What A Tangled Web We Weave…
"Pearson betrayed us," Simmons informed the four men assembled before him, his rage at that fact simmering just beneath the surface of his calm, cool and collected façade. "He turned himself over to the SGC and at this very moment, he's leading the retrieval of Major Carter."
He paused, watching this information sink in. The young men in front of him all paled visibly, realizing the implications of Pearson's change of heart. They had all kept tabs on Sam Carter for months, which by itself could land each of them in some extremely hot water, considering where she worked. More worrying, however, was the fact that they had all been involved in the conspiracy to kidnap her; it was sheer dumb luck that it had been Pearson on duty when the go order was given and not one of them.
"We have no way of knowing how much he's told them already," Simmons noted, making eye contact with each of them in turn. "But if he's smart, he will have given them the minimum he could to secure a deal, with the promise of more to come later. We need to focus on damage control at this point."
"Which means what, exactly?" one of them worked up the nerve to ask.
"The four of you are going to go in and take Pearson out."
"He's surrounded by SGC personnel," Booth argued, his sense of self-preservation kicking in. "They aren't just going to let us go in, shoot him, and get out."
"SGC don't shoot to kill when they're on earth," Simmons rebutted dismissively. "They may disable one of you, but the others will be able to pull you out once the job is done." He paused dramatically, letting them all process their latest set of orders. Though he may have appeared disinterested, Simmons was watching them all carefully, trying to make an important decision. In the silence that he allowed to stretch on and on, all but Wilkins shifted uncomfortably and that made Simmons' decision easy.
"This is what you all signed on for," he pressed, his eyes raking over each of them in turn. "Anyone who isn't comfortable with their orders to take out Pearson and, if the opportunity presents itself, Major Carter, is welcome to stay here with me," Simmons added. The offer sounded rather magnanimous, but everyone understood the implicit threat in his words. Anyone choosing to stay behind would not be allowed to leave alive.
"Understood, sir," Wilkins replied for everyone, confirming that Simmons had been right to single him out for a special assignment.
"Glad to hear it," Simmons snapped, obviously not enjoying having his orders questioned by his subordinates. "Move out. Wilkins, a word."
The others shuffled off, somewhat reluctantly heading back to their SUV to gear up and come up with a spur of the moment plan to get in, take out Pearson, and get out. Wilkins kept his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes focused directly ahead, not even shifting his gaze to follow the departure of the others. Simmons was impressed; the man appeared to be completely unflappable. It was a shame, really. Wilkins had the potential to go far in the NID, but his involvement in this operation had compromised him, severely limiting his future opportunities within the organization.
"The others are ill-suited to this line of work," Simmons said quietly, noting with approval that the younger man didn't even flinch at the poorly disguised command that simple sentence conveyed. "Booth was even stupid enough to let Carter see his face; he's a threat to the whole organization and once they get to him, it's just a matter of time before he spills everything he knows and turns the SGC on to the rest of us."
"Sir, are you telling me that you need Booth taken out?"
"No, I'm telling you I need all of them taken out. Can you do it?"
"Yes, sir," the reply came without any hesitation. Wilkins knew what needed to be done and was willing to do it himself, regardless of how despicable the necessary actions might be.
"Go."
With a curt nod, Wilkins turned smartly and went to meet up with the others, leaving Simmons alone in the copse of trees. He watched the younger man walk away somewhat ruefully, contemplating the unfortunate twist that events had taken as a result of Pearson's duplicity. Wilkins definitely had a lot of potential – the last thirty seconds had proven that – but now that Pearson had so thoroughly botched things up, Wilkins' life, along with the lives of the other members of the surveillance team, was forfeit. The only thing that remained to be seen was whether Simmons would have to kill Wilkins himself, or if the group from the SGC would see to it themselves.