Chapter 13: Speeding
After her morning session with Sergeant Nichols, Sam grabbed a quick lunch before showing up at the infirmary. Janet nodded for her to take a bed as she finished putting stitches into the hand of SG-11's new Lieutenant. "Now, make sure you keep that dry, and watch for signs of infection like I told you," Sam heard the doctor telling the unfortunate soldier as she settled herself on the indicated bed. "Mind that you take it easy with that hand, I'm not as gentle if I have to put the same stitches in a second time," Janet finished, and the young man hurriedly gathered his blouse and left as the doctor turned her attention to her newest arrival.
Used to the ministrations of the professional side of her friend, Sam only stifled a sigh when Janet made her own examination of the injuries she'd received at the playground, allowing the doctor to prod the bruising on her arm and revealing her matching scraped knees. Janet murmured over the injuries, removing the band-aids Sam had replaced the day before and putting on new cream and adhesive strips. This time, as the Doctor clucked sympathetically over the minor injuries, Sam couldn't miss the slight gleam of amusement as the woman forced her friend to explain in greater detail how the injuries had occurred.
Fortunately, Janet became distracted with her exam of her small patient, comparing her latest findings with those taken upon their return from the planet. Despite herself, Sam became interested in the results as well, particularly when Sergeant Nichols tentatively joined them.
Slightly surprised to find Sam in the infirmary, Nichols explained that she'd come to consult Janet about the increased dexterity and coordination she'd noticed Sam demonstrate for someone who was supposed to only be five. Finding the two together quickly led the two women to devise a series of tests to evaluate Sam's motor skills.
More curious than annoyed, Sam let the two women lead her through a series of activities designed to test her fine motor skills, balance, and coordination. Her mind used to years of doing much more strenuous or laborious tasks as a soldier and scientist, and having become more used to her body in the last few days, Sam thought she did rather well. It was a piece of cake after all. She could very easily walk along a line on the floor, touch her nose, handle tiny objects, and stand or hop on one foot, compared to the things she did on a regular basis as a member of a front line unit like SG-1.
And so Sam was a bit surprised to find the two women frowning, their heads together after she easily completed an impromptu obstacle course in the infirmary. Not once, but twice, the second time backwards after she'd found the first time so easy, just to see if she could.
"What's up?" she asked them, slightly flushed from her mild exertions. "Did I do something wrong?"
The two women broke apart, startled as if they'd just realized she was still there. They exchanged guilty looks with one another, and the Sergeant explained. "Nothing wrong Major, not exactly," she said. "It's just you're a bit more agile for someone your age."
Sam's brows furrowed. Seeing the confused look, Janet tried to elaborate. "It's not bad, Sam. Just… interesting. At this stage in development, a five year old is still developing the myelin sheaths that control fine motor movements, and they are still learning to balance and coordinate the larger muscle groups. However, you seem to be having very little trouble with your balance and coordination."
"Is that bad?" Sam asked, still slightly worried. After all, they were putting a lot of effort into training her to think and act like any other child of her appearance. And there was always the possibility of some unwanted side effect from using the machine, or from the power surge that had occurred during her transformation. Janet and Nichols exchanged looks again, and Janet replied.
"Not necessarily bad, just curious," she admitted. "You're in perfect health, at least as far as I can tell without detailed medical records from your original childhood," she added, as if sensing Sam's unvoiced concerns.
"It also means we'll have to work on making you a little less accomplished," chimed in Nichols, and Sam stifled a groan. They had been covering a lot of material in their morning sessions. "All the skills you just demonstrated here are actually taught to children in kindergarten as part of their PE class curriculum. In fact, it's usually on their progress reports, as to whether a child has mastered skills like hopping and skipping, or balancing on one foot." The woman shrugged slightly. "With so many children starting sports earlier, it's not unusual for children to be particularly adept in certain areas, but it might look a little odd for you to have mastered all the skills and more before even starting kindergarten."
Sam sighed. She was finding out that there was a lot of work involved in being a kid!
Janet nodded in agreement with the other woman's assessment, and Sam broke in with another question, still a little concerned, and more than a little curious about her new, albeit temporary, body. "But I'm pretty much a five year old, right? So why do I have all the same skills as I normally do, if you say I shouldn't at my current size and age?"
The Doctor frowned, pondering the question. "Very likely, it's more of the fact that your brain knows these skills, rather than your body knowing them. As far as we can tell, your neural pathways are completely intact, your brain wave readings and EEG identical to the ones we took before going back to P35-437, which is different from the first time around. I've also noted a slightly higher ratio of muscle mass in you than the average, healthy five-year-old girl. It may be that the device translated your normal state of health and level of physical fitness into your child body. I can only think it's a side effect of leaving your memories intact, because there was nothing unusual in your previous transformation, aside from the naquadah and protein marker."
"Or maybe it's just a case of mind over matter," speculated Nichols, looking intrigued. "I've read some interesting articles about adults and children overcoming strokes and severe brain injuries." At that point, the conversations rapidly degenerated into discussions about neural pathways and synapses during childhood development, brain chemistry, nerve development, and other no doubt fascinating subject matter. Sam suddenly got a dose of how the Colonel probably felt during her and Daniel's briefings. It was with some relief that Sam spotted Teal'c hovering in the doorway.
Stepping back from the conversation going on over her head, both literally and figuratively, Sam went to join her teammate. The two women were bent over a nearby console, obviously already doing research. Neither of them noticed Sam move away.
"Hey Teal'c," she greeted the large man. "It's not that I'm disappointed to see you, but aren't you a little early?" she asked, glancing at her watch.
Teal'c inclined his head in response. "If you are referring to our appointment later, my plans have not altered. However, O'Neill wishes to remind you that it is time for SG-1's usual run."
Sam blinked in surprise. "Teal'c, while I wouldn't mind a little exercise, you and I both know that I'll never keep up with the rest of you, not like this at any rate," she said, with an expansive gesture at her downsized body.
Her friend glanced down at her, and she thought she caught a glimpse of something in his eyes, but he looked away, his face wearing it's usual, impassive features. "Nevertheless," the man replied, "I believe that O'Neill's reminder was not a request."
Sam's mouth opened, and then shut; swallowing the words she'd been about to say. "You're serious right?" she asked instead. Teal'c returned her gaze levelly, and she sighed. "Of course your serious. Fine, I'll meet you topside, the usual place?" she asked, mind already struggling with whatever it was the Colonel could possibly be thinking, for all intents ordering her to join in SG-1's usual PT routine. It was a habit they, like many of the SGC teams here, had gotten into. Because of their frequent off world missions they weren't able to keep up with the usual day-to-day PT schedules that were part and parcel of being a part of the US military. Knowing that staying in peak physical condition was often the difference between life and death on the front lines, most of the units at the SGC took to keeping their own training regimens, mingling with each other when chance arose, but otherwise, making sure their own units kept up with and often above, the Air Force's requirements for physical fitness.
She was more than accustomed to joining her teammates in the gym, on runs and on regular trips through the base obstacle coarse or even doing a little wilderness training, but somehow, she hadn't thought the Colonel would expect her to continue now. In fact, she'd been thinking about some sort of independent exercises that would allow her to keep up with her usual fitness routine, modified to suit the demands and limits of her changed body.
Oblivious to her inner turmoil, Teal'c merely nodded. "If you are finished here, we will meet you in the ancillary parking lot," he affirmed. Sam looked over her shoulder at Janet and Nichols. Janet had retrieved a hefty text from somewhere, and the young Sergeant was eagerly pointing to something on a web page. As curious as she had been about her own body, her patience for being a lab rat extended only so far. Particularly once said lab rat got ignored. Secretly, Sam wondered how long before the two women would notice her disappearance. She grinned up a Teal'c.
"Oh, we're done, I'll just go change into something more appropriate for running," she said. Teal'c nodded, and the two departed the infirmary.
Lacking a proper uniform in her size, Sam selected plain navy shorts and a gray t-shirt that had appeared mysteriously with her on base clothing. The t-shirt read: "Property of the USAF." She wasn't sure if it had been added by one of her teammates, or someone else on base, but at least it was better than the "My Dad's in the Air Force" t-shirt she'd had to wear the first few days back. Since they were running on base, she also dug one of her reflective PT belts out of her drawer, and found she had to adjust it quite a bit to fit her now much smaller waist. It still sagged slightly even on the smallest setting, but with SG-1 being a rather diverse group consisting of one alien, and one civilian, the Colonel had never been one to stand strictly on regulations.
At least as long as they didn't look like slobs.
And in the early days, it had been easiest to fit Teal'c and Daniel with Air Force issue PT attire, despite Daniel's protests that his own gear, at the time purchased secondhand due to a little matter of him having been dead, was more than acceptable. It had also taken some time to convince the archeologist that physical fitness might just save his life. After that, the group exercised regularly together, usually blowing the top off the rest of the teams' scores. There was after all, SG-1's reputation to uphold, particularly when meeting or exceeding PT requirements had become a bit of a competition among the SG teams.
Making her way to the surface, Sam continued to speculate about the Colonel's reasons for ordering her to join them. Today was the day they usually ran, generally about five miles or so. Other days they spent in the gym or sparring, but today, they usually went running, no matter the weather, like true soldiers.
She knew she'd never be able to keep up; she was much too small now. And the Colonel had to know as well. And then there had been that odd gleam in Teal'c's eye. He'd been hiding something.
Soon enough, she reached the surface, waving at the usual security guards that screened the SG personnel in and out. They looked curious at her attire, but said nothing other than "Afternoon, Major," and "Good day ma'am," in response to her greeting.
She found the rest of her team at the far end of the gravel parking lot, already starting their warm-up routine. "Sir…" she started, only to have the Colonel interrupt.
"Took you long enough Carter, better start warming up, thought we'd take the north road today," he told her. "We've all been slacking a bit of late."
Sam was startled. The north road wasn't one of the most grueling routes available, though it had its share of hills and valleys. She just thought they'd take one of the more gently sloped routes, in deference to her body changes. If she had no chance of keeping up on flat terrain, there'd be no way she would if they took the north road. Unfortunately, the Colonel wasn't paying her the slightest bit of mind, as he gruffly corrected Daniel in one of the stretches the man had never seemed to master correctly. Not to mention, she was a bit too proud to make much effort in complaining. She'd do her best, even if it meant lagging a mile behind the rest of her team.
If the Colonel wanted her to run with the team, she'd run with the team.
With a sigh, she started her own warm up, surprised at how limber she felt. She'd not thought herself old by any means, but the years of physical stress had taken their toll on her body over time. Old injuries became stiff; muscles grew sore from bending over workstations, or crouched in foxholes. Sleeping on the ground as much as they usually did didn't help much either. None of those usual twinges and pains bothered her now, much more noticeable in their absence.
Still, it wasn't enough to take her mind off the Colonel's behavior. After their talk yesterday, she'd felt they'd reestablished a trust that neither of them had noticed lacking. She'd known the Colonel had been behaving strangely, but with the way the rest of the SGC had accepted her, she'd not thought the Colonel had any problems until the daycare center. After that, she hadn't known what to expect. With the world about to treat her like the child she looked, she had worried she could next expect the same treatment from her CO. But after his startling apology, she'd thought things were on the mend. However, she hadn't expected him to go so far as to expect her to keep up like Major Carter normally could. It was like he'd gone from treating her like the child she looked, to forgetting that she was in the body of a child.
"Ok, kids, I think we're ready," the Colonel announced, looking around the clearing once they'd all had a chance to loosen up, and then his gaze settled on her. "Ah. Carter. One more thing." He bounded off around one of the parked military vehicles before she could say anything. Looking up, she saw Daniel unsuccessfully smothering a grin, and Teal'c had that telltale gleam back in his eye.
"What is it, what am I missing?" Sam demanded, small fists braced on her hips, but Teal'c returned her glare solemnly, and Daniel was pretending to study the clouds.
"Missing? You aren't missing anything Carter. Nothing but a set of wheels to keep up with that is," the Colonel proclaimed, coming back around the Hummer he'd disappeared behind, pushing a small blue bicycle. It was a boys' bike, obviously used judging by a few visible scratches and a minor dent in the frame, but otherwise looked to be in good condition.
"Hopefully we got the size right," Daniel added, no longer trying to hide his grin.
"There were not many models to choose from, but I believe this selection will be quite satisfactory to you," chimed in Teal'c, producing a matching helmet he'd procured from behind a nearby rock.
"And no training wheels," added Jack, a bit smugly.
Sam approached the bike a bit cautiously, all at once relieved, amused, and embarrassed. "You guys, you picked this out for me?"
Jack shrugged. "Every kid needs a bike," he said, grinning. "What are you waiting for, try it out," he encouraged.
"According to base regulations, all cyclists must wear a helmet," Teal'c stated, handing her the one he held before she could mount the bike. Sam took it and placed it on her head, needing to make only a few minor adjustments. It fit well.
"I've got tools if we need to adjust anything," Jack added, motioning at the bike and still looking pleased with himself.
"As long as the bike is the right size that is," speculated Daniel pessimistically.
"It's the right size," countered Jack automatically.
"We were guessing at the garage sale," Daniel shot back.
"Um, why don't I try it out?" suggested Sam, interrupting. Suiting actions to words, she lifted one leg over the bike and settled in the seat. It was pretty close.
"Looks like we need to raise the seat a little, the rest looks pretty good," Jack noted, shooting an "I told you so" look to Daniel. Daniel merely grinned and pulled out a socket set, which he handed to Jack.
Adjustments were quickly made, and Sam took the bike for a brief spin around the gravel lot, her grinning teammates looking on in approval. There were no gears, and it had coaster brakes in addition to hand brakes, but Sam didn't think she'd have any trouble. She hadn't rode a bicycle in years, but it was like they said, once you learned to ride, you never forgot.
"Ready?" Asked the Colonel as she coasted to a stop by her waiting team.
She grinned back. "Ready sir!" she answered, suddenly eager. She'd forgotten how much fun riding a bike could be. Yeah, she had her motorcycles, but somehow it just wasn't quite the same feeling. Maybe you couldn't go as fast, and you didn't have a powerful engine underneath you, but when you went somewhere, you got there under your own power.
"All right, you heard the lady, let's move out!" called Jack, taking the lead as he set the pace. Teal'c fell in behind Jack, Daniel after him, the three men jogging along the path that led up a slight hill. Sam watched them a moment, and pushed off on her bike. She had to stand up on the pedals to make it up the incline, but had no trouble on the flat stretches, and started to overtake her teammates on the downward slopes as she grew used to the old feeling of steering and riding a bike.
"Hey, Carter, I mean Sam, slow down a little will ya!" shouted Jack in annoyance from behind her. She glanced back; surprised to see how much further ahead she'd gotten from the rest of the team. They looked like they were struggling to keep up with her, or at least keep her in sight. A grin bloomed across her face. "No, sir!' she shouted back defiantly, imagining the grumbling the Colonel was no doubt subjecting Teal'c and Daniel to. Jack had slipped back into calling her Carter on their run, and when Daniel finally called him on it, Jack had complained that Sam kept addressing him as Sir. To Jack's displeasure, Daniel had pointed out that there was no particular reason for Sam to stop. It was common especially among the military subculture for children to address adults, even their parent, as sir. That's when Sam had decided to increase her speed a bit, distancing herself in more ways than one from the ensuing argument. Besides, there was a steep downward hill coming up, and despite a group of soldiers out road marching along the shoulders, the way ahead was fairly clear. Like the swing and the slide, riding a bike she now remembered also felt a lot like flying. It was all she remembered and more.
That is, at least until she saw the tell tale lights flashing on a patrol car ahead of her.
Checking briefly, Sam saw no other traffic except for her and a few soldiers marching in a small group well ahead of the car and she felt a fluttering in the pit of her stomach as she came down suddenly off the adrenaline high she'd just gotten. Almost reluctantly, she slowed to a stop as an MP stepped out of the parked vehicle and waved her to his side, making it clear it was she he had just flagged down if she'd had any doubts left.
"Hey there, little lady," the man addressed her as she got off her bike, lifting his sunglasses slightly to peer down his nose at her. "You were going pretty fast there," he admonished, looking somewhat amused, despite his attempt to look serious and forbidding.
Sam struggled to control her features, disbelief warring with annoyance. He couldn't possibly be pulling her over for speeding. She was riding a bicycle for crying out loud! Her teammates would be catching up soon, despite the distance she'd gained on them, and she'd hear no end of this little escapade. Trying to look contrite, Sam looked up at the man. "Oops?" she said with a little shrug, at a loss for words for the moment. The things she wanted to say wouldn't be appropriate coming out of a child's mouth, and spoken from an adult's would have just gotten her into more trouble. At any rate, it wasn't like it was the first time she'd been caught speeding. Best to say as little as possible and look remorseful.
The MP seemed satisfied with her mild response. "Where's your folks, kid?" he asked.
She pointed back up the road behind them. The rest of SG-1 had just reached the top of the hill. "My dad's back there, running with the rest of his team," she told him.
The officer nodded, folding his arms across his chest and leaning casually against his patrol car, radar gun still in hand. "Well, why don't we wait here for him," he suggested, obvious by his stance that he wanted to speak to her parent. Just her luck, none of the MPs on base were likely to know her, not having any connection with the secret goings on deep beneath Cheyenne Mountain. Sam stifled a sigh and waited a bit impatiently for her teammates to make it down the hill, staring at her tennis shoes in mortification as she stood next to her bike. The rest of SG-1 finally reached them and slowed to a stop, Jack and Daniel breathing slightly heavily. Teal'c as usual looked ready to tackle another few miles. All of them looked curious.
"She yours?" the MP asked nonchalantly, still leaning against the car sizing up the three men.
Jack sighed, shaking his head. Sam refused to look up. If she looked up, her CO would no doubt see the unrepentant look on her face. "She's mine. What's she done?" he asked, his tone infused with the proper attitude of parental resignation.
The MP straightened, lightly tapping his radar gun. "You should know, sir, that the speed limit is 10 miles an hour when passing troops in formation," he explained. As if to illustrate his words, a group of half a dozen soldiers passed by, all of them gazing inquisitively at their little group. Up the hill, a slightly larger group was visible just starting on their downward trek. "I clocked this little speed demon at 17 miles per hour."
Daniel whistled, taking a hasty elbow in his side from Jack, making him cough. Teal'c steadied the younger man with one large hand. The officer eyed them slightly, but returned his attention back to Jack.
"Additionally, she's wearing her reflective belt improperly for a civilian," the MP continued, and Sam looked up at that, a brief flinch crossing her features. She should have remembered, but she'd thought she'd been going for a run, and old habits died hard. "I could ticket you on either of those alone." The officer held up a brief hand as Jack opened his mouth to make an automatic protest. "Fortunately for you, I'm in a good mood, you'll just be getting a verbal warning this time."
Jack frowned, swallowing with obvious difficulty what he no doubt wanted to say, but appearing to struggle with what he should say.
Knowing the other man all too well, Daniel broke in before he could speak. "Uh, thanks. We won't let her be a menace to society anymore," he promised, just a little bit of disbelief over the whole situation leaking out. "We should let you get on your way."
The officer nodded, turning to get back into his vehicle. "Yeah, we wouldn't want to keep you from pulling over any kids on tricycles or anything," muttered Jack softly to the officer's turned back, in the end, unable to keep totally silent. Sam groaned inwardly. The Colonel was echoing her exact sentiments, but she at least knew when to keep quiet. It might explain why it was Jack O'Neill who actually ended up with more speeding tickets than she did despite his frequent teasing of her infamous lead foot.
"Jack," Daniel hissed, stepping on Jack's foot, causing the other man to yelp, hopping slightly. "Daniel!" he complained loudly, and Sam's shoulders drooped. Normally, she felt like her team was her family, but honestly, there were times when she wished she could pretend she didn't know them.
Now was one of them.
The MP turned, frowning slightly, obviously not having caught the muttered words but knowing by the two men's actions that he had likely just been insulted. He hesitated, looking unsure.
"O'Neill, this officer is merely performing his duty in ensuring that our troops our protected. Speeding can cause a chain reaction accident when troops are marching in formation along base roadways," Teal'c chimed in, his penchant for knowing and obeying the numerous base rules surfacing at a particularly bad moment. At his innocent words, the officer's frown grew.
"You know, I'm starting to think that maybe a verbal warning…" he began to say, hand reaching for his breast pocket where the ticket book lay, when Sam tugged urgently at his belt. It was high time she took action she decided, before her teammates dug them all into a very deep hole.
"I'm sorry I was going too fast, sir. I promise to try real hard not to ever again. Honest," she said, looking up at him, her eyes wide, face as serious as she could manage, silently willing the man to concentrate on her and not her well-meaning but somewhat indiscreet companions.
The officer's face softened as he looked down at the small girl standing by his side, one little fist still curled around his belt, and a brief smile touched his lips, his hand arrested mid-motion. "You will huh?" he asked, and Sam nodded vehemently, doing her best to look solemn and repentant. All of the man's sternness melted, his hand dropping to his side, ticket book forgotten. "Just try to slow it down in the future kiddo, Ok?" he told her gruffly, unsuccessfully hiding a smile behind the reprimand.
Sam looked up at the man and grinned, her expression genuine with relief. She sensed the rest of SG-1 gaping at her in disbelief, but ignored them, concentrating her charm for all she was worth on the young patrol officer. "Sir, yes sir!" she replied, snapping off a crisp, military perfect salute, which made the MP smile all the wider.
"Fix that belt, kid, and don't let me catch you speeding anymore," he admonished, patting her on the helmet as he opened his car door, fixing the other three men with an reproving glare, as if to tell them they should all take a lesson from the adorable, polite, and respectful little girl.
For her part, Sam occupied herself with adjusting her reflective belt as the MP pulled away, trying to ignore the scrutiny of her three teammates. Busily, she unclipped the belt, loosened it a bit, and slipped it over her head so it rested on one shoulder, slanting diagonally across her torso in the way civilian cyclists were required to wear them when riding on base. As soon as the car pulled off, Sam looked accusingly at her three teammates, embarrassment warring with annoyance. "What were you guys trying to do, get me a ticket or something?" she complained.
"Well, you didn't have much trouble getting out of it, did you?" Jack pointed out suavely, looking altogether much too amused.
"I know how to talk my way out of a ticket, sir," she said, trailing into a mumble as her cheeks turned crimson when embarrassment overpowered her short-lived annoyance. Flagged down for speeding on a bicycle, for all intents at the ripe age of five! The cosmos was out to get her, that was all there was to it. And just when she was starting to have fun! She ducked her head, hiding her face, needlessly fussing with the reflective stripe.
"Carter," Jack said slowly, already forgetting Daniel's earlier, and repeated, admonishment. "Were you always this much trouble when you were a kid?" he asked.
Still not looking up, Sam patted down the reflective stripe one more time and mounted her bike. Finally, she looked up, unable to hide the gleam in her eye. What was done was done, and there was still the return trip after all. "No, sir. I was much worse," she answered, pushing off. "Meet you back at the lot, last one there is a rotten egg!"
A/N: As a special treat for all my loyal readers, having made you wait such a long time for the last update, I've put this one out a bit quicker. In fact, it's going out with the final revisions unbeta'd, but I do that to my betas a lot. They're great for putting up with me, thanks ladies! There's another chapter in the works as well. However, after that, I make no promises. I surprised even myself by getting as much done as I've managed over the last week. Perhaps it was all the well wishes you've all sent. Anyway, hope you enjoy it. As always, reviews are much appreciated, even if you just want to let me know your still there, reading and waiting for the next chapter!