Chapter 2

Dr. Michaela "Mike" Peterman found herself riding down an elevator deep in the mountain. She had spent ten years living the life of another woman and keeping the secret to herself. She carried that weight with her every day and in everything she did. She didn't like lying to her friends or feeling like a fraud but she also felt trapped and with nowhere to turn. No one could protect her from the enemy she acquired. Not even the FBI could protect her as five agents were killed in the safe house she was placed. Her fiancé was killed for what he knew and that precious information now lay in her hands. She looked over her dress uniform and removed a strand of hair she spotted on her jacket. She straightened herself out and waited as the lift came to a stop and the door slid open. Standing in the hallway before her was her old roommate, Sam Carter.

She stepped off and gave a big smile, "Sam!"

Sam gave her a welcoming hug, "I'm so glad you made it, Abby."

"Thanks for recommending me," she replied. She gave a sigh, "A Star Gate! Seriously!"

"You are gonna do great here," she nodded. "Just wait to you see it!" They started down the hallway. "I have to warn ya though…General Hammond hired this guy named Jay Felger who is a pretty crappy scientist. You will be around him a lot. He's kind of weird."

"I'm sure he's not that bad," she assured her.

Sam told her, "I'm sure you can handle him. You are real good at psycho-analyzing people." She then added, "You ever think about going back to school and getting a degree in medicine? You would be so good at it."

"I'm still trying to learn rocket science," she admitted, "Those papers on quantum theory you sent were bit over my head, Sam."

"You're good at physics," she countered.

"Basic physics but I'm not sure what you sent me even said," she confessed. "You have a very unique mind, Sam. Not only can you absorb information but your mind can process it and place it in a multi-dimensional model in your head. You can actually see in your mind what your eyes cannot see." she figured.

Sam nodded, "That's exactly what it's like. I can see it even though I know these particles and applications are invisible to the naked eye. Boy, you were always good at figuring out how the mind works." She then shook her finger, "You should be psychiatrist. You would be really good at it."

She shrugged joking, "I don't know. Maybe I will become an astronaut when I grow up."

Sam laughed, "Or a rock star."

"Or movie star," she chuckled.

They rounded the corner. Sam mentioned, "There is someone I want you to meet." She came to a door and peeked inside. She spotted Daniel Jackson working feverishly at his desk with a pile of books. She stepped inside, "Daniel."

He looked up from his work with a defeated look, "Hey Sam."

"I want you to meet my friend," she started. "This is Abby. We went to the Academy together," she turned to Mike, "Abby, meet Dr. Daniel Jackson."

Daniel gave a halfhearted smile, "Nice to meet you."

Mike replied, "Nice to meet you, Dr. Jackson." She noticed he was similar to her late fiancé in appearance. She then added, "You look like you could use a break."

"I'm fine," he told her.

Sam mentioned, "Abby is really good at listening, Daniel. She helped me when my mother died." She then told Mike, "Daniel just lost his wife."

"I'm sorry," she winced.

"Thanks," was all he could say. Sorry seemed like empty words when suffering in from grief.

"If you need an ear, I'm here." she offered. "Sometimes it's easier to talk with someone you don't know very well."

"I'll keep that in mind," he told her. "I've got some work to do." He motioned for them to leave.

Sam tugged Mike's elbow, "We'll see you later, Daniel." She led Mike back out the door and they started back down the hallway. "Daniel really needs your help, Abby. The Goa'uld kidnapped her and she was killed when we tried to rescue her. This is eating him up."

"I'll talk to him," she assured. "You can't push these kinds of things."

"I know," she nodded. "The base doesn't have an in-house psychiatrist yet. You are the next best thing in my opinion. I was hoping that maybe you could help Daniel out a little in your free time."

Mike nodded, "Sure."

"Thanks," she smiled. "If it weren't for you I would not be here today. I was so upset when my mom died. Looking back I don't think I would have made it through the academy without your help, Abby. You really do have a gift."

Mike joked, "Now if I could only use my superpower for good instead of evil."

Sam rolled her eyes, "Stop! Give yourself some credit."

She shook her head, "Just can't."

Sam stated, "Wait until you meet the colonel. He's cute!"

Mike stated, "As I recall you seemed to think a lot of our instructors were cute."

"They were," she smirked.

As the rounded the next corner up ahead they spotted the base doctor in the hall standing face-to-face with Colonel O'Neill. Dr. Janet Frasier was fiery redhead who stood looking up at the much taller Colonel as she wagged her finger at him, "You are due for your booster shot and don't give me any lip about being too busy."

Jack huffed, "You're just itching to stick that needle in my ass!"

Janet snorted, "Don't make me pull rank, sir." That statement was ironic since the doctor held a rank of major.

Mike confessed to Sam, "Sometimes I feel like Dr. Freedman in a MASH episode."

Sam smirked, "We even have a guy named Walter."

"Seriously?" she asked surprised.

Janet spotted Sam and Mike. She soon greeted them, "You must be Captain Martin. Sam was telling me about you." She held out a hand, "I'm Major Janet Frasier. I'm the base Chief Medical Officer." She noted the bad scar on Mike's face but said nothing.

Mike shook her hand, "Pleasure to meet you."

Jack huffed, "Not exactly following protocol there, ladies."

Mike gave him a salute to satisfy him, "Sir."

"Work on that," he told her.

"Yes sir," she gave a nod.

"Better," he approved. He gave a nod to Sam, "Carter." He started to sneak away hoping Frasier would forget all about his shot.

Janet called out, "I expect you in my infirmary after lunch, Colonel."

He grumbled under his breath, "Napoleon power monger."

Short Time Later

Mike found her lab and new computer ready for her as Sam led her into the room.

"And this is where you will be working," Sam told her.

Mike looked around. She found the lab to be a room about twelve feet by twelve feet wide with a table in the center and a desk with a laptop computer sitting on top. She found the lighting was bright and the walls painted gray. She noted, "All this gray is depressing."

"You can brighten it up," Sam assured. She went to the laptop and turned it on, "It's all ready for you. Our mission is to reverse engineer the technology we find off world and make military applications for it."

"Ah," she nodded and sat down on the chair. The chair rolled slightly on the casters. She grinned, "My chair has wheels."

"No time for games," Sam countered.

Mike shook her head, "There is always time for games. Remember when we played wastepaper basketball?"

Sam recalled the pair rolling about in their dorm room on chairs holding wastepaper baskets and throwing wadded paper balls at one another. She had to admit Mike knew how to break up a monogamous day. "You do that here and you will be fired."

"But it's great therapy," she told her.

"True but your job is to help me reverse engineer alien tech," she reminded her.

"Okay," she sighed. "So, tell me more about Dr. Jackson." she changed the subject.

Sam pondered, "He's very intelligent, speaks nearly two dozen languages and has multiple degrees. He fought so hard to get his wife back and she died right in front of him. Nearly in reach of his fingertips. God, my heart ached for him when that happened."

"You were there," she gathered.

"I was on the mission," she nodded.

"They have you going off world?" she asked.

"I'm on SG-1," she nodded.

Mike asked baffled, "They cleared you for combat?"

"Special waiver," she told her.

"Oh," she nodded, "I see."

"Maybe Hammond can clear you to go off world soon," she suggested.

She shrugged, "He would need a reason for me to go off world. You are way better at quantum science stuff than I am."

Sam assured her, "You will do fine." She then patted her shoulder, "Or at least do better than Felger."

She let out a heavy sigh, "Thanks."

Meanwhile

Janet Frasier was about to leave her office for lunch when Sergeant Walter Harriman arrived with a file. He entered the room, "Major Frasier. I have Captain Martin's file for your records." He handed her the folder.

She took the folder, "Thank you Walter." She decided to do a quick glance through before leaving. She opened the front page and found a report about the accident. "Oh' wow!"

Walter lingered curiously, "Ma'am?"

"It's nothing," she told him. "It's just that scars on Captain Martins' face is from a bad car accident she had ten years ago. There was a fatality and her passenger died."

Walter admitted, "I wondered how she got those scars."

"I'm surprised she didn't have surgery to reduce them," she admitted. "The insurance would pay for it." She closed the folder and stood up. "You have lunch yet, Walter?"

"No ma'am," he replied.

"Have lunch with me," she suggested.

He agreed, "Sure."

"Come on," she led him out of her office and down the hallway.

Lunch

Sam had gathered Mike for lunch and led her to the commissary. Upon gathering their food they soon sat down at a table with Jack and Teal'c of the Jaffa. Sam took the time to introduce her friend, "Teal'c! I want you to meet my fried, Abby. She's gonna be working with me."

Mike looked at Teal'c and was aware of his origins from her briefing. She held out a hand to him, "It's nice to meet you, Teal'c."

Teal'c looked curious at her hand and then at her.

Jack prompted him, "You shake her hand."

Gently the Jaffa reached across the table and grasped her hand in a uncertain greeting. "I am Teal'c of the Jaffa."

Mike squeezed his hand firmly and placed her left hand on top of his as she looked him in the eye. "I know! I was told about you in a briefing. I have been waiting all morning to meet you."

Please Teal'c smiled, "I am honored."

"As am I," she assured him upon releasing his hand. She took a seat across from him upon gaining his trust with a simple gesture.

Jack asked her, "What did you do before becoming a nerd? Used cars sales!"

She smirked at him, "I was shrink in my former life."

Sam figured she was referring to reincarnation in jest and laughed to herself at the joke.

Jack figured, "Pretty close to being a used car salesman."

"Did you know Sigmund Fraud's brother is the founder of modern sales techniques?" Mike asked.

"Figures," Jack miffed.

Sam admitted, "Abby is real good at analyzing people. She helped me through college after my mom died." She told Teal'c, "She a good listener if you ever feel alone."

Teal'c looked upon Mike.

Mike stated, "My shoulder is always open."

Jack snorted, "Don't ever become a shrink!"

Mike wondered, "Why would you say that?"

"Because they are useless," he snorted. "My ex tried to drag me to one and she told my wife to leave me."

"What?" she cocked her head in disbelief.

"I'm a lost cause!" he proclaimed.

Sam tried to explained, "Colonel O'Neill lost his son."

"Oh," her heart sank. "I'm sorry."

Jack stated, "I don't want to talk about it." His looked down upon his plate and dug at his food without eating.

Mike assured him, "I won't make you talk about it."

"Good," Jack huffed. He tried to bring the fork to his mouth but soon lost his appetite as he thought of his dead son.

Mike told him, "I was once engaged and I lost my fiancé."

Sam sat wide-eyed for she never knew her friend was engaged.

Jack looked up at her but said nothing.

Mike went on, "We had the wedding all planned, I had my gown picked out and paid for. We were looking at houses together…" she tailed off in memory.

Sam asked, "How did he die?"

"He was shot," she told him. "Police said it was a suicide." She knew he was murdered in reality.

Jack gulped, "He shot himself?"

She nodded, "Four times in the back of the head."

Jack cocked his head, "What? That's impossible."

"I told the cops the same thing," she nodded. "They told me it was still suicide."

Sam gasped, "You think he was murdered?"

She gave a nod, "I think it was. Of course the police said it wasn't."

Sam winced, "That's awful. His killer could still be out there."

"Yup," she slowly nodded in thought.

Jack confessed, "My son's death was an accident. He was playing with my service weapon and it went off."

Mike cocked her head, "And you blame yourself."

"Who else am I gonna blame?" he shrugged.

"No one else," she told him. "The question is what will you do with that guilt? Will the guilt defeat you or will you defeat it?"

Jack sat and pondered, "What do you mean?"

"Make lemonade," she told him. "You can't change what happened but you can change how you react to what happens. That's in your power and it a very potent power to have."

Jack sat thinking about what she said. He dug at his food as he wondered how he could make something good come out of such a tragedy. He then told her, "You and Daniel will get along great. You met him yet?"

"I have," she nodded. "He's dealing with his own problems."

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "I guess we all are."