SG8 - Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - [Serra]

[Katie Young]

"You're just to good to be true, can't take my eyes off of you."

Keiko grinned into the crowd in the bar and hammed up her performance, strutting across the little stage.  Karaoke night had definitely been what she'd needed, despite going solo this evening.  It seemed a song, dance and few glasses of sparkling water with a little umbrella and some cherries were enough to recharge her sapped energy levels and reset her emotions, far better than her nightly meditation sessions had.  It didn't matter that she couldn't exactly sing on key, it was just the abandonment of inhibitions that made her shake off all the draining, scratchy feelings from the last few weeks.  That and being out of the SGC for longer than simply picking up a change of clothes from her apartment.

By the time the song finished she had a huge grin on her face and bounded off to grab her purse, finish her drink and head on home for the evening.  It was sheer luck that she exited the bar just as her cell started ringing in her purse, the noise clearly audible in the still night.  

Keiko fished it out and frowned, wondering who was calling her so late from a number she didn't recognise.  It was tempting to simply let it go to voicemail but, considering her job and what she knew to be at stake, that seemed unwise.  So, with a sigh she stopped in her tracks and answered.

Ten minutes later she was racing across the parking lot, her high heels clattering as she headed to flag a cab.  So long as she got one in the next few minutes she'd have time to get to her apartment, change, then get straight back out the door again and into the car Colonel Carter was sending to pick her up.

There was barely enough time to wonder what was going on, let alone where they were taking her to or why the urgency.  Even once she was seated in the black SUV being driven by an out of uniform marine, she still hardly had time to catch breath while she scraped her hair back into a neat plait.  

The only conclusion she could draw was that something big was going down, especially since they weren't taking her to SGC as she'd expected.  That, and only that, was verified by her driver.  He remained ominously quiet on all other points, though Keiko did end up with the impression that he knew as little as she did which didn't really come as a surprise.  Still, it'd have been nice if he'd at least confirmed his ignorance.

The journey was barely half an hour when they arrived at a darkened air strip that Keiko had never seen before.  Her Marine companion was annoyingly silent on why they were there and, after dumping her at the end of the runway, he muttered about going to pick up someone else and drove off, leaving her to wonder if she was, in fact, being punked.

That conclusion was triple underscored by the glow of blue lights descending from above.  It took her a few moments to recognise the F-302 but, by the time it landed, her smile had returned to her face.   

"That is so cool," Keiko's smile widened as she walked forward to meet the rather dishy pilot, though she only had eyes for the fighter, suddenly not caring about her mystery destination or even more mysterious mission.  "Please, please tell me I get to drive..."

Captain Keiko Serra

CO

SG8

~ "Hey, as long as you don't go scratchin' at me or humpin' my leg, we're five-by-five, ya' know?" - Faith, Buffy the Vampire Slayer