PLAN AND ATTACK:
Lara watched the early morning traffic go by and leaned back against the car behind her. In front of her, the Colonel was pacing. The Major, Daniel and Bryce had gone across the road for coffee and food - both of which Lara needed quite badly. Their big, silent friend was still inside the car and he appeared to be meditating. Lara still wasn't too sure what to make of that.
"Dammit!" Jack snapped. "We have got to find that stone!"
Lara looked at him. "Bryce could try and locate the woman through the computer." She suggested.
"We don't have time." Jack said. "Besides, the NID will be watching."
"Then maybe I can help." said a masculine voice.
Lara spun to see a slightly dishevelled looking man in a leather jacket standing off to the side of the jeep. "Maybourne!" Jack growled.
"Jack." Maybourne returned evenly, before turning towards Lara. "Lady Croft."
"What do you want?" Jack snapped.
"To help."
"Why?" Jack asked warily. "What's in it for you?"
"Because I owe you." Maybourne said. "And I have as much interest as you to see the NID fail."
"Fail at what?" Lara asked.
"Retrieving the stone, of course." Maybourne eyed their wary faces. "This file should explain everything."
Jack took the offered folder. "Sorry I can't stay longer, Jack." Maybourne said. "But you know how it is . . . "
" . . . being a wanted man." Jack finished for him.
Maybourne smiled wryly at Jack, nodded at Lara and was gone. Jack leant back against the car and began to read. By the time the others got back, carrying food and coffee, Jack was scowling and Lara was in desperate need for some coffee. "Sir?" the Major asked softly.
"Slimy NID bastards." Jack muttered, and looked up.
Lara looked expectantly at Jack. "So?"
"So, what?" Jack asked irritably.
"What's in the file?" Lara frowned. "And for that matter, who is Maybourne and why do you distrust him so?"
"Maybourne used to work for the NID." Jack said. "What's to trust?"
Lara frowned at him, but before she could ask another question that would inevitably irritate the Colonel, Carter stepped in. "What is in the file, sir?" she asked him.
Jack frowned at her. "The new location of the stone."
"But that's good news!" Daniel said, passing Lara her coffee.
"No it's not." Jack snapped. "Because the stone is stuck in the middle of a cult - which is headed by one of our old friends. Take a look."
Jack handed the file to Carter. Her eyebrows rose as she read it. "Uh oh." Daniel said softly when he saw what she was reading.
"What is going on?" Lara snapped. Jack turned to her. "Thank you for your help, Miss Croft, but it seems we won't be needing your help anymore."
"What?!" Lara snapped. "We had a deal!"
"And we'll honour it." Jack said. "Someone will contact you with the details."
"And what am I supposed to do now?" Lara asked.
"That is up to you." Jack said, and climbed into the driver's seat. "Get in." he snapped to his team.
"Wait a minute! You can't just leave me here." Lara said.
"This is classified business. I'm sorry." Jack said.
Before Lara could do anything else, Jack started the motor and roared off, leaving Lara and Bryce by the side of the road, Lara's bags at her feet. "What are we going to do, now?" Bryce asked.
"Dammit." Lara snapped. "I would follow them if I knew where they were going. There's something about that stone, they're not telling me. Something important."
"Well . . . actually Lara, we do know where they're going." Bryce said.
Lara turned to him. "What?"
"I caught a glimpse of the file as they were reading it."
Lara grinned. "So, where are we going?" she asked.
"Colorado Springs."
* * *
"Jack . . . " Daniel began, as the car sped off away from Lara and Bryce.
"What?" Jack snapped.
"We shouldn't just have left her like that. She could have helped us."
"He's right, sir." Sam agreed.
"Have either of you forgotten what was in that file. She's a civilian, and not part of the program. Running into a Goa'uld would not be a good idea with her around." Jack said.
"O'Neill has a point." Teal'c said. "But I believe Lara-Croft would be a good ally."
"But she doesn't know about the Goa'uld!" Jack said. "It's not our decision to make."
* * *
A couple of hours later, SG-1 was just outside Colorado Springs. "The instillation is 10 kilometres out of town, sir." Jack was explaining into the phone. "According to Maybourne, there should only be about 25 followers in there."
"Colonel, are you sure about this?" General Hammond asked from the other end of the line. "Maybourne could be leading you into a trap."
"And he could be right. We can't leave a Goa'uld running around Earth, sir. Especially with that stone."
"Alright." General Hammond said, considering. "Check it out. And Colonel," he warned. "This is recon only. I don't want you going in there before we know what's going on."
"Yes, sir." Jack replied and hung up.
He turned to his team. "We have a go." He said.
Lara watched the early morning traffic go by and leaned back against the car behind her. In front of her, the Colonel was pacing. The Major, Daniel and Bryce had gone across the road for coffee and food - both of which Lara needed quite badly. Their big, silent friend was still inside the car and he appeared to be meditating. Lara still wasn't too sure what to make of that.
"Dammit!" Jack snapped. "We have got to find that stone!"
Lara looked at him. "Bryce could try and locate the woman through the computer." She suggested.
"We don't have time." Jack said. "Besides, the NID will be watching."
"Then maybe I can help." said a masculine voice.
Lara spun to see a slightly dishevelled looking man in a leather jacket standing off to the side of the jeep. "Maybourne!" Jack growled.
"Jack." Maybourne returned evenly, before turning towards Lara. "Lady Croft."
"What do you want?" Jack snapped.
"To help."
"Why?" Jack asked warily. "What's in it for you?"
"Because I owe you." Maybourne said. "And I have as much interest as you to see the NID fail."
"Fail at what?" Lara asked.
"Retrieving the stone, of course." Maybourne eyed their wary faces. "This file should explain everything."
Jack took the offered folder. "Sorry I can't stay longer, Jack." Maybourne said. "But you know how it is . . . "
" . . . being a wanted man." Jack finished for him.
Maybourne smiled wryly at Jack, nodded at Lara and was gone. Jack leant back against the car and began to read. By the time the others got back, carrying food and coffee, Jack was scowling and Lara was in desperate need for some coffee. "Sir?" the Major asked softly.
"Slimy NID bastards." Jack muttered, and looked up.
Lara looked expectantly at Jack. "So?"
"So, what?" Jack asked irritably.
"What's in the file?" Lara frowned. "And for that matter, who is Maybourne and why do you distrust him so?"
"Maybourne used to work for the NID." Jack said. "What's to trust?"
Lara frowned at him, but before she could ask another question that would inevitably irritate the Colonel, Carter stepped in. "What is in the file, sir?" she asked him.
Jack frowned at her. "The new location of the stone."
"But that's good news!" Daniel said, passing Lara her coffee.
"No it's not." Jack snapped. "Because the stone is stuck in the middle of a cult - which is headed by one of our old friends. Take a look."
Jack handed the file to Carter. Her eyebrows rose as she read it. "Uh oh." Daniel said softly when he saw what she was reading.
"What is going on?" Lara snapped. Jack turned to her. "Thank you for your help, Miss Croft, but it seems we won't be needing your help anymore."
"What?!" Lara snapped. "We had a deal!"
"And we'll honour it." Jack said. "Someone will contact you with the details."
"And what am I supposed to do now?" Lara asked.
"That is up to you." Jack said, and climbed into the driver's seat. "Get in." he snapped to his team.
"Wait a minute! You can't just leave me here." Lara said.
"This is classified business. I'm sorry." Jack said.
Before Lara could do anything else, Jack started the motor and roared off, leaving Lara and Bryce by the side of the road, Lara's bags at her feet. "What are we going to do, now?" Bryce asked.
"Dammit." Lara snapped. "I would follow them if I knew where they were going. There's something about that stone, they're not telling me. Something important."
"Well . . . actually Lara, we do know where they're going." Bryce said.
Lara turned to him. "What?"
"I caught a glimpse of the file as they were reading it."
Lara grinned. "So, where are we going?" she asked.
"Colorado Springs."
* * *
"Jack . . . " Daniel began, as the car sped off away from Lara and Bryce.
"What?" Jack snapped.
"We shouldn't just have left her like that. She could have helped us."
"He's right, sir." Sam agreed.
"Have either of you forgotten what was in that file. She's a civilian, and not part of the program. Running into a Goa'uld would not be a good idea with her around." Jack said.
"O'Neill has a point." Teal'c said. "But I believe Lara-Croft would be a good ally."
"But she doesn't know about the Goa'uld!" Jack said. "It's not our decision to make."
* * *
A couple of hours later, SG-1 was just outside Colorado Springs. "The instillation is 10 kilometres out of town, sir." Jack was explaining into the phone. "According to Maybourne, there should only be about 25 followers in there."
"Colonel, are you sure about this?" General Hammond asked from the other end of the line. "Maybourne could be leading you into a trap."
"And he could be right. We can't leave a Goa'uld running around Earth, sir. Especially with that stone."
"Alright." General Hammond said, considering. "Check it out. And Colonel," he warned. "This is recon only. I don't want you going in there before we know what's going on."
"Yes, sir." Jack replied and hung up.
He turned to his team. "We have a go." He said.