Season 9 Episode 15 – The Scourge

Episode summary: SG-1's scheduled mission to explore some Ancient ruins is scrubbed at the last minute, and they are assigned instead to give four representatives of the IOA a tour of the Gamma site research station. However, one of the projects – an insect known as R75 – breaks containment and begins to overrun the base. SG-1 and the IOA representatives are forced to flee on foot. The Gamma site is destroyed when the self-destruct goes off, and Sam informs them that protocol is for the Odyssey to kill the bugs from orbit with a deadly neurotoxin – which would kill them as well. Their only chance is to get to a communications outpost so they can send a signal, letting the Odyssey know they are still alive. The signal attracts the bugs though, and they had very little ammunition remaining, and no idea of exactly when the Odyssey will arrive. They run out of ammo, and the Odyssey beams them out at the last second.

Sam's heart was pounding as her side-arm ammo finally ran out. She stood in a line with Daniel, Teal'c and Cameron, and she heard the clicks that signified her friends' clips emptying too. The bugs abruptly breached the surface, and rolled towards them like an immense, roiling, black wave. They stepped back instinctively, but there was nowhere to run.

And then, incredibly, unbelievably, they caught a lucky break, and the flash of the Asgard transporters enveloped them, depositing them on the bridge of the Odyssey.

"Yes!" She heard a familiar male voice exclaim, and her eyes snapped to Jack's. He was standing just in front of the ship commander's chair, and he was grinning, but his expression was tempered with a bone-crushing relief.

"Nice timing." Daniel said effusively.

"Yeah, no kidding." Cameron agreed. "We had just run out of ammo, General. A few seconds later and we would have been bug feed."

"Well, we couldn't have that." Jack said casually.

His eyes were pinned to hers. That was too close.

She offered him a wry smirk. I'm alive, aren't I?

Woolsey broke the moment by stepping forward to talk with Jack on behalf of the IOA representatives, and Sam found herself ushered along with the rest of SG-1 to turn in their spent weapons, before reporting to the infirmary for medical checks.

In the infirmary, Jack was still being monopolised by the IOA representatives, but Sam could see him itching to get away from them and over to SG-1's quiet corner.

"I'd feel sorry for him, but I figure this is pretty good payback for him lumbering us with babysitting duty." Daniel said to her in an undertone, with a grin.

She smiled back. "Yep."

"It turned out to be a lot more fun than I was expecting, that's for sure." Cameron commented, earning a raised eyebrow from Teal'c.

"You are a very strange man, Colonel Mitchell."

"It's the adrenaline rush." He said, as if that explained everything. "Come on, I can't be the only one who digs a little high stakes danger?"

"Sam likes adrenaline rushes." Daniel offered helpfully.

"I like speed, and flying." Sam argued. "I don't like nearly getting eaten alive by insects." She shuddered. Not a good image. The sound of those bugs was going to haunt her nightmares for a while.

"Maybe I should go and rescue him." Daniel said contemplatively. "He's starting to look inpatient, and he keeps glancing at you. We don't want them getting the wrong idea."

"Or the right one." Cameron muttered, and Sam silenced him with a withering glare.

"Colonel Mitchell, perhaps you would accompany me to the bridge." Teal'c said, leaving no room for argument.

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Sure. Why not."

Sam, alone now as she perched on a gurney, watched as Daniel inserted himself smoothly into the conversation with the IOA reps. Jack found a window to leave a moment later, and with a glance in her direction he canted his head at the door, indicating she should follow.

Out in the hallway, she caught up to him, walking slowly in the direction of the bridge.

"Thanks for the rescue." She said, when he didn't speak.

He cocked his head in acknowledgement. "Obviously I knew you were alive, and I figured you'd find a way to get to safety and communicate your position. But … protocol CR91 …"

"Protocol was to dump a neurotoxin into the planet's atmosphere. It would have killed us."

"I didn't trust anyone else to give you every opportunity to signal for help, first. The IOA representatives being here helped. Gave me a plausible reason to wade in myself."

"Well, at least they were useful for something." Sam commented darkly.

He looked at her sharply at the uncharacteristically catty comment, and she squirmed a little. "Got on your nerves, did they?"

"I guess I was in a bad mood from the get go, and they kept alternately blaming us and bugging me to save them … maybe I was a little hard on them."

"Why were you in a bad mood?"

She raised an eyebrow at him archly. "Babysitting duty?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "That wasn't actually my idea."

"But you signed off on it."

"We needed them on side. Showing off you guys seemed like an easy way to score a few points with them."

"Since when do you care about scoring points with politicians?"

"Since that became the main weapon I have in my arsenal to protect the SGC!" He said, snapping.

They had stopped walking and turned to face each other with Jack's last outburst, and they both abruptly remembered the security cameras and kept walking.

"So it wasn't about protecting me, after our near miss on the Lucian Alliance mission last week?"

Jack grimaced. "It certainly didn't dissuade me from thinking this was a good idea."

"Jack." She hissed in an undertone.

"I know, I know." He said tiredly. "It won't happen again."

"You have to trust me to take care of myself."

"I do."

"Because I swear to God, if you start using your authority to show me any favouritism or to protect me from anything, I'm divorcing you."

"I'll bear that in mind." Jack said with a smirk.

"I'm serious."

"I know." They got in an elevator, and as the doors closed, Jack grabbed hold of her hand. "I'm really glad you're ok."

She squeezed his hand. "Me too."

He released her hand a few seconds before the doors slid open again, and he entered the bridge, while Sam hung back at the door.

"Mitchell, get out of my chair."

"Sorry sir, just keeping it warm for you sir." He said, practically snapping to attention. "Do you have any orders, sir?"

Jack waved him out of the way irritatedly, and settled down in the chair himself, asking the officers on duty for status updates.

"Kiss ass." Sam teased in a whisper as Cameron walked over to her.

"I figure I'm still in the dog-house." He said. He looked at her askance. "Am I?"

"Nah, he forgave you." Sam assured him. "But stop sucking up to him, he hates that."

"Duly noted."

They walked a little way down the corridor to a window and watched the streaming stars of hyperspace for a moment.

"Did we get babysitting duty because I messed up on our last mission?" Mitchell asked after a moment.

"No." Sam answered shortly.

"Did we get babysitting duty because he was trying to protect you?"

Sam glared at him. "I should kick your ass for asking me that."

"Well did we?"

"No. It was a politics thing. We needed to score some points with the IOA ..."

"… and the Chinese government. Right. Sorry."

"So you should be." Sam huffed. No need to let Cameron know that he actually wasn't a million miles off-base. She'd reinforce that point again with Jack later.

"Kinda backfired, didn't it?"

Sam snorted. "Big time. You'd think General O'Neill would know from his years of experience with SG-1 that we don't play well with politicians and diplomats, and we attract trouble."

"At least we probably won't get babysitting duty in the future." Cam said optimistically.

"Yup." She grinned.

"Well, all's well that ends well, I guess."