Chapter 7
Sam walked with Sophia and June as they made their way to breakfast. She listened in as they chatted the entire way making Sam feel like the third wheel.
June asked Sophia, "Your mom and dad don't get along? Your dad is a nice guy."
"They get along better now," she informed, "but when they were getting divorced and for a few years afterwards they had a lot of issues. Dad couldn't talk about his job and worked weird hours and my mom assumed he was cheating on her because he often spoke about a woman named Sam that he liked." Sophia then puckered and looked back at Sam walking behind them. "Hmm…"
June stated, "All the guys here have a crush on my mother! She's SG-1."
Sophia gasped at Sam, "You're SG-1!"
Sam nodded, "I am."
"Your team is famous," she told her. "You know Colonel O'Neill!"
Sam nodded, "Very well."
June added, "She's in love with him. I think they should get married. He loves her."
Sam rolled her eyes, "Body language doesn't dictate love."
Sophia told her, "You wanna know what we called your daughter during boot camp?"
Sam asked, "What ya call her?"
"Watson," she stated. "She's a regular Sherlock Holmes! She can look at something and tell you all about it. It's freaky."
"It's the photographic memory," Sam told her.
Sophia shook her head, "This is more than just memory. I think she should become a detective. She wants to go play in the woods and be a Forest Ranger. I'm not gonna let my best friend be a Forest Ranger! She should be a cop or a doctor."
"I like doctor," Sam smiled.
They arrived to the commissary and went to gather their food. Sam took a waffle as Sophia gathered yogurt and toast. She glanced over at June who got cereal and a piece of fruit. She spied the Froot Loops and asked, "Froot Loops, June?"
She complained, "They don't have any Captain Crunch."
Sophia looked at Sam, "Your kid lives on cereal, chocolate and coffee."
Sam rebutted amused, "Who doesn't live on sugar, carbs and caffeine?"
She squinted, "You're kid said the same thing to me when I told her that."
Sam smiled and laughed silently to herself. She turned and found Walter sitting at a table and waving to Sophia. Sam decided to sit with him so they could chat. She followed June and Sophia to the table and took a seat. "Morning Walter," she greeted him.
"I see you met Sophia," he smiled.
"I did," she nodded.
Sophia sat across from her father and stated, "This is my friend that I was writing to you about, Dad…June Carter…The next Sherlock Holmes."
Walter admitted, "I was wondering if you were the same June Carter my daughter met in boot camp." He then asked, "Are the rumors true? I heard June is Major Carter's daughter." He looked to Sam for some confirmation.
"She's my daughter," she admitted. "I was a teenager and it was right after my mother died. I had a boyfriend in high school and we got close and I got pregnant. My father made me give her up for adoption but something went wrong and she ended up in a string of foster homes. Her records were never sealed and I'm legally still her mother."
"Wow," Walter replied amazed.
June asked, "What about my father? What's he like?" Seeing Sophia with Walter made her wonder about her own father.
Sam smiled, "He's a great guy! You're a lot like him; you have his hair and his eyes. I think you have my nose. He's a test pilot in Area 51. He knows all about this place, what I do and I want you two to meet each other. He doesn't know about you yet. I moved before I found out that I was pregnant and I decided not to tell him because you were supposed to have gone to a loving family and I know he would have tracked you down. He's kind, funny and very smart. His name is Cameron Mitchell…"
Sophia gasped in interruption, "Major Mitchell is her father!" She looked at June and then realized she did have his hair and eyes. "Oh' god, I met your father in 51 and he's drop dead gorgeous. All the women want him…"
"Including you apparently," June noted.
"I never said that," she huffed.
"Your pulse rate just jumped, you started to perspire and your breathing increased. Your eyes dilated and then well, I don't have to explain your voice jumped three octaves higher." she informed.
Sam cocked an eyebrow for she didn't notice those subtle changes. She noticed Sophia seemed excited but not with such detail. "How could you tell her pulse jumped?" she asked.
June tapped her temple, "The temporal vein was pulsing faster than normal. It's dropped back to normal now. Her pulse rate is 75 beats a minute."
Sam reached over and grabbed Sophia's wrist and took her pulse using her watch. She had the same conclusion. "Huh, I got the same. You can see details that fine?"
"I know this sounds kind of weird but it's like my brain can take a picture and then zoom in on that picture in real time." she explained.
"See," Sophia stated as she checked her own pulse to see what she would get. "She's like Sherlock Holmes."
Walter stated, "With a gift like that she could be assigned to a SG team." He took a sip of coffee and then looked at Sam for her reaction.
Sam pondered the notion.
June asked, "Doing what? Everyone on a team is a specialist of some sort. I'm still training for medic."
Sam figured, "You could walk into a site of ruins, scan it and your mind would process the scene in fine detail. You would be able to see dangers before we could. Remember how fast you shut down the Gate in that drill?"
June nodded.
"You can see things that most can't," she told her. "You not only have a photographic memory that extremely accurate but your mind can process that information faster than a computer and you gather that information and make conclusions at breakneck speed. If you were to be put in a cockpit you would be one of the best pilots…" she suddenly pondered in thought for Cameron Mitchell was one of the best pilots in the military as a whole.
"My father is a pilot," she stated.
Sam nodded still in thought.
"I wonder if he has a photographic memory?" she asked.
She pondered for Cameron Mitchell was exceptionally talented but seemed to play his abilities down…Much like Jack O'Neill would. She bit her bottom lip in thought, "I wonder…"
Later That Day
Major Cameron Mitchell stood in the elevator sporting an A-2 leather jacket over a green flight suit. He was called into the SGC for a meeting but not debriefed on the natured. He was requested to land the plane he was piloting at the nearby Air Base. The elevator came to a halt and slid open. He stepped off and found Sam waiting for him with Daniel standing by her side. He gave a warm smile, "Sam!" he tried to play it cool with Dr. Daniel Jackson, "Jackson."
Daniel came for emotional support for Sam and not to be patronized by some hot shot pilot. He didn't appreciate the surname and replied with a "Mitchell."
Cam sensed the tension and was simply amused. He stood before Sam, "So what did General Hammond want to see me about?"
"Walk with me," Sam replied.
They started down the hall with Daniel right behind them. Sam started, "Remember when we were kids in high school?"
He nodded, "I remember that. You were my first girlfriend. We had a lot of fun. Then your mom died and you had some real problems with it. Your dad got transferred and then it was years before I saw you again in the Academy. We had some good times."
"We did," she agreed. "There is something you need to know. Right after my father got transferred I found out I was pregnant."
Mitchell came to a halt and looked at her. "What? What happened to it?"
"I couldn't bring myself to have an abortion after my mother died so I gave her up for adoption." she explained. "Well, my father did…thing is the adoption fell through and she ended up going from foster home to foster home until she was an adult. I never knew that. Her records were never sealed and she joined the Air Force and got stationed here. She wants to meet you if that's okay with you."
"Of course that's okay with me," he told her. "I have a daughter!"
"You were never listed on the birth certificate but yes, you do." she nodded.
"What's her name?" he asked.
"June Carter," she told him. "She's enlisted, is a senior Airman going through medic training. She joined to get money for college. She has a very detailed photographic memory that you should know about."
"I have a photographic memory," he admitted.
"You have one," she sighed as figured it helped him become such a good pilot.
"Yeah," he confessed. "I don't tell everyone because people kind of take advantage of it once they know." he looked back at Daniel, "And you're here because?"
"I'm here to emotionally support Sam," he told him. "She was nervous about telling you."
Mitchell asked, "Why would she be nervous? Had I known I had a kid I would found her years ago."
"That's why she was nervous," he informed.
"Ah," he slowly nodded in realization.
They continued down the hall to the briefing room. At the table sat George Hammond at the head of the table with Jack O'Neill with June Carter to the side. June sat beside Jack for support as she was nervous about meeting her father for the first time.
Mitchell came to attention before the officers, "Sirs."
Hammond assured him, "This is an informal meeting, Major. Have a seat."
"Thank you sir," he replied and walked over to the table. He sat across from June and wondered if she was his adult child. He noticed the name badge, "You must be June."
She looked upon him. He was just like described. She gave a warm smile, "I am."
"I'm glad I got a chance to meet you," Mitchell told her.
"So am I," she replied warmly.
Jack told him, "Your kid is pretty cool. She's got this amazing memory…"
"I have it too," he confessed.
Jack asked, "What?"
"I have a photographic memory that is fairly accurate," he admitted. "I don't tell anyone because then they treat me like I'm a walking encyclopedia looking for crossword puzzle answers."
"That happens to me all time," June sat up. "Do you see extreme detail?"
"You mean when you can see someone's vein pulsating on the side of their head?" he asked and nodded.
Sam sat down and wondered, "Can you see when eyes dilate, breathing increases and they begin to sweat?"
"Not that extreme," he cautioned with his hand." The memory helps me with controls and flying. I also learned a few languages with it."
"June can see extreme detail," Sam stated, "Her friends Sophia called her the next Sherlock Holmes."
"My grandfather had it to that extreme. He could look at a pair of muddy shoes and tell you where the mud was from." he informed. "That's hereditary!"
June stated, "I do have some questions speaking of things being hereditary. Is there any family history of disease I should know about? Like diabetes, glaucoma, cancer, mental illness…stuff like that?"
"For the most part we are all healthy," he informed "except for my one aunt who was self-proclaimed witch…She was a little nuts…" he admitted.
June looked at Jack for a moment and then asked her father, "What's your favorite color?"
"Citrine," he stated.
June looked at Jack, "What does that mean?"
"He's cautious, down to earth, thinks things through and is very precise. Knows what he wants to how to get it." Jack told her. He caught Mitchell's odd look. "We are doing color meanings." he smirked.
"Ah," he gave a nod wondering why.
Hammond then spoke up, "June…Now that you know your father's name if you wish you can have your birth certificate amended and his name added. You don't have to change your name…just add his for records."
June pondered, "I'm not sure I should."
"Why?" Mitchell asked.
"I was in foster homes and I was never adopted. The state paid for me and once they find out who you are they might come after you for back child support." she feared. "That could be a lot of money for a kid you never knew about and never saw."
Sam asked, "Would the state come after me or Cam for repayment for her foster care?"
"I will look into it to see if that is an option," Hammond assured. "Under foster care the object is reunite the child with the parents, not keep the child until adulthood. Also, June…You first name is actually blank. June was penciled in by a clerk when the state needed a name for you. You have the option of making June official or choosing another name."
June pondered the idea, "Change my name?"
Sam told her, "Had I been given the chance to name you it would have been after my mother, Debra. Debbie would be your name."
June soured, "I don't think that's a good fit for me. I'm kind of weird anyways. I'm use to June."
"I would have named ya after my favorite author," Mitchell proclaimed.
"Which is?" she asked.
"Jules Vern," he smiled.
Sam grinned, "Or Julie!"
"June is fine," she told her. "Women have been named after months before. Look at April and Augusta."
Jack kidded her, "If I named ya after a month it would be October."
"Why?" she asked amused waiting for the joke.
"Because it's fun," he admitted. "The leaves change, you get some big old pumpkins and get dressed up and scare Daniel." Like clockwork Jack got his favorite linguist once more.
Daniel called from outside the door as he waited for Sam, "I heard that!"
