So thanks to the person who reviewed just to say they were crossing my story off the list because they were not going to ready a story that was finished. Btw, the story is written ahead but I have not finished. Like Erykah Badu said, "I'm an artist and I'm sensitive about my shit." I'm trying to make this story as natural as possible but without further ado...chapter 10
Chapter 10
The Tok'ra had finally came through for their allies for once. They had a ship ready for them to use. And General Hammond had agreed upon O'Neill joining them on the mission. It seemed that all the stars were finally aligning. It created a tangible feeling of electricity lingering through the air. Something that had long since been absent. They had dared to hope and imagine a successful mission. Though they had all acknowledged the chances they were up against.
"Alright folks, let's get this show on the road!" O'Neill clapped his hands together, after jumping off the bench in the locker room. Teal'C and Daniel had to convince him to shave his beard. O'Neill argued that it made him look daunting and manly, while they had to reason with him that he looked more like a homeless werewolf than anything else.
Looking back at him, Daniel smiled to himself, relishing in seeing his best friend back at home. It was almost like old times. Almost. Finding Carter would only be one sign of the coin. If they did find her alive, more questions came forth than answers. What had happened to her all these months? Could she survive that?
Only time could tell, but they would all be there together for whatever challenges had to be faced.
"Let us embark on this journey O'Neill and Daniel Jackson!" Teal'c lead the way, equally excited. They all headed off to make it through the gate for whatever awaited them.
It was a small aircraft that the Tok'ra had offered them, they had limited resources, and had been somewhat hesitant to lend even that. But after a tense back and forth exchange, they had agreed to lend out the ship. SG-1 took SG-8 and SG-13 with them as back up, and they were going to fly the craft through the gate to PX5983. Then, using the ship's scanning capabilities, they could get a better idea on what planets were nearby. Which planet would be visited first was at that point, merely a guessing game. Patience was one thing that they would have to have, as time would go slowly between planets. They had reasoned that the first planet they were traveling to, would take at least 1 week to arrive at, and the other two planets would take at 2 weeks and 5 weeks respectively.
That had proved to be a point of contention at first also. Some of the team members wanted to travel to the farthest planet first, arguing that they could just stop at the other two planets on the way back if nothing turned up. But Colonel O'Neill was anxious to start searching anywhere. And he had won out in the end. So after setting the course for the first planet, everyone settled in, trying to get as comfortable as possible on a cold, flying piece of metal.
The time seemed to slow down to an unbearable pace. There were only so many words that could be exchanged, and only so long the teams could stare at each other. Some had taken to playing cards, while others tried to sleep away the time. But again, sleeping was difficult as well on a cold, flying piece of metal. Lieutenant Krachur was standing at the control panel after 6 days had passed.
"Looks like we are coming upon the planet finally. System is telling me it's around 12 hours until we break into the atmosphere. So we'll be there within the day."
Everyone cheered in anticipation. They were not only excited to start searching, but they were excited to get out of the cramped space. With 3 teams, 12 people on a small space craft was pushing it. Breaking into the atmosphere, the planet below was filled with nothing but sand. Wind lashed out, making it appear as though hundreds of tiny tornadoes were dashing about.
"Not to be the bearer of bad news, but this doesn't look too promising." Major Whitnet stated. It did look like no one could survive in that type of atmosphere. But there was no way to determine if the whole planet was covered without searching. If they had a newer ship, they could have easily scanned the planet it moments.
"Maybe we should split up? Go to three different points on the planet, one of us stays with the ship? We could cover more ground that way. This place is pretty big." Lt. Krachur suggest.
"Good idea son, Col. O'Neill stated. He had always liked to try and encourage the younger soldiers. They all decided to set up intervals of about 100 miles apart from each drop off point. If they covered enough ground fast enough, most likely they could cover half of the planet in 3-4 days.
The remaining members of Sg-1 were the last to have left the ship. The other teams had traveled East and South, they were going North. It was still a longshot, but it felt like they were doing something helpful. Something with purpose.
"This is it." O'Neill spoke after awhile. They had been walking for about 40 minutes, no words having been shared between them.
"What?" Daniel stared at him, confused.
"She's here. I can feel it. I know that's weird and doesn't make sense, but I just know it."
Daniel nodded his head, he understood. He got it. So did Teal'c. Once you were connected with someone it was as if they became like a beacon. You always could tell their presence without even seeing them. It was something that was hard to explain unless you actually experienced it for yourself. Like Teal'c and Daniel both did with their wives.
"Do you think, that whoever took her would have kept her alive this whole time? It's been two years."
"Remember what the village elder told us before we left? The bastard's name is Kuk, the God of Darkness for crying out loud. If he kidnaps those women to try and get his rocks off, he most definitely kept Carter alive. She's not easy to break, and he would have taken advantage of that." There was an odd mix of pride and disgust that twinkled in O'Neill's eye.
Carter could keep up with the best of them. Some would say because she was trying to overcompensate for being a female in a male-dominated field and not wanting to seem weak. But for Colonel O'Neill and anyone else who really knew her, they knew how strong she really was. Even O'Neill had been one of her doubters in the beginning, but she had quickly earned her fair share, and then some. And while he was proud of the valor that he knew Carter must have showed all these months, a part of him also was pained at how much she withstood. And to be alone through it all.
"It is one of the great pastimes for a Goa'uld to torture their captor. We could only hope that Kuk has kept his hands full with other captives." Teal'c solemnly responded. He had first hand knowledge of what someone could be put through.
The heat was beating down as they trekked through the sand covered, desert planet. Sweat rolled freely from top down. If this was were Kuk took his prisoners it was smart. There was no way for anyone to survive this atmosphere for long if they escaped from his clutches. Especially after being weakened by torture. Colonel O'Neill recalled the time that he was tortured by Ba'al. Sure he had experienced torture by the hands of many in his time, both on Earth and intergalactic. But his time with Ba'al stuck to him like a tattoo. He swore he could still feel the sensations tickling his skin. He wasn't much of a praying man, but he lost track of how much he has prayed for Carter's return and for it to be as undaunting as possible. But that was a tall order for anyone to try and fulfill.
They continued to push forward despite the blistering hot air. They were motivated for the first time since they had originally started looking for Carter. They were beginning to feel something akin to hope again, yet still wary of letting that fester for too long.
And that hope started blossoming when Daniel peered into his binoculars and saw a small fortress in the distance.
"Jack! I see some kind of structure, look!" Daniel spoke with excitement, quickly shoving the binoculars in Colonel O'Neill's hands.
After confirming the sight for himself, O'Neill looked torn between following their standard protocol and charging full force ahead. After fighting that inner battle, O'Neill spoke into his two-way.
"Colonel O'Neill here, we found a structure a few clicks ahead. We are waiting for back-up then plan to move forward. O'Neill out."
Static filled the air. They lost track of how far they were from the other teams, but the ship should be able to intercept their communication clearly and relay the message. And right on time, the radios started crackling with life.
"Major Whitnet here, messaged receive. I'll round up the other two teams and we will meet you at your coordinates."
"Alright well let's catch a breather until SG-8 and 13 join us. We're gonna need all the energy we can get." Colonel O'Neill ordered.
Thirty minutes passed before the three teams were all back in formation. SG-8's second in command, Captain Hauser, a shorter man, knocking on thirty's door, was bustling ahead. He came to the SGC just a few months after Carter was MIA and it was easy to see how he had advanced in ranking so fast. He was intelligent, creative and his tactical skills rivaled those of his senior. His energy was abounding.
"Miller, watch out, your feet are going to catch fire." Daniel joked with Hauser with ease and familiarity.
"You know what I always say Dan, there's only one way of getting somewhere. Fast." Hauser patted Daniel on the shoulder.
Turning Teal'c, O'Neill shot him an inquisitive stare, "Dan?"
"Daniel Jackson and Captain Hauser have become good friends these past few months. I believe Daniel has been feeling somewhat alone, and enjoyed the familiar camaraderie that Hauser was able to provide."
"I guess that's understandable. But Dan?" O'Neill half-heartedly chuckled as if he was okay with the new nickname and friendship. The prideful part of him was jealous. He was the one who always had nicknames for Daniel–space monkey, Danny–but Dan just didn't even feel right. But he knew that he had caused a lot of damage. He couldn't expect his team to forgive him that easily. They needed time. He wasn't that dense.
Coming up to the edge of the clearing where the structure sat, they all ducked down assessing any points of entry. It was a small building, not typical of a Goa'uld base. Another untypical aspect was the fact that there weren't Jaffa roaming the area or standing guard.
Colonel Murkel, the leader of SG-13, positions himself next to O'Neill. "Would you like to take point on this?"
"Yeah, thanks." Colonel O'Neill responded. Everyone knew how important this mission was, not only to the SGC, but it was important for Colonel O'Neill. They would lose him forever if this mission did not end on a good note. And O'Neill respected how everyone was going out of their way to make this a success.
Crouching down, O'Neil motions for the teams to slowly descend on the entry point they found. Stopping right outside, there is no shield or fortification to the door providing security.
One by one, the teams file in the building, fanning across both sides of a long hallway. They decide to split up, SG-13 turn right and SG-8 and SG-1 head left. They don't see anything but torch like lights hanging on either side of the walls. The hallway let out to different rooms that were staggered across from each other.
Carefully scanning the first room, they see nothing of interest. It's what looks to be a gathering or meeting room. It's large with a stage at one end, a gaudy throne sits upon it. Quickly as they came, SG-1 and 8 comb through the rest of the rooms. The last room they see, is clearly some kind of torture chamber. Different instruments are strewn across a long table. Shackles are dangling from the ceiling. The air is damp and humid, uncharacteristic of the rest of the rooms.
"Jack, check this out." Daniel is glaring at something on the table, with a look of disgust. Walking over to him, Colonel O'Neill's eyes widen, momentarily taken aback.
"You think it's hers?" Daniel asked. With all the countless prisoners that must have come across this table, it would be a stretch to believe that Carter had been on this table. Except for the fact that in the middle of the puddled mess on the table, remained a tuft of blond hair.
"Can't be, it's too much blood." O'Neill answered with such finality. He couldn't entertain the alternative.
"Colonel O'Neill come in." everyone's radios sparked to life. Captain Hauser's voice called out, with an unidentifiable edge to it.
"O'Neill here, I'm with SG-13 as well."
"She's here. We found her."