She's here!
Chapter 1: She's here
Daniel, Teal'c and Cameron strolled through the gate. Daniel shook his head and mockingly scowled at Cameron who was obviously laughing at Daniel's expense. The SFs assigned to guard the gate room relaxed. It was obvious that SG-1 had not brought any trouble back with them. The gate shut down behind the men who began to unhook their armaments. Looks were shared among the control room staff.
General Landry leaned down towards the microphone. "Welcome back, SG-1. Where's Colonel Carter?"
All three men stopped and looked up to the control room. Cameron stepped out in front. "She returned yesterday, sir."
General Landry looked over at Walter who immediately turned to the computer and began rapidly tapping on the keyboard. Walter shook his head no.
"Please come immediately to the briefing room." General Landry turned towards the stairs. The men of SG-1 finished disarming and went straight to the spiral staircase. The earlier joviality disappeared as worry eclipsed each of them. General Landry was pacing the room when they arrived. "Why did she supposedly return yesterday alone?"
Cameron stepped in front again but Daniel began speaking first. "She had a plant sample that was emitting a power signature. She thought it was important and insisted she had to return. We walked her to the gate and then returned to camp. Are you telling us she never appeared?"
"What time yesterday do you estimate she returned?"
Teal'c spoke up before Daniel or Cameron had a chance. "It was approximately fourteen hundred hours."
General Landry shook his head. "I was in a briefing in this room from thirteen hundred to sixteen hundred. There was only one gate activation during that time and it was SG-12 retuning from 967."
"That isn't possible. She sent the IDC and received permission to return. It wasn't a misdial." Cameron was noticeably agitated.
"I have several people reviewing the tapes. Go to the infirmary and return here as soon as you are cleared." The General turned towards his office, leaving the men of SG-1 frustrated.
--
Sam snuggled into her pillow and sighed quietly. She rarely felt like sleeping in, but when she did, it felt glorious to do it. Sam was drifting off into a wonderful dream where his arms were going around her and…the phone rang. Sam rolled over and blindly reached out with her left hand for the phone. Her hand hit what felt like a picture frame and a lamp, both noisily fell to the floor. The phone rang again, so Sam pushed herself up and looked through bleary eyes at the bedside table. The phone wasn't where it was supposed to be. It rang again, and she turned her head to the other side of the bed. She was surprised to see her phone on her right side. Sam reached out and grabbed the receiver before it could ring a fourth time and trigger her answering machine.
"Carter."
"This is Sergeant Michaels, ma'am. I'm sorry to disturb you, but you're needed on base."
"It'll take me forty minutes." Sam sat up fully and threw back the covers.
"I'll let the General know, ma'am."
"Thank-you." Sam was out of bed as soon as the receiver was back in the cradle. She took a proper military shower and was getting dressed in under five minutes. She would have preferred a relaxing shower complete with shower gel and a proper shave but she was needed and duty came before vanity and comfort.
Sam glanced over at the clock beside the bed and found it was sitting where the picture frame that now lay on the floor normally resided. Fifteen minutes had elapsed by the time she finished dressing and getting ready. She grabbed a breakfast bar and a bottle of juice as she picked up her coat off a stool at the kitchen island. She was in her car and sitting at the first light when she took a sip of her juice. She thought she'd grabbed grapefruit juice, but instead it was lemonade. She made a sour face as the light turned green. She liked lemonade, but it tasted awful when you were expecting grapefruit juice! The driver behind her blew his horn, probably impatient to get to his important desk job. Sam pressed the gas, making her tires squeal. She sucked down the last of the breakfast bar as she parked her car. She walked briskly towards the entrance, attempting to look relaxed while hustling; a combination she'd perfected over the years thanks to Teal'c and O'Neill's guidance.
--
Daniel, Cameron, and Teal'c pushed Lam to finish quickly so they could get back to the briefing room. She understood their position, but she refused to skip any standing procedures. She did get extra nursing help and pushed them out the door as fast as humanly possible.
General Landry, forewarned by Dr. Lam, was waiting for the men when they walked into the briefing room. "Please be seated."
Daniel, Cameron, and Teal'c took their seats but remained visibly agitated as the General opened a thin file. "The tapes from yesterday have been reviewed and I can assure you Colonel Carter never came through the stargate. We also never received her IDC. The only records involving dial-ins from P5X-642 involved your scheduled report on the second day of the mission and your return on day five. Please tell me what you found on the planet. Perhaps something was there that could explain Colonel Carter's disappearance."
"That's just it," Daniel leaned forward, "there wasn't anything there. We spent five days looking at trees and small furry lizard-like animals, and never found any sign of civilization, current or past. There's nothing there to explain her disappearance because there's nothing there!"
Teal'c stared at Daniel as Cameron slammed his fist on the table. "He's right. This doesn't make any sense. She's here! We watched her leave and I know she received confirmation to return. The problem is here!"
General Landry ran his hand through his hair and sighed. "Then we have a serious problem because according to everything I have in front of me, Colonel Carter can't be on Earth, and you seem equally sure she isn't on P5X-642. Suggestions?"
Daniel and Cameron looked down at the table. Teal'c looked at the General and spoke. "I suggest we use a UAV to search the planet further than we were able to traverse. Perhaps there are answers we did not discern."
The General nodded his head. "Done. I don't want you three to leave the base until we get a few answers. I want you available if I have questions." General Landry returned to his office giving Cameron the opportunity to storm from the room. Daniel followed him, equally agitated. Teal'c understood their reactions and was thankful his years of training let him better control his emotions.
--
Sam went straight to General Landry's office without stopping to change into her BDUs. He was scowling over a file. The tight grip he had on his pen was a clear indication of his displeasure.
"Colonel Carter reporting as ordered, sir." Sam executed a crisp salute.
"Relax Colonel." Landry motioned for her to sit.
Sam sat in one of the chairs in front of the General's desk. As she sat she realized the chairs were different, but before she had time to contemplate what was different, the General began speaking.
"I am assigning you as a liaison to the Draknars, an ambassador of sorts. SG-21 spent a week with them, and they are highly advanced. They are not opposed to sharing with us, but they want to get to know us better. Not only are you a great representative, but there's also a chance you will understand some their technology."
"How long will SG-1 be with the Draknars?" Sam glowed with excitement over the prospect of playing with advanced technology.
"Not SG-1, Colonel, just you. I am unsure how long it will take, but I expect it will require a considerable amount of time to earn their trust." The General watched her reaction. She held her shock inside so he only saw a brief glimpse of emotion.
"I'm going alone?"
"Yes, Colonel. Is that a problem?"
"It's unusual."
"Yes, but that isn't what I asked. Is it a problem?"
Sam debated internally. She wasn't comfortable with the request, but for some reason she didn't understand she couldn't voice her concerns. "I won't let it be a problem. When do I depart?"
"In an hour."
Sam's eyes widened. "An hour! Sorry sir, but there's a lot to arrange if I am going to be gone for an extended period."
"The I suggest you get started now. Dismissed."
Sam packed, assigned her current projects to other scientists, and called Jack. He didn't answer his cell, office phone, or home phone so she left him a message letting him know she was leaving and she wanted him to check up on Cassie regularly. She also couldn't get Cassie or her brother on the phone. She left them both messages apologizing for her sudden disappearance.
Sam was in the gateroom and ready to leave in just under an hour. Daniel and Teal'c told her good-bye as the gate completed the dialing sequence. She glanced once over her shoulder before stepping through to her new assignment.