RILEY:
"So, who are we going to annoy?" I asked Jack as we walked down the corridor.
"Well, the way I figure it," Jack replied. "Is that the main shift should be ending soon and we could ask one of them."
"But we just had breakfast!" Daniel exclaimed.
Jack smiled. "So we did."
"Jack!"
"The reason is because we are 12 hours behind everyone." Mia explained.
I snorted. "Well, that was one hell of a sleep in." I quipped.
When I heard the words come out of my mouth, I felt a rush of happiness and a pang of sadness at the same time. I was beginning to sound like the woman I had once been. But I would never be that woman again – but the words brought none of their despair or bitterness that they always had. It was now more a statement of fact than anything else. I had lost too much, seen too much and fought too hard to be that rather innocent woman. I had changed, but that didn't mean I couldn't have the same sense of humour or friends as I had once had.
By this time we had almost reached the bridge. And we saw two familiar faces walking towards us. Tom Paris and Harry Kim. As they passed us, deep in conversation, Jack came up behind them and slung his arms around their shoulders. Both of them glanced up, startled. "So, what do you kids do around here to have fun?" Jack asked.
"Colonel?" Harry said in surprise.
"Yeah?" Jack answered.
Tom grinned. "What do you think Harry?"
Harry looked at Tom and slowly grinned in return. "Yeah." He said. "Why not?"
Tom turned to Jack. "Have you guys ever heard of a hologram?"
"Oh, yeah." Daniel said. "Holograms are cool."
Jack looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?" Daniel asked.
"Holograms are cool?"
"Well, they are." Daniel said defensively. Jack just grinned.
Tom smiled at Harry. "Remind you of anyone?" he asked softly.
"Yeah." Harry grinned. "Us."
I looked at Harry and Tom. "You should hear them when they really get started." I said.
Pictures flashed through my mind. Seeing the old SG-1 in the mess hall. Going through advanced training under Colonel O'Neill – with Daniel. Hearing Jack and Daniel argue as the walked down the corridor, back when I was still a member of SG-5. Hearing them in the infirmary.
I smiled softly. "What exactly do we do with these holograms, then?" I asked.
"We have this thing called a holodeck." Tom explained. "It's kind of a big metal room."
"And how is that fun?" Jack asked.
"We can turn it into anything, anywhere." Harry said. "Using holograms."
"Anything?" Mia asked.
"Anywhere?" I said.
Tom nodded. "Basically, yes."
He looked at Harry. "Maybe you could help us with something..." he continued.
"We're trying to write a program." Harry took up the explanation. "An action/adventure set in the late 20th early 21st Century."
I looked at Jack, and saw the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I guess we could take a look..." he said.
* * *
An hour later, I was having fun for the first time in a long time. It seemed Tom and Harry were writing a program based on our war with the Goa'uld – except it was rather, well, bad. They really didn't seem to know much about it. Their idea of a car looked like a cross between a beached whale, and of all things, a toaster. Go figure. And the Goa'uld System Lord looked like some kind of mad octopus. That sight had made us all laugh hopelessly. It was just too ridiculous to be scary – particularly after all the System Lords I had 'met'.
"All right." Tom said, sounding frustrated. "How does this look?"
We all watched as a holographic door was thrown open and a tall man entered, two large warrior-types at his back. Their clothes looked Egyptian and authentic, if elaborate – thanks to Daniel's input. The two guards carried fancy staff weapons, and also wore fancy clothes. Tom seemed determined to make things look dramatic.
The man's eyes flashed white. "Bow down before your God!" he said, and for a second, I actually thought there was a actual Goa'uld in the room.
"That's good." I said. Then I grinned. "Almost believable."
"Almost believable?" Tom echoed.
"Yep." Jack agreed. "I think this his skin needs to be a shade lighter."
"And his clothes are still too white." Daniel added. "You need to make them a shade darker."
Tom shot us all a glare, but Jack just grinned back. Harry was trying to hide a smile. "They're just teasing you, Tom." He said.
"I know." Tom sighed.
At that moment the doors swished open and B'Elanna entered. "Out, Tom." She said. "It's my turn."
She was dressed in workout clothes and carried a wicked looking blade. I was intrigued. What was she going to do?
"Well, I don't know about anyone else," Daniel said. "But suddenly, I'm starving."
"Me too." Harry said.
"I wonder if they have any blue jello?" Jack asked.
Daniel brightened. "Yeah."
"What's blue jello?" Tom asked as he gathered all his things.
"Only the best food in the Universe." Jack told him. Then he looked at Mia and me. "Coming?"
"No thanks." Mia said. "I'm going to go explore the ship."
Jack nodded. "Riley?"
"I'll join you later, sir." I said. "I want to go to the gym for a bit."
He nodded again. "C'mon Danny. Let's go find some jello."
Jack and Daniel left, followed by Harry and Tom. "Are you going to tell me what blue jello actually is?" I heard Tom ask as they walked away.
Mia had already slipped away, and I turned to leave. "If you really want a workout, you should stay." B'Elanna said, startling me.
I turned to find her staring at me. "That is, if you're up to it." She challenged.
"Always." I said.
B'Elanna smiled predatorily at me. "Good." She said. "Computer, run program Torres Alpha One."
I smiled back as the room changed around me, just as wickedly as B'Elanna. I drew my knives from the ever present sheaths on my arms as B'Elanna lifted her blade. This was going to be fun.
"So, who are we going to annoy?" I asked Jack as we walked down the corridor.
"Well, the way I figure it," Jack replied. "Is that the main shift should be ending soon and we could ask one of them."
"But we just had breakfast!" Daniel exclaimed.
Jack smiled. "So we did."
"Jack!"
"The reason is because we are 12 hours behind everyone." Mia explained.
I snorted. "Well, that was one hell of a sleep in." I quipped.
When I heard the words come out of my mouth, I felt a rush of happiness and a pang of sadness at the same time. I was beginning to sound like the woman I had once been. But I would never be that woman again – but the words brought none of their despair or bitterness that they always had. It was now more a statement of fact than anything else. I had lost too much, seen too much and fought too hard to be that rather innocent woman. I had changed, but that didn't mean I couldn't have the same sense of humour or friends as I had once had.
By this time we had almost reached the bridge. And we saw two familiar faces walking towards us. Tom Paris and Harry Kim. As they passed us, deep in conversation, Jack came up behind them and slung his arms around their shoulders. Both of them glanced up, startled. "So, what do you kids do around here to have fun?" Jack asked.
"Colonel?" Harry said in surprise.
"Yeah?" Jack answered.
Tom grinned. "What do you think Harry?"
Harry looked at Tom and slowly grinned in return. "Yeah." He said. "Why not?"
Tom turned to Jack. "Have you guys ever heard of a hologram?"
"Oh, yeah." Daniel said. "Holograms are cool."
Jack looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?" Daniel asked.
"Holograms are cool?"
"Well, they are." Daniel said defensively. Jack just grinned.
Tom smiled at Harry. "Remind you of anyone?" he asked softly.
"Yeah." Harry grinned. "Us."
I looked at Harry and Tom. "You should hear them when they really get started." I said.
Pictures flashed through my mind. Seeing the old SG-1 in the mess hall. Going through advanced training under Colonel O'Neill – with Daniel. Hearing Jack and Daniel argue as the walked down the corridor, back when I was still a member of SG-5. Hearing them in the infirmary.
I smiled softly. "What exactly do we do with these holograms, then?" I asked.
"We have this thing called a holodeck." Tom explained. "It's kind of a big metal room."
"And how is that fun?" Jack asked.
"We can turn it into anything, anywhere." Harry said. "Using holograms."
"Anything?" Mia asked.
"Anywhere?" I said.
Tom nodded. "Basically, yes."
He looked at Harry. "Maybe you could help us with something..." he continued.
"We're trying to write a program." Harry took up the explanation. "An action/adventure set in the late 20th early 21st Century."
I looked at Jack, and saw the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "I guess we could take a look..." he said.
* * *
An hour later, I was having fun for the first time in a long time. It seemed Tom and Harry were writing a program based on our war with the Goa'uld – except it was rather, well, bad. They really didn't seem to know much about it. Their idea of a car looked like a cross between a beached whale, and of all things, a toaster. Go figure. And the Goa'uld System Lord looked like some kind of mad octopus. That sight had made us all laugh hopelessly. It was just too ridiculous to be scary – particularly after all the System Lords I had 'met'.
"All right." Tom said, sounding frustrated. "How does this look?"
We all watched as a holographic door was thrown open and a tall man entered, two large warrior-types at his back. Their clothes looked Egyptian and authentic, if elaborate – thanks to Daniel's input. The two guards carried fancy staff weapons, and also wore fancy clothes. Tom seemed determined to make things look dramatic.
The man's eyes flashed white. "Bow down before your God!" he said, and for a second, I actually thought there was a actual Goa'uld in the room.
"That's good." I said. Then I grinned. "Almost believable."
"Almost believable?" Tom echoed.
"Yep." Jack agreed. "I think this his skin needs to be a shade lighter."
"And his clothes are still too white." Daniel added. "You need to make them a shade darker."
Tom shot us all a glare, but Jack just grinned back. Harry was trying to hide a smile. "They're just teasing you, Tom." He said.
"I know." Tom sighed.
At that moment the doors swished open and B'Elanna entered. "Out, Tom." She said. "It's my turn."
She was dressed in workout clothes and carried a wicked looking blade. I was intrigued. What was she going to do?
"Well, I don't know about anyone else," Daniel said. "But suddenly, I'm starving."
"Me too." Harry said.
"I wonder if they have any blue jello?" Jack asked.
Daniel brightened. "Yeah."
"What's blue jello?" Tom asked as he gathered all his things.
"Only the best food in the Universe." Jack told him. Then he looked at Mia and me. "Coming?"
"No thanks." Mia said. "I'm going to go explore the ship."
Jack nodded. "Riley?"
"I'll join you later, sir." I said. "I want to go to the gym for a bit."
He nodded again. "C'mon Danny. Let's go find some jello."
Jack and Daniel left, followed by Harry and Tom. "Are you going to tell me what blue jello actually is?" I heard Tom ask as they walked away.
Mia had already slipped away, and I turned to leave. "If you really want a workout, you should stay." B'Elanna said, startling me.
I turned to find her staring at me. "That is, if you're up to it." She challenged.
"Always." I said.
B'Elanna smiled predatorily at me. "Good." She said. "Computer, run program Torres Alpha One."
I smiled back as the room changed around me, just as wickedly as B'Elanna. I drew my knives from the ever present sheaths on my arms as B'Elanna lifted her blade. This was going to be fun.