Eleven weeks and eighteen hours. No unscheduled off-world activations. Ever since she had gone missing SGC operations had been severely restricted. The few off-world missions that had occurred had gone off without any serious problems. Jack usually hated the constant alarms for every unscheduled off-world activation; they all did. But, ever since Sam had disappeared they were all praying for that sound, that warning that hadn't come once in eleven weeks and eighteen hours.
The klaxons sounded causing Jack, Daniel, Teal'c, and Hammond to look to the Gate from their seats in the briefing room. "Unscheduled off-world activation," Walter's voice sounded. His voice held just a touch of anxiety as the four rushed down to the command room.
"Well," Hammond asked.
"Nothing Sir," Walter said. "There's no –" he stopped as the computer screen came to life. "There's an IDC Sir … It's Major Carter's! It's an old one Sir but, it's still valid."
The four men shared a quick look before Daniel spoke up. "Sir, we have to open the Iris."
"She's been gone for eleven weeks; we can't know that her IDC hasn't been compromised."
"If it was compromised it'd be her newer one," Daniel argued. "Sam knows the protocol. She knows we wouldn't accept her current IDC so if it was compromised she'd be sure to give that one and keep her old one to herself. This could be our only chance!"
"Sir," Walter interrupted Hammond's thoughts. "If we don't –"
"Open the Iris." Hammond hit the speaker and told the airmen to take aim.
Jack and Daniel rushed down to the gate room to find the Iris opening. There was a moment where everyone held their breath and then Sam tumbled onto the ramp in a heap. Hammond called for a medical team while Jack and Daniel rushed up the ramp. "Carter?" She moaned in pain as he cupped her face in his hands. "Carter?" Jack studied her carefully as he tried to get a response from her. She was too thin, her face was bruised and bloody, as was the rest of her body, her clothes were torn and she clearly had tried to bandage her own injuries, including her broken arm and leg.
Her eyes fluttered open. " … Sir?" It was barely audible. He could hear how dry and hoarse her voice was; further evidence she had been tortured.
"You're here, you're at the SGC."
"Sir?" Jack looked behind him to see Janet frozen at the bottom of the ramp. He knew that look, that look of hope that was written on her face. The moment she saw Sam it was evident; her yes grew large and she jumped into action. She pulled him away from Sam so that she could work and in the blink of an eye Sam was being taken away on a stretcher.