AN: Thanks everyone for your feedback, I know it may seem a bit slow, lol, but I promise, I need to do this to set things up. So would love to hear your views, the good the bad and the ugly, lol.

Maor Spoilers: S7 -Heroes

Disobeying Orders!

The trip through the event horizon to the other side was uneventful and conversation less as they walked solemnly through the overgrown path, which Daniel had said, would lead them to a nearby village that according to recent data files from the UAV depicted some dwellings. During the recent mission briefing, Daniel believed the planet and its inhabitants were still very much a primitive society, but that the meteorological survey showed naquada in its purest forms along with some ruins to the west of the village that appeared to be abandoned. Due to Daniel's keenness to explore the ruins and the possibility of acquiring the naquada, General Hammond had agreed with only slight reservation. His reservation along with the Colonel's was based on their previous missions involving sites containing naquada deposits, missions that invariably led to a standoff between the Goa'uld and SG1. This time they hoped that lady luck was on their side, and it was about time.

According to Jack's calculations, they should reach the village within 4 hours; plenty of time to strike up conversation with his 2IC, and while Carter didn't appear to be in a very talkative mood at the moment, he knew that by the end of the mission he would give her no other option but to talk it through.

Falling into step, Teal'c and Daniel had taken point while he and Carter took flank. It had been almost 3 hours since they'd left the gate and she hadn't uttered a single word. Normally lack of conversation didn't bother him, but this wasn't a comfortable silence. This was the sort of silence, which niggled in the back of his mind driving him to the brink of annoyance. He hated it and needed to clear the air, before it came to a point whereby it would cause problems within the team.

"Carter."

Here it comes. Sam thought as her shoulders stiffened against her backpack.

"Talk to me." Jack asked openly, quickening his pace to keep up with her increasing speed.

"What would you like to talk about, sir?" Sam replied nonchalantly keeping her gazed focused on everything around her, apart from him.

"Is this how its going to be from hereon in?"

" I just don't want to talk about things."

"Like it or not, you're going to have to."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Jack asked stopping in his tracks.

"Well, have I failed in my duties? Have I once let my feelings interfere with my work? No."

"That's not the point, Carter."

"Really, sir? Then what is the point?"

"Do I really have to spell it out? Is that how you want to play it, Major?"

"I'm not playing anything, sir."

"Damn it, Sam. I've been down this path, and trust me you don't want to go there."

"With all due respect, Colonel. I'm grieving." Sam retorted sarcastically, her temper gaining momentum with every breath she took. "People grieve in different ways and just because I don't behave, as you would have me, it doesn't mean there's something wrong. So we can we leave it at that. I'm tired of discussing this over and over. If its not with you, it's with Daniel or Teal'c. And you know what, sir. I've had it talking about Janet's death. Now if you'll excuse me, we're lagging behind." With that she stormed off into the distance leaving a bewildered looking Colonel.

Sighing with increasing frustration, he shook his head. Well, he'd wanted a quiet mission, and with Carter unlikely to be talking to him for the duration it seemed as if he was going to get his wish…just not in the way that he'd hoped. Walking with purpose in his stride towards the densely overgrown forest, it was clear that his mood was becoming darker; he couldn't force her to talk, that much was evident. He just wished it didn't have to be like this.

Before his thoughts overtook him a piercing scream shattered the air. Stopping dead in his tracks, he could have sworn it was a female screaming, but it wasn't coming from Carter. Running towards his teams vicinity with concern in his eyes he didn't even have the chance to ask in which direction it was coming from when Teal'c advised, "I believe it is coming from the far end of the forest O'Neill."

"We have to go check it out." Sam stated unequivocally. "There might be someone in trouble."

"Isn't there always." Jack replied deadpan, looking over at Daniel. "Daniel, was their any indications from the MALP telemetry to confirm a civilisation on this planet?"

"Yes, but the village is miles away from the gate. There are some abandoned mines and structures around here, but from what I've seen it's long been abandoned."

"Obviously not. Okay kids; keep your eyes and ears open. Teal'c take point, I'll cover your six. Carter, you getting any readings Goa'uld or otherwise on your little gadget."

"I'm getting faint energy readings, sir which seem to be coming from a north westerly direction. I don't know how that can be, given the fact that from all accounts this part of the world seems long since abandoned, but the readings are clear. From the sounds of the scream, we know that there are obviously people around here."

"Okay lets get a move on."

"Jack, there should be some dwellings where Sam's indicating, it was on the aerial survey that the UAV took."

"Then that's where we're going."

Circumnavigating their way through the forest, it was clear that their had been very little human activity within the forest for some down. The native flora seemed to have snaked its way up through the wilderness of trees that surrounded them. The forest reminded him of the land of light; dark and overcast, only a small proportion of light seemed to be filtering through the overgrown branches and leaves that nestled high above them. The paths, if he could call them that, were treacherous. Broken branches and debris littered their pathway as they ran headlong into the forest.

A sense of anticipation filled them as they neared the ornate structure. They could barely make out the edge of the forest before they heard a second blood-curdling scream, followed by the shouting of a young man. Increasing their speed, they finally made their way out of the Amazonian type forest. Checking the parameter for any sign of covert activity, Goa'uld or otherwise, they made their way with increasing wariness to the sounds they heard earlier.

"Sir." Sam pointed out, a young man, barely older than about 12, dressed in traditional clothing from all appearances. He seemed to be trying to reassure whoever was in the overgrown structure in front of him.

"I see him Carter."

Turning around at the footsteps behind him Kaleb backed away from the strangers that approached him. Fear cut through his young features like a knife he'd been warned of the strangers that may come through the 'ring of light' and here they were standing before him. Worse still, his fears weren't for himself but for Aaliyah, he couldn't abandon her in the ruins, she could be hurt, unable to defend herself from those that stood before him.

"Who are you?" He questioned, his eyes never leaving the weapons they held in their hands.

"We heard screams." Daniel told him softly seeing the terror in the young mans eyes. "Is someone in trouble? If there is, we can help."

"Aaliyah, she's in the cave. We were exploring and it started falling in on us. You're not from this land, why would you help us?"

"It's our way. Look, how long has she been in there? Is she hurt?" Sam asked him softly and with a note of urgency

"It happened not long ago. We found some things, and she didn't want to leave without the artefacts…why? Why would she risk her life for something like that?" Kaleb asked hurriedly looking back and forth between the caves and the strangers.

"Trust me, she's not the only one to do things like that, is she Daniel?" Jack asked peering up to the young archaeologist.

"Let's discuss my shortcomings later, shall we Jack?" Daniel replied, squinting his eyes in protest at the accusation.

"Daniel, Teal'c go have a look round the other side, maybe there's another way in. This looks as if it's going to collapse any minute."

A panicked voice shattered through the cavern before them. "KALEB, PLEASE HELP ME!"

A worried glance towards the shadowy cavern behind him left his emotions reeling. His heart raced at the decision he had to make – to trust the strangers' word or leave Aaliyah to find help. Ultimately, he knew he had no choice. He had to trust them.

"Sir, we can't leave her in there." Sam pleaded. She couldn't lose someone else on her first away mission after Janet, no matter what the cost.

"Carter, I'm not sending anyone through until its stable. We need to brace the entrance first. Kaleb is there anything that we could use to support the entrance, timber, rocks, rope…anything?" Jack replied with a hint of urgency.

Torn between helping Aaliyah and allowing the strangers access to the sacred mines, he reluctantly accepted their help, but he knew that whatever happened here today, word would get out amongst the villagers at his time here with Aaliyah. "There are some older buildings not far from here that might have the things you need, but what about Aaliyah? I can't leave her here on her own."

"Carter. Stay here, talk to her, reassure her we'll try and get her out."

"Sir…"

"Don't 'sir' me Carter. No one is going in until we can get that thing stabilized, understood?" Jack responded firmly eying her sceptically, unsure if she was even listening to him.

"Yes, sir."

The cavern appeared to be collapsing in on its self, debris from previous cave-ins scattered the floor where they stood. One thing was clear for all to see, the entrance to the mines wasn't stable enough for them to make a rescue attempt, not just yet.

"Kaleb show me the way."

Running towards the structure's far off in the distance; Sam continued to hear the girl's cries. In reality she wasn't sure she could keep her promise to the Colonel. As time went on, Aaliyah cries became louder and no matter what she said to calm down, nothing seemed to be working. The young girl was terrified that she would die within the ruins, and Sam couldn't let that happen.

Pacing the confines of the mines, she watched as dirt continued to fall to the ground from the ceiling. Time seemed to be going slowly as she waited for the others to return. She felt helpless. Time was definitely running out, and she couldn't sit back any longer and wait for her friends to return. "Colonel, come in."

"Go ahead, Carter." Jack called from the distance, proceeding to gather some timber.

"Sir, the cave is becoming increasingly unstable, how far off are you?"

"We're just on our way back." Jack advised her through his walkie-talkie

"Sir, I'm not sure you're going to get back in time." Sam replied watching the dirt from the cave fall softly against the cavern floor. Her eyes glanced back and forth from the horizon to where Teal'c and Daniel were hurriedly looking for a way in.

"Carter stay put, we're on our way back. Do not do anything, you hear me?"

"Sorry, sir. I can't hear you. Too much static." Sam lied through the radio. Switching the radio off, she apologised openly for something she had to do.

"Damn it, Carter. Do not, I repeat DO NOT do anything." Jack shouted down the radio, knowing full well what her intentions were. His face shook with anger and frustration. "Carter, come in?" Instead of hearing her voice, he received deathly silence, no static, no reassurance from the other end, nothing. "Teal'c, Daniel do you copy?"

"Jack, we can't find any entrance."

"Is Carter with you?" Knowing full well she wasn't, but he had to ask the question for his own piece of mind. Finding the radio conveniently working without any problems, he realised that it must have been her who turned off the radio.

"No, we left her at the mines. What's wrong?" Daniel asked beginning to feel as if something had gone horribly wrong.

"Kaleb and I are on our way back. I think Carter has gone and done something stupid. I need you to find her, try her on her radio and get back to the entrance a.s.a.p. I'll be there in 5. O'Neill out." Jack was not happy, how could she go and disobey his orders. He knew she'd gone into the cave; it was like a sixth sense. Thinking about how she was when he left, he wondered if he'd done the right thing by leaving her there, particularly knowing her frame of mind. The risk taking was something he was too familiar with, and seeing that look in her eyes when he had told her not to go in, now only reinforced the fact that something else was going on in that mind of hers.

"Aaliyah, I'm coming to get you. Sit tight and I'll try and reach you. You need to keep perfectly still, don't try and move around; otherwise the whole structure could come down on both of us. Understand?"

"I'm scared, please don't leave me alone."

Her voice was pitiful. It tugged at Sam's heartstrings and for a split second she wondered if those had been Janet's words and feelings of fear and abandonment. She didn't know, because she wasn't with her when she died, and the guilt remained constant. She'd promised Cassie that no matter what happened, she'd never have her mom placed in danger, not after the loss of her biological parents. But that's exactly what had happened, and there wasn't a damn thing she could have done to prevent it. This was different though, she reminded herself, she could help this girl, and at least hopefully spare her family what her and Cassie had gone through.

"Please hurry, the walls are coming in…I'm frightened." Her sobs resonated through the dark murky tomb that was holding her prisoner.

"I won't leave you, but you have to listen to me." Sam replied snaking her way through the strewn timber cast down in her path. The opening was so small that she literally contorted her body to weave through the maze of wood that sealed the entrance. Flurries of soil and pebbles fell from the roof onto her hair and face, as she carefully moved the obstruction from her path. Coughing with the effects, she wiped away the sullied mud from her eyes enabling her to see what was in front of her.

Jack had been right, the structure was unstable, there was no denying that. She just hoped that he understood to some degree why she had to do this. In truth though, how could he know what she was thinking or feeling… particularly when she had no plans on telling him what feared her most of all. That was something that she had buried deep within her psyche, he couldn't learn the truth behind her fears

The mine, filled with debris, was dark and murky a stench emanated from within the cavern as if the place had been abandoned for years. She couldn't see her hand in front of her face the darkness was that black. There was no way she could get to the girl without disturbing the structure more, so she did the only thing she could. Kneeling on the ground, she used her hands as her eyes to weave her way through the abandoned cavern, slithering along the muddy ground like a snake, her uniform was soaked and sodden from what appeared to be a heavy storm that had since passed.

Finally seeing an echo of a light in the distance, she squinted her vision, there was definitely something glowing, a light source. It didn't seem to a torch light, or candle, this was different. Whatever it was, the cavern slowly began to fill with light the nearer to the source she got. Listening intently, she heard the gentle sound of a mechanical hum coming from within. Straining to hear, it initially sounded like a humming bird, but the closer she got towards the light source, the louder the humming became. Calling out to the young girl, she listened intently to some kind of a response. It had been more than a few minutes since she'd heard the girl's cries, and wondered if something had happened. She cried out in the darkness. "Aaliyah."

The silence continued, and Sam felt her heart sink.