A Day Off
Dr. Bridge Carson loved working in the labs at Cheyenne Mountain. Sure, going off world was an indescribable experience. He loved the rush one got when travelling through the Stargate and he found that the chance to 'seek out new life and new civilizations' was like dream come true. But still, a small part of Bridge preferred the controlled environment of a lab to the unpredictability of gate travel. He felt at home in the Automation and Artificial Intelligence Lab-- or has Col. O'Neill liked to call it "The Thunderdome", so named after the Colonel walked in on Bridge and several of the other scientists battling two MALPs with each other in a very expensive form of robot war. O'Neill had turned five shades of purple at the sight, but on the other hand, Bridge's MALP had won. Afterwards Bridge had very solemnly decked his winning MALP in crepe paper and tiny Canadian flags (although the very patriotic Syd countered Bridge's national pride by adding an American flag sticker near the MALP's Lower right tread). Bridge eventually took to calling the MALP "Ric", named after his childhood pet bulldog. It turned out that Ric was a very good, very loyal (and sadly, very American owned) MALP.
So long as Bridge had Ric to tinker with or a strange new piece of equipment that needed fixing, he was content to stay on world. The SGC labs had food, the internet, more than four types of screwdrivers, food, spare servers, duck tape, linux and food. What was there not to like? The only thing Bridge disliked about working in the labs was that he sometimes missed the company of his new teammates. They rarely ventured into the Thunderdome, except to occasionally drag Bridge to training or to pick him up for lunch. On the whole they tended to avoid the level where the tech labs resided altogether.
Well, usually.
"It's your turn to watch Jack," Syd reminded her teammate, her facial expressions twisted into exasperation. "You were supposed to come pick him up fifteen minutes ago, Bridge!"
"Ah...oops," Bridge blinked at the binary clock on his desk in confusion. "Sorry Syd...wait. Watch Jack? Here? In the Thunderdome?"
Bridge gestured to the Hcetwen, who was standing in the middle of the rather messy lab, gawking at all the disassembled MALPS and computer pieces.
"Yeah sure. Fine. Whatever. Look, Sky has a Command meeting, Z's doing whatever it is archaeologists do and I have a lunch date with my Mom and Dad today. Not to mention, its supposed to be my light day."
"Z's an anthropologist," Bridge mumbled. "And can't you take Jack with you to lunch, maybe, you know, let him meet your dad, get something to eat that doesn't taste like a week old MRE, maybe get some sun--"
"Hello? Security clearance, Bridge," Syd interrupted her teammate sharply. "I can't take him with me, Sky and General Hammond would kill me! Sides, I'm sure he'll have more fun with you."
Syd and Bridge turned to stare at Jack, who was now off on one side of the lab, poking gingerly at what appeared to be a small mental box with two six inch slots in it and half a dozen lights and switches. Just as Jack moved his head to lean over the strange box, it gave a loud rumbling sound. With a ding noise and several flashes of light, the metal box shot two pieces of bread high into the air, startling Jack, Syd and Bridge. Jack let out a yelp and fell backwards onto his rear. The two pieces of bread landed safely on a plate near Bridge's desk.
Bridge gave Syd a look.
Syd shrugged. "I'm sure the guy loves toast. Later Gator!"
With that, Syd waved to the still shocked Jack and headed for the door, humming as she walked away. Jack watched till Syd was out the door before he turned to stare at Bridge, his face full of distrust.
Never one to let uncontrollable variables completely faze him (even when he was safely tucked away in his own lab), Bridge offered his plate of toast to Jack.
"Breakfast?"
Jack followed Bridge closely as the other man gave him a tour of the lab. He watched as Bridge talked non-stop in his strange In-grish language, waving his hands and pointing things out to Jack.
"So yeah, that's my desk over there, with all the piles of papers and files--ah the yellow folders are departmental memos, the green ones are non essential tasks, the blue semi-important stuff and the red is 'oh my god we're gonna die get it done' tasks. ...Or is it the blue that are memos and the green is semi-important...Ah yeah. Anyways, yeah, that's my desk and that's my Red Stapler that Boom got me for Hanukkah, and that's my working model of the Millennium Falcon..."
Jack had no idea what the young scientist was saying, but he enjoyed the cascade of syllables and the way Bridge waved his hands when he spoke. Bridge talked a lot--far more than his pair-bonded or Zee or the woman 'Sid'. Jack heard Zee call Bridge a 'eek' several times in the past few days. He wondered if this was some sort of title, like the many titles his pair-bonded seemed to have. Sometimes Sky was "Cap-tin," sometimes "Tate". Zee was sometimes Doc-tor and Sid was a title Jack couldn't even begin to pronounce correctly. Jack heard the Elder Jack call Bridge Doc-tor as well, but maybe a 'eek' was yet another name? It was too confusing.
"--We used to have a microwave but then Boom decided that it didn't heat up fast enough and he killed our third one that month so we got cut off. I'm thinking we should set up a fish tank there instead."
Perhaps an "eek" was someone who did not shut up? Jack rubbed his head and gave the eek the most annoyed look he could muster.
"--quite fascinating really, we could have lots of tropical fish and call the tank the lost city of Atlantis...and ah yeah, wow Captain Tate, er, Sky, must be really rubbing off on you. Cause that look looks exactly like one of Tate's evil glares."
Jack's eyes brightened as he recognized his pair-bonded's name but he continued to use the look he usually reserved for the naughty children in his village on the verbose scientist.
Finally Bridge put up his hands in surrender. "Yeah, you don't understand anything I say. I know that. Can't blame a guy for enjoying a captive audience, can ya?"
Jack let up on his discipline face and patted the scientist on the head.
"I guess that means, I'm a good boy? Cool. So what am I--we--going to do until Sky gets free? Its not like you can help me reprogram the surveillance cameras on Ric."
Jack sighed. He wasn't really sure what his pair bonded expected him to do while he was away. The metal machines in the room were intimidating; he'd nearly lost his eye to something Bridge had later ate for a meal. How could food come from metal? Besides, was he expected to just sit and wait like some kind of hunting dog while Bridge continued to make things flash and make loud noises?
"What am I supposed to do?!"
What was he supposed to do? Jack mentally sighed to himself. It was gonna be a long morning.
Bridge watched as Jack idly played with his metal slinky in a chair Bridge had pulled up next to his desk. The toy had amused both Jack and Bridge for a grand total of five minutes before a restless look began to appear in Jack's eyes again. Bridge couldn't blame him. He was a terrible babysitter. Only Jack wasn't a baby. Adult sitter then. Alien sitter. Bridge had never even baby sat as a teenager. He had no experience with entertaining alien Chieftain's sons who somehow manage to marry his Commanding Officer in a shotgun style wedding on another planet, damn it! He wasn't a character in some cheap scifi knock off!
Bridge was about to continue on that slightly self deprecating tangent when he heard soft footsteps from the hallway outside the lab.
"Hey Bridge!" A cheery voice sounded from the doorway. Bridge smiled as the man the SGC scientists affectionately called Boom shuffled into the lab with a box full of spare parts. "Guess who destroyed their field laptops again. SG-12 is so going to get it from Doctor Manx when she hears they've killed another box--hey, is that the alien from P3X-489?!"
Bridge rolled his eyes. "His name is Jack, Boom. Come here and I'll introduce you."
Boom shuffled over, almost dropping the box in his haste.
"A real alien! Oh my God! Does he understand me? He doesn't understand me ah right? Right?"
"Relax Boom, will ya? Doctor ah...Boom, meet Jack, the Hcetwen. Jack, meet Boom."
Having already encountered the custom a dozen times, Jack held out his hand like a pro and met Boom's shaking one. Boom smiled and then cursed as the box he'd shifted to one hand began to tilt. Bridge and Jack quickly caught it before laptop parts spilled to the floor.
"So what is he doing here? Don't tell me he's some kind of alien computer genius?" Boom asked once the three of them had worked the box onto Bridge's already overflowing desk.
"Ah the team had stuff to do so they sent Jack to the Thunderdome. I kind of gave him the tour but that didn't work so well. I have no idea what to do now," Bridge admitted.
Boom frowned, appearing thoughtful for a moment. "Have you tried giving him a English lesson?"
"No way. That's Z's job. I'm not messing with that."
"Ahh..." Boom began.
Bridge frowned. "No, we are not letting him near the welders or the superconductors. At least not today."
Boom closed his mouth with a snap.
Bridge groaned. "There has to be something...anything! Pick up sticks, marbles, something universal--"
"Marbles are universal?"
"--that could bridge this language gap and give Jack something to do."
Boom's eyes lit up and his slumped body immediately snapped into a straight line.
"I GOT IT!"
"What?"
"If you're baby-sitting--"
"Adult-sitting."
"--then really, you can't work. Well who says you got to work?"
Bridge's face broke out into a slow smile. He turned to Jack with such a renewal of energy that it made Jack smile as well.
"Who says we have to work, Jack?"
Jack yelled as he careened down the long hallway directly outside the SG labs. He whooped as he quickly sped past Bridge, skating on what looked like a jury rigged skateboard, made of cart wheels and spare metal plates. Bridge raced just behind Jack on his computer chair, his feet propelling him forward down the hall. The two men narrowly collided with each other as they crossed a duck tape finishing line, Boom standing at a safe distance waving a makeshift flag made of a old shirt and a yard stick. Jack was declared the winner and he danced around in the hallway in a impromptu victory dance. Just because Jack was married now it didn't mean he had to act like an adult all the time.
Besides, Bridge and Boom were acting like children themselves, teaching him to race on metal wheels and calling each other names like they were ten year olds. It was the first time Jack had gotten to do something fun, something really truly fun, since he'd married Sky and left his homeworld. Jack didn't even know the Earth people could be this carefree. Sky, Sid and Zee were all reserved people. Jack liked Bridge and Boom's childishness. He liked the fact that they were treating him as a equal now, instead of someone who had to minded or watched.
"What, pray-tell, are you gentlemen doing?"
Jack jumped. He whirled around to see the Elder Jack, Jack O-Nee-ell, glaring at them from the opposite end of the hallway. Beside him, Jack saw Bridge and Boom freeze with twin looks of horror.
"Ah Sir! Colonel. We were just...ah..."
"Teaching Jack to ah...I mean..."
"You mean teaching Jack the fine art of playing hooky?" Elder Jack gave the three of them a strange half smile. "Or are you testing the quality of the computer chairs, Doctor Carson?"
"Ahh Sir, I'm sorry--"
Elder Jack walked over to the group still wearing his half grin. "I'm afraid Sky's going to be in that meeting for a while. The brass is pontificating again and all the SG leaders are their unwilling congregation."
Bridge frowned. "Sir, shouldn't you be in the meeting then?"
"Somebody has to patrol the hallways for delinquents and protect Jack's delicate sensibilities. Why don't you kids go play someplace quieter or go get an early lunch. Jack's going to have to be at the Thunderdome for the rest of the day at this rate."
"Yes Colonel."
Jack watched as the Elder Jack walked away, whistling a strange tune and bopping his head to an unheard beat. Jack knew that the three of them had gotten away with something and it only made Jack's sense of belonging grow. It also confirmed his suspicion that Elder Jack wasn't as much of a strict, colourless leader as his clothes and appearance would make him seem.
"That was close."
"Hey Jack, lets go get something to eat. Then maybe we'll teach you some soccer."
"Right and after that maybe we can teach him hockey!"
"Ah, Bridge? I'm pretty sure there's no ice rinks in the base."
"Oh, right. Street hockey?"
"Pretty sure there's no streets down here either."
"Badminton?"
Jack felt his heart lift as the three of them headed towards the elevator. Perhaps he would fit into this strange world after all
Several hours later, a weary and rather tense Sky Tate stalked into the Automatics Lab.
"I'm sorry I'm late Bridge, something came up at the meeting, I--Bridge?"
Sky frowned at the empty room. "Doctor Carson? Jack?"
Instead of reply like Sky expected, the young military officer was surprised to hear voices shouting from further inside the lab. Sky immediately broke into a run when he heard Jack's voice hollering something in his native language and Bridge's voice shrieking like a little girl. He ran down a cluttered hallway Sky hadn't even known existed before he barrelled into the tiny conference room where the voices were coming from, his hands automatically reaching for the weapon that wasn't on his side.
Jack, Bridge and some guy Sky had seen before but never bothered to learn his name startled at Sky's abrupt entrance. Sky immediately scanned the room and found it empty save for the three men, a small conference table and a tv that was on in the corner. And.. was that a video game controller in Jack's hands?
"Sky!" Bridge gasped. "You scared us!"
"What the hell are you two doing?" Sky demanded, not bothering with a apology. "I heard the girliest screams coming from the lab. Why aren't you working on something?"
Bridge rolled his eyes. "Ah, hmmm, maybe I'm not working on anything because I've been adult sitting for eight hours?"
Sky relaxed slightly. "I had a meeting," Sky defended himself with a half shrug.
"I was beginning to think the meeting was off planet or something."
"I'm sorry, alright! Now will someone tell me what's going on in here?"
Jack watched the verbal interaction between his husband and his new friend Bridge with amusement.
"Sky!" The Hcetwen called out. "Sky! See!"
Jack waved the Game Cube video game controller that was in his right hand. "Jack Gamar."
Sky blinked. "What?"
"Gamer," the unknown scientist in the room said nervously. "Like you know? Someone who likes video games? Bridge…Dr. Carson, thought that it might be good to introduce Jack to...American...culture..." The Scientist trailed off as Sky turned to glare at him.
"You taught the alien how to play video games?" Sky asked incredulously.
"Ah...maybesorta yes?" The Scientist squeaked.
"Gamar!" Jack said. "Roxor," he added with a sign as he patted the controller dreamily.
Flames appeared in Sky's eyes.
"You got him addicted to video games?!"
Bridge winced. "I wouldn't say addicted, but he is really good, Commander. I mean, he totally has a knack for it."
"Leet skills," Jack said proudly.
A tiny vein in Sky's forehead began to throb. "You turned my husband into a Geek!" Sky accused his teammate with a hiss.
Bridge began to back away slowly. "But Sky, it wasn't my fault. We had nothing else to do so I thought 'hey why not show Jack what we do for fun around here' and that fun happens to be a lot of gaming so we showed him how to play Halo--"
"You taught MY Husband how to play Halo?!"
"For the record Jack didn't like Halo, I think the graphics were too realistic. So we turned off the X-Box and brought in Boom's Game Cube. Taught him how to play Mario Kart and Smash Brothers--he's really good with Samus, I mean he totally whipped Boom's Pikachu. And ah...yeah besides that, I thought you would be happy that we tried to teach him stuff!"
"Happy?" The other scientist questioned.
Bridge brightened. "Commander Tate totally rocks at Halo, Boom," Bridge explained. "He even beat me once. Mad skillz."
"That's not the point," Sky growled. "You were just supposed to watch him. Not turn into some sort of computer Geek like you two!"Bridge and Boom all but cowered before the wrath of Commander Tate. But Jack, recognizing the look of imminent murder in his pair-bonded's eyes, decided enough was enough. He got up from his seat and in one swift move shoved the video game controller into Sky's hands.
"Play!" Jack demanded.
Sky's eyes narrowed at Jack. "No."
"Play!" Jack growled.
NO!"
Jack stood up to his entire height, which still made him about a foot shorter than Sky, and put both of his hands onto his hips like he'd seen his husband do multiple times. "Sky! Play!"
Sky turned to Bridge. "See what you've done!"
Bridge shrugged. "I dunno Commander, I think Jack had fun today. I mean I sure did."
Jack growled and pushed his pair bonded lightly in the shoulder.
"You've ruined him," Sky complained.
"I think Jack was always this pushy," Bridge said thoughtfully. Then realizing what was implicated, Bridge began to backtrack. "Not that ah that means anything about you cause what you two do in your own free time is totally up to you, I mean hey 'don't ask don't tell', which is totally stupid by the way, you don't see Canadians saying stuff like--"
"Bridge..." Sky's voice had gone soft, almost normal, which was definitely not a good sign.
The scientist flinched. "Ah...yeah?"
"GET OUT! Before I string you up outside the gateroom with your X-box."
"Yes Sir!" Bridge saluted, even though he was a civilian, and quickly ran out of the room, Boom following closely behind.
"Bye Jack!" Bridge called out as he hightailed it back to his desk.
"Bye Bridge!" Jack waved. Then he turned to give his husband a pleading look. "Play?"
Sky sighed. "God damn Bridge. Alright. But we're not making a habit out of this. The Game Cube is for pansies anyways. Its all about the X-box. If you're gonna learn to play anything at all, its gotta be Halo or Medal of Honor."
Jack beamed. "Good Sky," Jack patted Sky's cheek before turning to start a new game of Smash Brothers.
Sky stared at his pair-bonded for a minute, taking in the sight of Jack totally relaxed. The alien had lost some of the unease he'd had since Sky had met him for the first time on his native planet. The lines around his eyes were gone and his lips were curled into a smile that looked completely natural on Jack. Sky found himself zeroing in on Jack's lips, the fullness of them and the way they complimented the sparkle in Jack's brown eyes...
Sky shook his head swiftly. What was he, a love sick teenager? He wasn't about to allow himself to moon over his hus--Jack. But Sky had to admit that he liked the happiness that was radiating from the younger man. Sky felt indebted to Bridge for making Jack this happy--not that Sky would ever admit it to the strange Geeky Scientist. Couldn't have the civilian too relaxed around his Commanding Officer.
Jack started to laugh as they started a new game and Jack's Samus began to pelt Sky's Link with laser blasts. Sky smirked before launching his own counter-strike. Bridge was right--Jack was a natural. Sky memorized the sound of laughter coming from Jack before he devoted his complete attention to the game. He found himself wanting to hear that laughter more often and it if took mindless video games to make that sound happen, well, Sky could learn to deal with visiting Dr. Carson more often.
From a side window that looked into the small conference room, Dr. Bridge Carson watched the two men inch closer to each other as they played. Bridge grinned at them before turning to place his homemade sign on the doorknob of the conference room.
'Do Not Disturb.'
Bridge walked away whistling. He loved working in the labs at Cheyenne Mountain.