Summery: A routine trip off-world has long-lasting effects for SG-1. Meanwhile, Jack has terrestrial trouble too, when his half-sister is recruited to the SGC and his worlds threaten to collide and all his secrets are in danger of being exposed.
Disclaimer: I do not own "Stargate SG-1" the series. I believe it is owned by MGM. No copyright infringement is intended. No disrespect is intended. I am merely intrigued by the possibilities.
A Matter of Degrees
by: Visions2share a.k.a. Vi
"Uh … I'm married. Have been for eight years. My husband, Henry, and I have two daughters, Leah and Amy – ages seven and four.
"Um … education. I did my pre-med at the University of Central Oklahoma and got my MD from Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences," at least Susan thought that was the full proper name – she always just thought of it as OSA so found herself strangely unsure.
They sat in silence for several moments. Susan was preoccupied by the formal name of her med school and the others waiting, unnoticed, for her to continue.
The three interviewers exchanged glances before Dr. Jackson asked, "So, were you born and raised in Oklahoma?"
"Oh, ah, yes. I was."
"Are your parents both still living there?" Major Carter asked, and Susan wondered why it mattered, but answered anyway.
"Yes."
"Are they retired?" Major Carter prodded.
"No – or at least my dad is still working. Mom is a housewife – so she'll never get to retire," and thinking about that made Susan remember to be more appreciative of Henry in the future.
"What does he do? Is he a doctor too?" Dr. Fraiser asked, obviously trying to find something in common with her – which was kind.
"Oh no. No, he'd be a terrible doctor," even the thought was enough to induce trauma, "he's a firefighter. Well, technically, he's the chief now – so I don't think he goes out on calls anymore – just hangs around the station-house doing paperwork and screaming at everybody else." Susan hoped they took that as a joke or at least as hyperbole – she really didn't want to talk about her father's numerous character flaws.
"And do you have siblings?" Major Carter asked, and Susan remembered she'd mentioned having a brother and that Susan had thought her tone had sounded like ice crystals when she mentioned him. Hmmm.
"Yes. Three and a half."
"A half?" Dr. Jackson parroted.
Susan smiled and recalled hearing Jack work to confuse people by referring to her and their younger siblings as 'fractions.'
"Half-brother – different fathers."
"Oh, I see," Dr. Jackson nodded like he was taking a moment to note the new term in his memory banks.
"So, are you the youngest?" Dr. Fraiser asked.
"No. I'm the oldest – or nearly – my half-brother is older by a few years – so I'm the oldest of those of us that really grew up together."
"What do your siblings do for work? My brother is a computer programmer for Sony in San Diego," Major Carter offered her own tidbit, along with her question.
"The two younger boys are both firefighters – same station as our father. My sister is a housewife – her husband is a football coach for the university."
"Which university? My ex-husband was very into college ball – and so while it will never be my favorite – I still kinda keep up with it casually," Dr. Fraiser ignored the look that earned her from Major Carter.
"University of Central Oklahoma. I don't know much about it, but I don't think they're too bad – but probably not outstanding. I'm sure I'd have heard bragging if they were really good," Susan admitted quietly, not thrilled with even alluding to the one-up-man-ship and competition that their father fostered among her siblings.
"Cool!" Dr. Fraiser commented, earning her another raised eyebrow look from the major.
"Your parents must be very proud of you being a doctor," Dr. Fraiser continued, again ignoring Major Carter.
"Sure. I guess." Susan did not know how to respond to that assumption.
"Well, uh," Dr. Jackson's tone seemed like he picked up on her being uncomfortable, but didn't know what to say.
Major Carter, it seemed, wasn't as perceptive of social cues as her colleague, saying, "But you are so well educated and accomplished!? Your parents must be thrilled that you've managed to accomplish so much more than your brothers and sister were!"
Susan blinked. How to respond?
"Hmm, actually in our family it's my half-brother that's the brain trust."
"Oh, how's that?" Dr. Jackson asked with curiosity or maybe relief at a way to steer the conversation.
"He's got, like, half a dozen PhDs – probably more – I've stopped counting. Got the first one before his fifteenth birthday. But I don't think he uses most of them. I think he just kind of collects them to help his mental health."
Major Carter's eyes were blown wide, but Susan wasn't sure why.
"If he doesn't use them, how does he make his living?"
"He's in the Army – he lives in Colorado Springs, in fact."
"Where is he stationed?"
"Fort Car … mon? Something like that – he doesn't live on base, so I don't have much need to remember."
"Fort Carson?" Major Carter asked.
Susan shrugged. "That could definitely be it. Sounds familiar."
"What does he do for the Army?" Dr. Fraiser wanted to know.
"I don't really know – he was called up at eighteen and spent three years in Vietnam. It changed him – he used to be so curious and 'wide-eyed' for want of a better description. He was musically gifted, could draw, could seemingly do it all, really. He had all these plans for using his degrees to help the world – but when he got home, he just kinda wasted them. I honestly think sometimes he forgets he even had the capacity to be more than who he became."
Silence. Maybe they mistook what she'd said as a criticism of Jack or of the military? Susan wasn't sure why they were reacting, or rather pointedly not reacting, this way. So did not know what to say to fix it.
"War does that to people sometimes," Dr. Jackson finally broke the silence, but Susan got the feeling he wasn't really talking about her brother or what she'd said before anymore.
Dr. Fraiser stood and walked around the table to stand at Susan's side. She slid the big black binder of background information on the program Susan had been given over to her. The doctor pulled the sheet from the plastic on the top cover before taking the binder and placing it on the bookshelf on one side of the room, lined up next to many seemingly identical binders. The top sheet was fed to the shredder that sat, previously unnoticed, in the corner of the room.
When Dr. Fraiser returned to her place at the table, she gave Susan what could only be described as an encouraging smile before sliding a basic manilla envelope across the table to her.
Written in bold block letters across the front was: Dr. Susan Mallory.
"These are your orders to get you onto the Academy grounds. It also contains an explanation of benefits and information on how to contact me as your supervisor. You have two full weeks, fourteen days – not just ten – to settle any details of your move. You can take them all at once or spread them out as needed for months. Every moving situation and family is different, so we like to be as flexible as is feasible.
"There are directions to your office – and a temporary security pass for the Academy grounds. You can report as early as tomorrow – but don't need to report until Monday. And, no, the rest of this week doesn't count against your two weeks moving time.
"The security personnel and the facilities manager for the block where your office is will work with you to get your permanent security pass.
"Well, I think that's it. Any questions?"
They were done? Finally? Or already? Susan really wasn't sure if she'd been in this room for thirty minutes or thirty hours. As for questions, she still had so many she couldn't figure out how to form any of them into actually communicable, understandable sentences.
Maybe she could write out a list – while in her new office tomorrow – cause she was definitely going to go check it out tomorrow – to ask in the following day or weeks when the opportunities arose?
So, Susan chose for now to simply slowly shake her head.
Dr. Jackson and Major Carter started to stand, so Susan found herself rising as well without conscious thought.
"Oh! One last thing," Dr. Jackson spoke suddenly just as they had finished a round of farewell handshakes, "as one civilian to another – don't worry if you find yourself lost here at the SGC or on the Academy grounds. They are warrens. The military seems to delight in making their facilities as confusing as possible. You'll get used to it and learn to find your way around, eventually."
Susan thought she heard him add, 'probably' under his breath, but couldn't be sure it wasn't her own insecurities feeding her imagination.
"In the meantime," Major Carter offered as she guided her to the door, "if you need directions, just ask any of the security personnel – they'll be happy to help you find your way."
And suddenly that was that. Major Carter asked a young man standing in the hallway right outside the conference room door to escort her topside, and her intake interview was officially over.
Susan Mallory, MD, now knew that aliens were real. That the United States was making both allies and enemies of various alien races. And nobody knew. Except. Now Susan knew. But she could never tell. From this day on there would be a wall, invisible to others, but solid and thick for her, between her and every single person she loved in the world. She could never tell Jack. She could certainly never tell Henry – a man from whom just this morning she'd had no secrets. Her daughters would never know what Mommy did at work, away from them all day.
The professional possibilities were laid out before her like a yellow brick road, but she'd never been so afraid. So alone. So sad. And so resigned to being sad – and alone – for the rest of her life.
Hopeless.
Author's Note: This story is a marathon, not a sprint, it has seventy-seven (77) chapters and this is only number thirteen. Things will eventually work out – but the situation needs to get a lot worse first. [Insert maniacal evil laughter.] Thanks for reading! ~ Vi