Chapter Twelve

DeLisle

I've been a soldier for… I don't know how long now… eight to ten years, I think, and I've been serving alongside the Major for about six of them and alongside Laura for at least two years. We've been a Black Ops team ever since the beginning three years ago. In these years we had countless dangerous and potentially lethal situations. But I can't remember just one where I've been so relieved to see Laura unharmed.

For the last two days I've successfully pushed every thought that centered on her to the back of my mind, but the moment we came into the room and I saw her dry half-smile I realized I'd been holding my breath all the time. I know I need to focus solely on the mission and I know I can do that, but for a few minutes I want to allow myself the leisure of concentrating on the well-being of my teammate.

Okay.

My teammates.

If the Major knew I'd not been thinking about the whole team he'd seriously have my hide. On a mission, there are only three things that count for the Major: the objective, the target, the team, and in that order. Of course he's right. So no more thinking about Laura being unharmed, though looking a little tired and wanting to give her at least an encouraging smile.

In fact, the thing I should be thinking about is some way to communicate safely without alarming our captors. I could see a brief exchange between Reece and the Major, and I bet he's already burning for a team briefing. He wants to solve this as fast as possible and I guess that's about the same thing the rest of the team wants.

And to be honest: That includes me as well. Reece is really giving her best, but she's still just a junior officer and she can only do so much. Just two or three days more without any guidance or counseling by a senior officer and she'll break and let the mask slip for good, I'm sure.

I can see it already. Her movements are nervous and erratic, she can't keep her legs still and it looks a little like a headache or something like that is seriously distracting her. Additionally, she isn't the only one the situation is already putting a strain on. Laura looks tired and nervous and I'm not sure how much of the Major's anxiety and discomfort is just acting and how much is real.

I for my part am still quite fit, but I've had this kind of op probably even more often than the Major. During the first years of my service I'd had a few ops with the CIA. I've never told anyone about them – not even the Major – and some of them made it necessary to go into deep cover. And well… some of them… let's just not talk about them.

Most of this team's ops, though are fast hit-and-run ops and SAR-missions and if the Major isn't keeping some dirty secrets of his own, it's that kind of mission he's used to. Can't remember him having lots of experience with this kind of undercover-mission, and to be honest: It's worrying me.

The most important part now is to figure out a way to communicate without actually giving anything away. I'm not quite sure, but I think a few minutes ago I caught Reece trying to tell the Major something with her eyes. I've no idea if he managed to get that or if he completely overlooked it.

And then, kind of out of the blue, I realize that I've had the right kind of idea already lurking around in the back of my head. Of course… of course. I really should have gotten earlier to that. Alright, now, how to communicate that to the team…? Oh, right. „Sir, permission to ask you something?"

Reece looks up, not exactly sure what I want from her. I really hope she'll get what I'll now hint at. "Sure, shoot."

"Remember that mission report from SG1 when they where stranded a couple of weeks ago?" She looks totally clueless. Argh.

"Err… yes…" But at least she doesn't say that she's clueless. And the Major and Laura seem to be getting an inkling at which report I'm hinting. So far so good.

"You were so thrilled about it that you told everyone of us about that stuff." The gleam of realization in the Major's eyes. Oh yes, he gets what I'm talking about. And – do wonders ever cease – it seems to ring some bell inside Reece's head as well.

"Yep."

Now Laura joins in as well. "It was actually pretty annoying how often you were telling us about it." Jackpot. Reece remembers the report about how SG1 had to talk their way past the cameras and resorted to code stuff with sayings and phrases. And yeah, it is hard to forget how the Major was getting on our nerves, even if that was only a few days after she'd joined the team.

"Yeah, well… I just wanted to tell you that I hate you for forcing all of us to read that thing." Oops, maybe that was a little bit too much. Good thing no one on the base knows this team well enough to realize that this is nothing I would have ever told the Major under normal circumstances. And the look in the Major's eyes definitely confirms that.

Reece, however, has no problem with playing along and just says nonchalantly: "Hey, I just wanted to do something for your general education. And this is how you thank me…"

"We are infinitely grateful, sir, but… telling us once really would have done the trick." The Major now, obviously eager to do his bit and not fall behind Reece. I can see that the "infinitely grateful"-part was meant for me and that his mind is already working overtime to come up with sayings and their translations, but I just hope he keeps in mind that Reece is a linguist. Decoding stuff comes naturally to her, and he'd be really stupid if he'd underestimate her like he's used to.

"Yeah, well, can't change that anymore. So now, that we got this out in the open… does anyone else want to get anything off their chest? Confessions, anyone?" She gestures lazily into the round, still every inch looking like a cocky bastard and I can see that for the moment at least she feels a little more secure again.

Greenspan

Well, well… Dee's a genius, obviously. I wonder why Tom didn't think of that one… or well, myself, come to think of it. He'd really been getting on my nerve with this one mission report and Dee and Maureen wholeheartedly agreed with me on this one. In fact, that had been the first time I'd exchanged more than just a few little words on a professional level with her. Her grumbling about that report in the shower after our mandatory PE hours had lead to our first real talk. Yeah, I really should have thought of that one.

But anyway, I didn't, and I can agonize about that later. I have a job to do now. We all have to do one. So… what to do now? Oh right, start the decoding game. I clear my throat. "No confession. Just an advice. Tranquility breeds strength." Let's see how that works.

"Brevity is the soul of wit.", Tom immediately fires back.

It prompts a "Waste not, want not." from Dee.

But in the end it's Reece who has the final word, absolutely cool and a little absentmindedly. "To each his own."

Well… that worked great. I think. Anyway, I think it went like this: I suggested that we take it slow, Tom countered with the fact that we're on the clock here, Dee reminded us to think over our resources and Reece told us all to do our homework and come up with what we think we can do in our particular fields of expertise.

Wait.

Reece told us to do something? Did I miss something? I throw Tom a look and he shrugs, if only for a millisecond. Alright… I mean, it's not like it was bad idea… just a little unexpected is all. Maybe… maybe there really is an officer inside that little Lieutenant that just needs to be tickled a little. Maybe…

But before I can finish that thought, Reece suddenly grabs her head and… breaks down. Oh crap. Ohcrapohcrapohcrap. I rush over to her. She's unconscious and I motion Dee and Tom over to help me stretch her out on the bed. This is not good. I check her vitals, and there's nothing alarming, but… this could be after-effects of the incident in the ruins, and I don't want to take any chances.

"He's okay. Maybe passed out from manly hunger or something." Tom manages to grin a little and Dee even produces a snort. I pretend a laugh as well, but I'm seriously concerned. They took away my medkit and my trusty little virus scanner. I don't even have a stethoscope left, not to mention any syringes and medication. Unexplained fainting spells are not what we need now.

Anyway… let's try the stalwart approach. I gently pat her cheeks with one hand and motion for Dee or Tom to get me some wet clothes. She doesn't wake up with the patting and so I take the wet… whatever Dee gives me and throw it on her face rather unceremoniously. Nope, guys you're not going to see the gentle medicine woman here.

And yes, there's some life on Mars again. There's a groan first and then finally eyes opened. Which make me nearly jump. For a moment… for a moment there's nothing of either Maureen or Tom in them. Instead… they're blank and empty… like those of a zombie. I blink and the eyes look normal again. A bit disoriented, but normal. Okay. I'm officially turning into a nutcase here.

Groaning, she gets up again, looking like Tom in his best Academy days after a drinking round with Evan Lorne, Charlie Williamson and the whole rest of those days' Academy's finest. "Who of you knocked me out, huh? Reece, if that was you…" Okay. Whatever it was, it can't have been that bad if she's still able to say stuff like that.

Tom on the other hand tries to look something between embarrassed and slightly chuffed at the unjustified accusation. "Sir, I…"

But before he can finish his sentence, the door opens again and Robbins stands there, all the joviality and false cordiality gone. He points his gun at Reece. "You. Get here." I look at her and… crap. The zombie eyes are back. Only for a second or so, but they were definitely there. And when they're gone, she looks at me, dumbfounded, like something she doesn't understand just happened. She looks… terrified. Holy fucking crap. What is happening here? "Hey! Are you deaf or what? I said get here! You need some help or what?" She turns back to Robbins, and the gun is pointing… at Tom. Of course, he's selecting the supposed weakest link to make our supposed leader comply with his order. Don't fight him, Reece. Do what he tells you.

After another second… she just nods and walks over to Robbins, trying to maintain the slightly bored façade she's been displaying for a while now. But I can see that something seriously shook her equilibrium and that she has difficulties keeping up the act any longer. When she's through the door, I turn back to face the guys, desperately searching for a way to tell them about what just happened.

A/N: See, I didn't lie when I said I haven't given up on this one ;) And yes, I know that "passed out from manly hunger" is actually a McKay-quote. One of my favorites by the way.