Sam was lacing her combat boots when there was a soft knock on the door of her quarters aboard Thor's ship.
"Yeah?" she called out.
The door opened and admitted Jake. "Thor says we'll be in orbit in two minutes."
Sam cocked her head to one side. 'You didn't have to come all the way down here to tell me that, Jake, what's wrong?"
Jake shrugged and thrust his hands into his pockets. Sam narrowed her eyes at him. She finished lacing her boots and sat down on the bunk, patting the blanket next to her. "Sit," she ordered.
Jake slouched over to her and sat down.
"We will get them back," Sam said.
"Keep telling yourself that, mom." Jake said quietly, but with an undertone of bitterness Sam hadn't heard from him in a long time. She gazed down at the top of the boy's head.
"We've never lost one yet, you know. If you don't include all those times with Daniel." She corrected herself, "and that hardly counts."
Jake looked up at her, a wry smile on his face. Then the smile disappeared and he became serious again. "I'm worried about Gracie."
Sam raised her eyebrows, silently indicating that she needed more information. It was something she'd learned over the past year about both Jake and his father. When they were talking about something serious, it was best not to prompt vocally and to only use the smallest of gestures, or they'd get discouraged or annoyed and drop the subject before telling you anything.
"She's really freaked out about Dad. I've tried telling her that he's with Uncle Daniel, but she just shakes her head and says that Dad is alone and hurt."
"Did she say how she knows?" Sam asked.
"You believe her?"
Sam shrugged. "She's always been right before, Jake," she said softly.
"You think I don't believe her 'cos I don't want to." Jake said.
"Its possible, isn't it?" Sam asked gently.
Jake thought for a moment then nodded once, looking at the deck. Sam slid an arm around his shoulders. "We'll find them, Jake."
Jacob Carter was not a happy man. "You're just going in there? They're hostiles! You can't just go in there guns blazing!" He paused, his gaze seeming to internalise, as though he were listening to an inner dialogue.
"What does Selmak think?" Sam asked, an almost snarky tone in her voice.
Jacob narrowed his eyes at her. "Selmak thinks that there isn't a choice," he said reluctantly.
"Smart Tok'ra," Sam said. "We'll be fine dad. They aren't expecting anyone to beam in. And its nighttime down there, so there wont be too many people around. The scanners have picked up very little technology, they seem to be medieval-"
"And the energy weapons Teal'c told us about?" Jacob demanded.
"They seem to be the technological exception, rather than the rule, dad."
"Perhaps left over from a previous part of this planet's history," Teal'c said, "or perhaps stolen."
Sam nodded. "Thor can cover us from here if anything happens."
"Why can't we just beam them out?" Jacob asked.
"Something appears to be interfering with my beaming technology," Thor informed him, "I cannot lock on to anything within the village."
"And I'm just supposed to wait up here while you two are running about down there?"
"Get to know your grandchildren," Sam suggested.
Gracie chose this moment to sidle up to Jacob and slide her hand into his much larger one. Jacob smiled down at her.
"Colonel Carter, I have located Dr Jackson and O'Neill," Thor called from one of the consoles.
Sam and Teal'c materialised in a copse just outside the village and proceeded with caution.
They reached the village and headed for a large stone building at the edge of the village, where the forest was most dense, after quietly agreeing that it seemed to be the most likely place for holding prisoners.
There were no windows on the ground floor, but set into the mud at the base of the rear wall were several grates. Sam knelt down by one and began to examine it.
"You are thinking that these lead to the cells, MajorCarter." Teal'c said.
Sam nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted.
"Teal'c?"
"DanielJackson?" Teal'c replied, kneeling by the grate.
"Yeah. Is Sam with you?"
"I'm here, Daniel. We'll have you out in just a second." She nodded to Teal'c, who began heaving on the grate, finding it wasn't very securely lodged in the soil. "Where's Jack?"
"He's not here," Daniel's reply floated up to them.
Sam froze. "Where is he?"
Before Daniel could answer the grate gave way. Teal'c reached a hand down inside the cell and pulled Daniel out.
"He's with the Duke," Daniel informed them, brushing himself off.
"The Duke?"
Daniel nodded. "They take him everyday. He's in pretty bad shape, Sam. I don't know how much longer he can hold out." Daniel swayed on his feet and Teal'c reached out a hand to steady his friend.
Sam looked at him, concern etched into her features. "You okay?"
"Not really," Daniel admitted. "They stopped feeding me two days ago when they realised I'd been hiding food and water to give to Jack."
"What are they doing to him?" Sam asked, horror-stricken.
"Major Carter, can you hear me?" Thor's voice came from the Asgard communicator in Sam's vest pocket. The sound was broken up due to the interference.
"Just a minute Thor, we'll get into the forest." She turned and headed for the trees with Teal'c helping Daniel behind her.
"Go ahead, Thor."
"Have you found Dr Jackson and O'Neill yet, Major?"
"We've got Daniel. Jack wasn't with him."
"I think you should return to the ship." Thor said.
"But we haven't found Jack yet. You should beam Daniel up and-"
"There is a problem with your daughter."
"Beam us up."
Gracie was sobbing uncontrollably. Jacob and Jake were trying – unsuccessfully – to comfort her. Once fully materialised, Sam ran to her daughter.
"Gracie, its mommy. C'mere." Sam soothed, holding out her arms. Jacob handed the child to his daughter. Sam stroked the girl's hair rocking her back and forth.
"They're hurting dad again," Jake said, his face ashen.
Sam nodded and held out her free arm to her son, who came to her side quickly.
Finally, Gracie began to quieten down. "You okay now, honey?" Sam asked. Gracie nodded mutely, her thumb firmly lodged in her mouth. "Grandpa's going to take you for a lie down now, okay?"
Gracie nodded again and allowed Sam to lower her to the deck.
"C'mon, honey." Jacob said, holding out a hand to his granddaughter. She took it and he led her from the room.
"What happened?" Sam asked, turning to her son, who was still standing at her side.
"She just started screaming and crying," Jake said, "So Thor called you." The boy paused, and then went on, "They're torturing him, aren't they? Gracie hasn't been like this since Baal had him."
"I don't know, Jake." Sam said, honestly.
"They are," Daniel said. "It was obvious when they brought him back to the cell. We have to go get him, Sam."
"You're not going anywhere, Daniel." Sam said, "You're too weak. Stay here. Rest. Tell my dad I'll be back soon."
"I will accompany you, MajorCarter," Teal'c said, rising from his seat beside Daniel.
"Sam, let me come with you," Daniel pleaded.
"Daniel, you need to rest," Sam insisted, not unkindly.
"Yeah, Uncle Daniel. You're a mess," Jake said.
"Thanks, Jake."
Jake shrugged and went to sit by Daniel.
Sam looked at Thor and nodded. "Shall we?"