AN: Not too graphic, but some language. That man, Jack… tsk, tsk. A little shorter chapter I'm afraid but it was a good stopping point. Continued thanks for the kind words, favorites and follows!

***SG1***SG1***

"Walk us through it," Colonel Nelson urged.

Rubbing his hands on his face before dropping them, Jack let out a breath. "SG10 found a device they wanted Major Carter to look at. Said it was some sort of particle accelerator or something," Jack said, gesturing that it really didn't matter what the machine actually did. "Daniel Jackson and Teal'c were off world checking out ruins SG2 had found, so when the call came in from ten, General Hammond authorized Carter to go. I tagged along." Catching the other men's eyes, he saw they understood what Jack was saying. He went to make sure his teammate was covered. "Major Hitch and Captain Shelby met us at the gate and took us into town. Lieutenant Werner and Doctor Matson were talking to some of the town leaders and were to meet us at the lab."

"Did you notice anything out of order? People wise," French asked, seeking clarification.

Shaking his head slowly, Jack replied. "Not really. Saw a few folks, seemed nice enough. Curious, maybe a little leery, but nothing that screamed 'hey we're really a bunch of homicidal, narcissistic wackos'."

"So, Major Carter examined the device," Al stated, looking up from the report he had made a few notes on. "It was a fake?"

Nodding, Jack shifted in his seat. "Yeah, Carter took a look and said that while it looked legit, it really wasn't. Something about the force and velocity, machine wasn't configured to achieve the rates necessary. About that time, the door opened. We figured it was Matson and Werner coming, but the room filled up with some of the local goons."

"And they took you into custody?" Seeing Jack's nod, he added, "And you didn't resist?"

Jack looked down and let out a breath. He had wracked his brain over and over to see when the mission had gotten out of hand and how it could have been avoided. This was one of the moments he questioned that if he had given a different order if things might have turned out differently. "No," he finally said flatly. "I ordered everyone to stay calm and do what they said."

"Why?"

The word irritated Jack. Snapping his gaze up, his tone was harder when he answered. "Because they were humans and despite what you may believe, it isn't that fucking easy to pull a trigger on one when they aren't really causing you any harm."

Jack snorted at the hand gesture telling him that Nelson had meant no offense. Swallowing down his anger, he pressed his hands onto the table and allowed the coolness to seep into his palms. "They took us to a detaining area. Matson and Werner were already there. They locked us up and we waited until someone came to tell us what the hell was going on."

"One cell or several?" French asked, the sound of his pen scratching on the paper echoing softly in the room.

"Three," Jack asked cautiously. "What does it matter?"

"And where was Major Carter put?"

Narrowing his eyes, he ran them over Colonel French trying to read him. He had heard of French before, but nothing indicated he had any hidden agenda. But, that was the problem with hidden agendas - they were hidden. "With me," Jack finally answered.

"Your choice or theirs?"

A muscle twitched in Jack's jaw. "She's my second," he said, a bite in his voice.

A hum of acknowledgement met Jack's statement as French made another notation on his page. "Go on," French added, looking up.

"We sat around for an hour or so and then the mayor came to see us. Said he was sorry to have to keep us there and if we gave them what they wanted, said we could leave." Jack's tone was dry and flat. "They wanted us to give them weapons and teach them how to win the civil war that had been going on for over thirty years."

"Why you? Why did they think you would help them?"

Jack raised a hand and let it drop. "Reputation preceded us?" he quipped dryly.

***SG1***SG1***

Leaning against the door, Daniel frowned as he watched Sam lay unmoving on the bed of her quarters. Looking at the large man sitting in a chair at her feet, he received a slight shake of a head in response to his silent question. She had not left the room since they had come in from the mountain almost two days prior. Moving further into the room, he crouched beside the bed.

Running his eyes over her features to see if she was awake or asleep, Daniel squelched the instinctive wince as his gaze trailed over the shadows under her eyes that led to the greenish fingertip bruises along her jaw disappearing into the deep purplish band around her throat. Swallowing, he swept over the scabs on her arms and locked his eyes on the similar bands around her wrists.

As bad as the physical injuries looked, the thing that tore him up the most were Sam's eyes. The Sam he knew was no longer there. In her place was a lost wounded soul that he wasn't sure would be able to fight her way back.

Drawing in a breath, Daniel closed his eyes. There had been very few times he had wanted to kill another human without provocation. He would execute the ones that did this to her without hesitation. Snorting, the fleeting thought that he should feel bad about that passed through him only to be squelched by a heavier, more pressing need for some sort of retribution on her behalf.

"Daniel?"

Her soft question snapped his eyes open. "Hey," he said quickly, trying to cover the rough edge to his voice by coughing. "Came to let you know Janet is expecting you and to see if you were ready for some lunch."

A grimace shifted over Sam's features. "The Colonel?" she asked, deflecting the conversation away from herself.

"Still in the briefing," Daniel said lowly, forcing a small smile on his face. "You know Jack. He's probably got those other two squirming in their chairs."

A hum answered him as Carter eased herself upward, obviously in discomfort. "Need a hand?" Daniel asked lightly, holding one out.

"Maybe two," Sam answered dryly. She was not surprised to see another one appear in front her. Flashing a grateful look at Teal'c she took both of the hands and allowed the two men to assist her to her feet. "Would think by now things wouldn't hurt so much," she breathed, a rare confession of her misery.

"Janet say...," Daniel stuttered, gesturing at her body.

"Severe bruising, some tears, stitches," Sam answered, blushing slightly and looking away in embarrassment. "Not sure of anything else right now," she added, her voice low, hesitant.

Shifting uncomfortably at the unspoken implications, Daniel saw a similar pained expression flash across Teal'c features. Swallowing, he forced his features to relax. "You want me to get a chair?"

"Gawd no," Sam countered, forcing a tight smile on her face. "Sitting is worse." Squeezing their hands, she released them. Taking a few hesitant steps she paused at the doorway. "Stay close, okay?" she threw over her shoulder, her voice tight with a hint of desperation.

"We shall be," Teal'c's voice rumbled from behind her, close enough that he could feel the subtle shivers that ran through her body.

Moving down the hallway, Sam tried to squelch the nervous flutter in her stomach. While part of her knew that the SGC was safe, another part could not help but find the similarities between the base and the facility on the planet. Each had the same narrow halls, concrete walls, dangling metal light fixtures that left shadows in corners and damp cold feel of the air. Drawing in a breath, she choked on the familiar faintly musty smell. A shiver ran through her body, causing her to wrap her arms around herself.

As three airmen came around the corner and approached, her steps faltered and her breathing became shallower and faster as adrenaline coursed through her system. Instinctively she began to look around for possible weapons and escape routes as a whimper escaped.

"Sam," Daniel called, stepping in front of her but being careful to not touch. Trying desperately to make it look like they had just stopped to have a conversation, he noticed Teal'c move beside them, effectively blocking access from anyone in the rest of the hallway. "Hey, look at me. Focus on me," he murmured, moving his head in time with hers to catch her eye. "You're safe. They won't hurt you."

"Ma'am, sirs," the lead airman said as the group passed single file.

Listening to their fading steps, Sam closed her eyes and tried to get her breathing under control. "Damn it," she choked out, a humorless laugh escaping. "How messed up is this?" she asked, the strain of trying to contain her fear evident in her thick voice.

"Perhaps it would help if DanielJackson and I assisted you," Teal'c said, offering her his arm. "I have noticed that touching O'Neill seems to offer comfort."

Looking at the big man in gratitude, Sam gave a slight nod. "It grounds me," she explained softly. "Let's me know I'm not there. Not alone."

"I know we're not Jack," Daniel said gesturing toward Teal'c, "but maybe we can do the same."

Blinking back the wetness that threatened to fall at the sheer gentleness and compassion coming from the two men near her, Sam nodded. Slipping a hand into the crook of Teal'c arm, she did the same to Daniel when he moved beside her.

Drawing a breath into shaky lungs, Sam forced her shoulders to relax. Tightening her grip slightly to tell them she was ready, the trio continued slowly down the hallway.

***SG1***SG1***

AN2: Poor Sam. Sigh