IV. The Aftermath of PC57621
Everything was dark. It blanketed her mind, but it was warm and comforting. She heard voices, muffled and soft. Something was beeping as well. She reluctantly came from her slumber and opened her eyes. As soon as she did, her head pounded horribly. She felt as if a large hammer was smacking into the back of her skull over and over, it throbbed and swelled like nothing she had felt before. She shifted her eyes over to her left, seeing the large man of General Hammond standing at her bed. It took her a moment to realize who it was, a moment for the blur in her eyes to go away.
"S-sir…?" Sam asked softly, trying to speak through the pain. General Hammond smiled, nodding; he glanced across the bed at someone.
"Welcome back, Major Carter." Hammond said, smiling. Sam stared at him, the pain from her head was reflected in her eyes; she closed them for a moment and opened them back up, forcing herself to stay awake. "How are you feeling, Major?"
Sam glanced around the room as best she could, trying to find her friends; those that were family to her. She didn't see any of them, not even a chair pulled up to suggest that one of them had gone off for coffee. Sam turned her slowly fading attention back to General Hammond. "Where…where's Jack….?" She asked. Either General Hammond had figured out how much they cared about each other, or he let that go because she was injured and clearly wasn't thinking straight.
"We were hoping you could inform us of that one, Major Carter." General Hammond said softly. Sam's eyes widened a bit, suddenly all the pain in her head seemed to drain away as shock and confusion took over her. "You were brought back to the SGC by a few of the locals from PC57621, you are lucky to even be here, living, with that wound on your head." Wound? What wound? When did she get a wound? "We had asked the locals that brought you here, but they insisted that you tell the story."
Sam couldn't remember. All she could recall was sitting there, on the log, with Jack O'Neill, talking. They had stood and left back for the village….but then her mind shot in pain and the throbbing returned. She closed her eyes tightly, feeling the back of her head becoming warm. Her mind went in and out of the darkness, hearing Hammond call for something and people's voices becoming louder. She closed her eyes and let herself slip back into the darkness.
-----------------
"It is good to see you again, General Hammond."
Hammond smiled as Lieutenant Jennifer Hailey stood in front of him. She saluted, and smiled softly as Hammond smiled at her. When the SGC had been down those three months, Lieutenant Elliot and his team had been sent back to their families. Now, three months later, Jennifer stood in front of him, the first to return of her team. He smiled again, just like Sam. Jennifer stood; her military stanza and Hammond finally motioned to the chair on the other side of his desk. "Please, Lieutenant, sit down."
Jennifer did as she was asked and sat there, her hands in her lap, looking around the office. She finally cleared her throat. "General, sir? I was under the…impression that I would be seeing Major Carter and SG-1 on my return."
"Well, a slight plan has changed, Lieutenant." Hammond answered and stood. "Major Carter is now in the infirmary." He could see Jennifer's posture straighten. "I don't have a report, nor are all the facts, Lieutenant, so all I can do really is let you by her side. Somehow I have a feeling that a woman beside her would help her best." He saw Jennifer trying to restrain a smile as he said 'woman'. "Dismissed."
Jennifer stood and walked towards the infirmary. She strode in, looking at the SG team members getting their physicals and check ups done. She turned to her right, peaking around the corner to see Sam lying on her bed, her eyes closed, and an IV in her arm. Jennifer came over slowly, standing by her friend and watched as her chest rose and fell, sometimes halting in the pain. She reached over and picked up the medical information that was next to her bed, reading the injuries of what had happened.
Major Carter had a large gash on the back of her head, currently having been placed together with stitches. She had second degree burns on her arms from what seemed like a near by explosion, and a fractured ankle. Jennifer looked up at her friend as Sam's eyes slowly opened, and the Lieutenant quickly put down the clipboard and smiled. "Hello Major Carter, it's been awhile."
Sam took a moment to regain her surroundings. Gray walls, she was in the infirmary of the SGC. She looked at the Lieutenant, taking a moment to try and remember who she was. "Jennifer." She said softly in an acknowledging voice. Jennifer smiled and grabbed a chair, bringing it over and sitting down next to the bed. Sam looked around, not seeing any of her team mates. "Where….where is everyone?"
"SG-1?" Jennifer asked. "I am not sure, Major…according to the General," she stopped, seeing Sam's eyes on her. They were large like a doe's. "According to General Hammond, they didn't return from your last mission. He has reported them MIA for now…until…you can recover."
'MIA? Oh my god.' Sam thought. She closed her eyes. She was a military personal. People went MIA all the time during wars. Yes, this was a war. No matter what anyone said, this was a war against the Goa'uld. Why did it have to be her friends, her family, that was MIA? She looked back over at Jennifer, who seemed worried now that she had said it. "How are you, Jenn?" Sam asked, getting off the topic that plagued her mind.
"I have just returned from our three month hiatus." Jennifer said. "First of my team, Hammond said I was become a lot like you." Sam smiled sadly. "Is there anything I can get you, Major?"
"A super pill to get rid of this headache….maybe some morphine." Sam said. She looked over as the doctor shook his head at her, and checked the IV and blood transfers that she was hooked up too. Sam frowned, wishing she could remember how this all happened. Where her team mates were, were her family was. She looked up at the ceiling, feeling tears well up. Even though her mind couldn't remember, something at her heart tugged and stretched and stabbed. Something horrible had happened to them, she knew it. She couldn't remember…it stung at her heart.
"Major?"
"It is time you left, Lieutenant." The doctor said. Jennifer frowned. "The Major needs her rest for a recovery. I will send word for you if anything with Major Carter changes." Jennifer nodded and stood, heading out of the infirmary and into the control room for the Stargate.
-----------------
"I want that planet locked out of our systems." General Hammond said to Harriman, looking at the gate address for PC57621. There was no way he was going to loose another SG team by sending them to that planet in order to extract the MIA SG-1. Harriman frowned.
"General, sir." Harriman answered. "We still have people from PC57621 here at the SGC, if we block out the gate address from our computers, then we won't be able to send them home."
"The president has already given permission for them to become legal citizens." General Hammond answered. "There are other ways to retrieve our people from that planet, Harriman. We can contact the Asgard, maybe even the Tok'ra."
"I do not think that'd be a good idea." Jennifer's voice came. General Hammond and Harriman turned, seeing her. Jennifer saluted and came over. "I mean, General, sir. From what Major Carter told me from her reports, Colonel O'Neill never got a long with any of the Tok'ra. If we were to send one of them after him, he'd probably go ….well…" she shrugged.
"I am sure Colonel O'Neill would be able to support my decision." General Hammond said. "But, you do make a valid point. Harriman, I want you to contact Thor for us as soon as possible." He watched as Harriman nodded. Hammond motioned for Jennifer to follow him up into his office again. Jennifer closed the door behind them, standing on the opposite side of his desk as he sat down. "So, any changes, Lieutenant?"
"I mentioned that you had reported SG-1, aside Major Carter, MIA." Jennifer said. "She seemed shocked; I don't think she can remember what happened on that planet sir. Given how much blood transferring she has had, she lost a lot on the wound on her head. It may take weeks to months for her to remember. I am not sure what you will do with her during that time."
"When I last spoke with the president, he had something in mind." Hammond mentioned. Jennifer tilted her head to the side. "I believe that to insure that another Goa'uld attack does not happen in the area that PC57621 is, we will be joining our forces with the Asgard. I can't say much more than that."
"Understood, sir."
-----------------
"Daniel, I don't care! We've got wounded; we have to run for the damn Gate now!"
"Jack, we can't! There is a whole line of Jaffa over there, there is no way, I repeat, no way, we are going to be able to get through them all!"
"You are the expert Teal'c, seen these Jaffa before? Tough, weak?"
"I have not seen Jaffa like these, O'Neill. It is possible that this System Lord was not out to gain that of what Apophis had therefore did not come after him. Although, Master Bra'tac may know."
"Hey, Jack, Sam's come too!"
"….colonel?"
"Carter, shut up and don't move."
…..
"But sir…"
"Carter! That is an order! Shut up, don't move. Kids, we are moving out. Teal'c, Daniel, you go on ahead with the others. The rest of us will support back up cover."
"….Jack…what is…"
"Carter!"
Sam's eyes shot open and she sat up in her bed, feeling all her muscles tighten. Her hands balled into fists in the blankets, and she looked around the infirmary. It was late at night, nurses and doctors weren't around, most likely eating. Sam looked at her arm, seeing the burns all down her arm. A large explosion rang through her ears and she looked around, seeing nothing.
"Daniel! Shit, come on kids, we are moving out."
"Colonel…."
"Carter, stay here. Don't move. We'll secure the Gate, get a team for you, and we'll be on the way home."
"But…"
"Carter, no. Just, no, ok? Trust me."
Sam grabbed the side of her head, shutting her eyes tightly as her head pounded. Her other hand touched the back of her head, and then she winced at the pain. She slowly glided her fingers over the stitches there. She closed her eyes, remembering holding Cortana close to her as the ground shook. Sam gasped and grabbed her head again as she remembered the pain that came from her head colliding into the wall again.
"Major?"
Sam looked up to see General Hammond standing next to her. Sam nodded to him, and the General sat in the seat that Jennifer had earlier that day. Hammond reached over and picked up the clipboard beside her bed, thumbing through the pages. Sam looked down at the bed sheets, her eyebrows drawn into a frown as she tried to scan her mind for images beyond her slipping into unconsciousness. All that came back to her was what she had dreamed.
"Anything you want to talk about, Major?" Hammond broke the silence. Sam looked over at him, sighing and rubbing the side of her head.
"Hammond….General, sir." Sam said softly. "Let me go back to PC57621, once I have recovered."
"I cannot do that, Major." Hammond sighed. "The gate address has been locked out of our computers." He watched as Sam's face fell from confusion to shock. "When and if you are to regain your memories of PC57621, we can contact one of our allies to help us identify the Goa'uld System Lord that attacked that planet. We shall have to wait and see, Major." He stood to leave.
"But sir…"
"Carter! That is an order!"
Sam held her head tightly as the voices happened in her head. "I…remember voices, General." She said softly, and Hammond turned back to her. "There was a battle at the Gate…the town had been over run by Jaffa….we were able to get out with survivors, I think…Colonel O'Neill was fighting with Daniel about taking the Gate back…."
"Any hope, Danny boy?" Jack asked as Daniel looked through the binoculars from their spot on the cliffs. Down below, Jaffa were loading things from and through the Gate. Jack looked over at Sam, seeing that her eyes were open but she seemed disorientated. "Hello Carter, welcome back to the land of the living. How are you feeling?"
Sam groaned, feeling numb. "Like a semi hit me in the head…"
"Yup, know the feeling." Jack smirked and looked at Daniel. "So?"
"I don't think so, Jack." Daniel said. "We will have to wait until we are able to get to the Gate." He looked over at Jack, seeing the Colonel watching his second in command worriedly. "We will have to wait." He repeated.
"NO, we are going to go now."
"Jack we can't! That'd be suicide!"
"Daniel, I don't care! We've got wounded; we have to run for the damn Gate now!"
"Jack, we can't! There is a whole line of Jaffa over there, there is no way, I repeat, no way, we are going to be able to get through them all!"
Sam sighed, burying her face in her hands. Hammond patted her shoulder.
"I see, Major. We'll talk about it more later." Hammond nodded. "You get some sleep." He turned and left, and Sam laid down back on the bed. She closed her eyes, wishing sleep would come without nightmares, but she knew they would.
"Carter, no. Just no, ok? Trust me." Jack said, loading his P90. Sam moved over by his side, looking over the rocks dizzily at the battlefield below. Teal'c and Daniel were fighting with the ones that they had taken with them, the Jaffa seemed to have the upper hand.
"Colonel, give…. me a ….gun." She said, although her words were spaced and distant.
"Hell no, Carter. You can barely stay awake!" Jack stood and fired his P90 at the Jaffa that were attacking the rest of the team. Sam weakly brought her hands to cover her ears. Jack stopped and reloaded his gun, firing again. He stopped then, nodding to a man who picked Sam up in his arms. "Alright Carter, hold on tight, we'll be home in a few moments."
Sam turned and tossed in her bed, her IV becoming loose.
"Colonel, you can't!" Sam said, watching as Jack was getting ready to make a run into the battlefield.
"Carter, trust me damnit!"
"But..."
"No buts, Carter." He ran. Sam pushed the assistant away from her and stood, swerving and watching as her CO ran to help Daniel and Teal'c. The three made a large dent in the Jaffa forces. Sam looked up, seeing a Death Glider coming.
Sam shouted into the radio, but she couldn't remember what she said. She looked up, her legs giving out. She kept her eyes forward, seeing the blast hit the ground and the debris shooting into the air. She shouted into her radio again, the darkness slowly returning. There was no answer from the other radios.
"Jack!" Sam screamed and sat up in her bed again, only two hours later. She hung her head in her hands, sobbing. "Daniel….Teal'c…."