A/N: Thank you for the continuing reviews nice but must have mooorree ! Any spare betas email me. Hope you continue to enjoy !If you need a laugh though read my little fic 'Timeout' its funny! new this week.
Spoilers: None to speak of.
Rating: Still K+
General Hammond stood anxiously at the base of the metal ramp in the gateroom, situated deep under Cheyenne Mountain. The previous twenty-four hours had been amongst the most anxious of his long military career. The low success rate of this type of covert mission, coupled with his flagship team's knack for attracting trouble were a guaranteed recipe for disaster.
The correct IDC had been received along with a short radio transmission from the colonel stating a survivor accompanied them. A medical team had been duly called and now everyone waited, holding their breath, for the arrival of SG-1.
The event horizon rippled like a soft breeze on the surface of a Minnesota lake and every eye in the room was on it. Hammond was just beginning to wonder nervously what was keeping them, when Jonas stepped through the stargate. Major carter followed close behind him, shoulders drooping slightly. The general noted with concern that her complexion seemed more than usually pale. A question died on his lips when Colonel O'Neill erupted through the event horizon with Teal'c close on his six. An explosion of sound accompanied them. It appeared to emanate from the small child slung firmly over the colonel's right shoulder. Two bare legs kicked frantically from beneath a grubby white robe and as the colonel came to a halt midway down the ramp, Hammond caught sight of a flash of pale blond hair just below his elbow.
The wormhole disengaged, and Hammond looked between his two officers, both wearing equally grim expressions. As he opened his mouth to start his enquiry with the major, who was awkwardly trying to evade looking directly at him, the screaming began again and his gaze was drawn back to his 2IC.
"Noc! Kreeeee! Rin'tel'noc! Kreeeee!"(No! Stop! Get away from me! Stop!) The little girl struggling in the colonel's grasp screamed a steady torrent of words, only stopping to draw breath. She was clearly not feeling terribly happy to be here.
"What in God's name is the meaning of this, Colonel?" The general finally snapped out a question.
"Well, Sir," the colonel began," it seems that the 'wizard' made a munchkin out of our 'genetic material'." The precarious control he had on his volatile temper was beginning to slip. "So if you were picturing a worst case scenario, this is it." His voice rising dangerously, he gestured with the thumb of his glove-clad hand, back in the direction of his shoulder.
Right on cue the girl began kick and struggle again. The colonel tightened his grip around her skinny legs, so she beat her fists, albeit fairly ineffectively, on his back.
The general frowned, "Any risk of her being a .."
"Bomb?" I don't think so, Sir and Carter says she isn't a goa'uld either." Jack anticipated his superior officer's train of thought, mostly because on the trip home he had already thought all of those thoughts, and many more.
General Hammond thought momentarily, running the situation through to several divergent conclusions, then he sighed and gestured wearily towards the door, "Report to the infirmary SG-1, get Doctor Frasier to check you all out. Debrief in one hour." He turned and strode out of the gateroom and headed purposefully towards his office.
The Doctor in question rounded the corner, followed by a couple of medical orderlies with a gurney. She strode up the ramp, and immediately zeroed in on the source of the racket.
"Ok, colonel you can give her to me now and we'll get her to the infirmary," she said in a brisk voice.
To her surprise, he scowled and shook his head slightly. "Oh no, I don't think so Doc, I think I'll bring her along for you or we may never get there and I do not intend to get into another game of chase with this little hellion tonight. So, you go ahead and get a honkin big shot of something that will make her real sleepy ready, as I can tell you now, that'll be the only way you'll get blood out of this stone. Doc!" He paused theatrically,"I think you may have met your match!"
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed tilting his head slightly towards the diminutive doctor.
"Never!" She said under her breath as she jogged towards the elevator.
Jack looked over his shoulder to check Carter was following him. She had stood silently beside him on the ramp, in the gateroom. He knew from her behaviour that she was still a little shocked after the revelations of the last 12 hours and the shot from the zat. He needed to get her to the infirmary so the doctor could check her over too.
His eyes met hers in the elevator. Much, and yet nothing was said. Teal'c stared resolutely forward choosing not to notice, beside him Jonas hummed a jaunty tune, the goa'uld device still tucked under his arm, he even tried to coax a smile from the furious girl.
The child began to scream again as the doors slid open.
"There's nothing wrong with her lungs," Jack remarked eliciting a friendly smile from his 2IC, albeit one which never reached her eyes. They turned the corner and pushed open the door of the infirmary.
"Di'dak'dida, Ha'shak! Shak'ti'qua Ha'taaka?" (How dare you, Fool! What do you think you are doing, 'As$$e?')
With this last volley, a muscle twitched violently, in the side of Teal'c's face.
"Kegalo!"(Silence) He snapped a further volley of authoritative commands, the unexpected bite in his deep voice causing everyone in the room to jolt.
The child spat out, "Shol'va !"
O'Neill turned his face towards his jaffa friend, "Er T?"
"I do not care to repeat her words O'Neill!" He stared forward, resolutely refusing to meet the colonel's eye, his face a study in extreme distaste.
"What did you say to her? Cos it sure worked!"
Teal'c nodded minutely, "I merely informed her that on Chulak, children who called their elders such disrespectful names could expect to be severely punished"
"But we aren't on chulak, are we?" Jack's voice bore just a thread of reproach.
"I am aware of that, O'Neill, however the child is not!" His lips quirked upwards slightly, clearly showing some amusement " She has clearly spent much of her life amongst jaffa."
"Ya think?" Jack shot back sarcastically.
Teal'c smirked, in as much as a jaffa has ever be known to smirk and retreated to a cubicle at the far end of the infirmary. As Teal'c disappeared within the curtain, Jack yelled, "Chicken!"
He turned back to find that Jonas had disappeared in the opposite direction. Only the Major remained. Jack gave her a sideways glance that arrested any thoughts of escape she may have had.
A stifled sob and several loud sniffs rose from his shoulder.
"Okay, sweetheart. I'm not shouting at you," the colonel guiltily shifted the girl from over his shoulder. She tried to wriggle free again but his strong arm still encircled her waist, immobilising her. He brought her down and tried to rest her on the bed but reaching his hip, she flung her skinny arms around his neck and buried her face into his shoulder. He sat down heavily, sighing inwardly. 'This is gonna be ugly', he thought.
Dr Frasier had been about to suggest taking the child from him again but something in the look he wore on his face changed her mind. The colonel was holding her so protectively, that she knew that attempting to remove her would be highly detrimental to both patients. She settled for asking questions whilst waiting for the sedative to arrive.
"Has she been injured, Colonel?"
"A few cuts and bruises, and shot by a zat, six hours ago."
"What?"
"Don't ask."
"Has she eaten anything?"
"Nope."
"Has she slept?"
"Yep, nearly six hours."
In fact, after crying herself to sleep in his bunk, the child had slept nearly the whole way home completely exhausted by her exertions. The rest of the party had continued to talk in hushed tones in case they wakened her, surprisingly this had included Jack who had regained his normal sarcastic demeanour very swiftly; way too swiftly Sam thought. They had discussed the mission findings thus far, at length.
They had come to land and having been greeted by several Tok'ra it had been decided that it would be prudent to let her sleep on. Consequently, the colonel had reluctantly, lifted her into his arms, her head resting against his shoulder peacefully as they had walked quietly across the barren plain towards the stargate. However, when the wormhole had engaged the tiny girl had stirred in his arms and awakened. Realising at that point that the planet the ship had landed on was empty, except for a number of Tok'ra; she had known that she wasn't going to be returned to her master's care. She had reacted violently and had struggled to release herself. She had succeeded, but only after biting the colonel's arm; swearing, he had dropped her. The child had taken advantage of his temporary incapacity, and run away. Speedily she had begun to cover the short distance towards the darkened wasteland beyond the gate, her bare feet pounding rhythmically on the hard baked ground. Thrusting his P-90 towards Teal'c, Jack had given chase, quickly run her down and had crossly thrown her over his shoulder.
"I'm going to try to sedate her now colonel, if you can just keep a firm grip there." The doctor spoke soothingly as she gingerly pulled up the dirty robe, exposing a section of the girl's thigh and swabbed the skin with a sterile alcohol wipe. Janet turned and walked quickly to collect the syringe from the tray at the end of the bed.
The doctor advanced rapidly as she forced a small amount of the pale liquid through the end of the needle in her hand. Turning towards the voice, the child's bright blue eyes widened in fear as she spotted the needle and she fought with greater conviction, a burst of adrenaline kicking in.
"Carter," stated the colonel. "Help me out here?" He was now only just holding on to the terrified, squirming girl.
Sam moved swiftly, catching a swinging limb, to help him hold her still on his lap. He looked into the major's white face and said, "Thank you."
"Ne'nai! Kreeeee!" (Don't! Stop!) The little girl sobbed hoarsely. The needle hit its mark. She yelped slightly and jerked as it was withdrawn, tears slid down her face soaking the front of his shirt.
The colonel murmured, "I'm so sorry," under his breath, as he lowered his forehead until it touched the top of her blonde head, completely concealing his face.
The child's muscles began to relax as she slowly slipped into drug-induced oblivion.
"Oh fercryin out loud!" He jerked upright; suddenly realising that the warm sensation he had unexpectedly been feeling was a highly unpleasant liquid soaking through his clothing. In her fear and distress the little girl had wet herself.
He placed her on the hospital bed, and with a wry smile he gestured to his clothes, "Er, Doc do you mind if I just go change. We appear to have had a slight accident."
"Go ahead colonel," she replied kindly. She was secretly, extremely pleased he was going because then she would have the opportunity, while working on the child, to question Sam.
She watched him as he strode out of the infirmary, with a sideward glance and a half smile in Sam's direction.
Janet looked back to the unconscious girl on the bed and sighed. The child was painfully thin, and the robe had ridden up slightly, revealing bruising in a rainbow of colours upon her skinny legs. Barking out swift orders Janet quickly divested her of her soaking, dirty clothing and washed her carefully. She quickly changed the sheets beneath the child, the doctor rolled her back and forth between herself and the orderly expertly. Janet left a nurse to dress her in a pair of pale pink pyjamas from the stock they now kept in the infirmary for unexpected refugees. She pulled back the curtain to deal with Sam.
"So, Major," Janet began professionally, closing the curtain behind her," where did you find this one?" She waited for her friend to begin; but Sam hesitated as though uncertain of the answer and then shook her head slightly as if to clear it.
"She is the genetic material, Janet" Sam looked haunted. The Doc was confused.
"Baal made her." Sam clarified the situation succinctly.
"So, What she's …?" The Doctor left the question hanging.
"Jack's." Two spots of high colour appeared on Sam's cheeks, as she looked away anxious to avoid her friend's penetrating gaze.
"And you find that …What? Disturbing? Unnerving, What Sam?" The doctor asked perceptively whilst conducting a thorough examination.
"Janet!" her friend hissed, urgently glancing over her shoulder. "Someone'll hear you, and he'll be back any moment."
"Fine, but this conversation isn't done yet, Samantha Carter." Janet left Sam alone briefly. She returned expertly filling a syringe. Smiling sweetly she said," Drop your pants Major, you need a little vitamin shot, you're looking a little pale."
The major groaned audibly, briefly considering an argument, but discounting it when she remembered that doctors could cause you serious pain when they're pissed. She bent over and loosening her belt, submitted to the procedure and then reorganised her pants, wincing.
"I think I just need to…" The major halted mid sentence as she heard the door swing open and then close a moment later, signifying the colonel's return.
"Colonel!" Jonas' voice floated across the room and swift footsteps followed it up the infirmary, "Colonel, the Tok'ra operative indicated this was the scientific data that relates to the child, right?" Jonas wore a look of mild confusion.
"Er, Carter? You spoke to the snaky scientist, didn't ya?" Jack enquired through the curtain.
"Yes sir," Sam replied opening the curtain and coming almost face to face with her superior officer. "Why?"
Jonas interrupted," In the goa'uld document; there is a reference to the origin of some of the genetic material."
"What does it say?" Jack asked, steeling himself inwardly for what he considered a foregone conclusion. 'Baal, me, me Baal' not much doubt there.
"It er," Jonas glanced awkwardly at Sam and a slight blush stained his cheeks.
"What?" The colonel snapped his patience failing.
Jonas took a deep breath and launched into his findings. "It refers to SGC material obtained for Baal, via a third party from Adrian Conrad. The goa'uld word is difficult to translate. I believe it says 'ovum'."
Silence hung like dust in the air, as the colonel spun slowly towards his 2IC. All colour had bleached from her features and his eyes searched her face as she fought the backwash of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm her. The 'ovum' had been hers.
"Carter!" He said urgently, trying to claim her attention, "Sam!" The use of her given name jolted her back to the present and she swayed slightly. "Sit down Major," the colonel spoke softly. "Doctor Frasier is going to look you over."
She sat obediently on the edge of the bed, still staring into his eyes, like a drowning woman clinging to driftwood. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't construct an intelligent sentence. Complete brain lockdown.
Janet's eyes grew wide with shock, she remembered Sam's abduction; Hell! She had finally examined her, after the colonel's bullet wounds had been attended to, when they had been brought back in together. There had been signs to suggest she had been internally examined, and Sam had cried, feeling sick and violated. However, she had remembered almost nothing of her captivity as she had been drugged nearly the entire time.
"We need to do a full Dna screen, Doc to firmly establish her exact parentage." Jack's voice commanded her attention, detached and cold, like they were discussing a pound of C4 and a bag of detonators.
The doctor was surprised at the cool tone in which he discussed this latest development. Especially after the way he had held and comforted the child, and glanced periodically at Sam to assure himself of her well being. It was as though he had tidied away all those messy emotions along with his clothes. Janet knew better than to comment, always a bridge at a time with O'Neill.
He sat down on the bed, next to his subordinate his thigh touching hers, she turned, jolted from her reverie by his presence. Sam looked into his eyes, her own stricken and shocked; he gently patted her hand, conveying his silent support.
"Okay, so we want a full blood screen, and an MRI, while she is still out. People, lets go. Move!"
Janet was a fearsome sight when she was in 'E.R.' mode, Jack thought as the curtains flew back and he saw intravenous cannulas introduced into veins in the back of both of the child's hands. About six vials of blood were removed from one and a saline drip introduced much needed fluids into the other. The doctor felt the back of the child's neck, then opened her mouth and peered in.
"By the looks of these milk teeth she is about five years of age. There are no adult teeth erupted in here, as yet" she remarked almost to herself.
"Wow, She's quite tall for her age then," Carter spoke quietly to the colonel. He nodded, smiled and returned his gaze to the figure on the bed.
"Top of her right arm there is a burn, you should look at, Doc." His voice although quiet reached Janet's ears easily. She eased the child's arm through the elasticated neck hole of the pink pyjama top. The livid symbol stood out from the alabaster skin. The diminutive doctor's breath hissed out from between her clenched teeth.
"Sweet Jesus!" She swore. "It's not recent, at least a couple of months but still far from completely healed." Janet glanced at Jack, whose hands had balled in to tight white fists.
"Monsters!" She spoke with some conviction. The colonel nodded his silent agreement.
"How long will she be out, Janet?" Carter enquired wearily.
"Oh quite a while, Four to Five hours and I may extend that yet. She is extremely traumatised and we may need to keep her sedated until she recovers a little. It could take some time to gain her confidence," The doctor replied frankly.
"We should get to the briefing, colonel," the major suggested turning back to the seated figure beside her.
"Not until you've both been checked out, you won't. Colonel, you are looking a little pale." the doctor's tone brooked no argument and so he complied.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
General Hammond listened in growing disbelief, to the young kelownan's translation of the goa'uld experiment document. It appeared that the facts were; the child, currently sedated within the infirmary had been created from genetic material stolen from Major Samantha Carter. Stolen by the scientists working for the goa'uld Adrian Conrad when she had been kidnapped. That the girl had been seriously mistreated was evident, but she would recover physically, as for emotionally, or psychologically noone could be certain.
The tale of the jaffa's attempted execution had further fuelled his long held hatred of the goa'uld and their callous use of innocents to achieve their ends.
The appearance of Doctor Frasier with the child's test results had ended his mental tirade. He motioned for her to be seated and she chose a seat at the far end of the table opposite Teal'c and then began. "She appears to be malnourished, dehydrated and evidently she has been mistreated." She paused to pass vivid photographs of the brand on her arm to the general and on around the briefing table, followed by photographs of livid bruising on her legs and chest. What I can't determine is what psychological damage has been inflicted upon her. Did she talk at all when you rescued her, colonel?" "
"No, nothing" The colonel shook his head, raw fury building in him as he viewed the evidence of her other injuries. He quickly suppressed the feelings of outrage he was experiencing, telling himself that he would feel that way for any child, and he was just doing 'the job'.
"You will be pleased to know, there is absolutely no evidence of any device or tampering with her teeth and apart from her obvious distress she is other wise in reasonable health."
Janet paused; 'best way just to get it out' she thought, "There is little doubt that Major Carter is the child's mother, genetically speaking. She has a high quantity of naquadah in her blood and preliminary tests indicate a Dna match."
The general looked at Sam, who had paled and was staring directly across at her commanding officer. She was willing herself to be calm at least until they were dismissed. Jack's normally expressive eyes were dull and lifeless as he stared directly at her, not appearing to notice her obvious distress.
The doctor had paused letting this information sink in before she dropped the rest of her payload of bombshells.
"In regard to Colonel O'Neill," Jack's jaw muscles tightened and his eyes flicked to the doctor and away again as she continued. "We are still waiting for the second DNA screen but the presence of the distinctive 'Ancient gene' in the original test goes a long way to suggest we will find a positive match in those results." She paused, waiting for a reaction but found there wasn't one so she continued.
"The child has been aged with nanites, similar to those used on the colonel a few years ago. But they appear to be essentially inactive now. In fact I am pretty sure the decay of these nanites is raising the naquadah levels in her blood considerably."
"That would explain how I could sense her presence on the tel'tac and why she reacted to so badly to Teal'c and Dad. Do you remember how Cassie reacted to Jolinar? She used to say it was like someone inside her skin trying to peel it off." Sam looked down the table to her friend.
The doctor caught on to her idea. "So, what your saying is with all of the naquadah in your blood and symbiotes on board she must have been agitated beyond belief!"
"It would appear highly unlikely we will gain the confidence of the child until the naquadah within her body is contained." Teal'c rumbled looking over to the colonel.
"Or we can suppress the response," Janet mused, already thinking of possibilities. The colonel winced as he considered the tests and interference the child would endure if this were allowed to proceed, but Janet was the doctor and he; well he was nothing to her.
"Ok, Doctor Frasier I want your recommendations for the best treatment of this child on my desk as soon as possible." General Hammond spoke, drawing the briefing to a close. "Jonas, finish up that translation and get it to me. Colonel, if you would remain a moment, everyone else, dismissed."
The others quickly evacuated the room, knowing an uncomfortable conversation was about to ensue. The base commander waited for them to leave before inviting colonel O'Neill inside his office, entering through the side door.
"Take a seat colonel, " he gestured towards the two chairs before his desk, as Jack trailed in behind him, like a bad kid on a trip to the principal's office. He was seated and studiously looked everywhere but at the general.
The general sighed, " This is not a situation the air force ever envisaged in its regulatory planning committee."
"Sir?" The colonel enquired, not entirely sure what he meant.
"You pair, now have a child on your hands and we all have to make some difficult decisions on her behalf," the general spoke kindly aware that a 'daisy cutter' had just detonated in his officer's lives. He watched the younger man's face for any signals as to his state of mind. Jack's face showed nothing. A hard mask of indifference had slid into place and the general knew from experience it would be locked there until he chose to let it drop. He continued to study his features until, with a heavy sigh Jack's eyes dropped to the floor.
"Permission to speak freely sir?" Colonel O'Neill spoke quietly still looking at the floor, strangely formal.
"Go ahead son."
"I'm not sure what you want me to say, Sir. I don't know how I feel, what I want. Hell! I don't even know her name." He drew in a ragged breath and raised haunted eyes to his commander's face, "I'm not sure I'm ready for parenthood, I'm not sure I'll ever be ready again."
To his surprise General Hammond snorted.
"Jack, you were born ready! You love children and judging from tonight's performance in the gateroom, you're already sunk!"
"Sir?" Jack was bemused by Hammond's behaviour.
"You weren't gonna let anyone carry her to the infirmary, and I bet ya didn't let Dr Frasier have her til the last possible minute, did ya?" The older man chuckled as a faint blush stained his 2IC's cheeks, indicating he was right on the money.
"Erm, I was concerned that …" The colonel was embarrassed. The older man interrupted.
"Does she look like him, Jack?"
The colonel exhaled heavily, "No sir, she's just like Carter, but she kinda reminds me of him." He smiled involuntarily as he thought about it.
"It's the way she chucks a tantrum, I guess."
The general smiled a wry smile, "That was an O'Neill temper if ever I saw one, Jack."
"Ya think?" Jack returned. The general's face grew serious,once more.
"Son, think carefully about what you want, I will have to inform the president about this anyway and it would be a good time to make changes," the general tailed off.
"Changes? What do you mean changes?" Jack sprang up anxiously staring at the base commander, "I mean this isn't our fault, Sir!"
"I never said it was, Jack. But a child changes everything and you and Major Carter are going to have to take some tough decisions about the future, together."
He looked at the younger man closely to see if he had taken the mustard seed of his idea. He couldn't suggest it but he could sow the idea and hope it reaped the harvest of an O'Neill style plan."
Jack turned and left the office, musing over the general's words. Behind him he heard his superior officer say, "Dismissed," But he was already gone, propelled forward by the momentum of his own thoughts.