The Visitor
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Stargate SG1 or its characters. I do not own the idea of the Q species, that right is owned by the writers of Star Trek: the Next Generation. I do own the character of Nicole, however, please do not use her without my prior permission.
Chapter One
General Hank Landry folded his arms across his chest and glared at the three people seated before him. Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter shifted uncomfortably in her seat and answered her superior's inaudible question, "He said he would be here as soon as he gathered all his supplies."
"Apparently he has a lot of supplies," Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell added, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Teal'c's left eyebrow raised as he watched his teammates from across the table. "Daniel Jackson prefers to be thorough," he told the general.
"Yes, that's all well and good, Teal'c, but I would prefer if Dr. Jackson would be prepared before we all sit down. God knows the man is long winded as it is," Landry replied, not bothering to hide the irritation in his voice.
Before anyone else could respond, everyone seated at the table was blinded by a brilliant white light, which was followed by a thud. When the blindness wore off, the general swore loudly and called for security.
Laying on the table, holding her head in her hands and groaning loudly, was a small woman with long, red, curly hair and a backpack strapped to her back. Two airman ran into the room and pointed their guns at her, the clicks causing the young woman's head to snap up in alarm. Her green eyes widened and her breathing became labored.
"Sam . . . am I no longer welcome here?" her shaky voice reached the ears of the blonde haired woman seated nearby.
Sam jumped up, holding her hands out to the airman and said quickly, "It's okay, we know her. Put your weapons away."
"You know her?" Landry asked, his voice indicating disbelief.
"Yes, we met her five years ago. Her name is Nicole. She originally showed up during the Martin Lloyd incident. You must have read about her, sir. She actually used to work here . . . she's the only member of a race of people we know only as 'Q' that we've ever met."
"That's the race that can manipulate time and space with only their minds and forces of will, right?" Landry asked, recalling a file he had read recently.
"Sweet deal," Cameron muttered, his eyes glued to the woman still seated on the table.
Nicole shook her head and slid off the table next to Teal'c. He lowered his head in greeting. She smiled and touched his arm briefly in reply. Then she turned back to the table and said sadly, "Unfortunately, for the next twelve months, I'm human again."
The general shook his head in confusion, closed his eyes for a moment and held up his hands. "Wait a minute, you're human again?"
"Four years ago, Nicole petitioned her elders to be transformed into a human. She remained as such until her sister returned her to her previous state," Teal'c informed the general.
The red haired woman smiled nervously, "Thanks, T, I didn't think it could be stated so quickly, but you're good at that, aren't you?" She patted his arm, which elicited a puzzled glance from the big black man.
Landry was still not satisfied. "Okay, I think I understand the general gist of things so far. Now, young lady, why don't you inform me as to why you're here?"
"That may take a while. Suffice to say, I'm on punishment."
"Punishment?" Sam repeated, looking to the woman for an explanation.
Before she could respond, another man entered the room, his arms filled with artifacts, computers, and maps. He raised his head, his eyes fixed on a certain unusual face in the room, and he stopped walking, his eyes wide and a horrified expression painted onto his face. "Nicole?" his voice was barely over a whisper, but everyone heard the raw emotion conveyed in his tone.
Tucking her hair behind one ear, Nicole nodded for a minute and sucked in a deep breath, obviously having trouble choosing words in response. Finally, she opened her mouth and said simply, "Hi, Daniel. How have you been?"
"How have you been? That's it?" He replied harshly, carefully placing the contents of his arms onto the table. "It's been two years and all you can say is 'how have you been'?"
The young woman exhaled slowly, her green eyes darting from one face to the next, finally coming to rest on a face she didn't recognize: Cameron's. "Hey, who's he? In fact, who's he?" she asked, pointing to Landry. "And where's Jack?"
Her gaze switched to Sam, who recognized the attempt to change the topic and responded quickly, "Nicole, this is General Landry and Lt. Colonel Mitchell. General O'Neill no longer works at the SGC."
"Cameron," the new leader of SG1 corrected, his eyes never leaving the face of the red head.
This elicited a small smile from her, and she nodded before directing her attention back to Sam. "Jack no longer works here?"
"As enlightening as this is, I do believe we have a briefing to get started," Landry interrupted before Sam could respond. "Colonel Carter, I assume you have already read Dr. Jackson's report?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then would you please escort our guest to the infirmary where I'm sure Dr. Lam would love to take a look at her?"
"Certainly, sir."
"Dr. Lam? Where's Janet?" Nicole asked, the moment the words were out of her mouth, it was apparent she regretted them. Suddenly finding her shoes very interesting, she said softly, "Sorry, I forgot."
"Forgot? How did you know to begin with?" Daniel asked, his blue eyes flashing with anger.
"I check up on you guys from time to time," was the soft response.
The archeologist's eyes found the blonde woman in the room, who quickly stood up and motioned for Nicole to follow. It was enough to confirm to the man that Sam had been in contact with the red headed woman, the source of the "checking up from time to time."
In the hallway, Nicole whispered another soft apology, her eyes not leaving her shoes. Sam shrugged her shoulders. "I suppose it would have come out eventually," she replied. "Don't be sorry. I'm the one who should have told him that his ex-girlfriend was visiting me once a year."
"Yeah, I guess. But I'm the one who should have paid him a visit and told him what happened between us when he was ascended."
"But you said he asked you not to."
"And then he doesn't remember saying that – limited memories from that time and all that."
Sam nodded, her mind sorting out the details she knew. After a moment of silence she asked, "So why are you here?"
This caused Nicole to crack another smile, her eyes holding a faraway look as she replied, "Oh, I broke the rules again and got caught this time."
"What'd you do?"
"Not much . . . I just made sure the orphans on P3X-242 had enough food to eat for the next month."
Blonde eyebrows creased, blue eyes met green ones in confusion. "P3X-242? I thought that planet didn't have a breathable atmosphere."
"Oh, I forgot that part."
Blue eyes widened as fast as the unbelieving smile. "You made the atmosphere breathable?" "Nicole only shrugged and smiled in response. Sam shook her head. "And you wonder why you got caught?"
"Wonder at getting caught? No. Wonder at my punishment? A little."
"What is your punishment?"
"I'm to remain here for the next twelve months, mortal and, well, powerless."
"Why here?"
"That was my choice."
Sam nodded as they stepped into the infirmary and were met by Dr. Carolyn Lam. "This must be our mystery guest."
Both women nodded. Having delivered the patient, Sam turned to go before she was stopped by Nicole's voice, "I'm going to need a place to stay. I'm thinking my former living arrangements won't be available anymore."
At this, the blonde laughed a little and nodded. "You can stay with me – but you need to pay rent. And if Cassie comes home for the weekend, you sleep on the couch."
Nicole nodded. "Fair enough. Only one other thing to ask then."
"What?"
"Can I get my old job back?"
"I'll certainly try."