He sighed deeply, a sense of calm
filled his soul. For once, he actually felt connected to someone. Yeah, sure he was well
and truly part of the family that was SG-1 but with Caitlin he had a sense of belonging,
truly belonging to another, knowing that she needed him as much as he needed her. Two as
one. And he prayed to whatever gods were out there that this time fate would not deprive
him of this feeling.
Caitlin stirred, her eyes flickered
open and she found herself starring into those eyes. Wow, she would never tire of those
wonderful, deep, sensitive eyes. She smiled, relaxed and content. Since, their return from
being kidnapped and that first dinner together, things had moved steadily, if somewhat slowly, towards last night..
Daniel had been away for a week
off-world with SG-1, returning to find Caitlin's shoulder no longer heavily bandaged and
the good news from Doctor Fraiser that he could have his plaster removed. To celebrate,
the team and Caitlin had relocated to Colonel O'Neill's house, complete with a Chinese
takeaway and beers!
Everyone was in good humour.
Their last excursion had been without incident and had resulted in good relations being
established with the locals. Jack was happy - no trouble - Daniel was happy - new
off-world friends. All in all a good week's work.
Jack was standing in the kitchen
opening another beer when he sensed Daniel's presence behind him. He turned to his friend,
noting the troubled look in his
eyes. "What's with the long face Danny-boy?"
Daniel looked at the floor, not
sure how to start. "Erm, I wanted to know.." He hesitated. Jack gave him an
'Yes?' sort of look. Daniel looked up at his friend , determination in his eyes and tried
again. "I wanted to know if it was OK for me to keep seeing Captain Mitchell."
There, he'd said it. Now for Jack's reaction.
A quizzical looked crossed the
colonel's features. "Let me get this straight. Are you asking my permission?"
"No! Well, not exactly. Its
just.." Daniel let the statement hang in the air.
Jack smiled. "Listen,
Danny-boy, you're not military, you can see pretty much who you like." He took a gulp
of his beer. "Its not like she's a security risk. Hell, she's even been through the Gate a few times!"
"I know, its just that
Caitlin and I don't want to risk SG-1 or our places at the SGC. And, well.." Daniel
looked at Jack, a deeper question in his eyes.
"Danny, does she make you happy?"
There was no hesitation in the
reply, "Yes." And the smile on Daniel's lips lit up his eyes.
"Well, then what else
matters. The SGC and SG-1 will continue to function whether or not you and the captain
get.. well.. serious!" Jack could see Daniel wasn't convinced. He took another swig
of his beer and continued, "Look, you've both proved beyond doubt that you can still
act for the good of the SGC even when you've both been kidnapped on a mission together.
So, even if someone should want to stir things up, we've got some pretty strong evidence
to shove up their.." He stopped. Caitlin was standing in the doorway to the kitchen.
Daniel turned to see who Jack was looking at.
Caitlin had heard enough of the
conversation to know what the colonel and Daniel had been talking about. She could see
O'Neill looked uncomfortable. She addressed Daniel, smiling and trying to make light of
the situation,"So, did he give you permission to date me?"
Jack laughed as Daniel shot
Caitlin one of his withering looks usually reserved for the colonel. He raised his beer
bottle and said, in mock
seriousness, "You have my blessing children."
Daniel gave Jack a 'don't be so
childish' look and then smiled a silent thank you. He turned to leave the kitchen as Jack
spoke again, this time quietly addressing Caitlin, a hint of something hard in his voice.
"Hurt him and I'll bust you
right out of the Air Force."
Daniel and Caitlin stared,
mouths open as the colonel raised his beer bottle again with a grin and moved past them
out of the kitchen.
"Whoa," Caitlin said.
"Well, I guess I know where I stand." She looked at Danny, seeing that he didn't
know what to say. She smiled and said, "Don't look so worried." And then added,
her voice soft and tender, "I have no intention of hurting you, ever, that's a
promise." She sealed the statement with a kiss on his lips.
As they left Jack's that night,
they both knew their relationship had stepped up a gear. As Daniel climbed into Cailtlin's
Landrover, beside Ben, her K-9
Search and Rescue dog, he asked, "My place?"
Caitlin glanced across at
Daniel. The look in his eyes told her more than the simple words. She smiled and nodded,
turning the Landrover in the direction Daniel indicated.
Daniel stretched again. He smiled to
himself. Coming to his apartment with Caitlin, last night, had felt like the most natural
thing for them to do. He knew they'd laughed about it, but it felt good to know that Jack
had given his approval and now they were free to take their relationship further than a few dinner engagements and fulfil its
previous promise.
He lazily turned to look at the
clock next to his bed. "Shit!" He leaped out of bed, dragging most of the
comforter off Caitlin, startling Ben.
"Hey!" she called.
"What's the hurry? Can't wait to get away from me already!"
Daniel looked flustered as he grabbed his clothes and headed for the
shower.
Caitlin rose slowly, slipping one of
Danny's discarded shirts on, as she followed her companion into the bathroom. She watched
him for a moment as he stood in
the shower and then she asked again, "What's all the rush for?"
Daniel stepped out of the shower
(Wow, Caitlin thought to herself, smiling). "I'm supposed to be at a briefing at nine
thirty and its nearly nine already." He grabbed a towel and starting drying himself
frantically. "It drives Jack nuts if I'm late!"
"Oh," Caitlin gathered his
clean clothes together for him and then left for the kitchen.
Daniel dressed quickly, grabbed his
watch and glasses from the table by the bad and headed out to the kitchen. Caitlin pushed
a mug of coffee into his hand and he took a few quick gulps, as his searched around for
his car keys. Finding the keys, he passed the mug back to Caitlin, kissed her and headed
for the door. He paused at the door and turned. He smiled at the captain. "Lunch in
the commissary?" he asked.
"OK," came the reply. "I'm not on duty 'til fourteen
hundred."
"Great." And then he was gone.
++++++++
It normally took about half an hour
to drive from his place to the SGC and Daniel had left at nine o' five. Jack was not going
to be a happy bunny! As he turned off the interstate onto NORAD road, which led up to the
mountain complex, Daniel noticed a red UT parked on the verge. He passed the vehicle, his
mind on Jack's inevitable ranting at his tardiness, unaware of the attention he was
attracting from the UT's occupant. The driver gunned its engine and pulled out after Jackson's car.
Daniel was suddenly aware of a red
vehicle pull up level with his own car. He glanced towards it, noticing the driver was
watching him. A frown crossed Daniel's face as he wondered what the guy was doing and then
the UT swerved towards him.
Daniel snatched at the wheel of his car,
instinctively moving away from the danger posed by the larger vehicle. His car veered
violently onto the verge to the right, the front passenger's side hitting a warning sign,
causing the car to spin round. As it spun, the front tyre met a hidden tree stump on the
road verge, stopping the tyre's side-on slide but allowing the rest of the car's momentum
to carry on, flipping the car on to its roof.
It all seemed to happen in a flash,
one minute he was swerving, the next minute he was sliding down the road, upside down! It
wasn't so much being upside down, as the horrendous noise the car made sliding down the
tarmac road. Eventually, the car
slowed and stopped.
Daniel tried to gather his thoughts.
Ok, glad I wore my seat belt, he thought to himself. Ouch, head hurts, must have banged it
on the steering wheel. Maybe I should have listened to Jack and got a newer car, it might
have had an air bag! He put his hand to his forehead - no blood just a big bump! Then he
remembered, that red vehicle, what the hell was that guy doing!
Anger flushed his face and he reached for the seat belt release.
Crunch!
Daniel grunted with pain as gravity
dropped him to the floor or rather roof of the car. He untangled himself from the steering
wheel and tried to open the driver's door. It was no use, the frame was buckled and the
door jammed shut. He cursed to himself. Then he noticed feet at the window and Daniel
quickly raised his arms protectively around his face as he saw something swing at the
glass.
The window shattered, showering
Daniel with safety glass. Then hands roughly grabbed the shoulders of Daniel's jacket and
he felt himself being dragged through the now open window out onto the tarmac. Lying there
on his back, he moved his arms out of the way of his face and found himself staring at the driver of the red UT.
"What the hell where you trying
to do? You nearly killed me!" Daniel shouted, anger putting heat into the words. The
man's face was impassive as he
raised and aimed a rifle at Daniel.
"What the." Daniel saw the
rifle kick and heard the small explosion of gun fire, but instead of searing pain, he felt
a sting in his right shoulder. Startled, he looked down to where the pain had come from
and saw a dart! Wide-eyed he looked back at the stranger, he tried to speak but his mouth
didn't seem to want to respond. Fear gripped him as he felt the strange sensation of a
tranquilliser drug course through his body. As the blackness took him, his last thoughts
were of Jack and how late he was going to be for their briefing!
+++++++++
Sam smiled to herself as she watched
Colonel O'Neill pace, no, stomp up and down the conference room. The main gate to the
complex and reported that Dr. Jackson had not yet passed through and it was now nearly ten
o'clock. Daniel sure was going to be in trouble when he shows up, she thought.
"He's always late," Jack
ranted. "He's either holed up in his office checking out some rock," Jack shot
Sam a look that dared her to correct the use of the word rock to artifact. "Or he's
overslept! He'd better have a damn
good excuse this time!"
Sam swore she saw Teal'c smirk, but then it was hard to tell with
the Jaffa.
General Hammond sat impassively at
the head of the table, cursing for the hundredth time his decision to allow civilians at
the SGC. Not that Doctor Jackson had not proven a thousand times that he had made the
right choice, it was just sometimes..
Sergeant Peters appeared at the
doorway, looking flustered and saluting the general. "Sir, I contacted Doctor
Jackson's apartment as you requested and..." He hesitated.
"Go on, sergeant," the general said impatiently.
"Well, sir," he blushed,
then carried on. "Captain Mitchell answered the phone." Jack shot Sam a looked
that said 'way to go Danny-boy'. The sergeant continued," And she said that Doctor
Jackson had left his apartment at nine o' five."
"What?" Jack's attention
snapped back to the sergeant. "That's nearly an hour ago!"
+++++++++
Caitlin replaced the phone's handset
and stared at it for a moment. Then she grabbed her jacket and car keys, called Ben and
headed out to her Landrover.
As she turned the car onto the NORAD
road, her heart leaped to her mouth. She could just see Daniel's car ahead, upside down,
on its roof in the middle of the road. She pulled up quickly next to it, jumping out and
running over to the driver's side. The window was broken but no one was inside. She stood up looking round. She
called out for him frantically.
She ran back to her car and called
Ben to her. She set him to work on Daniel 's scent but the trail stopped a few feet from
the car. Then Caitlin noticed the tyre tracks left by another car leaving in a hurry.
" Oh, god," she said to herself, fear snatching at her body.
Shaking, she returned to her
vehicle, retrieved her mobile phone and called the SGC.
+++++++++
Slowly the fog that seemed to
envelop him started to lift from Daniel's mind as the heavy sedative drug eked from his
system. Nausea washed though his body, a familiar after effect of heavy doses of
tranquilliser type drugs, plus the headache wasn't helping.
Daniel was lying on something hard
and cold. He gingerly opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of a small, empty room
with a door and a long, thin half-light window. He moved his hand to his head, trying to
remember what on earth was going on. As his hand touched the bump above his eyes,
everything came flooding back. The red car, the crash, that bloke and his rifle. He
flinched partly from the memory and partly from touching the tender swelling.
Daniel sat up, slowly so as not to
throw up, then just as carefully he got to his feet, using one of the side walls to help.
He moved over to the door. Well, surprise, surprise, it was locked. He called out several
times, suspecting it was pointless but trying anyway. Silence. He rubbed the bridge of his
nose, absentmindedly wondering where his glasses were. He stepped back from the door and,
with his back to the wall, slid down to sit on the floor.
What was he doing here and who was
that man, Daniel thought to himself. He tried hard to think if he'd seen the guy before,
but was sure he hadn't. Resting his head back against the wall, he closed his eyes and
wondered what Jack would do if he'd been here.
+++++++++
Jack bent down and picked up
Daniel's broken glasses lying next to the wrecked car. To his left, two men were checking
the tyre marks and two others were checking the verges around the crash scene. He stood
back up, placing the frames in his pocket, and looked across at Captain Mitchell's
Landrover. Carter was sat with the captain. She glanced up, concern on her face, looking
for reassurance from those strong, brown eyes.
"Colonel." Hammond's voice
caught Jack's attention and he turned towards his CO. "I've got men checking the
hospitals and the local police. I suggest you get over to Doctor Jackson's apartment in
case he returns there."
"Yes, sir." Jack replied
looking across at Sam. "I'll take the captain's wheels since mine are back at the
base." He added, concerned that the captain appeared to be in no fit state to drive on her own.
The general followed the colonel's
gaze and nodded. "OK. I'll call you there if there's any update." Jack nodded
and headed over to the Landrover,
indicating Teal'c should join him.
Explaining the situation as he went,
Jack started the Landrover and, with Caitlin and what was left of SG-1 aboard, he turned
the 4x4 around and headed back
towards Jackson's apartment.
+++++++++
The apartment was as Caitlin had
left it, what seemed like hours earlier. Her half drunk coffee mug abandoned by the phone.
On autopilot, she picked up the mug and moved to the kitchen to tidy up. Sam watch her go,
worried that the captain was not dealing well with the situation, not that she could blame her.
Jack sat down in the sitting room,
not sure what to do next. Daniel obviously hadn't been here since he left this morning.
Teal'c voiced what they were all thinking, "DanielJackson is not here. Where do we
start looking?" It was a simple question which no one had any idea how to answer.
Silence filled the room.
The phone ringing made everyone
jump. Jack grabbed for it, hoping for good news, noticing out of the corner of his eye
Caitlin appear at the kitchen door, hope lighting her face. "Colonel O'Neill" He
stated briskly.
The reply was not what he expected.
"I've been waiting for you, colonel." The voice was unfamiliar and immediately
sent a shiver down Jack's spine. "I have something of yours."
"Who are you? What do you
want?" Jack tried to keep his voice even, hiding the underlying shock.
"What do I want?" The
voice came back calm, ignoring the first of Jack's questions. "I want you to know
what its like to have someone close to you taken away."
Jack voiced hardened, "I want to speak to Jackson, now!"
"Not so fast, Jack. You need to
suffer as you play the waiting game." Jack tried to interrupt but the man carried on,
"I will call this number again in a few hours." And the line went dead.
Jack swore and practically threw the
handset down, turning to see all eyes on him, shocked looks on their faces. Sam spoke
first, "What's going on,
sir?" Caitlin looked as white as a sheet.
Jack picked the phone back up and
dialled the SGC. "General Hammond," Jack said and waited to be connected. Then
he simply said, "We have a code blue, level 1, sir." Both Sam and Caitlin
gasped. Teal'c looked at Carter, a puzzled look on his normally impassive face. Sam found
her voice, numbly explaining to Teal'c, "A code blue, level 1 is a high security risk
kidnapping."
++++++++
Within the hour Daniel's apartment
had been turned into an operations room, with numerous personnel and various telephone
trace equipment. Caitlin watched numbly as Colonel O'Neill updated General Hammond on the
situation so far.
"And we have no idea what this
guy wants?" Hammond asked Jack. Jack shook his head. The general continued,
"Well, we wait for him to call again, unless anyone has any better ideas." He
directed this last statement to everyone in the room. But no one had anything to add.
A knock at the door caught
everyone's attention. One of the technical sergeants present opened the door on Hammond's
nod.
"What the hell are you doing
here?" Jack practically spat the words at the familiar figure who was now entering
Jackson's apartment, accompanied by two NID officers.
"Good to see you too, Colonel
O'Neill," sneered Maybourne in reply. He turned his attention to the general, saluting. "General Hammond."
Hammond returned the salute.
"Colonel Maybourne," he said, acknowledging the man, his voice deadpan.
Jack stepped into Maybourne's path,
his face reflecting the disgust he felt towards the man from the NID. "Like I said,
what the hell are you doing
here?"
Maybourne looked towards O'Neill's
superior officer, as if he was hoping for the general to call his colonel off. Hammond
stood quietly waiting for Maybourne's reply. Maybourne looked back at
O'Neill, trying to keep his voice from betraying the fear he felt from that cold stare.
"This is now an NID case."
Jack's response came quickly,
"The hell it is!" He turned to General Hammond for back up.
Hammond looked at Maybourne, "Please explain, colonel".
Maybourne retrieved some of his
initial bluster and the sneer returned. Producing an official looking letter from his
jacket pocket, he said, "I have it from the highest authority that since a member of
the SGC facility has been kidnapped by persons unknown, this represents a serious risk to national security therefore the case is now
officially an NID case."
Addressing the general, he added, "We'll take it from here,
sir."
O'Neill looked like he was going to
explode. Maybourne wisely took a step back, waving the letter in Hammond's direction. The
general stepped forward past Jack and took the offered paper. He read the letter and then
offered it to O'Neill, saying as he did so to Maybourne, "Sergeant Peters here will fill you and your men in on everything that
has happened so far."
Jack looked flabbergasted.
"You're not seriously going to let this idiot be responsible for finding Daniel. All
we'll get back is a dead body!" He was shouting now, throwing the offered letter back at Maybourne.
Hammond's voice broke through the outburst, "Colonel, that's
enough."
"But, sir, the guy's a.."
"O'Neill, that's an order! Stand down!"
If looks could kill, Maybourne would
be a smouldering corpse on the floor, then Jack whirled around and stormed out of the
room.
++++++++++
The ringing of the phone cut through
the heavy atmosphere. Jack jumped, reaching for the phone. He hesitated momentarily, then
the tracing guy nodded and Jack picked up the receiver. "Jack O'Neill."
"Hello, Jack," the voice
was calm, almost mocking. "Called a Code Blue?" No reply from Jack. "Of
course you have, so there be a trace on this call and I'm on a speaker now? Hi, everyone!" Again the
mocking tone.
Jack's voice was hard, "I want to speak to Doctor Jackson,
now!"
"No, Jack, I make the demands,
not you! You're not in command now!" The voice was suddenly very serious. "I
want one million dollars deposited to an account details of which I'll give you when you
have the money, otherwise I'll kill your friend."
Jack frowned, "That's a lot of
money." Lame response but the demand had took him by surprise, somehow he'd never
thought it would be about money.
Again the voice was edged with
anger, "Come on colonel. I thought you were good at making decision that cost
lives?" And with that the phone went dead.
Everyone's eyes went to the tracing
engineer, all suspecting the response but hoping..the technician shook his head. The call
had been too short to get a
trace. Jack threw the receiver down.
Sam spoke first, "He must be
ex-airforce or at least close to it to know our kidnap code and procedures. And he seems
to know you quite well, sir." She looked hopefully at Jack.
Jack nodded, his expression thoughtful.
Maybourne ordered one of his men to
come up with a list of airforce people, active or retired, who had at some point worked
with Colonel O'Neill.
+++++++++
Daniel was pacing up and down the
small room, sick of being cooped up. His shouts for help or a drink or anything for that
matter had been fruitless and had only served to make him more frustrated. He thumped the
door for the hundredth time. Nothing.
He leaned back against the wall. And waited.
Footsteps? Yes, footsteps coming his
way! Quickly he moved to behind the door. He had to remind himself to breathe as he
waited, listening to a key turning in the lock.
As the door opened and he sensed more than
saw a person enter the room, Daniel pushed as hard as he could against the door. There was
a satisfying grunt and the man from the accident sprawled across the floor of Daniel's
cell. Daniel didn't hesitate but ran through the door out into what appeared to be a large
empty warehouse. Behind him were what must have been at some
point three basic offices, the middle of which Daniel had just emerged from.
A quick glance around showed him the
exit was across the warehouse floor on the other side of the building. He ran. He ran as
fast as he could, focusing on the
door that would take him out of this madness.
He heard the man shout stop, but he
kept running. Only a few more yards to go. Crack!
It was a sharp sound, strangely
familiar. Then something cannoned into his right thigh, spinning Daniel round and
depositing him on the floor. At first his leg felt numb, then, oh shit that hurts!
Daniel struggled to sit up reaching
down to his leg, the pain centred around a dark spreading circle of blood about half way
up the top of his right leg.
He looked up. He was now facing in
the direction he had come from and he could see his captor walking purposeful towards him,
a smouldering revolver in his
hand.
Daniel tried to rise, his badly injured leg offering him no
assistance.
"I wouldn't bother, Doctor
Jackson." The voice was cold and matter of fact. "I'll simply shoot you in the
other leg, it makes no difference to me."
Daniel stopped and sat still. A
small pool of his blood spreading across the warehouse floor. "Who are you and what
do you want?" Daniel tried to keep his voice steady against the pain.
The man stood over him, looking as
if he where considering whether to reply or not, and then he said, "Major Peter
Holmes, retired. And I want Colonel Jack O'Neill to watch you die, knowing it was his
fault, just as he watched my son die. Now get up and get back to your room." He
grabbed Daniel's jacket, dragging the wounded man to his feet. He waved his gun in the
direction Daniel had come, stepping away and watching the young man limp slowly and
painfully back towards the small room.
+++++++++
Jack threw the half read list down
on to the kitchen worktop and rubbed his tired eyes. There must be hundreds of names on
the list. How the hell was he supposed to know which one, if any, was responsible for
kidnapping his friend.
"Are you OK, sir." It was Sam's gentle enquiry, her voice
full of concern.
Jack suddenly felt very tired. He
shook his head and indicated the list. Sam picked it up and looked at the seemingly
endless list of meaningless names, ranks and dates. She placed it back on the work
surface, watching the colonel. "We'll find him," she said, trying to sound more
positive than she felt. Jack didn't reply, but continued to stare at the floor. Sam reach
out and placed her hand gently on his arm, as much looking for reassurance as offering it.
Jack shrugged off her touch and
turned away from the major. In a subdued voice, he said, "Yeah, we'll find him, dead.
Too late, thanks to Maybourne and
his goons."
Sam was shocked. "Sir?"
Jack whirled on her, grabbing the
list and shaking in Sam's face. "This is the only clue that Maybourne has and I've no
idea where to start!"
Sam couldn't believe what she was
hearing. She tried to protest but Jack carried on, his voice full of anger and hate,
"Maybourne's never going to come up with that kind of money! He's going to run around
like a headless chicken and achieve the square root of bugger all!" He paused, the
wind seeming to go out of his sails, then he finished his outburst, "So, one dead
Danny!"
They stood face to face for a
moment, both lost for words, then the phone broke the moment.
Jack pushed past Sam, heading for
the sitting room and the phone, He grabbed the receiver, "Yes!"
"You sound a little edgy, Jack. Things getting to you?"
Jack grunted, "I want to speak to Jackson."
"I told you, Jack, that's not
possible. Anyway, he's a little indisposed at the moment."
"What?! What have you
done?!" Jack shouted at the irritating voice on the other end of the phone.
"Easy, Jack. You should be
pleased, you trained him well, he nearly escaped."
Way to go, Danny, Jack thought.
"Unfortunately, he is now
nursing a bullet through the leg for his troubles."
"You bastard!"
"He's OK, considering, but then
I guess you know what that's like."
Jack voice was hard and menacing, "You touch him again and I'll
kill you."
"Now, now, colonel, we should be discussing when the money will
be ready."
Jack looked at Hammond, who
indicated that he needed to stall for more time.
"We need more time for that kind of money."
"More time? Time is something
you don't have a lot of. I'll give you four hours then I'll call to tell you where to
deliver." And with that the phone went dead.
Jack stared at the lifeless receiver
then looked up the steps to the kitchen door. Sam stood there, next to Caitlin. They both
looked pale and shocked. The kidnappers words still hanging in the air around the speaker
phone. Sam turned and led Caitlin
away.
Jack replaced the handset and walked
out of the room, up the steps past the kitchen, down the corridor past the bedrooms and
out on to the small balcony at the back of Daniel's apartment. He kicked the railings
surrounding the balcony. That didn't help! He lent his elbows on the top of the railings,
resting his chin in his hands and stared out across the town. "Where are you,
Daniel?" He said, quietly to
himself.
He thought back over the phone
conversation, anger flushing his face as he thought of Daniel lying somewhere with a fresh
bullet wound in his leg. He knew what that was like. Back before his special forces days,
he'd been on routine training
session with live rounds when there'd been a cock up and.
He suddenly stood bolt upright. He
dived back into the apartment, down to the kitchen, grabbed the list and returned to the
balcony, flicking back through the pages as he did so.
Sam looked up from the side of the
bed where she and Caitlin were sitting, as the colonel shot past the room and then back
again with the list in his hands and a strange look on his face. She looked at Caitlin and
they both stood up and headed after the colonel.
They found Jack on the balcony
flicking though the list of names. They watched as he stopped, running his finger down the
list. "There!" He said
triumphantly.
"What is it, sir?" Sam
enquired. She read the name on the offered list, "Major Peter Holmes, retired."
She looked at Jack, a frown on her face. "And?"
"I'm sure that's our man. He
was my CO when I got shot in the leg in a training accident."
"Shot in the leg?" Sam
queried, then remembered the conversation over the speaker phone. "Oh. He said you'd
know what that was like." She pondered for a moment and then said, "But what
does he want with you? The money?"
"Hmm." Jack took the list back and looked at the names
again. "Oh, crap."
"What?" Caitlin and Sam said together.
"Sergeant Nathan Holmes,
KIA." Jack put the list down and looked out across the town, thoughtful. The girls
waited for him to continue. "It was a special forces S&R, a group of young GI's
had got themselves bogged down in a small Iraqi occupied Kuwait village. We were to go in
at night and retrieve them. Unfortunately, one of the youngsters got captured on the way
out." Jack hesitated, a haunted look in his eyes. "I had to make a choice, get
clear with the rest of the squad and my team and go back on my own or risk everyone and go
back then. We moved out." A pause. "They shot him in cold blood, just as I
returned. I watched them shoot him for no good reason, out of frustration for losing the
rest of the squad." Jack sighed.
Sam wanted to say it wasn't his
fault but knew it was futile, instead she said, "What does all this mean?"
Jack thought for a moment and then
turned to Sam and Caitlin, "I don't think he wants Daniel. I think he wants me."
They all stood in silence for a
while and then Sam spoke. "You know we've got to go after Daniel ourselves. We can't
leave it to Maybourne."
Jack nodded but stated the obvious,
"Its not an SGC mission. We're under orders."
Sam looked at him sideways, with a
'when did that ever stop you' look on her face.
Jack looked at Caitlin, who nodded
too. "Ok, we need some wheels. And we need to get out of here. Unnoticed!"
Caitlin piped up, "I'll get my
car with Sam and bring it round the back alley." Indicating the fire escape that ran
from the balcony down to the street. "I'll send Teal'c out here. You can fill him in
then."
Everyone agreed and Sam and Caitlin
headed back into the apartment.
Caitlin, looking suitably
despondent, saluted General Hammond and asked for permission to go outside and walk Ben.
He nodded his agreement and also agreed to Sam accompanying her, concerned for her
wellbeing. Sam meantime, spoke quietly to Teal'c, Caitlin called Ben and the two girls
headed out to Caitlin's Landrover.
Jumping in, Caitlin drove out of the
apartment's parking spaces and headed around to the back. There they picked up Teal'c and
Jack, who was clutching a ripped
out page from the list.
"We need a last known address." Jack stated.
"No problem." Sam said,
dialling on her mobile. "Lieutenant Simmons, please." She threw a withering look
at Jack's raised eyebrow. "Lieutenant? Hi, its Major Carter. I need a LKA on a Major Peter Holmes, USAF,
retired."
She waited for the Lieutenant to access the SGC computer system.
"Great!
Wait I'll write that down." She
scribbled on a scrap of paper O'Neill had passed her. "Ok, thanks. Bye."
Sam closed the flip on the mobile.
"There." She said, passing the address to Jack.
Jack read it. "Good a local
address." And he directed Caitlin to Holmes' house.
++++++++++
Daniel sat with his back against the
wall, his jacket wrapped around the wound in his leg, in an attempt to slow the seeping
blood. It damn hurt! He felt very tired. Where was Jack and the rest of SG-1? His eyes
felt heavy, it's the loss of blood, he thought to himself. He recognised the symptoms, been here too many times.
He perked up at the sound of
footsteps. The door opened and Holmes walked over, the revolver not wavering from Daniel's
direction. "On your feet,
Jackson!"
"I can't." Daniel said, too tired and hurting to get up.
Holmes scowled at him, grabbed his
arm and dragged him to his feet. Daniel swayed from standing too quickly, but Holmes
relentless dragged him out into the open warehouse section. About ten feet from the room,
across the warehouse floor, Holmes let go of Daniel and pushed him to his knees.
Daniel winced, feeling fresh blood
ooze down the inside of the makeshift bandage. Then Holmes grabbed his arms, pulling them
behind Daniel's back, binding them tightly. Daniel was too weak to resist the strength of
the older man.
Holmes stood up, a satisfied smirk on his face. "They should be
here soon."
Daniel wondered vaguely what he was
talking about as he concentrated hard on not falling over completely.
+++++++++
Holmes' house was deserted.
Having broken expertly in, the four
SGC members quickly searched the place. Nothing. Then Sam noticed a local paper open on a
'To Let' page. And there, circled in ink, were the details of an empty warehouse ready for
occupation immediately.
They all headed back out to the
Landrover and, taking the wheel, Jack drove the car in the direction of the circled
building.
+++++++++
Jack pulled the Landrover to halt
near, but hidden from, the empty warehouse. It was on a small industrial estate on the
edge of the city. Being Sunday, the rest of the buildings were also deserted and the team
were able to move unnoticed towards their target.
Jack indicated that Teal'c and
Caitlin should move round the rear of the building in search of another entry point,
whilst he and Sam would take the front door. Caitlin and Teal'c, with Ben following
closely behind, headed off around the side of the building.
Jack and Sam placed themselves
either side of the front entrance. Silently signalling to Sam his intentions, Jack moved
swiftly though the door, his
sidearm at the ready. Sam followed closely, backing up her CO.
Jack skidded to a halt, his gun
pointed at the man standing across the warehouse floor, over a hundred feet away. Sam came
to a halt next to Jack, her attention on the individual at the man's feet. She gasped to
herself, "Daniel?"
Daniel looked up, relief flooding
across his face at the site of Jack and Sam. "Jack!" He called, desperation and
hope mixed in his voice. Holmes pushed the muzzle of the revolver into Daniel's
temple, causing the young man to wince.
Holmes called across to O'Neill,
"That's far enough, colonel, and don't think you can take me out because I've cocked
the revolver and it'll fire as soon as I release the trigger." His voice was full of
triumph, as he sneered at the SG-1 leader. "So shooting me is not going to help your
friend."
Jack kept his face passive, weighing
up the situation careful. True, if he shot the man dead, his lifeless fingers would
release the trigger, splattering Daniel's bright young mind all over the warehouse walls.
He was also way too far from the man to consider a frontal assault, Holmes would have more
that enough time to finish his friend off. His only option was to stall the man in the
hope that the captain and Teal'c could find another way in.
"We've been waiting for
you," Holmes said. "Took you longer than I thought for you to put the clues
together."
Jack bristled, hating the idea of
being controlled so easily by this retired soldier. "What is it you really
want?" Jack asked, his eyes narrowing.
Holmes smiled to himself, "I'm
sure you've already guessed but to indulge your question. I want, how do they put it, an
eye for an eye. Your friend for my son!" His voice broke slightly at the mention of
his dead son. "You watched him die without lifting a finger, now you will watch your
friend die without lifting a
finger!"
++++++++++
Teal'c moved with practised eased,
covering the ground quickly and quietly, scanning the sides of the warehouse as he moved.
Caitlin had to almost run to keep
up.
The sides of the building had narrow
half-light windows running along the top of the walls. No way in. They continued on,
turning the corner to the rear of the warehouse. There they found what must have once been
a corner office with a window large enough and low enough to climb through. Teal'c cautiously peered through the dirty glass.
Inside was a small empty room.
Caitlin stopped next to Teal'c,
looking at the catch on the window. She took out her penknife that she always carried with
her and, using the sharp knife blade, she worked away at the old window lock. It clicked
satisfyingly open and Caitlin pulled the window wide.
The two SGC members climbed inside
and moved quietly to the door across the room. They could hear voices coming from the
other side. Teal'c slowly opened the door just enough to see through, revealing a
grotesque scene unfolding in front of them.
Just over ten feet from them,
Holmes, guessing that the stranger was the retired soldier they were looking for, was
holding a revolver to the head of Daniel, kneeling bound at his feet. They could just see
Jack and Sam, helplessly watching from across the warehouse floor.
They listened to Holmes speaking of
his son's death and of the impending death of Jackson. Caitlin's eyes were fixed on the
revolver pushed into Daniel's temple, noting the fact that it was cocked and ready to go
off if Holmes released the trigger. They seemed so close, yet even Teal'c would find it
impossible to cover that distance without Holmes hearing him. It was too risky but what
could they do?
Caitlin felt a wet, cold nose push
into her hand. Ben! Of, course! Opening the door just wide enough for Ben to push through,
Caitlin gave him a silent signal to attack. Ben's years of training kicked in and he ran
swift and silently towards his target. Launching himself into the air several feet from
Holmes, Ben sailed silently through the air and bit down hard on to the man's arm, his
momentum pushing the arm and the revolver forward away from Daniel. The revolver went off,
the bullet harmlessly whistling past Daniel's head and embedding itself in the warehouse
wall.
Jack and Sam sprinted across towards
Holmes, who by now had dropped the gun and was writhing on the floor, Ben attached firmly
to his arm. Caitlin and Teal'c ran to Daniel, Caitlin dropping to her knees beside him
while Teal'c saw to his bound wrists.
Jack stood over Holmes, his
automatic pistol aimed at the older man's head. Daniel's voice broke the moment,
"Jack, no, don't." Jack hesitated, looking across at his pale faced friend.
Daniel shook his head, "I'm okay now, really, just take me home."
Jack holstered his gun, as Caitlin
called Ben off. "Cover him, Carter." Jack nodded at Teal'c, indicating that he
should take care of Holmes. Jack moved to Daniel's side, helping him to his feet.
"Home it is, Danny-boy," he said gently, supporting the young man.
As the group moved slowly across the
warehouse to the exit, the sound of sirens filled the air. Carter looked questioningly at
O'Neill. "NID." Jack said, grinding his teeth over the TLA. The group came to a
halt , as three NID soldiers burst through the door, their weapons at the ready. They stopped at the site before, unsure how to
proceed.
Hammond came through the doorway, Maybourne close behind.
Jack smirked, nodding at the two
officers, "General, colonel. Good of you to come."
Hammond looked at O'Neill and then Jackson, "Doctor Jackson,
are you OK?"
Daniel nodded weakly, "Yes, sir."
Hammond turned to Teal'c, "I take it this is Major
Holmes."
"It is," Teal'c said, his voice unemotional.
Hammond nodded at one of the NID
soldiers, "Take Holmes away." The soldier escorted the retired colonel out of
the warehouse.
Satisfied, Hammond turned back to
O'Neill. "What do you think you were playing out, colonel, heading off without
informing anyone of your
intentions?" His voice was angry, but tinged with a hint of resignation.
Maybourne stepped level with the
general and added angrily, "Yes, colonel, you acted without orders outside of your
unit." He turned to Hammond, not waiting for O'Neill to reply, "And I expect
heads to roll for this, general, sir."
Hammond looked uncomfortable. He
knew why Jack had acted as he had. Hell, he would have done the same, but now Maybourne
would ensure he followed through
with disciplinary action, after all SG-1 had acted outside of regulations.
If he could just think of a way to limit the damage.
Jack was about to respond, when
Caitlin stepped forward, saluting the two senior officers. "I'm afraid its all my
fault, sirs." Hammond frowned. Caitlin continued, "I told Colonel O'Neill that
Colonel Maybourne had given him the all clear to go after Holmes." She stood waiting
for a reaction.
Jack noticed Maybourne looked like
he was about to explode. "What about sneaking off the balcony?" Maybourne fumed.
"I told Colonel O'Neill that
was your idea, sir, in case the apartment was being watched." Caitlin avoided eye
contact with Maybourne and Hammond and, continuing to stand to attention, she added,
"I take full responsibility for what has happened here, sirs."
Maybourne's face was red with rage.
Hammond looked at O'Neill. Caitlin shifted her gaze to the SG-1 colonel, silently pleading
him to stay quiet. Jack caught the look, wondering what was behind the captain's actions.
Then Sam spoke, addressing General Hammond, "Daniel needs medical attention, sir."
Hammond nodded, "We'll sort this out back at the SGC."
Maybourne glared at the general,
"What about the captain?" He asked, he'd have someone's head even if it wasn't
O'Neill's.
Hammond looked uncomfortable for the
second time in the last few minutes, knowing what Maybourne meant and indeed what he
should do under the circumstances. He turned to the SGC sergeant who had entered the
warehouse after them. "Sergeant, take the captain into custody and escort her back to the SGC's holding cells."
The sergeant looked slightly bemused
but followed the direct order.
Maybourne smirked his triumph at
Jack. Jack returned his look with a steely hard stare, causing Maybourne to swallow
nervously, turn and leave the warehouse.
Daniel was drifting in and out of
consciousness, weak from loss of blood, but he focussed enough to see Caitlin being
escorted under guard from the
warehouse. He frowned, concern in his voice, "Jack, where's Caitlin going?"
Jack turned his attention to Daniel,
"She's going back to the SGC. Nothing to worry about." His cheerful tone trying
to disguise his own concern. "Come on, we need to get you back to the Doc."
Daniel groaned at the idea but
allowed himself to be lead off to the waiting vehicles, once more glad his friends had
come for him.
+++++++++
Captain Mitchell stood to attention,
saluting, as Colonel O'Neill entered Holding Cell 10 at the SGC.
"At ease, captain."
Caitlin relaxed and asked,
"How's Daniel?"
Jack smiled, "He's going to be
fine, Doc's got him hooked up to all sorts of machines and it's driving him crazy."
Caitlin smiled in relief, "Thank you, sir. And Ben?"
"Oh, he's fine too. He's
staying with me." Then, noting the look of shock on the captain's face, added,
"Is that ok?"
"Er, yes, thank you, sir."
Caitlin was a little taken aback. "Er, you do know they'll look after him at the
kennels?"
Jack waved his hand, dismissing her
suggestion. Smiling he added, "Oh, he'd much rather sleep on my settee than a kennel
floor."
Caitlin smiled in return, thanking
the colonel again.
Jack fidgeted, looking enquiringly
at the captain standing before him. "What's going on?" he asked. Caitlin
frowned, not sure what the colonel meant, so he continued, waving at the room they stood
in. "All this. Taking
responsibility for all our actions."
"Oh," Caitlin looked up at
the security camera peering at them from the corner of the room.
Jack followed her gaze. "Oh, don't worry about that, I had it switched off before I came in
here!"
Caitlin laughed, "Isn't that
against.. Never mind." She sat down on the edge of the cot, the only furniture in the
bare room. "It's simple really." She explained, "There's no point all of us
being court-martialled for what we did. Maybourne made it perfectly clear he expects the
general to bring charges. Well,
he can bring the charges against me."
Jack looked at the captain. "We
all disobeyed the orders. If charges are to be made then they get made against all of
us!"
Caitlin sighed, Daniel had warned
her about the colonel's stubborn streak. "Look, sir, these are serious charges. If
you and the major are charged you'll both lose your current ranks. For what? Misplaced
bravado? That's not going to help SG-1, is it? Do you seriously think they'll let a busted
ex-colonel lead the most important SGC team?" She paused, studying the colonel's face
to see if any of this was sinking in. Pushing home her point, she added, "Who's going
to stand up to Colonel Maybourne? You know how particular he is about ranks and protocols!"
Jack shifted uneasily on his feet.
The captain was making sense, but it still didn't feel right. "I can't ask you to do
this for SG-1."
Caitlin smiled, "Maybe not, but
I choose to do it for Daniel. SG-1 means everything to him and he means everything to
me." She could see the colonel waver. "Please, let me do this."
It was Jack's turn to sigh. He knew
she was right. He known from the moment she stepped forward to face Maybourne in the
warehouse. But knowing it was best for the team and for the SGC didn't make it any easier
to accept. He didn't know what to say, so he simply gave the captain one of his sharpest salutes. Caitlin stood and saluted in return,
smiling her thank you.
+++++++++
General Hammond sat at the head of
the conference table over looking the Gate Room. Next to him sat another general and to
one side O'Neill and Carter and on the other side a scribe to take notes. Captain Mitchell
stood to attention at the opposite end of the table to the generals, flanked by two MPs.
Hammond looked at Jack, noting how
uncomfortable he looked, not convinced it was entirely due to the full dress uniform.
"This is General Falconer," Hammond said, indicating the man sat next to him.
"He will preside over this hearing. General."
Falconer opened the file in front of
him and said, addressing the captain, "Since you have pleaded guilty to the two
charges of," he consulted the papers before him, "deliberately misleading a
superior officer and of conduct unbecoming of an officer, I am simply here to determine
the appropriate sentence, a full court-martial is not required under such
circumstances." He returned to the papers, as if the answers where somehow hidden in
the words.
This was certainly a curious case,
but he was just here to pass judgement. He spoke up, "Having reviewed all the reports
on the incident in question," he looked sideways at the two SG-1 officers, "I
can see the seriousness of these charges and this kind of behaviour can not be tolerated
in a military situation. Something I am sure everyone in the room would agree with."
He scanned the room, daring anyone to disagree with his statement. He returned his gaze to
the file. "However, General Hammond here has seen fit to provide evidence of your
previously exemplary service record and in particular a recent mission resulting in the
safe return of a number of key personnel." He stood, indicating that he was about to
pass sentence. Everyone else in the room also stood.
Falconer continued, "Captain
Mitchell, you will be stripped of your officer status and spend 21 days in solitary
confinement, to be carried out on this base." He closed the file on the table,
clearly signalling that this was not up for debate.
Jack looked at the captain, or
should he say sergeant. She showed no signs of a reaction to the sentence. Hammond ordered
the MPs to escort Caitlin out and then thanked General Falconer for his time and showed
him out, the scribe following along behind.
Jack slumped back into his chair,
undoing his jacket and loosening his tie. He looked distinctly fed up.
"You know she got off lightly
given the circumstances." Sam said, trying to sound positive but feeling just as
responsible as the colonel.
"Yeah, I know, but it still
doesn't feel right." He knew, as did Sam, that this was the best and only solution
but it was hard to stand back and let one of his men take the fall. He looked up as Teal'c entered the room.
"Is it over, O'Neill?"
Jack nodded, explaining to the Jaffa what the outcome had been.
Teal'c frowned, "I understand
the need to maintain discipline in a military situation, but you punish a warrior for
saving another's life?" His face was impassive as always but Jack could see he was
struggling to understand the rationale behind the events that had unfolded in this room.
"I do know, O' Neill, that
it was an honourable thing that Captain Mitchell did here."
Jack stood up. "Not captain
anymore, busted to sergeant and banged up for 3 weeks " he said moodily. "I
guess I'd better go and give Daniel the good news." He was obviously not relishing the thought.
Sam and Teal'c watched the colonel
leave, the responsibilities of command as always weighing heavily on his shoulders.
The End
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Disclaimer:
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