Author: Jackie W.
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PART 4 – To be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause
Sam sat near the warmth of the fire listening to Teal'c and Maybourne arguing over strategies for getting past the Jaffa that would surely be guarding the gate on the mining planet Columb where Jack was currently being held. Teal'c had offered a scout ship, but that method had been discarded as time was limited and the ship would take weeks to make the journey. Little did they know that Sam already had a plan.
"Alright, you two. This is what we are going to do," Sam finally silenced them. "I will be going alone to Columb and gathering intel. Then we will plan our attack from that," she stated firmly.
"And how do you plan on getting past the guards Samantha?" Harry asked.
Her actions when questioning Boch had made her go up in estimation, but even a ribbon device wouldn't be enough to keep a squadron of Jaffa from capturing her. Sam stood up, pressed a button on her wrist and disappeared. "Quite simply, Harry."
Teal'c was the first to recover from the shock and realized just what had occurred. "You have gotten Nirrti's cloaking device to work," he correctly concluded.
"Yeah, the guys at area 51 figured out it that it was based on DNA but that you still need to have Naquada in your blood to make it work, so they didn't pursue trying to duplicate it. I managed to persuade them that it might come in handy reprogrammed to work for me," she confessed, reappearing to them.
"Indeed it will," Teal'c stated, thinking for the first time that they might actually have a chance of getting his friend back home again.
"Any other little tricks up your sleeve we should know about?" Harry asked, shaking his head in disbelief.
"I have a healing device, let's just hope I don't need to use that one," Sam acknowledged. Then looking at Teal'c she dropped her final bombshell. "And I have some of the poison the Tok'ra developed to kill symbiotes. I diluted it down to a spray that will only spread to a small area. Teal'c, if the rebel Jaffa have anyone on that planet it would be really helpful to know."
"They do not," Teal'c informed her. "However there are several of our forces on Ba'al's Mothership, and intel sent back from them indicates that there are also at least two Tok'ra amongst the ranks."
"So if Ba'al has shown up, we may have help there. I'll need the names eventually. But for tomorrow I think I will just do a bit of a scouting mission, see what's up," she told them.
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The next morning Sam activated the personal cloaking device and stepped through the event horizon. On the other side at least a dozen Jaffa were standing pointing their staff weapons at the approximate spot she was standing. Since the ground was littered with dry leaves and twigs that would give away any movement she made, she silently sat down at the base of the steps and waited for the men to turn back to their normal positions. Once they had relaxed a bit she carefully picked her way through the clearing and into the woods.
Once there she was able to move more swiftly and she followed the path that Aris Boch had told her would lead to the main temple and the mines. Unsure where to begin she decided to tag along with a group of Jaffa and try to get an idea of the layout and how the labor force was divided up.
Eight hours later the sun had set and Sam hadn't spotted Jack yet. She was hoping that now that everyone had stopped moving around for the day it would be easier to conduct a grid search of the sleeping quarters and cells. Figuring that Jack might be considered dangerous, she started with the cells. The majority were empty, and the ones that were occupied contained men that caused a shiver to run down Sam's spine. She certainly was glad to be invisible.
She had been quietly picking her way through the nooks and crannies that served as sleeping chambers for several hours when she suddenly heard a ruckus. Instinct made her follow the noise until she came upon a Jaffa who was giving a young boy a hard time. And sure enough there was Jack O'Neill crumpled in the corner, barely conscious but cursing at the man a blue streak. Even as she struggled to see if he was all right she couldn't help but smile.
Then she saw the Jaffa raise his staff weapon in Jack's direction and she swiftly took action, raising her own zat to take down the threat before his weapon had even had a chance to charge. The look of confusion on the General's face was classic and she took a second to just drink in the sight of him before touching the device on her wrist and appearing before him. Before moving over to him she took the time to zat the Jaffa twice more.
"Carter!" Jack exclaimed, then grinned. "Nice timing."
"It's good to see you too sir. Can you walk?" she asked wanting to get away from the corridor they were in before any more Jaffa came by.
"Yeah, just help be up. Stoph, did you get the water you were after?" he asked the young boy.
The boy, still obviously scared and confused simply shook his head in the negative.
"Carter, do you have water he can have. And anything for a fever? His little sister is burning up," Jack explained as she hoisted him to his feet.
She handed Stoph her canteen and told him she would find something in her pack once they were out of sight. Then she took a good look at the man next to her. He was obviously in pain.
"Ribs?" she asked.
He nodded. They had reached a small cubby that Sam could tell he had picked strategically as it gave him a good view in three directions and options for retreating from any trouble. As he slid down using the back wall to aid him she pulled out the healing device and slipped it on.
"You came prepared," he commented.
"I know you well enough to know you wouldn't have gone quietly into the night," she replied.
"Yeah, how in the hell did you find me?" he asked.
"I had help," she shrugged. "Now be quiet and stay still so I can concentrate."
"Yes, ma'am," he complied.
Five minutes later she was done, and this time he got to his feet on his own. "Much better, thanks!"
"You should still take some ibuprofen to help with the stiffness. Now where is this sick girl?" she asked.
It took another half an hour for Sam to use the healing device on the little girl, and once she was better they dosed her up with something for infection and fever. Then Sam made Jack take some of the water and painkillers himself.
"So what's the plan?" Jack asked.
"I need to plot out a good escape route and check in with Teal'c in a few hours. Can you make me a map of where you normally are during the day? And here, put this locator beacon on under your shirt. I redesigned it to boost the signal enough to go through all this naquada. That way I can find you if you get moved," she ordered. "I'll be back well before dawn."
"Carter, we need to get all of these people out of here," Jack told her.
She smiled a wry little smile. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that. I'll do my best, after I get you to safety," she assured him.
He nodded in agreement knowing that in her place he would have insisted on exactly the same thing. And then, just as she was about to turn to leave, she paused and did something that Jack would never forget as long as he lived.
Sam Carter looked him the eyes and then kissed him. Hard. He was just beginning to recover from his shock and return the kiss when she pulled back.
"Don't you go getting yourself killed on me now that I've come this far," she warned him, and then she vanished.
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She crept through the mines, noting every turn and every point that was heavily guarded on her mental map. She planned on taking a slightly different route on her way beck in to see which was better. When she reached the entrance she picked up her pace and flew through the woods to the gate. Teal'c was due to check in any minute now. As she arrived at the clearing she heard the gate activate and saw a group of Jaffa jump to attention and gather around it with their weapons ready. Hoping she was far enough away she began her report.
"Teal'c, come in."
"Samantha Carter, I am here," he responded. "Did you find General O'Neill."
"Affirmative. He's alive and well," Sam reported happily.
"That is good news indeed," Teal'c answered and she could almost feel his relief.
Just then a load rumbling noise began and increased in volume. Despite the darkness Sam instinctively looked up. There was no mistaking that sound.
Crap. She grabbed the radio and shouted into it.
"Teal'c, Ba'al is here."
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TBC