Part 3
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JACK
'That Morris is so dead when I get a hold of him, along with all of his co-conspirators,' I thought. As soon as the rebels left her office, I used the remote to send me home. Although, it was awfully hard not to rush to her defense when the sound of someone hitting her came through the door. I repeated to myself through clenched teeth like a mantra, "She can take care of herself. She can take care of herself." I just hoped it was enough.
It was still dark outside as I gathered everything around the cabin that could possibly be of use in freeing Sam. Fortunately, a lot of things had come home with me over the past year. Trips around the area often began and ended here instead of on base. It always pays to be ready for anything.
I surveyed the pile of weapons and gear piled on the living room floor. Not much against a small army, but it was as good as I could do until we got back through the gate. Everything went into a backpack and I sent myself back to the closet.
Holding my breath for any sign of someone having heard the rings, there was not a sound from her office. 'Sam's soundproofing must have worked. That's the last time I complain about one of her ideas. Well, at least for a while,' I thought to myself.
Swinging the closet door open slowly, I poked my head around the jam and gave the darkened room a once over. Not a soul in sight, so I slipped out and through the empty offices to the front door. The settlement buildings were mostly rectangular, one or two stories, and placed in concentric squares around a park-like common. Guards ranged throughout the common area, alert for any resistance.
Happily, the back door of the headquarters was clear of sentries, so I sped across the open ground through the breezeway to building 7, a.k.a. the brand new infirmary. A few lights shone from the windows. Women and some men filled the office I spied through the window. A few were crying, some slept on pallets, two women talked under the window, and one woman nursed a man swathed in bandages. It looked like Sam's friend, Bodine. Looking more carefully, I saw bandages on several of the women and most of the men. No sign of Sam or any of her senior staff members.
The guard inside the room almost caught me, so I slid down below the windowsill and ran crouched over using my best special-ops skills toward the end of the building. The steam poured from my lungs in fluffy clouds. Luckily, the man on guard there was sleeping propped up against the side of the wooden building and the way south, out of the base, was clear. He was soon out cold. Unfortunately, Morris hadn't trusted the man with any ammunition. I took the gun and his radio anyway, ever the optimist.
I headed toward the Stargate, keeping off the road as much as possible. Grim thoughts passed through my head. 'Surely, they'll place sentries at the Stargate. Morris couldn't be that foolish.' He wasn't, so I settled down to scope out their patterns and check for weaknesses. After a couple of hours, it became quite clear these were his best. They diligently patrolled the area in the early morning gloom, keeping an eye out for anyone approaching from any direction. The wide ring of open space around the 'gate was further than my pistol could accurately shoot. 'Me and my defensive measures. Damn!' The thought was a bitter pill.
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SAM
"Colonel! Colonel Carter! Wake up," a voice hissed at me, but all I could think of was to find an aspirin or six. My body ached from stem to stern from the beating Morris' bullies had given me. My "refusal" to divulge the location of the gold and diamonds Morris had convinced them existed on Eden was just the excuse they needed to make an example of me.
Someone cruel was shaking me, causing my head to throb dully. "Stop!" The flimsy cot was wobbling and my stomach was protesting. I guessed that at least one rib was broken.
"Shhh, Colonel. Not so loud."
"Okay, just stop shaking me, Amanda. My head's killing me." Dr. Amanda Delacourte was the supervisor for the lab employees. I glared at her and she blushed, as well she should. Her fiancé had been one of the most enthusiastic during my interrogation.
"Here, take these. I had them in my purse, which they seem to have overlooked." She handed me two pills which sat in my palm until she snapped, "They're just aspirin, Colonel. I swear I didn't know this was brewing. If I'd known anything about it, you'd have heard about it right away. When I get my hands on that fiancé of mine, he's a dead man." Amanda wasn't a violent person, being a physician by training, but I really believed her.
"I promise you can kill him after we get control of the base back," I muttered. Taking pills dry is awful, though I managed to gag them down. After a few minutes, my wits were a little clearer. "Tell me what the situation is, Dr. Delacourte."
She scooted closer so we could talk without being overheard. "Morris had the breakfast coffee drugged yesterday morning so they could take us more easily. I woke up here in the break room with the other senior staff members." Well, that explained how quiet the base was yesterday. She continued her narrative, "John came by to gush about the wonderful future we had once they found all the riches you and Colonel O'Neill have hidden. I've seen most of the mineral survey results from the area and I knew there was nothing like that, at least not around here. He just wouldn't listen, the stupid jerk! Boy, can I pick 'em." She looked really unhappy. He eyes were red as though from crying.
I snorted softly at that. "I'll have to tell you about my first fiancé someday. He makes Dr. Morris look like Mr. Congeniality and the mental health poster boy all rolled into one."
She stared at me for a second. "Really?" Her voice was incredulous.
"Oh, yeah." I rubbed my forehead again. That pain was slowly abating, though my ribs sent sharp stabs each time I moved. "Now, what more can you tell me? Can we trust everyone here?" I moved my hand slightly to take in the other inhabitants of the room, my senior staff. Not one of them would look at me.
"I think so. We've talked a little and everyone seems to be as shocked as I was. No one's suggested joining Morris or believes his tales, if that's what you're asking."
"Good. How many people does Morris have and where is everyone else, besides those in here, being held?"
"John told me that Dr. Morris has almost half of the SFs and the younger men, plus a few of the women. Mostly those with, well, I don't want to sound snobbish, but those with less education and the more naive." She looked down for a second. "I don't think he can really hold it together much longer if something valuable doesn't show up soon. Things will get really ugly then."
"I'm afraid you're right. I just hope Jack got away."
"He's free? Didn't he come into work with you this morning?" Amanda's voice was suddenly demanding.
"Yes, but I was the first one out of the closet…" I realized a second too late what I'd said, 'Damn this headache.'
"What's up with the closet? Why were you two in there?" Dr. Delacourte commanded harshly.
I did my best to blush. Do you have any idea how hard that is? "Um, we were, uh…" I giggled. It made me want to retch, but I did it. I apparently wasn't a good enough actor to fool her.
"Thanks for the information, Sam." She smiled condescendingly. It took everything I had not to knock in her teeth. Amanda stood and walked to the door. She knocked and the door immediately opened. A few words to the guard and she swaggered through the door as though she owned it.
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JACK
This so wasn't turning out to be the best of days. By the time I got to the cabin, Morris' goons were already there waiting. From the snippets of conversation I overheard, they'd figured out about the rings. I was now out of safe havens on this planet and the only way off world was blocked. I had to get Sam free, then I'd worry about the base and everyone else.
The weather was cold, but with the sun out, at least it was dry. My trip back to base was fast over the hard-packed trail. I made my way between the wooden buildings, past the corpse of the man I'd left unconscious. I guess Morris wasn't too pleased about his falling asleep on duty.
A smug Amanda Delacourte was walking diagonally across the common with her fiancé, John Harris. I intended to find out why. From the direction she was walking, I guessed she was going from the base headquarters toward the laboratory complex which formed two sides of the common square. I checked out the path between my position and the back door to the nearest wing of the lab building. It was clear, so I scuttled to the back door of one of the few two-story buildings on base. Even though it was broad daylight, no one seemed to notice me.
I pondered this new fact, 'Morris must not have convinced the best of the SFs to join him. Or, he's starting to stretch his forces too thinly. Tooooo bad for him.'
The back door was easy to open with my master key, which Sam said I should keep. Bless her brains and foresight.
There was only one guard in sight. He stood in front of the door to the small staff lunchroom, a perfect place to sequester several people easily: no windows, one door. I bet myself that he hadn't thought about the crawl space in the ceiling.
In order to hide the pipes and wires that make up a modern building, we'd hidden everything behind a false ceiling, but not a cheesy dropdown ceiling like most buildings had. We built two solid floors above the first story rooms, with a three-foot crawl space between. I found the access panel and climbed up the drop-down ladder.
Following the labels on each opening, it took no time at all to find the lounge. I lay down on the upper side of their ceiling and peered through the mesh opening at the people inside. No guards were in the room. It took a minute to find Sam. I was shocked and infuriated at how bad she looked. Bruises covered her face and neck. My thoughts reflected my shock, 'Oh God, look at her. What have those animals done?' She wasn't alone in her condition. Most of the room's occupants looked less than their best.
"Psst, psst. Dave, Gita, up here." I tried to get the attention of the pair closest to my position. Dr. Gita Chandra looked around and then up at me. She gasped and covered her mouth. Pointing frantically up at me, the elderly biochemist grabbed her assistant, Dave Castell's, wrist to get his attention. A smile flashed across the biochemistry post-grad's tanned face. He picked up a chair, carried it over and stood on it so his face was just below the opening.
"Colonel O'Neill, have you come to rescue us? Please say you have," he whispered urgently.
"If you can give me some information, I might just be able to do that." He nodded enthusiastically. "How many guards have you seen?"
"So far, I've seen Johnson, Davidson and Magabe guarding our door. Amanda Delacourte and John Harris are with Morris too. That's all I'm sure about." It wasn't much more than I already knew.
"Okay, there seems to be only one guard outside your door. Do you think you could lure him inside?" Dave nodded again. "Good. Give me 10 minutes to get out of the ceiling. When you distract the guard, I'll jump him from behind. Be prepared to get everyone moving. We won't have much time." I stopped for a few seconds and asked, "How's Sam, Colonel Carter? Is she badly hurt?"
"I think she's okay, except for a bad headache and maybe some cracked ribs from the beating she took. They seem to think you two have a fortune in gems and gold hidden. You don't… do you?" He seemed ashamed even to ask, so I answered him as politely as I could manage.
"Dave, everything we've found is on her finger and the gold setting came from Earth. I found the diamond in a stream and thought it was quartz until Johansen told me the stone I was fidgeting with was valuable. Hammond let me keep it in the hope that Carter would agree to move here and marry me. Call it a signing bonus for both of us. Despite lots of looking, nothing else has shown up."
He pursed his lips and said, "I thought so. We'll be ready. Ten minutes, right?"
"You got it." I slid as silently as possible back to the access panel and eased myself down the ladder. Checking my watch again, I waited until the guard, Davidson, pulled the door open roughly and strode into the lounge, shouting for silence. I made virtually no sound running down the hallway and leapt after Davidson. With one quick twist to his neck, the traitor was dead. I had no time for subtlety.
Their faces showed shock and fear - of me. I rushed to Sam, who was standing up painfully, her face a grimace. All I could think of was holding her.
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SAM
Oh, my aching ribs. It felt so wonderful to have his arms around me, but he held me so tightly I yelped.
"What?" He looked so stricken I had to laugh. Oh my, what a bad idea.
"My ribs; I think a couple are broken. Don't hold me too hard, please." He let up on the pressure and I sighed with relief. "That's better, thanks." Now it was my turn to hold him, my head against his chest and arms around his waist. I closed my eyes and briefly forgot everything but Jack holding me.
"Uh, Sam, we should go."
"Can we get everyone else out, too? I'm not leaving without them." They were my responsibility. I looked from him to them and back again. Their faces showed fear that we'd leave them behind.
"Yes, of course." He faced them, an arm around my shoulders, offering support that I badly needed. "You'll have to move fast and quietly, at times over rough ground. Can you do it?"
Dr. Chandra stood taller and spoke as the oldest there. "I'm older than dirt, young man, but not yet infirm. Lead on." Jack gave her a crooked smile and a quick nod of approval. Whether the men were willing to leave with us or shamed into it by Gita, we'll never know, but they all lined up at the door.
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JACK
No one had detected our little escape yet, so we slipped through the hallways to the door where I'd entered. Our luck was turning … for the worse. Two sentries walked the long open space between this structure and the next.
Silently, I gestured to Sam that we should move toward the other door. She nodded her understanding and cocked the pistol I'd given her. The others shuffled down the hall behind us. She slipped up to the door, peered around the jam and swiftly pulled back. Sam shook her head. That way was blocked.
Sam's voice was just a whisper. "Jack, there are windows at each end of the main large enough to climb through. They may not see us if we can time our escape right."
"Okay, you check that end, I'll check this one." We went our separate directions and watched the area around each end of the building for guards. She indicated that her end was blocked. I motioned to her that I would open the window and reconnoiter on this end, so she started back this way.
After checking both sides, I returned. "We're in luck. The sentries are concentrating their efforts on the other end for some reason and mostly stand with their backs to us. If we're very quiet and fast, they might not see us leave."
Getting those scientists out through the window was a real test of my patience, although Gita was the most cooperative. It was as though she meant to set the "younger" men an example.
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SAM
Oh, what a circus it was getting out of the base. I'd rather fight off a whole host of Jaffa than go through something that stressful again. After what seemed hours, we dodged across the last strip of open ground to a clump of bushes. Half of them were huffing from the short sprint or shivering in the weak winter sunlight. I crouched, holding my ribs.
"You people are going to start using the gym when we get the base back. No argument." There was none, but I got a few guilty looks.
"What now, Colonels?" Gita looked from one of us to the other. "Do we go back through the Stargate?"
"It was well guarded the last time I was there." Jack hefted the loaded P90 he'd liberated from Davidson. "But, now I have something a little more effective to greet the sentries with. Let's go."
Our trip toward the gate was painfully slow with half a dozen exhausted scientists and one very sprightly biochemist. I hoped I'd be half as energetic at her age. Gita gently spurred the others along and seriously shamed most of the men to greater efforts.
"Okay, lady and gentlemen, you're going to stay here." Jack announced once we'd reached a small copse of trees where they could stay hidden. "Gita, Dave, can you shoot a pistol?"
"I've done some target shooting, but not for years. I at least know which end of the gun the bullets come out of." Dave was looking doubtful.
Jack and I turned to Gita and her answer came as no surprise. "I grew up in a small hill
village in India. We often hunted for our food and shot rats in the grain store. I'm better with a rifle, but a pistol will do."
"Good. Take these pistols and as much ammo as we have for them." Jack quickly showed them the fine points of these models. "Be as quiet as you can and stay out of sight. We'll be back pretty quickly." I now carried the other P-90, loaded with Davidson's spare ammo.
Jack turned to me with a grin I remembered from our SG-1 days. "Ready Carter?"
"Of course, sir." I could feel my grin growing in response. Even with the pain of my "punishment" I was actually enjoying the action. "Lead on, Colonel."
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JACK
I could see Sam was in pain from our jogging pace, not that she'd ever say anything or accept any help. I slowed our progress to a walk and the pinched look left her face.
"Sergeants George and Fazeal were on guard this morning. I can't believe I approved those gamokes for this assignment. Makes me wonder if they weren't planted by the NID." I gave Sam an update on what I'd seen earlier as we knelt around a bend from the Stargate. He placed his hand on my cheek and asked, "Are you sure you can do this, Sam? Morris' boys did a number on you. If it gets to close combat…"
"I can do this, Jack. It'll feel wonderful to take down two of the 'boys' who did this." She grimly indicated the bruises on her face and my lips tightened in anger. "You know I can do this, Colonel."
"Yeah, I do, Colonel. Let's go." We worked our way diagonally through the brush between us and the parade ground-sized area around the 'gate. I signaled to Sam to wait while I scoped out the scene, then crawled to the edge of the meadow.
"Shit!" I stood and walked toward her. "The gate's not guarded. It might be a trap."
"What do we do now, sir?"
"Uh, I was hoping you'd have an idea, Madam Genius." She didn't look happy.
"Well, why don't we each go in the opposite direction from the other around the meadow and meet on the other side. If we see any sign of an ambush, we use these." She held up her radio, so recently liberated from Davidson. We picked a new frequency and separated. I could still feel her lips from the all too brief kiss before we parted. Beats the hell out of a salute.
We met up at the other side, having seen no sign of anyone. Curiouser and curiouser.
"We should try the 'gate, Jack." She looked to me for agreement/permission. She said "Jack," but I heard "sir." So, I nodded.
The trip across the open ground was uneventful. Sam stood in front of the DHD and entered the address for earth and slapped the center key. Nothing. The gate didn't spin, the chevrons didn't engage.
"Damn!" She popped off the red dome and leaned over the DHD. Her hands came up and she cried out in anger and frustration. "AAAAArrgghhhhhh!"
"What's wrong, Sam?" It looked normal to me.
"They took the control crystal." She sat back on her heels and sighed in defeat. "We're stuck here until we get it back."
D'oh!
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Continued in Part 4