Heat Chapter 12

Jack lowered himself into the back cockpit, careful not to brush against the torn metal which now littered the cross-space between the fore and aft hatches. The rear of the plane had been peeled back like a tin can. The force of the collision ripped Karnak's seatbelt and drove him down and under. This may have saved his life. If he had still been sitting in the pilot's seat, he would have probably been decapitated. The remaining strut bars from the wings saved Jack and Sam by stopping the forward motion of the ragged metal. They were indeed lucky as Karnak seemed to have taken the brunt of the impact.

He lay motionless as Jack pressed fingers to his carotid artery and then placed a hand to his chest.

"He's breathing, just barely."

O'Neill tapped the injured man's face trying to wake him.

"Come on, Karnak. Come on, look at me. We've got to get you outta here."

Easier said than done, thought Jack as he tried to revive the stricken pilot. The cockpit was getting too dark to see the extent of Karnak's injuries. Jack turned to find Sam and wondered where she had gone.

"I'm here in the front seat, looking through the storage compartment. I think I've found something."

"Be careful. I hope this guy stowed more away than just sun glasses in a flight bag."

"Bingo! I think we've got some kind of survival kit. Let's hope for flares and a flashlight." With that, Jack heard a dull thud and realized that Sam had dropped the kit out of the plane for further inspection.

In a moment, a bright light illuminated his space and Sam offered him the flashlight.

"We're good here, sir. I've got two of these."

"Save the batteries on the other one. Let's just get a better look at Karnak and decide what to do next."

The beam of light traveled down and under the control panel coming to rest on a torn pair of legs which were tightly wedged against the fuselage. Jack drew a sharp breath. Karnak would not be walking out of this bloody situation. He was no doctor but he could tell that the injuries were severe, bones in both legs had probably broken from the force of the landing.

"Not good, Carter, not good at all. I think he's got compound fractures of both legs. We'll have to pull him free and get him splinted best we can."

Like Sam, Jack found himself moving to former, less personal terms of address. They were both going into military survival mode.

"Sir, try to wake him up. We have to see if it's safe to move him."

Jack slapped Karnak's face again, this time more firmly. Finally, the severely injured pilot opened his eyes. Jack focused the light on his eyes and was relieved to see the pupils contract.

"Hey buddy. It's me, Jack. Can you hear me?"

Karnak raised his hand to protest the bright light and Jack lowered the beam. So far, so good. The man could use his arms and was responding to stimuli.

"Jack, where is Sam? Are you both alright?"

Sam, standing next to the plane, heard the ragged whisper of her friend and it brought tears to her eyes. It was so typical of Karnak to be thinking of others first.

"I'm here, not to worry. There's been an accident."

Karnak's next words were apologetic.

"I know. I tried my best to bring the plane under control. I almost killed all of us ..." His voice drifted off as he coughed violently. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth and Jack kindly wiped his battered friend's face with the sleeve of his shirt.

"No time for regrets now, pal. Stay with me here. Your legs are broken and wedged under the control panel. Can you feel anything?"

Karnak nodded and grimaced in pain. "I'm aware, Jack. I don't think you can move me. I will have to stay like this until help comes."

Sam spoke up. "Karnak, do you have an emergency transponder aboard?"

The answer was negative. "No, I kept the design simple, too simple. There were no radio devices other than our internal speaker system."

"Well I found your emergency kit and at least we have some medical supplies and flares. That's a start. We have to get you out of there so I can check your legs."

Another spasm of coughing and Karnak began shaking. The man was bleeding internally and going into shock. Jack decided then to work at prying his legs free and extracting him. He would have to twist himself around and somehow get under the control panel to pull the legs free. Suddenly the space looked too small for his large frame. Sam, on the other hand, might be slim enough to get the job done.

Jack patted Karnak on the shoulder. "Give me a minute." He slid out of the hatch and turned to Sam.

"I think we've got to make the effort to get him out, lay him flat, stabilize the legs. What did you find in the kit?"

Jack shined the light onto the ground and Sam continued to sort what she had found. Karnak, for all his bluster about the simplicity of flying, thankfully had the good sense to stock an adequate supply of survival and medical gear. She rummaged through general items like compass, pliers, duct tape, rope, swiss army knife, a wire cutter, matches, fishing line and hooks …

Jack couldn't help but smirk. "Fishing? For cryin' out loud, we're in the middle of a desert."

"Who knows? There may be water holes around with bigger catches than your pond."

God how he loved this woman. She could still find humor to lighten a dire situation.

"Carter, you're pushing it."

Sam ignored his admonition and continued examining the equipment, looking for anything to relieve Karnak's pain. She found bandages, tape, alcohol wipes, gauze pads and rolls, first-aid crème and aspirin. Nothing much for critical injuries. They would have to improvise.

"Water? Sir, his flight bag. Is it somewhere in the back of the plane?"

"It could have rolled under the control panel. You can take a better look, Carter, when you get down there to free his legs." This was Jack's way of telling Sam that she was needed inside the damaged plane.

"Sir?"

"I'm sorry, Sam." He looked at her tired face and hated to put more demands on her.

"There doesn't seem to be enough room for me to squeeze myself down and under. You, on the other hand, may just be able to make it. Up to it?"

He held out his hand and pulled her up. He found his arms encircling her, holding her tight. They had so much to live for now.

Sam stepped into the hug and rested her head on his shoulder. She was exhausted and in pain but he needed her. Karnak needed them. She could do whatever was required. There would be time later to tell him of her injuries.

She looked up to answer him as he bent down to kiss her once again. "We're gonna get through this", he reassured. The kiss was part of a new reality which held promise for both of them.

"I'm ready."