Camp Go'auld

Part nine

The scene from the control room was chaotic. No iris code had been received but Lieutenant Simmonds was unable to close the iris. Sam slid into the seat beside him, her hands moving so swiftly over the keyboard that they seemed to blur as she tried to resolve the problem.

'Something's jamming it sir,' Sam turned to Hammond and Jack standing behind her. 'I'm going to have to reboot the whole system and that will take a couple of minutes.' Sam returned to her station to complete the required actions.

'All units report to the 'gate room,' Hammond's voice came over the intercom, reverberating throughout the base, 'This is not a drill. Repeat, all units to the 'gate room.' A brief pause then he spoke again. 'Medical teams stand-by.'

'Major, how much longer?' Jack returned to Sam's progress.

'Another two minutes,' she replied calmly, remaining focussed on her task.

'Major, without the computer system we can't initiate the self destruct,' Jack reminded her, no indication of panic in his voice.

'I'm aware of that sir, I'm working as fast as I can.'

Jack said nothing, his attention drawn to the 'gate room where several Jaffa had just come through the 'gate and were aiming their staff weapons in front of them, charging and firing them simultaneously. The first blasts cracked the glass of the control room, while a second volley seemed to be aimed directly above them and they could hear the sound of the metal blast screen shielding the briefing room buckling under the heat and pressure. More Jaffa came through, this time bearing one of their cannons and aimed at the briefing room, the sound of metal screaming as it was torn through like paper could be heard clearly, accompanied by muffled cries.

Sam glanced up for only the briefest moment before she resumed working more frantically and finally was able to slam her hand down on the palm-reader to close the iris. For a moment it looked as though nothing was going to happen, then it began to close slowly, but not before more Jaffa came through. At last the iris was closed to the accompanying sounds of thuds until the gate shut down.

Sam dived for cover, peering into the 'gate room to see what was taking place. Eight Jaffa had come through and appeared to be winning. Many of the guards were injured, those who remained in one piece seemed to be fighting a losing battle as they retreated through the door. Then the additional personnel summoned by Hammond arrived and were more prepared, bearing sturdier weapons, they began to drive the Jaffa back towards the 'gate which Sam had managed to get open between blasts from staff weapons.

Only three of the Jaffa remained upright now, but they seemed to gain new strength as they began to go on the offensive again, pushing the humans towards the door. Just as it seemed as though they would break through, a tall figure appeared bearing a staff weapon.

'Duck!' He called, his voice full of authority. The soldiers immediately did as instructed and could feel the scorch of a staff weapon searing over their heads and into the approaching Jaffa. Two more fell under the ferocious onslaught leaving one remaining enemy to tackle, one enemy who was almost nose to nose with Teal'c now, giving him no opportunity to retaliate. The whine of a zat gun charging could be heard and a bolt of blue energy flew into the Jaffa, narrowly missing Teal'c. The Jaffa staggered but managed to remain upright, continuing forward. The zat gun fired again and this time, the Jaffa slumped forward on top of his companions.

'Duck, Teal'c?' Jack questioned as he powered down the zat gun, but still holding it in readiness.

'I have heard you use the word many times, O'Neill,' Teal'c replied, unperturbed. 'It is not an order Jaffa would understand, and as you see, it worked.' He looked a little smug at this statement.

'Yes,' Jack looked sideways at Teal'c, then moved to one side to allow the medical teams access to the wounded. As he did so his eyes fell on Kerry, standing unnoticed at the back of the control room and watching everything that was going on, her eyes flickering from the open 'gate to the bodies littering the 'gate room and the doorway. 'Kerry!' Jack spoke more sharply than intended, surprised at seeing her there. 'Where's Jonas?' Jack was cursing Jonas under his breath for not keeping Kerry out of the way.

Kerry stared through him, not hearing his words. 'Kerry?' Jack took her by the arm, shaking her gently to get her attention. 'Where's Jonas?'

'He needs help. When the window exploded he got hurt.' Kerry explained, her voice emotionless.

'What about the guards who were with you?' Jack demanded, angry that someone had slipped up big time.

'They got hurt too.' There was an oddly blank look in Kerry's face, her eyes shuttered. Jack grabbed a couple of medics and took Kerry back up to the briefing room, pausing at the top of the stairs when he saw the scene before him.

Jonas was lying on his side behind the table, the two SF's who had been on duty were both lying immediately below the window. One glance was enough to tell Jack that the other two men were dead, that there was never any chance of helping them. Jack quickly moved towards Jonas where the medics were checking him over.

'He's alive, sir,' one of the medics reported to Jack. 'His pulse is thready and his breathing erratic but he's been put in the recovery position. He has a chest wound and a cut on his head but I think he's going to be fine.'

Jack allowed himself to be shunted to one side while they prepared to transfer Jonas to the infirmary, Jack's attention returning to Kerry who was still standing listlessly where he'd left her. He sighed to himself as he realised he was probably the only one available to deal with her at the moment: Carter was tied up checking out the 'gate computers, Jonas was too badly injured and Dr Fraiser was going to be occupied with a full infirmary for the foreseeable future. This wasn't quite what he joined the air force for, but years of working alongside Daniel Jackson had brought out the more compassionate side of him and he knew he had to do something.

'So,' Jack said casually as he approached her, 'Want to get out of here?' He got a reaction this time as she nodded fiercely, her gaze falling on the dead men in the room. 'Ok. Let's grab some coffee then.' Before they could leave, General Hammond appeared from the lower level, his eyes falling on Jack and Kerry.

'Colonel?'

'Jonas was injured and has been taken to the infirmary. You'll need to get someone clear up here, sir,' Jack tilted his head in the direction of the window and the two men still there. 'I've got a few things to take care of.' Hammond nodded his dismissal and Jack steered Kerry out of the room.

Ten minutes later they were sitting in the mess hall, mugs of hot chocolate in front of them. Kerry was silent, gazing at the steam rising from her chocolate, her eyes unfocussed. Jack sat watching her, recognising the signs of shock, knowing that the sooner she talked about it the easier it would be for her. After a few more minutes, Jack touched her arm, pointing at her drink and making a drinking signal using his own mug.

'You know, this stuff is called hot chocolate for a reason,' Jack said lightly. 'It's supposed to be drunk when it's hot.' He was rewarded with a small smile and Kerry obediently drank up, cradling the empty mug in her hands as though seeking out some extra warmth, Jack reached out to feel her hands, eliciting a surprised look from Kerry who was now beginning to come back down to earth. 'Here,' Jack took off his jacket and put it round her shoulders, making Kerry realise how cold she was.

'So.' Jack said. 'Want to tell me what happened?'

'A couple of blasts hit the window, Jonas made me get on the floor behind the table,' Kerry spoke numbly. 'Then some bigger blasts came through. The two guards were on their way down the staircase and Jonas was looking to see what was happening. Jonas got hit in the chest and he knocked his head on the corner of the table. The guards were right next to the window. They didn't stand a chance. I tried to see if I could help them but they were…they were…' Kerry's voice trailed off for a moment before she spoke again. 'Jonas was still alive and I heard General Hammond call for the medical teams. I thought I could get him some help. He didn't seem very well and I was afraid he'd…I thought he might…' Kerry came to a halt.

Jack waited for her to continue but she remained silent, he'd expected some kind of outburst and he was getting worried. 'Want some more hot chocolate?'

'No. I…' It looked like the icy exterior was about to crumble, but Jack could see Kerry pull herself together and she fell silent again, shivering in spite of the jacket she was wearing, stifling a yawn.

'You look like you could use some sleep,' Jack said, suddenly noticing how tired she was looking, recalling that she was still recovering from her own injuries. 'I'll show you to one of the VIP rooms.'

They made their way through the busy corridors until they reached their destination. Jack opened the door and showed Kerry into the room, making sure she had everything she needed before turning to leave. He was nearly out of the door when a sound brought him back, the sound of a stifled sob.

'Kerry?' Jack kept his distance, feeling awkward. Kerry looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears which were spilling down and working their way down her face. She dashed her hand across her face, wiping the tears away.

'I'm alright,' she hiccupped, trying to sound normal. 'I'm just tired, I'll be fine after I've had some sleep.' She turned away from him, her shaking shoulders belying the words she had spoken. Jack moved towards her instinctively and caught her in a hug, one hand rubbing her back while the other held her head securely against his shoulder. He could feel her tenseness evaporate as she dissolved into tears, sobbing away the shock.

After a few minutes he could feel her pulling away.

'You ok?' He asked gently, relieved when she nodded in response. 'I'll let you get some sleep. There'll be someone outside the door in case you need anything. You sure you're alright?' Jack could see that she felt embarrassed by what had happened but wanted to be certain she really would be alright on her own and was satisfied when he received another nod and a small smile. 'Ok, well, I'll say good night then.'