Jack, Teal'c, Romar, and Tomas' squad were all gathered in Jack's office to discuss that night's mission. Jack has been impressed with the growth of his people over the past four months, no longer needing to worry if they can handle themselves in the field. They had an abundance of weapons now, including grenades, mines, pistols, and small submachine guns that Jack called a 'Tommy gun' because of it's resemblance to the real thing back on Earth. They even had new recruits showing up, including a number of women after word had spread that women were welcome in the resistance. They had lost several people over the past four months, but they were otherwise ready for the next step. Now, Jack needed a plan.
"Alright, tonight I want to get into the building right by the grocery store we hit a couple months ago. There was a flash of light in there before the extra guards came running out. I am certain that they were transported there. I need to find out how to work it and where it goes."
"How do you propose we do that, sir?" Romar asked him.
"Well, we'll have to get in there and nose around."
"That building has turrets inside and out, sir," Tomas spoke up.
"Then we might have to take them out. Teal'c, you have a zat with you here, right?"
"I do, O'Neill."
"I want to see if we can capture one of the guards and get some intel out of him. Now that I feel better our operation here, I want to start moving forward. I need more information so we can come up with a way for us to get rid of these guys."
All of the Anterians looked at Jack in surprise.
"I want Romar and Maya with me tonight to get in the building. Everyone else, you will lay back and cover our exit."
"Yes, sir," they answered in unison.
"I just thought of something. That's a pretty big building. Do you think it would have direct access to the sewer system?"
"It's possible, sir, but I don't know," Tomas answered.
"How can we find out?"
"The town hall should still have the plans somewhere, unless the enemy took them or destroyed them," Maya added.
"Okay, how do we get in there?"
"Well, sir, the town hall does have direct access to the sewers," Romar informed him.
"Excellent. What about defenses?"
"I doubt it's heavily guarded. There isn't anything there anymore," Tomas replied.
"I hope you're right. Teal'c and I will go do that now. We'll brief when we get back. Dismissed."
...
Sam walked into Daniel's office and saw him immersed in a book, so she softly knocked on the door jamb a couple of times. He looked up and greeted her.
"Hi, Sam. How are you?"
"Great, Daniel. You?"
"I'm fine. What's up?"
"I just wanted to see if you wanted to get some lunch."
"Okay, sure. Just give me..." Daniel was interrupted by his phone ringing. He held up a finger to Sam and picked it up.
"Daniel Jackson," he answered.
"Yes, General. I'll be right up," Daniel replied before hanging up.
"Everything okay?" she asked him.
"I don't know. General Hammond just wanted to give me an update about Jack."
"You still haven't heard from him?" she asked incredulously. Being incommunicado for a month while being retired was one thing, but now it had been over four months since anyone had heard from the Colonel. She was starting to share Daniel's concern.
"No, Sam, I haven't. You didn't know? Well, I guess not. You would have had to actually try to talk to him since he retired."
Sam grimaced at his barb, but ignored it, not wanting to fight with Daniel right now.
"I'll join you to see the General."
Moments later, they both walked up to the door to Hammond's office, which was already open.
"Come in and have a seat."
They did as ordered, and Hammond continued.
"I don't think you need to look so worried, the news I have isn't bad. I still have no idea where Colonel O'Neill is, but I do know that he was not taken by the NID, legitimate or otherwise."
"So he could still be anywhere," Daniel posed.
"He could, Dr. Jackson, but chances are that wherever he went, it was of his own accord. That doesn't mean he didn't find himself some trouble, but he's long been able to take care of himself. I wouldn't worry about it too much. There's nothing else we can do at this point anyway."
"Understood, sir," Sam replied.
They left Hammond's office and headed to the commissary where they each grabbed a cup of coffee and Sam a bowl of blue jello. When they sat down at their table, Daniel broke the silence.
"Sam, I have a terrible feeling about this. What can we do?"
"I'm worried too, but I don't know. I don't think there's anything we can do. I would try to get in touch with Maybourne if he was still on this planet, but since he's not, I'm at a loss."
"And we can't even take any leave right now because of this damn war we are fighting for someone else."
"I know, Daniel. I wish it was over too. But they're allies. This is what allies do."
Daniel just grunted and gulped down the rest of his coffee, ending that conversation.
...
The trip to the town hall ended up being uneventful, thankfully, and better yet, the building did indeed have direct access to the sewers. Not more than two hours after they left, everyone reconvened where O'Neill had gone over the plans and briefed them on their mission. While in the town hall, Jack also grabbed the plans for the building they were infiltrating. It used to be a sort of convention center, many offices and meeting rooms surrounding a large, open room. He knew the layout and also knew that the entrance to the sewers was located in a maintenance room that shouldn't be of any interest to anyone, so he hoped it would be safe enough.
When the time came, Jack's three person team climbed the ladder, removed the lid, and entered the maintenance room, then immediately climbed into the ventilation ducts. He wanted to find out where this transporter was and see if he spot the turrets too. He managed to find one turret in the big room, but he guessed there were more than that. The three of them crawled through the ducts to the other end of the massive space when Jack saw the transporter. He got a bit closer and waited for someone to use it. After about five minutes of waiting, a familiar, brown shirted guard walked up the device, just a simple square platform on the floor with a panel with nine buttons on the wall next to it. The guard pushed five of them and disappeared. Jack saw which five buttons he pushed, so now it was time for part two of the mission.
On their way back to the maintenance room, Jack saw a small room with a refrigerator, a break room of some sort. Inside was a guard eating his lunch. He couldn't see the whole room to know if there were any more in there, but that would be their best bet. They all got back to the maintenance room and hopped out of the wall.
"Okay, I want to capture one of these guys, but I want to stay away from the main hall. Hopefully we won't run into any turrets back in this part of the building. Follow me."
They left the maintenance room and headed toward the break room, seeing no one in the hallway on their way. When they reached the room, Jack cracked the door open and still only saw the one guard, so he reached in and fired the zat, subduing him. They entered the room to claim their prisoner when a guard they hadn't seen stood from a couch in the corner of the room. He fired his energy weapon at them and hit Maya in the thigh, sending her to the ground. Jack made quick work of him and then disintegrated the body with a third zat shot.
"Maya, you okay?"
"Yes, sir. Just hurts," she replied through clenched teeth.
"I know. Let me dress it," he told her in a soothing voice while being grateful that these people weren't far behind Earth as far as medicine goes.
He ripped open her pants leg and her whole body went stiff as a board as he began to apply the antibiotic powder to the cauterized wound. He noticed her hyperventilating in panic with terror on her face.
"I'm sorry, I know it hurts. After this we'll get you back to the Doc. You'll be kicking my ass again in no time."
He smiled at her and she immediately calmed down. She chuckled and smiled back, a full blown smile that reached her eyes. He didn't see too many of those on her, and he decided he wanted to try to see it more often.
"Can you walk?" he asked her after he finished wrapping up her leg.
"I'll try, sir."
She got to her feet but was hobbling badly.
"Alright, Maya. You'll hold us up. I'll carry you. Romar, drag the guard with us to the sewer. Teal'c is waiting down there and he'll take him the rest of the way."
Jack grabbed Maya and carried her down the hallway to the maintenance room. He set her down and opened the lid again.
"You want to try to climb down? I'm going to have to help with the prisoner."
"I'll make it."
After they all made it down the ladder and Jack closed the lid behind them, Teal'c carried the prisoner while Jack carried Maya as they made their way back to base.
...
Jack entered the holding room with the Aelvan prisoner seated on a chair with his hands tied behind his back.
"You ready to talk now?"
The prisoner was silent.
"You do realize that there is no one to protect you from me here, right?" Jack's icy tone reverberated through the otherwise empty room. He noticed a flicker of fear in the guard's eyes.
"I only have a few questions, and if you answer them truthfully, I won't kill you. But if you don't..."
The prisoner shifted uncomfortably under Jack's hate-filled eyes burning into him. Jack then pulled out his knife.
"Don't make me do it. I can't tell you how badly I want to. All I have to do is think of my people that didn't come home and I would be happy for you to suffer for each of them."
"What is it that you want to know?"
"Where does the transporter go?"
"I don't know."
"Lying to me already?"
Now Jack held the knife to the guards throat.
"Don't think it would be quick and painless. I promise you that it won't be."
"It goes to other locations where a transporter is present," the guard choked out.
"Like where?"
"There are no more on this planet."
"So where does it go, then?"
"Do you know how many times I've been tortured? Beaten, whipped, stabbed, sliced, burned, seared, shocked, stretched, violated. I've had it all done to me, more times than I can count, so I know exactly how to do it to you. Exactly how to make the pain so unbearable that you long for the relief of unconsciousness, but I won't give it to you. And I'll keep going until you beg. And you will beg me. You will fucking beg me to end it. On your knees, crying like a baby, pleading with me to end your miserable life."
Jack's voice was rough and maniacal, and the guard was shaking now. He looked into the now black eyes of his interrogator.
"It goes to our ship," he squeaked.
"Where on the ship? Are there people around?"
When the guard paused, Jack simply moved directly into his face, noses touching, and smiled the most evil smile he could while his eyes shone with nothing but death in them.
"The room is usually empty unless others are preparing to travel."
Jack assessed that he was being truthful. He put his knife away and left the room, slamming the door behind him.
