Sam watched out the window of the circling helicopter. Below she could see the wreckage of the downed plane scattered across the landscape. A figure in a parka was turned away from the snow that was churned up by the landing chopper. When they finally set down, Sam was the first out the door, dropping into deeper snow than she expected. It came nearly to her knees and she had to wade through it to meet Davis.

He grabbed her upper arms, but had to shout over the noise from the helicopter's engines and the roaring of the wind.

"Colonel Carter. How's my wife doing? How's Jess?"

"Better, now she's talked to you. She's waiting for you on the surface. How's the General?"

Davis's face went from worried to grim instantly. "I won't lie to you. He's not good. In fact, I hope we make it back to him in time. It's quite a trek back to the cave. Hope you brought a med team with you."

Sam nodded. "You bet we did." She turned to look at the others exiting the chopper, Daniel, Teal'c and General Hammond included. She turned back to Davis. "Where is he?"

****

It took them longer than expected to reach the cave. The vicious wind at this elevation whipped snow at them that made them feel like they were being pelted with gravel. As luck-or lack thereof-would have it, the wind blew directly toward them, slowing them down and making them fight their way, heads down, toward their destination.

"There it is!" Davis, leading the way, shouted to them. Sam tried to see what possible markers let him know this was the place, but couldn't see anything past the stinging of her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"I've been back and forth from the wreckage to this cave several times, Colonel. I'm sure. Besides, I left a flag behind. They had reached Davis's makeshift glove marker.

"I don't see an entrance." Sam squinted at the ground.

"It's been snowed over. If I could get some help here." Davis dropped to his knees and was joined by Daniel and Teal'c, who helped him scoop snow with his hands until a small opening was revealed.

Davis leaned down and yelled into the hole, "Sir…Jack… I've brought guests." No answer. Davis turned his head to look at Sam briefly before crawling through the hole and disappearing. Sam dropped down and followed him immediately.

The cave was big enough to stand in, once you got past the opening area. Sam pushed her hood back and looked around. Dirt floor, stone walls, a fire that Davis had left for Jack, was now just embers giving off little or no light. Debris from food wrappers and empty bottles. Then her eyes fell on the figure a few feet away. An unmoving, extremely still figure, silhouetted by the glow from the fire on his far side. A shiver ran through Sam as she thought that this remote, isolated hole in the ground had become Jack's tomb.

She was on her knees beside him before anyone else could react. "Jack." She cupped his face in her hands. He was so pale, and his skin was cold to the touch. Panic flared instantly inside her. "No, no." Her voice broke. "Jack, it's Sam. Talk to me." There was no reaction to he words.

"Sam," It was Daniel, on his knees beside her, taking her shoulders in his hands. "Let Dr. Porter and his team take a look at Jack, okay? They can help him." Sam let Daniel lead her a few feet away, where she watched the med team working on Jack. She couldn't breathe when Dr. Porter opened Jack's parka, uniform jacket and shirt. He put a stethoscope to Jack's chest and listened, while putting fingers to the carotid artery in his neck, changing position when apparently he didn't find a pulse. It seemed to take forever, but finally he took the stethoscope from his ears and nodded to them. "He's alive, but just barely. We have to get him out of here as soon as possible." The team stabilized Jack as best they could. They gave him an injection of something and inserted an IV into his arm. His ribs were wrapped with bandages to secure them, and the team did a better job of setting and splinting his leg. Jack's head was lifted to put the straps of an oxygen mask over it, and finally he was zipped back into his parka.

Before they left, Dr. Porter had wisely sent for one of the covered stretchers, just like the one Jack had been transported in when he'd contracted the disease from Ayiana during their second visit to Antarctica. Sam felt a little nauseous thinking of him being carried to his blending with Kanan, but firmly pushed that memory aside. The HazMat stretcher would keep him safe from the elements as they transported him back to the chopper.

The med team managed to wedge a blanket under Jack. Two on each side grabbed the edges of the blanket and lifted Jack into the shelter of the stretcher. The problem was getting it out of the cave's small opening. This was solved by Daniel crawling outside and pulling, while Teal'c pushed from inside. Once everyone had exited, the med team moved to pick up the stretcher. "Wait just a minute," General Hammond held up a hand to stop them. "Our people, SG-1, have the right and duty to bring General O'Neill home, and that's just what they're going to do." He met Daniel's eyes, and Daniel nodded back in gratitude.

Sam, Daniel, Teal'c, Davis, General Hammond and Reynolds lifted the stretcher to carry back to the chopper. Sam tried to push the thought of pallbearers out of her mind. They had found Jack and now they would get him home. She glanced down at him for reassurance, and with renewed determination, kept moving.

Mercifully, The wind was at their backs this time, and it seemed that they made it back to the chopper much faster, although Sam was exhausted by the time they loaded Jack inside and got in themselves.

The helicopter lifted off, and Sam heard Major Davis huff out a breath. He met her eyes and gave her a short tight grin. "Can't say I'm sorry to see the back of that place. Wasn't sure we were going to get out of there." Sam nodded in understanding and patted him on the shoulder.

It seemed like it took no time to get back to base camp. As they got lower, Sam could see the inhabitants of the camp standing at attention for the last time. This time, they could take some solace in the fact that this trip brought back survivors. She glanced at the stretcher holding Jack and had to fight back a lump in her throat.

The helicopter touched down with a thump, and several people rushed forward to help open the doors. A cheer went up when Major Davis got out and raised a hand to them, but the mood changed abruptly when he turned back to help SG-1, Hammond and Reynolds remove the stretcher carrying Jack. Major Pearce called attention again, and they all saluted as Jack was carried to another, long range helicopter that would take them back to the SGC.

After the stretcher was loaded into the SGC helicopter, SG-1 and Hammond climbed into the chopper for the return trip. Reynolds held back, explaining, as the one in charge of base camp, he had to stay. "Tell the General I wish him Godspeed." He rapped twice on the stretcher with his knuckles, saluted them all and backed away.

Davis, not surprisingly, held back, too. With a look of regret he said, "I gotta go find Jess. I'll catch up with all of you at the SGC later, okay?" He was the one to slam the chopper door shut and pound on its side to let the pilot know it was okay to take off. He stood with a hand raised until they lifted off, then Sam saw him running for the med tent.

TBC

***********