Chapter 5

Carter was working on the samples they brought back from P9G-7695 when someone knocked on her door. She put down her instruments and lifted her head to welcome the newcomer, a technician from a lab two doors down.

- What can I do for you, Steven?, she asked, waving at him to come in.

- Well…, he began, embarrassed., we have lost another artifact, Major.

She stared at him a moment before getting a grip and coming to face him, frowning.

- What the hell is going on down here?, she asked him forcefully., This is the second item we lost in less than a week, it's way more than what we did in the last two years.

- I know., the poor man agreed, ashamed.

He had been volunteered to tell the news to her and wasn't particularly thrilled by the way she was looking at him. When she was all smile and satisfied with their discoveries, looking at her was elating but right now, he just wanted to find a hole and bury himself in it.

- Which one is it?, she asked him and he showed her the picture of the lost object.

- Great, just the one we needed to study right after we finish the ongoing analyses. Search the whole place, trash included. I'll have to report that to General Hammond., she growled, furious.

Steven fled away not willing to be the aim of her anger, leaving the Major alone.

- Hi Sam. Sorry to be late. The meeting took longer than I thought., Charlie said, coming in, ladden with folders and her laptop., Is everything alright?, she asked, seeing something was off.

- Yeah… could be better., the major whispered., I have to leave you alone for a few minutes. We'll talk about the meeting after, okay?

- Okay. I'll stay right here., Charlotte said.

Sam went off and headed to the elevators. She dreaded to announce the security breach to her CO but she couldn't delay it. They didn't find the first missing one and it was not at Area 51 as she had learned the same morning. There were rogue people in the SGC. It wouldn't be a first but she thought they had succeeded to limit the risks. She knocked on Hammond's door and went in, closing behind her.

- I can't come right now. Do what is necessary and I'll call back at lunch time. Should have a moment alone. Okay, see you., Charlie hung up and shoved the phone in her pocket as footsteps were coming her way.

- Hey Car… ter…, Colonel O'Neill said.

- Good morning, sir., she saluted him.

- At ease, Lieutenant. Carter isn't there?, he asked, looking around to see if he missed her.

- No, she had to go but should be back soon. You can wait here, Sir., she offered, sorting her folders cautiously.

- I bet you were one of those people who use a lot of colors to organize their stuff., he told her, amazed by how precised she seemed to be.

- Well, a good organization is a key to succeed, I think. It enables us to do a lot of things in a short amount of time., she answered, blushing.

Maybe he thought she was a maniac, a control freak… and somehow she was, well, she mostly had to be to do so many things in a week… She smoothed her sleeves as she was done and noticed a stain that made her heart race. Hastily, she rolled them up to her elbows and took a folder, fearing he had noticed something too. She cast a little glance at him and her eyes widened when she saw him take an artifact that he handled carelessly, turning it upside down, shaking it, typing on it and she just snatched it from his hands.

- Sorry, Sir but you may not want to play with that. We think this could be a weapon., she told him to soften the way she just acted.

- A weapon that? It looks like a toy, you know, one of those you must like with lots of colors…, he joked.

- I see what you mean but we still have to finish the analysis of this one and it definitely looks like a weapon that could hurt you pretty badly. I don't think you want to end up arm-less.

- Not really., he agreed looking for something else to play with.

- How was the team night, Sir?, she asked, hoping it would provide enough distraction for him.

- The team night? It was good as usual. We spent time talking about this and that, I cooked some steaks on the barbecue, we laughed… even Teal'c joked… He's becoming pretty good at that, I must say. And we finished by watching for the umpteenth time Starwars., he told her., And you, how was your night? I guess there was no Starwars at the end.

Charlie felt slightly embarrassed while trying to find something to say.

- Indeed no Starwars but it was… special., she simply said., Sir, I hope I didn't offend you when I said no. I was very pleased that you invited me but I really couldn't come., she told him, her eyes pleading.

- No problem. You spare me the need to go and buy non-alcoholic beverages., he told her, looking at her amused.

- I'm not underage anymore, Sir., she scolded playfully.

- Really? You should wipe out the milk from your face., he teased her.

He saw her turn pale and look down at her uniform and wondered what the hell was going.

- I was kidding, Lieutenant. Relax., he told her.

- Sir? Whatcha doing here?, Carter asked, coming back from her meeting with Hammond.

- Hanging around?, he offered., Trying to get my hands blown up?

- I had to take this from his hands., Charlie said, pointing at the artifact.

- You did good. I already told you to stop playing with the doohickeys, Sir. Some are fragile, other really dangerous., Sam scolded him and he looked at her sheepishly.

- Care to have some lunch?, he tried to divert her attention.

Charlotte saw Sam lost her contempt and smiled fondly at him. She could understand why. The big bad colonel seemed to be much more than that and mostly less bad and grumpy than she first thought. She was close to find him endearing.

- Do you want to come have lunch with us?, Sam asked her, getting her out of her musing.

- No, thanks. I need to leave early this evening, so I'll just go on working., she answered.

- If you go on refusing our offers to join us, I'll think you want to avoid me, Lieutenant., O'Neill told her with a crooked smile.

He saw her frown and understood her stance as he was the one who lashed out at her last week but a few days had passed and the aftermaths of hearing of Sara's new happy life and dealing with his son's namesake were fading away. He was not ready to call her name yet but he could live with her around.

- I guess one day I'll say yes. It's just… I still have to deal with some things after moving from Nevada., she apologized.

- Just ask if you need. We might help you., Sam said.

Charlie nodded, thankful, and they left her.

- I can tell I'm glad to be here. It should be a long time before I have to go through the ordeal of moving to a new home., Sam sighed.

- Planning on going somewhere else after, Carter?, Jack asked out of curiosity.

- Not really but you never know with the USAF. Don't you ever think of it, Sir?, she replied, looking at him, his brown eyes meeting her blue ones, a certain heat growing inside her.

- I won't move any time soon. When I'm done here, I'll just resign and stay here and from time to time go to Minnesota., he just said, shrugging.

- Don't want to climb the ladder to be a General, Sir?, she teased him.

- You know what? If they really want a General O'Neill, I'll leave that to the other one. They won't fool me and she will look better on the pictures., he said smugly.

She laughed wholeheartedly at his antics.

- Are you laughing at me, Major?, he asked her, very pleased with himself.

- I wouldn't dare, sir. I just think you could both make it to General and it would raise a lot of questions but be a good thing for the USAF., she told him, earnestly.

- Well, thank you… I guess… even though I don't really want to fly a desk at any time. Nonetheless, there's more chance that we make it both to General in the same lapse of time than she and I. Oh God… I'll have to bear your technobabbling even longer…, he whispered, opening the commissary door, and let her in.

She didn't feel hurt by his remark and just smiled brightly, his jokes making her day a whole lot more lighter. She still couldn't believe they had lost artifacts. Well, lost wasn't the right word. They had probably been stolen and what pissed her off above all was this had been done by someone inside of the SGC, which meant anyone she came across everyday. She hoped the inventory she was going to implement during the afternoon would not increase the number of missing items.

- Earth to Sam!, Daniel called her out., What's going on? You're completely out of it.

- Well, she began, casting a glance around her to see if anyone might overhear her., Some artifacts went missing. I think someone has taken them out.

- Oh crap! A new rogue team?, Jack whispered disgustedly.

- It's possible, sir. We have to check to see if there's no other piece missing.

- Does the General know it?, O'Neill asked, frowning.

- He does. I told him right away., she told him, letting out an upset breath.

- I am certain you will find the one who stole the artifacts, Major Carter., Teal'c spoke calmly.

- So am I, Teal'c, and they'll regret doing so., she affirmed, angry., Let's talk about something else. Did you decipher the writings from the ruins, Daniel?, she asked him.

Daniel wiped his mouth and nodded eagerly, all too pleased to talk about his favorite subject.

- As I thought, it was close to an African dialect. As I'm not really familiar with it, I took time to find the good one and I just began. So I don't know a lot but I had time to study the pictograms, the decorum and it's really interesting…, he began to explain, making the colonel growled out of frustration, which went unnoticed, or just ignored, by Daniel who just went on about his discoveries.

Lunchtime lifted up Sam's mood and, the afternoon, she oversaw the inventory of the artifacts they had in storage, leaving Charlie go on on their projects.

- Do you need me for the inventory?, Charlie asked at the end of the day.

- We're already ten on it so I don't think so. I still have to check the artifacts on my lab. I will do it when I'm done here…, Sam said, taking the sheet the younger woman held out to her.

- I did it while waiting for some results. I thought it might help you., she just told her, before looking at her watch.

- Well, thank you. If you have to go, you can leave., Carter suggested, seeing her look at the others still working.

- I have to… but maybe I can f…, Charlotte offered, self-consciously.

- No, go ahead. You already told me you had things to do. We're okay here. It's just an inventory. It should be done soon., the major replied, shooing her away.

- Good evening, Ma'am., she saluted her before leaving… after giving an uncertain look into the room.

Half an hour later, the inventory was completed and she checked the list, frowning. There was a serious security breach and she had to warn the general about it. Knowing he would have to tell his 2IC aka her own CO, she passed by O'Neill's office and asked him to go with her. He didn't argue nor joke as she looked pretty stern.

- Can we come in, Sir?, she questioned General Hammond after knocking on his door.

- Have a seat., he offered them.

They closed the door and did as they were told. She waited he closed the folder in his hands to talk.

- We have "lost" five artifacts, Sir., she stated grimly., Someone is stealing us. None were due to go to Area 51 and I've checked myself for the first one which disappearance I found out. They are all small devices we assume could be weapons of some sorts.

- Can you trace when the first one disappeared?, the General asked her in an even tone.

- I'd say two to three weeks as we last examined them in that lapse of time. You know how we work. The technicians make a first assessment and then report to me their findings so that I can decide the rank in which they will be fully analyzed., she explained.

Hammond kept the silence for a moment before looking at them. They knew he was thinking about how to solve the problem and he came to a solution.

- Major, I want you to go on with your normal tasks as if everything was normal., he told her.

- Yes sir but…, Sam said, bewildered.

Hammond raised his hand to stop her and turn to Colonel O'Neill.

- Colonel, you'll be in charge of the investigation. You are used to visiting Major Carter's lab so your comings and goings won't look suspicious. You also have full access to the security footage, backlogs and so on. I want that rotten agent out of my base ASAP but I want to have his accomplices too, so it has to be a discreet investigation. Is that understood?, he asked his 2IC.

- Yes sir. Can I put Teal'c in the loop? The guy has a sixth sense for this kind of things., O'Neill explained.

- Granted. Now I'll suggest you leave the base for the night. Dismissed., General Hammond told them.

They both left his office and then the base. As he drove home, O'Neill had to stop at a red light. Tapping his fingers on the steering wheel, he scanned the surroundings, old habit from his black op time. Hearing a car door jammed, he turned his head and, squinting, saw Charlie O'Neill getting into her car before driving away. He winced when her name came to his mind, the same old sadness and guilt flashing but he fought against it.

As the red light switched to green, he turned to his left in the direction of his home. Suddenly, he frowned. What could she do there? There was no shop, no office, no public place she could go to… Was she visiting someone? Out of the blue, the conversation he caught a little bit in the morning came back to his mind. He snorted. It seemed a boy was behind the thing she still had to do after moving. She was young after all and as dedicated as she seemed to be to the Air Force, she had a life, a private life and that was not a bad thing. No wonder she'd rather spend a night with her boyfriend than a bunch of older people. Ouch, that hurt as it reminded him he was not in his prime.

Next morning, Sam was in her lab reading the different reports she had to catch up on when Charlie arrived. The younger woman was juggling with things in her hands and swore when something almost fell from her pile but she managed to retain it at the last second.

- Seems someone hasn't had enough sleep last night., Sam joked, making her assistant blush and look away, embarrassed.

- I was studying. Didn't see how late it was., Charlie explained quickly, setting her mug of coffee, keys and other things on a cupboard., Oh gosh.., she mumbled.

- Is there anything wrong?, Carter asked, facing her back.

- No! I… I just kept something I shouldn't have…, her assistant told her, shoving something in her pocket quickly.

- You need to give it back right away?, the major questioned her, curious.

- No, it's okay. Tonight will be okay… I guess., Charlie told her while turning on her laptop., Area 51 sent us the updated blueprints we asked for., she announced her, diverting the conversation.

- I know. Take a look at them so we can see what to do next., Sam said, looking at her for a few seconds before going back to her readings.

She found the way she just acted odd but remembered how many sleepless nights she went through while preparing her doctorates. It was a tough period in her life as she did it as she was doing everything that mattered in her life, with a dedication nearing the priesthood.

- By the way, what do you think of the results of the analyses done on the samples you brought back?, Charlie asked suddenly.

- I didn't read them yet. Did you see them?, Sam asked.

- They came out yesterday in the middle of printings I did. So I filed them for you and I couldn't not see. Sorry if I shouldn't have. It was not marked as classified., the younger woman explained.

- It wasn't. I thought they were not done yet., the major replied, looking for the folder., Tell me what you think.

- Well, I just had a glimpse but I think we should go further in the analysis of the metals present in the soil. Maybe even have some corings or use a radar to see more profoundly., the lieutenant answered., I don't want to make assumptions too fast but I think there could be something of interest down there.

Sam looked at the data in the report she had, thought about it a little and then handed it to Charlie.

- Go ahead. Look at the data, do the analyses you think necessary and that can be done here and write your report. You may have to defend it in front of General Hammond., she warned her with a knowing smile.

- Oh no… This is not my place. This is your job, your samples… I don't want to take them from you., Charlie refused.

- Your findings, your cause. I'm not your superior in this lab, remember it? You make a good guess, you've got to work on it. Bad luck, isn't it?, Sam joked.

- Next time, I'll just shut up., the younger woman muttered, embarrassed, taking the folder.

Sam giggled slightly before taking another report. Maybe she should have asked Hammond about it but the fact was there was nothing Charlotte couldn't read in the data she had access to. She really hoped the General would be able to grant a wider clearance to her assistant. It was pretty stupid to restrain her while she couldn't ignore the existence of the stargate with all the klaxons blaring on a regular basis and the off-world travels.

- I always said there were too many scientists on that base!, O'Neill grumbled, And too many doohickeys too!

- You did not., Teal'c denied.

- Well, I thought it so loud you should have heard it., the colonel insisted.

- Don't your thoughts pertain to your brain and isn't your brain unable to speak on its own?, the jaffa replied calmly.

- You know what I mean, Teal'c!, Jack growled.

- I do not., his friend simply stated.

- I suggest we took all of them and put them in a room. We let them beat the crap out of each other until they find the guilty one., O'Neill said out of boredom.

They had spent the whole day watching security footage, which meant he had been stuck in the security office without being able to move around or play with his yo-yo – he had to stick with the standards up here – and hadn't been able to stick to his habits to go bother his two favorite scientists… Argh… he so felt stuck to his chair…

- This may not be as effective as you wish, O'Neill. Scientists tend to be pacifist people. They will not fight against each other., the jaffa mused.

- Couldn't you agree with me for once?, Jack asked him, cranky.

- No, I can't.

On those words, Teal'c just put the next videotape and pushed the play button. Jack pushed the stop one and rose.

- Stop! I need a break or I'm gonna go steer crazy and chase down all of them, zat them until they say they're the one., he warned.

- Then there will be no scientist left on this base. As you know, one shot hurts…, Teal'c told him.

- The second kills and the third one disintegrates, I know! How wonderful would be a world with no technobabble and other… babble… Hi Daniel!, Jack said cheerfully.

- Hi Jack… Should I get out of your way?, the younger man asked warily.

- No way, Danny-boy. You know how much I love to hear you talk about… well you know what you talk about…, O'Neill quipped, grimacing.

- Okay… So what about I tell you what I found since yesterday by translating the writings on the walls of the ruins and how we should go back to see the second site and maybe even the third one?, Daniel suggested.

- What about…, Jack began, discarding the rhetorical question about his preference between plague and cholera…, I'm the leader of SG-1 and you're a member of my team so I'm all ears, Daniel.

The archaeologist lifted an eyebrow, highly doubting of his real interest, but he was used to Jack's ways now so he went on.

- I'm halfway of the translation. You know I was right about them being linked to an African dialect, a really old one by the way. It's really weird to find this whereas the people over there do not have matching traits. Really really weird…, Daniel thought out loud, digressing.

- Daniel… to the point., Jack redirected him.

- Yeah, sorry… Err… right. So far, I've found the place was used as temple, so they believed in someone or something but it doesn't seem to be goa'uld. Maybe I'll find more in the next part., Jackson let them know.

- I'm sure you will and I'll be so interested in knowing., he mocked him, patting his shoulder., So, what's in the cake today?, he asked one of the commissary employees.

Daniel sighed when he saw his friend more concentrated while listening the ingredients of the dessert than to him before… Well, Jack O'Neill was Jack O'Neill. He was sure somewhere in his brain, he had recorded everything. He perfectly knew Jack was far from being dumb, really far from it… but he saw how some people in the room took it as it looked and that was part of the game he played…