The young Carter seated in the back of the black SUV, next to Sheppard. A sergeant confirmed to the general the situation was clear before closing the door behind Carter. Two enlisted men were escorting the general: the sergeant who closed the door and another one. The two men were watching the area, outside the car with tinted glasses. Carter felt she was in an espionnage movie. That was both exciting and disturbing.
Sheppard started the conversation:
"Would you mind if I called you Maryanne?"
"No, sir."
John baffled the young woman by talking about her time as a cadet and her aunt:
"I read your essay for the Academy. Your aunt is a model for you, isn't she?"
"I think she's an inspiration for all young women, sir. Not just for those who wish to join the armed forces. I would have never thought about joining the Air Force, and in particular, being a pilot, without her... Well, my uncle deserves some credit, too."
"Has she or your uncle ever told you what they were doing?"
"They once said they were working for a space surveillance and research division."
"Do you know what they're doing now?"
"My uncle retired years ago, and my aunt's the head of this division."
The conversation didn't make any sense to Maryanne. She questioned the general:
"Excuse me, sir, don't get me wrong, I love my aunt and my uncle and I would be very pleased to talk about them, but may I ask what they have to do with this conversation?"
John Sheppard instantly became less relaxed than he had been so far.
"Maryanne, in fact, I'm here to recruit you."
The young lieutenant frowned. The general developed:
"I'm looking for pilots for a highly confidential mission. Your profile is exactly what I'm looking for."
Suddenly, Sheppard took a deep breath, and declared afterwards:
"Lieutenant Carter, what I'm about to disclose is the most top secret matter of the entire History that will change everything you thought you knew forever."
The temperature inside the car seemed to severely drop.
"Sir, you're scaring me." Carter admitted with a worrying face.
"Maryanne, your aunt, your uncle, and I did work together. Except it had nothing to do with simple space surveillance and research. We worked for the Stargate Program."