Siler looked nervously around, trying to see if anyone else had noticed. It was possible that he was hallucinating. This was the SGC, after all, and weird was their daily lives. But, no, it didn't look like he was imagining things. A couple of technicians had stopped what they were doing, clipboards lolling in their hands as they stared down through the glass shield into the 'gate room, transfixed. Apart from Major Griff, who was clearly otherwise occupied, there was no one else in the control room to *see* what he was seeing.
He really didn't know what to do.
Nervously, he looked down at the screen in front of him. Maybe if he just pretended.
"Hey, Siler," one of the techs said, sliding onto a computer chair and rolling over to him, her eyes still fixed on the Air Force officers. "Isn't that...?"
"Not a word," Siler hissed, automatically looking behind him at the on duty senior officer, Major Griff, who was sitting next to a desk pushed against the back wall, sipping a cup of coffee and reading a magazine.
The tech grinned. "But it is, right?" she said in a distinctly lower tone of voice.
Siler decided the best course of action would be to ignore her and get back to work. She rolled her chair away to have a hurried whispered conversation with her friend.
Sergeant Siler tried to go back to work.
But he couldn't.
Of course he couldn't! Two of the most senior officers on base were making out in the 'gate room! What was he supposed to do? Smile and ignore it? Carry on with the system check-up?
Sometimes, he wondered whether this job was worth it.
"Siler," Sergeant Phillips said, walking into the room. He glanced over at Griff, but since Griff didn't acknowledge his existence, Phillips carried on into the room and dropped down onto a chair. "I wanted to know if you were able to go over the..." Phillip's stalled as his eyes wandered into the 'gate room and his mouth all but dropped open. "Holy shit."
Siler winced. "Don't say a word," he murmured, glancing over at Griff again. The guy was oblivious. Thank God.
"Why? The security cameras gonna have it all logged." Clearly vastly entertained, Phillips leaned forward slightly. "Wow. They're sure going at it."
"Phillips!" Siler hissed. Why was he surrounded by idiots? "Could you be serious for one moment? "
"Okay, okay." But the inane grin didn't go away, the twinkle in his green eyes didn't diminish.
Siler wished once again he had a sense of humor. But he really wasn't a funny person. Especially where the SGC was concerned. He spent his whole life fixing things, things that could mean fatal accidents, which required a level of seriousness that he felt he had in abundance. He didn't know how to deal with the situation he was currently facing.
What the heck did you do when two superior officers started kissing in the 'gate room where *everyone* could see them?
"Hold on," Phillips said, frowning. "Aren't they running that security camera update tonight?"
Siler's brow puckered. "I thought that was scheduled for the 23rd."
"It *is* the 23rd."
Suddenly, things were starting to make sense. The security cameras would be offline on Level 28 first, because it was felt that the cameras needed to be updated on that level immediately. "How long did they say it would last?" Siler asked.
"Half an hour, max. How long have they been in there?" Phillips asked, nodding his head to the room.
"About five minutes, maybe more. I hadn't noticed."
Siler had another hunch.
A big one.
Griff wasn't supposed to be on duty tonight. Though Siler didn't make it his business to pay close attention to who was supervising the SGC, he knew Griff had been on duty only a couple of days previously because someone had complained to him about the practical jokes Griff liked to play. That night, at five minutes past eleven, Griff had just turned up, said he'd swapped duty shifts with Major McKibbon in such a way that no one had argued, and sat down with his thermos of coffee and stack of magazines.
Now, Siler was pretty sure Griff and O'Neill were friends. Well, as close to 'friends' as a Colonel in the USAF and a Major in the Marines could get, that is. He'd seen them exchange 'witty' comebacks in the commissary, that was for sure. 'Witty' being relative in Siler's opinion.
One of the techs giggled and Siler and Phillips looked back into the 'gate room.
"Oh my God," was Phillip's reaction.
Siler blinked. He really shouldn't be watching this, he really shouldn't be watching. Did the Colonel really have his hand up her...
"Sergeant!"
Siler froze. Phillips froze. The techs stopped giggling.
"Yes, sir?" Siler said, swiveling around on his chair.
Griff yawned and stretched. "Let's test the blast doors."
He blinked. He knew it! Griff was working on behalf of O'Neill and Carter! "The *blast* doors, sir?" he questioned in a serious voice.
"That's what I said, er, Siler. Test them. Put them down." Griff looked at his watch and made a face. "Right now, actually."
Siler nodded. "Yes sir."
Turning around, he gave Phillips a significant look. "Lowering blast doors, sir," Siler said, clearing his throat and reached for the control.
The techs and Siler and Phillips all intently - and slightly voyeuristically - lowered their heads with the blast doors, trying to get as much of a look as possible before the 'gate room was completely blocked from view.
"I think we'll, ah, keep it down for another twenty minutes," Griff said, reaching for his magazine again and shaking it out casually.
Siler and Phillips exchanged a look. "Yes, sir."
"And if any of you say one word about what happened here tonight," the Major continued, reading casually, "I'll make sure you suffer."
The techs paled and hurriedly went back to work.
Siler and Phillips mentally sighed.
It would have been a really juicy piece of gossip, too.
Phillips turned back to him, "So, Siler, *have* you been able to go over..."
Story Notes: A/N: Betaed by Emry and Mel would have betaed it if she knew... .
DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc, are the property of their respective owners. Any original characters and plots are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended. ... [ read more ]