It
hadn't taken the group long to reach the small cottage at
the end of the road. It was in extremely good shape and obviously
well looked after. Jack pulled a small set of keys out of the
envelope, Hammond had given him, and after inserting the key into
the lock, he pushed the front door open.
"Home,
sweet home!" he said dryly as he stepped into the large main
room and placed his weekend bag on the floor.
Sam,
Daniel and Teal'c followed him inside and looked around.
"This
is like some sort of childhood nightmare, right?" Daniel
asked as his eyes wandered over the kitchen utensils suspended
from the ceiling by metal hocks. "We're in a bad TV
series. The little house on that Prairie' or
something." He sighed. " Boy, I hated that show."
"Well,
at least food's not a problem." Carter said as she
placed her large travel bag onto the large, wooden table in the
middle of the small cottage. "We can at least eat ourselves
into oblivion. The shopping we did on the way will more than
cover us for the weekend." She looked around, trying to spot
the plastic shopping bag of provisions. "Where's the
bag?" she asked, looking at Jackson and Teal'c.
"I
believe Daniel Jackson was in charge of the provisions."
Teal'c said.
Daniel
creased his eyebrows and then smiled apologetically. "Ahh
yeah. I think I left it in the car. I'll be right
back." He turned around and walked out of the door.
Jack
shook his head as he watched Daniel head out. "I'm
telling ya, one day the boy's gonna forget his head."
Then he turned back, looked at Sam and Teal'c and rubbed his
hands together. "Right then, Team. I suggest, we unpack,
have a shower and then decide how we're gonna start some
government regulated bonding."
Sam
grinned slightly. "Yeah, afterall we don't want to
disappoint the President now, do we?"
Teal'c
had lowered himself onto a chair in the corner of the room. He
looked at Jack. "I do not understand this concept of
bonding, O'Neill." he started. "Why would General
Hammond believe we do not work well together? Is this some fort
of punishment?"
The
Colonel shrugged. "Well, the government thinks that it would
do us some good to spent some time with each other. Doing
something other than exploring planets and killing aliens. So
they send us off into the wilderness with no TV and nothing to do
except relax, sleep, eat and take long walks among the local
fauna and flora." He paused for a moment and then smiled.
"So, I guess you're right, Teal'c. It is a form
punishment."
Sam
threw him a quick glance and then turned to look at Teal'c.
"What the Colonel is trying to say is that this type of
program is not unusual on our planet. It helps teams under
extreme stress and pressure to relax and form relationships
outside the job. It's a psychological thing rather than a
physical."
Something
that sounded like Beethoven's 5th Symphony
sounded out of Sam's jacket. She reached inside her pocket
and pulled out her mobile phone. "Yeah hello?"
Sam's eyes widened as he handed the phone over the Colonel.
"It's for you, Sir." she said slightly surprised.
"It's Daniel."
Jack's
eyes went wide as he took the phone. "Daniel? Oh for crying
out loud! He's just supposed to get a bag out of the
car!" He held the phone to his ear. "Daniel, this
better be good!" Then O'Neill's eyes went serious,
he handed the phone back to Sam and rushed out of the door.
Teal'c and Carter just exchanged confused looks and followed
him.
As
they reached the spot where they'd left the car, they could
see Daniel standing motionless at Jack's jeep and his hand
held the door handle firmly enclosed. He looked slightly pale.
"Daniel?
What's wrong?" Carter asked as she stepped closer to
the archaeologist.
But
suddenly she was stopped by O'Neill, whose hand had grabbed
hold of her arm and stopped her from walking any closer to
Jackson and the car. Daniel looked down at his hand, which held
the lock of the car door pulled up in the *open* position. He
looked over at O'Neill.
"I'm
not sure, Jack, but I heard this strange clicking noise when I
lifted the handle to open the door and then this cube fell
out from under the door handle " Daniel swallowed as
he pointed at the mobile phone laying on the hood of the car now.
"I grabbed the mobile that was on the seat and rang you just
to make sure "
O'Neill
walked up to Daniel and bent down to pick up a small wooden cube,
which was laying at the younger man's feet. He turned it in
his hand and creased his eyebrows as he examined it closer. Sam
stepped up behind him and looked over his shoulder. "Time to
fly!" she read out loud and looked at Jack "'Time
to fly'? What does that mean, Sir?"
The
Colonel took a deep breath and crouched down beside Daniel to
take a look underneath the carriage of the car. "It means
that we're not alone and that whoever is out there has a
sick sense of humour." he said as his head disappeared
underneath the car.
Carter
laughed out. "Sir, you're not seriously telling me that
there's a bomb under your car!"
Jack
pulled out from underneath the carriage and looked up at Sam,
then over at Daniel, his serious expression answering the
question.
The
young archaeologist sighed painfully. "Oh, no "
Jack
stood up and brushed specks of dust off his pants.
"Don't worry, Daniel. It's a standard three-wired
C4 explosive device connected to what looks like the door handle.
As long as you hold it where it is and don't move,
you're fine." He took a deep breath and smiled
encouragingly. "Diffusing that is a piece of cake."
"Piece
of cake, hum?" Sam answered. "You can do this, right
Sir? I mean you've done this before? Diffusing bombs and
stuff?"
Jack
waved her off leisurely. "Yeah sure, plenty of times. More
or less successful "
"More
or *less* successful??" Daniel asked in a slight panic.
Jack
shrugged and turned back at Daniel. "Don't worry,
Danny-boy. Just hang on there. I'll be right back."
"Sure,
I'll hang on. I don't really have anywhere to er
where are you going, Jack?"
"What
do you think? That I can disarm a bomb with a paper clip??"
Chapter
3
Sweat
was pouring down Daniel's forehead and soaking the top of
his shirt. His right hand, which held the door handle firmly
lifted, had started to hurt, but he forced himself to keep his
hand steady. If this wasn't a hoax and he let go To
his feet, he could hear Jack working around underneath the car.
All he could see were his legs and all he seemed to hear was his
occasional swearing and clipping and screwing noises. Teal'c
and Sam were standing a save distance away and watched the two
men at the car.
"Daniel?"
the Colonel asked suddenly.
"Yes?"
"Which
colour?"
"I'm
sorry?"
"Which
colour? Give me a colour. Green, red or white?"
"Oh,
you're joking, right Jack? I thought you said you knew about
these things!"
"I
do, I do. Trust me. Just give me a colour."
"Okay,
okay whatever white!"
"White.
Thanks!"
Daniel
tensed as he waited for the imminent explosion. He wasn't at
all feeling comfortable about what Jack was doing beneath the
car. The seconds ticked away slowly and made it seem like an
eternity.
"Are
you still standing up there holding on?" Jack's voice
came from underneath the car.
Jackson
swallowed hard and nodded. "Yes, Jack!"
O'Neill's
head peeked out and then he scrambled up from the floor.
"Good. Then I've done it. You can let go." The
Colonel's right hand held a small black box.
"Here's a souvenir for ya!" he said with a wide
smile and threw Daniel the small black metal box with three
clipped wires hanging out.
Three
white wires.
Daniel
released a breath he didn't know he was holding as he caught
Jack's *gift* with both hands. "Thanks, Jack I
guess." He looked from the box in his hands up into the
older man's face and nodded. "That was close."
"Yeah."
Jack said and slapped the younger man on the back. then he waved
at Sam and Teal'c indicating that everything was okay.
"Where
did you learn how to do that?" Sam asked in astonishment as
she stepped close and examined the small explosive device in
Daniel's hand.
Jack
turned to look at her as he handed Daniel a bottle of water from
the back seat of the car. "Trust me, you don't want to
know."
Daniel
took the water Jack handed him, and took a healthy gulp to
cleanse his dry throat. "Okay, so hang on a minute here. Who
would want to put a bomb under our car?" Daniel asked after
he'd emptied half of the bottle in one go.
"Well,
whoever did this must have done it while we were in the house.
There's no other way." Carter thought and looked at
Daniel again. "Which still doesn't explain who would
want to kill you like this - and why."
Daniel's
eyes widened in surprise. "Kill me? Why? It wasn't my
car. It was Jack's!"
All
their eyes turned to look at the Colonel. Jack was standing
behind the group with his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.
Daniel
turned around fully to face at him. "Jack?"
"What?"
he asked as he watched the inquisitive expressions on his
team's faces.
Teal'c
stepped closer to him. "It is obvious that somebody has
placed an explosive device underneath your car to cause you harm,
O'Neill. We are merely concerned as to the possible reasons
for such an action."
Daniel
shrugged. "I mean it's almost like we were set up.
First the car breaks down with the barbed wire and then the
bomb!" With a low whisper, he added "Good thing I had
that phone handy, guys, or I'd still be standing
there!" He looked up at his friends. "By the way, whose
phone was it?"
There
was a dead silence only interrupted by O'Neill low mumbling.
"Barbed wire car bomb wired to the door handle
mobile phone "
Teal'c
looked at the Colonel. "Colonel O'Neill?" he
asked. "Are you not well?"
Jack's
head shot up and it was obvious that he was caught in some
distant past, his brain working frantically to find something
hidden deep within his memory. Then his eyes went wide as if
recognition set in. "This is ridiculous. It's not
possible." Jack shook his head. "No way. He's
dead."
Carter
creased her eyebrows. "What isn't possible,
Colonel?" she asked. "Who's dead?"
O'Neill
took a deep breath and paused for a moment, obviously weighing up
how much to tell his friends about the face that had materialized
in his head now. "There was this guy in black ops with me.
Michael. He was in charge of the – let's say
problem solving' arm of the unit. And boy, did he come
up with inventive stuff." He sighed before he continued.
"One time he wanted to get rid of two brothers who were
manufacturing bombs for the Hizb'ullah back in Lebanon in
84. He hid a bomb under their car and placed a mobile phone
next to it, knowing that when the one brother found and activated
the bomb, he'd call the other to help him out. Once they
were both at the car, trying to diffuse the bomb, he blew the
whole thing up by remote control."
At
his last word, Jack stiffened and looked over to the hood of the
car on which Daniel had placed the mobile phone just moments
before.
"Shit!"
he shouted and pushed Carter down the road into a ditch.
"Get down everybody!!!!"
Seconds
later the clearing was rocked by an explosion which ripped the
car apart and sprayed leaves, branches and metal parts
everywhere.
Chapter
4
The
blast of the explosion had ripped the car apart and sprayed
leaves and branches everywhere. Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c
had jumped into the safety of a near-by ditch a few yards away
and were now all huddled together protectively. As the echo of
the explosion had carried through the forest and now gave way to
a deadly silence, Carter looked up into the Colonel's eyes
and released a breath of relief to see that he and the rest of
SG-1 was unharmed.
Daniel
sat up abruptly and looked at the Colonel and started to put two
and two together. The story, which Jack had told them just
seconds before seemed to have re-played itself in their face.
"Okay, Jack. Who is this lunatic??" Jackson asked as he
removed leaves out of his hair and from his cloths. "Some
sick friend of yours with a score to settle or something?"
"Michael."
Jack whispered, his eyes closed as he remembered a face from a
long time ago. "No it can't be " He
opened his eyes and looked at his teammates. "It's his
signature, his MO. But he's its' not
possible." He said resolutely and pushed himself up to
stand. "He's dead."
"Are
you sure, Jack?" Daniel asked as he stood up as well.
"I mean I can't think of anybody wanting to kill me in
such an imaginative way and I think we can safely rule
Teal'c out." He took a deep breath before he continued.
"And if Sam tells us an anecdote from her military
storybook, she usually doesn't need to shoot us
afterwards."
All
eyes wandered to Jack, who had crawled out of the ditch and
surveyed the damage done by the bomb. The jeep was a goner. Metal
pieces were sprawled across the forest floor. Jack swore.
"And I just had it cleaned this morning."
"Sir?"
Sam asked carefully as she also stood and stepped up to him. She
knew how much the Colonel valued his privacy and whatever had
happened to him in his life in the military or out, he considered
nobody's business but his own. However this time, she
wasn't ready to give up that easily.
"Jack?"
Daniel pressed as well. He wasn't ready to let it go either.
"Could this be the same Michael? C'mon talk to us.
We're all in this together, you know!"
O'Neill
sighed. "I guess it could be Michael and he might think
he's got a score to settle."
"He
*might* think he's got a score to settle?"
Daniel asked getting slightly agitated. "It looks to me like
he's pretty sure here." He pointed at the remains of
the car. "I mean look at this!"
Jack
had started to walk back towards the cottage and now stopped dead
in his tracks. He took a deep breath and turned around, looking
at Daniel and then Sam and Teal'c. He could see the
confusion and uneasiness in his friend's faces. If his
suspicions where right, they would all be in big trouble.
Not
they – he.
"If
it is Michael, then I've got to handle this. Alone." he
said dryly and turned around. "It's me he's
after."
Daniel
stopped next to him. "Well, I think we've seen just now
that we're all in this together." The archaeologist
looked at Jack intensely. "Jack? Why would he be after
you?"
Sam's
eyes also wandered to look at O'Neill. "Colonel?"
she asked.
O'Neill
sighed. "Okay, okay." he said as he raised hi hands
defensively. "It was an assignment we did back in 84.
A team of mine was send to Beirut to – let's just say
– solve a small terrorist problem. Our orders were clear:
Get in, take out the identified threat and get back out without
being detected." Jack shook his head. "Michael decided
that there was more than just one threat, took a few of the men
and went after this Palestinian guy." O'Neill paused
for a moment as the memory of that day slowly came back to him.
"I told him that what he'd planned was out of the
question and that it would endanger the entire team, our
informants in Beirut, and it would risk a diplomatic
incident." Jack stopped himself for a brief moment to take a
deep breath before he continued. "He didn't listen. He
took three men and went after this guy against my orders."
Sam,
Daniel and Teal'c listened quietly. It was the first time
they'd heard the Colonel speak in such detail about a
mission from his past and they didn't dare interrupt or give
him an excuse to stop now. Black ops has always been a grey
operational area of the military and the more they've
learned about O'Neill's past, the more they wondered
how he had managed to keep his sanity.
"To
cut a long story short," Jack continued. "His whole
trip went sour and Michael and his team were captured. He radioed
over that we should come and get them out, but I had orders to
leave asap. The word was out about us being there and any further
delay would have meant to risk the life of the entire team."
Jack smiled painfully. "And the governments of three
countries would have been caught with their pants down."
Sam
studied the Colonel's face. "So you left him
behind?"
Just
as she had said the words, Sam instantly regretted it as
she'd remembered hearing stories about the Colonel having
been imprisoned in Iraq during the Gulf war after having been
left behind on a mission. Considering how serious the
O'Neill she knew took his command, and how much care he put
into watching out for the safety his team to the point of
obsession, she suspected that his experiences during his
captivity weren't pleasant.
*So
you left him behind?* It was as if her words hit O'Neill
like the lashes of a whip and he flinched visibly. "I left
him behind." he whispered. "I had no choice." It
sounded like the decision still haunted him and he still had to
justify his actions to himself. "I had my orders and Michael
just " His voice trailed off. "The transmission
was cut and we assumed he was killed. The military listed him as
MIA and that was the last I've heard of him."
Sam
stared at him. "So what makes you think that all this
" she trailed off and pointed back at the remains of
the jeep. " that he's here now?"
Jack
shrugged. "I don't know. It's just a gut
feeling." He shrugged and looked at her. "He was good
at this kinda stuff and it's his MO. The way he's
hidden the bomb under the car, the phone, the message
it's either him or somebody who knows his every way. Knows
it so well it's almost spooky."
Daniel
adjusted his glasses. "Well, you know how I think about
those kind of government operations, Jack, but I think you did
the right thing back then. You did what was best for the greater
good and you had your orders."
Teal'c
nodded. "I agree, O'Neill." he said. "If I
would have been in your situation, I would have acted in the same
manner. I would not have risked the lives of many to save a few
in an attempt which would have surely failed."
"Yeah,
thanks guys." O'Neill said. "It still doesn't
make me sleep any better at night. So let's just leave it at
that, shall we?" And they could tell that the subject was
closed.
Teal'c
raised his right eyebrow. "How would this Michael know that
we are here?" he asked. "I assumed that this bonding
exercise was confidential and is a strictly SGC practice."
Jack
stopped dead in his tracks. "I don't know,
Teal'c." he said. "But then the element of
surprise was always Michael's kind of thing." He smiled
painfully. "The guy prides himself to be able to pop out of
nowhere."
"Have
you noticed that you were followed, Sir?" Carter tried.
"Maybe he was watching you for some time before he made his
move."
Jack
shook his head. "No, I'm pretty sure I wasn't
followed. But then "
"
you weren't expecting anybody to follow you." Carter
finished for him and both nodded.
Jack
was silent for a moment, obviously lost in his memories. Then he
raised his head and looked at his team. "Well, this
isn't the place to make plans. Let's head back to the
cottage."
The
team had reached the small cottage a few moments later and Jack
stopped in front of the door. He reached for the door handle
hesitantly, then pulled his hand back. "Oh God." he
said and closed his eyes, slumping against the wall next to the
door. "I don't even know if it's him and he's
got me all wired up."
Sam
moved up next to him and crouched down to took a closer look at
the lock of the door. Then looked up from her position. "It
looks okay to me, Sir." she said and stood up.
"I
guess there's only one way to find out." Jack said,
pushed himself away from the wall and moved his hand toward the
door lock. "You guys better stand back." he said and
started to turn it slowly.
As
his hand gripped the door handle closer and turned it slowly to
open the door, he expected
Something
Anything
But
nothing happened
"So
far, so good." Jack said and opened the door completely.
Inside, the cottage was relatively roomy and offered the most
basic amenities without being too spartanic.
.
"Okay
guys." Jack said and sighed. "After this morning's
entertainment, I'll just go upstairs and have my quick
shower." Sam grabbed hold of her bag. "I think
I'll do the same." she said. "I'll take the
shower after you, Sir."
Daniel
looked over at Teal'c and then at his watch. "Well,
we'll just start unpacking in the meantime and see if we can
wrap something up for lunch."
Jack
grabbed his bag and made his way up the stairs. A nice hot shower
would be just what he needed right now. He needed to clear his
head and calm down. Do some thinking and then make everything go
away.
But
somewhere deep down inside of him, a little warning voice
whispered that there was more trouble ahead ...
Chapter
5
Jack's
mind was still focussed on the bomb that had nearly killed them
all as he climbed up the stairs and opened the door to his room.
He walked across the room to the bed where he'd placed his
bag earlier and opened the zipper to get his towel out.
As
he'd opened the bag 2/3rds of the way, a sudden noise made
him freeze in his movement and he held his breath as he stared
down at his hands. Jack's eyes wandered over the bag, trying
to determine where the noise had come from. His hands were still
poised as he could hear the slight hissing sound again. It came
out of the bag and in one quick movement he pulled the bag from
the bed and threw it across the room onto the floor. Shirts,
towel and boxer shorts slit out and something else
something long something alive something that now
lay curled up in the middle of the room, focussing on him,
it's black tongue flipping in and out of its mouth.
Jack
took a step back and gasped. "Jesus " he
whispered as he stared in shock at the rattle snake in the centre
of the room.
Footsteps
in the corridor pulled him roughly out of his concentration.
"Colonel, are you finished with the showr yet?"
Sam
Carter.
Jack
froze as he stared from the snake in front of him to the door,
through which he knew Captain Carter would walk any second.
"Don't
come in here, Carter!" he shouted and could see the rattle
snake in front of him sway at the sound of his voice.
"Shit!"
he thought as he realized that it was too late. The door was
pushed open and Carter walked into the room with a big smile on
her face.
"Why
not, Sir? Are you naked or something?" But her smile froze
instantly. "What's that noise?" Carter said as she
stopped and looked down to the floor. Then she saw the animal in
the centre of the room. Only, by the time she'd realized
what it was, she had already crossed half the way and at the
motion of her steps, the snake flew around and launched forwards.
"What
the . Ouch!" Carter screamed and stumbled backwards as
she stared down at the animal.
On
the other side of the room, Jack had reached for his jacket and
threw it over the reptile. In one swift move, he reached for the
small bedside table, lifted it up and turning it, he brought it
crashing onto the jacket on then floor. Jack took a deep breath
and then carefully lifted the table back up and peeked
underneath. There was no more movement and as he lifted the table
and the jacket, he saw what had remained of the snake.
There
was no doubt it was dead.
"Ooich
I hate snakes!" O'Neill said loudly and looked over at
Carter. "You okay, Captain?"
"I
think it bit be." she whispered as she tried to run her
hands over her lower leg.
Jack
caught them with his' and looked at her seriously. "I
know. I saw." he said. "Just stay here and don't
move." He pushed her down into a sitting position and walked
over to his bag which was still laying on the bed. He reached
inside and pulled out his Swiss army knife from the side pocket.
Just
then Daniel walked in, followed by Teal'c. "What's
going on here?" he asked. "We heard noises." Then
he saw the dead reptile. "Oh God, Jack! What happened?"
"Let's
just say I had a bag full of surprises." O'Neill said
as he rushed over to Sam and pushed her gently back to rest
against the wall. "Don't worry, Sam. It's only a
rattle snake and against common belief, it's not the most
poisonous thing around here."
Daniel
shook his head. "Jack, this is serious."
Colonel
O'Neill's knife cut through the fabric of Sam's
right lower leg and exposed the red, angry snakebite. It had
already started to swell, but Jack was sure that it wasn't
to late yet. "God, I really hate snakes." he whispered
as he took a deep breath and lowered his mouth over the wound.
Gently but firmly he started to suck the poison out of the wound
and spit it out to the side. After a few minutes, he stopped and
looked over at Carter to see how she was holding on. Her eyes
stared at her leg and sweat stood on her forehead. O'Neill
smiled encouragingly. "Well, under any other circumstances,
this could be romantic."
Sam
looked from the wound up into his brown eyes. "Sir!"
she said in a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"Sorry."
he said and smiled. Then he turned his attention back at her leg.
"This truly sucks." he mumbled as he continued.
Chapter
6
Daniel
sat down in a chair and stared at his friends. "Okay, so we
had a bomb and a snake. Whatever next?"
After
Jack had done all he could for Sam, they had all helped her
downstairs and settled her into one of the comfortable armchairs
in the far corner of the basement room, which was set up as a
lounge area. There was a large fireplace in the centre of the
wall and Teal'c had lit a fire to make the temperature in
the cottage more comfortable. Sam swallowed hard as she fought
against the nausea, which had overcome her as they had carried
her downstairs and she watched Jack stare at her for a moment.
Then he headed over to his black leather jacket, which was slung
over the back of a chair at the table, and reaching into its
inside pocket, he pulled out his 9mm.
"Nothing
is next." O'Neill said calmly as he checked the bullets
by letting the magazine drop into his hand. "Sam needs a
doctor, so you guys head on out of here."
"What?
And what about you, Sir?" Sam asked as she looked in
surprise from the wound on her leg over to the Colonel.
"I'll
handle this." Jack said as he rammed the magazine back into
the gun and loaded the weapon with a swift move.
Daniel
stood up. "You'll handle it?" he asked. "Like
how? You against him? Is this gonna be some sort of High Noon
show-down? You're not Rambo, you know! You'll need our
help!"
"No
Daniel, trust me. This is for the " Jack didn't
get any further as the cottage suddenly was plunged into
darkness.
"Oh
great!" they heard O'Neill say. "Now what?"
There
was a moment of silence.
"Guys,
I think I've found something." Jack heard Daniel in the
corner across the room and suddenly a candle lit up. Even though
it was the middle of the afternoon, the cottage windows were
rather small and only allowed minimal light to filter through
into the inside. Between Daniel's candle and the fireside,
they were just about able to make each other out.
"Is
everybody okay?" O'Neill asked concerned.
"Yeah."
Daniel said and looked over at Sam.
The
Major nodded. "I'm fine."
Teal'c
raised his eyebrow. "I am also unharmed, O'Neill."
he said.
"Good."
Jack said and looked around the room. "I think this calls
for a trip to the fuse box then." He sighed and tucked his
gun into his belt. "Any idea where it might be?"
"It's
probably downstairs." Daniel said and watched Jack nod and
head for the door to the basement on the other side of the
kitchen. "Er, Jack, do you think this is such a good
idea?" Daniel asked. "I mean this could be
Michael's doing and he wants to split us up. "
"Yeah,
maybe, but we need some light up here. "Jack answered.
"And I'm not sitting here in candlelight. I'm not
in the mood for a romantic atmosphere right now."
"He
could be waiting for you down there." Sam added.
Jack
turned to face her. "Then I can tell him what I think of his
stupid games." he countered. The Colonel smiled as he read
the worry in Carter's eyes. "Don't worry."
Teal'c
took a step forwards. "Maybe I should accompany you,
O'Neill?" he said.
Jack
looked at the Jaffa. "No, Teal'c. You stay here with
Sam and Daniel. I don't want to have to worry about you
while I'm down there." Then he turned slightly and
padded the handle of the gun tucked into his belt. "Mr.
Browning and I will be right back."
"Jack!
You might need this!" Jackson called and threw him a
flashlight.
Jack
caught it with his right hand and turning around, he opened the
door to the basement. It was pitch dark and he could hardly see
the steps in front of him. Slowly he put one foot in front of the
other and worked his way carefully down the stairs. After
he'd reached the bottom, he s witched on the flashlight and
across the room, he spotted the fuse box. After taking another
look around, Jack walked up to it and stopped in front. His eyes
flew over the old, rusty metal box, trying to spot anything
unusual. But it didn't look like it had been tempered with.
Maybe the surprise was waiting for him somewhere else? Jack took
a deep breath and placed the flashlight between his teeth,
shining it at the fuse box. Both his hands now free, he reached
out and carefully opened the hatch.
Nothing
happened.
Jack
sighed and reached for the top porcelain ON' switch.
Touching it carefully, he held his fingers poised on it for a few
seconds.
Nothing
happened.
"Oh
for crying out loud. This is all a big hoax and we're all
getting panicked over nothing!" Jack muttered between his
teeth, which still clenched the flashlight in position. He took a
deep breath and with a swift move gripped the switch. "What
the hell!" he said and flipped the switch over.
O'Neill
didn't even have time to scream as the sudden electricity
burst cursed through his fingers into his body and drove the air
out his lungs. It felt like his heart had stopped dead, squeezed
between iron clasps. Stars danced in front of Jack's eyes as
he painfully gasped for air, but his lungs would not obey him
Then it became dark around him and he couldn't even feel as
he hit the floor hard.
Upstairs
in the lounge, Daniel had jumped up from his seat at the noise.
The lights had come back on, but there was a powerful flickering
as if a massive energy surge pulled out power from the system.
"Jack?" he shouted, his voice full of panic.
"Jack?"
He
exchanged worried looks with Sam and Teal'c and rushed to
the door of the basement. "Jack? Are you okay?" he
shouted down, but there was no reply. He turned back to
Teal'c. "Keep an eye on Sam, I'll be right
back."
Teal'c
nodded and placed his hand on Major Carter's shoulder.
"Be careful, Daniel!" Sam shouted after the
archaeologist.
Daniel
didn't care much about safety and possible danger as he
rushed down the stairs, taking two flights at a time. The lights
in the cottage had come back on but the basement was still
plunged in darkness. Across the room, he spotted the light of the
flashlight laying on the floor and he could make out Jack's
form laying next to it.
Daniel
crouched down besides Jack in the almost complete darkness of the
basement and helped him up to lean against the wall. Jack was out
cold. "C'mon, Jack!" Daniel urged as he lowered
his head to the Colonel's chest to check for a heart beat.
It was faint, but it was there. Daniel sighed in relief and put
his arms around O'Neill's shoulders to pull him up. He
managed to drag himself and Jack up the stairs and was greeted by
Teal'c who stood at the door. Together they carried
O'Neill over to the fireplace and gently placed him down on
the floor. Just then, they heard the Colonel groan.
"Oh,
boy " Jack said as he slowly opened his eyes and
immediately regretted it. The light in the room was almost
painful to his eyes and he took a deep breath to soothe the
pounding headache. "What the hell hit me?" he asked,
bringing his hands up to press at his temples and then sighed.
"Oh, yeah I remember."
Daniel
was crouched next to him, studying carefully. "You
okay?" he asked.
Jack
nodded. "I'll live." he managed.
Daniel
leaned back. "Okay, Jack. Do you see now that we need to do
this together?"
Jack
shook his head in determination. "No. What I see is that you
guys head on outta here and I'll catch up with you
later."
Carter
looked up at O'Neill, stunned. "Sir, what are you
planning?"
"It's
obviously me he's after, Carter." Jack said as he
reached for his gun, releasing the safety. "And it's
time I end this here and now." He pushed himself up and
hissed in pain as he steadied himself against the wall.
Carter
stood up from her chair and joined Daniel and Teal'c who
stood around the Colonel. "But Sir, you're in no
condition to "
"Neither
are you, Captain!" he said and looked at her painfully.
"You've been bitten by a snake and to be honest,
it's been a while since I've done stuff like sucking
out poison. So you have to get to a doctor as soon as
possible." O'Neill took a deep breath and looked at the
Jaffa. "While I try to flash him out and distract him
Teal'c, I want you to take Sam and Daniel and head down the
forest path north. We passed a small hospital in the town
"
Sam
shook her head. "No, Sir, I think this is a bad idea."
Jack's
eyes went wide. "Excuse me?"
Daniel
stepped forwards to stand supportively next to Sam. "I
agree, Jack. We're not just gonna leave you here with this
this maniac. It's it's suicide!"
O'Neill
stared from the scientist to Captain Carter. "Just one of
those day I'd like to issue an order and have it
followed." He looked at Sam, concern plainly in his eyes.
"Please, don't argue with me, Captain."
Sam
sighed heavily. She was about to tell him that this wasn't
really a command situation, just a simple weekend away, but she
knew she would overstep some invisible line. Daniel saw
Carter's struggle and turned resolutely to look at
O'Neill. Teal'c also stepped forwards to look at the
Colonel.
"Dr.
Carter is right, O'Neill." the Jaffa said in his usual
emotionless voice. "As it is obvious that this man wishes to
harm you, our chances of defeating him are increased if we stay
together."
Jack
nodded. "You're right, Teal'c. He is after me. And
that's exactly why you guys have to get out of here. I
won't have my team unnecessarily endangered by a guy with a
personal vendetta against me."
Daniel
shook his head. "Jack, this is ridiculous. This guy has
every advantage, knows the terrain and he seems to have an
interesting arsenal of weapons with him. Now he might be after
you, but Sam and Teal'c are right. If we leave you here on
your own, he'll kill you." He tilted his head slightly.
"Jack, this isn't a Stargate mission. We're off
duty and you might be a Colonel, but you're also our friend.
No matter what you're gonna say, we won't leave a
friend on his own when he needs us." He looked intensely
into Jack's eyes. "You'd do the same."
Jack
shook his head in frustration. "Daniel, you've narrowly
escaped being blown to pieces and Sam is seriously wounded. Do
you really want to risk her and your life?" Then he took a
deep breath as he looked into the worried eyes of SG-1. His team.
His friends.
"I
appreciate your concern, guys." he said. "But trust me.
I've got experience with this and I've got better
chances in catching him on my own and knowing that you guys are
safe and out of the picture."
Daniel
looked from Jack over to Sam and saw how pale she still was. Jack
was right. She needed medical attention and he wasn't sure
how much of the poison was still left in her system.
Teal'c
stepped forward. "I will remain with you,
O'Neill." he stated plainly.
Jack
shook his head. "No, Teal'c I need you to make sure
Daniel and Sam make it out of here in one piece. Michael might
still be out there and the last thing I want is some sort of
hostage situation."
The
tall Jaffa nodded. "I understand."
Jack
took another deep breath and gripped his gun firmer. "Okay,
get out of here, guys!" he said. "I'll see you
down in the village."
"Be
careful, Jack." Daniel said before he and Teal'c
grasped Carter around her waist and led her through the door.
Jack
nodded. "Just get out of here." he said.
Chapter
7
Jack
had searched the entire house carefully for any signs of an
intruder besides them. But he had found nothing. Now he stood at
his bedroom window and watched Sam, Daniel and Teal'c head
down the road and away from the house. He sighed in relief.
Whatever he was about to find or encounter in the next couple of
hours, Jack was glad that his team was away in safety. Suddenly
he heard a noise downstairs and flew around, his hand gripping
the 9mm tighter.
"Okay,
Michael." he whispered to himself and tucked the 9mm behind
his back into his belt. "Let's get this over
with."
He
slowly made his way to the bedroom door and peered around the
corner to make sure the corridor was empty. Then he carefully
worked his way to the stairs and slowly walked down, trying to
make as little noise as possible. At the bottom of the stairs,
O'Neill surveyed the dark room and then took a deep breath.
The silence in the room was daunting and he could almost feel the
presence of the other person in the room. He closed his eyes for
a brief second and then turned to face the table in the kitchen
area.
"No
more games, Michael." Jack said firmly. "I know
you're there."
There
was a motion behind the table and a dark figure stood up.
"Jack."
the man whispered, his voice sounding raw – almost rasped.
"It's been a long time."
"Obviously
not long enough. What do you want, Michael?" O'Neill
said and stiffened cautiously as the dark figure started to walk
slowly closer. "You're obviously not here to chat about
the good old times."
The
dark figure laughed. "That's exactly why I'm here,
Jack."
"Fine
then. Let's talk, but leave the others out of this. This is
between you and me."
"Oh
but Jack, they've got everything to do with this.
They're your team and your responsibility. I wanted you to
know what it's like to have to watch your team die one by
one because they trusted you and you failed them. Shame that you
had to sent them away. Now it's just down to you and
me."
"What
are you talking about? Why?"
"You
mean you don't remember Beirut in 84? You left me and
my team to be fried by the Hizb'ullah. You abandoned us and
while you flew into safety, four good men died and I was
captured."
"Michael,
I had no choice. You would have done the same if you'd been
in my position. We weren't exactly on an *official
mission* there, remember? And then you go and do something
stupid like killing this Palestinian general."
"I
had my orders to take out any threat and he was "
"He
was not part of our mission, Michael and you knew that. The
Mossad had told us that it was getting too hot. We had to get out
or everybody would have been captured and killed. I had to make
the choice of sacrificing you and your team because you were too
stubborn to listen to my orders, or compromise the entire mission
which would have meant a lot more dead and risking a diplomatic
incident. Tell me what you'd have done?"
"I
would have not left loose ends behind."
Michael
smiled as he raised his hand slowly and suddenly, Jack stared
into the barrel of a 9mm Glock 19.
"Michael!"
Jack gasped as he stared from the gun into Hutchin's face.
Instinctively, he took a step backwards and pressed his back
against the wall. There was nowhere for him to go. "Are you
crazy?"
"That
would be the easiest explanation, wouldn't it, Jack?"
Michael hissed. "But I'm far from crazy. I think
it's time your realize what we went thought when you left us
behind." He aimed the Glock at O'Neill. "Drop your
gun, Jack." he said coldly.
"Gun?
I don't "
"Just
drop it. Please don't think I'm stupid!"
Jack
sighed and reached behind his back to pull out his 9mm from his
belt. Then he bent down and carefully placed it on the floor.
"Kick
it over!" Michael demanded.
The
gun slit across the wooden floor and Jack watched Michael's
eyes carefully. Then he swallowed hard, trying to calm himself.
"Believe me, Michael," O'Neill started.
"Leaving you guys behind was the hardest thing I ever had to
do. But I didn't have a choice." And with almost a
whisper, he added "And I know what it's like to be left
behind, Michael." he whispered painfully. "Trust me, I
had the pleasure of that experience."
"Then
I think you should experience what it was like for us."
Michael said coldly after he'd kicked Jack's gun across
the room out of reach. Then he raised his own gun in one quick
move and pulled the trigger.
Jack's
eyes went wide and he had no time to move, before the unexpected
bullet hit him in his right arm. O'Neill cried out in pain
and grasped his arm as he lost his balance and slit to the floor.
Blood was pouring from between his fingers as he gripped the
wound tightly. "Shit, Michael!" he shouted between
clenched teeth. "You son of a "
"One
bullet by one, Jack." Michael said as he watched his old
friend breath heavily. "It was an amusing game for them.
They tried to see how many bullets they can fill us up with
before we died." The gun in his hand moved slowly from
Jack's right arm to now point at his left. "How many do
you think you can take, Jack?" he asked and his fingers
slowly closed around the trigger. "Let's find
out!"
"I
don't think so."
A
dry voice sounded from the entrance door and Daniel Jackson
slowly walked into the lounge. In his right hand, he held
Sam's standard issue 9mm.
Michael
turned his head and eyed Daniel in amusement. "Oh, the
infamous archaeologist Dr. Jackson has come to join us!" he
said. "Guns aren't chisels and brushes, Mr.
Egyptologist. I doubt that you'll hit anything with
that." Then he turned his attention back at Jack and his
finger tightened around the trigger. Jack closed his eyes as he
waited helplessly for the impact pain of the next bullet.
The
bellow of several shots releasing themselves from the handgun
echoed though O'Neill's ears, but the expected impact
pain never came. Carefully he opened his eyes and saw the
motionless body of Michael laying to his feet on the ground.
"Whatever
you say!" Daniel said as he released a deep sigh and then
rushed over to Jack. "It's okay, Jack." the young
scientist said, his voice shaking as he put his hands under
O'Neill's arms to pull him up into a sitting position.
"I've got him. He's dead."
O'Neill
grabbed his injured arm painfully as he looked at the blond
archaeologist, while struggling to get back on his feet.
"Gods Danny, what are you doing here? Didn't I tell you
guys to get out of here?"
Daniel
sighed. "I couldn't just leave you alone here with this
guy! We've heard a shot and so I've sent Teal'c
with Sam down to the village to get help." And just as Jack
opened his mouth to protest, Jackson held up his right hand.
"Before you say anything, Sam wasn't happy about it, so
don't you start blaming her. But Teal'c was with her
and then she thought I should at least take her gun."
"Good
thinking." Jack hissed in pain. "But now it's the
two of us stuck up here!"
"Yeah,
and the radio is dead." Daniel said as he pointed at a
smoldering bullet hole in the side of the transmitter unit.
"Looks like one of my bullets hit the battery pack and
unless we can find another power source, it's useless."
He smirked at the implication. "Sorry, Jack. I guess
I'm not as good a shot as I thought."
Jack
smiled gently and slapped the young man on the back with the hand
of his good arm. "Na, Danny. You did good." Then he
looked around the room and his eyes rested on the cactus plant in
the corner of the room. "Maybe not all is lost." Jack
said and pushed himself away from the wall painfully. He walked
across the room to the plant and studied it for a moment then
looked back at the radio transmitter, then back at the plant. He
smiled as he lifted the pot off the table and walked back to the
desk.
Daniel
watched him as he carried the cactus with his good arm.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"We
need power to work this thing, right?" O'Neill said as
he placed the plant next to the radio. "The electrolytes in
the cactus juice should be enough to power the transmitter long
enough for us to send a message through." he continued as he
bent over the transmitter and pulled out two of the exposed
electric cables.
"Is
this gonna work?" Daniel asked sceptically.
O'Neill
shrugged. "I don't know." he said. "But it
worked in Iraq."
Jack
moved the plant closer to the radio and pulled two cables out of
the back of the transmitter. The n he reached into his pockets
and brought out a Swiss army knife. Opening it, he started to cut
the plastic off the end of both cables and exposed the silver
wires inside. With an assessing look, he took both of them and
drove them deep into the skin of the cactus. There were sparks
and smoke and then with a few crackling noises, the transmitter
sprang to life.
"You
did it, Jack!" Daniel called and then smiled. Everybody
always had the Colonel down for the unscientific kinda guy, but
more than once, O'Neill had showed them all that he had more
than just a few tricks up his sleeve.
"You
know, you never seize to amaze me, Jack" Daniel said.
Sam
paced up and down the small grocery shop as she listened to Mike
Evans giving General Hammond directions to the cabin. As they had
made their way down to the village and had Sam's leg looked
at by the local doctor, they had headed immediately to the
groceries shop to contact the police to get help for Jack and
Daniel. The owner Mike Evans was already several steps ahead of
them and gave Sam and Teal'c a message from General Hammond
to contact him immediately. Sam had wondered, with the events of
this day so far, what else could have gone wrong.
Teal'c
stood at the door and watched Sam. "Are you sure you should
be walking around like that, Captain Carter?" the tall Jaffa
asked with concern.
"I'm
fine, Teal'c." Carter said. "The doctor said that
the Colonel managed to get all the poison out and I can feel the
painkiller kicking in." She smiled encouragingly.
"Don't worry." Then her face darkened.
"I'm more concerned about Daniel and the Colonel.
They're up there on their own." Then she shook her
head. "I never should have let Daniel go back. He's not
trained for that kind of situation. I should have "
"Everything
will be fine, Captain Carter." Teal'c said in his usual
monotone voice. "And I suspect that you underestimate Daniel
Jackson. He can take care of himself."
Sam
stopped and nodded. "I know, Teal'c, it's just
that I feel we should be up there, helping them."
Teal'c
raised his eyebrow. "General Hammond is on his way as we
speak. It will not take him long to be here and then we will
collect Colonel O'Neill and Daniel Jackson."
Behind
Sam, a crackling sound came from the radio transmitter on the
table in the back of the room and she turned around.
"Hello?
crackle Is this working? crackle
Jack, I don't think this is . crackle
Mayday mayday!" Carter heard a faint, but
familiar voice. "The old cottage at the end of the Burgstar
pass. We need urgent assistance!" More static came out of
the speaker. "Mayday! Mayday! crackle
Can anybody hear me?"
Sam
rushed to the transmitter and grabbed hold of the mike.
"Daniel! Daniel! Is that you?" She shouted into the
microphone.
Teal'c's
eyes went wide as he, too recognized the voice.
"Sam?"
Daniel asked in surprise. His voice was faint and cracked under
heavy static. "Is that you? Are you okay?"
"Yeah,
it's me and I'm fine. The Doc here checked me over and
gave me some antibiotics. Looks like the Colonel's first aid
for snake bites is better than he thought."
There
was a short pause and then Daniel's a voice came though the
small speakers. It was as if she could hear his smile. "Jack
says he always knew he sucked." Then Daniel went serious.
"Sam, where are you?"
"Teal'c
and I made it down to the town at the bottom of the mountain and
found the local grocer next door to the doctor's place.
He's got telephone and this radio transmitter I'm on
now." Then she paused for a moment before continuing.
"Daniel, General Hammond is on his way here with a team to
get you asap. Are you both okay?"
"Yeah.
The Colonel is wounded, but it's nothing serious. And we got
the guy. He's dead."
Sam
sighed. "That's a relief. Hold on tight. Help's on
the way."
"Did
you say General Hammond is sending a team? Why?"
Daniel's voice crackled.
"It's
a long story. I'll explain later."
"Okay,
Sam. Just make sure you Shit! " The rest of
whatever Daniel wanted to say was swallowed by a sudden burst of
static and suddenly the channel was silent.
"Daniel?"
Sam asked into the mike. "Daniel! Come in, Daniel!"
But
there was only silence.
"I
don't like this." Carter said as she turned to
Teal'c. "Something's wrong."
Chapter
8
Daniel
had dropped the microphone and ducked instantly, pushing Jack off
his chair, as a bullet had ripped through the radio transmitter
and sent sparks flying through the air. Then there was silence.
Smoke came out of the radio and Daniel took a deep breath as he
carefully looked over to Jack to see if he was all right.
O'Neill was laying on the floor a few feet away from Daniel,
his face distorted with pain as his gaze was fixed at something
across the room. Daniel followed his friend's eyes and
peaked up from behind the table. On the other side of the room,
he could see a man standing behind them in the doorway in the
flickering candlelight, his gun aiming at Jack.
"Michael!"
Jack whispered painfully, as he pushed himself up to stand, and
Daniel knew he had only seconds time as he reached for what must
have been Jack's gun, which was laying on the floor,
slightly out of sight underneath the cupboard. He didn't
want to think about how it was possible that the man was still
alive. In one quick move, Daniel reached for the gun and brought
it up, aiming at Michael, but his motion was to slow and just as
he'd pointed the weapon at Michael, a shot released itself
from the man's gun.
Jack
gasped in pain as he doubled over and sunk to the floor clutching
his stomach. Daniel pressed his lips together in determination
and pulled the trigger. Even though he detested violence, there
was no doubt about his action now. In his eyes he just saw the
man who'd tried to kill them all, the man who'd tried
to kill Jack and in his fury, Jackson emptied the entire magazine
into the body on the other side of the room.
The
impact of the bullets pushed Micahel's body backwards and
sent him crashing into the wall. His arms dropped the gun and he
tried to hold on to the small table next to him, tipping it over
in the pointless effort. The table tipped over and the burning
candles and everything else on it dropped to the floor. Slowly
Michael slit down to the ground, leaving a bloody trail on the
wall. Daniel stared at the motionless body for a few seconds.
There was no way Michael was still alive. A soft moan from behind
made Daniel turn around and he rushed over and sunk to his knees
next to the injured Colonel.
"I
think I've got him now, Jack." he said, looking behind
him at the bloody mess that was Michael Hutchins. "He's
dead." he said as he tried to pull O'Neill's hands
away from his stomach to take a look at the wound.
"Ya
think?" O'Neill whispered painfully, glancing past him
at the body of Michael. "Gosh, Danny. Remind me not to get
you angry at me!"
Jackson
smiled. "Good to see you haven't lost your sense of
humour." he said and then looked around. The entire wall
behind Michael's lifeless body had caught fire as the
candles had rolled beneath the curtains of the near-by window and
the flames were slowly spreading. Smoke had started to fill the
cabin and it wouldn't be much longer until the entire
cottage would be engulfed in flames.
"I
know I shouldn't move you, Jack but if we don't get out of
here, we're both gonna burn down with this place!" Daniel
leaned down and put an arm around O'Neill's shoulders, trying to
lift him upright as gently as possible. "C'mon."
Jackson
hefted Jack's body around his shoulders and started to drag
them both towards the door. Jack gasped in agony at the movement,
his eyes squeezed shut as the pain in his stomach made walking
almost impossible.
"Oh,
shit." Jack breathed between clenched teeth as he clasped
his stomach instinctively to stop the bleeding. His vision was
becoming more and more blurred both from the on-set of shock and
from the thick smoke, which had begun to fill the cottage, as he
struggled for breath and slowed down. Jack's instincts had
taken over and he felt that right now, anything was better than
walking any further.
"Jack,
come on." Daniel pleaded feverishly as he felt the Colonel
stop. "It's not far anymore. You can make it."
Jack
swallowed hard and nodded.
Leaning
on each other, they made it across the lounge and headed for the
front door. With Jack hanging heavily on his side, Daniel kicked
the door open with his right leg and they practically stumbled
outside onto the porch. Both men coughed deeply as their lungs
breathed in the fresh air and tried to rid themselves of the
thick smoke. Daniel grabbed O'Neill firmer and hauled him
across the clearing away from the burning house into safety. The
young archaeologist didn't know how powerful the blaze might
become as it ate through the wood of the cottage and consumed it
bit by bit, but he knew that he didn't want to be too close
to find out. He dragged himself and Jack towards the other side
of the clearing, grimly struggling to keep hold of O'Neill
and once he felt they were a safe distance away from the house,
he gently lowered the Colonel onto the grassy ground.
Daniel
sighed with relief as he watched the dancing flames for a moment,
decided that they were far enough away and then looked down at
his friend. Jack's face was distorted with effort to
suppress the obvious pain he was in, but he managed to produce an
encouraging smile. But the archaeologist's face darkened as
he pulled O'Neill's hands away from his stomach wound.
Blood was literally pouring out of the place where the bullet had
entered Jack's stomach. This was nasty and Daniel knew that
even with sufficient medical help, a wound like this was life
threatening.
"Jack
" he started and had to stop to clear her throat.
O'Neill
had caught Daniel's hand with his. "Daniel, get
help!" he whispered, his voice heavy with pain.
"No,
Jack. I can't leave you here alone like this! You're
shot and I've got to "
O'Neill
shook his head and his hand squeezed the younger man's
tighter. "No, Daniel. We both know there's nothing you
can do for me here. I've seen wounds like this before."
He coughed heavily and Daniel's heart constricted painfully
as he saw a thin line of blood trickling from the corner of
Jack's mouth. Jack looked up into the younger man's
eyes. "There's nothing you can do apart from going to
get help."
Daniel
hesitated and it was obvious that he was thinking about what to
do. Jack tried a smile, but it never reached his pain-filled
eyes. "Please, Danny!" he whispered.
Daniel
was quiet for a moment and considered his options. On one hand,
he didn't want to leave Jack alone now. He was badly wounded
and god only knew how much time he had. On the other hand Jack
was right. There was nothing, Daniel could do for him here apart
from making him comfortable and watching him
Daniel
nodded heavily. Then he took off his jacket, rolled it up and
placed it under O'Neill's head. Then he stood up.
"I go for help." he said. "I'll be back as
soon as I can. Just don't go anywhere, okay?"
Jack
tried a small laugh. "Yeah, okay." he said. "I
won't go out dancing just yet, I promise."
Jackson
threw a last look at Jack and started to run.
Chapter
9
Daniel
had left Jack laying in the grass a save distance away from the
burning house and had made his way down the road and towards the
village. In the distance, he could see the battered remains of
Jack's car. It had only been this morning that SG-1 had
their first taste of Michael's revenge plan, but right now
it seemed like an eternity ago.
A
thudding noise slowly penetrated into Daniel's thoughts and it
grew louder and louder as it approached. Daniel stopped and tried
to determine where the noise was coming from and what it was.
Then his mind connected the noise with an image.
A
helicopter!
Daniel
took a deep breath and ran into the middle of a clearing, which
had opened up to his side. In the distance, he could see a black
military helicopter approaching
Daniel
threw his arms up into the air and waved. "Hey! Hello! Down
here!"
As
the helicopter set down, Daniel rushed up to it, carefully
ducking the still rotating blades. He stopped dead as he spotted
General Hammond jumping out from inside.
"General
Hammond?" he asked in surprise at seeing the head of the SGC
slipping out of the helicopter, followed by Sam and Teal'c.
"What are doing here, Sir?"
General
Hammond motioned at his men to search the area. "We had a
breach of security at the SCG." he said seriously.
"Somebody had somehow managed to hack past our firewall into
the computer system and downloaded my personal e-mails." Sam
and Teal'c stepped up to the General as he continued.
"The person seemed mainly interested in my e-mail exchange
with Colonel O'Neill and had downloaded the details of this
weekend's trip."
"Michael?"
Daniel asked as he looked from the General to Sam.
Carter
nodded. "We think so. I mean it's got to be more than
just a coincidence. How else would he have known what we were up
to and where to find us?"
Jackson
tried to digest the new information, but into all of this, the
image of Jack laying outside the burning house penetrated his
mind. He took a deep breath as he pulled the General with him
towards the house and his eyes pleaded urgently. "General,
we're wasting time Michael is dead and Jack
he's been shot. He's been hurt bad. Please Sir, we have
to hurry!"
General
Hammond nodded and waved to a group of soldiers behind him to
head towards the house. "Let's go, people!" he
shouted and then turned back at Jackson. "I know."
Hammond said. "Captain Carter has already informed me and I
brought the paramedics team along with me. Dr. Frasier is
standing by back at the base."
Epilogue
The
helicopter made his steady ascent and headed off towards Cheyenne
Mountain. Sam and Teal'c sat next to General Hammond,
watching Daniel. The young archaeologist was sitting on the other
side of them, leaning worriedly across a stretcher onto which the
medical team had placed Jack. He had been unconscious as they
found him, but the accompanying doctor had ensured them that
O'Neill was still alive and would make it. Even though it
had been a close shave.
Again.
Daniel
winced as watched the motionless form of Jack strapped securely
onto the stretcher. Electrodes where attached to his chest,
monitoring his faint but steady heartbeat. An oxygen mask covered
O'Neill's mouth and nose to help him breath. The wound
on Jack's right arm had been cleaned and provisorically bandaged
and a large compression placed on his stomach to stop the
bleeding. The doctor had started an IV drip, which was hanging
from a thin rail attached below the ceiling of the helicopter.
Just then, Daniel saw Jack's eyes flutter until they opened
slowly and started to look around.
"Hi
Jack," Daniel said, smiling softly at his friend.
"Welcome back."
Jack's
mouth moved for several moments underneath the oxygen mask, and
as Daniel leaned over and lifted the mask, one word finally
managed to escape Jack's lips.
"Hurts."
Daniel
nodded. "Yes, I know, but they didn't want to give you
anything more until we get to the base and they can run some
test. Just relax. We're almost there."
Jack
nodded and closed his eyes exhaustedly. Then they opened again
and looked around until his eyes settled on General Hammond.
"Have
you found him, Sir?" O'Neill whispered, his face
contorted in pain.
"Found
who, Son?" General Hammond asked.
O'Neill
swallowed hard. "Michael, Sir." he struggled for the
words. "Have you recovered his body?"
General
Hammond looked over at Daniel Jackson, who shook his head.
"The house burned down completely, Jack." Daniel said.
"And with the amount of bullets I've pumped into him,
there's no way he's still alive."
But
Jack didn't look convinced. He tried to raise his head as if
to get up. "We have to go back and "
"Trust
me, Jack." Daniel said and placed a calming hand on
O'Neill's shoulder, pushing him back down.
"There's no way he could have gotten out." The
archaeologist smiled and nodded reassuringly. "He's
really dead this time."
Jack
swallowed hard. "Yeah." he said as he closed his eyes
and tried to settle back into the soft pillows of the stretcher
and giving in to the soothing warmth of the painkillers staring
to set in.
"He's
really dead this time."
The End ?