Author's Notes: Warning! There's quite a bit of cursing in thischapter - it's all in foreign languages, but it IS translated at the end of the chapter. Mind the kiddos on this one, folks.
Chapter 2 - Fitting in
See you soon.
The colonel's parting words echoed in Ariana's head as she collapsed on the bed in her base quarters three days later. After Daniel had dropped her off at the infirmary that first morning, she had not seen any of the other members of SG1 until today.
SG1. These four people comprised Stargate Command's premier off-world team. Her friend, Daniel, had been instrumental in translating the inscriptions that had allowed people from Earth to travel to another world! The very enigmatic man named Teal'c was an alien! Ariana knew that if she'd had the energy to write her thoughts in her journal, every sentence would have appeared laughable to anyone reading them. Her mind was buzzing - these people were doing incredible things - and they wanted her to be a part of it all.
The poking and prodding and tests that she had been subjected to by the diminutive Dr. Fraiser had taken up the bulk of her first day at the SGC. Being an MD herself, Ariana was a little puzzled by the in-depth nature of the examinations but Janet, as the CMO had asked to be called, explained that they wanted baseline measurements for everything on their personnel. Ariana had found herself liking the other woman immensely, chatting with her throughout the day about everything from infectious diseases, one of Janet's specialties, to the medical equipment that military teams carried with them into the field. Finally, after she had been immunized for everything under the sun, she had been sent off to see the base quartermaster to be outfitted.
Sergeant Travis, the quartermaster, was a jolly little man who had laughed at her expression as she watched the pile of uniforms and equipment growing on the table before her. He had explained that they were uncertain as to which unit she would be assigned, but that she should come back to see him as soon as she knew. She had nodded dumbly and followed his assistant down to the locker rooms where the airman helped unload everything into her locker.
Her second day at the SGC had been even more confusing. After entering the briefing room to discover that she was the only female, and the only civilian, present she'd had her world blown apart. The entire day had been taken up with a detailed explanation of the Stargate, the SGC and their allies.
This morning, at least, they had set her tasks with which she was familiar and that required little of her concentration. Ariana smiled to herself as she recalled the events of the day.
Upon entering the firing range, she had glimpsed the others who had been in the briefing room with her the day before. She'd walked up to the four men with a friendly smile and after a couple of uncomfortable moments they had all introduced themselves. Three of them were USAF Special Forces: Airman Henry Thompson, Lieutenant Jesse Gutierrez, and Sergeant Donnie McDaniel. The marine in the group, Sergeant Caleb Metcalf, was Force Recon and had been less than welcoming.
When the marine master sergeant in charge of range instruction, Sergeant Bradley, had called them together moments later, they discovered that the five of them would be going through the SGC skills evaluation and training together.
He'd surveyed them all and looking at the four military men said, "Most field teams have a civilian specialist assigned to them. It will be your responsibility as trained soldiers to keep your civilians out of trouble while they do their jobs; some of them have a real talent for finding it. Training with Dr. Farrell here should give you some good practice." The smile Bradley shot her had not been unkind, and she'd begun to relax a little.
Metcalf had sneered when Bradley pulled her aside. "Dr. Farrell, ma'am, do you have any experience with guns?"
In a moment of perversity, she'd opened her eyes to their fullest extent and looked up at him through her lashes. Letting her slight Texan accent thicken she said, "Well, Master Sergeant, I've gone huntin' before and shot a handgun a time or two."
She had heard a soft groan and a quickly stifled snort of disgust from the men behind her. Bradley had shot them all a quelling glance. Ariana had heard several whispered comments as the range instructor selected an M-9 pistol for her and ushered his class back to the firing line after they'd collected their own weapons.
By this time, the firing range had begun to fill up as active members of the SGC came in for their own practice time. Bradley had allowed the four men to precede Ariana. The three SFs all achieved more than acceptable scores during their turns. Then Sergeant Metcalf had swaggered up to the firing line. After beating the scores of the other men, the marine had turned to sneer at Ariana. "Now let's see how you measure up, Sweetheart."
The range instructor had given her an encouraging smile. "You say you've done this before, Dr. Farrell. Let's just see how you do before I give you any pointers. Slow and easy, ma'am."
Ariana had smiled back at him, trying to hide her nervousness. "Exactly so, Sergeant Bradley." After checking her weapon and donning ear protectors and shooting glasses, she had faced the target, feet shoulder width apart, gun gripped in both hands. Regulating her breathing, she'd raised the M-9 and squeezed off sixteen shots of her own. Taking a step back, she'd checked the pistol and put it down with its slide secured, saying "Weapon clear, Master Sergeant."
Bradley had retrieved the target, gazing at it thoughtfully. There had been only one hole anywhere near the center of the target, but the other fifteen rounds had still hit the paper. At that point, Ariana had almost jumped out her skin when a low feminine chuckle behind her was followed by, "Not bad for a civilian, eh Master Sergeant?"
Ariana had looked behind her to find Major Carter sharing a small grin with Bradley. "Not bad all, ma'am."
Caught up in the memory, Ariana realized that she was smiling. Yes, she thought as she drifted off, today had turned out all right.
ooOOoo
"Ariana managed to hit the target all sixteen times with the M-9. When Bradley asked her about it, she just shrugged and said that she'd had a bodyguard growing up who'd shown her how to shoot." Carter laughed as she related the story to Daniel and Teal'c the next morning. The two scientists had arrived at the base early in the hopes of getting a head start on what promised to be a rather busy day and were chatting with their fellow team member over breakfast in an almost empty commissary.
Daniel grinned. "Nana spent a lot of her time growing up in countries where she had to have protection. That should bring the reputation of the department up a few notches - lord knows we need all the help we can get."
Sam chuckled. "I stuck around while Sergeant Bradley checked her out on a couple of other weapons. She was hopeless with the P90 and the machine guns, but she managed fairly well with the shotgun and almost matched the men's scores on the rifle. By the time they were ready to start the field sims, most of the other recruits were starting to loosen up around her."
Daniel scowled, catching what Sam hadn't said. "Most of the recruits?"
Sam sobered a little. "Sergeant Metcalf hasn't warmed up to Ariana as much as the others, Daniel. Marines take special pride in being the best riflemen in the armed forces, and I guess he didn't like the fact that a civilian had scored so well with his weapon of choice – though she explained where she'd been living the past few years. Even I know that you need to become pretty proficient with a rifle when you live in the jungle. I spoke with Bradley after the field sims. He's a little worried about Metcalf's reaction to Ariana. They've got hand-to-hand training today."
Teal'c nodded at Carter. "Sergeant Bradley has also spoken of his misgiving with Gunnery Sergeant Williams and myself. He indicated that, while the other trainees seemed to accept Dr. Farrell's presence within their ranks, Sergeant Metcalf seemed rather antagonistic toward her."
Daniel's scowl deepened. "Sam, maybe you and I should stop by the gym this afternoon. You know, just to see how the trainees are coming along. I know Nana can take care of herself, but . . ."
Sam nodded in agreement as Colonel O'Neill walked up to the group, tray in hand. "What's the good Dr. Farrell gotten herself into?" he asked as he seated himself.
Daniel bristled and opened his mouth to reply, but Sam cut him off. "Nothing sir, except offending one of the other trainees by performing too well for a mere civilian."
O'Neill looked at Daniel, eyebrows raised. "Well then, maybe we'll all make an unscheduled visit to the gym this afternoon, Daniel. What do you think?"
ooOOoo
Ariana made certain to get to the gym before the rest of her training group. She wanted to have a few words with the hand-to-hand instructors before class started. She saw Teal'c speaking with a marine gunnery sergeant at the end of the facility reserved for floor exercises. She nodded to the two men when she reached them.
"Good morning, gentlemen."
The Jaffa inclined his head. "It is good to see you again, Dr. Farrell."
The other man grinned and held out his hand for her to shake. "I'm Gunnery Sergeant Williams. What can we do for you, Dr. Farrell?"
Ariana blushed a little and returned his handshake. "Um… I just wanted to let you know - I've studied martial arts,off and on,for mostof my life. If you'll be a little patient, I should be able to pick up what we do today without too many problems."
Williams nodded. "Good to know. I was going to pair you with me anyway, as we've got an uneven number of trainees in this class. Teal'c will be helping me with the others. You can start stretching if you'd like, Dr. Farrell, while we wait for the rest of the folks to show up."
ooOOoo
The remaining members of SG1 sauntered into the gym a short time later to see the new trainees running sparring exercises on the mat at the far end of the room. They walked over to a row of benches along the wall where the leader of SG2, Major Lou Ferretti, was watching the action before him.
Ferretti nodded in greeting. "Your girl's looking pretty good for a civilian, Dr. J."
Daniel smiled. "She's multi-talented, Ferretti. What can I say?"
O'Neill leaned closer to Ferretti. "Is she having any problems with the guys, Lou?"
Ferretti looked at him. "Funny you should ask, Jack. I'd like to tell you no. The lieutenant, Gutierrez, seems to really like her. That marine, though . . . I don't like the way he's been looking at her. Teal'c doesn't seem to either, he just had them switch partners so the jarhead isn't sparring next to her."
Daniel abruptly turned to face the group on the mat, crossing his arms and frowning darkly. O'Neill glanced at his friend's face and said in a low voice, "Easy, Danny. Let's see what happens."
At that moment, Teal'c called a halt to the round. Sergeant Williams pointed at the trainees. "Okay Gutierrez, you switch places with McDaniel. I want to see how Thompson and Metcalf look against each other."
Jack added his own frown to the one on Daniel's face when he realized that the change in partners would result in the marine being next to Dr. Farrell.
Sergeant Williams turned back to Ariana and Teal'c said, "Begin."
As the trainees resumed sparring, Jack kept a close eye on the marine and the civilian. All of a sudden he saw something that made him mutter, "Damn it!" and step forward. Before he could react further, everyone in the room had stopped, shocked into stillness by the expletive that burst from Ariana's mouth.
"Pinche cabron!"1 Ariana whirled to face the marine sneering at her. "That's it pendejo2 The next time your hand wanders somewhere it's not supposed to be, you're going to lose it!"
Jack glanced at Daniel. The archaeologist returned his stare, but didn't make any moves toward the altercation. Even so, Jack could see the tension vibrating through the other man's frame.
Sergeant Metcalf ran disdainful eyes up and down the woman before him. "Who's gonna stop me, Sugar? You?"
The marine's words seemed to loose a firestorm of response from the other trainees. Teal'c and Airman Thompson were forced to help Williams restrain Sergeant McDaniel and Lieutenant Gutierrez, both of whom were offering to stop Metcalf themselves.
About to add his support in subduing the escalating situation before him, Jack stopped abruptly when he heard his friend say, "Uh oh. Now he's done it."
He turned to look at Daniel and noticed that the archaeologist's posture had relaxed and a small smile now graced his previously tense features. O'Neill glanced around him and noticed that Ferretti and Carter were also staring at Daniel with puzzled expressions. All four of them turned back to the group on the mat.
"Yob tvoyu mat! 3 There are two people in this world who are allowed to call me 'Sugar' and you're not one of them. Permission to teach this gentleman some manners, Gunny." Ariana turned to Williams, fuming.
Williams gazed at Ariana for a moment before nodding. "I think the lesson would be best coming from you, Dr. Farrell." He looked around him. "Clear the floor, people!"
Jack, Ferretti and Carter all looked at each other incredulously. Ferretti voiced what they were all thinking. "What does Gunny think he's doing?"
Daniel grinned and turned to find a seat on the bench where Ferretti had been sitting.
"He's about to let Nana teach the jarhead how to play nice, Ferretti."
The other three found seats on the bench as the trainees cleared the mat, leaving Teal'c, Williams and the two combatants in the middle of the floor. Jack noticed that Teal'c's expression was at its most forbidding. If the civilian was unable to deliver the lesson properly, the colonel had no doubts that Teal'c would see to it in her stead.
Jack turned to his unaccountably cool friend. "So, Daniel. . . Who else besides you is on the list?"
Daniel reddened slightly, but didn't pretend to misunderstand. "Her father calls her 'Sugar'. She considers it demeaning from anyone else." He squirmed slightly under Jack's scrutiny until the latter's attention was captured by the action on the mat.
Williams was addressing the two combatants. "This will be a clean fight. The first one to get three falls wins and the bout is over when I say it is. Full contact is not allowed - is that understood, Metcalf?"
"Sure, Gunny." Turning to face Ariana, he sneered, "Let's see what you've got, Baby."
As Ariana bowed her head to Metcalf, Jack muttered. "If she doesn't bring him up on charges after this, I will." Ferretti and Carter both nodded in agreement.
"Begin!" Williams dropped his hand to start the bout.
The audience held its breath as the two opponents closed in on each other. The differences between the combatants were more apparent now that they were alone on the mat. The marine had several inches and at least 70 pounds on the scientist. This did not seem to concern Dr. Farrell, however. She stood loose-limbed, her face once again under control, waiting for Metcalf's first move.
Major Carter recognized the same look of concentration that she had seen on the scientist's face the day before at the shooting range. She leaned forward, silently musing that things were about to get more interesting.
Metcalf closed on Ariana quickly, obviously trying to catch her off guard and take her down first. Ariana ducked beneath his first grab, coming up to land a solid punch on her opponent's solar plexus. Turning, she delivered a reverse spin kick to the side of Metcalf's face.
Enraged, the man lunged at her. Ariana sidestepped, using the man's own momentum to throw him over her hip. This brought whoops from the watching trainees.
"Way to go, Farrell!" shouted Thompson and McDaniel together.
"I'd stay down if I were you, Metcalf! That only took Farrell what, ten seconds?" taunted Lieutenant Gutierrez from his spot against the wall.
Metcalf growled in rage and renewed his attack in earnest. Ariana blocked his next series of blows, connecting with Metcalf several times as her punches and kicks slipped under his guard. The situation changed in the next second, however, as the marine seemed to finally gain control of his emotions.
Metcalf ducked Ariana's next kick and caught her off-balance, knocking her to the floor with a precisely placed forearm. Several of the onlookers winced in sympathy as they heard the air whoosh from the civilian's lungs. Williams announced, "One and one," as the marine attempted to slam his heel into the woman lying before him.
Ariana moved before the marine's foot could connect. She rolled her weight onto her shoulders, allowing her legs to tangle with those of her opponent. The result was that Sergeant Metcalf suddenly found himself on the floor, wondering how he'd arrived there. Ariana rolled smoothly to her feet and resumed a defensive stance.
"Second fall goes to Dr. Farrell," Williams called.
Jack noticed that, though she was breathing a little heavily, Farrell looked as though she was actually having fun. The colonel shook his head. "She's playing with him. Metcalf may be well-trained, but he's pissed off. He's only made solid contact with her once, and I'll bet he comes away from this with some pretty bruises. Farrell could have taken him after the first fall."
Obviously Sergeant Williams thought the same thing. As Metcalf regained his feet, Williams said, "Finish this, Farrell, so we can get on with our day."
Ariana nodded without speaking. Almost before anyone understood what happened, Ariana had moved, grabbing the marine by the wrist and twisting around his body. Metcalf somersaulted in the air, ending up on the floor with Ariana's left hand around his larynx in a chokehold and right hand poised to deliver a killing strike to his face.
Teal'c spoke up for the first time. "I believe that Sergeant Metcalf has 'had enough,' Dr. Farrell."
Ariana nodded and rose to her feet. "Next time, Sergeant, mind your manners or I won't be as nice."
The onlookers watched as Ariana's fellow trainees surrounded her, clapping her on the back and congratulating her. The mini-celebration continued as O'Neill and the rest approached Williams, who was helping a rather breathless Metcalf to his feet.
"Well, Gunny, do you think the Sergeant has learned his lesson?" O'Neill asked, surveying the wheezing man.
"Stupid bitch! I'm not through with her yet." The man in question muttered.
Williams snapped. "Stand down, Marine! You don't know how close to the line you are right now. I'd shut up if I were you."
O'Neill smiled sweetly. "Oh, it's too late for that, Gunny. Sergeant Metcalf has just earned himself a ticket out of here."
Metcalf gaped. "What? I'm getting thrown out because of that little cunt!"
O'Neill let Ferretti take care of restraining Daniel. Pulling himself to his full height he barked, "That's enough, Sergeant! You will be escorted back to your base quarters where you will remain until such time as your reassignment comes through. This incident will be noted in your record and you may be brought up on further charges if Dr. Farrell sees fit to press them. Now, get out of my sight."
Gesturing to two SFs to escort the stunned marine out of the room, Jack turned back to his companions. "Let's go talk to the lady of the hour."
The four of them, plus Teal'c and Sergeant Williams, joined the newest members of the SGC. Lieutenant Gutierrez was laughing as Thompson and McDaniel asked a blushing Ariana to teach them the curses that she'd used. As they watched, Gutierrez threw his arm around her shoulders and ruffled her hair.
"Farrell's our own little fierabrás.4 That'll teach anyone to mess with our Doc."
O'Neill cleared his throat. "Well, Metcalf won't be messing with anyone from now on. I'm afraid he just isn't SGC material."
Upon seeing the new additions to their group, the three military trainees stopped laughing and snapped to attention.
Jack waved his hand. "Oh, at ease people. Dr. Farrell, it looks like you're going to fit in well here. I think the General's going to have a job on his hands deciding which team eventually gets you."
Ferretti grinned at Ariana. "I'm putting dibs on her first, Jack."
The colonel laughed. "We'll see, Ferretti. We'll see."
1. Fucking bastard! Spanish slang
2. Asshole. Spanish slang
3. Mother Fucker. Transliterated Russian slang
4. Firebrand, spitfire. Spanish slang.
