Part 19
'Murphy, she's our mole' kept ringing in my ears. I let out a cry of no and looked at Jack. I asked Maybourne if he was sure. He said that he was 100 sure that Murphy was our mole. We had all trusted Murphy and she was helping the NID. She had been plotting all along to take Cassie and was probably waiting for the perfect opportunity. I tried to breath but found it hard to. Jack called out my name but I couldn't respond. All the emotions I had felt the last few days were taking over me. I felt like I wanted to die. I failed her. I told her she would be safe that I wouldn't let anything happen to her.
I could hear Daniel yelling at Jack to slow down and to watch where he was going. He tried to get my attention and wanting to know what exactly Maybourne had said.
The Colonel yelled at Daniel to get out his phone and call Ferretti and General Hammond and to tell them that we had found out the mole was Murphy.
Jack floored the truck and weaved in and out of traffic while Daniel and I hung on for dear life. Jack pounded his hand on the steering wheel, berating himself for not finding out sooner that the Murphy was our mole.
"Carter, call Teal'c find out where they're at and tell him what we found out. Murphy doesn't know that we've found out she's the mole, so we can work that to our advantage," Jack said.
I picked up the phone, hung up on Harry, and dialed Teal'c's cell phone.
Cassie picked up and I closed my eyes with relief.
"Sam, we just left you. What's going on?" she asked with concern.
I asked her if they were almost home she said no, that they were going to make a detour to the market to pick up stuff to make chili for dinner. I asked her calmly what street they were on and what market were they going to. She asked Russell and she told me Lake Ave. by the shopping mall. She was curious as to why I wanted to know what street they were on.
I told Jack that they were on Lake Ave. by the shopping mall and he crossed over two lanes of traffic to make the turn onto Lake Ave. Jack yelled at Daniel to let General Hammond know where we were headed and to send reinforcements.
"Sam, what's going on," Cassie asked
"Nothing Cass. I need to talk to Teal'c okay? Give him the phone," I asked Cassie.
"Major Carter, how can I assist you," Teal asked.
Before I could tell Teal'c anything I heard a gunshot.
"Oh my god! Jack I heard a gunshot," I yelled.
Jack cursed and told us to hang on as he started to weave in and out of traffic again.
"Teal'c can you hear me? What's going on? Please tell me you and Cassie are all right," I pleaded on the phone.
I could hear glass shattering and Murphy yelling at Teal'c to get Cassie down.
The phone dropped and I could only hear muffled voices. Then I heard Cassie on the phone.
"Sam, somebody just rammed us from behind and started shooting. Murphy's trying to out run them and she's asking for reinforcements. She says that were no longer on Lake Avenue…
I told Jack that they were no longer on Lake Avenue and that Murphy was trying to out run them.
I heard Cassie whimpering and I called out to her and asked her where she was.
"Sam, we're on 12th and Holly. There's two SUV's now after us. They're ramming us from both sides and shooting. Sam help us!" Cassie yelled.
I heard metal crunching against each other. I could hear Murphy yelling at Teal'c to hang on to Cassie. I felt helpless. I should have never let her go.
"Jack there at 12th and Holly," I yelled, willing him to hurry.
Cassie came back on the line and said that they driven off the road and were trapped. Teal'c was hurt but was still with her. Murphy had told them to run and she would cover them. They were in an old warehouse. And then suddenly I heard a scream and the line went dead.
"Cassie!" Jack looked at me and knew it wasn't good news. Daniel asked me to tell him what was happening.
I didn't have to tell him anything because Jack had gotten us to 12th and Holly and we had found my car. Before Jack stopped the truck, I tried to run out the door, but Jack grabbed my hand.
"No, you stay here. Daniel and I will check it out. Wait for Ferretti and the General. And keep your head down. I'll let you know when its safe," he said.
I yanked my hand away from him and ran out of the truck towards my car. I could hear Jack cursing at me while he and Daniel came running behind me.
The car had bullets holes on the side and all the windows shattered it looked like it had been rammed from all sides. I ran to the backseat to see if by any chance they were still there.
All there was were traces of blood leading to the abandoned warehouse. We fanned out to see if we could find them.
We found Russell who had been zatted. He was unconscious and Daniel stayed with him and called for an ambulance.
We had also found three unknown men, all dead. Jack and I continued the search when we found Teal'c. He had also been shot in the shoulder and had been zatted.
Where was Cassie? Did Murphy orchestrate all of this to make it seem like she was taken also?
I yelled out Cassie's name, pleading with her to answer.
"Major Carter, they've been taken. I heard the men say to take the females and to kill Captain Russell and I. They heard O'Neill's truck and departed," Teal'c said.
I cried out no and crumbled to the floor, pounding on it. I felt arms encircle me and knew it was Jack.
I fought to get out of his grasp. He let me go and I looked at him with tears in my eyes.
"I thought you said she would be protected, that we would keep her safe. You promised me and I believed you, and now they've got her. I failed her. I knew deep down in my heart that it wasn't safe to stay, but I let my personal feelings for you cloud my judgment. We should never have crossed the line. I should have gone off world and hid till all this blew over. But I stayed, thinking she would be safe with us. How could I have been so stupid? We let our emotions rule us and now she's paying the price," I yelled out in frustration at Jack.
I could see that I had hurt him. He was torn. I knew he wanted to scream back, but I think he was still in shock at the things I had said. I had ripped what we had together to shreds with those last words.
Jack tried to hold me again, but I pulled away from him. Teal'c had heard everything I said and turned away. Daniel had also heard and reminded us that General Hammond and Agent Barrett would be arriving soon.
I got up from the ground wrapping my arms around me and tried to walk around Jack.
He stopped me and grabbed my upper arms. "Sam, I'm sorry, you've got to believe me. We will get her back. Just have faith in me. I won't rest till I've found her. You're right to blame me. Maybe we did let our emotions rule us, and we should have been more careful. But don't throw away what we've got. We will get through this, but I need you now here with me. I can't do this alone," Jack pleaded.
He pulled me into his arms and I broke down and cried. I knew I had to put distance between us, but I couldn't stop crying. I had to get away from him. I broke free from his embrace, wiped my tears and held my hand out to him and nodded no. I told him I needed to be alone. I couldn't deal with Cassie's abduction, Murphy's betrayal and him at the same time. He let go and I knew that I had hurt him. I walked away, knowing that if I didn't at that moment, I never would. I couldn't let my personal feelings interfere. I had to become Major Carter again and get Cassie back from the NID.
Teal'c spoke up, "Major Carter if you want to place blame, then I am the responsible one. I was with Cassandra when she was taken. We could not for see this happening. We have been very diligent in keeping Cassandra safe. There was nothing more we could have done. This mole has told the NID all of our plans."
I told Teal'c that he wasn't to blame, that he didn't know that we had found out who the mole's identity was.
"Teal'c the reason the NID knew everything we were doing was because Murphy was the mole. She had access to all our plans, research and she knew exactly what we were planning."
Teal'c looked puzzled. "Major Carter, are you certain that Captain Murphy is the mole? The three dead men in front of the warehouse were killed. If she was our mole why would she kill her own people? I believe that Maybourne is mistaken."
Jack and Daniel had heard what Teal'c had just said.
Vehicles were arriving and footsteps could be heard approaching us. Jack took me by the arm to hide and Daniel helped carry Teal'c to the other side.
General Hammond and Ferretti called out to us, Jack came out of hiding and gave us the all clear.
Agent Barrett was also there with SF soldiers swarming the warehouse to make sure it was all clear.
Jack went to go speak with the General and Ferretti, Daniel asked for a medical team for Teal'c and went back to check on Russell. I sat on a crate trying to understand what Teal'c had just told us.
Agent Barrett came to me and asked if I was okay. I looked up at him and said no, I'd lost Cassie and who knew where she was right now. I also filled him in on Murphy. He was surprised saying he would never have pegged her as a mole for the NID. I asked him if he could make a few calls to see what he could find out about her. He said he would and filled me in on Peters' death.
I could hear Jack and Ferretti arguing. I felt sorry for Ferretti. He had put his trust, as well as his team's trust in Murphy and she had used them to get information on the SGC.
"He has to be wrong Jack. I can't believe that she was the mole; she had plenty of opportunities to snatch Cassie. She helped us out with all the leads that Maybourne gave her. I trusted her Jack, she was part of my team and she never gave me less then 110 . I want proof that she is our mole. Daniel told me what Teal'c said about her killing those guys out there. It just doesn't add up," Ferretti said.
Jack didn't want to talk about it anymore and came up to Agent Barrett and I.
"I think we better get back to my house and see what else Harry's found out about Murphy, if that's her name. We're going to need you help Barrett. The gloves are coming off and if you can't help, then get out of the way. Carter are you coming?" he asked.
I got up off the crate and told Jack that I had already asked Agent Barrett if he could do a background check on Murphy, but then realized that maybe her name really wasn't Murphy.
"Malcolm, the Colonel's right. What if her name wasn't Murphy? How are we going to find out who she really is?" I asked.
"The SGC has files on all of you and that includes fingerprints. I'll clear it with General Hammond and since I'm doing this through proper channels, I should get a response quickly," Barrett said.
Barrett left the Colonel and I alone. I needed to focus on getting Cassie back. When he tried to grab my hand, I pulled back and said please don't.
"I have to think clearly. I can't have our feelings clouding my judgment Jack. Please just leave me alone to sort through this. I can't have you hovering over me," I said.
I walked around him to go check on Teal'c. He insisted that he was fine. He wanted to help us find Cassie and refused to go to the hospital. I asked Agent Barrett if I could get a ride to the Colonel's with him. He said okay. He let his team know where he could be contacted. I told Daniel and Teal'c that I would see the mat the Colonel's.
Taking my hand in his, Daniel looked at me. "Sam, you shouldn't be taking your anger out on Jack. He tried his best. We all failed her Sam, but we will get her back."
"You also have my word Major Carter. We will not rest till we find those responsible for her abduction," Teal'c said.
Agent Barrett came up to me and asked if I was ready to leave. I nodded yes and he led me to his car. Opening the door, I turned around and saw Jack staring at me. I stared back and could see that he was still hurting from what I had said. I turned away knowing what I just did might not be easily fixed. I was doing the right thing by keeping my emotions in check, but it still hurt.
The ride over to the Colonel's was uneventful. Malcolm made calls to NID headquarters to see if they could get started on Murphy's identity. He told me that General Hammond had give authorization to use Murphy's file and a copy was being sent over to the NID to get processed.
"We'll find out who she is, don't worry Major. If she is with a rogue section of the NID, I will personally bring them down," Malcolm said.
When I didn't respond, Malcolm tried to get me to tell him what was wrong, but I told him he wouldn't understand and that it would be better if I dealt with it on my own. I was lost in my own thoughts. I felt so helpless; I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry out, I wanted comfort. But the person that I wanted it from was now off limits to me. If I were to survive this ordeal, it would have to be on my own. I couldn't risk letting my feelings get in the way of finding Cassie. I would have to bury my love for him again. Lock it away in that room in my heart that was only opened days ago. I owed it to Janet to get her daughter back and in one piece. Closing my eyes, I willed the tears away. I had to be strong.
We arrived at the Colonel's and went inside to see what else Maybourne had found out about Murphy. Maybourne asked were Jack was and I said he should be arriving shortly. I asked him what evidence he had about Murphy that made him think she was our mole.
He went over to a box that held old files and pulled one out. The name on the file was Charlotte Winslow, aka Charlie Win. She had joined the military after high school, had been in the top of her class and had been assigned to the communications division. She had served in Desert Storm, but right after her tour, she disappeared and was not heard from by her family until 1999. She had been spotted in Europe causing trouble by hacking into sites to obtain information for money. Her hacker name was Havoc, because that was what she caused when she infiltrated a system. She got into some trouble when she broke into the Russian government system and had download information on their Stargate program. The file stopped there with no other information after that.
"I was going to recruit her for my rogue team. She would have been a great asset being able to access any computer system. But I never got a chance since we were discovered and brought down. That's my proof Major," Maybourne said.
"Then explain to me why would she shoot her own men? Teal'c witnessed her take down five men without hesitation. That doesn't sound like someone that would be working as a mole and be loyal to the NID. It just doesn't make sense," I said
"What doesn't make sense?" Jack asked.
We had not heard the door open and looked up to see Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, Ferretti and Russell enter.
Russell walked up to Maybourne. "Who are you?"
"Friend of the family. Now get away from me kid. You're bothering me," Maybourne said.
"About Murphy being our mole. I showed Major Carter the file I had on her and she told me what Murphy had done. Yeah, she's right, it doesn't make sense. She had ever opportunity to take Cassie, but she didn't. And her helping us out, that doesn't make sense either. She could have pretended not to know about computers to hold us back,
but she didn't," Maybourne said.
"That's what I've been telling Jack on the way over here. It doesn't add up. We've been on missions together and she's saved the teams and my six more times then I care to remember. If that's all the proof you've got Harry, then I want more," Ferretti said.
"I better call my office and have them do a name check since we know that Murphy isn't her last name," Barrett said, and walked to the living room to make his call.
"I thought General Hammond was coming with you guys. What happen?" I asked.
"He got called back to the SGC on an emergency," Ferretti said.
There was a knock on the door. Jack went to see who it was. Major Griffith and Captain Ayers came into the dinning room and said they had been sent over by General Hammond to offer their help. Jack briefed them, and assigned one of them to watch the front and one to watch the back.
Agent Barrett walked in and said he had just gotten news from General Hammond himself. There had been another murder at the SGC. This time the body was found in the parking lot. He had to get back to see what he could do to help. He also needed to report back to his superior.
Daniel asked, "Who was murdered?"
"Major Palmer was found in his vehicle with his neck broken. The SF's thought he was just waiting with the rest of the people who were locked out, but when they were given the all clear, he stayed in his car," Agent Barrett said.
"Why would they want Palmer dead? This is making less sense as time goes by. Russell, do you have any insight," Ferretti asked
"I didn't go back to the SGC right away. I went home to check on my messages and mail since I hadn't been there for a few days. I haven't spoken to him since this morning."
"I have to get back the SGC and to contact my Superiors with the latest developments. If I find anything out, I'll let you know," Agent Barrett said.
I was getting restless. "Now what? Where do we go from here? The longer we delay, the farther Cassie gets away from us. We've got to do something."
"Major Carter, I know it difficult for you right now, but we've got to keep our heads. I think we should go over to Murphy's house and see if we can find any leads," Maybourne suggested.
"Good ideal Harry. Teal'c, Danny and Ferretti. Why don't you call General Hammond and ask if you can get Murphy's address and go see what you can find out," Jack said.
"Wait I want to help. Why don't I go with you and see what I can help out with," I said.
"Ah, Carter, I don't think that's a good idea. There are a lot of people coming in and out of the base right now. It wouldn't be safe," Jack said.
I knew what he was doing. He hadn't volunteered to go to Murphy's or the base. He was going to be my babysitter. He had failed trying to protect Cassie and he wouldn't fail losing me.
"I've got to go speak to one of my sources. He called right before you guys got here. He thinks he might have something that can help me, but wouldn't talk about it on the phone," Maybourne said.
"I'll go with you Maybourne. You're going to need back up," I said.
"Carter, didn't you hear what I just said? I don't think it's a good idea that you leave the house. It's for your own safety," Jack said.
That was it the last straw. I was about to explode right there in front of everyone. I saw Daniel look at me and nodded his head no. I took a deep breath. "Sir, may I speak to you outside?"
Jack looked at me and motioned me outside. I turned around and waited for the door to close. I could feel Jack behind me. I walked off the deck and headed to the garage. If I was going to yell, I didn't want anyone to hear me.
Going into the garage, I turned around. "What the hell do you think your doing? I need to find Cassie and your doing everything in your power to stop me. Why are you doing this? I don't need you hovering over me. This is why we should have never gotten involved.
You are not my babysitter, so stop trying to be one," I lashed out.
"Carter, enough. I let your tongue-lashing slide at the warehouse because you were upset. But I've let this insubordination go on long enough. If you want to act professional then I'm ordering you to stay in the house and not leave until I deem it appropriate. Do you hear me Major, or do I have to have you under lock and key? Don't push me, or we will both regret our actions," Jack yelled back.
"You can't keep me here. I have to find Cassie. I promised Janet that we would keep her safe. I can't just sit here and do nothing. If your not going to be help, then get out of my way," I said.
"I'm not going to warn you again, Major Carter. You're this close to being court marshaled. You will follow exactly what I tell you, and if I have to hog tie you to a chair to keep you from leaving I will. Do I make myself clear," Jack yelled back.
I'd had enough. I took my dog tags from inside my shirt and pulled them off.
"Fine, if that's how it's going to be then I resign. Consider these my notice and I don't have to follow your orders anymore since you are no longer my CO," I said.
I threw the tags at him. I could see he was completely taken aback. He couldn't believe I had just quit. As I started to walk back to the house, he grabbed me from behind.
"What the hell do you think your doing? You're going to quit? I can't believe you would just throw away your career because you can't follow a simple order. Your resignation is denied. I need to call the General to get your father here to talk some sense into you. You're still not leaving. You don't have a car anyway," Jack said.
I walked into the dining room, grabbed my cell phone and laptop from the table and started to walk to the spare bedroom.
I got the bedroom as I heard Jack calling my name. I slammed the door and locked it. I knew he wouldn't let me leave since I'd forgotten that I had let Murphy use my car.
I was sitting on the bed and staring at the ceiling when the pounding started at the door.
"Major Carter, open this door before I break it down," Jack yelled.
I cursed and yelled back. "You said I had to stay in the house. You didn't say it had to be in the same room."
I could hear Daniel and Jack arguing outside the door, and heard Jack tell Daniel to talk some sense into me and he left. I was leaning against the headboard and told Daniel that I wanted to be alone. He asked if I was going to be okay while he was gone and I said yeah.
I heard him leave as I turned on my phone. I was about to dial when it beeped and a text message appeared.
"Want to get Cassandra back? Call 555-1013. No SGC!"
I couldn't believe it. They were contacting me. I dialed the number and someone answered.
"Hello Major Carter. I see that you got my message. It's really simple: an even trade of your life for Cassandra's. Oh, and both of yours and Cassie's medical records," the person said.
"How do I know that Cassie's still alive? That you really have her," I asked.
I heard muffled sounds and then breathing.
"Cassie is that you? Please say something. Are you all right? Are you hurt?" I asked.
"Sam, oh God Sam, they hurt Murphy and…
"Do you believe me now Samantha? She will be safe for one hour. That's how long you've got to bring me the medical files and you. I want you to come alone to Wardlow Park. You will be followed, so you better be alone or Cassandra will not survive another accident," he said.
"One hour, fine. But you bring her with you. How can I be sure that you will let her go once you have me," I asked.
"You are just going to have to trust me. Don't be late." He hung up and I got up off the bed and tried to form a plan on how I was going retrieve our medical files and get out of here without a car and without letting anyone know I was gone. I peeked out of the
room and heard two voices. One was Jack's and the other was Major Griffith. I walked into Jack's room and retrieved the files. I made it back to the spare bedroom and wrote a letter telling Jack where I was going and that I was sorry, but I needed to do what I could for Cassie.
I tried to figure out away to get away. I decided to climb out the window. Since it faced the front and Major Griffith and the Colonel were speaking, I knew no one would be guarding the front.
I climbed through and made it out without anyone detecting I was gone. Or so I thought.
To Be Continued.
