Buffy drove home and was met by Dawn's enthusiastic hug and another from Jon as well.
"I'm glad that you're ok." He murmured before pulling back.
"I didn't know you cared." She teased gently.
Dawn smacked her sister on the arm, "Let's go in an order a pizza, we're starving."
"Oh yeah? What did you work on to make you so hungry?" Buffy asked, then looked at her sister in amazement as she turned a deep red.
"Never mind." Buffy turned pink because she knew what they had been doing now.
Jon chuckled and wrapped an arm around Dawn, "Let's order that pizza, shall we?"
****
Almost a week later there was another important budget meeting that was running late. Jay was leaning back in his chair and groaning. "Tell me again why we need to buy this stuff from Military suppliers?"
General Hammond chuckled, "Because Colonel it's, oh, I don't know, the law?"
There was laughter around the table and the General dismissed them. It was almost midnight and as the department heads began to leave the General spoke, "Colonel Coburn, Colonel O'Neill, could you both please stay for just a moment?"
"Yes Sir."
Hammond waited until everyone had left then closed the door. He gestured for the men to sit down and he poured himself a cup of coffee.
In the resulting silence Jack was tapping his pencil impatiently on the table then he sighed, "You know, I wish I knew what happened to that goddamned machine." He looked up, "Not that I'm not glad that the Tok'ra won't be able to play with it but it bugs me not knowing."
The General smiled, "It's still on base."
"What?" both men chorused.
"But I don't know where."
"The only people who could move it are those marines and…" Jack trailed off, his eyes going wide. He looked over at Jay who covered his face and groaned.
"Oh shit."
"She did what she thought was the right thing Colonel." The General said softly.
Jay shook his head, "Does it mean that it was the right thing?"
"She's got good instincts Jay, I say let her run with this and forget that it ever happened. Though Jacob's going to be pissed."
Hammond snorted, "I think that personally he's relieved to see it go missing and have someone else to blame." He paused, "You know there is going to be official interest in your trip to the Nox homeworld."
"Yes Sir." Jay's voice was resigned.
Jack snorted, "Oy. They'll want a blow by blow of everything you ate and how many Nox there were and how many times you took a piss etcetera."
The three men chuckled and the General sighed, "Just stick to the facts Colonel and everything should be fine."
It was morning and Buffy was dashing around to get ready to leave. "Dawnie?" she yelled.
"I'm right behind you." Came Dawn's exasperated voice, making Buffy jump a foot high and squeak.
"Sheesh, I'm going to have a heart attack before I'm 30, I just know it." She complained. "Have you seen my brown boots?"
Dawn looked down and lifted a foot, "um, these?"
Rolling her eyes Buffy sighed, "Yes THOSE! Take them off, I need them for a trip I'm taking." They both looked at the stairs to see a fully dressed and yawning Jon walking down. "What's all of the ruckus down here?" he asked.
"The boot thief was just taking off my boots." Buffy said, tapping a stocking clad toe impatiently as Dawn pouted and unzipped them and kicked them over to her sister.
"Thank you." She bent down and pulled them on, "Listen, I don't know when I'll be back, but I guess it'll be late.
"Ok, be careful." Dawn said.
"I will. Jon, when are you leaving to the Academy?"
"2 more days." He rolled his shoulders for a moment.
Buffy laughed, "And you hate it don't ya?"
Jon snorted, "They're all so young!"
There was laughter from the women and Buffy picked up her bag, gave a cheerful wave and got into Jay's truck.
As she adjusted the seat she grumbled, "I need to get a smaller car." She started the engine and carefully pulled out and drove towards the mountain. She immediately noticed that she was being followed, they were good but Buffy was being paid to be paranoid. As she left Colorado Springs proper she noticed the second car. "Shoot." And began to use Jay's hands off speed dial.
Jay was in the passageway outside of his office talking to Jack and Daniel when he heard his phone ring. He waved them inside, "Just a second guys."
"Coburn."
"Jay, I'm just past mile marker 172 and I'm being followed by two cars, maybe more." Buffy's voice was tense and Jay immediately put her on speaker phone.
"What color are the cars Buff?"
Buffy concentrated on rounding the curve when she noticed a black suv pull up beside her, "Um, crap. Here's another one. I've got 3 black cars and an suv. Hey!" She yelped and they could hear the screech of metal.
"Buffy?" Jay was frantic now.
"They're trying to push me off of the road. Jay, I don't think I can get there, they're pretty determined." They could hear her suck in a breath, "Jay, I love you." There was another screech of metal and Jack turned and raced out of the office.
"Buffy, you hang on!" Daniel called and he could hear her nervous laugh above the incredible noise, "Trying to Daniel." Then they heard her scream and the sound of rending metal.
"Buffy!" Then there was silence.
Daniel and Jay both raced out of the office to be met by Jack, "I called the Highway Patrol. They're sending a chopper but we can probably get there quicker."
Daniel stood indecisively, then said, "I'll stay here to coordinate. You go." And Jack and Jay raced towards the elevators. Daniel ran to General Hammond's office and whisked through making the airman yelp, "Hey! Dr. Jackson!"
General Hammond looked up with a frown, "Dr. Jackson?"
"Buffy was just run off of the road by at least three black cars and an suv."
The General's face darkened and as he reached for his phone to do his own search, he looked at Daniel, "Tell the SG teams and notify her sister."
"I'm on it." And Daniel ran back out to let Sam and Teal' know as well.
Buffy gritted her teeth as the truck rolled over and over down the slope, over rocks and small evergreen trees, the seatbelt and harness holding her in but not keeping her from bouncing around. "Jay." She whimpered once as the truck rolled for the last time. The airbag inflated, then the glass exploded from the window, her head snapped back to hit something metal and she passed out.
Three cars pulled up at the top of the slope and several men piled out and scrambled down to the truck which rested on its passenger side. There was smoke from the engine and one of the men clambered up to check on Buffy.
"She's unconscious." He checked her pulse, noticing that her head was lolling to the side.
"Hurry, we need to get her out before it blows."
"Damn it." The one said and undid the seatbelt that was slippery with blood. "She has a head wound."
"Then we'll be able to see what we need to see won't we?" said another quite callously. They pulled her out and gently carried her up the slope and placed her inside the last vehicle. Then they all made u-turns and raced down the mountain.
Jay and Jack were in one of the base humvees and Jack was driving, his hands white on the wheel. Getting closer to the mile marker they heard a tremendous explosion and could see the smoke plume into the air around the next bend.
"Buffy." Jay whispered.
When they pulled around the next bend there was a highway patrol car and two civilian cars, their drivers all crouched as debris rained down. Jack and Jay screeched to a halt and jumped out, Jay racing for the fire. Jack grabbed him and Jay tried to twist around, "Let go!"
Grabbing both of his arms Jack gently shook him, "She's not in there. Whoever did this wanted her alive, ok?"
Jay's eyes met his and he nodded. "I'm going to get them Jack." He said viciously.
"You and me both, you and me both." They turned to talk to the highway patrolman who had begun to walk towards them after noticing their uniforms.
"Do you know what happened?"
Jack nodded, "It was Jay's wife. She was run off of the road not long ago. We all work at NORAD and we had her on speaker phone when it happened." They all looked up at the chopper that flashed overhead.
"I am so sorry Sir." The patrolman looked back at the fire. Suddenly you could hear sirens from the fire department. The truck and ambulance pulled up and they started spraying the fire, an emt watching impassively. Two firefighters crawled over to get closer to the smoking ruins and suddenly a head popped up, "There's no one in here."
Jay sagged in relief and Jack had to grab him. "See?" Jack said.
"There's a trail of blood up the scree, but nothing else." The fireman continued, walking over to the men. He wiped his face and looked at the patrolman, "Try calling the hospitals, a good Samaritan may have taken them in."
Another humvee pulled up behind Jack and Jay and Sam, Hayden and Teal'c crawled out, faces grim.
"Buffy Coburn?" Teal'c asked.
Jack shook his head, "She's not here." Sam radio crackled and she walked off a ways to listen, then came back. "No news Sir."
Jay walked off with the patrolman to give his report and Buffy's description then headed back to the others. "They have her. What are we gonna do?"
"I know who to call." Jack said and everyone got back into their respective vehicles to head back to NORAD.