Chapter 6
Title : "I don't paint myself into corners anymore"
A/N : Sorry for the delay, next will come quicker and beta read.
So sorry for the mistakes. Thanks for the reviews.
BIG thanks for Icklepiglet.
Disclaimer : a very short part belongs to Kate Chopin. (extracted from The Story of an Hour, or The Dream of an Hour)
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Jack, Teal'c Janet and even Daniel were driving quickly to the bank. After having briefed Hammond about the situation, they've been allowed to go to the bank.
Daniel had insisted to come saying that Cassie was like his daughter and Sam as his sister.
They finally agreed with him and let him accompany them. They were all dressed in civvies not to attract the press. They were driving in an unmarked army van, no one daring to say a word.
They finally arrived to the bank to discover a pack of journalists, interviewing the policemen, trying to come as close as possible to the building.
Jack frowned. He got out off the car leaving his three friends waiting inside.
He called out to a policeman.
"Please ! may I talk to your chief ?"
"Sir, would you get away from here." the policeman replied without even looking at him.
Jack frowned again and came closer to the man.
"I'm colonel Jack O'Neill US airforce. Would you PLEASE tell me where your chief is ?" Jack hissed coldly, showing his official pass.
The cop bit his lips and showed Jerry to Jack.
"He's responsible fo..." the cop couldn't even end his sentence that Jack was already walking to Jerry.
From inside the car, Daniel was trying to comfort Janet. They were looking at Jack who was talking with a cop.
He finally came back to them.
« Daniel, give me your phone please. I need to talk to Hammond right now.»
« What's going on colonel ? » Janet asked but Jack didn't hear her.
He came back a minute later.
« That's okay now. I'm responsible for the operation. »
« You ? » asked Daniel.
« Don't forget that I've served in the special forces before joining the SGC. » replied Jack. « It'll be okay Janet. » he added.
She nodded, feeling a bit relieved to know that he would take care everything. She knew that he would never give up or risk the hostages' lives.
« How did you do ? » Daniel asked again.
« Hammond has relations. » Jack replied simply.
Daniel replaced his glasses on his nose and nodded.
After a while, the journalists were waiting behind a security cordon.
After analysing the situation, Jack asked for a phone to join the men in the bank.
**********
Tom came back from the vault.
« It's almost done down. » he said to Elliot.
This latter nodded and turned his head when he heard a phone ring.
Elliot looked at the hostages and at Tom. He made a sign with his head towards the phone.
Tom nodded and picked up the phone and waited silently.
« I am O'Neill from the Special Forces, who am I talking to ? » Jack asked avoiding to give them any suspicions by revealing that he was a marine.
Tom glanced at Elliot, and placing his hand on the phone, whispered :
« He says his name is O'Neill, he wanna know who's talking to. »
Sam glanced at Cassie hearing the name given by Tom. She felt a rush of relief coming through her.
« What do you want ? » Jack went on as Tom was still silent.
Tom chuckled when he heard the question.
« What do we want ? » he repeated so that Elliot could know what was goin' on.
Elliot reached a paper out of his pocket and gave it to Tom.
« We want a car waiting for us in half an hour, we want you to order every cop to leave the area and same for the journalists. And don't even think of an assault, or you'll have a little explosive surprise. » Tom said proudly.
« I'll see what I can I do but I need to be sure that you will not hurt the hostages. »
Tom looked again at Elliot and hang up the phone.
« They want guarantees. » he declared as the two men came back from the vault.
« Everything's okay. » Paul said.
« Excellent ! » Elliot smiled for the first time.
The four masked men looked outside and saw the cops and journalists going away from the bank.
« You should free some of the hostages to see your good will » a voice was heard from behind them.
They all turned on themselves to look at the guard who had just talked.
« And you would love to be one of them ? huh ? » asked Tom a hint of sadism in his voice.
Elliot came towards the hostages.
« Anyway, we don't need you anymore. We don't want to kill you so you're gonna be free soon... However, I'm afraid to say that one of you will have to stay with us...as a guarantee. »
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From inside the van, the three friends were waiting anxiously. They couldn't get out not to attract the attention, specially Teal'c.
Jack called them from time to time and explained the situation but it wasn't enough to calm their anxiety.
At first he had preferred not to mention the threat of a bomb but they were told the truth when the order of evacuating the surroundings had been given.
Obviously, they had refused to leave, and now, they were ones of the last, waiting in front of the bank.
Jack tried again to call the bank.
Once again, Tom picked up the phone as Elliot didn't want to be heard.
As Sam had noticed, something was wrong in his voice and he didn't want the cops to know it.
« I've done what you asked for. Now my superiors are asking for a sign of your good will. They're asking for you to liberate some hostages. »
« What about the car ? » Tom asked.
« You'll get it as soon as you'll let them free. »
Jack waited for an instant and heard the tonality of the phone.
« Damn it ! » he muttered under his breath.
**********
Elliot observed the hostages who were all praying to be free.
They knew that one of them would have to stay and that was scaring them. Elliot was making his mind. His eyes were wandering over the people in front of him.
Inside of him he didn't really care about who had to stay. Sure he wasn't going to choose the pregnant woman or the old man. His eyes were passing from one to another.
**
There was something coming to her and Cassie was waiting fearfully.
What was it ? The young girl didn't know, it was too subtle and elusive to name. But she felt it, creeping out of the sky, reaching towards her through the sounds, the scents, the colour that filled the stuffy air.
Something was going to happen but she couldn't tell what it was.
Carter was following Elliot's eyes. She saw him staring at Cassie and it scared her.
Sam closed her eyes for a moment. She had made the vow to protect her nation and its inhabitants, hadn't she ?
However she also knew that she was essential to the Stargate project.
And this very thought made her decide, when it suddenly occurred to her that her life seemed to have value for nothing but this project.
She looked around her. There was no way that she'd let them take Cassie as their hostage.
She also saw the pregnant woman. She should have someone who did more than 'care about her'.
« All here must have a life. A real life. » she thought.
She lifted her eyes and said without blushing or trembling :
"I will go with you."
"NO !" cried Cassie, grasping her hand violently, finally understanding her strange feeling.
Elliot nodded and didn't add a word.
Everyone looked at her. You could have read the surprise in their eyes but the relief of being safe was predominant.
"Why did you do that ?" Cassie asked crying.
"Shh. I'm gonna be okay. We're both brave. Don't you remember ?" Sam whispered with a small smile.
Cassie nodded and hugged Sam tenderly : "but why did you do that ?" she replied between her sobs.
Sam caressed her hair softly ad kissed her forehead.
"When you'll be out, would you say something for me to the co." Sam began but bit her lips as she noticed that Tom was listening to her.
"Would you tell Jack that I'll go with him, fishing in Texas ?" she asked with a wink.
Cassie nodded through her tears.
"I'll tell him."
"Don't forget, it is really important for me." Sam added.
The hostages stood up when Elliot told them to. They all whispered some thank you to Sam who didn't even seem to hear them.
She was thinking. She finally looked at Cassie again :
"Cassie...if he asks you why I did that..." Sam stopped and seemed to hesitate before adding "Tell him that I do what I have to do."
Cassie looked into her friend's eyes and saw some tears not of fear but of sadness.
"Sam...please, you'll tell him by yourself, won't you ?" Cassie replied
Sam bowed her head in sorrow and looked up at Cassie.
"Promise me that you'll tell him." Sam repeated again with pleading eyes.
Cassie looked straight into her eyes and promised her.
Sam nodded with a little smile and hugged her friend tightly.
"I love you Cassie." she whispered.
"I love you too Sam." Cassie replied in a murmur.
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A new chapter soon if you want.