xx

Sam could see the damage that the mine had caused – or some of it at least – even before she'd manoeuvred the small ship into a landing position. The puddlejumper sailed over a section of Atlantis that had buckled under strain, the impact from below shattering the strength of the walls beneath and causing them to crumple.

Beside her, O'Neill was quiet, as he had been since voicing his decision to come with her. She'd been quiet herself, subdued not only by the weight of the task but by his presence in the jumper. When he'd made his statement she'd tried to read what he meant by it in his eyes, but was unable. Was he coming because he wanted to keep an eye on her, or for another reason? She couldn't work it out. He was a closed book to her. Sam had thought she knew him well, but now she realised that perhaps she didn't know him at all.

The thought twisted her gut unexpectedly, and Sam pushed it away. She had to concentrate now. Atlantis' survival – their survival – depended on it.

They landed, Sam finding the closest and most level place she could. The wind whipped around her face as she stepped out, carrying the tool kit. O'Neill had the Ancient equivalent of a hand-held GPS device to show them where to go. On its surface the red pulsated angrily. Getting into the area where the mine had come to rest wasn't easy – unlike the first strike, the bulkheads hadn't sealed, but only because the impact had crushed them. Carter clambered over metal debris, squeezed through corridors narrower than before and avoided severed power conduits as she negotiated their way to the point of the mine's ingress.

"I think this is it…" she said, over her shoulder. O'Neill didn't answer, too busy concentrating on keeping his balance on a see-saw of debris. But sure enough, there it was, another sphere of metal that looked even more sinister up close. Its sensors glinted like a spider's eyes, and Sam felt an irrational shiver run down her back.

Putting down the tool kit, she touched the transceiver in her ear – they couldn't be sure that the City's comm. system would work in the damaged area, and so she'd use good old human technology to talk to McKay.

"Carter to Sheppard. We're in position. Stand by while I survey the area."

"Standing by," came the response.

Together, Carter and O'Neill swept the area. It wasn't a safe place to be, by any stretch of the imagination. Sam watched the General's muscles bunching in his shoulders and knew that to say he was tense would be an understatement. Her stomach twisted again, caught between relief that he was there and a wish that he was somewhere – anywhere – else, instead of in the blast radius of a weapon not meant for them. She clamped down on that thought. Just get the job done, she told herself, that's why he's here, to make sure you do. He's not interested in what you're damn well feeling!

"Clear," she said a moment later.

"Clear," he echoed, dropping his weapon and turning to look at her. "What do you need from me?"

Sam dropped to her knees, searching for the mine's access panel McKay had described. She located it, a few inches off the floor. At least they wouldn't have to move the thing to reach it. She pulled her tool kit towards her as O'Neill crouched a few feet away.

"Can you hand me these as I ask for them?" She asked, indicating the kit.

"Sure thing, Carter. I think I can manage that." A small smile curved his mouth, and she returned it. Despite everything, he was still trying to keep her spirits up.

She lay on her back, face inches from the access panel, and took a deep breath before tapping the transceiver. "Okay, McKay," she said, 'I'm removing the access panel now…"

xx

"No… No... God damn it, that's not it either."

O'Neill watched Carter wipe the sweat from her brow and sigh in frustration. She'd been lying there for hours now, talking to McKay via the comm., and they didn't seem to have got anywhere at all. Reaching out, he tapped her knee.

"Hey. Time to take a break."

"Sir, I can't. We've got to-"

"Carter," he said softly, "That's an order. Take a break."

She glanced at him, and despite the long hair she looked more like the woman he'd known back on SG-1 than ever. Sam nodded reluctantly.

"McKay," she said, "Let's take a breather. Five minutes."

"Oh, thank god for that," Jack heard McKay mutter as he held out a hand to help Carter up. He passed her a bottle of water and she took it gratefully, drinking as she stretched her legs.

"I'm beginning to think that disarming these things is impossible," she muttered, one hand over her eyes.

"If there's one thing I know about you, Carter, it's that impossible isn't a word in your dictionary."

Carter dropped her hand, smiling at him wearily. The strain was plain to see in her eyes, and the dark smudges beneath her eyes had become deep rings of anxiety and exhaustion.

"This is just completely different to anything we've come across before, General." She shook her head, "we have no reference point. These things seem to employ multi-phasic technology to dissuade tampering. We can't even get at the controls, much less alter their firing orders."

"Can't just cut a fuse, huh?"

She shook her head, trying for another smile. "Not this time, sir."

Carter took one more breath before handing back the water bottle and dropping to her knees again, addressing McKay. "Okay, Rodney, let's get back to it. Maybe we need a new approach. Let's look at the power couplings."

"Okay. They should be visible through the access panel…" there was a pause. "Yeah. There they are."

"Yup, I've got them. Sir, can you pass me the 2-gauge screwdriver?" Her hand waved towards O'Neill and he handed her the tool. "Thanks. McKay, what I'm thinking is that if we can't get to the firing mechanism, perhaps we can at least disable it."

"That's not going to make this thing much safer, Sam. It's still one big sphere of volatile material."

"I know, but it should make things a little bit more predictable."

"Alright… I'm going to remove the outer casing and trace the wiring route."

"I'm right with you."

There were a couple of minutes of silent concentration as the two scientists worked. O'Neill was beginning to think that perhaps this was the answer Carter had been searching for when McKay's voice crackled out again, frantic.

"Sam!" he shouted, "Stop! Stop what you're doing!"

Carter froze, one hand gripping the screwdriver in mid air. "What? What is it?"

"This thing just armed – I don't know what-"

Carter was on her feet in a flash. "Get of there!" She shouted. McKay, get out!"

"There's no time!"

"The puddlejumper! Get to the puddlejumper – the shields will protect you from the blast! McKay?"

"Carter, let's go," Jack grabbed her arm. "I'm thinking chain reaction, here…"

They ran, scrambling over the debris that littered their only escape route. Behind him, he could hear Carter shouting.

"McKay? Can you hear me? Sheppard?"

O'Neill shoved at another sheet of metal, trying to make their exit wider, but even as he did so he knew there was no way they were going to make it out. He turned.

"Carter, we gotta take cover. Now."

She didn't hesitate, just nodded. He indicated the sheet of metal he'd been trying to move, wedged against a bulkhead to leave a triangle between the wall and the debris. Carter scrambled under it ahead of him and he followed her, dragging another piece of metal behind him to seal off a compartment as she did the same the other side.

They'd barely squeezed into the tiny space when the blast hit. The sound rocked them first, a dull roar that tore at his eardrums and rattled his teeth. Jack couldn't tell if both mines had blown or just one, and then there was no time left to think because in the next second the blast wave crushed into them, slamming him against Carter and them both against the wall. He reached out, trying to save her head from smashing against the floor on the rebound. The piece of debris he'd pulled in behind him flew away like flotsam on the tide, and he turned, just a fraction, to see something flying towards him.

And then, nothing.

xx

To be continued…