The Cave

The phone rang. He tried to ignore it; the inside of his fridge was so far more interesting to him right now. "ah, for crying out loud", he slammed the door shut and walked over to his Livingroom. Now the search for the annoying device started. Following the tune, it was not long till he had a hold of it. "Yeah, O`Neill?" he barked.

"Sir, Good morning. Uhm, ehm…" stuttered the voice on the other side

"Carter?" Jack was caught by surprise

"Yes, Sir." Now the voice seemed a bit calmer and firmer.

"How can I help ya?" for his favorite 2IC he always had time.

"My car broke down and I need to go very urgently to the bank. I was wondering before you go to work if you can give me a lift to the bank and then the mountain?" She spoke so fast that Jack had problems to catch all of this but was sure he got the main part.

"I am right there" he hung up and realized he would skip breakfast but one of his teammates needed help and he was so giving in to it.

After a short drive his truck reached the house of Carter. A short honk and now he waited. She was sure to come soon. His eyes wandered around and he was watching a squirrel that was just looking for something to eat. The door opened and Carter jumped in. "Morning, sir. Thanks for the lift "while strapping herself into the seatbelt.

"Any Time Carter, any time" replied Jack and started the engine. "So which bank do you have to go to?"

They talked about trivial matters during the short trip to Carter's bank. Both avoided talking about a topic that might have something to do with their work. Arriving at the parking lot, Carter got out.

"You are staying here sir?" She looked at her friend in surprise.

"You need a babysitter?" Jack answered the question with a question.

"Maybe, you never know. But it`s ok sir, you do not have to. "Carter was just turning around as she heard him mumble under his breath and a door slammed shut. A light smile came over her face.

"Oy, lots of people here at this time of a morning on a Wednesday?" Jack wondered himself,

"Yeah, you are right. Normally it's not that busy in the middle of the week" she answered curiously and got herself on the end of the queue.

Jack was standing a bit aside, going through some leaflets and watching the people in his immediate surroundings. He registered how the door opened and a few more customers entered. Carter was not even a step closer than five minutes ago and he sighed. That can still take some time.

Jack rummaged his phone out of his pocket to inform Hammond that it might be a little later when the main entrance door was torn open and four masked men stormed in with machine guns and pistols. For a split second he was taken off guard before his military training kicked in.

"This is a bank robbery, all on the ground. Shut up and nobody gets hurt." He hardly heard the words and looked over to Sam. Why did she have to stand so far away from him? He could not protect her that way, even though he knew that as an Air Force officer she could take good care of herself. Like a well-rehearsed team, the four robbers swarmed out.

One had glanced at Sam with what Jack did not like at all. He just wanted to take a step towards the duo as she shook her head slightly. This little gesture did not go unnoticed by the man, who now stood beside her, and looked in the direction in which Jack stood. He aimed his gun at him and just stared. Jack stopped instantly.

"Is this your husband?" The masked man now addressed the question to Sam. `what to do? Do I tell the truth he could hurt him to hurt me, do I lie? They could hurt him because he means nothing to me. She just tried the truth "no".

The bank robber looked again at Jack and hints at him finally to sit down, since the two were now the only hostages who were still standing. Jack hesitated and before he knew it, the crook standing next to Sam was standing in front of him and pressed the barrel of a 9 mm into his right shoulder.

Jack's face twisted into a pain-filled grimace. "If you do not want to have a hole right here, I strongly suggest you sit down. But before you do, you can empty your bags. Your wallet, watch, etc. Everything that goes with it. "This time, Jack did not hesitate and did as he was told. He did not want to risk his or Carter's life.

He gave his entire bag contents to the man in front of him. He just did not want to sit down. The feeling that he then had no control over this situation he was in right now, he did not like. The masked one could not resist and rummaged through Jack's papers. Among other things, he found there the military ID card of the Colonel.

Jack grimaced slightly as he heard a mischievous laugh. He knew what that meant. "Boys, listen. We have a real hero here. "The bank robber shouted to his comrades. "So, you are Colonel in the Air Force," he turned back to his opposite. Jack just shrugged and answered as light as possible "Guilty as charged".

He received a violent punch on his left side of the face a second later. The barrel of the gun had done a great job. A cut above the left eye of the colonel opened the red liquid channels. Jack swayed briefly under the blow but remained steadfast. Silently he looked at his adversary, wondered for what that was for and waited. Normally he would say something again, but he thought of Sam.

She was still standing behind the criminal and did not move. Only saw the whole scene with a certain desperation. She felt guilty. He wanted to wait in his truck, she had dragged him in with it. Now he had to pay it. A bank robber came and pushed her past his mate into Jack's arms. "shut up, sit down" he commanded briefly and thus ended the gimmick of the first bank robber.

Both officers did as they were told and Sam wanted to look at Jack's eye, which he refused. It seemed to him that both were safer if you did not tell them that they were friends.

The remaining bank robbers had now collected everything. It had not taken long and yet someone had contacted the police. A certain nervousness was spreading among the four criminals and they were busy thinking about what to do.

The sirens came closer and they would have no chance. "I have an idea," one of the four answered. "We take a hostage", the others agreed. Another asked if each of them could take one when the first already had a big grin on his face. "We have a Colonel here. That means they will let us go with him.

No one risks the life of a USAF Officer " with that said he turned around and went in a few steps to Jack. With his weapon drawn, he ordered him to stand. "First you are so eager that I sat down and now I should get up again. Can you decide? "He grumbled to himself. Jack took his time which seemed a bit too slow for the guy in front of the colonel and he started to pull Jack to his black sweater.

He almost lost his balance but was able to catch himself at the last moment. The satisfaction he would not give his tormentor. When he stood in front of him in full height, he rolled his eyes and asked as casually as possible "And now? You will not come out of here anyway. No matter what hostage you take. There's no negotiation with criminals. "Jack had focused on just one of the four men and did not notice that another had pulled his pistol and fired a shot at the Colonel.

A scream, and the O`Neill dropped to the ground. Jack blinked a few times and tried to control his breathing. The bullet hit him in the right shoulder. He knew that there was nothing life threatening that could be hit but since it was a clear shot through his shoulder, he was losing blood and that could become a problem for him in the long run.

Sam winced and could not believe her eyes. Her friend was lying on the floor in front of her. Blood seeped into the fabric of his pullover. He was breathing hard though. She did not know how to help him and if she could. She heard her coughing CO and wished she could turn back time.

She saw how Jack tried to sit up and how one of the men rudely pulled him on his right shoulder, which had just been injured. His face reflected his pain. For others, it was hard to see. He was too good at pretending, but she knew him, and she knew what was going on in his head. She had known him for years; she knew how clever he was.

Even though Jack O'Neill always acted as if he was not the brightest button on earth, his strength was that his opponents underestimated him, and he knew exactly how it could be exploited in his favor.

The police had arrived and had surrounded the bank. A policeman announced over a loudspeaker that the bank will be stormed if the four men do not surrender. The four criminals did not hesitate long - everyone grabbed a hostage. The leader had grabbed Jack and pushed him in front of him.

The Colonel had no choice but to surrender and to do what he was asked to do. The pressure of the pistol in his ribs made that clear. Carter was also used as a human shield and so were 2 other hostages.

"We come out and want a car big enough for eight people," yelled the leader with Jack as cover to the policeman. Not twenty minutes later they had been informed that the car which was the wish of the criminals had arrived. The rest of the criminals now took their shields and made their way to the door where Jack had been in an uncomfortable position for more than twenty minutes.

His hostage-taker now had him in a stranglehold and Jack felt he was weakened by the blood loss. Under normal circumstances he might have been able to defend himself, but he was slightly bent over backwards, with the pistol still in his side with the said stranglehold. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the police guns following. Close behind them followed the second with Carter and then the other two followed with their respective hostages.

Arriving at the car, they pushed Sam and Jack onto the loading area in the cargo hold. All four crooks were in the car and the other two hostages had been released. The biggest chance they had was if they just kept the couple. Jack moaned at the rough impact and stayed right at the spot where he was thrown. Sam worried about him but if the van was not moving, she could not check him over.

Too big was the danger. The guys in the front were aware that they both were good friends and colleagues. Now they only knew that Jack was a member of the Air Force, but no one had thought of Sam and that should stay so if possible. Slowly, the vehicle started to move, and the police had cleared the way. There was nothing left for the police to do at that moment in time.

The two officers in the back of the van had now been on their own. The surrounding snipers had reported that no one had a clear shot and there was a danger that the others would lose their nerve and eventually execute the hostages. This should be avoided under all circumstances possible.

Sam crept quietly to her friend, who had slipped a bit to the side. "Jack?" Softly she called him.

"Sam," he replied even more softly. She knew he needed a doctor as soon as possible. His shoulder wound was still bleeding and she's wondering how best to shut it down. She stroked the colonel's short hair, trying to give him a feeling of security.

Jack had his eyes closed now. He felt how she stroked him and enjoyed it. He only wished that the circumstances were better than those in which they were now. The van had now taken on a bit more speed and the police had pursued the vehicle at a safe distance. But lost it after a few miles.

In the bank, the remaining ex hostages were all relieved and everyone took a deep breath, glad everybody survived it unharmed.

After a long drive, the van turned on a field or forest road. Sam felt how the ground changed and the vehicle now moved more as before and shook all the inmates. She heard the Colonel moan quietly in pain. His eyes were still closed. She had removed her and his socks, creating a makeshift bandage around his injured shoulder.

Since the loading area was dark, Sam had never been able to see where they were going or where they were now. But she noticed how the van slowed down until it came to a standstill.

The doors were torn open and one of the hostage-takers waved a rifle in front of their noses and ordered them to climb out. Sam tried to explain that the Colonel was in no condition to do so, but no one wanted to listen. Without further ado, he was pulled from the loading area by his ankles and dropped on the forest floor. Jack groaned and tried to stand up.

But was immediately pressed back to the ground. Someone had his foot on his back and laughed dangerously at his victim, who now lay quietly on the ground. Jack did not have the strength he needed to fight and if they did not let him get up, he would not go for it. Sam now yelled at the man who was standing over Jack and had a blow to her face as a result immediately that burst open her lip.

She took a quick look around to see the situation and saw that another car was here. As if a light bulb had been switched on in her head, she just realized that it was all planned. Take two hostages here and change the car. The faces were never seen by anyone, so now they could get rid of the two hostages and drive away with a clear conscience with the whole loot.

The man who took a liking on Jack and the torture he could give him, took his foot off the back of his victim and gave him a kick in the side. Sam heard a crackling noise and knew that at least one rib of the Colonel's was already broken. She did not dare to remember how many opportunities her friend had to crack or break them.

It seemed the rarest case when it was just a bruise. Jack bit his lip and did not made a sound. He stumbled on the cold metal of the van, just so he would not have to say hello again to the forest floor. He looked over to Sam and gave her a faint smile before he had to cough and spat out some blood.

Sam saw this and it scared her, hoping only that the four criminals would finally make it on the way, leaving them both alone, and she could finally get help for the Colonel. She had not counted on the dark side of humanity. "We should keep a hostage. Just in case. I do not trust the whole thing that way. The Colonel will soon give up the sign of life so we should take the woman.

"One of the men noticed, another agreed and already licked his lips as he looked over to Sam and checked her out from top to bottom. "The woman will not help you. You have more chance of accomplishing your project if you have a USAF Colonel as a hostage." stated Jack with a glimmer of hope that they would leave his Major alone.

"I will go with you but leave the woman here. If she is good, she will eventually find her way back to civilization. If not, then you have not lost anything. "Jack tried to offer himself to get Sam out of the lane. He hoped that she would have memorized the number plate of the second car to be able to report it to the nearest police station.

The man who had favored Jack beamed with enthusiasm. This meant he could do a bit more to him and continue to play with his victim to his heart's content. Where they went, they would never be found, and the Colonel would be forever in their trap. He liked this idea so much that he convinced his comrades.

Sam wanted to protest. She knew Jack was signing his own death sentence and she would not let it happen. But the decision was made. A strong blow on the back of her neck and Sam collapsed like a wet sack of potatoes.

Jack's hands were tied to his back and then he was put into the trunk of the second car. His long legs barely had room in it and his reclining position was anything but comfortable. He only hoped that she would soon wake up and seek help. His science genius was safe for now. That was all that did count for the Colonel. He closed his eyes and went to the land of dreams.

Jack was pretty shaken up by now; he drifted in and out of consciousness. His shoulder and ribs made him feel alive still. Pain is good, then you realize that you are alive. Jack's instructor had once told him, he recalled it. The car stopped and a short time later the trunk lid was unlocked. Jack squinted as his sensitive eyes were now used to the darkness and the sun was considered too bright.

He heard voices talking and the first names fell. One listens to the name of Adam and the other one was called Paul. Now all he had to do was to sort out the faces that belonged to the names. Roughly, Jack was helped off his small momentary prison. He looked around and found that they were somewhere in a forest.

It still had to be the Rocky Mountains because there was a cave in front of him into which he was now shoved. The colonel had no idea how long he walked or stumbled into the mountain. His thoughts flew to Sam. He hoped so much that she had made it and got help. She was so much smarter than himself and he was happy in his own special way that he had managed to swap her.

The way became lower and much narrower. Jack began to duck a bit, which his ribs did not like at all and he yelped. His hostage-taker had no understanding for that and pushed him roughly forward. They now reached another part of the cave and this new section looked quite large. Jack glanced around and observed his surroundings. He saw a waterfall to his left which ended in a lake.

Loose rock to his right. He had also noticed that the men were probably here more often or for a while already here because he could recognize iron chains. Perfect for binding someone and keeping him from escaping. Jack was pushed in the direction of the chains and he lost his footing through the loose rocks under his feet. The scream followed instantly and echoed back from the walls again and drove his tormentor to have a grin on his face.

Jack was put first only on one iron chain. It was probably thought that it was enough to give a Colonel of the USAF only an ankle bracelet. Jack did not move, he waited until he had been left alone, to make himself a bit more comfortable, whatever you could call cozy in this cave. His ribs hurt and burned as if someone had lit a hell fire in it. His shoulder felt hot now; Jack would not be surprised if he had an infection there