Chapter 82

Michael Coldsmith-Briggs the Third arrived at the airfield with Marella in the white limo. Neither were sure what was so urgent that String insisted they speak immediately but came nevertheless.

Marella mentioned, "Odd to have String call for an emergency meeting on Christmas Eve. I figured he would be spending time with his family at the cabin."

Michael agreed, "His parents would insist." He then pondered aloud, "KITT informed us of a fifth timeline shift resulting in String's parents being spared from a boating accident. I don't recall the old timeline where they died. I wonder how much has changed for him and the crew."

Marella agreed, "Five timeline shifts can result in a lot of changes."

The limo parked at the field and Archangel opened the door. He and Marella climbed out and soon made their way to the side door. Upon entering they glanced about at the decorations and tree.

Marella smiled, "Tree looks nice."

They then spied a cot set up near the office surrounded with cameras. On a small table was a laptop computer attached to the cameras and sensors arrays. Next to the cot was a hear rate monitor and a EEG to monitor brainwaves. Curious they made their way to the office were they could voices rising.

In the office were a few new faces: Colonel Steve Austin, Jamie Sommers, Captain Apollo, Dr. Rudy Wells and Oscar Goldman.

Archangel recognized the men of the old and now defunct OSI program. A slight smile crept across the man's face, "I see they resurrected the bionics program."

Dom rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me. The FIRM knows all about Steve and Jamie too!"

"Of course." he agreed.

Marella was a bit taken, "The Six Million Dollar Man program." She then introduced herself, "I read your files, Colonel Austin. It's my pleasure to meet you." She offered a hand.

"Pleasure is mine." Steve told her. "This is my wife, Jamie."

Marella greeted with a handshake, "Pleasure is mine Mrs. Austin."

"I kept my maiden name." she informed. "It's still Sommers."

"My apologies." she replied sincere.

Sam's lack of a filter kicked in once more. She injected, "Do what my mom did and hyphenate it. Mrs. Jamie Somers-Austin."

Steve stated amused, "I did suggest that."

Jamie stated, "A woman doesn't have to take her husband's name. It's the 80's after all!"

Sam stated, "In my time most don't even bother getting married. You got married! Change your name and go by Mrs. Austin. It's kind of a rarity to see that."

Jamie asked her, "Whatever happened to women's lib in your time?"

"Women's lib? Heck, we have transwomen now." she told her.

She asked, "What's a trans….woman?" She looked to Steve who shrugged with no idea.

String became rather blatant and huffed, "Men!"

She cocked her head, "I don't understand."

"Men who want to be women." he told her. "I just watched the news from 2022. This guys, decides he's a woman, he's bigger than me, just won all the women's swimming competitions."

Jamie asked, "Wait! What?" She looked to Steve.

Sam got an idea, "Let's take Jamie to the future and let her compete!" Her eyes lit up, "She could beat the transwomen in sports and then a biological woman can win again."

Jamie stated, "I can't compete in sports. That would be cheating. I would win every time with my bionics."

Sam insisted, "You would level the playing field."

"Huh?" she gasped confused.

String grinned, "She would! I would like to see that myself." It was apparent that Stringfellow Hawke did not agree with the decision to allow transwomen to compete in women's sports as they was a physical advantage for the transwoman.

Marella spoke, "I would ask what happens in 2022 but now I am afraid too."

Sam crossed her arms and miffed, "Women's lib is dead."

String cocked his head in thought and had to agree, "It kind of is."

Caitlin countered, "Women's lib is not dead. It's just 2022 is kind of nuts."

Dom had to agree, "You can say that again." He complained, "Men in woman's sports. Men in the ladies' room. In the women's prisons." He spoke to Sam, "I tella ya, Sam when we go back and if there is some guy in the ladies' room with you or Caitlin, you let me know. I'll take care of him." He clenched his fist.

She confessed, "Half the time I can't tell if they are a guy or a girl so…" she shrugged.

Dom agreed, "Neither can they."

Archangel asked, "Is there some kind of mass identity crises in the future?"

"And how!" Dom insisted.

"I see." Archangel stated. "So what is all this?" he motioned towards the cot and equipment.

String stated, "That's for Sam. We're going to monitor her as she attempts to contact the Galactica. We're waiting for Ralph and Bill to arrive. We're going to see if we can use Ralph and the suit to establish a two way communication with the ship."

"I see." he nodded. "I received the briefing notes and read them on the way. A lot has happened since our last meeting."

"Lot has happened." String agreed. "Dr. Wells will run the equipment to monitor Sam's vitals. I got some sensitive cameras from 2022 hooked up to a laptop to gather energy signatures. That info will be sent directly to KITT and ZIGGY via wormhole to the other side and the two will work on analyzing it in real time."

"Sounds like a plan." Archangel agreed.

As they spoke the side door opened once more. In walked Ralph with Bill and young Tony. The trio greeted.

"Merry Christmas!" Tony cheered bearing a bag of gifts. He simply came to wish them a happy holiday and arrived at the same time.

Ralph greeted, "Merry Christmas everyone."

Bill cheered, "I like the tree! Merry Christmas."

They came closer to the office upon walking across the hangar.

Tony spied the cot and equipment, "What's going on?" He looked to Sam concerned.

Sam gave him a warm smile, "I didn't expect to see you. Aren't you spending the holidays with your family?"

"My father is a drunk." he stated. "He always gets worse this time of year. Funny, I know how he dies, when he dies. I tried to help him and didn't make any difference. Instead, he threw me out. I'm staying in Mr. H's house until graduation." He confessed, "I honestly thought I had enough information that maybe I could help him. I couldn't."

Ralph placed a supportive hand on his shoulder, "Some people just don't want to be helped, Tony."

"I figured that out." he agreed. He looked at the cot again, "That's set up is not for you, is it, Sam?"

"It is!" she nodded.

"Ralph told me about the ship." he mentioned. His eyes landed on the strangers, "Which one of you is Apollo the space alien?"

He held up a hand, "That would be me."

Tony offered a hand, "I never met an actual space alien before."

He confessed, "I never saw myself as that to be honest." He shook Tony's hand.

String cocked his head and asked, "You play flight simulator on the computer in the future, Tony?"

"I do! That and a few Navy combat games." he replied wondering why String even asked.

"Hmm…" he pondered.

Steve asked, "String?"

"In the future the computer games are far superior to the games we got. They have virtual flight simulators you can play on a home computer." he told him. "I wonder if that would be enough training to get Tony in the cockpit of a Viper."

"Viper?" Tony asked. "What plane is that?"

Apollo stated, "It's not a plane. It's a fighter craft on the Galactica. Sam can use the nanites to virtually connect a number of minds to the Galactica. We can appear as holograms. The nanites can make those holograms solid so we can remotely fly the Vipers. The Galactica is down on pilots. We're in a war with the Cylons and we think they have already established contact with Earth or at least Balter has. The Galactica is on her way as we speak. We're about to send Sam to the Galactica virtually so she can get a message to my father on how to approach Earth and to be aware of any Cylons that maybe hiding in your solar system or on Earth itself."

String added, "It's like a video game for us. In order to go the subject must be asleep. We are going to have Ralph wear the suit, hold Sam's hand as she sleeps and makes contact. We think the nanites can use Ralph as a bridge so we can talk through Sam to the Commander about the situation on Earth in real time."

Tony stated, "That's a heck of an experiment."

He agreed, "It is!"

Apollo added, "Baltar is dangerous. He could already be on Earth and manipulating you like he manipulated us. I don't know if he has the full backing of the Cylons. We need Sam to get that information when she projects onto the Galactica."

Tony looked at Sam in the eye, "You sure you want to do this? It sounds dangerous."

"I've already done it a few times." she informed. "I have to get the update to Adama." She glanced at the cot and let out a sigh, "Just wish I could use my own bed in my own room. I'm sure I would more comfortable sleeping there."

Dr. Wells stated, "We will be right here monitoring you for your own safety."

She gathered herself and spoke, "Mr. H. Put on the suit and I'll get myself ready to sleep. Hopefully this will work."

Ralph stated, "I'll get changed in the bathroom." He held up a small case and then headed towards the bathroom to change.

Sam then turned and started to walk away.

String called out, "Where are you going?"

"I have to get teddy." she explained and went to her room in the back of the hangar.

He stood befuddled, "Teddy?"

The group watched as Sam soon emerged with a well worn teddy bear in her arms. She went to the cot holding her childhood bear. She sat down and took off her boots to attempt the experiment.

Tony picked up the old bear, "Teddy has seen better days, Sam."

She snatched the bear from his hand, "He's my bear. Leave him alone."

Caitlin stood by and asked, "How were you able to sleep in the nurses' tent without teddy?"

"Not very well." she confessed. She slipped her feet under a blanket and then grasped the toy bear tight. She laid down feeling simply awkward. She let out a deep sigh.

Caitlin then teased, "Would you like to be tucked in and have a warm cup of milk too?"

She replied, "Some time in the future, when I am a little kid and you are babysitting me, the answer will be yes." She then went on, "And I want my own room at your place, Aunt Cait and I expect to have sleepovers with you and Uncle String when I am little too."

Caitlin smirked, "That's fine as long as I get to paint your future room at my house pink."

She squinted, "Cruel."

For a brief moment String could envision a different future with his niece as a child. She would be coming over to his home for sleepovers and to have fun with her aunt and uncle. He soon lost himself in the dream as he imagined a child size version of Sam learning music and aviation. He would be there to teach her how to paint and play the drums properly. He could see a small blonde haired girl running, giggling and laughing around the cabin as he chased her in a game of hide and seek. He emerged from his dream upon hearing Ralph's voice.

"I'm all changed." he stated emerging from the rest room.

Apollo took one look at the symbol on the suit and blinked. "It's the sign of the founders of Kobol."

Tony spoke up, "Didn't Willie in that other reality say it was the sign of the Peacekeepers."

Apollo grinned, "The founders of Kobol were the Peacekeepers." He looked upon the symbol once more, "An ancient people from a more elegant time."

Sam looked up Apollo's t shirt and recalled the line from Star Wars when the protagonist was handed his iconic weapon. She got an idea and decided to see if it would work. "An elegant weapon from an more civilized time." she grinned at her friends. "The line from Star Wars when Obi Wan gives Luke Vader's light saber."

String shrugged, "And?"

"I wonder if the nanites can make a real light saber." she replied.

"I have no idea." he balked at the notion.

Caitlin suggested, "You can always give it a try, Sam."

"Right!" She then sat up in bed for a moment holding Teddy. She closed her eyes and stated, "Nanite dudes…make me a real light saber like from the movie Star Wars."

Before her on the bed a light saber appeared. Sam opened her eyes and then made a face for it didn't look much like imagined. It looked rather fake to her. She lifted the article up, "This looks like a movie prop."

String grasped the prop from her hands and inspected it. "That's because it is a movie prop." He glanced at the audience who stood by rather astonished at what they witnessed.

"But I wanted a real one." she complained.

"The commands, Sam." he reminded her. "The nanites take things literally with the commands. You said a real light saber from the movie. The nanites brought you a prop from the movie." He handed it back to her, "Send it back but wait for me to start recording the energy spikes." He walked over to the cameras and the computer. He gave a motion of the hand, "Now Sam."

She growled, "Okay nanite fucktards. Send the prop back to where you got it." The prop then disappeared.

String grinned, "I got the energy signature."

Archangel stated, "I see the language has not improved all that much." He referred to the cursing.

Caitlin shook her head, "It hasn't." She gave Sam a displeased look. "When I'm your aunt and you are a little kid, we are working on your manners."

"Whatever," she shrugged it off. She laid back down on the cot and raised her hand, "Okay! Let's try this shit."

Ralph scooted to Sam's side in a chair and grasped her hand as String warned her. "Me and Cait will both be working on your language young lady."

She challenged, "I'll hold you to it." She closed her eyes, "Okay nanites. Bring me to the Galactica."