Chapter 33 – Frantic

Jack and Teal'c had spent some time sparring in the boxing ring while Daniel and Sam watched JJ crawl on the mats after a large rubber ball. When he tired of that, they had sat on the ground with JJ between them and coaxed him to walk back and forth several times. The little boy had become quite proud of his accomplishments by the time Jack and Teal'c were done with their match.

It was around 0900 when they decided to call it quits. "I think I need another shower. You want to wait awhile Carter? Then we can head back to our quarters and plan the rest of our day."

"Actually, sir, I think I'll go grab JJ's clothes from the laundry. Then I'd like to stop in my lab for just a few minutes. Dad left a few notes that I'd like to go over later, when JJ takes his nap," Sam answered.

"I'll go with Sam and help her carry JJ's things," Daniel spoke up. Jack nodded gratefully at the archaeologist and turned to Teal'c. "What about you, T?"

"I will accompany you to the showers, O'Neill. I feel the need to refresh myself after our sparring exercise."

"Ok, then. We'll meet you back at your lab in 20. And Carter," he reminded her. "You're not to get yourself distracted in your lab. I don't want to have to carry you out of there."

Sam grinned at him. "I won't, Sir. See you in a bit. Come on JJ, let's go and get your clothes." They parted ways, Sam and Daniel to the laundry facilities, Jack and Teal'c to the locker room.

-

Finally, he thought to himself. The woman has only one of her companions with her. Now is the time to strike.

As he was about to set off after them, the Asrak felt a sharp pain slide through his head and his vision blurred momentarily. Gasping in pain, he leaned against the wall for support, trying to regain his equilibrium. When the sensations had passed, he stood up and looked around the empty hallway. His quarry was no where in sight. Firming his resolve, he set off after them.

In his determination to come to this reality and apprehend the child, the Asrak had neglected two important things. One was the existence of the other Sgt. Davis and how that would affect his presence here. The other was the particular effects that travel through the quantum mirror would have on his physiology. He would soon find out about both of these things.

-

Daniel was carrying the white cloth bag filled with JJ's clean clothing as they entered the elevator to make their way down to Sam's lab. He looked with surprise as the doors closed. Sergeant Davis seemed to be hurrying their way. Looking at Sam, he asked, "What's Davis doing on this level? I never see him anywhere but the control room."

Sam shrugged her shoulders and shifted JJ more comfortably on her hip. She had begun to get that strange feeling again once they left the laundry facilities. It had just gotten stronger for a moment before the elevator doors closed. Noticing her distraction, Daniel asked with concern, "Are you all right Sam? You seem distracted."

Sam looked over at Daniel. Knowing that she could trust him, even with a vague answer, she replied, "I'm not sure Daniel. But something doesn't feel right. I felt the same way last night, then again this morning. I can't quite put my finger on it though."

"Maybe you're just worrying about JJ leaving tomorrow," he suggested quietly.

Sam shook her head. "No, that's not it. It's almost like… I feel a presence or something."

Daniel looked at her with concern. "We'd better tell Jack and Teal'c about this when we meet up with them." Sam nodded her agreement and they rode the rest of the way in quiet contemplation.

-

The Asrak cursed to himself in the language of his god as he saw them disappear into the elevator. Fortunately, there was another that opened up shortly after they left. He knew they were headed to the woman's lab. His host had knowledge of where the lab was located, so he punched in the correct button and waited impatiently as the elevator ascended a few more floors.

When he got out, he looked first left, then right down the hall. Seeing the pair round the corner ahead of him, he headed in that direction.

-

As they rounded the corner, Sam stopped and swung her head around, her eyes widening in what looked like fear to Daniel. "Sam? What is it?"

"Someone's following us Daniel. Or something. I can feel it. We need to hurry. I have a weapon in my lab," and Sam turned to hurry down the hallway, clutching JJ tightly in her arms.

They had only gone a few paces when they heard someone call out behind them, "Major Carter, wait! I need to ask you something."

They both stopped and turned, for the voice sounded familiar. Coming toward them was the figure of Sergeant Davis. Daniel looked at Sam in confusion; this is what she had been afraid of? But as Davis came closer, the feeling inside of her grew and Sam knew without a doubt that something was very wrong. She pulled on Daniel's arm to get him moving again.

Daniel resisted, trying in a calm voice to settle her down. He had no idea why she was acting so strange all of a sudden, but he was certainly going to tell Jack about it when they met him and Teal'c in a few minutes. "Sam, it's only…"

"No, Daniel. Come on, now!" she practically shouted at him, tugging in desperation on his arm.

She got him to move a few steps before they both heard the deep, unmistakable voice of a Goa'uld. "Stop before I kill all of you where you stand!"

Daniel's eyes widened at Sam in dawning comprehension and horror. He pushed her ahead of him, urging her quietly, "Go! Get JJ to you lab and lock the doors!" At her look of hesitation, he said more loudly, "GO Sam!"

Her heart racing, she turned and took off, one arm clutching JJ tightly about his middle, the other pressing his head to her chest as she ran. JJ felt the fear in his mother and began to whimper and tremble. He tried to peek over her shoulder but she held him fast as she ran.

Daniel turned toward the approaching intruder. He dropped the laundry bag and began to inch his way over to the nearby alarm than hung on the wall. "Stop, you fool!" cried the Asrak. Daniel turned to look at him, hoping maybe he would be able to talk to whoever this was and give Sam a little more time to get JJ safely to her lab.

Daniel held up his hands as if in surrender and asked, "Who are you and what do you want with us?"

"I want nothing with you, human," the Asrak sneered at Daniel. "I have come for the child. You Tauri are so simple and weak. They may have kept him from me in their world, but you will not be able to do so here."

In disbelief, Daniel asked, "You mean, you came from the other reality? The one where JJ really belongs? How did you get here? What's happened there with Anubis?"

"Enough of your foolish questions!" he cut off Daniel's inquiries and raised the hand that held the ring. In a matter of seconds, Daniel was staring blankly ahead of him, neither thoughts nor words coming forth from him. The Asrak pushed Daniel aside and hurried after Sam. He was so close now, he could almost taste victory. His prey was almost within his grasp.

-

With a pounding heart, Sam reached her lab and pulled out her key card. She swiped it through quickly, entered the lab, then turned and locked the door. She ran over to the wall nearest her desk and pulled the alarm. Relief flooded through her as she heard the loud sirens shrieking from the hallway.

JJ, frightened even more by the loud alarms, began to cry in earnest, a high-pitched wail of fear that drove straight to Sam's heart. Jiggling him up and down as she moved about the room, she tried to quiet him as she planned her next course of action. Sam moved to her desk where she kept a weapon tucked away in a bottom drawer. As she reached for it, her head shot up. A loud pounding on her door followed by the deep voice of her enemy could clearly be heard over the blaring of the alarms.

"Open the door, Major Carter. You may yet live if you just give me the child," demanded the Asrak on the other side. He was just readying himself to blast the door down with his hand device when another surge of pain pierced his head and images began to blur in front of him. It only lasted a few moments, but was enough to buy Sam a few more precious seconds and also weaken the Asrak's power, just a bit.

Looking around frantically while tucking the gun into the waistband of her pants, Sam spied the small closet she used for storage. It was located next to her large metal file cabinet. Knowing she didn't have much time, she moved to the closet and opened the door, pressed a kiss to JJ's head and set him on the floor before closing the door on him. She pushed the metal cabinet in front of the door as added protection, thankful that it was not too heavy. The baby's wails intensified at finding himself alone in the dark room and it tore at Sam's heart to hear his cries of fear. But, knowing she couldn't protect him while holding on to him, she strengthened her resolve and moved across the room.

Sam quickly reached her safe as the first blasts from the Asrak's hand device pounded into the steel door. Realizing it might only hold for one more blast, Sam opened the safe quickly and pulled out the Goa'uld hand device stored within. Just as she was strapping it to her wrist, another blast hit the door and it flew open, the Asrak following with eyes blazing. "You will not escape me so easily, Tauri!" And he lifted his left hand toward her. He twisted the ring and took aim.

Sam ducked and rolled under her table as the first shot of a laser-like beam came from the Asrak's ring device. While under the table, she quickly attached the rest of the hand device, pulled the gun out, and readied herself for attack.

-

Jack and Teal'c had been walking down the hallway, having just gotten off the elevators at the far end of the corridor when they heard the alarms come to life. Looking quickly at each other, they both took off in the direction of Sam's lab. They rounded a corner and came upon Daniel, slumped against the wall with his eyes wide open and mouth moving but no sound coming out.

Jack moved over to him and shook his shoulders, "Daniel! What happened? Where are Carter and the baby?"

Daniel was unable to respond to his question but was able, by sheer force of will, to raise his hand and point in the direction of Sam's lab. Jack squeezed his shoulder once before turning and racing down the corridor, Teal'c fast on his heels. His heart pounded as he heard the loud noise of a blast coming from that same direction.

-

Sam slowly raised herself on her knees and peered over the table as the Asrak, now residing in Sergeant Davis, came more fully into her lab. Distracted momentarily by the wails of the baby, he looked in that direction; only to be brought up short by the stinging of a bullet as it pierced his shoulder. He turned to see Major Carter crouched behind a large table, gun pointed directly at him. Sam intended to use the gun first and the hand device as a last resort. She still wasn't used to using Goa'uld technology and her emotions were overwrought right now. She wasn't sure if that would interfere with her skill at using the device.

The Asrak, with deadly determination on his face, pointed the ring at her. Instead of the mind-numbing glow he had used on Daniel, he let another volley of laser projectiles fly toward her location. Sam quickly ducked and rolled once more, but not before being caught on the right shoulder by the sharp, penetrating sting of the weapon.

She let out a cry of pain as she fell to the floor, clutching her right shoulder with her left hand. Believing her to no longer be a threat, the Asrak moved to the back of the room where he heard the baby crying. He grinned evilly as he spotted where Sam had tried to hide the baby. Foolish woman, he thought to himself as he reached to pull the filing cabinet away.

Hearing his steps move toward the back of the room, Sam forcibly ignored the pain in her shoulder and stood up. Her heart beating erratically in both fear and anger, she raised her left hand and took careful aim with the hand device. She yelled out a loud and clear, "Stop!"

The Asrak stopped and looked at her in surprise. Where did she get a weapon of the gods? he thought briefly before raising his own hand. Before he could activate his own device of destruction, he felt himself being thrown backward with a great force and slamming into the wall behind him. His last thought as he slumped to the floor and died was one of disbelief at being killed by a mere human female.

Sam let her hand fall to her side; a mixture of relief and incredible fatigue coursing through her veins. It had taken the last vestiges of her strength and adrenaline to focus her energy into the hand device and toward taking out the Asrak. She took a few stuttering steps toward the closet, intent on reaching JJ and releasing him from his dark enclosure. She could still hear his screams from behind the closet door as the room blackened before her. Sam fell to the floor in a heap of exhaustion and pain, her last thoughts those of the little boy she had grown to love so much.


Whew! I hope I have done this chapter justice! I tried to get it out quickly following that last short one. Things will be cleared up for the team in the next chapter. Hope I haven't left you too confused or hearts pounding to fast!