AN: During and after Out of Mind and Into the Fire.

Jack turned away, and kept watch at the corridor while Carter stole the technician's clothes for herself. There was nothing quite like being in the same room with a naked woman, any naked woman really, but especially one that you wanted to get under your hands. The possibility of accidentally catching a glimpse of her had added something electric to the air and had the hair on his neck standing at attention.

He heard a thump behind him, and instinctively turned his head with a jerk to check it out quickly enough to see her metallic blanket hit the edge of the cryo pod.

"Need a hand?" Jack asked.

"No, he's not that heavy. It's just awkward to move him."

Jack swore under his breath at that. He should be feeling awkward too, but he just couldn't conjure the emotion. He heard a thunk that sounded like the technician falling against a wall. Then he heard the brush of fabric on skin before two bare feet touched down on the floor in succession. She must have gotten into the pants, at least.

Another drop of fabric to the floor, and another thump of the technician's head. Between Carter's abuse and Jack sending him to sleep with the gas tank, he was going to have a nice headache in a few hours. One more whoosh of fabric, and she was done. He turned around to see her just slipping into the jacket and pulling two buttons through their holes.

"Unarmed?" she asked.

"For now. Let's go find the boys."

The Goa'uld had chosen. It had chosen Colonel O'Neill. Sam walked next to him down the hall of the facility with Daniel on his other side. They seemed to be walking back toward the rooms with the cryo chambers.

"We're going to get you out of here, Sir. If we can't stop the implantation, you have to resist it. You'll still be you," she coached him. She didn't really love being an authority on this, but she felt he needed the reminder.

"Negative Captain, get yourselves out of here. Kill me if you have to, but don't let it take me."

"Sir, the Tok'ra have better ways of extracting them than we do, they can help."

"Well, you know how I love those guys."

"We're going to have to figure out a way to get back in there. Makepeace isn't going to go for it," Sam whispered as they made their way through the ship with half of the SGC in front of them.

"What kind of rescue is this, anyway?" Daniel obviously had feelings about Makepeace.

"A two thirds rescue?" she guessed. "Colonel O'Neill doesn't seem so bad now, does he?"

"If I agree with you, will you promise not to tell Jack?"

"Depends on how badly I need to blackmail you," she answered with an uncharacteristic smirk.

"Oh God, he's rubbing off on you."

"Hey, I wanted to keep that," Jack bellowed at the nurse's aide who was balling up the cream colored jacket to dispose of it. He had been forced into scrubs for overnight observation since he had been snaked, while Carter and Daniel were going to be sprung.

"I can take it, Airman," Carter offered, taking the garments from the slightly terrified girl. "I'll put it in your office for you."

"I have an office?" he asked.

"Fine, I'll put it in my lab. Why do you want to keep it anyway?"

"A memento of that one time that I had a snake in my head."

"Huh..." she mused with a quirk of her head.

"What?"

"It just doesn't sound like you, Sir."

"Okay, I looked good in it," he answered defensively.

"See, that sounds more like you. Did you keep the motorcycle jacket too?" she asked.

"Yeah, why shouldn't I?"

"Do you ride?"

"Not lately. You?" She didn't answer him for some reason. She just offered a little grin.

"You should keep them both. Goodnight, Sir."