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"Rodney, the IOA is on Landry's ass about sending scientists from China to Atlantis," Sam said patiently.
It was the weekly staff meeting, and John could see this was a subject that Carter very obviously did not want to have to discuss. But better her than him, although he knew he wasn't going to escape it.
"Oh, fuck. Just what I need," Rodney moaned. "A bunch of spies who will try to make off with whatever isn't glued down."
"I know, I know," Carter sighed. "I don't want them, either. But I don't have a good reason to turn them down."
Rodney looked at John and John could only shrug. If they had to, they had to.
"What?" Carter asked, looking between them.
"I can ask the city to be... unappealing, I guess," John admitted. "Even if any of them are ATA positive, she can be directed not to be helpful or react to them."
Carter sat back in her chair and stared for a moment. "You've never admitted that sort of... connection... before this."
Rodney winced. "We were not going to admit to it, like... ever."
Carter looked thoughtfully at John and then at Rodney. She gave a small grin. "I can't answer questions I don't know anything about."
"Sure, the Chinese can send... four scientists," Rodney sighed. "They have to work in pairs, be fluent in English, and I need their CVs before they come so I can give them 'appropriate' work to do."
"They also have to be field ready," John added. "They won't carry weapons on the city but if we can put them on a team, that will make it easier for them to learn that this isn't a cushy job."
"Going to take them to P3X-479?" Sam grinned.
"It's a perfectly good training exercise!" Rodney protested.
"Yeah," Carter laughed. "Maintaining a sewage system is important work." John knew he liked her for a reason.
"If we really hated them, we'd have them do that here on the city," John replied.
"La-la-la-la-la.." Sam sang, putting her fingers in her ears. "Don't want to know..."
John and Rodney both laughed.