III. The Tide of Destruction

"Sir." Her voice was soft at first as she leaned over him, putting her fingers on the side of his head and turning it towards her as he lay in the chair. His half opened eyes looked at her. "Sir?" she asked him, then turned to her fellow team mates. "His pulse is erratic." She turned back to her CO, whose eyes were now closed.

She didn't know what she was going to do. She was still at a loss since he had healed Bra'tac on his own, still at a loss on why the Ancient information in his head would be killing him. Her brain understood fine, but not her heart.

"Don't you dare leave us now." She threatened lowly. "We won!" he didn't answer. "Colonel!"

His eyes opened again and he stared at her. She felt like screaming at him to fight against the Ancient knowledge in his head, to tell him to come back to them. He opened his mouth for a moment, and closed again, as if having a hard time speaking. "Dormata…" he said softly.

She shook her head in frustration and was about ready to grab him by the neck and strangle him. She looked over at Daniel for an explanation of what he said. The man spoke tons of languages, many old and even dead ones. He had better damn well know this one!

"That thing." Daniel indicated to the odd thing that Jack had rushed over when they had entered the dome. She pulled away from him, watching slowly as the chair moved forward and Teal'c caught Jack in his arms, carrying over to what was known as a 'dormata'. She followed them, feeling numb all over. What was Jack…no, he wasn't Jack anymore, what was this thing planning on doing to Jack?

Teal'c stepped back as soon as the interior lights gave off a dim glow. Jack stood upright in there, not moving, but looking at each of them in turn. She bit the insides of her mouth, her heart pounding against her chest in fear and impatience. It seemed like eternity before she rose herself to ask the question…

"Now what?"

At the question, Jack…no the thing, seemed to loose its posture from straight to slump. "Aveo Amacus.." he said softly. She wanted to screech and tell him to speak English!

"Good bye." Daniel translated.

She looked straight at the thing that was once her Commanding Officer, but found that her legs wouldn't move as she had wanted them to. Ice formed around him, freezing him. The atmosphere in the room turned from confusion to mournful. Daniel's expression was strained and Teal'c looked as if he were to cry.

"We can't leave him here. I mean, there has to be a way to reverse the process. The answer has to be here somewhere!" she wanted to yell, but it came out softer than she had thought.

She knew she and Daniel had spoken of Atlantis….but, it couldn't come to her mind.

She went to the ice and touched it, putting her whole hand against it. She looked up at her Colonel's eyes, finding nothing but staring….but at her. Her military stanza held back physical tears…but not mental….

"Sammy?"

"Sir, at your house before Daniel and Teal'c showed up, what I was going to say was…."

"I know."

"Sammy?"

"Sir?"

"What?"

"I should have done it."

"Sammy….are you ok?"

"Don't you dare leave us now. We won!"

"Aveo Amacus.."

"Sam!'"

Sam snapped from her memories and bolted her head up like an animal that was shot. Cortana was sitting across from her. Sam glanced at her side to find Daniel sitting next to her; Teal'c and Jack were no where in the room. She looked back to Cortana, seeing the small girl her eyes large in wonder and in fear. Sam managed a small half smile.

"You called?" she asked jokingly.

Cortana leaned over the table. "Are you ok Sammy?" she asked, and Sam nodded. "Sammy, you have water on your eyes." She pointed to Sam's eyes and moved her finger down. Sam brought her hand up to her face, seeing that it was damp. Sam cursed under her breath and removed the tears with her sleeve. Daniel looked at her worriedly. "Sammy what's wrong?"

"Remembering something painful." Sam said softly. She remembered how she had even begun that memory. Daniel and she were explaining the Stargate to her…and when Daniel had drawn the symbol for Earth upside down, it brought back the memories.

"ssh." He stopped for a moment and looked at the two. "Well?"

"You just told us to be quiet."

"No…when I look at this, I think 'ssh'."

Sam shook her head from the memory. She stood. "I'm going for a walk. I'll be back." Daniel opened his mouth to say something, but she turned on her radio and nodded, heading out. She closed the door and leaned against it for a moment. How long were these memories going to plague her? She dreamed about them every other night now…why should she…Jack was back…wasn't he? No. He wasn't back. Whatever that thing had done to Jack, he certainly wasn't back. Not the one she knew.

She walked, looking down and not thinking about where she was going. She had spent two of those three months pleading with the Asgard, every race she knew to try and help Jack. The army wouldn't send anyone down to dig him out, and they certainly wouldn't have let her dig him out.

"I just hope its worth it…"

"Even if we do find the LostCity. Even if we get there and find exactly what we are looking for to defend the planet…"

"THAT would be worth it."

No it wasn't. It wasn't worth it. She'd rather have seen him possessed by an ego maniac Goa'uld then how he was then…how he was now.

"Woa!"

Sam found herself on her back and elbows on the ground. She looked up, finding Teal'c and Jack there. Jack regained his balance. "Sorry Carter, wasn't paying attention."

"It would seem that Major Carter wasn't paying attention as well, O'Neill." Teal'c mentioned.

Jack stuck his hand out to help Sam up. Sam stared at it for a moment before accepting it, and felt him pull her up gracefully from the ground. Sam began to busy herself with dusting the dust off. Jack looked up at the sky, then back down at Sam. He looked at Teal'c, who nodded and headed off. "Carter, a word please." Sam nodded and he led her down the road, taking her to a place in the near by wilderness…if you counted some spare trees and cacti a wilderness.

Jack moved his hand to a log, offering her a spot. Sam sat down, wordlessly. Jack took in a breath and sat beside her, looking out over the sand. Sam shifted uncomfortably. The words and moments of the incident three months ago repeated in her head over and over…and some from the time before.

She leaned against the rocks, feeling her muscles and her body screech in pain from the last many hours of running. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself and send oxygen to her screaming legs. She felt the gaze of her CO on her.

"Come here." He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer, letting her lay her head on his shoulder.

"Carter."

Sam glanced at him. He was looking at her worriedly, or at least she thought he was, she couldn't see his eyes behind his begun sunglasses. She shook her head and looked at the horizon beyond. "You…wanted to talk, sir?"

"We'll, considering I already mentioned what I was going to say." Jack sighed, taking off his glasses. Sam looked at him, seeing that he was indeed worried about her. "Carter." He said, but she turned her head back to the horizon, not wanting to look at him. He wasn't exactly sure what was going on in her head, but he was determined to find out what it was. "Sam." He leaned over to her, all the authority from his voice gone. Sam looked at him, although the look in her eyes meant she would keep the distance she had always kept with him.

"I have another point blank question, and god I know you are going to end up hating these," he said, and Sam nodded, nearly dreading what was going to be said. "Sam, tell me what is wrong. Why are you so….how the hell can I say this, emotional? I know you are a woman and everything and that your side of the race is always emotional… but these last few days; you've been as emotional as I have ever seen you. Just tell me, what is wrong, and if I can fix it."

Sam looked away, thinking. What exactly was it that was wrong? So many things were, and they were all tangled mess. She was mad at regulations for keeping her away from him when he needed it, mad at the fact that he was taken away from her for those three months, mad that he had said nothing when he returned….and, sad that he was so distant from her. Maybe even mad that he had gone with Laira on Edora…even though that was forever ago.

"Sam? God Sam, don't start doing that weird space out thing again."

Humor. She'd had missed his humor.

"A…mess of things, si…" she stopped as she saw him lift a finger. "Jack." She corrected herself; it felt so odd to call him by his first name! She looked at him, finding that with his eyebrows he was saying "well..go on!" she sighed and shook her head. "I guess…its, mostly…what happened…three months ago."

Jack let out a soft "Oh". He took in a breath and looked up at the sky. "It shouldn't bug you that much….I'm here, right?"

"I guess so." She said softly. Jack looked at her for a moment. "It's…just not the same, si-Jack. I mean…when I walked into the briefing room that day…and saw you sitting there joking with Daniel, I thought that I had died and Daniel had ascended again." She caught his smirk at the mention of Daniel ascending. "I thought things would return back to semi-normal at the SGC, even though General Hammond is no longer in charge of the SGC….seeing how he wants to retire."

"Guess no one has informed you then…" Jack looked at her, she looked back. "They want to promote me to General and sit behind a big desk, dealing with paper work. Could you seriously see me, behind a desk like George…" he stopped seeing her smile and open her mouth, and he held a finger up. "No, don't answer that."

Sam's smile widened and she looked forward, trying to suppress a laugh. Maybe her Colonel was still there. She looked back at him as he grinned. "Well, then I won't answer it. But I can say that I think its an honor that the President would want you to run the SGC."

"Yea…who woulda thought an ol' horse like me." Jack shrugged. Sam shook her head. "Well then, we can always go by your carefully balanced tehcnobabble things then, Sam." He looked at her as she smiled, but tears were still in her eyes. "Is there….something you left out?"

"Why did you want to return to Edora?" Sam asked softly. Jack sighed and looked out over the horizon this time. "I understand, Jack…that you had given up on coming home and that you had wanted to stay with Laira….especially that she had your child….but…."

"It hurts." He said at the same time she did. He looked at her sadly and she nodded. "Sam…I don't really know, what to say. I mean, we both understand each other's views on that….issue, but…"

"It still hurts." She finished his sentence and he nodded. This conversation was against regulations…but, they were off-world, who was going to tell? She sighed and looked up at him. He looked so sad and distant, just like in Antarctica. She felt tears run down her face and she turned back to the horizon. She felt the gaze of her CO on her.

"Come here."

Jack wrapped his arm around her and held her to him. Sam placed her head on his shoulder and Jack put his sunglasses on. He half expected to turn and see Teal'c pinning down a SuperSoldier made by Anubis. He smiled, amused by that thought, and looked down at Sam. "Come on, Sam. Only way to heal is to heal together, right? So, then, let's do that. We make Teal'c and Daniel promise that as long as they don't write a report about us being non-officer like while we are here, we don't kill them."

"Jack…"

"Major, that's an order. Now lets get out of this heat, I'm dieing."

-----------------

Sam and Jack walked along side each other back towards Freya's home. Many of the residents watched Jack closely along side Sam, but most dropped it once they saw how much better spirits she was in.  She smiled as Jack told her about the look on Daniel's face when he had walked into the briefing room.

"I wish I had a camera, the look on Danny boy's face was priceless." Jack smiled. "He stared, took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, put them back on, and stared. He did that process about four times before I told him to sit down and pull his mouth from the ground. He then went into this large technobable like speech about how it was impossible for you all to save me. I let him run out of gas until he just sat there, staring."

Sam smiled. "That's Daniel." Was all she could think to say. Jack chuckled and stopped. Sam stopped a few feet in front of him and turned to him. "Colonel?" she asked out of habit.

"Did you hear that?" Jack asked, pointing to the sky.

"Hear what?" Sam asked, her eyebrows lifted.

A large sound like a screech was heard. "That." Jack said. He looked up in time to see a Glider cycling the town. "Carter, I thought you said them snake heads didn't know we were here!"

"That's because they didn't!" Sam yelled over the roaring noise and leapt away as one of the shots came from the Glider.

"Daniel, Teal'c." Jack spoke into his radio. "Death Gliders, over head. Let's get these people to the Stargate."

"Sir, there isn't time!" Sam shouted over the roar of the Death Gliders.

"Ok, then, Daniel and Teal'c, meet me in half square." Jack looked at Sam as the voices of Daniel and Teal'c were heard confirming his orders. "Carter, get as many people as you can hidden." He nodded as Daniel and Teal'c rushed up, and the three men headed out to the congregation of men that had come out of the houses. Sam stood for a moment and watched, running back to Freya's home. She threw the door open, her gun ready to see Freya hurdling in a corner with Cortana in her arms.

"Get up, we have to hide." Sam shouted out over the small neighborhood. The neighbors rushed in their homes. Sam turned back to Freya as the teen tried to break down a door. Sam shoved her weight into her shoulder, jamming the door loose. She picked Cortana up and slipped into the small hiding closet, closing the door. Cortana clung to Sam and looked at her sister as Freya listened intently outside. Sam turned off her radio reluctantly. She hoped her friends would make it.

She prayed.

The sound of Death Gliders rang through the air and above Freya and Cortana's home. Sam held Cortana closer to her, watching the ceiling of the room as if she could see through it at the menacing Death Gliders above. As they fired and flew over, Cortana and Sam's grips on each other became tighter. Sam wanted to reach over and turn on her radio in hope that she could hear what her teammates were doing. Suddenly the ground shook and then stopped. Freya looked at Sam with large eyes and Sam looked up, unsure of what was going on.

The ground gave a giant shock wave off again. It shook the house and Sam clung on to Cortana to protect her. She felt herself be jerked from the wall then land against it again, smacking her head into it. She felt shock go up her spine and then down again, soon everything became numb. Her eye's closed, and she heard words being shouted but could not make them out. She slipped into darkness, a calm one.

Freya leaned over, and shook Sam. Sam's head rolled to the side, leaving a trail of blood on the wall. Freya gasped and ripped part of her skirt, tying it around Sam's head tightly to help stop the bleeding. Cortana took the radio off of Sam's vest and gave it to her sister. Freya over looked it, and pressed the button, hearing the sounds of war outside.

"Hello!?" Freya shouted into the radio. There was static and gun shot. "This is Freya, please anyone from SG-1 respond! Please!"

There was static and then Jack's voice came through the radio. She couldn't make it out, but then it was there again.

"Who the hell is that?!" Jack shouted into the radio. "Is that Freya?"

"Yes it is!" Freya said, sounding panicked. "Colonel O'Neill, you must come! Sam is not moving and she is bleeding from the back of the head."

There was more static and then no sound. Freya grabbed Sam's gun, holding it close and moving her sister to hide behind her and next to Sam. The door to the house opened and she placed her finger on the trigger, ready to shoot. Heavy foot steps came, then stopped, surveying the area. The door opened and Freya held up the gun. A man in an armored suite with a helmet of bronze with ram horns coming from it saw her and lifted his zat gun. Freya shot the gun but it sent her back into the wall with the force. The Jaffa winced then went to shoot it again, but suddenly gun fire was heard and he dropped dead.

Jack ran over to the closet, helping Freya and Cortana out. He saw Sam and pulled her out, looking at the blood on the wall, then the back of her head. He cursed and picked her up in his arms. "Come on, we are going to the gate." He nodded to Freya who turned on the radio.

"Daniel, Teal'c." Jack shouted into the radio. "Carter's wounded, we are heading back to the gate. Bring as many as you can!" he started to run out of the door, Cortana following as fast as she could. Freya picked up Sam's gun and shot at the Jaffa that were coming.

Jack looked down at his arms at Sam, seeing how the blood was still coming, but not as much. She was pale and looked almost sick. He looked up as more Gliders came and frowned.