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Birds of a Feather
by Karrenia
Kapitel Bemerkung:
also written and posted for crossovers100 challenge prompt #08 weeksDisclaimer: Stargate SG-1 is the property of Gekko Film Corporation, Glasner/Wright Productions, MGM studios, and its respective creators.
Highlander: the Series belongs to Panzer/Davis Productions as do the characters mentioned or who appear here; they are not mine. The story references events from season 7 onwards for SG-1 and picks up shortly after where the previous story "Birds of a Feather" left off.
Written for crossovers100 prompt #08 weeks
"Birds of Prey" by Karen
Just because Vala had vouched for the woman, Cameron Mitchell was not at all certain
that he would accept that at face value. After all, Vala herself had had to do a lot of work
and pay her dues before they would even consider taking her on as a member of the SG-1.
A point in her favor, the woman was trouble, or else she certainly had an unique knack for getting into trouble, and by extension, the others on the team by association.
Vala knew a lot more about the ancients and the outer fringes of the known galaxy than they did, and that was after almost six years of traveling from one of thousands of far-flung worlds and encountering hundreds of alien worlds; some hostile some not.
One thing that troubled Cameron more than anything else about Amanda Devarieux was the fact that Vala had implied, okay, let's be honest with ourselves, Cam, Vala had outright
declared that Amanda was not everything that she claimed to be.'
"I mean, the idea of people living forever, carrying around swords and chopping each other's heads off, just to obtain some elusive prize at the end of it all. I mean, damn it, that's just too bone-headed crazy to be believed."
"A point in her favor, she did say that Maybourne coerced her into breaking and entering into the base in order to steal something."
"Great, now we've got to former, somewhat reformed thieves on our side." Cameron Mitchell shook his head and continued to pace the length and breadth of his quarters.
"I mean, I for one, am all for adding more females to the team, but do they have to be so darn obnoxious most of the time." He cocked his head to one side, pausing his pacing momentarily as he thought over that last idea. "I can see them now, sitting together, laughing, doing that girl-talk thing that I always found so annoying back in college, and
probably plotting the next big heist."
Cameron suddenly realized in the midst of his pacing and griping that most of his
present disgruntlment with the situation actually stemmed more from jealousy that this
newcomer had taken more of Vala's off-duty hours than he was comfortable with.
"Is this jealousy, or this love, I really have had a hard time telling the two apart of late."
Interlude, General Landry and Dr. Carolyn Lam
"Is there anything you can do to be certain that we're dealing with a honest-to goodness Immortal here?" Landry asked with a weary sigh.
"Not until I have the opportunity to run a few more tests," replied Dr. Lam. "I've gone through the initial physicals on her, before we could clear her for even minimal freedom of movement thought the base instead of just confining her to quarters."
"I understand the difficulty that you must be going through Doctor, but I need to know exactly what we're dealing with here,” he replied.
"She is, to put it mildly, a difficult patient, and not exactly forthcoming with any information,” she remarked.
"We need to get that information, whether Amanda is willing or no," Landry added. "Try asking Dr. Jackson to talk to her, and given Vala's knowledge of our new addition, ask if she'd be willing to give it a try."
"I doubt that will be a problem," Dr. Lam sighed. "Although, Vala is not what I would call a reliable source of information."
"I know, I know," Landry muttered under his breath. "However, in the past few months her ratio of hyperbole to truth has dramatically increased, and that alone makes her a valuable ally."
"If you say so, Sir," Dr. Lam replied. "I still say Vala is a loose cannon."
"I know, but on the one hand, we need her and she needs us."
"If Amanda works out the way that you hope she will, are you going to use that same
argument if it should come to it?"
"I think so," he replied.
"Understood, Sir." Dr. Lam said as she stood up from the chair in front of his desk and took her leave.
Elsewhere
“Why the hell did you let slip all that gossip about the existence of Immortals, you really could got me into a hell of amount of trouble,” Amanda said as she sat in the room that she had bee assigned. It wasn’t much, and to a woman of Amanda’s refined taste it barely qualified as room, only in the sense that it had four walls, a roof, and a door.
In the back of her mind, Amanda, thought, “All things considered, it could have been worse, at least this one has light, and it’s not a cell, or whatever the equivalent term is in Air Force military-speak.’
“Look on the bright side, given my reputation around here, if you’re lucky, they’ve probably already forgotten I mentioned anything about it.” Vala shrugged and the movement caused the cord that she had used to bind up her black hair into a braid to unravel and come loose, spilling waves of it down her back.
“And if not?” Amanda pressed reaching over for the glass of water resting on her end table, taking a sip from it. She had been nervous coming into this confrontation, wondering if Vala’s knowledge of Immortals was more than that it what it had seemed on the surface, someone who thought they knew more, but in reality was just dabbling.
Upon their initial meeting, Amanda had not felt the buzz that all Immortals sensed with another was nearby, nor had she had felt any hostility in the other woman’s attitude or bearing; it was more like a playful nonchalance, devil-may care attitude.
She was not an Immortal, so for the moment, her head was safe, nor was she a Watcher, so what was her game and what would it mean if she stayed on at the Cheyenne mountain as Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell had hinted at?”
“Then they’ll just press and press, out of curiosity, until the get a straight answer out of one us, and Amanda, for the record, I just want to say, I’m glad it was you of all people. Who broke into this place. “ Vala smiled, and nodded.
“Why?” Amanda demanded.
“Oh, because, it’s nice to have another woman to talk to, especially one who has seen as much of the wider world as you have,” Vala replied.
“How come you know so much about Immortals?” Amanda asked, despite her own irritation and own need to keep up her guard.
Vala shrugged. “Let’s say, I made a study of Immortals something of a hobby of mine.”
“You’re not even from Earth, “ Amanda said and paused to take a sip from her water glass. “You’ll pardon my disbelief, but that’s just too much of a coincidence.”
“I realized that, and that’s why I think your pretty little head is safe for the time being.”
“Let’s recap, I get tricked to break into this place, knowing next to nothing about what goes on here, and oddly enough, I’m okay with that,” Amanda sighed and reached up to brush away a strand of black hair out of her eyes. “However, I don’t understand why you should care which of the hundreds, possibly thousands of Immortals roaming around Earth, that you’d prefer me over those others.”
“Oh, I don’t know, call it a whim.” Vala shrugged and scooted the tray of stacked blueberry pancakes with a healthy dollop of whipped cream on top closer to where she sat at the foot of the bed. “You should eat some of yours, it’s delicious, and that’s saying something for the food in this place.”
“I’ll eat some, as soon as we’ve cleared a few more matters up.”
“It might take a while, and warmed up pancakes do not taste as good as they do when they’re piping hot.”
“Fine,” Amanda replied and set down her water glass to bring her own tray of pancakes closer. When she had done so she picked up a fork and stabbed one with it, lifting it to her mouth and took a bite. It really was good, and she allowed a small smile to twitch the corners of her mouth. “Okay, I was hungry, but getting back to matters at hand. Where were we?”
“The part were you give up trying to wring a straight answer out of me. Vala winked. “Come on, Amanda, you’re what, over two thousand years old, one would think that after all that time, you’d recognized a con when she’s trying out-con you.”
“All right, all right, you got me there.” Amanda muttered under her breath. “She’s good, not as good as some I’ve seen, or myself, but damn good enough.”
“You want to know a little known fact” Vala whispered after an extended period of silence wherein neither woman had said anything.
“Truth or lies, your choice,” Amanda replied with a brittle smile.
“I don’t know, it’s just a well-founded rumor I came across once in my travels through the galaxy.”
“Oh, do tell,” Amanda coaxed.
“I heard a rumor once, that the Ancients, you know, the ones who built the stargate and sundry technology, that shortly before they vanished, they scattered your race all over the place, and left them to fend for themselves.”
Amanda choked and then laughed, causing water that she had just swallowed to come spewing out of her mouth. “Oh, come on, you had me going there, but really, immortals, on other planets, you have gotta be kidding me!”
“Believe it or not,” Vala shrugged. “As I said, it’s just a rumor. Maybe there’s little to no substance to it. Vala turned and faced the door and then turned back to Amanda. “One more thing before I go to yet another mission briefing, I want to be certain that there’s no hard feelings between us, oh, and finish eating your breakfast.”
“That’s two things, and I guess, I mean, we’re cool, then, right?”
“Yeah, we’re cool,” Amanda replied. “You sound like my old mentor, Rebecca.”
“I don’t know her, but I think I’m flattered to be in such company.”
“Get out of here, you big softie,” Amanda replied shooing Vala out with the fork she had that she held in her hand. “I’ll eat, get me posted on stuff that goes on around here. It might things go a bit smoother in the long run.”
“Yeah, that’s a good idea. See you later, then.”
Aftermath/Conclusion
Cameron Mitchell came into the mess hall to find Amanda ensconced at one of the tables nearest the wall, with her head bent over a thick stack of books. Her short, shoulder length black hair stirring a bit from the movement of the overhead ceiling fans.
He wondered how long she had been there, and what she and Vala had found so fascinating to talk about earlier. He had wanted to confront either or both woman about it, but had decided that it would be the better course to put it off.
After all, obviously the two woman had a history together, how elese would Vala have known so much about her? It was only fair that he give them a chance to catch up on old times.
“Do you have a minute?” he asked.
Amanda looked up, with a smile. “Oh, it’s you. Of course, Liuetenant, please have a seat.”
“It’s Cameron, you don’t have to call me sir, at least not yet, and not here.”
“Cameron, then.” Amanda shoved aside some of the volumes on the table in front of her and reached up to smooth back her hair.
“I meant to talk to you earlier, about the decision of allowing you stay here.”
“I was wondering how long it would be before they got around to that. I’m not a prisoner here, and you’ve been hospitable in your own fashion….” she trailed off.
“I never even thought to ask you if this is what you wanted. I mean, I know we caught you trying to break into this place, but,…. And we have to take that breach of security very seriously,….”
“I know, but, it’s dfferent somehow, not just because of Vala and what she told you about me, is it?”
“No, not entirely,” he replied.
“Look, I’m not very good at these things, so I’m just going to come out and say it.”
“It’s cute.”
“Stop doing that,” he griped.
“Stop doing what?” she echoed.
“Stop playing with me.” Cameron Mitchell heaved a sigh and sat down in one of the chairs at her table. “I want you stay. I don’t have a logical, rational reason for the way I feel, and I don’t even care if you are what, hundreds of years older than me, but I want you to stay.”
“That’s sweet and oddly warped in its own way, but I must say, that I’m flattered. I don’t often get offers like that from men.”
“I find that hard to believe.” Cameron shrugged and smiled. “You’re good.”
“Okay, I admit, that I do, but after a few centuries, the game, not the Game, if you know what I mean, but the other one, between men and women, gets to become a habit that’s hard to break.”
“Figures,” Cameron muttered.
“Oh, it could be worse,” Amanda replied.
“Don’t say things like that, honey, “ Cameron smiled again. “You’ll end up jinxing things, and right now, we can’t afford any more trouble than we’ve already got on our plates.”
“Lovely, just what have I signed myself up for?”
“The best job in the world, or maybe just about any other world,” Cameron grinned and this time the corresponding grin matched Amanda’s own unique version.
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