AN: Here's Part Five as well, because not a lot happens in Part Four. And I'm feeling generous :grins:

o0o

Part Five

Hunched over his desk, Daniel was attempting to translate the stone tablet which lay in front of him. It contained writing similar to that found in the ruins where Maybourne and the then 'Colonel' O'Neill had used the Transport Window to visit the orbiting moon.

"Furling…" He furrowed his brow in concentration. "Huh, wonder where you guys went?"

"Talking to yourself again, Daniel? That's dangerous in our line of work." Sam said with a snort as she walked his lab.

Normally his quirky habits would raise a smile, but not today. There wasn't time to hang around and chat.

"Yes, well, what isn't?"

He noticed her harried appearance and immediately straightened. Becoming alert like a well-trained soldier noticing trouble, though she doubted he even realised.

Odds were he would be highly offended if she even suggested such, but it was there nonetheless. Over the course of the past eight years, whether he liked it or not, Daniel Jackson had become a soldier. A well-educated and articulate soldier granted, but a soldier all the same.

He frowned. "What's up?"

Sam grimaced briefly before answering. "Too much to say."

She forced herself to remain completely professional, and not let her emotions get the better of her. Times like this when life did it's best to overwhelm her, she was grateful for the decisions she'd made in her life. Choices which led to military training and the ability push it all away and function when needed, despite the onslaught of emotion which threatened drag her under.

"SG-1 is gating out now. I need you to go get Teal'c and get kitted up." She turned and walked out the door.

Looking confused, Daniel called after her. "Hey! Where are we going?"

"Details later!" She barked out over her shoulder as she continued down the corridor towards the lift.

She knew she was being short with him but couldn't help it. She couldn't afford to waste what little time she had, playing 'Twenty Questions with Daniel Jackson'. The small twinge of guilt she felt was washed away under the ever pressing fear for her father. She knew once Daniel realised what was going on, he would instantly forgive her current attitude.

It was simply the kind of person he was, but she still felt like she was taking advantage of his good nature. Using his refusal to take offence, as an excuse to take her frustrations out on him. Shrugging the thoughts away, she promised herself she'd apologise later. If – when – her father was okay.

She detoured to her lab to collect a second retrofitted grenade and then made her way to the gear-up room.

o0o

Daniel and Teal'c were already there when she arrived. Absorbed in the zipping, buckling, clipping and lacing which were part and parcel of preparing for modern-day combat.

She opened her locker, stripping off her over-shirt and hanging it up, then pulling on a field jacket over the top of her tee shirt. A vest went on top of that for protection.

"So Sam…what's going on?"

She knew she wouldn't be able to avoid telling them for long. She swallowed hard to keep everything locked down and under control before replying.

"SG-6 came in hot under fire from Super Soldiers little under an hour ago. They reported seeing my father near the gate."

"And they didn't bring him back with them!" Daniel's voice rang with indignant, furious, disbelief.

Sam shook her head. "They didn't have chance, Daniel. Miller was hit and badly in need of medical attention. They couldn't risk getting cut off from the gate in order to retrieve him."

Keeping her head down, unable to cope with the sympathetic glances she knew she would be party to if she looked up, she concentrated on fastening the utility belt round her waist. The familiar automatic actions eased her mind, preventing her from thinking too much as she carried out the job at hand. Clip, fasten, adjust, tighten.

Once in place, the holster straps went round her legs. Her own personal handgun, a well-worn and well-used gift from her father many years ago, went into one, a zat would go in the other after their trip to the armoury. Normally she took standard issue, having been captured and stripped of her weapons too many times to count since joining the SGC, but this was personal. Super Soldiers didn't capture, they killed. And she was fully intending to give them death in return. In spades.

Bucket-loads, even.

Her knife was clipped to the back of her belt. A replacement for the one she had received from her fellow cadets at the Academy, on her graduation. The one she'd lost on only her second mission through the gate. The one she had bitterly lamented losing, after slightly too much drink on one of their early team nights. Only to be surprised with a replacement, as a present from the Colonel on her birthday.

It had never occurred to her that he might remember such an innocuous thing. But not only had he remembered, he had turned it into a tradition. One which had been kept up over the years as she regularly had them taken from her. It was never mentioned by either of them, but then it wasn't something either of them needed to mention. The inscription on the blade, the same each time. Simple, to the point and eminently Jack O'Neill.

'Carter, try to hang on to this one!'

They had no need to try and turn it into more than it was, because they both understood. Each time she had it taken from her, he would give it back. Now she wondered if either of them had really understood it at all.

Impatiently, she pushed the thoughts away. She couldn't be thinking about the General and their always screwed up situation, she had a mission to carry out. She forced herself to listen to Daniel's words.

"So this is a rescue mission?"

"Yes," she answered curtly. "We go through with SG's five and twelve as soon as we're geared up."

Her tone left no room for argument. Not that either of them would have argued with her. Not over this. They would merely point out the possible complications and help her overcome them. She was the leader of SG-1 now and they would follow her. Wherever she led. Their steadfast support was a constant source of inspiration. Allowing her to attempt things she'd never dreamed she would do. Daring her to try for the stars and giving her the confidence to reach them.

"Will not the Super Soldiers be lying in wait for whoever comes through the gate?"

That was Teal'c. Practical as always.

"Probably." She admitted.

"Um…should I be worried?"

Daniel. His nervousness in this kind of situation showing through. Despite all his training and experience, this wasn't his area of expertise and he was wise enough to know it. But she needed him there, to give her someone at her side on whom she could rely, to allow her to do whatever required to be done without distraction.

She needed both of her team, actually she needed all three, but that wasn't the way things worked these days. So she'd make do with Daniel and Teal'c. She could trust them with her life, to watch her back while she concentrated on her father. It wasn't ideal, even after several months it still didn't feel right going through the gate without him at her side, but it was enough. It had to be enough.

The dangerous smile of earlier crossed her face once more.

"No. That's why we have these." She hefted one of the grenades she'd brought with her.

Daniel frowned and even Teal'c looked puzzled. "Goa'uld concussion grenades?"

She held back a smirk. "Modified concussion grenades. I managed to redesign them to emit a wave of the energy which disables the Super Soldiers."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Wow. That was…lucky."

"Indeed."

She met their eyes squarely, refusing to be drawn. "It'll work, guys."

Daniel pushed his glasses up on his nose and shrugged slightly, as if that were a foregone conclusion.

"Well, yeah…obviously. Of course it will."

Teal'c inclined his head. "I have every confidence in your abilities, Colonel Carter."

Their steady faith renewed her confidence. They could do this. It was going to work.

These men were the best support group a woman could have, her rocks in an insane world. She didn't know what she'd done to deserve their friendship, but suddenly she was awfully glad to have it. She looked down, swallowing the sudden lump in her throat.

"Thanks, guys."

A large hand came into her field of vision and squeezed her shoulder gently.

"We will return with your father, Colonel Carter. Of this I am certain."

A smaller hand rubbed her other arm gently. "Yeah, we'll get him back, Sam. I know we will."

Drawing in a deep breath, she raised her head and gave them a watery smile.

"Let's go do this then."

Stepping back, they followed her lead as she walked to the armoury. Spine straight, shoulders back, her every step exuded confidence and determination. There was no sign of the terror hidden away inside her, it's plaintive cry on constant repeat.

What if they were already too late?

o0o

TBC…