"Is Major Carter with them?" Jack asked into his radio and after a pause Reynolds' voice crackled through.
"No, sir."
Nodding to himself as only Teal'c and Daniel could see him, Jack let go of the radio and turned to Daniel and Carpenter. "Head back to the 'gate. As soon as the new SG teams arrive and right the 'gate, head back with the injured."
"Yes, sir."
"Jack, I can help you look."
"Negative." He turned away abruptly. "We don't know who attacked or who led the enemy here. You'll be needed to calm down the Tok'ra and Jaffa."
"I'm sure she'll be okay."
Spinning fiercely, Jack glared at his team-mate. "Yeah, because there's nothing *larger* going on. Those were your words, weren't they?"
"It probably has nothing to do with her here and now," Daniel argued, but Jack shook his head.
"You do know what she was working on here, don't you? If you and Sarah are right, then of course this has to with Sam. Go away, Daniel."
"Jack-" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carpenter put a hand out to Daniel's arm in an attempt to calm him. He had to focus and concentrate on finding any possible survivors. He had to ignore that the woman he loved was possibly out there somewhere dying or already dead. The important things were finding everyone and the weapon on which Sam had been working. Jack needed Carpenter gone so she could not question his motives and actions. Teal'c would keep him straight.
"Carpenter, take Doctor Jackson back to the Stargate."
"Yes, sir."
Without pausing, Jack began to continue on the path they had been, glancing at Teal'c. "We need to find as many of the ninety as possible."
"And the weapon, O'Neill. That must be a high priority." He wished that it was not. He wished that it could be as simple as having to choose between finding Sam and finding others, but Sam was of mission importance and was just the excuse he needed to put her above everyone else still lost out in the field.
SG – SG – SG
"What was that about?" Nicola asked as she began the short distance back to the Stargate. She had no idea what was going on with Daniel and the colonel, but if there were other reasons behind the attack or anything that she needed to know for the mission, Nicola wanted to know.
"Sarah said something the other day and I… I think there was something else behind Sam's capture and the ease of our escape."
"Ease?" She laughed awkwardly as it was hardly what she would have called easy, but then Nicola had died on that mission.
"We walked in and pretty much walked out."
"What's the something else?"
"No idea." That was not the answer that Nicola wanted. Nerves had bubbled up inside of her at the mention of the mission that had changed her forever and she could not deny the fear that was now bubbling within her. The rest of their walk was carried out in silence and Nicola's apprehension continued growing until she saw the Stargate still on the ground and SGC personnel surrounding it. Even from their distance she instantly recognised one of the officers as Major Lorne and Nicola felt her apprehension easing. Perhaps if she focussed on sorting out the Stargate, she would forget that there could be something larger at play and that whoever had attacked the Alpha Site could still be here.