Two days later:
"We've finally found Nelson." Barrett announced, looking up from his phone call as he turned to Daniel and Teal'c. "He's in the county morgue – police say he was a victim of a mugging about three blocks from Colonel Carter's hotel."
"You know, it would be nice to get at least ONE lead that wasn't scrubbed in one way or another," Daniel said, shaking his head. "I…I almost feel like someone wants us to find all of these clues. I mean, they're so careful in some ways – cleaning out Sam's hotel room so that it looked like she'd simply left, removing the beacon that tells the Asgard beaming technology where she is – but then, they turn around and leave a giant reminder that they're in control – like killing Nelson only a few blocks away from the hotel. It's like they want us to know that there's something wrong, but that there's nothing we can do about it."
"As do I, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c admitted.
"Perhaps," a familiar voice said from the doorway. "I can be of assistance there."
They all turned, and Jack's eyes narrowed. "No, thanks. I think you've done enough."
"I know you don't think I can be trusted," he said, slowly. "And I know you have more than enough experience to say that I can only make the situation worse."
"But?" Daniel prodded.
"No, no, that about sums it up," Jack interrupted.
Daniel threw him a look.
"The IOA doesn't know I'm here. And I'm really only here because it's not far from the airport."
"You've already covered your butt, Richard," Jack snapped. "What the hell do you want?"
Woolsey swallowed before handing a slip of paper to Barrett. "I once told Colonel Carter that I'd grown to respect her command decisions. Know that…despite whatever happens, I still hold that opinion."
He turned to leave, but Jack was on him in an instant. "What did you do to her?" He demanded with his hands on the delegate's collar.
Woolsey's eyes were wide with fear, but it wasn't entirely about what Jack would do with the man's life in his hands. It was about something much greater.
"General," Barrett said, pulling the officer's hands off the civilian. "Please…"
"What's going on here, Woolsey?" Daniel asked, studying the man, closely. "What are you afraid of?"
"H-he…he's crazy. I thought he was just going to get results, but…"
"But what?" Barrett prompted.
"Tell Colonel Carter I'm sorry," the lawyer pleaded before he scurried away.
Jack jaw clenched in anger as he turned back toward the room. "That smarmy, self-righteous son of a…"
"I have her location," Barrett interrupted.
They all turned. "What?"
"An abandoned warehouse." He said, raising the sheet for them to see. "In northern California."
"Let's go." Jack said, reaching for a jacket.
"All due respect, sir," Barrett said, stopping him. "But you can't. Not unless the judge gives you a travel pass."
"He's right," Daniel admitted, almost apologetically.
"Okay, then, you three go. Barrett, you call out the troops." He gritted his teeth. "I have a judge to see, and then, I'll join you."
"You wanted to see me?" The doctor asked, entering the observation room where the man in the shadows watched the procedure.
"Yes," he said, still looking down at Carter from the window.
"I've just received word that our friend Richard Woolsey has informed O'Neill and the others. They'll be here in a matter of hours. Can she be moved?"
"Ideally, I'd have a few more hours to watch her vitals," the doctor said, worriedly. "But I suppose she could be moved…"
"Good. Get her ready for transport. I want the entire facility packed up in five minutes. We'll have her ready for the next phase before they even get here."
"Yes, sir."
The doctor left the room as the veiled man turned to another sitting beside him. "See that Richard Woolsey has an unfortunate accident."
"Of course," the second man said with an eerie, thin smile.
Jack sat outside the judge's chambers with a small sigh. Of all the people on his team, he shouldn't be the person stuck in DC, waiting. He should be the one knocking down the walls of that abandoned warehouse and rescuing Sam.
That's what he did – save lives. Not sit around and wait to hear about how other people fared.
He grimaced as he realized that was exactly what he'd been doing. In all the time he'd been in DC, he'd sat around, giving orders and watching them get carried out. It was something he'd thought he'd wanted, but now, he realized just what it had cost him.
"General O'Neill," a deep voice interrupted his thoughts.
Jack looked up to see the judge looking at him. "Sir, I have a few things to discuss with you. Hopefully, it won't take long."
The man in the black robe motioned to his office. "Come on in."
Jack nodded, standing before stepping into the room.
"What is it?"
"My attorney was found dead two days ago. I need to find another attorney."
"It's unfortunate, but I'd be happy to appoint another."
Jack grimaced for a moment. This judge had appointed the last one, and that had been part of the trouble. "Thank you, Your Honor, but I think maybe I'll look for my own attorney. At least for a little while."
The judge shrugged. "It makes no difference to me, General. Is that all?"
"No, sir," Jack said, shaking his head. "I have business to attend to in northern California. I was hoping to get a travel pass for a few days."
The judge raised an eyebrow as he studied the other man. "Northern California, huh? What kind of business?"
Jack swallowed. "A friend of mine…is having a few personal problems. I'm doing the best I can by telephone, but…"
"And you know for sure that they're in northern California," the judge interrupted. "You're not just going to come back and ask for a pass to go somewhere else?"
Jack bit the inside of his lip. Truth was, by the time he got the pass, they were probably going to be finished rescuing Sam. Or still looking.
"No, Your Honor." He said, shaking his head. "We're meeting in northern California."
"I'll have my receptionist deliver it to you," the judge said, studying the General. "You can wait outside my office."
Jack nodded. "Thank you, Your Honor." He said, reaching for the door handle.
"You're welcome, General."
Suddenly, he felt the familiar tug of an Asgard beam on his molecules.
"We're meeting with NID agents based in Sacramento," Barrett said as they drove toward the warehouse location. "They're going to help us surround the compound and enter from all of the exit points."
"Have we heard anything from Jack yet?"
Barrett shook his head. "It may be that the judge had a full docket, though."
"Maybe." Daniel said, nodding.
"I want each of you to head up a team of agents. That way we can fan out, and keep from doing something that would put Sam in danger."
"Maybe we should get Mitchell and Vala involved…" Daniel said, worriedly.
"I thought of that already. They'll be meeting us as well."
"Now, we just have to hope that they didn't see Woolsey's double-cross coming," Daniel said, swallowing.
Jack found himself aboard a goa'uld ha'tak class ship, somewhat surprised to have been beamed anywhere in the first place. He didn't get a chance to look around before he felt the not-long-forgotten shock of a zat shot.
"Take him to the machine."
Without a word, three men appeared and did as they'd been instructed, dragging the Air Force general back into the ring transport room.
"Hey, guys," Mitchell said, soberly, as Daniel and Teal'c arrived at the meeting location a mile away from the warehouse.
"Hi," Daniel said with a sober smile.
"Where's General O'Neill?" Vala asked, surveying the group.
"Stuck in DC until after the trial – unless he can get a travel pass."
"That wouldn't have stopped me."
"I know it wouldn't have," Daniel said, rolling his eyes.
"So, Woolsey said Carter was here?"
Barrett nodded.
"And we trust him? I mean, I thought Sam said something about Woolsey stopping by and apologizing about how he ruined her career."
"Does it matter?" Daniel asked, sharply. "Sam's in that warehouse."
"Daniel's right," Barrett said, interrupting the tense moment. "We should get going. There's no telling whether or not they suspected Woolsey."
"Right," Mitchell said, becoming suddenly sober. "Let's go."
"Go," came the whispered signal over the radios.
Daniel motioned for his team to follow him through the doors. Within a few moments, all of the teams had burst into the empty warehouse.
"Clearly, they didn't trust Woolsey either," Mitchell said, putting his gun in the waistband of his jeans.
Daniel cursed under his breath.
"We'll find her," Barrett said, stoically.
"Yeah, we better. Or it's not going to matter whether or not Jack's on trial for fraternization because it won't be long before he's on trial for murdering every one of the IOA delegates." Daniel said, seriously. "Starting with Richard Woolsey."