CHAPTER FOUR: How hard you try

A/N: Hellooo!! Wow do you know how many reviews I got over the past two days!? Good cos I don't…but it's a lot!! *bows down at readers feet and praises them* Oh – just so you know – I'm not crazy…I'm just suffering mid-exam stress syndrome LOL!! It's made me go crazy, insane, bonzo, no long in possession of ones faculties three fries short of…*coughs* Sorry the fan fic…I'm sure that's what you all REALLY want to read!? Oh you want to read my author notes? I'm honoured…but really I think the fan fic is more interesting!!

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Just as Jack reached the door the alarm sounded. It wasn't the normal kind off offworld-activation alarm either, it was the something's up alarm. Jack turned to look at Sam, a worried expression on his face. The Goa'uld couldn't possibly have reached the base yet could they? He ran out into the hallway running after a group of airmen that had just run past, weapons armed. Sam wasn't far behind.

They reached a familiar place, Felger's office and entered it. Pushing through the crowd of airmen they saw the body of Felger lying bloody on the ground, kneeling next to him was a shocked looking McKay.

"What happened?" Sam asked, looking shocked.

"I came in and he was…dead…" McKay said.

"Oh my god," Sam said, covering her mouth with her hands.

Jack shot a glance at her, but decided that being too friendly at this exact moment would not be good for their publicity, and they had enough of that already. He bent down next to Felger and felt his pulse, even though it was quite obvious that he was gone.

Just then Janet and Hammond pushed their way through the crowd.

"Oh god…" Janet whispered as she reached the scene.

Hammond didn't even speak, but a look of fear and shock spread across his face as fast as lightening.

It looked like something out of a horror movie. He had been mangled and his corpse would have been unrecognisable if it hadn't been for the fact the killer had left his face unscathed. Jack couldn't bare looking at it any longer, he turned around and pushed his way back through the airmen to where the rest of SG-1 was now standing. Daniel had his arm around Sam…at least that prevented the problem of him having to comfort her in front of all these people.

Not that he didn't wish he could.

He looked at her, it would hit her the hardest, she had been the closest to Felger out of everyone on the base, except maybe his lab assistant who was crying in the corner of the room, another egghead comforting her. Sam wiped a tear from under her eye and pulled away from Daniel's comforting arm.

"Thanks," she said. "But we have to keep working – if we don't do something soon there's gonna be much more death and destruction."

As she turned to leave the room Hammond coughed loudly.

"I want everyone back to work as soon as possible, this is a horrible tragedy, but we can't afford to take the time off to grieve. We have a Goa'uld attack to thwart and a world who's watching and waiting for us to do so," Hammond announced.
Everyone seemed to agree, and slowly the room emptied out, leaving only Jack and Hammond standing there, staring at Janet who was attempting to bag the body along with an airman.

"Colonel I want you to find out who did this," Hammond ordered. "I can't have a murderer wandering around base."

Jack nodded. "Understood."

"Oh and Colonel…I want to know why," Hammond said, with that he turned around and left.

Why? Jack asked himself. Why would anyone want to kill Felger? Sure he was annoying and a bit obsessed with SG-1, but he never harmed anyone…except the whole Stargate system…but he didn't mean to do that.

"Bad day," he mumbled to himself, walking out of the room to begin his investigation.

~*~*~*~*~

Jonas wandered into Sam's lab smiling. She looked up and saw him, but she didn't smile back.

"Major…what's wrong?" he asked.

"Felger…someone murdered him…" her voice cracked but she held her composure.

Jonas lost his smile.

"Just now?" Jonas asked.

Sam nodded slowly. "I'm sorry…how are you? I haven't seen you for a long time. How's Kelowna?"

"I'm good…well I was…till someone called and told me Earth is about to wiped out by the Goa'uld, the press knows about the SGC and Felger's been murdered…" Jonas was talking more to himself than anyone. "This all has to be connected somehow…"

Sam looked at him blankly. "It doesn't matter how it's connected…it's happening and we have to stop it."

"Anything I can do to help?" Jonas asked.

"No here," she replied. "Daniel might need some help…actually I'm sure he'd appreciate it. Thanks anyway."

"You're welcome," Jonas said, but his mind was now elsewhere, trying to figure out the connection between the three events that had occurred in the past 24 hours.

~*~*~*~*~

"Colonel O'Neill."

"I swear if that's who I think it is…" Jack turned around. "Oh what a guess."

"You are not happy to see me O'Neill?" Freya asked.

"Well right now I can think of more dandy things to happen," Jack forced a smile.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Nothing," he replied.

"You are sneaking around the hallway holding a notebook…is this normal Tau'ri behaviour?" Freya questioned.

"No…I'm not sneaking around. I'm just being inconspicuous," Jack replied.

"You are doing a bad job of it," Freya said.

"Am not," Jack argued.

"I was wondering if you have thought about my proposal more in the past three years since I have seen you," Freya asked.

"Sorry what proposal?" Jack backed away slowly.

"Or are you still in love with Major Carter?" Freya asked.

Jack moved even further away. "Sorry, I don't believe there's anything between me and Carter…we're just friends and co-workers. As are we…well maybe minus the friend part…"

"O'Neill maybe you should take more notice of what is right in front of you before your world or at least the world as you know it falls apart around you," Freya stated. "Now I'm sorry I must leave, General Hammond has requested my presence."

"Please…feel free," Jack said, watching her walk off in the other direction. "I won't even complain about you leaving," he mumbled.

~*~*~*~*~

Janet stared at the body of Jay Felger.

"What happened to you?" she said quietly.

"That is a mysterious Dr Frasier," came a reply.

She jumped. "Oh my god, Teal'c you scared me."

Teal'c nodded in apology and stepped forwards. "I do not feel like I am being of use to anything at this present time. Would you mind if I assist you in discovering what happened to Dr Felger?"

"I'm afraid you're not going to find much…the killer has mutated the body so much it's impossible to tell what killed him and what occurred after death," Janet sighed loudly.

Teal'c stared silently at the dead scientist.

~*~*~*~*~

"Watcha doin Jonas?" Jack asked.

Jonas looked up from his position bent down on the floor. "The killer must've been trying to destroy something…"

"Shouldn't you be doing some sciency thing?" Jack asked.

Jonas ignored him and held up three pieces of scrap paper. "Whoever it was didn't want us to find out what Felger was researching…that's a sign."

"And how does that help us?" Jack asked.

"It mean the killer was probably a Goa'uld – or someone working for the Goa'uld…" Jonas replied.

~*~*~*~*~

Jacob Carter watched again from his position as 'guard' as the large circle started to glow and a face appeared.

"Report," Anubis said.

"I have removed the scientist and his work…but I'm afraid it has brought suspicions up high among the other scientists – they are now all keeping their work to themselves…" the Goa'uld reported, his eyes glowing in the process.

"Destroy everyone researching anything that could possibly stop the attack…" Anubis ordered.

"Yes my lord," the Goa'uld disappeared.

Someone's at the SGC killing off scientists…Jacob thought. He turned to leave the room to warn the Tok'ra but was greeted by the First Prime of Anubis.

"Well well well…Selmak we meet again," he grinned.

Jacob moved backwards only to ram into another Jaffa.

"That's right Tok'ra…we know who you are," he smiled and roughly pulled Jacob out of the chamber and lead him towards the prison…

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A/N: REVIEW PLEASE!!! There's more coming – I'm really into this now! lol