Confirming Carter Bk. 02 Daedalus Ch. 03

Sam and Tammy tell Dr. Keller what they've done, Ronin gets a love interest, and Andi's plan is put to a vote...with an unexpected result...

Confirming Carter Book Two Daedalus

Chapter Three

Interior-Dr. Keller's Suite

0610 Hours

"Jenn...Jennifer, wake up." Carter said, shaking her gently.

"Huh? Sam? What's goi..." Keller sat up, looking around, seeing that she was in her own room. "Is something wrong? Are you..."

"I'm fine." Sam said. "We need to talk to you. Tammy's making coffee. We'll be in the kitchen."

It was almost five minutes before Jennifer came into the kitchen, and Tammy laughed when she did.

"Are you wearing bunny slippers?" She asked, barely able to contain herself.

"Yes, and shut up. I like them."

She poured a cup of coffee and sat down across from them at the table.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"We have to talk to you. Tell her Tammy." Sam said.

"You tell her, it was your idea. I just went along with it." Tammy said back.

"Will one of you please tell me what you've done..."

Keller's mouth snapped shut as she stared at them.

"I guess we don't have to tell her now." Tammy said. "I think she figured it out."

"When?" Keller asked.

"Two weeks ago." Tammy said. "We did five transfusions before I started feeling the effects, then we stopped."

"Are you out of your fucking minds?" She asked. "Is that's why you've been doing daily scans on both of you?"

"Yes and yes." Sam said. She looked over at Tammy. "She's taking it better than I expected."

Keller stared at Tammy. "I can't believe you'd do something that irresponsible. Do you have any idea what a risk you're taking? Why would you do something like that?"

"Because she loves me. And I asked her too." Sam said. "I wanted her to come with me, not just take care of me."

"I know this violates medical ethics, Jenn. But so does everything else we've been doing." Tammy told her. "And I did it because she asked me to come with her on her journey. I want to go with her. We're going to have a long, wonderful life together."

"What if you react differently? What if you die Tammy? Did you think about that?" Keller asked quietly.

"No. Because it's not going to happen, it would have started already. Have you noticed any difference in me over the past week?" Tammy asked her. "Think about it for a minute."

She got up and poured them all a fresh cup of coffee, then got the cream from the fridge, and sugar from the pantry. Sam scooped sugar into their cups as Tammy added cream.

"Is that why you keep blowing me off when I ask about our workouts? You seem livelier after, and you just power right through everything. Are you wearing ear plugs yet?"

"She really should be." Sam said. "I can see her trying to concentrate sometimes. Jenn, we had to tell you because you're our doctor, and you have to know. Will you help us, if we get in trouble?"

"How many of the tests you sent me this week were yours, Tammy?" Keller asked.

Tammy hesitated, looked at Sam, then back at Keller. "All of them."

"I'll be right back." Jennifer said. She left the room and was back a moment later with her laptop and a tablet. "Bring up the first tests you sent me this week, then look at the last tests you know you sent me on Sam."

Tammy went through the reports, then looked up at Jennifer.

"That's right. You're already ahead of where she was at the same time." Keller said. "I'll be your doctor, there's no way I can say no. But I don't know how to handle this." She paused, then looked back at them. "You're sitting here because you don't want me to tell Andi."

"Yes. But Jenn, I don't need to be stimulated like she does, and my hormone and endorphin levels don't ramp up and down like Sam's do." Tammy said. "That's what I've been wondering about."

"You started after her korathis levels had leveled out, she's no longer producing as vigorously, just maintaining. And you're not having to do the stimulations as much, you're down to once a day, or so Andi tells me. Because you two withhold information from me." Keller told her. "You also have a three year history with it, your levels were near constant anyway."

She looked at them as she took her tablet back. "I'm mad as hell about this, but there's not a damn thing I can do about it now." She said, closing her laptop and sliding both machines out of the way. "Go get me complete scans, and a full workup on both of you. Do Tammy first, in case anyone comes in. I want them in half an hour. And I want you to start wearing a bracelet too, Tammy."

She looked over at Carter. "I guess she's been teaching you how to take blood, run tests?"

Carter nodded.

"Good, so I don't have to." She got up and poured another cup of coffee. "Get out of here. I need to think."

Interior-Col. Sheppard's Suite

0645 Hours

"Wha..." Sheppard grunted as she slid into bed with him.

"It's just me." Jennifer said. "It's not time to get up yet."

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing...except your boss and my nurse are a couple of idiots." She said as she pulled the sheet up over her. "Just hold me, and go back to sleep."

"Okay." He said, not completely awake. He put his arm across her, pulling her closer as he laid his cheek against her back, and pressed his hips against her, sighing happily.

"And put that thing away." She said. "I'm not in the mood."

Interior-Gym

0940 Hours

Caldwell and O'Neill came up the stairs to the gym and saw that many of the staff had already had the same idea. Teyla was on the bench press, while Sam and Tammy were spotting each other on calisthenics as they rotated between sets.

Caldwell pointed, and O'Neill saw that Ronin was down at the end of the gym sparing with a small woman wearing a sports bra and a pair of sweat pants. She was barefoot, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail.

He dodged a leg sweep, and came back at her with a jumping punch. She moved in under it, planted three quick kicks in his solar plexus, then punched him rapidly in the face three times with each fist. He went down in a heap.

She stepped up over him, holding out her hand. "Let's try it again." She said. "How many times do I have to tell? Think with your head, not with your balls!"

She pulled him to his feet and pulled his head down in front of hers. "I'm smaller and faster than you are, I can run circles around you. You have to overwhelm me, get me on the ground, then subdue me. Can you get that through that thick skull of yours?"

"Yeah. You fight better than me."

"No, I fight different than you." She pulled his face closer and kissed him on the forehead. "One day, you're gonna run into a guy my size that fights like me, and I don't want you to get hurt, so we need to improve your technique."

"Who the hell is that?" O'Neill asked, trying not to laugh.

"Amelia Banks." Tammy said, coming over and picking up a water bottle. She tossed it over her shoulder, and Sam caught it as she came up behind her. "She's been kicking his ass for an hour. I think he's in love."

She took a drink, swished it around in her mouth and spit it out, then up ended the bottle, drinking half of it before she stopped.

"Watch this." Tammy said she said to O'Neill. She picked up a water bottle, tossed it up and leapt in the air, spinning and kicking it in mid-air. The bottle flew toward the end of the room, and Amelia turned, grabbed it out of the air and tossed it to Ronin.

"Thanks. Got another one for me?" She called.

Tammy laughed, picked up another bottle and threw it the length of the room to her. Amelia nodded her thanks, and motioned for Ronin to sit.

"Which part was I supposed to be impressed by? They were both pretty kewl." O'Neill said.

"What are you going to do today general? Got anything in mind?" She asked. She looked over at Caldwell. "You're late Steven. You can start with sit-ups. Two sets of fifty. You've got six minutes."

"I was just gonna do the bike for a while." He said.

Tammy nodded and walked over to a bench and dug in a gym bag for a moment, then came back over to him.

"Take off your shirt." She said. When he hesitated, she put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "Come on, we don't have all day. We have to get downstairs for the vote in an hour or so. You can take it off, or I can. I don't care."

He looked over at Sam, but she just looked at him.

O'Neill shrugged, and pulled his sweatshirt over his head.

"The tank too." Tammy said.

He pulled it off, dropping both at his feet.

"Not bad, getting a little soft around the middle." She looked up at him. "You're what? Fifty-eight?"

"Fifty-three."

She took his hand and wrapped a velcro band around his wrist, then picked up a tablet. "Bike number one." She said as she tapped at the screen. "Twenty minutes at ten miles an hour. If you feel chest pains, or the alarm goes off, stop and lay on the floor, we'll be on you before you know what's happening. Go."

She turned and yelled across the gym to Teyla. "I'm hitting the showers. Caldwell does two sets of fifty pushups, then two more sets of fifty sit-ups, then ten at ten on the bike. O'Neill does twenty at ten. Watch him, I don't want him to stroke out."

She looked at Sam. "Don't be long, we have to get ready." Sam nodded at her back as she turned and walked away.

"Welcome to hell, Jack." Sam smiled as walked by him, smacking him on the ass.

"Gen. O'Neill." Teyla called.

He looked over at her, and she pointed to the bike, then turned her attention back to Caldwell. O'Neill walked over and climbed on the bike, watching the speedometer as he started to pedal.

Interior-Bedroom

0940 Hours

"Spread 'em." Tammy said, turning Sam under the showerhead, then pushing her toward the shower wall.

Sam leaned forward, pressing her hands against the wall, working her feet back, and spreading them wide.

Tammy stepped close behind her, reaching around with one sponge mitt, and stroking it slowly over her stomach. Her other hand slid slowly up over her arm, then back down the underside.

"We have our work cut out for us with Caldwell and O'Neill. Especially O'Neill..." She said.

"Don't talk about them right now. Wash me. You know how much I like this." Sam panted.

"You want cum, don't you?" Tammy whispered, leaning in close to her ear. Her hand ran down across Sam's stomach, dipped into the curly hairs of her pubes, then drew back, making her gasp.

"Oh, you bitch!" Sam panted. "You know what working out does to me. Please, just get me off. I need it Tammy. Please?" She begged, her head hanging down, her legs beginning to shake.

"I know, and I like seeing you like this." She whispered huskily in her ear. "You like this better than when I make you squirt, or eat you out. That's just a cum. But when we do this, everything in clicking, you're cruisin' on that endorphin high, and your whole body just sings as I touch you." Her hand dipped down, the rough sponge brushing across the fleshy lips of her pussy, making her whimper.

Her other hand was stroking across her nipples, her fingers pinching them through the thin mitt. "Here it comes, Sam. Are you ready? I'm going to make you cum now." Tammy whispered.

She let the mitt drop off her hand, and her soapy fingers slipped between the fleshy lips of her pussy, seeking out her clit. She strummed it lightly, then pinched it gently between her fingers as she ground herself against her ass, letting her feel the heat of her own desire against her.

Carter was trembling violently, her legs shaking visibly as Tammy caressed her. She was gasping for air, shaking her head as she whimpered pitifully.

"You're almost ready, Sam. I can feel it, you're almost there." Tammy said as she started rubbing her clit with firmer strokes. "Let it happen, don't fight it, you know you want it. Come on, cum for me." She ground her fingertips against the stiff bud of her clit, moving them in slow circles, pressing harder as she slid them across the tender nubbin.

"NNNgggghhhhngggnnn." Sam grunted, then gasped, tears bursting from her eyes and streaming down her cheeks. "Ohhhhh...I...nugh...Ta...Nnngggghhhhnnnn!"

She started to collapse, but Tammy held her up, her fingers not stopping their steady movement across her clit. Tammy slowed her pace, replacing her fingertips with the length of her fingers, massaging them up and down, running them slowly over her throbbing clit bud as she let Sam ease down from the peak.

She moved her hand over her upper body, soaping her up slowly. She kept her other hand between her legs, cupping her throbbing mound gently.

"Let me wash you. Breathe, that's right, breathe. Relax. That was a good one, wasn't it?" Tammy said as she ran her hand over her tummy, then up under each arm. "I'm going to stand you up, can you stay up, or do I need to hold you?"

"Nnnuuh."

Tammy drew her hand slowly from between her legs, bring it up across her stomach. She turned them, using her feet to guide her over under the spray. She held her up, rinsing her off, then turning her around, and rinsing her back.

When she was clean of soap, she picked her up and carried her into the bedroom, laying her on the bed. She leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. "Rest, you can finish your shower when you're ready. I'll be right back."

She went back into the bathroom and stepped into the shower, grabbing a mitt and soaping up quickly. She rinsed off, then washed her hair, rinsed, and shut off the spray.

Grabbing a towel as she stepped out, she dried herself as she went back into the bedroom. Sam was sitting up on the side of the bed, and looked up at her as she came in.

"Thanks." She smiled. "I really needed that. And it was sooooooo good!" She fell back on the bed, throwing her arms out as she started laughing.

"Come on." Tammy said, reaching over and grabbing her hand. "You have to get cleaned up. For real this time. Come on, get going." She said, pulling her to her feet and pushing her toward the bathroom.

She watched as Sam skipped into the bathroom, then started drying her hair.

"Tammy? Can I come in?" Samuels asked from the doorway.

Tammy walked over to the door, running the towel across her back.

"Sure Andi. What's up?" She asked.

"That's getting to be a ritual. You've done it almost ten days in a row now." Andi said, looking at her closely.

"Yeah, she enjoys it. Cumming right after she works out charges up her batteries, and she's good for the day. I'm not doing the midday or evening sessions on days we do this."

"And you're making love every night too. For at least an hour." Samuels said.

"Is this really any of your business, Andi? I think you might be crossing a line here." Tammy said, putting towel the around her neck and holding onto the ends.

"It is my business, and I think it's a good thing. I was going to ask you to keep it up." Samuels said seriously. "And I'd like you to block in an hour of you time in the middle of the day. Take her off, just the two of you. Have sex, talk, cuddle, but that time is just for you. No business, don't let anything else intrude. I'll talk to the senior staff and block what we can, because I want this to happen."

Tammy whipped her towel from around her neck, throwing it over Andi's, pulling her closer. "You're up to something, Andi. But I don't care." Tammy laughed.

"I am, Tammy. That's what I'm here for." Samuels chuckled, putting her arms around her waist. "But you keep her grounded, and I just want to you know that you're doing a wonderful job. We wouldn't be where we are right now without you, and I just want to say thank you." She kissed her on the cheek and ducked out from under the towel.

"I had a team go through a dozen buildings over the last day or so, and I got you a present." She turned and started for the kitchen. "Sam too. We're waiting in the kitchen. See you soon." She said as she strolled off.

"Was that Andi?" Sam asked as she came out of the bathroom, drying her hair.

"Yeah, it was kind of weird too."

"What did she want?" Sam asked as she went over to the closet. "And what should I wear for..." She opened the closet and stopped, staring in wonder at it. "Did you do this?" She asked.

"Do what?" Tammy asked as she pulled her closet door open. She froze as she looked inside. "Do you have all the same thing in yours?" She asked.

"Yeah." Sam said, pulling down an outfit. It was a cream colored vest with matching slacks.

Tammy pulled out the same outfit in black.

"I guess she likes us as twins...come on. Let's get dressed and see how we look!" Sam said.

Interior-Kitchen

1020 Hours

"Thank you, Andi." Sam said as they walked into the kitchen. "This was very nice of you. How do we look?"

They struck opposing poses, slouching, hands in pockets.

"That's the look I was going for, but one more button on the vests please." Samuels said.

Sam started to button the next button up, and Andi shook her head. "No, the other way, you too Tammy."

"Are you sure about this Andi?" Sam said, opening another button.

"Yes, Let me worry about the psychology please. You just run your domain." Samuels said as she opened a folder. "You're both getting buff, but not muscle bound. Stay off the weights, and back off a bit on your program. Add more sparring, but try not to leave marks. It won't do to have our queen show up with a shiner. Have a seat, we have other things to discuss."

"How did O'Neill do Teyla?" Tammy asked as she sat down.

"He did mo...some of the time at ten." Teyla said. "He came dangerously close to the red line, so I had him do the last five at eight."

"Good, he'll get better. We get him on a cardio routine, and the belly will disappear. Let's not worry about anything else right now."

"Here's a sample of the ballot, I made them as requested. I also put them on reinforced punched paper, so we can put them in binders without damaging them." Samuels said. "After we're done, they'll be treated with a coating that will preserve them for centuries with daily handling, longer without. After that, it's someone else's problem."

That got a laugh, and she looked around, then at her watch.

"The first announcement was at eight PM last night, then every half hour till eleven PM. They resumed at eight AM this morning, and have been repeated every half hour since. Starting at ten AM, there's one every ten minutes. One is going now, and we'll have three more before eleven. No work crews went out today, so if anyone misses the vote, they don't vote. We may be short votes, but not ballots, there's a provision for that. We will not be over."

"You should come in fashionably late, eleven-oh-five should be fine. You won't appear too eager. Be casual and friendly, be yourself. Feel free to work the room, and Tammy, stay by her side, not the fly on the wall like you did last time. They need to see you and Sam together. They know about you, and they're fine with it. Again, just be yourselves."

"I have an opening statement I would like to give. I tried to keep it short and positive. I need feedback and approval, because we need to go soon."

She opened a folder, took out two sheets, and gave them to Sam and Tammy. The rest of the group took copies, or shared them.

"I don't have a problem with this Andi. The only question I have, is why seventy-five percent to pass? Why not the standard fifty-one?" Sam asked.

"Because they've been saying they want it. So it's time for them to put up, or shut up. And with a seventy-five percent majority required, no one can say we rigged it."

"That's fine. Can we make it eighty-five?" Sam said, trying and failing not to grin.

"No, seventy-five is the best I can do for you Sam. Any higher, and it looks like you're trying to ditch it, it may look like that now to some, but I can sell it if the question comes up."