Cliche 27 5

Is This It?

by Arcturus

URL: http://www.area52hkh.net/asa/arcturus/cliche05.php
Summary: Duty puts Sam in danger

Jack and Hammond were sitting in the General's office discussing SG-1's return to full strength when the klaxons sounded with an unscheduled off world activation. Walter identified the Tok'ra IDC as the two entered the control room. By the time they had made it to the bottom of the ramp, Jacob Carter and Thor were exiting the wormhole. "General Hammond, O'Neill." Thor greeted, "It is good to see you, we have much to discuss."

The two Air Force Officers exchanged bemused glances, silently greeting Jacob as they followed the small grey alien from the gate room and up the stairs.

As they settled round the table it was Selmak that took charge. "It has come to our attention that several minor Goa'ulds are working in league with each other. They have agreed to an alliance that will enable them to build new attack vessels more quickly. Together they have enslaved a planet and created a ship yard with capacity to work on up to ten ships at a time. The slave population has almost tripled in the last two months and the first ships are near completion."

"Let me guess, you need our help?" Jack quipped.

"O'Neill, I hope you appreciate the enormity of this development." Thor began. "The alliance of these lesser Goa'ulds poses a serious threat to everyone in this galaxy. Their cooperation is something that has never been witnessed previously and could prove very dangerous. We need to wipe out their operation as quickly as possible."

"And you want us to do what?" Jack continued in his snarky vein.

"We need someone to infiltrate the base and permanently disable the generator."

"And you can't do that why?"

Selmak again, "At present there are no Tok'ra operatives to spare."

"And the Asgard resources are stretched to capacity elsewhere. However we believe between us we have identified the most suitable person for the job." Thor added.

"Person? As in singular?"

"The base has tight security. To increase the likelihood of success, it would be prudent for only one person to attempt the mission." The small grey alien continued.

"Who do you have in mind?" Hammond prompted.

"Major Carter."

"No." Jack stated, almost bolting from his seat, "She's too valuable to risk. I'll do it."

"With all due respect Jack," Jacob this time, "you don't have the scientific knowledge to pull this off."

Jack looked down at the table, unwilling to concede the point.

"The Tok'ra and the Asgard believe that Major Carter has the greatest chance of success. That is why we are here." Thor added. "I hope you see the urgency of the situation General." The commander asked.

"I do," Hammond replied, "But I am not sure I am willing to risk Major Carter on such a potentially dangerous mission."

"I understand your reservations General, but there does not appear to be any viable alternatives."

"Well I need to hear a more detailed plan first before I decide."

***

Sam had the pieces of the replication machine carefully spread out in one of the larger labs, a number of the science team working with her to unbuild it so they could study it and maybe retro engineer it. The weight of the last two weeks had lifted from her shoulders and her mind was fully focused on the task in front of her. In fact she had concluded that the two weeks confinement had done her a power of good. She could think about Janet without feeling that her heart was going to shatter. Just.

The phone in the lab rang and Sam was aware of a brief conversation, then Doctor Lee at her side. "Major? General Hammond has asked for you in the briefing room."

Sam sighed, pushing back the very recent memory of uninterrupted days in the lab. She checked briefly that everyone knew what they were doing and left for the elevator.

Sam was surprised by the group sat round the table, she greeted her father warmly and they quickly got down to business.

Forty minutes later and she was reeling with the enormity of what they were asking her to do. "So let me get this straight," she said, "I take the Tok'ra compound that means they can't detect me. Thor beams me into the base, I find the control room, deactivate the shield, set the charges and leave. Once outside, I detonate the C4 and run to the gate where I dial home; mission complete. Have I missed anything?"

Jack smirked at the way it sounded so simple. Everyone knew that it was not. There were so many things that could go wrong, variables that they could not plan against with just Sam taking it on.

"What happens if I don't make the gate?"

And now no-one would look at her. Thor had explained why the only assistance the Asgard could give was to deliver her to the base, citing protected planet treaties and non-interference. Even this was pushing the boundaries of what was acceptable for them.

Jacob had offered a Tel'tac to the rest of SG-1, sited on a planet half a days flight from the target. If Sam didn't make it to the gate, and assuming the Goa'uld's would stay to oversee the clean up, they could attempt a rescue.

But the reality of it was, if she didn't make the gate, the rescue attempt was more likely to be retrieval of her body.

"We'll come get you Carter," O'Neill assured her, "No on gets left behind remember?"

"Thanks sir."

***

The rest of SG-1 and Janet had joined the briefing and Jack had begun to describe the plans for the mission. Janet listened incredulously as risk upon risk was outlined, each justified with a hazy back up that might or might not be possible. She wanted desperately to find a way for Sam not to do this. Selfish as it was, she could not countenance losing the major. Unable to contain her concern she stated bluntly, "I'm not sure the Major is physically up for this mission; she has not been on active duty for the last two weeks."

She willed the blush from her cheeks as the room stilled and every pair of eyes fixed on her. Surprisingly, it was Teal'c who saved her, although his words were not what Janet wanted to hear. "Major Carter has spent her confinement wisely, we have sparred regularly and she has spent many hours honing her fitness."

"Do you have doubts the Major will pass a physical Doctor?" Hammond queried.

She ignored the direct question, preferring to pick up on Teal'c's point. "Sparring in the gym is hardly the same as mission ready fitness." she defended, "I'm just saying that I am unsure that the Major is ready for the rigors that will be asked of her if she undertakes this task." She knew she was grasping at straws, but an irrational part of her did not want to let Sam go on this suicidal run. For if she had understood the plan correctly it could not be described as anything else.

"I think this Major," Sam began, pinning her eyes on Janet, "Can readily answer for herself. I believe I am physically and mentally prepared for this and I have no reservations about saying yes. So unless," here she looked round at everyone in the room, "anyone has any other worries, concerns or doubts; I suggest we proceed as quickly as possible."

A consensus of nods filled the room and everyone began to rise. "Two hours people; get cleared and geared up, timing is crucial." Hammond concluded. Janet was out the door before he had finished the sentence.

***

Sam sat tensely on the infirmary bed waiting for her mission clearance. She knew after the exchange in the briefing room that Janet would be the one doing the examination. She closed her eyes and willed away the emotion. This was not the time to be questioning her heart, asking herself things that would distract her. In less than thirty minutes she would be embarked on the most dangerous mission she had ever undertaken, with no immediate backup. She needed to be focused.

Janet stepped into the small space, clipboard clutched to her chest. Sam scrutinized her, wondered if she had been crying. "Alright Major, this should be fairly straight forward, shirt off please."

Sam complied, swallowing hard against the turmoil building in her chest.

Janet moved the instrument cart closer to the bed and fitted the blood pressure cuff. She deftly took two vials of blood, listened to Sam's chest, flicked her pen light into the blonde's eyes and read the monitor's output. She busied herself annotating her notes, trying not to look at the major, knowing she would not be able to control herself if she made contact with those blue eyes. As she moved to undo the cuff around Sam's arm, her hand brushed up against naked skin. There were two audible intakes of breath and Janet froze.

Sam could not resist any longer. When Janet's hand connected with her abdomen, all her pent up feelings seemed to explode. She grabbed at the doctor's arm, urging her to look up. Their eyes met and for several seconds Sam felt her heart still in her chest. She didn't care whether Janet had moved on; if this was the last contact they were to have, Sam wanted to tell her how she felt. She ran her free hand down Janet's soft cheek relishing the warmth and suddenly everything that had gone on before melted away. "I will never stop loving you Janet Fraiser." She breathed.

"Nor I you." Came the choked reply. "Now go before I make a spectacle of myself."

Sam's eyes widened at Janet's admission and for several moments neither moved. The blonde slipped off the bed, grabbing her tee shirt. Instead of moving past the doctor, she stepped close and place a chaste kiss on Janet's lips. Then she was gone. Janet had to grip the bed rail to stop her legs from buckling under her.

***

Thor blinked twice, scrutinizing the Tau'ri as she readied herself. Sam had just taken the Tok'ra compound, ensuring she would not set off the sensors once in the facility. "Are you prepared Major Carter?"

"Yes Thor, I'm ready." She mustered a smile for the Asgard. Despite the fact that the chances of her returning alive from this were slim to none, Sam felt remarkably calm. He nodded once and moved a stone across the console. Sam was enveloped in a white light and disappeared from the ship.

The disorientation of transport lasted only a couple of seconds and Sam pressed herself quickly against the wall. Taking several moments to get her bearings, she drew upon the mental map in her mind and headed off to the left. If Thor's beaming had been accurate, she had to negotiate moving down three levels of the facility before she would find the engineering room. Cautiously Sam made her way along stark gray corridors, mentally noting the Goa'ulds had not had time to decorate. The place was busy with Jaffa, and several times she had to duck behind pillars and into alcoves to ensure she remained undetected.

It took Sam longer than she had anticipated to find the correct door and several tense minutes for her to bust the lock to get inside. But once there, her scientific knowledge kicked in and she was able to crack the command controls with relative ease. After setting the shield to disengage only 30 seconds before the detonation was due, she quickly dismantled a section of the wall to set the charges. Sam was thankful that for once Tok'ra intelligence was correct. Making sure that the C4 was placed to augment the naquada running through the wall, she carefully replaced the panels, closed th4 command console and slipped out of the room.

The plan was for her to exit the facility before starting the countdown, giving her longer to get clear of the explosion; but Sam was worried that if she was spotted, she would not be able to activate the remote timer. Delaying the countdown also increased the chances of the sabotage being detected; whilst she was not traceable, she was pretty sure her tampering would be.

As she ran through the escape route in her head, Sam flicked the detonator switch open and deployed the countdown. She had five minutes.

***

Sam had only just cleared the building and was running at full tilt when the explosion hit. The shudder through the ground was huge and soon she was engulfed in the fall out of smoke and debris. Covering her mouth and nose as best she could, Sam continued to pelt down the ill defined track. She was brought to an abrupt halt by something slamming into her left leg, searing pain sending her sprawling to the ground.

Closing her eyes against the agony, Sam forced controlled breaths into her lungs until the pain subsided to tolerable. Inspection of her leg showed a chunk of metal imbedded firmly into her calf. Knowing pulling it out was too dangerous, the major gingerly tried to stand. White hot agony lanced up the limb and the contents of her stomach threatened to reappear. Leaning on one of the plentiful trees, Sam willed her body back under control. The gate was probably no more than a quarter of a mile away. Every second she stood motionless lessened her chances of reaching it undetected.

Drawing on reserves of strength she did not know she possessed, Sam propelled herself into a lurching jog. An unbidden image of Janet popped into her head and suddenly Sam longed to be in her arms. It had been all too easy to kid herself that she was over Janet; she would never be over Janet. The memory of the doctor's final words spurred her on.

A horn blast from behind her urged her faster, she could see the tree line, knew the gate stood in the open expanse beyond. Drawing ragged breaths into her aching lungs Sam ignored the screaming protest of her leg and continued.

Taking only the briefest of stops to appraise the clearing, Sam ran to the DHD and punched the address as fast as her shaking limbs allowed. She was aware of movement behind her, could hear the unmistakable clang of Jaffa armor ringing in her ears. She willed the gate to dial faster, pushed roughly at the sleeve of her jacket to expose her GDO and began to send her IDC. "Kree Tau'ri! Stop or I will shoot."

Sam closed her eyes, flipping quickly through all her options. If she finished sending her code, she would be shot and earth would be exposed to attack. She couldn't run anywhere, had no weapon with which to mount a defense. Sighing heavily she slapped the DHD to disengage the wormhole, feeling herself falling as she was engulfed by the blue shock of a zat.

***

"Unscheduled off world activation. Unscheduled off world activation."

Hammond glanced at his watch, sent a silent prayer and headed down the stairs. "It's P2R 416 General." Walter informed him, "No IDC yet sir."

"Keep the iris closed Sergeant."

The Texan stepped to the microphone, depressing the button for a base wide announcement. "Defense and medical teams to the gate room."

The shimmer of the connected wormhole bounced strange patterns off the wall and the frenzy of activity below contrasted starkly with the tense stillness of the control room. Hammond watched Fraiser and a team of medics appear in the doorway and the seconds ticked on.

Janet had been privy to the fine details of the mission, knew that this was Sam dialing in. Why didn't they open the iris? What was taking so long? She admonished herself silently, knowing she needed to be one hundred percent focused instead of behaving like a skittish teenager. Whatever had transpired, Sam would need her and she had to be ready.

Janet was pulled from her thoughts by the wormhole snapping shut. Swallowing her panic she looked up through the glass at Hammond. He stood like a statue for several moments and then bent to the microphone, "Stand down people."

Janet watched him turn away and she had to close her eyes to prevent the sudden choking emotion from overwhelming her. Sam had been so close.

Hammond watched the wormhole disappear, allowing several moments to pass whilst he composed himself. It would not do for anyone to see how this affected him. Leaning once more to the PA system he ordered, "Stand down people." and watched as those below began to follow his command. The general spun on his heel and managed gruffly, "Get me the Tok'ra," before retreating to the sanctuary of his office.

***

Sam blinked her eyes open, momentarily confused. She could see grass and nothing else. Concluding she was laying down, Sam remained still whilst she assembled her scattered thoughts. A quick assessment of her body told her several things; her hands were tied behind her back, her left leg was injured and he nerves jangled as if she had been hit by a...zat. Her predicament snapped clearly into place and her gut clenched involuntarily. She was not dead, she was a Jaffa captive and she had just blown to pieces the shipyard of a group of Goa'ulds. Crap.

Scrutiny of her current physical state complete, Sam turned her attention to learning more of where she was and what the chances of escape were. On closer inspection of the grass, she noted a number of armor clad boots. Straining her eyes up and to the right, she caught sight of a Goa'uld communication device in the hands of a Jaffa larger than Teal'c. She did not recognize the wave symbol on his head.

"...the base has been destroyed."

"Yes my Lords, we have one captive. She is Tau'ri."

"Yes my Lords, we await your arrival."

Time left then to make a getaway. Sam flexed her arms gauging how tightly she was bound. Slowly, hoping not to draw attention, she lifted her head to make a better estimate of the number of Jaffa. Six she could see; standard patrol. The odds were nigh on impossible and despite her caution, her movement had caught the attention of the large Jaffa. It appeared he was in charge.

He stepped towards her and grabbed her hair, forcing her to her knees. Pain lanced through the wound in her leg, but Sam stifled any noise; no good attracting attention to the fact that she was injured. Keeping a firm grip on her locks, Wave Boy - as Sam's mind had automatically dubbed him - pushed her head back so she had no choice but to look at him. He sneered at her, "Tau'ri, you will pay a heavy price for your actions. My Lords will arrive shortly to exact their revenge."

Sam looked him in the eye, unimpressed. "And you think they'll be pleased that you failed to stop the base being destroyed?"

His backhander rattled her teeth, but Sam congratulated herself on winning that round.

Before she had time to compose herself fully she was pulled to her feet. "We must move to a more open site. The Tel'tac will be here shortly." Wave Boy stated and taking the lead he began to move away from the DHD. The other five Jaffa fell in loosely around their captive. They appeared more relaxed than they should have been. Aware of their laxness, Sam readied herself and when Wave Boy was far enough in front she struck.

Using her right leg as a pivot she spun, her left foot lashing out at two unprepared guards, felling them quickly. Ducking the inevitable charge, she plowed her shoulder into the next Jaffa, catching him in the symbiote pouch and sending him sprawling behind her. Her left leg protested the action and gave out, toppling Sam onto her back, arms trapped painfully under her body. Feet still free, she aimed two kicks at Jaffa number four before she was overwhelmed by Wave Boy and the other remaining guard, who efficiently flipped her over and pinned her forcefully to the ground.

They swiftly removed her boots and bound her legs together. Wave Boy, once more using Sam's hair to force her to her knees, was livid. He unsheathed his dagger and pressed it hard to her exposed throat. "One more act of defiance from you Tau'ri and I shall kill you myself."

They stared at each other, neither willing to concede until Sam heard the Colonel's instructions clearly in her mind, "Choose your battles Carter."

She broke the gaze and felt the blade of the knife slide across her skin hard enough to draw blood. Sam was not sure if she was grateful to see the Tel'tac descend from the clouds.

***

On another planet, a similar Tel'tac sat idle, the three occupants restlessly waiting for their instructions. "Colonel? It's Jacob."

"Jake, what you got?"

"Confirmation that the base is destroyed. Sam made it as far as the gate."

The team mates exchanged glances; 'as far as' didn't mean through. Teal'c was already powering the engines as Jacob continued. "The wormhole was cut off before she made the SGC."

There was a long pause and Daniel wondered whether communications had been broken, until he heard the distraught father in Jacob, "Jack, I'm guessing they took her alive."

TBC

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