When All Else Fails
Chapter Sixteen
Disclaimer: Yeah, they're not mine.... Darn it.
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A week later:
Sam rolled out of her bed grudgingly and quickly made her way out of her room and into the bathroom. It was way too early, she hadn't needed to wake up at this hour in years. Of course, before a couple of months she hadn't exactly required sleep, either- so, that might have something to do with it. Nonetheless, she didn't particularly want to be up at 15 minutes til 0600.
But, she could finally go back to work. The downtime that General O'Neill had ordered her to take ended Friday, and it was now Monday morning. Early Monday morning. Of course, he was putting her on light-duty for the first few days- to gauge how the two years she had spent while ascended had effected her. She calculated that by Wednesday or Thursday he would let her get back to work... i.e. going through the Stargate again.
After taking a quick shower and making a pot of coffee she headed out her front door and started on the twenty minute drive required for her to get to the SGC. She managed to pull into the parking lot for the Cheyenne Mountain Complex at half after 0600 and at 0650 she was finally in her office- 10 minutes early.
It didn't take long for her to get back into the swing of things. It had been years since she had spent quality time in her office, but it felt like she had been there working only the day prior. Before she knew it she was back to studying all the things she had been working on before her ascension, seeing what had been discovered in the amount of time she was away.
Not much, it appeared. There had been some advances to the Naquadah generator, but nothing else of any significance. By 0900 she was so engrossed in her missed-work that she didn't even hear the door to her office open. Which, might make sense if it had been a "wooden" door, instead of one that requires a good-bit of electricity to open. The only reason she even knew somebody was in the room was because a pair of hands began to gently massage her shoulders.
Had it been two years prior she might have jumped out of her seat and gotten far away from him, but it wasn't- so she just sat there and enjoyed it. She knew, of course, that it had to be Jack... and since he was wearing her favorite cologne that was confirmed for her. He worked out the sore muscles in her shoulders for a good five minutes before she turned around to greet him.
"Morning," she said with a smile, kissing him briefly on the cheek. "Did you just get here?"
"Nah," he replied, "I've been in a debriefing with SG-5 since 0800... it just ended."
"Oh...." she sat back down and began to study the notes on the generator studies. "Was there something that you wanted, sir?"
He shook his head, although she wasn't looking at him. "No, not really.... I've got a bit of free time and nothing to do, so I thought I'd come by and see how you were doing."
"Everything's great, I can't tell you how much I missed this place."
"Hopefully a lot less than how much you missed me." he said with a smile. She looked up at him, caught the grin and smiled herself.
"Almost." she joked.
"Hey...."
Taking his hand she gave it a light squeeze, "Of course I missed you more, Jack.... I'm just getting back into my work, though. Do you think that we could meet up for lunch at... lets say 1230?"
"I've got a debriefing at 1215." he informed her. "Let's say 1330 just in case."
She nodded, gave him another brief kiss and then turned back to her work. As she did so he left her office and headed for his, having only about half an hour until SG-5 would be leaving for their mission to P2S-424. Until then, he would be busy with the mountain of paperwork in the 'in' stack sitting on his desk.
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"Jack," Daniel called out as he walked up to the table his friend was sitting at. "Sam," he greeted, looking over at her. "Mind if I join you?"
Jack grinned, "As a matter of fact, we do."
Daniel's face held a look of surprise for only a split-second before Sam started to giggle and he realized that it was only a joke. "Ha," he said sarcastically. "Where's Teal'c?"
"Hasn't come in yet," Sam informed him. "Of course, it is possible that he ate earlier."
"Nah," Jack supplied. "I went by his office before my meeting to tell him lunch was at 1330 today...."
As if on cue Teal'c walked through the doors to the commissary, glanced in their direction, and nodded to say that he would be over as soon as he got his lunch.
"Gangs all here," Jack informed Sam and Daniel- as if they hadn't already known.
"Hasn't been like this in awhile," Daniel mused. "It's nice to have a full table again."
A few minutes later, Teal'c joined them at the table, making it truly full. He carried a large tray piled with various kinds of food. Two pieces of lemon pepper chicken (which, made still reminded Sam of the day she had met Dr. McKay), two bowls of mashed potatoes, three dinner rolls, and a piece of chocolate cake that Jack was eyeing hungrily- even though he already had his own piece.
"You think that will be enough food, T?" Jack asked, giving his plate a once-over.
"Indeed," he replied. "It will be sufficient."
Sam surveyed her own plate, she only had one piece of chicken and one bowl of mashed potatoes, no rolls, and blue Jell-o rather than cake. Probably too much for her, but even so Jack would probably eat whatever she didn't. In the end she had a little under half of her chicken left before she started on her Jell-o, and as she had suspected the chicken found it's way onto Jack's plate.
At a few minutes before 1415 she pushed back her chair and stood up, "I"m gonna head back to my office now." After picking up he tray she pushed her chair back under the table, "I'll see you later- Teal'c, Daniel." She looked over at Jack, "Have fun with your paperwork, sir."
Jack grumbled something incoherent as she walked away and he, Teal'c, and Daniel followed Sam's example, throwing the rest of their lunch away... well, the empty plates for Teal'c and Jack, and then heading back to continue what they had been working on prior to lunch.
And then, things took a turn for the worst.
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It was 1444 when the Stargate was activated. Davis' voice called over the intercom and rang throughout the base, "Unauthorized off-world activation! Unauthorized off-world activation! General O'Neill to the control room!"
Sam had been on her way to the control room at that moment, something about Siler needing assistance with a computer malfunction, so she made it down the stairs at the same time the general did. They stood next to each other and waited for Davis to inform them if there was a IDC. He shook his head to the unasked question and Jack ordered the iris shut. He was worried, though. The 'gate had been activated from P9D-785, the planet that SG-3 was to return from the next day.
"What's going on, Walter?" Jack demanded, looking towards the 'gate.
"We're receiving an SOS, sir." Davis informed him, "From Lieutenant Fehr."
"What about Major Sanchez?" he asked.
"I don't know sir, I'm only getting Lieutenant Fehr's code."
"I thought you said there was no IDC?"
"There isn't, sir." Sam informed him, looking at the computer screen herself. "The code is coming through the SOS... it's a radio signal."
"What does it say?" his Morse code was perfectly fine, but when it came to computers he was like a fish out of water.
"Just SOS and his code, sir." Davis replied.
"That's all?"
Sam nodded, "Yes, sir. Most likely in case somebody else is listening in."
"Then if somebody tries to come through with that code...." Jack winced. "How will we know if it's not compromised?"
"That's why he's sending the SOS, sir."
"Right...." he sighed. "P9D-785 is a Jaffa home-world. We're gonna have to send some people after them."
"SG-1 can be ready in ten minutes, sir." Sam informed him, hoping he wouldn't chide her for suggesting such a thing when it was her first day back.
He looked over at her with a look of hesitance. "You have fifteen," he replied. "Go get Danny boy and T ready and out here at 1500 hours."
"Yes, sir." she barked before running off to inform the others.
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Even though they had fifteen minutes to get ready SG-1 was waiting in the embarkation room at five minutes until 1500. By the allowed time SG's 4 and 6 where ready and standing by in the 'gate room as well. Seconds after the last SG team, SG-2, entered the room Davis began dialing 785... and only a few moments later SG-1 was standing in front of the ramp, watching as the MALP went through the event horizon.
Back in the control room, General O'Neill was busy waiting for the feedback from the MALP to come through. When it did the footage showed no immediate threat in the vicinity of the 'gate. He glanced in the direction of SG-1, they were standing in front of the ramp, ready to go. Sam was standing between Daniel and Teal'c and staring straight ahead. With a sigh he leaned over and announced over the intercom, "SG's 1,2,4, and 6- you have a go."
She glanced back at him before walking up the ramp, he gave her a faux smile and she returned it, then turned around and made her way to join the rest of her team. Within seconds a ripple passed through the event horizon and he could no longer see her. He directed his gaze to the computer screen that was still showing feedback from the MALP, it showed that everything was clear. A figure was standing a few yards in front of it, and it didn't take a genius to know it was Teal'c's bulky form.
The man kneeled down in front of the screen, "All is well, O'Neill."
"If everything was alright, Teal'c, you guys wouldn't be there at the moment." Jack replied.
"Indeed," he gave him a half-nod. "I am turning off the M.A.L.P"
"Good luck, Teal'c." Jack said before the computer screen went blank. He sighed once again, wishing he wasn't cut off from what was going on out there- which was the one part he hated about being general. He didn't go on missions, he didn't see that action that he knew they could be getting at any moment. He wanted to be out there with them.
"Do you want me to shut-down the 'gate, sir?" Davis asked, looking up at O'Neill."
"Yeah," he told him. "Turn it off."
Walter nodded and with movement of his hand the 'gate deactivated.
"I'll be in my office," Jack informed him. "Let me know if there's any news."
Walter nodded once more, "Yes, sir."
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The scene on 785 was a mirror image of what the MALP had shown O'Neill... everything was clear. There were no Jaffa for as far as the eye could see. Not that Sam was complaining, she preferred not seeing any angry Jaffa waiting upon arriving on a planet. It was just a bit... odd. If something had gone wrong, causing Fehr to radio in, why weren't they met by any Jaffa?
"This isn't right," Daniel said, voicing her inner thoughts.
"Yeah..." Sam agreed. "I know."
"What do we do?" Major McDowell, the leader of SG-4, inquired.
Sam looked around the clearing, to the east, west, and south there were nothing but woods. But, if they headed north there was a path that could be taken. There were 4 teams and nobody knew where exactly SG-3 was.
"We find somewhere that isn't so... vulnerable and attempt to make contact with SG-3, or at the very least, Lieutenant Fehr." She headed south-east, figuring that the path lead to the Jaffa city. "If we can't make contact then we'll split up and branch off in separate directions."
"Yes, ma'am." McDowell replied.
With a deep breath Sam led them towards the wood, and unknowingly, right for the Jaffa's trap.
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A/N: Dun, dun, dun. Evil laugh
Sorry it took so long for the update!
Let me know what'cha think.
