Chapter------12

The days dragged for Cameron Mitchell as he fought off the effects of the Sarcophagus and his body slowly healed. His energy levels were so low he found it hard to raise his arms and was frustrated when he had to ask for help with everything. The one constant that made him keep fighting was Samantha Carter. The woman refused to leave his side no matter what Lam threatened her with, but now Cam knew it was time for her to get some sleep.

Cam reached out and touched her cheek, enjoying the feel of her soft skin even as she sighed and opened her eyes. "Hey, you're going to get a stiff neck."

"I'm okay, Cam, how do you feel?"

"Better…not so jittery," Mitchell answered.

"That's good, it means the withdrawal symptoms are easing off," Lam said as she joined them. "That doesn't mean they're gone and no you're not ready to get out of here. Although if…and this is a big if, you feel up to it we may be able to get you into a wheelchair and out of that bed for a while."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Mitchell said with a hint of a smile as he pressed the buttons to raise the head of his bed.

"Cam."

"Yes, Sam."

"It might be a little drafty if you catch my drift," Carter said and smiled when Mitchell realized he wasn't wearing very much under the blankets.

"Hell, where are my clothes?"

"Somewhere safe until you're released from the infirmary," Carter answered.

"Then how am I supposed to get out of bed?"

"I'm sure Carolyn has one of those nice gowns that open at the back…"

"Don't even think about it…I'd rather stay in bed," Mitchell told her.

"Damn," Carter said and leaned in close so only he could hear. "I was hoping to see if there were any cute little…"

"Sam!" Mitchell said and chuckled softly as he turned and kissed her cheek. There was something about this woman that made him want to forget everything else, but her.

"I was just…"

"Whatever you were 'just' going to say or do better wait or I'll need to find a way to bring Colonel Mitchell's heart rate down," Lam said as a male nurse entered with a pair of pajama bottoms. "Let's see if we can get you into these and then Sam can take you for a short walk."

"A short walk?" Mitchell asked.

"Believe me, Colonel, a short one is all you'll be able to manage for a while yet. You need to give it time and take things slow," Lam ordered.

"Any slower and I'd lose to a snail," Mitchell said. "How long have I been here anyway?"

"Six days, and you'll probably be here for another two weeks."

"Two weeks!" Mitchell snapped.

"Behave and do as your friendly doctor says and I might shave off a few days," Lam teased. "Now, are you ready to get out of bed?"

"Think so…Sam, could you wait outside?"

"You don't want my help?" Carter asked with a grin.

"No…not right now," Mitchell said and waited for her to leave. It took some doing and a lot of muffled cursing before Mitchell had the pajama bottoms on and was gently helped into the wheelchair. He couldn't believe how the simple move had sapped his strength, but there was no way in hell he was getting back in the bed.

"Colonel, I'll get Sam, but I want your word that if it gets to be too much you'll have her bring you back here."

"I hear you, Doc," Mitchell said, but had no plans to return until there was no choice.

"Just remember if you push it too far I'll have to rethink my plan and you just might be confined to bed for the next week," Lam warned.

"Hell-"

"Can I come back in?" Carter asked.

"Sure, Colonel Grumpy is ready to go," Lam said with a grin. She'd already been through everything with Carter and trusted her to watch for the signs that Mitchell was overdoing things and bring him back to the infirmary.

"Come on, Sam, before Dr. Lam decides I need another test," Mitchell said.

"Didn't I tell you I'd be taking more blood and I believe I scheduled you for a scan?"

"Get me out of here, Sam!" Mitchell said and heard Lam's laughter as Carter pushed his wheelchair out of the infirmary.

"Where would you like to go first?" Carter asked.

"The mess hall…I heard they were serving burgers…"

"No way!"

"Come on, Sam, Dr. Lam won't know-"

"She will when you get sick and mess up the infirmary," Carter said. "I'll take you to the mess, but you're having soup and coffee."

"Coffee?" Mitchell asked hopefully.

"One cup," Carter said having already discussed this with Lam and agreed on what Mitchell's limitations were.

"Sounds like heaven to me," the colonel said, nodding to several people as she pushed the chair through the corridor. It felt great to be out of the bed, but even better was the fact that he didn't feel like he was going to pass out each time he moved his head. They turned a corner and two men he didn't recognize walked past him. There was something about them that seemed familiar, something he didn't like, but before he could ask Carter about them Teal'c and Jackson rounded the corner.

"Colonel Mitchell, it is good to see you out of bed."

"Thanks, Teal'c, believe me it's good to be up and around," Mitchell said.

"Where are you going, Sam?" Jackson asked.

"Cam wants coffee," Carter answered and continued toward the mess hall.

"Can Teal'c and I join you?" Jackson asked.

"Sure," Mitchell answered and frowned when he thought of the two men they'd passed in the corridor.

"Is something wrong, Cam?" Carter asked of the suddenly quiet man.

"No…maybe, hell if I know, but those two men we passed."

"We passed a lot of men since leaving the Infirmary," Carter told him.

"The last two we passed…I don't remember seeing them before," Mitchell told her.

"We had some new personnel arrive while you were out for the count," Jackson offered.

"Perhaps they are acquaintances, Colonel Mitchell," Teal'c suggested.

"No, I don't think so," the colonel said as they entered the mess hall. "Sam, would you find out who they are?"

"This is really bothering you isn't it?" Carter asked.

"A little…you know how I am when I see something I can't explain," Mitchell told her.

"I'll check into them after you're back in the infirmary."

"Thanks, Sam," Mitchell said and shifted slightly as he tried to get comfortable. His right arm throbbed, but there wasn't much he could do about that when it was encased in a fiberglass cast. He watched as Carter moved to the counter and began gathering the food they'd eat, but his mind wandered back to the two men. What was it about them that set his nerves on edge? Who were they and why did he feel as if they needed watching?

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Randolph or Lieutenant Mark Shafer as he was known to the people of Cheyenne Mountain cursed when they passed Colonel Mitchell and Colonel Carter. Mitchell and his team were the cause of his disgrace and would pay for what they'd done. He looked at the man beside him, who was known as Corporal Han Johansson and knew he'd fought the urge to kill them right then and there. They reached an area that seemed devoid of any humans and spoke softly of their plans.

"We must not do anything to Mitchell and his team until we are sure everything is set," Johansson said.

"Perhaps we could make them witness what is happening," Randolph suggested.

"Make them the final witness to the destruction of their world and the annihilation of the human race," Johansson said, his voice a series of clicks and beeps interspersed with words of the English language.

"We must act quickly before we lose the ability to hold this shape. How far have you gotten with the computer program?"

"Not far enough. The humans are cautious and have many protocols that prohibit me from simply entering a command sequence. I may have to exchange this shape for another who is further up their chain of command. Perhaps Carter would be a good choice."

"It would be fitting to use her form, but do you have the ability to change now?"

"I believe I can do it, but I will not survive the process for long."

"It does not matter since this will be our final act of vengeance against these people. Perhaps when you become Carter you could kill Mitchell…what a fitting revenge that would be." Randolph smiled and motioned for Johansson to follow him as footsteps echoed along the corridor.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

"Cam, I think it's time we got you back to the infirmary," Carter said when she noticed Mitchell was fighting to keep his eyes open. They'd been in the mess hall for close to an hour and several people had stopped by to wish him well or just to say hello. General Landry had sat with them for nearly half an hour and warned Mitchell not to do anything against his doctor's orders.

"Not yet, Sam," Mitchell said, but sighed heavily when he realized he'd soon be asleep in the chair and that would make a trip through the corridors even worse.

"Cam, you can come back later, but right now you're not doing yourself any favors by sitting here," Carter explained. Teal'c and Jackson had left to work on finding out more about the new crewman, and she hoped Mitchell's concerns were unfounded. She stood up and took the handles of his wheelchair and pushed him through the doors.

Carolyn Lam was waiting for them when they reached the infirmary and she placed her hands on her hips when Mitchell looked at her. "I was just about to send out a search party."

"Sorry, Doc, guess I lost track of time," Mitchell said weakly.

"Well, come on and we'll get you settled and give you something to ease the pain," Lam said as Carter wheeled the chair inside and set it beside Mitchell's freshly made bed. It took a few minutes to get him back into bed and covered with a blanket.

Mitchell watched as Lam injected something into his IV and the pain that seemed to have settled over him disappeared as his eyes closed. It wasn't long before he felt sleep calling to him and Carter slipped her hand into his. Content in the knowledge that she was there he let himself go and slept.

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Daniel Jackson watched as Samantha Carter ran through several programs built into the computer system. There were several failsafe programs that should prevent an outsider from interfering with the normal sequences, but since the trip to the mess hall with Mitchell, Sam had the distinct feeling that his instincts were right.

"Sam, did you find anything?" Jackson asked.

"I'm not sure, but there seems to be a small code written into the database," Carter said.

"Could it be an update of a code that's always been there?"

"Maybe," Carter said and frowned as she hit several keys. "There just seems to be something in the base commands that wasn't there before."

"Have you spoken to anyone about this?"

"Not yet, but I'm going to see General Landry. He should know if the programs have changed or been rerouted."

"Rerouted?"

"I've found something that suggests someone has been tampering with the passwords."

"I thought each program required several passwords?"

"They do, Daniel, and that's why this particular program stood out," Carter went on to explain exactly what she'd found and how it affected the programs, especially the ones for the defense systems.

"Sam, if you're right then someone's gone through a lot to keep this hidden."

"I know…if Cam hadn't mentioned those two men I never would have checked the security systems."

"Did you find out if they are legit?"

"According to records they both have exemplary records," Carter answered.

"So why did they set off Mitchell's radar?"

"I don't know, but I'd like to keep an eye on them especially if…"

"What is it, Sam?"

"This program started soon after they arrived," Carter told him seriously. "We need to talk to General Landry."

SG1SG1SG1SG1SG1

Randolph watched as his fellow Jarganian tapped several commands into the computer and hoped they were wrong. They had finally found a way into the programs through something these people called a backdoor. His worry was that they had again underestimated these people. Could they still complete the mission they'd set for themselves?

"Someone is searching through the programs."

"Did they find the one you initiated?"

"Not that I can tell, but if they keep searching they will undoubtedly find it. We must move up our timetable if we are to succeed."

"It must be a coordinated attack-otherwise we will accomplish nowhere near what we want. We must destroy the people of this world for what they did to us."

"Make sure they cannot remove our program before we initiate it," Randolph ordered.

"I will do what I can, but it will take time and I must now cover our tracks until we are ready."

"How long before everything is set?"

"Two days…can we hold on that long?"

"We have to for our own honor," Randolph told him. They kept themselves away from the humans as much as possible and even now he felt the struggle to keep his human shape. Perhaps it was time to find a refuge and hole up until they had completed coordinating the worldwide attack. Perhaps they could keep Colonel Cameron Mitchell company in the infirmary.

TBC