| Smooth Operator is one of many stories that make up Scribe's Shower Scenes series, which has been written solely for the purpose of getting Daniel naked and wet. If you're looking for something cerebral, this isn't where you'll find it. If you're after some well- written "gratuitously fluffy and silly" entertainment then this is definitely one for you. Reacting to the situation in Foothold when aliens overran the SGC, Jack has been running practice security alerts for the last month. Daniel is frustrated that his time is being wasted by these alerts, and has been desperately trying to get some translation work done. When Sam offers to bring him lunch he gratefully accepts, and heads back to his office to continue with his work. Just as Sam's returning to Daniel's office she hears a gunshot and immediately hits the alarm. She discovers Daniel covered in blood. She tries to check his wounds, but of course things aren't quite what they seem. Daniel has no injuries and Sam assumes that he's participating in one of Jack's scenarios. Events spiral totally out of control as Sam orders the arriving security team to treat the incident as a biohazard. True to the purpose of the story, Daniel ends up naked in the decontamination shower with Janet refusing to let him out despite his protests that this was all an accident. Knowing the purpose of the story up front, the convoluted way the author manages to achieve her goal is to be commended. All of the characters are easily recognisable, but the world seems to have tilted slightly on its axis. Such phrases as "She blinked in astonishment at the perfect, lightly tanned skin she had just revealed, her surprise having nothing to do with the impressive display of pectoral muscle and everything to do with the lack of bullet holes" show the author having fun with some tongue-in-cheek worship of Daniel. There is nothing too over the top about the way this story is written, though the previous example is anything but subtle. Daniel's attempts to convince Sam, Janet and anyone else who'll listen that this is not Jack's security scenario are skilfully ignored. His misery at his predicament is just right, and his desire to be left alone to do some work is a well written theme running throughout the piece. I'll leave you to discover the ending yourself. Suffice it to say it brings Jack and Daniel into a room together following Daniel's humiliating experience. Smooth Operator is amusing and fluffy, fulfilling all of its objectives. If you like your Daniel naked and dripping, then this is definitely one to read. |
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