Teal’c was the first of the remaining members of SG-1 to step through the wormhole into the SGC that day.

“General Hammond we may be contagious. Everyone must leave,” he shouted as he walked to the bottom of the ramp turned and waited for the others members of SG-1. 

Without hesitation General Hammond ordered a Code Red Containment Alert.  The evacuation of the Gate Room was immediate.  As the last of the SGC staff left Major Carter came through the wormhole, followed a few moments later by Colonel O’Neill.

“Close the iris NOW!” he shouted to the control room.  The iris closed and as it did there came the sound of something, of several things, impacting on the other side.  Samantha Carter turned abruptly towards the sound and then up at Colonel O’Neill in disbelief.  More impacts were heard, each one making her flinch.  Then the wormhole disengaged.  Neither Carter nor O’Neill moved the look of horror on her face seen only by him as they faced each other.  General Hammond looked down from the Control Room.

“Colonel?” he said, his voice echoing around the Gate Room.  No one moved.  “Major?” he said in exasperation.  Still they didn’t move or speak.  Carter continued to glare up at Colonel O’Neill for a moment more then suddenly and still without a word turned and walked down the ramp towards the door.

“Infirmary Major,” O’Neill ordered the retreating figure.

“Yes Sir!” she answered without turning around her reply barely a whisper.

“Colonel,” General Hammond asked in puzzlement as he watched her go. “What happened?” 

O’Neill looked up at the Control Room then towards the door.

“It’s a long story Sir,” he said as he walked downed the ramp towards Teal’c.

“Best make sure everyone stays away.”

Debriefing

The debriefing took place in the infirmary where SG-1 was quarantined so General Hammond spoke to them from an overlooking room.

“There was plague on PT692?”

“That is correct,” answered Teal’c.

“What sort of plague?” General Hammond asked his unusually quiet team.

“It is called The Sleeping Death,” answered Teal’c.  “I have seen it wipe out entire planets in a matter of weeks.”

“Major?” said General Hammond.

“It had already killed half the population by the time we arrived Sir,” she answered. “Those surviving had made a separate camp outside the village and wouldn’t let us approach, but begged us to help.  Teal’c said there was nothing we could do and Colonel O’Neill ordered us to leave.”  She shot O’Neill a furious look as she said this.  “I left them the supplies in my backpack.  It wasn’t much, but it was all I could think of at the time.”

“Teal’c?” said General Hammond as Major Carter went silent again.

“It is a deadly plague General.  There was nothing to be done.”  He looked towards Major Carter.  “It would have been foolish to stay.” 

“I understand,” said Hammond.  “But what was it we heard hit the iris?”

Colonel O’Neill turned towards Major Carter who avoided his gaze.

“It must have been some of the villagers Sir,” he answered.  “As we returned to the Stargate they followed.  We told them they couldn’t come with us as they would infect our world but they wouldn’t listen.  Teal’c hit several of them with the Zat gun and I winged a couple more, but the rest kept coming.  They threw stones, anything they could lay their hands on. By the time Major Carter dialled home they were almost on top of us.”

“So that’s why you ordered the iris closed?” said General Hammond beginning to feel that this debriefing was worse than walking through molasses.

“Yes Sir,” answered O’Neill.  “I had no choice.”  He looked once again at Major Carter.  She did not look back.

“Well you did the right thing,” General Hammond told him.  Then seeing his team was in no mood for any lengthy discussion said, “We’ll cover this in more detail after you get some rest.”

“Yes Sir,” O’Neill answered as Dr Fraiser entered the room dressed more as if she was about to do a moonwalk than take blood samples.

She glanced across to Major Carter standing quietly at the back of the room.

“I’m afraid you’re struck here for a few days, but hopefully as you didn’t have physical contact with anyone you should be OK.  That is if Teal’c is right and it’s spread by physical contact.  Think of it as a couple of extra days on the two weeks leave you are all due to start when I give the all clear,” she told them smiling.

“Great!” said Major Carter as she sat down on the bed furthest away and on the opposite side of the room from the other two.  “That’s all I need, a couple of days stuck in here.”  As she said this, she pulled the curtains around her bed.

Dr Fraiser was surprised at her friend’s reaction and turned towards the other two for explanation.

“She’s a bit upset,” O’Neill said quietly.

“That’s more than a bit,” Fraiser answered.  “I’d say quite a lot more than a bit.”

She crossed the room and joined Major Carter behind the screens.

The two men sat down on the beds and tried to relax.   But even Teal’c who knew that his symbiant was able to protect him from the plague looked worried. 

 

Major Carter spent the next 2 days in quarantine working on the computer.  Teal’c between bouts of kelnoreem and playing cards with O’Neill caught up on some reading and watched Star Wars, twice.  Colonel O’Neill found the 2 days frustrating.  He spent some of it reading but most of it annoying the other two as he was bored and they always seemed to be busy.  To him, being an active person, the confinement was almost as bad as being ill and stuck in hospital for real.  Although Major Carter would engage in conversation with him now and then, he felt she still wasn’t really talking to him properly and seemed to be preoccupied, always in a hurry to get back to her computer.  What with that and the constant tests that were being taken, he felt he would go nuts if he stayed there much longer. 

 

On the third day, Dr Fraiser pronounced them all free of infection, as far as she could tell.

“But to be sure it would be best if you all stayed close to home for the next couple of days, just in case,” General Hammond told them.

“But General,” protested O’Neill who felt he had been confined long enough.

“No buts please Colonel,” answered General Hammond.  “You’re all to stay home for the next two days just in case Dr Fraiser needs to get hold of you.”

 

Normally before they took any leave SG-1 went out for a meal together, but this time only O’Neill and Teal’c went.  Major Carter declined the offer.

“Not this time Colonel,” she said when he asked was she coming with them. “I’ve some things to sort out.”  And without another word, she walked away.  They watched her go.

“Major Carter still seems to be upset,” Teal’c commented to O’Neill.

“Yeah I can see that Teal’c,” he answered.  “Oh her words say I did the only thing I could do, but her eyes say something else and I haven’t been able to get her to discuss what happened properly.”

“Maybe she will be better for the time away,” offered Teal’c as they entered the lift.

“Hope so,” answered O’Neill.  “Boy there are times when I really miss Daniel.  He may have been a pain in the butt, but….”

“Daniel Jackson could always find the right words to say in these situations,” said Teal’c.

“Perhaps she is more upset by the fact that we could not help those plague victims than she says and is just saying she understands in order to avoid speaking of it,” he offered hopefully

“I don’t think so Teal’c,” O’Neill answered.  “I heard her talking to old Doc Fraiser and she said she agreed that we did the right thing.  No, it’s something else that has her so upset and it’s something I did.  But what I want to know is how am I supposed to apologise, let alone make sure I don’t do it again, if she won’t tell me what it was in the first place?”  They stepped out of the lift and O’Neill stopped.  “Are the women on Chulak as hard to make out as the ones here?” he asked.

“They are the same everywhere O’Neill,” Teal’c answered smiling.

“And you yourself do not always say the things bothering you, but like Major Carter is doing you keep them inside, not explaining to those you should.  I too am guilty of this.”

Colonel O’Neill looked hard at his friend.  He was right and there was no denying it.

“Well there was nothing I could do, nothing any of us could do for those folks, so as soon as the Doc gives the all clear I’m going fishing.  Are you sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asked, giving his friend a sideways glance as he did.

“Positive O’Neill,” Teal’c answered.  “Those Minnesota insects can find something else to live on besides me for a change.” 

3 days later as Major Carter returned from shopping she heard the telephone ringing as she opened the door.  It stopped as she stepped inside and she realised she’d forgotten to turn on the answerphone.  “They’ll ring back if it’s important,” she said to herself.

A short while later someone rang the doorbell, then she heard Colonel O’Neill call her in the way he always did, just using her last name.  “Carter!” 

“I knew I should have left this morning,” she muttered as she walked towards the door wishing she could pretend she wasn’t home, but her car was parked out front so he knew she was in.  She opened the door just as he was about to ring the bell again.

“Hi,” he said as he quickly removed his hand from the bell.

“Hi,” she answered, though her voice gave away the fact she was not happy to see him.  He stood waiting.

“Well aren’t you going to invite me in?” he asked.

“Oh sorry,” she said moving to one side so he could enter.  “I was miles away.”

“I could see that,” he answered as he stepped inside.

“Coffee?” she asked. “I was just making some.”

“That would be nice,” he answered following her into the kitchen.  As she took off the now boiling kettle he sat down.”

“Well?” he said waiting for her to speak.

“Well what?” she answered her back still towards him.

“Well what?” he said loudly making her jump.  “I’ve just come from the SGC.  That’s what.  What’s this about you resigning?  And just when were you intending to tell me?”

“General Hammond promised,” she began to say in protest.

“It wasn’t General Hammond, it was Doc Fraiser.  She told me,” he said.

She turned round to face him a mug of hot coffee in her hand.  For a moment, he thought she might throw it at him as she stood there angrily.

“What were you doing at the SGC anyway?  Aren’t you supposed to be off somewhere fishing?” she demanded.  “What happened to and I quote, when one is given leave, one is supposed to actually leave?”  She placed the mug on the breakfast bar in front of him and stood waiting for his answer.

“If you really want to know,” he answered, taken aback by her tone.  “I went to see Fraiser because I’ve not been feeling too great for the last couple of days and thought she should give me the once over before I go fishing, considering where we’ve just come back from.” 

It was then Major Carter noticed he didn’t look well.

“She thought you’d told me.”  He picked up the cup.  “Got the shock of her life when she realised she’d let the cat out of the bag,” he added, taking a sip of coffee.

“Well what did she say?” Major Carter asked sitting down opposite him.

“About you resigning from the SGC?” O’Neill said.  “What could she say?”

“No, about you not feeling well,” she said.

“That’s not important at the moment is it?” he replied, feeling she was trying to change the subject.

“Well I think it is,” she told him.

“I’m just over tired that’s all, you know, like how you feel when you’ve just recovered from flu.  All washed out.  I don’t have the plague if that’s what you’re thinking.  Mind you I fall asleep as soon as I sit down so you’d think the last thing I was, was tired.”

“Well you don’t look right to me,” she said.

“Sam, for goodness sake can we stick to the reason I came here?” he said.  “What’s all this about?  Why have you resigned and when were you going to get around to telling me?”

“I wasn’t going to tell you,” she answered sitting down opposite him.

“General Hammond was going to do that when you got back off leave.”

Her answer hurt him she could tell, but he didn’t push it.

“But why are you resigning?” he asked. “OK, I know you were upset by what happened on PT692, but that’s hardly a reason for resigning from the airforce.”

“I haven’t resigned from the airforce, so far just the SGC,” she answered.

“WHY?” he asked.  “Because of the villagers?”

“It wasn’t just because of them,” she answered clearly upset. “It’s about what happened when we got back here.”

“What?  What happened when we got back here?” he demanded to know.

“You know what happened,” she told him getting angrily to her feet.  “You heard them; you heard them hit the iris.”

“Who?” he asked. “Who hit the iris?”

“Oh please Colonel don’t pretend you don’t know.  It had to be them; they were the nearest to the gate.”   He didn’t answer but fidgeted uncomfortably.

“That man and those two small children.  You saw them the same as I did.  They were the sounds we heard.  How could you do that?  I don’t understand how you could do that and…” She stopped.

“What was I supposed to do?” he asked. “You tell me, what I was supposed to do?  Let them through?  For crying out loud, you know that was impossible.  I don’t understand.”

“I know you couldn’t let them through. But you could at least have looked as if you cared,” she told him angrily.

“When?” he asked.

“When you heard them hit the iris.  You just stood there.  No emotion, nothing.  Just that look that said ‘Not Your Fault.  Move On’.  I’ve seen it on your face before.  When we came back from Euronda when you closed the iris knowing that Alaar was in the wormhole and it would kill him.  I saw it then as well.  Your face showed about as much caring as if you’d stepped on a slug.”

“Well he wasn’t much better than a slug.  He was responsible for the deaths of thousands.  If you remember?  No I didn’t care.  Was I supposed to?” he asked.

“I didn’t expect you to care about him!” she said. “But to you it was as if it never happened.  There was no reaction, nothing.  You just stood there.” The same the other day.  Didn’t it affect you at all?”

“Of course it did,” he told her.   She stared at him in disbelief.

“You’re glaring at me as if I’m some kind of monster,” he told her. “Was I supposed to get all weepy or something?” he asked sarcastically.  Then seeing her shocked reaction wished he hadn’t expressed himself in such a way.

She said nothing.

“And that’s it?” he asked. “You resigned because I didn’t show if I cared or not?”

“No that was just the last straw.  It’s hard to explain,” she answered angrily. 

“What?” he asked, his voice sounding as tired as he looked.  “What is?”

“It’s me.  I can’t do it,” she answered.

“Do what?” he wanted to know.

“What you had to do.  I just can’t do it.  I won’t be able to.”

“No one is asking you too,” he told her.

“Not at the moment no. But what about in the future? What about when a similar situation comes up in the future and it’s down to me to decide.  I couldn’t do it.”

“Do what exactly?” he asked.

“Make that kind of decision.  I won’t.  I don’t want to.”

“Why not? Why won’t you be able to?” he said, not believing what he was hearing.

“I just can’t,” she answered avoiding his eyes.

“But you’ve had to kill before. Jaffa, Goa’uld.  What’s the difference?” he asked.

“There is a difference; I won’t be able to do it,” she answered.

“You will.  You’re stronger than you think,” he told her.

“I’m not, I’m not strong at all,” she said.

“Yes you are,” he said.  “I’ve lost count of the amount of times…” she interrupted.

“It’s you, you make me strong, but I don’t think even you can make me that strong.”

“You’ve lost me” he said.  “I don’t make you strong.  You’re just strong.”

“I’m not,” she shouted, slamming down her mug of coffee making it spill.

“You are,” he told her as he watched her clear up the mess.  “I first saw how strong you were when we were sent through the second gate and ended up in the Antarctic.  You were brilliant, kept going even when all seemed lost, when all was lost.”

“That was you,” she answered.  “It was you made me strong.”

“How could it have been me?” he asked in despair. “I was unconscious most of the time.” 

“Right from the start you made me believe we were going to get out of there.  You have to believe me you kept saying and in the end I did, I did believe you,” she answered.

“So?” he said. “You kept going; you did what you had to.”

“I did not,” she said.  “I kept going because you made me believe you and because I had to get you help.”

“There you go,” he said.  “You were strong.”

“Only because of you,” she told him, exasperated as he didn’t seem to understand. “You were badly hurt and kept it to yourself at first because you saw I was having trouble dealing with our situation.  I would have given up from the start and you knew it, I know you did.  When we found the DHD you had such confidence that I’d figure it out I had to try.  I couldn’t let you down. Even though you knew you were dying you..... I was determined to get help.  It was nothing to do with me, it was all you.”

“I still say you did what you had to at the time and you will do so again.”

“I can’t.  I know I can’t.  They were just people, ordinary people trying to live, trying to save their families and we killed them.”

 “We didn’t kill them,” he said, “the plague was killing them.  We just...” He hesitated.  “You’ve killed before,” he continued, “had to.  It was the same this time.  If we’d let them through thousands here could have died.  We knew that.  There was no choice.”   He had the feeling the conversation was going round in circles.

“I know,” she answered.  “But that doesn’t make me feel any better, don’t you understand? Even though I know what we did was right it makes me feel sick to my stomach to think of it.  Yes we’ve killed before but they were soldiers, warriors, whatever you want to call them.  That’s what they do.  It’s a way of life to them, fighting.  These were civilians.  It’s different.  And when I can’t make that decision when the time comes.”  She rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears welling up in them. “I’ve had nightmares thinking about the consequences.”

“OK I see what you’re getting at,” he said.  “But you will make the right decision.  Just like I did.  If and I only say if the time every comes you will automatically make the right decision.  I know it.”

“And then what?” she asked quietly.

“What do you mean, then what?” he wanted to know.

“I carry on as if it never happened.  Like you do?”

“Yes,” he answered, not realising he was falling into a trap by what he said.

“How do you do that?” she asked quietly.

“You just do,” he answered.

“You mean that one day, if it happens enough, it won’t really bother me at all because after a while I’ll get used to doing it?”

“Of course it will bother you.  You’re you, things will always bother you,” he told her.

“But in the end it will just be another situation dealt with.  Gone, forgotten?” she asked.

“Well no,” he said beginning to feel he was digging a hole for himself.

“Oh so you mean that it Will bother me, but after a while, it won’t bother me too much?”

“Look this is getting us nowhere,” he said.  “What has this to do with the look on my face?  If it’s because I don’t react in the way you think I should in certain circumstances then you’ve forgotten what I did before I joined the SGC.  I’ve done and seen worse things, and you really don’t want to know what things I’m talking about, when I was in Special Forces.  It was what I did.  Couldn’t let it affect me.  Wouldn’t have lasted five minutes if it had.  I’ve learned to.....”

As soon as he said it he knew he’d said the wrong thing.  He waited for her to speak but she just looked at him.

“I had to become...” he told her.  “It was the only way to survive.”

“I understand that,” she answered.  “And that’s exactly what I’m on about.”

“I’m not following you again,” he said as she sat down.

“I realised when I saw that look on your face that in order to make those kinds of decisions and live with them, it would mean I would have to change inside.  Just like you’ve changed,” she told him.

“I haven’t changed,” he answered.

“So you’re the same person you were before you did all that secret airforce stuff?” she asked.  “I don’t think so Colonel.  As you mentioned there are things in your past you’d rather stayed in your past.  I’m not saying that this makes you a bad person or anything like that.  It’s just that sometimes you appear to be two people.  The one we see most of the time and the other one you keep buried deep inside.  The one it changed.  Every now and then he shows his face and shocks the living daylights out of me.  It was that other you I saw on the ramp.  Quite frankly I don’t want that to happen to me.  I’ve given up enough since joining SG-1 and I’m not prepared to give up anything else.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.  “What have you given up?”

“Well YOU for starters,” she answered her voice becoming loud again. 

“ME?” he said then added “Oh me!  You mean us.”

“Well I don’t mean anyone else,” she said.

“And normality,” she said before he could go any further on that side of the conversation.  “Don’t tell me you think going through every day with someone or something doing its best to kill you is NORMAL?”

“I never said it was,” he answered.

“And what about friends?” she asked.

“We’re your friends,” he answered.

“I mean outside of the SGC.  I’ve only one who hasn’t drifted away because I’m never here and she isn’t interested in all that science stuff as both you and she calls it so doesn’t keep asking me questions. I just want to know my microwave works she says, what buttons to press and what ones are likely to make the darn thing explode.”

“Sounds like my kind of person,” O’Neill answered.

“Well her husband’s in the airforce too so she’s used to all this secrecy and long absences.  Poor Rebecca, she knows all my personal secrets without knowing my big secret about the Stargate.  Doesn’t believe a word of me being in deep space radar, no one does and no one trusts friends they think keep lying to them, but she has never once asked what it is I really do.  Just says she is sure I wouldn’t be involved in anything nasty and that’s all she needs to know.”

“Knows all your personal secrets?” asked O’Neill.

“Oh yes!  Great at sorting me out is Rebecca,” she answered giving him a slight smile.

“Yep I like the sound of her; you’ll have to introduce us one day,” O’Neill said.

“Nearly did once.  Remember when you met my dad at that medal presentation in DC? Well she was there with her husband.  Told me later that she thought you looked bored. She’d sneaked off as she usually does at those things and passed you outside.  She was going to introduce herself and invite you to go for coffee but changed her mind when she saw you engrossed in conversation.  I expect it was that reporter; it must have been just before he got knocked down.  Remember?”

“I’ll never forget,” O’Neill said. “But don’t remember you mentioning her before.”

“I’ve often mentioned Becky,” she said sounding puzzled.  “Daniel’s met her. Boy does she like Daniel, is always enquiring after him.  I say he’s fine but she’s.....”

“Becky. You mean Becky.  Sorry, didn’t realise her name was Rebecca,” he laughed.

“OK, so you have given up things as you say, but what makes you think you will have to change inside?  As I’ve said, you’ll always be you,” he told her.

“Ya think?” she said imitating him.

“You were in the Gulf.  What’s the difference between then and now?” he asked.

“You’re right there, there isn’t much difference.  I did what I had to do back then and to be honest Colonel I hated every dam minute of it.  Every time I flew I knew I might kill civilians and was glad when it was all over.  I almost resigned but Becky with a little help from dad talked me out of it.”

“Well why don’t you talk to them now?” he asked hopefully.

“Can’t.  She’s in Europe somewhere and she’d just tell me to stay.”

“I really like this woman,” said O’Neill interrupting her.

“Dad can usually talk me out of most things,” she told him, “but this is something I have to work out for myself.  Of course General Hammond has refused my resignation.  He must have a drawer full of previous resignations from us lot.  Said I was to think it over.”

“Good,” said O’Neill sounding relieved.

“Maybe,” she answered.  “But if I can’t find a good enough reason to stay then I will resign and he will have to accept it.  I’ve got to be sure that in order to survive the things we go through I’m not going to have become...”

He interrupted her at that point.

“Like me?”

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” she answered.  “But as Daniel once said, become something I’m not and don’t want to be.  The gains have to be more than the losses.”

 “And then what?” he asked.  “What will you do if you can’t find a good enough reason?”

“Oh I’ve had plenty of offers for research work,” she told him. “In the Stargate Project, but just not in the way I am now.  And not here.”

He looked at her and was at a loss as to what more he could say to change her mind.

“I know what you’re thinking,” she said.  “You’re thinking I’m running away.”

“Well aren’t you?” he answered. “Looks to me like you are.”

“If it was just this incident I would agree with you, but all this stuff has been going round in my head for some time now.  Of course no situation has asked me to make that kind of decision yet as most decisions are made by you, so up until now I’ve been protected by you outranking me.  But if I stay and rise in rank, one day it will happen.  I’m not running away, I’m just looking in a different direction.  Taking time out,” she said, hoping he understood.   He looked into the mug of coffee unsure of what to say next.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll admit the resignation may look like a gut reaction but it wasn’t.  The villagers were just the last straw.”

“OK,” he said, his voice sounding exhausted. “We’ll leave it for now shall we?  Maybe we can talk some more tomorrow?”

“Afraid not,” she answered him.  “I’m off to my brothers in the morning.”

“I forgot,” he said.  “When you get back then?” 

“We’ll see,” she answered.

“Hey great coffee,” he said trying to change the subject. “I’ve gone off the one I’ve been buying, it tastes funny.  I’m drinking a lot of water at the moment.  I’m so thirsty.”

She smiled again then looked a little concerned.

“Look why don’t you stay here and have a sleep?” she asked.

Colonel O’Neill raised his eyebrows.

“Behave yourself Colonel,” she said as she saw him smiling.

“It’s just that you look really tired.  I’ve got some things to collect so I won’t disturb you. We can eat and then you can drive home later, or I’ll drive you home if you don’t feel up to it.  The way you are at the moment you’re likely to fall asleep at the wheel.”

“No, I’m fine,” he answered as he got up from the chair. 

 

“Have a nice time at your brother’s,” he told her. “And don’t forget to come back.”

She smiled a half smile but said nothing.  Then as she walked him to the door she gave him a sidelong look, which he noticed.

“What?” he asked.

“You’re sure you haven’t got the plague?” she asked, trying to keep her face serious.  “After all, it is called the sleeping death and you do look tired.”

“Gee thanks,” he said.

As she watched him walk down to the vehicle she felt uneasy.  He was certainly walking a lot slower than he usually did.  As he got in and closed the door she moved swiftly down to the roadside.

“Colonel,” she said tapping on the window.  He opened the window and looked at her.

 “Thanks for coming,” she said.  “I’m sorry I bit your head off the way I did.  It’s just….”

“I suppose I was the last person you wanted to see at your door at that moment?” he said. 

 “Not really.  I have to decide what to do, where to go from here, the SGC, making life and death decisions, stuff like that,” she told him. “You’re just an added complication.”

“Well I don’t mean to be,” he replied.

“Not your fault Jack,” she said quietly under her breath.

“What?” he asked not hearing her clearly.

“I said don’t sit too near the water when you’re fishing.”

“Why not?” he asked puzzled as he was sure she’d said something different.

“Well the state you’re in you could possibly fall in and frighten the fish.” 

“Oh I appreciate your concern for the fish,” he said.

“Perhaps you should take Teal’c with you,” she offered.

“Already asked him,” he answered.  “He doesn’t mind the fishing, says it reminds him of kelnoreem. I think he’s inferring it’s sitting about doing nothing, but he doesn’t care much for our insects.  They seem to like him a lot though.”

 

He watched her in the rear view mirror as he drove off up the road and couldn’t help feeling he hadn’t got very far in convincing her not to resign.  Somehow she had successfully managed to bring the conversation around to how he was feeling instead of what was happening with her.

He wasn’t convinced she had any intentions of staying in the SGC.

 

Major Carter watched as he drove off up the road.  She was sure that he was feeling worse than he had told her but had somehow managed to avoid the issue.  She watched him until another car came past and blocked her view. 

A cold shudder ran down her back.

Colonel Jack O’Neill sat upright in the armchair in his lounge and rubbed his neck.  Realising he must have fallen asleep in the chair he looked at his watch.  It showed 3 o’clock. The room was in darkness.  Reaching out to turn on the lamp that stood on the table next to him his hand connected with the cup placed there and cold coffee spilled everywhere.

“Dam,” he said as he stood up and nearly fell.  Although the room was dark he could still make out the shapes of furniture and leaning towards the lamp on the table he stumbled forwards knocking it sideways.

“For crying out loud,” he said groping around to find it.  He pressed the switch but the lamp did not come on.

“What now?” he uttered as he moved across the room to find the light switch near the hatch between the lounge and the dining area, his head spinning madly.  In the darkness he walked straight into the chess table knocking the pieces everywhere.

“This is ridiculous,” he said to himself, as his legs almost gave out under him.  Then he stopped because he thought he’d heard something.  He listened but the noise had gone.  He reached for the switch.  The light did not come on.

Because the giddiness was becoming worse with every moment he felt for the sofa and sat down.  Remembering his car phone was on the chess table he moved his hand around trying to locate it knocking chess pieces and books onto the floor as he did so.  His hand came to rest on the phone.

“Thank God,” he said.  Then no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t remember any telephone numbers.  He shook his head to try and clear it and listened again; sure he’d heard a noise, then thought he was mistaken as it seemed to come from somewhere in the house.

“Last number dialled,” he said out loud.  “Last number dialled.”  His finger found the recall button and he heard the phone dial out.  He waited what seemed an eternity then someone picked up the receiver.

“Carter?” he said and realised his voice was barely a whisper.

He heard her answer sleepily.

“Colonel?  Have you any idea what the time….?”

“Get help,” he asked interrupting her.  As he did so he stood up intending to try and reach the door but his legs gave way slightly and he stumbled forward, and in doing so crashed into the chess table, it turned over as he pushed it out of the way.

“Ouch!” he yelled at the pain in his shin as it made contact with one of the legs.

“What’s wrong?” he heard her ask.

“I keep falling down,” he told her as his legs gave way.

He heard her speaking but interrupted.

“I’m sick, get help.”

“I’m on my way, don’t move or you’ll hurt yourself,” she ordered loudly.

He was just about to speak again but stopped.  He now knew for sure there was someone else in the house.  In fact whoever it was, was right there. 

In the dark room a black shape was rushing towards him.

“What the hell?” he said as a hand grabbed his arm and knocked the phone from his grasp.

 

Although he could hardly stand he fought the intruder with all his strength.  They crashed around the darkened room knocking things over as they went.  Suddenly he felt something jab into his upper arm and lashed out as hard as he could.  He heard his assailant swear as he made contact with a face.   Then the world turned topsy turvey and his legs gave way under him.  He struck out again and something hit him across the neck.

The Colonel’s House

 

Major Carter pulled up outside Colonel O’Neill’s house.  A few moments later

Dr Fraiser drove round the corner towards her.  As she got out of the car she carried a torch.  The front of the house showed no lights.

“Where’s the sensor light?” said Major Carter as she walked up to her friend.  “It should have come on.”  They rang the bell in the faint hope Colonel O’Neill could get to the front door.  They called his name, though not too loudly.  Nothing.

“Let’s try round the back,” said Dr Fraiser. “Have any luck with the phones?”

“None,” answered Major Carter as they walked around to the rear of the house. “I’ve contacted General Hammond.  He’s on his way with a couple of airmen.  He said just in case, though what he meant by ‘just in case’.”  

As they came around the back of the house they found that it too was in darkness and the sensor light that covered that part of the property hadn’t turned on.

 

“This looks really bad,” said Dr Fraiser.  “Why is the house in darkness?”

“I’ve no idea,” Carter answered.  “Let’s just hope someone doesn’t ring the police and report us as intruders.”  As she said this she shone her torch in through the window.

“Oh God!” she said as she saw inside.

“What?” asked Dr Fraiser as she shone her torch in the same direction.

By the beam of both torches the two friends could see the mess inside Colonel O’Neill’s lounge. 

“Try his phone again,” said Dr Fraiser as the feeling inside her stomach became worse.

“Nothing,” said Major Carter as she did so, “not even a ringing tone.  Where on earth is he?  If he collapsed we should be able to see him.  And why is everything in such a mess.  It looks like there’s been a fight in there.  I don’t understand.”

At that moment General Hammond came round the rear of the house making them jump.

“No response?” he asked.

“None Sir,” answered Major Carter.

 

“Well let’s get inside,” said General Hammond. “I’ve got the spare key he always leaves on the base and hopefully we won’t scare the living daylights out of him by using it.”

“I don’t think he’s asleep Sir,” Carter said.”  She didn’t say what they’d seen through the window.  The group returned to the front of the house and General Hammond let them in. 

 

They called to Colonel O’Neill as they entered but he didn’t answer.  The light in the hall failed to come on.  None of the switches they tried worked.  Hammond sent his men off to find the fuse box, and he; Major Carter and Dr Fraiser made their way towards the lounge by torchlight calling to the Colonel as they did.  As they moved forward General Hammond stepped on something.  It was a telephone and as he picked it up realised it was not connected.  A few moments later the light in the hallway came on.

 “Check the bedrooms,” General Hammond told his men.

As the two airmen went to search the rest of the house, General Hammond and Major Carter stepped carefully into the lounge and switched on the light.

“What the hell?” said the General as he surveyed the room.

“Sir,” said Dr Fraiser as she entered.  They looked to where she was pointing.  On the floor lay a pump action syringe.   The room was an absolute mess.

 

 

 

The Lounge

In the lounge the chess table had been turned over and pieces lay scattered along with books.  The lamp nearest the sofa was tipped over and the model of a helicopter lay next to it.  The globe of the world that stood nearby had been broken.  Not far from it lay what was left of Colonel O’Neill’s car phone.  It looked as though it had been stamped on.

A mug of coffee on the table on the other side of the room was tipped over and the lamp next to it was lying on its side, the armchair near it pushed against the window.

In the display shelf the models of aeroplanes, helicopters, had been swept out of place.

The frames over the fireplace had been knocked out of alignment and one was hanging crazily.  Medal cases and pictures lay smashed on the floor in front of it. “Sir!” said Major Carter, her tone of voice making the other two turn in the direction she was looking.  On the mantelpiece, standing alone, stood an envelope and across the front of it was written a name.     HAMMOND.

 

General Hammond tried to hold the envelope from the corner in order not to get his fingerprints all over it.  He wasn’t sure why, he just did.  From inside he removed a sheet of paper and started to read it, the expression on his face becoming more and more concerned.

“What is it General?” Major Carter asked unable to stay quiet any longer.

“This is not good,” he told both the women as the other airmen came into the lounge to report they hadn’t found Colonel O’Neill and his bed hadn’t been slept in.  General Hammond ordered them to stand guard outside the house. 

 

As soon as they left he turned to Major Carter and Dr Fraiser who were waiting impatiently.

“I’m not exactly sure what this is all about,” he told them, “but this reads.”

 

 

You’ll seek him here; and seek him there;

you’ll seek your Colonel everywhere.

Perhaps through the Stargate?  But then you could tell.

No, he’s right here on Earth, but he’s locked up in Hell.

 

The clock it is ticking he hasn’t much time,

if you don’t pay the ransom, the fault won’t be mine,

This chance I am giving, there’s no time to lose.

Your friend or your orders, which one will you choose?

 

For the wheel it is turning, it’s all up to you.

The airforce? Your Colonel? Now what will you do?

In the dark pits of hell where the nights are so long,

No ransom, no Colonel, five days and he’s gone.

 

 

DURIN

 

 

==========

 

 

WHERE?

Colonel O’Neill opened his eyes.  As they cleared he could make out the wooden bars of a cage.  Beyond the cage he could see large panels with shafts of light streaming through the gaps between them.  The place was not dark, just shadowy.  He tried to sit up but found it difficult. 

“Oh I wouldn’t try to move just yet,” said a voice. 

He could make out a seated figure just beyond the bars but the light coming through the panels made the owner of the voice appear as a dark outline.  As he tried to get to off the bed someone had placed him on, he found he couldn’t move his legs.

“Told you,” said the obviously male voice.

He lay back down and with a little difficulty rolled onto his side.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked his voice extremely angry.

“Who am I?” came the reply.  “Well you can call me Andrew and I’m your kidnapper.”

“My what?” asked O’Neill.

“Your kidnapper.  You see I kidnapped you,” Andrew told him.

“What the hell for?” asked O’Neill incredulously.  “I’m not worth anything.”

“Oh but you are,” said the kidnapper, “in fact you are worth a great deal.”

“I think you’ve got the wrong man,” answered O’Neill trying to sit up.

“Colonel Jack O’Neill.  One of the first humans to go through the Stargate.  Leader of SG-1.  Other members of SG-1 being Major Samantha Carter, Dr Daniel Jackson and Teal’c an alien Jaffa from the planet Chulak,” said Andrew.  O’Neill did not reply.

“What Colonel, no denial, no further protestations that I have taken the wrong man?”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about,” O’Neill said.  “And no one is going to pay any ransom for my return.”

“Well you’re wrong there,” Andrew told him.  “Of course if I could sell you to one of those nasty Goa’uld aliens, who’d love to get their hands on you, I would, but unfortunately having no access to the Stargate this is not possible, so I am left with two options.  My first option is that your General Hammond pays the ransom I am asking and you go home.  If not I go with my second option, to sell you to the highest bidder and I can assure you there are a few of those.  But either way, I get what I want.”

“OK so you’ve done your homework,” said O’Neill, sitting full up now and trying to rub some life back into his legs.

“You could say that.”  Andrew stood up as he said this and moved closer.

“You look familiar,” O’Neill told him.  “Have we met?”

“No we’ve never actually met, but it is possible I look familiar,” answered the kidnapper.

“Is it?” said O’Neill as he tried to find the memory.  “Anyway as I said no one, not even General Hammond will pay a ransom for me and you know it.”

“Oh I think he will, or I hope he will for your sake,” said Andrew menacingly.  “But if not then I go with option two.  I can assure you that the people I am talking about have ways of obtaining information; you contain a lot of information and not only about the Stargate, which makes you very valuable.”

“You think so?” said O’Neill swinging his legs off the bed.  “Then you don’t know as much about me as you think you do.  I won’t tell them squat.”

“Oh you mean your Special Forces training etc, etc,” said Andrew coming around to the side nearest him.  “Well I’ve had the same kind of training and even I couldn’t fight these people.”

“We’ll see about that,” said O’Neill trying to stand up and changing his mind.

“Look I’d would love to stay and chat,” said Andrew, “but I need to contact your General Hammond with my demands.  Strike while the iron is hot is my motto.  Can’t leave the poor man wondering what is going on.”  He turned to go when the floor began to shake forcing him to steady himself against the cage.  O’Neill gripped the edge of the bed. The sound of things falling came from a tunnel on the other side of the space they were in, followed by clouds of dust that shot out from the opening.  The shaking stopped.

“What was that?” O’Neill asked.

“As you can see you are in an old mine, well the entrance to one anyway and those tunnels are extremely unstable.  Every now and then one of them collapses and causes the ground to shake.  Nothing to worry about.  You’re quite safe in here.  This old mine entrance is in no danger of collapsing,” Andrew told him.

“Well it felt a bit more than a tunnel collapsing to me,” said O’Neill, trying once more to get to his feet and again sitting back down.

“Not to worry,” offered Andrew. “This entrance is very strong.  The cage you are in is even stronger so I wouldn’t waste your energy trying to get out of it.  They used to keep equipment in there.  You know, to stop the mineworkers stealing it, so it is very sturdy.  I’ve provided you with plenty of water, which by the way you will need to drink a lot of. That stuff I injected into you will make you quite dehydrated so you’d be wise to heed my advice.  Just back there you will find, well it is convenient, if you know what I mean?”  O’Neill turned to see a small screen that had hadn’t noticed before.

“The lights will come on automatically when it gets dark, but I will be back before then.

I haven’t provided any food yet.  Unfortunately the drug takes away the appetite while increasing the thirst, but I will get some for you just in case.  After all I cannot have my sale goods getting sick can I?”  O’Neill tried to stand again but failed once more.

Andrew watched him with amusement.

“Just one more thing,” he added.  “That drug is very unusual.  The mind keeps working normally but the body, well the body doesn’t function too well, so even if you did manage to get out of here you’d not get very far and it would be very easy to get lost in these hills, especially when you’re not up to your best.”

O’Neill suddenly pulled himself to his feet and lunged at the figure beyond the bars.  The kidnapper jumped backwards in surprise as the Colonel sank to the floor.

“You’re definitely a lot tougher than you look and I shall remember not to underestimate you again,” he told him.  He stood for a moment looking at O’Neill.

“Do you realise how many days it took to get you weak enough to bring here?  Don’t you drink much coffee?” he wanted to know. “You should have been real thirsty.”

O’Neill looked up.  “Coffee.  You put something in my coffee?”

Andrew smiled and nodded.

“You’ve been in my house before?” said O’Neill angrily.

“Yep,” answered Andrew.  “I told you I’ve had the same training as you’ve had.  Laced the coffee.  Couldn’t work out why it was taking so long to knock you out though.”

“It made it taste odd,” said O’Neill.  “I hardly drank any.”

“Never thought of that?” said Andrew really amused.  “I bet it made you feel really bad, if you were only drinking a little bit at a time?”

“You could say that,” said O’Neill pulling himself to his feet and moving carefully back to the bed where he sat down slowly.

“We’ll talk some more later,” said Andrew.  “Now remember what I said about drinking plenty of water, you’ll get sick if you don’t.”  

The mine entrance flooded with sunlight as he left.  A few seconds later O’Neill heard a vehicle pull away.

 

 

 

 

SGC Headquarters

In the briefing room around the table sat Major Carter, Teal’c and General Hammond.

“So you think that Colonel O’Neill has been kidnapped and there’s going to be a ransom demand of some kid?” asked Major Carter.

“That’s what it sounds like to me in this poem,” answered General Hammond. “I suppose we just have to wait for this Durin to get in touch.  I’ve given orders that they are to put any calls from someone calling themselves by that name straight through and to automatically trace the call.”

“It doesn’t say the usual things ransom notes are supposed to say,” said Major Carter. “You know, like don’t inform the police, things like that.”

“It doesn’t have too,” answered Hammond.  “Whoever has taken Colonel O’Neill knows about the Stargate and therefore knows we couldn’t possibly involve anyone else.”

“But is this not helpful?” asked Teal’c as he looked from one to the other.  “The kidnapper as you call this Durin must have some connection with the SGC to know about the Stargate.”

“Not necessarily so,” answered Major Carter.  “There are other agencies who know about the Stargate.  The NID for instance.  Perhaps this Durin has something to do with them.”