Vala miserably wandered the halls of the base alone. It had been three weeks since the Exhibition had left and no word had been received from them since. It looked bad, but Vala didn't want to think about it. They'd be okay. She was sure of it... She instead had devoted herself to the here and now. The only problem was the here and now was boring.
With only two remaining members, SG-1 had been put on standby. Apparently a group of two couldn't cut it. The bare minimum was 3 but 4 members was preferred. With nothing to do but hang out at the base, Teal'c had left to help Bra'tac and the Free Jaffa Nation. With Muscles gone Vala felt even more alone. There was nothing left to do now but sulk until General O'Neill or General Landry gave in to what she wanted. Which was too allow her to have some fun with new missions or treasure hunting, anything too alleviate the boredom and loneliness that had settled into her life. She thought if she sighed loudly and pouted, batting her eyelashes around them would increase her chances but it didn't. They stuck hard to the rule and so far no one was around too fill in for SG-1's empty member slot. The Expedition had taken away a lot of experienced, and well versed members, leaving the SGC more then a little understaffed. The General's did, however, give her permission to leave the base to venture around Earth to alleviate her boredom, if only to get her out of their hair.
That was nice, but Vala didn't have anyone to show her around or experience the adventure with. It just reminded her how lonely she felt. She decided to try to get people to go with her.
"Hello Gary!" Vala smiled cheerily.
Walter looked up at her from the controls and replied. "It's Walter."
"Yes, yes, 'Walter'.. I knew that!.. Anyway would you like to go exploring with me?" Vala asked batting her eyelashes.
"I'm kinda busy right now." Walter replied.
Vaa frowned. "You are?"
Walter leaned closer. "Yes, you see-" He nodded towards the gate. "Any second now a team might dial in, in hot pursuit."
"Really?" Vala asked looking towards the gate expectantly.
"Yeah, any minute now. You need to be always prepared for unexpected things. So I got to watch the gate like a hawk." He replied.
Vala looked doubtful at the man, then continued to stare at the gate.
"Any minute now." Walter responded to her disbelief.
"Yes.. Well.." Vala patter the control desk. "I'll leave you too that then..." Vala turned and left. She was board, but she wasn't that desperate to watch a wall for an hour. She tried various people, including Dr. Lam and Dr. Lee, both who where currently working and others who just didn't seem interested. Vala decided now was the time to be stubborn and continued on her search to find someone who would leave with her.
In Dr. McKay's Lab:
Rodney felt that he now understood why Carter could leave the relative safety of her lab to brave the perils through the Stargate. That reason being?
Her fellow scientists where an infuriating nuisances!
Rodney kept his eyes down on the work in front of him, grinding his teeth, trying and failing to lose himself in his work and tune out Dr. Jay Felger, who continued on his long, unwarranted sobbing, dribble, about how 'his Sam' must be missing him terribly. The moron.
"Did you know I saved her one?" Dr. Felger said to no one in particular, with a wistful look in his eye.
"I was there." Dr. Simon Coombs replied bored and keep his eyes on his reports.
"You've only told us about it 7,387 times now." Dr. Chloe Angstrom replied with a jealous glare.
Dr. Felger looked surprised then shrugged dismissively. "Oh, you're always so... So exaggerative."
"No. I counted." Dr. Chloe stated factly.
"You really need to move on."Dr. Coombs continued.
"Move on?" Dr. Felger looked wide eyed at his friend then sighed and shook his head exasperated. "You people just don't understand. The type of bond that.. That develops from facing danger together.. It means something... Oh yeah. I bet she's missing me, and will send a message back for me to help her over there. Just you wait."
"Then why didn't she allow you too go through the fist time?" Dr. Coombs replied with an eye roll.
"Maybe she wasn't in control of the recruitment roster?" Felger added.
Rodney finely picked his head up too level a glare at Felger. The crooked frown on his mouth never leaving his features. He didn't like it that Felger, aka The klutz dumb ass of the universe could be so ditzy and naive, yet still be employed in the biggest intellectual organization on Earth. It made no sense. Then again half the base was run by O'Neill so maybe that was why. He knew General Landry's half of the base couldn't be that dumb.
"She's the Head of Science for the expedition." Rodney started trying to simplify it like he was talking too a child. "She could choose whoever she wanted."
"Well..." Felger looked warily. "I'm sure she-"
Rodney cut him off before Felger could make up some more lies too comfort himself. Rodney's tone became condescending the more he continued. "Do you have any skills in Ancient technology that would make you invaluable to the expedition? Hmm?"
"Not.. Exactly.. But-" Felger started.
"Do you know Ancient at all?" Rodney questioned already knowing the answer.
"Well I know the Stargate pretty well.." Felger answered.
"Not Ancient technology, the Ancient language! And don't get me started on you're knowledge of the Stargate, everyone knows you broke the whole system one."
Felger winced at the reminded of his past failure and trying to get off that topic back to the original question. "No.. But that's not really necessary, right?" Felger looked around for support from the others but received none as everyone tried too look like they where working. "I mean who knows Ancient anyway?"
"It IS in fact, important. One false switch turned could domino out into thousands dying. Ancient machinery is the most advanced and complicated technology in the known galaxies. Any mess up could have devastating consequences." Rodney chastised then added. "And actually I DO know Ancient."
Felger looked down and gulped. He knew he would mess up bad, he already did that a lot here.. If he messed up in Atlantis...
Satisfied by the lack of communication coming from the man, Rodney started to turn back to his work when he noticed Vala at the door. She practically skipped over to him with a big smile.
"Dr. McKay!"
"Yes, yes what is it? Can't you see I'm busy?" Rodney huffed. So many interruptions!
Vala's face fell. "Oh.. You're busy?"
"That's what I said isn't it?" He replied with an eye roll as he looked at his laptop. Vala pouted.
"Better leave while you can. He's making everyone sad." Felger told Vala mournfully, then muttered "Not at all nice like Sam."
Rodney's glare shot up at Felger and snapped. "You know what Felger? If you so desperately want to go too Atlantis to drool over Carter why don't you ask General O'Neill instead of complain to me, hmm? Better yet grovel and whine about it to him, cause I'm sure that'll go down well. Maybe he'll fire you for me."
"You know you're right." Felger started.
"Of course I am." Rodney stated factly.
"Jack must be just as sad as I am! My poor buddy! I have to go and console him!" Felger left, and Rodney stared off at him blankly.
Dr. Coombs shook his head. "That idiot only hears what he wants too hear."
Vala started laughing. The scientists turned to her and she smiled back. "You know.. Jack is Sam's lover..."
Dr. Coombs mouth dropped open. "No, seriously?"
Dr. Chloe squeaked. "But, but it's not allowed between military..."
Dr. McKay and Vala looked at Chloe patronizingly.
"Yes really." She held back chuckling.
"What's so funny about it?" Dr. Chloe asked seemingly more confused by the minute.
Vala grinned, a mischievous look in her eyes. "Just wait for Jack's reaction when Fleger goes off about his crush on Sam."
Dr. Chloe seemed to think this over for a few seconds, then quickly got up. "I have too stop him! Jack will kill the poor guy!" She bolted out the room.
Dr. Coombs followed her out. "That idiot! Always getting himself into more and more trouble!"
With only Vala and Rodney left in the room McKay smirked and suddenly his fingers flew over the keyboard of his laptop.
Vala was going to leave to watch the chaos but was stopped by her own curiosity. She peered over Rodney's shoulder at his screen. "What'cha doing?" She asked.
Rodney turned to the side with a devilish look of amusement in his eyes and smug smirk. Vala found that look quite interesting.
"Hacking into the video feed." Rodney answered.
Suddenly, Vala's eyes caught sight of the view of Jack's office on the screen. Jack was throwing paper balls into the trash can across from him, making baskets. The door opened, and Jack straightened himself, and tried to make it look like he was reading reports instead of goofing off. Dr. Felger entered the room.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Felger. What are you doing here?"
"Sir! I came to make sure you where okay!" Fleger replied.
Jack looked confused. "Okay? Is something wrong?"
"I know you must be upset like I am over Sam being gone." Fleger sighed and slumped into the chair in front of Jack's desk.
A flash of pain filtered over Jack's eyes. He then frowned and tried hard to look indifferent to hide his feelings. He had mastered hiding his feeling after having to camouflage them for years. "What are you really here for Fleger?"
Felger seemed taken back by Jacks lack of response. He got up then annoyed. "Oh, I thought.. I just thought that.. That you'd understand.."
"Understand what?" Jack responded with sincere looking confusion, playing the dumb card he also knew well.
Fleger turned away. "I guess I was wrong. Makes sense though, now that I think about it. You could have went with her, a man in your position could get anything you wanted but you didn't. I guess you don't really care like I do."
Suddenly anger flashed on Jack's face. Too ever say Jack didn't care about Sam was unthinkable, stupid and above all insulting! Somehow he managed to contain anger for the dumb civilian. "Fleger. Get out of my office." He ordered, grinding his teeth.
Fleger stupidly continued. He was too depressed to back off that easily like he would normally. "I would have went too my Sam. I would do anything for my love."
"You think she cared about you!?" Jack snapped as soon as Fleger said love. "She didn't like you at all! She hated you! You where a nuisance! A screw up! A loser and a creepy stalker!"
Suddenly the other two scientists burst into the office panting and out of breath.
Fleger winced at Jacks words, worried. He was also shaking scared at the general's yelling. He had always seen him like a buddy not like this..
Jack pointed out the door. "ALL OFF YOU! UNLESS IT'S IMPORTANT GET OUT!" He then pointed at Felger. "AND YOU! Pack your stuff and leave!"
Felger blinked blankly. "S-sir?"
"YOU'RE FIRED!"
Rodney and Vala blinked at the screen. They didn't know exactly how it would go down but both thought it would have been funnier then that since if involved Felger, to be honest.
"You know that means there coming back here." Vala responded.
"Yeah." Rodney replied.
"And he's going to be crying and whining even more now." Vala continued.
"I know." Rodney stated.
"You wanna leave?" Vala asked hopeful.
Rodney got up and unplugged his laptop and put it away in his messenger bag along with various reports. He turned back to Vala and she grabbed his arm and cheerily lead him out the lab before the trio could return. They could hear them down the halls tough. Dr. Chloe trying to console a crying Fleger who kept weeping that he messed everything up, and Dr. Coombs scolding him for his stupidity.