Had she voiced her thought out loud, Jack might have told her not to count her chickens before they were hatched. Or not to put the cart before the horse. Or perhaps any other cliché that might have fit the situation. It was only 1700 hours, after all. Plenty of time left in the day.
Chapter 6 - Little Miss Muffet
Sam frowned darkly as she watched the male members of her team exit the infirmary. Due to the depth of her cut and the unknown bacteria that could be lurking in the dirt on Perovia, Janet had wanted to make sure the wound was well cleaned before she stitched Sam up. She would also need a thorough round of antibiotics, resulting in at least twice the number of shots the rest of SG-1 had to suffer through. Sam's glare darkened when she heard her CO call out quite merrily, "Don't poke too many holes in her Doc. She's gots lots of reports to write!"
Janet, noticing the look on Sam's face, called out, "Maybe you'd better come back, Colonel. You did clean Sam's wound; no telling if you have any unseen germs yourself."
Both women grinned when they heard a tray crash to the floor, an obvious victim to Jack's hasty departure. "I think that was the highlight of my day so far," Sam remarked with a smile toward her friend.
Janet grinned back wryly. "Glad to be of service, Major. Maybe you can stick around to help me clean up? He is your CO after all."
"Oh no. I do enough of that already…in the field, in my lab, his kitchen after a cook-out..." The two women shared a laugh before Janet returned her attention to Sam's injury.
In short order, Sam had been cleared to leave the infirmary. She headed to the women's locker room and took a quick shower before heading up to their post-mission briefing. As she took her seat next to Teal'c, she was delighted to see a full, steaming mug of coffee waiting for her. She looked around at her team mates, wondering which one of them had been so gracious, when she caught Jack's eyes on her, a small smile on his face. Lifting his own mug, he offered her a silent salute. Sam reciprocated the gesture, then took a deep sip and closed her eyes blissfully and hoped the caffeine would get her through the rest of her day.
The briefing was, well…brief. General Hammond was most concerned with getting their written reports and sending in the mining teams as soon as possible. He listened with concern and interest to what had happened on their mission, taking a few notes of his own that he could share with the President. He was relieved that he could be using that red phone to inform the leader of his country about some good news for a change. Finally, he stood from his seat, reminding them all that he expected written reports before they left for the day. Jack opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by a look from the General. Turning to Sam, he said. "I would like to offer my thanks for a job well done, Major Carter. I know it must have been a difficult situation, but you handled yourself with utmost professionalism, just as I knew you would," he smiled at her.
Sam flushed slightly and thanked him for his words. As the General turned to go, he noticed someone lurking in the open doorway to the briefing room. His smile disappeared to be replaced by a mild frown. Turning back to Sam, he said apologetically, "I almost forgot. Dr. Felger," he waved the man in with one hand, "Came to me with some concerns about your lab?"
Everyone turned to look at Felger expectantly. The man flushed at the sudden attention before stepping forward. "Um, yes…there's a bit of a problem. I…well, Koombs and I actually…well, we were going to finish up that analysis like you asked, Major. You know we would do anything to help you out. Your schedule is so busy…"
"Just get on with it, Felger," Jack snapped, his patience for the man at an ever present low.
"Oh, yes Sir, Colonel O'Neill. Well, we needed some data in order to complete our analysis, so we went to your lab to see if we could locate the disk." He smiled adoringly at her. "You keep such a tidy lab, Major Carter. I knew I could find it without disturbing your other projects. I would never want to cause you to lose your trust in me by disturbing something in your lab." His puppy dog eyes never left her face. Jack rolled his own at the display but refrained from commenting this time.
As Felger stared at her quietly with a stupid grin on his face, Sam closed her eyes in frustration before she verbally nudged him. "OK. You needed a disk…and?" she prompted.
Felger mentally shook himself. "Oh yes. Well, we couldn't gain access to your lab, Major Carter. Both Koombs and I tried several times, but the lock wouldn't release."
"Uh, that's probably because she locked you out last week," Daniel offered from the other side of the table. "Something about frying a hard drive…or two?" his eyebrow rose in question.
"But that was purely an accident!" Felger protested, his gaze darting between Daniel and Sam. "You know I never meant to destroy it, Major Carter, I just got…well, slightly distracted." He didn't dare mention that he had been distracted by the sight of Major Samantha Carter bent low over her work table, nicely rounded bottom on full display before him. Even he knew that the three large men on her team wouldn't take kindly to that idea, not to mention the Major herself.
Trying to get her fellow scientist back on track, Sam put a restraining hand on Felger's arm. "Why don't you come down to my lab now, Jay. I'll get you that disk you need to finish up your analysis."
Jay was momentarily sidetracked by the touch of her hand on his arm. But then he thought about what his mission had to be right now and pulled away from her, causing Sam's brow to crease in puzzlement. "But there's more, Major Carter! When we couldn't gain access to your lab, Koombs and I asked Major Browne of the security team to override your code. He tried for almost an hour, but couldn't gain access!" His voice had risen to a fevered whine. Now Sam's frown deepened. While she didn't like the idea of people going into her lab, she knew that it was merely a safety protocol for the security personnel to be able to do so. Browne should have had no problem overriding her code.
"And not only that, the cameras don't appear to be working in your lab either."
Jack turned to look at General Hammond. "That's rather unusual, isn't it?"
The General frowned as he looked at Felger. "I wasn't made aware that the security cameras weren't working in Major Carter's lab. That should have been brought to my attention immediately."
Felger gulped in the face of the General's displeasure. "Well, they're not not working per say, General." At the deepening of the General's frown, he hastened to add, "But they're producing a white, fuzzy image. We can make out vague forms in Major Carter's lab, but not anything definite."
Hammond turned his attention back to Sam. "Major, were you conducting an experiment that I was not apprised of? I believe we had discussed this very issue just last week," he frowned in annoyance.
Sam flushed at the reminder, quickly glancing at her team mates who looked at each in confusion. None of them had been told of the rather unfortunate outcome of an experiment she conducted last week and she had been hoping to keep it that way. "Uhm, no Sir," Sam replied quickly, hoping to dispel some of the General's disapproval. "I shut everything down before we left on our mission, Sir."
Hammond nodded his head. "Be that as it may, there appears to be something occurring in your lab that requires investigation Major. Colonel," he turned to Jack. "I want you to take your team to level 19. I'll have the area cleared." He turned back to Sam. "Will you be able to gain access to your lab, Major?"
"Yes Sir," Sam nodded. "Even if my code is no longer working, I can easily activate it by removing the panel and making some quick adjustments."
"Do it," Hammond ordered quickly.
"Uhm sir? If I may?" Felger held up a hand. "I would like to accompany SG-1 to Major Carter's lab. Major Carter may require my assistance with the door and whatever we find in the lab."
Hammond glanced at Sam, who shrugged her shoulders. She doubted she'd need Jay Felger's assistance on anything, but one never knew.
"All right, Doctor Felger. You'll accompany SG-1. But keep in mind, you are to follow Colonel O'Neill's orders to the letter." General Hammond kept his eyes firmly fixed on Felger until he replied, "Yes General. Of course!"
Jack rolled his eyes and muttered, "Oh great!"
"I believe we should procure weapons, O'Neill," Teal'c stated, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "We do not know what might await us in Major Carter's lab."
"Right T. Zats for everyone. Except you," Jack pointed at Felger. "You stay back and out of the way, got it?"
"Yes sir, Colonel O'Neill," Jay replied eagerly, even going so far as to throw the man a salute. Excitement shined in his eyes as he thought about embarking on yet another adventure with SG-1. Jack rolled his eyes once again.
"I'll have SG-3 standing by in case you need them, Colonel. Let me know immediately when the lab has been secured," Hammond ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Jack replied. "All right team, let's move out." Jack led the way out of the briefing room and down toward the armory.
Fifteen minutes later, Sam was on her knees in front of her lab door, panel opened before her and wires hanging out. Unable to use her card to access her lab, Sam was attempting to reroute the signature code to open the door. "You almost there, Carter?" Jack asked from behind her.
"Just about, Sir. Just one more connection…" As she made the last connection, she could hear the door unlock from within. She looked up and gave him a smile. "Got it!"
Jack smiled back. "Moving up in the lock picking department, aren't ya Carter."
"Yes, Sir," Sam replied as she got to her feet. Then she frowned as she looked at the door. It had unlocked but hadn't slid open like it should have. Turning to Teal'c, she said, "Teal'c, can you give me a hand?" Nodding, the large man stepped forward. "We'll have to slide the door open manually, Sir."
Jack nodded in agreement. "Ok kids. I want everyone ready." Jack activated his Zat and waited until Sam and Daniel had done the same before nodding toward Teal'c. "On three. Three, two, one." Teal'c put his hands on the door and leaned into it, pushing the large metal door slowly and firmly to the left. When it was opened, he took his own Zat in hand and pointed it in readiness at the open doorway.
The room was dark and quiet, a forbidding sense of eeriness wafting outwards and encompassing the five people who stood in the hallway. Sam moved to Teal'c's right side and slowly slid her hand along the inside wall, trying to locate the light switch. When she did, she took a deep breath, nodded at Jack, who stood right beside her, then threw the switch. What she saw made her gasp out loud.
"Holy Hannah!" came the awed whisper. Sam stood next to Jack, her eyes wide as she took in the transformation of her lab. All of her electrical equipment was covered by what appeared to be a thick, sticky web. The security cameras mounted on the walls were barely discernable white lumps, the red lights on top glowing faintly through the haze of the webbing surrounding it. Sam's eyes swung over to her desk, where her computer, monitor and all, were completely blanketed by the same dense webbing.
"What the hell is that stuff?" came Daniel's totally awestruck voice.
"I am unsure, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c replied, peering over the top of Sam's head. "It appears to be webbing made by an unknown creature. I suggest we proceed with caution."
The four team members stepped forward slowly until all of them were just inside the door to Sam's lab. Zats held at the ready, they let their eyes peruse the interior, amazement overcoming their initial feelings of shock. The overhead lights gave off a dim glow, their brightness also dimmed from the thick webbing coating the fixtures. Jay Felger stood just outside the open door, his mouth wide open in shock and amazement.
Jack too took in the state of Carter's lab. His brain couldn't quite register what he was seeing. His gaze swung left to right, up and down, before he muttered the first thing that came to mind. "Geez Carter. Dust much?"
Sam threw him an irritated glare before taking a step to away from him and more fully into the room. Her progress was stopped by a tight grip to her arm. "Uh Carter. I may not be an expert on insects here, but whatever made this stuff," his hand holding the Zat indicated the mass of webbing around him, "Is probably kind of big. And still here." He narrowed his eyes and looked into the darkened corners of the room that the light didn't quite reach.
"I believe this creature is in the arachnid family, O'Neill. Not insect," Teal'c informed Jack from his other side.
"Insect, arachnid, who the hell cares? Anything with more than four legs is something I'd rather not have to deal with," Jack replied curtly. His eyes continued to scan the room, searching for whatever had made this stuff.
A rather amused snort issued forth from Daniel. "What's the matter, Jack? Got a case of arachnophobia?"
"I am not afraid of spiders, Daniel," Jack stated in a defensive tone. "I just prefer not to have to deal with them, that's all."
"Well, I am going to deal with it," Sam stated firmly. "Look at what's it's done to my lab!" The arm not holding the Zat waved in dismay at the mess her lab had become. "It's going to take me days to clean this up, not to mention trying to retrieve all my lost data!"
Just then they heard a scuttling sound coming from the far corner of her lab. Jack put his arm out, stopping Sam from going any further. His voice dropped to a whisper. "I think we need to focus on catching this thing before you start worrying about clean-up detail, Carter."
"I concur, O'Neill. This creature could be extremely dangerous. We must neutralize it before we proceed with putting Major Carter's lab to rights." Teal'c stepped around Jack, his tracker's instincts taking over as he listened to the soft sounds the intruder was making at the back of the lab.
"Please don't kill it," Felger pleaded from the open doorway. "This could be an amazing opportunity for research. The implications from this find could be incredible!"
Jack spun toward the door. "I thought I told you to stay in the hallway Felger! Now get back out and stay there!" he snapped.
Felger blanched at the harsh tone and withdrew from the door, but not far enough that he couldn't see what was happening. "All right. Spread out and walk slowly toward the far corner," Jack ordered, emphasizing the word slowly while looking directly at Sam. The team proceeded as ordered, fanning out and moving slowly but surely toward the back of Sam's lab. Jack and Sam were on the left, Teal'c and Daniel on the right; all with weapons raised and at the ready.
When they were halfway across the floor, Teal'c held up one fist in a signal to stop. All four of them stopped walking and waited for an explanation. "I no longer hear the creature's movements," Teal'c whispered, frowning in concentration. Jack looked uneasily to the corners of the room.
Suddenly, from directly above Sam, a humongous spider the size of a cantaloupe dropped down on a thick, silken thread. Its head was the size of a baseball and Sam could distinctly see the fine hairs that covered it. They looked at each other for a split second before the spider opened its mouth, showing pointy fangs the likes of which Sam had never seen before. Sam screamed in surprise at the same time that Jack saw it and cried out, "Holy Shit!" Teal'c spun on his heel and with quick, careful aim, shot the spider, which dropped to the ground with a thud. Its eight legs twitched spasmodically in the air for several seconds before finally remaining still.
Jack heaved out a sigh of relief as he suppressed the urge to shudder. Staring down at the incredibly large spider now lying inert on the ground, he said, "Thanks T. Thought we were about to become another fixture in Carter's lab." He then looked over toward Sam, who seemed unusually pale to him. "You OK, Carter?"
Sam couldn't take her eyes off of the huge spider lying on the floor of her lab. Her mind was awash with questions as to where it came from and what it had been doing. She finally looked up when Jack shook her shoulder and repeated, "Carter?"
"What? Yeah, I'm fine. Just a bit…" She looked down again. "What the hell is that thing?"
"Well, it's not your average garden variety spider, that's for sure," Jack said, wrinkling his nose as he prodded the large, hairy creature with the toe of his right boot.
"More importantly, where did it come from?" Daniel asked as he scrunched down on his haunches and peered closer at the spider.
"I believe a more vital question to be, are there any more such creatures still lurking within Major Carter's lab," Teal'c stated without emotion. All three of them turned horrified eyes to him as they took in the implication of his words.
Jack finally turned his gaze back to Sam. "I suppose now would not be a good time to ask if you have a bowl of curds and whey stashed in here somewhere, would it Carter?"
TBC