CHAPTER NINE: VICKY'S ON FIRST
Colonel Schmidt had an airman bring him some lunch so that he could start reading the personal files on the O'Neills. The Captain's had ended over two decades with a bare outline of what had happened since. The Colonel's was much more extensive. It was hard to believe that two people could be put through so much and not be totally insane.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Jack decided to pester Daniel until he knew that Vicky would be with the doctor, and then he would go to Sam's lab. Catching up on paperwork never occurred to him.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Schmidt heard a light knock on his door and got up to open it himself.
"Captain, come in and have a seat. Can I call you Vicky?"
"Sure Doctor."
"Please call me Alex."
"OK, Alex. You don't want me to lay on a couch or something?"
Alex smiled and said, "Only if you want to. I find people are more comfortable sitting up. I guess the place to start is when you were killed, tell me about it."
"Nothing much to say, car blew up, I died."
"Was it painful?"
"Not really, it happened so fast that I didn't feel much. Next thing I knew I was laying naked on a table with a little gray dude staring at me."
"So, how did you feel about that?"
"How did I feel? It scared the crap out of me. Odin explained that I really had been killed but that he had beamed up bits of tissue and grew a clone and that I remembered everything of the original."
"Does it bother you to be a clone?"
"No, not really. I know logically that I am one, but I remember everything so I feel like I am the original. Maybe it would be different if there were two of us, but I'm just Vicky."
"Tell me about what came next."
"Well, Odin told me that he needed someone to help fight a race of people who were a threat to Earth. What else could I do? I had no idea how long it had been since the bombing, I didn't know how to get back to Earth, and even it I did, what would I say? Hey, I died but I'm a clone made by aliens?"
Alex chuckled, "I can see where that wouldn't be an attractive alternative." "So I spent a while being trained on Asguard and Go'ould technology and languages. I started out with fairly simple jobs and as I became more experienced I did more."
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Jack went to Sam's lab and for a few moments watched her work."
"So, Carter, whatcha ya' doing?"
'Working, Sir. Did you need something?"
"No, just thought I'd check on how you're doing. Haven't seen much the last week or so." Jack started fiddling with some objects on a nearby table.
"Well, Sir, a lot has been going on."
"True, true. So what do you think Vicky is talking to the shrink about?"
"I'm sure she has a lot to discuss with him." Carter looked up just then. "Sir, don't touch..."
"OOOWWWW!!! Jesus, Carter, what the hell was that?"
"It's a mini Zat."
"Why the hell would you make a mini Zat?"
"I didn't, Vicky did."
"Well, why would Vicky make a mini Zat?"
"She said that she got the idea when she was hiding from some Jaffa, Couldn't make a fire and she tried to Zat some food because she didn't want to have to eat it cold. She said that it turned out "rather crispy". So she designed a smaller, less powerful version that could heat food and water without over doing it."
"Actually, that's pretty cool. We need some of those."
"Yes, Sir. She's having Zippy make some then he will beam them down."
"He?"
"Well, if men can call their ships "she" then women should be able to call theirs "he"."
Just then there was a bright flask of light and a container of mini Zats appeared on a table at the end of the room.
"Cool."
'Sir, leave those alone until one of us has had a chance to give you a lesson in the proper use of them."
"You are just no fun, Carter."
Sam gave him a big smile. "Wouldn't want to have you hurt yourself again."
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
"Vicky, I'm very impressed at how you have been able to open up and talk about things."
"Well, I have been pretty much on my own with no one to talk to for over two decades."
"That had to have been very difficult."
"That was one of the two worst things about the time while I was gone."
"What was the other?"
"Being captured by Baal."
"Tell me about that."
"Baal is a really sick bastard, even for a Go'ould. His favorite trick is to torture you to death and through you in a sarcophagus to heal you up and start over."
"Sarcophagus?"
"A Go'ould devise that can heal you even bring you back form the dead if you have only been dead for a short time. It also becomes physically addicting so if you ever escape you go through withdrawal."
"That is horrible. Did you live on spaceships for the entire time?"
"I bet you never thought you'd ever be saying that to a patient, did you."
They both had a short laugh before Vicky answered Alex's question. "No I have a planet where I have a home and small farm."
"You have a planet?"
"You could say that. I'm the only one who lives there. I have some animals that don't need looking after and some small crops that also don't really need much care."
"Vicky, we made a good start today. I'll call the Colonel's office and get him to come here in about an hour."
"You should try Carter's lab, I'm sure he will be there."
"Really, Why?"
"They care a great deal for one another and he likes to spend time there."
"You don't mean they're..."
"No, they are both to military to break the regulations."
"Does that bother you, how they fell about one another?"
"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me some, but I know I have no right to object because Jack thought I was dead."
"I'll see him in a little while and then I want to see both of you for a joint session at 0800 hours tomorrow."
"Great, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that," she said with obvious sarcasm.
Colonel Schmidt had an airman bring him some lunch so that he could start reading the personal files on the O'Neills. The Captain's had ended over two decades with a bare outline of what had happened since. The Colonel's was much more extensive. It was hard to believe that two people could be put through so much and not be totally insane.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Jack decided to pester Daniel until he knew that Vicky would be with the doctor, and then he would go to Sam's lab. Catching up on paperwork never occurred to him.
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Schmidt heard a light knock on his door and got up to open it himself.
"Captain, come in and have a seat. Can I call you Vicky?"
"Sure Doctor."
"Please call me Alex."
"OK, Alex. You don't want me to lay on a couch or something?"
Alex smiled and said, "Only if you want to. I find people are more comfortable sitting up. I guess the place to start is when you were killed, tell me about it."
"Nothing much to say, car blew up, I died."
"Was it painful?"
"Not really, it happened so fast that I didn't feel much. Next thing I knew I was laying naked on a table with a little gray dude staring at me."
"So, how did you feel about that?"
"How did I feel? It scared the crap out of me. Odin explained that I really had been killed but that he had beamed up bits of tissue and grew a clone and that I remembered everything of the original."
"Does it bother you to be a clone?"
"No, not really. I know logically that I am one, but I remember everything so I feel like I am the original. Maybe it would be different if there were two of us, but I'm just Vicky."
"Tell me about what came next."
"Well, Odin told me that he needed someone to help fight a race of people who were a threat to Earth. What else could I do? I had no idea how long it had been since the bombing, I didn't know how to get back to Earth, and even it I did, what would I say? Hey, I died but I'm a clone made by aliens?"
Alex chuckled, "I can see where that wouldn't be an attractive alternative." "So I spent a while being trained on Asguard and Go'ould technology and languages. I started out with fairly simple jobs and as I became more experienced I did more."
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
Jack went to Sam's lab and for a few moments watched her work."
"So, Carter, whatcha ya' doing?"
'Working, Sir. Did you need something?"
"No, just thought I'd check on how you're doing. Haven't seen much the last week or so." Jack started fiddling with some objects on a nearby table.
"Well, Sir, a lot has been going on."
"True, true. So what do you think Vicky is talking to the shrink about?"
"I'm sure she has a lot to discuss with him." Carter looked up just then. "Sir, don't touch..."
"OOOWWWW!!! Jesus, Carter, what the hell was that?"
"It's a mini Zat."
"Why the hell would you make a mini Zat?"
"I didn't, Vicky did."
"Well, why would Vicky make a mini Zat?"
"She said that she got the idea when she was hiding from some Jaffa, Couldn't make a fire and she tried to Zat some food because she didn't want to have to eat it cold. She said that it turned out "rather crispy". So she designed a smaller, less powerful version that could heat food and water without over doing it."
"Actually, that's pretty cool. We need some of those."
"Yes, Sir. She's having Zippy make some then he will beam them down."
"He?"
"Well, if men can call their ships "she" then women should be able to call theirs "he"."
Just then there was a bright flask of light and a container of mini Zats appeared on a table at the end of the room.
"Cool."
'Sir, leave those alone until one of us has had a chance to give you a lesson in the proper use of them."
"You are just no fun, Carter."
Sam gave him a big smile. "Wouldn't want to have you hurt yourself again."
~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~
"Vicky, I'm very impressed at how you have been able to open up and talk about things."
"Well, I have been pretty much on my own with no one to talk to for over two decades."
"That had to have been very difficult."
"That was one of the two worst things about the time while I was gone."
"What was the other?"
"Being captured by Baal."
"Tell me about that."
"Baal is a really sick bastard, even for a Go'ould. His favorite trick is to torture you to death and through you in a sarcophagus to heal you up and start over."
"Sarcophagus?"
"A Go'ould devise that can heal you even bring you back form the dead if you have only been dead for a short time. It also becomes physically addicting so if you ever escape you go through withdrawal."
"That is horrible. Did you live on spaceships for the entire time?"
"I bet you never thought you'd ever be saying that to a patient, did you."
They both had a short laugh before Vicky answered Alex's question. "No I have a planet where I have a home and small farm."
"You have a planet?"
"You could say that. I'm the only one who lives there. I have some animals that don't need looking after and some small crops that also don't really need much care."
"Vicky, we made a good start today. I'll call the Colonel's office and get him to come here in about an hour."
"You should try Carter's lab, I'm sure he will be there."
"Really, Why?"
"They care a great deal for one another and he likes to spend time there."
"You don't mean they're..."
"No, they are both to military to break the regulations."
"Does that bother you, how they fell about one another?"
"I'd be lying if I said that it didn't bother me some, but I know I have no right to object because Jack thought I was dead."
"I'll see him in a little while and then I want to see both of you for a joint session at 0800 hours tomorrow."
"Great, I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to that," she said with obvious sarcasm.