Prime Power had assigned the MALP had a designation. Sam read the metal plate seated inside the battery housing. Model 426B had been outfitted with more toys and gadgets than she gambled would ever be used on a mission. It was true that the new rigging was nice, even considerate of the situations a mission team might face in the field. She doubted, however, there would be intense use of its capabilities. The primary function of the MALP would remain the same, which was to make sure the air and the environment were safe before any human beings from Earth's side of the wormhole stepped foot on the destination area.
Her examination of the machine could not be thorough until she could view the schematics of its layout. It was inadvisable, she decided, to start tearing it apart right there in the terrain room. The process of solving the MALP's power startup would begin with a study of the plans and they way the machine had been built. Only then would she entertain the thought of dissecting a machine so complicated.
Sam was startled to hear an unfamiliar voice call her name, and she turned in alarm. A woman stood behind her, silent and observing.
"I'm sorry," the older woman said, smiling.
Sam estimated that she was in her late fifties, maybe even early sixties. Her hair was a short, unnatural red, clearly artificial in color and curl given her age. Her wire framed glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, and light gold chains secured to the arms were attached to prevent them from getting lost. Her white lab coat hid most of the airy floral print dress she wore underneath, but her posture was quite possibly the most perfect that Sam had ever seen. It was above board to the military standard.
"I should have announced my presence," the woman added.
"It's okay," Sam replied, standing. She rubbed her hands together in an effort to clean them. Then she held out her hand. "Samantha Carter."
"Yes, I know who you are, Doctor Carter," said the woman, accepting the handshake. Her voice was definitely English in accent. "We're all intimately aware of your work with the SGC. I'm Doctor Ellen Bainbridge. I'm the lead engineer for the tenth, and I'll be showing you to your office. Doctor Dekker will be joining us after she finishes the conference with Langley. I assume she's updated you on our power startup problem with the 426?"
Sam nodded, giving a sideways glance at the MALP. "She gave me a brief overview, yes. It's hard to draw any conclusions just looking at it, though. If I could take a look at the designs, I can get a better handle on the circuitry."
"Of course," Doctor Bainbridge answered. She held out her hand toward the door. "If you'll follow me, we'll go to your lab and get you set up with the research."
Sam picked up her denim jacket from the rock, draping it over her arm. She followed Bainbridge out of the terrain room, marveling bemusedly at the woman's ability to traverse the unforgiving landscape in medium heels. She was glad Rachel had warned her the night before to wear casual clothing, including shoes that could stand a workout.
As they exited the terrain room's door, Bainbridge said, "I was surprised Rachel brought you on board so quickly. She's usually very cautious when hiring out a position. We're accustomed to waiting weeks, sometimes even months, for her to decide on the right person. To her credit, she has a good batting average for picking employees."
"We go back a few years," Sam remarked, unwilling to give Bainbridge more information about the past Rachel and she shared at the Pentagon.
Bainbridge kept walking, not turning her head even when she spoke. "So she's told me. She has great confidence in your work. Said you were tops in the ranks at the Pentagon's research facility. What was it you were working on, again?"
The muscles in Sam's neck stiffened with apprehension and a chill swept down her spine in tiny prickles as her senses alerted to Bainbridge's probe. She never liked when someone asked about her work, which was classified to the point of prosecution for treason if revealed. She especially did not like a stranger prying into her past research, which was still top secret.
Carter gave the standard answer. "I'm sorry, but it's still classified."
Bainbridge finally looked at Carter and gave a tight but polite smile, holding at bay her annoyance. "Of course," she said coolly, "I'm sorry. I should have known better than to ask."
"It's all right," Sam responded, equaling the Bainbridge's demeanor. "I'm sure you're in the same boat a lot of times."
They continued to pass through the heart of the tenth floor. The lab looked like a machine with parts that moved interactively to create one process. Each lab table had a worker huddled over one piece or another of research. Again, cursory glances shot her way as she followed in step with Bainbridge to the opposite side of the room. The area in the direction they were headed was made of clear glass that extended halfway down. Doors were situated at equal intervals. Black blinds would block the view through the glass if closed, preventing those on the outside from seeing the activities of those within the offices. To the right was another clean room with three separate entrance chambers to prepare someone for work inside the area.
"Your office is right over here," she said, indicating the area in front of them.
As they neared the glass wall of offices, a great crash came from an adjacent hall to the right. Bainbridge started with alarm and turned immediately toward the source of the commotion. Her steps were quick toward the clatter, Sam noticed as she followed close behind her guide. At the far end of the hall, the door to one of the offices was open. Either all the lights were off or the blinds had been closed. Sam was unsure until they reached it and found that both were true.
Bainbridge stepped just inside the doorway and said, "Archie, lights."
At the command, the overhead spots in the ceiling glowed and bathed the room in a warm yellowish brown that was pleasing and relaxing. Sam was surprised to find yet another lab inside the room that was equipped with the same platforms used in the main lab. The difference in this one was an array of screens that flashed out diagnostic information in a constant flow. Two of the keyboards were hanging by their wires off the side of the lab table, and papers were strewn as if thrown haphazardly into the air.
Bainbridge stood there, taking in the scene for a moment until they heard a stirring behind the lab table followed by a quiet but brief groan. The doctor moved in quickly, rounding the corner of the table. She stopped short in order to avoid stepping on a man lying flat on his back. A white lab coat was like a halo against the body wearing blue jeans, boots and a black t-shirt. The stool he had been on had toppled and came to rest at an angle near his head. Aside from the alarm of the situation, Sam could not help the stab of excitement at what she saw the man wearing on his head and hands. The black goggles and gloves were full tactile virtual reality controls.
Doctor Bainbridge knelt down next to the man, her hands reaching out to stabilize his head. "Holleran? Can you hear me?"
There was a moment of quiet, then Holleran began to giggle. His chest rumbled with a kind of laughter that Jack would have called "goofy". Bainbridge gently removed the goggles to reveal the face of a young man who could not have been older than twenty-five years. His sandy blonde hair was short, and his blue eyes crinkled from his smile, reminding Sam of Martouf.
He gave another giggle but quickly beat it down at the sight of Bainbridge's motherly annoyance. He was looking up at her, her head upside down to his view. He cleared his throat quietly, licked his lips and blinked rapidly. "I w-was f-f-flying," he stammered. Then his broad smile returned and so did the giggling.
Bainbridge was not amused. "How did you end up on the floor?"
He struggled to get the words from his brain to his mouth. "Breaking r-right," he managed.
In that moment, Sam understood what had happened. The humor of the moment was contagious. Holleran must have been running a simulator of some type. Breaking right meant that the view inside the goggles would have pitched to fulfill his command, as if pulling a plane into a hard right turn. His sense of equilibrium must have been knocked off course, and that would have been enough to send him to the floor.
"Yeah, that would do it," Sam acknowledged as she stooped down near Bainbridge and Holleran.
Holleran was taken by surprise at Sam's presence. He tensed and sat up quickly, trying to compose himself. He tried to say something, but his impediment prevented him from giving the customary apologies. Bainbridge helped him to his feet and put the stool upright once more. She gently moved Holleran to it.
Sam picked up the VR equipment from the floor and put them on the lab table. "This is some setup in here. This is all your design?"
Holleran nodded quickly, not making any eye contact with Carter. His face was flushed. Bainbridge was checking his scalp where a small cut was swelling. He winced when she touched it.
"Let's get you down to Medical and have them take a look this," Bainbridge said just as Rachel entered the room in a flourish.
Rachel was at Holleran's side in just a few steps. "What happened?" she asked in a tone that was anything but curiosity. It was worry.
Bainbridge crossed her arms in front of her and sighed. "Apparently, Holleran was flying," she answered, annoyance riding across her features again. "He 'broke right'," she said, emphasizing the phrase, "and fell off his chair. He's got a small bump on the head, but nothing too serious. I'm taking him to Medical for a bandage and maybe even an ice cream cone if he behaves."
A sheepish smile grew on Holleran's face once more at Bainbridge's concern. "Sprinkles?" he said, puppy dog eyes turning on the charm.
Bainbridge gave another deadpan look at Holleran. "Off we go now," she said, pulling him up by the arm. She began ushering him out of the room.
Just as they reached the door, Holleran turned and gave a small wave to Sam. "B-Bye!" he said as Bainbridge pulled him along by the arm. Then they were gone.
Rachel inhaled sharply and let it out slow and steady, as if to calm herself. She sat down on the stool and shook her head. "That boy puts gray hairs on my head some days."
Sam leaned on the lab table with her hip. A feeling of concern welled up for her friend who was clearly upset at Holleran's tumble. "You okay?"
Rachel shrugged off the question with quiet laugh. "Yeah. He's just one of those people that keeps me on my toes is all."
Carter took another look around the VR lab, admiring its contents. "If all this is his work, he's brilliant," she declared.
Rachel grunted with a sort of disdain. She stood. "He better be," she admonished, "he's my brother." With a shake of her head, she was out the door.
Then Sam was alone in the room. "Brother?" she whispered to the air. "I didn't even know you had one, Rachel."