Inescapable Chapter 12
AN: Disclaimer and all in Chapter 1.
"That official Air Force business?"
O'Neill's head whipped up from the paper aeroplane he was folding on his desk. He grinned at the arresting sight sauntering into his office in a tailored black skirt suit. He sighed a little in satisfaction. She grinned at him, taking note of his reaction, he had commented on the suit before and it had fast become her favourite. She watched as he returned his attention to the creased sheet grasped, now a little tightly, in his fingers. He frowned at it, lifted it between his thumb and middle finger and launched it at her. It cut through the air swiftly on target for her as her eyes widened at his behaviour, this man was …
Mystifying. At the best of times, she decided.
The paper aeroplane was still en route, albeit considerably slowly, to her and then suddenly it took a sharp nose dive, crashing just short of her feet. Two pairs of eyes settled on it.
"Nuts."
"Undeniably," she quipped with a wry smile. He only raised an eyebrow as he knitted his fingers together and lifted his hands over his head, leaning into the seat and letting them rest in the mess of his hair, beaming a smile at his visitor.
"Agent Johnson," he drawled, a twinkle in his eyes. She walked closer to the desk, her heels clicking on the concrete distinctly and for some reason, he found the noise sexy as hell. It wasn't often he heard the crack of a woman's heels, other than in the as-far-away-from-you-as-I-can-get direction.
"General," she began, her eyes sparkling with something he couldn't nor wanted to place momentarily. Maybe later though, he confessed. "About-"
"UNSCHDULED OFF-WORLD ACTIVATION!" Her words were lost in the noise of the claxons and the announcement. Jack sprang out of his seat instantly and darted out of his office, leaving her simply turning and watching, her mouth open, forgotten.
"Who's calling at this hour of the morning?" Jack retorted, clapping his hands together as he entered the Control Room, glancing down at the Gate Room. The tech was tapping furiously at the keyboard and Jack muttered to himself, disappointed at having his joke fall on deaf ears. He used to at least get a tight grin out of Carter.
"It's SG-1, sir." He still hadn't gotten used to hearing that. SG-1. His team, no. No, not his team. Not anymore. Carter's team. Without him.
"Open the iris!" He barked and stared intently at the metal circle until it retracted, blinking and squinting when no one came through immediately. He jumped when a blast shot through the shimmering puddle. His body reacted by racing down the stairs, shouting for the blast door to be closed. He passed Kerry on the way, standing idly at the bottom of the stairs to the briefing room, a frown marring her face. He glanced briefly at her. They're coming in hot, he thought worriedly as he heard another few staff blasts hit something solid in the Gate Room.
He was waiting patiently for the door to open, swiping a gun off an airman, geared up and ready for any hostiles that might casually pay them a visit. When the door slid open enough for him to squeeze through he heard boots on the ramp, then, "Medic! We require medical assistance!"
His eyes grew wide and shock made him pause for the slightest of milliseconds as he breathed, "Daniel…" and rushed to his team mates' side. His grip on the gun tightened and he glanced up as he felt, rather than heard someone coming through the Stargate. A voice told him he should be ordering the iris to be closed but his mind was rigidly refusing to comply as he stood above his fallen friend. Teal'c was hunched over an unconscious Daniel who was drenched in blood, his uniform singed. Jack wrinkled his nose at the smell of seared flesh. His eyes drifted to Carter, who was bobbing on her heels, controlling herself to a stop, having come through the 'gate at an alarming speed.
"Carter," Jack said with a strange edge to his voice.
"Close the-" The words stopped. She stood eyes wide, body taut. Jack tilted his head in confusion and it only took a second to recognise that look in her eyes. Dimming.
Dying… Carter!
"Close the iris!" He yelled his voice harsh. Why hadn't they done it already? He rushed to her, throwing his weapon from him haphazardly. Her knees were the first to go and she slumped downwards, falling into his frantic arms. He slid to his knees, Carter in his arms moaning gently at the pain through gritted teeth. He winced and felt a familiar twinge in his stomach as he confirmed that she had been struck by a staff blast in the back. He tore his eyes from the slickness covering her back and looked to her face as he felt a medical team rushing to Daniel. She was staring at him, horror flashing briefly in the depths of her blue eyes.
"Daniel…" she whispered brokenly. Then, her eyes slipped close.
"No!"
I know... more will be up soon! Patience and feedback please!