Title: Gecko
Rating: PG
F.Type: OneShot
Summary: UFOs. Intermolecular forces. Geckos. Colonel O'Neill. Just a surefire recipe for diaster...
Good old van der Waals forces.
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-Gecko-
It had started out as a perfectly innocent experiment, with a simple goal and logical processes. However, as Major Carter should've known, that was all about to be changed the moment her CO stepped in the door.
"Hey, Carter," he said, studying the glass box and the equipment set up surrounding it. "Whatcha doing?"
"Oh, hello sir." Before she straightened she placed the metal probe back in its appropriate slot, checking to make sure it was clean. "What brings you here?"
"I asked first." Jack pointed out, sauntering closer with his hands in the BDU pockets. "And is that…?"
"A gecko. Yes sir." She smiled, watching him examine the creature with an intent gaze.
"Ah. And it's here why?"
"That's your second question, and you still haven't answered mine." He flicked a glance her way and shrugged.
"Though I'd see what it was you were tinkering with now. But as far as I know, lizards have nothing to do with alien technology."
"Well, if we study how they walk up walls, we might be able to come up with some things that can help out in the field." Jack unbent, looking suspiciously at her.
"Who are you and what have you done with the Major?" Sam muffled a laugh.
"That was the dumbed down version, sir."
"Ah. Good to know!" A few moments of silence. "So… how do they do that?"
"Sir?"
"Walk up walls, Carter. C'mon, you're losing your touch." He tapped the glass and the poor critter scrambled away hastily.
"Molecular attraction and bonding forces; van der Waals to be specific." She paused, wondering if she should go on.
"Electricity?" The Colonel asked, poking wires and tubes with a finger.
"…kind of. Except the gecko charges the surface it's standing on slightly, so there's-"
Uh oh. He had that mischievous look in his eyes…
"So if the surface charge was changed, they'd be repelled?" That idea had her thinking for a second.
"Something like that…" A shiver crawled up her spine. Yes, he definitely was getting that look…
-
Sources later reported that sightings of a UFO were numerous and frequent within the walls of the SGC that day- no one was quite sure what it was, and it was only when a full shut down had been initiated that the suspect… object turned out to one poor, bruised and battered gecko.
The mystery of exactly how it flew off the walls has never been solved.
the end