March 17, 2002 – P3A-194

After the first stop, the last two were complete wash outs, just sparsely populated farm planets where the people didn't know anything other than what the Aschen had told them. So as they flew over the familiar landscape of the next planet, Jack was starting to feel down.

Obviously something is going on, and it isn't good, but what?

He looked down and noticed something protruding out of a field full of some kind of grain.

"Vala, stop. What is that?"

"I don't know."

"Sir, it looks like a steel girder sticking out of the ground, or maybe even a smaller tower like the one on '271," Ferretti noted.

"It's a little close to the gate for my liking, but it will have to do. Take us down by the tree line."

They exited the ship and headed toward to steel structure, when they encountered the farmer working that land.

"What can I do for you folks?"

"Hi, we're from the farm way down the road there, and we haven't seen the Aschen for a while. We came this way to talk to them. I see you're having a little trouble here," Jack greeted the man and gestured to the structure.

"Yeah, it's this damn iron root again. The Aschen take care of it for me, but they won't be back for a day or two."

"We can help you out with it."

"I would appreciate it. There's a jug of my best sweet water in it for ya."

"No problem, we'll take care of it."

The man walked away, and Ferretti started digging. It didn't take long get through, and the tower reached all the way to the ground. They climbed down and saw another buried city.

"Anyone noticing a trend here?" Jack asked no one in particular.

"This one has been submerged even longer than the last one, maybe two hundred years," Wilkins guessed.

They entered the biggest building down there and found some tubes with what looked like newspapers inside. They grabbed as many tubes as they could carry and left the shaky structure.

"I have no idea what the hell this says, but here's another picture of an angry mob going after the Aschen. Seems they don't make a lot of friends, or keep them anyway," Jack surmised.

Next, they heard the crumbling of the buildings and the vibrations under foot.

"We have to get the hell out of here, now. Move!"

As they made their way to the tower, a wooden beam was falling toward Hailey. Jack shoved her out of the way, and it landed partially across his back.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, get it off!"

Wilkins and Ferretti lifted the beam off of him.

"Can you walk, Jack?"

"Got no choice. Let's go."

Jack took up the rear so that he didn't slow anyone down. They got out of the hole and ran for the tree line. They took cover, ready to call Vala, when they looked down the road and saw Borren, Joe Faxon, Samantha Carter, and another Aschen walking toward them in the bright, Volian sunlight.

"You've got to be kidding me. What the hell are they doing here?" Jack cursed.

Jack clicked his radio 4 times to signal to Vala to maintain radio silence. She acknowledged with two clicks. Jack looked around for a way out. Their best bet would be to make their way through the trees behind them and come out the other side, but it was all wide open fields around this small patch. Plus, the four people they couldn't afford to see them were headed right toward them and would see any movement.

The group turned to the right down the road adjacent to the trees and was a few hundred feet up the road when the unidentified Aschen stopped.

"I'll be right back. I thought I heard something back there."

The group kept walking, but at a slower pace. The Aschen man stepped into the trees and came face to face with Colonel O'Neill's Beretta.

In a quiet, menacing voice, he told the Aschen, "You are going to step back, tell them that everything is fine, and to go on ahead, or your life is over. Got it?"

Jack's face looked like the angel of death, and the Aschen man was trembling.

"Jallen?'' Borren called out to the man.

"Everything is fine. You go ahead, I'll catch up."

"Very well."

"Now, come here," Jack, who had now switched to his zat, ordered the man back into the trees. They watched until the other three were at least a half mile up the road. Borren was walking straight ahead while Faxon and Carter were too caught up in each other to notice anything. Then Jack zatted the man three times, leaving no evidence of his fate.

"Move out, now!"

They started heading out the back of the woods. Jack noticed there was no radio traffic from the newcomers, so figured he was safe to use it again.

"Vala, backside of the trees. Land it, leave it cloaked, no rings, open the door."

"I'm there now."

They ran out of the woods, into the ship, and got the hell out of Dodge.

...

As they settled in for the five hour flight to the next planet, Jack sat there in silence, and this time his misery had nothing to do with Carter. His back was killing him, so sitting on the floor against the wall of the ship was excruciating, but he wanted the pain, needed the pain, if nothing else then to distract him from the tight clenching inside his chest. He'd taken so many lives in his life it wasn't even noteworthy anymore. But how many unarmed people, that posed no immediate threat, has he ended?

That Aschen geek wasn't a threat to do anything but soil himself. But, because he might have given up their position, made escape more difficult, his life was forfeit.

Some people used to say that SGC missions were similar to black ops, but they obviously had no idea. If this was his SG team, he might have captured the geek, or just run like hell. If they got caught, there would be backup. If they got out, there would be a place to go.

This mission, like too many others he'd taken, there was no backup. There was no way home but to get yourself there, and do it without anyone finding out. Anyone that knew you were here had to die. You could leave no witnesses. You weren't even supposed to be here. No one from home would ever even acknowledge that you were here.

Ferretti and Wilkins knew what he was dealing with, having been through it before. Vala was going to go over and talk to him, but Ferretti stopped her.

"He just needs some time. As good as he is at killing, it's no badge of honor. It eats him up inside. Just give him a little while."

"Ok."

Meanwhile, Hailey sat down next to him.

"Hey, how's the back?"

"Fine, Jen. Just fine."

"Look, Jack, about what happened out there…"

"I really don't want to discuss it, Lieutenant," he snapped, cutting her off.

She just glared at him and took his hand.

"I have no idea what you're going through, but I might someday, someday soon even. I don't know how I'll feel when I do. But I know by the way this is tearing you up, that you are a good man, and I know that when I do have to go through it, I'll need someone like you to help me through. So, as a down payment for when that day comes, I'm here if there's anything I can do to help you."

"There isn't, Jen. Thank you, though. And I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"Jack, I eagerly volunteered, remember? And guess what? You were right all along, and we are going to save the world. I'll take the baggage that comes with it."

She stood up, ready to join the others.

"You're a good kid, Hailey. I hope we can get through this without you having to be too much like me."

"If someone told me I was like you, it would be one of the greatest compliments I've ever received," she replied and walked away.

Jack scrubbed his hand over his face and finally lay down, to the relief of his aching back.