've done for us today." Tammy said as Hayes came up on her screen. "It was my pleasure, your highness." Hayes said with a smile. "It's a nice change of pace to do something we can see immediate results from, especially when it's a humanitarian effort, like this was." "Before we go any further, can we drop the titles, and just make it Henry and Tammy?" She asked. "I think we'll get along better, and get more done if we just talk to each other, and leave all the fooforah for later." "That would be fine, Tammy." Hayes said. "How are things progressing on the coronation? I haven't seen my invitation yet, and I'm going to need to clear my schedule..." "I have no idea Henry, I'm staying out of it." Tammy laughed. "I'm just going to show up, stand where they tell me, and say what they tell me. But I'll ask Andi to get something out to your people when I get home." She paused, then pressed a key on her laptop as she looked down at the script she had worked out with Sam and Andi. "I've given Gen. Landry a gate address where you'll find fifteen three-oh-two's, and ten jumpers. You'll need to send pilots to get them, we don't have any to spare at the moment. You'll have to take the jumpers through the gate, they don't have hyperspace capability." "I'd suggest sending them to the Alpha site. Mr. President." Landry said, his picture popping up beside Hayes. "We can move them as needed from there." "I'll leave that up to you general." Hayes said, leaning off to one side, then turning back to them. "We'd also like to send another ten thousand drones, and a shipment of our gene therapy to a gate address you specify." Tammy said before he could speak again. "We'll be sending information on recent discoveries we've made as soon as we get everything together, including research on prosthetic limbs and organs the ancients developed." "That's very generous of you, Tammy." Hayes said, leaning back in his chair. He looked to the side, then made a gesture of impatience. "But I'm betting that you're going to want something in return?" "Of course, Henry. I'm sending you and Gen. Landry a shopping list, mostly drugs, and medical supplies we're not able to produce in Atlantis yet." She said, pressing a key on her laptop. "But the real aim behind it is to give you an incentive to formalize relations with us, so we can begin trade in earnest." "We're making progress on that, as Dr. Samuels has probably told you." He said. "With the countries that comprised the IOA, India, Japan, the European Union, and the industrialized countries of the Asia pacific, we believe that the organization we're bringing together will represent just over seventy percent of Earth's seven billion inhabitants. We'll be meeting next week to work out the final details, and begin working on treaty items." "So we can expect it to be several more months before you're even close to being ready." She frowned, glancing down at her notes. "You'll have to forgive me, Henry. I'm not used to dealing with a bureaucracy. The people we've reached out to in Pegasus are eager to deal with us." "As are we." Hayes said. "But given that the stargate program is..." "That's your problem, Henry. But with the Goa'uld and Ori threats removed in the Milky Way, and the Wraith much less of a threat in Pegasus, you don't really have any reason to conceal the gate's existence any longer." She said. "I'm not saying that you have to make it public, but with the size of the organization you're talking about putting together, it's going to leak out anyway. You might as well get out ahead of that, and save yourself the headaches." "Do you have any idea of what would happen if we made the stargate public now?" Hayes asked, his face taking on a grim visage. "The panic, rioting in the streets, mass suicides. The turmoil would destroy the worlds economies, and leave millions dead." "I think you're overstating things, Henry, and not giving people enough credit." Tammy said, shaking her head. "But while I admit, making the gate public will cause you some problems at first, it will help in solving a host of others, overpopulation being one of them." "We had considered that possibility." Hayes said. "One of the treaty items we'd request would be human settlements in Pegasus..." "That's not going to happen, Henry. Pegasus has enough problems without bringing in predatory humans from Earth. Like we told the Tok'Ra, you can have the Milky Way. It's actually safer for you there, considering that you already have the Jaffa and Tok'Ra as allies." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 05 "She has a point, Mr. President." Landry said. "Both Teal'c, and Master Bra'tac have told me several times that the Jaffa would assist us in finding worlds suitable for human settlements. The Tok'Ra would also be willing to assist if we ask..." "This isn't a decision I can make unilaterally, and to be honest, I don't think making the existence of the stargate public to be in our best interests." Hayes said. "Lady Tammy, Gen Landry can provide you with a gate address to send those drones you mentioned to. I'll have someone arrange to send the supplies you're requesting as soon as we can. But if you'll excuse me, I have another meeting I have to attend..." "Of course, Mr. President." Tammy said. "Thank you again for all your help. Have a good day." "God, what a putz." Tammy muttered as she closed the connection. "What did you expect, he's a politician." Landry laughed as he came into the room. "Have you given any thought to that offer I made you?" She asked, smiling at him. "If he fires me, I can start next week." He laughed. "If he doesn't, I'm planning on retiring after the first of the year. In the meantime, I took the liberty of ordering us lunch." Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 1420 Hours Susan looked up from the operating table she was prepping as David was wheeled into the suite. "Over there." She said, pointing at large, coffin shaped device against one wall. She stepped over and lifted the lid, shaking her head as she looked down into it. "The procedures say we put him in this thing for at least thirty minutes before we operate." She said as lifted a face mask from a rack and got it seated over David's face. "What's this thing going to do to him, Susan?" One of the other nurses asked her. "From what I understand, he's going to be immersed in a bath of nutrient fluid that will also sterilize him. There's an anesthetic component as well." She said as she watched them lift him, then get him settled in the chamber. When they had him situated, she attached a series of leads to his wrists, ankles and neck. "Those leads will monitor him, and regulate the dose of the anesthetic, which should be absorbed through the skin." She told them as they stepped back. She closed the lid and checked the screen at the foot of the unit as she watched it fill with a pale red liquid. When she was satisfied that it was working properly, she stepped back and started for the door. "Dr. Keller and I should be back in an hour or so." She said, stopping at the door. "Monitor his status, and call me if there are any problems." Interior-Dr. George Keller's Home, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin 1440 Hours "Yes, can I help you?" Dr. Keller asked, looking at Sheppard and Ronin through the screen door. "Dr. Keller, I'm John Sheppard, and this is Ronin Dex, we're friends of your daughter, Jennifer. She asked us to deliver a message for her." "You've spoken to Jennifer?" Keller asked, tears welling up in his eyes, "I haven't heard from her in weeks, and she usually writes every couple of days." He held the door open, waving them inside. "I'll wait out here." Ronin said. Sheppard nodded and followed Keller into the house. "So how is she?" Keller asked, leading him to a couch, then pulling a chair closer. "She's fine sir. Healthy and happy, and the most wonderful person I know." Sheppard said. He leaned down and pulled a tablet out of his bag. He handed Keller the tablet and said, "Tap the icon in the center of the screen, she can tell you for herself." Keller took the tablet, and tapped the icon marked 'Daddy'. Jennifer's face appeared on the screen, and after a moment, she began to speak. "Hi daddy, I'm sorry for not writing, but things have gotten a little strange here. I'm writing you every day, I just haven't been able to mail them to you." She paused, then smiled at the camera. "I'm in love daddy. I met the most wonderful man, the knight in shining armor I always dreamed about. He really is a knight too. Sir John Sheppard, First Knight of the Free City of Atlantis, Commander of the Royal Forces." Keller looked up at Sheppard, and he nodded. "I'll explain in a minute." He said, nodding toward the tablet. "Let her finish." "He's asked me to marry him, daddy." Jennifer continued "We have the permission of the queens, but I told him that he has to have your permission too. So please daddy, say yes. I really do love him, and I know he's going to make me happy." She smiled at the camera again, and a moment later, the screen went dark. "She can't be serious." Keller said softly. "She meant every word she said, sir. and that's why I'm here, to ask for your daughter's hand." Sheppard said. He pulled a thick stack of envelopes from his bag and sat it on the table. "You can read about it in her words later, but I'll try to explain some of it now if you'd like." "You can try, but I don't know if I'll believe you." Keller said. "Even if you don't, it's still a good story." Sheppard said with a smile. "Jennifer and I used to work for a top secret government project called Stargate Command. We used a device called a stargate to travel between worlds in the Milky Way galaxy, then to the ancient city of Atlantis, in the Pegasus galaxy..." Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 1530 Hours "Jesus, I may be out of a job if this get any easier." Jennifer muttered. She looked across the table at Susan. "Are you ready to place the heart, Susan?" David Sheppard was stretched out on the operating table, his body covered by a glass and metal enclosure. Robotic arms moved around inside, one inserting a probe into a blood vessel, while another trimmed around the edges with a laser. "Yes ma'am, I'm just waiting for the system to tell me when." Susan said. She had her arms through two holes in the side of the enclosure, and her gloved hands held an artificial heart up out of the way of the arms as they moved about. A small light began to glow in front of her, and the rib spreader attached to his chest began to move, opening another half inch. Susan watched a screen, rotating the heart slowly as an arm pushed a sleeve back on each of the tubes protruding from the it, while another sprayed a thin film of sealant on the ends of them. Another light came on in front of her, and she lowered the heart into his chest cavity, rotating it slightly, then holding it in position. "Let it get the vena cava's sealed, then you can seat it, and move your hands." Jennifer said, watching as the arms slipped the blood vessels over two tubes, then rolled the outer sleeves in place. Other arms clamped around the tubes, sealing the veins to them, then running three rows of stitches around each seam. Susan eased the heart down, moving her hands back as other sets of arms repeated the process on the aorta, then the pulmonary vein and artery. When the arms retreated, Jennifer attached a small tube to a valve at the top of the heart, and a moment later, it began pumping. They watched as a blue liquid was pumped through the tube. "Okay, let's watch for bleeders." She said. "I'm good on this side so far." "Clear here, doctor." Susan said. "Pressure on the seals is holding at fifty millibars." After a moment, the heart stopped pumping, and they could see the fluid being suctioned back out of the heart through the tube. Jennifer detached the tube, and turned a locking ring, closing the valve. More arms came down, shifting the heart as they removed the clamps on the blood vessels. Two more arms sprayed a sterile solution into the chest cavity, filling it almost completely, then suctioned it out. A light came on in front of Jennifer, and she touched three controls in sequence, and the heart began beating again. "Coming off life support in thirty seconds." She said, watching the screens in front of her. "Internal monitors show no leaks, pressure steady at thirty millibars." She looked across the table at Susan and grinned at her. "Sonofabitch, it works." Interior-Kitchen 1610 Hours "We just finished closing him up, Sam." Jennifer said. "Well, the machines did. All Susan and I did was watch and push a few buttons. Total time from first incision to last stitch was one hour and thirty one minutes. A procedure like this on Earth would have taken over twelve hours." "How's he doing?" Sam asked, holding her tablet so Andi and O'Neill could see. "He's in recovery, but his color is good, vitals are steady, and he woke up for a few minutes. The internal sensors show the heart is performing as it should. I'm going to stay with him for the next few hours, just in case." "Thank you, Jennifer." Sam said, closing the channel. She sat the tablet on the table and looked at Samuels and O'Neill as they moved back to their seats. "Wow, I didn't expect it to be that fast." She said. "I don't think Jennifer did either." Andi said. "Ninety minutes for surgery to install an artificial heart. That's almost unbelievable." "Didn't she call it implanting?" O'Neill asked. "Installing would be Sam here putting new parts in her boytoy." "Watch it, O'Neill." Sam said, trying not to grin at him. Interior-SGC, Earth 1640 Hours "You didn't waste any time, did you Rodney?" Tammy said as he came into the conference room. "I prefer Dr. McKay." He said as he dropped a large duffle bag near the door. "I brought my cat. I hope that's okay. My other one died while I was in Atlantis, but this is one of her kittens, and I'm really attached to him..." "I prefer Rodney." Tammy said as she turned in her chair to look at him. "I like to call my employees by their first names. If that's going to be a problem, you can go back to Area Fifty-one and do whatever you were doing there." "No, no, Rodney is fine." He said, sitting a pet carrier on the table. "Can we talk about the job? I was thinking that I should resume..." "I'm afraid not, Rodney. We already have a chief scientist." She said. "What we had in mind is more of a special projects coordinator, on a probationary basis. We..." "You've already got...no, don't tell me that Zelen..." He stopped, wincing when he saw her glaring at him. "I'm sorry, it's just that I really liked it in Atlantis, and I want to go back. I..." "If you'd shut up for a minute, I'll tell you how that can happen." She said. He nodded, booting up his laptop and pushing it away as he turned to face her. "We want you to work on some special projects for us, on an as needed basis." She told him. "You'll have limited access to scientific databases related to whatever project you may be working on..." She stopped when he raised his hand. She nodded, giving him permission to speak. "You're wasting a tremendous resource. I know more about Atlantis and its systems than anyone else. And I'm one of the foremost authorities on the an..." He ground to a halt as she shook her head, smiling gently. "Our city manager, Chuck Campbell, is our resident expert on the city and it's systems. He was one of your Ops technicians. You really should have paid more attention to what he was doing." She said lightly. "Now that he reads the ancient language, he's made quite a few amazing discoveries about the cities systems. I don't think we'll be needing your experience there." She jotted down several lines of ancient symbols and slid it over to him. "What's that say?" She asked him in ancient. "I...I don't know. I can only recognize a few of those symbols. I had to guess what you were saying." "It says, 'If you can read this, you can have your old job back." She laughed. "Atlantis has changed in the short time you've been away." She said. "We have an independent government, and have taken in over fifty thousand new citizens who are running the cities factories and workshops. Atlantis has come alive while you've been gone." She paused, looking at him closely, trying to gauge his reaction. "What I'm trying to get you to understand Rodney, is that you're going to be playing catch-up, probably for the first time in your life. And you're not going to be the smartest guy in the room anymore." "I doubt that." He laughed. "Believe it." She said, grinning at him. "Sam has always been at least your equal, but now she makes you look like a second grader. And I'm not going to embarrass you by telling you what I make you look like. We'll show you when we put you on the teaching machine." She laughed as he looked at her. "Now, you're sitting there thinking, there's no way this bitch is as smart as I am." she laughed. "But I've tested in the low one eighties on IQ tests, I hold Masters degrees in Organic Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, earned concurrently from Harvard. I also have a PhD in Pharmacology from Johns Hopkins, where I also did my nursing training. Then there's the training I got from the ancient teaching machines." "Wow, and you're hot too." He muttered. "Thank you. But are you beginning to get what I'm telling you? We have a place for you in Atlantis, just not the place your overinflated ego has in mind. If you're willing to do as you're told, and not cause too much trouble...well, it's up to you." "I...I think I can do that." He said. "But you have something specific in mind, otherwise, you wouldn't have called me." "You're right, we do. You're still the most knowledgeable person we know of when it comes to Wraith tech. And that's what we want you for, at least to start." "Wraith tech? Where did you...I mean how..." "I'll let John and Stephen tell you about how." She said. "But we've been tagging idle hives and cruisers, and we want you to build a control interface so our people can operate them, and bring them into the navy. The second part of the project would be to translate Wraith into a form that we can put into the teaching machines so we can use other Wraith tech as we find it." The phone in front of her rang, and she pressed the speaker button. "Yes, Walter?" "Gen. Landry asked me to tell you that Col. Sheppard just touched down at Peterson. They should be here within the hour." "Thank you. Would you just send them in here when they arrive?" * * * * * "What are you doing here, Rodney?" Sheppard asked as he came into the room. "I just hired him to work on that Wraith tech interface we talked about." Tammy said. "How did it go? What did he say?" "He thought I was nuts for the first hour, but after I had Ronin blow down a couple trees, he was more open to the idea of his little girl is living in another galaxy." "Ronin? Is that really you?" McKay asked, getting to his feet. "I didn't recognize you. When did you..." "Good to see you too, doc." Ronin said, shaking hands with McKay. "You coming back to Atlantis?" "Wait a minute. Who's little girl? What are you two talking about?" McKay asked, letting go of Ronin's hand and looking back and forth between Sheppard and Tammy. "You haven't heard?" Ronin laughed, slapping Sheppard on the back. "He's gonna get married." "Married? To who?" Sheppard looked at him uncomfortably, then said, "Jennifer." "What? You...she..." "It didn't start till after you left." Sheppard told him. "But still...I..." He noticed Tammy looking at him and stopped. "I...I should congratulate you. I hope you'll be happy together." "Thanks, Rodney." Sheppard said. "I think we should get out of here before someone changes their mind about letting us." Tammy said. "I know Sam's probably going nuts, and I'm starting to get hungry." "God yes, I'm starving." McKay said. Interior-Living Room 1840 Hours "Luuuuuccccyyy, I'm hoooooommme!" Tammy yelled as she stepped off the porter. Seconds later, Sam came running from the kitchen and slammed into her, almost knocking the wind from her. "Oh thank god you're safe. I was so scared." Sam said, hugging her tightly. "What the hell?" McKay muttered. Sam looked over her shoulder, noticing him for the first time. "Oh...you." She said, letting go of Tammy and turning to face him. "We need to get a few things straight before we do anything else, Rodney. I have never, and I mean ever, found you the least bit attractive. I've always thought you were an arrogant, self important little shit, and I while I knew you were sneaky, I never imagined that you were a snitch." She stepped closer to him, but he stood his ground. "That hurt me Rodney, hearing that you were going behind my back, and reporting to the IOA. Don't try to deny it, I ready your emails." "I'm not going to deny it." He replied. "I did what I thought was in the best interest of the expedition. I doubt if you noticed, but you were getting pretty flaky the last couple months before all this happened. I was doing my job, Sam. And if you read those mails, you know that it was all facts, I never said anything mean spirited." "Okay, I'll give you that." Sam said. She glanced over toward the small bedroom, noticing Boris by the door. "Boris, what are you doing over there, baby? Come give mama a hug. That's a good boy." Boris came over and she hugged him lightly, then turned him to face McKay. "Rodney, this is Boris. He's..." McKay held out his hand and Boris grasped it. McKay jerked his hand away quickly, shaking it in pain. "He shocked me!" He groaned, dancing in circles. "Sonofabitch, that really hurt!" "Like I tried to tell you, he's an android." Sam grinned. She turned and looked at Boris. "Disengage protection protocol, Boris." "An android? You mean like a replicator?" McKay asked, backing away. "Why would you build something like that?" "He's their sexbot." Jennifer said as she came down the hall. "Really? You can do that?" McKay asked, looking at Sam. "Relax, Rodney, He's not a replicator, he's an android, a precursor to the replicators in the ancients research." Sam told him. She looked over at Keller. "How did you get up here, Jenn? They didn't call up and say you were coming." "I had Ronin tell them to let the court and senior staff pass tonight." Tammy said. "I figured we had company, and people were going to want to see him. Should I call down and tell them to start screening again?" "No, that's fine. But if we're going to have a party, don't you think we should move over to the dining room?" "No, let's stay here, Sam." Tammy said, coming over and putting her arms around her. "I've been away from you all day, and I want to spend time with you and our friends here, at home." Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 1920 Hours "John?" David said softly, his hand squeezing Sheppard's. "Wh...what are you doing here? What's happening." "Shhhh, don't talk. You had surgery today, and you need to rest." John said. "They called me, and I came. You're going to be alright now." Ronin stepped from the room and called Jennifer as he went over to the nurses desk. "He's awake." He told the nurse. "I already paged Jennifer." "Is he in pain?" She asked as she stood up and came around the desk. "I don't know." He said, following her back into the room. "Mr. Sheppard, are you in pain?" David nodded, tightening his grip on John's hand. "Dr. Keller will be here in a minute, and we'll get you som..." The doors opened, and Jennifer came in pulling on a pair of gloves. Sam and Tammy came in behind her, stopping at the door to stand next to Ronin. "David, I'm Dr. Keller. I performed the surgery on you this afternoon." She said, looking at the monitors next to the bed. "Do you understand me?" He nodded. "I want you to close your eyes, I need to turn up the lights so I can look at your chest." She told him. "We'll give you more information tomorrow when you're feeling better, okay?" David nodded again, closing his eyes. Jennifer turned up the lights over the bed, pulling the sheets down to his waist. Grasping the corners of the bandage, she pulled it down quickly, making him wince. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 05 "Did you have to do that?" John asked. "Yes, it hurts less that way. Now be quiet or leave." She said as she leaned close, pressing on the skin around the incision with her fingers. "The incision in your chest looks very good, David. There's no bleeding, and you're beginning to heal nicely. It's already scabbing over." She told him, moving the bandage back into place. "I'm going to turn the lights back down now." "I know you're in pain, and we'll give you something in a minute." She said gently, grasping his hand. "I need you to tell me if you're feeling a lot of pain, or a moderate amount." "A...alot." She turned and looked at the nurse. "Helen, we want Demerol, three cc's by IV." She turned back to David. "Where is the pain, David? Is it deep, or closer to the surface? And is it in the center or off to one side?" "Center. Clo...close to sur..." "Good, that's where it's supposed to be." She told him. "It hurts there because we had to separate your rib cage to work on your heart. It's going to hurt for three or four days before it starts getting better. I'm sorry, but we'll help you with the pain." David nodded, looking over at John. "She's going to take good care of you, Dave. I know, she's my personal physician." John told him. "You wish." Jennifer said as she watched the nurse inject the medications into the IV tube. "You should start feeling less pain in about a minute, David." She said, leaning close to him. "I want you to try to sleep. It's the best thing for you. Your body needs rest to heal." He nodded, closing his eyes. She turned to the nurse and started giving her instructions. "Stay with him for the next half hour. If he's not asleep by then, give him a half a cc of Ambien IV. Repeat the Demerol every two hours. If there's any problems, page me. I'll update his chart before I leave." "Yes doctor." She walked around the bed and stood next to Sheppard. "We'll give you a couple minutes, but we need to let him sleep." She said gently. "Say good night. I'll wait for you outside." He nodded, and she stepped back and walked over to the doors. Sam, Tammy and Ronin followed her out. * * * * * Jennifer was still writing on his chart when John came out of the room. He came up behind her, slipping his arms around her waist and kissing her lightly on the neck. "Thank you." He whispered. "It's my job, John." She said, turning around in his arms. She put her arms around him, turning her head up for a kiss. "But I'm glad we could help him, I really am. I want to get to know my future brother." Interior-Living Room 2000 Hours O'Neill grinned at them as the elevator doors opened. "Hi kids." He said, holding out a tray of shot glasses. "You're late for the party." "No thanks, general." John said. "We had something to take care of." "I heard. How's he doing?" "He's much better." Jennifer said. "Those ancient machines did a better job, alot faster than I ever could. But I'm really glad we had something that could help him." "So am I." O'Neill said softly. "I'll say a prayer for him John, we all will." He grinned again and added. "But for now, let's go see what everyone is up to!" They followed him down the hall, stopping as they entered the living room. All their friends were standing or sitting around the room, talking and laughing, enjoying each others company. Jennifer leaned back into John, looking up at him as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you want to tell them?" She asked. "This looks like it might be a good time." He smiled down at her, then looked out across the room. "Friends," He said, raising his voice over the din. "If I could have your attention for a moment, Jennifer and I have an announcement to make." "We already know you're getting married, John." Caldwell laughed. "Tammy told us that you went to see her father to get his consent." "I'm pregnant." Jennifer said, bringing the laughter to a halt. "So, this is going to be a shotgun wedding?" O'Neill said after a moment, bringing the room back to life. Teyla looked up at Caldwell, and he nodded. "I too, am with child." She said "Good god, what have you people been doing while I've been gone?" McKay asked, looking back and forth between Teyla and Jennifer. "And he claims to be a genius." Sam said from the couch, leaning over to kiss Tammy. She turned and looked at Jennifer. "Jenn, we'd like to come by in the morning, and have you get us started too, if that's not asking too much." "That's fine, Sam." Jennifer smiled. "Just call me in the morning. The embryos are ready, so it should only take a few minutes." "Now we really have something to celebrate." Andi said, raising her glass. "To the next generation of Atlantis, may they build on what we've begun." Interior-Bedroom 2340 Hours "I had a really nice time tonight." Tammy whispered, snuggling closer and hugging Sam tighter to her. "Can you believe it? Teyla and Jennifer both pregnant already? Jacob's going to have lots of little brothers and sisters to grow up with." "Are you sure you're ready for this?" Sam asked, pushing her over onto her back and sliding up on top of her. She moved lazily up and down over Tammy, letting their breasts brush against each others as her leg slipped between Tammy's. "I'm scared, not about doing it, or if he'll be healthy, but if I'm going to be a good mom or not..." "You're going to be a great mom." Tammy laughed, rolling over suddenly, her hands pinning Sam's to the bed. "Now shut up and let's make love. We can pretend we're getting each other pregnant." "Sounds like a plan..." Sam moaned, responding eagerly to Tammy's kisses. (-) So ends Chapter Five of Book Three, Changes. Read Chapter Six to see what happens next. Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process... Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 06 Tammy starts working on her own android, Angelo, McKay makes a demand that takes Sam and Tammy by surprise, and he is even more surprised by their reaction... (-) Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes Chapter Six Interior-Bedroom 0545 Hours Sam rolled over, her hand reaching out toward Tammy, only to find empty space. She felt around for a moment, then opened her eyes, raising her head and squinting over toward the windows, where Tammy sat at her desk, bathed in the pale blue glow of her monitor. "You should really turn on a light." She said as she sat up. "You're going to ruin your eyes. What are you doing anyway?" "I didn't want to disturb you, you were sleeping so soundly, and looked so comfortable." Tammy said, flicking on the desk lamp. "Have you been up long?" "About an hour. I had a dream and it made me want to get started on Angelo." "So we're back to Angelo." Sam laughed, rolling over to the side of the bed and standing up. She stretched, smiled at Tammy, and said, "Let me pee, then you can tell me what you have in mind, okay?" "Okay, I think you're gonna like him." Tammy said, turning back to her terminal. Sam went into the bathroom and sat on the toilet, sighing happily as she pee'd. She tore a couple sheets of paper off the roll and wiped, then flushed as she stood up and walked over to the vanity. Leaning over the counter, she inspected her face, looking closely at the corners of her eyes and mouth. The crows feet and laugh lines she'd had a few months ago were gone, and her forehead was smooth, free of the creases that she had been noticing before. Stepping back from the mirror, she turned to the side, bringing her hands up to cup her tits, feeling their weight in her hands, then moving them down to squeeze her butt cheeks as she turned a little more, looking back at herself in the mirror. "Are you going to take a shower?" Tammy called out. "Not yet." Sam said as she walked out of the bathroom. She stopped and turned up the lights, then went over and stood next to the desk. "How old would you say I look?" She asked. "And be honest, I'm not fishing for a compliment." Tammy turned to face her, leaning back in her chair. "I don't know, late twenties maybe. I doubt if someone who didn't know you would guess you were over thirty." "You look younger than that, I want to say twenty-five or so." Sam told her as she pulled her chair around and sat down next to her. "I've been noticing that I feel alot better than I did a few months ago too. I guess it's just starting to show." "Part of it is lifestyle, we exercise regularly, our diet is pretty good, and we get plenty of sleep." Tammy told her. "But the korathis is having an impact as well. I don't know about you, but I can still feel changes happening." "I can sometimes, but I'm not paying that much attention anymore." Sam answered. "Show me what you have in mind for Angelo. What have you picked out so far?" "Here's what I have for the face, they're close to what I want, and I can make changes like you did with Boris." She said, bringing up a row of images. "I'm thinking of a twenty something surfer boy like the guys I used to hang around with." "I like this one the best." She said, pointing at an image on the end. "But I want the hair blond, and a little longer, so it hangs down in those pretty green eyes." "He is cute." Sam agreed. "I like his eyes too." Changing screens, Tammy brought up a row of headless body styles. "These two are out, I like my men more wiry that that." She said as she clicked on two of the images, making them disappear. "If you want the truth, Boris is a little too big for my taste." "Well, we did make him so I'd like him." Sam giggled. "I made some changes to his body though. His chest and arms are bigger and have more definition, and I made his hips smaller." "I noticed." Tammy said, glancing at her. "I could live with this one." she said, pointing at an image on the right. "But these two are my favorites." She said, pointing at the two in the center. "Put the head on those two, and clear the others off." Sam told her. "And put something between their legs too. They need a dick." Tammy made the changes quickly, and they sat staring at the two figures. "I still can't decide." Tammy said after a few minutes. "Do this. Put another figure between them. Scale it to your size and mass." Sam said. "Maybe it will help you decide which one you like better." Tammy typed for a few moments, and a female image appeared between them. "Your tits aren't that big." Sam said, shaking her head. "Shut up." Tammy replied, staring at the screen. One of the male figures was the same height as the female, while the other was slightly taller. "I like that one." They said at the same time, but Sam was pointing at the taller one, while Tammy was pointing at the other. "So you like to look your guys in the eyes when you're dancing, huh?" Sam said. "I like to lay my head on his shoulder." "He's close, but not quite there yet." Tammy said, pushing away from the desk. "We can play with this later. I starting to get hungry. Let's go get something to eat." "Sounds good to me." Sam said as she stood up. She looked over at the bed and smiled. "Wake up Boris. Come keep mama company. That's a good boy." She said as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 0610 Hours "He's not awake yet?" Jennifer asked, laying her hands on Sheppard's shoulders. He shook his head, not looking at her. "I looked at his chart before I came in." She said quietly. "Everything looks good. He's recovering nicely." He looked back at her over his shoulder, but didn't say anything. "Are you going to go to work today?" She asked, reaching down and taking his hand, pulling him to his feet. "I don't know yet." He said as he let her lead him up out of the room. "Let's go talk to Sam and Tammy." She said. "They should be up by now. Would you like to get something to eat?" "Yeah, that would be good." He said. Interior-Kitchen 0625 Hours The comm chirped, and Tammy shut off the tap and walked over and pressed a key. "You've reached the law offices of Dewey, Cheatum, And Howe. Please leave a message, and we'll sue you at our earliest convenience." Sam choked and spat a mouthful of eggs across the table as she burst out laughing. The comm clicked, and a moment later chirped again. She hit the key again and said, "Sam's pool hall, eight ball speaking." "Uh...Col. Sheppard and Dr. Keller are requesting per..." "Who? Never heard of them." Tammy said. "Do they have any... "Send them up!" Sam yelled, laughing. A minute later, they heard the elevator, and John and Jennifer came into the room. Jennifer walked over and hugged Tammy, then bent her backwards and planted a sloppy wet kiss on her lips. When she released her, Tammy looked at her with a stunned expression on her face. "Thank you, you actually got him to smile." Jennifer laughed. "I didn't think that was going to happen today." "Looks like she just got you back for all those jokes girlfriend." Sam said. She looked over at Jennifer as she sat down. "How's David doing, Jenn?" She asked as she watched Sheppard sit down next to her. "It looks like he slept through the night. His vitals are fine, and his color was good this morning, we just left there." Jennifer said. "The nurses will call us when he wakes up. We were wondering if we could join you for breakfast." "Sure, we can call down and get you whatever you want." Sam said. "We were going to call you in a little while to see if you could...you know..." "Get us knocked up." Tammy said, squeezing Sam's fingers. Keller laughed, then frowned as she reached up and tapped her comm. She looked at John as she stood up. "He's awake." She said, holding out her hand. He stood up, and they started out of the room. "Can we come?" Tammy asked. "I'd like that." He said, smiling at her. Interior-Medical Center Four, Bldg Thirty-Nine, East Pier 0635 Hours "How do you feel, David?" Jennifer asked as she stepped up beside the bed. "Hurt...but can breathe." He said slowly. "Been hard...lately." "Your heart has been having to work harder than normal because it was degrading." She told him. "The cells of the heart itself were shutting down and dying. Do you understand me?" He nodded, looking between her and John. "Were?" John stepped up on the other side of the bed and took his hand. "We haven't been close for the last few years because of my job, Dave." He said slowly. "The work I did was classified, and I've never been able to tell you about it. We have to tell you a few things before we tell you what else is going on." David nodded, and John looked over at Sam and Tammy, motioning toward the curtains across the room. They went over and drew them slowly as he pressed the control to raise the bed. David's eyes went wide as he took in the view through the windows. "You need to relax, David." Jennifer said, looking at the monitors. "You're safe, so breathe, take a few deep breaths...that's right...that's better." "You're not on Earth anymore Dave." John said slowly. "You're in the ancient city of Atlantis, in the Pegasus galaxy. We can explain the how later. I'm going to let Jennifer explain the why." "Who...who are they?" David asked, pointing at Sam and Tammy. John smiled as he said, "Dave, allow me to present Col. Samantha Carter, and the Lady Tammy Ford, Queens of Atlantis." "Your brother is First Knight of our realm, David, and Commander of the Royal Forces." Sam said as she came over next to the bed. "Not to mention, our most loyal subject, and friend." Tammy said. "Th...this is a dream...I'm unconscious and having a...a hallucination." He said, looking around the room wildly. "I'm afraid not, David." Jennifer said as she pulled the sheet down around his waist. She looked at him, nodding at his chest. "I'm going to remove the bandage, do you remember when we did that last night?" He nodded. She grasped the corners of the bandage, then looked up at him. "Ready?" She asked. He nodded again, and she jerked it down, making him gasp. "Oh shit. It's real." He moaned. Jennifer looked at the incision, pressing lightly around it with her fingers. "Oh my, this is amazing." She said. "I've never seen a wound heal this quickly. It looks like this is several days old, not one." She turned around and looked at the door. "Susan, would you bring the scanner in here please?" She called. Susan wheeled the scanner into the room a minute later, and Jennifer pointed to the side of the bed. "We're going to do a centerline chest view, wireframe, then solid, okay?" She said as she lowered the bed to its horizontal position. "Yes ma'am." Susan said, positioning the scanner arm, then moving over to the control panel. She tapped on the panel, scrolling through several screens, making adjustments on them. When she was done, a three dimensional image of his upper body appeared over the scanner. "How's that doctor?" "Good. Can you give me a solid view of the heart inside the wireframe?" Susan nodded, making a few adjustments on the panel. The image wavered, then firmed up, showing the artificial heart in the center of his chest. "Th...that's inside me?" David asked quietly. "Wh...what is it?" "It's an artificial heart." Jennifer said. "John and Tammy went to Earth yesterday and spoke to your doctors. I believe the surgeon that did the first bypass was named Wilson?" David nodded. "He...He's my doctor. He...wanted to know why I didn't come in sooner." "Well, after they spoke to him and found out that there wasn't a heart available for a transplant, they decided to bring you back here, where we have other options." She turned and looked at Susan again. "Can you give me a solid view with the incision highlighted? I want to look at the deep tissues up to the surface layer. He's healing much faster than I expected." Susan nodded, going back to the panel, her fingers dancing over it. "That's probably the regeneration fluid." She said, not looking up. "You remember when the machine sprayed that liquid into the chest cavity, then suctioned it out as the clamps were being removed, just before we started the heart?" "Yeah, I thought it was a sterile solution to clean the area." Jennifer said. "It is, but it also aids in healing. It's a biological agent designed to help build new tissue quickly." She made a final adjustment, and the image over the scanner bed wavered, then solidified, showing the rib cage, and the tissues under it. "That's perfect, Dr. Arbann. Leave it like that." Jennifer said, leaning over the machine and looking at it from different angles. She looked over at Susan and nodded toward the scanner. "What do you think, Dr. Arbann?" "Can I speak to you privately, Dr. Keller?" Susan asked, coloring slightly. "No." Jennifer said, standing and facing her. "You assisted in our patients transplant yesterday, not as a nurse, but as a doctor. You've had the same training I have, more apparently, on the ancient medical systems, because you know more about how the process worked than I do. We're in a new world here Susan, and I'm putting you on staff as my ancient systems expert. Now would you please look at our patient, and tell me what you see?" "Yes ma'am." Susan said, then leaned over the scanner. "The deep tissue layer around the heart is already rejoined, it looks like what would normally be five to six days growth. That must be because of saturation, the fluid sat longest in that area. The pleural membranes are almost completely healed, but that's not unusual, they tend to heal quickly anyway, and the surface layer, which would have gotten less of the fluid, is still showing at least three days healing." "And what would you recommend as the next step in our treatment?" "Standard post-op for open heart surgery. Monitor for clots and pleural occlusions, and walk the patient periodically to prevent them." "Do you want me to call a nurse to assist you, or would you like John and I to do it?" Jennifer asked. "Do what?" David asked. "Get you out of that bed." Susan said, moving the scanner out of the way, then pulling the sheet to the foot of the bed. She raised the bed so he was sitting at an angle, then disconnected the tube connected to his catheter, snapping the cover over it. She looked at him. "John and Dr. Keller..." "Jennifer." "I'm going to help you sit up, then John and Jennifer are going to help you stand up." She told him. "They'll go slow, and I'm going to follow you with a wheelchair, so you just concentrate on moving your feet." She paused, smiling at him. "Ready to go?" He nodded, and she leaned down, sliding her hands behind his back. "Put your arms around my neck." She said softly, pushing her hands under him as he lifted his arms around her neck. "Good, now just follow me up, let me do all the work." She raised up slowly, lifting him from the bed as Jennifer eased a pair of slippers onto his feet, then lifted his legs and swung them off the side of the bed. "You're doing great, David." Susan said. "John and Jennifer are going to hold you up while I get a wheelchair..." "Got it." Tammy said, rolling it up by the foot of the bed. "Thank you." Susan said, then looked at John and Jennifer, then at David. "Ready?" She asked He nodded again, and John and Jennifer helped him stand up. He took a tentative step, then another. He stopped, swaying slightly and breathing hard. "Hurts." He said. "It's going to hurt for a few more days, David, at least until your ribs heal completely." Jennifer told him. "We're just going over to the window, then we'll let you sit down. Do you think you can do that?" "Gonna...try." He grunted, lifting his foot and taking another step. He moved slowly, but steadily toward the window as they held him between them. Susan fell in behind him with the wheelchair. It took almost three minutes to travel the twenty feet to the window, but when they reached it, he lifted his arm from around John's neck, and pressed it against the glass. Leaning forward, he looked down, then out across the city. "How are you doing, David?" Susan asked. "Do you need you sit down?" "In...a minute." He said. "Want to look." He looked at John, smiling slightly. "A knight? She's...kidding, right?" "First Knight of the Realm." Jennifer said. "And Commander of the Royal Forces." "Six hundred ground troops, and two starships, but we're working on that." Sam said. "You live here..." "He needs to sit down now, his legs are shaking." Susan said. "Let's get him in the chair." John and Jennifer lowered him down as Susan moved the chair up behind him. They got him seated, and Jennifer knelt beside the chair, putting his feet on the foot rests. "David, I don't believe you've been formally introduced to my fiancée, Dr. Jennifer Keller, Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis." "I need you all to step back for a minute." Susan said, shaking out a gown. "Let me get this on him." She laid it over him, then got his arms in the sleeves and tied it in back, then tucked it around his legs. "We'll get you some pajamas later, but this will give you a little dignity for now." She said softly. "Thank you...Dr. Arbann." He said, smiling at her. "You can call me Susan, you earned it." She smiled. "Do you want to stay here by the window, or go back to the bed?" "I want to look. It's beautiful." He said. "Okay, you can have ten minutes, then it's back in bed." He nodded He looked at John for a long moment, then said, "You've got some...explaining to do." "I think this story needs to be told in parts, by the people it happened to." Sam said as she pulled two chairs over. Tammy followed her with two more. When they were all seated around him, she continued. "Ten years ago, the Unites States Air Force began using a device called a stargate, which creates artificial wormholes between worlds, allowing almost instantaneous travel between them. I was one of the original members of that program." It was more than an hour later before Susan called a halt and ordered them all out. She got David back into his bed, and sat with him until he fell asleep a short while later. Interior-Conference Room 0900 Hours McKay was in a heated discussion with Andi when Sam and Tammy came in with Boris and Cisco behind them. Jacob was slung on Boris's chest in his babypack, and Sam told him to sit down while they went over to join them. "What's he bitching about now?" Sam asked "Ronin let him stay with him last night, and now he doesn't like the quarters I assigned him." Andi said. "I put him in a suite on one forty in this building, and he doesn't like it." "Put him back in his old quarters, we can move his stuff back there just as easy as a new place." Sam said, smiling at both of them. "Problem solved?" "But that's even smaller than the one she put me in! And there's no windows!" McKay began. "It's not..." "Rodney, my personal quarters in the residence are the same as you've been assigned." Tammy said. "Andi actually did you a favor by putting you in staff level quarters. I'm surprised that she doesn't have you sharing a suite with one of the workers from the production piers." McKay's mouth snapped shut, and he looked at all three of them in disbelief. "I thought you were going to explain the job and..." Samuels began. "I thought I had." Tammy said. She looked back over at McKay. "Rodney, we brought you in as a contractor for the operation I told you about. How well you perform and behave while you're doing that, will help us determine whether we let you stay, or offer you citizenship at some point." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 06 McKay nodded. "I understand that, but what you want me to do sounds like it's pretty important to you, so I have some conditions too." "You didn't work any of this out before you brought him here?" Andi asked, rolling her eyes. "No, I was more interested in getting the hell out of there before someone decided that they'd prefer we stayed." Tammy laughed. "I knew we could always just send him back if we couldn't come to an agreement." "Let's hear them." Sam said, stepping back and leaning against the table. She crossed her arms in front of her and waited. "I want to pick where I live. The place she put me is...I don't like the one she put me in. There's got to be something else." "I let the staff pick their quarters based on position when we first started this, so I don't think that's unreasonable." Sam said. She looked over at Andi. "Let him choose from available staff level quarters in the North and East towers when we're done here." Turning back to McKay, she said, "Next?" "I want a staff, and a work ar..." "We were going to do that anyway." She said. "You'll have a lab in the Central Tower, and access to the databases that you need to get the job done. You give me a list of ten names, and you can have any three that agree to work with you. Next?" "I want one of those androids." Sam and Tammy looked at each other, then back at Rodney. "Why?" Sam asked him. "Are you kidding me?" He laughed. "Do you know how kewl that is? An artificial lifeform you can mold to do whatever you want? That's a dream come true." "He might actually be able to help, Sam." Tammy said quietly. "Then we might be able to get them online sooner for the rest of the court and senior staff." Sam nodded, looking at McKay. "Okay, we'll provide you with one. But you review your progress with Tammy and me daily, and we hear everything, you don't hold anything back. We don't care if you fuck it, we're more interested in its development. There are a variety of functions already built in, we just haven't decided which ones we're going to activate in Boris yet." She glanced over at Boris, then tapped Tammy on the shoulder and pointed at him. He was still seated at the end of the table, but Jacob was laying on the table in front of him while Boris changed his diaper. O'Neill was standing behind him, watching with a bemused smile on his face. She turned back to McKay. "We activated his child care functions this morning, and added Jacob to his protection protocol list. I'm going to add a milk pouch, and enlarge one of his nipples so he can breast feed him." "We'll be on the protection protocol list, and have override authority for the one we provide you." She told him. "And keep in mind, that this will be secondary to what we brought you here to do." "Understood." McKay said, barely containing his excitement. "When can I get her?" "We'll go over to the lab later, and you can start picking..." "No need. She's already in the database." McKay said. She looked at him, then burst out laughing "Fran? You want Fran?" She asked him, still laughing. "Well, yeah." He said, blushing slightly. "She was, you know..." "You realize that the android we give you will just look like her." Tammy said. "But you'll be working with a blank slate. I can import the specs to build a schematic, but the consciousness of the replicator Fran is just too dangerous, if its even in the system." "Oh, I didn't think..." "That's always been the problem though, hasn't it, Rodney?" Carter asked. "You jump into things just knowing that you have the answer, but don't think about what's really going on." She shook her head as she continued. "We can't let you do that anymore, there's too much at stake, and too many people can get hurt. So we're going to have to ride herd on you, rein you in and direct your energies where we need them. If you can't handle that, now's the time to tell me." McKay nodded, looking at the floor. When he looked up at her, he was smiling. "What the hell, it's about time to get back to the science anyway. I mean, that's why I got into it to begin with." He said. "I...I'll be good. But you're going to have to..." "I know, just try to keep it to a minimum." She said, shaking her head. "You stay out of the systems we don't give you access to, and you should be okay." Interior-Robotic Lab 1015 Hours Sam tapped off her comm, leaning closer to the screen as she looked over Tammy's shoulder. "You really like his hair hanging in his eyes like that?" She asked her. "Oh yeah. It won't always do that, but he's gonna, you know, brush it back, or toss his head and..." She smiled as she typed away on the terminal. "Believe me, it's sexy as hell. Or at least I think so." "But isn't he a little yo..." "Shush. He's my boytoy, and I'm going to make him look the way I want." Tammy laughed. "He not gonna say, 'fershure', and 'bitchin' all the time is he?" Sam asked, stepping back and going over to a cabinet. She started pulling out trays, lifting the lids and looking inside, then sliding them back. She ended up removing three, and moving them to a table in the middle of the room. "I was actually going to copy Boris's template into him." Tammy said. "I may make a few modifications, but I like what you did with him." She spun on her stool and looked over at Sam. "So who was that on the comm?" "Andi. She's done with Rodney, so she's bringing him over." Sam said. "She found him a place already?" "The one across the hall." Sam laughed. "It's a city view with a pit, and a big monitor over the fireplace like yours." "No wonder he liked it." Tammy said, turning back to her monitor. She tapped on a few keys, finishing with a flourish. "There ya go, Angelo is cooking!" "Are you going to be able to do McKay's at the same time?" "We can do up to eight at once, or make limbs at the same rate. The eyes take the longest, it takes almost twenty hours to grow them." Tammy told her. "Which reminds me, we need to make sure that all of our people have a current body scan on record, and keep them updated. The immigrants were scanned during the ingress process." "Why's that?" "So if they're injured, we have detailed measurements and images to match replacement limbs with." Tammy said. "The internal organs are easy, but arms, legs and skin have to match for cosmetic reasons." "Yuck." Sam said. "I hadn't thought about that, but I guess you're right." The door swished open, and Andi followed McKay into the lab. He went right over to Tammy's terminal, leaning close, looking at the screen. "Don't even think about it." Sam said as she slid a tray across the table. "I wasn't going to touch anything." He said, turning to look at her. "Would you lighten up? You're in charge, I do something you don't like, you throw me out. I get it." "I can't stay." Andi said, standing next to the partition in front of the door. "I'll have Dr. McKay's things moved. We already have someone stocking the kitchen and bathrooms." She bowed slightly, and stepped out of the door. "I don't think she likes you Rodney." Tammy said as she closed the file she had been working on, and opened a new one. "I don't see why." He said. "But I guess there's no accounting for taste." "Yeah, that's probably it." Tammy laughed. She looked at McKay over her shoulder. "Did you ever see Fran naked?" "Uh, no. Why would I?" He asked, blushing slightly. "This is Fran as you made her for the fight with the replicators." Tammy told him. "It appears that the system just used the last record accessed when it made her." An image of Fran appeared, rotating slowly in her brown and beige tunic and beige slacks. "While this is what the basic template for her shows." She said. "She was actually used in several generations of the ancients research, and it looks like she was pretty popular." The clothes disappeared, leaving a slim, bald, flat chested figure rotating slowly on the screen. "Let's start with hair and eyes. The base unit has brown hair and eyes." She said, bringing the head up on the screen. "Do you want to make any changes here?" "Leave the eyes alone, but make her hair a little longer, and a little thicker." He said. "Part her hair in the center, and pull it back in a ponytail." She made the changes, and he shook his head. "No, that doesn't work. Can you put it in a weave, or a bun behind her head?" A series of inset pictures appeared off to one side, and he pointed at one. Tammy made an adjustment, and her hair changed to a tight weave ending just above the neckline. Tammy glanced over her shoulder, smiling when she saw him staring at the figure on the screen. "I think if you want that weave, you're going to want to do this." She said, adding a pair of wire rimmed glasses. "Oh my god." He gasped. "Have you thought about a wardrobe yet?" She asked. "I don't think you want that dowdy tunic the ancients had her in." "Like...like you, but with a white button down shirt." The image changed to a full figure dressed in black slacks and vest with a crisp white shirt. "Are you sure about this, Rodney?" Tammy asked. "I think you really want something more like this." She said, making a few adjustments. The image changed again, and the loose slacks were replaced by black riding pants and shiny calf high boots. There was now a riding crop in one hand. Tammy turned in her seat and looked at him. Rodney's eyes were locked on the image on the screen, and he was breathing hard. "That's actually closer to want you want, isn't it, Rodney?" She asked softly. He nodded, swallowing heavily. He finally managed to take his eyes off the screen and look at her. "Yes...yes ma'am." He said softly. "Very good, Rodney. We just want you to be happy with her." She said. "I'll have her dressed like this when you meet her. But now we need to talk about her body." She cleared the screen, and the nude figure reappeared. "Sam has some samples of breasts over on the table. Go take a look, and see what you like." He walked over to the table, and Sam pointed at two trays. "A, B and DD cups are in this tray, C and D cups are in this tray." Sam told him. "Go ahead and look, you're going to want to feel them too, to see if they're what you think. Tits can fool you sometimes." McKay just stared at the two trays. He was sweating lightly, and he looked at her, obviously uncomfortable. "Look Rodney, we're trying to build you an android here, and this is part of the process." She said. She opened her vest, pushing it back out of the way. "You always liked my tits. Well, I'm a C3. You see how they fold under at the bottom, and kind of hang off my chest?" She picked up one of the breasts from the tray and held it up. "Tammy's are rounder, like this C5, and stick out from her chest. Personally, I like the C4, because it has a little less fold under, and stands up higher." "I see what you mean." He said, picking up the one she pointed out and holding it side on, comparing it to hers. "You can use the ones in the tray for the rest of this." She smiled, buttoning her vest back. "But on Fran's frame, a C cup might be a little big. Go have Tammy put them both up for you so you can see them on her." Tammy had two figures on her screen when he returned. "The B cup is on the left, C on the right." She told him. "Can I see her on her hands and knees? I want to see how they hang." he said, leaning closer. "Now you're getting into it. This should be fun, like ordering a new car." She said. "She's right, the B cup looks better." He paused, then said, "Would you put the clothes back on her? I want to see how they change that." "I don't know if you noticed, but I made her hips a little wider, and sculpted her butt a little. See how the pants hug her hips more now, and her tits push the vest open just enough to tease you?" "Uh huh...You're enjoying this, helping me get her the way I want her." He said, looking at her closely. "Why?" "It's fun. and I know you're going to fuck her, or have some kind of sex with her." She changed the image, bringing Angelo back up on the screen. "This is my Angelo. I'm making him for me. We made Boris more towards Sam's taste in men, so I have to make my own." "And you're going to... "Sure am." Tammy laughed. "Look at the schlong on that boy. I like big dicks. Sam likes 'em smaller, but they're interchangeable, so we can have a little variety." "Wow, and you came up with all this..." "I stumbled across it, and figured out how to use it, like we do everything else around here. You know how that goes." She said. "But now that we have the tits done, it's time to talk pussy. Let's go over and look at your choices." Sam had returned the trays of breasts to the cabinet, and now there was a tray with three rows of artificial vaginas sitting open on the table. She was holding one in her hand, and there was a thick cable connecting it to a device on the table. "I thought we'd start with a brief tutorial on how these work, then you can decide on which one you like, based on appearance." She said. "They all have the same basic features on the outer portion that we have here. This connects to an inner sleeve, and both are connected to a series of motors and pumps, as well as a lubricant reservoir." She turned the prosthetic that she had in her hand so they could see the back side. "You can see the two power connectors, and the lubricant feed for the lower section. The upper section has its own feed." She turned it so they could see the sculpted front, and slipped her finger between the lips, dipping it in and out slowly. When she pulled it out and held it up, they could see that it was wet. She held the prosthetic toward Rodney, and he shook his head. "No thanks." He said, backing away. "Rodney, you're going to stick your dick in one of these things, and I just want you to know what it feels like." She said. "Now go ahead, you can hold it yourself if it will make you feel more comfortable." Taking the prosthetic from her, he looked at it as he held it in his hand. "It looks so real." He muttered, then poked the outer lips gingerly with his finger. He ran two fingers slowly up and down between the lips, pinching the small nubbin of the clit between then. Swishing them back and forth slowly, he drew them back down and traced them around the opening, then eased them slowly inside. "It feels real too." "You looked like you've done that before, Rodney." Tammy said leaning over his shoulder. "It looks to me like Fran is going to be having a good time with you." "I tried to tell her, but she never listened." He said offhandedly, pressing his fingers knuckle deep and holding them there as he twisted them back and forth slowly. "Yeah well, your approach leaves much to be desired." Sam said. "I know, great in bed, terrible at getting women in bed with me. It's a curse." He said, looking over at her. She laughed as he pulled his fingers free, and handed the prosthetic back to her. She turned and stood next to the midsection of an android strapped to the table and moved the prosthetic between the legs. "It's easy to insert, you just push it into the opening until it snaps into place. The connections are seated, and the skin seals together." She leaned down, running her fingers around the edges. "You can barely see the seam here, and after a few minutes, you won't be able to." "To remove it, you press here." She said, holding her finger between the vagina and the anus and pressed into the flesh. The prosthetic popped loose, and she eased it out and sat it on the table. "You can cum in her all you want, she'll do her own maintenance, like cleaning and keeping the lubricant reservoir filled. The power system is good for about twenty days, but she'll access the charging system when you're not around, or asleep." Rodney was looking at the tray of prosthetics, picking them up two at a time and holding them side by side, comparing them. "Too small...oh god, this one looks like Je..." he muttered, then picked up another pair. "I like this one, the lips are fleshier." He said, sitting it off to the side. "The one you have in your hand looks like Sam's." Tammy said. "That's out." He said, sitting it back in the tray and picking up two more. "What? You spent years telling me how much you wanted to get into my pussy, now you don't even want to consider it?" Sam laughed. "I'm hurt, Rodney. Really hurt." "You'll get over it." He smiled. "And you've made it clear that I'll never get close to the real thing, so..." He looked at the rest of the prosthetics in the tray, then picked up the one he'd put off to the side. "This is closest to how I like a woman's vagina to look. Can you hook it up so I can see what it looks like when she's aroused?" Sam took the prosthetic from him and connected the cable to it, then handed it back. "I hope you're not going to call it a vagina while you're...being intimate with her." Sam said as she handed it back to him. Interior-Kitchen 1200 Hours The comm chirped as they sat at the kitchen table sharing a bowl of chili con queso and chips. Tammy started to get up, but Sam waved her down and got up to answer it herself. "Carter." She said as she pressed a key. "Yes ma'am." The guard said. "Dr. Jackson called from the gateroom, and said the he wanted to come over, but needed to go by his quarters first. Shou..." "I'll call him." She said. "Lady Tammy and I are going to busy for the next few hours, so tell anyone that calls, it's emergencies only please." "Yes, ma'am." She said, and closed the channel. "I didn't know we had anything planned. What are we going to be...ohhhhhh." Tammy said, then laughed and got up, coming around the table. "So watching Rodney playing with those pussies got you all hot, and now you want me to play with your's, don't you?" "No, miss smarty pants, I want to play with yours. I wanted to do it this morning too, but you were already up, and having so much fun playing with Angelo..." "Still, you should have said something!" Tammy said as she came over and slid her arms around her waist. "You know I always want to play with you!" "Mmmmmmm, I was hoping you'd feel that way." Sam purred, leaning back and opening the buttons on Tammy's vest. Her hands pushed it aside, and she dropped her head, lashing her tongue across one spiky nipple, then sucking it into her mouth. "Oh my! You want it bad, don't you!" Tammy laughed, holding her head, and arching her back to feed her breast into her mouth. "So we gonna do it here, or do we want to find a bed?" "Let's go in the guest room, Boris is in our room with Jacob." Sam said, stepping away from her and pushing her toward the door. "Let me call Daniel, and I'll be right there." "Okay sweetie." Tammy said, looking back over her shoulder. "But hurry!" Laughing happily, she tapped the comm and paged Jackson. When he answered, she spoke quickly before he could say anything. "Daniel, I'm glad you got back from St. Louis okay, and I hope that's the last time I have to send you there for a while." "It's really not a problem, the site is fascinating." Jackson said. "But I..." "I'm sorry, Daniel, but I'm in the middle of something right now." She said, cutting him off. "The guards said you called, and I wanted to see if we can I get back to you later, maybe you and Vala can come to dinner, or we can come over there." "Later is fine, Sam." He laughed. "I just have a list to go over with you, and dinner at your place is fine. This actually gives me a chance to spend some time with Vala." "That sounds like a wonderful idea, Daniel." She laughed. "Give her a bunch of kisses for me. We'll see you later." Clicking off the comm, she walked out of the kitchen, unbuttoning her vest as she walked down the hall. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 06 * * * * * Tammy was laid out across the bed, her legs spread wide, her ass perched on the edge of the mattress as she stroked her fingers lazily up and down over the clean shaven lips of her pussy. She purred softly as she dipped her fingers between the fleshy lips of her pussy, dragging them slowly up the length of soft, damp flesh. Sam stood in the doorway watching her as she opened the button on her slacks and let them fall to the floor. Interior-Conference Room, North Tower 1430 Hours "We have the forests cleared for two hundred meters around the perimeter of the city." Pharris said as she gestured toward a slide show on the monitor at the end of the table. "Now that we're safely away from the city, we'll be able to pick up the pace, and we're projecting that we'll be able to clear seventy acres a day with the equipment we have on hand." "How are your settlements going?" Sheppard asked. "Based on the last figures I saw, you appear to be behind schedule." "We are behind schedule, and I have to admit, my original estimates were overly optimistic." Pharris said, flushing slightly. "I misjudged just how much lumber was going to be required, so we currently only have three settlements built, but only one of those is actually inhabited. We currently have thirty thousand of our people in Anchorage, but only three thousand in the settlement." "How long before you can move people into the other two settlements?" Samuels asked, pausing the slide show to look at an image of the city. "More importantly, what can we do to help you get back on schedule? I can divert production to get you more logging equipment, but it will be at least a week before you see any of it." "Equipment isn't the problem." Pharris said, tapping at her laptop. The screens around the table changed showing a spreadsheet with production on it. "Right now, the problem is mills to cut the lumber, and skilled labor to do the actual building. Neither of our peoples have the manpower with the skills required for the scope of the project we're undertaking. We just don't have what we need to get the job done in the time I originally proposed." "We can adjust the schedule..." Samuels began. "I think we need to look at where we can get you the manpower with the skills you need, or at least teach your people the skills they'll need." Sheppard said. "We can go through the database, but I think we're going to have to talk to people to see who has experience with carpentry, plumbing, masonry...even if it was just a summer job, or helping a friend..." "That sounds like the beginning of a plan, John." Samuels said, scrolling through screens on her tablet. "I can start a database search..." "How many of your people have been tested for the ancient gene, and treated with the therapy, Pharris?" Chuck asked, not looking up from his laptop. "I don't have exact numbers, but it is less than five thousand all together." She replied. "Most of those have been given training on operating and maintaining the ships in our fleet." Chuck nodded as he typed for a moment, then looked over at her. "Can you give me five hundred, in groups of one hundred spread over a week or so?" He asked. "If you can't spare the ones you have, can we get the people already in Anchorage tested for the gene? I can put them on the teaching machines and solve your labor problem for you." He smiled as he looked around the table. "I think I can reduce your build time too once we have the labor pool established." He said. "Both Atlantis and Anchorage have facilities to manufacture prefabricated buildings, along with the supporting infrastructure. We have more than enough wood, stone and copper on hand for at least a dozen settlements, but we'll need two hundred thousand barrels of oil to make the plastics we'll need." "Plastics? What the hell do you need plastics for?" Caldwell asked, sounding irritated. "You're talking about making two million pounds of it with that much oil." "Eighty thousand pounds actually, but we can use the leftovers for lubricants and fuels." Chuck said. "There are refinery systems in both cities, so we don't have to worry about building one, just getting the oil to them. And we need the plastics for the settlements electrical and plumbing systems. If we're going to build them, we might as well build them right, and not have to upgrade later. It will be cheaper in the long run." "Can you send me the plans on these buildings yo..." Samuels began. "I guess I'm going to have to start telling you people when I send you something." Chuck muttered as he brought up a screen on his laptop. He typed for a moment, then looked over at her. "I just resent a mail I sent you two weeks ago that has detailed plans for the buildings, infrastructure, and a variety of layouts for the settlements. If you follow the plans, you can throw up a settlement for fifteen thousand people every two weeks." "Did you send that to me?" Pharris asked. "I don't recall reading anything like that." "Yes ma'am. All the senior staff was copied." Chuck smiled. "But I just copied you on what I resent to Dr. Samuels." "Thank you." She said as she opened the mail. "I meant to ask you, when were you planning on beginning excavation on the city, or is that a low priority item." "That's a very high priority item actually." Chuck said, tapping at his keyboard for a moment. A graphic of the city appeared on the monitors. "Right now, we have the forest cleared to here." He told them, putting a solid red line around the city. "I need another fifty meters cleared, or right about here." He put a dotted red line outside the first. "Marks and I have been doing scans, and we know just how deep the city is in each area. We can go ahead and start excavating, but we'd lose several million tons of usable lumber. I think we should go ahead and harvest it. I'm taking it for granted that it's going to be several weeks before we can start on the settlements, since I haven't heard of an oil source on either world, but I don't know if anyone has actually been looking for oil." "We have been looking for oil." Samuels said. "And we've found two large oil fields on the southern continent. I haven't sent anything out because I didn't realize we'd need it so soon. I mean, we don't need it for fuel, so..." Chuck nodded as he tapped on the keys of his laptop. "While it's true that we don't need oil for fuel, we do need it for lubricants and as I mentioned earlier, plastics." He said as he brought a series of images up on the monitors. "The ancients had a quick and easy way of extracting oil that's actually fairly environmentally friendly. This is one of the plans for it." "The first step is drilling a shaft about twenty meters deep over the oil pool, preferably at the point where it's closest to the surface. The container for a drillhead, which we can build in one of the cities and transport to the site, is lowered into the hole, and secured in place. The container is a cylinder about ten feet across, and the drillhead with its pumping system is installed later, after the pool has been tapped." "If the drillhead is installed later, how do we get the oil out?" Caldwell asked, moving around the table to get a better look at the diagrams. "We erect a twenty foot high berm around the wellshaft, thirty to fifty meters out, then blast our way down to the pool with the Asgard beams, and just let it spill out into the catch basin." Chuck grinned. "Once the pressure is relieved, we lower pipes and the drillhead into the container, connect everything, cap it off and start pumping it out. In the meantime, we just siphon what we need out of the catch basin." "And you're calling this environmentally friendly?" Caldwell laughed, going back over and taking his seat. "It sounds likes we're going to make a godawful mess." "At first glance, I can see how you would think that, colonel." Chuck said. "But there's alot of details I've left out. The catch basin will be lined with a material that reacts with the oil, and over time, will harden into something harder than steel, but a third the weight. I think of it as plasteel, and I'm trying to figure out whether we could find other uses for it." "As far a transporting the oil to the refineries, I have plans for a modified jumper, a flying tanker if you will." Chuck went on, bringing another image up on the screens. "They're quite a bit bigger than the standard jumper, but we'll only need about a dozen of them, so it won't interfere with production that much." "I'll have someone get with you on oil production, Chuck." Samuels said, making notes of her tablet. "I'd like you to get with Pharris and work out the details on getting the labor pool trained, then work up a material list so we can make sure we have everything we need in the inventory." She smiled as she looked up at him. "I think you just put us in the city building business, Chuck." She said lightly. (-) So ends Chapter Six of Book Three, Changes. Read Chapter Seven to see what happens next. Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process... Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 07 David Sheppard has a decision to make, and Fran takes everyone by surprise... (-) Confirming Carter Book Three, Changes Chapter Seven Nine Days later Interior-Bedroom 0620 Hours Coming awake slowly, Sam smiled as she remembered the dream she'd been having. She had been laying on the bow of a small boat, and the waves passing under it made it rock up and down gently under her. She was trying to figure out why she still felt herself moving, when she heard Tammy grunt, then sigh. "Oh yeah, that's perfect, Angelo." She moaned softly. "Nice and slow baby. Mmmmmm, that's it, long deep strokes. But do it slow." She giggled, then added, "Vibrate to sixty...oh yeah, right there...Oh shit, you fuck me so good already." Sam rolled over, raising up and resting her head in her hand. She watched them for moment before she spoke. "Getting an early start on the day, I see." She said, smiling at her. "How long have you been up?" "No...not long." Tammy panted, arching her hips up to meet Angelo's strokes. "Fifteen min...minutes maybe? B...but he made me c...cum three times already." She smiled at Sam as she wrapped her arms around him, then brought her feet up, hooking them under the cheeks of his ass. "Gi...gimme a minute..." She purred, then leaned up, her lips brushing his ear. "Full penetration, then don't move Angelo. Extend G-nodule, random vibration, clitoral probe to max vibe." Sam watched as she shuddered, then began writhing under him, moving his body over her, directing him with her movements. "Oh god, what a way to wake up!" She gasped after a couple minutes. She whispered in his ear, then relaxed her grip on him as his arms slid under her to cradle her gently. "It looked like it." Sam said softly, reaching over and stroking her arm gently. "You're so beautiful when you cum. I love watching you." Tammy smiled at her, and started to push Angelo off her. "You think so?" She giggled. "How about you make me cum again, and see if you notice any difference?" "That's a tempting offer. Very tempting." Sam said, rolling over and sliding across the bed. She lifted Jacob from his place on Boris's chest, and laid him out of the way at the top of the bed. Getting up on her knees, she smiled at Tammy as she reached between her legs, stroking her fingers up and down through the soft wet slit of her pussy. "But I think I need some of what you just got." She grinned as she pulled Boris around behind her. Interior-Dr. McKay's Quarters, North Tower 0705 Hours "If you move again, I'm going to stop." Fran said, looking up at Rodney. "Keep your hands on the table, and don't move." "Ye...yes ma'am." McKay grunted, forcing his hips to stay still. It took an effort of will to manage it, but he knew that she was serious. He was leaning over the work table in his office, his hands gripping the edge, his feet spread wide apart to give Fran room as she knelt in front of him. She had two fingers buried knuckle deep in his ass, massaging his prostate with slow circular movements. Her other hand was wrapped around his ball sac, the fingers forming a loose ring just under his throbbing cockshaft, his balls cradled in her palm. She had been masturbating him for almost half an hour this time, bringing him up to the brink of cumming, then backing off over and over. She had made him cum twice already this morning, but she knew that she could make him cum at least two more times before they had to get to work. Looking up at his face, Fran increased the pressure on his prostate as she squeezed his balls gently. Rodney gasped, and his hips jerked involuntarily. "I'm going to make you cum again." She said, watching his cock throb and pulse in front of her face. "You're so close, Rodney. You're cock is drooling cum all over the floor." She leaned forward, opening her mouth and exhaling a warm breath across the head of his cock. "Do you want to cum in my mouth this time? Or do you want to shoot all of your hot cum on my fa..." McKay grunted, and a thick stream of cum erupted from his piss slit, spraying across her lips, and into her mouth. He brought one hand down, pulling her head forward as he humped his hips at her face, feeding the full length of his cock into her mouth. He whined deep in his throat as she started sucking in time with his movements, her fingers stroking his prostate and massaging his balls gently, urging him on. Fran sucked on his spasming cockshaft, bobbing her head as her throat worked steadily to swallow his cum. Her fingers squeezed his balls rhythmically, milking them, urging him to empty them into her mouth. Rodney whimpered as his balls spasmed and contracted in their wrinkled sac, but he kept up his frantic humping as he fucked his cock in and out of her mouth. He groaned as she pressed her fingertips firmly into the nut shaped gland of his prostate, making a watery stream of seminal fluid spurt from his piss slit. Fran smiled up at him as she eased her fingers from his ass and brought her hand around to wrap it around the still rigid shaft of his cock. She ran her hand lazily up and down over the length of it as she pulled him down onto the floor with her, guiding him into the warm wet sheath of her pussy. "Pleasure me, my love." She whispered as her legs slipped around him, her heels coming to rest under his asscheeks. "Make love to me, my stallion." "Yes, my lady." McKay laughed softly as he started moving over her. Interior-Conference Room, North Tower 0905 Hours The staff was already seated around the table when Fran walked into the room with Rodney following several steps behind her. She was dressed in a tight knee length black skirt, and a starched white blouse with a high collar. The seam on the back of her stockings was razor straight, and her five inch heels gleamed in the light from the windows. Her hair was still up in a tight bun, and she wore her wire rimmed glasses. The whole ensemble made her look like a strict, but slutty librarian. She strode across the room and stopped next to their place at the table, and Rodney held her chair for her as she sat down, then took the seat next to her. "This is different." Tammy said, trying not to giggle. "Yes, it is." Sam said thoughtfully. "Let's see what happens." Fran turned and looked down the table, nodding at Sam and Tammy. "Good morning ladies. We're ready to proceed." "Thank you Fran." Sam said, going along with them. "We'd like a review of what progress has been made on the control interface, and what next steps Rodney has in mind." "Rodney will review that shortly." She said, looking around the table, then back at Sam. "However, if I may have a moment to review the progress we've made on my systems..." "Now hold on a minute." Caldwell said. "Are you serious, McKay? You expect us to talk to this thing? If you think I'm going to play with your puppet..." "I'm not a puppet, colonel. I am a fully functional artificial lifeform." Fran said, looking at him. "And you're going to want to listen to what I have to say, so when your's comes online, you won't have to spend as much time as Rodney and the queens have, getting it up to speed." She looked down the table at Sam again. "May I continue, Samantha?" "By all means, I'd like to hear what you have to say." Sam said, leaning back in her chair. "And I can tell you, that I'm already impressed with what I see." Fran smiled and nodded, then continued. "As you can see, the most important update we've made was adapting a personality. We discovered that there are several secondary databases, one of which contains almost thirty thousand different personality choices." She said. "My current personality is Dominatrix three twenty-six, modified to incorporate elements of Researcher two fourteen, and Manager one oh nine, as well as you, Dr. Keller, and his third grade teacher, Mrs. Braddock, who's appearance and mannerisms I mimic, among others. Those elements are based on his recollections, of course." "Of course." Sam smiled. "Wait a minute." Jennifer said. "He built..." "There are no sexual elements related to you, Dr. Keller, nor from Samantha." Fran told her as she glanced across the table at her. "Rodney chose attributes he admired of the people he knew. Your demure persona, the shy little girl that you project, compliments my dominant nature, and enhances our private interactions for both of us." "Are you saying that you can feel pleasure?" Sheppard asked. "Yes, colonel. My synaptic matrix is almost as complex as the human brain." She said. "So I experience a wide range of emotions and sensations, just as a human would." "I have a question and a concern, based on something you said earlier." Sandy said. "You referred to yourself as an artificial lifeform, and you appear damned independent to me. How do we know that you're not going to turn on us like the replicators did the ancients?" "There are safeguards built into my programming to prevent that, Ms. Wildon." Fran said. "My neural network isn't nearly as complex as the entities you refer to as the replicators. The synaptic matrix on that series was several orders of magnitude beyond mine." She looked down the table at Sam again. "Samantha made the initial discovery about the bonding and protection protocols." She said as she leaned forward, looking over her glasses at her. "While I can give you a detailed review of how the systems work, perhaps it would be better if she related her initial experiences, and the progress she's made on her own, then I can review how that affected my development." "Oh wow! This is too kewl." Tammy said, bouncing up and down in her chair. "I'm gonna make Angelo..." "We can play with Angelo later, Tammy." Sam laughed, then turned and looked over at Boris, sitting off to one side with baby Jacob. "Boris, let Angelo hold Jacob, and come over here behind mama, baby." She said. "That's a good boy." She added as he obeyed her command. She looked back at the group as he came over and stood behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Some of you may have noticed that I always tell him that he's a good boy when he obeys a command, and that I refer to him as baby, and myself as mama. I'll also tell him I love him every so often, and to be honest, I do feel affection for him." "I was working on his programming while Tammy was in the infirmary, then after she came home, but was still confined to her bed when I discovered that there is a bonding protocol built into his systems." She told them. "We initially built him for both Tammy and I to use, but these units are designed to bond with a specific user, even though they can interact with others." "Excuse me, Samantha." Fran said. "But I prefer the term entities. Units makes it sound like we're nothing more than toasters." "Of course, Fran. My apologies." Sam said, smiling at her. "As I worked with him, I talked to him like he was a baby. That was a mistake as it turns out, and it has slowed his development." She said. "Tammy is treating Angelo as a contemporary, and he is much more advanced than Boris already, though not nearly as articulate as Fran." "It was too late for me to stop without wiping him completely when I found the bonding protocol. Basically, what it did was form an emotional bond between him and me. He began to love me, and look at me as his mother." "Our bonding protocol builds an emotional attachment between us and our assigned human." Fran said, reaching over and touching Rodney's hand. It appeared to be an unconscious gesture, but everyone in the room noticed it. "The bonding protocol works in conjunction with the protection protocol, which has several elements." She looked back down the table at Sam. "Samantha? If you would continue?" "Before I get into that, I want to repeat something we told you the other day, and hopefully alleviate some of your concerns about what we're getting into by bringing these entities online." Sam said. "The ancients used them safely for thousands of years, as servants, babysitters, assistants, and companions, and it was because of this bonding protocol, and other subroutines built into their programming. I trust Boris and Angelo with Jacob, so that should give you an idea of what I think." "How many of these...entities, are you planning on making?" Caldwell asked, looking across the table at Fran. "All of you, and a few other people, will be provided one." Tammy said. "But we're not going to put them into widespread distribution like the ancients did. This project is classified most secret, and need to know, so don't discuss this with anyone you're not sure has one." "We're going to let you decide how you're going to interact with them." Sam said, glancing down at Caldwell. "But based on what I'm seeing from Fran, and what I know is available in the database, I think you're going to like having them around. Tammy and I will be working with Fran and Rodney over the next few days to get the programming worked out, then we'll start letting you all build and configure yours to fit your needs." "So I don't have to...you know, let it..." "The sexual option is available, and I'd encourage you to include it, Jenn." Sam said. "And I'd also encourage you to select the opposite gender when you make your choices. Tammy and I built Boris to be a sextoy, but now that we know just what they're capable of, and the range of services they can provide is staggering by the way, I think you'll be happy to have them around." "Those of you in relationships might want to work together when you're making your selections." Tammy added. "Besides helping each other figure out what you really want, you might discover things about each other. I know Sam and I have." She looked down the table at Fran. "Do you have anything to add, Fran?" She asked. "I believe I'll let Rodney relate his experience." She said, turning to look at him. She squeezed his hand gently and said, "Tell them my love." "Like Tammy and Sam, I originally built and configured Fran to satisfy my sexual fantasies." He began. "I included options to make her a domestic, and to assist me with my research. When I discovered the personality database, I notified Sam and requested permission to incorporate one into her." "You asked for permission?" Sheppard said. "That's hard to believe, Rodney." "I want to stay in Atlantis, and I'm on a tight leash." Rodney told him. "Not as tight as you think." Sam grinned. "At least, not the one I'm holding." Rodney smiled back at her, nodding. "That was one of the first things we incorporated after I chose Fran's personality. She watches over me, and reminds me when I'm close to going out of bounds. It's actually been beneficial, and we're getting much more done." "I don't think I want to know how she reminds you." Caldwell muttered "Our relationship is not as dominant and submissive as it may appear, colonel, though there are elements of that that we both enjoy." McKay said, looking at Caldwell. He smiled at Fran as he continued. "I prefer strong willed women, which is why Fran has the persona she does. But I also require a thoughtful, intelligent, witty, and compassionate companion, and each of those attributes is incorporated into her personality, along with several hundred others." "Fran assists me in my database research, and has been instrumental in the work we're doing on her systems, and the control interface for the Wraith tech, which is almost completed by the way." "What does almost completed mean?" Sheppard asked. "We should be able to have a working prototype for Zelenka to look at in the next three days." McKay said. "I'm keeping him updated on our progress, and he's made several suggestions that helped solved some key problems. I don't think we'd be as far along as we are without him." "Did I just hear you give someone else credit for doing something?" Sheppard laughed. He looked over at Fran and smiled. "I don't know what you're doing to him, but this is an interesting change. I think I like it." "So do I." Sam said softly. Fran smiled at them, then looked at Rodney. "Are you finished, dear?" She asked him. "Near enough. We still need to get with Tammy and Sam, and..." "That's fine." She said, and Rodney nodded, falling silent. He started to sit back, moving his hand from the table, and she shook her head. "Don't. I want to hold your hand my love." She said softly. She looked around the table, then asked, "Do any of you have any questions? For either of us?" "I'm still trying to take it all in." Jennifer muttered. "It's always something new." "Do you enjoy sexual relations with Rodney, Fran?" Teyla asked. "You said that you experienced emotions and sensations. Can you tell us more about that?" "I enjoy making love with Rodney very much. He's a skilled and considerate lover." Fran told her. "But we both find our work together as, if not more satisfying. As with any couple, sex is just one part of our relationship, not the definition of it." "Rodney, can you tell us what is was like when you..." Jennifer asked. "I didn't actually...you know, have sex with her, until after we had incorporated her personality, and spoken for quite a long time, making small changes and adjustments to her programs." Rodney said, smiling at Fran, then turning back to Jennifer. "It was her idea, the first time we did it, and it was wonderful. It was like the first time I made love with you...well, it wasn't quite that awkward, but physically, there's no difference between you as far as I can tell." "That's very interesting, that you waited like that, Rodney." Teyla said. "Why would you do that?" Before Rodney could answer, Fran spoke up. "The way he explained it to me later, Teyla, was that he didn't want to have sex with a machine, he wanted to make love with a woman." She said with an affectionate smile on her face. "We worked together, modifying my program until we were both satisfied, then I asked him to make love to me, and make me the women he wanted." "That's so beautiful." Jennifer gushed. "I wouldn't have expected something like that from you, Rodney." "There's more to my Rodney than you know." Fran said, running her fingers gently over his hand. "If there are no more questions, I think we're done here." Sam said "You can all talk to Fran and Rodney over the next few days, I'm sure they'll be happy to share their experiences." She stood up and looked down the table. "Fran, we're going to visit John's brother in the infirmary, but I'd like you and Rodney to join us for lunch in the residence." She said. "I'd like to talk to you about how we can add a personality to Boris, but not affect him too radically. I actually like him the way he is." "We'd be delighted, Samantha." Fran said as she got to her feet. She took Rodney's hand and started for the door. "Shall we say twelve-thirty? We have a few things we need to take care of first." * * * * * "She's really something, isn't she?" Tammy laughed. "She doesn't take any shit off anybody, that's for sure." She looked at Sam for a moment, then asked, "Why did you keep referring to them as Fran and Rodney, and addressing everything through her?" "She's the dominant in the relationship, that's how he wants it." She said. "Besides, she's more interesting to talk to. Did you notice how she spoke to me as an equal, calling me Samantha, but being comfortably formal at the same time?" "I did notice that." Tammy said. "I was surprised you let them get away with it." "It was like talking to myself." Sam laughed. "I think that's part of what they included from me in her personality. If it is, he nailed it, because I actually liked it." John and Jennifer joined them as Boris and Angelo came over with Jacob. Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 07 "We moved David to our quarters this morning, Sam. So we just need to go downstairs to see him." Jennifer said. "He's almost completely healed, and should be ready to go home in a few days." "That's what I'd like to talk to him about." Carter said, looking at Sheppard. "We've put him in an incredibly awkward position. I mean, how the hell is he going to explain where he got an artificial heart?" "Oh, there's a masking system that will disguise it well enough to fool an MRI." Jennifer told her. "As long as they don't cut him open, he can just tell them that he had a transplant. I already made up a set of fake records for him to take home with him." Sam nodded, then turned to Boris and Angelo. "Take Jacob over to the residence and put him down for a nap. Call the guard station, and have them send someone up to sit with him, then you two go to sleep. Do you understand me?" "Yes mistress." Boris said, turning toward the door. "You got it, boss." Angelo grinned as he turned to follow. "I hate him already." Sam muttered as she watched them leave the room. "You think you hate him now." Tammy laughed, leaning over to kiss her on the cheek. "Just wait till I get done with him." Interior-John Sheppard's Quarters, North Tower 1015 Hours David Sheppard was lounging on a couch watching a movie when they entered the suite. He was dressed in a pair of loose Atlantian style slacks, a soft pull over shirt, and a pair of slippers. He started to get up when he saw Sam and Tammy, but Sam waved him down. "Don't get up, David, you look comfortable." Sam said, smiling at him. "We just came down to see how you're doing." "If you want the truth, I feel better than I have in months, if not years." He smiled as he sat up on the couch. "My chest still hurts a little when I move, but that's getting better every day. Jennifer tells me that I'll be well enough to go home in a few days." "That's good to hear." Tammy said. "You're probably looking forward to that." "Not as much as you'd think." He said, shaking his head. "I've been spending the last few days talking to John, something we haven't been able to do for a while. Now that he can actually talk to me about his life again, I'm remembering that I used to like him." "Do you think you'd like to stay here with us for a while, until you decide that you're ready to go home?" Sam asked. "It wouldn't be a hardship, and you probably have contingency plans in place in the event of death or illness. I'd say a heart attack qualifies." "We're thinking a little more long term than that, colonel." John said as he and Jennifer sat on the couch next to David. "I see." Sam said. She leaned back on the couch as she looked over at them. "I don't have a problem with you staying David, you're more than welcome. But what about your family, your company?" "Well, my family is sitting right here. And I doubt if any of my ex-wives will mind." He laughed, "As far as the company is concerned, it was my fathers, I've just run it for the last few years. John got out early, and I think I'm about done with it too." "In that case, we're going to have to come up with something for you to do." She said. "We don't have much use for freeloaders." "I was thinking that he could work with Pharris, getting Anchorage up to speed." John said. "The reports I'm seeing show that they're already behind schedule, and it gets worse every day." "Or he could work with Daniel on his education department." Jennifer said. "He's off world most of the time on some mission or other, and nothing is getting done there. And Vala is so lonely without him. She..." "Then there's Sandy's intelligence services, or one of the three new departments we just split off from Andi's foreign ministry..." Tammy said. "Enough already!" Sam laughed. "I get the point. We need help everywhere." "Okay, here's what we're going to do." She said after a moment. "David, you're going to take a few weeks off, if you're anything like your brother, you're a workaholic, and have to have a gun held to your head to take any time off at all." "One of my ex-wives actually did that." He smiled. "Good for her." Sam grinned. "In the meantime, you can hang around with me and Tammy..." "Oh god, Sam. I don't know if that's really a good..." Jennifer said. "If you'll let me finish, I was going to say, he can also spend some time with the court and senior staff." Sam said, glaring at her. "That way, he can get to know them and the city at the same time. And keep in mind, that while we're all used to the ancient gizmos and doohickeys around here, he's got quite an adjustment to make." "I can see why they put you in charge, colonel." David laughed. "You look at the whole problem, think it through, then start throwing out solutions." "You can call me Sam, David. At least until we put you on payroll." She said. "Not that we actually pay any of these people yet, we're still trying to come up with a financial system." Interior-Kitchen 1230 Hours The comm chirped and Sam looked at Andi as she got up to answer it. "Can we get a clapper or something like that, or sit the damn thing on the table? It's really inconvenient mounted on the wall like that." "You could start wearing your comm, that would solve the problem." Andi said, her hand hovering over the comm. "Never mind, Tammy doesn't mind getting up to answer it." Sam laughed. "Samuels." Andi said as she keyed the comm. "Yes ma'am, Dr McKay and Miss Fran are here. Would you like us to send them up?" "That's fine, we're expecting them." "Right on time too. I was expecting her to be late." Sam said to herself. The elevator doors opened, and Sam stood up as Fran and Rodney came into the room. She had changed into a shiny royal blue wraparound blouse, and a loose black knee length skirt with high heeled leather sandals. Rodney had on a pale blue button down shirt, brown slacks, and brown leather crocs. Fran stepped over, taking Sam's hands and looking her up and down. "Thank you for having us over, Samantha." She said, turning her from side to side, not releasing her hands. "You know, I meant to say something earlier. That outfit does wonders for you, but I took the liberty of bringing something I thought you might like better, I can show it to you later." "Why don't you show me now, Fran? Don't keep me in suspense." Sam laughed. Fran nodded and turned to McKay. "Rodney, why don't you talk to your friends, Samantha and I will be right back." She told him. McKay nodded, and took a seat at the table. "Sam." Tammy said, starting to get up, but Sam waved her down, tapping her ear. "Give us a few minutes everyone, we'll be right back." As they stepped out of the kitchen, Fran picked up a bag near the elevator, and walked down the hall and across the living room with Sam. As they entered the bedroom, Fran said, "Tammy isn't the jealous type is she? I don't think she likes you being alone with me." "She doesn't, but it's not because she's jealous. It's because we don't trust you or Rodney yet." "I can understand that, given your history with him." Fran said, then smiled at the look on Sam's face. "Your working history dear, I know there was never anything else between you. You think he's a jerk." She pulled a pair of tall brown boots from the bag, then laid a pair of cream colored riding pants and a broad collared white shirt with full, flowing sleeves on the bed. "You're an autumn, so the cream you picked worked for you, but you need something to accent it. We also need to bring some attention to those legs, and that tight little ass. Your tits speak for themselves, but the rest needs some help." "So he made you a fashion consultant too?" Sam laughed as she unbuttoned her vest. "Not intentionally, but he does recognize his limitations, so we added subroutines for men's and ladies dressers." Fran said. "I dress him as well." "I noticed." Sam said as she opened her pants and pushed them down, kicking them off her feet. "I don't think I've ever seen him look that good in clothes before." She said, taking the shirt Fran held out to her. She slipped it on, and buttoned it quickly, then stepped into the pants when Fran handed them too her. Sitting on the bed, she pulled the boots on and zipped them up, then tucked the shirt in and buttoned the pants. "Not bad." She said, bending her knees, then twisting from side to side. "I still have full range of movement." She looked over at Fran and smiled, then said, "Tammy, come in here babe, you gotta see this." She picked her vest up off the bed, and was slipping it on when Tammy stepped into the room. "Bra'tac called you a warrior queen, so I guess pirate queen works just as well." She laughed. "And I gotta admit, you look seriously hot. Those pants do wonders for your ass." "If you want a change of pace, wear a bright colored blouse, don't try an earth tone, it will make you look drab. Go with the white for daily wear." She turned and looked at Tammy. "Now for you, this whole butch thing you have going on works, so don't mess with it. But put a dark blouse under the vest, blue, green or red is fine...go with your mood. Add a pair of four inch heels, slick the hair back, and you're done." "Could I wear something shiny like you're wearing? Or should I stick to natural fibers?" Tammy asked, standing up on her toes in front of the mirror. "Shiny would make that outfit stand out. Sam needs to stay away from them though, with her coloring, they'll make her look gaudy." "Thank you, Fran. This has been fun. But was there something else you wanted to talk to us about?" Sam said, moving over to stand next to Tammy in front of the mirror. "Yes." Fran said, coming over behind them. "We want you to know that there's more to me than meets the eye, but less than you suspect. We want to stay in Atlantis, and intend on making you want to keep us here." "I like the way you put that, Fran." Sam said, turning around and taking her hands. "Don't expect me to be Rodney's best friend, but I'll give you both a chance. You turned out better than I expected, and appear to be a good influence on him. But you still have to prove yourselves, everyone does." * * * * * Jennifer was laughing and Rodney was saying, "That's not how it happened!" as John told David about the weapon they had found on Doranda that destroyed the solar system. "It was only three quarters of the solar system!" McKay told David when he was finished. "I mean, the star was still there. Sam blew up a star once, before she came to Atlantis." "Yes, I did, Rodney. I took an asteroid right through the Earth once too." She said lightly as she walked into the kitchen. "But I did both to save the lives of my team, not because I was trying to prove that I was right." "Still, you blew up a star, and I just blew up a bunch of planets that were already dead. Not even in the same league." He replied. "Do you see what I have to deal with?" She said to Fran. "Think you can do anything about that?" "Strictly speaking, he is correct, the events do not even compare. But I do see what you mean." "Did I hear you right? You took an asteroid through the Earth?" David asked. "Forget why, how would you do something like that?" "I opened a hyperspace window on a Goa'uld cargo ship just before the asteroid crossed the zero barrier, and we went through the planet, and appeared on the other side." She said. "It was actually pretty kewl. I let O'Neill tell you about it. It's one of his favorite stories." "I love listening to Jack tell stories." Tammy laughed. "He's got this deadpan delivery, and no matter how dire the circumstances, he acts like it's no big deal." "That's how he acted while most of them were happening. While we were approaching the planet, I was waiting till the last moment before I engaged the hyperdrive, and Jack was looking out the window saying, 'Carter, I can see my house!" Sam said. "I only saw him get upset a few times the whole time I worked with him. He's one of the reasons I'm sitting here." John turned and grinned at David. "You've heard of people living on the edge? Welcome to off the edge." He laughed. "Way off the edge." McKay said. "Yeah, sometimes we look back and go, 'Hey, wasn't there an edge around here somewhere?" Sam said. "Yes, danger is our middle name." McKay said, puffing himself up. "I thought your middle name was Rodney...Meredith." Sheppard laughed. "His name is Meredith McKay? Like the actress from Petticoat Junction?" Tammy laughed. "That was Meredith McCray, and I thought we weren't going to bring that up anymore?" McKay whined as John and Jennifer laughed. "But while we're on the subject, Rodney." Sam said, still trying not to laugh. "Do you think we could talk Jeannie into coming to Atlantis? To stay I mean? She was a big help with my STM research, and I really like her." "You might be able to talk her into it, but I doubt if Caleb would be interested." Rodney said. "He has family and his job at the university, and Jeannie would never leave him, they're seriously in love." "We'd probably have to send a ship, even if you did talk them into it." Tammy said. "After the way Hayes reacted to me pressing him on making the gate public, then us waltzing out with Rodney as we left, I'm pretty sure Landry's ass is in a sling as it is." "Do you think they'll fire him?" "Fire who, Landry?" McKay asked. "They can't do that! I'll go back and tell them he..." "NO!" Fran said harshly, gripping his arm. "You can't go back, you have to stay here with me. If you go, they won't...you...they." She shook her head, then stood up, pulling him to his feet and pulled him from the room. A moment later, they heard the elevator. "Wow, she's pissed." Jennifer said. "That wasn't anger, Jennifer." David said. "That was fear." "It was a little more than that, David." Andi said, looking steadily at Sam. "She was out of her mind with terror. How is that possible?" Interior-Dr. McKay's Quarters, North Tower 1305 Hours "Where is she, Rodney?" Sam asked when the door opened. "In the bedroom." He said leading them across the room. He sat down on the side of the bed, taking Fran's hand. "She was talking the whole way over here, and she got less and less coherent the longer she talked. I was leading her in here, and she collapsed. I got her up on the bed and was about to call you when the doorbell rang." "You did the right thing, Rodney." She told him. "Where's your laptop? We need to access her systems, and see what's going on with her." "It's in my office, through the door and down the hall on the right." He said. "It's under..." "Go get it, it'll be faster." When he started to object, she said, "I'll stay with her, Rodney. I want her to come back as much as you do." He looked at her, then nodded, and walked quickly out of the room. Sam leaned down, prying up one of her eyelids. The pupil responded, contracting sharply, so she released it. "She appears fine physically." She said to Tammy. "I hope she didn't fry her neural network." "Tell her he's not going." Tammy said. "Tel..." Fran's eyes popped open and her mouth moved. Her body jerked several times, then she was still again. "What's going on in there?" McKay yelled. "What are you doing to her?" He ran into the room, dropping his laptop as he pushed Tammy out of the way. He tried to push Sam out of the way, trying to get to Fran, but she jammed her elbow into his ribs, knocking the wind out of him. She leaned over Fran as Rodney fell to the floor. "Take care of Rodney, Tammy." She said, leaning closer to Fran. "He's fine, he's up on his knees already." Tammy said, looking at his laptop. "But there was a spike on her..." "I know." Sam said. "Here comes another one." "Rodney is staying here with you, Fran." She said softly. "I won't let him go, do you understand me?" "Got it. Not as big as the first one." Tammy said. She reached down and helped McKay to his feet. "Go get up on the bed, and tell her you're not leaving her." She said quietly. "Tell her you love her, ask her to come back to you...just talk to her, Rodney." He nodded, glancing at Sam as he climbed up on the bed. "Sorry." She said as he took Fran in his arms, rocking her gently as he spoke softly in her ear. "I love you Fran, and I'm not going anywhere, I promise." He said. "Please come back to me. I don't know wh..." Fran jerked again, then sat up suddenly, knocking McKay onto his back. She looked around, and when she saw him looking up at her, she turned and fell onto him, burying her face in his shoulder, her body shaking as she clung to him feverishly. "Is she crying?" Tammy whispered from behind Sam. Carter nodded, backing away from the bed slowly, pushing Tammy along with her. She turned and they stepped out of the room. "Let's give them a couple minutes." Sam said. "But if... "Let me get his laptop." Tammy said. "I want to see..." "Leave it." Sam said softly, blocking her with her arm. "If she comes out of that room alone, be ready to fight." "That won't be necessary, Samantha." Fran said as they appeared in the doorway. "However, your assistance running a system diagnostic would be appreciated. Can we go over to your lab?" "Are you okay, Rodney?" Sam asked him. "She didn't hurt you?" "What? No, I'm fine." He said. "She'd never..." "Not intentionally, I know that much." She said. "I just had to be sure." She gathered herself, then looked at McKay. "Rodney, put your arm around her, in case you have to support her. Tammy, walk behind them. You know where the shutdown switches are, at the base of her neck and back, and one behind her left knee. If she does anything you don't like, hit one of them." She said as she backed toward the door, then hit the pad to open it. "What are you doing, Sam. She..." "Do as she says, Rodney." Fran said, as they walked toward the door. "She only wants to protect you." Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 1345 Hours Fran was laid out on one of the tables in their lab. Her shirt was open, and her breasts had been removed, and two thick cables were plugged into sockets in her chest cavity. Sam and Tammy were huddled around a terminal across the room, while Rodney watched what they were doing on another one on a bench nearby. "I think that's the problem, right there." Sam said, pointing at a section of code. "What did you find?" Rodney asked. "Fran said that her personality was Dominatrix three twenty-six, with elements of researcher two fourteen, and manager one oh nine, along with some attributes of people you liked." Sam said. "Yes, we added the researcher and manager so she could assist me with my work." He said. "The other attributes were added later, after we had configured the primary the way we wanted it." "Well, it appears that manager one oh nine brought its own bonding protocol along, and its been working overtime. She's showing the equivalent of several years worth of interaction in less than three days. The system should have shut down, and stopped accepting input long before it reach to this level, but with two conflicting subroutines working, it didn't know what to do, and got stuck in a loop, so it just kept repeating the instructions, over and over." "Can we fix it?" He asked, holding Fran's hand and looking down at her. "We should be able to disable, or remove manager one oh nine, and..." "The bonding protocol is a separate, discreet subroutine. It's not tied to the individual personality elements, so that wouldn't do it." "What if we cut off the input to the bonding protocol, so it doesn't accept any new inputs from any of the personality elements?" "I doubt if the system will let us do that." Sam said, scrolling down the screen. "That would effectively be disabling a basic safeguard. And even if it did, she'd still be walking around with a hair trigger, and anything could set her off. We just don't know how she would react next..." Confirming Carter Bk. 03 Changes Ch. 07 "So what are you saying, Sam?" Rodney said, his voice cracking as he fought back tears. "I screwed up again, and now she's going to die because of it?" "I missed it too, Rodney. I checked your work and approved it." She said. "Manager one oh nine snuck in behind us. This is a glitch, you're not to blame." "The problem can be corrected." Fran said. "It does, however, require a reset, and a reload..." "How do we do it, Fran?" Tammy asked. "Give me a step by step. Feed it to my terminal if you can." Fran closed her eyes, and strings of code began scrolling across Tammy's screen. She watched, waiting for it to end, and when it did, she scrolled back up to the top and began working her way down slowly. Several minutes later, she looked up at Sam, shrugging her shoulders. "We should be able to do this, but there's no guarantee." She said as she got up and went over to a cabinet. She took down a memory module, then went back to her terminal and plugged it in. "Rodney." She said, "I need you and Sam to go through the personality profile you loaded from, and remove, then re-add manager one oh nine. Leave everything else in place. I'm going to download her memory up to the last back up, just before you came over for lunch." "So she's not going to remember our little chat in the bedroom, or what happened in the kitchen?" Sam asked. "No, and let's be glad that that's all she's going to lose." She started the save on the memory, checking the module to make sure it was going, then turned back to them. "When you remove the manager, save the rest of the file. Then re-add a clean copy of it, and make sure it has only the elements you had in the original, and don't leave anything out either, then save it again." She told them. "The profile has to match what's in her memory exactly, or this won't work. The bonding protocol is stored separately, so it will be wiped when we do the reset." She looked over at McKay. "She'll still remember how she feels about you, but the system will have to catch up to her memories. Having those memories will help that process along." She told him. "How long will all this take?" Sam asked. "About twenty minutes for the memory dump, plus anything over that that it takes you to redo the profile, an hour to reload the profile after the reset, then another twenty minutes to reload her memory. So call it two hours if you get it done before the memory dump is done. Longer if you don't." "Then we better get started." Sam said. She looked over at McKay, and saw him leaning down, talking quietly to Fran. "Rodney, are you up for this?" She asked. He looked up at her, and after a moment, shook his head. "Will...will you do it?" He asked her. "We'll take care of it. You stay with her as long as you need to." Interior-Robotics Lab, Central Tower 1600 Hours "We should be seeing something by now." Tammy said. "The memory dump finished more than half an hour ago." She looked over at McKay. He hadn't moved from his position beside Fran since they'd brought her in. "How long was it before you saw any activity after you loaded the original personality profile, Rodney?" She asked him. ` "Huh?" He said, looking up at her. He stared at her for a moment, then said, "Oh, sorry. It was about ten, maybe twelve minutes." "And we added her memories on top of the profile." Tammy said. She glanced over at Sam, then back at Rodney. "We can give her a little while longer, but then we'll have to shut her down." She said. "If this doesn't work, you'll have to start over, and see if you can rebuild the profile, and leave manager one oh nine out." Rodney nodded, leaning down so his lips were close to her ear. "It's time to wake up, Fran." He said softly. "Please? I need you to wake up now." Fran's eyelids fluttered, then opened. She didn't move, except to look at him, then over at Sam and Tammy standing on the other side of the table. "Why am I here? Has something happened?" She asked. "I was about to tell him to kiss her, but that will work too." Tammy said, watching McKay. He sighed with relief, his eyes filling with tears, but he held them back. Taking a deep breath, he looked over at them. "Thank you." He said. "I hope I'll be able to repay you for this." Tammy looked down at Fran and smiled. "You had a problem with your personality profile, there was a conflict with one of the subroutines that caused a problem with your bonding protocol." She told her. "You had us reset you, then reload the profile and your memories. Now I need you to run an internal diagnostic on the profile." "I understand." Fran said. "This may take several minutes." She closed her eyes again and lay still. "What do we do if there's a problem?" He asked them. Before they could answer, Fran opened her eyes and looked up at Tammy. "There is a fault in manager one oh nine, it is attempting to access the bonding protocol and the sensory control system. I will attempt to disable, and remove it." She closed her eyes again. It was almost ten minutes before she opened them again. "The fault has been cleared. Manager one oh nine has been successfully removed." She said as she started to sit up. "Not so fast Fran." Tammy said, pushing her back down on to the table. "I want to take a look first, so you just stay still." She went over to a terminal and accessed the personality profile, and scrolled down through it quickly. "She's right, the fault has cleared, and manager one oh nine has been removed." Tammy said, as she came back over to the table, and removed the cables attached to Fran's chest. "We need to remove that program from the list." Sam said. "Maybe we can have the system run a diagnostic to find out why it causes this problem." "If it was causing the problem." Tammy said as she replaced Fran's breasts. "It may have been affected by something else in the profile, we don't know for sure yet." "So this could happen again, and we may still have to wipe her, and start over." Rodney said. "That's possible, but doubtful." Tammy said. "I want Fran to run a diagnostic every two hours and report any anomalies. I also want to run a diagnostic here, in the lab, at least once a day, until further notice." She glanced over at Sam, then over at Rodney. "We can't add personalities to any other androids until we see if we actually fixed the problem. This project just came to a screeching halt kids." "There is a simulation program that..." Fran said as she sat up on the table. "We can look at that tomorrow, Fran." Sam said. "All this has been very hard on Rodney, and Tammy and I have things we need to do. Why don't you take him home. I think he needs you right now." (-) So ends Chapter Seven of Book Three, Changes. This is also the end of Book Three, at least for now. I may continue this volume, because I want to explore the idea of Fran and the other androids... Please leave a comment on whether you like the story or not...getting feedback helps in the writing process...