SGC - "All Hands Aboard" [Carson]

[Rob Underwood]

Ellie fluffed her hair, grabbing bunches of it and squeezing it in her pal to give body to the curls.  She had *no* idea what kind of date Ki Cochraine would take her on, so she struck a compromise between fashionable and practical: jeans, heels and a cute shirt with a coat.  Everything was somewhat of a blind date, excepting she knew Cochraine - so...

 

Her phone buzzed with a message.  Grabbing it up with a smile, she unlocked to find... hmm.  It wasn't a message from Ki after all.  The sender was labelled with a code title from Stargate Command.  She opened it, and read the text, puzzled.

 

OFFICIAL TEMPORARY DUTY ASSIGNMENT: PICK UP VEHICLE AT CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN MAIN ENTRANCE, IDENTIFICATION CHARLIE ZULU ONE THREE SEVEN FIVE.  TIME OF DEPARTURE: 2100 TO AIRPORT.  UNIFORMS SUITABLE FOR UNATTACHED SHIP DUTY REQUIRED.

 

With a frown, she dug into the phone's customized programming, stripping the header off of the message.  Yes, it was official;  she turned back to the text - only to find it gone...

 

"Okay...this is waaay too James Bond for me."  With a sigh, she tossed the phone on her bed, and dug a ship jumpsuit out of her closet.  Ditching her heels, she dragged the baggy garment over her clothes, grabbed her garrison cap, and began packing her sea bag, stuffing it with everything she would need for 6 months or so of ship's duty.  She hadn't been out on a ship for quite a while, s she dug out the list of correct uniforms: NWU's, khakis, coats, and so on.  Once it all was packed, she tossed in some 'snivel gear' - her book reader, a small netbook computer with a drive of movies and games.  After closing her bag and locking it, she flopped onto the bed with a sigh, and started a text to Ki.

 

'Sorry - going to have to have a rain check.  Just got assigned ship's duty - don't know how long I'll be gone.  Really, really sorry - let me know when you get this.'

 

Another frown, as she chewed her lip in frustration.  This really, really seemed like a blow-off - but she didn't know what else to say to him since she didn't have any other details.  Would he understand?  Maybe she'd get a chance to talk with him later, and explain it to him.  Send him a postcard from a port, or something, to prove it was legit.  She hit the Send key, and tucked the phone into her pocket.

 

An hour later, she had tossed her duffel into the back of a black SUV, and was riding in the back.  She didn't feel much like talking, and the driver was stoic and uncommunicative, which fit in just fine.  The drove north into Wyoming, to a tiny airstrip north of Cheyenne, Wyoming.  The Marine driver unloaded her duffel, nodded to her, and drove off, despite her inarticulate protests, and disappeared into the night.

 

Ellie stood staring in disbelief.  This was *nothing* like she'd expected at all; when the message said she was going to an airport, she'd expected Buckley Air Guard base, or Denver International.  Not 5,000 feet of paved runway in the middle of nowhere.  But here she was, stuck in the middle of-

 

"What the hell?"  A pair of blue lights had flown overhead surprisingly fast, then executed what looked to be an impossible turn and was landing on the runway.  Her jaw dropped as the lights resolved themselves into a F-302 fighter.  "Oh, son of a-" Ellie jumped to her feet as the canopy popped open. 

 

"Lieutenant Carson?"

"Yeah."

 

The pilot climbed out of the cockpit and gestured her towards the plane.  "Give me your duffel, and climb aboard.  I need to clear this airspace ASAP."

 

Ellie snatched up the duffel, and trotted towards the incredible machine.  "Thank you, thank you, thank you GOD!" she muttered under her breath as she tossed the duffel at the pilot and climbed up into the cockpit.

 

Lt j.g. Elizabeth Carson

Research and Development

Stargate Command