Authors Note: My brain feels fuzzy tonight… every time I go over this chapter my brain says… Nope not quite right. I hope there aren't too many mistakes in this chapter. Please don't be afraid to tell me!
..
This time they chose to forgo the use of Jacks truck in favour of a military truck. It made more sense considering they would hopefully be bringing back survivors. She and Teal'c were seated in the rear of the truck… She had forgotten how much she hated riding in the back. She was being thrown around like a ragdoll.
All those years ago when she had been in the academy and learning to drive one of the trucks with her team she had been adept at keeping her balance and rolling with the vehicle. They had taken turns driving and being passengers but it seems learning those skills were not like riding a bike... she had forgotten them already.
"Everyone alright back there?" Jacks voice crackled through the speakers.
"Yes a little rocky… Perhaps you could slow down a little Sir." She had decided that calling him Jack while on a mission would never feel right to her… so for now she was sticking with Sir despite the fact she knew the man rather intimately now. She smirked at the thought and ducked her head so Teal'c wouldn't see her expression.
"Major Carter is correct. This is most unpleasant." Teal'c commented. At Teal'c's words Jack slowed down and she smiled gratefully over at him.
They rode the rest of the way in silence only sharing the odd grimace of pain when Jack had to leave the road and drive over rougher terrain.
The moment the engine was switched off she gratefully leapt from the truck and onto solid ground. She found they were on the same street they had visited the last time they had been above ground on Earth, they were even parked in the same spot. It was due to the fact that the roads were still blocked by numerous cars parked haphazardly across the street. They couldn't drive any further unless they removed the vehicles.
At first she thought there were piles of rubbish burning in the gaps between the abandoned cars but on closer inspection she realized they were human remains. It had crossed her mind they might find this, but it didn't make it any less horrific. She was again incredibly glad for the decontamination suit she wore – however uncomfortable it might be – at least she couldn't smell the burning flesh.
"There must be survivors then," she heard Daniel mutter more to himself than to them. He was right, someone was burning the bodies. This was a rational first move for any survivor… they needed to rid themselves of any source of the virus and prevent any diseases that might come about from the billions of decomposing bodies all over Earth. She shuddered at the gruesome thought.
"Helloooo, anybody home?" Jack called out.
As they walked down the street she remained silent and watchful. It wasn't until they had reached the third fire on the street that Jack suddenly raised a fisted hand to stop them moving forward. He seemed to be looking in the direction of the grocery store, or what was left of it. It took her a moment but she finally found what he was looking at.
"Hello, we are here to help." It was Daniel who called out this time. He had a much less intimidating voice than Jack, and always seemed to know the right words to say.
"You should leave. I'm not alone ya' know!" It sounded like a girl.
The figure near the doorway shifted slightly and she and the rest of SG-1 automatically dropped to the ground assuming they were about to be attacked. She crawled forward on her hands and knees using the nearest car as a shield until she reached Jack.
"Did you get a good look at her?" She asked him, following his line of sight to the now empty doorway.
"Teenage girl, slight, not sure if she was armed it was hard to tell." He didn't move, but kept his eyes on the doorway.
"We only want to help you. We can offer you food, shelter and medical care." She tried speaking this time, maybe a woman's voice would be less daunting for her.
"Why would you want to help us?" The girl answered, she sounded as though she were somewhere near the doorway still. "I'm with the air force. I'm Major Carter and with me is Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson and... Teal'c." The Jaffa's name always fell flat after all the ranks and titles that went before the rest of the teams names.
"Okay. Major Carter l will talk to you." The girl waved an arm from the doorway beckoning her over. Jack looked back at her and she raised her eyebrows in silent question. I'll go if you want me to? She silently asked.
"Go," He frowned. "But be careful." She tried to give him a reassuring smile but she had her own misgivings. They weren't sure if the girl was armed yet. Sam did wear a vest beneath her suit but the rest of her was still unprotected.
"I'm coming over now," She kept her P-90 slung over her shoulder. She knew it was a risk and she might scare the girl but she had to be able to defend herself and her team if necessary. "I'm not going to use my weapon unless you give me reason to." When she entered the store she felt her eyes bulge, this was not what she had expected to see.
There was the teenage girl she assumed they had been talking to... she had bright blue hair, the roots of her hair had begun growing back a dark blonde. It was the sight behind her that had surprised her. There was a motley group of children! The teenage girl held the knife in front of her threateningly, she was clearly not someone to be messed with. The look on her face spoke of a girl willing to do anything to protect herself and in this case those in her care too.
"How do I know you are who you say you are?" She demanded. Some of the smaller children shrunk back in fear at the sight of Sam in her bright orange suit.
"It says Carter here," She turned slightly and awkwardly pointed to her shoulder. "I don't have my credentials on me... but you can also see we arrived in a military vehicle." The girl kept staring at her but the knife wavered in her hand and she was chewing her lip as if considering her words.
"Ah hell, what have we got to lose?" The girl dropped the arm with the knife until it hung limply at her side. "Simon give her Dana." A boy who looked of a similar age to the girl looked between the girl and Sam the shock evident on his face.
"Lucy... are you sure?" So the girl was called Lucy. They now knew her name… that was a start she supposed.
"Simon!" Lucy turned on the boy and shoved him out of her way. "You stand there." She pointed to where she had been standing. She then turned to the children, some were now crying and huddling together closer than ever. The sight of her in the de-con suit was probably terrifying to them. "Dana, honey." Lucy gently lifted a scrawny little girl who looked to be about three or four from the ground where she lay.
Dana was deathly pale beneath a mixture of ash and dirt that covered her from head to toe. Lucy cradled the girl in her arms like a new born baby and whispered something to her before striding over to Sam, and with her eyes flashing defiantly she placed Dana into her arms. "She needs a Doctor." Dana didn't even stir and it was then she realized the girl was unconscious.
Lucy lifted her knife and brought it close to her face and it was then Sam realized her mistake. She had been so focused on the sick child in her arms she had forgotten that now both her hands were occupied and her gun was out of reach unless she dropped Dana.
"Leave now!" Lucy suddenly barked at her. Sam felt her heart begin to thump painfully in her chest. She remained standing still until Lucy finally stepped back taking the knife away.
Sam quickly obeyed the order and backed towards the door before Lucy changed her mind and took Dana back. She kept her eyes on Lucy and Simon, they seemed to be the biggest threat but she hadn't failed to notice that many of the older children on the floor also held various weapons.
"Sir," she spoke into her head unit. "I am coming out with a kid."
"Brilliant," she heard Jack answer. "What happened?" She finally turned around now she was a safe distance and looked down at Dana. The girl's breathing was shallow, her chest rising and falling was hardly noticeable at all. "Does she have the Virus?" He stood a few feet away staring at her.
"I don't know Sir, sorry. There are a lot more children in there but Lucy and some of the other kids are armed. She doesn't trust us but knew that Dana would die either way so conceded to handing her over." She babbled and began walking to the jeep. She heard Jack follow her.
"Sam," he touched her shoulder. "If she's got the virus it's not a good idea to-"
"Jack!" She bit her lip. She shouldn't be yelling at him. "There is a chance she isn't sick… and I think it's worth the risk. It's what Level 1 of Cheyenne Mountain has been re-designed for." When she reached the jeep Jack opened the back and climbed up, reaching down for the girl.
"Okay, fine." He waited for Sam to get into the back and then jumped back out. "I'll contact Teal'c and Daniel and get them to stand watch."
"Thank you," she caught his eyes before he turned to walk away.
He looked confused and she sighed heavily. There was something going on in that head of his, but now wasn't the time to worry about that. Dana's wellbeing came first. She listened as Jack stood outside the truck talking to the rest of SG-1. As gently as possible she lifted the girls t-shirt to check for wounds. She winced when she found a gaping wound over her right ribs, it looked severely infected. She touched the edges of the wound but the girl didn't react at all.
"Daniel's managed to talk to Lucy." Jack started the truck as his voice came over the speakers once more. "We need to return once dropping Dana off at Base. I think Lucy is considering handing over more of the kids."
"That's really good news. I think some of the other kids weren't in great shape either. I don't think Dana – this child - has the virus, she has an infected wound."
She continued inspecting the girl for injuries but was pleased to only found minor cuts and abrasions so she used the medical kit to clean and bind the worst wound over the girl's ribs. It seemed rather pointless but it gave her something to do while she waited for them to arrive back at the mountain. When she had finished she moved the girl into her lap.
The return trip felt like it was taking so much longer and every bump in the road made her clutch the girl tighter to her chest. She whispered to the girl, telling her of the base and how much easier life would be there, and she told her what the Doctor's would do to make her better. She knew it was unlikely Dana could hear her, but she felt like she needed to do something.
"We are almost there, is she okay?"
"She's still alive." She answered simply. There wasn't much more she could say, the wound was bad… especially since the poor kid was malnourished and probably emotionally traumatized. Sam was actually surprised the girl was still alive at all.
TBC.