From Whence did she Come?
Chapter eight:
Sam moved to Area 51 to be closer to Cassie. She was having a tough time and Sam knew Cassie needed her more than Daniel or Teal'c. Even Jack understood he and their burgeoning relationship had to take a temporary backseat. Jack made Cassie first in his life also. It wasn't long before Cassie got her feet under her again. Who wouldn't succeed with Jack and Sam standing behind them!
Sam was recalled back to the SGC. Jack nervously paced his office and yelled at several innocent lieutenants the first day she was off world again. Although he'd survived his brush with predicted disaster, Sam and Daniel had not yet defeated theirs. He knew what was out there, but he also knew he couldn't stand in their way. It was tearing him to pieces and beginning to affect his relationship with Sam.
"So what do you think of Landry's new protocols?" Cam was walking through the lush grass with Sam to his left. Daniel and Teal'c were following five steps behind them.
"They aren't new to you." Sam scanned the horizon. She enjoyed baiting Cam, almost as much as she had enjoyed pushing Jack's buttons when they were on a long boring march to nowhere in particular.
"You know what I mean. I've heard some of the other guys talking. They think it's because he doesn't trust us." Cam glanced over at Sam, surprised she was able to stay so focused when things were so dull.
"They just don't like change and change is what you get with every new General. You've moved through enough commands to know that." Sam cocked her head to the side and looked over at Mitchell. He was nodding his head.
"Yeah, I just wondered what you thought." Mitchell returned to scanning the horizon so he missed Sam's grin. He reminded her too much of the Jack she first met.
Sam, Daniel, Teal'c and Mitchell were becoming a confident well-oiled team. It had taken time for Mitchell to find his place but they'd all grown comfortable together. They'd completed twenty missions together and decided it was time to celebrate. Jack was stuck in Washington that weekend, so he had to hear about the pool playing, dancing, drinking, and jello wrestling instead of participating.
It was mission twenty-one where Jack's fears began to play out but he didn't know it. After several fights, and subsequent make-up sessions, Sam had convinced him to stop checking up on her. She let him know she was going off world but made it clear she would notify him when she returned. He hated it but he wasn't willing to earn her ire by continuing to try and check on her without her knowledge. Apparently Walter and Siler couldn't keep a secret!
It was just as she'd described, not that any current members of SG-1 were aware of that fact. They were captured as soon as they came through the gate. Teal'c and Mitchell were led in one direction while and she and Daniel were dragged off the opposite way. Daniel began talking as soon as the natives appeared and continued through the entirety of the walk. He and Sam were tied to chairs in a cold bare room and left to wonder about what was next.
Three men entered the room and stood before Daniel and Sam. Two others stayed back near the door.
"Why have you come?" The man standing in the middle looked at Daniel as he spoke.
"As I have been trying to explain we are explorers. We travel through the stargate looking for civilizations with whom we can be friends."
"We know you are lying and we do not tolerate liars." The man standing in front of Sam reached out and slapped her across the face. She was surprised and it stung but she held back her temptation to gasp and looked back towards the man without wincing.
"That is the minimum price you will pay every time you are not truthful."
Daniel swallowed but maintained eye contact with his inquisitor.
"Now that you understand the price, let's begin again. Where have you taken our people?"
"We have not taken your people. We just got here." Daniel saw the man to his left swing his arm out. The sound of the punch making contact with Sam's face made Daniel flinch. Daniel blew out a slow breath and tried to center himself. Sam still made no sound.
Daniel tried and tried to answer their questions, to tame their hate, but Sam paid the price over and over. The brute hitting her switched from her face to her ribs after six punches. Daniel knew something had to be fractured because her breathing was irregular and labored. Daniel was at a complete loss so he finally just stopped answering. After two final blows, this time to Sam's abdomen, the inquisitors left.
"Sam? Are you ok?" Daniel looked over at Sam. She was slumped to her right side and Daniel couldn't see her face. "Sam?"
"Peachy, Daniel. Just peachy." Sam tried to straighten her body but the pain caused her to suck in a quick breath, resulting in more pain. Sam stopped struggling and just allowed her body to lean to one side.
"You really gotta stop taking Jack lessons." Daniel jested.
Sam wanted to snicker so Daniel would know he'd succeeded in cheering her slightly but she feared how much pain a small snicker would cause.
--
Walter glance up as General Landry entered the control room.
"According to my watch…" began the General.
"Yes, sir. I am prepared to dial, sir."
General Landry glared down at Walter. He loved the man's efficiency but he really would like to finish a though or a sentence once in a while. "Then do it." General Landry watched the gate spin as the chevrons locked in place. He hadn't tired of this spectacle and he wondered if he ever would.
"Chevron seven locked, sir."
The General turned his head towards the monitor. A serene picture of the grassy meadow surrounding the gate appeared on the monitor. The camera panned the area. "Radio SG-1."
Walter pressed two buttons. "Sierra Gulf Charlie calling Sierra Gulf One. I repeat this is the SGC calling SG-1. Over." Walter let go of the buttons and waited, along with the rest of the control room crew. The newly required four-hour radio checks for all off world teams still gained attention, even though up to this point it had been an uneventful and seemingly unnecessary procedure. The four-hour radio check, if everything was reported to be progressing satisfactorily, was followed by another check eight hours later, a check twenty-four hours later and then radio calls every third day as long as the mission lasted, unless the General determined otherwise. It required more dial ups and so far none of the officers who talked about the new procedure saw any reason for doing it. Things worked fine before and most felt this was just General Landry being over protective. They attributed it to the fact he hadn't ever been off world.
"Where are they?" General Landry glared at the screen.
"Should I try again, sir?" Walter glanced up at his commanding officer.
General Landry nodded in the affirmative.
"SG-1 this is the SGC please respond." Silence now reigned in the small control room.
"Close the gate and prepare a UAV. Be ready in fifteen minutes."
Walter set about disconnecting the gate and calling Siler. Siler immediately got a UAV prepared. General Landry returned and asked Walter to dial P5X-382. They radioed SG-1 twice more but got no answer. The UAV was launched and data poured in. Technicians scurried around the General analyzing the important and interesting.
"It looks like there's a settlement about one klick from the gate, sir." Technician Blarey kept her eyes on the screen as she spoke.
"Get SG-3 ready to leave. I'll brief them in the ready room in fifteen minutes." The General went to his office and picked up the red phone.
SG-3 was through the gate in less then half an hour. The General retreated to his office and pretended to review files. Walter could read the anxiety the General was trying to cover but no one else seemed to notice. Three hours passed before the call was heard over the PA.
"Unscheduled off world activation. Unscheduled off world activation."
General Landry was in the control before Walter had finished the second announcement.
"Receiving IDC. It's SG-3, sir."
"Open the iris." The metal protective covered slid open revealing the shimmering blue wormhole. SG-3 and SG-1 both came through at a jog. Daniel was supporting some of Carter's weight. She looked awful and Landry went down the metal stairs in twos.
"Colonel?" A medical team, called by Walter, arrived just as General Landry spoke. He knew she felt bad when she accepted the offer of a ride. She gave him a small smile in answer and then was swept out of the room. The General turned to Mitchell.
"What happened?"
"We walked through, we were ambushed, and we were separated. Teal'c and I learned a lot about their agriculture but I have no idea what they did to Carter."
"They beat her every time they asked a question I couldn't or wouldn't answer." Daniel was starring at the door through which Sam had been carried. All eyes turned away from him as they sensed his pain.
Jack arrived four hours after SG-1 was rescued. Sam was asleep in the infirmary. Her chest was wrapped because she had three broken ribs and a punctured lung, which had collapsed. A machine whirred beside her bed helping her lung regain the pressure needed to function again. Jack hated seeing her like this, but he was glad she'd made it back to the SGC.
Jack went up to the General's office and made himself comfortable.
"I read Daniel's report. It sounds like this is the one she warned me about but I thought M5X-832 was locked out of the dialing computer so this wouldn't happen." Jack looked up at Landry with a question in his eye. He wanted to know if his friend had screwed this up.
"That's what we all thought. There's a new kid working in telemetry and apparently we need to go back through a month's worth of star data. The names are all messed up. He's been reassigned and three scientists are reviewing all of his work. So far we have found eight mislabeled planets." General Landry's answer made Jack scowled.
"Damn her. She knew. That's why she was willing to tell us the address. She knew even if we had the address we'd still send SG-1 there." Jack stood up and started pacing. "I should have known she wouldn't just let it slip. Damn but she's smart."
"And that's news to you?" Landry watched his friend spin on his heel and glare.
"No, I just thought…"
"You thought you were a step ahead of her?"
"She was sick. Maybe she was losing her edge."
"And maybe not. At least you convinced me to start the four and eight hour protocols. That probably saved them." General Landry motioned towards the chairs as he spoke, indicating he would prefer for Jack to sit.
Jack sat back down and leaned forward, looking down at the ground. "Did the infirmary check for the presence of the virus?"
"Twice. It's not there. She wasn't sexually assaulted. We got there in time. Go let her know how glad you are she's home." The men shared a small smile as Jack stood.
"Thanks, Hank."
"Any time I can help you as well as get my premiere team back safe, I say it's a great day."
Jack left the office and went back down to the infirmary. Sam was still out so he got comfortable.
--
When Sam woke Jack was waiting. He leaned forward as she turned her head towards him.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself, beautiful."
"How long have you been here?"
"A few hours."
"How long have I been out?"
"Almost a day."
Sam rolled her eyes and sighed.
"They worked you over pretty good. It'll take time to recover." Jack touched her face gently.
"I'm fine." Sam started to sit up but quickly stopped.
"Your broken ribs don't agree with you."
Sam grimaced. "I hate broken ribs more then anything."
"Skull fractures are pretty bad too."
"Yeah."
"What do you say we take a nice long vacation when you're released?"
"Where?"
"Maybe Vegas?"
"You never struck me as a Vegas kinda guy."
"I thought we could just spend a day there…maybe get hitched."
Sam grinned. "We could do that here just as easily, with Daniel and Teal'c as witnesses."
"You really are way smarter then me."
"I've though a lot about it too."
Jack face erupted in a grin. "Really?"
Sam blushed. "Yeah, really. Why this sudden desire to marry me?"
Jack's eyes shifted.
"This was the one wasn't it?" Jack didn't answer, fiddling with his sleeve until she continued. "I was supposed to be raped and infected wasn't I?"
"Yeah. I thought I'd locked the planet out but there was a mistake and it was labeled incorrectly. Luckily Landry sent a team when you didn't check in on time."
Sam's eyes widened. "You did that!"
"Did what?" Jack locked eyes with Sam.
"The new check in protocol. You made that, didn't you?"
"Yeah." Jack nodded and looked back down at his feet.
"To save me?" Sam whispered.
"And Daniel. Let's not forget Daniel."
"Yeah, Daniel." Jack looked back up at Sam as she spoke. Their eyes locked.
"From here on out there's no script. I'd like to start writing this story together, if you're willing. The ring's at home but I can bring it. I'll go get it now, if you want." Jack pushed up out of his chair.
"You already have a ring?"
Jack stopped moving and looked at Sam. "Yeah."
"How long have you had it?"
Jack bit his lip.
"Jack?"
"I got it as soon as I was promoted to general. I really thought we'd work out a way to be together pretty quickly."
Sam lifted her hand out towards Jack. He stepped up to her bed and took her hand.
"I'd love to be your wife."
Jack smiled, lifted her hand to his mouth, and kissed the back of her hand.
"We can worry about the ring later." Sam spoke softly as he kissed her hand.
Jack leaned down and kissed her lips. The long slow passion filled kiss broke when she gasped quietly in pain, trying to breathe
"Sorry." Jack winced as he apologized.
"You have lots of time to make it up to me." They both smiled. "So what does this ring look like?"
"Don't you want it to be a surprise?"
Thank-you for all the reviews and thanks again to my fanastic beta Trisha. This one is over but another story is already beginning. I hope I can finish it before I dive back into classes!