Business seemed as usual at the SGC. Personnel walked to and fro, the gate activated
at a regular basis with missions still continuing and SG teams going about their
business. Except or the flagship team. Sam's condition had shown no improvement.
And it was unlikely that there would be a change for the good. It almost felt
as though they were waiting for her to die.
Hammond looked at Jack who sat at the briefing table looking at the doodles
on his pad.
"What do you think, Colonel?"
Jack continued to stare at the pad.
"Colonel?" Hammond said quietly as though he didn't want to break Jack from
his musing.
Jack looked up, and realized he'd been caught not listening, "Sir?"
"This situation with Major Carter Colonel. What do you think?"
Jack took a deep breath, "I'd feel a lot better about it if we had someone on
the planet with her at all times."
Hammond smiled, "I was just about to suggest that, Colonel."
He turned to Janet, "What about you, Doctor?"
"My only condition is that I be allowed to work with the doctors on the planet."
Catching the look Jack was giving her, she added, "Along with a member of SG-1."
"Very well, Doctor. When would be the best time to move her?"
"There are a few things I need to get in order, but anytime within the next
few hours should be fine."
The General nodded, "Dismi"-
The klaxon's sudden blaring cut him off. They all jumped out of their seats,
Hammonds 'dismissed' left hanging in the air. Jack was already half way down
the steps. Hammond looked across at Janet and sighed.
"What now?"
~
"A bomb?" Jack exclaimed, glaring at Simmons.
Simmons looked back scared to death. "Y-Yes sir. Apparently Captain Jordan smuggled
some Naquada into the mountain from off world."
"What!" Jack shrieked in drill sergeant mode, "Why?" he said, rubbing his forehead.
He knew Jordan. She wasn't a threat.
"She's a zatarc." Janet said, walking up behind him. "She swears she doesn't
know anything about making a bomb."
"Where is she?"
"I've sedated her, she's in one of the holding cells. She's under full watch.
Hopefully we can avoid what happen last time."
"See that we do."
Janet nodded and walked off.
Jack let out an exasperated sigh, "Simmons? Get SG-6 down here."
"Yes sir," he said hurrying off.
~
"So what you're telling me, Harden, is that she managed to bring Naquada into
the mountain and make the bomb without anyone noticing something was up? Well,
if that doesn't make everyone feel safe I don't know what will," Jack said
dryly.
Harden shrugged trying desperately to remember something that would shed light.
"Colonel, she's always been a loner. Her staying to herself wasn't anything
new."
"Define 'always', Major."
"Since she was transferred to my team three months ago," he replied, "But
I read her psyche evaluation and Colonel Anderson's evaluations of her. She
was a sociable and productive member of her team. There's no way we could
have realized."
"Well, that's not really good enough Major is it?"
"I'm sorry sir," Harden shook his head.
"Don't be sorry. Hang on to that for when the thing blows up in our faces."
~
"Uh-huh. No way was she a loner, sir. She used to go out with the team every
Friday night. She even threw me a birthday party," Captain Aimes shook her head.
"Up until the very last mission she had with you?"
"Yes sir." She said.
"How did the last mission go, Captain?"
"Bad, sir. We were attacked by the goauld during a survey."
"You get separated at any point."
"Yeah...but...you think?"
"Yeah...I do."
~
"So now we know how it happened, we just need to figure out why no one realized
until it was too late."
Hammond shook his head. "This can't continue to happen, Colonel."
Jack nodded. "No, sir, it can't."
"Any suggestions to make sure it doesn't?"
Jack shrugged, "Not a one, sir," he said laconically.
"Well, I suggest we think of something before this becomes a regular occurrence."
"Yeah..." Jack didn't exactly look full of ideas.
"Colonel...?" Hammond barely got out before Daniel rushed into the office.
"We've got a problem."
~
"What you mean it's blinking?"
"The lights are flashing on and off. Blinking Jack, it's blinking."
"So we think it's gonna blow?"
"No Jack, it's making coffee. Yes, we think it's going to blow."
"I thought we thought it wasn't armed."
"Obviously we thought wrong, because apparently it is."
They stepped into Sam's lab.
"Whoa," Jack looked at the device, which was as large a waste paper basket.
It sat there, a round black barrel blinking away.
"Yeah," Daniel said.
"Any particular reason the bomb is in here?"
Daniel sighed. "It's a close-proximity bomb. It was found in here."
"So some snake wants to do away with Carter."
"It looks that way."
"Any ideas on how to turn it off?"
Daniel stared at Jack, "You're asking me?"
"Right."
"From what I've been told only Siler and Sam are capable of disarming a Naquada
bomb."
"So?"
"Siler's off-base. They're trying to locate him right now."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
"I don't suppose we can just let it go off?"
Daniel stared at Jack impassively, "Sure, being alive's overrated."
"This from the man that just keeps coming back?"
"I said it was overrated, I didn't say I didn't like it."
"Whatever."
"Fine."
"Last word freak," Jack mumbled as he took a closer look.
"The point... is Jack, it goes off, her experiments go off. Some of them are
pretty volatile."
"And that's bad."
"I would say so."
"Bomb goes off, various crazy Carter experiments go off. Which makes a pretty
big bang."
"That's pretty much it, yeah."
"How much time till it goes boom?"
"Ten minutes."
"And we're still standing here?"
"Seems we are."
"Do you know what the definition of 'stupid' is?"
They shared a look and quickly exited the office.
~
"I can do it." Sam insisted.
"Sam..." Janet replied, afraid to say that Sam's blindness would make it nearly
impossible.
"Janet, we have about seven minutes to decide whether or not I can do it. If
I can't, it's not like I'll be doing any damage. The bomb goes off and it'll
take out most of the mountain."
"They're evacuating as we speak, Sam. You should let one of the techs deal with
this."
"No." She took a deep breath. "Look Janet, I know I can turn it off. I'm going
to need some help, but I can do it."
Janet stared at her for a moment. "Fine. But I'm sending one of my nurses to
get the Colonel."
"Fine."
"He's going to be angry when he finds out you're doing this."
"So what's new?"
~
"Carter!"
Sam almost grinned. She had expected him to take longer.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Saving our collective asses. Sir," she shot back, annoyed.
Before he could say anything else, she tapped the bomb.
"I could use some help, sir."
She heard him sigh, and shuffle over to sit beside her.
"What can I do?"
"First, tell me whether it has a backup trigger mechanism. I need to know that
I can disable the timer and it won't blow up in our faces."
There was a silence while he studied the bomb, "Not that I can see."
"That'll have to do," she moved her hands along the top until they brushed rubber-coated
wires.
"What color are these?"
"You've got to be kidding me. This isn't going to turn into one of those 'cut
the red wire' situations, is it?"
"Probably. It might be yellow, though."
"Now you decide to be funny?"
"What colors are they, sir?"
He sighed again, "Yellow, blue, and red."
"Where do they lead?"
"Yellow goes behind the timer into the Naquada. Blue goes from what looks like
the spark to the timer. Red goes from the Naqauda to under the clock, but not
to the clock."
"Okay. Cut them all."
"What?"
"Cut them all."
"Why?"
"How much time is left on the clock?"
"A minute."
"That's why."
"Oh."
She heard a snip, and then nothing at all.
"Sir?"
"Not bad Carter. What do you do for an encore?"
~
"Actually sir, I didn't. Colonel O'Neill did."
Jack threw her a surprised glance.
"No sir. I did what Carter told me to do."
"Well, I'm just glad you did. Both of you. However, I do distinctly remember
ordering everyone to evacuate the base."
Sam looked sheepish. "Yes sir."
The general nodded, knowing she had gotten the point.
Sam frowned, "Where's Dad?"
"He left after we got back from P6X-112 to go take care of some things. He said
to tell you that he'd meet up with you on the planet," Daniel said.
"Okay."
"We're ready to move her," Janet said walking in.
"I'd really rather go under my own power Janet. I feel fine."
"For now. I'm not going to risk the virus attacking again while we're in transit."
"It'll only be for a few minutes."
"I'm not going to argue with you about this."
Sam sighed, and nodded her agreement.
Janet took a deep breath. "Let's go."