Sam was unconscious and Daniel, Shawn and the other Marine were all
crouched next to her, the Marine looking for more threats, the other two
men trying to assess what injuries she'd taken from the blast. Jack knelt
next to her as well, his fingers searching for a pulse.
"She's alive, Jack," Daniel told him. "Just knocked out."
"The bolt didn't hit her full force," Shawn said. "If it had, she'd probably be dead. As it is, I think she'll wake up with nothing more than a nasty headache."
"You have experience with this weapon?" Teal'c asked, picking up the wicked looking firearm that the assassin had dropped when Jaffer slashed his wrist open.
"It's a B'kedricti." Shawn said, nodding. "Standard weapon for Ashraks. I've seen more than a few. Very nasty."
"Can it get though their armor?" Jack asked. Obviously a 9-millimeter shell couldn't.
"Yes."
"Good." He gave Carter another glance, just to remind himself that she wasn't hurt badly, and then stood up. "Teal'c, you and Peterson go call up the troops. I don't know how many more of those things there are on this base, but we're going to track the bastards down before they come looking for us." He looked down at Jaffer, who was still bristling, slightly, and looking around as if trying to figure out where the quarry had vanished to. Jack was equally disturbed, his hackles still up, even though he was calmly standing next to Teal'c.
"I want every dog on the base down here with a handler. Jaffer knew the guy was here way before I did, and that's all the advantage we have right now." He called the black lab to his side, and took the B'kedricti from Teal'c. "I'm going to get Carter to the infirmary, then I'll meet you in the briefing room."
"I shall be there, with reinforcements."
Teal'c and one of the Marines left, and Jack looked down the hall suspiciously, and then looked at Jaffer, as though checking to make sure thee wasn't another assassin lurking nearby. "Daniel? Will you help Roberts carry Sam?" Shawn wasn't up to helping, and Jack didn't want his hands full in case they came across another invisible enemy.
"Of course."
Daniel and the remaining Marine picked Carter up carefully, and with Jaffer and Jack leading, and Shawn trailing behind holding the Marine's zat to cover the rear, they went to the infirmary.
"It's about time you came back," Fraiser said when the door opened and Jaffer and Jack walked in. "I was about to send-"
She interrupted herself when she saw Daniel and the Marine carrying an obviously unconscious Sam, and noticed that Jack was looking deadly serious and carrying a weapon she'd never seen before
"What happened?" She gestured for the men to lay Carter in the bed that Shawn had been in, and as they did Shawn entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaning heavily against it, even though he tried to hide the fact.
"We've got some unwanted company on the base, Doc," Jack said. "An Ashrak assassin just about had us in the hall."
"What did he hit her with?" Fraiser asked, assuming correctly that that was the reason Carter was unconscious.
"This thing." Jack showed Fraiser the weapon. "It shot some kind of energy bolt at her."
"It's a shock bolt, Doctor Fraiser," Shawn told her from his position by the door. "It's a mixture of a concussion grenade and an electrical shock. It's probably just knocked her out since it didn't hit her straight on."
"I'll make sure," Janet said, looking at the young man in surprise. He obviously knew a lot more about the weapon Jack was holding than the Colonel did. "Are there anymore of these people on base?"
"I'm going to find out," Jack said. "Daniel, you're with me. Roberts, you stay and keep an eye on things here."
"I'll come with you, Jack." Shawn said.
"No, you'll stay here." He wasn't in any shape to go running around the corridors.
"But-"
"Do what you're told," Jack said, handing the B'kedricti to him.
The chin came up, and the young man's jaw tightened. Jack knew he was about to argue, and cut him off before he could say a word. Speaking slowly, and making sure to enunciate every word clearly, Jack made his orders unambiguous.
"You'll stay here, and you'll guard Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser. That is an order, Lieutenant Colonel. Do you understand?"
"I can help-"
"You'll be more help here."
"I'm not a child, Jack!"
"Colonel!" Jack's temper flared, as it was wont to do when he was worried. "You will do what I tell you, or I'll slap you in irons and chain you to the door knob. Do I make myself clear?"
There was a moment. Just a brief moment when Jack thought Shawn was going to continue the argument. After all, he was his father's son. However, he was also an officer in the United States Air Force, and years of military discipline had done for him what it didn't do for Jack – taught him to follow orders that were given by a superior officer, no matter how much he didn't want to.
"Yes, Sir." The words were soft, and there was a glitter of anger in Shawn's brown eyes, but Jack ignored it. The boy could hate him, as long as he lived to.
"Good." He took the zat from Shawn and tossed it to Daniel, who caught it easily. "I'm going to leave Jaffer with you. If he so much as raises an ear, I want you to watch the door and shoot anything that comes through it. Even if you don't see anything. Understand?"
"But, what-"
"Do you understand? Yes or no?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Roberts?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Doc, if Carter wakes up, keep her here, no matter what she tells you. Unless you hear otherwise, from me, no one leaves this room until I give an all clear."
"Yes, Sir."
"Let's go, Daniel."
Jack moved to the door, followed by Daniel and Jaffer, but Jack signaled the black lab to stay put. It was obvious to everyone that the dog was no more pleased to be left behind than Shawn was, but Jack didn't change his mind.
He closed the door behind him and Daniel, and looked down the hall, feeling fairly well exposed.
"You know..." Daniel said as he looked down the hall in the other direction, feeling just as naked as Jack. "You're not always going to be able to protect them."
Jack's actions hadn't fooled Daniel a bit. True, Sam was hurt and needed protection, just in case, but it hadn't escaped Daniel's attention that O'Neill had just put the two people he cared most about in the world in the same small room, with the only two things that would probably be any use against the Ashrak, besides Teal'c's staff weapon – the B'kedricti, and Jaffer.
"Yes, I will." He turned and started towards the elevators, his Beretta held out in front of him. The weapon wouldn't do much good, but it would knock the Ashrak down and immobilize it long enough for Daniel to use his zat.
"She's alive, Jack," Daniel told him. "Just knocked out."
"The bolt didn't hit her full force," Shawn said. "If it had, she'd probably be dead. As it is, I think she'll wake up with nothing more than a nasty headache."
"You have experience with this weapon?" Teal'c asked, picking up the wicked looking firearm that the assassin had dropped when Jaffer slashed his wrist open.
"It's a B'kedricti." Shawn said, nodding. "Standard weapon for Ashraks. I've seen more than a few. Very nasty."
"Can it get though their armor?" Jack asked. Obviously a 9-millimeter shell couldn't.
"Yes."
"Good." He gave Carter another glance, just to remind himself that she wasn't hurt badly, and then stood up. "Teal'c, you and Peterson go call up the troops. I don't know how many more of those things there are on this base, but we're going to track the bastards down before they come looking for us." He looked down at Jaffer, who was still bristling, slightly, and looking around as if trying to figure out where the quarry had vanished to. Jack was equally disturbed, his hackles still up, even though he was calmly standing next to Teal'c.
"I want every dog on the base down here with a handler. Jaffer knew the guy was here way before I did, and that's all the advantage we have right now." He called the black lab to his side, and took the B'kedricti from Teal'c. "I'm going to get Carter to the infirmary, then I'll meet you in the briefing room."
"I shall be there, with reinforcements."
Teal'c and one of the Marines left, and Jack looked down the hall suspiciously, and then looked at Jaffer, as though checking to make sure thee wasn't another assassin lurking nearby. "Daniel? Will you help Roberts carry Sam?" Shawn wasn't up to helping, and Jack didn't want his hands full in case they came across another invisible enemy.
"Of course."
Daniel and the remaining Marine picked Carter up carefully, and with Jaffer and Jack leading, and Shawn trailing behind holding the Marine's zat to cover the rear, they went to the infirmary.
"It's about time you came back," Fraiser said when the door opened and Jaffer and Jack walked in. "I was about to send-"
She interrupted herself when she saw Daniel and the Marine carrying an obviously unconscious Sam, and noticed that Jack was looking deadly serious and carrying a weapon she'd never seen before
"What happened?" She gestured for the men to lay Carter in the bed that Shawn had been in, and as they did Shawn entered the room and closed the door behind him, leaning heavily against it, even though he tried to hide the fact.
"We've got some unwanted company on the base, Doc," Jack said. "An Ashrak assassin just about had us in the hall."
"What did he hit her with?" Fraiser asked, assuming correctly that that was the reason Carter was unconscious.
"This thing." Jack showed Fraiser the weapon. "It shot some kind of energy bolt at her."
"It's a shock bolt, Doctor Fraiser," Shawn told her from his position by the door. "It's a mixture of a concussion grenade and an electrical shock. It's probably just knocked her out since it didn't hit her straight on."
"I'll make sure," Janet said, looking at the young man in surprise. He obviously knew a lot more about the weapon Jack was holding than the Colonel did. "Are there anymore of these people on base?"
"I'm going to find out," Jack said. "Daniel, you're with me. Roberts, you stay and keep an eye on things here."
"I'll come with you, Jack." Shawn said.
"No, you'll stay here." He wasn't in any shape to go running around the corridors.
"But-"
"Do what you're told," Jack said, handing the B'kedricti to him.
The chin came up, and the young man's jaw tightened. Jack knew he was about to argue, and cut him off before he could say a word. Speaking slowly, and making sure to enunciate every word clearly, Jack made his orders unambiguous.
"You'll stay here, and you'll guard Major Carter and Doctor Fraiser. That is an order, Lieutenant Colonel. Do you understand?"
"I can help-"
"You'll be more help here."
"I'm not a child, Jack!"
"Colonel!" Jack's temper flared, as it was wont to do when he was worried. "You will do what I tell you, or I'll slap you in irons and chain you to the door knob. Do I make myself clear?"
There was a moment. Just a brief moment when Jack thought Shawn was going to continue the argument. After all, he was his father's son. However, he was also an officer in the United States Air Force, and years of military discipline had done for him what it didn't do for Jack – taught him to follow orders that were given by a superior officer, no matter how much he didn't want to.
"Yes, Sir." The words were soft, and there was a glitter of anger in Shawn's brown eyes, but Jack ignored it. The boy could hate him, as long as he lived to.
"Good." He took the zat from Shawn and tossed it to Daniel, who caught it easily. "I'm going to leave Jaffer with you. If he so much as raises an ear, I want you to watch the door and shoot anything that comes through it. Even if you don't see anything. Understand?"
"But, what-"
"Do you understand? Yes or no?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Roberts?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Good. Doc, if Carter wakes up, keep her here, no matter what she tells you. Unless you hear otherwise, from me, no one leaves this room until I give an all clear."
"Yes, Sir."
"Let's go, Daniel."
Jack moved to the door, followed by Daniel and Jaffer, but Jack signaled the black lab to stay put. It was obvious to everyone that the dog was no more pleased to be left behind than Shawn was, but Jack didn't change his mind.
He closed the door behind him and Daniel, and looked down the hall, feeling fairly well exposed.
"You know..." Daniel said as he looked down the hall in the other direction, feeling just as naked as Jack. "You're not always going to be able to protect them."
Jack's actions hadn't fooled Daniel a bit. True, Sam was hurt and needed protection, just in case, but it hadn't escaped Daniel's attention that O'Neill had just put the two people he cared most about in the world in the same small room, with the only two things that would probably be any use against the Ashrak, besides Teal'c's staff weapon – the B'kedricti, and Jaffer.
"Yes, I will." He turned and started towards the elevators, his Beretta held out in front of him. The weapon wouldn't do much good, but it would knock the Ashrak down and immobilize it long enough for Daniel to use his zat.