Daniel and Sam acted almost simultaneously and Mitchell followed their lead. Chairs were pushed back as they rose from their seats and their hands reached for their weapons; the bug was shot into a number of pieces before its first leg twitch had completed.

'Isolate the pieces!' ordered Sam furiously regardless of the fact she was ordering a two-star General along with her own team and the base personnel. 'Now!' She yelled already running for the stairs and taking them two at a time into a stunned control room. She grabbed the radio and activated it. 'Thor, this is Colonel Carter, do you read me?'

'I read you, Colonel Carter.'

'The Replicator is in a cloaked ship possibly leaving Earth's orbit now. She has General O'Neill. Can you retrieve him?'

'I am scanning.' Thor replied. 'I have detected a hyper-space window. Would you like me to transport you aboard so we can follow?'

Sam opened her mouth to say yes and knew immediately that she couldn't. Thor's ship was Earth's only hope at destroying the Replicator ship; if she said yes they would leave Earth defenceless. Her whole body seemed to freeze as she came to a shattering conclusion; she couldn't go after Jack with Thor no matter how much she wanted to. Her mind was already supplying an alternative even as she answered the small grey alien. 'No.' Her throat closed on the word and she took a deep breath. There was another way…if she could convince the general. 'We need you to stay in place. You're our best opportunity for destroying the Replicator ship. There are pieces of a Replicator sitting in the briefing room. It may provide more information.'

'I am transporting it aboard now.' Thor confirmed.

'Thank you, Thor.'

'Colonel, would you like to explain what just happened?' Landry ordered his unhappiness evident in the blustering tone.

Sam unbent stiffly from her position leaning over the radio to face him; he was standing behind her in the control room. 'The Replicator took General O'Neill trying to draw the Asgard away from Earth, sir.'

'Leaving Earth open to attack from the ship we know is on the way.' Landry surmised.

'Yes, sir.' Sam confirmed placing her hands behind her back.

'How do you know that?' Landry demanded.

'Because it's what I would do, sir.' Sam said. Her gaze met his and he almost took a step back at the ice that glittered in the depths of the blue eyes. 'The Replicator was programmed with my memories and thought patterns.' She straightened. 'Sir, I'm certain she's gone to Dakara.'

'Why?' he asked bemused.

'To make a play for the weapon while Ba'al keeps the Jaffa and Tok'ra occupied.' Daniel inserted from his position near the stairs. 'If we're all busy fighting, she has a clear run at the weapon.'

'I'd like permission for SG1 to go back to Dakara, sir.' Sam stated. 'We can stop her and recover General O'Neill.'

'Isn't it possible that General O'Neill is already dead?' Landry asked bluntly.

There was total silence. Tension filled the small room and froze everyone into stillness.

Sam paled but held his gaze. 'She won't kill him.'

'I understand she killed Doctor Jackson.' Landry pointed out.

Because I'm not in love with Daniel, she thought and wondered what Landry would say if she said it out loud. She looked at the General squarely. 'She won't kill him sir.' She repeated softly but firmly. 'It's possible she believes the knowledge of the Ancient repository is still somewhere in his mind.'

'General,' Daniel stepped forward to stand at her side in a show of support, 'the Replicator is after the weapon. We have to do everything we can to stop her.'

'But the weapon is in another dimension, right?' Landry checked.

'Yes, sir,' Sam agreed, 'but it's likely that she'll probe General O'Neill's mind and there is the remote possibility that she could be the only thing capable of bringing the weapon back and…'

Landry waved his hands and she stopped. 'I'm sorry, Colonel, Doctor,' he said, 'but we have to put the safety of Earth first.'

'We are putting the safety of Earth first.' Daniel pointed out pushing his glasses up his nose furiously. 'If the Replicator gets her hands on the Ancient weapon she won't hesitate to wipe us out.'

'Sir, I have to agree with Colonel Carter and Doctor Jackson.' Mitchell said standing by Landry. 'From what I've read of the mission reports the human form Replicator is the main threat. Take her out and you're just left with the bugs. Mean but manageable.'

'Colonel Carter, from my understanding, you don't actually have any proof that the Replicator is going to Dakara; this is just a feeling, correct?' Landry asked.

'Based on my own likely strategy in this situation but yes, sir.' Sam conceded. She could already see his decision in his expressive eyes and her heart sank.

'Then she could still turn up here when the battle starts.' Landry stated.

'I think that's unlikely, sir.' Sam said her words edged with a sharp desperation. He had to let them go…he had to…there were only six days and counting…

Landry cleared his throat. 'I suggest we send a disruptor weapon to Dakara and brief the Jaffa. If she shows up there, they can take care of her. We have to concentrate on getting this base ready.'

'What about Jack?' asked Daniel softly.

'I'm sorry,' Landry said his tone and manner visibly softening, 'but I think we should consider General O'Neill our first casualty.'

'Sir, with all due respect,' Sam began her posture every inch so much the professional soldier that Daniel's own body ached to see it, 'I think you're making a mistake.'

The General bristled visibly. 'Colonel, you will concentrate on building the counter-measure you proposed. Is that clear?'

'Yes, sir.' Her tone was properly formal even if her eyes were sharp blue flints of ice. 'If you'll excuse me, I should get started.'

Landry gave into a staring contest with her for a moment before realising from the stubborn set of her face that she was more than equal to waiting him out. He nodded sharply. 'Dismissed.'

Sam turned and marched out of the control room briskly.

'Colonel Mitchell, I'll need you to organise base security.' Landry ordered. His gaze fell on Daniel. 'Doctor Jackson, you do,' he paused his military mind trying to find a task or activity suitable for an archaeologist and failing; he gestured absently, 'whatever it is you do in these circumstances.'

'She's right, you know.' Daniel said furiously. 'You're making a mistake.'

'We need to focus on Earth and General O'Neill would tell you so himself if he were here.' Landry stated calmly.

'But he's not, is he?' Daniel retorted before he spun on his heel. He headed out of the control room to the nearest elevator; Sam needed him. Well, not him, he conceded to himself, but she definitely needed someone. He was getting in the compartment when Mitchell caught up with him.

'Hey, Jackson! Wait up!' Mitchell took a running leap into the car just before the doors slid shut. He settled into a misleadingly relaxed pose beside his team-mate; hands in his pockets, his shoulders slouched. 'Are you going to check on Sam?' He asked casually.

'Planning to.' Daniel admitted.

'She's pretty pissed right now, huh?' Mitchell commented.

'She's not the only one.' Daniel muttered as he avoided Mitchell's gaze, keeping his eyes on the floor counter. He stuffed his own hands in his pockets in an unconscious mirroring of the other man's pose.

Mitchell repressed the urge to sigh. He knew there was a special bond that developed within a team that counted on each other for their very lives every single day. He could only imagine how that bond felt after eight years of working and fighting side by side but he figured there was more going on than met the eye.

Even without the rumours that circulated the base, he had already begun to suspect that there was more to Sam's relationship with General O'Neill than simply being team-mates; the General's offer to exchange his life for Sam's back on Dakara had been a rather large clue. But he'd been friends with Sam at the Academy and although their relationship had drifted into odd phone calls and Christmas cards with the pressures of assignments, he knew better than most people what her honour and duty meant to her; there was no way the Samantha Carter he knew would have an affair with her CO. But there was something going on and he wanted to know what it was, and he was done waiting for someone to clue him in, he thought impatiently. 'What's with those two?' He asked bluntly.

Daniel kept his gaze affixed elsewhere. 'Nothing.'

'Nothing.' Mitchell repeated. 'Look, Jackson, I may not be as smart as you or Sam but I'm not completely stupid.'

Daniel sighed and crossed his arms. 'We've been a team for a long time, Mitchell.' He shuffled a little.

'Hey, I've been in teams. I know what it's like to get close to the guys you work with…' Mitchell began.

'SG1 isn't like any other team.' Daniel retorted. He took a deep breath. 'We're family.'

'Look, I know I'm the new guy,' Mitchell said keeping his eyes on Daniel's tense profile, 'but I'm part of this team – this family – now too and I need to know. You guys keep me in the dark and we're going to have problems that could get one or more of us hurt.' He paused. 'Y'all going to have to start trusting me sometime, Jackson.'

Daniel wrestled with his instinctive urge to keep the secret and to be fair to the other man; he knew Mitchell had a point. He sneaked a glance at the military officer and was surprised to see him looking back at him with a stubborn resolve that reminded him suspiciously of himself. Daniel sighed. 'Nothing's ever happened between them…' he began, 'the regs…' he gestured awkwardly.

Mitchell nodded and subconsciously relaxed. That made sense to him and fitted with his own knowledge of his old friend.

'But they care about each other.' Daniel concluded.

Mitchell felt a wave of compassion for Sam. A thought occurred to him. 'So when the General retires…'

'They'll finally have a chance.' Daniel agreed.

'Damn.' Mitchell whistled. He sighed and crossed his arms. 'This is going to be tough for her, huh? Leaving the General with the Replicator?'

'It's the wrong call not to go after the Replicator.' Daniel looked over at Mitchell. 'And you know it too.'

Mitchell accepted the comment with an easy shrug. 'I can see where Landry is coming from.'

Daniel pushed his glasses up. 'We should be focusing on going after the Replicator and recovering Jack.'

'Maybe that's what the Replicator wants.' Mitchell said idly.

Daniel's blue eyes flew to his. 'What?'

'Look, this Replicator is supposed to have all of Sam's thoughts and memories, right?'

'Yes.' Daniel agreed impatiently.

'So maybe it knew that a good way to distract us…to distract Sam was to snatch the General.' Mitchell said. He shrugged. 'Maybe she hoped we'd focus on getting him back rather than on making sure Earth had the best defence possible either by going after him or by planning some rescue attempt instead of preparing for the battle.'

Daniel struggled with the idea for a moment before he had to grudgingly concede that Mitchell might be right. The Replicator had to know how they all felt about Jack and especially how Sam felt about Jack. The Replicator could have easily tempted Sam and the rest of them into a chase leaving Earth without Thor's help and even though the Replicator hadn't been successful at drawing them away, it had to know they would be distracted by the loss of Jack. And, Daniel realised, she had counted on one person in particular being distracted, the person who knew her best and who was most likely to defeat her again; Sam.

He frowned. Landry had been right; Earth had to be the priority; it had to be their priority and Jack wouldn't want to be rescued at the expense of the safety of the planet. But, he sighed, Landry was still wrong. They needed to go after the Replicator and stop her from getting the weapon.

'So what do you do in these situations?' Mitchell asked interrupting Daniel's musings.

Daniel looked over at him. He still felt a little aggrieved at Landry's dismissal of him. 'I usually grab a gun when we get invaded by Replicators.' He admitted wryly.

'Well, you could help me with base security or…' Mitchell let the sentence dangle.

'What?'

'Well, it seems to me that if someone's going to come up with a solution to convince General Landry Earth would be secure and he can still do the right thing…' Mitchell shrugged, 'I kinda figure it would be you.' He held the archaeologist's gaze for a moment. 'I mean, isn't that what you do best?'

The elevator slid open and Mitchell stepped out. He turned back to Daniel who stood in the compartment. He held the door with one hand to prevent it from sliding shut again. 'Are you coming?'

Daniel slowly shook his head. 'I…uh…I have to…' he waved a hand and punched a button to go back down. 'You check on Sam. I'll be there in a minute.'

Mitchell removed his hand and the door slid shut leaving Daniel oblivious to his wide grin. The archaeologist was too busy pacing the small space, his mind whirling as he tried to formulate his arguments.

He stepped out of the elevator and almost sent an Airman flying in his haste to get to the General's office. He was breathless by the time he reached the open door. His brain registered that Landry was on the phone and he stopped his hand before it could complete the knock.

Daniel took a moment to recover his breath and calm down. It seemed strange seeing Landry in Jack's office behind Jack's desk and it strengthened his resolve to make sure Jack was rescued. Landry put the phone down and Daniel immediately rapped on the door.

Landry's head whipped around to him startled. 'Doctor Jackson.'

'Can I have a minute?' Daniel said hugging his arms around him as his fierce blue gaze caught on the other man's.

The General sighed and motioned for him to enter. 'If you're here to convince me that I'm wrong…'

'I'm not.' Daniel said quickly as he stepped into the room. 'Or at least,' he admitted honestly, 'not completely wrong.' He gestured at Landry. 'You're right that Earth should be the priority and that's what Jack would want despite his own personal situation.'

'Huh.' Landry leaned forward across the desk. 'You just came to tell me that?'

'No.' Daniel pushed his glasses up his nose. 'You're still wrong about the Replicator.'

'You don't mince your words, do you, Doctor?' Landry noted.

'Yeah…' Daniel waved a hand at the other door in the direction of the briefing room. 'Sorry about before in the control room. I guess I could have handled that better.'

Landry shrugged, accepting the apology. 'I guess I could have handled it better too.' He gave a little head shake. 'I know how much General O'Neill means to you and to Colonel Carter.'

'Jack does mean a lot to us,' Daniel allowed, 'and I can't deny that we want to get him back; Jack has a rule that no-one gets left behind and he's kind of drummed that into us these last eight years.'

The General had to admire the way the younger man had reminded him of the SGC's golden rule. He gave a grunt. 'But? There is a but I take it?'

'But,' Daniel repeated with a small smile, 'the Replicator is going to Dakara and she is going after the weapon.'

'But you have no proof of that.' Landry reminded him.

'General,' Daniel said forcefully, 'the Replicator was created using Sam as a blueprint. She is our best bet of knowing what the Replicator is likely to do next. And I've been in the Replicator's head. I can tell you right now she considers Earth insignificant; she's after the galaxy.' He gestured at the military man frustrated at the apparent lack of impact his words were having on Landry. 'Both Sam and I have real experience with her. We don't need proof; we just know.'

'Is that a subtle way of pointing out to me that I don't have experience with this?' Landry said wryly.

'You admitted it yourself in the briefing room to Jack before he was…uh…beamed away.' Daniel pointed out. 'You said he had the experience and you would try not to get in the way.'

'And I'm getting in the way now?' Landry said caustically.

'I think you're doing what you think is best given you're suddenly in charge of a situation you never expected to have to handle without Jack.' Daniel said diplomatically. 'But there are other people here, besides Jack, who have experience at fighting the Replicators particularly this one.'

'And maybe I should listen to them?' Landry concluded with a rueful sigh and leaned back in his chair. He regarded the archaeologist solemnly for a long moment before he spread his hands out wide. 'OK, Doctor Jackson, I'm listening. What do you think I should do?'

Daniel gave a sigh of relief. Mitchell had been right; this was what he did best.