Authors note: Well finally another chapter sorry for being so slow, I had exams and they didn't go so well! Thanks to all those who encouraged me! The next chapter should be posted far more propetly Thanks again as always please review!
Chapter 12
Once hidden within the trees and unable to be seen from the road, should Jonas decide to double back, Sam sat down on a fallen tree branch. She removed one of her army issue boots which she was still wearing after being on duty. She then reached into the boot, if anyone had been watching they would have definitely been surprised by what she removed from it.
Lifting up the insole she removed a small circuit board and a number of wires, she then repeated this procedure with the other boot removing slightly different components.
After slipping her boots back on, she set to work clipping wires together. Then once assembled to her liking, she pressed one of the 4 tiny buttons on the front of the device and lent down so she was close to a very tiny microphone, placing a small ear piece in her ear.
"Hello" She said quietly into the microphone.
"Oh, My God, Sam!" Daniel's voice crackled loudly out of the ear piece
"Yep, it's me"
"Are you OK? Where are you? Everyone is looking for you!" The words tumbled into one another in their haste to get out Daniel's mouth.
"I'm fine, but I could use a lift, grab a bit of paper it's a bit complicated."
Daniel grabbed a piece of paper, spilling an abandoned cup of cold coffee over some probably highly important Air Force forms. Ignoring the state of the now very soggy highly important Air force forms, one of which he even scribbled furiously on the back of, as she described the route from memory.
"Are you OK?, should we bring an ambulance?"
"No, I'm fine, really Daniel. Do you know where the Colonel is though?"
"Oh, screaming at anyone who will listen that he said this was a bad idea"
"Jonas is after hi. Just make sure he is OK."
"What?" Daniel wasn't sure what his question was asking, he either wanted to know why a man who had been beating the crap out of Sam had left her apparently unharmed and was now after someone whom he had thought of as a friend. But he was also kinda surprised that Sam thought he could protect the Colonel from anything more than putting his foot in his mouth during First Contact but not from highly trained x-black ops military captains!
"He worked out why the Colonel been being nice to him and he said he'd kill him and then left in the car"
"OK, we'll be there as soon as we can. Half the military police here seem to be running around looking for their heads! Can I get back in touch if we can't find you, cause my phone went a bit odd when you called."
"I don't think so, I'll call you again in an hour, I'm using a skeletal clone of my phone, but I had to remove a lot to make it small enough"
"Ok, Tell me how somewhen, but is there anything you need"
"Ah, a coat. Jonas took mine,"
"Sure see you soon, just stay put OK"
She did. Shivering in the cold she paced up and down, trying to keep warm and alleviate the tense worry that was knawing at her gut. She kept back from the road hoping her friends would hurry; she wanted to see them safe, after Jonas's cutting words.
She crossed her arms tightly across her chest trying to keep the biting wind out, it wiped around her legs smacking the sodden material against her skin sending shivers through her body. She kept replaying Jonas's word in her head, adding to the chill. She glanced at her watch, for the thousandth time, she never been good at doing nothing, problems were always to be solved never accepted, but now all she could do was wait, thinking of her husbands threats, spinning out idea's of where he might have gone.
She locked at the device she'd used to contact Daniel, it still sat on the fallen tree branch. They'd been working on a way to get the GDO small enough to hide in the shoe's of teams, it was a good chance most Jaffa searches wouldn't find it, then an escaping team could gate home.
She remembered the night before when she'd spent half the night perfecting the clone of her mobile, cannibalising some very expensive lab equipment to do so and fitting the components into the soles of her shoes. She'd known not having a wire in the car was a risk, and Jonas was smart so she'd designed her own back up, she thanked her training and experience that she now always planned for worst case scenario.
After an hour passed, unable to do nothing any longer, she picked it up pressing the button for Daniel's mobile, knowing there was no way the Colonel would have let him drive at his usual speed.
"Hello" The speaker cracked into life with Daniel's voice.
"Hey"
"Sam, we're almost there, I hope"
"You must have really floored it"
"Ah, Yes, Jack was a little cross"
"Oh, I'll hope to see you soon" She hung up, conserving the battery in case they weren't as close as they hoped.
She peered out of the tree line, she could hear the roar of the truck as it approached.
"Thank god" She whispered to herself, as they pulled into the picnic site, just as Jonas had done.
"Carter!" O'Neill shouted as soon as he exited the truck.
"Sir" Sam called out as she ran from the trees to greet her friends.
"Sam" Daniel said sounding surprised as he got out the passenger side.
"Yea," She said, approaching them "Who were you expecting?"
"You know our luck, a squadron of Jaffa and some blood thirsty natives" Jack joked.
"No, I'm pretty sure just me. I think we're safe from the residents of this town"
Janet had clambered out of the back of the truck and walked over to Sam flanked by T'leac. Janet reached out touching Sam arm.
"God, Sam you're freezing, put this on" Handing her a warm padded jacket, which she willingly accepted.
"It is good to see you Major Carter"
"Thanks Tlea'c"
"Any idea where he's gone?" O'Neill asked, worried what else Jonas had done to her this time, that she wouldn't admit to.
"He said he was going to kill you" She said in a quiet still voice, that portrayed her fear at the possibility of what his anger would result in this time.
"Well, as I'm here, he's not doing that" The Colonel reassured her with his light manner.
"Well I'm gonna take you back to SGC, so the doc can ensure your really OK,"
"I'm fine Sir, he didn't do anything" she said more determinedly.
"Humour me, OK. Daniel can you wait here and tell the military police what's happened, Tlea'c can you stay with him to make sure everythings OK and impress on them the importance of finding Jonas, when they finally turn up"
"Sure Jack, they'll be here in a minute, I don't think they were going for the land speed record getting here" He said unwittingly adopting Jack's trade mark sarcasm more and more.
Jack took the drive back at a more normal pace, Sam released just how far Jonas had taken her, she would've never made it back to even the closest building on foot before dark if she'd followed the road. The thought scared her, that result had been Jonas's intention. The nights were cold, he'd known she might well develop hypothermia if no one had found her. She considered for a second if he would have come back himself, then she remembered the hate in his eyes and knew she was dreaming, he wouldn't have come back, she had to face the reality of the situation.
Most of the journey was conducted in silence but they did ask her carefully about what had happened. Especially, how she had contacted Daniel? She supplied the facts, not exactly what was said but what she thought they needed to know, trying not to show how much Jonas had hurt her again, not physically this time but emotionally, his words had cut like a knife.
Back at base, Jack held off the questions while Sam slipped away with Janet to the infirmary.
The infirmary was quiet as Sam sat on one of the beds, as Janet got ready, not looking enthusiastic about the prospect of a physical.
"Ok, if you promise he didn't touch you, I'll simply do a few tests to check you're OK from the cold and we can get going. Many people would be surprised that I do release patients no one likes examinations. So tell me, what exactly did he do?"
"He hit me across the face but only once, that's it I promise,"
"Ok, I'll check for concussion, but I'll find you some clean warm clothes first"
"Cheers Jan" Sam tried to give a weak smile but her heart wasn't in it, her mind was still reeling from her confrontation with Jonas.
Janet as promised kept the exam simple, but worried about her friend's lack of response.
"I should have been more careful" Sam said almost to herself as Janet jotted her final notes.
"You weren't to know" She said reassuringly
"I shouldn't have under estimated him"
"It was a risk we all thought worth taking, he underestimated you as well or else we wouldn't have found you, earning you reputation again as gadget girl"
But Sam didn't even smile about the name some of the lab techs had coined for her. Sam had been the focus of much teasing from Janet until she had let Janet in on some of the more colourful nicknames the doctor herself had been given.
"But I pushed for it and now he's missing and we might never find him" She sounded like they'd already lost
"It was not your fault" Janet said more adamantly
"Yes, it is.Tthis whole mess is my fault, not just this time, everything with Jonas is my fault, you don't see it I..." Her eye's filled with unshed tears, she stopped, staring at her hands, to choked to continue.
"What do you feel so guilty about Sam? This man abuses you yet you act like you're guilty. He doesn't deserve it"