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Sorry guys I really couldn't help myself with this one :-) Please keep in mind that this is unbetaed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
That seemed to take them all by surprise for a moment as they all stared at Sam in shock. She took a deep breath forcing her voice to stay calm and low, while on the inside her mind was frantically trying to figure out the dangers this posed to the colony. "They gave us everything we needed to run this city. Everything we needed to make the colony successful was here waiting for us. They download information in my mind that would help us settle in and learn to work everything almost painless. It's clear that even if we don't understand how or why they knew we were coming, that they wanted us to be able to establish our home and live our lives here. So why would the leave out such important information?"
Janet could sense her wife rising panic. Sam was one of the best soldiers she had ever seen. She was strong, smart, capable, and willing. She knew the dangers or any mission and she always went in prepared. She was a strong commander and a brilliant scientist. She knew when it was necessary to follow orders without question and when it was necessary to question orders. Her ability to question had upset many superior officers, but Janet knew it was one of the reasons she was such a great officer herself. She never took anything at face value.
Janet also knew that while her wife was a prime example of what a soldier should be she also had one flaw. She was afraid to fail. She was terrified of failing, not in her mission but her wife, her child, her friends. She knew that Sam was scared that she would somehow be responsible for messing the mission up and stranding over 500 people in a distant galaxy with no way home. It was an unfounded fear, Janet knew, but it was her fear none the less.
Janet could see Sam struggling so she reached over and captured her lover's chin in her hand. Cupping it gently she turned Sam's face towards hers, "Look at me Sammy." She ordered in a soft voice. She knew that others were watching, but at this moment she didn't care. Her wife needed her and that was all that mattered. She kept her voice low enough so that only Xena and Gabrielle would be able to over hear them. "I'm sure that she didn't include the information because there is no longer a threat." When Sam went to argue she cut her off, "Listen to me, love."
"They eradicated the virus. They destroyed it all and wiped all the information on creating it from the databases." She wanted to make her wife understand. "The only information left is just reference. They wouldn't leave something around that would harm others. They couldn't cure themselves, but it wasn't even passed on through their children. It affected only them. It was contained to only them. It no longer poses any danger to us, Sammy. I promise you." She was reassured to see the panic fading from the blue eyes that she loved so much.
Sam took her time staring at her wife, her rock, her lifeline. She knew she was being foolish and that Janet would have come to her straight away if there was a real threat, but she couldn't help fearing for her family. She had to keep them safe. Eventually she nodded in acceptance to what her lover was telling her. Forcing herself to clear the thoughts from her mind and switch back into command mode. Taking a breath she looked around the table and asked, "What else have we found out? Anything of importance?"
"Nothing too different then last night?" Gabrielle answered, sensing Sam's need to concentrate on something else. She would never envy Sam's position as leader, but she did admire her for it. "I've got teams in the labs going through the data base to see what is available, before I decide what needs to be focused on first. I also have some people in the armory, chair room, ZPM room, and on the recon teams. They are all like little kids in a candy store."
Her last comment caused them all to laugh as they continued on with their meal. Once they were finished Sam and Xena took their partners empty plates with theirs and returned them to the end of the food line, where the kitchen staff was waiting to clean up. Sam spoke briefly with the young Captain who was in charge of the kitchen and told him that she would meet with him tomorrow and take a tour of their set up. As she listened to him briefly explain that they found everything they needed to run the kitchen she had to wonder yet again about the fact that the city seemed to be set up for them.
"Something just seems off about all of this." Sam confided in Xena as they made their way to the hall and their waiting spouses. "The City has been abandoned for thousands of years and yet it is in almost perfect shape. It's supplied to house not a small group, but a colony. A colony like we have planned and even larger numbers. The data base includes instructions on how each program works and what it does. They wouldn't have needed instructions to work their own systems. It's like they knew someone would be coming to live here."
"Well they did have that prophecy." Xena reminded her as they joined Gabrielle and Janet who were talking quietly.
Sam shook her head, "There's more it than that. There has to be."
Xena nodded in agreement. She had felt like there was more going on here that met the eye. She didn't feel it was dangerous or sinister by any means, just that it was more complicated than that had yet to discover. "I have a few minutes before I'm supposed to meet the first group of scientist for training, Colonel. I'll stop by and have a word with Doctor Jackson and have him expand his search."
"Alright." Sam said with a nod and looked at Gabrielle. "You ready to head to your lab and take a look into these replicators?"
"Sure thing." Gabrielle agreed as she turned to her lover to say goodbye.
Sam turned to Janet with a soft smile, "Are you going back to the infirmary?" Janet nodded up at her wife. "I'll see you this evening for the briefing, and then what do you say to getting some food and taking it back to our quarters for dinner?"
Janet smiled and reached up to cup the blonds face, "That sounds good but I have a better idea, my love." When Sam raised an eyebrow she went on in a whisper, "why don't I arrange for Dinner to be served at our meeting? That way when we get home you and I can focus on other things."
Sam smirked at her implied meaning as she leaned down and kissed her wife gently before pulling back, "It's a date them my love."
Janet kissed Sam one more time before turning to look at Xena. "Come on Colonel Taylor. Walk an old woman to her office." Sam snorted at the old woman comment but Xena just smiled and gave a theatrical bow.
"After you." She waited for Janet to pass her before adding, "Grandma." This caused Janet to shoot her a dirty look and Sam and Gabrielle to laugh.
"Come on Gabrielle." Sam said after she had managed to stop laughing, "Let's see what trouble we can get into."
Gabrielle she smiled in agreement and led the taller blond to what she had claimed as her lab. They entered the lab immediately took a seat at one of the computer screens. Gabrielle looked at her boss, "How much time have you had to look at the computer terminals? Or how much information did Artemis give you about them?"
"I haven't had a chance to play with them myself, short of in our meetings." She saw Gabrielle's smile turn mischievous before she narrowed her eyes and asked, "Why?"
"Well it seems that Artemis didn't give you complete information after all." Gabrielle teased. "I discovered this this morning." Turning to the computer she tapped the screen to turn in on, but instead of typing in her search parameters she said, "Computer, Pull up all diagrams and files on the Replicator systems."
"Searching…" Came the computerized response.
Gabrielle saw Sam's eyebrows shoot up. "Damn that's cool." She said in awe as she watched the list start forming on the screen." The listed consisted of over 3 dozen hits. "This will take a while." She stated needlessly. "I'll take the other computer and start with the data base and instructions, if you want to take a look at the operations diagrams."
"Sounds good." Gabrielle agreed and turned to pull on the first file, while Sam moved to another station and reran the search before getting started. They both spent several hours in relative silence trying to figure out how the newest system worked. They only spoke briefly to ask the other a question about their reading or to point out something interesting they had found.
Sam had finished reading about how the program worked and had a very good idea about how she could add new items. It seemed that the technology worked off the same base theory as the Ancient's transports in the city, by breaking down a pattern and then rebuilding it. That's how it was also how it was about to clean cloths and dishes. It would break down the pattern and then store in a buffering system until it was requested to re create it. She really was in geek heaven Sam silently mused as she pulled up the list of items already available in the system and started scanning through it.
Down towards the end of the list she saw something that interested her greatly. "Hey Gabrielle, come here for a minute." The small scientist saved her place and moved to join the tall Colonel. "Look at this" Sam said pointing to the list of categories.
Gabrielle scanned down the list; clothes, food, games, equipment, tools were all listed until she came to a category labeled 'Adult only'. She shared a raised eyebrow with Sam before Sam asked, "Computer. Pull up items contained in Replicator Category, 'Adult only.'
"That Category is restricted to persons 16 or older." The computer informed them, "Biometric identification is required."
Sam looked around and found one of the many hand scanners. She placed for her hand on the square and waited for the system to identify her. She knew they were all now in the system after having to key their information in before they were allowed access to their quarters.
It took a few seconds for it to process, "Identification confirmed as Colonel Samantha Carter, Leader of the City." The list was pulled up and they began to scan through it.
It contained anything from Adult entertainment, to clothes, to "Sexual Toys." Sam read allowed in disbelief. The computer took it as a command and accessed that particular file. Sam and Gabrielle both had to snort in laughter as page after page of pictures and product descriptions were presented to them. "Damn, this has a better selection than Pleasures at home did." Sam said out loud without meaning to. She shot a look at her younger friend and as soon as Gabrielle saw the red tint to her cheeks she burst out laughing.
"Xena and I didn't get a chance to go to any before we left." Gabrielle said with a smile, trying to put the Colonel at ease. She knew that like most of the career military, her own fiancée included, Sam had trouble adjusting to the new realities of the situation. She had problems remembering, at times, that it was alright to be both friends and a CO at the same time. "I thought Xe and I would have to just do without until I figured out a way to get some sent to me without bringing any attention to us."
Sam stared at the young woman for a whole minute in shock before she started to laugh, now completely at ease. Once she was able to regain control on her amusement she looked at Gabrielle. "Well, we do have to test out the replicators if we ever want to use them." She said she a smirk. "And I think I know just what to start with."
Gabrielle couldn't help be return her smirk as they started replicating certain items for testing.