Lara looked at Jack. "On the run?" she echoed. "I think you'd better
explain this."
Jack winced. "I'm sorry, Lara, but I didn't know who else to turn to."
"There's no need to apologise Jack." Lara said to him. "I'd just like to know what I'm going to help you with."
Jack smiled with relief, some of the tension leaving his face. "You'll help me?"
"Of course." Lara said.
Lara motioned to one of the comfortable looking leather chairs in the centre of the room. "Please, sit down. Make yourself at home."
Jack watched as Lara sat down and swung her booted feet up onto the small coffee table. He smiled softly again and took the seat opposite her. "Do you want anything to drink? Eat?" she asked. "Although, I'm sure Hilary will have lunch done soon."
"Your butler?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Lara said. "Hilary is more of a caretaker than a butler."
She raised an eyebrow at Jack, still waiting for his answer. "No thanks." He said.
Jack took a deep breath and let it out. "Maybe I better start from the beginning." He said.
"It all started with a routine mission to P9X-861. The planet was supposed to be uninhabited and there was some sort of altar than Danny wanted to have a look at, so we went. We spent about 24 hours on the planet, and nothing seemed wrong. We met no one and Danny was having fun with his translating."
Jack closed his eyes for a brief minute, before beginning again. "At least that was, until about 12 hours ago. At about 1400 hours, Daniel disappeared. I looked around the clearing I was in, but I couldn't see him. And then someone - or something - hit me across the back of the head hard enough to knock me out. Carter and Teal'c had been collecting soil samples, so they weren't there."
"When I woke up, though, they were back and had the harshest and most angry expressions on their faces I had ever seen." Jack bit his lip. "Teal'c called me all kinds of things, and Sam just sat there in silence. I was tied up, and I had no idea what had happened. They kept me tied up until we got back to the base."
"The General wasn't there, and somehow the NID had gotten in charge. There was a Colonel Forest in charge of the SGC. I was checked out in medical, and then locked in a cell, Lara. Sam and Teal'c didn't know anything - and I found out why about an hour later."
Jack looked at Lara with anguish in his eyes. "I didn't do it, I swear to you." He took a deep breath and continued with his story, while Lara began to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She believed Jack was probably innocent of whatever it was, but that didn't mean everyone else would think so.
"Colonel Forrest came to the cell with an escort of Marines. I was to be charged with the murder of Dr. Daniel Jackson and court martialled at once. He said there was no doubt that I was guilty of the crime."
"Why?" Lara asked, shocked at what she was hearing.
"Because he had two eyewitness reports. Teal'c and Carter had both seen me kill him." Jack looked up with such pain in his eyes, Lara felt something tug at her heart. She had to help him, no matter what.
"I didn't do it Lara." Jack said, finally getting up and pacing the room. "I swear to you I could never kill Danny, no matter what."
"I believe you." Lara said softly.
"Carter came to my cell half an hour later. She asked me why I did it." Jack blinked and continued pacing. "Janet was trying to find out if I had been affected by some sort of toxin, but I saw Sam's eyes Lara." Jack looked at her. "She believed every single thing she was saying. And she truly meant it."
"I don't remember anything about what happened, apart from that blow to the head. That meant I wasn't alone. Although I doubted myself when I heard Carter's story. She said she saw me hit Daniel, again and again, before shooting him and getting rid of the body. But I swear I DIDN'T do it!"
"I know, Jack." Lara said. "You couldn't hurt Daniel if you tried. Or Sam and Teal'c for that matter."
"That's why I escaped. It sounds strange, I know, but it's the only way to prove my innocence."
Lara nodded, her face thoughtful. "Why didn't you just go through the gate."
"It was too heavily guarded." Jack said. "I wouldn't have been able to get through."
Lara grinned. "Then we'll just have to find a way then, won't we?"
Jack grinned back. "Yes, we will."
Jack winced. "I'm sorry, Lara, but I didn't know who else to turn to."
"There's no need to apologise Jack." Lara said to him. "I'd just like to know what I'm going to help you with."
Jack smiled with relief, some of the tension leaving his face. "You'll help me?"
"Of course." Lara said.
Lara motioned to one of the comfortable looking leather chairs in the centre of the room. "Please, sit down. Make yourself at home."
Jack watched as Lara sat down and swung her booted feet up onto the small coffee table. He smiled softly again and took the seat opposite her. "Do you want anything to drink? Eat?" she asked. "Although, I'm sure Hilary will have lunch done soon."
"Your butler?" Jack asked.
"Yes." Lara said. "Hilary is more of a caretaker than a butler."
She raised an eyebrow at Jack, still waiting for his answer. "No thanks." He said.
Jack took a deep breath and let it out. "Maybe I better start from the beginning." He said.
"It all started with a routine mission to P9X-861. The planet was supposed to be uninhabited and there was some sort of altar than Danny wanted to have a look at, so we went. We spent about 24 hours on the planet, and nothing seemed wrong. We met no one and Danny was having fun with his translating."
Jack closed his eyes for a brief minute, before beginning again. "At least that was, until about 12 hours ago. At about 1400 hours, Daniel disappeared. I looked around the clearing I was in, but I couldn't see him. And then someone - or something - hit me across the back of the head hard enough to knock me out. Carter and Teal'c had been collecting soil samples, so they weren't there."
"When I woke up, though, they were back and had the harshest and most angry expressions on their faces I had ever seen." Jack bit his lip. "Teal'c called me all kinds of things, and Sam just sat there in silence. I was tied up, and I had no idea what had happened. They kept me tied up until we got back to the base."
"The General wasn't there, and somehow the NID had gotten in charge. There was a Colonel Forest in charge of the SGC. I was checked out in medical, and then locked in a cell, Lara. Sam and Teal'c didn't know anything - and I found out why about an hour later."
Jack looked at Lara with anguish in his eyes. "I didn't do it, I swear to you." He took a deep breath and continued with his story, while Lara began to get a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She believed Jack was probably innocent of whatever it was, but that didn't mean everyone else would think so.
"Colonel Forrest came to the cell with an escort of Marines. I was to be charged with the murder of Dr. Daniel Jackson and court martialled at once. He said there was no doubt that I was guilty of the crime."
"Why?" Lara asked, shocked at what she was hearing.
"Because he had two eyewitness reports. Teal'c and Carter had both seen me kill him." Jack looked up with such pain in his eyes, Lara felt something tug at her heart. She had to help him, no matter what.
"I didn't do it Lara." Jack said, finally getting up and pacing the room. "I swear to you I could never kill Danny, no matter what."
"I believe you." Lara said softly.
"Carter came to my cell half an hour later. She asked me why I did it." Jack blinked and continued pacing. "Janet was trying to find out if I had been affected by some sort of toxin, but I saw Sam's eyes Lara." Jack looked at her. "She believed every single thing she was saying. And she truly meant it."
"I don't remember anything about what happened, apart from that blow to the head. That meant I wasn't alone. Although I doubted myself when I heard Carter's story. She said she saw me hit Daniel, again and again, before shooting him and getting rid of the body. But I swear I DIDN'T do it!"
"I know, Jack." Lara said. "You couldn't hurt Daniel if you tried. Or Sam and Teal'c for that matter."
"That's why I escaped. It sounds strange, I know, but it's the only way to prove my innocence."
Lara nodded, her face thoughtful. "Why didn't you just go through the gate."
"It was too heavily guarded." Jack said. "I wouldn't have been able to get through."
Lara grinned. "Then we'll just have to find a way then, won't we?"
Jack grinned back. "Yes, we will."
