Chapter 5
An unearthly clap filled the woods surrounding
the search teams. The few remaining
birds fluttered out of the trees and make a quick escape. The sound of gun fire made everyone wary.
The only light being produced now came from the glare of the rising moon. Darkness had surrounded the teams faster
then they thought. The night sky was
lit by a thousand tiny stars. Hammond
didn't know how far from the mountain they were but they had covered a lot of
ground in the few precious hours they had. He assumed they were at the base of the mountain, but then a sound he
didn't want to hear. Sharp gun fire was
always the sign of an execution, a mauling.
He looked over to find Jacob. His friend had disappeared into the mass of
trunks and branches. Yelling at an
airman to follow, and telling the rest to head back to base, Hammond trudged through
trying to expel the fears which are all to present in his mind.
Branches snapped under foot and leaves rustled
as the group waded through the woodland waste. A large wooden shed spilled candle light onto the ground below. Gesturing wildly the team crouched down
waiting, assessing the dangers. Voices
could be heard in the abode, they were arguing. Watching the shadows move like mad marionettes, Hammond tried
hard to decipher the conversation.
The door burst open and a figure ran out. Two more men, sprinted through the
doors. They wore black, even in the
lack of light that much was clear. They
threw on masks and started after the figure.
This had to be a lead.
The men followed closely, trying to keep up
without being spotted. But they were
fast. Every minute passed and they were
gaining more of a lead over the trailing group. Hammond puffed hard and came to an abrupt stop. Every ounce of air around him disappeared
into his lungs, command had taken away his stamina. Thirty years ago he could have out run the best athletes. Moving slowly he realised he was further
behind them than he thought. Their
front man was at least a hundred yards ahead of him, so there was no telling
where the first person was.
The group moved on unaware of the lagging
General. A sudden flurry of gun fire
made all parties fall to the ground. The musk earth filtered up Hammonds nose, the smell of decaying wood
made him nauseous for a second, but that quickly subsided.
A large expanse of dark filled a hole in the
woods ahead. Under the spindly roots of
a dying oak, a large hole seemed to have been crudely dug out. This was it.
Another burst of silenced machines gun fire,
echoed around them. The sounds after
that were not of this earth. A rippling
sound filled the air, then as it connected a eerie noise engulfed the
target. Another three shots were fired
as the shooter moved around. The gun
fire came from the hole, but he was hit, and the last three hit the men running
towards the secret complex.
Jacob moved towards Hammond cautiously,
watching the four bodies lying like corpses on the woodland floor. "George, you okay?"
Relieved at who it was he replied, "I'll be
fine Jacob"
"I think we have a winner"
"Don't get your hopes up Jake"
Watching his expression change, with the last
statement. The realization hit him
hard. Jacob was not ready to admit it,
but something could have happened or this could be a massive goose chase. Neither appealed to either man.
The small party regrouped quickly and lurched
forward towards the opening. Guns armed
and ready they stormed the place, running as fast and as hard as they could,
the team moved quickly into the heart of the compound. Scanning the area quickly, the luminous
lights cast a harsh light onto the rescuers. Each room was checked thoroughly, they was no resistance from those they
found. Corralled like sheep and then herded down the corridor, the few
occupants were thrown on the floor. The
door slammed shut behind them. Hammond
stood and watched the men. They all
looked trained by Special Ops, showing
no fear, saying nothing.
"Now I believe you have some people that belong
to us"
"The great SG-1" a brave voice said. A tall well built man stood up and smiled at
Hammond "General they were a waste of time to you and your operation. I was quite rightly put on that program for
it's benefit"
Lieutenant Colonel Tim Harris stood in front of
a seething Hammond. Fuming with rage
Hammond walked over too him and grabbed his crisp ironed shirt. He threw the man hard against the wall and
held him there, his feet unable to touch the floor.
"George, put him down" Jacob yelled
"Where are my team?" Hammond said slowly,
emphasizing every word with the pure hatred raging in him.
"I, I don't know" Harris slurred "I've only
just got here"
"There dead" another voice said, calmly.
Hammond tightened his already vice like grip on
Harris' shirt.
Harris looked completely stunned, and heart
broken at the same time.
Jacobs heart started pounding wildly in his
chest. 'This can't be happening'
he thought. Selmak took over and tried
to get somewhere. "Where are they?"
This shook the man, he tried to hide his fear
but his eyes showed how terrified he was. "They're in the holding cells" he said quietly.
Turning out of the room Selmak ran as fast as
possible to the cells. While in the
room the imposing figure of Hammond drilled down into the heart of Harris. Tired of wasting time he threw him on the
floor and ran out after Jacob.
Harris righted himself on the floor and tried
to take in what was happening. 'How
can I loose her, I wanted so much but now…' he trailed off his thought and
started quietly sobbing in the corner.
**********
The huge metal door was partially opened as
Jacob reached it. His heart racing,
having an undeclared race with his mind, their minds.
"Jacob, you must stay calm"
"I can't something may have happened"
"And if so we must concentrate on trying to
help them. Did you find it?"
"Yes"
"We may need it now concentrate"
Pushing the sturdy metal door aside, he froze
as the shock consumed his body, his every nerve and muscle went limp,
numb. A sharp cold shock burst up his
spine. Disoriented he looked away
feeling for the wall, or something to lean against, his breathing becoming
heavy. "Hyperventilating won't help Jake, get a grip" his mind screamed "Jacob
use it"
"Jacob are you okay" Hammond asked before looking at the carnage in the room before
him. The blood covered practically
every inch of space. It seeped through
the thin bars and a hollow drip echoed around the room as it poured down the
small grids either side of the door. Whatever color was in Hammonds cheeks disappeared instantly.
Jacob took in a huge breathe and waded through
the shallow pool of blood. He clipped
something off his belt and slipped it
onto his right hand. Roughly oval in
shape a soft orange glow came from the core, lined by a coffee colored rim.
Selmak took over.
Approaching the first body, a male, for some
reason not in the cells. Pulling over,
Jacks eyes stared deep into his, a brief second of realization, and despair
flickered across. A gargled sound
blurted out of his mouth, a incomprehensible noise. "Colonel O'Neill try not to move". Bringing his hand over the deep red hole just above the heart,
Selmak concentrated and the soft glow of the healing device turned into an
amazing florescent glow. The hole
started closing, healing in record time. Inhaling strangled breathes, Jack leaned against the wall "Help them" he
said weakly, his words no more than a whisper.
Pulling out a handgun, Selmak shot of the lock
to the middle cell, just behind Jack. Jacob could not sense a Goa'uld presence, so guessed correctly that It
was Daniel Jackson. His body lay dead
on the floor, the bullet had hit the mark. His auburn hair lay ragged in the blood around him, his clothes
soaked. Turning him onto his back,
Selmak used the healing device again. As the seconds ticked by, Jacob wondered if he had reached Daniel in
time to save him, but as his chest rose slowly, Daniel had confirmed rejoining
the living.
"Jacob Carter", a deep strained voice called.
Selmak looked around to see Teal'c leaning
heavily against the bars. Two bullet
holes were obvious to be seen. One in
the leg, not quite healed from before, and a second entry hole in the chest.
"Teal'c are you okay?"
"My larva will heal my wounds" he replied bluntly
"Sam?" he asked vainly
"In the next cell"
Rotating around to the next cell he again shot
off the lock, and froze. Smeared blood
covered one of the walls, the blood on the floor still warm. She lay still on the floor, her soft cream
shirt now stained a ghastly shade of red. Putting down the healing device, he placed her head gently in her arms
and flicked a lock of bloodstained hair from her face. Hammond made him turn around, desperately
searching. Then remembering.
Snatching the device off the floor he shoved it
onto his hand, praying Jolinar had done enough to keep her alive. The glow flowed over her body, jolting at
the sudden burst of energy overwhelming every nerve in her body. Minutes passed by as Jacob tried whatever he
could to keep her alive.
The device shut down slowly and body laid
still. "It hadn't worked, surely there
should be some movement, a single breathe" Jacob muttered quietly, softly. He couldn't help but look around in vain for
some form of help. Getting none, Jacob
pulled her limp body close as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Jake" Hammond said softly
Jack shuffled around, trying to stay upright as
best he can. Teal'c was now out of the
cells and Daniel was semi-conscious in his arms. Dragging his feet noisily Jack stumbled into the cell, and fell
over as soon as he saw. He slumped into
a heap on the floor "How?" On the
floor, lying in her fathers arms was Jacks second, Jacks friend.
"Lets get her out of here at least" Hammond
said firm but compassionate. Hammond
gazed upon Sam, a damn good officer even though she did tend to go on when no
one cared. Jacob still held her tight,
inconsolable. He hadn't seen him like
this since the accident all those years ago. "Sergeant, radio the SGC. Get some trucks and Dr Fraiser here now"
Jack raised his hands and rubbed them across
his face, not caring about the red smear across his rough cheeks. "Jacob come on" he said, his voice
shaky. He sniffed and clambered over to
Jacob. Kneeling next to him, he put a
supporting hand on his shoulder. "Please"
"I can't explain this, not again" he choked
"No, but we can help" Jack replied, his eyes
flickered, unsure on what to do. He was
heart broken, he yearned to scream out how he felt for her, or just to let
go. Take out his frustrations on
something, someone. Harris. The penny dropped. This was a set up to get SG-1 out of the picture, we were the
only reason Kinsey didn't shut us down last time. Rage filled every nerve his fingertips yearned to grasps Harris'
spindly neck and tighten.
"Kinsey" Jack said quietly, his every word
seething with fury
"Colonel?" Hammond inquired
"This is all too convenient General. Kinsey tries to split us up but when we
don't come quietly he gets his goons to take us out"
"That would explain why Harris is here" Hammond
said quietly.
"What, that little son of a bitch is here" Jack
shouted
"Colonel now is not the time to be making
accusation" Hammond bellowed
Knowing when his General meant business, Jack
backed down but made a mental note to kick the shit out of Harris when he next
saw him.
A mumbled message into the Generals ear
confirmed the trucks were here. The
first group of prisoners were already being escorted out, while the soldiers
split themselves up between two of the vans. They trundled off happily into the night, and the few remaining soldiers
settled themselves in the back of the third van. Two medics carried a Daniel out on a stretcher and hurriedly
placed him in. A shocked Dr Fraiser followed
after a few minutes, guiding Jack and Teal'c out. Hammond and Jacob were last out, Sam wrapped tightly in the
woolen gray medical blanket.
They climbed in and the back flap was banged
shut. Jacob felt a twinge as the van jerked off. This confused him at first, but after it happened again he look
down at Sam's face. "What the
hell…" The single gargled noise that
came from Sam's mouth made like music. A muffled breathe followed and shuffling. He looked up around, every one had noticed. "Doc come here"
Two steps ahead Janet was already over checking
for the basics. Pulse; weak but there,
breathing; erratic. "Oh my god…this is
impossible"
"She wouldn't give up" Daniel stuttered "I knew
she wouldn't"
Jack smiled and shifted. Teal'c was even close to breaking a small
smile. Hammond just looked in sheer
amazement. "Come on Sam wake up" he
said then shouting "Come on Major wake up"
"Sam, Sam. Come on kid" Jacob soothed
"Lets just get back to the SGC and see what
happen from there" Janet warned
With a unilateral agreement from all, they sat
back watching her every minute movement. Every twitch every breathe. She
could do nothing without them knowing. The van ground to a halt in the long dark tunnel and the medics were
quick to start unloading the last van. Daniel was still hazy from the healing device and Jack wasn't right on
his feet either, he simply watched as Janet directed the swarm around him,
sending them all on their way.
**********
There will be more but I need to know do you want me to continue with the theme I've set up from the stories I've done. Opinions and pointers to arty117@hotmail.com.