8 Days Ago…
Tactical Operations Center
The Pentagon
The atmosphere in the TOC was of barely controlled chaos. It reminded Nancy of old films she'd seen of Mission Control during the Apollo-11 moon landing. There were computer work stations along three walls, manned by outwardly calm Air Force personnel. Empty Styrofoam cups lay scattered throughout the room, forgotten where they'd been put down by otherwise distracted technicians. One or two airmen nervously checked their watches every few minutes, while another unconsciously reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes, only to return them unopened the next second.
A giant LCD screen took up most of the fourth wall. It was currently tracking the intruder that lay in wait outside the earth's atmosphere in a stationary lunar orbit. Along the center of the room, three tables were arranged in a capital "I." The center table held yet more computer stations and a sophisticated switchboard manned by two airmen, while each end table had a laptop and desk phone.
General O'Neill sat at one end, talking easily on one of the phones, while General Landry sat at the other end, alternating between studying the computer screen in front of him and glaring at O'Neill. The TOC was supposed be Landry's bailiwick, and O'Neill was supposed to be holding the President's hand in some super-secret underground bunker. General Ames was manning the computer station to Nancy's left on the center table.
"Yeah? Is Sheppard there?" O'Neill spoke into the phone. "Good…put him on." He paused to listen, his eyebrows shooting up. "Oh…really?" He pursed his lips and drummed his fingers on the table. "Well…it's your Command, Sam…your call." He nodded sagely. "That soon, huh? Okie-dokie…When this is over, we'll do lunch. Right…O'Neill out."
He chewed his lower lip thoughtfully and replaced the handset on its cradle. The others waited for him to speak. Finally, he looked up and seemed surprised to see he wasn't alone in the room.
"That was Colonel Carter," he said unnecessarily.
When it became obvious that O'Neill wasn't going to elaborate further, Landry spoke impatiently. "Well…? Jack, what did Sam have to say?"
O'Neill became all business. "They're launching F302s…Sheppard's flying lead."
"What?" Ames said sharply. "I thought he was supposed man the weapons platform. Can't that man follow any orders?"
O'Neill glared at Ames. "The answer to both your questions is 'yes' and 'yes'…Yes, Sheppard was supposed to man the weapons platform, and yes, he can follow orders—Colonel Carter's orders."
"But—" Ames began, but O'Neill interrupted.
"The Super-Hive hasn't reached its maximum strength yet. Sheppard is taking the fight to the Wraith while there's still a chance of stopping it."
"And if he doesn't succeed?" Landry asked.
"Sgt. Martinez is currently manning the chair. Sheppard trained him on its operation while back on Atlantis. Hopefully—"
"Hopefully? That's dead man talk!" Ames blustered.
"Hopefully…" O'Neill continued with only the mildest of glares at Ames. "It won't come to that."
"Jack!" Landry interrupted, looking up from his work station. "The Hive is launching darts." He paused. "F302s have scrambled and are on an intercept course." They all turned to the large wall screen. Nancy quickly saw the blue and red dots that represented the "friendlies" and "bogies," respectively.
Ames snapped his fingers at the communications officer. "Captain, can you tap into our guys' audio?"
The captain nodded and moments later, the TOC was filled with radio chatter, overlaid by the noise of an intense battle.
Nancy jumped at the unexpected, ear-splitting reports of explosions that suddenly assaulted her ears. Over the cacophony, she heard John's reassuringly calm drawl.
"On it—! Riggs, you're with me!" Sheppard ordered coolly.
"Roger, Leader," Riggs, presumably, responded.
The next instant, a loud ~boom!~ reverberated through the TOC. John shouted something that sounded like "Riggs!" followed by much quieter, "Dammit."
The TOC's occupants exchanged somber looks. Riggs had just been lost. Knowing it could just as easily have been John, Nancy closed her eyes momentarily in silent thanks. All of a sudden, the unthinkable happened—another explosion!
Startled, Nancy turned back to the large screen, trying to make sense of the swarm of red dots overwhelming the much fewer blue ones. Over the excited radio chatter, sounds of more explosions, and sharp reports of automatic weapons fire, she heard the distinct noise of cockpit alarms going off.
Cutting through the confusion, Nancy made out John's quietly desperate pleas: "Come on, baby…come on…come on…"
As Sheppard repeated the frantic mantra, the personnel in the TOC held their collective breaths.
"John…" Nancy whispered, taking a step toward the screen. She could see where one blue dot had separated from the main pack. The next instant the cockpit alarms cut off entirely, blanketing the TOC in total silence. She covered her mouth to keep from crying out. Had she just stood by while John crashed? Nancy suddenly felt as if her legs couldn't support her weight and was about to collapse, when a pair of warm hands settled around her shoulders, offering their support. Then, between one heartbeat and another, John's voice resounded in the close room.
"This is Sheppard…"
Nancy's feeling of relief was palpable. She unselfconsciously turned around and hugged O'Neill, who she discovered had been the one holding her up. Looking around, she saw that her relief was mirrored in the others' faces. But their respite was to be short-lived.
"Is that what I think it is?" Sheppard demanded.
"I'm sorry, John…there were just too many," Carter's voice replied. "Return to base."
The others looked at each other in confusion. Landry's shoulders suddenly slumped. "Area 51 has been completely destroyed. The chair's gone."
Ames slammed his fist onto the table. "I knew it! If we get out of this, I'm gonna personally see that Sheppard never—"
"Negative, Colonel…I still have a nuke." Sheppard's voice broke through. "I'm gonna blast my way through the dart bay, and then set it off from the inside."
Nancy felt her heart stutter to a stop. This time her knees refused to hold her, and O'Neill barely got her a seat before she collapsed.
"John…" Carter spoke quietly. "I can't order you to do that."
"Look…you're not ordering me, Sam. I'm volunteering."
"Sheppard…return to base. We'll figure out another way."
"Like what? You said it yourself, Colonel…With the chair destroyed, we're out of options." There was no response, only helpless silence. "That's what I thought. Going to radio silence. Sheppard out."
Abruptly, the radio transmission cut off.
Nancy turned and glared at Ames. "I guess you won't have to worry about John anymore, General."
oOo
