You know, it's really hard to concentrate on writing when my husband keeps yelling out, "Don't zat me, bro!" from the kitchen. Sheesh...

Anyway, here's your next chapter. Please review!

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Oh, for crying out loud. Not again.

Sam awoke with a splitting headache, and for a brief moment she couldn't remember what had happened to her. It all came back in a flash, and she shot up to a sitting position, anxious to find Cassie.

"Sam!" Cassie whispered eagerly, obviously relieved that her friend was awake. She was sitting on the floor nearby, her knees against her chest and her hands clasped together in front of her. Her wrists were bound in the same way as Sam's, and there was a large man in a leather jacket standing over her with a gun. Sam couldn't blame Cassie for the fear in her eyes.

She nodded to her friend to let her know she was alright, and then scanned the room around her. It appeared to be some sort of abandoned building, perhaps an old factory. Aside from the man standing guard over Cassie, there were only two others, both hunched over a table in the corner. They seemed to be arguing over something in front of them, and one of the men was shoving a pointed finger onto the hard surface, yelling something indecipherable to his companion.

"Hey, Drake," the man standing over Cassie called out. "The Colonel's awake."

Sam stiffened as the men turned around, recognizing the largest one as the man who had been spying on her at the café. The thinner of the two walked swiftly up to her, reaching down to wrench her up to a standing position by her elbow. She bit her tongue to keep from crying out.

"Colonel Carter, it's a pleasure." The man called Drake had a rough, scratchy voice, but his sarcastic tone seemed to almost slither out of his mouth. Sam didn't bother to hide the disgust in her voice when she replied.

"You guys have made a huge mistake."

He gripped her arm tighter and gritted his teeth. Sam tried to hide the panic she felt as the man in front of Cassie pressed his gun to her young friend's temple. Cassie bit her bottom lip, but she wore a determined expression on her face.

"Don't tell them anything, Sam!"

The man pushed the pistol tighter against her skin and shouted for her to keep quiet. Drake twisted Sam's arm and looked her up and down, sizing her up. She held her chin high, her lip curling defiantly, and he raised his arm to point a finger at Cassie.

"If you want this girl to live, I suggest you cooperate." Before she could reply, he dragged her over a few steps and shoved her into a chair. "Give me the access codes to level 5 of Area 51."

Stunned, Sam stared at Drake and shook her head. "That's what you're after? Access codes?" She thought fast and put on her best poker face. "I hate to tell you this, but I don't have any to give you. I'm set to get new ones next week, so none of my old codes will work."

Drake glared down at Sam for a few seconds, and then nodded to the man standing over Cassie, who jerked her forward and threw her on her knees. Sam sat up straight and looked pleadingly up at Drake.

"I don't have any, I swear! I can't give you what I don't have!"

There was a loud crack as Drake's fist slammed into the side of Sam's face, and Cassie yelled out, struggling to climb to her feet. Drake rubbed his knuckles, and Sam resisted the impulse to smash her foot into his stomach. She blinked a few times and tried to shake away her blurred vision.

If I end up with a black eye at my wedding…

Drake waited for her to raise her face to him, and then attempted another punch, grazing the back of her head as she tried to duck it. Cassie was struggling hard against the man who now had her around her middle, screaming out and trying to elbow him in the stomach.

"Let me go! Let go!"

Sam scooted out of the chair and tried to make a run for her friend, but Drake wrenched her to the ground by her forearm. He whipped out a pistol and held it over her, and Sam looked helplessly in Cassie's direction.

"You have ten seconds," Drake snarled. "Ten."

The man with Cassie shoved her back to her knees, returning his gun to her temple.

"Nine."

Sam cursed furiously at the man holding the pistol over her, and Cassie began to sob.

"Eight."

"I DON'T HAVE THE CODES!"

"Seven."

She began to panic. There was no reasoning with them, and she had no doubt at all that they would make good on their threats. Sam looked desperately at Cassie, uncertain what to do.

"Six, five, four…"

"Wait! Please!" She tried to stand, but was met with a boot shoved into her stomach, and she fell back to the floor with a groan. Drake seemed to have lost patience.

"Three, two-"

"EVERYBODY DOWN!"

There was chaos in the room as General O'Neill came storming through the door, firing three bullets into the largest man, not even waiting for him crumple up and fall before he turned and aimed at Drake. Teal'c was close behind him, his gun pointed at Cassie's captor. Sam struggled to one knee and took advantage of Drake' surprised stance, reaching up to try to twist the gun away from him with her bound hands. Cassie leaped to her feet, landing a blow to the knee of the man over her, but he hardly flinched and grabbed her roughly by her elbow.

"Back off, O'Neill! I'll kill her!"

Sam could see Jack struggling to aim out of the corner of her eye, but Drake spun her around, putting her between the two of them. She lost the battle with him and was once again thrown to the ground. She felt his gun pressed into the back of her skull, an she rose slowly, watching Jack and Teal'c steadily aiming their weapons.

"I said down!" Jack yelled, not moving from his position.

Drake shook his head and began backing towards the rear of the building, pulling Sam with him. She could see the uncertainty on Jack's face, and Drake called out to him over Sam's shoulder.

"We're getting out of here, O'Neill! Don't try to stop us!"

Jack kept his aim steady, and Sam knew he was serious when he answered.

"No way is that going to happen."

Drake nodded to the man over Cassie, and Sam stiffened. These men wouldn't need Cassie for anything at all. They would kill her to show Jack they were serious, and she couldn't let them do it.

"Jack, please!" she yelled out across the room. "Cassie!"

Jack's eyes jumped from Sam to Cassie and back again, and she could see the gears turning in his mind. Teal'c took a step forward and Cassie struggled hard against the man holding her.

"Please!" Sam practically screamed. "Don't!"

For a brief moment, all was still. Jack was trying to decide what action to take, and Cassie's captor was watching Drake, waiting for orders. Sam could read anger and terror and doubt in Jack's eyes, and she felt her own fill with tears, knowing all of this was her fault.

God, I'm so stupid.

The silence was shattered by the sound of screeching tires outside, and Drake began backing up again.

"Carter?" Jack called out loudly, shifting his aim from Drake to the man dragging Cassie and back again. Sam winced at the metal against her skin and gazed at him helplessly. Drake twisted Sam's arm behind her painfully and pressed his gun into her neck.

"You'd better not follow us, General. I swear I'll kill them both!"

Jack didn't move, but keeping his pistol aimed at Drake, he spoke with a cold voice.

"If you walk out that door, I won't rest until I've hunted you down and put a bullet in your head."

The man holding Cassie looked nervously over at Drake, but after receiving a nod, he shoved her out the back door, Drake following close behind. Teal'c looked as if he was going to try to get another few shots in, but Drake stayed ducked behind Sam.

"Carter?" Jack called out again, the frustration in his voice cutting into her. She wished she had the perfect thing to say, but she knew nothing would make it easier for him once they were taken away.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," she cried, struggling against the grip on her arm. "Please don't-"

Before she could finish her request, there was a loud zap from behind the General, and Sam watched helplessly as he groaned and fell to the ground. Before she could see anything else, she was yanked outside and left with the final image of Jack's tortured expression burning in her mind.