disclaimer..i do not own them, etc.
So another random story popped up, hopefully a GOOD random, and I do have to say this one is a tad random. Set more towards Season 8...but there are random tid bits here and there thrown into the season and things go a bit differently of course! Let's just say I took a few pieces here and there and threw them together. [: enjoyy..
It was another day, another routine mission, another planet to adventure, another group of natives to meet, another group of enemies to encounter…
"Daniel come on, there's nothing here." Colonel Samantha Carter called out to her best friend just wanting to get off the damn planet.
Doctor Daniel Jackson kicked a rock at his feet, wiping some mud off his hand on his pants before slowly following to catch up with his friends and team. The entire scene was depressing, and Daniel felt a hole in his chest. He knew he wasn't the only one feeling down but the others were better at hiding it. When they had seen the planet through the MALP it was perfectly 'normal' and pleasant looking…but that soon changed as they walked through the gate. They hadn't been there longer than ten minutes when the whole place blew up to hell. They had walked in on a battle just starting, Jaffa had shown up out of nowhere right behind them and attacked the single village there was. SG-1, consisting of Colonel Carter, Doctor Jackson, and Teal'c did everything they could trying to help the village…but they failed miserably as they had to protect themselves as well. The attack came too quickly and unknowingly, the worst part was there wasn't as many Jaffa troops as there usually was when this happened, the team and the villagers had managed to take out the Jaffa…but not before the Jaffa took out the entire village.
Looking at his friends Daniel noticed how blood stained, injured, and dirt and mud clad they all were. Teal'c was covered head to toe in mud and dirt. Sam was unusually quiet and when she did talk, she seemed distant. She wasn't as dirty or muddy as him or Teal'c, but definitely had her fair share of it smeared across her face and body, her shoulder length braided hair was also a tangled mess and he could hardly tell it was even braided to begin with. He also definitely didn't miss the bruises around her neck which concerned him not knowing what had happened to her knowing he had hidden bruises as well, expecting to find them all within the next few days. Just as he got to Sam's side, who was a few feet behind Teal'c, he heard a small noise in the brush to his side. Coming to a complete halt he grabbed Sam's forearm stopping her as well who looked at him in confusion…that's when he noticed the unshed tears in her eyes but ignored them for the benefit of the doubt.
"Daniel…?" She asked him softly looking at him for an answer until she heard the noise as well. Before he even moved she pulled her arm out of his grasp and jogged over to the thick brush stopping a few feet before it to listen once more. She heard the noise again and finally realized she was definitely hearing someone sobbing. Pushing a few branches to the side she came face to face with a small child who immediately started scooting back and away from her.
"It's okay, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you…" Sam told the child quickly but softly trying to reassure them they really were safe and that they could trust her. Taking in the child's appearance she realized it was a girl, she was wearing a torn, muddy, and ragged knee length dress. The girl's bare feet were completely covered in mud, her hair, which Sam couldn't really tell the color as it was currently covered with mud, hung loosely around her shoulders going down her back and around her arms that were protectively around her legs.
"Sam? What is it?" Daniel called from over her shoulder. She simply held a hand up, throwing her pointer finger up telling him 'one minute'. Once the girl heard his voice her head snapped up and Sam could see the fear in her piercing blue eyes that stuck out from the smudges of mud that were streaked with tears. She also didn't miss the steel collar around her small neck.
"It's okay, he's my friend, Daniel. He won't hurt you, you're safe with us." She tried telling her softly holding a grubby hand out to the girl who looked back and forth between that and her face.
"I'm Sam, what's your name?" Sam asked the girl softly still holding her hand out.
"Grace." The small girl responded so quietly that Sam had to strain to hear her.
"Grace, that's a pretty name. How old are you Grace?" Slowly Grace held up four fingers.
"Do you have any family or friends with you?" Sam hated asking the small girl knowing what the answer was going to be, but needed to know just in case before they left. Knowing they weren't leaving anyone behind. Her question was answered when the girl dropped her head to her chest.
"Colonel Carter we must leave." Teal'c booming voice called further down. He was only a few feet from the gate and could hear him dialing up the gate. But before she had a chance to reply she saw the fear in Grace's eyes once more before the small girl threw herself in Sam's arm practically pushing her over.
"It's okay, that's Teal'c. He won't help you, he's my friend too. They're going to help keep you safe okay?" Sam reassured the girl who merely had her arms clutched around her neck as well as her face buried there. Slowly Sam wrapped her arms around the girls back as she stood up holding her close with a tight grasp as well, and she could feel Grace wrapping her little legs around her waist before she started for the gate.
-x-x-x-
General Jack O'Neill paced in the control room…they were late, and he didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit. Just as he spun around on his heel to pace another lap the gate started up…
"Who is it?" He snapped at Walter who sat at the computers watching as the gate dialed up and started spinning.
"I-I don't know yet sir, the gate hasn't connected…" Walter simply replied realizing how stressed the General was about SG-1 being five hours overdue. They had tried contacting them…but nobody replied and Jack wasn't willing to send anymore men to the planet having no idea what was on the other side. They had sent another MALP through and it all looked relatively the same…but when they sent the UAV through it showed the real damage. Finally the gate stopped spinning and Jack got his answer.
"It's SG-1 sir." Without even having to tell Walter to open the iris he did it himself. First through was Teal'c, just looking at the him you could tell they had been something pretty rough. Next came Daniel who was glancing back at the gate, but Jack had no time to take in his appearance as the last figure of Samantha Carter stepped through with a child clutched in her arms.
"Tell the doc to be ready." He bellowed out before running down the stairs and into the gate room to great the team.
"Sorry about the delay…ran into some trouble. As usual." Daniel simply explained brushing a few chunks of mud off his sleeve.
"I see that Danny. I expect a full report from all of you after you get checked out and cleaned up." Jack ordered them before Daniel and Teal'c headed for the door.
"And this is…?" Jack motioned to the small girl still 'hiding' in Carter's arms as she came to a halt before him.
"Grace, sir. She was the only one who made it. Everyone else…" She couldn't even finish the sentence as she choked on her words, her throat literally closed off and cracked as she spoke. It didn't help that her voice was raspy and talking caused her a bit of pain. Immediately looking away from him she closed her eyes against the onslaught of tears.
"Alright, go get checked out." He nodded towards the door realizing something seriously bad happened on that planet today, to all of them and he really wasn't looking forward to finding out what exactly.
-x-x-x-
AN: So much for another routine adventure. Should the show go on? Or should the show just stop right now?