Chapter 7
Cam's not sure about the drop point but there's nothing else they can do. They suspect that Ventrell is hiding in the hills. They've been monitoring the traffic on and off the planet since he was first spotted and there's no sign that he's left.
"This is a shit plan." Cam mutters as they await the beam in. "A really piss poor idea."
"We've planned the whole trip-"
"I know, I know. Nothing better. Just..." Cam tightens his hold on his gun. He wants to make sure he's ready to fire if he needs to as soon as he's got solid ground beneath him. "Don't tell Vala..."
Sam shakes her head. "She will not be hearing about this from me." The light engulfs them and then they're on the planet.
It's just Cam, Sam and one other airman. A small team to prevent a higher risk of loss. There's too many nooks, places to hide, nowhere to take cover while walking through them. They're sure they have a mark on him.
On Lyra. They've scanned everything and are 98% positive that it's right.
That 2% is what they're afraid of. The part that is going to fuck them over.
"Let's move." Cam takes the lead. He doesn't want Sam facing the danger in front. He knows that Aiden needs his mother too. He'll sacrifice himself before he lets them hurt Carter.
It's a long trek up the side of the hill. The incline's not super steep but it's still noticeable after they've been walking it. The GPS on Cam's shoulder lets a faint beeping sound off and he flips the silencer and pulls it down where he can see it.
"How far?" Sam's lowered her voice, just in case.
He squints at the device and then up at the opening in front of them. "There." He points, checks with the final team member who shows he understands and then they skulk along the out cropping of rocks. His eyes are glued to that cave opening. If he tries to make a run for it, he won't miss it.
When they are five hundred feet away the musical sound of his daughter's voice hits. It's not the happy laugh he remembers. It's a screaming shrill followed by crying. He's about to rush in when Sam's hand grasps his vest. She's got a grip on him. Probably from keeping hold of that slippery eel she calls a child.
"My baby."
"Cam." It's a stern look. She knows how fast his heart is beating. How much he needs to go get her but she can't let him die. Vala would kill her. A double fatality would not improve the situation. "Wait."
"She needs me."
Sam's never heard him so desperate. Never.
He doesn't have that long to wait. Someone walks out - not Ventrell. It's a woman, young with her hair pulled back and dress on. She kneels outside of the cave and Cam realizes that there's some sort of box there. She rifles through it and pulls something out.
She's about to walk back inside the cave when he comes out - Ventrell.
Cam has his gun trained on Ventrell before anyone can move. He holds his breath, finger steady against the trigger, and he's a split second away from taking Ventrell out when the man turns and walks back into the cave.
He curses and steps back, kicking a boulder on the ground in front of him. Sam puts her hand back on his arm, and her glare makes him fall silent. She's right; he doesn't need to give away their position.
Instead, he lets her do her job; lead them in. They make their way forward, slowly and quietly, until they're at the point where there's nothing but open space.
He waits for Sam's signal and they advance to the mouth of the cave. They know that it doesn't go deep, but the rock stops their systems from scanning for heat signals once they're inside so they can't tell the exact positions of Ventrell and his men - or Lyra. Of course, Ventrell wouldn't be dumb enough to hide out any place they could just lock on to Lyra and use the adapted Asgard technology to beam her out.
He takes one side of the cave and the airman takes the other while Sam leads the team. They make it halfway across the main cavern room when the same girl as before sees them. Her eyes widen in shock and she drops the glass in her hand.
The sound startles everyone.
"You idiotic woman-" Ventrell's voice thunders, and he walks out. He sees SG-1 and then takes off, running toward the back of the cave, Cam hot on his heels. He gets held up by two of Ventrell's men, and he manages to fight them off - shooting one, while slamming the other into the wall, adrenaline giving him strength.
Sam and the airman handle the rest of Ventrell's gang while Cam moves deeper into the lair. He hears a crying and takes off at a full speed run, heart thudding in his chest. He follows the sound and makes it into the room to see her in Ventrell's arms, a flash of black hair and wide blue eyes, arms reaching for him, before both figures are engulfed by a set of rings and then gone.
He falls to his knees, arm still outstretched, reaching for his daughter. He hadn't even realized it was there. Cam looks at his empty hands. Everything in him wants to crumble.
"So close... So..." He's muttering to himself. Trying to keep the tears at bay. He can't fall apart in the field. They would refuse his request to come the next time if he did.
"Cam!" Sam and the airman come racing in. She sees the ring base on the floor. "Oh god, we should have seen that..."
"I almost had her, Sam... She was right there."
It's obvious how close he is to a breaking point to her. She's kneeling before him. Her hand grips his fiercely. "We found her once. We can find her again." It's all she can find to comfort him. She can't imagine what he's feeling right now. "Let's go back. I'll call the ship and we can ring on."
Everything is a blur now. Cam pushes his way through the return trip. Most of the people avoid him after hearing the report about what happened on the planet. They don't want to be the ones that send him tipping off the cliff. It's clear that none of them can help. There is only one person that can.
Sam sees him just sitting in the conference room, muttering to himself and she stops her progress and walks in. "We're going to be back shortly."
He just nods. It's all he can muster.
"It's not your fault." She can see the wince. "We will get her back. We will." She squeezes his shoulder and goes back to what she was doing. It's the best she can offer. It's not enough, but it's something. He'll need Vala when they get back. Sam knows that she's the only one who can absolve his guilt. The only one that can tell him it's alright, they will try again.
Sam hopes that it will help. The man she leaves at the table is on the verge of collapsing. Only one person will be able to catch him when he does and pick up the pieces.
