"There's some here, Sir."
Just as the Marine said it, a bolt of energy shot out and struck the young man, hitting him in the shoulder and knocking him to the floor. Jack and the remaining Marine both fired in the vicinity of the shot, and dove for cover, dragging the downed man with them. Neither was willing to allow one of his own to be left in the open defenseless, even though it meant that O'Neill had to drop his Beretta to grab the man's jacket and help pull him clear. Jack covered the Marine while he made sure the injured man was still breathing – which he was.
"Infirmary, Sir?"
"Hold on."
Jack reached for his radio.
"Carter?"
She answered immediately.
"Yes, Sir?"
"How's Brady?"
"He's still out, Sir, but Doctor Fraiser said he'll be fine when he wakes up."
"Roger. S-1 out."
He looked down at the Marine, then over at the last man left from his original team. "We can't take him to the infirmary without back up, and we're running out of back up. Brady was hit by the same weapon and is just unconscious, we'll leave him in a secured room, and lock it behind us and come back for him."
"Yes, Sir."
"S-3, clear your six and rendezvous on my position. I need a dog."
"On our way, Sir."
Jack was well aware they were getting close to the infirmary, but he didn't want to lead any of the Ashrak to the room if he could avoid it. Not only were Sam and Shawn there, but there was also the fact that with one of his men out, it wouldn't be easy to evacuate them if they needed to move fast. Shawn was moving slow, Sam was hurt, and Fraiser only had one alert Marine to help her if they needed to move. That wasn't enough. Better to get the dogs and secure what they could, and hope Teal'c and his group returned soon with the Atarii things.
He stuck his head carefully out of the doorway, looking at the automatic that was sitting on the hallway floor. He needed that gun. Not that he didn't have his Alien weapon, but Jack trusted his Beretta. You never knew when the charge on the laser gun might dry up. You always knew when you were out of bullets. Besides, Jack didn't have a clue how to reload the B'kedricti.
"Cover me."
The Marine nodded, and took up a position right behind Jack. The two of them were facing down the hallway the same direction, assuming that the Ashrak didn't sneak past them while they'd been in the doorway. The Marine fired his zat down the corridor blindly, and Jack dove for his Beretta, grabbing up the cool metal and scuttling the rest of the way across the hall. He didn't draw any fire, and both he and the Marine on the other side of the hall looked at each other, wondering if their man was gone, or just playing cat and mouse with them.
Jack stuck his head out into the hall again, looking for any sign of blood that might give them a hint about the whereabouts of their assassin. He saw a couple of drops, but was certain that was the blood the Marine had seen before he'd been shot down. He pulled his head back in, unwilling to make more of a target than he had to, and did it just in time, since another bolt of energy hit the wall right where he'd been.
"Bastard."
The Marine looked over at him. Neither man had seen where the shot had come from, so they didn't know where to shoot back. Jack set the B'kedricti down and cocked the Beretta, then motioned for the man across the hall to do the same with his own automatic. Nodding, the Marine pulled out his side arm and cocked it, then waited for O'Neill's signal. At his nod, the two men opened up, firing randomly down the hall and scattering bullets left and right and to all points in between. If nothing else, it would send their assailant moving and clear the area until S-3 showed up with their dog.
~*~
The gunshots were loud, and everyone in the infirmary knew they were coming from SGC personnel. They just didn't know who, and they didn't know exactly where. Jaffer whined softly from his position on the bed. The black lab wasn't a stranger to the sound of gunfire, but he could sense the added tension in the room, and he didn't like it. He also didn't like not being with Jack, who had been gone far too long as far as he was concerned.
"Easy, Jaffer," Sam crooned, holding the Beretta in one hand and running a hand along the dog's jet colored flank with the other. Jaffer licked her hand once, then turned his attention back to the door, where Shawn was standing, holding the B'kedricti easily, even though he was leaning heavily against the wall by the door.
"I should be out helping them," Shawn said, looking back at Sam. "Not holed up like this being protected like some kind of child."
Fraiser had had enough of the young man's whining. She and the Marine that had helped carry Sam into the infirmary had both listened to the orders O'Neill had given him, and she knew they'd made sense then, and still did, and she was tired of listening to him questioning them. Even more sick of the petulance in his voice. She rounded on Shawn, her eyes flashing angrily.
"Shawn Lincoln Adams, if you don't stop your bitching this minute, I'm going to muzzle you. You are an officer in the USAF, and you've been given a direct order by a superior officer. That order did NOT include whining, or bitching, or moping, and I don't know how they do things in your time, but in this here and now when we've been given an order, we're not given the choice of debating it, we do what we're told to the best of our ability. Colonel O'Neill has placed you here because you're injured. Whether you think you are or not. Since you'd be nothing but a liability to him and the other men and women out there with him, he's put you where you can best be of use, and that is helping me. Helping me, God damn you, does not include giving Major Carter, Sergeant Roberts and myself headaches. Do you understand?"
The shock on his face would have been humorous in any other circumstance. Carter looked at Janet in surprise as well. Not because she'd finally chewed the boy out, but because she'd done such a good job of it. It was a first class ass-chewing, and Sam knew Jack would have been impressed.
"I-"
"You will continue to guard the door, Lieutenant Colonel, like you were told to. You will keep your mouth closed unless someone asks you a question, and if you fail to comply with my orders in my infirmary, I'll make what that B'kedricti thing in your hand did to you seem like a tiptoe through the tulips. Do you understand?"
"Doctor-"
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
There was no denying her authority in the infirmary. Just like there was no denying the orders he'd been given by Jack. Shawn didn't like it, but she was right, and he was wrong. He knew he was moving too slowly to be any help, but that didn't mean he didn't want to! He'd just have to do it here, in a different way.
"Good."
Fraiser took a deep breath, and turned to Carter, who looked at her guiltily.
"Back in bed, Sam. You look about ready to collapse."
Carter did as she was told, and sat back on the bed, although she didn't lie down. Her head was pounding, and she didn't know how Fraiser had known that, but it did feel good to get off her feet.
Janet looked at Jaffer. The big lab looked right back at her. Filled with her own successes at chewing out one Colonel and sending a Major back to her bed, she thought for just a moment about tackling the problem of having the dog on her beds. It wasn't a debate she'd win, though, and she knew it before she even opened her mouth. He wasn't going to back down from her, and she couldn't make him see her authority. Even if she could, he wouldn't care and Janet knew it. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.
Scowling, Janet Fraiser went back to her patient, even as another round of gunfire signaled that she might have more patients to deal with any minute.
Just as the Marine said it, a bolt of energy shot out and struck the young man, hitting him in the shoulder and knocking him to the floor. Jack and the remaining Marine both fired in the vicinity of the shot, and dove for cover, dragging the downed man with them. Neither was willing to allow one of his own to be left in the open defenseless, even though it meant that O'Neill had to drop his Beretta to grab the man's jacket and help pull him clear. Jack covered the Marine while he made sure the injured man was still breathing – which he was.
"Infirmary, Sir?"
"Hold on."
Jack reached for his radio.
"Carter?"
She answered immediately.
"Yes, Sir?"
"How's Brady?"
"He's still out, Sir, but Doctor Fraiser said he'll be fine when he wakes up."
"Roger. S-1 out."
He looked down at the Marine, then over at the last man left from his original team. "We can't take him to the infirmary without back up, and we're running out of back up. Brady was hit by the same weapon and is just unconscious, we'll leave him in a secured room, and lock it behind us and come back for him."
"Yes, Sir."
"S-3, clear your six and rendezvous on my position. I need a dog."
"On our way, Sir."
Jack was well aware they were getting close to the infirmary, but he didn't want to lead any of the Ashrak to the room if he could avoid it. Not only were Sam and Shawn there, but there was also the fact that with one of his men out, it wouldn't be easy to evacuate them if they needed to move fast. Shawn was moving slow, Sam was hurt, and Fraiser only had one alert Marine to help her if they needed to move. That wasn't enough. Better to get the dogs and secure what they could, and hope Teal'c and his group returned soon with the Atarii things.
He stuck his head carefully out of the doorway, looking at the automatic that was sitting on the hallway floor. He needed that gun. Not that he didn't have his Alien weapon, but Jack trusted his Beretta. You never knew when the charge on the laser gun might dry up. You always knew when you were out of bullets. Besides, Jack didn't have a clue how to reload the B'kedricti.
"Cover me."
The Marine nodded, and took up a position right behind Jack. The two of them were facing down the hallway the same direction, assuming that the Ashrak didn't sneak past them while they'd been in the doorway. The Marine fired his zat down the corridor blindly, and Jack dove for his Beretta, grabbing up the cool metal and scuttling the rest of the way across the hall. He didn't draw any fire, and both he and the Marine on the other side of the hall looked at each other, wondering if their man was gone, or just playing cat and mouse with them.
Jack stuck his head out into the hall again, looking for any sign of blood that might give them a hint about the whereabouts of their assassin. He saw a couple of drops, but was certain that was the blood the Marine had seen before he'd been shot down. He pulled his head back in, unwilling to make more of a target than he had to, and did it just in time, since another bolt of energy hit the wall right where he'd been.
"Bastard."
The Marine looked over at him. Neither man had seen where the shot had come from, so they didn't know where to shoot back. Jack set the B'kedricti down and cocked the Beretta, then motioned for the man across the hall to do the same with his own automatic. Nodding, the Marine pulled out his side arm and cocked it, then waited for O'Neill's signal. At his nod, the two men opened up, firing randomly down the hall and scattering bullets left and right and to all points in between. If nothing else, it would send their assailant moving and clear the area until S-3 showed up with their dog.
~*~
The gunshots were loud, and everyone in the infirmary knew they were coming from SGC personnel. They just didn't know who, and they didn't know exactly where. Jaffer whined softly from his position on the bed. The black lab wasn't a stranger to the sound of gunfire, but he could sense the added tension in the room, and he didn't like it. He also didn't like not being with Jack, who had been gone far too long as far as he was concerned.
"Easy, Jaffer," Sam crooned, holding the Beretta in one hand and running a hand along the dog's jet colored flank with the other. Jaffer licked her hand once, then turned his attention back to the door, where Shawn was standing, holding the B'kedricti easily, even though he was leaning heavily against the wall by the door.
"I should be out helping them," Shawn said, looking back at Sam. "Not holed up like this being protected like some kind of child."
Fraiser had had enough of the young man's whining. She and the Marine that had helped carry Sam into the infirmary had both listened to the orders O'Neill had given him, and she knew they'd made sense then, and still did, and she was tired of listening to him questioning them. Even more sick of the petulance in his voice. She rounded on Shawn, her eyes flashing angrily.
"Shawn Lincoln Adams, if you don't stop your bitching this minute, I'm going to muzzle you. You are an officer in the USAF, and you've been given a direct order by a superior officer. That order did NOT include whining, or bitching, or moping, and I don't know how they do things in your time, but in this here and now when we've been given an order, we're not given the choice of debating it, we do what we're told to the best of our ability. Colonel O'Neill has placed you here because you're injured. Whether you think you are or not. Since you'd be nothing but a liability to him and the other men and women out there with him, he's put you where you can best be of use, and that is helping me. Helping me, God damn you, does not include giving Major Carter, Sergeant Roberts and myself headaches. Do you understand?"
The shock on his face would have been humorous in any other circumstance. Carter looked at Janet in surprise as well. Not because she'd finally chewed the boy out, but because she'd done such a good job of it. It was a first class ass-chewing, and Sam knew Jack would have been impressed.
"I-"
"You will continue to guard the door, Lieutenant Colonel, like you were told to. You will keep your mouth closed unless someone asks you a question, and if you fail to comply with my orders in my infirmary, I'll make what that B'kedricti thing in your hand did to you seem like a tiptoe through the tulips. Do you understand?"
"Doctor-"
"Do you understand?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
There was no denying her authority in the infirmary. Just like there was no denying the orders he'd been given by Jack. Shawn didn't like it, but she was right, and he was wrong. He knew he was moving too slowly to be any help, but that didn't mean he didn't want to! He'd just have to do it here, in a different way.
"Good."
Fraiser took a deep breath, and turned to Carter, who looked at her guiltily.
"Back in bed, Sam. You look about ready to collapse."
Carter did as she was told, and sat back on the bed, although she didn't lie down. Her head was pounding, and she didn't know how Fraiser had known that, but it did feel good to get off her feet.
Janet looked at Jaffer. The big lab looked right back at her. Filled with her own successes at chewing out one Colonel and sending a Major back to her bed, she thought for just a moment about tackling the problem of having the dog on her beds. It wasn't a debate she'd win, though, and she knew it before she even opened her mouth. He wasn't going to back down from her, and she couldn't make him see her authority. Even if she could, he wouldn't care and Janet knew it. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.
Scowling, Janet Fraiser went back to her patient, even as another round of gunfire signaled that she might have more patients to deal with any minute.