A/N: Oh my gosh! I totally meant to post an update on last weekend! I didn't remember until I saw a few more reviews in my inbox. So sorry! Did a little yard work. And a little Game of Thrones. Ok, a lot of Game of Thrones. (Don't judge me, k?) So here's the next update, I'll try and get another out next weekend. Reviews are always appreciated, I love to hear from you guys, whether you've been reading from the start, or just picked up the story recently.
Chapter 34: Destination Unknown
Sam groaned, fighting her way back towards consciousness, slowly becoming aware of the sounds around her, which only contributed to her confusion. Nearby, someone sobbed, while several voices carried on a whispered conversation. Another person hummed, rather softly but quite near to her, and Sam became aware that she was being held and rocked gently. Over all the noises though, a rumbling vibration penetrated deep into her bones, felt more than heard. The sound was disturbingly familiar, and Sam struggled to place it even as she fought to open gummy eyelids and realized that the area was lit with an odd indirect sort of artificial lighting.
"Shhh, Sam, lie still," a voice above said, momentarily distracting her. The voice was familiar and Sam resisted the beckoning waves of sleep, squinting to see against the lights, which seemed bright against the pounding in her head.
"Ms. Hans?" Sam croaked, her voice hoarse from a dry and irritated throat. Involuntarily, she coughed, wincing as the movement briefly exacerbated her headache and awakened various other aches and pains.
"Hush Sam, everything will be fine. Just go back to sleep," Ms. Hans told her, beginning to rock her slightly in her arms after resettling her, but Sam pushed away, struggling into a sitting position, and getting her first look around the room. "We're inside the Alkesh," she said, forgetting her disguise momentarily in her grogginess.
"What?" Ms. Hans blinked in momentary confusion, and then shook her head. "Just rest now, Sam, we have to wait here for a bit. You'll feel better after a nice nap," the woman suggested, gently trying to ease Sam back down to the security of her arms. But the lingering traces of drowsiness were fading along with pounding in her head, becoming only a dull ache. Sam pulled away, sitting up fully to get a good look around, as her mind slowly cleared.
"What happened?" Sam asked, quickly taking stock of her injuries and her surroundings. The former were blessedly minor in her opinion, though no doubt looked less so. She already had a collection of aches from bruises and strained muscles, and could feel that the left side of her face felt raw from being scraped against the brick wall. She could taste dried blood, and suspected that she'd also split her lip in the impact with the wall. As for the room they were in, Sam quickly confirmed they were in the cargo bay of an Alkesh, and she and Ms. Hans were not alone. All around a dozen or so others were seated about the space, mostly adults. Sam recognized several as teachers and staff from the school, though she also saw in the far corner a familiar group of teens: Curtis, his cohort Laney, and young Dustin. There were no other children, unless she counted herself.
Sam was just readying herself to rise, despite Ms. Hans's quiet murmured protests and reassurances when the access door opened with a hiss. Gasps of dismay and fearful murmurs raced about the room, and loud metallic footsteps rang over the floor. The sobbing cut off into occasional fearful whimpers as a large, fully armored Jaffa entered followed by three more Jaffa dressed in leather uniforms. Two carried crates, the third carried a wand like item that Sam immediately recognized as a pain stick. Instinctively, she stood, Ms. Hans coming to her feet beside her and taking her hand silently, pushing her a little back behind herself. Sam allowed it, taking the opportunity to give their joined hands a light tug. When Ms. Hans looked down, Sam whispered urgently, "Do everything they say, don't resist." Ms. Hans gave her a curious look, but was quickly distracted by the entering guards.
The lead Jaffa's closed helmet was in the shape of a leopard. The eyes glowed red briefly after he activated a hidden mechanism causing the plates to fold back into the recessed opening. The huddled captives moaned and gasped several moving back.
"People of the Taur'i," the imposing Jaffa announced in a clear voice, "You are now property of her Goddess Seshat. Do as you are told and you will be rewarded. Resist and you will be punished." The short speech thus delivered, the man motioned to his companions, both burdened with crates. "You will divest yourselves of personal items, hidden weapons, tools, and electronic devices. You will be given food, and water when you comply. If you try to retain any unpermitted items you will suffer pain. Jaffa. Kree."
The three lesser ranked Jaffa began to move among the prisoners, the first with an empty crate, and the second following with one containing dried meat, flat bread and water. The first two prisoners approached were numb with shock, and required little prompting to empty pockets, and remove cell phones, wrist watches, loose change, jewelry, and other items.
The third, a man in his 40's whom Sam vaguely recognized as a teacher, lifted his chin defiantly. "I protest this unlawful detention, I am a US Citizen and I demand my rights to…" The man stopped abruptly as the third Jaffa jabbed the pain stick into the man's stomach. Light flashed from the man's eyes and mouth, and the horror filled gasps and choked off screams from the other captives were drowned out as the unfortunate victim howled in agony. It seemed to go on forever, but the Jaffa stopped as the man fell to his knees, collapsing onto his side as the pain stick was removed.
The Jaffa collecting items moved in and roughly stripped the man of his watch, ring, phone, and money clip. Another man tried to offer aid to the fallen victim, but the armed Jaffa merely held up the pain stick threateningly. The group moved onto to the next prisoner without leaving the unfortunate man any food or water. What little resistance remained in the captives quickly dissipated after brutal and efficient display, though Sam noted anger in at least one or two expressions, quickly cast downward.
Sam was relieved when Ms. Hans cooperated fully, and received her ration. Sam used the movements of removing her own watch to subtly activate the beacon, hoping against hope that the signal would be enough to let anyone at the SGC know she was alive. She was given the same allotment of food as the others.
Curtis, while obeying and placing his personal effects in the crate, tried to posture and separate himself from the other captives, declaring that he was special to Seshat. He earned a cuff from the Jaffa with the pain stick, though was still given food.
The last prisoner was searched finally, and the Jaffa set the crate with all their items in the middle of the floor. Sam's heart sank immediately as the armored Jaffa moved for the first time since the search began and lifted a zat. Without explanation, he armed it and quickly fired three shots at the crate, causing it to vaporize. More gasps and a quickly stifled scream met the display.
"You are worms, and as such are nothing. You belong to your Goddess, and everything you need is to be granted by her goodness and mercy, in return for your service. Remember that without her, you will have nothing. All praise the Goddess Seshat." The other three Jaffa immediately formed salutes, shouting words of praise to their goddess, which Curtis imitated with gusto, Laney and Dustin a heartbeat later after the older boy gave them both a glare. When the other captives merely remained motionless in shock, the armored leader snapped out a command and the Jaffa guards began pushing the captives to their knees while the leader pointed the weapon he held in a slow arc about the room, and everyone else hurriedly dropped to their knees, including Sam, pulling a slightly hesitant Ms. Hans with her. A rather subdued chorus answered the threat, but the lead Jaffa seemed satisfied. Without another word, the Jaffa clomped heavily out of the chamber, the door hissing closed with a series of metallic beeps that Sam knew meant they were locked in.
Anxious cries of dismay and confusion gave way to pockets of conversation as the adults sought each other, most beginning to eat. Someone went to check on the unfortunate protestor, who was beginning to sit up. A few of the others shared out their meager offerings with him.
Curtis stood and all but strutted to the center of room. "We have been chosen," he said,
"Our Goddess Seshat is more powerful than you can imagine, she can..."
"Young man, what are you talking about?" interjected the teacher that had tried to resist.
"I believe in one God, and in the United States of America, our government will not let this act of terrorism go unpunished," he said, having regained a little composure with the shared food and drink.
Curtis's eyes narrowed at the interruption. "You are a fool, Seshat is a true Goddess, you will see, or die." With that, the boy stormed back to the corner where Laney and Dustin sat. The three fell into a whispered conference and ignored the rest of the captives. More whispered conversations started up around the cargo bay, and small groups began to form. Ms. Hans drew Sam back toward an empty place near the wall.
"We should eat and then rest," she said. This time, when the woman drew Sam close, Sam did not resist, too preoccupied with the implications of the Jaffa's speech, and already beginning to think about the group's chances at escape.
Jack slammed his locker door shut with more force than necessary. For good measure, he slammed his fist into the unyielding metal. "Godammit!" he swore, shaking off the pain. He still wanted to hit something. He eyed the metal door appraisingly, clenching his teeth when a hand settled on his shoulder. He didn't have to look to know who it was.
"O'Neill," Teal'c said, breaking into his thoughts.
"I know," Jack said, not turning.
After a long pause, Teal'c finally spoke. "We will find her, I swear this, my friend," the large man vowed solemnly. Jack breathed deeply, leaning his open palms against the locker. His eyes roamed, settling on the name tags taped above each locker. O'Neill. Jackson. Teal'c.
Carter.
He closed his eyes, breathing slowly in and out. After a while, he felt the presence behind him shift, and footsteps retreated, leaving him alone with his thoughts. Yes, they would find her. He could do no less.
A short time later, Jack stormed into the control room, glowering at anyone that got in his way. His short hair was still damp and spikey from a hasty shower, his BDUs clinging to several damp spots. "Daniel," he barked, spotting the man leaning over a computer Harriman was working diligently at. The younger man frowned, looking up, his brow creased in worry. Blue eyes passed over him with a considering look.
"Jack," answered the younger man, crossing his arms.
A stir beside him told him that Teal'c had arrived, and the solid presence had a calming effect that the large Jaffa had no doubt intended. Jack took a deep, shuddering breath, recognizing that his anger was with the situation in general, and not at any of the people here. "What have you found Daniel?" he asked, his tone more even, though still impatient.
Daniel nodded, relaxing, but then seemed to deflate somewhat. The younger man closed his eyes briefly, shaking his head. "We know generally which way the Alkesh went, and we received a brief signal, possibly from Sam's tracker, but the signal was, well, it was cut off." Daniel winced.
Jack frowned. "You think it was disabled somehow?" Daniel shrugged, sharing a helpless look with Siler. Hammond arrived, coming down the stairs to join them.
"Whatever the case gentleman," he said, "we will assume that Major Carter was the cause of the signal being sent. To that effect we have already contacted our allies, including the Tok'ra for assistance in tracking the whereabouts of the ship. Until then, I believe we have a briefing."
"Sir," Jack said, Daniel nodded heading for the stairs. Teal'c followed behind. The other involved SG teams were already seated, minus Abrams, whose remains had been found in the collapsed building, and the two members of SG-7 who were in the infirmary.
"The snake had human security, in addition to Jaffa," Jack started off without being prompted as soon as everyone was seated. The fingers of his left hand beat a quiet but angry tattoo on the table top releasing some pent up energy. Truth be told, he wanted to pace. Really, he still wanted to hit something. Badly.
"The human guards had access to Goa'uld weaponry, and had been well trained," Teal'c added.
"They also seemed just as devoted to Seshat as the Jaffa," added Daniel. "Perhaps even more so." Daniel blinked, and pushed his glasses up. Hammond nodded in acknowledgement of the curious fact.
"While Carter found a few Jaffa, they were outnumbered by human security, and seemed to work in mixed groups. But we didn't see any of them with noticeable weapons. I sent Carter with Teal'c to try and break into a door he found, while I went to coordinate with SG-11. I sent Abrams to back them up." Jack said, with a wince. "We intended to take the snakehead out after her speech, but she started spouting the usual rot about being a Goddess and we should all bow down to her, and then her security opened fire on the crowd."
"So Seshat fired first?" Hammond asked, taking notes and frowning. A chorus of affirmatives came from those present.
"Seshat's guards seemed intent on causing panic. At first they were only using zats, and seemed to be trying to take prisoners," Daniel explained, frowning down at his pen, which he turned over in his hands as if to study it from different angles, hoping it would somehow provide answers to what had happened. "I think they knew we were coming."
"So at first they refrained from deadly force?" Hammond asked, his frown deepening.
"They started to fire staffs later, just before the Alkesh blew everything to hell," replied Jack, the angry beat of his fingers intensifying.
"And Major Carter?" asked Hammond.
"Major Carter and I were able to gain access to the Alkesh, however, Major Carter believed our position became compromised by Seshat's security system. We did not have sufficient time to gain entry to the ship, which Major Carter believed to be the source of the EM field. We discovered that the human soldiers were armed with Goa'uld weaponry and devoted servants of Seshat and believed the information of vital importance to the mission. We did not know of events occurring above ground. Therefore, when our position was compromised, I made it possible for Major Carter to escape. Unfortunately, two of our attackers chose to pursue Major Carter, and while I have confidence that she was able to escape them, I believe she was captured by another group." Teal'c stared straight ahead, hands clasped after the uncharacteristically long speech. He appeared outwardly calm, but his refusal to meet anyone in the eye indicated at least some self-blame and frustration at the situation.
When Hammond looked puzzled, Jack enlightened him, "Carter set the school on fire, and then she kicked ass. We found a guy outside by the dumpster chute unconscious with a broken nose. Teal'c found footprints matching Carter's sneakers, and boot prints from at least two large men, likely Jaffa. There were signs of a struggle. Her back pack and a zat were in the dumpster." Momentary pride in his small Major momentarily stilled the angry beat. Even Hammond allowed a small smile.
"That does appear to sound like Major Carter," the General allowed, and then he sighed. "People, I'm sure I don't have to tell you that this whole operation has become a nightmare to cover up. Currently our cover story is an attack by a lesser known offshoot terrorist group who escaped in an experimental aircraft with hostages after setting off a bomb and using a new sort of Taser weapon on the crowds to cause panic. We know at least a dozen adults, all civilian, and four children including Major Carter, are missing, presumed captives. We are telling the public that we don't know what demands are being made. At least four civilians were killed, and about 20 injured. We lost Lieutenant Abrams and Lieutenant Harman and Captain Jones are in the infirmary. The remaining civilians rescued from the event are being debriefed at the Academy and given the cover story. Dr. Jackson, I'd like you to lead the debriefing, see what you can find out, while helping spread the cover story. The security forces we captured are in holding cells here. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c, I want the both of you working on our prisoners, see what information you can gather to help locate Major Carter and the missing civilians. I hope I don't have to remind you all of the importance of recovering all of the prisoners, as quickly as possible. That's all, dismissed." Hammond stood, and the others rose quickly, dispersing rapidly.
A/N: Note to self: check to see if cell phone insurance covers intentional vaporization by alien thugs with god complex. Just in case.