Stranded (part 2)

Title: Stranded (part 2)

Author: Suz W.

Feedback: Absolutely!!

Spoilers: After The Fifth Man, Red Sky, and Rite Of Passage (episode tag)

Rating: PG-13, S/J Action/Adventure, Romance, and Friendship.

Summary: The team suddenly finds themselves on an unexpected adventure, one that definitely has its ups and downs.

Disclaimer: All publicity recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks was intended.

Copyright: The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. Copyrighted on July 31, 2004, by Suzanne R. Whitmarsh.

Author’s Notes: This story follows “Stranded (part 1)”. Yes, I know I left you hanging from a cliff! Sorry for that, but I have to keep you guessing! But when I planned on writing this two-part story, I promised myself that I would have the second part out a few days later. So here you go! I hope you enjoy it and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!

Dedication: I would like to dedicate this story to one of my newest friends/fan….Sam, this one’s for you! Thanks for your wonderful support to my stories. I hope you only continue to enjoy each adventure I take our favorite couple on. Happy reading!!

It was the kind of silence Jack would never forget. Blackness loomed all around them as the plane continued it’s slow, sinking decent to the ocean floor below. The metal body of the plane that was encasing them like a tomb was giving out a low, haunting groan, as the pressure of the water continued to increase, matching the increasing depths that the plane was reaching.

Yet through some miracle of physics that Jack didn’t care to understand, the body of the plane had managed to stay intact, even with the incredible force of impact at the surface of the water. But their salvation was only half real. As soon as the plane had become submerged in the cold water of the Pacific Ocean, that same water had begun its assault on the inside of the plane, seeping in at a rapidly rising rate, finding more ways in as the plane went deeper and deeper. Metal continued to bend as large screws gave way, bursting out of their casings and allowing yet another passageway for water to come in.

Jack didn’t know what to do first. The plane was dropping in a horizontal position, making it seem as if they were still flying through the air. But as the water inside the plane rose up to their waists, Jack knew they didn’t have a lot of time to think. But one thing he did know for sure was he wasn’t going to just sit there and die. They had to do something.

Clearing his voice, he spoke up for Teal’c to hear. “Teal’c? You okay?” Jack still couldn’t see anything, and that was something he had to find a solution to. He knew that most of these jets had flashlights attached to the walls in case of an electrical power failure. But where were they?

Teal’c responded, his body still in shock from what had just happened. “I am, O’Neill. Are you hurt?”

Jack nodded to himself. “No, I’m okay, but we’ve got to get out of here.” Pausing for a moment, he continued on. “Teal’c, do you remember seeing any flashlights on the walls? We need to get some light in here.”

Teal’c didn’t take long to respond. “Indeed. If I am correct, O’Neill, I believe there is a flashlight on the wall in front of you.”

Jack felt for the buckle of his seatbelt with one hand and undid it. His other hand still held onto Sam. She was still unconscious, and that really worried him. He hated to have to release his hold on her, but the only way he would be able to check on her condition was to get some kind of light. He made sure she was lying against the back of the seat before he removed his grasp on her.

Hoping he remember the design of the plane well enough, he stood up as carefully as he could and took a few steps forward, hoping not to throw the balance of the plane off. Just as he was about to reach out for the wall, the plane suddenly came in contact with something hard beneath it. Jack was thrown forward, his temple coming in contact with the wall he’d been looking for. Collapsing, he fell on his butt, splashing in the water as he tried to keep himself from going completely under.

Holding his head with one hand once he found his footing, Jack swore out loud. “Damn! What in the hell was that?” He could feel the warmth of his own blood begin to trickle down the side of his face.

Teal’c spoke up with urgency. “O’Neill? Are you hurt? Do you require assistance?”

Jack felt for the wall and carefully began to stand up. “I’m okay, except for the major headache I now have. What do you suppose…” Jack suddenly stopped talking and listened. “Teal’c, did we stop moving?”

Nothing except their breathing and the intake of water could be heard for a few moments while they both concentrated on the new silence. Finally, Teal’c answered the question. “Indeed. Perhaps we have reached the bottom ground of this body of water.”

Jack winced as a pain shot through his head. “Ocean floor, Teal’c, but no, I don’t think we did. We couldn’t have, not yet, unless we hit the water near land. But at least we’ve stopped descending, for now.” Jack used the wall to help him reach full standing height again. The water was now pouring in at an even faster rate. Whatever they had just hit must have punctured the plane somewhere, and time was running out.

Reaching along the wall, his hand finally fell upon what felt like a flashlight. Pulling it off its magnetic strip, Jack felt for the button and turned it on. A bright yellow beam of light suddenly invaded their world of dark, illuminating what was left of the once luxurious jet. Carry-on luggage floated all around them, along with magazines and papers that had been tossed precariously from their holders on impact. Jack could visibly see where the metal in the wall of the plane had bent, and he could also see where the water was leaking in. It dripped all over from overhead and was spraying out from the walls near the center of the plane. But as the water level continued to increase and the temperature decrease, Jack knew the last thing he could worry about was plugging up the holes. There were just too many.

Teal’c stood up slowly as Jack made his way over to the closest window. Looking out, he moved the beam of light through the dark, murky water. As he did, a few fish swam into the light, their eyes glowing eerily as they moved on, eventually disappearing back into the black of the water. As Jack moved the beam of light down, he squinted even harder and then stopped, holding his flashlight in fear. The plane had landed on something, but it wasn’t the ocean floor. From what he could tell, they were balanced on the edge of a large platform of land, and below it, was the gapping mouth of a giant abyss, waiting to swallow them up.

A bottomless pit from which there was no return. They had to get out of there before the current decide to shift them that direction. Turning around, his light captured Teal’c, who was now standing a few feet from him. “What is it, O’Neill?”

Jack ran a wet hand through his hair and sniffed, the sound echoing off the walls. “It’s not good, my friend. We have to get out of here. We’re balanced on the edge of something called an abyss, or a bottomless pit, and if we go into it, were done. There will be no escape. The problem is…” Just then, Daniel let out a sound.

Jack and Teal’c made their way over to him, the water now waist high at a standing level. Jack shined the light in Daniel’s face, making him squeeze his eyes. “Hey! You can turn down the light.” Running his hands over his face, he slowly opened his eyes, looking up at Jack and Teal’c. “Jack, Teal’c. Where are we? What happened? I feel like a Mac truck just ran over me.” Looking down, he suddenly realized he was sitting in water up to his chest. “And why am I sitting in water that feels like something from the Arctic?”

Jack put a hand on his shoulder. “Well, I don’t have time to tell you the long version, but the short version of the story is the plane we were flying in decided to crash into the ocean.” Jack watched as the surprise of the situation hit Daniel’s face.

Daniel couldn’t believe it. “What? How did we…what about Sam, Janet, Cassie…the pilots?”

Jack glanced over his right shoulder at the top of Sam’s head, which remained stone still. He furrowed his brow in worry as he turned back to Daniel. “I don’t know. We need to check on them. Do you think you can stand?”

Daniel nodded slowly, adjusting his glasses that had somehow managed to stay on his face. “Yeah, I think so…but I don’t understand. What about…”

Jack quickly interrupted him. “Daniel, I don’t have time to have a discussion with you! We have to get the women and get out of here. The plane is sucking up water like a sponge and I still don’t know the best way out of here, not to mention the fact that we are balanced on the edge of an abyss.”

Daniel looked over at Janet and Cassie, who were still strapped in their seats. The water was almost up to their chins. Unbuckling his seatbelt, he stood carefully, gripping the seat in front of him for support. “Alright Jack, no more questions, for now. What do you want me to do?”

Jack took in a breath to calm his nerves. “You and Teal’c see if you can’t wake up Cassie and Janet. I’m going to go check on Carter. Then we have to start searching for a way out of here.”

Without another word, Daniel and Teal’c moved over to where Janet and Cassie were and started to attempt to wake them. Jack moved back to where he had been sitting and put the flashlight back on its magnetic strip, leaving it on. As he turned around, his heart dropped at the sight of Sam. She was visibly cold, her body unconsciously shaking as her skin held a faint blue tint to it. As he squatted down in front of her, he could hear Janet and Cassie begin to emit sounds. The water was freezing as he covered himself up to his chin to undo her seatbelt.

Reaching up, he gripped the side of her face, his voice desperate as he called out to her. “Carter! Sam! Can you hear me? Come on, you’ve got to wake up. We need your brains on this one.” She wasn’t visibly bleeding anywhere that he could see, but that didn’t mean anything. He called out to her again, but got no response. Standing up, he could see that Janet and Cassie were having a hard time at waking up. But at least they were attempting to open their eyes.

Jack called out to Daniel and Teal’c. “Daniel, Teal’c! Try and get them up. You have to get them warmer and alert, or else hypothermia may take hold. Do what you can.” As they turned their attention back to Janet and Cassie, Jack picked Sam up out of her seat and held her against him, supporting her. Rubbing his hand over her back as hard as he could, he moved his mouth closer to her ear and spoke in a hushed tone. “Come on, Sam, please, you have to wake up. Don’t do this to me.”

Just then, Cassie became fully alert and aware of her surroundings. Teal’c was holding onto her, and without warning, she let out an ear-piercing scream, sending it vibrating off the walls. Janet, who was being support by Daniel, suddenly jerked and woke up, her maternal instincts taking over. As Daniel and Teal’c tried to calm them down and explain what happened, Jack continued to work on Sam.

Now truly terrified that she still hadn’t woken up, he raised his voice at her, desperate for a response. “Damn it, Carter, wake up! Come on, fight it. Fight the cold. You can do it. You have to.” Shaking her slightly as he did this, he suddenly felt the dead weight of her arms move up as her hands gripped him around his waist. Jack wanted to shout for joy. Lowering his voice, he brushed his lips over her head that was still bent into his chest. “That’s it, Sam. Come on, keep fighting the darkness. I’m right here. Come back to me.”

Finally, his ears registered her moan and he cupped her chin and brought her face up so he could see it. She was attempting to open her eyes as her forehead furrowed in confusion. “Jack?” Her voice was weak, but it was there.

Jack smiled briefly at her. “I’m here, Sam. Come on, let me see those baby blues.” He really didn’t care if the others could hear him, though he doubted they could. Cassie was making enough noise to wake the dead.

Sam opened up her eyes a little more. “I’m so tired, so cold. Just want to sleep some more.”

Jack’s fears returned. “No, Sam, listen to me! You have to wake up. You’re in shock. The plane crashed. We’re in the ocean. Do you hear me?”

Sam’s brain finally ticked a little faster. Jack’s words seemed to be coming to her ears in slow motion, making them distorted. But upon hearing the words “plane crashed”, the adrenaline in her body kicked into overdrive, and it forced her blood pressure up. Opening her eyes, she looked up into Jack’s face, which was dark and hollow with concern. Gripping him even harder around the waist, she spoke up with more strength. “What? What happened? How did we…” She gasped. Looking up at his temple, now soaked in blood, her hand instinctively moved up and covered it carefully. “Are you okay?”

Jack blinked several times, his wound stinging at her touch from the salt water that was on her hand. But he didn’t care. He was just overjoyed to have her touching him at all. He placed a hand over hers and nodded. “I’m fine. I just managed to bang my head up while trying to find the light switch.”

Cassie was now softly crying, and Sam could hear the others trying to calm her down. Sam looked over at them and then back at Jack. “Is everyone else okay?”

Jack nodded. “I think so. We’re just all cold. Listen, I need your brain. We’ve got to find a way out of here. I’ll explain everything later, but the fact is that we are under who knows how many feet of water and we’re balanced on the edge of an abyss. I’ll let you do the math.”

Sam brought one of her hands up and ran it through her hair. “I don’t have to. I see your point. We’re lucky the plane stayed intact.”

Jack nodded, gripping her waist. “Yeah, but right now, that’s the problem. How are we going to…” Just then, they heard the others making their way to them. Releasing one another, they turned as Janet came up to them, Cassie in tow, with Daniel and Teal’c right behind them.

Janet spoke breathlessly, the cold still chilling her bones. “Sam, Colonel! Are you both alright?”

Jack pushed a piece of floating paper out of his way. “No permanent damage done, Doc. We’re just cold and wet.”

Janet squinted up in the low light at the wound on the side of his head. “Well, Sir, I’d say that wound needs some attention.”

Jack put up his hand in protest. “Not now. I’m fine, really. What we need to do is focus on getting out of here. And oh, by the way, drop the formal addressing for now. The name’s Jack.”

Janet smiled. “Well, Jack, any ideas yet on how to get out here?”

Cassie, who was snuggled next to Daniel, spoke up. “Come on, Jack, please. If you can figure out chess, you can figure a way out for us. We have to get out of here.” Her voice rose up a notch at that last sentence, and they could tell she was trying really hard to be brave and keep it together.

Janet turned and brushed a strand of hair from Cassie’s face. “Sweetheart, I think this is a little more complicated than moving a chess piece. Just try and stay calm. We’ll find a way out.”

Sam looked in the direction where the cockpit would be. The water was now up to their chins at a standing level and still steadily rising. “I’ll be right back.”

Before Jack could even blink, yet alone protest, they watched as Sam grabbed an adjoining flashlight off the other wall, took a deep breath, and suddenly disappeared under the water level. The flashlights were waterproof, and Jack watched with worry as her light reflecting under the water slowly moved away. Jack knew that they had to look for a way out, but he didn’t like having to watch her go into an unstable situation alone. When her light was gone, he turned back to the others. “Alright, everyone spread out and starting looking for some way out of here. Just move carefully. We don’t want to cause the plane to move over the edge.”

As they started to spread out, a low rumble was suddenly heard, followed by a big burst of water in the direction that Sam had gone. Jack, terrified, grabbed the other flashlight off the wall and was about to go under after her when he saw the approach of a light. Then she appeared, coughing and sputtering as she surfaced. Jack grabbed onto her and steadied her, letting her catch her breath.

Anxious, he spoke up as the others gathered around. “Are you okay? What was that?”

Sam sniffed and looked at him, nodding. She was visibly shaking, but her color remained. “I’m okay. I was checking out the cockpit when one of the windows suddenly imploded from the outside pressure. There was quite a bit of breathing space, but now there’s only a small air bubble left.”

Teal’c spoke up. “Is there enough room for us to get out that way?”

Sam nodded. “If we go one at a time, there is. You’ll have to be careful, though. It wasn’t a clean break, so there’s glass still surrounding the edges.”

Jack looked at the group. “It’s going to have to do. We’ve got two flashlights. Teal’c. You go first and take one of the flashlights. Once you reach the cockpit, go back and forth from the air bubble in there and shine your light this way. I’ll send Daniel, Cassie, Janet, and then Carter. I’ll go last.”

Cassie started to shake her head. “No, no, no…I don’t think I can do this. It’s so dark! How are we going to breathe?”

Sam reached out and touched Cassie’s cheek as Janet swam over to her. They were all treading water now, and there wasn’t much of an air bubble left. Sam then spoke up, her voice as calm as she could make it despite her shivering. “Cass, you can do this. Of any of us, you’re going to do the best. Your young, strong, and a good swimmer.”

Janet took Cassie’s hand under the water. “Sam’s right, honey. You can do this. You have to. When you reach the air bubble upfront, take nice big deep breaths and then move out of the plane and just go up. Just remember to pop your ears as you do.” Janet looked at Daniel, who was still trying to support Cassie with on of his arms. “I tell you what. Daniel and I will go with you, okay?”

Daniel smiled at Janet and then looked at Cassie. “Yeah, you know, I could use your help. I’m not a great swimmer.”

Jack could see that their time was running out. The water was almost to the top. “Okay, we got to go. Teal’c, take this flashlight and get to the front. Cassie and Janet will be right behind you, followed by Daniel. We’ve got to do this fast.”

While he was talking, Sam swam over to the first overhead bin, now halfway underwater, and opened it, it’s contents spilling out. Grabbing a duffle bag, she handed it to Jack. “Here’s the liferaft. I’m going to check for anything I can take that might help us.” As she moved off, Teal’c nodded to the group, took the flashlight, and was gone.

Cassie was hyperventilating. “I can’t do this! Please don’t make me, Mom!”

Daniel took her hand. “Hey, we’ll do it together. The sooner we do this, the sooner we can reach the surface.” Giving Jack an eye, he continued. “Your mom and I will go with you. On three, okay?”

Cassie gave a hesitant nod. Daniel took that as his cue. “Okay, here we go. One, two, three…” The three of them took their breaths and then submerged, pulling Cassie along. Now only Jack and Sam were left.

Jack looked over at Sam swimming around. “Sam, we’ve got to go, now! What are you looking for?”

Sam was frustrated. “Anything that might help us. We don’t know where we are. It may be days before they find us.”

Jack could see that she was just as scared as he was. Swimming over to her, he gripped her arms and turned her around to face him, giving her a warming, quick kiss. “I love you, and we’ll get through this together. We’ve survived worse. Now let’s go.”

Sam shook her head. “Jack, I’m worried about Cassie. She’s not use to facing death like we are.”

Jack touched her face. “Sam, she’ll be fine. She’s a survivor. Hell, if she can survive whatever bug Nirrti put in her, she can do this. Besides, she’s got Daniel and Janet with her. It’ll be good for Daniel to get a hero complex. It may even loosen him up a bit.”

Sam smiled. He could always make her smile, no matter what the situation. “You’re right. Lead the way.”

Jack smiled and gave her another quick kiss and then turned and took her hand. Treading water until they reached the start of the cabin, they both took several deep breaths and then submerged themselves.

The water was ice cold, but they couldn’t tell much of a difference. Most of their limbs had adjusted to the temperature, making them feel numb. Jack led the way with the flashlight, the yellow glow ominous against the walls of the submerged hallway. As Jack moved closer to the cockpit, his light caught Teal’c’s legs. Since he didn’t see a flashlight, Jack figured that Teal’c must have given Daniel his flashlight.

Jack, moving into the cockpit, rose up to surface next to Teal’c. Sam followed, taking up the rest of the space in the decreasing air bubble. They were shoulder to shoulder. Jack didn’t waste time. “Teal’c, you’re next. We’ll be right behind you. Take the flashlight. Carter, are you ready?”

Sam, who was looking around her, nodded. “Let’s do it.”

Teal’c bowed his head slightly and then submerged, the light going with him. Jack gave Sam’s hand a squeeze. They took a big breath together and then went under. As Jack was going through the window, carefully avoiding the glass, Sam was just about to follow him when her gaze caught something. She tried to get Jack’s attention, but he was already through. Turning around, she went back up to the air bubble.

Gasping for air, she took a few more big deep breaths and then went back under. But instead of going out of the plane, she quickly swam back in the direction of the cabin, using her hands to feel her way to the air bubble. Just then, a light appeared behind her, carried by Jack. He moved beside her, grabbed onto her arm and pulled her forward into the cabin and up to the air bubble.

They were both coughing when Jack exploded. “Damn it, Sam! Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Why can’t you just follow simple instructions?”

Sam was trying to stay focused. “I’m sorry, Jack, but when I was getting ready to follow you out, I noticed that the plane’s transmitter is missing.”

Jack shook his head. “Sam, you’re so impossible…” Jack stopped short. “What? Could you say that again?”

Sam took a breath. The air bubble was getting tighter. No matter how much she loved being close to Jack, she needed real air. “The transmitter…it’s missing. I don’t think I have to tell you what that means. I need to at least try and get the black boxes out of here. They may be out only hope of providing a means for anyone to triangulate out position.”

Jack nodded. The air was almost gone. There wasn’t time for discussion. They both took a deep breath, the some of the last of the air, and went under. Heading straight for the rear of the plane where black boxes were usually kept, they located a panel in the floor that most likely held their target. Using their combined strength, the both yanked up hard on the paneling until it gave way. As Jack shined the flashlight into the undercarriage storage area, he light landed on two orange units, both positioned side by side. Looking at each other, they moved up and took a few more breaths of the precious air remaining and then went back under.

Sam reached in and used a loose piece of metal she had found to pry them off the floor. Luckily, the crash had jarred the screws loose that were holding them down. Handing the first one up to Jack, she worked on the other one and got it free a few seconds later. Lungs burning, they swam to the ceiling, bending their necks back enough to get their faces out of the water for some air. With each of them hold a black box, they didn’t even look at each other. Instinct was telling them they had to get out, and fast.

With Jack leading the way, they made it back to the cockpit, took one more big precious breath of air each and then headed through the broken out window, with Jack going first. It was difficult to swim with both hands occupied, but he managed to make it though.

Shining the light in Sam’s direction, he waiting as she started through the window, one hand holding onto the other black box. Just as her head passed through, a rumbling was suddenly felt as the plane lost its battle with the edge of the cliff. It began to turn into the abyss, with Sam still trying to get out.

Sam tried to push her way out as fast as she could with one hand, but as she did, the turning plane caught her arm with the sharp edge of the broken glass, and sliced her down her left bicep. Bright red blood suddenly filled the water around her. Jack surged forward in the water and grabbed her around her stomach with the hand that held the flashlight. Pulling back, he got her out just before the plane went over the edge and started it’s decent into the endless, watery depths below.

Jack held onto Sam as they moved up towards the surface. Sam’s arm was aching and bleeding badly, leaving a trail of blood behind them. But it was the lack of air in her lungs that was hurting worse. They were burning badly, and she knew Jack’s had to be too. It seemed an endless journey in the dark, with only the light from the flashlight to guide them.

But finally, when they weren’t sure how much longer they could go, their heads broke the surface. Coughing wildly and gasping for air, they both held onto each other, trying to get their bearings. Suddenly, a light flashed over at them. “Sam, Jack! Hold on, we’re coming.” It was Daniel’s voice. When Jack had taken Teal’c’s flashlight to go after Sam, he had sent him to the surface with the bag that held the raft. Apparently, they had figured out how to get it inflated and were now using their hands to row over to them.

As they waiting and continued to catch their breath, Jack spoke up, his tone holding concern. “Sam, are you okay? I felt my heart drop when I saw that plane start to roll with you in it. And your arm, all the blood.”

Sam tried to wave it off despite the pain. “I’m okay, really. It’s just a little scratch.”

As she finished her sentence, the liferaft reached them. Jack looked up and addressed Teal’c. “Teal’c. Get Carter out of the water first. She’s hurt.”

Daniel and Teal’c both reached down and together, pulled her from the water, placing her inside the boat as carefully as they could. Jack was right behind them, not waiting for assistance. He was too worried about Sam. Pulling himself up and over the side, he collapsed beside Sam in the boat, his body grateful to be out of the water.

Jack immediately sat up and turned to where Sam was reclined, leaning against the side of the boat. Janet was carefully tearing Sam’s sleeve as Cassie held a light for her. When the skin was exposed, Janet and Cassie gasped. “Sam, this is a bad cut. You may even have pieces of glass still in there. This has to be at least a half an inch deep, not to mention the fact that it trails halfway down your arm.”

Jack gave Sam a shocked looked. “Just a little scratch?!” The wound was bleeding profusely, causing Sam’s color to drain quicker as the minutes past. Jack took his hand and ripped off both the sleeves of his shirt, handing them to Janet. But through all his actions, his eyes never left Sam’s. She was in pain, and it was his fault. He should have been the last one out, not her.

As Janet applied a tourniquet from one of Jack’s sleeves, she spoke up. “What happened?” While she waited for an answer, she dipped the other sleeve from Jack’s shirt into the water.

Jack flopped back against the side of the inflated raft and gestured with his hand at the black boxes that he had thrown into the boat. “Carter noticed that the plane’s transmitter was missing. So, she decided to try and retrieve the black boxes. After we had them and made it back to the front of the plane, I went through the window, and she followed. But the ground suddenly moved, probably due to the weight of the plane, and it began to roll into the abyss. Her arm got caught by the glass before I could reach her to pull her through.” Jack took a frustrated breath. “Basically, it’s my fault.”

Sam’s eyes flicked up from her arm to Jack’s face. Giving him a look that only the two of them understood, Sam spoke up. “Sir, it’s not your fault. It was an accident, that’s all.” Her voice was stern, perhaps a little too much so, but she wasn’t going to sit back and let Jack blame himself for this one.

Jack stared back at Sam for a moment before speaking. In the back of his mind, he knew she was right. But he still hated to see her in pain nonetheless. “Alright, Carter, we’ll let this one go for now. We need to focus on getting warm and figuring out what the hell to do next. Oh, and by the way, you can drop the “Sir”. The name’s Jack.”

Sam gave him the smallest of smiles as her eyes lit up just a little more. “Okay…Jack. The name’s Sam.” Suddenly, stinging pain shot through Sam’s arm as Janet applied Jack’s soaked shirtsleeve to her wound. Fisting her hands into a ball and scrunching her face, she did her best to fight back the desire to cry out.

Janet’s soothing voice flooded Sam’s ears. “Easy, Sam. I know this hurts, but without the proper medical supplies, cold salt water will have to do. But the salt should constrict your blood vessels and help aid in stopping the bleeding.

Five minutes later, Janet had managed to bandage Sam’s arm with pieces of donated clothing, and had even put a makeshift bandage around Jack’s head, protecting his wound from any extra infection. But as the adrenaline of the past few minutes began to wear off, everyone suddenly realized just how cold and wet they were.

It was night, and a stiff wind was blowing off the surface of the water. As they sat in a circle shivering, Daniel finally spoke up. “So, what are we going to do now?” His voice echoed the exhaustion they all felt.

Jack rubbed on his arms. “I really don’t have a clue yet. But I think the best thing we can do right now is get some sleep and try to stay warm. Once the sun comes up, we’ll be a lot warmer and hopefully be able to get some kind of bearing on our position.”

Cassie let out a small sound. “Mom, I’m really cold.”

Janet brought her arms around Cassie, pulling her close. “I know, sweetheart, so am I. We’ll just have to keep each other warm.”

As Janet kissed the top of her daughter’s head, Daniel watched them quietly. Suddenly getting up, he moved over carefully to stand in front of them and squatted down, his eyes focused on Cassie, doing his best to give her a warm smile. “Got room for one more?”

Cassie smiled and nodded. Daniel moved a little ways past them to the end of the boat and then sat down, his back reclined against it. Holding out his arms, he waited while Cassie got up and moved over to one side of him, snuggling close.

Janet smiled at the two of them before looking directly at Daniel. “Thanks, Daniel. I know she appreciates it.”

Daniel nodded. “Well, you know, I do happen to have an extra arm just hanging out. And I don’t think that Teal’c really wants to be apart of this whole bonding experience.”

Janet looked over at Teal’c and then let out a little laugh. He was wearing his usual serious expression while he held himself erect, staring out in all directions. When he registered Daniel’s comment, Teal’c looked over and commented. “I am not cold, Daniel Jackson. My symbiote is keeping my body temperature up. Therefore, I have no need to, as you say, ‘bond’.”

Jack, who had been watching the whole exchange with an amused expression, spoke up, looking at Teal’c. “Man! Even though I would never have one of those snakes in me, they certainly do come in handy. It’s too bad there’s not a way to spread Junior’s warmth.”

Jack looked back at Sam and smiled. Then they both watched as Janet got up quietly and moved over to the other side of Daniel. When she had taken her seat, Daniel put his arm behind her back and pulled her close. Looking at her, he smiled. “Remember Janet, I told you just a few days ago when Cassie was so sick that if there was anything I could do for you, I would.”

Janet smiled up at him. “Thanks, Daniel.” They looked at each other a moment longer before she carefully put her head down on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Cassie was already asleep. Content and a little warmer, it didn’t take Daniel long to follow their leads.

Sam, who was sitting next to Jack, looked over at him and smiled. Jack, returning her gaze, briefly turned to Teal’c. “So T, are you going to be okay? I think for once Daniel may have the right idea. If Carter…Sam is up for it, we may follow suit.”

Sam, trying to downplay his suggestion, spoke up. “Well Jack, we’ve done it before.” When Jack quickly turned his head, giving her a startled look, she continued. “In Antarctica, remember?”

Jack blew out a breath and nodded. “How could I forget.” Then he gave her a quick wink and a small smile, his mind wandering briefly to their time together there. If they had actually admitted their feeling for each other back then, they might have avoided the frostbite all together, doing more than just snuggling under that sleeping bag.

As his imagination started to take hold, Teal’c spoke up, bringing him back to reality. “I will be fine, O’Neill. I do not require rest. I will keep watch.”

Jack just shrugged. “Okay. I’ll rest for a few hours and then join you. Just wake me up.”

Teal’c only nodded. But he had no intention of doing any such thing. They all needed their rest, and he felt relatively fine. As he watched Colonel O’Neill move closer to Major Carter, he became secretly amused. They were trying so hard to pretend like they’d only done this once before. But Teal’c knew better than that.

Jack reclined against the side of the raft and waited as Sam moved in on one side and proceeded to snuggle in close, her head resting comfortably against his chest. With familiarity, he wrapped his arms around her and hunkered down a little farther, his head now against the soft side of the boat. Doing his best to avoid pressing on her bad arm, he moved his arms down a little more and slowly wrapped one of his pinky fingers around hers. As Sam let out a soft sigh, Jack looked over at Teal’c in the dark to make sure he wasn’t watching, and then turned his head back the other direction and placed a kiss on Sam’s forehead. Closing his eyes, he fell asleep to the gentle rhythm of the rocking boat as the wind slowly pushed them in a direction that only fate would tell.

The next day revealed nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see. But the sun warmed their bodies and increased their thirst. And when night fell again, though they found themselves dry and fairly warm, the same sleeping arrangements were made.

On the morning of the second day at sea, the rising sun kissed the surface of the water, sending shimmering rays of orange and red light all around them. The sky was painted in the same surreal hues, and as Teal’c continued his watch over his sleeping companions and the area, he noticed a large cloud up ahead that had appeared to settle itself over the surface of the water. With their raft drifting towards it, he wasn’t sure what to do.

Teal’c got up and moved over to where Major Carter and Colonel O’Neill were sleeping. They were lying close together, facing each other, with their hands touching. As Teal’c bent down over Colonel O’Neill, he looked up to make sure that he had not disturbed the others. Dr. Fraiser, Daniel Jackson and Cassandra were sleeping side by side. Teal’c noticed that Cassandra had her head snuggled against the shoulder of Daniel Jackson, while Dr. Fraiser was lying on the other side of him, her body turned in towards him.

Teal’c put a hand on Colonel O’Neill’s shoulder and shook him gently. “O’Neill,” Teal’c said, his voice a harsh whisper.

Jack woke up with a start, his eyes popping open as he moved his head up. His body was use to quick wake up calls, and instinct usually just took over. Looking up, he found Teal’c anxiously watching something in front of them. “Teal’c. What’s up?”

Teal’c looked down at him briefly before pointing ahead of him. “I am sorry to disturb you, O’Neill, but there appears to be a mist of clouds up ahead. We are headed straight for it. What I find strange is that there are no other clouds in the sky, and this one touches the water.”

Sam, who had woken up to Teal’c’s voice, turned over and sat up. As she peered ahead of her, her eyes got huge. “That’s not just a cloud, Teal’c. It’s fog, and if I’m right, it’s surrounding a piece of land.”

At the word “land”, Jack sat up behind her and looked too. “Works for me. At least it’s more than just ocean.” Looking at the sleeping group in front of them, Jack kicked at Daniel’s boot. “Daniel, get up.”

After a few repeated tries, Daniel finally squeezed his eyes and then voiced his protest in a harsh whisper. “Jack, you can stop. I’m getting up!” He tried to keep his voice soft, but as soon as he moved, Janet turned over and opened her eyes.

She sat up with Daniel and looked around. “What’s going on?”

Jack gave her a happy smile. “I think Teal’c here has just spotted land!”

Janet turned around and looked at the foggy mass that was growing closer to them, thanks to the gentle wind they were moving on, and smiled. They were close enough now that they could just make out the first rock pointing it’s way out of the mist. With the rising sun, the fog would be burned off, and by the time they reached the shore, there would be nothing but beautiful land and sea.

Janet reached over and gently shook Cassie on the arm. “Wake up, Cassie! We’ve spotted land!”

At her mother’s voice, Cassie opened her eyes groggily and looked up over the edge of the raft. When she spotted the foggy mass in the distance, she sat up, her eyes wide with excitement. “An island, right? A real island?”

Sam smiled and nodded. “A real island.”

One hour later, despite their exhaust, dehydration, and fatigue, they had all managed to find the energy needed to work together as a team, paddling in the water with their hands through the now sheer mist to the shoreline in front of them. When they were about 20 feet from the shore, they all jumped out and made their way to the sand under their own power. Pulling the life raft behind them, Teal’c and Jack watched as a very happy Cassie ran up on the beach and collapsed on her back, a smile plastered on her face as she looked up at the new morning sky. Janet was right behind her and proceeded to do the same thing, laughing with her daughter at the feel of the gritty sand between their fingers.

Sam and Daniel, who were on the back end of the raft, helping to move it along, looked at each other and smiled. It was good to hear real laughter again. When they reached the shoreline with the raft, they pulled and pushed it up where the tide wouldn’t get it, and then took in their surroundings. It was a beautiful island, small compared to some, and from all accounts of the untouched wild, uninhabited.

There were palm trees outlining the shore and the wooded area that took up the center of the island. Some had obviously weathered a few tropical storms, made obvious by their bent over trunks and drooping branches. The beach itself was beautiful, untouched by the human hand. The white swirls of sand, almost velvet-like to the touch, rose up in some spots by small dunes that were decorated by multi-colors tall grasses. The gentle waves came rolling in with the tide, crashing gently on the shore, spilling white foam and occasional seashells onto the sand. The water was a blue green, sparkling in the now mid-morning light and highlighted by smooth rocks just above the surface of the water, giving off reflections as the water glazed their surfaces.

Taking in deep breathes of air, the salty sea smell that had surrounded them for the past two days was now mixed with the fragrance of the sand, trees, and flowers that doted the surrounding area in hues of red, purple and yellow. As the breeze that had blown them their continued to brush over their faces and through their hair, they knew it would be all too easy to just lie down and rest. But they also knew that they had to get some kind of shelter built and find something to drink and eat. Rest would come, but later. They were SG-1, and they had survived much worse than this.

Jack looked over at Sam, who was standing beside him, soaking up the warming rays of the sun. “Carter, why don’t you, Cassie and Janet go look to see if there is any fresh water to be found nearby? Daniel, Teal’c and I will start building some kind of shelter. But don’t go too far. I don’t think there’s too much to this little piece of heaven, but who knows.”

Sam nodded. “Yes, Sir.” As she started off to where Janet and Cassie were, she stopped short when Daniel spoke up.

“Wait a minute, Jack. Since when are you dishing out orders? I thought we were on a first name basis? A vacation.” Daniel looked at him, daring a response.

And he got one. “Daniel, in case you’ve forgotten, our plane crashed! I wouldn’t exactly call that a vacation.” As Daniel got ready to respond, Jack cut him off, continuing. “And since you obviously seem to have a better idea, why don’t you share it with us!”

Daniel just shook his head. “Never mind, Jack.” Walking over to Sam, who was watching them as she held her hand up over her face, shielding her eyes from the sun, he sighed. “Sam, why don’t you stay here? I think I might be safer with whatever may be out there versus staying here with Jack.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “Hey, I heard that, you know.” As Daniel started to walk away, Jack raised his voice loud enough for Daniel to hear. “Fine, Sam will stay here with us. She’ll be much better company anyway!” As Daniel brushed him off by raising his hand as he continued to walk away, Jack turned around and kicked at the sand. He knew that lack of sleep, fatigue, thirst, and hunger were all eating at him, and he didn’t mean to blow up at Daniel, but sometimes he just pushed the wrong buttons at the wrong time.

As he turned around, Sam walked up to him and gave him a knowing smile. Turning around, she watched as Cassie, Janet and Daniel made their way up the beach and to the first thing that looked like some kind of pathway though the trees. Looking back at Jack, she sighed wearily. “Well, let’s get started.”

By that afternoon, Sam, Jack and Teal’c had managed to build a shelter off the side of the beach out of fallen branches, wood, and other useful elements of nature. The others had managed to return refreshed, having found a fresh water stream nearby. They directed Sam, Jack and Teal’c to where it was, and by the time they returned, Daniel, Janet and Cassie had collected a pile of wood that would make a nice fire for the oncoming evening.

By luck, Janet had spotted a few banana and coconut trees. After some struggle, they managed to get some of the fruit off the trees. Taking it back to the camp they had set up, they were all collapsing on the ground around the yet to be lit fire, when Sam suddenly remembered the most important task of the day.

Quickly getting back up, she headed off to the raft that was nearby and pulled out the black boxes that they had taken from the plane. Without a word, Sam headed for the ocean.

In stunned confusion, they watched as she walked out to about chest level water, and then proceeded to submerge herself, finally coming back up after what was becoming too long for Jack’s comfort, without the black boxes in hand. They watched as she made her way back to the beach and finally dropped down beside Jack, dripping wet.

Jack just looked at her. “I’m probably going to eat my words, but are you crazy?! We just got out of a two-day ordeal with the ocean. Did you feel you need more? And what is up with dumping those damn black boxes back in the water? I thought the point of almost killing ourselves for them was to get them out of the water.” Jack finally took a breath and waited for a response.

Sam nodded. “That was the point, Sir. Those boxes may very well be our only hope of being found.”

Daniel adjusted his glasses, scrunching his brow in an attempt to concentrate. “Okay, I’ll bite. Just how are putting those boxes back in water suppose to help us get home?”

Cassie then chimed in. “What are black boxes? They looked orange to me.”

Sam nodded. “You’re right, Cassie. They are orange. But when they first came out with them, the boxes weren’t as well protected as they are now. Usually, when they would find them after a plane crash, the outside covering would be charred black. Hence the name black box.” Taking a breath, she went on. “Today, they protect them well with an aluminum housing around the memory cards, along with surrounding that with high-temperature insulation. The insulation is made out of a silica gel and is about an inch thick. The insulation is then contained in a titanium shell that holds it all together.”

Cassie put her hands up. “Yeah, but what do they do?”

Sam smiled, excited to be teaching her something new. “Ah, well actually they’re both similar yet different. One is call a CVR, or cockpit voice recorder. In the cockpit, there are microphones built in, usually four of them, that track and record what the flight crew is saying. Once the sounds are picked up, they are sent to the CVR, digitized and then stored automatically. They can usually store up to 30 minutes of conversations. Using a continuous loop of magnetic tape, once a 30-minute cycle is completed, that information is stored and then erased off the tape, for another 30 minutes to be recorded. It has the ability to store up to two hours of conversations.”

Cassie nodded, obviously paying attention, which made Sam proud. “And what about the other one?” Cassie asked.

Sam looked at her hands and then looked up. “Well, the other one is called a flight data recorder, or an FDR. It is designed to record the operations data from the plane’s systems. You see, there are sensors all over the plane that are wired to the FDAU, which in turn is wired to the FDR. They can record up to 700 parameters, depending on the size of the aircraft. Some of the more common parameters are pressure altitude, airspeed, vertical acceleration, and the horizontal stabilizers. One of these units has the ability to record up to 25 hours of operations.”

Cassie nodded again and then looked at Sam. “So when a plane crashes, like ours, people can go back and check the recorders for what may have gone wrong.”

“Exactly,” Sam said, excited that Cassie understood.

Jack suddenly snapped his fingers, a light turning on in his face. “That’s right, now I remember. They have some kind of underwater locator thingy on them, don’t they?”

Sam gave him an equally proud smile. “You’re absolutely correct. Each one is equipped with a ULB, or underwater locator beacon. If you remember, there is a white cylindrical object attached at one end. It serves as not only a handle, but also contains the ULB. Once the beacon is placed in water, it sends out an ultrasonic pulse that can’t be heard by human ears, but is readily detectable by sonar and acoustical locating equipment. On one side of the beacon is a submergence sensor that looks like a bull’s eye. This is what activates the beacon once water touches it.”

Teal’c, whose interest had also been peaked, spoke up. “How large are these pulses that this device sends out?”

Sam took in a breath, wiping off some excess water that was still clinging to one of her cheeks. “It sends out pulses at 37.5 kHz and can be transmitted as deep as 14,000 feet. Once the pulses begin, it will go for 30 days, at one pulse per second. The beacon is also powered by a battery that has a shelf life of six years, so it won’t run out.”

Jack couldn’t resist. “Well, let’s hope the batteries in those two boxes aren’t reaching their six year expiration date.” When everyone just turned and looked at him, Jack put up his hands. “What? It was a joke! I’m sure they check those things all the time. Right, Sam? They do check the expiration date?”

Sam finally gave him a smile and shook her head, letting out a small laugh. “I think it’s safe to say that they keep a close eye on that.” Looking out at the spot where she partially buried them, the light fading into the coming evening, she said a silent prayer. When she spoke, her voice was soft. “Now we just have to hope that someone is listening.”

Jack cleared his throat. “Yes, well, we’re going to stay positive. In the meantime, I think we all could use some rest. I’ll take first watch, Teal’c, and then you can relieve me. And in the morning, maybe I’ll find some way of rigging up a device to use my fishing skills to catch us something to eat.”

Daniel let out a low groan and spoke low enough for Janet to hear. “So that means we’ll be eating fruit.”

Jack, who picked up on Daniel’s comment, turned around. “Well, I guess you will be, Daniel, because I’m certainly not going to share my catch with you if you are going to insult me.” As he turned back around to look at the water, they all smiled at each other, knowing that Daniel was probably right.

Two more days passed by slowly. Fishing had been attempted, but nothing had been caught. Without the proper fishing equipment, it had been next to impossible. The island was small and it hadn’t taken long to explore most of it. With the exception of a variety of wild birds, not much else appeared to live there. Keeping in groups, Sam and Jack weren’t given any real time along together. But even if they had found time together in this hidden tropical paradise, neither one of them would have had much strength to do anything. They were losing energy fast, mainly due to a lack of proper nutrition.

Cassie was holding her own, but Janet was worried about the lasting effects from the whole ordeal. Daniel was fairing no better than the rest of them, and even Teal’c was beginning to show signs of fatigue. But there was nothing for them to do but wait and hope that someone would eventually hear the beacon pulses.

Lying in the small shelter next to Sam on the third night, he made a promise to himself that if they managed to get out of this alive, he would take Sam on a real tropical vacation. Everyone else was asleep as he turned over on his side, facing Sam. Her face lacked the color it usually did, and though she hadn’t complained, he knew she wasn’t feeling well.

No one had discussed the cause of the plane going down because they didn’t want to scare Cassie, but it was silently obvious to them that Kinsey had been behind it. Jack figured that they must have drugged their drinks or food, allowing the pilots enough time to set up the autopilot and then escape the plane. But what they hadn’t planed on was Teal’s waking up in time to get the ball rolling in saving them.

Storm clouds had moved in overhead about an hour ago, and as Jack closed his eyes, rain began to pelt the piles of branches that covered their heads. Lightning followed shortly after that, illuminating their surroundings as the thunder echoed across the expanse of the ocean. As the wind began to pick up, Jack subconsciously moved closer to Sam in his sleep, draping an arm around her and pulling her close, trying to protect her from any more harm.

Because of the ongoing storm and their weakening conditions, they failed to distinguish the flashlights from the lightning overhead. It wasn’t until someone reached down for Jack’s carotid artery to check a pulse did he realize that someone other than his group was there.

Grapping onto the hand that had touched his neck, he sat up as fast as he could, trying to find the strength to defend himself and his friends, not to mention the woman he loved more than life itself. It wasn’t until he noticed the Air force uniform emblems that he stop struggling. By this point, a half dozen military airmen were in and surrounding the tent, and everyone that had been sleeping was now sitting up, trying to not only get their bearings, but trying to figure out if this was real or not.

The airman in front of him finally spoke. “It’s okay. We’re with the U.S. Air Force. Are you Colonel O’Neill?”

It took Jack a moment to register all that was happening, but he finally got enough clarity to answer yes.

The airman smiled. “Everything’s going to be okay, Colonel. We have been looking for you. We didn’t pick up on the locator beacon until early this morning. I’m sorry it took us so long. But the important thing is, you and your team are going home.”

And to Jack’s relief, it wasn’t a dream. Twenty minutes later, they were each loaded onto two helicopters and airlifted to civilization. They had been tested by yet another twist of fate, and had survived, ready to fight the next challenge that came their way.

A day and a half later, they were recovering and resting up at Hickam AFB, on the very island that they had been destined to in the first place, Oahu. The plane had apparently gone down about 50 miles away from it, and from what everyone was telling them, it was dumb luck that they had found that small island with which to take shelter on.

General Hammond had contacted Jack, congratulating them on their survival and wishing them a safe journey home to the base. But he also mentioned that they were welcome to take a few days to enjoy the island before returning if they wanted.

On Sunday, Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal’c felt well enough to return home. As much as they would have liked to stay and enjoy the islands, they each knew that General Hammond needed them back at the base. Cassie and Janet had decided to stay and try to replace the bad memories with good ones. Janet had a week left of her leave, and she and Cassie were going to explore Oahu from top to bottom, along with some of the other islands.

After they had said their farewells to Janet and Cassie, wishing them a safe vacation, SG-1 loaded onto a waiting Hummer that would take them to the airstrip and their flight home. As they were rounding a corner, Jack was looking out of the window when he spotted something, or rather someone, that made his blood boil instantly.

Startling everyone, he yelled out. “Stop! Stop the vehicle!” Jack barely waited for the Hummer to come to a complete stop before opening the door and getting out. As his teammates watched him in shock, they looked ahead of where he was now running to, and saw what had set him off. Sam jumped out of the Hummer and ran after him, with Daniel and Teal’c on her heels.

Jack reached out before he even uttered a sound. Grabbing onto Kinsey’s jacket, he shoved him hard against the side of the building he’d been standing next to and got right in his face. Instantly, Kinsey’s bodyguards were all over Jack, yanking him off the senator and restraining him.

Jack fought them with all the strength he’d regained in the last few days. His face was filled with hate as he shouted out. “You son of a bitch! You have to be the biggest slime ball, slug-filled, rat infested coward that I’ve ever known!”

Kinsey, who was in the process of straightening his jacket and hair as Jack verbally attacked him, shouted back. “Colonel! You are on very dangerous grounds! How dare you attack me, and for no reason!”

Jack thought he was going to jump out of his skin at that comment. Instead, he just yelled and struggled some more, wanting to inflict as much fear and pain as they had experienced. “For no reason??!! You bastard! You know exactly what you did!”

Sam couldn’t take anymore. She wanted to hurt Kinsey just as much as Jack did, but this was not the place, and Jack was still recovering. Raising her voice, she did her best to get Jack’s attention. “Sir! Please, let’s not do this right now.” She then directed her attention to the men holding Jack down “Let him go!” Teal’c came to her side, and together, they got the men off Jack and replaced them, holding onto Jack.

Kinsey took a breath. “Well, at least you have more sense than your CO, Major. I must say…”

Sam didn’t wait to hear the rest. Raising her voice, she cut him off. “Save it, Kinsey! We all know you were the one who arranged for your plane to go down with us in it. Drugging us, having the pilots jump out, it was all very well done. But the problem for you is, we survived.”

Jack could barely feel Sam and Teal’c’s hands on each of his arms. All he could concentrate on was Kinsey’s face. “Yeah, we survived to kick your ass!”

Kinsey looked confused and angry. “How dare you! Yes, I flew you out, but I certainly didn’t arrange for the plane to go down. Why would I do that?”

Jack gave a harsh laugh. “Oh, come on, Kinsey. Everyone knows how much you hate us, how much you want to shut our operation down. It was a perfect opportunity for you.”

Kinsey was red in the face. “Colonel O’Neill! I have no idea what you are talking about! Now I suggest that you move on before I have you arrested for assault!”

Jack couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Assault! What do you think you did to us? Not to mention the fact that you almost killed an innocent woman and child. But I swear to you: you’re not getting away with this one. Not this time.”

Kinsey was now hiding behind his bodyguards as they moved him towards his limo. Turning slightly to Jack and the others as he moved, he spoke up. “As far as I’m concerned, Colonel, this never began. I didn’t bring down that plane, and there is no evidence to support your claims!” With that, he disappeared inside the limo, the door slamming shut, with the limo squealing out a few seconds later.

A small gathering of Airforce personnel had gathered, and as Kinsey’s limo drove away, Jack shook his arms free from Sam and Teal’c’s grip. “I’m okay! God! That man has to be the slimiest creature on Earth!” Running his hands through his hair, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Sam suddenly placed a hand on his back, and with her touch, he found it even easier to do so.

Daniel, who had been watching the whole confrontation, commented. “You know, Jack, as much as I despise the guy myself, maybe he wasn’t the one who did this. He really didn’t seem to know anything about it.”

Jack whipped around and faced Daniel, throwing his hands up. “Oh, come on, Daniel, let’s get real. He’s had it out for us from day one. And this was the perfect opportunity to get rid of us.”

Teal’c then spoke up. “Perhaps Daniel Jackson is right, O’Neill. Senator Kinsey did indeed seem unaware of the situation.”

Jack looked over at Sam for suggestions and support. In her eyes, he could see that she was beginning to question it herself. “Okay, fine,” Jack said, irritated, “who then? Who would have done this?”

Sam shook her head. “I don’t know, Sir. Maybe he is the one who did it. But if he’s not, then we have an unseen enemy out there.”

They all turned around and looked in the direction the limo had gone. An answer had seemed so clear just a few minutes ago, but now that the clarity was wavering, they had a whole new problem on their hands. And they didn’t have the first clue as to where to start looking for the right answers.

Back in the limo, Kinsey was still trying to catch his breath and calm his nerves. Looking over at the man in the limo with him, he vented his frustration. “That man is a menace. He has some nerve coming up to me like that, accusing me of bringing my own plane down.” Taking a breath, he continued, gesturing to his companion. “You of all people know that I’ve always been at odds with the entire SGC, but no matter what I think of them, I’d never try and kill them like that!” Laughing ironically, he continued on. “Well, at least I’d do it more discretely if I was going to try. Why would I use my own plane to try and off them? That’s just putting up a red flag up in my face, saying to authorities, here I am! Come and arrest me. Crazy idiot! His superiors will hear about this. I promise you that much!”

As Kinsey turned his vision back to the window, Colonel Simmons fisted his hands temporarily and then allowed an evil smile to form on his lips. “Don’t worry, Senator. I’ll make sure that SG-1 gets what is coming to them.”

And next time, he wouldn’t fail.

Next Story---> "A Web Of Deception"

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