A heavy rain pattered on the windsheild as Sam drove toward the Air Force academy. Due to the weather, all flights for the day had been canceled, so there was no reason for Jack to tag along. Sam on the other hand, had a lecture in quatum mechanics which brought her out into the rain. She had left early early in hopes of getting some prep time before the cadets came flooding in out of the rain.
She pulled the sedan to the gate and rolled down the window blocking as much rain from coming in as she could, while taking the clipboard from the MP. She quickly signed her name, rank and date and handed the clipboard back. The drop gate lifted and returned the salute to the MP before pulling the sedan through the gate. A nagging feeling in her chest caused her to stop the car. She suddenly she realized what it was and hopped out of the car. She ran through the rain, back to the guard shack and yelled at the MP.
"Airman! I need to see that clipboard!"
The confused MP handed her the chart and she scanned the sheet. There it was, she hadn't imagined it. A few lines up from ber own signature was the print and signed name of Major C. Parker. She stared at the signature for a few minutes wondering what this meant for Colonel O'Neill.
"Ma'am, is everything alright?" the MP asked.
Sam blinked away the stare and looked up at the young guard. She then realized she was standing in the road, in her class A's getting soaked by the rain.
"Yeah, sorry, thanks." she handed him the sheet and jogged back to the car. She sat still for a few seconds before putting the car in drive and pulling into the staff parking garage.
Sam completely forgot that she had come early to set up for her class as she walked quickly the General's office. She flunf some of the water out of her hair with her hand as she got some strange looks from passing cadets and staff. When she arrived at the General's office, she knocked on his open door and entered.
"Sam!" he greeted cheerfully, "You're here early."
"Yes sir, I was going to set up before they started coming in out of the ran."
"Maybe hiding from the rain isn't such a bad idea." he teased watching her attempting to dry her face with her sleeve.
"Yes sir." she grinned. "Sir, I was meaning to ask you about a Major Parker?"
"Ah, our new PT instructor. What about her?"
"I've not met her. I've just heard a little about her and was wondering who she is."
"I don't really know her all that well. We got her about a month ago from DC."
"From DC?"
"Yeah, she's Special Forces on some sort of leave for awhile. General Ryan sent her to us to help us out until she's cleared back to full duty."
"Cleared for what?"
"I don't know the details, but from what I've heard, she's recoverying from a mission gone south."
The General studied Sam for a few seconds, the wheels in her head turning at full haul.
"She's out on the obstacle course all day if you want to stop and say hello."
"I just might." she said before excusing herself. She still had a few minutes to set up for her lecture before the cadets would start piling in.
A few hours later, Sam sat at her desk shuffling her files as her class of cadet filed out of the room. She rubbed her hands over her face and looked out the window at the drizzling rain. She pictured in her mind the poor cadets running wildly through the mud of the obstacle course, while ordered about by an special forces major. She briefly wondered if it was the right thing to do, to go and speak to the Major without consulting Colonel O'Neill. Making a decision she stacked her files, put them into her briefcase and walked out of the classroom.
The steady rain splattered against the top of Sam's umbrella as she walked through the security fence of the academy's obstacle course.
"Not the outfit I would have picked to play on the obstacle course in the rain Major." A voice behind her startled her.
Sam turned to face a darked haired woman that stood behind her. The rain dripped off the bill of the Air Force baseball cap she wore and splattered on her already soaked PT t-shirt. She stood a few inches shorter than Sam but similar in build. She pointed down and Sam's feet. Her dress shoes had an inch of mud clinging to them from the short walk through the gate. She noticed the mud that covered Parker's white Nike's crept up her right leg to the eagle tattoo on her calf.
"I guess I hadn't thought that through." Sam smiled. "Special Forces?" she pointed at the tattoo.
"Not at the moment. Callie Parker." she extended her hand to Sam.
"Samantha Carter."
"What can I do for you Major?" she asked looking out onto the course at the scrambling mud covered cadets.
"Well, thats kind of a long story." Sam grimaced, not really knowing how to start.
"What the hell," she groaned. Sam looked up following Parker's line of vision. Her eyes set on a muddy cadet just as he swung a fist at another, who retaliated by slamming into him in a violent bear hug, taking them both down into a puddle.
"Excuse me Major." Parker jogged over to the fighting cadets with Sam at her heels. "Break it up cadets!"
By the time they got up to the cadets, one had taken control and giving the other cadet the worst beating of his life. Parker slide to a hault grabbed the cadet by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up out of the mud as Sam helped the other cadet to stand. The cadet in Parker's grip swung out wildly, adrenaline getting the best of him. Parker stepped back, avoiding the strike while pulling the cadet into a smooth toss over her hip. Muddy water splashed up with the impact of the cadet's weight as he face planted the ground.
"Cool it Harper!" Paker shouted wrenching his arm behind his back.
Sam held up the bleeding cadet, watching the Major wresling in the mud. Suddenly the cadet's feet were flipping through the air as he was thrown down hard into a mud puddle.
"What the hell are you thinking?" Parker barked at the young man.
"Major!" Sam shouted as the cadet's face wrenched in pain as the Special Forces Major wrapped him up into a controled hold.
"Get up!" Parker pulled the student up by his shirt, "Clean yourself up and report to General Sanders." she ordered.
Parker blew her sports whistle to gain the attention of the cadets on the course.
"Early Dismiss Cadets!" she yelled. The cadets quickly began to clear the course and head to the locker rooms.
"I'm sorry Major. I'll take care of your dry cleaning." Sam looked down at her dress blues that were now splattered with mud, her shoes completely ruined.
"Oh. Not your fault Major. What was that all about?"
"On going pissing contest between those two. They've been neck and neck on PT scores for as long as I've been here."
"So this isn't a first occurance?"
"Hardly. If you ask me they just need some time in the ring to get their hits in."
"Not likely. He'll be expelled within the hour now."
"Not if I have any say in it."
"What do you mean?"
"A little scuffle bewteen men isn't a rare occurance Major."
"Major, that cadet swung on you."
"Ok, I admit that was a bit over the top. Adrenaline got the better of him, we'll have to work on that."
"Your'e somethin else Major." Sam shook her head.
"So I've been told. So, what was that long story, you had to explain why you were out here in the rain to see me?"
"Yeah, about that..." Sam thought for second, "It turns out we have a mutual friend."
"Oh yeah?"
"Colonel Jack O'Neill."
Major Parker stopped in her tracks, the color draining from her face as she stared at Sam.
"Major, are you alright?"
"Uh, yeah, sorry. Did you say Jack O'Neill?"
"Thats right."
"You must be mistaken Major. The Jack O'Neill I know is dead."
