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Take 85: Mitchell

Category for this take: Humor / Romance

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"This is great."

"I told ya!"

"I can't believe we didn't do this years ago."

"Yes, well, let's not dwell."

"Didn't that tape say there were no fish in your pond?"

"Close enough."

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BRRRRRRINNGGGGG!

"Carter. ... Hey, Cam. ... Yeah, I heard. ..."

"Hey, Carter."

"Hold on a sec, Cam."

"What is it, Sir?"

"Don't tell him about the transfers."

"Jack."

"Please."

"Fine."

"I'm back, Cam. ... How's your rehab going? ... That's great! ... So you'll be at the SGC next week? ... Oh, you heard about that? ... How? ... Makes sense. ... Ok, good luck at your last PT session. ... Later."

"So that was 'Cam'. Do I need to be jealous of Mitchell?"

"Of Cam? No. He's just a friend. A little too cocky for my taste, but he's a nice guy and a good officer. I flew with him some in the gulf. Considering the fact that I'm in love with somebody else, he wouldn't have a chance."

"Well I know how you have a thing for the leaders of SG-1."

"Leaders, plural? SG-1 has had three leaders, you, Makepeace, and me. Makepeace was a sexist traitor, and I can't have a 'thing' for myself."

"Hence your engagement misadventures this past year."

"I'm just going to ignore that, Jack. Otherwise you'd be on the couch tonight."

"Ouch. Ok. I'm just trying to guard my territory better."

"Wow. You do want to sleep on the couch."

"Hey. It's my cabin. And you are my territory as much as I'm your territory, too."

"I guess I'm ok with that. So why don't you want Mitchell to know about my transfer? By the way, he knows about yours because Landry's name was on his new orders."

"Yeah, I want to surprise him about the whole SG-1 leadership thing."

"You really think it's a good idea for someone with no ground experience to be put in charge of the premiere team?"

"He did well in his training evals. His time as 302 squadron commander showed he was a good leader. His perseverance after the accident shows he could stand up to a Goa'uld hand device as well as the next guy. Landry said he'd defer to my judgment. If I didn't pick Mitchell, someone worse could have been put in command of the team."

"I thought you'd want a Colonel, not a Lieutenant Colonel."

"You know very few of the teams have Full Birds in command. Some even have Majors. No need to disrupt an existing team by transferring someone from another team. Reynolds was suggested, but as much as I like him, he's better at dealing with the Marines, and SG-1 would keep him too busy to cover the base when Landry is out. Dixon wants to spend more time with is kids baseball teams. Most of the Air Force colonels are falling over each other trying to get in line for a 304 or are too old to be in the field on a ground team."

"That's where it looks like the IOA is throwing their money. I couldn't believe how easy it was to get the Area 51 transfer. It's all because they want more ships as fast as possible."

"I know. They don't seem to realize we need both. The Navy wasn't mothballed because of these new things called 'airplanes.' I'm going to have all sorts of fun explaining balanced military power to these pencil pushers."

"You wanted the job."

"No, I wanted that side deal we made with the President and Joint Chiefs. I just figured I'd be trading food order requisitions for a few more politicians. Paper for people I could fantasize about shooting. You know there is a side benefit to Mitchell being in charge."

"You mean other than your practical joke of poor taste?"

"Yeah. I'm thinking of when you get transferred back to the SGC."

"What?"

"You know it is going to happen eventually. They'll eventually realize you are needed there."

"You're probably right."

"Of course I am. So when you transfer back, you'll be put on SG-1."

"I really don't want to command SG-1 again."

"I know. You want more time for research. That's what Area 51 is about. It gives you a command while giving you time for your doohickeys. When you get back to the SGC, if a Full Bird were in charge of SG-1, you would be the 2IC again. However, somebody like Mitchell would be thrilled enough to have you on his team. He also knows not to try to order you around too much. It would practically be a shared command, without the hassle."

"He does have a little SG-1 worship in him."

"Right. He can be stuck with the SG-1 paperwork, giving you time to continue your projects on the side. I'm sure he'd give you a free hand off-world, too."

"That's really...thoughtful. But do you really think that's worth risking the SG-1 team for?"

"Since we're not transferring anyone from another team, SG-1 is going to get an inexperienced team leader in any case. Mitchell will do fine. He's not any more of a risk than anyone else would be. Him being an SG-1 fan boy means he will try extra hard to live up to the reputation. If it doesn't work, Landry will simply replace him."

"Hopefully not too soon. If he's having trouble, I'd probably be recalled sooner rather than later."

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A/N: That was the 12th and last of the cell phone series: Chapters 20-25, 51-52, 82-85