One Too Many Planets Part 6
"Where are your shoes?"
Sam found it difficult to give her attention to Janet's question as she laboured to bring her ragged breathing under control, to appear normal, relaxed. Relaxed! She was as taut as a new violin string and ready to snap as she faced her friend, attempting to project something she was incapable of doing.
"I…I must have left them in the gardens."
"Well go and get them." Janet was looking slightly perplexed at Sam's vagueness. "Are you alright?"
"I'm going to head home." And seeing her friend's surprise, jumped in, "No need for you to leave – I've got this pounding headache – an early night will do me a world of good. I'll take a taxi."
"Taxi? No – that's nonsense, if you'll give me--."
"I'm heading off now, I can drop you".
His words held no menace, no hint of hidden danger lurking beneath the calm surface. Janet turned to the head of SG-1, a wide smile on her face, completely missing the significant paling of her friend as the blood drained from her face.
Janet started, "That'll be---."
"No!" Sam grimaced in discomfort, she really hadn't meant to speak so strongly. 'Good grief, Janet would think she'd gone completely overboard. But hadn't she?' She forced herself to look up at Jack. He appeared so normal she thought wildly, down to a faint smile playing on his lips – only , she realised, it didn't reach his eyes – they were bottomless pools of darkness in which she knew she could easily drown. She couldn't help the shiver that travelled the length of her body.
"Are you coming down with something?"
Ever the caring doctor, Janet's hand reached out to feel Sam's head and cheeks.
"Maybe these will help."
Jack held out the navy blue leather court shoes.
"You found them." Janet seemed delighted.
"I never knew you'd lost them," Jack replied softly, eyes never leaving his 2IC'S, waiting for Sam to take them. Reluctantly, she reached out making sure she didn't touch him in any way.
"What happened to you?"
Sam ducked her head – she knew what Janet was alluding to very well.
"I fell over a pair of shoes."
'Well he wasn't going to admit that a woman had done it – not Mr. Macho O'Neill.'
She sneaked a hasty peek – his bottom lip was quite swollen now and the cut, she knew, must sting pretty badly.
"Sam, look what you've caused," rebuked Janet. "I'm surprised you're not making her walk home as punishment," she joked, unaware how Sam's eyes had narrowed in alarm.
"Oh, I'll think of something," he drawled lazily, the menace all too clear to Sam.
Janet grinned at his mocking tone unaware of the tension.
"You ready, Carter?"
How did he manage to keep his voice so neutral she wondered, aware that her own vocal chords were practically seizing up?
"I…I...think, maybe I'll stay. My--."
"Oh no," ordered Janet, suddenly adopting a domineering attitude. "You feel slightly feverish to me. A hot drink, two Tylenol and bed. Doctor's orders."
Feeling as if everything around her were spinning out of control, Sam stiffened as a firm grip on her arm had her moving away, held close against her CO's side. She tensed as if testing his reflexes and felt a corresponding tightening of her arm.
"You're hurting me," she muttered through gritted teeth.
"I haven't even started," he threatened softly.
Frantically, she searched anyone and everyone she passed hoping for a lifeline, but there was no one she could call on to make an escape and as they walked to Jack's car in ominous silence, she knew she had lost any opportunity to get away.
When he opened her door, he waited until she'd belted in before he moved to his own side.
The drive was conducted in total silence.
'Damn the man,' she thought testily. 'He's leaving me to wallow in misery.'
She peered at him from the corner of her eye noting his rigid jaw and stiff back. A man rarely still, she noted with growing alarm, his hands on the driving wheel. She was still staring at them when the truck pulled up in front of her house.
She would have raced to the safety of her own home except, as her hand moved to the car's door handle, Jack's clipped order to "sit still" froze her to her seat.
She stared out of the window afraid of what she would see if she looked into his eyes.
'Deal with it,' she ordered herself harshly. "I…I… realise what I've done is inexcusable sir….I still don't know…." She shook her head in misery, still unable to look him in the eye. "Tomorrow I'm going to go to General Hammond and request a transfer to another SG team. I understand my position is untenable, so I'll--."
"Shut up, Carter." His voice was frigid as he turned the full glare of his rage on her.
She dropped her head, staring into her lap.
"If you think you can walk away from SG-1 as easily as that, forget it."
His tone was bitingly severe and Sam could feel tears prickling the backs of her eyes threatening to spill over. Fighting back their onslaught, refusing to show such feminine weakness at a time when she must, at all costs, be absolutely, implacably strong, she clenched her fists, feeling her nails biting into her flesh, her emotions forced to concentrate on the pain there, allowing her to gain control over the weakness of crying.
"On Tuesday you'll report as per normal. You will do your job like everyone else, Carter, and you will not run away the first moment things get a little tough for you."
Her eyes flared at the injustice of his words but she remained silent.
"Should you make such a request to General Hammond, my only course of action will be to recommend you be removed from the SGC altogether."
Her sharp intake of breath was enough to show how shocked she was, and her head shot up as she dared to face Jack's withering glare.
"Colonel, that's not---."
"That's my final word, Captain. Now get out!"
She recoiled as if physically slapped, her confusion and misery palpable in every small gesture she made. As she reached for the door handle her hand trembled violently but what she was experiencing wasn't a loss of nerves but rather a deep and bleak resentment.
She paused as she was about to step down, raking Jack with her own icy glare.
'Bastard!' "You know, Colonel, there's one thing I regret," and she paused for effect knowing her CO was anticipating something profound, "I wish I'd bloodied your other lip!" And so saying, she slammed the door shut, marching stiff-backed to her home.
It was only when she was safely behind her own locked door that she allowed herself the release she so desperately craved, and sinking to the floor, she pulled her knees up to her chest resting her head on them and allowed herself the opportunity to weep, huge wracking sobs escaping her body.
She checked her watch, swore under her breath and broke into a run. If she hurried she just might... Ice cold eyes raked her from head to foot as she raced into the gate room.
"You're late!"
She dared to glance at the clock on the wall which showed she was ten seconds out. She knew better than to argue.
"Do you intend making a habit of this, Captain?" The words were whiplash hard.
"Sorry, Sir."
"I asked you a question, Carter."
Sam grimaced. This was worse than she'd anticipated. She could feel Daniel's eyes moving between her and Jack, a puzzled frown marring his features. She stiffened, her eyes looking somewhere past her CO's shoulders.
"No, Sir. It won't happen again."
"You can bet on that!"
As they waited for the chevrons to connect, Daniel sidled up to Sam.
"What was all that about?" he whispered.
She could feel Jack's angry glare still on her and merely shook her head. Once through the gate, Sam was assigned lead with Daniel and Teal'c following. Jack brought up the rear and Daniel dropped back to walk side by side with his friend.
"You okay?"
"Just peachy."
From the tone Jack used everyone who knew him realized he was in no mood for social chit chat. Not Daniel Jackson.
"You don't sound it."
"Well I am."
"Don't you think you were a little hard on Sam in the gate room?"
"Nope, discussion over."
"How long's it gonna take?"
Daniel winced as if a particularly bad headache had just hit him. He sighed dramatically, never taking his eyes off the hieroglyphics on the cave wall.
"You asked me that same question not five minutes ago, Jack, and I told you then – I don't know. Maybe Sam's had a breakthrough in the next chamber – why don't you go check?"
He knew he was being completely unfair in attempting to get rid of Jack by pushing him onto Sam, but Daniel was desperate to put his total concentration on the work at hand, and while an irritable Colonel tramped up and down behind him asking the same question every few minutes, it was all but proving impossible.
"How's it going, Teal'c?"
"It will be necessary to put this question to Captain Carter, O'Neill. It appears some of the writings are pre-Goa'uld but Iam unfamiliar with the inscriptions."
Whether Sam had heard or not she didn't speak and Jack waited to see if she'd be forthcoming. She wasn't.
"Report, Carter."
It wasn't the usual request and Teal'c raised one eyebrow to show his surprise at Jack's tone.
"Nothing as yet, Sir." Sam kept her own accent neutral.
"How much longer?" His words were clipped.
"Hard to say, Colonel."
"Try!" he snapped.
"Your guess is as good as mine, Sir." Sam knew she shouldn't have allowed her mouth to run off like that, it couldn't do any good.
"Fine, you've got another two hours."
'Damn – she should have known.' "That's not--."
Eyes flashing, her CO faced her off. "You heard me, Captain, and the less time you spend arguing the more time you can put to productive use."
Sam turned away, biting her lip to prevent herself from saying anything else she might regret.
'He's being impossible,' she thought irritably, 'a full blown O'Neill temper tantrum.' The sort she had rarely seen and of which she had never been at the receiving end.
She sighed, not realizing it carried. "You have a problem with that, Carter?"
She closed her eyes, counting slowly to ten. "No…, Sir."
As Jack left the cavern he felt Teal'c's disapproval which served to put him in an ever darker frame of mind.
Stomping back to Daniel, he glared at the young archaeologist.
"Tell me you've found something to make our visit to this Godforsaken place worthwhile."
Daniel's sigh matched oneJack had listened to only moments earlier.
'Is this a new form of communication I haven't quite mastered yet?" he snapped, making Daniel stop his work in exasperation.
"What's got into you, Jack? You're like a bear with a sore head. You've laid into Sam at every opportunity and you're making it nigh on impossible for any of us to do our jobs." Daniel stared hard at O'Neill trying to find an answer to this puzzle.
Jack returned the look, his jaw taut, tight lines around his eyes. He seemed about to speak then suddenly turned on his heel and marched a distance away, standing alert, his weapon raised, every fibre in his body tensed for action.
Daniel watched his friend, shaking his head.
Whatever had happened between him and Sam, it needed sorting if only for the sanity of the rest of SG-1. He muttered something about adolescent love under his breath, smiled ruefully and turned back to his work.
Back in her cave, Sam's breath suddenly caught in her throat and the symbols which had been causing her such tribulation suddenly opened up to reveal mysteries which caused her heart to lift in excitement and to shake off the heavy hurt it had been feeling these past days.
"Teal'c," her voice could not hide her elation. "Could you ask Daniel to come here – I think I've found something."
For the first time in a long time Teal'c saw her with eyes glowing, a smile lighting up her pale face.
He nodded and silently did as she bid.
"What's going on?"
Even Jack's appearance couldn't dim her enthusiasm and as Daniel appeared at his back followed closely by Teal'c, Sam leaped into a high tech explanation which left Jack grinding his teeth. As Daniel appeared to be following it all without difficulty, Jack remained silent for as long as he could, which wasn't long.
"Can we cut to the bare bones, please?"
Sam stopped mid flow – in her excitement she had forgotten to throw in an overly simple explanation.
But already Daniel had taken over, for having been given the key he was able to read, "What it appears to be saying is that a race of people has formulated a method of transporting – not using a stargate, to prevent the demons from following."
"How?"
"That's all I've got so far… except there's something about a warning and…," he frowned, deep in concentration, "something about a special power."
Jack looked at his watch.
"Okay, we move out in an hour. I want--."
"Jack, you can't! This is an incredible piece of--."
"An hour, unless you'd like me to revise that to five minutes."
His tone was uncompromising as he glared at the younger man and Sam knew she would be doing Daniel no favours if she attempted to dissuade the Colonel. As he and the Jaffa warrior returned to the next cave, Sam remained silent, moving her hands over the stone monolith somehow sensing that there may still be some key to what lay hidden.
As her fingers touched an unknown symbol, she felt the earth lurch crazily beneath her feet. She cried out as she was violently thrown off balance and began to fall. Looking up, she was aware of Jack's startled face as he turned to her, throwing himself towards her, grabbing her outstretched hand.
As she felt the ground disappear beneath her feet, her frightened eyes clamped on Jack's wild face as she fought to retain the hold on his hand, aware of the sweat that made that act nigh impossible.
"H…old on, Carter." Jack's face contorted in agony as his body fought to maintain its hold. He could see the harrowing fear in her eyes as their hands began to separate.
Where the hell were Teal'c and Daniel?
The earth tilted again, rolling him and he felt a force crash into his shoulder, the impact wrenching his arm loose. He yelled as he saw his 2IC drop from sight until a blackness enveloped him, claiming his senses.
He groped his way through the darkness, pushing against the heavy weight which threatened to pull him down into a darker abyss. He screamed out Carter's name, his eyes burning with a liquid which filled them and blinked. Sam's face, rigid with anguish, swam up at him causing him to renew his battle to break free.
The excruciating pain made him realise that he was returning to the land of the living. From a distance he heard the sound of someone moaning in pain and felt hands touching his body. He yelped as bones were pressed in his arm.
"Broken" he heard a disembodied voice speak and attempted to push himself up only to feel a strong force pressing down on his body.
"God damnit," why wasn't he being released?
"Be still, O'Neill." The voice was calm, assertive – Teal'c.
"Carter?"
No one answered.
He rolled onto his side, better to push himself up and managed to sit up using his good arm, great gasps of breath wheezing from him as he fought the pain and nausea. He opened one eye, felt the world start to spin and quickly closed it again. Rubbing his cheek he felt his hand come away wet and slick – too sticky to be water.
Slowly he opened both eyes and held up his fingers – lots of red. Well at least he wasn't blind, or colour blind.
"Take it easy, Jack."
His eyes looked up to see Daniel looking down on him, his hand holding a dressingto his forehead, pain all too clear in his dazed, blue eyes.
"Where's Sam?"
"Carter!" Jack lurched up searching for the gaping hole, crying out as his left arm protested the unwelcome movement. He blinked unsteadily, unprepared for the lack of anything resembling a chasm in the ground.
"You are injured, O'Neill, you must be still while I--."
"Wh-at the hell! There was a great big f-cking hole, Carter fell into it!" He looked frantically around in case he had been moved whilst unconscious. He cursed as his legs refused to support him and felt hands steady him as he collapsed. "Help me up!"
Teal'c's hands reached out but instead of helping him up they were again pressing him down.
"You have lost much blood, O'Neill, you must allow me to--."
"We've got to find Carter!" His eyes blazed with feverish brightness locking onto the Jaffa's brown eyes.
"I will endeavour to do as you ask once I get you and Daniel Jackson back to the Stargate. You are both injured and in need of medical assistance."
"Negative, Teal'c. Just help me up for God's sake." He held out his good hand and much to his relief Teal'c grabbed it. His relief was short lived, however, as Teal'c's strong force heaved him not only onto his feet, but up and over the Jaffa's enormous shoulder.
The world span whilst Jack fought to hold onto the contents of his heaving stomach; he swore intensely and struggled ineffectively. Teal'c merely tightened his hold.
"Dammit, Teal'c, put me down," he gasped harshly.
"I cannot do that, O'Neill. Your injuries demand that I get you back to Dr. Fraiser with all speed. Dr. Jackson has also suffered injuries – you are both unfit to continue."
Draped over Teal'c's shoulder in a fireman's hold, Jack could feel his senses swirling.
"I'm giving you a direct order. Put. Me. The. Hell. Down!"
"The only place you're going is the infirmary, Jack. Teal'c will come back and look for Sam."
"No one gets left behind."
He could feel his faculties dimming and knew it was from blood loss. He had to find Sam. He struggled to break free and felt something move in his shoulder. Hegroaned in agony and knew nothing more.
He could feel hard stone beneath him and wondered for a moment where he was – certainly not the infirmary, unless they'd gone in for a new form of support bedding. Heswallowed as pain stabbed his arm and shoulder, easing his body into what he hoped was a more comfortable position.
Feeling a hand on his arm, he turned his head finding Daniel watching him anxiously.
"You okay, Jack?"
Not trusting his voice just yet, he nodded and instantly wished he hadn't as burning acid rose to his throat. He grimaced, unable to push away the thick fog that enveloped his skull. He knew there was something he desperately needed to remember and looking around, he saw Teal'c dialing the code for home. He sighed – it would be good to be home. He looked past Daniel, his brow knitting in confusion. Where was she? He tried easing himself up and hissed as a bolt of agony shot through him.
"Car-ter?" His voice sounded pathetically weak to his own ears.
"Try not to move around, Jack – you've got more than one break – your arm's messed up. Janet will --."
"Where's Carter?"
Daniel unsuccessfully attempted to evade Jack's penetrating glare; he looked utterly miserable.
At that moment the wormhole whooshed into life and Teal'c was before him, reaching down gently.
Knowing full well his leader's desire to maintain his dignity in front of others, the Jaffa was willing to help support Jack through the vortex if he could manage to stay on his feet, but Jack swatted the large man's helping hand away.
He rubbed at his aching head aware that he was missing something critically vital.
"The sooner I get you home, O'Neill, the sooner I can turn my attention to locating Captain Carter."
The connection made, Jack's brain went into overdrive as his memory kicked in and he relived the moment whenSam haddropped from sight. As his eyes took on a dark, haunted look he allowed the Jaffa to help him to his feet, accepting the steadying hand whilst the world turned a double cartwheel.
"I'm staying here."
"Negative, Jack. Dr. Fraiser will skin me alive if you aren't in her infirmary in the next two minutes."
"I do not believe Dr. Fraiser will resort to such barbaric methods, Daniel Jackson; however, if we fail to deliver you, O'Neill, into her hands, there will be dire consequences."
"F-ck the consequences – you'll survive – it's Carter I'm concerned about and I'm not about to – hey! Teal'c don't! What the hell are you doing?"
Ignoring his brother-in-arm's violent protests, Teal'c took Jack's good arm over his shoulder whilst supporting him round his lower back.
"You have lost too much blood, O'Neill – it is your turn to rest while I try and ascertain what has happened to Captain Carter."
Jack's attempts to hold back were nothing in the face of the huge warrior's determination and, in the end, Teal'c simply scooped the injured man up in his arms, carrying him as if he were a small child.
Once on the other side, he marched down the ramp and deposited his complaining burden onto a waiting gurney.
As Dr. Fraiser went into full medical mode, Jack decided to roll off the moving bed and, if it hadn't been for Teal'c's and Janet's arms shooting out to save him, no doubt he would have suffered further injuries.
"Colonel, if you don't stay still, I'll have to use restraints."
The CMO could hear General Hammond asking where Captain Carter was and Daniel, obviously hurt but able to walk, advising that she was missing.
Ah! Now she understood the gravity of the situation but she had to force the worry for her friend to the back of her mind, but at least a weak and struggling Colonel was making more sense. She nodded at one of her nurses who was hovering with a syringe.
Jack saw it coming and tried to escape, but too many hands were holding him down. He triedcalling out to the General to allow him to return but the sharp sting in his arm warned him seconds before he blacked out that his request was futile.
Go to Part 7