Chapter 3
This wasn't good. Jack had disappeared, and they don't know if he really is at his
old log cabin. 'Samantha, we must
take this risk' Jolinar pleaded. Sam looked around and saw Daniel head bobbing around in the crowd,
pushing his way forward. Teal'c wasn't
as hard to find. He towered mightily above
everyone in the gathering crowd, a good head taller than most. She whistled sharply, attracting the
immediate attention of the pair and most of the crowd. They pushed and shoved their way through the
mass of bodies and eventually burst out the other side. "Major Carter, have you made progress?"
Teal'c said, his voice deep and commanding. The Sergeant frowned at him, wondering how a man can have such an
unemotional voice.
"Yeah, I have. Sergeant this is Captain Murray Walker and Dr Daniel Jackson" she
informed him. He nodded quickly at both
and pulled Sam aside. He was worried,
that was obvious from his face. He was
about to say something, but he stopped somehow unable to express his thoughts
without sounding offensive.
"You don't get how we were threw together?" she
inquired
"Yeah, I mean, he looks like he's on steroids
and well, the other one's a geek"
"Captain Walker has had Marines training and Dr
Jackson is a scientist" she informed him. His face seemed to change several times as she talked from 'yeah right'
to 'that's a load of bull'. "Look I'm
not here for you to ask questions about this team, I'm here to retrieve my
CO. Do you have anything other than the
note to tell us where he is?"
"No, that was all we found"
"Thank you, now if I can have my sidearm and
cell phone back, we'll be going"
"I could have you for holding a concealed
weapon"
"And my General will slaughter you for banging
up his best officer in the filed of Astrophysics" she replied smugly. He had to back down, knowing not to mess
with the military. If you let them get
on with their job then they would leave you to do yours but they crossed the
line getting involved in a civilian operation. SG-1 walked away, and he went to his patrol car, grabbing the small
black mouthpiece and barked an order.
**********
Sam quickly dialed up the base,
waiting for the reply. She looked
around as Daniel drove. He was quicker
this time. They needed to get somewhere
fast. They needed to get to him
faster. They were worrying about his
safety more than theirs. They wanted
him back, they wanted, needed him back in commanded. The receiver clicked as Hammond picked up.
"Hammond"
he said sharply.
"General, we have a situation" she
started "Colonel O'Neill has gone to Minnesota. We need transport there and fast"
"I'll radio ahead with the airport
and have something waiting on your arrival"
"Thank you sir, and your likely to
be getting a call from a pretty angry Police Sergeant" she said sheepishly.
"Alright Major, you concentrate on
your mission"
"Yes sir" she said as she hung up
"Daniel, airport"
"Has Hammond arranged transport?" he
asked
"Yeah" she informed him as she flopped her head back onto the rest. "Teal'c are you alright?" she asked glancing
towards the back seats. He looked content
where he was, just sat quietly behind the drivers seat. He tilted his head slightly, raising an
eyebrow and replied "I am fine"
"Alright well we need a game plan"
she said as she threw the gun in to the glove compartment "We can't just go in
say right your coming home and walk out. He may obey happily or he may have something else planned"
"Like what?" Daniel asked
tentatively "He's not likely to put the team at risk is he?"
"We don't know, he could have taken
it well"
"And he could also have taken the
news badly" Teal'c finished
They were all quiet now. They didn't want to think about it if he had
taken it badly. Sam carefully thought
threw a plan, thinking of every possible flaw, every change, every
constant. They all knew what was at
stake. The road toiled on, the shops
lining the high street, dotting around the houses and residential areas. Colorado Springs was popular for both it's
beauty and its appeal to those with young families. Children ran along merrily, squealing as the snow flowed over
them. Their coats were speckled with
the soft white flakes. A new wave of
the whiteness started to open up around them, the kids all cried out for joy in
unison. The more snow they could have,
the less time they got in school and more time they could spend on having wars
of snow. The sky seemed to rain with
snowballs across in the park. The
usually luscious green glass now coated in the a soft blanket.
Daniel kept his eye firmly on the
road. Driving conditions were bad with
the heavy snow fall. The windscreen
wipers clicked back and forth, brushing away whatever landed. The snow on the road had a three sets of
tire marks gouged into it. The deep
tarmac flowed underneath, like the blood flowing beneath an open wound. He slowly ground to a halt at the traffic
lights. The intersection was busy, cars
sped past towards the shopping mall while those who were bright enough to go
early, sped home to hide the eagerly anticipated presents. The car clicked slowly into gear and headed
off.
The rest of the journey was
practically the same, only a few rubbernecking an accident. The airport was at a complete
standstill. The planes stood helplessly
as the snow belted down around them. The snow was even heavier now, the clouds were full and were emptying
themselves over the small town. They
all rushed to grab their things out of the trunk. A simple bag each. It
slammed shut as Daniel rattled with the keys to find the right one. He did eventually and he then clicked the
alarm on. Two loud beeps and then a
desperate run across the car park. It
was useless as he already looked like a human snowman just from digging out the
bags. They shook themselves off,
brushing down their hair and jackets.
A tall, well dressed man approached
them. He wore a navy blue uniform, with
a simple red waistcoat and white tie. To match the pants he wore a navy blue tie with the company logo
emblazoned across it. "Are you Major
Carter?" he asked
"Yeah, look we need to get off the
ground ASAP. Can you arrange that?"
"We can't, I'm sorry but the weather
is too dangerous to fly in"
"Look I'm not in the Air Force for
nothing. I've flew in worse conditions
than this"
"I'm sorry I cannot…"
"Yes you will" Sam interrupted "Make
sure it's ready in fifteen minutes". He
looked completely speechless. He also
looked very worried. He turned away,
heading for his managers officer rather than the Pad. "Well I don't know about you guys but personally, I need food"
she snatched up her bag and threw it over her shoulder as she headed towards
the cafeteria. It was packed to
bursting point, everyone hade decided they wanted a coffee because the weather
was bad. The entire place was packed,
there wasn't even anywhere to stand. She frowned and turned around thinking 'Surely there should be somewhere
else'. She was wrong. 'Why does everyone barge around so much?
Have they never heard of manners?' Jolinar asked. 'Obviously not' Sam
replied quietly.
"Sam, are you sure this was a good
idea?" Daniel asked
"It was at the time" she said
"Is there no other way for you to
obtain a beverage?" Teal'c asked plainly
"There's gotta be another coffee
place around here somewhere" Daniel said
"More important things at hand now"
Sam said, pointing towards the same man who greeted them upon arrival. "So can we fly or not?" she shouted
He walked up to them before
answering, and eve then quietly. "Your
request has been granted but are to know that the plane is your responsibility
and we are in no way obliged to compensate you if you crash"
"I won't. I've dodge enemy fighters, flying that will be easy" she said
"Alright we will prepare it for
you" he said. He nodded quickly before racing off this time towards the main
pad. He dashed behind a door
disappearing from sight. He didn't care
very much for cocky military personnel who claim to be brilliant at
everything. He grumbled his way over to
the pad and sternly told them to bring out the plane. The pilot complained whole heartedly at the idea of flying in
these conditions but shut up when he was told the pig headed air force officers
were flying it. He simply got up and
left for the changing rooms. Meanwhile
in the bustling airport SG-1 stood impatiently waiting for someone to tell them
they could move. The weather wasn't
getting any better and was not likely to be within the next hour. Sam was worried, even her flight experience
couldn't fly through heavy snowfall. Once they get to a good altitude it should be alright, she convinced
herself.
'Sam do not worry, our combined
skills will easily pilot this object"
'You don't even know what a light aircraft
looks like'
'From your memory I do'
She rolled her eyes and flopped over
to a vacant row of seats. She sat there
and waited, they were determined not to let her fly. The snow had eased off slightly but it was still bad
conditions. "Sam are you alright?"
Daniel asked
"Yeah, just having second thoughts
about flying that's all"
"Won't err" he paused unable how to
phrase it without causing an international incident. He just nodded sharply in Sam's direction "You know, help you" he
then scrunched up his nose and pushed his glasses further up into his
face. He looked around tentatively,
making sure no one knew what he was on about. It was a good thing Sam did. She
smiled at her friends worry "Yeah she will, I think" she replied
"I believe the vehicle has been
prepared" Teal'c stated
They all turned around to see
another man walking with the attendant they first met. He wore a smart black suit, sensible shoes
polished to a blinding shine and looked very unhappy. They all guessed correctly this was the manager bounding towards
them with irritated pace. "Major my
name is Frank Hindle, I run this airport and I must say I am not happy at what
you plan to do"
"Well don't be because as of" she
glanced at the slender watch wrapped around her wrist "now that helicopter is
the responsibility of the US Air Force. If anything happens to it, and I doubt it, we will take full
responsibility"
He still wasn't convinced but the
matter had been taken out of his hands. "Alright" he said reluctantly "You can take it but I expect it back in
one piece"
"If it doesn't come back in one
piece you won't be getting it at all" she said bluntly as she walked away from
the gawking man and headed swiftly towards the open door, leading to the
possibilities none of them wanted to think about.
**********
Jack sat waiting. The cold meant nothing to him. He just sat there transfixed to the
door. He sat in silence, darkness. Only the failing light of the winter sun lit
up the small log room. He didn't move,
the contents of the box lay in his hands gently. He ran his hands over it without looking, patting it softly as he
convinced himself there was no other way.
**********
The snow beat down on the glass bouncing
itself merrily off the screen protecting the passengers. Sam wrestled with the controls, tugging with
every jerk of the wings as they flailed around with the gust of wind picking up
the small craft. Daniel and Teal'c flew
across the back seat, unfortunately for Daniel he had chosen the wrong side to
sit on. The Jaffa's huge forearm landed
on the bridge of Daniels nose, squashing his glasses painfully into his
face. "Oomph" was the only noise he
could muster to express his discomfort.
"Daniel Jackson are you injured?" he
asked
"No, I'm fine" he replied grudgingly
"Sorry guys, the winds picked up"
Sam shouted into the back. Daniel
grunted and positioned himself back upright as he forced his glasses back into
the original shape. He shoved them back
on looking out into the dense cloud. The shades of gray were overwhelming., the cloud was all that could be
seen. Nothing beyond a few meters could
be seen. The rounded edges of the wings
could be seen but barely. "I hope
Sam is as good a pilot as she thinks" he thought
Teal'c was uncomfortable at being
thrown around so easily. He jammed his
large foot under the front passenger seat and clenched onto the edges of the
door. Even the bravest of Jaffa would
not have tried to pilot a craft in this weather, but these conditions were rare
on Tulak, a mainly hot climate. His
focused his worried look , first on Sam and then on Daniel staring helplessly
out the window. He then hoped sternly
that Sam could pilot the plane through the dense cloud.
**********
Jack sat there, he hadn't been there
long. Only a few hours had passed since
he had driven across two states not stopping for rest, for food. That had taken a few days in itself. He just drove. He had to get himself as far away as possible. The trap was being laid slowly, checking
over everything with meticulous detail. They would all be there, they would all watch as he made good on his
promise "I will never trust a Goa'uld"
He sat gazing out the window,
looking across the frozen expanse of the lake. The snow had settled itself comfortably on the foliage remaining. The late November chill bit at his ankles,
but he ignored it, the same way he ignored his body yearning for food, water
and rest. He had also ignored the loss
of feeling in his toes. The night sky
stretched across the remote hut. He was
obviously tired, his face was worn and pale even visible under the rough
stubble growing around his chin. His
hair was ruffled but he didn't care what he looked like, he care that his body
screamed out for nourishment, that his throat was bitterly dry. Nothing would make him move until they come.
The stars twinkled merrily in the
sky between the patches of fluffy cloud. They sparkled off the surface of the
lake, reflecting off the settled snow. The land seemed to shine as the stars high above looked down on the
world. Looking down innocently on him,
his rage consuming his soul, his common sense had been eaten away by one goal. Revenge was the only thing he wanted,
revenge for something that was impossible to change.
**********
The clouds had lifted briefly from
the skies of Minnesota. The plane
bounced onto the tarmac coming to a slow stop. The engine whirred down as it was switched off and all three were
relived to be back on the ground. Their
turbulent ride over made them thankful for a good pilot and a little help from
Jolinar. The doors slammed shut as the
cold whipped around their ankles. They
threw their bags over their shoulders and headed straight for the car
park. A smart young officer stood aside
their car, cursing quietly as to why he agreed to do this. He straightened up as he saw the trio moving
towards him. He handed over the keys
quickly, still warm from his hand clasping them. They jumped in a began their journey, only a few hours long. They didn't speak, they just
concentrated. A gut feeling in all them
was telling them to turn around to stop this made chase, that something bad was
going to happen.
The car rolled slowly up the winding
path towards the wooden shack stood next to the lake. The ride had been long and uneventful. It had been a week since
Sam had woken up, around two since she walked down the ramp after Vorash. The snow crunched under the wheels before a
bullet burst through the air ripping into the front left tire. Daniel desperately fought with the wheel to
stop the car spinning, but it just spun across the snow before crashing into a
tree. The tree occupants scrambled out
momentarily dazed by the crashed. They
fanned out between the trees as Sam readied her sidearm "How is he armed?"
They ran across the clearing closer
to the house. Sam pushed open the front
door followed closely by Daniel and Teal'c. The room was dark, only a small amount of moonlight flooded on to the
floor. A soft click echoed in her ear
as the soft nuzzle of a gun was pushed behind her ear. "Put it down Major" he ordered coldly. She obliged as the gun followed her, she
knelt placing the gun down near her foot. She turned around to stare at him in the face. "Colonel, Jack" she said softly "We've come to take you home"
His eyes were tired but they had an
underlying determination. "What's with
the gun?" he asked, looking down at the object resting on the floor
"We could ask you the same question"
Daniel said, trying to mask his fear
"Oh this" he said waving the black
metal around "Charlie killed himself with this and now I'm gonna finish this" He looked at Sam and smiled a vicious grin
before readying the gun at her head. Sam was terrified, her body was frozen.
"O'Neill you would take the life of
Major Carter" Teal'c interjected
"You really don't know me" he
finished as he pulled the trigger. Sam
head snapped backed ferociously as her body slumped. He turned the gun around, placing it at his forehead and firing
off another round. He landed on top of
Sam, the floor and the clothes they were wearing covered in whatever was blown
from their skulls. Shock absorbed the
bodies of Daniel and Teal'c, their eyes were wide in disbelief, shock,
nausea.
And so it finished…
**********
THE END
You won't be hearing from me for a while. I'm going to try and write a good story over
the summer and hopefully have something by Fall/Autumn (Depends which side
of the Atlantic you live on)
**********