Disclosure-Experiences
Disclosure-Experiences
by Airam
Summary: Why would the President grant Sam and Jack an exception? Crossover with Jack Ryan novels.
Category: Action/Adventure, Crossovers, Drama
Season: Season 7
Pairing: Jack/Sam
Rating: 13+
Warnings: minor language
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 2005-03-01
The next morning Gate Room
"Everyone ready?" Jack cheerily asked as he stepped to the front of the VIP crowd gathered at the base of the ramp.
The neophytes to Stargate travel all looked at him with a range of expressions: anxiety, excitement, caution, fear, and other combinations. They were all excited at the prospect of traveling to another planet, it was the whole de-molecularization process that they were a little wary of.
"Close enough," Jack accepted as he looked up to the control room and nodded to General Hammond to start the dialing protocol.
Once the event horizon had been established, and the President's entourage had jumped back a step in awe, O'Neill walked up the ramp and began speaking to them. "Good morning ladies and gentleman, and welcome to Intergalactic Airways, servicing all your intergalactic travel needs. We are expecting a quick trip to the Alpha Site, covering..." he paused and looked at Carter.
"640 Light Years," she supplied with a smile.
"... In a little under ten seconds. Upon arrival at our destination please step away from the wall of water behind you to allow others to arrive as well. In the case that you should feel nauseous and have the urge to `throw up', please step to the side before doing that. Those following you would greatly appreciate not arriving on another planet and not having their first steps be into a pile of puke. The weather at our destination is nice and clear and we don't expect any delays in transit," he smiled widely at them as they couldn't help but smile at his attempts to ease their minds. "Once again, thank you for choosing Intergalactic Air, we hope you'll de-molecularize with us again!" he told them before turning and walking through the event horizon.
The civilians each slowly walked up the ramp and paused before taking the plunge through the event horizon. When they landed on the other side most of them were looking very queasy and grasping their stomachs as they shivered and took deep breaths. They were pulled away from their self-assessments when they noticed a flash and looked for its source. What they all saw was an Airman standing before them with a Polaroid camera.
Jack O'Neill stood happily behind the Airmen rocking on his heels as he directed the Airmen to snap the pictures away. Once everyone had arrived, he gathered their attention, "Alright campers, I hope you all enjoyed your flight with Intergalactic Airways. This being your inaugural trip, we have arranged for mementos of this trip for each of you."
The Airmen then walked among the crowd of VIP's and delivered the pictures. Once they all saw the expressions on their faces their anger with having someone catching them in a vulnerable state vanished. Their anger was replaced with wide smiles and laughs as they all saw how funny they looked upon stepping out of the wormhole. They eventually all started sharing their pictures with each other and comparing reactions. Tony Bretano's Polaroid received the loudest laughs. In his defense, he claimed that he designed planes so that they didn't feel like that.
"Nice idea with the Polaroids, sir. Distracting them so they forgot their queasiness," Sam whispered to him as she walked up next to him to observe the group as they shared their photos.
Jack looked over at her from the corner of his eye, "That's what I thought!" He then turned to her with a serious expression, "Now am I allowed to actually enjoy your compliment? Or does your judgment not carry any clout?"
Sam chuckled and shook her head, "Savor away sir."
"I will... You know... I wish I had one of these set up on your first trip through!" he told her before he turned to the crowd and clapped his hands together. "Alright campers, now that the souvenirs are out of the way, how about we go on a little tour of this place."
An hour later they were entering the hangar bay, "And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is where the Second Air Group of F-302's is stationed. The First one is stationed at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. T-"
"Williams was closed in the early 90's," Robbie pointed out.
"Yes sir. But for the past decade or so we've built an underground base and construction hangar to house the Prometheus and F-302s... We've been using a part of the base that the restoration committee has forgotten about."
Tony Bretano shook his head in amazement, "My God! How many more secret bases can there be in the military that I don't know about? ... No wonder people are leery of the military and come up with all their conspiracy theories!"
Jack shrugged his shoulders, there was nothing he could do about that. "Carter you want to tell them about the F-302 and the Prometheus?"
"Yes sir. The F-302 is our reverse engineered version of a Goa'uld death glider. It is capable of carrying two people and can travel at sub-light speeds. Sub-light speed is anything slower than the speed of light. We are actually capable of surpassing the speed of light on the Prometheus, or F-303. It is capable of creating a stable wormhole through its hyper drive which requires a rare and unstable metal called naquadria, it's not found on Earth," she explained. "We actually tried to modify a hyperspace drive for the F-302 when it was still a prototype. Unfortunately, we were never able to create and maintain a stable wormhole. Due to the instability of the naquadria, a large heat exchanger is necessary to divert the heat and energy and utilize it efficiently. Since the-"
"Carter!"
Sam looked at her CO sheepishly, "Sorry sir."
"What have I told you about technobabble?"
Sam stared back at him, she wasn't going to dignify it with a response.
Jack smirked before turning back to the crowd, "Anyways, now that you are all thoroughly confused... How about we take these babies for a spin?"
"We get to go up?"
"That's the plan!" Jack informed them as wide grins appeared on most of the faces surrounding him. There were a few serious expressions. "If you'll all follow me so we can get geared up..."
"Mr. President," Andrea quietly spoke as she walked up next to him.
"Yeah?"
"Sir, I can't let you go up. It's not secure."
"What? Come on Andrea, what could happen?"
Andrea stared at the President. "Any pilot who will have the President on board undergoes a very rigorous background check and psychiatric evaluation. I can't let you go up there with just anyone, sir." She then looked over at General O'Neill as he slowed down to join them, "Seeing as to how we weren't informed of this little side trip, we haven't been able to perform the necessary security precautions."
"Come on Andrea, this is a once in a lifetime chance! To get to go up into space in a space ship?"
"With all due respect sir, so is traveling to another planet. Sir, I know there are things you want to do, but it's my job to keep you safe so that you don't have to worry about your safety. Now, I've already had to set aside a lot of normal precautionary measures for this trip, sir." And thus went another battle between the Secret Service and POTUS.
The President called over his old friend, "Jack, convince her that traveling in one of those is perfectly safe!"
"She not going to let you go up?" O'Neill asked as he looked between the two. "Why not?"
Andrea answered, "For one, we haven't been able to do a background check on any of the pilots here. Second, we haven't been able to secure the... aircraft prior to the President riding in it and ensuring that it hasn't been tampered with."
"Well, with respect to your second concern, no one here on base knew about the President's visit until this morning. So no one would have the opportunity to do anything even if they wanted to, which they wouldn't," he assured her. "And as for your first concern about not having been able to run background checks, there's nothing I can really do about that."
President Ryan's face fell.
"But, if it's all the same to you, Teal'c, Carter, and I are all certified in the F-302... In fact, Teal'c and I tested the first prototype." Jack conveniently left out the fact that he and Teal'c had almost died somewhere beyond Earth's solar system.
Ryan tried to entice his Agent, "You and the other agents can go up at the same time!"
Andrea considered their suggestions. She looked over at her President, she saw a man who anxiously wanted to fulfill every child's dream of going into space. She hated saying `no' to the President, but it was a constant battle between the Secret Service and the President. As the President practiced politics and played to a crowd, it was the job of the Secret Service to worry and keep him alive.
`But he's not playing politics right now... He just wants to go up there...' she noted. `And I will get to go up as well...' She was having a hard time deciding whether or not to allow this trip. She really didn't want anything to happen to him or his wife, and that extended beyond her sense of duty; she really liked and respected this President.
"General... You, Teal'c and Colonel Carter will pilot the President, First Lady, and Vice President's flights. Agents will be in the air at the same time. Also, sir, I won't allow for you and the Vice President to be out there at the same time."
"That's fine!" Ryan eagerly accepted. "Thank you, Andrea," he gratefully told her.
Andrea merely nodded at him. "General, is there anything else I should know about concerning our activities for the rest of the day?"
"Well, we're scheduled to travel to several other planets in a couple of hours... You know, kind of a galactic tour of cultures and planets!"
Andrea looked at him with a sideward glance and was about to comment on the security nightmare that would be for her and the rest of the Detail.
Jack quickly tried to assuage her concerns, "We've already sent teams to all the planets to monitor them and make sure that there aren't any surprises. Before actually traveling to a planet, we'll dial them up and make contact with our teams there. Does that suit you?"
"It'll have to, now won't it? Sir, I'm going to have to ask that the Vice President not accompany us on those trips."
"He's going to hate that," Ryan commented.
They reached the locker rooms and were about to enter when Sam walked up to her CO, "Sir."
"Yeah Carter?" he asked as held the door open for the others to file in.
"I just spoke with the engineers here, they've been having some problems with integrating some of the technology we received from one of our allies with our systems..."
"So are you asking me if you can abandon me today?" he asked wisely recognizing the sound of her voice.
Sam smiled at him.
"Don't you want to go say hi to the Tok'ra?" he asked her hoping that he could entice her to accompany him.
"My dad's on a mission right now, so he won't be there... Besides I can trust you not to destroy our alliance, right sir?"
Jack mockingly clenched his fist, "Damn... my favorite Tok'ra won't be there! Now what am I going to do?"
"Probably perform the introductions yourself, sir!" she teased him.
"Hah!" He then motioned her into the locker room. "Actually that might work out..."
"How's that sir?"
"Well Agent Price is forbidding the Vice President and President from going up in the F-302 at the same time, and she's not going to let the Vice President accompany us on our trip around the galaxy. Think you can babysit him and take him up in an F-302 later?"
Sam nodded her head, "It'd be my pleasure... And for the record, sir, I doubt he needs a babysitter!" she told him as she walked over to the Vice President to speak with him.
"Sir?"
Vice President Jackson looked up as he continued to unzip his jacket, "Colonel Carter."
"Sir, you can hold off on changing just yet. General O'Neill has informed me that Agent Price has forbidden you and the President from riding in one of those at the same time and from both of you going on the rest of the trips to other planets we have made contact with." She saw the VP's face fall, she wondered if it was at the prospect of not getting to go up or getting to go out to visit more planets.
"Sir, the engineers here have asked me to stick around and help them with testing and integrating a few systems. The First Lady informed me that you studied electrical engineering at the Naval Academy, perhaps you'd like to see how some of the technology works?"
He nodded his head, "Yeah, that'd be great Colonel, thanks."
"And I promise, I'll take you up in the F-302 at some point, sir."
She saw the wide grin return to his face. "If you'd like sir, I can have one of the other pilots familiarize you with the F-302's systems and handling before I take you up."
"That'd be wonderful!" he told her as he barely contained his joy. He, the son of a preacher from Mississippi, was going to fly in a spaceship! "Wait, you know how to fly these things as well?"
Sam looked up and smiled as she finished removing her pack and gear so that she could go work with the engineers and scientists. "Apparently that was one of Agent Price's conditions, that I take you up... Well, sir, if you'll follow me."
*
"This thing is safe?" Ryan asked his old friend as their craft taxied out of the hangar.
"After all that fighting with Price, now you're worried if this thing is safe?" O'Neill teased him. "Raptor 1 ready for take-off," he informed the traffic controller and waited for his wingman with Agent Price to come up beside them.
"Raptor 2 ready for take-off, sir." He then keyed the cockpit radio, "You ready, ma'am?"
Andrea looked to the small mirror in front of her pilot, "As I'll ever be Major Towers," she told him with a half sure smile.
"Don't worry ma'am, I've been flying these for five years... And I've only crashed once," he told her with a smile as he gunned the engines and took off right behind O'Neill's aircraft.
"What?!" she yelled at her pilot once they'd taken flight.
Major Towers grinned even wider as he followed O'Neill into outer space. He then looked into the mirror to see the horrified expression on the Secret Service agent sitting behind him who continued to glare at him.
"Don't worry ma'am, I was testing the inertial dampening system in the F-302's... so technically I didn't crash because the system worked... But I was trying to crash it..."
"You would intentionally try and crash one of these? Why in God's name would you do that?" she asked him.
"So that we could safely fly one of these up here... Take a look around," he told her as he motioned with his hand.
For the first time in the F-302 Agent Price looked outside of the cockpit and saw that indeed it would have been worth it. She saw the vast expanse of black empty space all around her littered with twinkling lights hundreds, if not thousands, of light years away. The two aircrafts banked towards the planet they had just left giving the passengers a glimpse of the entire planet in a single panorama.
"Wow!" were the silent whispers coming from both passengers as the power of their surroundings set into their minds.
"We're really up here aren't we Jack?" the President asked.
"Yes, sir," he quietly replied letting the President absorb this moment in all its glory. He looked into his own mirror and enjoyed watching the emotions play across his Commander-in-Chief's face. He remembered his own first time in a death glider when they were escaping Apophis' attack ships in Earth's orbit.
"This is absolutely amazing!" Ryan muttered to himself as he ingrained the image into his memory. "Have you gone up in one of these in Earth's orbit?" he asked him excitedly.
Jack nodded his head, "A few times," he modestly replied.
Ten minutes later, five other ships joined them, each carrying a member of the President's entourage. They orbited the planet in silence several times letting the guests savor the moment of their first, and probably last, time up into space.
The F-302's split into two teams, Jack, Cathy and their escorts went one way, while SecDef and the CIA operatives went another way.
"So how about a quick peak at the two moons and a quick tour of this solar system?"
Two and a half hours later, the two flight groups regrouped in the planet's orbit for a few more trips around the planet around the planet at lower altitudes.
"Jack?"
"Yeah Cathy?" O'Neill asked as he looked over at Teal'c and his passenger.
"Thanks..."
"For what?"
Cathy smiled, "For letting me learn about the SGC and all of this!"
"Yeah Jack, I don't know if I'd be able to keep this from her," the man sitting behind him replied. The President then cued the private radio with Jack, "I hate not being able to tell her some of the stuff I do... But she sees the effects it has on me... She was there when the nightmares started happening after Columbia... She never knew what was going on, but she was always there for me... I wanted to tell her, but I didn't want to tell her what I'd seen... All the death..." he began explaining in a distant voice.
Jack silently looked straight ahead. He knew exactly what his friend was talking about. Sarah had put up with him and supported him and been his rock for almost ten years. But the secrecy that revolved around his work in Special Ops had put a strain on their marriage.
Something in the corner of his eye brought Ryan back to his surroundings. He noted Jack's silence and watched him in the mirror for a few seconds before he realized that his friend knew. "God, Jack... I forgot..."
Jack looked back at the President and sent a small smile, "It's okay... it's in the past... Besides, we had good memories..."
A silence ensued in the small cockpit as they flew across one of the Alpha Site's oceans and were coming upon a landmass with a mountain range running along the coast that they traveled along.
"I'm glad I don't have to keep this from Cathy, this is too beautiful and awesome not to share with her," Jack Ryan quietly added.
The General nodded as he maintained his vigilance on their surroundings. He envied his friend and this experience. He was getting to share it with the woman he loved and had. Jack, unfortunately, couldn't have that, not as long as he was still in the Air Force. He and Colonel Carter had experienced many things together, but they'd never been able to discuss it with the intimacy that his two friends would be able to do when they returned home.
"Consider it an anniversary present Jack," he told his friend.
"Alpha, this is Raptor Leader, requesting permission to return to base."
Thirty minutes later all the F-302's had landed and all the pilots and passengers found themselves in the debriefing room sharing their excitement with what they'd just experienced. The pilots watched with amusement as this group of doctors, engineers, and experienced bodyguards were reduced to small children as they shared their feelings at what they'd seen.
"You have given them something that they will not easily forget, O'Neill," Teal'c quietly told his friend.
Jack smiled and looked over at his friend, "Yeah... You never forget the first time..."
Teal'cs eyes danced with the happy memories as he recalled his first time in a death glider and flying over his own home world of Chulak. "Indeed."
*
"So how's it feel?" General O'Neill asked as he adjusted his pack.
Sam Carter looked up from the report in her hands in confusion. She stared at him momentarily waiting for him to clarify his question.
Around them the rest of SG-1, SG-3 and the VIP guests prepared themselves for their next trip through the Stargate to the Cimmerian home world.
Not receiving a response, Jack looked up at his second in command. With his eyes he indicated himself and then her body.
In that moment she understood and thought of her answer. "I'll admit sir, it's kind of strange... I don't know how you got used to it."
Jack looked up, "I never did..." He then smiled at her, "But now you know how I feel when you go through without me!"
"I'll remember that for next time," she told him seriously before she sent him a small smile, "maybe."
Jack ignored her last comment, "You know, you could still come with us."
Sam smiled back at him, "You'll be fine without me sir," she assured him. She then leaned in close to her CO, "But the researchers here..." she told him in a mockingly unsure voice.
O'Neill nodded his head, "Yeah... They'd probably blow up the planet if you weren't helping them out every once in a while."
Sam laughed, "Maybe sir!"
Jack looked up excitedly as an idea popped in his mind, "Hey I got an idea..."
He quickly shot her a warning glare before she could state the obvious reply. Instead, Sam bit back her reply and smiled knowingly at him.
"How about you schedule a break for... oh, say about... 1900 hours and join us as we meet the Tok'ra?"
She stared at him with a questioning look, was he really suggesting that?
"Right... no breaks... but you gotta eat!" he reminded her.
Sam nodded her head like a teenager who only half listened to their parent.
Daniel chose that moment to join them, "Sure we can't convince you to come along Sam?"
"Already tried Danny... her little doohickey's beckon!"
Sam and Daniel resignedly shook their heads, "They're not doohickeys sir."
Jack nodded his head and tried again, "Thing-a-majigs? .... Gadgets?"
Sam shrugged her shoulders, "Close enough, sir."
Daniel turned to Sam and pleaded, "Please don't leave me alone to deal with him!"
She smiled at him apologetically.
"Hey, I'm not that bad as long as you aren't digging for rocks!" he defended himself.
Daniel raised his eyebrows and grimaced as he indicated Jack, "See what I have to deal with?"
"Sorry Daniel, you're on your own this time... Me? I'm going to enjoy my little vacation!"
"Yeah sure, make fun now... We'll see who's laughing at the next review board!"
Daniel turned serious, "Do they even invite you to those things?"
Jack thought about it, "Uh..." He smiled when he saw the corner of Daniel's lips twitching with a smile.
Sam turned to her `teammates' and put an end to the banter, "Say hi to Jonas for me."
"He's going to be disappointed at not seeing you..." Jack pointed out, hoping that it might change her mind.
"So will the Orbanians," Daniel pointed out. "They're probably going to explain some new discovery they made and we won't have anyone to understand!"
"I'm sure you guys will manage... And if the Orbanians have something to share have them explain it to Secretary Bretano."
They both stared at her skeptically. "He's an engineer," she explained.
"But he doesn't understand any of that stuff."
Daniel turned to Jack, "Neither do you Jack, at least he's a scientist!"
O'Neill nodded his head, "Good point... So the Secretary is in charge of bringing back any scientific information..." Looking around at the group of VIP's he continued, "I guess we'll put Cathy in charge of medical information and Jack we can put in charge of..." he contorted his face as he tried to come up with an area for him to report on. Not coming up with anything he shrugged, "Rulers?"
They stared at him.
"What? We can't give put him in charge of history, Daniel's already got that covered!" he tried.
Sam leaned over, "But maybe he'll write shorter reports, sir..."
A huge grin appeared on his face as he walked away in search of the President, "Maybe, he's looking for another job..."
Daniel shook his head as he watched Jack approach his old friend and make his proposal. When he saw the President look over at him and laugh he turned to Sam, "My reports are not that long."
Sam looked over at him with a sideward glance.
"Well, okay... Maybe I get a little verbose..."
"A little?" she asked him.
"Look who's talking Sam!" he accused.
Sam shook her head, "Nope... I've learned to tailor my reports to him... Bullet points save me so much time!" she revealed to him.
A few minutes later the Stargate had been engaged and contact with the advance team on Cimmeria had been established.
General O'Neill was about to lead them up the steps to the waiting Stargate when he reached into his pocket and pulled a small object out and threw it at Sam who was standing off to the side, "And Carter..."
Sam quickly reached up and snagged the object out of the air. Realizing what it was she couldn't help but smile. She looked up from the apple she now held in her hands and answered his implied order, "Yes sir."
Jack looked over his shoulder, "I will find out if you don't eat that," he warned her.
Sam smiled warmly at him, a smile Jack happily returned. "I know sir... Be careful, sir."
"I always am!" he told her with one last look and smile before he stepped through the event horizon.
At the rear of the group, Robbie approached his best friend, "I want a full report when you get back Marine!"
Ryan smiled, "I'm sorry you can't come with us."
Robbie shrugged his shoulders, "It's okay... Colonel Carter promised to take me up in an F-302 later!"
The President smiled as he watched his friend revert back to a child, "You're going to love it!"
As Teal'c and Daniel stepped up to the event horizon Sam called out one last time, "Make sure he doesn't destroy any of our alliances!"
Daniel laughed while Teal'c merely turned to her and bowed his head in agreement as he accepted her mission.
Once the wormhole had been disengaged, the Vice President turned to Sam and noticed the look on her face. A look that conveyed her wishes that she could be joining the rest of her team. "I hate being left behind."
Sam turned to the Vice President and smiled as she remembered a familiar mantra, "No one gets left behind, sir."
Robbie Jackson nodded, "No... They don't... I always respected that about you ground troops..."
Sam nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I never really knew what that meant until I joined the Stargate program."
"They probably don't use that much in the lab," he teased her.
Sam couldn't help but smile at his joke. "No sir, they don't... But I have sat in your seat during Desert Storm."
"Right," he nodded his head, "forgot about that... Is there anything you don't do Colonel?"
Sam thought, "I don't knit, sir, even though General O'Neill did suggest I take it up once."
"Well that's reassuring to hear that you can't do everything!!" he told her as they turned away from the Stargate. "So, how about you show me some more of what you've done here?"
"It'd be my pleasure to, sir. Oh, and I spoke with one of the pilots, he'll have some time around 1300 hours to show you the F-302. And I should finish with the scientists by 1400, so I can take you up then, if that's all right with you sir?"
A few hours later Sam tentatively entered the men's locker room.
"You ready to go up sir?"
Jackson stood up as he finished lacing his boots, "Are you kidding? I've been ready since this morning!!"
Sam smiled at him, "All right then sir. Let's take her up for a spin." She then turned to the Secret Service agent and his pilot, "You okay? You don't look so hot..."
"I'm fine ma'am," he assured.
She stared at him, "Not a fan of roller coasters?" The man shook his head `no.' "The F-302 runs as smoothly as a Ferrari on a straightaway. You won't feel a thing, I promise you. Just go up there and enjoy the view! Captain, treat him nicely up there."
"No barrel rolls, ma'am?" he asked her with disappointment.
Sam grinned widely at the horrified Secret Service Agent, "Probably not..."
"Damn," he stated teasingly before remembering who he was in the presence of, "Sorry sir."
Robbie patted him on the shoulder as he walked past him, "Don't be!" He then looked over his shoulder at his detail and leaned over and whispered in a not so quiet voice, "Well maybe just let him experience one barrel roll!"
The pilot grinned and looked back as well at the now seriously worried Secret Service agent. "Yes sir!"
Robbie slowed down and waited for his bodyguard to come up alongside him, "Think of this as an assignment on understanding how the mind of your protectee works Agent Cross."
He swallowed the lump in his throat, "Yes sir."
The four walked into the hangar and then split up into the flight pairs.
"With all due respect sir, don't you think that was kind of mean?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "Maybe a little... But there have to be some perks to being the Vice President!"
Sam laughed, "Yes sir!"
As he settled into his seat he made a comment, "I blame you all for my behavior."
She looked at him in her mirror with a perplexed look, "How's that sir?"
Before receiving his response, she called into the radio as she pulled out of the hangar, "Eagle 1 ready for take off."
"Eagle 1 you have a go."
"Eagle 1 away," she replied as her aircraft took off.
"That's it?" he asked from behind the Colonel, slightly disappointed.
"Inertial dampeners, sir. We can travel at a quarter the speed of light and not feel a thing... It may not be as exhilarating as pulling four G's in an F-14, but the views much better up here."
He paused and took in the sight as he watched the atmosphere go from a clear blue to a purple and then to being surrounded by a vast expanse of nothing. "Yeah... Definitely better."
They rode around in silence orbiting the planet and the moons, allowing him to absorb the feeling that he was in space. "Did you ever think you would see anything like this?"
Sam looked up and smiled, "Yes sir."
He quickly drew his gaze from outside the window to his pilot.
"I wanted to be an astronaut ever since I can remember... So seeing this little piece of space-no sir. But I knew I'd make it up here one day," she told him as she waved her hands around.
She decided to be bold, "What about you sir?"
"Never in a million years... I just wanted to travel as fast as I could in a jet..."
"Is that why you joined the Air Force?" he asked her as they left the planet's surroundings and headed out into the solar system.
"That's the main reason... My dad was also in the Air Force."
Robbie offered some of his own information, "My dad was a preacher in Mississippi... Joining the Navy was my way to get out of there and see the world... And here I am, now... Traveling around another planet and a different solar system! My God!"
Sam smiled. "Glad we could expand your horizons, sir!"
Robbie chuckled at her response.
"Would you like to take the controls, sir?" she asked him after a half hour of talking about the F-302 and Goa'uld spacecraft.
He looked down at the stick between his legs and then back up at his pilot, "Really?"
Sam nodded her head, "Spade One has the stick."
As he familiarized himself with the controls and played with the ship a little he spoke, "I see someone did their homework."
She shrugged her shoulders, "I'm a scientist sir, I like doing research."
"I'll remember that... Any chance we can take it down to that planet and see what this baby's made of."
"You have control of the ship, sir. I'm just along for the ride now."
"That's what I'm talking about!" he exclaimed.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"The humor you guys have!" He looked at her and then as an afterthought, "And pardon my not being politically correct, but I come from another era."
Sam couldn't help but laugh, "I won't tell anyone sir!"
"I appreciate that! I think the Press Secretary would resent me for awhile if she had to deal with any fall out from my comment."
"The advantages of working in a top secret facility, sir, no PR!"
The VP wholeheartedly agreed with her, "Yeah! What ever happened to just being able to do your job in peace and not having every single thing you do scrutinized in the public eye?"
"I don't know sir," she offered lightly.
As he lowered the aircraft towards the unknown planet's surface he realized what it was about the SGC that he enjoyed, "That's how you all deal with it, isn't it?"
She looked at him quizzically. "Sir?"
"The humor, the banter... I've never felt such a comfortable feeling at a base or on a carrier... And you guys probably have the most important job on the planet. It's a defense mechanism isn't it?"
Sam thought about her answer and hesitated.
"Permission to speak freely Colonel... Off the record."
"We have to sir, otherwise the stress can get to someone... And since we can't share what we do with anyone outside of the base the people on the base become that much closer... And with respect to SG-1 and General O'Neill... Well, sir, we worked together alongside one another for over seven years... You get to know your teammates really well when you're stuck on another planet... So, yeah I guess you could say the humor is a defense mechanism, it probably stops us from wanting to kill each other..." She looked up and smiled slyly, "Especially between the General and Daniel!"
He had a hard time controlling the ship through his laughter, he definitely saw what she was talking about, he could see each one getting on each other's nerves. "I can see that! It probably doesn't help that the General is a bad influence."
She smiled triumphantly at the Vice President, "Something like that sir!"
"How is he as a commander?" he asked her seriously.
She seriously answered him, "Everything I learned about being a field team leader, I learned from him."
Robbie interjected, "No one get's left behind?"
Sam looked back at him, "Yes sir. He upholds that value so much that it spread to the whole base, not just to SG-1 when he was leading it. We all know that if we go out there and something goes wrong, everyone at the SGC will do everything they can to bring us home, sir. In the field, I would want him backing me up."
"And with the science?" he asked her with a smile, he'd already seen his reaction to science.
Sam smiled, "He knows what he doesn't know, sir. He trusts the scientists to know what they are doing."
"He has the utmost confidence in you especially," he informed her. "The other night he told me about some of your ideas that have saved Earth and our allies."
Sam looked down humbly.
"Sometimes I think he has too much faith in me coming up with a plan, sir."
"No, I don't think so... I think he just knows he can trust you, he has faith in you and your abilities Colonel... And so do I."
"Thank you, sir, but I haven't done anything alone, we do it all as a team."
Robbie smirked, "And you're humble too I see."
She returned the smile, "Yes, sir."
"What else can you tell me about General O'Neill?"
"He's very loyal, sir. And as much as he'd like others to think that he's not smart, he is." She laughed as she thought of some of his other characteristics, "He hates paperwork!"
"Don't we all?"
"Yes, sir," she couldn't help but laugh.
After letting the VP enjoy the F-302 for another hour or so, they finally returned back to the Alpha Site.
"Lt. Colonel, I don't think I'll ever be able to adequately thank you for this experience," he told her as they walked away from the parked F-302.
"Seeing your expression was thanks enough, sir... And if you're ever in the neighborhood, feel-"
"Yes of course, because the Alpha Site is right around the corner from the White House!" he teased her.
Sam laughed openly at his remark, "With our technology, it almost is sir! But, seriously, if you're ever in Colorado, we might be able to work something out."
"Don't tempt me Colonel! I might ask to become rated in one of these and then Jack would have to look for another Vice President!" he laughed.
"Yes sir," she smiled as she led them over to the other flight pair.
"So what'd you think Agent Cross?" Robbie yelled.
"I'm glad I got the opportunity sir," he offered.
The Captain piped up, "Sir, he thinks we're all crazy!"
The Agent's eyes went wide, "Sir, I-"
Robbie laughed, "Relax Cross... If you think flying one of these was crazy be glad I still don't fly for the Navy... Crazy is trying to land a jet on a lily pad in the middle of the ocean at night with fifteen foot squalls."
"And I bet you miss it sir," Sam stated.
"Hell yes!"
Twenty minutes later they were exiting the locker room. "So where can a man get himself some chow?"
"Captain, would you mind taking the Vice President to the commissary?"
"Not at all, ma'am... If you'll follow me sir."
Robbie stared at Sam, "You're not going to join us?"
"Actually there's a few things I wanted to check on in the lab," she told him.
Robbie shook his head, "Did you eat lunch?"
She stared at him as he continued with his odd questions, "Yes, sir."
"What'd you eat?"
"An apple, sir."
"That's it?"
"I wasn't hungry," she told him as she realized she felt like she was being questioned by General O'Neill.
He shook his head, "Come on. You're going to join us for lunch and tell us about your work on the Stargate Program."
"Sir, I-"
"General O'Neill told me I would have to look out for you," he told her sternly.
"He what?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "He asked me to make sure you ate one good meal while he was gone."
Her eyes went wide, "Please tell me you're kidding sir?" He smiled back at her. "This is so embarrassing," she mumbled as she led them to the commissary.
"So Colonel, how were you able to design a program for the Stargate when you didn't quite know what it was capable of?"
"I only worked on it for two years before we got it to work. But work on the Stargate had been going on for fifteen years before Daniel figured out the chevrons and what they were exactly. We didn't know that it created a wormhole until after we connected to Abydos the first time, sir. Most of the key understanding of the Stargate didn't take place until the year following the first mission."
"Yes, but you still had a dialing program operational before then," he pointed out.
"Yes, sir. That took a lot of work from a lot of people," she replied humbly.
"How did you interface the computers with the Stargate without a... what's that thing called?"
"We call it a DHD - Dial Home Device. Sir, are you sure you really want to know how? It gets pretty technical."
"I think you've been hanging around General O'Neill too long Colonel. I studied electrical engineering remember?"
She lowered her head and smiled, "Yes sir. Well you see..."
And for the next hour she continued to explain to him how they had MacGyver'ed a computer system for the Stargate, the programs she had created to account for spatial drift, and the iris she had helped design.
"My God! You're a genius!"
"Hardly, sir!"
"Have any of your plans to save the planet not worked?" he asked her.
"Actually sir, some of them haven't worked."
He stared at her wide eyed. He then leaned over conspiratorially, "I don't know if you've noticed, but the planet's still there!"
She chuckled, "Yes sir. But you asked me if any of my ideas hadn't worked, and some of them haven't."
He leaned his head back, "But Plan B, C, or D worked?"
She shrugged her shoulders in response.
He turned to the Captain, "See! A genius! Could you come up with three back up plans if your first one failed?"
He shook his head, "Not when the fate of the planet rested on my ideas, sir."
"Thank you very much Captain!" he replied.
"Lt. Colonel Carter, please report to Laboratory 3 immediately! Colonel Carter report to Laboratory 3 immediately!"
Sam looked up at the loudspeakers that bailed her out of the humbling accolades coming from the Vice President. "Sir, if you'll excuse me?"
He smiled at her, "Yeah of course, I'll see you later."
"Yes sir," she told him before turning and heading to Laboratory 3.
*
"I don't think I'll ever get used to that feeling," Tony Bretano stated as they stepped out of the event horizon on the current Tok'ra base planet.
"Don't worry sir, this is our last stop on our Tour de Space!" Jack happily told him as he slapped him on the back and lead them away.
"Captain, what have we got?"
"I just radioed the Tok'ra, they're sending someone to meet you, sir."
"Good job! We're going to go have a chat with our friends. Watch the door for us will ya?"
The man smiled as he accepted his orders, "Yes sir."
"Who's on this planet Jack?" the President asked.
"That would be the Tok'ra."
"And who are they again?" Secretary Bretano asked.
Daniel answered this one, knowing that Jack's response wouldn't make the Secret Service agents feel any better. "The Tok'ra are symbiotes, unlike the Goa'uld who are parasites."
Teal'c offered further information, "The Tok'ra have been fighting against the Goa'uld for over two thousand years. They believe in only taking willing hosts and sharing the body in a mutually beneficial relationship... Sam's father, General Jacob Carter, became a host approximately seven years ago."
"Why?"
"He was dying of cancer... The Tok'ra offered him a second chance if he became host to Selmac. He took it."
Cathy shook her head, "I can't believe someone would relinquish control of their body... Have any other members of the SGC become hosts?"
The three men of SG-1 all shared a look with each other.
"Uh... yeah... three... sort of..." Daniel explained.
Jack and Cathy looked at one another deciding whether or not to push the, at least what seemed to be sensitive, subject. They decided not to push it any further.
They continued walking in silence for several more yards before Jack finally spoke in a distant and troubled voice. "A Lieutenant - a kid named Jason Elliot, Carter and myself."
The eyes of everyone in the President's group went wide upon hearing this revelation.
They were saved from the awkward moment when they saw their escort approaching.
"That's Malek," Daniel pointed. "Actually Malek is the Tok'ra, the host is named Shavra. Don't be alarmed if his eyes glow and he speaks in a very metallic voice."
Ding leaned over and whispered to his mentor, "Right, because we see that all the time."
"General O'Neill, Dr. Jackson, Teal'c. It is good to see you again," Malek greeted them.
Daniel waved, Teal'c bowed his head, and O'Neill spoke, "Yeah long time no see!"
They all came to a stop as they stood in front of each other.
Malek addressed the crowd and spoke in the characteristic voice of the Tok'ra. "I am Malek of the Tok'ra. Welcome."
Daniel decided to perform the introductions. "Malek, this is the leader of our nation, President John Ryan, his wife..."
Once the introductions had been finished, Malek lowered his head and Shavra spoke. "And I am Malek's host, Shavra."
"How long have you been host to Malek?" Cathy Ryan asked.
"Nearly three hundred years."
Ryan whistled in shock. "Wow, that's a long time."
Shavra shrugged his shoulders, "Malek is over two thousand years old."
Not really caring about the personal details, Jack O'Neill inquired after another Tok'ra. "So where's Jake?"
Shavra looked at him quizzically, "Who?"
"Jacob... Selmak," he clarified.
Malek answered, "Selmak is currently on a mission."
"Where?"
Malek stared at him, "On a covert mission for the rest of the High Council." They continued walking towards the entrance to the Tok'ra base as Malek provided them with more information. "Selmak is one of the oldest and wisest Tok'ra. She is a senior member of the Tok'ra High Council."
"She?" Bretano asked.
Daniel answered this one understanding their confusion, "Yes, the Tok'ra are kind of asexual but they tend to have masculine or feminine personalities."
They accepted the information warily.
"And despite being on the ruling council, Selmak still goes on missions?" Ryan asked.
"Of course," he obviously replied. "Selmak's abilities and knowledge are essential for many missions."
"Kind of reminds me of another old operative I know," Ding teased.
"Any chance I can go on any missions of my own Agent Price?" Ryan asked. "If a two thousand year old can, I should be able to," he pointed out.
An hour later they had breaked for dinner.
The two races were mingling amongst each other. At one point, Cathy pulled Jack aside, "Can I talk to you?" she asked him indicating with her eyes that she'd prefer to speak in private.
"Yeah sure," he told her as he looked around for a hallway for them to head down.
When they found a private room, Jack asked her a question first, "So what do you think so far?"
"This is all so unbelievable... I'm still kind of in shock at knowing what I now know... I don't think I'll ever look at the stars the same way."
Jack nodded his head, "Yeah... Sometimes it's hard to remember to just enjoy the beauty of the night sky... You can actually see the Alpha Site's sun from Earth."
"Really?"
"Yeah it's in the constellation Auriga, it's called Rho Aurigae... It's between Gemini and Perseus, above Taurus," he explained to her.
"Still have that telescope?" she asked him remembering how much he loved that thing.
"Yeah... Carter's got a program that maps out the planets we've been to and the stars visible from Earth. We hooked it up to my telescope one night."
"What happened with you and Colonel Carter?" she asked him gently.
He looked at Cathy as he realized what she was referring to. "We were evacuating a planet that was under attack from the Goa'uld. Carter tried to resuscitate a man, a Tok'ra was hiding out in that body. When she bent down to help, the Tok'ra entered through her mouth."
"Wait, I thought they only took willing hosts?"
"Yeah..." he stated disgustingly. "She supposedly only did it because she was in danger of dying and there was an assassin after it."
Cathy proceeded cautiously, "What happened?"
"The assassin found her and almost killed Carter... Jolinar, the Tok'ra, died to save her life... The snake died within her body and left a naquada marker..."
"Her physical make-up was altered?" she asked as the doctor in her revealed itself.
"Yeah..."
"What happened when you became a host?"
"I had no other choice... I had contracted a disease that would have killed me, and the Tok'ra had a snake in need of a host... It was only supposed to be temporary and only until it could heal me..."
"What happened?"
He stared at the ground as he remembered the misadventure that Kanan had taken him on as he sought revenge against Baal. It had resulted in a long painful torturous stay at the hands of the sadistic Goa'uld.
"Nothing good," he distantly replied.
As she studied Jack she recognized the expression on his face. She'd seen it once before on his face, after his return from Iraq - when he had been a POW. Her heart went out to him, she could only guess what he had endured and the memories that probably had been revisited.
"I truly am sorry Jack," she told him as she came up beside him and affectionately grabbed his arm.
He looked at her and mustered his best smile, "It wasn't your fault."
She smiled back at him, "Just promise me you won't let it eat away at your soul."
Jack pondered her words. It had been almost four years since his run in with Baal. And the event hadn't consumed or changed him the way that his time in Iraq had. He wondered why and he realized that it was because of his team. Daniel, in his ascended state, had saved him by offering him hope. And afterward they had never pushed him for an explanation, they had just been there for him. Given him the space he needed while silently supporting him and giving him things to focus on. That and there was Carter in his life now.
And it wasn't that he didn't love Sarah. It was the events surrounding his captivity that had made it hard for him to move on after Iraq.
He silently laughed at the thought that occurred to him. When he had first learned of the Stargate program, he was a man without purpose. But in ten years of serving his planet alongside three remarkable people, he had been restored to life. He once again had a soul that could be hurt. And that, he decided, was a good thing - to be alive.
"I promise."
*
"Colonel, this is Bates, come in!" the voice called out.
Ding looked down as his radio crackled with life. He looked over at the Marine Colonel standing next to him who answered, "This is Reynolds. What have you got Captain?"
"Sir someone is trying to dial in, please advise."
Colonel Reynolds spoke to the Tok'ra representative standing with them. "Are you guys expecting anyone?"
"No."
Reynolds activated his radio, "Take cover, the Tok'ra aren't expecting anyone. Report back as soon as you can."
"Yes sir."
Ding and Reynolds tensely waited as they gripped their machine guns even tighter. A minute later their radios came to life again and they heard a whispered voice. "Sir, we got twenty-one, repeat twenty-one, Jaffa just arrive through the Stargate! I'm guessing more are on the way!"
"Shit!" Reynolds yelled under his breath. He then turned to the Tok'ra operative next to them, "Get in there and tell them we got company and that Ding and I are going to go take a look and try to secure the Stargate."
The two soldiers then took off at a run as they headed the mile back to the Gate. "Captain, Ding and I are on our way. Hold your position and stay out of sight."
"Yes sir!" he whispered through the radio.
As they ran, Ding asked Reynolds about Jaffa tactics, "What's their plan normally?"
"Changes every time!"
Ding looked up at a ridge that was coming up on their left. "Sir, do you think they'll hover around the Gate?"
"Some of them will, yeah... Why?"
"Well we need to secure that area first, right?" he asked as he looked over at the man running next to him. "Well, I can help those guys at the Gate from up there," he said as he pointed up at the ridge.
"We're still three quarters of a click from the Gate!"
"I'm a sniper remember!"
Reynolds looked over at the Latino man and nodded his head. "Let's go!" They both headed up the ridge to find Chavez a vantage point that looked down on the meadow where the Stargate was.
*
The Tok'ra operative ran into the main chamber, "A group of Jaffa arrived through the Stargate!"
All heads turned at the intrusion as shock and fear registered on the faces.
"Damn it!" Jack cursed as he looked over at Teal'c, "Can't things ever go smoothly?"
Andrea turned and glared at the General, "This happens to you a lot?"
She didn't receive a response as O'Neill motioned Teal'c, "Teal'c..."
Teal'c bowed his head, "Mr. Clark and I will secure our path back to the Stargate." The two men then took off running through the chambers. The General then turned to Per'sus and spoke quietly.
"What the hell were you thinking bringing the President and First Lady to a hostile planet?" Andrea charged the General, this was the last straw for her.
Trying to be the voice of reason, Ryan stepped forward and spoke quietly, "Andrea."
She turned and faced her charge, "Sir, I know you were excited about this trip, but General O'Neill has put you in danger and we," indicating herself and Roy Altman, "are not prepared to take on aliens on another planet!"
O'Neill, who had been ignoring her tirade for the most part, turned away from the Tok'ra's head council member. When he spoke it was from a man in control, "Agent Price. Me and my men have been traveling through the Stargate for over ten years... That's why we're here... We know how to handle this type of situation... I need you to trust me and my men."
"When it comes to the President, I don't-"
"Damn it, they're my friends! Do you think I'm going to let anything happen to them?" he challenged her.
The two stared at each other, neither willing to back down.
Daniel cautiously walked up to the pair, "Look you guys, I hate to rain down on your parade, but we need to evacuate this base."
Jack blinked and looked at his friend and nodded, "Daniel stay with Cathy."
Daniel nodded at receiving his `orders.' He momentarily thought how Jack was reassured to have him watching out for his friend, probably unlike the Secret Service agents who saw him only as an archaeologist. Back when he'd first met Jack, he might not have entrusted him with Cathy's life, but now... Now, things were different... The once soft-spoken archaeologist had evolved into a man who could hold his own in front of a squadron of Jaffa.
He then walked over to Dr. Ryan and pulled out his zat and held it out to her, "Here."
"I'm a doctor..." she told him as she waved her hands in front of her and refused the weapon.
"Ma'am, I respect that... But the zat allows you to shoot someone and stun them... But only shoot someone once. Two times kills and three disintegrates," he explained as he showed her how to `cock' the weapon.
"Disintegrates?" she asked stunned.
Daniel shrugged, "That's correct, the body disappears... If you have to shoot a Jaffa, I recommend shooting to kill."
"Per'sus, how long will it take for your people to evacuate?" O'Neill asked.
"Several hours..." he replied. Per'sus noted the look on the General's face, "I understand... you must go... We will contact you once we have established ourselves at another base."
"Thanks...You're more than welcome to head to the Alpha Site in the mean time... We'll leave the door open to block any one else from dialing in."
Per'sus nodded his head, "Thank you for the offer, but that won't be necessary. We will head to our own auxiliary base," he then motioned for the Tok'ra who had informed them of their enemies' arrival to accompany the team from Earth and dial up their back-up base once they had left. He then turned to help with his people's evacuation.
Jack then turned back to the rest of the group, "Okay let's head out of here."
*
Ding was settling into position and lining up his scopes when the radio came to life. "Colonel Reynolds, what is the situation?"
"We've got incoming Jaffa. Chavez and I are set up about two-thirds of a click from the Gate." Chavez mildly paid attention to the conversation as he took a peek through his sniper scope and started ID'ing and locating all the Jaffa.
Teal'c was about to ask why they were so far when Clark explained the situation to him, "Ding's got a sniper rifle with him... He can take them out from that distance."
"Very well, Mr. Clark and I are on our way."
"You better tell the rest of them to start heading back to the Gate. Captain Bates thinks that more Jaffa are on the way."
"Very well, Colonel."
Colonel Reynolds then turned his attention back to Ding, "What do you see?"
"I've got eight Jaffa milling about the Stargate... Do the Goa'uld just find the biggest guys and turn them into Jaffa," he wondered aloud as he noticed the size of the men. Returning to business, "Find out where our boys are."
Reynolds keyed his radio, "Captain, where are you and your men?"
"We're about twenty meters from the Gate at ten o'clock. Thirteen Jaffa just left and split up into two groups, one's headed your way and the others went west."
Ding turned his rifle towards the indicated spot, "I got `em... Do you see the ones headed for us?"
Reynolds looked through his binoculars and saw seven Jaffa walking along the path below them. "Yeah I got them..."
Without taking his eye from the scope, Ding reached into his bag and pulled out his sight meter and held it out to the man next to him, "Here."
Reynolds took it and aimed it at the Stargate. "Okay, the DHD is 676 meters... And the base of the Stargate is... 683 meters."
Ding quietly adjusted his scope for the new information he was receiving. "And the opposite hill?"
His spotter swung his attention to the crest of the hill, "Crest is 1200 meters... And the fallen tree a third of the way up on the left side is... 1000 meters..."
"Got it..."
"Can you really hit a target that far away?" he asked him skeptically.
"In my sleep, sir," he reassured him. He turned his attention back to the meadow with the Stargate. "Wind is... 10 kilometers per hour heading... northeast..." he muttered to himself as he assimilated all the information and calculated how to aim his shots to adjust for the wind and falling projectile as it traveled over the long distances.
The Colonel looked through the scope and tried to figure out how exactly the young man had determined that bit of information.
"Sir, I can take it from up here... Teal'c and Mr. C could probably use your help down there..."
"You sure?"
"Yes sir," Ding replied as he kept scanning the area in front of the Gate.
"Okay, keep your channel open," he told him as he took off back down the ridge and started to radio Teal'c and John Clark.
"Let's see how helpful those little snakes are in a few minutes," he challenged his unsuspecting targets.
A minute later, Ding swore under his breath, "You boys at the Gate, you've got two Jaffa coming up on your position from behind you."
"Where?" the Captain frantically called as he looked behind him.
The Captain was about to key his mike again when he heard two distinctive thuds fifteen yards behind them. "What happened?"
"You're clear," Ding informed them. "What's your status Mr. C?"
"We're just about to take down our four in ... twenty-five seconds... It's going to be loud," he warned his protg.
"Copy... Captain?"
"Yeah?" the Captain guarding the gate replied.
"Our presence here is just about to become public... I'm going to take out the two guards furthest from you at the Gate's six and four o'clock. That leaves you to take care of the ones closest to you. Be ready to go in ... ten seconds..." The seconds ticked off slowly and at nine seconds Ding fired off his first round. He was lining up his second shot when the sounds from the ambush below him started.
*
"Teal'c, where are you?" Reynolds asked through his radio as he crouched down five yards off the main road.
Instead of hearing a reply through his radio he heard a low short whistle from the other side of the road. He looked up and saw the two men he was supposed to meet. He looked down the road towards the Stargate, when he deemed it was clear he got up and sprinted across the roadway.
"Teal'c, Mr. Clark," he calmly addressed the men as he looked back down the road awaiting the arrival of the Jaffa.
"Colonel... you got a plan?" John asked.
Reynolds looked at the veteran next to him, "Yeah... kill them before they kill us..." He then surveyed the area around them. "They should be here in about a minute..." He tapped John on the shoulder and motioned for him to go across the street, "Come on, let's go..."
Just as they reached the other side and settled into a spot, they looked back and saw the six Jaffa coming around the bend and into their sight. Clark quickly pulled out his own scope meter and determined their distance. "They're a hundred and fifty meters away... They'll be right in front of us in forty-five seconds."
Reynolds looked over at the man amazed at his abilities but accepted his call. He then keyed his own radio, "Teal'c, be ready to attack in 38 seconds," he told him as he checked his own watch.
"Understood."
"What's your status Mr. C?" came over their ear pieces.
"We're just about to take down our four in..." John looked down at his watch and rechecked the Jaffa's distance before giving his estimate, "twenty-five seconds... It's going to be loud."
He heard his partner confidently reply, "Copy..."
Reynolds quietly whispered, "Whatever you do, if you see a snake or a seriously wounded Jaffa, don't go anywhere near it!"
"Got it," he replied as he observed the approaching group. He noted that most of the soldiers seemed to be guarding another one who walked in the center of the group. Figuring that one to be the leader, he aimed his first shot at the man.
"Five. Four. Three. Two. One."
John Clark squeezed the trigger and waited for the man to fall before aiming for his next target. In the time it took for his bullet to hit its target he heard the familiar sound of a P-90 and the unfamiliar sound of a staff weapon. And, in the distance, he heard the gunfire from the battle at the Stargate and was reassured to know that they were securing their method of egress.
But his bullet never hit the Jaffa in the center. He watched as a force shield rippled away from the site of impact of his bullet.
"It's a Goa'uld!" he heard Reynolds yell next to him over the sound of his machine gun.
Rather than wasting his bullets on the force field, John Clark aimed at the other Jaffa who were crouching and heading for their attackers while the Goa'uld in the center stood defiantly.
They had taken out four of the Jaffa when they saw the Goa'uld in the center raise his arm in the direction of the two military men.
"Take cover!"
Years of training kicked in and Clark dove out of the way. As he rolled out of the way he saw the location he had just occupied be obliterated as the tree he was hiding behind was uprooted.
Teal'c managed to take out one of the other Jaffa with his staff weapon. He then spoke into his radio, "We must penetrate the force shield with a knife!"
Colonel Reynolds and John Clark shared a look with each other and silently came to an agreement that John would throw his knife while the SG team leader would draw his attention.
"Aim for the center of his hand!" he advised him.
The former Navy SEAL crawled through the underbrush to get a better angle on the Goa'uld. He was almost in position when he saw the Goa'uld raise his hand once more. The first blast he sent in Teal'c's direction, the second was aimed at Colonel Reynolds' position and allowed for him to have a better view of the Goa'uld's palm.
John raised his own hand and aimed at his target. He pulled back his hand and brought it forward quickly as he released the knife and watched the knife fly through the air and hit its target.
Unfortunately it didn't stop the Goa'uld before he was able to send another blast at Colonel Reynolds. He watched out of the corner of his eye as he saw the man go flying back in the air.
As the stunned Goa'uld stared at his impaled hand, John and Teal'c both took aim with their weapons and fired.
Neither watched the final death blow on the sole remaining enemy as they rushed to Colonel Reynolds' side. "Colonel Reynolds."
"Over here," they heard the man call out in frustration.
"Are you injured?" Teal'c asked as he stood over him and John checked the Colonel for injuries.
"Yeah... Twisted my ankle and I think one of my ribs is broken...AH! That hurts," he yelled as John ran his hands across the man's chest.
"You'll be fine," he concluded with a smile, "Besides, you're a Marine!"
"Yeah and I'll kick your ass if you don't help me up!"
Clark couldn't help but smile, he figured he knew more ways to kill a man than the marine he helped stand up. But all that was classified. "Yeah... yeah... Come on."
Noting the silence around him, John keyed his radio, "Ding, how's it looking at the Stargate?"
"We're all clear Mr. C."
"General, we need to get out of here!" Colonel Reynolds yelled into his mike as he headed to the Gate with John's assistance, while Teal'c went to escort their guests.
"We're on our way already Colonel!" Jack replied through his mike as they stepped out of the transporter rings the Tok'ra used to access their hidden base.
"O'Neill. I am on my way to provide protection," Teal'c informed his friend.
"Copy that Teal'c."
As Reynolds looked down into the meadow he keyed his mike once again, "Captain dial us out of here! Ding..."
"I've already got the other path covered, sir," Ding informed him.
Seven minutes later the President and his entourage reached the activated Stargate. As the first of them were stepping through, Ding saw the other group of six Jaffa round the corner from the other path. "We got six hostiles!" he called out into his mike as he started to pick them off one by one.
He took down two of them easily before the other four wised up and took cover. "Ding get your ass down here double time!" John called out when he noticed the four surviving Jaffa.
"Roge-o Mr. C!" Ding called out as he picked up his long-range rifle and took off down the hill at a sprint. As he ran down, his mentor, Teal'c and Reynolds laid down some cover fire for him as he approached the gate. Sixty seconds later he stopped and dropped to the ground to take a couple of shots. Ten seconds later it was all over.
"Let's bug out of here," John called out to his son-in-law.
"Roge'o!" Ding replied as he got up from the ground.
As they walked up the steps to the open wormhole, Reynolds stopped him, "That was some mighty fine shooting there... for a spook at least!" he told him with a grin as he limped through the wormhole assisted by Teal'c.
He then turned to his boss, "And I thought I was having an off day!"
"He's a jarhead, they don't know any better!" John teased him as they stepped through and began their near instantaneous journey across 3000 light-years of space.
*
The inner track of the Stargate housed 28 floors below Cheyenne Mountain began rotating.
Master Sergeant Davis looked up as soon as he heard the familiar rumbling and slammed his hand on the button to seal the iris as his other hand activated the intercom, "Unscheduled off-world activation!"
As he continued to monitor the Gate he waited for General Hammond to appear.
General Hammond looked up as soon as he saw the flashing lights and heard the announcement. Part of him wanted to continue on to the infirmary, but he knew he had to head back to the Stargate, he was currently in charge of the base. He then turned around and headed back to the core of the base.
Instead of entering the control room, he ran into the embarkation room and began issuing orders. "Get these people out into the hallway!"
Before him, the embarkation room was filled with Marines aiming at the activated Stargate and medics tending to the wounded who had recently come through...
~
Less than two hours ago he was sitting in his old office going over some recent team reports when he heard a familiar klaxon sound, "Unscheduled off world activation!"
He arose from the desk and rushed to the control room, "Who do we have off-world Sergeant?" he asked as he watched the Sergeant seal the iris.
"SG-1 and SG-3 are scheduled to be on the Tok'ra home planet currently..." he replied as he scanned the logs, "And SG-9 is in trade negotiations with the Pangareans."
"Very well," Hammond acknowledged as they all waited for the Stargate to connect. When he saw the shimmering light behind the Stargate he asked the inevitable question, "Are we receiving a signal?"
Davis looked at his screens as it compared the incoming signal with all current registered signals, "Yes sir... It's the alpha site... Incoming radio transmission."
"Open up a channel."
"Yes, sir."
"This is General Hammond."
Those in the control room heard a frantic voice, "Sir, we've had an explosion here at the Alpha site! We've got a lot of wounded, several of them severe... We're requesting immediate assistance from the doctors there!"
Hammond blinked, he wondered if it was an accident or an attack. He issued his orders to those on the base, "SG teams 4, 8, and 10 report to the Stargate for an immediate departure to the Alpha Site!" He then turned to another airman, "Notify Dr. Brightman about the situation. I want him and the other doctor on call and three nurses to accompany the teams to the Alpha Site and I want the rest of the medical team up here ASAP! And recall all off duty medical personnel!"
"Yes, sir!" she replied before picking up the phone and calling the infirmary.
Hammond then motioned for Davis to reconnect him with the Alpha Site, "We're mobilizing our teams to send through right away... What happened? Was the Alpha Site attacked?"
"Negative sir... It came from the research section... We're not sure what happened yet."
He suddenly recalled who was still at the Alpha Site, "Is the Vice President okay?"
There was a pause from the other side.
General Hammond nervously waited for word from the base. He was starting to think how they would explain anything happening to the VP when the radio came to life, "He's alright sir, he's right here!"
He breathed a sigh of relief, "Okay send him and any other wounded that can be transported through." He then motioned to Sergeant Davis to open the iris. "Send through as many as you can in ten minutes before we have to disengage and send our teams through."
"Very well sir," he heard before the connection was terminated.
"I want all available personnel ready to receive the injured! Get a triage unit set up in the gate room and make sure the infirmary is cleared of any non-life-threatening cases! Come on people let's get a move on this!"
And the base he had run for seven years responded as they were trained to, like a well-oiled machine. Everyone involved in the Stargate program was part of a family and whenever anyone was injured the whole base felt mobilized out of concern.
A steady stream of wounded started coming through the Stargate as General Hammond headed down to the embarkation room. He arrived at the same time as the medical response teams who began triaging the wounded as they stepped onto the ramp. Hammond looked up and saw the Vice President assisting his bodyguard through the Stargate.
"Mr. Vice President... what happened?"
"General," the aviator replied as he handed off his bodyguard to a corpsman. "I'm not sure... We were eating in the mess hall when alarms went off to clear the base..."
"What?" was his shocked reply.
"It must have been something in the research section... Colonel Carter ran in there..." he added almost as an afterthought. He then turned his attention to his bodyguard, "How you doing Kevin?"
"I'll be fine sir," he replied trying to refuse assistance and perform his duty of protecting the Vice President.
"Like hell you are!" the VP replied, "Your shoulder is dislocated, you've probably broken a few ribs and you probably have a concussion! You are not fine!"
"Sir-"
This time General Hammond interrupted him, "I'm sure you are son, but right now we need to get you checked out." He then looked around the room and called out, "Sergeant Matthews!"
The man ran up, "Yes sir?"
"I want you to escort the Vice President and this young man to the infirmary. Make sure he gets patched up as soon as possible and then take them to the conference room. Don't let anything happen to this man son."
Matthews snapped off a salute, "Yes sir... If you'll follow me," he told the pair as he began to lead them to the infirmary.
An hour later the three men entered the control room in search of Hammond.
"Have you learned anything else from the Alpha Site?" the former aviator asked.
Hammond looked up from the report he had been handed by an airman. "Mr. Vice President," he acknowledged before finishing his discussion with the airman, "Notify the Academy Hospital and tell them we'll be transporting some of the less injured to their facilities."
The General then returned his attention to the Vice President, "Not much... So far we've had thirty wounded come through the Stargate, six of them are critical, there are still four wounded there who are too critical to move. We have seven confirmed casualties and another twenty-two still unaccounted for."
"Do you know what caused the explosion?"
Hammond shook his head, "We're getting scattered reports about what exactly happened... Apparently most of the serious damage was limited to the research section, but the hangar also suffered some damage.
"And Colonel Carter?" he asked with concern. During his time at the Alpha Site he had come to enjoy her company and her abilities.
"She's one of the missing..." he stated. He hoped that they found her alive, he didn't know what he'd tell her father, or the rest of SG-1, including the former team leader, otherwise.
Everyone at the SGC waited for more news from the Alpha Site, everyone ready to assist as soon as the klaxons blared announcing an off-world activation of the Stargate. Over the next half hour wormholes with the Alpha Site were established twice to transport more of the wounded and provide more information for the SGC.
On the last communication with the Alpha Site they were warned to have several surgeons from the Academy Hospital on hand. They had made contact with a group of survivors in a pocket of rubble, but they were still working on safely digging them out. Included in that group was Sam Carter, who was reportedly badly injured.
Hammond had made several trips down to the infirmary already to check on the status of some of the injured personnel. So far, they hadn't lost any more and had moved four of the critical patients to the Academy Hospital. He was walking amongst the beds thinking it was moments like this when he was most proud of the staff here at the SGC. They all pulled together and got the job done, they always performed at their best when tragedy struck. Unfortunately, in ten years of existence, the SGC had proven what it was made of more than its fair share. He was speaking with one of the nurses when the klaxons once again went off and he rushed off to the control room.
"What have we got?"
The Sergeant waited to answer until he received a signal, "It's the Alpha Site, sir."
"Open up a communications line."
He waited for Sergeant Davis to carry out his orders, and once he received the okay from the man at his workstation, he leaned down and spoke into the microphone. "What's the status over there?"
"Sir, we've pulled out the personnel who were trapped in that pocket. We've got five more out, Colonel Carter and Captain Warner are in critical condition."
Hammond paused before speaking to the man next to him, "Open the iris." He took another deep breath and spoke into the radio, "Okay, we're ready to receive more from there. Send them over as soon as possible."
"Yes sir."
Hammond stood up and looked around the room. They all saw the concern in his eyes, they all knew how close he was with all the members of SG-1, and throw in the fact that Sam was the daughter of one of his oldest friends...
But he wasn't the only one deeply concerned about the Colonel's condition. In ten years of service at the SGC she had become friends with a majority of the base, in addition to saving their lives countless times.
~
"Are we receiving a signal?" he asked Davis who was sitting in the control room above him.
He wondered who it could be, they had just closed a connection with the Alpha Site.
Davis looked at his screen and then toggled the intercom for the room below him, "It's SG-3 sir!"
Hammond turned and hurried up to the control room. As he entered he noticed that the Vice President had rejoined them in the control room upon hearing that one of the teams escorting the President had dialed in.
As he walked in he noted that communications had already begun, "... Repeat, we had 21 Jaffa show up here at the Tok'ra home world! We've taken care of 15 so far... The President and SG-1 are on their way back to the Stargate now..."
Hammond's eyes went wide, what more could go wrong today? "Are there any injuries Captain?" he asked recognizing the voice. He looked down at the embarkation room as they continued to clear the room, he didn't know if the base could handle any more injured.
"None reported so far, sir... The President and his guests were well away from any action that took place," he assured his former commander. "They're on their way back now... they should be here in under ten minutes!"
"Very well Captain, we'll keep the gate open... Be careful son."
"Yes sir."
As he waited, he wondered what he was going to tell SG-1. Nothing would be able to prepare them for the news he had to deliver to them.
Seven minutes later they opened the iris and awaited their guest's arrival.
Lt. Peters was the first one to step through. He was momentarily shocked by the site that greeted him on the Earth side of the Stargate before he turned to help receive the civilians after their tumultuous ride through the wormhole.
As they watched the first man step through the Stargate, Hammond and the Vice President headed down to the Gate room.
Cathy Ryan was the next one to stumble out of the wormhole escorted by Daniel, followed closely by her husband and then Secretary Bretano. The two Secret Service Agents weren't that far behind them and stepped through with Captain Bates and Sergeant Simms.
When they all gathered their bearings they all looked around the Gate room that looked like a field hospital with bandages strewn about and puddles of blood scattered around the floor.
"What happened?" Daniel asked as he looked around the room.
General Hammond scanned the crowd for the rest of SG-1before focusing on the archaeologist standing in front of him. "Where are the others?"
"On their way," he replied curtly. He then reiterated his question, "What happened sir?"
He steeled himself for the reaction he would receive, "There was an explosion at the Alpha Site..." he began before he stopped when he saw Jack O'Neill step out of the event horizon.
"Is everyone okay?" a concerned Daniel asked.
Taking a look around the room, he asked the obvious question, "What the hell happened here?" as he found Hammond standing at the base of the ramp. He worked his way down and stood before him. "What happened George?" he calmly asked as he motioned at the blood and the bandages.
When Hammond spoke, it was quietly, "There was an accident at the Alpha Site..."
O'Neill interrupted him this time, "Is everyone okay?"
"No... So far there have been eight casualties and over forty wounded." He paused as he saw Jack's eyes glaze over with shock at the tragedy that had struck one of their bases. "Jack..." he began softly as he gained his attention and looked at Daniel as well, "Colonel Carter was seriously injured in the explosion."
Both men's mouths gaped in shock at the news they received. "Where is she?" the base CO finally uttered.
"She just came through, they took her to the infirmary," he informed them.
Daniel immediately took off for said infirmary. Jack paused momentarily before his former CO and sought understanding. He received it, "Go on son, I'll take care of things down here."
O'Neill quickly nodded his head as he took off after Daniel.
General Hammond watched the two men run out of the room. He then returned his attention to the group standing before him, "Mr. President," he stated in a tired voice.
The President's face and voice were filled with concern, "What happened?"
"We're not quite sure..."
"Are you alright Mr. Vice President?" Andrea asked, hating that she had to ask about this one man before the man who had lost eight men already in the past few hours.
"I'm fine," he assured her before nodding at his own secret service agent, "and he's been better."
The other female in the group spoke up, "General, is there anything I can do?"
Hammond turned his attention to the petite woman. He stared at her momentarily when he remembered that she was a doctor, "I'm sure they'd greatly appreciate it... Sergeant Matthews, take the First Lady to the infirmary."
Cathy nodded her head in thanks and began to follow the airman out of the room.
Roy began to follow her, he was coming up on Agent Price and saw that she was about to object, "You can't stop her," he knowingly whispered to her as he caught up with his protectee.
President Ryan stepped over to his bodyguard, "Andrea."
She looked over at her Boss. Looking at his face she understood, she remembered what had happened less than a year ago when the First Lady had insisted on helping at the hospital when the Ebola virus had reached the soils of their country.
She nodded her head in acceptance of the situation. The obligation she felt to protect the President and his family was the same one that the First Lady felt towards anyone who was injured.
Just then the intercom came to life, "Sir, Teal'c and the others are returning to base!"
They all looked up at the event horizon and saw Teal'c escorting Colonel Reynolds through the wormhole, and then the two CIA operatives sharing a laugh. All their faces turned serious when they saw the state of the Gate room.
Reynolds' teammates came up to help him as Teal'c headed to the former base commander.
"General Hammond?"
"Teal'c," he began quietly, "Colonel Carter was injured in a blast on the Alpha Site, she's down in the infirmary now."
For the first time in his acquaintance with Teal'c he watched the tall Jaffa take off without any sort of acknowledgement or permission. He watched as Teal'c ran out the door and threw his staff weapon at one of the Marines guarding the Gate.
Jack and Robbie shared a look, wondering how one person could cause such a reaction among several battle hardened soldiers, not to mention that General Hammond was seriously concerned for her well being.
Hammond turned to his guests, "Mr. President, if you'd like I can arrange for your transport off the base."
"I'd like to stick this out with your men, if that's all right with you?" He felt the need to see how this base operated when tragedy struck. He needed to understand what they were going through. It was a leadership function he felt obligated to fulfill. The personnel on this base risked their lives to defend their world, he needed to know who they were.
The President looked over at his lead agent. He saw in her eyes that she understood, she didn't like the situation, but knew that he felt the need to stay. She sent him a small nod in return.
Hammond nodded his head, "Yes sir. If you'd like I can set you up in some VIP quarters-"
"Actually, the conference room will be fine." Ryan suggested, he didn't want to be far from the action. "I'd like to discuss what we all saw," he offered.
"Of course, Mr. President," he told them as he led them away. He took them through the control room and indicated the stairs up, "Sir, if you'll-"
Ryan nodded his head, "You have a job to do and a base to check up on."
"Thank you, sir." Hammond then quickly turned away from his guests and turned to Sergeant Davis. "Dial up the Alpha Site!"
"Yes sir," was the quick reply as the inner ring of the Stargate began to spin.
*
When Jack O'Neill caught up with Daniel he was quickly exiting the main infirmary entrance.
"Where is she?" he called out as he slowed down to a fast walk.
Daniel looked over his shoulder as he continued down the hall, "She's in X-ray."
"What'd they say?" he asked as he caught up with his friend.
Daniel looked over at him knowingly, "Nothing."
They entered the X-ray room's ante room where they were met by a nurse who had seen them enter. "Sir, you can't come any further!"
"Like hell I can't!"
"No you can't. They're taking some scans right now! You can't go in there!" she forcefully told him.
The General stared at the nurse in front of him trying to stare her down. But it didn't work. "Where's the doctor?"
The nurse gently answered him, "She's on her way General. She'll explain the Colonel's condition once she has the opportunity." The nurse then stepped back, "I have to get back, sir."
O'Neill stared at the door she had just gone through. He then looked over at Daniel, whose face was as distraught as his own. They don't know how long they stared at each other, but they were eventually pulled from their morbid thoughts when they heard the page.
"Dr. Brightman to X-ray, STAT!"
They both looked up and processed the overhead order. They were only beginning to understand the implications when the doctor and another nurse came charging into the room and on into the room where only authorized personnel were allowed.
Both men ran up to the door and crashed through as well. They watched the doctor and nurses standing over Sam's badly injured body.
They stared in shock as they heard the doctor order one of the technicians, "Charge to 200!"
"Charging," the tech stated as the doctor continued doing chest compressions.
Once the defibrillator had reached the proper amount she handed him the paddles as another nurse applied the conducting lubricant to them.
They watched in stony silence as the doctor positioned the paddles on Sam's chest and yelled out, "Clear!"
They jumped back as they watched Sam's body accept the electric shock as her body jolted up from the gurney she was lying on.
"Still nothing!" another nurse stated as Teal'c made his way into the room and also observed in silence.
"Charge to 250!"
Fifteen seconds later, her teammates jumped with her body again as the doctor transmitted the electricity through her body.
"We got a heartbeat!" a tech stated as Dr. Brightman stepped back and started issuing orders.
"Okay, we gotta get her to the O.R. now! Make sure they have it ready by the time we get there," she told her staff as she began to roll the gurney out of the room.
The three men closely followed the gurney. "How is she?" Daniel frantically asked.
Brightman looked over her shoulder and noticed the group of men, "I won't lie to you, not good."
They were coming up on the entrance to the O.R. The doctor looked over her shoulder once again and saw that the group of men were still in the same spot as a few seconds ago. She saw the fear and pain in their eyes, she so wanted to help them. She pushed the gurney through and turned to the three men, "She's a fighter sir. We're going to do everything we can." She turned and entered the O.R.
The door swung close and Sam's teammates all stared at it blankly.
Neither of them moved, they were all numb from the news they had received.
Daniel was the first to move as he stepped up to the door and tried to look through the window and catch sight of Sam. Not seeing anything he turned and stepped to the wall next to the door and lowered himself to the ground as he cradled his head in his hands.
Teal'c moved to stand across from the door, keeping a vigil and making sure that no harm would come from outside the walls of the O.R.
And O'Neill paced outside the doorways. It took all his power to not go running into that room and demand to know what was going on. But his mind told him that he had to stay out there and let the doctors and nurses do their jobs.
Thirty long minutes later they all jumped when a nurse came out of the room.
The nurse who was focused on getting more of Carter's plasma and red blood cells wasn't ready for the onslaught she faced.
"How's she doing?"
"What's her condition?"
"What is Colonel Carter's condition?"
She blinked at the men around her, "I'm sorry sir, I can't say... If you'll excuse me, I need to get some more of her blood."
At that, the three men let her pass. When she returned they again asked her, "What's going on in there?"
"Sir, one of the doctors will be out to explain as soon as they can," she told them as she snaked her way through the crowd and back into the O.R.
They continued to wait outside those doors, anxious to hear any word from anyone who would tell them anything of her condition. They all paced and sighed. Wondered what would happen if she did die, how they would be able to carry on.
And for the first time in a long time, Jack O'Neill prayed.
TBC
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