Standing next to the human-form Replicator set Sam on edge.

She kept waiting for another slight movement that would indicate it was coming back alive. She knew that it was only a matter of time.

Still, Sam told herself that she had to stay positive.

She couldn't let herself drift to previous experiences with the Replicators. She couldn't let herself think about Fifth. She couldn't let herself think about the Replicator who had been molded in her image and wanted to rule a universe.

Sam couldn't think about her capture and torture and whether the Replicators were hurting Jack right now with similar flashes of nightmares.

The Replicators, the Ori, and Ba'al...it was like the past week had been a greatest hits list of SG-1's worst villains.

She had a brief thought that the only ones they were missing were Apophis and Anubis and then immediately looked around wishing she could knock on wood.

She had to stay positive.

She had to not think about the other times she'd almost lost him.

Sam stared at Niam, weapon at the ready, almost daring the Replicator to wake up so that she could shoot something.

After the code was disseminated of course.

It was not in Sam Carter's nature to just stand there and do nothing when people's lives were on the line, especially when one of those people was Jack O'Neill.

It was also not in Rodney McKay's nature to work well with others.

It wasn't a good combination.

"Are you sure there isn't something I can help with?"

McKay let out a disgruntled-sounding noise and ignored her. Water dripped down around them from the ceiling of the jumper - the last remnants of the leak - and the exterior above the open rear hatch. McKay sat on one of the cargo hold benches, working diligently on the handheld device. Sam stood on the opposite side of Niam's body, ARG at the ready.

"I really am good at this stuff," she reminded him.

Sam couldn't help feeling like she wasn't doing nearly enough. She was off her game.

If only she'd been able to figure out the obelisk herself...if only she had been quicker with the DHD...Daniel would be safe right now.

She didn't do enough to save Daniel.

She wasn't doing enough to save Jack.

Finally, McKay looked at her.

"You can help me by not distracting me. How would you feel if I was constantly looking over your shoulder and judging what you were doing?"

Sam didn't point out that he had done so many times in the past.

"I'm just saying I can help you. It's clearly not going the way you want. Another set of eyes might be good."

McKay looked back down at the handheld computer and then back up at her, anger bubbling in his expression.

"On this mission, you're muscle," he ground out. "You're my backup."

It was too much. Sam knew that she'd taken herself out of the leadership role on this mission, but she wasn't going to be talked down to by Rodney McKay. She didn't care if he was only lashing out because his plan was crumbling in front of him. If it was going to work the way he had it written, the code would have started affecting the Replicators as soon as they arrived in the underwater jumper bay.

"Sheppard said you're good under pressure," she commented. "I'm sure as hell not seeing it."

He looked up at her.

"You were much more helpful as a hallucination."

She glared at him.

"Maybe she was more helpful because you actually listened to her."

McKay growled in frustration and set the handheld computer to the side.

"This is just some rescue mission joy ride for you. Just showing off. I care about this place and what happens to it."

It was times like these when she wished that she could just tell the world how she felt about Jack O'Neill. If people knew they were together - if they knew that Sam Carter was absolutely in love with her former CO - they might not make assumptions like the one McKay was making now. She wasn't here just for the hell of it. And there was no way that she cared any less about the outcome here than he did.

"I'm here because I care too, Rodney."

It occurred to her a split second too late that he might make the wrong assumption based on the emotion in her words. His jaw dropped in surprise and his expression softened.

"Not like that," she corrected quickly, but it didn't seem to make a difference. "Definitely not like whatever you're thinking."

Shit.

"Sam?"

"I care about the city and everything we're learning here and the technology," she rambled. It sounded like she was lying...because she was.

His voice was full of suspicion when he responded. "You care about the city?"

"Yes," she replied firmly. "A lot."

McKay chuckled and turned his attention back to the device. She hoped that the awkward moment was past, but then he spoke.

"You know, if you wanted to ask me out, you didn't have to come all the way to the Pegasus galaxy."

This time it was her jaw that dropped.

"Ask you out?! I'm dating someone!"

He scoffed and looked up from the handheld. "Yeah, right. I'd know if you were."

She was so thrown off by the fact he didn't believe her that she didn't even stop to think about the implication that he apparently tried to track her relationship status somehow.

"You are so -"

The comms clicked on and they heard Sheppard's voice fill the jumper. She was glad. It probably prevented her from saying something truly awful.

"McKay, fire up that virus."

Sam caught the sudden panic in McKay's expression before it turned to frustration. He was starting to sweat.

"I am working as fast as I can."

Then Sheppard spoke again and her heart dropped.

"The Replicators have O'Neill and Woolsey."

Sam gripped her gun tighter and kept trying not to think about what might be happening to Jack right now. She'd known it was a possibility when Woolsey didn't respond, but there was a world of difference between suspecting and knowing for sure.

She should have shut down that earlier argument with McKay or forced him to accept her help. If the slight delay in the process left Jack injured or dead, she would never forgive herself.

"Unfortunately, that information can't make me work any faster," McKay replied, his finger jabbing at the screen.

"Do you know where they would have been brought?" Sam asked.

There was a pause before Sheppard replied.

"The brig is close by this spot so that would be my best guess. We'll head in that direction."

Sam wished that she was out there with the rest of them, on her way to track down Jack. She was needed here, but she couldn't help but feel that right now Jack needed her more. She hadn't signed up for this rescue mission to be Rodney McKay's personal bodyguard.

"Okay, if I…that should…" he muttered. "Yeah. Okay, yes."

McKay was definitely talking to himself, but she decided not to mention it. All she cared about right now was the outcome. She wanted the Replicators frozen so she could get Jack and drag him back to Earth.

"Stand by," he said, confidence returning to his voice.

McKay continued to make adjustments on the handheld device as he walked to the front of the jumper.

"I've got his power levels about as high as I'm comfortable with. I'm gonna try to get him to …"

Sam only took her eye off the Replicator for a second, intending to say something to McKay. He turned around first and she saw his eyes widen.

She knew exactly what she was going to find when her head snapped back to position.

Niam, alive and angry.

"McKay, is it uploading?"

Niam broke the restraints around his legs and stood up. Sam lifted her weapon. She'd have to shoot him, but waited in hopes that it would give the freezing code time to work.

"McKay!"

"I don't know!" he hissed.

Niam broke the restraints around his wrists.

"You've been warned about tampering with our base code, Doctor. You won't get a second chance."

The Replicator charged forward.

McKay fumbled for his ARG, but before he could even pick it up, Sam aimed at the Replicator and fired. The body in front of her broke into tiny nanite pieces and fell to the floor.

Sheppard's voice echoed over the radio.

"Carter? McKay? Come in, McKay. What's happening?"

McKay's eyes were wide as he looked at the empty space in the cargo hold where Niam used to be. His hand touched the ARG beside him for comfort.

He looked at her briefly, in awe, and then hit the comms button to talk back to Sheppard.

"Fall back to the Jumper!" McKay shouted. "We're gonna need a new plan."

Sam looked at the pile of Replicator parts at her feet.

The display on the jumper lit up and she glanced back at it. She tensed when she saw the indicator that a ship had been picked up by the sensors. It turned out that the Daedalus wasn't three days away after all. If she had to guess, it was only a few hours away, which significantly limited their options.

"Won't need a backup plan, huh?" Sam asked.

"Shut up," McKay replied.