BACK AT THE BASE:
Lara groaned as she struggled to regain consciousness. She felt as if her whole body was just one great big aching bruise. 'Dammit' she thought. 'I've got to get up!' She groaned again, and finally blinked open her eyes.
As the bright light glared into them, Lara shut her eyes again with a wince, before slowly opening them again. Slowly her vision began to clear and Lara found herself looking up at the face of an attractive brunette with a frown on her face. As Lara watched, the woman turned to someone who was standing beside the bed. "She's awake Colonel."
Lara turned her head and blinked as the room spun slightly. When she could see again, she saw the concerned face of Colonel O'Neill staring at her. Lara tried to greet him, but it took her a few tries before she could speak. "Jack." She said in a rough voice.
It was only then that Lara became aware of her surroundings. The bed beneath her had the firmness of a hospital bed and the white walls around her were not the building she had been in before. Lara looked up at the white ceiling above her and tried to swallow with her dry mouth. "Where am I?" she asked softly.
"Colorado." Jack told her.
Lara glared at him. "I was in Colorado when I last talked to you." She said, her voice gaining strength.
"Well you're still in Colorado." Jack said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Jack." Lara snarled in irritation. "Where am I?"
"Cheyenne Mountain Complex, just outside of Colorado Springs." Daniel said from Lara's other side.
Lara turned and smiled at him, before frowning as the words sunk in. "But isn't that used for nuclear testing?" she asked.
"No." Jack said. "But it's going to take a bit of explaining before we can tell you exactly what we do here."
Lara looked at Jack's serious face. "That bad, huh?" she asked.
At her words, Jack smiled wryly. "Yeah." He said.
"Well, as long as it doesn't include getting up for a while, it's fine." Lara said.
The attractive brunette came back into view. "Finally, a patient with sense." She said. "Can you sit up?"
Lara thought for a minute. "I'll try." She said.
The woman nodded. "You might feel a bit woozy. From what I've heard," she paused to level a glare at Jack, "you've had about two concussions tonight and I'll need to keep you for about 12 hours just to be safe."
Lara nodded, and slowly levered herself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the pain in her right elbow. "Easy." The brunette said, and helped her up.
Once she was sitting up, Lara noticed the bandage on her right forearm and elbow, and the various cuts and bruises dotting her skin. She looked at the woman, who was wearing Air Force uniform beneath her white coat. "Thank you." She said.
The woman nodded. "My name's Janet." She said.
"Or Doc." Jack added helpfully, and Janet rolled her eyes. Lara bit back a smile.
At that moment, a nurse appeared at Janet's elbow. "Ma'am, Sg-7's just come in."
"What's wrong?" Janet asked, as her face slipped from a look of amusement to one of cool professionalism.
She started towards the other end of what Lara now saw as a large infirmary, the nurse talking the whole time, only to be interrupted by Janet's questions. Lara smiled faintly and looked back at Jack. "Where are Bryce and Sam?" she asked him.
"We've given Bryce some quarters so that he could get some rest. Sam's probably in her lab." He answered.
"Lab?" Lara asked. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this explanation of yours. Particularly the man with glowing eyes."
Jack looked down at the battered woman on the bed, and saw the faint glitter of challenge in her eyes and the careful way she watched everything around her, and winced inwardly. Lara didn't miss a thing, he realised. "Oh, it's a good one, alright." Jack said.
"So, when do I get to hear it?" she asked bluntly.
"When the Doc says your fit enough to leave the infirmary." Jack said. "Get some rest, and it might be sooner rather than later."
Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack, as he walked off. "You'd better." Daniel said softly from beside her. "You'll need a clear head, if you ant to hear this." He smiled wryly at her. "I know I needed one."
Lara smiled at him. "I will."
Daniel returned her smile and began to walk away. Then he turned back. "Thanks for your help Lara. Jack won't ever admit it, but I don't think we could have get the stone back without you."
Lara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're welcome." She said softly as Daniel turned and walked out of the infirmary.
* * *
"Oh, don't believe her!" Janet said, laughing. "She's just as bad as the rest of them. Always rushing back to her lab and some experiment or the other!"
"I am not as bad a patient as Jack!" Sam cried. "I resent the comparison1"
Lara laughed in delight. "Oh I can agree with that, and I've never seen him!" she said.
"There was this one time," Janet said, "where he hurt his ankle on something, and he tried . . . oh, about seven times, to hobble out of infirmary!"
"Not to mention he kept trying to enlist the help of the nurses." Sam said, her eyes sparkling with humour. "By the end, he was offering a promotion to Colonel to anyone who would spring him. I almost helped, just to see his face."
Lara laughed. "So why didn't you?"
Sam leaned closer to her from where she was sitting on the side of Lara's bed. "You've never seen Janet mad, have you?"
Lara raised an eyebrow. "I see." She said.
Janet laughed. "I'm not that bad, really." She said.
Sam nodded her head exaggeratedly. "Oh yes she is! They don't call her the "Dragon" for nothing you know!"
"Just because I have to deal with a bunch of babies who don't know how to do what they're told!" Janet said.
Lara laughed again. "They obviously don't listen to sense then." She said.
Janet laughed. "Oh, I knew I liked you!"
Sam looked up. "Ahh, here we have examples A and B." she said as Daniel and Jack walked up.
"Examples of what?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"Genius." Lara said with a straight face.
Jack's eye's narrowed, and then he scowled as the three woman burst into laughter. "Why do I feel like the butt of a joke?" Daniel asked him.
"Probably because we are." Jack said dryly. He looked at the women. "Are you finished?"
"For now." Janet said, the edges of her mouth twitching. "But you never know."
Sam stood up and tried to hide the grin on her face. "Sir?' she asked.
"The General wants to see Lady Croft and SG-1 in the briefing room." He turned to Janet. "If she is allowed to leave."
Janet nodded, once again the serious doctor. "As long as you don't make her do any heavy exercise she should be fine." She said, somewhat sarcastically.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'll tell the General."
"You do that." Janet said, before walking over to see her other patients.
Sam handed Lara a pile of clothes. "These should fit you. The toilets are over there." Sam said pointing.
Lara nodded, and slowly climbed out of the bed. Surprisingly, the room didn't spin as she stood up, although the floor was cold beneath her bare feet. Because Lara was still trying to be careful and her right elbow was hurting rather badly, it took Lara about fifteen minutes to change into the blue air force uniform she had been given.
When she came out of the bathroom, she found Jack waiting for her. "Where are the others?" she asked him.
"Waiting in the briefing room." Jack said.
Lara turned to Jack. "What happened?" she asked. "Are you angry because I need to be told what's going on here, or did I do something to annoy you?"
Jack turned to look at her. "What?"
"You heard what I said."
Jack ran his fingers through his short hair causing it to stand up in spikes, and sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, Croft." He said. "It's just that sometimes I wish I didn't know what I do now. That I hadn't seen so many of my friends die. Or have seen so many disillusioned faces when they knew the truth."
Lara heard the honesty in his words and felt the regret and the sadness. "But how many would have died if you hadn't been there?" she asked softly.
Jack looked at her in surprise. "How did you . . ?"
"No one told me." Lara said. "But I saw you. You don't like leaving people behind and you would give your life to save those who are innocent."
Jack gave her a faint smile. "Think you know me pretty well, don't you?"
Lara raised her eyebrows. "Don't I?" she asked.
Jack laughed and extended a hand. "After you, my lady."
Lara smiled. "Thank you." Her eyes glittered. "Knave."
Jack grinned at her. "Of course I am."
Lara groaned as she struggled to regain consciousness. She felt as if her whole body was just one great big aching bruise. 'Dammit' she thought. 'I've got to get up!' She groaned again, and finally blinked open her eyes.
As the bright light glared into them, Lara shut her eyes again with a wince, before slowly opening them again. Slowly her vision began to clear and Lara found herself looking up at the face of an attractive brunette with a frown on her face. As Lara watched, the woman turned to someone who was standing beside the bed. "She's awake Colonel."
Lara turned her head and blinked as the room spun slightly. When she could see again, she saw the concerned face of Colonel O'Neill staring at her. Lara tried to greet him, but it took her a few tries before she could speak. "Jack." She said in a rough voice.
It was only then that Lara became aware of her surroundings. The bed beneath her had the firmness of a hospital bed and the white walls around her were not the building she had been in before. Lara looked up at the white ceiling above her and tried to swallow with her dry mouth. "Where am I?" she asked softly.
"Colorado." Jack told her.
Lara glared at him. "I was in Colorado when I last talked to you." She said, her voice gaining strength.
"Well you're still in Colorado." Jack said, trying to keep a straight face.
"Jack." Lara snarled in irritation. "Where am I?"
"Cheyenne Mountain Complex, just outside of Colorado Springs." Daniel said from Lara's other side.
Lara turned and smiled at him, before frowning as the words sunk in. "But isn't that used for nuclear testing?" she asked.
"No." Jack said. "But it's going to take a bit of explaining before we can tell you exactly what we do here."
Lara looked at Jack's serious face. "That bad, huh?" she asked.
At her words, Jack smiled wryly. "Yeah." He said.
"Well, as long as it doesn't include getting up for a while, it's fine." Lara said.
The attractive brunette came back into view. "Finally, a patient with sense." She said. "Can you sit up?"
Lara thought for a minute. "I'll try." She said.
The woman nodded. "You might feel a bit woozy. From what I've heard," she paused to level a glare at Jack, "you've had about two concussions tonight and I'll need to keep you for about 12 hours just to be safe."
Lara nodded, and slowly levered herself into a sitting position, trying to ignore the pain in her right elbow. "Easy." The brunette said, and helped her up.
Once she was sitting up, Lara noticed the bandage on her right forearm and elbow, and the various cuts and bruises dotting her skin. She looked at the woman, who was wearing Air Force uniform beneath her white coat. "Thank you." She said.
The woman nodded. "My name's Janet." She said.
"Or Doc." Jack added helpfully, and Janet rolled her eyes. Lara bit back a smile.
At that moment, a nurse appeared at Janet's elbow. "Ma'am, Sg-7's just come in."
"What's wrong?" Janet asked, as her face slipped from a look of amusement to one of cool professionalism.
She started towards the other end of what Lara now saw as a large infirmary, the nurse talking the whole time, only to be interrupted by Janet's questions. Lara smiled faintly and looked back at Jack. "Where are Bryce and Sam?" she asked him.
"We've given Bryce some quarters so that he could get some rest. Sam's probably in her lab." He answered.
"Lab?" Lara asked. "Oh, I can't wait to hear this explanation of yours. Particularly the man with glowing eyes."
Jack looked down at the battered woman on the bed, and saw the faint glitter of challenge in her eyes and the careful way she watched everything around her, and winced inwardly. Lara didn't miss a thing, he realised. "Oh, it's a good one, alright." Jack said.
"So, when do I get to hear it?" she asked bluntly.
"When the Doc says your fit enough to leave the infirmary." Jack said. "Get some rest, and it might be sooner rather than later."
Lara raised an eyebrow at Jack, as he walked off. "You'd better." Daniel said softly from beside her. "You'll need a clear head, if you ant to hear this." He smiled wryly at her. "I know I needed one."
Lara smiled at him. "I will."
Daniel returned her smile and began to walk away. Then he turned back. "Thanks for your help Lara. Jack won't ever admit it, but I don't think we could have get the stone back without you."
Lara raised her eyebrows in surprise. "You're welcome." She said softly as Daniel turned and walked out of the infirmary.
* * *
"Oh, don't believe her!" Janet said, laughing. "She's just as bad as the rest of them. Always rushing back to her lab and some experiment or the other!"
"I am not as bad a patient as Jack!" Sam cried. "I resent the comparison1"
Lara laughed in delight. "Oh I can agree with that, and I've never seen him!" she said.
"There was this one time," Janet said, "where he hurt his ankle on something, and he tried . . . oh, about seven times, to hobble out of infirmary!"
"Not to mention he kept trying to enlist the help of the nurses." Sam said, her eyes sparkling with humour. "By the end, he was offering a promotion to Colonel to anyone who would spring him. I almost helped, just to see his face."
Lara laughed. "So why didn't you?"
Sam leaned closer to her from where she was sitting on the side of Lara's bed. "You've never seen Janet mad, have you?"
Lara raised an eyebrow. "I see." She said.
Janet laughed. "I'm not that bad, really." She said.
Sam nodded her head exaggeratedly. "Oh yes she is! They don't call her the "Dragon" for nothing you know!"
"Just because I have to deal with a bunch of babies who don't know how to do what they're told!" Janet said.
Lara laughed again. "They obviously don't listen to sense then." She said.
Janet laughed. "Oh, I knew I liked you!"
Sam looked up. "Ahh, here we have examples A and B." she said as Daniel and Jack walked up.
"Examples of what?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"Genius." Lara said with a straight face.
Jack's eye's narrowed, and then he scowled as the three woman burst into laughter. "Why do I feel like the butt of a joke?" Daniel asked him.
"Probably because we are." Jack said dryly. He looked at the women. "Are you finished?"
"For now." Janet said, the edges of her mouth twitching. "But you never know."
Sam stood up and tried to hide the grin on her face. "Sir?' she asked.
"The General wants to see Lady Croft and SG-1 in the briefing room." He turned to Janet. "If she is allowed to leave."
Janet nodded, once again the serious doctor. "As long as you don't make her do any heavy exercise she should be fine." She said, somewhat sarcastically.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "I'll tell the General."
"You do that." Janet said, before walking over to see her other patients.
Sam handed Lara a pile of clothes. "These should fit you. The toilets are over there." Sam said pointing.
Lara nodded, and slowly climbed out of the bed. Surprisingly, the room didn't spin as she stood up, although the floor was cold beneath her bare feet. Because Lara was still trying to be careful and her right elbow was hurting rather badly, it took Lara about fifteen minutes to change into the blue air force uniform she had been given.
When she came out of the bathroom, she found Jack waiting for her. "Where are the others?" she asked him.
"Waiting in the briefing room." Jack said.
Lara turned to Jack. "What happened?" she asked. "Are you angry because I need to be told what's going on here, or did I do something to annoy you?"
Jack turned to look at her. "What?"
"You heard what I said."
Jack ran his fingers through his short hair causing it to stand up in spikes, and sighed. "It's not that I don't trust you, Croft." He said. "It's just that sometimes I wish I didn't know what I do now. That I hadn't seen so many of my friends die. Or have seen so many disillusioned faces when they knew the truth."
Lara heard the honesty in his words and felt the regret and the sadness. "But how many would have died if you hadn't been there?" she asked softly.
Jack looked at her in surprise. "How did you . . ?"
"No one told me." Lara said. "But I saw you. You don't like leaving people behind and you would give your life to save those who are innocent."
Jack gave her a faint smile. "Think you know me pretty well, don't you?"
Lara raised her eyebrows. "Don't I?" she asked.
Jack laughed and extended a hand. "After you, my lady."
Lara smiled. "Thank you." Her eyes glittered. "Knave."
Jack grinned at her. "Of course I am."