Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 nor any of the characters or ideas that are part of the franchise are mine in the least. No money was gained from the writing of this story. No copyright infringement intended.
A/N: Well I'm, sure getting this one up fast! :) This is the end (well, not quite...cause there's still an epilogue), but I see this as the end of the actual plot. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this, and please tell me what you think. Read, review, but most importantly, enjoy :)
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Chapter 9: End of a Nightmare
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General Hammond was standing at the foot of the ramp, waiting anxiously for the arrival of SG-1 and 2. He desperately hoped that they had managed to find Major Carter and Jacob, although he couldn't understand why they would be leaving the planet to return home if they had not succeeded in finding and rescuing the Major.
The event horizon shimmered tranquilly before shifting, allowing Colonel O'Neill to step through, a limp form lying in his arms.
"Medical team now!" O'Neill yelled, and Dr. Fraiser, who had been immediately summoned when the IDC had been transmitted, came racing into the Gate Room followed by her team.
"Get her on the gurney," the CMO ordered, stepping up onto the ramp to get her first look at her patient. When she saw her friend lying in the colonel's arms, General Hammond saw Dr. Fraiser's face pale, and the knot of worry in his stomach tightened.
O'Neill laid Carter down onto the gurney, and Fraiser immediately jumped up alongside the blonde major, her finger reaching down to check pulse and breathing.
"Let's get her to the CAT scan and the OR," Fraiser ordered, and two of the male nurses began to push the gurney from the room. O'Neill glanced at Hammond, who nodded.
"Debriefing in an hour," he stated, and the Colonel took off after the retreating medical team. Daniel, who had followed O'Neill through the Gate, also looked at the general, who nodded his permission a second time.
Hammond turned his attention back to the Stargate just as Teal'c stepped through, carrying an unconscious Jacob Carter.
"Jacob Carter must be detained," Teal'c informed General Hammond as he stepped off of the ramp.
Hammond nodded. "We assumed as much. Take him to a holding cell." Teal'c bowed slightly, then departed as well, followed by two SFs that General Hammond motioned forward.
SG-2 stepped through last, the Gate shutting off behind them. In their midst strode a young man with sandy blonde hair, his hazel eyes roving around the Gate Room with interest.
"Sir," Colonel Griff announced, snapping to attention in front of the commander of the base. "This is Jea'fron, the Jaffa that aided in the finding and rescue of Major Carter. You gave him permission to return to base with us."
"Yes of course," Hammond replied, extending a hand to shake the young Jaffa's. "It is a pleasure to meet you," he said cordially.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
Jack and Daniel soon caught up to the hurrying medical team, ghosting behind them as they worked frantically to stop the bleeding.
"Get me another pad," Daniel heard Janet order, dropping a soaked through bandage beside her. She leaned over to check Sam's pulse again, and said in a barely calm voice, "She's gone into cardiac arrest." She leapt down off of the gurney. "Come on Sam," she pleaded, "fight!"
One of the other nurses handed Fraiser the paddles, and the CMO called, "Clear!" then sent a current through the woman's body.
"We've got a pulse," a third nurse said, and once again they were off.
A door swung open and they pulled the gurney through it, closing it behind them. O'Neill and Daniel stopped on either side of the door, Daniel leaning against the wall while O'Neill tapped his knuckles beside the doorframe.
The door opened and Dr. Fraiser exited the room. She paused when she saw the two members of SG-1 waiting, seeing their worried faces.
"Well, Doc?" O'Neill asked. "She's going to be alright, right?"
"I don't know Colonel. She has severe internal damage as well as external. We'll do what we can, but I can't make you any promises."
And with that, she was gone; hurrying down the hall to do whatever it was she was going to do. Another minute passed by, and then the medical team was wheeling Sam down to the Operating Room.
With unspoken agreement, Daniel and Jack mounted the steps to the Observation Room above the OR where Sam was being operated on, and took firm seats in the chairs waiting. Ten minutes passed, and Teal'c joined them, sitting in a third chair.
Another hour passed, and the door to the Observation Room opened a third time, this time admitting General Hammond.
He paused, looking down at the young woman who had become like a daughter to him, then turned to the other members of SG-1.
"None of you came to the debriefing."
"Wha-?" O'Neill asked, starting and looking up at his CO. "Sorry Sir," he said with uncustomary seriousness and shame. "I just…" he trailed off.
"It's quite alright. I understand," Hammond informed his 2IC, taking a fourth seat and folding his hands on top of the table.
Silence descended once again and it felt as if the entire base was holding its breath, as if all hearts and prayers were focused on one room deep underneath Cheyenne Mountain.
After the second hour, O'Neill lost count of how long they had been sitting vigilance in the room above the OR; the only thing that mattered was that the woman lying on the operating table below pulled through, that she survive.
General Hammond had departed, softly saying something about paperwork and a couple of phone calls he had to make. Daniel had fallen asleep, his glasses askew as his head rested on top of the small table. Teal'c had lapsed into a light state of Kelno'reem. By this time, Jack had entered something like a trance, absentmindedly tracing the same pattern on his leg for the last quarter of an hour.
All three of them snapped wide awake when the door opened for a fourth time, this time the small, petite figure of Dr. Fraiser slipping into the room.
"She's stable, for now," she informed the three men, "but she's still not out of the woods. If she stays with us for another twenty-four hours, then she has a chance. But Colonel, Daniel, Teal'c," her voice caught, but then she pressed on, "you all are going to have to be prepared for the worst."
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
"Incoming wormhole," Walter announced, looking up as General Hammond descended the stairs and into the Control Room. "It's the Tok'ra," he added, the IDC flashing up onto his computer screen.
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered, and Walter complied, pressing his hand into the scanner that opened or closed the iris.
Twelve hours. It had been twelve hours since Major Carter had come out of surgery. And she was still clinging to life; but just barely. None of SG-1 had left her side as of yet, although Hammond assumed that Dr. Fraiser would soon be ordering them off to get something to eat soon.
The event horizon rippled, and two figures dressed in Tok'ra garb stepped out onto the ramp. General Hammond descended from the Control Room, entering the Gate Room as the two Tok'ra stepped off of the ramp.
"General Hammond," the taller of the two said, stepping forward, "I am Frelnon of the Tok'ra, and this is my brother, Blosar. We were sent by the Tok'ra High Council."
"Thank you, and welcome to Earth," Hammond said, turning to lead them out of the Gate Room, the Stargate deactivating as they exited.
"What is this about?" Blosar asked. "Apparently your message was rather vague."
"First of all," Hammond began, leading the way up the stairs and into the Briefing Room, "It might please you to know that we have Selmak in our custody for the time being."
"But Selmak went missing while on a mission over a month ago," Frelnon said, surprised.
"Yes. According to Colonel O'Neill, he was captured by the Goa'uld named Belenus. It seems as if he had been experimented on by the Goa'uld prior to SG-1's capture."
Frelnon glanced at Blosar, then asked, "Why does this necessitate us coming to your world? Why does he not merely return when he is fit to travel?"
"Because, currently, we have been forced to keep him under restraint due to the fact that he has attempted to kill Major Carter. This is one of the main reasons we wished for you to come to Earth," Hammond continued.
The sound of someone else walking up the stairs drew the three men's attentions. Jea'fron stepped into the room followed by an SF, dressed now in an unmarked SGC uniform.
"Might I explain, General Hammond?" he asked as he stepped into the room, hearing the topic of conversation. When the general had nodded his head in acquiescence, Jea'fron continued. "Belenus was working on a chemical that would force a man to kill whomever's DNA was mixed with the solution. He was attempting to create such a thing to the effect that assassinations would be much easier. For, in fact, if injected, a man would even be forced to kill himself. Belenus injected Selmak and Jacob Carter with this solution, using the DNA from his daughter, Samantha Carter. Jacob Carter kidnapped his daughter and tortured her for many days before we managed to locate and free Major Carter and take her father into custody."
"So you are wanting us to reverse the effects of this drug," Frelnon said shrewdly.
"Yes," General Hammond replied stoutly.
"We will not be able to do such a thing without the Goa'uld's notes and research," Blosar interjected.
"And now we come to the second reason we asked for a Tok'ra representative to come to Earth," General Hammond proclaimed. "Because, we do in fact, have much, if not all, of Belenus' research." The look on the Tok'ra's faces much reminded General Hammond of those of his granddaughters on Christmas morning.
"In that case, we would be more than happy to aide you in the reversal of the effects of the drug. As long as we would be given access to the information, of course," Frelnon said hurriedly, his voice eager.
General Hammond nodded his head. "I have already received permission from my superiors to show and send with you duplicates of all information gathered at the base."
"General Hammond, you said that Selmak tortured Major Carter?" Blosar asked suddenly, looking much more serious than his brother. General Hammond nodded, his face also suddenly grave. "Would you let me see to her?" the Tok'ra asked. "You have given us much. It is the least we can do to even the debt between us."
General Hammond nodded, smiling for the first time in over a week. He thought that, perhaps, there was more to the Tok'ra's reasons for wanting to aide Major Carter, but he did not pursue the subject. Instead, he merely allowed his heart to be filled with the warmth that only knowing your people are home and will be okay, could bring him.
~SG-1~SG-1~SG-1~
The clicking of heels on a cement floor and the steady breathing of three people beside her was the first thing that made its way through and into her numbed and shell-shocked mind. Sam cracked her eyes open, peering up at the gray ceiling of the infirmary, the feeling of a mattress under her body and pillows under her head sending her into temporary bliss.
She shifted uncomfortably, feeling numerous bandages covering her body. A crazed, loopy feeling pervaded her brain, telling her that she was on a heavy dose of pain killers.
A sudden small yelp drew Sam's attention to her right, where she saw Daniel sitting upright, looking at her with surprise and glee.
"She's awake," he said a little loudly, causing Sam to flinch. "Sorry," he said, much quieter this time.
"Nice to see those eyes of yours open Carter," Colonel O'Neill said matter of factly, a small hint of released tension in his voice.
"It is indeed good to see you awake, Major Carter," Teal'c informed her.
Daniel tilted a glass of water back so she could drink, then Sam looked around her again.
"Sir?" she asked, addressing O'Neill. "What happened?"
"You've been asleep for three days," O'Neill said. "According to Doc Fraiser, we got you here just in time."
"Last time I was awake I seem to remember being a lot more hurt," Carter mumbled. Yup, she was definitely on painkillers.
"Yeah, well, you went through a major surgery and you're on some mighty heavy pain meds right now."
"You were also healed by a Tok'ra by the name of Blosar," Teal'c added.
"Although he couldn't do everything; just enough to make sure you'd survive and to take the edge off of your other injuries," Daniel said, piping in.
Silence descended, and Sam found herself beginning to slip off into a peaceful sleep. But then her eyes snapped open as a surge of doubt and confusion swept through her.
"My father?" she asked, a tight knot of fear and apprehension growing in her stomach.
"The Tok'ra took them back to their base two days ago," Daniel told her gently. "They're going to reverse what was done to him using the research and information that we found in Belenus' labs."
Sam let out a breath of relief. Although she knew that it would be a good thing to face her father soon, she realized that she was truly, deathly afraid of the man that had raised her. Secretly, she was relieved that he was no longer anywhere near her, nowhere where he could harm her or touch her.
The clicking of heels on the floor returned, and the next thing Sam knew, Janet Fraiser was chasing the guys off saying, "She needs her rest. You can come back later." They left, although not without much grumbling.
"How are you feeling?" Janet asked, turning to Sam.
"Honestly, a bit loopy. And relieved," Sam added, the tenseness beginning to ease out of her limbs.
Janet sat down by her bed, smiling and giving her hand a squeeze. "Everything's going to be fine," she promised her best friend, her voice calm and reassuring.
"Thank you Janet," Sam said thickly, slipping down into the deep recess of painless, undisturbed sleep.
Everything is going to be fine. The words echoed through her mind, her very soul. And deep down, Sam knew Janet was right. Everything would be alright. Not yet, not while she still harbored the unshakable fear for the man named Jacob Carter. But she knew that the day would come when she would forgive her father. And that would be the day she would be alright.