ROME
By Indygodusk
Episode 4
"How is it possible to say an unkind or irreverential word of Rome? The city of all time, and of all the world!"
-NATHANIEL HAWTHORNE, American novelist
"Dr. Mckay, it is time for our meeting."
Mckay jerked, dropping her green pen. She'd been so deep in thought at the whiteboard—writing equations and schematics for rearranging an alien pump system to work within the limits of Earth machinery—that she hadn't noticed Dr. Miko Kusanagi standing next to her until she spoke. "What?" Mckay blinked rapidly and dragged her mind to the present. "Meeting? I don't remember a meeting. If you have a question, Kusanagi, just ask so I can get back to this."
Eyes shifting uneasily behind her glasses, Miko crossed her arms and leaned forward to speak softly. "We need to have a private meeting, Dr. Mckay. It can't wait. You must come now." She bit her lip and widened her eyes, trying to convey something that Meredith just wasn't getting.
"Are you sure we have a meeting? Because if this is just you trying to get out of being publicly humiliated for a dumb idea, it's not going to work." Remembering that Miko was perhaps one of the best computer programmers on the planet, a gifted engineer, and the closest thing Mckay had to a friend the last few years, Mckay made sure to quickly add, "Not that you're dumb. You're very smart for someone with only two doctorates." Sending Miko an encouraging nod, Meredith turned back to the whiteboard and then looked down at the floor for her missing green marker.
Miko quietly cleared her throat. "Dr. Mckay? Meredith—" Mckay grabbed her green marker and looked up "—you will want to see this but it has to be now." Miko wrung her hands.
Blowing out a breath, Meredith capped her green marker and put it safely in her chest pocket. "Alright, I'm coming, but this had better be important."
Mckay looked around the room until she found the face she wanted. "Hey, Zardok, you're in charge until I come back. Make sure the experiment in lab three doesn't blow up while I'm gone and that no one touches my whiteboard." The Czech guy with the crazy hair had impressed her so far. They hadn't worked together before, but he was one of the most senior scientists here at Cheyenne Mountain and vocal about wanting to go to Atlantis, which showed good strength of character.
Instead of being pleased by her attention, his lips pursed with annoyance. "My name is Dr. Zalenka. Again. And I'm already monitoring lab three in the corner of my screen."
"Great," Mckay said, glancing at his work screen as she followed Miko out of the room. "Oh, you should switch the polarity on the second quadrant and reroute the exhaust on that if you want to improve efficiency by 23%, Dr. Zar—Zal—whatever."
Grinding his teeth at the mangling of his name—though it wasn't as if it was something common and easy to remember—he looked at his screen and blinked, expression falling into thought. "Fine. Is good idea, but will only improve by 18% not 23%. You missed wiring in quadrant one."
"What?! Where?" Turning on her heel, Mckay marched back over to his computer for a better look. Miko huffed (her shriek of irritation) and walked firmly (a stomp on anyone else) over to the doorway to wait.
"There," he said pointing to the wiring Mckay had initially dismissed.
"Huh," Mckay said. He was right. "I suppose so," she grumbled. She hated being wrong. "Obviously you deserve to be here, unlike most of the other monkeys. Why don't you keep an eye on the stuff being built in labs four and six too? They seem like the type to get inventive without checking their numbers first."
"Very well, now go away." He shooed her away from his keyboard, which she'd been reaching for. She only wanted to input a few minor changes. His current work looked interesting. She tried intimidating him with a look, but he ignored her.
Lips pursing, Meredith finally joined Miko, who hustled Meredith down the hall into her private office and closed and locked the door. "So what's so urgent?" Meredith asked.
Miko met Meredith's eyes, no longer quite so meek now that they weren't in public. "I was running some security updates for the IOA and stopped a hacker in the middle of stealing recordings of recent IOA meetings. Before I finish cleaning up his tracks, I thought you might like to… observe privately—as my boss—like a performance evaluation proving my effectiveness—the IOA meeting to decide the leadership candidates for Atlantis. I only have a small window of time before the new security program I input logs that the file is being accessed from my workstation. I will, of course, destroy the file afterward. If you are too busy, I will of course understand and check them privately myself before deleting the file." Miko tapped her finger on the metal monstrosity of a desk that they'd given her.
"No no, we definitely need to do your performance evaluation immediately. You are a genius and I should listen to you more often," Meredith said quickly, her heart jumping in her chest with anticipation. "Thank you."
Miko sent her a little smile. "I must confess that I am very curious to know what the IOA have planned for us scientists," she said with a twinkle in her eye. She went around her desk and logged into her computer. Meredith dragged up an ugly maroon chair as Miko's fingers flew across the keyboard, setting up extra security alerts and privacy programs.
They could get in a lot of trouble if anyone found out, but at least Miko already had their excuses lined up. Earlier that week, Meredith had tried to get access to the video file but been stopped by cybersecurity. Meredith hadn't wanted to risk getting caught when the stakes were so high, so she'd backed off.
Despite having confidence in her genius, Meredith couldn't help but tap her finger on her leg nervously. She didn't have a good history of being picked first for a team, a history that went all the way back to childhood. She tested very well but often bombed interviews. However, she knew she looked good on paper. The fact of her accomplishments was written out in black and white. Meredith was more than qualified for the job of lead scientist for Atlantis. She—Dr. R.M. Mckay—was the obvious and most logical best choice.
They had to see that, didn't they?
The video started with Chairman Strom, USA, bringing the meeting to order with boring formality. The members of the IOA sat around a large table in a room rich with oak paneling and sumptuous curtains. Their assistants, along with General O'Neill and his new aid, sat in chairs against the wall.
Miko chewed on her bottom lip. "Considering the extensive diversity of the human race and that this is supposedly an international body, I find it disheartening that the only person in the room that's not a white man is China's Shen Xiaoyi."
Meredith felt a bit disheartened herself. Having a single female voice wasn't very encouraging. "Yeah, we're not represented at all. They don't even have a Canadian or Japanese Representative on there." Miko nodded glumly as Meredith straightened in her seat and pointed. "I looked them all up, actually. There's Chairman Strom and Woolsey—fussy bald guy in glasses—for the US, Colonel Chekov in uniform for Russia, Chapman—white haired and snooty—for Britain, LaPierre—strangely fluffy reddish brown hair—for France, and Shen Xiaoyi—the lone woman, degree in Economics and Poli Sci—for China."
Leaning forward, Miko turned up the volume. "Here, they're finally starting."
Chairman Strom folded his arms on the table. "By now, everyone should've reviewed the personnel files submitted by General O'Neill. To recap, we have deciphered the gate address to Atlantis, which is in the Pegasus Galaxy. At our last meeting, we approved the funding to send an Atlantis expedition. They will look for technology left behind by the Ancients, especially anything that might be used in our current defense of Earth. We are here to evaluate the command staff submitted by General O'Neill for the Atlantis expedition: namely an Expedition Leader, a Military Commander, and a Chief Science and Research Officer."
"I still think the Expedition Leader should have a military background," interjected Colonel Chekov.
Britain's Chapman sighed loudly with annoyance as Strom answered, "Noted, but that argument was tabled. The rest of the committee has voted for a civilian to help balance some of the excesses and recklessness previously exhibited by Stargate Command."
Jack scowled in his chair against the wall, probably because most of the actions they so disapproved of were things he'd had a direct hand in. Everyone made a point of not looking in his direction.
"Since you brought it up, let's start with the position of Expedition Leader," Chairman Strom suggested.
"I think Dr. Elizabeth Weir is an excellent choice," Woolsey said, just as Meredith had expected. "Most of us are already familiar with her and her work. Her negotiating skills would be a great asset in dealing with new cultures, not to mention the inevitable scuffles between the military and civilian agendas."
"I concur," LaPierre of France chimed in, his fluffy hair bouncing as he nodded. "Dr. Weir has an adroitness that is sorely lacking in the current program. Additionally, I believe that she would be respectful and receptive to the IOA's directives for steering the program to success."
"But what if the worst occurs and the expedition is cut off from Earth with hostile enemies on every side?" Colonel Chekov said. "Do we really want a female civilian calling the shots?"
"Well, we all already know what an American Military-dominated program looks like," Xiaoyi said disapprovingly. "It's why the IOA was formed. We may be new, but we should know better than to repeat the mistakes of the past."
"Which is why the IOA has insisted on a civilian Expedition Leader for Atlantis," Chairman Strom answered with a cool smile.
"And why Dr. Weir would be the best choice," Woolsey added firmly.
Meredition crossed her arms and wrinkled her nose. "Not only does Weir have a great record, but she's also American. There's no way Strom and Woolsey will let the leadership go to anyone international, not that I want the Russians or the Chinese in charge. That way lies domestic weapons development and a recipe for WWIII."
"Most of the protests to Dr. Weir seem to be mere formalities at this point except for Colonel Chekov," Miko said.
After a relatively civil discussion, the committee voted to preliminarily approve Dr. Elizabeth Weir as Expedition Leader pending an additional psychological profile, background screening, and personal interview by the IOA committee.
Flipping over to a new page on his agenda, Chairman Strom cleared his throat. "Let's move on to the position of Chief Science Officer."
"Finally! Turn it up," Mckay said, leaning forward as Miko raised the volume.
Chairman Strom said, "General O'Neill has proposed Dr. R.M. Mckay for the position."
"Yes!" Meredith pumped her fist in the air in victory.
"—I find it reasonable that our leading expert on Ancient technology to go to Pegasus, home of the Ancients," Strom finished.
"While I haven't personally met Dr. R.M. Mckay, I've seen his name on numerous reports." France's LaPierre tapped the folder sitting in front of him in emphasis.
Meredith's smug grin froze on her face. "Wait, did he just say 'his' name?"
"Surely they must know you're female. Don't personnel files all include headshots?" Miko asked.
"Yeah, I don't photograph well, but I wouldn't say I look manly," Meredith grumbled softly, not wanting to miss what was being said.
Chapman, the British rep, cleared his throat. "Although undeniably a genius, Mckay's people skills can be lacking," he pointed out. "A subordinate with better social acumen might be a better choice. Dr. Troy Forrester, for instance."
"That bastard," Meredith growled, fist clenching on her thigh, angry all over again that she'd ever trusted Troy enough to get him hired and marry him.
"You're only suggesting Dr. Forrester because he's British. Doctor Mckay is Canadian—a good balance to Weir—and successfully spearheads the Ancient Research Division here on Earth," Woolsey argued, looking at Chapman disapprovingly over the top of his glasses. "She obviously knows how to get the job done. With Mckay in charge of the sciences in Atlantis, turnaround on useful technology coming back to Earth would be shorter. Dr. Mckay has also been in the program a lot longer than Dr. Forrester. I don't think we'd get any unexpected surprises on the personality front. Although arrogant, Mckay cooperates with authority and performs well under pressure."
Meredith's lips tightened. "I'm not arrogant, I'm confident."
Leaning forward, Colonel Chekov knocked on the table. "I haven't met Dr. Mckay, but I've heard rumors that he pushes his people too hard and isn't well-liked as a leader. That could be dangerous in an alien environment like Atlantis that offers no way to escape the situation."
"People like me," Mckay protested, "and I get results, which are what you all really care about anyway."
Chairman Strom straightened the papers in front of him. "I would think staffing Atlantis would be similar in some ways to staffing a submarine, where you're stuck with a small group of people in a limited space for a long period of time. I would think the psychological exams would weed out most of the personalities who'd do poorly in that type of environment," he said. "Hasn't Mckay passed all of his evaluations while working for the US government? Obviously, we'd have to rigorously evaluate Mckay's mental fitness once again if he's chosen, but being a strict taskmaster might be an asset in a posting like this."
Miko winced. "They said 'he' again."
"I know," Meredith tried not to moan, anxious and frustrated.
Woolsey tapped the file in front of him. "I don't think I could overstate the value of Dr. Mckay to the Stargate program. She's been primarily responsible for almost half of the technological innovations on the next generation stardrives. I heard that it's become something of a competition between Drs. Mckay and Carter to create the next best design."
Before Meredith could relax at the praise, Colonel Chekov shook his head. "All the more reason to keep Mckay on Earth. If the expedition is lost, our ability to adapt alien technology for our uses will slow down. I don't need to remind this committee that many of the alien races we've encountered are more technologically advanced than we are. Defending the Earth must always be our first priority. There are several great Russian scientists that could be counted on instead of this man to bring back the secrets of the Ancients for us. "
"We don't need soviet scientists when we already have Dr. Forrester in the running," Chapman said with annoyance.
Mckay wanted to reach through the screen and shove her green marker down both their throats.
Delicately clearing her throat, Xiaoyi tilted her head. "Excuse me, but I find myself confused. Isn't Dr. Rodney Mckay female? Yet several of you have referred to the doctor as 'he.'"
"Yes, thank you!" Meredith said, slapping the desk.
Heads swiveled up and down the table as people began flipping through their files with growing frowns. "Uh oh, that doesn't look good," Miko said, biting her thumbnail.
Mr. Woolsey steepled his hands. "Dr. Rodney Meredith Mckay is indeed female. Professionally she goes by Dr. R.M. Mckay."
"Two women in charge? Is that really a good idea?" Chairman Strom said to Woolsey, flipping through his notes.
Snorting in agreement, Colonel Chekov crossed his arms. "This is foolishness, especially with so many male soldiers and scientists on the expedition. Being led by two women could lead to mutiny if they find themselves under attack and unable to contact Earth for resupply or reinforcements. We need logic and duty, not emotional reactions when it comes time to make the hard choices."
"I do not like your implication, Colonel," Xiaoyi interjected. "Women can be just as logical and dutiful as men. Indeed, there is nothing inherently superior in a man versus a woman when it comes to great leadership."
After a moment of awkward silence, Chapman said smoothly, "I'm sure my colleague from Russia meant no disrespect to the female gender."
"Perhaps," LaPierre said, flipping rapidly through a new file, "Colonel Sumner could balance out having two women on the command staff? According to this record, he's very no-nonsense and by-the-book and seems unlikely to let a mutiny get off the ground."
"Excuse me," Woolsey leaned forward, "but I must point out that Colonel Marsha Sumner is also female"
"Are you kidding me?!" Meredith exclaimed. "This is ridiculous!"
"What? Aren't Marshall and Rodney both masculine names?" LaPierre asked with frustration, flipping to the front of the two files.
Expression controlled, Woolsey answered. "Traditionally, yes, but the Colonel's name is Marsha, not Marshall. In Dr. Mckay's case, she goes by Meredith with her close friends."
Miko blew out her breath. "They don't look happy."
"Come now, it could be worse," Xiaoyi said.
"How?" Chekov asked, lip twisting.
"At least they're all white," she said, lip curling.
Meredith and Miko looked at each other. "Please tell me she's being ironic," Meredith said.
Woolsey softly cleared his throat. "Colonel Sumner is an African-American woman."
Flipping through the files in front of him, LaPierre demanded, "Please tell me she's at least not Muslim."
Going stiff, Woolsey replied, "No, she identifies as non-denominational Christian."
"Well, at least there's that," Xiaoyi said in what was hopefully a very strange attempt at humor.
Pounding a fist on the table, Chekov barked, "This is madness! We can't have three females leading the expedition and representing Earth to a brand-new galaxy! What kind of message would that send? I respect the accomplishments of these—these young ladies, but first impressions are vitally important. This would make getting new allies more difficult and be perceived as a weakness. Our people would be under more threat, not less."
"They're middle-aged women, not teenagers," Xiaoyi frowned. "Nor do we know how an alien society would perceive a female command team. An asexual race like the Asgard or machines like the Replicators wouldn't even notice."
Leaning back in her chair, she smoothed her expression. "However, I have no attachment to the candidates themselves. There are many talented senior Chinese officers and scientists who could fill these leadership roles. I can retrieve their files if needed."
"Let's not get distracted. On this issue, I have to agree with Colonel Chekov," Chairman Strom said heavily, avoiding Woolsey's eyes as he broke ranks with his fellow American. "Most of the powers we do run into are offshoots of human. If the Atlantis expedition does run into a hostile power, a female-led expedition could actually increase the likelihood of an attack on Earth itself. I'm not saying I don't respect women—I still think Dr. Weir should lead the expedition—but there needs to be a balance. At least one if not both of the other heads should be men."
"Obviously we all respect women," Chapman said pompously, "but I think we can also all agree that a command staff made up entirely of woman wouldn't send the right message about the people of Earth. We need to be representative of our population."
"But if they're the best suited for their positions, should gender really matter?" Woolsey argued.
"It does seem like we're not going to find someone better at understanding Ancient technology than Dr. Mckay," Xiaoyi pointed out. "Being a woman hasn't impacted that."
Meredith was so angry she could barely see straight. "Of course it hasn't! I'm the best!"
"Shh!" Miko said, glancing uneasily at the door. "Keep your voice down so no one comes knocking."
Chapman—that British snake—spoke next. "Perhaps, but we can find someone very close. Dr. Troy Forrester is both male and the acknowledged runner-up to Dr. Mckay when it comes to understanding Ancient technology. Right now he's at the Ancient Outpost in Antarctica uncovering its secrets for our use. Dr. Mckay stopped working and fled back to Colorado in a snit because she refuses to work with someone she doesn't like. Do we really want to put someone so petty and ruled by hormones and emotions in charge of research in another galaxy? Research we might need to save the human race?"
Pulling a pencil off of Miko's desk, Meredith gripped it in both hands and snapped it.
"What about Dr. Carson Beckett? The man researching an artificial form of the ancient gene to allow more people to use the technology?" LaPierre said. "Perhaps he could head the sciences instead?"
Woolsey shook his head firmly. "Dr. Beckett isn't interested in leading the entire science staff. He's happy with his research and medical practice and his anxious and frankly timid approach to ancient technology would be a problem. Nor am I confident that he would stand up against pressure when questioned on something not related to medicine."
"Alright, let's stop for a moment. I don't know what O'Neill was thinking, but we need photos of these people," Strom said. "If we're going to decline Mckay and Sumner, I want to know what they look like first."
Breathing heavily, Meredith picked up the broken pencil and snapped it into smaller and smaller pieces.
O'Neill finally spoke up. "There was a mixup with the files when I switched admins. I apologize. My aide-de-camp can get those to you now. Captain Truesdale?"
"Of course, sir," she said, keeping her head down as she tapped at her laptop.
"Well," Miko said slowly, "at least the mixup wasn't because you looked manly in your picture."
Flicking a splinter of yellow paint off her pants, Meredith said through gritted teeth, "That's cold comfort right now."
"If you'll permit me," O'Neill said, standing up on the edge of the screen, "I can explain why we decided to put forth these three strong candidates for the command staff, irrespective of their gender. If you'll look at their accomplishments again, I think you'll clearly see that they are the best people for the job."
Colonel Chekov sneered in his direction. "To see clearly you have to start by not being so willfully blind. Power struggles among humans often default to sex, General. It is irresponsible to exclude it from a decision of this magnitude and hypocritical of you to preach egalitarianism when your country has nothing to back it up. America has never had a female President, your Military is dominated by men, and during your time in the Stargate program, you have recruited only a handful of women to positions of authority. Even you must recognize that in this case, a completely female command staff is not only unheard of, it is also ridiculous."
"Sit down, General O'Neill," Chairman Strom ordered when Jack was taking too long to formulate a response. "Your time to talk will come later." Turning back to the committee, Strom continued. "Obviously women have a lot to offer this program, but we also need to give this expedition the best chance to succeed."
"Let's table talk of the Research Head for a moment and switch to the military," LaPierre suggested. "If we decide to stick with Colonel Sumner, we can then look more closely at Dr. Forrester. If a different officer would better lead our troops, we can evaluate if Dr. Mckay would fit into that situation."
Woolsey frowned. "Whomever we choose, the military leader must be American since Americans are fronting the majority of the soldiers on this expedition. Need I remind you that that is non-negotiable?"
"For now," Colonel Chekov said coldly, "but if he must be American, what about Colonel Caldwell? I could work with him."
"Gentleman," Chairman Strom thundered, "and ladies, of course," he inclined his head to Xiaoyi, "we need to evaluate the current candidates before suggesting any new ones. Please."
After that, all momentum completely stalled. The IOA bickered in circles. By the end of it, the only person they could all agree on was Dr. Weir as Expedition Head, probably because they needed at least one thing settled so they could properly argue about everything else. The IOA finally decided to order a fresh batch of psychological evaluations and take a two-week recess to read over the files of several new candidates to compare to Mckay and Sumner. Then they'd reconvene.
The video ended. Miko deleted the file and began wiping her hard drive clean of any traces. "Meredith," she sighed and kept her eyes on the computer screen, "the IOA is full of oobakamono—very very stupid people. It is not fair, but at least not all hope is lost. You are brilliant. They will surely see that in time."
"Of course they will," Meredith said with brittle confidence. "I am a genius after all."
Tossing the broken pencil pieces into the trash, she stood up and squared her shoulders. "I'm going to go back to work, maybe do a walkthrough of the research labs. If anyone comes complaining to you, remind them of the extra tissues in the supply closet."
Miko pursed her lips. "I think they're already low after your walkthrough two days ago. Perhaps you should work out your frustrations in a less messy way? Perhaps by going to the gym?"
"A gym? Have you met me?" Meredith asked incredulously. "Dripping should come from the eyes of my minions, not my sweat glands. Besides, productivity is already up in our department and I've only been in the mountain a week. What I do works."
"Well, you know best." Smiling serenely, Miko met Meredith's eyes. "Good luck. I am glad to be working with you again after your time in Antarctica."
Clearing her throat, Meredith looked down. "Yeah, me too. It's nice to be stationed in the same place again. See you later, Miko, and A+ on the performance evaluation. As always, you do stellar work."
Meredith unlocked the door, lifted her chin, and strode off down the hallway towards lab one, patting her pocket to make sure she still had her green marker to correct everyone's mistakes.