AN: Apologies to anyone who thought we were through with the hearing - sorry. Not quite. Need to give you a few more bits of information before we can move on. Also, there is some extremely simplified information on the working of the brain in this one. Tried not to go all Carter on you. Gentle reminder that all previous story warnings are still in effect. Enjoy.
***SG1***SG1***
Setting down the coffee cup, Tom stood and stretched his back. "So? What do you think? Doctor Fraiser?"
Nodding, Al pushed his tray back. "Most likely," he sighed, knowing they needed to confirm with her if their physical injuries were consistent with what they had said happened. Frowning, he slowly shook his head. "You ever wonder what you'd do? If it had been you in O'Neill's place?"
A shudder ran down French's back. "Which time?" he quipped, thinking of all of the mission reports he had read involving Jack. "Hell, anybody else would have gone over the edge years ago with all the crap he's been through."
A gesture ceded the point.
"You've known him for years?" Tom asked, leaning against the wall.
Chuckling, Al shifted. "Yeah, we met in basic. He was a smartass back then too. Over the years, we'd cross paths, be posted on same base. Would hang out a bit at the officer's club, shoot basketball, that type of stuff. Lost touch when he went black." A frown pulled on his forehead. "Heard through the grapevine about his kid and that he'd retired. Went to see him, but," dipping his head, he sighed. "Let's just say the day I walked out that door, I was sure the next time I heard about or saw Jack O'Neill, it'd be at his funeral." Nelson drained his coffee cup to give himself a moment. "Surprised the shit out of me to see his name on reports when I was transferred to the Pentagon for logistical mission support." The final words had verbal quotations on them that caused both men to smile at the official term used for their work behind the scenes supporting Stargate Command.
"He reminds me of General Carter," Tom stated, moving to pick up his tray to set beside the door. "One hell of a master strategist, smarter than your average officer though he wants you to think he's dumber than a pet rock, and the kind you'd want watching your back cause you'd know he do whatever it took to get both of you home."
Chuckling, Al set his tray next to French's. "That pretty much sums Jack up." Sobering, he opened the door to tell the airmen outside they could take the trays and that they were ready for Doctor Fraiser. Closing the door after them he leaned against the door. "What do you think is going to happen to Major Carter? Think she can work through it?"
French looked away for a moment. "Right help, maybe. O'Neill might be able to give her a few tips." He shook his head slightly before looking at Nelson. "They're too close. You see that, don't you?"
Nelson pursed his lips. "Suspected it for awhile. And yeah, I see it." Moving back to the table he added, "Just not sure what to do about it. They're too valuable to the program and together their damn near unstoppable. Sometimes reading mission reports, I wondered if the only reason SG1 made it back was because all of them were so close." Locking eyes with the other man, he added, "Now I know it was."
***SG1***SG1***
"Major Carter's injuries are consistent with being held hostage, restrained and sexually assaulted," Janet stated, her fingertips tracing the edges of the file. "She has extensive contusions on her neck, arms, legs, and pelvic region. It will take several weeks for the tissue around her neck, ankles, wrists, and pelvic region to heal and at least six week for the pelvic bone itself."
A tic on the side of Nelson's face indicated his wince at the how much force had to be used for her to sustain bone bruising. "Other injuries?"
"Bite marks, vaginal and anal tearing, scratches, fingernail gouges, a cut on her upper arm," Janet gestured to the back of her arm. "Nothing that could not be accounted for by what we've been told if that's what you're asking."
Nodding, Nelson asked, "And Colonel O'Neill?"
"Extensive abrasions and bruising over most of his body, bruised kidney and ribs," she said looking at her notes, "and two broken knuckles on his right hand. He showed evidence of being struck on the back of his head but there was no permanent damage." Instinctively she looked toward the empty chair where she had last seen the Colonel.
Taking a breath, she continued. "Major Hitch's injuries are similar to the Colonel's. Captain Shelby sustained a compound fracture and extensive blood loss in addition to injuries from the fight."
"He has been transported to the Academy Hospital?"
"Yes, sir," Janet stated. "He is not coping well with what happened." Looking down briefly, she added, "He will likely have to be medically discharged."
"You were in the infirmary when the incident occurred," French stated, jotting a note on the paper.
"My office, yes sir. General Hammond and the rest of SG1 had been called in and I was briefing them on their status."
"So you did not see Lieutenant Faber's death?"
"No, sir." The quiet words held a breath.
"Tell us what you know," the Colonel said.
Janet nodded. "I was leaving when the klaxons went off indicating an unscheduled off-world activation was occurring. I was heading back to the infirmary in case I was needed when the call came for a medical team to the gateroom."
"By the time I got there, my team was loading Captain Shelby to a cart and assessing Major Hitch. Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter were unconscious, surrounded by security. All four were taken to the infirmary by stretcher and I examined SG1 while Doctor Werner tended SG10." She shifted at the memory of horror as she realized what had happened to Sam. "All of them showed extensive injuries, varying levels of dehydration and exhaustion," she noted. "I ordered for them to be cleaned up, blood work, x-rays, and to start IV's. Doctor Werner took Captain Shelby to surgery almost immediately to try to save his arm." A sigh escaped her. "It was very close. He would not have made it another day."
"Go on," French encouraged.
"After they were tended to and cleaned up, both were still unconscious but had begun to respond to stimuli. Major Carter became restless. The day shift had been allowed to leave and part of the personnel were in surgery so we were down to minimal staff at that point. Lieutenant Faber had reported that Major Carter was waking up and seemed agitated." Janet paused and licked her lips. She began again slowly. "I ordered him to watch her, make sure she didn't disconnect anything. I didn't want to give her anything to calm her until she was awake and I could assess her again."
"Given the way Colonel O'Neill acted in the gate room, were additional SF's posted in the infirmary?"
"Yes, sir. Two additional at each entrance," she reported. "All of us are very aware of the Colonel's abilities."
Nodding, French made a notation that security protocol had been followed. "What happened next?"
"I heard Major Carter," Janet said on an exhaled breath. Drawing in air, she continued, "screaming for the Colonel and yelling no." She glanced down at the papers. "We ran into the area and saw the SFs holding Colonel O'Neill down and the Lieutenant was on the floor. I ran to check on him, but," Janet shook her head, "there wasn't anything I could do."
"And Major Carter?"
"She had yanked her IV's and monitors and was trying to get away from everyone. She landed a few good punches before we were able to restrain her." Janet's eyes closed at the memory of Sam's terrified screams and calls for the Colonel to help her. That had only increased his struggling against the SF's. Clearing her throat, she shifted. "I ordered them to be sedated and put into separate isolation rooms, including Major Hitch."
"What was he doing during this time? Was he combative?"
Shaking her head, Janet replied. "He was out of bed, but stopped when the SF and orderly got their hands on him. That's the main reason I later suspected that the water and food was tainted with whatever drug they were using." Questioning looks had her continuing. "His and Captain Shelby's hormone levels were significantly lower than Major Carter's and Colonel O'Neill's. The Major reported they had not been given food and very little water once they had been put into the room, whereas Colonel O'Neill indicated they had been given it regularly."
"I see," Colonel Nelson indicated. "So he was..." Nelson trailed off waiting for the doctor to fill in the blank.
"Thinking more, not reacting instinctually as much," Janet replied. "He was more capable of reasoning and rational thought than the Colonel."
"So you're saying Colonel O'Neill wasn't responsible for his actions."
"I'm saying there was no conscious decision on his part to do what he did, sir." Reading their faces, she continued. "You have to remember sirs that the brain is essentially made up of four parts: the brainstem, the midbrain, the limbic brain and the neocortex. The midbrain and limbic govern your most basic functions including your emotions, all types of memory, including motor memory, and hormones. These along with your brainstem regulate your bodily functions that you do without thought," she added. "Abstract and concrete thinking, differentiating theoretical concepts such as good and bad, or determining consequences of actions are done by the neocortex."
Janet saw their nods of understanding. "All events, stimuli enter the brain through the brainstem and flow upward. In a normal situation, the lower brains can stop or slow down rational thinking. If a gun went off outside that door right now, you'd react, dive for cover, probably reach for a pistol, wouldn't you?" she asked. Seeing nods, she continued. "Those behaviors, that response is as instinctual to you as breathing. It's only after that movement, that response, that you had eliminated the potential of an immediate threat to your safety that the higher brain would kick in and you'd begin to wonder what had happened, start to strategize what to do, how to move."
"This drug essentially amped up the lower portions of the brain, effectively stopping most if not all thoughts from reaching the higher portions. Anything that had become ingrained in that person would be performed without thought, without premeditation or rationalization."
"Like eliminating a potential threat or protecting a fellow soldier," Nelson stated.
"In Colonel O'Neill's case," Janet stated, "yes. For Major Carter, add to that the trauma of the rape and she was in essence, stuck in fight or flight mode.
From what we know about their earlier experience and the fact that the Colonel would do anything to protect someone under his command, I'm not surprised by his action."
"So we should just ignore what he's done?" Colonel French asked, skepticism in his tone.
"No sir. I'm asking you to consider the possibility that Colonel O'Neill was doing exactly what he was trained to do and that he was incapable of doing anything else at that point."
***SG1***SG1***
"Hey," Daniel called easing himself into Jack's quarters.
Jutting his chin up in greeting, Jack frowned at the fact that Jackson had been let into the room. "What's up? Carter okay?"
Daniel nodded. "The General thought you could use company, maybe play a little chess or something."
"Ah. Babysitting duty. You tick him off or something?"
Chuckling, Daniel pulled the chess game from the cabinet where Jack kept it. "No," he drawled out slowly. "Think it's more along the lines of him worried you'll begin to dismantle things out of boredom. Flip for white?"
"Take it," Jack shrugged moving items from the table to make room.
Silence fell as the two men settled in and set up the game. They had made several opening moves before anyone spoke again.
"You done in there?" Daniel asked, not needing to clarify 'where' was.
Jack scanned the board. "Said they needed to talk to others in the infirmary at the time." Making his move, he waited.
Taking a pawn, Daniel nodded. "So a decision soon." A shrug answered him. "Any idea what it will be?"
A frown pulled on Jack's features. "Does it matter?"
"Yes."
Jack's eyes darted upward toward Daniel at the sharply spoken word. Seeing the seriousness on his face, he refocused on the board. "Look, odds are even if they decide to not charge me, chances are someone is going to be reassigned." Moving he took one of Daniel's bishops.
Getting a questioning look, Jack clarified. "Carter, you and Teal'c might be able to stay together. I'll try to convince them," he said softly. He noticed the slight pause in Daniel's movements as he spoke.
"Did they say they were going to do that? Remove you from SG1?" Daniel asked, his tone careful, deliberate.
Looking away for a minute, Jack shook his head before turning his body in the chair so he could lean his forearms on his legs. "We're too close Danny. All of us but especially Carter and I, and," a sigh escaped him. "After this last mission," Jack shook his head staring at his hands noting the greenish hues beginning in the bruises. "I don't know if I can do it anymore."
***SG1***SG1***
