Jharel nodded. "I am still unhappy that you kept things from us, Kihrana," he said, nodding towards Sam, Daniel and Teal'c.
"That is of no consequence now." Kihrana said. Jharel looked surprised – insofar as Sam could tell, anyway – but nodded again.
"I expect you had your reasons." He smiled. "We await your word, Kihrana."
The screen went blank. Kihrana seemed to sag slightly, as though her little chat with the others had been an effort. Lihbrahn walked up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. The gesture made Sam miss Jack, and she turned and walked away, sitting down on the other side of the bridge.
Daniel and Teal'c noted her movement and by unspoken agreement Daniel followed her.
"Sam?"
"Yeah?" Sam didn't look up from the pocket computer Thor had given her.
Daniel suddenly couldn't bring himself to ask if she was okay again. Instead he said, "What's that?"
"Thor gave it to me to monitor the power station."
"To check on the shield and the array?" Daniel asked, sitting next to her.
Sam hesitated, then said, "No," very quietly.
"Then what- ah. Its to monitor Jack, isn't it?"
Sam nodded. "Even with Asgard technology, his vitals are faint.'
Daniel looked over her shoulder. The screen had a perfect tiny map of the installation. There was a dot blinking in one room. Every few blinks the dot would disappear and the word 'recalibrating' would flash on the screen. After a second or two the dot would reappear.
"That's Jack." Daniel said.
"He's in the second generator room now."
"Colonel Carter, Dr Jackson!" Kihrana's voice sounded urgent.
Daniel and Sam stood, Sam stowing the computer in her pocket. When they came out of the alcove, they were met by Thor's face on the comm. screens.
"The shields have dropped. Moreover, I believe we have time to save O'Neill. The lack of either shields or array will not display on Furling technology for a further fifteen minutes." The Asgard said.
"Uh, Thor, are you sure about that?" Daniel asked.
"I am indeed, Dr Jackson."
"Then we must endeavour to rescue O'Neill." Teal'c said, adding, "And quickly."
Daniel opened his mouth to agree when Thor's face disappeared to be replaced by the Leader's.
"I am contacting you to warn you. I am aware of your attack. And I am prepared. I know that you have shut down my generators, but they will start back up again in approximately seven minutes." The Leader turned his head slightly, until he was looking directly at Sam. "You will have to decide, Colonel. Whether to save their rebellion, or to save Jack."
Kihrana's mother stepped forwards. "Kihrann, I implore you to stop this! Let the Tau'ri go."
Kihrann gave her a look of deep regret and said, "I cannot." He turned back to SG-1. "You have five minutes to act, then it will be too late."
The Leader's face disappeared, to be replaced by Thor's once more.
"Thor…" Daniel began.
"I also received the transmission, Dr Jackson. The Leader must have tapped into my ship's system and used my scanners. I am securing the computer once more."
"We have to save Jack," Daniel said.
Teal'c nodded sagely. "Indeed."
"We cannot, we do not have time." Kihrana said, dismayed.
"I'm going down there." Sam said. "Thor?"
"I will transport you all down, SG-1." Thor said gravely.
"If you are not back within five minutes-" Kihrana began.
"We know." Daniel interrupted.
"Then why go? This is a suicide mission."
Sam and Daniel exchanged a look, but it was Teal'c who answered her. "We do not leave our people behind."
In a beam of brilliant light, SG-1 were gone.
Kihrana turned imploringly to the Asgard on the screen. "How can you let them do this? It is suicide!"
Thor gave the Asgard approximation of a shrug and said calmly, "O'Neill is a great personal friend of mine. Also, SG-1 have survived for nine years in this way, most often against great adversity. I do not intend even to try to stop them now."
SG-1 arrived in a corridor in the facility. There were only emergency lights on, making the place seem even emptier.
Sam pulled the tiny computer out of her pocket. There were now three more, much stronger, dots present. "We're two corridors away from where he-" She broke off.
"Sam? What is it?" Daniel asked, but Sam had already started running. "He's disappeared!" She yelled back over her shoulder. Daniel and Teal'c ran after her.
Sam seemed to have reserves of speed that she hadn't tapped before. Daniel and Teal'c didn't catch up with her until she turned into the generator room.
They found her kneeling on the floor, next to Jack's body, taking his pulse.
"He's alive," she said, not looking up.
Daniel moved to one side and raised the radio to his lips.
There was a chiming sound from one of the nearby consoles.
"What is that sound?" Teal'c asked.
"Its an alarm. Looks like the rebels have fired." Sam said, looking at one of the tactical screens.
"I can't get Thor on the radio." Daniel said, panic making him raise his voice.
"Daniel?" Jack's voice was weak, but clearly there.
"Here, Jack," Daniel responded. He and Teal'c knelt down beside Sam and Jack.
"I am here also, O'Neil," Teal'c said softly.
"I'm not talkin' to you, Carter." Jack said.
Sam snorted her amusement. "At least I won't have to put up with the silent treatment for much longer, Jack. The rebels have fired on the base."
"Idiots. We're all gonna die here y'know." Jack muttered.
"We made our choice," Sam said.
"Idiots," Jack muttered again. The chimes increased in pitch and volume. "I think that one hit home," Jack said, then lost consciousness again.
"Why aren't we dead?" Daniel yelled over the rocking of the installation's infrastructure.
"It'll take a minute or so for the chain reaction to kick in. Their weaponry isn't that advanced," Sam said, not taking her eyes from Jack's face.
"Oh," Daniel said, "good to know."
There was a flash of brilliant white light and the power station collapsed.
Kihrana stared at her screen. "It is done," she said. She pressed a button on her console and Jharel's face appeared on her screen. "Release the antidote into the atmosphere. The base has collapsed."
"And the Tau'ri?" Jharel asked.
"They –" Kihrana swallowed, then went on, "they chose to go to the power station, in an attempt to rescue their friend."
"Then they are dead." Jharel said sadly, bowing his head.
At that moment there was another brilliant flash of light, but this one did not emanate from the screen.
"I would not say that they were dead." Kihrana's mother said, turning her daughter gently by the shoulder.
Three people were crouched together on the deck of the ship, clustered around a fourth, who appeared to be unconscious.
"I have no pulse!" Sam yelled.
"We need a medic!" Daniel shouted.
Before anyone could move, Jack's body disappeared in a flash of light.
"Jack!" Sam and Daniel shouted in unison.
Thor appeared on the screens. "I have O'Neill."
"And?" Sam demanded.
"And he is alive. He will sleep for several hours, but he will live." Thor paused. "Well done, SG-1."
Thor disappeared, presumably to minister to Jack.
"You should all get some rest," Kihrana said. It will be some time before we can safely return to the city."
Sam, Daniel and Teal'c followed the Furling she assigned to show them to some quarters.
Before Sam walked into her room, Teal'c laid a hand on her arm. She looked from his face to Daniel's.
"You okay, Sam?" Daniel asked, anxiety present in every line of his face. "Do you need us to-" he nodded towards her room.
"I'm okay, Daniel." Sam said, smiling weakly. Then she turned and entered the room.
After closing the door behind her Sam walked over to the bunk and stood next to it. After a moment she let out a sob and felt her knees give out beneath her. As she fell she held onto the bunk and pulled herself up onto it. Giving herself over completely to the soul-wracking sobs that were quite unlike her.
Outside her room Daniel put his hand to the door. Teal'c stopped him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "We must leave her alone, DanielJackson. She will not thank us for our intrusion."
Daniel looked as though he were about to disagree for a moment, then nodded.
Sam awoke. There was someone in her room. Sam didn't give any indication of her change in state, she just lay on the bunk facing the wall and listening intently.
"Hey, you're awake."
Sam turned on the bed. Jack was sitting on the floor against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. Sam was forcibly reminded of her hallucination of him aboard the Prometheus, he had the same air about him now.
"You okay?" Sam asked, swinging her legs over the edge of the bunk and sitting up.
Jack tilted his head to one side and said, "I'm alive. Hurts like hell, though."
Sam smiled weakly. Jack stood and yawned. Then he looked back down at Sam.
"You look exhausted," Sam remarked.
"I just slept for three hours," Jack replied.
"You were unconscious for three hours." Sam corrected. "Did they give you quarters?"
"Nobody knows I'm here." Jack cocked his head to one side and looked intently at Sam. "You've been crying."
Sam was slightly taken aback. "How do you know?"
"I always know," Jack told her, "C'mere."
Sam stood and walked into his arms. Instead of the hug she was expecting Jack tilted her head back and kissed her.
After a few breathless moments, they stopped kissing. "I-" Sam began.
"You know, I am kinda tired," Jack interrupted her. "I think its time to go to bed, Sam."
Sam smiled up at him and kissed him again.