General Hammond stood, and she was surprised to see who was conducting the enquiry.
"I believe we all already know Major Paul Davis." Hammond said. No wonder Jack had been so sure the enquiry would clear her - it was being held by one of SG1's closest friends.
Oddly enough, it didn't make her feel better. It made her feel guilty, as if Paul's affection would let her get away with something she felt she ought to be punished for.
Once the microphone was set up, and Major Davis had explained the enquiry was strictly informal, and everyone settled around the table, Hammond at the head, Davis on one side, Sam on the other, Jack silently behind her, she started to tell her story. Her voice was quiet, but confident, her hands relaxed, on top of the table.
"SG1 were sent on a mission to P69-522X. There we found the remains of a civilisation. The surface of the planet was uninhabitable, due to constant storms.
the sound of the thunder roaring constantly over our heads, masking the sound of the ships coming in
The inhabitants, whoever they were, had hollowed huge underground structures out of the stone, and using wood, from trees grown underground. They were obviously fairly advanced, because they had decorated their homes, with tapestries and paint.
dark blue paint peeling off the window frame
"Sorry...where did you get the gate address from?" Major Davis asked.
"From the repository the Ancients stored in Colonel O'Neill's brain." She explained. "We've found no record of it on any Gou'ald database."
"So you had reason to believe the Gou'ald had no knowledge of it?"
"That's correct."
"And the inhabitants..."
"Daniel believed they had just died out. There were no signs of violence."
"Thank you. Please go on."
"While exploring, Daniel found a crack in the stone. It was almost invisible, but if you squeezed in sideways, you found yourself in a small room. It was very basic, obviously just a natural fault in the stone, and only had a few broken-down old chairs and tables in it. The curious thing was the window on the inside, with a painted wooden frame, looking out on to the great hall, but from the hall, it just looked like stone. It even felt like stone. It was obviously not glass, but a forcefield.
We left soon after, but I decided I would like to go back and take another look at the forcefield."
Sam took a deep breath, and a sip of the water from the glass in front of her.
"I also decided to take another scientist with me. Dr James Marlin. He was new to the Stargate program, but very enthusiastic and eager to get off world. He was also an expert on energy."
"You didn't feel the need to take military back-up?" Paul asked, almost apologetically. His eyes were anxious, as if he wanted this done and over.
"There seemed to be no danger..." Sam's voice trailed off.
"Major Carter has been in off-world combat situations for seven years and is one of the best soldiers I have commanded. She was the military back-up." Jack said, quietly but forcefully.
Davis nodded.
"What happened when you returned to P69-522X?" Hammond asked. Sam's hands clasped each other, tightly. Jack looked down, not at her face, which remained calm, but her whitening knuckles.
"We were in the great hall, starting our observations, when we heard movement in the outer corridor. The gate was behind us, and we believed the surface was impossible to land a ship on, or get near. Of course, we now know that to be wrong."
She drank from the glass in front of her, draining it.
"We hid, in the room behind the forcefield, straight away. The entrance was hidden, and no-one could see through the window from the great hall, but we could see out. We, " her voice dropped to a whisper, and Davis moved the mike closer, "we saw Jaffa. Hundreds of them. Then we saw Anubis."
that huge black shapeless cowl, bringing the darkness with him
"You were afraid." Paul asked gently.
"Yes."
"Afraid he would find you and kill you."
"No, not that he would kill me. I was afraid he'd use the mind probe on me. I know so much, you see. He could learn too much from me."
"Anubis could use what he would gain from mind-probing you to destroy us." Paul asked, frowning, his face pale.
"Yes, and not just us. Other races too." She said, trying to make them understand the utter horror Anubis could create with her knowledge. "I knew, from talking to Jonas Quinn, that I couldn't resist the mind-probe and then..." her voice trailed off.
"Anubis could destroy the universe with what Major Carter knows." Jack said beside her, and she became aware that Jack's body had tensed up, his hands clasped tightly on the table, an exact mirror of hers.
"I understand." Major Davis said, "And Dr Marlin, he was afraid too?"
"He was screaming." Sam said.
Shut up, shut up, they'll hear us, for God's sake, be quiet or they'll find us
"I thought Anubis might hear him."
Staring at the peeling blue paint of the window frame, watching Anubis's head slowly turn to face her, that unfathomable blackness looking straight into her eyes.
"I think he suspected one of the walls was false. He set off a huge bomb, to bring the wall down. It knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, Dr Marlin was dead. But the forcefield had held, and Anubis was gone."
Silence, at last
"Dr Frasier is still working on the autopsy." Major Davis told her. "There are some anomalies, however. It does seem Dr Marlin died before the explosion."
Sam swallowed.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember."
"Yes, concussion can cause memory loss. But I don't see how you can be responsible for Dr Marlin's death. I don't find any negligence on your part. You're cleared."
"Cleared?"
"I would recommend you don't go on any military missions until the autopsy report on Dr Marlin is finalised, but other then that..."
"This afternoon's mission is purely research." Jack, every inch the efficient commanding officer, said.
"Good." Major Davis said, unplugging the microphone. "Go on it. And relax. No-one blames you for Dr Marlin's death."
He and General Hammond left, leaving Sam and Jack sitting there.
"You ok?" he asked. Sam nodded, but didn't look at him "Ok." He said slowly. "Ready for this afternoon?"
"Yeah. I just need a little time first."
"Ok. See you in the gateroom in thirty minutes." He left her alone.
She didn't feel any better. She felt worse. She should have told them. She should have said what really happened. She didn't know why she hadn't.
stop screaming!
Mechanically, she poured herself a glass of water.
if you don't stop screaming, I'll make you stop!
She lifted the top of the pill bottle, and carefully emptied out one pill/
he was silent. What had she done, oh God, what had she done! But Anubis wasn't looking this way any more
She swallowed the pill and waited for the voices to silence. They were taking longer every time.
"I believe we all already know Major Paul Davis." Hammond said. No wonder Jack had been so sure the enquiry would clear her - it was being held by one of SG1's closest friends.
Oddly enough, it didn't make her feel better. It made her feel guilty, as if Paul's affection would let her get away with something she felt she ought to be punished for.
Once the microphone was set up, and Major Davis had explained the enquiry was strictly informal, and everyone settled around the table, Hammond at the head, Davis on one side, Sam on the other, Jack silently behind her, she started to tell her story. Her voice was quiet, but confident, her hands relaxed, on top of the table.
"SG1 were sent on a mission to P69-522X. There we found the remains of a civilisation. The surface of the planet was uninhabitable, due to constant storms.
the sound of the thunder roaring constantly over our heads, masking the sound of the ships coming in
The inhabitants, whoever they were, had hollowed huge underground structures out of the stone, and using wood, from trees grown underground. They were obviously fairly advanced, because they had decorated their homes, with tapestries and paint.
dark blue paint peeling off the window frame
"Sorry...where did you get the gate address from?" Major Davis asked.
"From the repository the Ancients stored in Colonel O'Neill's brain." She explained. "We've found no record of it on any Gou'ald database."
"So you had reason to believe the Gou'ald had no knowledge of it?"
"That's correct."
"And the inhabitants..."
"Daniel believed they had just died out. There were no signs of violence."
"Thank you. Please go on."
"While exploring, Daniel found a crack in the stone. It was almost invisible, but if you squeezed in sideways, you found yourself in a small room. It was very basic, obviously just a natural fault in the stone, and only had a few broken-down old chairs and tables in it. The curious thing was the window on the inside, with a painted wooden frame, looking out on to the great hall, but from the hall, it just looked like stone. It even felt like stone. It was obviously not glass, but a forcefield.
We left soon after, but I decided I would like to go back and take another look at the forcefield."
Sam took a deep breath, and a sip of the water from the glass in front of her.
"I also decided to take another scientist with me. Dr James Marlin. He was new to the Stargate program, but very enthusiastic and eager to get off world. He was also an expert on energy."
"You didn't feel the need to take military back-up?" Paul asked, almost apologetically. His eyes were anxious, as if he wanted this done and over.
"There seemed to be no danger..." Sam's voice trailed off.
"Major Carter has been in off-world combat situations for seven years and is one of the best soldiers I have commanded. She was the military back-up." Jack said, quietly but forcefully.
Davis nodded.
"What happened when you returned to P69-522X?" Hammond asked. Sam's hands clasped each other, tightly. Jack looked down, not at her face, which remained calm, but her whitening knuckles.
"We were in the great hall, starting our observations, when we heard movement in the outer corridor. The gate was behind us, and we believed the surface was impossible to land a ship on, or get near. Of course, we now know that to be wrong."
She drank from the glass in front of her, draining it.
"We hid, in the room behind the forcefield, straight away. The entrance was hidden, and no-one could see through the window from the great hall, but we could see out. We, " her voice dropped to a whisper, and Davis moved the mike closer, "we saw Jaffa. Hundreds of them. Then we saw Anubis."
that huge black shapeless cowl, bringing the darkness with him
"You were afraid." Paul asked gently.
"Yes."
"Afraid he would find you and kill you."
"No, not that he would kill me. I was afraid he'd use the mind probe on me. I know so much, you see. He could learn too much from me."
"Anubis could use what he would gain from mind-probing you to destroy us." Paul asked, frowning, his face pale.
"Yes, and not just us. Other races too." She said, trying to make them understand the utter horror Anubis could create with her knowledge. "I knew, from talking to Jonas Quinn, that I couldn't resist the mind-probe and then..." her voice trailed off.
"Anubis could destroy the universe with what Major Carter knows." Jack said beside her, and she became aware that Jack's body had tensed up, his hands clasped tightly on the table, an exact mirror of hers.
"I understand." Major Davis said, "And Dr Marlin, he was afraid too?"
"He was screaming." Sam said.
Shut up, shut up, they'll hear us, for God's sake, be quiet or they'll find us
"I thought Anubis might hear him."
Staring at the peeling blue paint of the window frame, watching Anubis's head slowly turn to face her, that unfathomable blackness looking straight into her eyes.
"I think he suspected one of the walls was false. He set off a huge bomb, to bring the wall down. It knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, Dr Marlin was dead. But the forcefield had held, and Anubis was gone."
Silence, at last
"Dr Frasier is still working on the autopsy." Major Davis told her. "There are some anomalies, however. It does seem Dr Marlin died before the explosion."
Sam swallowed.
"I'm sorry, I don't remember."
"Yes, concussion can cause memory loss. But I don't see how you can be responsible for Dr Marlin's death. I don't find any negligence on your part. You're cleared."
"Cleared?"
"I would recommend you don't go on any military missions until the autopsy report on Dr Marlin is finalised, but other then that..."
"This afternoon's mission is purely research." Jack, every inch the efficient commanding officer, said.
"Good." Major Davis said, unplugging the microphone. "Go on it. And relax. No-one blames you for Dr Marlin's death."
He and General Hammond left, leaving Sam and Jack sitting there.
"You ok?" he asked. Sam nodded, but didn't look at him "Ok." He said slowly. "Ready for this afternoon?"
"Yeah. I just need a little time first."
"Ok. See you in the gateroom in thirty minutes." He left her alone.
She didn't feel any better. She felt worse. She should have told them. She should have said what really happened. She didn't know why she hadn't.
stop screaming!
Mechanically, she poured herself a glass of water.
if you don't stop screaming, I'll make you stop!
She lifted the top of the pill bottle, and carefully emptied out one pill/
he was silent. What had she done, oh God, what had she done! But Anubis wasn't looking this way any more
She swallowed the pill and waited for the voices to silence. They were taking longer every time.