LADY OF SLAUGHTER
“Damn it, Carter! Hurry it up!” Colonel Jack O’Neill, leader of SG-1, ducked as an energy blast almost took his head off. Swearing loudly, he fired his P-90 at the Jaffa that was barring down on his 2IC.
Pushing herself up from the wet grass of P87-251, Major Samantha Carter bit back a smart-ass comment and began running again toward the active Stargate not far away. Another energy blast from a staff weapon hit the ground near her feet causing her to jump sideways and stumble slightly, but she regained her momentum quickly and made it the last few feet to the stairs leading to the event horizon and home. She glanced up to see one furious Colonel Jack O’Neill standing inches from the event horizon firing his P-90 into the Jaffa warriors baring down on them and inwardly cringed at what she knew was waiting on the other side of the wormhole. She ran the last few feet to the gate and jumped through at the same time as the Colonel.
The unyielding metal of the ramp and the deafening noise of the gate room greeted them as they both hit the hard surface with a muted thud.
Sam rolled a couple of feet and just laid there, eyes closed a moment, trying to get the breath that had been knocked out of her back into her lungs. She heard the sound of the metal iris closing over the gate and was finally able to breath again. Opening her eyes she found herself looking up into the face of one pissed off CO. She resisted the urge to simply close her eyes and block out the furious visage looming over her and instead looked steadily up at Colonel O’Neill waiting for the onslaught to begin.
He did not disappoint her.
“What the hell was that, Major!”, he yelled while gesturing toward the gate and in effect the planet they had just come from.
“I screwed up, sir”, she said as calmly as she could, but she could feel a spark anger already building inside of her.
“Well that is the understatement of the year!”, he yelled again. Sam flinched at the biting sarcasm in his voice. “Would you like to come up with a more comprehensive answer than that or should I just leave it as you’re a screw up!”
Okay, that was it. Suddenly all the fears and worries that had plagued her all week disappeared and Sam saw red. “You are right. Sir”, she said her tone caustic as she picked herself up off the ramp and faced him squarely. “ I should have said the next time you come up behind me like that I will kick your ass instead of just knocking it to the ground!”
The entire gate room went silent as her words echoed off the concrete walls, but she was oblivious to it and continued without regard to those around her. “And to tell the truth, no I would not like to give you a more comprehensive answer because anything beyond ‘See Dick run.’ Would send you into a intellectual coma!” Then she did something that “the perfect soldier” Major Samantha Carter would never do…she flipped him off. Glaring at her commanding officer she stalked past him and out of the gate room.
Jack stood there practically shaking in fury staring at the doorway she had just stalked through then did the only thing he could think to do. “CARTER!” Jack bellowed and turned to follow her.
Daniel Jackson, the team’s linguist, quickly stepped toward him to head him off, but backed up at the look of rage on his friend’s face. He had no idea what had happened with Sam and Jack back on the planet, but it must have been something extremely serious to cause Sam to effectively destroy her career with her actions moments ago. He watched as Jack exited the gate room fury in every step he took. Daniel looked at Teal’c to see if the Jaffa had any insight into what just happened. But the stoic warrior was paying attention to the door that Jack had just left through a look of concern on his dark features.
Colonel Jack O’Neill was pissed! No. He was beyond pissed! He could have her brought up on a myriad of charges for that display of hers just now, maybe even court marshaled. He ignored the nagging ‘something is wrong, this is not like her’ thought that kept intruding in on his fury filled pursuit of the Major. She had been insubordinate! No! She had gone way beyond that. She had flipped him off!!!!
He grabbed his cap off his head and ran his fingers roughly through his hair in frustration. Had she completely lost her mind! Slapping his cap against his thigh he stopped to get his anger under control.
There had to be a logical explanation for her actions. Everything had been fine before they had left on the mission and other than being a bit preoccupied this last week Carter had acted like she normally did. Professional.
Granted his behavior off-world had been a bit…unprofessional, but nothing warranting her behavior moments before.
Taking a deep calming breath he walked through the mission in his mind.
As usual what had started as a “walk in the park” had become a huge mess.
The event horizon of the wormhole disengaged and Jack had done a quick survey of the surrounding area. The Stargate stood in the middle of a huge meadow of wild flowers. As if on cue, Daniel began to sneeze as he made his way past him and down to the base of the stairs. Jack followed the archeologist down the stairs and stopped next to Teal’c too see the Jaffa scanning the area looking for any threats.
“The area is clear, O’Neill.”
Jack nodded to him and turned to Carter.
Sam made her way over to the DHD confirming what the MALP had seen earlier.
“The DHD is in good shape, sir. We will have no problem dialing out.” She said her voice crisp and professional as she looked the device over.
Sam looked up as Daniel sneezed again and smiled at him. Despite allergy medication from earth, alien pollen tended to penetrate the drugs and sent the young man into sneezing fits. Daniel returned her smile and walked past her toward the reason they were there.
A huge monolith of highly polished black stone stood a few feet from the DHD. Daniel walked up to it and ran his fingers lightly over the text that covered it. Teal’c walked up behind him and gazed at the stone.
“Do recognize any of these symbols, Teal’c?”
“I do not, Daniel Jackson. I have seen this writing before.”
“Okay.” He pulled his video camera from his pack and began filming the symbols and making vocal observations as he recorded them.
Jack made his way down the remaining steps from the Stargate and walked toward Carter. “Okay kids, while you two check out the big rock here..”
“Artifact, Jack!” Daniel barked.
“It is an artifact, O’Neill.” Teal’c said at the same time.
“Whatever! Carter and I are gonna have a quick look around.” He turned toward his second in command and waved her over. “Come on, let’s check out the forest to the east.” Sam grabbed her pack from the base of the DHD and began heading toward the forest. “Daniel,” Jack looked back at the linguist engrossed in the stone before him. “You have two hours and then we are out of here. Got it?”
He heard him mumble something to him in response. “Daniel?”
“I will insure Daniel Jackson is finished in the time allotted.”
“Thank you, Teal’c.” Jack replied. With a frown at Daniel, he turned and followed Carter toward the forest.
Daniel glanced up at his departing teammates with a frown. “Teal’c, have you noticed anything odd about Sam this week?”
Teal’c frowned slightly at Daniel’s question. “Indeed, I have Daniel Jackson. She has seemed very preoccupied as of late. Perhaps she is working on a new project?”
“Maybe…” He shook his head and turned his attention back to the monolith before him. “I’ll catch her when we get back and talk to her. It’s probably nothing.”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Sam heard Jack muttering to himself about geeks and their toys as he fell in step beside her. She smiled to herself as he continued to grumble. Jack was the most irascible man she had ever met. Which was saying something since her father was a retired general and was constantly up in arms about something.
All things considered, she really did enjoy working with Colonel O’Neill. Life was never dull with him around. She resisted the urge to sigh as she watched him covertly and tried to ignore the sadness that was creeping into her. She knew the next few hours were going to be hell and she was not looking forward to them one bit.
The walk toward the forest was for all intents and purposes an easy-going one. The MALP showed no inhabitants with-in ten miles of the Stargate, however, the two soldiers kept an eye on the surrounding area for good measure.
Jack glanced over at his 2IC as she scanned a nearby grove of trees with one of her many doohickies. A professional through and through, Sam Carter was an amazing woman. Strong, capable and almost scary intelligent, she was someone he genuinely admired. Of course the fact that she was strikingly beautiful did not hurt one bit either. He watched as she started walking into the grove and called out to her.
“Uh, Major….this is not a nature hike…..we are checking the perimeter only.”
“Yes, sir…” she responded, but kept walking into the grove of trees.
O’Neill frowned as she kept going. “Carter.” He started after her when she ignored him. “Get back here now. That’s an order.” Jack barked at her when she still did not stop. A moment later he was surprised when he heard a faint “No, sir” float back to him as she disappeared into the trees.
To say he was irritated was an understatement. He stalked after her and entered the grove. “She had better have one hell of reason for disobeying a direct order.” He grumbled as he pushed his way through the thick foliage.
The trees broke and he found her in a small clearing near what looked to be another monolith, but this one was different. Forgetting his irritation at the Major he stepped closer and saw little lights blinking over the surface. Even closer inspection showed writing in and around the lights. It looked familiar to him…ah…it was ancient. The same language he learned when he was stuck in the god awful time loop a few years ago. His lips quirked as a memory of a very responsive Major slipped through his mind, but he shook it off quickly.This was not the time and place for that type of personal musings.
Speaking of said Major. Carter was standing in front of monolith studying the patterns of the lights as they blinked and scribbling away on her notepad. She was so intent on what she was doing that she seemed oblivious to him.
She was as bad as Daniel sometimes.
Unable to resist a little mischief, he walked up behind her, leaned forward slowly over her shoulder and took a deep breath….
“Carter!”
Now hindsight being 20/20 and all, he should have realized that startling a trained combat soldier was a bad idea, however this did not occur to him until he was flat on his back, holding his hand over a blackening eye and looking into the face of a very pissed off 2IC.
“What the hell do you think you are doing? Have lost your damn mind! I could have really hurt you.” She yelled loudly.
“Watch you mouth, Major. You bordering close to insubordination.” Jack snapped back immediately at her outburst.
She glared at him a moment as if considering something then without another moment’s hesitation told him to ‘bite her’.
“What?” He looked at her as if she had grown an extra head.
“Bite me, Colonel! ” She said firmly and mockingly added a salute to her words. She then turned on her heel and stalked back into the woods toward the Stargate.
There were not many times in Jack’s life that he had been struck speechless, but Carter had effective shut him up…..for all of five seconds.
“Carter!” he roared.
Launching up from the ground he was unprepared for the dizziness that caught him and made him stand still so the world could quit moving. Obviously he had hit the ground a lot harder than he thought. Swearing vehemently he began walking slowly after his 2IC.
It took only a few minutes to clear the woods…and walk into the active end of a Jaffa’s staff weapon.
Apparently, the MALP had missed something.
“Well, crap.” He studied the Jaffa warrior pointing the weapon at him and slowly began lowering his p-90 to the ground. He was about to drop it when the sound of gunfire erupted behind him and the Jaffa dropped to the ground dead. Carter stalked out of the woods toward him.
Looking toward the gate he grabbed his radio to tell Daniel to dial up the gate. However he saw it was unnecessary. Having heard the gunfire a moment before, the young man was already running toward the DHD while Teal’c scanned the area for more Jaffa.
Ignoring the dead Jaffa at his feet and the fact that Sam had just saved his ass. He sent a glare at her as she came to stand next to him. She did not look the least bit contrite for her earlier actions and even glared back at him.
“Major”, he said through gritted teeth, “ if you ever mouth off at me like that again...”, He never got to finish his statement as another blast of energy hit the ground beside them.
“Shit! Move it Carter! Back to the gate.”
She did not hesitate and began running back toward the gate. As they ran the kawoosh of the event horizon sounded, signaling the way home. Teal’c and Daniel began laying down cover fire enabling he and Carter to concentrate on running instead of shooting. He leapt onto the stairs leading to the Stargate and turned to see Carter hit the ground when a blast knocked her from her feet. His stomach turned as he saw a Jaffa bearing down on her position and fired his weapon to give her time to get up.
“Damn it, Carter. Hurry up!” He shouted.
She lifted her head and glared daggers at him, but got up and began running again. Soon she cleared the event horizon and he was right on her tail.
Now standing in the concrete halls of the SGC, he was no closer to understanding what had happened back on the planet. Granted he should not have snuck up on her, but even so her actions were out of line and out of character for his 2IC.
Completely confused by her actions he shook off the memory of the mission and purposefully headed toward the locker rooms and his insubordinate 2IC.