Chapter 24 – A Tight Spot
Sam stood on a bench in the women's locker room so that she could see her reflection more clearly. She smiled at the image of the young girl in the mirror. She was outfitted in the standard SGC uniform, complete with the emblem sewn on the left sleeve. Sam rolled up that sleeve as it was a bit uncomfortable on her cast. She brushed her hair and pulled it back into a loose ponytail; it wouldn't do to get her hair caught in anything!
Sam hopped down and put her tennis shoes back on. They didn't quite look right with the uniform but it was the best she could do. At least they were comfortable! She stood on tiptoe once more, opened her mouth and jutted out her lower jaw. That loose tooth was even more crooked today than it was yesterday! God, I hope it doesn't come out anytime soon, Sam thought to herself. That would be so embarrassing!
Pulling her shirt down tightly, Sam left the locker room and headed down to the gate room where Sgt. Siler awaited her. She smiled pleasantly to other SGC members as she passed and ignored the ones who gave her incredulous stares. She couldn't do much about other people's opinions and thoughts at any rate.
Sam entered the control room to what on the surface appeared to be organized chaos. Technicians were shouting back and forth over the loud buzzing of the computer alarms. Siler was desperately trying to direct several tasks at once and failing miserably. Sam took in her surroundings quietly, trying to decipher on her own what the current problem was. Colonel O'Neill had indicated that whatever had happened wasn't too serious – this looked very serious to her!
Just then, two airmen raced up the stairs, practically bowling her over. "Hey, who let this kid in here? Get her out!" shouted the one who had knocked into her.
Before Sam could say a word, Siler interrupted. "Major Carter?" he asked, looking directly at her.
"Yes Siler, it's me. Even though it may not look like it, I am here; in the flesh! See, it even says Major on my uniform!" She smiled as she pointed to the label that Lieutenant Cooke had sewn onto her shirt.
The room quieted down immediately as everyone turned to stare at her. Several of them had seen her in her current state a few days ago but some hadn't. She gave them a few moments, then said in as authoritative a voice as her eight year old lungs could muster, "Now that we've gotten the staring session out of the way, why don't you tell me what's going on here. I'm sure the General would appreciate us getting things back to normal as soon as possible."
Several people began to talk at once, relieved that their foremost gate expert was once again among them, even if she wasn't exactly herself! She took over with the same cool confidence they had come to know and it was a relief to every person in the room.
"Major, we were running a standard diagnostic when main control indicated a problem with the electrical currents running through the gate," began Sgt. Siler. "Upon closer inspection of the gate, we found several loose connections. We repaired them but the computer is indicating that there is still something wrong. Sgt. Davis began a more in-depth analysis when the computers went haywire. Alarms are going off indicating several major breakdowns in the gate safeguards, but we can't find anything wrong."
"On top of that," one of the senior technicians observed, "We have seen blue smoke coming out of the back of the gate whenever we try and dial out."
"Blue smoke?" Sam queried. "That's never happened before. Have you checked the new computer modules that were installed a few months ago?" The scientists in area 51 had devised a means to keep the gate from overheating and allow for smoother operation. This had resulted in small computer modules; referred to as CMD's, being placed in strategic areas within the framework of the gate itself. So far, they had worked very well and even enabled the SGC to dial out faster.
Siler looked at Sam, then back at Sgt. Davis. "I did think of that. Unfortunately, the CMD's are placed so far under and within the Stargate that we are having a difficult time reaching them. We have isolated the CMD's that are inoperable. They are within the lower half of the Stargate. I've tried to take them out to reformat or replace them but the opening is too narrow. Lieutenants Fields and Joy are working on a tool that can reach that area of the gate."
Sam looked thoughtful for a moment, then walked over to the main computer. "The first thing we have to do is get these computers back on-line. Davis, we'll need to perform a synchronized shut down. On my count; 3,2,1...shut down."
The room became blissfully quiet as the alarms and various beeping noises ceased. Giving it a few moments, Sam nodded to Sgt. Davis and they restarted the computers simultaneously. A huge sigh of relief could be heard around the room as the computers went back to normal; no alarms could be heard.
"Now what, Major Carter? We still can't dial out with the smoke shooting out every time we try. Plus the main system still indicates a problem with the CMD's," Sergeant Davis turned to the minuet Major and awaited her response. General Hammond took that moment to enter the room.
"Major Carter, it seems you have things under control here. I'm glad you were able to join us. Update please."
"Sir, I think one of the CMD's we installed in the main framework of the gate is shot. It might be short circuiting our electrical system, causing the warnings and short-outs. It should be easy to fix, once we reach the area where the CMD's are housed."
General Hammond nodded at her explanation. "How long do you think this will take Major? I currently have three teams off world and one of them is due back in two hours. Another is in semi-hostile territory."
Sam looked to Siler, who shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure how long it would take Fields and Joy to create a usable tool. They were brilliant, but these things take time.
Sam squared her shoulders and looked at the General. "We have some men working on a tool to extract the CMD's. Unfortunately, that may take some time." At his concerned look, Sam continued, "I do have an idea though sir. One that shouldn't take long at all."
After telling them of her plan, General Hammond had expressed serious doubts to its sanity and safety. However much confidence he had in her abilities, he was not prepared to send one of his best officers, who currently looked like a child, into a situation where she could be electrocuted! Upon further reflection and explanation from Major Carter and the other technicians present, he changed his mind and allowed her to go ahead. Several off-world teams might be endangered if they didn't get the gate up and running soon. She assured him that any risks would be minimal, so he gave her and her team the go ahead.
This is why Colonel Jack O'Neill, Daniel and Teal'c entered the control room to find a dozen people hovered near the windows, looking intently at the scene unfolding below them.
"What's going on down there General? Someone having a party they didn't invite us too?" He let his gaze wander around the crowded room, trying to locate a small blond girl in green fatigues. "Where's Carter?" he asked no one in particular.
"Down below Colonel. She's figured out what's been happening to the gate and is currently attempting to fix it." General Hammond explained to the three new members of the rapt group.
Jack strained to catch a glimpse of the tiny figure. With all the heads in the way and the scientists crowding around the bottom of the gate, he couldn't make out much of anything. Daniel expressed his thoughts before he could.
"I don't see her anywhere. What exactly is she doing?"
"Major Carter believes that one of the CMD's that was recently installed has shorted out, causing the rest of the gate to malfunction. It's apparently interfering with the electrical currents within the system. Unfortunately, the CMD's that are out of commission are located under the gate by the ramp and are in a rather narrow channel. There's no way to reach them without a special tool that can fit the opening. Major Carter believes that, since she is currently so small, she will be able to successfully retract the CMD using her hands. Well, her one hand," he amended.
Jack looked in horror at the General. "And you just let her go down there, crawl under the gate and stick her hand somewhere that has umpteen million volts of electricity running through it!"
"Easy Colonel. I too had my doubts about the wisdom of this operation, but Major Carter assured me that she and the other technicians would be safe. All electrical power to the gate has been shut down and all safety precautions are being taken. I am concerned about our gate being down for very long. There are several teams off world that may need to gate home quickly. I can't take the chance that they will be stranded in a hostile situation."
Jack looked to Teal'c and Daniel, then led the way down to the gate room. If anything happened, they were going to be there to help her out.
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Sam placed the large light on the ground under the ramp and looked up at the panels on the gate. Using a screwdriver, she unscrewed the panel she thought held the defective CMD and set aside the parts. Peering inside, she could just make out the CMD. She reached inside with her right hand as far as she could, relieved that she could grasp the piece of technology. She unclipped the CMD from its port and brought it out to the light. Sam slid out from under the ramp and handed the device to Siler, who inspected it closely for any apparent flaws.
"I don't see anything wrong with this one Major. Let me run it through our diagnostic program quickly and we'll see if this is the one," he told her.
"OK Sgt. I'll wait here," Sam replied as she reclined against the side of the ramp. No sense getting up if she was going back under again. She looked up as a familiar voice reached her ears.
"What kind of cockamamie thing are you up to now Carter? Did you not, just an hour ago, promise me that you wouldn't get into any trouble?" came the sardonic voice of her CO.
Sam grinned up at him, the smile lighting up her eyes, "I'm not in trouble Sir. Just working on a run of the mill repair job. What brings you here?" She included Teal'c and Daniel in her question.
"We were coming for our 1000 briefing, which I forget to tell you about by the way, when we saw the crowd gathered in the control room. Next time you put on a show, remind me to bring along some popcorn!"
Sam looked up at the crowd in the control room and smiled. "Not many of them have seen a little kid working on the Stargate! I wonder what they'd do if they saw me on my bike!" she waggled her eyebrows at the idea.
"Don't even go there Sam," he warned in a serious voice. Jack hunkered down next to her and looked under the ramp at the opened panel beyond. "So, you know what you're doing here?"
"Pretty much. Siler's testing the CMD that I took out. If it's not the right one, I'll put it back and try the next one. I'm hoping it's one of the four on the bottom, at least, that's what our diagnostic test indicated. Otherwise, it's back to square one," she informed him.
"Are you certain this is safe Major Carter? You are much smaller than your normal self," the Jaffa needlessly reminded her. "Could you not get injured more easily?" he asked with concern.
Sam smiled at him reassuringly, "I'll be fine Teal'c. We've turned off all power to the gate for now. The CMD's hold some residual power, but it shouldn't be enough to do any serious damage should one decide to self destruct."
At her words, all three of her team mates looked at her in alarm. "Self-destruct?" they asked in unison.
"There's only a very small chance; nothing to worry about," she assured them. She didn't care to mention that she wasn't precisely sure how big of a blast could incur when it was in self-destruct mode.
Siler came back and handed the CMD to her. "This one checks out OK. Hopefully it's the next one," he stated.
Sam took the device and began to head back under the ramp. She was stopped by a hand grabbing her leg. "Carter, are you sure about this? With your track record lately, something is bound to break, explode or cause some other misery." Jack closely regarded her as she answered.
"I will be fine Sir. I'm the only one who can reach inside and get these CMD's. I'm certain nothing will happen," she stated confidently.
"None-the-less, Teal'c, Danny and I will be right here, just in case you're wrong."
"I'm rarely wrong Sir," she answered him cheekily before turning back to Sgt. Siler. "I'll be right back out with the next CMD, Siler," she told him as she once again made her way under the ramp to the lower portion of the Stargate.
Sam replaced the undamaged CMD and moved to the next panel. As she took out the next device, she was aware of a hot, tingling sensation at the tip of her fingers as soon as they came into contact with it. This must be the one, she thought to herself as she carefully took it out and scooted backwards from under the ramp.
"I think this is the one. It's giving off a small electrical impulse as we speak. It must be holding some residual current. It generated its own electrical field somehow and that is why it's throwing off the rest of the gate," she stated.
"Uh Sam, should you be holding that if it's giving off an electrical current?" Daniel asked doubtfully. Everyone around Sam had backed off slightly as soon as she said the words. Giving off an electrical impulse when not hooked up to a power source was never a good sign.
Instead of giving the CMD to Siler, Sam stood up, with a hand from Teal'c, and carried it over to the computer they had brought in to do the diagnostic test. "It's a very minor current Daniel," she assured him. "Nothing to worry about."
"Famous last words," she heard the Colonel mumble behind her.
Sam chose to ignore him, instead hooking the device up to the monitors that would relay information about any defects or abnormalities that might be in the CMD. While she waited, she instructed Siler to get one of the spare devices ready to be placed within the Stargate. She wanted it up and operational as soon as possible. They would have to run a quick diagnostic before going back full strength and she knew the General was anxious for the latter to happen ASAP.
Sam was watching the computer monitor, along with several other technicians. That she had to stand on a crate which had been brought in was not mentioned by anyone. Everyone gave her a clear view of the screen and deferred to her with any and all questions regarding the readouts they were receiving. All of a sudden, the chatter around the computer stopped. Sam's voice could be clearly heard throughout the room.
"Oh my God, this can't be right."
All eyes swung her way as she loudly yelled, "Everyone out of the gate room. Now! This CMD is going to self-destruct in 30 seconds!"
Chaos ensured once more as people scurried for the blast doors, carrying all essential materials they could. Sam jumped down from the crate and looked frantically around the room for the containment box that she had brought in for just this purpose.
Jack was beside her in an instant. "Come on Carter, we've got to get out of here!" He took her arm as if to pull her toward the door.
Sam pulled away with all her might. "No! We have to cover the CMD. I don't know what kind of an explosion will occur. It could be enough to render the gate inoperable!" She spotted the box she had been looking for. Knowing that the box was heavy and Teal'c could move faster than she could, she pointed it out to him. "Teal'c! Quick, grab that black box and bring it over here. We can contain the explosion with it."
Teal'c did as she requested, placing the heavy box over the small computer device. They turned to run out of the room, and were just steps from the doors when the explosion knocked all four of them to the ground.
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A/N: Yes, I know. I am evil! You have to give part of the blame to iamdragonrider. She gave me this idea with an earlier comment about needing a small body to fix a problem at the SGC. Plus I am trying to keep my Queen of Suspense award for a little longer! Please note, any and all technical mumbo jumbo is completely fabricated in this chapter. CMD's are a figment of my imagination so please don't write and tell me that this couldn't possible happen...I already know that! And maybe I lied...it might be more than 4 more chapters but not too many more! Thanks for the super reviews and all of the support during this little story of mine! :)