The trees were thinning in front of Jack, indicating that he was closing in on the clearing in front of his cabin. He was suspicious of the fact that he hadn't encountered any more of the gunmen in the forest. Clearly they had been searching for something and he had to assume that that something was him. The fact that they didn't seem to be looking for him any longer made him sure that they thought that he would come to them, and that had him worried. They had the three people most important to him in the world. He couldn't help but think whoever had done this knew that fact.

He glanced at his watch, glad that he hadn't taken it off before laying down for a nap. It was closing in on an hour since he had escaped from the cabin. A lot could happen in that time. He desperately hoped that Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were all still alive and unharmed. But he couldn't distract himself by thinking of any other alternatives. He would not accept the fact that he had finally started a life with Sam only to lose her. Here, of all places.

He slipped his stolen AK over his shoulder then got down on his stomach and crawled through the few remaining feet of undergrowth towards the edge of the forest. Once he had a clear line of sight of the cabin but still far enough in to remain hidden, he quietly slipped the rifle off his back and pulled it into his shoulder.

The previous owner of the weapon had been kind enough to mount a scope, not a very good one, he thought, annoyed, but at least it gave him a better view of what he was up against. There were figures moving around in the clearing in front of his cabin. Jack quickly looked through the scope.

One of the figures was Sam. He slowly blew out the breath he had been holding since the cabin had been breached. She was still alive at least. He panned to her side to see the other person and he had to check twice to make sure that his eyes weren't playing tricks on him. It was NID agent Malcolm Barrett. Even through the shitty scope there was no mistaking the fact that he had a firm grip on her arm and a pistol pressed into her side.

Jack pulled back, rubbed his eyes and looked through the lens again. It didn't change a damn thing. His confusion over the whole incident mounted. Agent Barrett had helped SG-1 out on more than one occasion. He and Sam were even friends. What was he doing with a gun on her? He'd read the reports, he knew the agent's role in helping the Ba'als escape the SGC. But the NID also reported that they had broken all Barrett's brainwashing.

"Sonofabitch," he breathed out.

"What's your plan here Malcolm?" Sam asked, trying to sound nonchalant and ignore the cold metal that was digging painfully in between her ribs. "Did you bring me out here to shoot me?" The worry had wormed its way into her mind. How strong was the Trust's hold on him? Strong enough to resist one attempt to break it. Would he actually do it?

"As long as your precious General cooperates, no one will get hurt," he said, peering into the treeline.

"And if he doesn't?" Sam asked. "There's no way of knowing if General O'Neill is even out there. He's probably miles away by now. Your man could have just wandered out of radio contact."

"Oh he's out there," Malcolm said, still looking intently into the forest. "He would never leave you behind."

"Sure he would," Sam said, mostly to keep him talking. "He's probably calling for reinforcements as we speak."

"Nice try Sam, but even if he would, we both know there's nowhere for him to go. That's the attraction of this place, isn't it? Far away from everything? You all made it too easy."

Annoyingly, Sam knew he was right. Jack's loathing of anything technological at his sanctuary meant there was no way he had escaped with a phone, or even a radio.

"What do you see in him anyway?" Malcolm said suddenly, turning to her.

"What?" she replied.

"Jack O'Neill, what's the attraction?"

"I am not talking about this with you," she said crossly.

"Is it just because he's a General? Is that it? I mean, he's gotta be what, more than 10 years older than you?"
"It doesn't matter."

"It does to me, why him?" His face was inches from hers. She tried to slide away but his fingers had tightened around her arm so much that it was losing feeling and the gun was shoved even harder into her side causing her to wince.

"Back off Malcolm, this isn't you."

There was a snap in the forest and he looked up quickly, distracted, his face lighting up with a hungry expression that scared her more than anything. His eyes were dark, empty. Completely devoid of the warm, wry humor that she was used to seeing there.

"Ah ha!" he said softly. "Here we go."

Dropping his grip on Sam's arm but keeping the pistol firmly pressed against her he pulled the radio out of his pocket again. Her arm tingled as the feeling returned and she wished she could shake it out.

Malcolm adjusted the dial and then spoke into the radio. "General O'Neill, I assume you're out there and can see me. I also assume that you've taken out my man and are now in possession of his radio."

He released the button and there was nothing but static.

"I advise you not to play with me General," he said again, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. "As I am sure you are able to see, I have your girlfriend," he pronounced the word deliberately "and her life depends on you doing exactly as you're told."

There was another moment of silence, then, "what the hell do you want Barrett?"

Malcolm smiled slightly and twisted the gun slightly, causing Sam to flinch in pain.

Jack's voice came back over the radio and Sam closed her eyes in relief at the sound of it. "Barrett," the General said, his voice hard and dangerous. "You listen to me. If you hurt her, if you harm her in any way so help me there is no where in this universe you will be safe from me. I will rip the stars open to get to you and when I do, you will wish you had never set foot here."