Jack woke up early, his dream of fishing on his favourite lake and catching the largest trout ever seen slowly dissolved away. He looked around at the room and instantly returned to the uncomfortable feeling he had gone to sleep with the previous night. He pushed back the silk sheets and pulled himself to his feet, stretching briefly. He fell silent and listened for any indication that Sam was awake in the room beside him. But he heard nothing but the sound of his own shallow breaths. He tiptoed carefully to the door separating their rooms and knocked on it softly.
"Carter? Carter you awake?" he whispered in case she wasn't. After a few moments and still no response, he pushed the door open a fraction and peered into the room. Jack spotted her still asleep on the heart shaped bed, the sheets tucked up under her neck for warmth. He pushed open the door further so he could see her face. Even in her sleep she had the face of an angel. A slight smile graced her lips, obviously dreaming that she was somewhere else other than this creepy room. Jack stood perfectly still, not able to take his eyes off her. Time seemed to stand still, in that moment, his gaze transfixed on Sam's every movement. Every feature. But as she began to stir from her peaceful sleep the moment was lost. Jack smiled cheekily to himself, retreating silently back to his room, gently closing the door to avoid alerting her to his momentary presence. Jack quickly dressed and laid back on his bed, waiting for her to knock at the door. He did not have to wait long; a soft knock came at the door only minutes later.
"Come in Carter." Jack invited. Sam pushed open the door and stepped inside, fully dressed for the long day ahead.
"Good morning sir." She greeted him, a tired and weary smile on her face.
"Morning." He replied halfheartedly.
"The Aranians will probably be here any minute to begin our morning tour." Jack commented, the enthusiasm in his voice was not as convincing as it could have been. Sam held up her hand indicating he had brought up an important point.
"Yeah about that sir…" she began unsteadily.
"Yeah I know, I think we need to excuse ourselves and leave before this gets an weirder, I don't know about you but this is definitely not what I would call normal." Jack observed, indicating to the room they were in. She nodded in partial agreement.
"I think it could be useful for us if we stay and see if they have developed any technologies that they may be willing to exchange." Sam suggested. Jack bolted upright in the bed.
"Carter! They want to experiment on us!" His voice raised slightly, not believing that she was even suggesting co-operating with these people.
"Yes sir I realise that, but that doesn't mean that we have to participate," Sam pointed out, "We will simply have to explain to them that the way they reproduce is seen as immoral on Earth." She summated, as if it was a simple solution. Jack opened his mouth to immediately reject Sam's argument, but the insistent expression on her face softened his resolve. He nodded slightly, still unconvinced.
"Good." Sam replied, satisfied. Jack got to his feet,
"And you can be the one to explain the whole thing to them." He said, letting the other shoe drop. Sam opened her mouth to protest, but realised that she had dug her own grave. A knock came at the door to the Colonel's room, making both Sam and Jack jump slightly in alarm.
"Carter…" he whispered urgently.
"I'm going sir." Sam replied, creeping silently back to her room. When Jack saw the door close behind her, he called out to the visitor.
"Come in." The door opened and Ania stepped into the room. She had a sly, seductive smile on her face as she strode confidentially across the room to stand a few feet in front of Jack.
"I hope you are refreshed Colonel O'Neill, we have a very big day ahead of us." She told him, her eyes slowly travelling across his body. Jack shivered internally, his stomach twisting in knots under her intense gaze. Jack scampered over to the door to Sam's room and rapped on it loudly. He stared at the door, silently praying for the door to open so he wouldn't have to spend another second alone with Ania. A few moments later, Sam opened the door and immediately saw the relieved look on Jack's face at seeing her.
"Was their something you wanted sir?" Sam asked innocently.
"Yeah we are going for the grand tour, you comin'?" Jack asked casually. Sam got the message from his tone that she really didn't have a choice.
"Of course, I can't wait." She replied eagerly, giving Ania a wide, fake smile. Ania shook her head side to side vehemently.
"Do not worry Major Carter. Mavian will be by soon, he will escort you to the facility." She explained, clearly wanting time alone with Jack to become better acquainted. Sam gave Jack a sideways glance of apprehension; he nodded to assure her that he was not going to leave her alone with Mavian.
"Well he can catch up with us on the way… unless there's a problem with that?" Jack challenged Ania thoughtfully. She opened her mouth to protest, but a hand fell sharply on her shoulder making her jump like a naughty child. Mavian stood ominously in the doorway behind Ania, clearly showing his authority. Ania slowly closed her mouth, her cheeks going slightly red with embarrassment.
"There is no problem. Please follow us and we will meet with Hymothesias and then proceed to the complex." Mavian answered for his counterpart, removing his hand from her shoulder and letting her relax. As they turned to leave the room, Sam whispered to Jack.
"Thank you sir."
Dr Fraiser and General Hammond stood in the Infirmary discussing SG6's post mission physicals. Janet was in mid sentence when the General's temporary mobile phone rang unexpectedly. Hammond mouthed an apology to his colleague; Fraiser waved it off indicating it was ok. He flipped open the tiny, matchbox size phone.
"This is Hammond." He answered officially.
"Sorry sir, but someone has stolen Anubis' ship from the repair facility. The ship just exited the Earth's atmosphere no less than 5 minutes ago sir." Major Ryan informed him, a hint of "I told you this would backfire on you," was present in his voice. Hammond nodded slowly, not knowing how to react to the news.
"Do we have any tracking devices on board to monitor and locate where the ship is?" he asked, appearing to follow procedures in cases like these.
"Yes sir but we just lost the signal. The ship just entered hyperspace." Major Ryan explained. The general sighed, silently hoping that Teal'c would make it to Abydos safely.
"Major Ryan, keep me informed. If you come across anything else please inform me immediately." The General ordered.
"Yes sir." Hammond hung up the phone, immediately turning his attention back to SG6's files. Dr Fraiser glanced at the General confusion.
"Aren't you going to concentrate on finding out who stole the ship sir?" She enquired. The General shook his head,
"I'm sure he'll bring it back." He commented off-handedly. Janet raised her eyebrows, sensing there was something more, but refrained from saying anything.
As the small cargo ship travelled through hyperspace, Teal'c continually monitored the hull integrity. It was 13 hours before he would reach his destination, so he sat back into his chair and began to Kelnoreem.
As the dignitaries began to break away from the table where they had just eaten breakfast, Hymothesias stood to address Sam and Jack.
"Colonel O'Neill we would like to give you the tour of our Procreation Complex now. If you would follow me, Ania, Mavian, you can prepare the area for the appropriate time." He requested. They each stood up and bowed to him respectfully before leaving the dining room. Both Jack and Sam let out a sigh of relief at Ania's and Mavian's departure. Hymothesias turned and glared at them, clearly alarmed by their behaviour. Realising how obvious they had been Jack smiled in response.
"We are really full from that fantastic breakfast." He explained cheerfully, trying to sound as convincing as possible. Hymothesias' eyes shifted to Sam, who also smiled fakely. She played along with Jack's explanation, patting her stomach to press her point. Hymothesias gave them both a suspicious looks before before turning and leading the way from the dining room through the main door. Jack and Sam trailed behind him,
"Nice touch." He commented, indicating to her hand that had not yet moved from its position on her stomach. Sam quickly removed it, pulling her hands behind her nervously.
"General there's a call for you sir, it's the president." Walter informed the General. He was watching the decontamination team quarantined the sphere object on the floor of the Gate room that had caused so many problems. He turned and headed for the privacy of his office, picking up the temporary presidential mobile phone.
"Good Morning Mr President." Hammond greeted his superior.
"General, what is this I hear that you did nothing to investigate the theft of the only ship on Earth capable of travelling to other worlds in our known galaxy?" President Lynch demanded an explanation, skipping the pleasantries altogether. The General stiffened slightly, not knowing how the president found out about the incident.
"Mr President, I was aware of whom is in possession of the ship, where they are taking it and the purpose they are using it for." He explained, defending his actions.
"Well General if you knew these things why did you keep it under wraps?" The President asked, becoming impatient. Hammond immediately regretted his actions but the President insisted on clarification.
"Mr President, two members of SG1, Colonel Jack O'Neill and Major Samantha Carter were on a mission. An hour after they left, we received an unauthorised off world activation from the planet they were on. A Goa'uld device was sent through the Gate that subsequently damaged all the electrical systems throughout the SGC. I felt that there may be a strong possibility that both the Colonel and Major could be in danger on the planet but we could not reach them as the Stargate was not operational." He explained, filling the President in on all the details but he was interrupted.
"Just skip the hoo-haa General and tell me about our stolen ship!" Lynch yelled down the phone line, making his message clear.
"Yes sir, unfortunately the only possible way to contact Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter would be to transport to another planet with a Stargate and use their gate to access the planet. Teal'c, another member of SG1 volunteered for the journey, but our Chief Engineer Major Ryan warned that the ship could lose its hull integrity as soon as it entered hyperspace. I could not in good conscience authorise such a rescue attempt as it would have put his life in danger." General described.
"So this Teal'c, he has taken the ship to try and save Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter risking his own life? Where we he get such an idea General?" The President asked sarcastically. It automatically hit Hammond after the President's comment who had told informed him about Teal'c. He made a note to himself to have a chat with Major Ryan and express his dissatisfaction with the Major's conduct.
"It was from me sir." The General admitted, freely, taking the blame where it was to be taken.
"You advised another SGC personnel to steal a US government ship on the odd chance that it could bring back to officers that may or may not be in any significant danger?" President Lynch asked, unable to contain his anger.
"Yes…sir." Hammond stood up to the President, not backing away from his actions at this late stage. He heard the President sigh audibly on the other end of the line before giving his response.
"I will be discussing your conduct with the other members tomorrow, pray for leniency General." He threatened before the line went dead, abruptly.
"Welcome to the Procreation Complex." Hymothesias introduced the area. Sam and Jack stepped uneasily from the lift that had brought them to the top of the skyscraper. Jack looked around uncomfortably and caught Sam's arm, pulling her close to him,
"Doesn't this remind you of certain places back home?" he queried carefully, hoping he was not the only one to notice the striking resemblance. The room was painted a deep purple colour, a single, long desk occupied the centre of the area with various machines busily at work. A bored receptionist-looking woman with blonde hair was typing at what looked to be a very old style of computer. What made the two officers shudder were the many doors leading from the main entrance hall, each having a number engraved on a gold plaque. It was identical to the rooms they stayed in the previous night. Four of the rooms had the letter L before a three-digit number, different to the others that simply counted up from 0. Sam stared around the room shocked, she suspected that such things took place but never in such prudent manner. Hymothesias stood tall with pride, proud of his complex; it's rituals and results.
"So? What do you think? Is it not perfect?" He asked gleefully, like a child with a new toy.
"Oh yeah…real swell." Jack answered, with a pained expression.
"Oh but you have not seen the best part, the laboratories are where the great miracles happen. There are merely tools for the end result. I will show you." Hymothesias scampered excitedly over to the door marked L003. Sam fell into step with Jack.
"You can say that again." She mumbled under her breath. Jack looked at her in surprise.
"You know, you are starting to sound more and more like me, it's not a good thing Major." He joked, trying to relieve the tension of the situation.
"Sorry sir, I try harder not too sir." Sam promised. Jack nodded,
"Good," He replied, peeking at Sam and seeing a smile on her face, something that had become a rarity since they had arrived. Hymothesias pushed open the door to the lab and the smell of disinfectant over powered them.
"Whoa!" Jack coughed, choking on the fumes, but Hymothesias did not seem to notice Jack's obvious discomfort.
"Welcome to where the real changes take place." He gestured to the dozens of people working at steel benches covered in tubes of chemicals of different colours. They watched as a woman pulled open a door revealing refrigeration cupboards lining the walls of the room. Hymothesias began the tour eagerly, weaving his way among the people, talking as he went.
"This is where our scientists work towards eliminating all defects within our society's genetics. We are trying to wipe out all diseases and unnatural anomalies. We hope in time to become and extremely advanced society, both technologically and socially." He explained the research being conducted.
"Sir it's just like what the Chinese tried to do years ago." Sam whispered vaguely, her attention somewhere else. She was disgusted by what the society was attempting, creating the perfect human being by sacrificing hundreds of others in the process. Jack stared at the scientists working, stunned.
"Brings a whole new meaning to the X Files…" Jack shuddered. A male worker stepped up to Hymothesias; he wore a long white suit and facemask.
"I'm sorry to interrupt but we lost Specimen 115 672 earlier this morning. Complications while trying to remove the recessive gene from the mother." He reported officially. Hymothesias lowered his head in sadness,
"I am very sorry to hear that, thank you for informing me." He replied, the man bowed and returned to his bench. The worker than proceeded to take another specimen from the refrigeration cupboards and begin work on it. Sam's eyes opened wide, stunned.
"So you experiment on formed zygotes to create the perfect human being?" She asked in disbelief. Hymothesias stared at the Major not understanding the problem.
"Yes, why do you not have means of doing this on your planet?' he asked, confused as to why people more advanced than himself would not be familiar with the form of reproduction.
"Ah, we have the means, but we choose not to do it." Jack broke his silence, resentment showing through in his voice. Hymothesias let out a long breath; he had been defeated on his argument.
"Well I will deceive you no longer. The reason we brought you to our planet was to have you give us assistance in our developmental research. But I see now that we now face a dilemma." He admitted. Jack stepped forward,
"Yeah you see we don't do things like this on our planet. It's called cruelty." Voicing his disgust openly. Sam laid her hand on his elbow, relaxing Jack slightly. She pulled him back gently so that she could clarify what he was trying to say.
"You see on our planet, we reproduce in the natural way. The woman becomes pregnant and carries the child for approximately nine months before giving birth. To us it is immoral to experiment with human lives in order to maybe, sometime in the future create the perfect society at the sacrifice of many others." Hymothesias looked around the room thoughtfully,
"So you are refusing to help us?" Hymothesias concluded, making sure he understood what Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were trying to say.
"Yeah that would be a no." Jack affirmed, quickly. He looked at Sam for back upon the issue but noticed her lost in thought.
"Carter? Something wrong?" he enquired, concerned that she was not with him, her brain anyway. Sam did not move from her position.
"That's the reason you did not want Teal'c to come with us, it wasn't because you were afraid of him. It wasn't because he was Jaffa. He would be undesirable for your purposes wouldn't he?!" She demanded, fuming that he had made Teal'c feel dreadful by pretending to be scared of him and making him leave. Hymothesias lowered his head in shame.
"I am sorry but it had to be done. You don't understand, I am only making a better future for my people." Hymothesias pleaded his case, as if it was justification for his actions. But his plea fell on deaf ears. Jack and Sam's sheer detestment of Hymothesias growing every second.
"I think we will be leaving now." Jack decided, Sam turned and followed him from the room. But just as they exited the lab, they were immediately stopped by a line of 10 guards with old style shotguns in hand. Hymothesias stepped cockily towards the door.
"Yes well I don't think you have met my guards." He made the quick introductions, sneering. Jack stepped in front of Sam, protecting her from Hymothesias and the guards.
"So you are going to lock us up until we agree to participate in your little experiments? Sorry to disappoint you but that's never going to happen." He threatened, furiously. Hymothesias just laughed evilly in reply.
"Oh you will. If not by free will, then we may have to force the situation." He described threateningly.
"Guards. Take them to Holding Cells 5 and 6 on the lower level. Make sure that all removable property is seized and secured in the vault." He ordered gleefully. One of the guards reached out, grabbing Sam's arm and as he pulled her towards the elevator, she yelped in pain. Jack swivelled around and attacked the guard, punching him in the face in anger. The other guards' instantly detained him, restraining his hands behind his back and adding a kick to the stomach for good measure.
Teal'c was jerked out of Kelnoreem by the sound of warning alarms sounding, and the rapid deceleration of the ship's hyperdrive failing. The ship dropped from hyperspace and into an unknown area of space. Teal'c attempted to reactivate the hyper drive only to find all systems unresponsive. A large flash of blue appeared in front of the cargo ship, and as it disappeared it was replaced by a large Goa'uld mothership. Not noticing the new arrival, Teal'c continued his attempts to fix the hyperdrive until he was interrupted by a voice.
"Unknown ship, identify yourself at once." The message came over the speakers on each side of the control console. Teal'c immediately lifted his head in alarm; studying the ship in an attempt to identify which Goa'uld it belonged to. Without warning, a force field beam shot out from the bow of the mothership. It surrounded the cargo ship and pulling it slowly towards the docking bays of the Goa'uld vessel.
Jack hit the concrete wall; he heard a crack as his elbow smashed against the unforgiving cell wall. He slid to the ground in pain as the door of the cell beside him clang shut, a familiar female groan followed close behind. The cell looked like any other jail cell. On three sides there were steel bars, each one sitting diagonally to another, making crosses along the wall like a primitive Matrix. Jack had his back to the wall, his eyes half closed, still hurting from hitting the wall so hard.
"Are you alright sir?" Sam's soothing and reassuring voice was music to Jack ears. He groaned, pushing him up the wall until he was standing.
"Yeah I'm fine Carter you?" he asked, focussing his attention away from the throbbing in his arm.
"I'm fine sir." Sam replied defeatedly. The two officers stood in silence, their eyes fixed on the floor as neither knew what to say.
"So…" Jack began, trying to say anything to break the tension, but he couldn't find the words. Sam pushed herself away from the bars, turning her back to the Colonel in desperation.
"Sir…" she groaned, overwhelmed by the whole situation.
"Yeah I know. This isn't exactly what I had in mind either." Jack acknowledged, the tension rose as the seriousness of their situation became more apparent. Sam's mind was already formulating possible escape plans. He first thought was to find a weakness in the Aranian's security. But from what she had observed of their security measures, 24 hours guards outside the cell blocks and camera surveillance, it would be near impossible. That only left one option. One of them was going to have to co-operate in order to negotiate the others release.
"Sir… I'll go." Was all she needed to say. Jack knew it was coming; he had had the same thought. But there no way Jack was ever going to let Hymothesias experiment on Sam.
"Carter you are not, I repeat are not going up there with those people. That's an order." He declared sternly, not moving from his position on the wall.
"But sir…" Sam immediately began to protest. She knew he was trying to protect her as he had always done. Jack unexpectantly ran over to the bars, banding his hands against them in a mixture of anger and frustration.
"No! I will not let them experiment on your for their own sick purposes! We are just going to have to find another way to escape this!" He yelled defiantly. Sam was momentarily shocked by Jack's anger, and he saw the alarmed expression on her face. Realising that he was frightening her, Jack forced himself to take few deep breaths.
"By the way, if either of us was even going to consider agreeing to their terms, it would be." He added, belatedly.
"How are we going to do that? We have no weapons. They have three guards outside there monitoring us around the clock, video surveillance. And we have no idea of how long it would take or how much resistance their would be if we did manage to escape and try to get to the gate." Sam described desperately, trying to make him see reason. Jack sighed, feeling drained by helplessness.
"I know." He whispered, his head dropped to his chest, defeated. Sam walked over to him and reached her hand through the bars and tentatively rested it on his. She felt him jump at her unexpected touch.
"Just let me go, I'll be ok." Sam insisted softly. Jack shook his head angrily.
"No! I can't let you do that!" He yelled, angrily, his inner turmoil exploding in the heat of the moment. Silence filled their cells as the two stood perfectly still, her hand still resting on his. They both needed to have something and real and good to hold onto, in a situation where hope was fading. Jack closed his eyes, sighing quietly as he enjoyed the warm of Sam's touch.
"No matter what happens we are sticking together on this. Neither one of us is leaving the other, got it?" Jack asked. Sam heard the pleading in his voice, and couldn't bring herself to argue with him.
"Yes sir." Sam whispered softly. Jack turned his hand over, taking her hand in his and looked up and to meet Sam's bright blue eyes. She gave him a reassuring smile, indicating that they would survive this together.
TBC.