Confirming Carter Bk. 01 Ch. 06

"I have to get back, people are probably looking for me." He smiled down at Jennifer. "Can you show me how to get out of here? I'll call you later. I'd like to come back and talk more."

He followed her out into the hall, and Sam heard the elevator door open and close.

"I wonder which one of us he wants to talk to." She said, smiling at Tammy.

"I'm wondering if she's going to let him get out of here without doinking her." Tammy grinned.

Interior-Dr. Keller's Suite

1400 Hours

"I left my uniform in your bathroom." Sheppard said as they walked down the hall. "I should go change, I can't go back to work dressed like this."

Jennifer nodded, and led him into the elevator. "I brought your clothes up to my place, and cleaned them. We can stop by and get them, and I can show you around if you want."

The doors opened, and she led him down the hall, and palmed the pad to open the door.

"Nice," He said as he looked around. "This suits you. And you were right, that other place was too masculine for you."

"Your clothes are in the bedroom, you can change in there." She said as she led him down the hall. "Did Sam and Tammy fill you in, or did you want to, I don't know, maybe pump me for information?"

Sheppard laughed, taking her hand and pulling her to him. His arms slid around her waist and he held her to him as he smiled down at her.

"I don't think that's the kind of pumping you have in mind, Jennifer." He said as his hands moved lightly over her back. "And you don't have to be so unsubtle. I'm interested. If you want, I can come back later and pump and probe you till you give me all your secrets."

"You'd have to probe me for quite a while to get all of my secrets." She said, pressing her body against him. "Maybe even, I don't know, two or three times? You'll definitely have to put everything you have into it."

She glanced down, then grinned up at him. "And it feels like you have quite a bit to put into it."

"You are so bad!" He laughed, stepping back and walking toward her bedroom. "You're going to send me back to work like..."

"You don't have to go right back."

"Actually I do." He said, reaching behind his back and untying the knot holding his shirt closed. "I left right after the meeting, without telling anyone where I was going, and I can guarantee that Landry is screaming for me." He slipped the shirt off, then kicked off his shoes. He hesitated before untying the drawstring on his pants.

"And I like to take a girl to dinner, maybe a little dancing, before we get intimate." He said as he stepped back over to her. He leaned down and kissed her lightly.

Jennifer nodded. "That sounds nice. Would you like to have dinner here later? We could dance and..."

"And I can probe you for that information you're so eager to give me? I'd like that. I'll have to call you and let you know when, it may be late, depending on how hot tempers are running."

He let her go and spun her around, and swatted her on the bottom as he pushed her toward the door. "But right now, I have to get dressed, and I'd like to keep a few secrets of my own for just a little while longer if you don't mind."

"Okay," She laughed. "You win. I'll take you to the porter when you're ready."

Interior-Kitchen

1500 Hours

"Andi! Just the girl I want to see." Keller said as she walked into the kitchen. She had changed into scrubs, but was glowing as she sat down at the table.

"Did you get laid?" Tammy asked. "You look like it, and you changed your clothes."

"Not yet, he wants to, but we have to go on a date first. I put on the scrubs because I have to go over to the Infirmary in a little while."

"I could have told you that about him." Carter said. "And they say chivalry is dead. Sir John is a true knight every respect."

"Yeah. Well, I just hope he knows how to handle his sword." Jennifer laughed, then turned to Samuels. "I need a favor. Can you whip me a nice little dinner for two, something I can heat up easy? Nothing heavy, just something light and romantic?"

"I don't know Jenn." Samuels said, standing up and going over to the fridge. She got a coke out, and closed the door. "You guys have been pretty hard on me this week, and I already cooked you dinner once."

"Aw, come on Andi, please?" Keller whined. "You cook alot better than I do! And you know that if I get a little lovin', I'll be alot easier to get along with."

"She's got a point there." Tammy said. "Maybe if she gets a little, she'll leave us alone."

"No she won't." Andi laughed as she got a glass and filled it with ice. "We'll just have to listen to her crowing about how much she's getting." She said as she sat down and opened her coke. "No, I want to know what's in it for me."

"I..."

"A signing bonus." Sam said. "Dinner gets her laid, you get a signing bonus."

"Deal. I'll cook her dinner, but she's gonna have to get herself laid." Andi laughed. She turned to Keller. "What are you going to wear?"

"He liked what I had on this morning." Jennifer told her. "And I have another dress like that, a blue one. I figured I'd do my hair the same way." She shook her head. "You should have seen the way he looked at me earlier. That's why I went ahead and said something to him when we went to get his clothes. He's never looked at me like that before."

"Yeah he has, he just thought you were interested in someone else, so he didn't say anything." Tammy told her. "He checks you out all the time."

"Really?" Jennifer asked, her eyes lighting up.

"Well, now that we have Jennifer's booty call taken care of, I'd like you all to take a look at what I worked up for the department, and the compensation package." Carter said as Tammy slid a folder in front of each of them. "The first page is a brief outline of the how I envision the department being organized, staffed and run. I'm suggesting that it be setup as a wholly owned subsidiary of the IOA, with this building as its headquarters, and the southwest pier its base of operations."

"I thought you wanted this building to be part of your compensation package." Andi said as she looked over the outline. "You seemed so excited about living here. You love this place."

"I do, Andi. I really do." Carter said lightly. "But as I got to thinking about it, I realized that they might not go for that. I think I'm just going to let them put me up in the lifestyle I'm becoming accustomed to. As long as I perform, of course. They're just more likely to go for option two."

"That doesn't leave you, or us," Andi said, looking around the table. "That sense of security we talked about before. You're giving them control, and that means power over us. I'm not getting a warm and fuzzy feeling here, Sam."

"Andi, it will take at least two years to get things cranked up to a level where anyone at the IOA would even begin to think about kicking us out, and taking over themselves." Tammy said. "Even if someone brings up the idea before that, cooler heads will tell them to sit back, and let us finish the heavy lifting. Sam and I have talked about this, and we're pretty sure that we have between three and five years before we have to worry about being booted out on our asses. And by that time, you'll be a millionaire, if not a billionaire, several times over. You can retire to Earth and live comfortably for the rest of your life if you want."

"And what if I want to stay with my friends? What do I do then Tammy?"

"Then you come with us, and help us run the business."

"There's other decent real estate in the Pegasus galaxy, Andi." Sam said. She turned and looked at Tammy. "You said it the other morning. Family doesn't have to ask."

Tammy nodded, and Sam looked back at Andi and Jennifer.

"We won't always be staying in Atlantis, which is why I'm willing to give up control of the company. There are other ancient outposts and cities out there. I know of at least one city that can be had, and I'm sure that the local population would welcome us. They already feel indebted to Atlantis, well, to some expedition members actually. And if we offered them a chance to be part of something, I think they'd jump at the chance."

"I haven't been there, but I know the city you're talking about." Keller said. "John and Rodney talk about it all the time. It has a feudal society, and there was a family that was bred for the ancient gene, and they ruled over the locals." She looked over at Sam. "We need to get started on that now though, The last report I saw said that since their ZPM was depleted, the ruling family was losing control. If we wait too long, things may fall apart completely."

"I didn't know about that. I must have missed those reports, or else I would have arranged for aid of some kind." Sam said as she sat back in her chair. "That puts a different light on things."

"It will be early next week before the IOA puts anyone in charge." Andi said. "So that means Sheppard is in command until they do. And as commander, he has some discretionary power. You're already talking to him about being your liaison with the IOA, and bringing him in as what, head of security, or head of the military arm?" She looked across the table at Sam. "You've thought about that, even if you haven't mentioned it to anyone else yet. And you know you're going to need one when you try to split off from the IOA."

Carter glanced at Tammy and Jennifer, then nodded at Andi, signaling her to continue.

"So we get him to send them humanitarian aid, but not through the ruling family. We establish relations with the local villagers, that's going to be our workforce, so those are the hearts and minds we'll need to win."

"We'll need a presence there. Someone to negotiate for us." Carter said, beginning to smile.

"Yes, we will. And you need Tammy and Jennifer here more than you need me. And to be honest, I'm more qualified to do this than either of them is. This is my stock in trade."

"Are you volunteering to be our emissary to these people, Andi?"

"Your emissary, Sam." Andi said. "I know we're casual about it, but you're in charge here. Sheppard offered you his sword and his fealty earlier, allow me to do the same, in my own fashion. I hope you'll excuse me if I don't kneel." She grinned and looked around the table. "So now you have a knight, a consort, a jester, and an ambassador at large. Not a bad start on a court if I say so myself."

They all laughed, until Jennifer stopped suddenly.

"Hey!" She said looking at Andi. "Are you saying I'm..."

"Yes, she is Jennifer, and I couldn't think of a better one. Except maybe McKay." Tammy grinned.

"I decree here and now, that that name shall not be mentioned in my presence. He will henceforth be known as The Fool. Is that clear?" Sam said sternly, then smiled as she looked around the table. "I mean, what's the point of being a queen of you can't have your own way, right?"

She looked back at the folder in front of her. "We need to go over the compensation package. Or should I say, packages, because I took the liberty of outlining salary and benefits for the senior staff. I thought it might be a good idea, since none of you officially work for me yet."

"The upfront pay doesn't really mean anything, that's going to be walking around money. Look down at paragraph four, where it talks about patent and distribution rights." She looked over at Samuels. "There's your power right there, Andi. Every idea, discovery, or invention that came out of me over the last fifteen years went to the United States government. Not anymore. I'm freelance now, and we're going to reap the benefits of our efforts, not just the credit."

"But look over the numbers, and tell me if they look comparable to something that someone in the civilian market would make. I know The Fool makes three hundred kay, and Zelenka makes just over two, so I put the numbers in that ballpark. Senior positions get six weeks vacation regardless of time of service, as well as medical, lodging and meals. Do you see anything else we need to add?"

"I don't, it looks like you covered everything. You have items listed that I never would have thought of." Keller said.

"The numbers are fine with me. I'm getting a raise." Andi said offhandedly. "And when you add in the benefit package, we're way past the comparable government pogue. It looks good to me."

"Tammy?" Sam asked.

"I don't care about the money." She said softly. "I'm going to resign as soon as you get your deal. If that's okay with you."

"You should rea..." Andi began.

Tammy looked at Sam, rubbing her thumb lightly across the back of her fingers.

"Are you going to love me, stay with me, take care of me, and let me do the same for you?"

"Yes, always."

"I now pronounce you..." Jennifer said solemnly. She looked at them for a moment. "Well, don't just sit there! Kiss her for god's sake!"

"We really gotta get her laid." Tammy said as she leaned toward Carter.

"Shut up." Sam said as their lips met.

Interior-Subbasement Three

1720 Hours

Carter fit the ZPM into the receptacle, pushing down on it gently. A moment later, it started dropping by itself, and at the last second, turned and sank below the lip of the receptacle with an audible click.

Tammy, Andi and Jennifer were standing back out of her way as she moved around. She had announced that she wanted to do a live test after they had finalized the department outline, and the compensation package. She'd had Jennifer type it up, reviewed it to ensure everything they had discussed was included, then told her to send it off.

"I don't know if it's supposed to do that. The ones over in the Central Tower don't." She said as she moved over to a console and touched a series of controls.

She glanced at her laptop, then paused for a moment, glancing back and forth between the laptop, the console, and the ZPM. She made an adjustment on the console, looked at her laptop, then stepped over and looked down at the ZPM.

She was grinning as she looked up at them. The ZPM was beginning to glow.

"Sonofabich!" Jennifer breathed. "You did it. You really fucking did it."

"Not yet, I haven't." Carter said as she stepped back over to the console. She looked at her laptop, nodding as she scrolled through the data on the screen. She moved the laptop off to one side, and checked several panels on the console. She made an adjustment on one of them. "It looks likes it's going to take about three hours at this rate. Don't ask me why, I thought it would be faster than that."

"Sam?" Tammy said as she stepped closer. "It's glowing brighter now, and I think it's starting to hum." She reached out toward the ZPM. "Can I touch it?"

"That's probably not a good idea, Tammy." Carter said as she glanced at the console. "But it's charging faster now. It's at eleven percent."

"Is anyone else getting warm?" Andi said, looking around the room. "I feel like I'm burning up."

"Um, I'm getting hot, but I don't think heat has anything to do with it." Jennifer said as she untied the drawstring on her scrubs and jammed her hand down the front. "Shit! I'm sopping wet! I'm surprised that I haven't soaked through my pants!"

Tammy looked at Sam, raising her eyebrows. Sam shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.

"I feel fine." Carter said, looking back down at her laptop.

"I'm sorry," Jennifer said as she headed for the door. "But I have to get out of here. I'll be upstairs if you need me."

"Forty percent."

Tammy looked over at Andi. Andi grinned at her and shook her head.

"I feel warm, like a hot flash. Is my skin flushed?" She asked.

"No, you look fine, Andi. Your cheeks are a little pink, but that's all." Tammy said as she looked at her. "Do you want to sit down?"

"Fifty-eight percent."

"Sam, you still not feeling anything?" Tammy asked.

"Good to go. We're almost there." Carter said, intent on her instruments.

The hum was noticeable now, and the ZPM was bathing the room in an eerie orange glow. They watched it grow steadily brighter.

"Eighty."

A moment later, the hum began to die down, and the glow from the ZPM began to fade. Suddenly, it rotated in the receptacle, and popped up, so the top third was poking out.

"Sequence complete. What was that, six, maybe seven minutes?" Carter said as she came around the console and pulled the ZPM from the receptacle.

"Closer to ten I think. It sat for almost four minutes before anything happened." Tammy said.

"Still not bad. I was worried when it just sat, but then when it started to glow..." Carter said. "It worked. But now I don't have anywhere to test it. This console says its full, but I'd really like to put it in another receptacle to see if that one reads it the same way."

"Like switching a battery between two flashlights?" Andi asked

"Yeah, something like that."

"So why don't we just go over to one of the towers on another pier and try it there?" Tammy said. "Kill two birds with one stone. Verify the charge, and confirm your theory at the same time."

Carter and Samuels looked at each other, then at Tammy.

"Pick one. North, or East?

Tammy picked up the bag they'd brought the ZPM down in and held it open. "East." She said. "I know the porter symbols for that side of the city."

"Don't you just love her?" Carter grinned. "She just full of all kinds of pleasant little surprises!"

Interior-Dr. Keller's Suite

1755 Hours

"Keller to Sheppard."

"Go ahead, Jenn."

"Um, are you going to be able to get free...soon?"

"I was going to call you in a few minutes. I'd like to go by my quarters and change, and then I was going to call you to come get me." He said.

"I've got clothes you can wear, and you can shower here if you want." She said breathlessly.

"Okay," He laughed. "I'm in my office. Do you want to come over?"

"How about if I meet you at the porter in two minutes?"

"Two minutes. I'll be there." He grinned as he closed the channel.

He left his office and walked through the Ops Center, and stopped to talk to one of the techs.

"I'm going to be tied up for most of the evening." He told the tech. "Would you call Maj. Lorne, and let him know that he needs to cover for me? I'll be on comms, but I'd prefer not to get any calls unless it can't be helped, okay?"

"Yessir, I'll pass it along right now." The tech told him. "Have a nice night, Colonel."

"Thanks, I think I'm going to." Sheppard grinned as he jogged down the stairs.

The porter door opened as he reached the bottom step, but no one came out. A moment later, he saw Jennifer stick her head out and pull it right back in.

As he got closer to the porter, he could see her fingers holding the doors open, and he leaned around, sticking his head inside.

"Hi." He grinned.

Jennifer jumped, then grinned sheepishly at him as he stepped into the porter. Her hair was wet, and she was wearing a short, sheer robe that stuck to her skin where she hadn't dried completely. "Hi. Oh god, I am soooooo glad it's you." She said in a rush. "I was scared to death that someone else would walk in first!" She turned around and tapped in the symbols for Carter's building. When the doors opened, they were on Keller's floor.

Taking his hand, she led him quickly down the hall and into her suite. As soon as the doors closed, she stepped into his arms, turning her face up for a kiss. He met her halfway, and gasped as she slipped her tongue into his mouth, kissing him hungrily.

She ground her body against his as they kissed, then pulled away, taking a step back.

"Do...do you mind if we eat...after?" She said huskily, her hands toying with the belt on her robe. "Someth...I need you John. Please?"

"Open it." He said softly, his eyes running up and down over her.

She smiled, and pulled the ties loose slowly, letting them fall to the sides. The robe parted, and he could see the inner slopes of her small, pert breasts, the gentle swell of her stomach, and the close cropped bush of her pubes.