"I am begging you," she said, her blue eyes fixed on the increasingly uncomfortable Tok'ra High Council.
"Colonel Carter-" began High Councillor Garshaw.
"Sam," she said, cutting him off. "I've left the Air Force."
She thought she saw her father wince; she ignored him.
"Samantha," the councillor continued, "It is not that we are unwilling to participate in a rescue mission... it is simply... the chances of success are limited and we do not have a great number of ships at our disposal."
She sighed and spread her hands. "I understand. I know it's... nothing personal."
"We will of course provide you with all intelligence regarding O'Neill that becomes available to us."
She couldn't quite stop the sarcasm from slipping through her teeth. She flushed as she spoke, but didn't apologise. "Well, that's...that's something."
"We are sorry that we can not be of further assistance."
"As am I," she replied, her voice as cold as the blue eyes that imprisoned the man. She bowed her head, the movement slightly savage. "With your permission, I will take my leave of the chamber."
Garshaw sighed. "You have our permission, Samantha... and we wish you luck.."
She smiled thinly. "Thank you."
Jacob let out a long breath as she stalked out of the chamber.
She was surprised to find she wasn't that angry. What else could she expect? His own people had refused to commit the resources to a rescue operation, why should alien allies be expected to do more?
No, she wasn't angry.
Instead a bitter determination was washing over her, filling her as if she was an empty glass. She clinched the straps of her heavy back-pack and settled it more comfortably across her shoulders.
After all, whispered the part of her awakened in her lab, I've committed treason. What's a little theft compared to that?
"Colonel Carter?"
She stiffened. An attractive young man had just appeared from an archway to her right. Her fingers strayed to the zat at her side.
He raised a hand. "Please. I wish to help you."
"Help me?"
The man licked his lips nervously. "Rescue O'Neill." He stepped closer. "I was... listening to your plea to the High Council. I suspected you would head towards the Tel'tak hanger... I can help you steal a ship."
She frowned. "Steal a ship? I'm very sorry-"
"I am Charlie," he said, interrupting her and touching her shoulder lightly.
"Charlie?" Her frown deepened and then understanding dawned. "Charlie! I-I didn't recognise you..."
"There will be time for catching up later," he said politely, smiling a little. "At this moment I am more concerned about procuring transport for us to the planet where O'Neill is held."
The seed of suspicion was still implanted in her brain. "Charlie... I would never consider stealing a Tel'tak from the Tok'ra..."
His smile broadened. "I am not working for the High Council, Colonel."
"I never said you were."
"No. But you believe me to be testing you. Whilst your suspicion is anticipated, it is not helpful to O'Neill. If we do not act swiftly it will be impossible for us to steal a Tel'tak."
"Charlie," she tried again, her exasperation beginning to rise.
"Please. Samantha. Trust me."
She met his eyes, sighed and closed her own for a brief second. Time to go with my gut. "What do you have in mind?"
He smiled again. "I am a pilot and have access to the hanger. We will use my access codes to gain entry and then we can steal a Tel'tak. It should be fairly simple."
"Lead the way," she said, her fingers still lingering on the cool metal of the zat. After all, I could always zat him after he inputs the access codes...
The hanger was apparently empty. Charlie tapped quite a complex code into a crystal interface and there was a change in the texture of the air, a feeling of a larger space being opened up, as if a door had opened.
"A force-field?" she asked.
He nodded, putting a finger to his lips.
He stepped forward cautiously and then appeared more at ease. He beckoned her forward.
The hanger was a huge cave, lined with the blue hexagonal Tok'ra crystals. There were only three Tel'taks currently inside the cave. Charlie smiled and headed for the one closest to them.
Once inside he spoke. "This is the ship I first learnt to pilot," he said and she found herself smiling back at him.
He settled into the pilot's chairs, running quickly through the pre-flight checks. She paced nervously. After a few minutes his symbiote apparently felt moved to speak. "Samantha, I am working as quickly as possible. I thought it would be wise to download the information about O'Neill currently held in the Tok'ra database into the ship's computer. The position of the planet where he is being held is of crucial importance."
She sighed and spread her hands in a conciliatory gesture, trying to appear calm despite the slight shock of hearing the alien voice being issued from the boy's mouth for the first time. "I'm sorry if I appear impatient. I'm just... anxious to leave."
Before my father finds out what I'm doing.
Christ. Dad's going to go crazy when he finds out about this...
She wiped a bead of nervous perspiration from her brow with the sleeve of her jacket.
"I'm finished," Charlie said, powering up the engines.
A alarm began to sound in the hangar and a pained look crossed the young Tok'ra's face.
"What?" Carter demanded.
He grimaced. "Are unauthorised departure has, unfortunately been detected. I advise you to... hold onto something!"
Carter grabbed for the seat as the ship lurched forward. "What are you doing?!" she shrieked.
"Evading capture!" he returned.
She managed to pull herself into the chair as the view from the cargo-ship windows changed with a heart stopping sudden burst of sunlight.
Charlie crowed. "I beat the High Council security system! Ha! Everyone thought it was impossible!"
The ship sped upwards into the stratosphere. "What co-ordinates have you set?" she asked after a moment's silence.
"The planet where O'Neill is being held, of course."
Ah. "We can't go there yet."
He turned to look at her, confused for a moment. Then his face cleared. "You have a plan." It's wasn't a question.
She nodded anyway. "We're going to visit a friend of mine first. Another person who owes General O'Neill a favour. We're going to need a bargaining tool and I know just the man who can provide us with it."