As he entered his office, General Jack O'Neill couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He had awoken this morning in a cold sweat, knowing that SOMETHING was wrong but not knowing what. He had a vague image of talking to Sam. She was extremely upset and didn't look the best, but he couldn't put his finger on what was said. When he looked at his desk and saw the paperwork that required his attention he groaned and shook his head. He HATED flying a desk. Retirement was looking better every day. Maybe when he and Sam could find time to set a wedding date he'd consider retiring. The Air Force offered him a civilian position as a teacher of all things. He would be responsible for the training of 'up and coming' SGC recruits.
"Geez", he thought "This job must be worse than I thought if I'm considering training new recruits."
It was two hours later when the phone interrupted him.
"Yes Chelsea?"
"Sir, General Landry is on the phone for you. Line 1."
"Okay, thanks Chelsea. O'Neill here."
"Jack its Hank. I'm afraid I have some bad news."
Oh God, not Carter. "What's happened?"
"We don't really know, SG1 were three hours late with their scheduled radio check. When we finally got to the planet, Colonel Mitchell was found near the DHD. It looks like he was trying to dial home. Jack, he was badly injured, the doctors don't sound to optimistic."
"What about Sam, Daniel and Teal'c? No wait, I'll be there soon and you can tell me in person."
It took Jack longer than he wanted to, to actually reach the SGC. When he finally did arrive everyone quickly got out of his way when they saw his face. General O'Neill was known as the fun guy at the SGC but no one wanted to get on his bad side. Jack let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding when he stepped into the elevator. Pushing the button for Level 28 he leaned against the wall and thought about Sam, Teal'c and Daniel. He knew that Mitchell wouldn't have tried to dial home by himself unless something was wrong and the other members of his team were unable to join him. When the elevator arrived at level 28 he stepped out and headed for the briefing room. When he entered, he barely saw the people sitting around the table. He was so focused on Landry, one look at his face told him more than any report could.
Looking at Landry he asked "What's going on?"
Landry looked back and sighed knowing that nothing but total honesty would work. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"As I told you on the phone. SG1 were 3 hours late in making their scheduled radio check. They were due to check in at 1900. When we hadn't heard from them by 2200 we dialed into P3X – 224 and tried to establish radio contact. When that didn't garner a response we sent through the probe that SG1 had returned. It showed that there had been a fight in the proximity of the gate so I sent through SC3 to evaluate the situation. They came across Col. Mitchell near the DHD. From the bloody handprint on the device it was deduced that he had been trying to dial home. SG3 returned with him and I authorized 3 more SG teams to go to 224."
Landry stopped to take a breath but Jack wasn't about to wait for him to continue and he asked sharply.
"What did they find?"
"Further into the forest, they found Dr Jackson."
"Daniel's here? Why didn't you say so sooner?"
"You didn't really give me a chance."
This earned Landry a scathing look from Jack. Glaring at him for a few minutes, Jack finally admitted the truth in that statement. He nodded his head for Landry to continue.
"Dr Jackson was seriously injured although not as badly as the colonel. The teams continued their search but found nothing to suggest anyone else was there. After a thorough search they returned to the SGC to collect more supplies."
"Have you spoken to Daniel or Mitchell yet?"
"No. Colonel Mitchell was taken directly to surgery and has since slipped into a coma. Dr Jackson has also had his injuries treated but although not in a coma, he is unconscious."
Frustrated Jack turned on his heels and left the briefing room heading for the infirmary.
Several hours later Jack jerked awake from the sleep he had drifted into while sitting by Daniel's bed waiting for him to wake. Once again Jack sensed something in his dreams had awoken him. If only he could grasp what the illusive thoughts that seemed to float just out of his reach. He knew it had something to do with Sam but didn't know what. Just then Daniel stirred in his bed, mumbling. Jack leaned closer trying to catch what his friend was saying. He heard Teal'c and Sam's names but apart from that he couldn't make anything else out. It was at that moment that a nurse came over to check Daniel's vitals.
"General O'Neill, Dr Jackson will still be out for a while. Why don't you go and get some coffee. I will call you as soon as he wakes up.
Jack remained hesitant but at a gentle smile from the nurse he rose and left the room.
Instead of going to the commissary Jack found himself standing in the doorway of Sam's lab. Slowly entering, Jack smiled at the state of her lab. Everything was meticulously clean unlike Daniel's office which was more like organized chaos. Sitting at her desk, Jack looked at the pictures she had. There was one of Janet and Cassie, one of her brother Mark and his family, one of Jacob and her mother, taken years ago and the last one was of him and her. It was taken the night he proposed to her. Picking up the picture he caressed the image of her face and closed his eyes.
"Sam, where are you?" he whispered.
"Jack! Help me please……."
Startled, Jack's eyes flew open and he looked around the lab. He knew that Sam wasn't there but he could swear that he heard her voice. He wondered if he was losing his mind. Shrugging, it wouldn't be the first time, he laid his head on his arms and stared at the picture. Slowly he drifted off to sleep.
"Jack, help me please."
"Where are you Sam?"
"We're on P3X – 224."
"No, Landry says they searched there for you for hours."
"We're there Jack, just look deeper. Please Jack, we need, I need you. There's not much time left.
Jack awoke, realizing that Sam had just told him where she was. He didn't know how but he knew for certain that it was true. Running, he headed to Landry's office. As he rounded the corner he ran into Siler.
"Sir, Dr Jackson is awake."
"Thank you Siler."
Jack weighed up what to do next and decided that if Daniel knew anything he needed to know what it was.
As he entered the infirmary, Jack notice that Daniel was sitting up. When he saw Jack he started talking straight away.
"Jack, they're still there. They're still on 224 Jack. We have to go back and get them."
"Daniel, slow down. I know. What can you remember?"
"They seemed normal Jack. The Jovalins, that's what they called themselves, welcomed us into their village. Although they seemed primitive in regards to their buildings their knowledge of medicine and weaponry interested the colonels. We radioed in that we were going to join the Jovalins in their evening meal. The next thing I remember is waking up to Sam's screams." At this Daniel's eyes sought out Jack's, "God Jack, what did they do to her. I tried to get to her but they must have knocked me out again."
"I don't know Danny but God help me they'll regret it. Go on, what else?"
"I came to again later, they were carrying me out of the chambers. I kept my eyes closed so that I could listen to them. They thought I was still out of it so they didn't bother to lower their voices. They were talking about how important the woman's blood was. Jack we have to get them out of there."
"We will Daniel, we will. You're going to lay back and rest and I'm going to get Sam and Teal'c back.
As he marched to Landry's office Jack decided that no one was going to stop him from going to get Sam and Teal'c. They had never given up on him the numerous times he was thought to be gone. Sam needed him and he wouldn't let her down. Somehow she had reached him. Now he realized that she'd been trying to reach him since last night only he hadn't been smart enough to listen.
"Stupid, Stupid, Stupid." He muttered to himself.
Without knocking he entered Landry's office and spoke before Landry could open his mouth.
"Hank, I'm going to get them."
Having already heard the story of the conversation between Dr Jackson and O'Neill, he knew this was coming and that nothing would stop Jack. Still he took his time to answer him.
"Okay Jack but you'll be taking SG 3 and 7 with you. You know where the locker room is. Go gear up, you leave in 20 minutes."
"I only need 10."
"Jack, you leave in 20. Give the guys time enough to get their gear together."
"Fine."
With that Jack left to get ready.
As he stepped through the Gate, Jack realized that this place was quiet, to quiet. Something was wrong here. As he turned to the men who had followed he through the Gate to get their reactions a bullet whizzed past his head.
"Take cover."
With that order, everyone leapt to find cover. Jack found cover behind some large boulders and started to return fire. Taking a second to glance around he saw that two of his men were down and they weren't moving. Damn, two more good men gone. Looking to his left he saw SG 7 heading off into the forest. To his right, across the field in front of the Gate the remaining members of SC3 were heading off to attack from behind. Jack heard the natives take off running after his teams. Slowly he raised himself out of his position to scan the surrounding area. There didn't seem to be any natives hanging around. Jack took this chance to head out and start a search for the missing members of SG1.
Just over an hour and a half later Jack came across a strangely shaped rock face. He tried again to reach the other SG teams but nothing was working. He wasn't even getting static. He looked at the rock face again, something was wrong here. He went to look at the rock face more carefully. Slowly he ran his hands over the rock face. Feeling a rough patch he pushed it. To his right a door opened, using the light attached to his P90 Jack looked down the dark corridor. Silently stepping inside Jack hugged the wall as he slowly made his way deeper into cavern. Twenty minutes later he came to a fork in the hallway. Closing his eyes he whispered,
"Which way Sam? Where are you?"
"To your left Jack, about 50 metres." Sam's voice sounded weak.
Sure enough, 50 metres down the hallway Jack saw a door. Looking for a similar device to open it as was outside Jack felt around for a rough rock. Finding it he pushed and the door opened. On the far side of the small room Sam was lying in the fetal position on the floor. Jack rushed over to her but not wanting to startle her by touching her, he whispered her name. Slowly turning her head Sam looked at him.
"You came."
"You doubted me." He replied with his usual sarcasm.
"Never, but it took you long enough.
With that Sam's eyes closed and her breathing evened out. Jack gently lifted her head and placed it in his lap. Closing his eyes he said a quick thank you to whoever had kept her safe for this long. Jack knew he couldn't stay here for long, he needed to find Teal'c as well. Carefully placing Sam's head on his rolled up jacket he went to look for Teal'c. Heading back into the hallway Jack looked for another door. A further 20 metres down the hallway Jack found what he was looking for. Finding the door release mechanism Jack slowly opened the door. Immediately he felt the P90 pulled from his grasp.
"Hey Teal'c, it's me!"
"O'Neill?"
"Yeah, it's me. Can you walk?"
"Indeed. I was not injured as the others were."
"Good, I need help with Carter."
Turning on his heels Jack led Teal'c back to the room that Sam was in. Bending down Jack picked Sam up and carried her through the door. Teal'c walked ahead so as to keep an eye out for the natives. When they reached the main entrance Teal'c looked around and finding nothing out of the ordinary they proceeded to the Gate. They had only gone about half way when they heard the rustling of trees off to their right. Looking around Jack spotted a cave only 10 metres away.
"Let's go, into the cave."
Running towards the cave they all just managed to squeeze into the opening before a team of Jovalins came running past heading in the direction that they had just come from.
"Well, they're going to find out that you are missing pretty soon. We need to reach the other teams to find out where they are. The sooner we get Sam back to the SGC the happier I'll be.
"I will go and scout for the other team members. When I find them we will return and then we can all go to the SGC."
"Okay, that's great T-Man."
Two hours later Jack was starting to worry that Sam hadn't woken up. He felt her forehead, still was burning up. Pulling out his shirt from his belt, Jack ripped a strip off it. Pouring water from his canteen onto the rag he patted her forehead. Not knowing what else to do, Jack repeated the action. After an hour he noticed that Sam's eyes were open.
"Hey sweetie, how ya doin'?"
Sam's eyes had a glazed look and she didn't respond straight away to his question. Jack bent his head and gently kissed her lips. Sam's eyes closed and once again her breathing became even. Jack cradled Sam in his lap just praying that Teal'c found the other teams soon. A sudden noise made Jack start. He'd been so intent on Sam that he temporarily forgotten that they were hiding. Looking out of the cave Jack realized that the noise was just the wind blowing between the bushes. The sky had turned an ugly shade of grey. Suddenly a loud clap of thunder sounded over head making Sam jump. Moaning loudly Sam tried to roll over. Jack placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. Sam seemed to relate to the weather, as the storm got louder so did Sam. Moaning and writhing, Jack thought she would injure herself. Lying down next to her, Jack wrapped her up in his arms. Almost instantly Sam settled down. Jack could almost swear that he heard her sigh. If things weren't so bad he might have actually smiled at the thought.
"Jack?"
"Yeah sweetie it's me."
"Where are we?"
"We're still on P3X – 224. I'm just waiting for Teal'c to come back before we head home."
"What about Daniel and Colonel Mitchell?"
"They're both back at the SGC."
"That's good."
With that Sam went back to sleep. Jack gently placed Sam's head back on his rolled up jacket and went to look out of the cave. The storm had passed over 2 hours ago and he was starting to wonder where Teal'c was when he saw him coming through the bush.
"O'Neill, I have found the other members. They are heading for the Gate. We should not delay in joining them."
"Yes, that's a good idea. Let's get out of here."
Going over to Sam, Jack gently shook her shoulder. "Sam, honey, wake up, we have to go now. Can you stand?"
Shaking her head Sam just rolled over. Jack learned down and once again picked her up. Walking back to the Gate, Jack kept an eye open for the natives. He didn't know who should feel more worried. If he got his hands on whoever had hurt Sam, he didn't know what he'd do. Eventually they reached the Gate to see the other SG teams waiting for them. Upon seeing them, Major Janssen started to dial home. All of a sudden gunfire sounded. Once again the men dived for cover.
"Enter your code and get going." Jack yelled to Janssen.
"You go first general, get the Colonel through the Gate and we'll be right behind you. She needs to get to the infirmary ASAP."
"Okay, but don't stay at this party to long. I don't think the hosts want us here. Teal'c grab Johnson and Peterson on your way through if you can."
As they hit the ramp in the SGC Jack yelled out,
"We're under fire, take cover."
Just then bullets came shooting out of the Gate and clipped an SF securing the gate room.
"MEDIC, we need a medic. Colonel Carter needs medical assistance"
Walking down the ramp, he placed Sam on a gurney and followed her to the infirmary. When they reached the bed Jack was politely told to wait outside while Sam was examined. As he waited outside the infirmary Daniel and Teal'c came and sat next to him.
"She'll be fine Jack, you know she will."
"Daniel, she looks bad."
"She knew who you were O'Neill. That is a good sign."
"Yeah T, it is a good sign. How's Mitchell?"
"He's been down graded from critical to serious so that's a good sign."
Hours later, Jack found himself back in the infirmary sitting by another bed. He held Sam's hand in his waiting for her to wake up. She had been seriously dehydrated and had lost an enormous amount of blood. She was covered in bruises and she had two broken ribs. Jack wondered again what had happened to her on that planet. Earlier Teal'c had told him that the Jovalins were quite interested in Sam's blood. They had also taken some of Teal'cs but had left him alone after the first few hours. However Sam's blood seemed to excite them. It could only have to do with the protein marker that is in her blood that Jolinar left when she died. They thought they could engineer a medical cure for some off their deadliest diseases. Turning around Jack realized that Teal'c and Daniel had come into the room and were talking to him about having a BBQ when Sam got out of here.
A sound came from the bed causing the three men to turn simultaneously,
"Keep it down guys, some of us are trying to sleep."
Jack smiled down at her "Hey sleepyhead. I was wondering when you'd open those baby blues for me."
Leaning down, he kissed her gently, "Go back to sleep sweetie."
"You want leave me?"
"Never, not even when we're a million miles apart."
Sam, Teal'c and Daniel all looked at him strangely.
"Jack what do you mean?"
"Later, I'll explain later but for now just go to sleep. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise. I love you."
Sam smiled, "I love you too Jack." With that Sam fell asleep again.
Jack sat there for a bit longer, staring at Sam. He almost lost her this time. He didn't know if he'd survive if he lost Sam. Slowly standing, Jack realized someone had turned off the lights. It was probably Daniel and Teal'c as they left. He rolled the bed nearest to Sam's alongside hers and climbed on. Lying on his side, facing her, Jack finally found enough peace to fall into a dreamless sleep.