DEATH KNELL

Evaluate your position honestly. If it is bad, do something about it. If it is good, make it even better.

"Where is she?" Jack asked of Jacob.

"I don't know." His breathing sounded unsteady and he noted the uncertainty and heartache in the older man's eyes. "I don't even know if she is still alive."

Higher and higher, the unease burned in his chest. He sensed its overwhelming force. How it overpowered his motive. He was desperate. Every bone in his body felt the need for acceleration. How his heart hammered against his chest. How his ears felt like popping. Desperation had driven its claws into his emotions, going deeper than his soul. The panic was surreal, eating away at every fiber of his being.

Her safety went beyond his goal as commanding officer. Went beyond borders and reached straight for the bond they shared as friends and comrades. Her life superseded his. She had to live. She had to survive. Nothing else mattered except for this revelation which fed his driving force, his motive and his reason for pushing the boundaries. Not only because she'd been out there alone. But because what chased her, a unit of strong, brave men and women failed to subdue. She was lost, and he needed to find her.

He and Teal'c stood from their kneeling positions. Both looked at the different footprints in the sand.

"Do you believe this prototype weapon will be effective against it?" The Jaffa asked.

Jack inspected the weapon in his hand, then looked to Teal'c and hesitated. "We'll jump off that bridge when we come to it." He walked away, following the direction of the footprints.

Like a tidal wave, the fear crushed into his soul. Panic echoed in its wake once more. The danger lurked before them, not behind them. It spurred him on, pushing him to the brink of his psyche. He had only one thing in mind. Teal'c had one thing in mind. Together they had one goal in mind. There was no wavering. Even if his last resort were submitting to what he felt deep within, he would succeed in this rescue mission like he'd done so many times before.

Samantha Carter would see them rush to her rescue. She would see they cared for her. She would hold on and use her training to her advantage. Anubis' soldier would not defeat her. Her drive, her strength of heart was stronger than the killing drone. She would see the sunrise tomorrow. He would make sure. He would stand next to her and experience the new day it birthed in its rays.

While on the other hand, he fought against the raging doubt of what if.

"Colonel O'Neill."

Jack pressed down on the radio's talk button. "General."

"Status report."

"We found tracks, Sir. It could be Carter's."

"In what direction?"

"East. Up into the hills."

"The higher ground is a more defensible position." Teal'c added.

"Understood. I'll have the UAV fly a search pattern in that area. Hammond out."

What if they chased a dead woman? What would he say to her father? He wasn't urgent enough. He'd let them down, let himself down. Even with support, he wasn't good enough. Strong enough, fast enough. He was pathetic and incompetent.

The result flitted in his mind and trembled in his muscles.

What would they truly find at the end of this pursuit?

She had the weapon's power pack in hand to kill the super soldier. But in his hand nestled the prototype – there was no guarantee it would work in her favor or in his favor. They needed one another, but still it came down to one death defining issue.

His wishes were all guarantees and not something concrete he could pin his hope on. All he knew. He couldn't, wouldn't surrender. They had to keep going no matter what awaited them at the end. He – they would have to deal with it one step at a time. Keep track and keep going forward while he anchored his hope in the trust the team established years before. She not only trusted those tracking her, but she trusted herself. Like he had to. This was important. It was vital, imperative and significant. All of them were resourceful. Seven years of Gate travel had forged skills they never knew they had. This was only part of the process. She would survive – he was certain.

"O'Neill."

"Go ahead."

"The UAV has been shot down in your area. It's four clicks away on a heading of three, two, zero degrees from your present location."

"We're on it."

Hope, they'd received hope. And that glimmer of hope continued until a noise of a loud explosion lured them in her direction. They sped up, ran as if her life depended upon it, while they closed the gap between them.

He rushed up to her position behind a stack of rocks, ducked just in time as the drone fired upon their location. With the newly made prototype, he returned fire, but the drone kept walking and pinned them down.

Leaning towards her, he requested. "Carter, I need a-"

She held out the new power chip to him.

"Thanks."

Jack replaced it as quick as he could and took another crack at shooting at the drone soldier. Once, twice, then it collapsed to the ground. Both looked from their positions, wanting to know if the weapon had truly worked. Satisfied with the outcome, he stood and looked down at where she huddled in safety whilst gazing at the fallen warrior.

Teal'c came running from behind and he tossed him the weapon as he ran on by. "Cover him."

"Is it?" She asked tiresomely, not bothered in finishing the question as she looked up at her superior.

"Yeah, he's dead." Jack assured.

Her gaze faltered as she briefly nodded. He regarded her for a few seconds, grateful she'd held out for as long she had. He looked at their Jaffa friend standing over the drone.

"Right Teal'c, he's dead?"

With his boot, he tapped the drone's shoulder a few times, then nodded his accord.

"Yeah, he's dead." Jack said in her direction.

Carter nodded her approval, turned away from the mess, and leaned against the boulder.

"You wanna get up?" He questioned gently.

She shook her head. "I just need to rest for a minute."

Without further thought, he sat down beside her and noted her far off expression. It was hard to envision what she truly felt or what she had underwent during her time of flight. Nor did he want to think of why she'd survived for this long. Though, he admired her fighting strength and persistent endurance. And despite her injuries and her exhaustion, despite his fear and concern, they both made it in the nick of time. He admired her resolve even more.

Thinking how to express this, he did what came naturally to him. "C'mere." His arm curled around her and she melted into his side, resting her head upon his shoulder.

In comfortable silence, they sat huddled together. He offered safety, relief and stillness – just what she needed to process the surge of events. No one needed to suffer through what she had, and this simple and yet meaningful gesture showed her he was a pillar. He understood. She deserved security and reassurance, and without deliberation, she'd given him such a rare opportunity. He'd taken it wholeheartedly and boldly. Felt the concern drain from his emotions. Sensed the calm replace it in the blink of an eye. She was safe. He had saved her. And yet, his heart's predicament remained the same. Nothing he had done had improved the circumstances. Instead, it stayed in a deadlock.