Jack and Daniel found Sam's Volvo at the police impound lot where it was being gone over by both the Colorado Springs Police Department and the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The car was not too badly damaged other than a crumpled right front fender, broken headlight, front grill, front bumper, and dented left rear quarter panel. But it did show some valuable information to anyone who would look. It was obvious that the car had been forced from the roadway by another vehicle from the left rear damage. The driver's door had some scratches on the paint possibly from a jimmy bar that had been used to unlock it. Both of these pieces of information served to indicate that Sam had been taken against her will and possibly that she was unconscious at the time. Sam Carter would not have been an easy victim. Even in her condition, she was a tall, strong woman and highly skilled in self-defense. Someone went to a lot of trouble and effort to take her.
As the officer locked the gate behind them, Daniel stopped and turned around to look sadly at the sports car. Jack put his hand on the younger man's arm. "What's wrong, Daniel?"
"It just doesn't feel right leaving it here all alone."
Jack looked at him oddly. "Daniel, it's a car, not a puppy. It doesn't really care that it's here."
The younger man frowned at his comments. "Sam will care." They walked away and got into Jack's truck. "Did they decide on anything?"
"No, nothing really, other than it was hit in the left rear, she lost control of the car, and it went down into a place she couldn't get it out of or get away from them on foot." They climbed into the big Ford F-250. "There was a little bit of blood on the steering wheel, but not enough to imply she was seriously hurt."
"So...?"
"So...she's officially listed as endangered, missing, possibly kidnapped. She's being listed in the National Crime Information Computer's database, which is nationwide, and everyone we know is on the lookout for her." Jack looked over at Daniel's worried expression. "Now, we go to Sam's house and wait. Hopefully, the kidnappers will call with some kind of demands so we can work on getting her back. Janet's there now, and the General went back to the SGC in case they call at the base."
"We need them to have someone checking our e-mail too, Jack. They may try and contact us through them."
"Good idea." The older man nodded. "We should have someone at our places, now that you mention it, for both the phones and the computers." He frowned. "We can request Simmons for my house... and, uh, who do you want at your place?"
"Uh, I don't know. Nyan maybe."
"That'll do," Jack nodded. He knew that Daniel trusted his young alien protégé with all his stuff and, more importantly, the man would not let them or Carter down.
They pulled into Sam's driveway, behind Fraiser's red bronco. There was a police car, a dark blue Air Force Sedan, and another obvious large car parked out front of the house. They walked in the living room and found an electronic jungle already in place. Janet, looking worried and tired, was sitting at the dining room table nursing a cup of coffee and talking with a group of official looking men. Cassie jumped up from her place next to her mom and ran over to the two men. She hugged Jack first then transferred her arms to Daniel's waist. The two of them stood holding each other for a few minutes before they finally decided to let each other go.
She looked up at Daniel then whispered fiercely; "They'll find her, Daniel. She's gonna be okay."
"Sure she is, Cass." Daniel managed. "Sure she is."
Jack walked over to where Janet and the men were sitting at Carter's table. "Heard anything?"
The doctor looked up at him. "Nothing yet, but then she's only been missing a few hours." Brown eyes met brown. "Do you have any idea who would have taken her?"
Jack shook his head. "I haven't a clue, it could be somebody who hopes to take us for a million dollars or..." he lowered his voice. "It could be someone wanting her for her technical knowledge or...." He let his voice fade off.
Janet looked at him, eyes widening. One of the men spoke from his place by an electronic listening device. "What are you thinking, Colonel?"
"Nothing really, just guesses." He said absently. "But I think I need to use the bathroom." He glanced over at Daniel who was standing in the middle of the living room looking around helplessly. "Hey, Danny."
"Yes," he looked to his team leader hopefully.
"Look," Jack said softly as he walked past the younger man and pitched his cell phone to him, "I've got an idea that I want to explore. Why don't you call Hammond and have him send those guys to our places with our extra keys to start monitoring our phones."
Daniel nodded. He caught Jack's phone out of the air and started dialing.
Jack went past the bathroom and into Carter's work area in what was originally a third small bedroom. He turned on the computer and impatiently waited for it to boot up. When the wallpaper of an F-117 appeared, he clicked on the icon for her Internet access and e-mail. He realized there were a few new personal messages from friends when he scanned them, but nothing that had anything to do with the apparent kidnapping.
Closing down her Outlook Express, he went to Yahoo and then into the Personals website. Going to the male to female section he typed in a message.
'SWM, tall, gray, and secretive looking for short, mysterious admirer. Urgent for hot date ref BDSM.'
He felt someone come into the room and then Daniel's hand on his shoulder. He looked over Jack's shoulder. "Jack, I'm shocked. I didn't think you were a BDSM kinda guy."
"It's to Maybourne. I'm hoping he'll pick up on this and call me."
"Maybourne...as in wanted by the government for treason Maybourne."
"That's the one. If anyone can find out anything about whether the NID has anything to do with Carter's disappearance, he's it."
"But don't you think it's kind of risky?" O'Neill could feel Daniel's blue eyes staring at the back of his head.
"Yes and no. Risky for him definitely, for me maybe, for Carter...I don't think so. If, and I do mean if only, the NID has something to do with this, they've got her for a purpose. Whatever that purpose is, it is too important to risk hurting her over a little snooping by a federal fugitive. They might kill Harry, but they wouldn't hurt her." He looked up at Daniel. "Do you want to go with me to my house, or me to drop you off at yours? It's up to you."
"You're not staying here?"
Jack shook his head. "I can't do anymore here then is all ready being done." He looked at his watch. "If Harry calls, he'll call my place. It's four thirty in the morning, and I need some shut eye so I can think straight tomorrow, or rather, later today." Jack turned off the computer. "I'll head back to the mountain later on and pick up T. I know he's about ready to go off with a big boom if he can't be involved in this." Jack turned his chair around and smiled up at Daniel. "If I thought you had a rival for Carter's affections, it would be him more than anyone." At the younger man's raised eyebrows, he continued. "Why not? He's tall, dark, handsome, smart, single, and built like a brick house.
The cell phone rang noisily by Jack's ear. He reached for it groggily. " 'Lo. O'Neill."
"Bruce Wayne, this is Clark Kent." A familiar voice chirped in his ear.
"Oh, 'lo, Clark."
"What are you doing, Bruce. Sounds like you had a late night."
"Early morning more like it."
"What can I do for you, Bruce?"
"Uh," Jack had to think a minute, "Diana is missing."
"Diana?"
C'mon Harry, get with the program. "Yeah, you know Diana Prince."
"Oh, really?" He finally got it. "That's....interesting."
"Yeah, thought you'd find it...interesting. Do you know anything that's going on there in Smallville?"
"No, most of the big guys are on vacation, as you may well know."
"Even Lex Luthor?" Daniel, hearing Jack talking on the phone, had come into the room and was looking at him strangely.
"I can't talk now. Can we meet somewhere?" Harry's voice asked quietly over the phone
"Name it."
"The greasy spoon on I 40. We can talk there." The voice paused. "Come alone, Bruce."
"No, Dick's coming with me."
"Oh, all right." There was resignation in his voice. "But, be careful. No one else. Got it?"
"Yeahshuryabettcha." The phone went dead in his hand.
"Who was that?" Daniel asked.
"Clark Kent. He wants to meet Bruce and Dick for breakfast."
Daniel just looked at him oddly. "So, do I need to get dressed?"
"That would be a yes. Let's go, Dick." At Daniel's look, he smiled. "Dick Grayson, I'm Bruce Wayne."
"Of, course." The blue eyes looked at him suspiciously. "And that would make Sam Diana Prince?"
"Wonder Woman."
"Makes sense to me." Daniel headed into the shower shaking his head.
The two heroes drove the F-250 bat-mo-truck to the requested location. The parking lot was empty.
Jack glanced over at Daniel. "Stay here for a minute." He then handed Jackson his 9mm.
"Watch my back, I don't think there will be a problem, but you never know with these paranoid types."
Daniel accepted the weapon, glanced around the immediate area then looked at Jack.. "Why do I have to wait here?"
"Cause you're the sidekick...it's your job."
"Why am I the sidekick?" Daniel frowned.
"Cause I'm the last action hero. It's in my job description...to go in first."
"Not."
"Is."
"Not."
"Okay, it's not, but...somebody's got to first and it isn't going to be you, Dad." Jack got out of the truck and slammed the door. "Give me six minutes, then follow me in."
"Why six?"
"Cause you're watching mine." Jack and walked nonchalantly to the cafe's entrance. As he reached the door he could see Harry Maybourne, aka Clark Kent, sitting in a booth through the windows that lined the front of the building. He looked back at Daniel, raised a hand with all five fingers extended and nodded. He then opened the door and went in.
As Jack approached the table, he nodded at the waitress who brought him an empty cup and a pot of coffee. He slid into the booth and reached for the cup. "Hello, Clark. How are things in Metropolis?"
"Not bad." The small stocky man took a sip of his coffee. "And Gotham City?"
"Been better,"
Harry looked past Jack and watched Daniel approached the table.
"Ah, your sidekick, Robin the boy-blunder."
Daniel glared at him then took his seat next to Jack.
"He's awfully unfriendly this morning." Harry addressed the comment to Jack who glanced over at his friend.
"Well, Dick here doesn't do well without his caffeine." He waved at the waitress who brought another cup. "And we're both a little upset about Diana."
"With good reason, it would seem." Harry put down his cup. "Jack, you old dog...I never would have thought it."
"Well, don't." O'Neill scowled into his cup. "I'm here as her CO and friend. Nothing else, but then that's enough. Have you heard anything?"
"Yes and no." Maybourne looked at him curiously. "So, who is the father?"
"None of your damned business, Maybourne." Daniel replied flatly. "It doesn't matter."
"Oh, but there's where you're wrong, Dick. Look, Bruce, there are several reasons that she could have been taken. All of them lead to different possible bad guys." Harry continued on reasonably. "There is an opinion popular with certain groups that you are the father. If it is you," he nodded at O'Neill,
"well, Makepeace reported you were snaked a few years back. They think it may lead to the creation of a Harsesis." He looked back over at O'Neill. "See what I mean?"
Jack nodded unhappily.
"If it's by one of your alien friends, a Tollan say, then there's the alien DNA theory. If it's father is, say, another genius" he looked directly at Daniel, "well, then there's all kind of possibilities from the Russians, the Chinese, the Iranians, the French, to some other groups." He looked back over at O'Neill. "Get it now?"
O'Neill again nodded his comprehension. Maybourne continued.
"Now, I'm willing to bet that Bruce here wouldn't be stupid enough to get her pregnant in the first place, if for nothing else, her career. And I'm willing to bet that Diana wouldn't let herself get pregnant by an alien just because of the medical implications. She could also get an abortion since you have your own medical personnel. That leaves someone that she would want to have a child by. I know she doesn't have a varied social life. Jack and the Jaffa have already been covered, so that leaves..." Harry looked at Daniel, "Dick Grayson here."
When neither of the other men said anything, Harry just grinned.
"I'm right."
"What makes you think so, Clark?" Jack growled.
Maybourne shrugged, "He's young, bright, she trusts him, and he's attractive in a pretty boy kinda way." He grinned salaciously at Daniel.
"What's your point, Harry?" Jack interrupted.
"Well, the point is that someone wants her or the baby, or both. It'll be up to you to decide which it is. Then, you may figure out who it is."
Jack looked at Harry with an unhappy expression. "And what do you know, Harry?"
"I know that I looked in all the right places..."
"And got squat. I need more than that, I need answers."
"I don't have any for you." The smaller man shook his head. "It's not the regular NID caper, you know that. It they had wanted her, she would have been gone months ago. It's out of my circle." He leaned over his cup and lowered his voice. "I think you need to look closer to home, like at your...allies."
"Are you saying that someone here at the SGC may have her?" Daniel demanded. "Why? For what purpose?"
Maybourne glared at the younger man, then shrugged. "Okay, it's not them; I don't know who it is. But I do know this, it's not the NID, at least not the regular group." Maybourne sat there thinking. "Look, if you two come up with any bright ideas I'll be more than happy to check them out for you. I like Carter; she's a good kid." He glanced down at his wristwatch. "I've been here too long. You know how to reach me." Maybourne stood up and pulled on his light jacket than looked at O'Neill.
Jack picked up his bill and put it with his and Daniel's. "I got it. We'll be in touch."
Maybourne nodded and headed for the door.
Samantha Carter awoke again in the strange hospital room. Looking around groggily she could make out the lit dials on the different monitors as they read her diagnostic information. She had been in and around Janet's infirmary enough to know what was normal for her, and all the faces read plain vanilla. Her heart rate, blood pressure, temperature, Electroencephalogram, and Electrocardiogram all were right on perfect. Moreover she had no pain, nothing, not a headache or body twinges anywhere to indicate an injury. She was however a bit dizzy and lethargic, but it was the feeling of being drugged, not injured.
She laid her hand on her distended abdomen, feeling for any movement. There was none. The baby seemed as sluggish as she felt, apparently content with or unable to cause any unnecessary motion. Sam was worried; it couldn't be good for the infant; if she was feeling half as bad as her mother was. This had to stop and soon.
Carter fumbled with the bed controls until she managed to raise the top of her hospital bed, and succeeded in dropping the railings on the sides. Sitting up cautiously, she dangled her feet over the side and tried to overcome the wave of dizziness and nausea that held her to the bed.
Finally she felt well enough to try to stand. Slipping off the side of the mattress Sam managed to stand on her own. The cold, tile floor gave her another tactile physical sensation to cling to, helping her to recover her equilibrium.
Strengthening her nerve and patting her tummy as a promise to her unborn child, the woman took the few steps to the doorway. Once there, she started to unplug all the sensor leads from their electronic hosts. Turning the alarms off one by one, Sam disentangled herself. Finally she was free.
Looking into the room's only closet, she discovered a terrycloth robe and some rubber- soled slippers. Obviously, she was expected to stay a while. She slipped the robe on over her backless hospital gown and pulled on the shoes. Picking up a broom that had also been in the closet she started her journey.
Feeling better about the idea of going outside, she slipped out of the room into the deserted hallway. This was final proof to her that she was not in a legitimate active hospital. Creeping down the hall she followed red arrows that she hoped indicated the way out.
Sam was a little concerned that there was no one around. The lights were on, the vents blew air, but there was no sign of life anywhere. There was none of the incidental little sounds that accompanied any building, no phones ringing, no loudspeakers, not even any Musak. Then she saw what appeared to be an exterior door. This had been entirely too easy, the Colonel would be advising them to 'keep their eyes open, expect the unexpected and kids, don't touch anything'. Of course, she would also have O'Neill on point, Daniel at her side and Teal'c on her six. Damn, she missed them.
She skittered across the open hall that was between her and the doorway. There was still no one in sight. Sam rubbed her belly, looked both ways and hit the door. Sure enough an alarm started howling in the background.
The door opened out into an almost empty parking lot with a chain link perimeter fence. A few older cars were in evidence but no people yet. She tried to crouch down and run, but couldn't get up much speed. By the time she reached the first row of automobiles, she was completely out of breath. But she continued on at her best possible speed, a medium paced waddle. God, she felt so helpless...damn it all!! She wanted her guys so bad, she could cry.
As she reached the fence, she could see a signpost outside. As soon as she could see the lettering, she stopped before the fence and did, finally, cry. Sam collapsed down to the ground and as she turned to face the building, keeping her back against the wire fence. Several men bearing rifles and wearing uniforms had come pouring out of the building in hot pursuit of her. As they ran towards her, she managed to raise her hands above her head. She knew that tears were running down her face and she must look like a terrible, cowardly woman. But she also knew that she had no hope.
The sign was written in Russian.
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What Do You Do When Bad Things Always Happen To The Good Guys? (15/End)
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