"We do this my way. Understand, Hailey?" O'Neill had led them through the gate and they'd made straight for the nearest cover.
"Of course, Sir."
"Good, then." O'Neill straightened his cap. "We'll retrace the route we took on the way out. Approach base one with caution, and this time we stay together, okay?"
"Yes, Sir."
Carter watched the two of them face off. She knew the look in Hailey's eyes; she'd heard the tone in Hailey's voice before. Except that before, it was she who'd been determined to do everything she could when Colonel O'Neill had been taken. And it was one thing to be loyal, but she had no idea what Maybourne had done to deserve it from Hailey. It was almost as if... The Colonel had been correct. Now that they were off-world, she really did believe, however ridiculous, that there was more between them than there should be.
Carter followed the Colonel's lead, a few paces behind, flanking Hailey. The whole experience still didn't make sense to her. She'd lost two days and no one would tell her why. Colonel O'Neill was to defer to Hailey in matters of strategy. She had even been bumped up to Major on the strength of nothing she could identify. Even if Hailey was still a Lieutenant, she had to wonder if in her arrogance she'd take orders from her. And most ridiculous of all, there'd been the gravest issues when her father... at least they could trust him; but Maybourne?
They had eight kilometers to their first base, and according to Hailey's intelligence -- which no one else could verify -- only another twelve kilometers to where Maybourne was allegedly being held. The transport vessel Hailey had taken was now in the hands of the Tok'ra and no longer available to them.
There were just too many questions. Hailey had taken out four NID -- on her own; flown a Goa'uld transport -- on her own; Maybourne had got himself taken -- and now Hailey was all but leading his rescue attempt. And the Tok'ra were staying out of the way.
The silence was deafening.
They reached base one and hardly paused. Hailey looked around for any new signs, any disturbances, and found nothing. Or, nothing she thought worth mentioning. And it was clear that Colonel O'Neill wasn't happy, but once Hailey was done she stood waiting and eager to move on -- even when the Colonel called a ten minute break. Carter knew that Hailey was motivated, but there were limits.
And she didn't let up when they started off again. She kept her position perfectly, not saying a word, not even exchanging glances beyond what was required. It was almost a relief when she finally broke and ran ahead a few meters before quickly calling a halt. Colonel O'Neill had just been following a natural trail, but Hailey apparently knew exactly where they were. And even then she didn't stand still. From a pocket she removed a small device that she wouldn't let either of them see and appeared to scan ahead.
"Sir. Eight hundred meters due south," Hailey said, removing her pack. "If..."
"Patience, Hailey," O'Neill said. "We've got this far with me in charge, so we continue do it my way." Hailey had already opened her pack, but the look O'Neill shot her slowed her down. "Carter, you go see what you can... see. Hailey needs to... get her arsenal together. I'll stay here just in case." O'Neill frowned as the two Majors all but glared at each other. "Not that I don't trust you, Hailey, you understand, but I trust Carter just... oh, a whole lot more."
O'Neill sat uncomfortably as Carter moved off, as Hailey finished emptying her pack. He watched her curiously. She still had a Dragunov, but the second rifle he'd never seen before.
"SiG SG 550, Sir," Hailey said without looking up. "Swiss design; police issue in the Middle East; very adjustable; gas, semi-automatic; thirty rounds in the magazine. There's no flash-hider and it'll bloom out -- but Harry will know it's me." Hailey looked up at her slip of the tongue. "Permission to speak freely, Sir?" At O'Neill's nod she continued, "It means while your spraying all and sundry with your P-90, I can pick out my targets with single shots from any position. You've seen my file, Sir."
"Indeed I have." He pushed his cap back and scratched his head. "The parts that weren't blacked out."
Hailey nodded at his uncertainty, but carried on regardless. "Y'know, Jack." Hailey looked up at him more icily than he expected. "Didn't it once cross your mind why a spook from the Pentagon was in on the briefings?" And he certainly wasn't used to being addressed by his first name.
"Ah, Major?"
"Hear me out, Sir." She shook her head. "Didn't you once wonder why they kept Carter out of the way? Shit, the things they did to her before she was let in on this. You know they sedated her. They used a healing device on her so that her ankle would mend; so that when they reamed her and beat her the bruises wouldn't show; so that we could be certain she wouldn't alter her story if she was taken. So that afterwards she wouldn't remember, so that they could do it over again." She grinned unpleasantly. "Whatever happens, you and the Major will be absolved as a result of my actions. And if it'll make it any easier for you, they did worse to me and it isn't over yet."
O'Neill just stared at her.
"Sir, you and your precious Carter will never really know what you think of each other. But me and Harry?" She stopped and pulled a cigar from a pocket. "He's in here with me." She tapped her head. "Damn these snakes," she laughed as she lit the battered stogie, "but they make these things taste even worse; at least now they're totally harmless." She settled back against the trunk of a tree while O'Neill tried to accept all that she was telling him.
"You think they'll make a runt like me a Major for no reason? Y'know how Selmak got into Jacob? Think about it, Jack." For a few moments she puffed contentedly on the cigar. "Harry and I shared Kéla. It was his idea. For a month we shared Kéla between us until..." Her eyes flashed and remained lit with a glow that she knew O'Neill feared and hated. She lowered her head and the glow disappeared. "No one knows even a fraction of this -- certainly not Hammond -- but now you do, so you'll understand why I've got to get Harry back." She laughed. "When I said we were a good team... without him I'm as good as dead. It's the same for Harry. You know what I mean? Like you and Carter, but with the... Oh, don't look so disgusted, Jack. If only you weren't so damned squeamish. And speak of the devil, here comes the brilliant Major now." Hailey scrambled to her feet, grinding out the cigar and scattering the remains with a boot. "I know everything Harry knows, but it's up to you how we do this." She glanced in Carter's direction. "Sir."
"Well?" O'Neill asked Carter, rather more testily than he'd intended.
"Sir?" Carter glanced at Hailey, but she'd moved away, back to her rifles. "If Colonel Maybourne is being held there..." she stopped as Hailey looked back and nodded. "Then now will be our best shot. There's a dozen Jaffa..."
"A dozen? You mean exactly twelve? Or is that an estimate?" Hailey turned on her. "Say what you mean, Major."
"Exactly twelve." She looked questioningly at O'Neill, but he just shook his head for her to continue. "It's a small camp, square, fifty meters each side, maybe eighty meters from the nearest cover. There's a single pavilion in the middle. One Jaffa at each corner, one at the single entrance. Each has a staff weapon and a Zat. Four Jaffa walk the perimeter of the camp. There's one Jaffa inside..."
"How do you know?" Hailey interrupted.
"By the shadows cast on the side of the pavilion," Carter glared at her, exasperated. "Sir?" She asked the Colonel again.
"Continue, Carter. Hailey's asking the same questions I would... Just not as nicely, is all."
"Yes, Sir. Two Jaffa patrol outside the clearing." She turned to Hailey, only to see a broad smile on her face. "Their movement appears random," she concluded quietly. They both watched Hailey go to her pack. "Sir?"
"Yeah. Good question, Carter." They saw Hailey fetch out a small hand gun and fit a silencer to it." You have got to be kidding me, Hailey." He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Not a Walther PPK. Tell me..."
"Standard CIA issue, Sir. Of course, the silencer is mine."
"Of course it is. I take it you want to take out the two stray Jaffa?"
"Just being prepared, Sir." She glanced at Carter. "It'll be quieter than a Zat and you know I'm a good shot, Sir."
"You wanna do this on your own, Hailey?"
"I've done this before and no disrespect, Sir, but Colonel Maybourne is mine, Sir."
"Yeah, he is that. And for what it's worth, when this is over, you can keep him." O'Neill thought for a few seconds. "You can take them? Yeah, of course you can. What's your plan?"
"Sir, I'll terminate the two outside the perimeter. You and Major Carter head for the cover at the north-east corner of their compound. Take my rifles. Just place them on the ground a yard apart. If the Jaffa at the perimeter walk it as Major Carter suggests, I should be able to take out at least four at the moment the path of the outer Jaffa cross the inner; then the one inside, and maybe two more."
"Seven?" Carter asked, incredulous.
"Single shots to the head from a range of 150 meters, with two rifles, simultaneously. The first four less than a degree of arc, the one inside, and depending on the timing, the guard at the entrance, and perhaps another one behind on the perimeter." Hailey waited for the rebuke, before shrugging at Carter's silence. "Once you've delivered my rifles, your job will be to swing round to the west and take out the two or three left standing at the back. Use your P-90s as you will, but try not to lose control and don't hit the pavilion."
"But how will you know not to hit Colonel Maybourne..." Carter asked again.
Hailey turned to O'Neill. "Sir?"
"That's classified, Carter."
"I'll give you ten minutes to get in position. The first you'll know is when their heads explode." Hailey chuckled.
"This isn't a game, Major," Carter frowned.
"And I didn't ask for your assistance, Major," Hailey shot back. "You have no idea what I see when I touch the trigger." She turned to O'Neill. "It has to be this way, Sir. You know you can't tell her anything. Just let me do my job and get Harry out of there."
"Sorry, Carter, she's right," O'Neill said, stopping Carter's next question. "All yours then, Hailey, and good luck."
"Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir," Hailey said, beginning to strip out of her gear. "You might want to look away." She glanced across at Carter. "I'm small and light, I can move more quietly and easily like this," she said, finally removing her boots revealing rubber soled socks as she stood in a skin-tight, one-piece camouflage lycra suit. "Small, but perfectly formed," Hailey grinned.
"Yeah. Seen it before," O'Neill coughed. "Harry's idea, apparently." He shrugged at Carter. They watched Hailey run for all of fifteen yards before they lost sight of her. "You're with me, then, Carter."
"Yes, Sir." Carter walked quickly to match his stride, picking up the rifles in the process. "You can't tell me anything, Sir?"
"Don't hit the big tent thing," O'Neill said. "Never trust a snake. And," he picked up his pace, "believe me I wouldn't... you're... Heck, you know me, Carter. The way those two work together is so wrong."
"She getting to you, Sir?"
"Oh, more than you'll ever know, Carter."
"Yes, Sir."
O'Neill looked at his watch. "Six minutes. I'll take the rifles, you go round the back, I'll stay to the side. Stay alert." He waited for Carter to get out of sight before moving on. Just at the north-east corner he set down the rifles. He had no idea if he was being watched, but as casually as he could he moved back and placed a small digital camera hopefully pointing along Hailey's line of sight before taking up his position.
