Disclaimer - MGM/Gekko/Double Secret own them. Blah, blah...
Spoilers: Specifically 'Solitudes', '1969', 'Into The Fire', Fair Game', 'Deadman Switch', and 'A Hundred Days'. Also contains many general series spoilers.
Use of {} indicate memories.
*
Checking that the bag was securely fastened, Jack O'Neill nodded silently to himself and pulled it onto his shoulders as he walked into the Gate room. Carter, Daniel and Teal'c were already there so he greeted them warmly just as the seventh chevron locked and the wormhole opened. Taking in the fantastic display of astronomical whatever it was, he spoke to Carter. "I'll never get tired of seeing that."
"Yes si..." The end of her response was lost as it turned into a yawn.
He lifted his eyebrows. "Keeping you awake, are we Carter?"
She apologised immediately, smothering the rest of the yawn with her hand. "Sorry sir - I fell asleep in the lab. Wasn't particularly comfortable. I don't feel like I got any sleep at all."
"So once again you resist the temptation of a warm, comfortable bed at home, and instead opt for the swivel chair in your lab?"
"Uh...it was the table actually."
His mind tried to figure out the mechanics of how that was possible, but quickly surrendered. She was the one who was supposed to do all the complex thinking on this team. Which was just as well. "Don't tell me how you managed that."
Hammond wished them luck through the microphone in the control room, and on an unspoken cue all the members of SG-1 stepped up on the ramp and walked steadily towards the Stargate.
The mission was sure to be a simple one. The UAV had shown no current signs of life, but there did appear to be a fascinating display of rocks that Daniel was dying to get his eager hands on.
That man seriously needed a date.
Still, they could do with a nice, simple mission. They'd been on the go for so long that this would almost feel like a break. A little vacation.
Yeah, that sounded good.
Turning to Carter, who was a few steps behind him, he smiled. "See you on the other side."
And he stepped through.
The thought came to him then, in the few rapid moments as he was passing through the Stargate and his body screamed with the sensation of travelling inside a wormhole, that he should have realised what an idiot he was being.
No journey through the Stargate was nice and simple.
Ever.
*
Oh yeah, something was definitely broken. Swearing in the various languages he'd picked up over the years - or at least the swear words that he'd learned over the years from various languages - he tried to figure out where he was.
He couldn't be too far from the Stargate. He may have been flung from it at one hell of a speed record, but even he wouldn't have been thrown that far. So, if he could just stand up and turn around he'd probably be able to see it and get the hell out of here.
Unfortunately his body wasn't listening to common sense, which almost made a sense of its own. It made sure that he stayed just where he was: on his back at an awkward angle thanks to the bag on his back, on the ground, staring up at a blue sky. His field of vision, naturally, was surrounded by trees.
"Carter!" He yelled, hoping she was all right.
When he received no response, his adrenaline began to skyrocket.
"Daniel! Teal'c!"
He tried his radio.
Still getting no response, he puckered his lips together. The fear that something far worse might have happened to them - any of them - was enough for him to win the argument with his body.
Sitting up too quickly he immediately groaned. He had one hell of a bruise on his face, but other than that his top half didn't seem too bad. It was his leg that was the problem. Yeah...crap. It was the same leg that he'd broken in Antarctica. And, from the look and feel of things, it was broken in the same place.
On the upside, he didn't think his ribs were broken.
God, it had to be a really bad day when *that* was an upside.
Swivelling his top half around as much as he could considering his position, he tried to see them.
Nothing. And...there was something....something else. He didn't know quite what.
That didn't make any sense. None of them could have been catapulted much further than him or in a wildly different direction. How could there be no sign of them at all?
Obviously, something had gone wrong during the journey, either with the Stargate on Earth or the one on this planet. Maybe...God, maybe the wormhole had closed before the others made it. He *had* been the first one to step through. He'd turned to Carter who was a few steps behind, said something just to see her smile and walked through.
Ahead of her.
Ahead of them.
No. No way was he going to believe that they were dead. He never would.
Gritting his teeth he began the slow, painful process of standing up. He shortly decided that 'slow' was too generous a word. Eternal was more like it. Every single movement caused agonising pain in his leg, leaving him almost crying by the time he was standing up, as much weight as possible taken by his good leg.
Carefully, carefully, turning around he tried to find the Stargate. The DHD was bound to be only a few feet away. He'd hobble over to it, dial home, then send a search party whose size matched the amount of extras in 'Ben Hur' back through.
Okay, okay. He needed to move in very small...increments. Increments. That was a Carter word. Heh. She was brushing off on him. At this moment in time, he took that as good news.
It was the only good news he would get for a while.
Before he knew what was happening his legs were moving, slipping, the pain incredible as he fell, fell...
Fortunately the pain didn't last long. He blacked out before he hit the ground.
*
Movement. Movement. Rustling.
A dull edge of pain.
A blurry glimpse of blonde hair.
Beautiful blue eyes.
A question.
"Sam...?"
*
When he came to, he could tell without opening his eyes that it was dark. And he was definitely warmer than he had been, although the cold was seeping in from somewhere. The ground was firmer than before but not uncomfortable, and the smell of something disgusting - although it also smelt worryingly like food - wafted under his nostrils.
His stomach growled anyway.
"Quiet," He murmured.
"Good," a feminine voice said. "You speak a language I know."
Well, if his curiosity hadn't already been piqued, it certainly was now. Jack finally forced his eyelids open. They objected quite heartily to the task but eventually cooperated, and as those eyes adjusted to the darkness, they revealed a woman standing a cautious few feet away. She didn't look particularly scared or threatened - which was no big newsflash given his current condition - but she was definitely keeping her distance.
Ah.
So. That's where the blonde hair and blue eyes had come from. Her hair was a little longer and straighter than Sam's but there was a definite similarity.
"Hello," He greeted, making no attempt to move.
"You require food and rest," Was her response, and she indicated to his right.
Following her hand movements he turned his head slowly and saw a bowl of something brown and particularly ugly. "Umm...thank you."
Saying nothing else, she nodded and turned away.
Jack cleared his throat. "Excuse me."
Frowning, she turned back. "Yes?"
"Did you...find...anyone else?"
"You are the only other one here."
Well, that cleared that up. Presuming she was telling the truth. "Okay. Thanks. Again."
Merely nodding, she quickly left the room.
Actually, 'room' was something of an overstatement. It looked like it had originally been a cave but parts had been carved out for specific purposes. For all intents and purposes, the shelf next to him was some kind of hearth. At least he hoped so. There was some device sitting in it that was producing heat. Not too hot, though. Just right, as it happened.
From what he could see of the rest of the room, there were vague light sources planted in the walls but they were barely activated, and through the gloom he could see several other shelves carved into the walls that held a variety of things that he couldn't really make out.
His stomach growled again.
He had to get out of here pronto. He had no idea what her intentions were, and how far he was now from the Stargate. But, she had a point: he needed food and rest.
Sighing, he picked up the bowl and stared distastefully at what passed as 'food' before hurriedly shoving a spoonful into his mouth, hoping like hell that it wasn't poisoned.
*
It was only the second time he came round that he realised she'd put his leg in a splint. How had he failed to notice that?
The lights were on higher this time, and she was sitting in an uncomfortable looking chair on the other side of the room, staring at something in her hands that he couldn't quite see.
"Morning," He croaked, trying to shift into a sitting position.
She lifted her gaze towards him. "It is evening."
"Force of habit. Thanks," He continued, "For the splint."
She shrugged as she stood, placing whatever she was holding on a shelf. "I apologise that the food is not more appetising. It provides everything I need and, besides that, I wasn't expecting anyone else."
"Heck, you should try our macaroni and cheese."
"Macaroni and cheese?"
"Yeah, it's a wonderful dish that tastes nothing like macaroni and cheese."
Continuing to frown for a while longer, she eventually let it dissolve into a small smile.
Well, that had to be good news. Maybe she wasn't out to kill him after all. Unless it was death by brown and ugly food. He could just imagine that on his death certificate.
Shifting, he sat up further with his back against the wall, wincing as his leg protested. "Do you have a name?"
"Of course."
He sighed. "What is it?"
"You may call me Reshan."
"Wait a minute - I *may* call you Reshan? Does that mean it isn't your name?"
"I did not say that. What is your name?"
He had a headache. "Jack. Jack O'Neill."
She nodded.
He decided to try again. "Look...I really appreciate everything you've done for me, *really* - but I'd kind of like to go home."
"Home?"
"Yeah. Through the Stargate."
"Stargate?"
"That big round thing out there with lots of carvings on it. I can use it to get home and then - no offence to your wonderful hospitality - I can get treated properly. Besides, people are kinda expecting me back." In fact, he added silently, they're probably looking for me already. But he wasn't about to tell her that. And he had to find out how the rest of his team were.
She didn't look offended. "I know what the Stargate is."
"Ah. Well. Good." At least she wasn't one of those religious types who believed everyone who came through the Stargate was some kind of god. Although, given the fact that she seemed to be the only sentient being on this planet, it wasn't that big a surprise. Not to mention the distinct lack of religious paraphernalia...hell, that was Daniel's territory anyway.
"But you cannot return to the Stargate."
Well, he didn't like *that* at all. "I think I can."
"Yes," She agreed, confusing him. "Just not yet."
Oh he really didn't like this. "May I ask why?"
"I cannot leave this area for longer than a few minutes. We are quite some distance from the Stargate. You will not be able to reach it without my assistance."
Getting agitated he tried to sit up still further and hissed against the pain. "Look, just point me in the right direction and I'll take my chances."
Reshan disagreed. "You will not make it."
She was starting to piss him off. "I'm stronger than I look."
"I am not referring to your injury. Even if I 'point you in the right direction' you will not make it."
He didn't like this one bit. In fact, he was getting that distinct 'Misery' feeling. If she brought out a sledgehammer, he swore to God-
"This planet is not entirely natural. Large parts of it were terraformed by an advanced race of aliens."
"Which race?"
"I do not know. From what little *is* known they died out many thousands of years ago - perhaps longer. All we know for certain is that they were embroiled in a bitter war, and changed this planet for their own purposes."
Okay, she had his attention. "That purpose being...?"
"Presumably, a trap."
That didn't sound good. "What kind of trap?"
"The artificial nature of this planet means that the surroundings appear to change no matter where you look or where you walk. We presume that they meant to lure their enemies onto this planet, knowing they wouldn't be able to navigate - if your surroundings are constantly changing, how can you?"
"But *we're* on that planet right now. Doesn't that worry you?"
"No. I am able to transverse this planet safely."
"I thought you just said that was impossible."
"Not for me."
"And why's that?"
Reshan studied him honestly. "Experience. That is why you cannot travel to the Stargate alone - you will lose your way. However, eventually I will have the time to take you there myself."
He didn't ask why. He had his own theories. "How do you know you can trust me?"
A smile finally cracked onto her face. "You are not a Jaffa, and you're also not a Goa'uld."
"How do you know that?" This was interesting. She knew the state of play in the galaxy, but for some reason she was hiding on this bizarre planet by herself. It'd be obvious to anyone that he wasn't a Jaffa - the big hole missing from his stomach was a good indication (although Carter told him a few years ago that he had one for a while - how weird was that?) - but knowing he wasn't a Goa'uld was a different matter entirely.
"No signs of entry."
"A Goa'uld can inhabit a host with no detectable signs of entry. And let's not even talk about the Tok'ra..."
She looked surprised. "You have had personal contact with the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra."
Man, that was putting it mildly. "Oh, yes."
"And yet you have not been turned into a host?"
"Not for lack of trying," Jack muttered, remembering with grim satisfaction getting rid of Hathor and her snaky little minions.
It took him a moment to realise Reshan looked almost...impressed.
Cool. Score one for the Earth guy.
Maybe now she'd stop acting like she had a pole up her-
"Then you have been fortunate."
Maybe not. "Okay...so I'm not a Goa'uld and I'm obviously not a Jaffa...but how do you know you can trust me anyway? You know, they're not the only baddies out there."
She smirked. "I do not know. Not for certain. However, you have done nothing suspicious so far, and you are still not in any state to do me any serious harm."
He grimaced just thinking about his leg. "Good point,"
"I any case, I am quite capable of defending myself."
Just like someone else he knew. "I'm sure you can. Rest assured, I have no intention of doing anything that'll mean you'll actually *have* to defend yourself."
"Thank you,"
"No problem." Dammit - just thinking about his leg had brought the pain foremost to his mind again.
Deciding the conversation was over, she turned away and picked something up from the shelf.
Jack frowned as she continued looking at it, but then he spoke. Something he'd been thinking for a while. "You're waiting for someone."
Immediately placing the 'whatever it was' back on the shelf, Reshan faced him. "Why do you say that?"
"That 'thing'," He nodded towards it. "You've been holding it a lot. It's what you were holding when you were sitting in the chair earlier. It's some kind of clock or...chronometer, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Not going to tell me who you're waiting for?"
"No."
"You going to leave now?"
"Yes."
"But you'll be back soon? After all, if you're waiting for someone you can't go far."
"Yes."
"Thought so."
*
Reshan hadn't seemed the type who'd swear, but she was - quite profusely - when she stumbled into the cave some time later.
Blinking to get out of his boredom-induced haze, he turned his attention to her as he alternated between swearing and muttering. She was cradling her left hand in her right one.
"What happened?"
Glaring at him, she carefully sat on her chair. "I fell over."
"I thought you knew your way around here?"
"I do. I tripped." Clearly embarrassed at her own clumsiness, she glared at him again.
Okay, he wasn't going to smile, he really wasn't.
Smiling, he started to stand up.
"What are you doing?" Reshan demanded, realising he was moving. "You need to keep your leg still so it can heal."
"Maybe so, but if I lay here for much longer I'm gonna get bed sores...ah, shit." His leg was protesting loudly - if not in actual sound, then in the fact that the pain receptors were recepting far too loudly. But...he was up. Dizzy for a moment he rested against the wall before shaking his head and hobbling over to her. "Let me see,"
That she didn't like being ordered around was obvious, but she held out her left arm anyway.
Jack hissed a little in sympathy when he saw it. Her left wrist was horribly bruised and was swelling up badly. She must have fallen on it hard. "Do you have anything we can wrap it in?"
"We do not need to. I have healing...medicines, that will mend the injury."
He stared at her. "You have medicines you haven't been sharing?"
"They will not work on you. Our physiology is different."
Crap - now she was using big words. "All right. But...to make me feel better, wrap it up in something. Please?"
Sighing heavily, she conceded. "Very well. Pass me that box behind you."
Turning, he perused the contents of several shelves in the wall before finding the box she was referring to. He handed it to her, then watched as she took it with her good hand and rested it on her legs. Seeing she was going to have trouble with it, he opened the box for her.
She pointed to something in the box. "Wrap that one around the injury. I usually save these for far more severe wounds, but as you are insisting on being overly maternal-"
"I am."
"Then use it now."
Carefully, he wrapped the soft cotton-like material around her wrist, and when he was done he secured it in place with a little magnetic *thing*. "Neat," Closing the box, he put it back on the shelf, trying to ignore the effort it was taking to move, or the sweat beading up on his face. Shit...
"You need to rest."
Too damn perceptive. Something else in common. "Yeah," Groaning, he managed to make it over to his 'bed'. Getting down was going to be a problem but he had - unfortunately - dealt with broken bones before. Where was Carter and her giggling when you needed them?
After a great deal of groaning, moaning, and growling in pain, he was down. That little bit of exertion had completely worn him out. "You're getting old, O'Neill."
"You do not appear to be that old physically."
"I was talking to myself."
Reshan was next to him suddenly, surprising him. She was...tucking him in. Tucking him in?
Covering him carefully with a blanket, she aimed the heater further towards him, trying to get rid of the cold edge that was always in the air. "Thanks,"
"And to you."
Moving away, she again sat in her chair.
Jack closed his eyes, warm, comfortable as he could be, and more than ready to rest.
She wasn't. "Who - or what - is Sam?"
Suddenly he wasn't warm, comfortable, or ready to rest. Although he did kind of wish he had Nirrti's ability to disappear. His eyelids felt like they were glued to his forehead. "Why?"
"You mentioned the word several times when I found you."
Great, just great. Out of the mouths of babes. "Out of the mouths of unconscious Colonels is more like it..."
"What?"
"Never mind." He just needed to get it over with, that was all. "She's...someone I work with. A friend."
"A good friend?"
"Very."
"Attractive." It wasn't a question.
"Yes. She's also brilliant, loves cats, talks to her plants, and works too damn hard. Anything else you want to know about something that's none of your business?"
He should have known she wouldn't be intimidated. Maybe - just maybe - it was something he was secretly hoping for.
She regarded him as if he were a piece of lint. "You believe she's going to find you."
"She always has before."
Tilting her head to one side, Reshan smiled. It wasn't sarcastic or demeaning. She thought his belief in Carter was...sweet.
Oh, God. He was being perceived as *sweet* now? The moment he got out of this place he was gonna have to do something macho. Male. Build a house or something. Of course if Carter built one it'd be a hundred times better...
Ugh.
That's it. He was going to sleep. Now. Right now. He wasn't going to think about this anymore. No siree. No way, Jose. Hasta la vista. Sayonara. Hit the road, Jack. He was working his way towards unconsciousness, about to dream, heading towards REM sleep, passing out in a gentler way-
Crap.
*
Something was beeping. It was only after Jack stuck a hand out to hit his alarm clock that he remembered his situation: stuck in a cave on a strange planet with a broken leg and a woman who somehow managed to remind him of Sam Carter and Kathy Bates at the same time.
Ah, yeah. This had to be real. No way he could dream this one up.
But if it wasn't his alarm going off, what the hell was it?
Shifting, he groaned, then groaned again when something hit him in the chest and stayed there. "What the hell?!"
"Careful," She warned, and he discovered it was definitely Reshan who was pushing him down. "We have to say out of the way."
"Of what?" He asked, addressing her back.
Without warning a familiar noise filled the room, echoing loudly as a bright light blinded him and-
Then he could see again. And almost wished he couldn't.
"Holy shit!"
*
"Sir, this is Dr Fraiser. I think she's coming round. Yes sir. Sam?"
All she wanted to do was turn over and hibernate, but Janet's voice kept forcing its way into her brain.
"Major Carter,"
She was getting serious now. Janet didn't use rank unless she had to. Resigning herself to the fact that-
-the Stargate. P4W 692. Take some samples. Look at Daniel's artefacts. Come back. The Colonel-
The Colonel.
Sam was up suddenly, sitting, head swimming, hand throbbing. "Where's the Colonel?"
The expression on Janet's face was enough of an answer, but it was Daniel who responded. He was standing on the other side of Sam's bed in the infirmary, looking a little banged up, and Teal'c - who was standing next to him - looked healthy as ever.
"We don't know for sure where he is."
"What happened?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Don't do that to me Daniel. I deserve more."
He stopped hesitating. "There was a large surge of energy just as Jack stepped through the Stargate. The wormhole shut down immediately, but the capacitors blew. You were knocked unconscious, Teal'c and I escaped with a few bruises."
That explained the dizziness. "Has a MALP been sent? Did he make it to the other side?"
"No and...we don't know. We've been trying to figure out what caused the surge, but the computer system's down, as is the Stargate. They're working on fixing it at the moment."
They were interrupted by the arrival of General Hammond. "Major, how are you feeling?"
"Fine, sir. Permission to-"
"Major, whatever you're about to ask, permission denied. You obviously need to recuperate. Dr Fraiser tells me you received quite a nasty bump on the head."
Sam opened her mouth to object but Janet beat her to it.
"Not to mention various other contusions, as well as a sprained wrist."
"They won't kill me,"
Janet had the perfect response: "No, but Colonel O'Neill might if her ever finds out you're refusing to rest."
Determined to make her pay for that comment at some point in the future, Sam turned her attention towards Hammond.
Obviously seeing that she was still angry, he spoke. "Rest, Major. Our best people are working on this-"
"No they're not - excuse the ego sir, but I'm your best people when it comes to the technical and scientific aspect of the Stargate. Daniel may have figured out how to make it work, but I understand why."
The General regarded her wryly. "Well...ego aside, Major...you're right. However, I'm not willing to risk the health of another member of the team when we've no way of knowing if Colonel O'Neill made it out on the other side."
"He's alive." She was certain.
"I'd very much like to share your belief Major, but the fact is we have no proof either way. Rest assured, we are not operating under the assumption that he's dead, and the moment that Stargate is operable we'll send through a MALP, a UAV, however many SG teams it takes...but until then, you are to rest. I'm not taking any more chances."
"Sir-"
"That's an order, Major. I'm sure that if needed, Dr Fraiser would be more than willing to back me up."
Fraiser nodded. "Yes sir. Two days bed rest, at least. You hit your head hard."
"*Two* *days*?"
"Two days," Hammond agreed. "I have to get back to work. Major...feel better. And Doctor? Keep me updated."
"Yes sir."
Nodding to everyone, Hammond turned and left.
Janet placed a hand on Sam's shoulder. "You should lie down."
"I will. In a minute. I promise."
Fraiser studied her doubtfully before someone called her away.
Daniel and Teal'c were still standing where they had been all along, silently. Sam stared at them, trying to analyse their expressions. "Guys, willing to help me disobey a direct order?"
Daniel smiled. "Already working on it."
*
She was going out of her mind. She understood more than ever how O'Neill could get so bored so quickly when she started talking about something scientific. Apart from the fact that he had the attention span of a five year old, if it wasn't something personally interesting, you'd be bored as hell.
Sam was certain - to some degree - that there were lots of interesting things to do while lying on a bed in the infirmary. She just couldn't find any of them.
She did know this: the holes in the ceiling totalled five thousand, three hundred and twenty eight, Janet's shoes squeaked when she walked, and if one more person told her the Colonel was fine, she was going to throttle something.
Hopefully the next person who told her the Colonel was fine.
It had been one day - an entire day - since she'd woken up, and she'd subsequently discovered that she'd been unconscious for about a day when she'd first been knocked out. That was two whole days that he was stuck on that planet, possibly injured. Even if he wasn't he wouldn't be able to dial home because of the problems with the Earth gate, so at the very least he was stuck on an alien planet alone.
At least she hoped he was alone. She didn't want him to lack company, but knowing their luck not being alone probably meant he was being stalked by some huge, terrifying monster.
Way to look on the bright side, Samantha.
He was fine. He was going to be absolutely fine.
She was considering throttling herself when Daniel walked in, huge wads of paper in his arms. Teal'c was a few steps behind with his hands behind his back.
"The computers are up!" Daniel declared, excited, as he dumped the papers he was holding at the end of her bed.
Good news. But... "The Stargate?"
He met her gaze. "No yet. But Siler says we're getting closer."
Nodding, she pursed her lips together. "Good."
Daniel continued. "More not-so-good news...the computers may be up, but they're still completely screwed up. All we're getting from them is..." He gestured towards the papers on her bed. "...gobbledygook. I thought maybe you could get something out of it."
Leaning forward, she grabbed a wad of paper with her uninjured hand. "Thanks for these Daniel, but do you think you could be a bit more discreet? What if Janet comes back?"
It was Teal'c who responded. "Dr Fraiser has been taken care of."
That caused her to still her movements. "'Taken care of'? How?"
The archaeologist suddenly found the floor absolutely fascinating. "We really should be going. Teal'c, let's-"
"Daniel, don't you dare walk out on me when I'm in a bed in the infirmary."
He faced her. Teal'c still looked as if he wanted to leave.
Daniel cleared his throat. "Simmons."
"Simmons? What about Simmons?"
"He...helped us."
God, Simmons? "Did he have to?" Now she was going to owe him something.
"I'm sorry Sam, but there was no other way. Come on, you know how easy it is - all we have to do is mention your name and he'll do whatever we tell him to."
"That's not the point! You used-really? Anything?"
"Just about."
"Give me an example."
Daniel looked at Teal'c. Teal'c looked at Daniel. Then spoke.
"Lieutenant Simmons happened to be in the storage closet as Dr Fraiser was walking by the door. Just as she was passing, he cried out in pain - an injury to his leg, I believe. When Dr Fraiser rushed to his aid the door accidentally slammed shut and locked behind her."
"Accidentally?"
"Yes. Apparently, the wiring in the alarm in the storage cupboard also happens to be faulty, and therefore they will not be able to alert anyone to their predicament."
"Predicament."
"An unfortunate occurrence."
Blinking heavily, Sam couldn't believe this. "When she gets out she's going to kill you two. And then she's going to kill me!"
Teal'c remained impassive as always, not bothered by the ramifications. "As I understand it, the first rule of an Earth doctor is 'do no harm'."
Like that was going to cover them. "I don't think that applies to SGC members with a death wish."
"It will if she thinks it's an accident, Sam," Daniel volunteered hopefully. "We were very careful not to be seen, and Simmons won't say a word."
She still couldn't believe these two, she really couldn't. It was unbelievably sweet that they'd gone to so much trouble, but...hey, what was she worried about? They were civilians - it wasn't as if they could be put through a court martial. And she could honestly say she had no part in what they did, even if it ever was discovered that they were behind it. That was all the justification she needed at the moment. "Pass me more of those papers, will you?"
*
After many hours of pouring over reams of information, Sam eventually came to the conclusion that it was in fact...gobbledygook. No way around it. She'd been hoping there'd be some explanation, some kind of code hidden in it, some kind of *something* that would explain what had happened and where Colonel O'Neill was.
As the Colonel liked to say, they'd come up with absolutely squat. It wasn't a good feeling.
But there was something...something...
"This isn't doing anything," She muttered, trying to ignore her headache and the constant throbbing in her wrist. "I'm sorry Daniel - I appreciate the fact that you brought me these - but I need to see this on a computer screen. It's more of a natural habitat for me."
The man she was addressing was sitting on the bed opposite hers, and he looked up slowly from the large sheets of paper he was studying. Sam had decided a while ago that he had no idea what he was looking for, but he wanted to help and as he'd spent many years studying texts in dozens of different languages, he was pretty good at faking it.
Teal'c helped where he could, but more often than not he kept them supplied with coffee - as evidenced by the vast array of coffee mugs that had overtaken the infirmary. Sam felt as if she'd consumed five times her recommended intake of caffeine in the past few hours, and she was sure Daniel had consumed five times everyone's recommended intake of caffeine, but he did seem to live on the stuff anyway so it hadn't made that big a difference.
Apart from how wide his eyes were. He didn't even acknowledge her complaint - or seem aware of it - when he asked his question. "Can I have another cup of coffee?"
Sam and Teal'c replied together. "No."
His argument was lost when they heard approaching footsteps. "Someone's coming!"
They whispered frantically as they shoved as much paper as they could under Sam's blanket at the end of the bed, then Daniel jumped on top of it, trying to hide the obvious bumps.
Calming, Sam listened to the footsteps. One set was definitely Janet - that distinctive squeak could be heard - but there was another set she wasn't quite sure of...
General Hammond walked in. Ah. He was next to...Janet. Who was covered in dust and...grease?
Even Daniel, in his caffeine-hazed mind, knew better than to giggle.
"Wow," Sam began, thinking she was doing an impressive job of acting surprised. "What happened to you?"
Janet just glared at her.
Hammond studied each of them closely. "Do you three...have any explanation for why I just found Dr Fraiser crawling out of a ventilation shaft?"
Well, there was an escape route the boys hadn't planned for.
Had Jack been there, he would have laughed his butt off.
*
There was no proof, of course. Over the years Teal'c and even Daniel had come to know how to avoid the video cameras, and no one was about to bring in a forensic expert for a door locking when it wasn't supposed to.
Nonetheless, Sam couldn't help feeling guilty. Gently smiling at her recently showered friend who was looking over her readings, she spoke. "You know, I'm sure it *was* an accident."
Janet didn't even glance up from her clipboard. "I'm sure it was, Sam."
Realising she clearly wasn't buying it, Sam decided to avoid the subject completely. "So, you going to let me out of here yet?"
"Yes," Fraiser responded, finally meeting her gaze and smiling.
"You are?"
"I'm likely to get shipped off to Timbuktu if I don't."
"Janet..."
"You'll be let out for a limited time, just to see how you're doing. If I'm convinced there was no serious damage to your head, I'll release you completely."
Fair enough. "Okay."
Janet nodded. "One stipulation, though..."
"Yes?"
"You're to be accompanied at all times by someone who will keep an eye on you. I know you claim you're not, but you're just as bad as Colonel O'Neill when it comes to not reporting any ailments. I have to make sure you're okay - you *are* my patient."
Sam guessed she deserved that. "All right. Who is it?"
"Lieutenant!" Janet called, turning towards the doorway.
Sam watched in sickened horror as Graham Simmons stepped into view nervously.
Janet had already turned back and was tapping her friend's hand as she smiled wickedly. "Have fun!"
*
It turned out - much to Sam's surprise - that Simmons wasn't that irritating. It took him a while to get a whole sentence out, but once he actually got over his nervousness it was usually true that whenever he had something to say it was probably worth listening to it.
Although, she mused, it didn't seem to apply at this moment in time.
They were in the control room. She was sitting in front of a computer screen; so was he. She was staring at the scrolling nonsense; so was he. She was trying to make sense of it; he wasn't.
He was trying to make small talk.
"Been a while since the gate's been trashed this bad, huh? Last time I remember it happening was when you and Colonel O'Neill went through the second gate. Remember?"
Remember? She wasn't likely to forget. Side arm's and Sara's would do that to you. "Of course." Why the heck was that sequence of figures so familiar? 1-X-R-6-2-J-P. Something...
"I suppose we can only hope that he's not as badly injured this time."
"Yes," 1-X-R-6-2-J-P...1-X-R-6-2-J-P...what did it *mean*? Something. Definitely something.
"And knowing the Colonel, he'd probably forget to take care of himself."
"Uh hu," Scooting even closer to the screen she mentally and physically moved her gaze over the sequence repeatedly. She had to figure this out. Janet would come to get her in...twenty-seven minutes if she didn't. Or Simmons would take her to the infirmary himself.
Suddenly the idea of Janet coming to get her didn't seem so bad.
No, no. Simmons was a nice guy. Lovely. Very sweet. He was just-
1-X-R-6-2-J-P...
"Major Carter?"
"Yeah?" P-J-2-6-R-X-1...
"You will bring him back."
1-X-R-6-what? "Sorry?"
He was smiling at her. "You will bring him back."
"You sound certain."
Graham shrugged. "You brought him back from Edora. I figure if that's possible, anything is."
It was the first time she'd thought of that planet without her stomach clenching. She smiled, a little more hopeful than before. "I hope you're right Lieutenant."
"Besides, if anyone can fix what's wrong with the computer, you can. We wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you."
Okay, that was getting a little-
1-X-R-6-2-J-P! Of course!
"Holy Hannah!"
"Who?"
She didn't even hear the question. She simply stood and ran towards the stairs that led up to the briefing room and, subsequently, the General's office.
"Uh...Major? I really don't think you should be running..."
*
"As you know, when the Stargate program started, I was asked to look for possible alternatives for its use other than its obvious function."
"Time travel being one of them," Daniel chimed in.
"Right," Sam nodded, knowing he was referring to their sojourn back to 1969. At her urging the General had called a briefing, which was attended by the remaining members of SG-1, Dr Fraiser, and the General himself. "At that time, I was also asked to look at ways to make the Stargate inoperable, in case it fell into enemy hands."
"Enemy? At the time we didn't really know just how big a threat the Goa'uld were. We certainly didn't know for sure that there were any more of them, or that they could come from other worlds."
"Also right. No specifics were mentioned back then, but I was left with the definite impression these 'enemies' that were referred to actually meant other countries on Earth."
"Nice," Daniel muttered. "Glad to know the Cold War isn't actually over."
Sighing, Sam pressed on. "The basic tenet early on seemed to be 'if we can't have it then no one can'. Thankfully, when General West left and General Hammond took over, that idea was put on the back burner."
"But it was still there," Janet commented.
"Yes. Although the General wasn't too fond of the idea-"
"I couldn't dismiss it completely," Hammond interrupted. "That would have been foolish and short-sighted of me. Despite everything, we do - or did - have to defend ourselves. We had no certain idea as to how other countries would react if they found out about the Stargate, but we could make an educated guess."
Teal'c spoke up. "Anger."
"Our thoughts exactly. Major Carter was and is the best person to get the Stargate working, so it stood to reason she would also be the best person to know how to disable it in an instant. We needed something, something that would guarantee no one else could get the Stargate working if we weren't there." He nodded to Carter.
"A computer virus," She told them.
Shocked, Daniel leant forward in his chair. "So...that 'transmit a computer virus up to the mother ship' thing would actually *work*?"
Grinning, Sam shook her head. "No. Earth and Goa'uld technologies aren't compatible enough for that to happen. Our computers, however..."
"Of course! They control our dial-out process."
"Exactly. For all intents and purposes, our computers are our DHD. If we can disrupt that function as well as wiping out our power supply, they'd find it a lot more difficult to get anywhere. True, presuming they had access to a Stargate address they'd eventually be able to dial out manually with a new power source, but that takes time. Time - as the cliché goes - is a rare commodity."
"Wait a minute," Janet stepped in. "I take it all this elaborate description is being used to explain the fact that this virus is what caused all this, yes?"
"Yes."
"How do you know that?"
Carter hesitated. "Because it's the virus I initially designed over four years ago."
"Woah, hold on a minute," Daniel said. "How do you know *that*? And how did it get into our systems?"
"I embedded very specific codes in the virus that would allow me and only me to identify it. That way, on the off chance there ever was an infection I would know which virus it was and how to treat it."
"You can treat it?" Fraiser sounded surprised.
"Yes. I designed the antidote at the same time that I designed the virus, but the point is...Daniel has a point. I don't know how it got into our systems. I hadn't worked on it or even thought about it in years, and as far as I knew it was on a laptop hidden away in my office, in no way connected to the base computer systems. But somehow... someway... someone gained access to it, activated it, and uploaded it to the computers."
"Do we have any idea when?"
Swivelling towards Daniel, Sam shook her head. "We have no way of knowing, and probably won't even when the antidote program has finished running. Someone could easily have uploaded it months ago and left it on a timer delayed setting, or even had it be activated when a specific Stargate address was entered. That said, I find it more likely that it was uploaded within the last few days, instead of weeks or months. Whoever did it wouldn't have known where we were going to until a few days ago, or even if we'd go there at all."
They studied each other grimly.
"Why?" Teal'c asked. "Why this planet? Why do they not want us to go there?"
"We don't know the answer to that, Teal'c," Hammond told him. "But we're going to find out - I'm launching an investigation. Meanwhile, I want the mountain locked down until further notice. If there's any chance that whoever did this is still on base, I don't want them leaving."
*
"How are you doing?"
Sam turned to face the man standing next to her, and forced a smile. "Okay. Janet's finally let me out on my own recognisance - her words - which means I don't have my babysitter anymore." Her glare dared him to make a comment. "And, this seems to have cleared up," She waved towards the computer screen she was sitting in front of. "Not a bad afternoon."
Daniel leant towards the screen. "Any evidence?"
"None. I don't think we're going to find any, either."
"It's your own fault for being too clever at creating these things."
"The strange thing is, there were some changes to the virus. Nothing huge, but small, subtle changes. Whoever did this really didn't want us to find out why. But rest assured - this'll be the last time I'll take any kind of foray into computer viruses."
"Even viruses that can destroy Goa'uld motherships?" He teased.
Simmons drew their attention to him as he climbed up the few steps into the control room from the corridor. "They're ready Major."
"Thanks Lieutenant." Tapping at the keyboard for a few moments, she deftly activated the microphone that broadcast into the gate room. "Sergeant Siler, ready when you are."
Siler was standing next to the gate, monitoring the status of the capacitors. "Thank you Major. Powering the gate to twenty per cent."
On cue the gate began to hum and the chevrons glowed steadily, albeit not as bright as usual.
Realising she was holding a breath, Sam let it out in one slow exhalation.
"Déjà vu," Daniel commented.
"Looks good. Powering to one hundred per cent."
The hum intensified, but then the chevrons lit up fully and the noise dissipated.
"Power levels holding...no overloads...no surges...I'd say it's safe to try a dial-out, Major."
"Thank you, Sergeant." Deactivating the microphone, she turned to Simmons. "Can you do me a favour and get General Hammond for me, Lieutenant?"
"Of course," He nodded and scurried up the stairs.
Daniel smirked.
Sam simply turned on the microphone again. "Let's get the MALP in there."
She watched through the glass that separated the control and gate rooms with satisfaction as workers rushed in and out, before the MALP was brought in. Once it was situated on the end of the ramp she waited for the anticipated sound of footfalls on the stairs behind her.
She wasn't disappointed, and was quickly rewarded with the eager patter of feet as Simmons and Hammond hurried down the stairs.
"Permission to start dialling P4W 692, sir?"
Pausing behind her, he hesitated. "Are you sure the virus is gone, Major?"
They didn't have time for this... "I've run fifteen separate diagnostics, sir. If it hasn't found anything by now, it's not going to be found."
"Not quite the ringing endorsement I was hoping for Major, but very well. Proceed."
Yes! "Thank you sir." As she began entering the co-ordinates, she felt at ease in a way she hadn't experienced since waking up in the infirmary. There was something very right about this.
Simmons did the honours, swiftly taking the chair next to hers: "Chevron one, locked."
Teal'c joined them from somewhere, standing next to Daniel.
"Chevron two, locked."
The archaeologist glanced at him. "I thought you were in kel'no'reem?"
"Chevron three, locked."
"I was. I became aware that we were attempting to establish a wormhole with P4W 692. I felt I should be here."
Daniel smiled gently. "I understand how you feel."
The Jaffa nodded, once.
"Chevron four, locked."
God, why did these things take so long? Sam felt like she could re-decorate her entire apartment in the time it took to get to-
"Chevron five, locked."
That wasn't so bad, was it? He was going to be fine, he really was. Anything else was unacceptable.
"Chevron six, locked."
The silence was palpable, when it should have been anything but. The sound of the inner ring moving echoed loudly, the hum of the machinery carried for some distance...but no one was saying anything. Not a word. Except for Simmons, and she was almost unbearably relieved that he had taken the job on himself.
"Chevron seven..."
Comeoncomeoncomeoncomeon...
She may have imagined it, but she thought she felt Hammond's hand on her shoulder.
"...locked."
A huge sigh of relief passed through the control room as the wormhole formed, the aquatic-like display whooshing out as it had done a thousand times before.
The good humour was evident in Hammond's voice. "Send the MALP through, Major."
She smiled. "Glad to sir."
Shifting to another screen she manipulated the controls, and they watched as the MALP slowly whirred to life, soon passing through the event horizon of the wormhole.
In a matter of moments they received the video picture. A quick look around with the camera revealed nothing they hadn't seen the first time they'd sent the MALP through all those days ago: trees, and lots of them. "No signs of life..."
"But no signs of death, either." Realising everyone was glaring at him, Daniel cleared his throat. "Sorry."
Carter stood up. "Sir, permission to-"
"Granted. Take SG-3 with you as back up. And Carter..."
"Sir?"
"Be careful on this one."
*
The moment Sam stepped out of the Stargate and caught a glimpse of P4W 692 she stumbled, grabbing her head as-
{"Keeping you awake, are we Carter?"}
Confused, it took her a moment to realise she'd fallen down the steps the Stargate was situated on, and she was sprawled on the ground.
That was strange.
"Sam!"
That was Daniel's voice.
"Major Carter!"
And that was Teal'c's.
They were next to her now.
"Sam, are you okay?"
Hearing the urgency in Daniel's voice, she easily rolled over onto her back, her pack propping her up. He was kneeling next to her, frowning in concern, and Teal'c was on her other side. The entirety of SG-3 was clustered around them.
Oh *this* was going to look good. The only woman on the mission faints when she steps through the Stargate... "I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Just dizzy." Sure was strange, though.
"Are you sure?" He repeated. "I mean, you didn't hit your head or anything? What with that injury you already have-"
"Daniel, I'm *fine*. Really. Just a little dizzy, that's all."
Frowning, and not looking in the least bit reassured, he helped her up and SG-3 backed away. Once certain she could stand by herself, he let go of her hand.
Determined not to be undermined by recent events, she began issuing orders. Daniel seemed to have other ideas.
"Um...Sam?"
She turned away from Major Allen to face the archaeologist. "Yes?"
He was staring at the...actually, he seemed to be staring at everything. "Does this...umm...look different to you? Different to how it looked in the transmission from the MALP?"
Both teams seemed to pay attention then. They spread out, every one of them looking in a different direction.
"He's right!" Allen exclaimed. "The trees...the plants...everything seems to shift when you look at it."
Teal'c nodded, his normally stoic features only disrupted by the fact that his left eyebrow would be up to his hairline - if he had one.
Sam understood how he felt. Whenever she moved her head or even just her eyes, the landscape shifted. Trees, entire hills, seemed to appear and disappear at random. "This is amazing..." What kind of technology could do this? Obviously - as was so often the case on these missions - something far beyond their own. Probably even beyond-
"The Goa'uld do not possess technology that could cause such an effect," Teal'c informed her, as if reading her mind.
"I thought as much."
Daniel looked gob-smacked and he kept moving from one foot to another, shifting the position his head was in. "This is...this *is* amazing! No matter where I stand, everything looks different." As if proving his point, he kept moving.
Allen shook his head. "How the hell does something like this work?"
"I don't know, Major," Sam told him. "But I suggest you and your team stick closely together. If the landscape really is changing all the time - or even if it's just a visual suggestion - it's going to be very easy to get separated."
He grinned. "No argument there, Major."
Again she stared at her surroundings. There was something not quite right...well, there was a lot not quite right - no sign of the Colonel or his pack - but it wasn't that.
And suddenly she could see it. Walking to Daniel - who was still doing a bad impression of a flamingo - she tapped him on the arm. "Daniel?"
He stopped flapping about, eyes wide with the early signs of obsession. She'd seen that one too many times before. "Yeah?"
"Can you see anything beyond the shifting landscape, or is that all you can see?"
He definitely looked confused now. "Sorry?"
Sam decided she needed a good description. "Okay...you know those visual puzzles you look at - when the page seems to be filled up with absolute nonsense or some kind of pattern that doesn't mean anything - but when you look at it in just the right way, you can see an image or a word embedded in it?"
"Sure. Cassie's got that book-"
"Right! The book she inflicts on everyone whenever they visit."
He nodded. "'Hidden...something's', isn't it?"
"I believe it is 'Hidden Horses'," Teal'c informed him. "Her favourite hidden image is that of an Arabian horse."
"Really? I thought it was-"
"Look, that doesn't matter!" Sam was seriously close to losing her temper. Colonel O'Neill was God knows where and these two were discussing animals - when Daniel wasn't doing an impression of one. "My point is, can you see something like that here, in the landscape? A hidden image."
He looked back towards the landscape and after a good couple of minutes worth of squinting and face pulling, he gave up. "Sorry Sam - can't see a hidden anything."
Teal'c, too, indicated his failure.
Allen - who had clearly overheard - also told her that he and his team couldn't see whatever it was she was looking for.
Well then, that was strange. That was very strange. Because she could.
"I can," She muttered.
"You can see something?" Daniel was obviously surprised. "Something else?"
"Yeah," She nodded, staring at the horizon. "I can see what you guys see - the shifting landscape - but I can also see something else. Something behind it or...more like inside it. Maybe what the landscape really is, or what it used to be."
Teal'c voiced the obvious question: "Why can you see it when no one else can?"
"Jolinar?" Daniel suggested. "Maybe it's some after-effect of being a host."
"I suppose. We have seen technology several times before that's sensitive to the presence of a Goa'uld. Maybe the Goa'uld have some kind of natural immunity to whatever...this...is."
"If that is the case," Teal'c began, "Why can I not see it?"
"You have to remember, Teal'c - your symbiote is in your stomach. Jolinar was attached to my brain stem. That's a big difference, despite some of the similarities in reactions we've seen."
He tilted his head forward in a nod. "True enough."
"Even so," Sam paused. "I'm not entirely sure I buy it. Really all I have left from her is a protein marker."
"And some pretty intense memories," Daniel pointed out. "Who knows what else she left behind?"
She wasn't sure why, but Sam found this entire conversation depressing. "Not that this hasn't been interesting, but we're here to find the Colonel." As if that put an end to the matter, she decided to go with the simplest option first - she tried her radio. "Colonel O'Neill?" She wasn't - in all honesty - expecting a reply, but she felt even more depressed when she didn't get one. "This is Major Carter Sierra Gulf One to Colonel O'Neill Sierra Gulf One. Do you read me, sir?"
The only response was the crackle from the other SG team members radios.
She tried to shrug easily at Daniel, who was staring at her. "Worth trying," She told him.
He nodded, smiling - and she thought for a few moments that it was just for her benefit.
Focus on the task at hand. They had to search for the Colonel, but how the hell could they do that if everything kept changing? Perhaps at nightfall they'd be able to navigate some way with the stars, but there was no way to know that for certain at the moment, and she had no idea if they could risk waiting that long.
She had tried to be relieved that he wasn't close to the gate - if he had been it would seem more likely that he had been seriously injured when he emerged from the Stargate. However, now that they knew for a fact that he wasn't close to the gate, her mind was running rampant with images and kidnappings and-
Get a grip, Carter. Imagine if the Colonel saw you like this.
Yeah, just imagine if he saw the insecurities. What a fun day that would be, and-
The tree.
"The tree."
"The tree?"
"The tree." It was important. It was so important.
Daniel moved closer to her. "What tree?"
She pointed towards it. "That tree."
He tried, but to no avail. "I can't see it."
She was suddenly delighted, and had no idea why. "Of course you can't."
"Sam, are you feeling all right?"
She smiled at him. "Absolutely fine!" Turning around, she faced the others. "Major Allen, you and the rest of SG-3 stay here by the Stargate. Just in case we do need a rapid exit I want you here." Plus, they were less likely to get lost if they stayed where they were.
"Yes sir,"
"Teal'c, Daniel, it's up to you - you can come with me or stay here. I'll understand if you chose to stay."
Teal'c stepped towards her. "I would not speak for Daniel Jackson, but I will not let you go alone, Major Carter."
Daniel spoke up. "Well, I *can* speak for Daniel Jackson, and he says: let's go."
Chuckling - feeling immeasurably lighter - she headed towards the tree with an archaeologist and a Jaffa hot on her tail.
From the tree she instinctively walked west. She didn't know how she knew to go west, she just did. Daniel and Teal'c followed close behind, apparently quite happy to follow her over the edge of a cliff if she so chose.
Not that she'd do that.
But it had to be said; there was something satisfying about people respecting you enough to follow your orders pretty much without question. Neither Daniel or Teal'c were in the military, but they followed her anyway. With Simmons it was different because of...well, because of *that*. She didn't doubt that he was a capable officer, but she could never quite be sure that he wasn't following her orders for ulterior motives.
God that sounded awful. What kind of person was she imagining him to be?
Her radio crackled to life and her heart pounded for a moment with hope until the voice came. "Sam?"
Shocked, she spun around and realised she was alone. Grabbing the radio she spoke into it. "Daniel? Where are you?"
"I...fell over. Nothing serious, but it was enough to distract Teal'c and me for a while. By the time we looked up, we couldn't even see you."
Frowning, she tried to look for them amid the shifting images. "I can't see you. It must have been a while ago. I'm sorry I didn't realise." Great - first she faints, now she loses two members of her team.
"That's okay."
"Daniel...I can't explain it, but I need to keep going. I *need* to. Are you all right waiting there until I come back?"
"If you're sure you'll be all right."
"I'm sure."
There was a long pause before his reply came through. "Okay. I hope you find whatever it is you're looking for."
She smiled. "Thanks, Daniel. I'll check in via radio every five minutes. You and Teal'c stay exactly where you are, okay? Don't move."
"Wasn't planning on it."
"Neither am I, Major Carter."
"Glad to hear it, Teal'c. See you guys soon. Carter out."
*
After walking for twenty-five minutes by herself, Sam was starting to get a little doubtful. Not of where she was headed - that still felt right, even if she didn't actually know where she was headed. It was more a doubt of exactly why it felt right. Why was she so certain that she was going to find something useful?
She knew that when she reached wherever she was going to, she wouldn't find the Colonel there, but there would be something. Another step in the journey.
She stopped without realising she was going to, and looked for something she didn't know she was looking for amongst the shifting branches. A noise started somewhere; low at first but it was becoming higher in pitch. She could smell ozone - or perhaps it was just her senses over reacting - when suddenly she ducked, rolled, and pulled out her zat gun all at the same time.
Just in time it turned out. Two tac's had fired at her previous position and before they could fire at her again she let off two shots from her zat gun, disabling them.
Defences. If she hadn't been sure before, she was absolutely certain now. This was the place.
With the state of the planet being what it was, the chances of anyone finding this place were miniscule, but it was disguised anyway. Sam decided she wouldn't have taken any chances either, as she pushed away the overgrowth and stepped into the cave that no one else would have been able to find.
She could feel immediately that the rock the caves were constructed of weren't particularly good at retaining heat. Shivering she continued on, her eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness.
There was nothing in the first tunnel, but it did lead to...another cave. This one was different. Pulling out her flashlight she turned it on and shined it around the interior. There were some kind of shelves in the wall, actually in the wall as if they'd been carved out of the cave themselves. And...what she presumed to be light sources were scattered around the walls of the cave, although they weren't activated.
That was it. No other technology. Nothing else at all except for an uncomfortable looking chair.
Deciding that she should at least share what she had found - and it was time for her to check in anyway - she pressed the button on her radio.
Something in the room crackled.
Jumping, she swivelled around quickly but carefully, searching for the source.
Pressing the button again...there! Under the uncomfortable looking chair.
Bending down to her knees she pushed the chair aside and felt a surge of pain when she saw what it was. She was almost afraid to touch it.
Sam pressed the button on her radio. "Daniel?"
His voice crackled through. "Here Sam. Was that you?"
"Yes. I...found his radio."
It was just lying there, innocently enough.
"His radio? And he's not with it?"
"No." God, she suddenly felt sick. This didn't mean anything, did it? "I'm inside a cave. It looks like it was used to live in some time ago, but there's nothing here except a chair and the Colonel's radio. I...wait a minute."
Hesitantly reaching out she picked his radio up, and saw there was something sticking out the back of it. Amazed, she used her radio again. "Daniel...there's some kind of power source attached to it. It looks...God, Daniel. It looks Goa'uld." She shone her torch on it to get a better look. Why the hell would anyone connect a Goa'uld power source to Jack's radio?
"Why the hell would anyone connect a Goa'uld power source to Jack's radio?"
She shook her head - a moot point as he couldn't see her but she did it anyway. "Daniel, when I first got here the cave was protected by tac's. And now this."
"Indicating some kind of Goa'uld presence. I don't like this, Sam. Even if that presence may be long gone."
Carter was about to respond when she noticed something else, something that had been hidden under the radio - a piece of paper, folded neatly. "Just a minute, Daniel."
It felt as if she moved in slow motion as she placed the radio on the ground, and with her free hand picked up the paper, unfolded it, and began to read.
'Carter,
I have friends here who are going to help me. I'm no way near as smart as you are, but I do use my brain sometimes.
Try not to worry.
Look after the team for me. I know you will.
Jack
P.S. There's nothing you can change. Don't even try.'
*
The journey back had been a lot faster than the journey there, mostly because she ran at a breakneck speed most of the way. She found Daniel and Teal'c both of whom managed to keep up with her, and she explained the note she'd found to them between breaths. She was pleased to note than none of SG-3 had wandered off and become separated from their team.
"Dial home!" She'd shouted once she was sure they could see her. "Now!"
No one questioned her urgency.
And now they were here, stumbling through the wormhole to arrive back on Earth.
Ramp Sweet Ramp.
Hammond was waiting for them - as usual - when they appeared and the Stargate shut down.
"Welcome back, everyone. Report, Major."
Gasping for breath, she paused just long enough to make sure everyone had come through safely. "We...didn't find the Colonel sir, but I think we need to..."
It was then that she realised Janet was there, looking grim. That was no big surprise. All the SG teams - especially SG-1 - had a tendency to get hurt on their missions. But there were also a higher proportion of armed personnel present, especially considering the fact that she had quite correctly transmitted the ID Code. "What is it, sir? What's going on?"
*
Sam was quite disturbed by the fact that an armed guard followed her wherever she went, but said nothing as she followed Hammond and Fraiser to level sixteen. Once there she was taken to the security station, where all the monitors for the cameras on the base were.
Hammond began immediately. "As you know I launched an investigation into recent events, given the fact that a person or persons unknown were able to gain access to our computer systems."
She nodded. "Yes sir,"
"A part of this investigation included going over information recorded by the base security cameras. Not a particularly thrilling endeavour, I'll admit, but it needed to be done."
"Of course."
"Following your own theory, I decided the most recent tapes needed to be studied first, deciding it was more likely we'd find something on those. Airman," He said, turning his attention to the man at the controls. "This is what we found from the night before the virus infected our systems, and Colonel O'Neill went missing."
A previously blank monitor sprang to life, displaying footage of the control room. The time index indicated that it was night, and this was backed up by the fact that there was almost no one there. In fact...it looked like Simmons was the only one there.
Sam continued watching, frowning, wondering what-
Suddenly her eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and her stomach felt as if it had just fallen twelve storeys. "That's not possible!"
Janet spoke softly. "We've had the footage authenticated, Sam. It's real."
"But...it's...this can't..."
She continued to stare, dumbfounded, as she watched herself upload the virus to the computer.
{"Keeping you awake, are we Carter?"}
{"I don't feel like I got any sleep at all."}
"I did it," She murmured.
TBC