Chapter 23
The comfort of candy bars had been short-lived. The children were restless again, the quiet punctuated by sniffles and soft whining which Daniel and Teal'c were forced to quell. Long minutes had passed since Daniel's last communication with Sam, with no movement from the stargate and no appearance of Jack. Daniel knew his friend was as resourceful as they came, but his continued silence was a source of growing concern.
"What's taking Sam and Jacob so long?" Daniel whispered.
"I am not privy to that information, Daniel Jackson."
Daniel sighed. "It was a rhetorical question, Teal'c." He looked out on the dark and still plaza. He hated waiting.
Just then he heard a low rumble. Nevan jumped up and pointed. "It's the stone ring!" he whispered. As Daniel watched, the stargate began to inch upward. This was their chance to escape - but where was Jack? He would worry about that later, after the children had been sent through the wormhole.
"All right, kids," he said, "on my signal, run for the stargate, er, stone ring. Big kids, hold onto smaller ones. Garan, Naytha, ready?"
"What about Jaira?" Garan said desperately.
"Colonel O'Neill is extremely resourceful," Teal'c answered. "I am confident he is eluding his pursuers and will follow us through the stargate or will return with the tel'tac."
The gate inched higher. When it had risen to forty-five degrees, Daniel saw Sam dash out to the DHD and crouch behind it. After several moments, as the gate neared perpendicular, Daniel saw Sam's blond head pop up from behind the DHD and she began slapping the symbols. Even from where Daniel waited far across the plaza, the din of the gate spinning and the chevrons locking was thunderous. He looked nervously at the Wydra building, fearing an army would emerge from it. He saw no one. Maybe they would be lucky for once. Daniel picked up the little boy next to him and grabbed another child by the arm. Teal'c held two toddlers, one in each arm. They waited tensely.
Three chevrons were lit up. Where was Jack? "Teal'c?"
"Yes, Daniel Jackson."
"If Jack doesn't make it in time…"
"I will remain here. I will find O'Neill and we will return to earth in the tel'tac."
Daniel had to admire the Jaffa's confidence. He wasn't sure he shared it. "I don't think we should split up."
"It may be necessary."
Daniel nodded, but he knew he wouldn't be leaving Teal'c behind. He, too, would remain once the kids were safely through the stargate.
Five chevrons lit the night. Daniel watched Sam punch in the final two glyphs and slap the central crystal. The wormhole whooshed out. At the same time her voice barked over their radios: "Now!"
Daniel's heart hammered heavily against his ribs. "Okay, kids, let's go!" Leading the way, he charged into the vast open space of the plaza, images of sitting ducks dancing before his eyes.
A second later the whine of alien weapons fire erupted from the Hall of Wydra and all around him children screamed.
~o~
Jacob Carter saw the flashes of the weapons at the other end of the plaza before he heard them. A second later Kalam forces emerged from the shadows in the distance and began to charge their position. Shouts echoed across the plaza. Sam ducked behind the DHD and let loose with her P-90. The alien plasma weapons were an adequate match, easily covering the distance and sizzling the surface of the DHD as they made contact. Jacob's zat, in contrast, was relatively ineffective at such a range.
Sam fired off more rounds, then yelled into her radio, "Daniel, abort! Abort! Get to the ship!" She whipped around and began firing again at the oncoming forces. Sam's bullets found a mark, and one of the Kalam fell. And another. But there were more, and they kept coming. Jacob looked behind him. Fifty yards to the nearest cover. They'd never make it.
A whine and a sizzle, and Jacob watched in horror as Sam dropped to the ground. "Sam!"
"I'm all right." It came out strained, but she levered herself up and continued to fire on the enemy from her prone position.
Keeping low, Jacob ran from the gate to his daughter, firing his zat. Whines, shouts, and automatic-weapons fire thundered in his ears. He saw blood on Sam's pantleg. Suddenly fire ignited in his side, and Sam receded to the end of a long, narrow tunnel. She was yelling something at him that sounded like "mad, mad." Was she mad at him? I'm sorry, Sammie.
Then the tunnel closed and darkness covered him.
~o~
"Get back! Get back!"
When the firing commenced, Teal'c had pushed the children nearest him onto the ground, trying to cover as many as he could with his large body. Daniel Jackson's urgently whispered command was only underscored a second later by Major Carter's order to abort the mission, an order that hardly needed to be given under the circumstances. Quickly they scrambled and crab-crawled back to their sanctuary behind the building they had come from. Confusion reigned for several moments among the terrified children, but their cries were halted finally by Teal'c's curt order of "Silence!"
As the crying quieted, Daniel Jackson muttered a vehement "Damn!" which was quickly drowned out by the whines of alien weapons, the staccato of Major Carter's P-90, and the shouts of the Kalam as they advanced on the stargate. "Do you think they saw us?" he asked Teal'c.
Teal'c peered around the corner of the building. Zat fire streamed out from behind the gate, holding the Kalam forces temporarily at bay. He saw none of the enemy moving toward his and Jackson's location. Apparently the darkness had covered them and the weapons fire had drowned out the children's screams.
"I do not believe so," he said. Then he gripped his zat and, crouching, prepared to move out.
"What are you doing, Teal'c?" Jackson asked.
"Major Carter and Jacob Carter require our assistance."
Jackson leaped up and grabbed his arm. "We can't."
"I must."
"No! You said before: it's not just the two of us." He looked at the fifty pairs of frightened eyes trained on them, then back at Teal'c. "We can't risk giving away our position. If anything, we have to get out of here."
Teal'c nodded. "I have no intention of revealing our location. I will circumnavigate the plaza to the other side and divert their fire. Remain here, and if I am unsuccessful, you and Garan will lead the children to the tel'tac."
"Teal'c," Jackson said in a low voice. "There are too many of the Kalam."
"We have prevailed over greater odds before, Daniel Jackson."
He left them then and made his way around the plaza to the far side of the stargate. On arriving there, he watched in dismay as Jacob Carter was hit by enemy fire. The man staggered, then collapsed onto the ground. Teal'c raised his weapon and fired at the Kalam forces, hitting two and drawing fire in his direction and away from the Carters, as well as directing attention away from the opposite side of the plaza where Daniel Jackson and the children hid.
Daniel Jackson's parting words returned to him. There were indeed very many of the enemy. Although Major Carter was still attacking the Kalam with a barrage of weapons fire and had taken out several of them, many more were streaming from the Hall of Wydra. Teal'c continued to fire, changing positions frequently and drawing some of the forces in his direction. His efforts, however, could not prevent the enemy from finally converging on the Carters. As he watched, Major Carter was overwhelmed and summarily disarmed. Two of the Kalam lifted Jacob Carter roughly to his feet.
A half dozen personnel continued to approach Teal'c's position. He fired off a few shots, then bethought himself before he too became a prisoner. The priority now, as it always had been, was to get the children to safety. Daniel Jackson and Garan alone with fifty children traversing the city were an insufficient force. Reluctantly he turned and melted into the narrow streets transecting the government compound. As he ran he caught glimpses of the stargate down the narrow streets. On one of his glimpses he saw the shimmering blue of the event horizon suddenly blink out, leaving blackness in the center of the circle.
In a few minutes he rejoined Daniel Jackson. "Major and Jacob Carter have been captured," he said.
"I saw," said Jackson.
Teal'c looked around. No O'Neill. He forced his mind forward. "We must leave this area quickly. They will suspect our presence here and soon begin a search of the perimeter."
As they assisted the children in preparing to move out, they heard a low rumbling. Teal'c peered around the side of the building. In the center of the plaza, the stargate began its slow descent to the ground. Teal'c felt his hopes sinking with it.
"Looks like we'll be heading for the tel'tac," said Jackson.
"Indeed."
~o~
The rat-tat-tat of P-90 fire in the distance had confirmed Jack's worst fears. He tried to run faster, but his knees stubbornly refused to give him any more speed.
"Jack?" Jaira said, bouncing on his back. "What's those noises?"
"Nothing good, baby. Hang on tight. We have to hurry."
More P-90 fire and the shrill whine of Kalam weaponry. He took a corner too fast and lost his footing, almost going down.
"Jack!"
"I gotcha." He recovered his balance and barreled on. He heard a few more staccato weapon bursts. Then silence.
Finally he reached the plaza. What he saw made his teeth hurt. The stargate was creaking slowly down to the ground. Nearby, a clump of security forces milled about, and in the center of the milling crowd Carter and Jacob sat on the ground, weapons pointed at their heads. Jack scanned the perimeter of the plaza. He saw no sign of Daniel, Teal'c, and the kids. Did they make it through before the gate shut down? Or were they on the run again?
"What those people doing?" Jaira asked.
"They've got my friends."
The security forces standing around his major and Jacob appeared to be involved in some kind of discussion. Or perhaps it was an argument. The soldiers said something to Sam, but she didn't answer them. One of the guards appeared to be giving orders to the others, but still no one moved from the spot.
"Hop off, Jaira." Jack crouched, and Jaira slid down his back to the ground. He pulled his monocular from his vest and trained it on Carter and Jacob. Jacob leaned heavily against his daughter, his hand pressed to the front of his tunic, which was darkened with a large bloodstain. Carter was barely supporting him, blood on her leg evidence that she'd been hit too.
Voices out on the plaza rose and fell. He watched the situation in silence for a few moments, assessing his options. They didn't look good. The Kalam might be distracted by their arguing, but there were still a lot of them. And only one of him. Plus a child, who had wrapped her arms around his legs, pressing her cheek against his thigh.
"Jack, can we go now?"
"In a few minutes. I have to help my friends." He stroked her hair. Her eyes drooped. It had been a long night, and it was going to get longer.
He returned his gaze to the group in the plaza. A dozen or so of the Kalam had fanned out and were moving toward the edges of the plaza. Looking for the rest of us, Jack thought. Carter and Jacob were urged to their feet. One of the guards pushed them roughly, and they began to stagger forward, flanked by three Kalam. Several others jogged on ahead and soon were out of sight, while two stayed guarding the stargate.
It was now or never.
Jack scooped up Jaira and carried her around the side of the building to an alcove they had passed earlier. He set her down in a corner, deep in the shadows. "We're going to play hidey hole. You hide here and don't let anyone find you." She looked at him uncertainly. He unzipped his jacket and pulled out the doll. "Star will hide with you."
She clutched the doll to her chest. "I want to come with you."
"I know, sweetheart, but I need you to hide here." He didn't want her to see this. "You might hear some loud noises, but no matter what, don't move till I get back. And stay absolutely quiet. You know how to play the game." She nodded. "That's my girl." He hated this - hated it! - but he saw no other choice. Taking her face in his hands, he kissed the top of her head. "I'll be back real soon."
As he ran through the darkness, he prayed to whatever god was listening, Please don't let anything happen to her.
~o~
Sam's eyes darted around the plaza. She was confident Daniel and Teal'c had followed her order and were making their way out of the city. But where the hell was the colonel?
Her father coughed, pulling her back to her surroundings. Their guards were marching them toward the Wydra building, others having been dispatched to search for the rest of SG-1 in the surrounding area. This had followed a rather lengthy argument which Sam, distracted by her father's injuries, had barely heard. What she was able to deduce was that their captors were debating whether to kill them outright or take them to the Wydra. Fortunately, cooler heads had prevailed.
Jacob stumbled, and she tightened her arm around his waist. He had taken a bad hit to his side, probably penetrating a lung. She knew Selmak was doing her best to heal him, but she also knew there were limits to what the Tok'ra symbiote could do. She was frightened that her father wouldn't make it through this one, even if they did escape. His injury made her own wound in her thigh wither to a dull ache.
Overcome again by coughing, her dad halted, bending half over. The guard behind them jabbed him with the butt of his weapon.
"Hey!" Sam yelled at him, and felt pain bloom white-hot in her head as the guard vented his anger on her as well. Her father caught her before she fell, and supporting each other they lurched onward. At least, Sam thought, the pain in her head wiped out the pain in her leg. Always a silver lining somewhere.
A blast knocked her forward, and for a microsecond she thought the guard had jabbed her again. Almost immediately she realized her error as the ground beneath them vibrated and her eardrums imploded from a thunderous noise. A grenade detonation! She pulled Jacob down with her to the ground. Her vision dimmed for a moment, and through the haze she saw their guards swivel around, weapons raised, looking for the attackers. Following their gaze, she could see through the clouds of smoke the stargate, now completely lowered. The two Kalam who had been guarding it lay a dozen feet away, where they had been tossed by the explosion, their bodies crumpled and partially dismembered.
Pandemonium erupted. The Kalam around them started firing wildly. Another grenade blast sent several more bodies flying. In the next instant one of Sam and Jacob's guards dropped where he stood, followed a half second later by the report of a gunshot. The guard lay still on the paved stones, his long braids fanned out around his head, eyes gazing sightlessly at the moons in the sky. In the center of his forehead was a neat bullet hole.
Sam felt jubilation rise like a tide within her. Only one person on their team besides herself could make a shot like that.
The two remaining guards began firing at random through the smoke and darkness. More explosions rocked the ground. One of the guards collapsed on his face, blood blooming on the back of his uniform. Sam reacted instantly, kicking the third guard in the groin. As he doubled over, she yanked his weapon from his hand and clubbed him unconscious.
"Sam!" her father cried in a hoarse voice. "Behind you!"
She dropped to the ground as a bolt of plasma energy whined past her ear. Spinning around, she fired at an oncoming Kalam. He staggered, still firing. Her second shot felled him.
Adrenaline pulsing through her veins, she tugged at her father. "We've got to move!"
Heaving him up and throwing his arm over her shoulder, she sprinted/staggered toward the buildings, firing the alien weapon behind her repeatedly. A steady barrage of P-90 fire battered her already throbbing ears, but it was as beautiful a sound as one of the colonel's favorite arias.
As she approached the shadowed portico, she noticed a motion to her right.
"Carter!" O'Neill was waving her over.
Swerving that direction, her momentum and imbalance due to her father's weight propelled her headlong into the colonel, whose strong arm pulled her close against him.
"Watch where you're goin', Carter," he said, the warmth in his voice belying his admonition.
"Sorry, sir," she said, but she wasn't. She sagged against his reassuring bulk, relief weakening the joints of her knees, and breathed in the familiar aroma of sweat and Air Force-issue cloth. Her free arm, the one not holding on to her dad, returned his embrace, locking around his back, the Kalam weapon still clutched in her viselike grip. She looked up into his face. Their eyes met and held each other for a long, measured beat, while time seemed to expand and distend elastically. His lips curved a little, and his eyes bore into hers as though she were water to his thirst. For a moment she almost let herself forget who and what she was as her face teetered close to his. Her arm around his back gripped him harder.
Jacob coughed.
Snapped out of timelessness, she straightened and turned to her father. "Dad?" Her only answer was another rattling cough.
"He looks bad," O'Neill said.
"He is," she said. Sam looked behind her. "The hostiles?"
"In retreat for the moment. Daniel and Teal'c?" he asked.
"The Kalam forces attacked before they could get out. I don't know where they are now."
He nodded. "We'll find them." He noticed the blood on her pants then. "That looks bad."
"I'll be fine."
He gave her a penetrating look, then a curt nod. "Let's get out of here."
"One second." Pulling a detonator out of her pocket Sam pressed the button, and something exploded on the plaza. "I rigged the stargate lifting mechanism with C-4. That should slow down their kidnapping expeditions for a while."
She could see his teeth in the darkness. "Nice work, Major." O'Neill looped Jacob's other arm around his shoulder and they moved out.
"Sir," Sam said, "where's your daughter?"
"Just around the corner." He gestured ahead of them.
They moved through the shadows while alarms sounded behind them. Jacob's breathing was labored, and he was almost a dead weight between them. They skirted a building and crept around to the back of it. The colonel let go of Jacob and approached a cleft in the building, a kind of alcove.
"Jaira," he whispered, but there was no answering voice. He peered into the dark recess, flicked on his flashlight. From where Sam was standing, she could see clearly into the small space.
The alcove was empty except for a rag doll with yellow yarn hair and button eyes.