Chapter Fourteen:
Stargate Command, Cheyenne Mountain
Elizabeth blinked, blinking the white light from her eyes. Slowly getting her vision back, she heard a loud thump as someone or something fell to the floor.
Looking at the walls of the room, she suddenly realised what was going on. Beside her, Kate, Rodney, Ford and Teyla were standing, just as equally confused, and slightly to their left in front of them stood Daniel Jackson, Teal'c and a small boy, his wide eyes blinking. It was then she noticed the two men kneeling next to a third, a blonde woman. Samantha Carter.
"JOHN!" She almost screamed, as Daniel winced. Elizabeth threw herself into his arms, sobbing slightly as he patted her hair.
"I love you…" She mumbled. John replied the same; it was only when Jack moved slightly that Elizabeth got a glance of the woman who had been taken by the Wraith dart. And she literally fell out of John's arms.
The Colonel's face was purple and blue, her eyes were red and puffy, her arms and legs were covered in strips of a BDU jacket, used to tape up wounds. Her shirt was torn open, dried blood spread out over her front, where Wraith claws had pierced her skin.
Without a single word, Jack picked up her limp form and walked from the room, Teal'c on his heels. Daniel looked at them all, before following.
Elizabeth sighed.
"I need to see what's going on." She said, looking at John. John grabbed her hand and followed the group in the direction of the infirmary.
"So…what happened?" Elizabeth asked the man sitting on the chair beside her, her hand clasped in his.
John sighed.
"We went down there, to the planet. But we were caught by the Wraith. We were stunned and woke up in the cell. Sam was there, and not in good shape I can assure you. Anyway,I was taken second, you know, the usual kicking, yelling, punching, nothing serious," He added hastily as Elizabeth's eyes clouded over with worry, "But before me they took Jack." He voice froze, remembering the look on Jack's face as he recounted being told all the ways Samantha Carter had been tortured.
Elizabeth patted his arm gently. On the seats beside them, Kate and Rodney sat, her head lolled in sleep on his shoulder, and Rodney's own head resting on the wall beside him, small snores coming from his direction.
Jack was sitting rigid in his seat, alone at the other end of the corridor, his eyes fixed through the infirmary door window where he was watching the flurry of nurses and doctors as they operated on Sam.
Daniel and Teal'c were standing by the water machine, watching the group, and talking in small whispers.
A few minutes later a doctor walked through the swinging doors, blood spread out over his medical clothes.
Jack stood abruptly to his feet. Daniel and Teal'c stopped talking, John stood up, Elizabeth a second later. Rodney and Kate continued to snooze.
"Well," The doctor began, his eyes lingering for only a second on the Atlantians. "She's stable." At those two single words, the tense atmosphere disappeared.
"And…?" Jack asked gruffly.
The Doctor coughed lightly.
"Colonel Carter had a lot wrong…understand that. She may be stable, but she's not out of the woods yet. Her legs were badly damaged, fractures, cuts, bruises, we've managed to keep it together, but the bones…I'm afraid to say Sam may never walk again."
Jack stood his ground.
"And…"The doctor continued, "That's not all. Sam had several broken ribs…she's also in a coma."
Jack sunk to the ground, only John's quick thinking kept Elizabeth from doing the same.
Daniel walked forward, his eyes fixed on the Doctor.
"When will she wake?"
The Doctor shuffled.
"In this state…I'm afraid to say she might not."
Daniel flinched as the red phone on the wall beside them began to ring. He answered it, having a quick subtle conversation before hanging up and turning back to the group.
"There's more." He said quietly, "The Trust have just filed for custody over the ancient machine. They want it back."
Everyone stayed silent.
Except the Atlantians, who looked at each other in confusion.
Who were the trust?
Ttfn!
