AU: When an exploration mission goes way off the left field, Jack and Sam are left to patch up their lives. Will that door stay open?
Disclaimer: All recognisable characters are the property of MGM/Amazon. No copyright infringement intended. I am once again taking my favourite two Gaters for a walk in an Alternate Universe. Takes place after 5.05 Red Sky with some canon episodes skipped (overlooked) and others referenced.
Rating: Mature.
Triggers: Attempted rape (female), threat of rape (male), violence, cold-blooded murder.
Chapter 44: Carter-napped!
Saturday midday – Somewhere between Colorado Springs and Seattle – Sam Carter
The dissipation of the light after the rings disappeared into the upper bulkhead followed by the jerky take off revealed we were on a Tel'tak piloted by someone not experienced in flying. While the fighter jets that Jack and I were experienced with were completely different, the principles were the same. Small adjustments and smooth movements were key. The whole 'Punch it, Chewie' mentality really should be left for the movies.
The door to the chamber was closed, but we could clearly hear voices approaching. Looking at Jack, I signalled for him to hide. He pressed his lips together and shook his head, his arm still protectively around my waist where it landed after he had almost thrown himself across the room moments before.
"Sir." I ground out lowly through gritted teeth, then pointed to several packing crates that were not Goa'uld in nature. My command tone, despite not normally aimed at him, must have given the trained military officer shove, his face falling expressionless moments before he nodded laconically. Giving me a small kiss and one last look telling me how much I meant to him, he let me go and stalked over to take up position behind the crates, tucking himself well and truly out of sight. Turning back to face the door, I took up a suitably pissed off stance and waited.
We were not armed. Our assailants most likely were. The voices ceased just as the doors opened to reveal a man in a suit flanked by two other men sporting M5's. The first thing I noticed was his nose, then his balding head and finally his militaristic swagger. There was something familiar about him. Something somewhere not related to the SGC, but still military. Maybe the Pentagon.
"Major Samantha Carter." He identified me, sounding out every syllable of my name slowly and purposefully. I didn't provide him with any verbal response. It's not like I could deny who I was even if I wanted to. "Nice outfit." He commented giving my silver skirt and black shirt ensemble recycled from yesterday a once over.
"Oh, do you like it? I try to impress all my would-be kidnappers." I replied, channelling a little Jack into my response. He smirked as he took a step closer.
"Where is Colonel Jack O'Neill, I wonder?" He asked, a false sense of wonder crossing his face. Giving my dishevelled stance another perusal, his face changed from that wonder to apologetic placation as if he were sorry for me. "Did he leave you after blowing his load? Such a pretty little conquest." His words caused the memory of Jack turning his back on me to resurface. My heartrate rose along with the desperate need to make sure he was still here.
"It's OK, Sam. You know he's here. He will never leave us." Samantha's reminder floated through my mind, helping me to hold back my fear and keep my countenance calm. My wide-eyed daughter nodded her agreement and I swear I felt her move even though I knew it was impossible.
"I can't say I'm surprised; he always did have a way with the ladies." He continued as he took another step closer. I knew he was trying to goad me into revealing our relationship, but I kept my mouth shut and expression blank. "Once a flyboy, always a flyboy." He added. The grin that crossed his face was equal parts smug and unapologetic.
It was then that I recognised him. Colonel Frank Simmons. Catherine had had a run in with him from time to time in the early days of the Stargate project when she would occasionally visit the brass. Though I had only witnessed one of the arguments before she returned to Cheyenne Mountain. Catherine always said he was a piece of work and shouldn't be trusted. I could see why she would say such a thing. I wonder if Graham knew his uncle had stepped up into kidnapping. I didn't recognise his goons, but they were clearly ex-Marine based on the way they held themselves. The eyes of the one on the Colonel's right travelling the length of my body as if he were cataloguing every part.
"That's against the regulations." I stated drily when he finally finished talking. Preparing to lie about our relationship, I opened my mouth but decided on another tack. Denial normally made them suspect you even more. "The Colonel was ordered to babysit me while I recover." I replied with steel in my eyes.
"Is that what you call it?" He asked, his hand landing on my shoulder and traveling down my arm. I fought the desire to either shrug him off or deck him.
"You can check with the SGC CMO if you don't believe me. Trust me, he's not my first choice of babysitter. He's got this thing about the Simpsons that defies normalcy." I growled, snatching my arm away when I could no longer stand his hands on approach. An unnerving laugh rolled up his throat as he stood behind me.
"Interesting." He sniffed indelicately. He clearly did not believe me. Unfortunately, without having had a shower, I smelled like sex. Lots of sex. Lots of really great mind-blowing sex. My internal self smiled at the memory of Jack above me, making it hard to keep my face stony. "Where is he?" Simmons repeated.
"Probably still in my kitchen on the phone ordering a missile strike to take this junker out." I told him as he circled me, his fingers trailing across my back. I didn't react this time despite my skin crawling. I didn't need Jack to reveal himself in a fit of jealous rage. While I knew he could take them out, he wouldn't be able to neutralise all three before he was shot.
"What and kill his favourite Major?"
"He's shot me before. He'd do it again." I replied as I watched him circle me again, fingers still trailing. His buddy's eyes following the trail his of fingers with darkened eyes.
"Oh, I don't think so. From what I have heard, he values your life." He continued, his fingers running down the back of my thigh and under the edge of my skirt sending a jolt of revulsion through my body. He appeared in front of me again, fingers revealing what he had found. "I've heard he values you a lot, Major."
"You're assuming that belongs to a man almost old enough to be my father." I said pointing to the moisture on his fingers. Of course, I certainly did not feel that way about Jack. His age meant nothing to me, I just hoped he understood that this was a necessary act. "Maybe it belongs to Doctor Jackson. Perhaps it's your nephew's. He always did have a thing for me." I smiled when he raised his eyebrows. Oh yes, I know who you are I told him silently. At length he smirked.
"I see. Seems I underestimated your powers of recollection. Tell me, how is Mrs Langford? Ernest treating her well since returning from his fifty-year sojourn?" OK. Now that was a surprise. How did a Pentagon based Colonel have classified information about our missions? It must have shown on my face briefly because he smirked in a way that confirmed that he knew everything.
Jutting out my chin, I crossed my arms and stood defiantly. He'd get nothing more out of me. He quietly observed me for a little longer before smiling casually.
"You're good, Major. Have a good sleep. Good night." He stated then quickly raising his hand to my shoulder, not giving me enough time to counter his movement. The sharp needle pierced my muscle making me yelp. "Don't fight it, Major." He growled.
"You bastard! I still won't tell you anything." I ground out as the cold liquid branched its fingers out, slowly taking hold. Blinking my eyes, I could feel whatever it was coursing through my veins. Fighting hard to stay standing, I swallowed and shook my head as if that would clear the poison out of my bloodstream. Chuckling out a harsh laugh, I told him, "Y-you-rr so dead, C-C-Col-null. He's g-", but I faltered as my legs weakened and I sank to the ground in a clumsy slumped but still sitting posture. "Wha-di… wha-dida… giv-me?" I tried to ask, but my mouth felt full of cotton wool, my tongue thick and heavy. The Colonel turned back to his men.
"Bind her. There was enough in that to put down a man twice her size." He said to them. I heard one of them ask about my child. A name was spoken. Neil. Doctor. Neill. O'Neill. Jack! No. Not Jack. A doctor. Neil. I had a vague recollection of a Doctor Neil something… something flitted through my brain, but I lost it before I could make any sense of it. Focusing back on the conversation in the room as best I could, I tried to glean anything from their words.
"He requires her child to survive, Sir." The one on the left said. I swallowed harshly. They wanted her, they didn't want me. No. Anything but my baby girl.
"Brooks is out of the picture. We only require the Major. The survival of her child is negligible." Simmons replied just as I lost the ability to make out any more of the conversation. No. Jack! I tried to call, but nothing came out. My blurred vision barely made out that two of the three men were leaving followed by the heavy sound of the door closing.
My hands were pulled roughly together and zip-tied by the one left behind, the one with the roaming eyes. It was then that I felt his hand run up my side and onto my breast. He said something that I could not make out, but I didn't need to because what I could see of his disgusting grin while he fondled said it all.
"Ge-offme." I slurred, trying to kick and punch out at him. But he just laughed and replied with some words that I couldn't quite hear before forcing me to my knees, my shoulder pushed in the hard floor. "No." I cried out when his fingers moved my underwear aside just as I heard his fly zipper. "You b-b-ge-offme!" I cried out, trying to wriggle away unsuccessfully. "Plassedon." I slurred, begging him not to do this. I wanted to call out for Jack. He could take one easily, but my mouth would not work and all the issued was a strange sobbing honk sound.
"Shut it, bitch! You're mine now." His rough voice ordered. Sobbing out a heavy cry when I felt him roughly pushing his way inside. Forming my mouth around the word, "JACK!" I sobbed out with my last bit of strength.
Suddenly and silently the weight was gone. Falling to my side, I saw the man collapse to the floor, his neck sporting a jagged bleeding tear. Jack. Hide, Jack. I tried to say the words desperately, but I had no strength. He knelt and looked at me with an apologetic smile before mouthing 'Sorry!'. Then, he pulled my dead assailant toward me, making sure his back was to mine and threw my bound hands around his neck ensuring that both the plastic cuffs and my hands were covered in the dead mans blood. I smiled to myself as my eyes closed. Finally giving in to the sweet pull of the drug coursing through my veins.
Behind the crates - Jack O'Neill
Simmons! And here I was half expecting it to be Maybourne worming his way back into the good graces of the NID. Though not even a sneaky bastard like Harry would go after Carter, not since she proved herself in his eyes during the foothold situation with those duplicitous aliens and again with the Russian sub incident.
Sam's comment about my age and that I wasn't her first choice had me reeling. 'Is that what she really thought?' I asked myself. Did she really want Daniel or that fresh-faced Lieutenant Simmons?
"Don't be stupid, Jack!" My shadow berated. "We just spent over twelve hours making her scream and beg for more. She is having our child." He reminded me. "Besides, she'd break that Simmons kid in half." He joked and I had to clamp my mouth shut to not laugh out loud. He was right. The kid had tried it on a few years ago when the alien ball had me stuck to the wall. She'd been nice, but let him down gently. Shadow Jack helpfully replayed the memory from that day in the Gate room.
"Ah, Captain, Ma'am." Simmons grabbed her attention while she was scribbling things on her notepad.
"Yes, Lieutenant." She replied turning her baby blues to the young man while he took temperature readings.
"Umm, I know this is not the best time... for this, but I was wondering if you would like a coffee." He asked, a nervous look crossing his face.
"Lieutenant, it is over 120 degrees in here. Why would I want coffee?" She responded. If I hadn't been in pain and delirious, I'd have laughed.
"Oh, no. Not now. I mean, with me, sometime. Somewhere. Not here." He stuttered out, his face red from embarrassment rather than the heat. Turning to him slowly, I could just see her eyebrows raise themselves up before she looked up at me.
Turning back to him, she replied, "I'm flattered Lieutenant, but there is a problem with that."
"Oh, it's OK. I'm not in your command. I checked and..."
"Graham." She interrupted. "Thank you, but the problem is you're..." She winced flicking her eyes back to me, "...too young."
"Oh, I see." He almost crumbled under her rejection. "But..."
"And nice. You're too nice and don't have advanced hand-to-hand combat experience." She added without looking up from her writings, though the smile she had on her face was sexy as hell. He looked at her with a startled expression before turning back to his temperature measuring doodad. She gave me another look and a little smirk before returning to the very important task of saving my life.
I smiled remembering one particular rough session last night where she threw me over her hip - both of us naked as the day we were born - before taking me right there on her bedroom floor. Damn, that had been hot.
The sound of Carter yelping brought my brain back online, listening to the last of the conversation, my patience wearing thinner by the second when they talked about my child being acceptable collateral damage. Sitting there listening to that sicko manhandle Carter was the last straw. He didn't have enough guts to try raping her when she had her full faculties, instead choosing to wait until she was drugged and bound. He didn't even hear me coming, so consumed with his conquest of a subdued woman. 'My woman', my Shadow reminded me. If I wasn't supposed to remain undetected, I'd have changed his religion before giving him a taste of his own medicine with the Maglite torch he had hanging from his belt, making sure he stayed alive long enough to feel every inch of the hardened metal several times. Fortunately for him, his death ended up being faster and less painful.
It's amazing how effective a garrotte a simple bootlace can be. The hardest part – aside from the waiting and seeing Carter drugged – was the relacing of my boot with the sticky length of lace. A small price to pay. Of course, they would never know it was me who dispatched him. As much as I wanted to gather Carter up and get her out of here, such an action would likely see me killed which meant whoever Simmons was delivering Carter to would have free reign. The thought of never seeing my little girl born forced me back into hiding leaving a knocked-out Carter with her bound hands wrapped neatly and messily around the still bleeding neck of the dead rapist arsehole who thought to make her his.
A small consolation was his gun, taken from the small of his back, his radio, and a combat knife strapped on his thigh. Things that I would use to kill his friends. Strapping the holster to my own thigh and checking the magazine, I noted it had all fifteen rounds. The safety was on and chamber empty. Perfect.
A commercial flight from the Springs to Seattle was just under five hours. Tel'tak's were a lot faster, stealthier and had the advantage of travelling as the crows flies instead of using airports. Taking into account refuelling, an F-16 at top speed would make the journey in just over an hour. Tel'tak's did not have to refuel but topped roughly the same speed in Earth's atmosphere.
Checking my watch, I noted it had been four hours since Daniel and Teal'c departed, so they would probably arrive in the next hour. The military hop wasn't until Monday, but Hammond wanted feet on ground sooner after the Kinsey display, hence travelling commercial. Daniel would love that. We had been moving for approximately fifteen minutes. I'd have to wait at the other end, but hopefully not for long, since I failed to pack my yo-yo. Going in without back up or at least a distraction would be suicide.
That was unacceptable.
Despite my lack of entertainment, the remaining flight time moved quickly, touching down forty-eight minutes after we left. OK, so touching down probably was not the right term. Whoever was piloting this piece of alien junk must have dropped it out of the sky. At least I was already sitting down. Sheesh!
Clearly Simmons and his flunky were not concerned about the third member of their little soiree, since neither one of them had bothered to... a swish of the doors heralded the arrival of…
"Barnes! Shit, man!" I smiled knowing he'd found my handiwork.
"What's the…" Simmons added as his shiny dress shoes squeaked on the over-the-top floor. "I see. Seems Barnes underestimated the Major."
"Underestimated! She… God, look at his throat! Hey, wake up bitch!" Flunky One yelled, his words punctuated by an audible slap. Gritting my teeth, I forced myself to stay hidden. He would die soon enough. The sound of a dead or perhaps unconscious body being moved sounded. "Oh, fuck, man… why can't you… shit."
"Looks like Corporal Barnes finally met a woman he couldn't conquer." Simmons commented, an ever so slight sound of respect in his otherwise disrespectful voice. Smiling to myself as I envisioned the two men seeing his johnson still hanging out of his pants. I wondered if rigor mortis had set in yet.
The sound of gurney wheels trundling along heralded the arrival of whoever it was that wanted Carter.
"What happened to her? I specifically told you to bring her unharmed." A man with a gravelly voice complained without any comment about the bloodied heap lying beside her.
"Your exact words were intact. Both she and the child are, by definition, intact. The blood is not hers." Simmons responded drily. "Page me the moment the symbiote is implanted." He added. A jolt went through my system. Implanted. They were going to snake Carter! The dark fury belonging to Shadow Jack that I had been holding at bay surfaced. "If they do that Jack, she will lose our daughter." He echoed in my mind. "Remember Sha're couldn't…"
"I know." I replied silently. There was a snowball's chance in hell of that happening. I knew I needed him to keep my head, to do what had to be done. Closing my eyes, I let my alter-ego takeover. The anger that sat festering over the last hour manifested into something so dark that I had to look away. This was the part of me that tried to kill Daniel, that would kill to save those closest to me. The cold-blooded professional.
The sound of the gurney being wheeled away alongside squeaky high shines and the clomping of combat boots signalled that I was alone. Waiting a few more minutes, I checked my surroundings, then made my way out of the still open Tel'tak door and took up position behind some overfull dumpsters sporting a faded and peeling sticker denoting 'Property of St. Christina's'.
Pulling out my phone, I text a short text to Daniel alerting him to my presence.