Title: X-313
Author: Nym Washi
Summary: Sometimes life throws challenges, it's how we react that counts
Season: Future-I've seen up to Space Race
Spoilers: Anything up to mid Season Seven
Rating: PG-So far
Pairings: Nothing other than show scripted canon
Archive: Please ask me first
Disclaimer: If I owned them the series would be different, just borrowing, I'll clean up when I'm done.

BizzyLizzy: Good to hear you like it, don't assume too much though, who's to say the guys'll save her? Outside help perhaps? Oooh the possibilities!!

fizziks: Thank you! I try to make my cliff-hangers real-ish...not a whole set up. I'll post as soon as I can, but if you refer to the note at the bottom it might be a little while now.


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Tuesday 20 January - 0900 hours.

It had taken almost all night but finally around 4am General Hammond had conceded that it appeared the weather patterns on P3X 884, the test site, had calmed and looked to remain calm for the next six hours at least. With that said he had allowed SG-1 to take the preliminary scout and retrieval mission, retrieval because to the best of their knowledge Major Carter was not injured seriously or otherwise. The X313 was fitted with various safety measures, so the techs said at least.

Jack, Daniel and Teal'c stood at the base of the ramp waiting for the gate to dial, all three eager to get underway to rejoin their missing teammate. As the seventh chevron locked and the wormhole established, Jack O'Neill turned and looked impatiently at the control room.

SG-1, you have a go. The General's voice resounded out of the microphone giving Jack and his teammates a sense of satisfaction.

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Tuesday 20 January 2004 - Exact Time Unknown

Sam swiped at her forehead and pulled her hat lower trying to fend off some the the suns rays beating down on her. After rising shortly after what she'd guessed must have been dawn the Major had spent what she figured must have been a good couple of hours trying to get the communications system going on the X313 to no avail.

After that failed she'd tried to salvage her radio only to find it waterlogged and inoperable. Finally giving in that she as going to have to walk back to the stargate as no rescue team would spot her under the foliage she'd set out in the general direction she thought the stargate was in.

Only problem was that the planet was hot during the day, unreasonably so. The area where they'd chosen to test the prototype was a fairly open expanse, almost savannah-like except it rained more. It was flat, with dry grasses and occasional clusters of trees and bushes.

After wiping the sweat from her eyes for the umpteenth time Sam stopped and tried to get her bearings, any bearings. She thought the ship had stayed mostly on the designated flight plan, so with what she hoped was a mostly working compass and knowing the general direction of the gate she guessed she could make it back in a day.

Setting out again on a slightly adjusted path she couldn't help glancing over her shoulder, she felt like she was being watched, and followed.

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Tuesday 20 January 2004 - 1200 hours

Colonel O'Neill's sense of satisfaction was gone. Obliterated in fact by one Dr. Daniel Jackson. SG-1 was back at the SGC having just disembarked from the wormhole with Teal'c and the Colonel supporting an unconscious and bleeding Daniel between them.

The med team was already there, relieving Jack and Teal'c of their burden and loading Dr. Jackson on to a gurney. The General had appeared in front of them, obviously having left the control room to demand his explanation.

Colonel, what on earth happened? He asked, disbelief evident on his face. Jack looked at him and assumed his standard relaxed stance.

Well Sir, we'd been on the planet approximately and hour when we came across a clump of trees, it was in Carter's designated flight path so we though it was worth checking out, I told Daniel to wait until we had scoped the area to ensure it was safe after the storm, but you know Daniel. Jack shrugged and sighed.

The General questioned. Teal'c stepped forward to fill in the blanks.

Daniel Jackson disregarded O'Neill's warnings and charged into the copse of foliage. We followed but were too late, it appeared a tree that was uprooted in the previous nights storm activity had not fallen completely to the forest floor. It preceded to fall no Daniel Jackson.

Resulting in us having to haul him out and back to the gate, all the while he's damn unconscious and my Major's still missing!

Colonel calm yourself, we are currently preparing to send a UAV through to get an aerial picture of Major Carter's flight path. We'll know more then. In the meantime both of you get down to the infirmary for post-medicals.

No Sir, permission to go directly back to P3X 884 to continue searching for Major Carter.

Denied, until we have more information you'll have to wait Colonel. Besides, according to data retrieved by the MALP and relayed back while you were in transit there's another storm brewing. I don't want anyone else hurt out there. Jack opened his mouth to protest. Denied Colonel. Infirmary now. Jack shut his mouth with a snap and stalked out of the gate room followed closely by Teal'c. Sergeant Siler! Is that UAV ready yet? Hammond barked.

Yessir, ready for launch. Siler responded quickly wheeling the UAV into launch position.

Lieutenant dial it up! Hammond ordered as he move back up to the control room.

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Sam gratefully eased herself down into the little shade supplied by the also little tree. It was hot and humid and she was sick and tired of walking. Taking a swig from the water she was now very glad she'd taken on board, Sam let the coolness trickle down her throat. Putting it away Carter pulled out the water logged radio, even though it was another item in her pack, Sam had been hoping that with some time to dry and some cannibalised parts from the X313's internal radio she'd be able to mend it.

Popping the back off the case she started pulling parts out trying to find what was causing the malfunction. Hearing a low rumble Sam looked up. Funny, it sounded like thunder but the sky was deep blue, clear as a bell. The rumble sounded and again and Saw looked out across the horizon to the west where she could see what were probably mountains. The sky over there was ink black.

Carter stood quickly and stuffed the radio into the small pack she'd salvaged, looking quickly around for the nearest clump of trees she set off at a run. It was then that the feeling of being watched struck again. Glancing over her shoulder she saw nothing, but the feeling persisted. Major Carter had been around long enough to trust her instincts on something like this. Continuing to run she listened carefully, she could hear it now too. The sound of running feet, other than her own.

Out of the corner of her eyes Sam saw movement. Something large and black in the grass, she stopped up hard and fast. Pulling a piece of metal rod from her pack, the only weapon she'd been able to find in the wreckage. It may have been an uninhabited planet but Carter wasn't dumb enough to waltz around an alien planet with no protection.

She glanced to see how far off the storm was, it was coming in fast. Clouds roiling over one another, lightening striking the ground as she watched. Sam suddenly cursed her stupidity, she was standing in what was shortly going to be a very large electrical storm holding a metal conductor and heading for tall trees. She momentarily considered discarding the metal bar when she saw what had been tracking her.

A large black cat sat patiently several meters off. It was watching her, waiting until she tired enough to make its move. Sam looked at the cat and the storm, she knew from the little she had seen on the Discovery Channel that the cat if it was at all like large cats on Earth would follow her for hours, days even before it decided to try and kill her. Looking at the looming storm and back at the cat she made a decision, she turned and began running, hearing the steady pound of the cat behind her, close but not threatening yet.


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Nym- 13/03/2004

Yay me. Yes, I like cats. A lot. Yes, I did research this. Out of a month long study done last year only 10 out of 62 potential kills by a pride of wild lions was successful. That means that 5 out of 6 potential animal victims of lions get away. Cool, no? So there's still a chance Sam won't get eaten.

As for the storms, common misconception is that if you stand in a vacant field the lightening won't hit ya, wrong. It still will and if anything the chances increase because you are the tallest object for it to strike. I had lightening strike the trees in my yard...it goes boom. Very loud.

I have to go to Tasmania for a little while peeps, tomorrow at 6AM, so no updates unless I can get into some sort of internet cafe or something.

Thanks for listening to the rambles...