"We've gotten video surveillance from a satellite. . .yes sir it clearly shows Major Carter in a live fire training exercise. . .Yes we're positive. She was wounded and forced to continue while injured. . .Yes there is more. . .Yes sir. I understand. Thank you." Hammond hung up the red phone and called in a passing airman. "Lieutenant tell Colonel O'Neill I want to see him immediately."
"You wanted to see me?" Jack asked as he entered Hammond's office a few minutes later.
"I want you to get Teal'c and Daniel and be ready in fifteen."
"Sir?"
"We've found Major Carter. NASA has been conducting surveillance over known Manticore institutions, three hours ago she was spotted on the compound grounds during a live fire exercise. Jacob is unavailable, however the Tok'ra have brought us a cargo ship to expedite her rescue." Hammond paused, the next part wasn't going to go over well and he knew it. "Dr. Fraiser is almost finished loading her equipment. . ."
"What happened to Carter?"
"During the exercise she was injured. After reviewing the tape Dr. Fraiser felt she should go, she's worried about the medical attention they are giving Major Carter."
"Sir?"
"After she was injured she was forced to continue with the exercise." Hammond held up his hand to forestall the colonel's comments. "Go get your team. You'll have to sneak in, grab her, and sneak out. Take only zats, I want no deaths on this run. Do you understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. Go bring her home."
"Jack when are you going to tell us what the hell is going on?" Daniel was annoyed to say the least. Jack had rushed into his office and barked at him to 'gear up-black-now' and when he didn't move quick enough Jack grabbed him and shoved him out the door. "Is there a reason we're geared up and in the parking lot?"
"We've got a ride to catch." Jack muttered as the rings descended and took them to the ship.
"Colonel," Janet said as they appeared before her. "What took you so long? We need to go."
"What is going on!" Daniel looked between Jack and Janet.
"Teal'c you drive, the directions are in there already." Teal'c bowed his head and moved to the controls.
"They found Sam, Daniel." Janet explained. Making a sweep of the cargo hold full of medical equipment she continued. "And she's been injured, that's why I'm here. Jacob was unavailable but he sent us the ship."
"I thought we couldn't go."
"Hammond pulled some strings and got satellite surveillance on the known Manticore grounds. They got the proof we needed now we're going in to get her before they move her somewhere else."
"O'Neill we have arrived." Teal'c called over his shoulder. "I am scanning the compound for naquada."
"Can't this thing scan for people?" Janet asked.
"Indeed it can. However the naquada in Major Carter will allow us to distinguish her from our enemies."
"Good thinking."
"MajorCarter is three floors below the surface, on the west end of the building. We will not be able to use the ring transporters." Teal'c switched the scan to display thermal scans. "There appear to be three people in with MajorCarter."
"Alright, Daniel you guide us once we're down there. If these guys are like Carter I'm worried about being heard so we'll keep it silent on our end."
"O'Neill it appears that several personnel are about to leave the structure. We may gain access if we go now."
"Right." Jack tossed Teal'c an extra zat then grabbed a second for himself.
Daniel had maneuvered the cloaked ship next to the door as Janet activated the rings sending Jack and Teal'c into the night. They moved to behind the door and waited for it to open. When it did they were surprised to see four young men, maybe early teens, with M-16's, dressed in BDU's, military right down to their buzz cuts. They were quickly zatted and pulled back into the building. Jack was again surprised to find the young man he was dragging was actually a young woman.
"There appears to be a stairwell to your immediate left." Daniel spoke into his ear.
Jack stood up and looked at the door with 'stairs' printed in large bold letters then to Teal'c and shrugged his shoulders. Slowly he opened the door, poking his zat in ahead of him.
"There's no one in the stairs." Daniel said guessing as to why his friends were moving so slowly. Jack rolled his eyes then moved into the stairs followed by Teal'c, they raced down the three flights as quietly as they could without giving up any speed.
"The corridor's clear. Sam's at the end of the hallway on the left." Daniel and Janet watched as the blips representing their friends make their way down the hall.
"Daniel!" Janet pointed to the edge of the screen. Punching the toggle on the radio she warned Jack and Teal'c. "Sir there's a dozen men heading your way. The room to your right is empty."
They watched the two blips pause in the hallway before moving into the suggested room.
Jack was standing by the door, holding his breath, zat aimed at the door, ready for trouble. He jumped when Teal'c tapped on his shoulder. Turning to glare at the large Jaffa he found himself face to face with a disk. Taking a closer look he saw the previous day's date followed by a number he didn't recognize.
He shrugged and Teal'c pulled him over to a desk full of disks with the same number, the dates going back a little over two weeks. Picking up a pen Teal'c wrote on the disk and handed it back to Jack. Major Carter was written in Teal'c's neat print with an arrow pointing to the number. Jack looked from Teal'c to the small stack of disks, then back to Teal'c. Grabbing the stack he handed half to Teal'c and started shoving the rest in the pockets on his vest.
"You're clear." Daniel spoke into their ears. "There is only one man in the room with Sam now. He's standing off to the right of the door."
They left the room and rushed down the hall to Sam's room. Jack nodded to Teal'c then zatted the door, Teal'c rushed in and quickly zatted the guard before he knew what was going on.
"Shit." Jack muttered when his eyes fell on the woman in the center of the room.
Sam stood her full height in the center of the room with her head held high even though her eyes were closed. Her stance reminded Jack of the old Roman crosses, except there was no wooden cross holding her up, her arms were being pulled away from her sides by heavy metal chains shackled to her wrists. Jack then noticed that Sam had her hands wrapped around the chains, first and second fingers curled through the large links allowing for a better grip. The short length of chain between her hands and the manacles attached to her wrists was slack. Following the chain to where he assumed it would be attached to the wall, Jack was again surprised to find it connected to a large weight. Moving closer he read the engraving on the cylinder, '300lbs' how the hell was she holding that? Looking over he saw Teal'c was also examining the weight rigged on the opposite side of the room. Turning his attention to the mechanisms holding the weight Jack leaned over trying to find the down button. His stomach made contact with the chain and he jumped back with a hiss of pain.
"Sir?" Janet spoke in his ear.
"She's chained up Doc, and they've gone and electrified the chain."
"O'Neill. I have found the controls."
"Good." Jack ducked under the chain and moved behind Sam, ready to catch her once the chains were released. "Go for it T."
As Teal'c released the chains Jack prepared himself for the weight of his 2IC. Instead of falling Sam elbowed him in the face as soon as the chain dropped to the floor. Teal'c grabbed her by her upper arms before she had a chance to turn and continue her attack.
"MajorCarter you must desist. We are here to set you free."
"Teal'c?" Sam's eyes snapped open, confusion evident in their blue depths.
"Nice to see you too Carter." Jack said as he picked himself up off the floor trying to stem the flow of blood from his now broken nose.
"Colonel?" Sam tentatively reached out and touched his face, making sure he was really there and not some drug induced hallucination.
"Yea, we're real." Jack said as if reading her mind.
Sam sighed and finally gave in to her body's demands, collapsing in an unconscious heap into Teal'c capable arms.
"Damn." Jack cursed.
"O'Neill we must remove the shackles." Teal'c said as he lowered her to the ground.
Jack ran over to the fallen guard and searched his pockets until he found a set of keys. Moving back to where Teal'c was hunched over Sam he noticed for the first time how bad she looked. There was blood soaking through her pant leg, several cuts through her shirt that went just deep enough into her skin to bleed a lot but not to cause too much damage. Although her paleness made him wonder just how much blood she had lost. The worst injury by far were the angry red burns on both her hands and wrists, which they discovered as they removed the shackles.
"Colonel?" Janet's worried voice spoke into his ear.
"She's not good. She stayed conscious long enough to recognize us. She's lost a lot of blood, be ready." Jack watched as Teal'c picked up their precious cargo. "Is the hall clear?"
"Yes." Daniel said after surveying the screen before him.
Janet hurried around, rummaging through her supplies, pulling out the things she knew she'd need. Laying them out for easy access as she listened to Daniel calmly talk them back out of the compound.
"Oh no." Daniel looked from the screen back to Janet. "There are about twenty guys waiting just outside the door. Jack hold your position! I repeat, do not walk out that door!"