Chapter Text
Samantha Carter sat at the small coffee shop table, setting down a newly filled travel cup of coffee. She brought her own cup daily, to cut down on waste and give her something to sip on at work if she didn’t finish it while sitting. She drew her laptop out of her bag and set it up. Most of her work she could not do in public, but the random checking of emails was fine. Most were procedural anyway, with the occasional email about someone’s birthday and cake in the breakroom.
As the laptop powered up she sat back and sipped. She normally took her coffee black, but sometimes she went for a mocha or cappuccino. Today was a mocha day. She hadn’t put the top on the cup yet and took a second to inhale the aroma, including the cinnamon she had sprinkled on top. It was lovely.
She saw movement to her left as someone took the table by the window. There was that guy, the one she knew was in the Air Force. Heck most everyone in the shop at that time was in or in some manner associated with the Air Force and Cheyenne Mountain.
He was tall and lean yet muscular. He normally wore civvies, but on occasion she has seen him in BDUs or dressed down class A uniform, the one with the light blue shirt, navy pants and thin jacket. That was the uniform she liked the best on him. Not that she was looking.
But how could she not? He was a good looking man. Of course they had nowhere near conversed. She had her things going on and he had his. But it was fun to look and admire. He seemed like a nice guy. He would talk to a few other people here and there, mostly other Air Force people, and he was nice to the baristas. That spoke volumes. Sometimes he came in and just got coffee and left, but most times he sat down, pulled a folded newspaper out of his pocket and worked a crossword.
Sam wasn’t on the prowl. She was way too busy for a relationship. That guy was only one of several cute guys that came in on a daily basis, only a few of which she made eye contact with. Plus she was freshly out of a relationship and still recovering. Sam had broken it off with Pete two weeks prior and he still didn’t get the hint. He still texted daily and randomly showed up places. It was annoying to say the least.
She had broken it off because he was smothering her. Yes, he was good looking and kind, but also he constantly badgered her about what she did for a living and why she had to be gone if she went on a business trip. The guy even bought a house for them! That was after proposing multiple times. She hadn’t even said yes yet. But that turned the tide. She had ended it right there, on the side of the road, in front of the house he had bought. Now she just had to deal with getting him to understand that they are not a good couple. But he hadn’t bothered her in a few days, so she thought maybe he figured it out, but there was no telling. She was just enjoying the quiet at least.
That morning she had been running a little late and was relieved to see that her favorite Air Force guy came in late too. Not that she would be sad if he didn’t show, but it was a part of her morning she liked. It was like her ducks were in row, at least for a little bit. She liked how he leaned over the newspaper and furrowed his brow. Sometimes he held it up, like he was trying to get a different perspective. Once, when he was doing just that, she had to suppress a laugh when she saw that all of his letters didn’t fit in the boxes. Maybe he thought his answers were better. Anyway, he would give her a tight but cordial smile, if he got up to go before she did and more than once she had caught him looking at her. But of course they never said a word.
On that day, Sam couldn't dawdle. She needed to be at work so, after thoroughly enjoying her coffee and the scenery, she packed up and stood. The Air Force guy looked up and gave a slight smile, but then looked back to his crossword. Sam smiled to herself. It was a fun non-flirtation. It made her laugh.
OoOoO
Sam arrived minutes later at work, She was a scientist by trade, a theoretical astrophysicist. It was great work, with fun co-workers. And her company, Pride Innovations, was on the cutting edge. Her latest projects had been centered around wormhole physics. She had been working on a particular project for months. But she really had no idea what it was. They came to her with problems and she fixed them, but never got to see the big picture.
On that morning she had run home to get her car (she only lived a block away from the coffee shop) and made it to work just on time. Again logging in and checking her email she saw a new one. It was from the big boss, Aiden Peak, asking for a meeting. She had dealt with Aiden a lot over the years as the company grew. She liked him. He put a lot of money into the company and it showed by their equipment. Everything was top of the line. It made working for him easy and they never had to ask twice for anything.
Sam replied to the email, set a timer on her phone and got to work. If she hadn't set a timer she may have missed the meeting. She was prone to getting so involved that she missed lunch, other meetings and on more than one occasion had looked up after what felt like a long day to see that it was dark outside. A quick look at her watch told her it was eleven at night. No wonder she had worked uninterrupted for so long, everyone had long gone home. But when she was chasing something down she had to get it. That's when time slipped away.
But her track record spoke for itself. She was very productive and very accurate. Aiden had said on many occasions that the company would not run without her. She had even turned down manager positions to be able to stay in the lab, that was her happy place, a place where she knew she could do good.
When her timer went off, she headed to Aiden's office. For the director of operations, he had a humble office. It was actually smaller than her lab. The office was clean, with a little clutter of research books and some notebooks around. Even as a director, Aiden frequently worked in labs, keeping his foot in the door of what was happening. He looked up from his desk and greeted her with a warm smile. He was nearly 50, but still had boyish good looks. He was graying around his ears but had few wrinkles. The ones he did have Sam had surmised came from squinting into a microscope or at a computer screen.
"Hey Aiden," she greeted him.
"Oh hey Sam, close the door please and have a seat."
The normal feelings that went with a director asking her to close the door were not there, as he was smiling. In fact he was fully grinning. She knew him well enough to know that was his face when he had good news.
She settled in the chair in front of his desk and he opened a file folder from one of the stacks on his desk.
"So, what's up? " she asked.
"Sam, you are my best scientist. Last week someone proposed an amazing opportunity that I think you are uniquely qualified for. I wanted to run it by you."
"OK..."
"It’s nothing bad, I swear. It's really cool. You know, of course, that you have been doing a lot of research into wormhole physics and the application of them."
"Yeah, but I'm just working on little aspects of a big project. I don't even know what that project is."
Aiden smiled widely. "You're about to. What I am about to tell you is top secret. You know how you had to get all that security clearance to work on some of those government contracts?"
"Of course, they practically looked back to my birth and behavior in the nursery."
Aiden laughed. "There is a reason for that. Your work has been stellar, and if I have to admit it, a test."
"A test?"
"Kinda, yeah. It was a test that was set up by a special division of the Air Force to see if you had the chops."
"And?"
"They think you do. I have been working with General Hammond on the matter. He thinks you are very qualified for the job."
"What job, Aiden?"
He took a deep breath. "OK here we go. There is a top secret project known as the Stargate Project. It has been operating for years, but they are working with old equipment and uncertain outcomes. It has become dangerous. They need someone to revamp the systems, research found objects as well as... um, go on missions."
Sam sat up straight in the chair. "Wait, go on missions? Are they able to travel through wormholes?"
"Yes, Sam. With your help, they have a very successful program."
"I didn't even know I was helping them."
"You were, but we just didn't reveal the whole project to you. But now they want you."
"They want me to go on missions with the Air Force? To other- what- planets?"
"Yes."
Sam's mouth dropped open a little. "No way."
"Yes way."
"I'm not in the military, Aiden. I mean what if we contact aliens or something?"
Aiden chuckled. "Sam, I know you. I know that your dad was in the Air Force and you get it. You have told me yourself that you understand guns and are a pretty good shot."
"But I'm not ready to go on missions. It would be like they stuck a red shirt on me and let the aliens take me down. I'm not ready."
Aiden laughed again. "That is why I have to tell you the rest of the story. They're sending you to a boot camp. Well not a boot camp, but somewhere to train. You will learn tactics, weapons and just general stuff you need to know to be out in... the universe I guess. It's a three week thing, but not like boot camp. They don't have to break you and build you up, it's for information. No drill sergeants or anything like that. Then when you come back you will be assigned to Cheyenne Mountain under General Hammond. He will assign you to a team. Your job will be to be the chief scientist of the Stargate Program. It will entail working on the stargate and its programming and equipment as well as doing field research to other stargates out in the universe. Also troubleshooting issues with the gate as they show up. It's going to be a lot of work, but I can bet it'll be amazing."
All Sam could do was numbly nod. It would be amazing, but the thought of actually putting her wormhole physics knowledge to practical use was jarring. "This is a lot to take," she said finally.
"I know it is. But now that you know, I'll send you all the information on what they currently have and where you will fit in. You have a week before you go so you can read up."
"Will I be working for you or them?"
"No, you will still be working for me, you will be considered a civilian contractor. I will pay you but you will report to General Hammond."
"Wait, I think I know him. He's a friend of my dad's. Big guy? Bald?"
"That's the guy."
"Well good, I like him. But Holy Hannah, this is a lot to process."
"I know. Take your time and do your research. You are perfect for this. I just know it. But now I also know why the general was so eager to have you. He didn't tell me that he knew you.”
“So what, I will do lab stuff and work on this Stargate thing, then also go on missions, what, like a soldier?”
“I mean, yes and no. That will not be your primary purpose. Yours is to help with gate operations and artifacts, but they need to train you to make sure you can keep yourself safe.”
Sam shook her head in disbelief. ‘I honestly don’t know how to react.”
“Take your time. The training is in about a week. Read up on it for now, get back to me. I think that you will, in time, really be eager to do this. This is huge, Sam.”
Sam blinked a few times. “Yeah, let me look into it. I-I need to research it. “I’ll get back to you.”
“Take your time,” Aiden said with a smile.
OoOoo
Back in her lab, Sam dove head first into the material provided. Had someone been listening, they would have been able to count all the times she said, “Wow”, or “This is incredible” or, “No way!”. She picked through the information methodically, taking notes along the way. It was incredible. They were using this stargate to travel to other planets. She had been doing work for it for a while but didn’t know. But she could see her work intertwined in the science of running the thing.
Now that she has the whole picture, she could see where there were problems. The computer they were using for dialing had some antiquated code and sometimes got things wrong. They also had a lot of vibration and needed damping. There were a lot of little things that added to the big picture that she could do.
As the day wore on and she read more and more, she got very excited. This was going to be fun.