AUTHOR: Demon Faith
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: Romance, Drama, Angst, Humour (It's kinda like one of those 'cry one
minute, laugh the next' things)
SPOILERS: This is the eighth story in the Charlie series, and won't make a lot
of sense if you haven't read the rest. Minor spoilers for: Shades of Grey,
Singularity, Fair Game, Forever in a Day, Family, Broca Divide, 100 Days,
Hathor, Torment of Tantalus and Tok'ra. There is also an idea from 'Crossroads'
but this series is not related to Season 4!
SEASON / SEQUEL: After Season 3, but not in Season 4 (if that makes any sense
whatsoever!)
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: Violence, language, torture, implications and character death
(this list just gets worse, doesn't it!)
SUMMARY: Pregnant, dragged from family and friends and trapped in NID; Charlie
finds her own way to survive, while protecting Jack from the truth itself.
STATUS: Complete
ARCHIVE: Heliopolis
DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom,
MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this
story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged
hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters,
situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived
without permission of the authors.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: : I warn thee now: this story is FIFTY pages long!!! It wasn't
supposed to be this long, but this one scene, which wasn't actually supposed to
be there, was about 20 pages long, which explains it. May I just say that I am
not American and I have no idea of how adoption, ages of consent or anything
else concerning government works in America. This means that all stuff relating
to adoption, SEs and the Pentagon are completely out of my imagination. Also,
though I might wish it, I can't speak Goa'uld. You may have noticed that I've
building up a little 'dictionary' of these words that I keep recycling. In the
#9, I will write them out to refresh your memories. And another thing; all
'superstition' is from a real rhyme I got from a book. You'll know when you
find it! This is especially for the two Stephs: my best friend in England who
is brilliant for support, reassurance and laughter, and my S/D friend in
America who is equally brilliant and lets me ramble on about Danny for as long
as I like! I couldn't do any of this without them, and I thank them very much
for that. :-)
Stargate Command. The first line of
defence for Earth, though very few people were aware of it. And SG1 was the
best in the SGC. Quite surprising really, considering SG1 wasn’t exactly your
regular USAF team. Sure, it had your
typical Colonel in command and his 2IC was an Airforce Major. But the other two
members were…slightly unusual. Dr Daniel Jackson, their rather accident-prone
archaeologist/anthropologist/linguist, who Jack thought was more trouble then
he was worth, and Teal’c, an alien to Earth with an even stranger alien housed
in his stomach, which just happened to be Earth’s deadliest enemy. Not your
run-of-the-mill team but the best, none the less. The very best.
After being
kidnapped by Apophis, Charlie is brainwashed but finally rescued by Jack. When
her memories are regained, Charlie is thrown into shock, but this is only a
taster of things to come…
“What?”
The colour drained from
Charlie’s face, as she sank into her chair. Her hands were trembling in her
lap, as she bit down on her bottom lip. Janet laid the form down and knelt in
front of the girl, taking her hands in hers.
“It’s alright, Charlie,
really. I’m sure Jack would be…”
Charlie looked up at Janet
and the doctor fell silent. Charlie looked back down and her shoulders began to
shake, as sobs racked her chest.
“I…didn’t
sleep…with…J…jack!”
Charlie stood up and pulled
away from Janet, hugging herself as if to make it all go away. Janet was left
speechless but stood up and went behind the girl.
“You can tell me, Charlie.”
Charlie turned back to
Janet, with such a look of regret in her eyes.
“The
child…belongs…t…to…Apophis.”
Charlie collapsed into
Janet’s arms, letting her tears take over. Janet hugged Charlie to her, unable
to comprehend the despair and misery running through Charlie’s mind.
“W…what will Jack say?”
Janet held her at arms
length, taking in the sobbing wreck that was her best friend’s daughter.
Charlie collapsed to the floor, pulling herself into a foetal position and
rocking steadily. Janet crouched down and whispered reassuring comfort to
Charlie.
“Well, what a turn up for
the books!”
Both Charlie and Janet
looked up, at the shadow that hung over them.
“Maybourne!”
~
General Hammond was enjoying
a rare quiet morning in his office, when the airman brought the letter. The
General dismissed him with a salute and opened the letter. And what he read
filled him with horror. He read it through again and again before running to
the Control Room. As soon as he reached the room, the Stargate shut down. SG1
he thought bitterly. Ignoring everyone’s polite inquiries, George ran for
the lift.
~
It was twelve hours before
SG1 returned and Jack headed straight for the showers. Well, a detour by
Daniel’s office wouldn’t hurt. He opened the door slowly, to find a very
harried looking Charlie piling books into a box.
“Whatcha doing, Charlie?”
Charlie jumped and swung
round, eyes blazing with fire. Jack actually stepped back, as she stuffed the
last few things into the box and sealing the lid.
“Leaving. And, no, you can’t
change my mind because I have to do this. Now just go away and let me finish in
peace!”
Charlie heaved the box into
her arms and headed towards the door, effectively stopped by a huge wall of
Jack.
“Leaving? For where?”
“Absolutely none of your
business. Now, let me go!”
Jack pushed her back into
the room and took the box out of her hands. Charlie snatched it back, looking
quite vicious.
“Listen to me, Jack. Our
relationship is over. I’m leaving now and I am not coming back.”
Those words crumbled Jack’s
world but he held his ground.
“You’re…not making any
sense.”
Charlie looked at him
incredulously.
“Sense? What part don’t you
understand? We are over. O-V-E-R; over! I am going. You can’t stop me. This is
the END!”
Charlie stormed past Jack,
as he faltered against the wall.
Sam and Daniel were heading
for his office, when Charlie flew down the corridor without a word. They both
turned at her departing figure, as she careered into the lift and pressed the
control for the surface.
~
Charlie left the mountain in
a hurry, unwilling to even consider what she was leaving. She quickly found the
black Mercedes standing by the gate and placed her box in the back before
climbing into the front.
“Very punctual, Charlene.”
“That’s Miss Jackson to
you.”
Maybourne looked across to Charlie,
who was sitting taught and aware, taking careful note of where they were going.
“Actually, it isn’t. You can
call me father.”
Charlie turned quickly,
giving him a look of such rancour that he almost swerved into the car in front.
“Drop the act, Maybourne,”
she said, in a venomous whisper.
Maybourne sat back in the
driver’s seat, enjoying the power flowing through his veins.
“Just before we left, I
issued our little…notices to General Hammond. Now, my dear, let me tell you
what else I have done:
Of course, you know about
Stages 1 and 2; they are the reason you are here, but Stage 3 is far more
interesting…”
~
SG1 turned up for
de-briefing, looking very depressed. Jack had told them about Charlie’s
‘departure’ and they were all taking it quite badly. Sam was angry, Daniel was
worried, Teal’c was curious (as always!) and Jack was strangely quiet.
The General watched them all
enter; slightly surprised that Janet was already sitting at the table. The
General gestured for them to take a seat.
“At the moment, we have a
more pressing issue to address before your mission. I am sure you are all aware
that Charlene has left.”
SG1 exchanged startled
looks, while Janet closed her eyes in regret.
“What you don’t yet know is
why. Today I received three notices,” the General held up some sheaves of
paper, “and they may give you some insight.
The first is from the
Pentagon:
‘We regret to inform you
that members of the SGC are forbidden from adopting children and that current
adopted children will be removed, at the request of NID. This does not affect
SE108.’”
“What? Charlie has just been
removed? What is going on?”
“Where is she going to go?
This is her life!”
“This stinks of Harry
Maybourne?”
“What is SE108?”
The voices of SG1 filled the
room and George had to bang on the table three times to be heard.
“I think your questions will
all be answered very soon…”
“Not quite all, General.”
Janet interrupted, “Teal’c: SE108 means ‘Special Exception
One-hundred-and-eight’, which refers to Cassie. It means she won’t be affected
by this.”
“Which leaves only Charlie.
Sweet.”
Jack sat back in his chair,
fingers steepled in front of his face. George continued.
“The second letter is from
the Adoption Office. Apparently, Charlie was listed as one of their SEs,
attached to us. When they received note of her move, they informed us of her
whereabouts. It appears she’s now the daughter of one Harold Maybourne.”
“Bastard!”
Jack stood up and banged the
table, making all the water shake. Teal’c’s stare could melt plutonium and Sam
and Daniel both had their hands tightly clenched in their laps.
“Sit down, Colonel. There’s
more.”
Jack complied and George
continued.
“ We also received an
official order from NID:
‘Under the jurisdiction of
the United States Government, Charlene Maybourne is forbidden from associating
or fraternising with members of Area 52. Anyone from the aforementioned area
caught in the presence or vicinity of Charlene will be subject to instant
court-martial.”
“That is OUTRAGEOUS! I am
going to trounce his ass!”
Jack stormed out of the room
and everyone was too shocked to stop him. Sam started to cry and Daniel quickly
pulled her into his arms.
“W…why would he do this? Why
Charlie?”
The General nodded to Janet
and she stood up.
“I think I have a reason but
you’re not going to like it.
When Apophis took Charlie,
there was some…sexual interaction. Charlie is now carrying his child.”
Teal’c roared with anger and
thumped the table while Daniel gaped like a goldfish. Sam turned a ghastly
white and General Hammond looked very shocked.
“I will crush him like a
stone!”
“B…but why d…didn’t she tell
u…us?”
“So that’s why Maybourne
wanted her.”
Everyone turned to Sam who
had started to shake.
“He’s going to study the
child, isn’t he? At Area 51? Oh my, he’s going to experiment on her!”
~
Jack thundered towards his
office, as airmen and marines dived out of his way. I’m gonna make that
bastard pay. He is not gonna take my girl!
He burst into
his room, grabbing the phone and ringing through to the surface.
“Get me the Pentagon!”
Jack waited for ten minutes
before he got an answer.
“I want extension 4-9-6,
NID…Yes, I have clearance… Colonel Jack O’Neill, Area 52…Thank you.”
Jack hated working with
pencil-pushers but he just managed to keep his tone even and fairly polite.
“Hello? NID?… Yes, this is
about Charlene Jackson… Oh, Maybourne now, is she? What a surprise!… Yes, I
want to know how such a cracked order got through your supposed ‘elite’ system…
Hello? Hello? Oh damn!”
Jack slammed the phone down,
as the line went dead. So much for being polite! Without hesitation, Jack dialled another
number and got an answer straight away.
“Hello? Adoption Offices?…
Yes, this is about SE295…”
~
Charlie got out of the car
and slammed the door, just as Maybourne did the same. She was seething with
fury but kept a neutral expression that she had carefully learned from Teal’c.
She had persuaded him to teach her the technique before they went to rescue
Daniel from Dakatte, when she had known that emotion shown would equate to a
loss of face in front of an enemy, something Charlie would never allow.
Maybourne eyed her carefully
but couldn’t read a thing from her solemn expression. She looked like the SGC’s
Jaffa and Maybourne suspected that he was the one who had taught her to hold
that expression.
“So, here goes Charlie!
You’re going to be a model daughter, aren’t you?”
Charlie flashed him a bright
smile before heading for the door, calling behind her:
“In hell, Maybourne!”
Cursing, he followed her up.
He got them both signed in, giving stern looks to any guard who tried to eye
his daughter. My daughter. Maybourne smirked happily. Charlie, the girl
who commanded a huge following at the SGC, was now in his possession. Of
course, getting her to come was less than legal but he knew she wasn’t stupid.
All he had had to do, was show her where he had planted a bomb in Jack’s office
which he could blow at any moment. And, if she disobeyed him, the bomb would
blow; at which point, another would be planted in Daniel’s office. He had told
her all of this and it was all true. Maybourne was a harsh man and this was a
perfect scheme for him.
He steered Charlie into an
ominous grey room, with a variety of metallic machinery. Here she stopped but
he dragged her forward. She struggled desperately but one of the guards struck
her shoulder. She fell to the ground and the same guard picked her up and
placed her in a long vertical tube in the ground. Charlie couldn’t move an inch
as the tube was raised into full light. It was made of transparent naquadah and
Maybourne took great delight in her shocked expression. A few more guards
appeared and wheeled two vertical towers of metal into the room, with long,
protruding spikes. Charlie paled as they placed on either side of her.
“These are a few pieces of
Asgard technology, Charlie. They are very accurate monitors. Brutal; but
accurate. They also keep one’s body active with electricity so that it can
never shut down. And the spikes aren’t even the monitors.; only the implanters of
such an ingenious device. Are you ready, Charlie?”
Without waiting for a reply,
Maybourne flicked a switch and both devices began to hum. As they closed in on
her, Charlie settled her expression, trying to sink into Kel’no’reem, another
of Teal’c’s favourite pastimes. But she didn’t even get to the first stage, as
the stakes were driven sharply into her body. Charlie gasped briefly before
locking her teeth firmly around her bottom lip. Her body was beginning to
shudder as the metal prongs burrowed their way through her soft flesh. There
was an electric shock, as Charlie finally found her meditation peace.
~
Jack replaced the receiver
and sank back into his chair. He looked over the brief notes he had made and
began to make pencil notes beside them, unaware of Daniel and Sam in the
doorway behind him. Jack started to theorise out loud.
“So, if Charlie is under
Maybourne’s protection, he must have over-ruled the President. But that’s not
possible…”
“Unless the President
over-ruled himself.”
Jack turned to see his two
best friends standing in the doorway. Daniel placed a reassuring hand on his
shoulder, as Sam began to read through his notes.
“So, the President put
Cassie and Charlie under the ‘Area 52 act’. I never knew there was such a
thing.”
“Well, there obviously is.
It means that members of the SGC can’t be affected by outward officers. Which
means that General Hammond can only be over-ruled by the President on matters
concerning SGC personnel, and Cassie and Charlie.”
Jack sat back in his chair, trying
to work out how Charlie could possibly fall into NID’s hands. Daniel had his
usual puzzled frown on, meaning that he was several stages ahead of Jack but
was still stuck. Sam was re-reading the notes, when she suddenly picked up the
phone.
“White House.”
Jack and Daniel both looked
at her but she just shrugged.
“Hello, can I speak to the
President?… No, this is not a joke…. Major Samantha Carter, Area 52… Thank
you.”
Sam waited patiently on the
phone while Jack moved towards his computer, logging quickly onto the Internet.
“Whatcha doing, Jack?”
“I know Area 51’s URL. I’m
looking up some stuff.”
Daniel nodded, but his mind
was whirring. NID have a website? Isn’t that a bit stupid? Shrugging, he
turned his attention back to Sam’s phone call.
“Hello Mr President…Yes, it
is urgent…You know about the Area 52 act?…We think there may have been a
breach…Involving Charlene Jackson, sir…Yes, my daughter…Colonel Harry
Maybourne…Excuse me?…I see, sir…I think I understand…Goodbye sir.”
Sam slammed the phone down
and swore. Jack turned, eyebrows raised, but Sam just kicked the desk.
“He issued the order! He
said that she was a ‘threat’. Do you believe the ignorance of the man? I can’t
believe I voted for him!”
Sam continued to swear and
kick things around Jack’s office. The man merely smiled and turned back to his
computer.
Daniel was forced to duck as
a cup of coffee sailed over his head, smashing against the wall, drenching
Daniel in scalding liquid.
“Ow! Sam, can you quit with
the throwing already?”
Sam gasped in horror at the
sight of her soaked, burnt husband. She ran over and grabbed his shoulders,
letting go when he hissed in pain.
“Get Danny to the infirmary,
Carter.
“Yes, sir.”
Suddenly, she stopped and
turned around.
“Y’know, sir; it’s actually
‘Jackson’ now.”
~
Bruised, bloodied and
thoroughly annoyed, Charlie was roughly dumped on a bed before the door was
slammed. Hissing with pain, she hauled herself up and observed the room around
her. It was small with only a bed and a computer. A computer? Obviously
monitored, but Charlie could bypass every security system invented, due to Sam
and Lou. She went in and tapped into Harry Maybourne’s personal password, which
she was sure would be free of monitoring. Before she went further, she quickly
checked the room for surveillance devices, of which there were none. She went
back to work, sending an e-mail straight to the one person she trusted most…
~
As Jack sat working in his
office, a mail notice popped onto his screen. He opened it quickly, expecting a
routine report. It was Harry Maybourne’s address. He opened it cautiously,
wondering if you could send exploding e-mails. When the document finally
downloaded he sat back in surprise at the words on the screen:
Jack,
Be very careful! There is an NID spy at the SGC. I am fine
and you really mustn’t worry. Please don’t try to come after me because it will
just make things worse. Maybourne has it in for you, Jack.
Take care
Chaz
(PS There’s a bomb under
your desk)
Jack leapt
back from his desk and slammed the alarm. A team was in his room in seconds,
with Teal’c and Sam close on their heels.
“There could be a bomb under
my desk.”
“Could?”
Jack shrugged but just
gestured to the desk. Sam leant under it, then backed off, swearing.
“A C4 remote. How the hell
did that get there?”
Suddenly, one of the men in
the group pulled his gun and placed it to his head, firing immediately. Jack
yelled but it was too late. Sam was shocked but the other airmen quickly
disconnected the bomb before getting the shakes. Jack reached for the wall
phone
“Janet? Airman Phillips just
shot himself. I think he was NID.”
Jack replaced the phone and
went to his computer. He saved the e-mail before severing the Internet
connection. He asked the airmen to carry Phillips’ body to the morgue, before
Jack asked the others over.
“Charlie sent me an e-mail
from NID.”
He called up the document
and let Sam and Teal’c read it over. There was a moan from the door, followed
by a shocked gasp.
“How did you get blood on
your carpet? Are you alright?”
They all turned to Daniel,
who quickly picked his way around the mess on the floor. He squinted at the
computer screen and his eyebrows could’ve hit the roof.
“She’s at NID? And Maybourne
‘has it in for you’? Why, Jack?”
“I don’t know, Daniel.”
Jack sat back, worry
settling over his tired features.
“I honestly don’t know.”
~
Charlie had ripped her
sheets to pieces in a vague attempt to patch up the wounds currently soaking
blood over her clothes. She had been in Kel’no’reem for what seemed like
forever and she was feeling better but, apparently, you only heal if you
actually have a symbiot. Shame, that.
There was a knock on the
door and Charlie was mildly surprised. They actually knock in these places?
“Come in, ‘cause you will
anyway.”
Harry Maybourne strode in,
looking very pleased with himself.
“We have made a fascinating
discovery.”
“Good for you. You can tell
me after I’ve been rescued.”
“Rescued? Why, you’re not a
prisoner, Charlie. Anyway, who would
rescue you? If your precious Colonel came within an inch of you, he’d be
immediately subject to court martial.”
“May I remind you of the
Area 52 act?”
Harry’s eyes widened and
Charlie lay back on her bed, satisfied that she had shocked him.
“How do you know about that?”
“And doesn’t this whole
scheme of yours actually defy that act?”
Harry drew himself up
boldly, thinking of ways to make this disobedient girl conform.
“The President overruled it
in your case. You’re a threat, Charlie. We were told to ‘apprehend’ you as soon
as possible.”
“You will not call me,
Charlie. the privilege is no longer yours. You shall call me Charlene, like all
the other airmen.”
Harry was flabbergasted and
just walked out. Charlie leaned back and smiled to herself. One-nil to
Charlie!
~
“Okay, NID have some very
impressive files…”
“Colonel; have you been
hacking into classified files?”
The General tried to look
shocked, when really he was very pleased. Charlie Jackson was, as Jack had once
said, ‘one of the most valuable assets to this base’, and also a huge morale
booster to the whole base. More than that, the General wanted her around if she
was carrying a Goa’uld child, because the SGC were the experts and the General
trusted no one more than Janet, except perhaps SG1.
Jack flashed the General a
smile, before continuing.
“They have actually filed
some medical reports as well, and they refer to an experiment called ‘Operation
Larvae’. Now, I’m guessing that’s about Charlie, since we haven’t been informed
of such an experiment.”
“And the unit studying the Gourld is called ‘Operation Ra’,
officially a study of the sun,” Sam cut in, sounding slightly amused.
Jack continued, “It says
that monitors have been implanted in the subject and all legalities have been
taken care of, as well as ‘securing loose ends’. I’m guessing that means he’s
taken care of us.”
Jack’s mouth settled into a
hard line, as his military aura settled over his features. That expression
meant trouble was coming to whoever dared cross the man, and one Harry Maybourne
was top of the list.
“Well, Colonel, you’ve
certainly done your research, but you know I can’t authorise a mission that
contravenes Presidential orders.”
“I know, sir. But you know
we have some leave due.”
All of SG1 turned
expectantly to the General, who sighed. He knew this was a plea, an unofficial
sanction to retrieve Charlie. He nodded slowly and they all smiled, even
Teal’c. Janet walked in at that moment and came straight over to the general.
“I have leave due too, sir.”
The General was feeling
braver now and happy that he had done the right thing.
“Sure Doctor. How about you
go with SG1 here, for some quality downtime.”
Janet nodded and the five
left the room, chattering among themselves. The General headed for his office,
pleased in himself.
~
Charlie was roused from her
meditation by someone shaking her shoulders. She opened one eye, looking over
the shocked airman.
“You wanted something?”
He looked very embarrassed
and Charlie realised that there were several blood-stained bandages obviously
placed on her bare arms. Charlie quickly took in the tray of food and medical
kit standing by the door. She got up slowly, careful not to aggravate any
injuries.
“Um…I’ve brought you some
dinner…and…medical stuff. The Colonel doesn’t want you to get ill.”
“So considerate of him.
What’s in the medical kit?”
“Some morphine, a few other
painkillers; nothing much.”
“Get me some Vallium,
Disprol and Ibuleve and we can be friends.”
The airman saluted and left.
Charlie picked up the tray and observed the contents. There was a cheese salad,
followed by chocolate gateaux and topped with strong, hot coffee. Oh damn;
all my favourites! Charlie was about to give up on her refusal, when she
caught sight of something else on the tray. She picked up the red rose and
crushed it her palm. No one played on her affections and roses were Jack’s
gift. The airman returned with the drugs and she snatched them off him, before
turning her back on him and settling back into Kel’no’reem.
~
After the General’s dispensation,
Jack headed back to his office. His team were all looking to him for guidance
and he hadn’t got a clue. What could they do anyway? And, when they had
Charlie, what would they do then? Jack wasn’t usually so considerate but, when
the future was concerned, Charlie figured pretty largely in his equation.
So, they would just have to
work together. Everyone had a connection to Charlie, however small, and Jack
knew that there would be loads of ‘volunteers’.
Sam and Daniel were her
parents, trying desperately to keep up with Charlie, who almost equalled Daniel
with her enthusiasm. Charlie had been very closed in when they adopted her, but
with such caring parents, she was quick to adapt. Sam and Daniel had brought
out the best in Charlie, and they would never let her go.
Teal’c had a special
relationship with Charlie, which Jack hadn’t quite worked out. They seemed to
share a bond of sorts, smiling secret smiles and knowing something that no one
else could possibly know. Sure, they had little ‘untranslatable’ titles,
‘kar’ec’ and ‘to’var’, and that carried some pretty heavy meaning. Jack wasn’t
sure whether Daniel really didn’t understand what they were saying, or whether
he thought it was better left untold. It was obviously something private and no
one had ever asked what either word meant, just accepted that it was there.
Janet, Lou and the General
had all just fallen victim to Charlie’s charm. She was like Daniel in her ways,
very moralistic and genuinely kind. But she had begun to pick up Jack’s sarcastic
streak, making her even more appealing to the people of SGC.
And then there was Jack.
There had always been attraction between them but the age gap had made the
relationship seem off-limits. Somehow, they had let it slip past their defences
and had ended up in each others arms. Literally. Strange, how it had
taken a base emergency to get them together, when they were so obviously in
love. Even though they had hardly met in the ten months they had known each
other, they had built up an ultimate trust and understanding, something Jack
would never allow to be taken away.
They finally arrived in his
office, where the team all sat down.
“So, what do we do now? We
have the information, the location, but no plan as of yet. Suggestions,
people?”
Everyone thought to
themselves, and, unsurprisingly, Daniel was the first to the conclusion.
“Brian!”
~
Charlie was dragged to the
machine room again, where she was greeted by a grinning Harry Maybourne.
“Hello Charli…Charlene. I
have some news for you.”
Charlie, tired and starving
hungry, did little to protest as she was forced into a threatening-looking
chair. A glass globe was lowered over her head and a white light swept the
room.
“This will simply read your
mind, Charlene. Because, my dear, we believe that the SGC has lied. Your child
is, in fact, three months old.”
Charlie’s eyebrows rose in
surprise. Three months old? But that was impossible! Her mind flooded with
possible reasons, as lasers fixed on the sides of her head.
Screams echoed through the
hallways, and Brian covered his ears. He knew who was in that room and he
didn’t want to hear her suffer. After leaving the SGC, he had joined NID but
was beginning to regret it. When Charlie had ‘disappeared’, he had thought
things couldn’t get worse. They just had.
Suddenly, one of the
‘messengers’ ran up to him, carrying a mobile phone.
“A present for you, sir. One
of the Area 52 airmen gave it to me: a Major Ferretti. He said it was for
‘Hermione’. That make sense, sir?”
Brian’s throat constricted
but he managed to nod. The man smiled and ran off again. Brian stared at the
phone. He knew Lou was a good friend of Colonel O’Neill’s and Hermione was the
name of that Tok’sokar Gourld that had taken Charlie meaning…Brian didn’t shy
away from the responsibility. He waited for Charlie to be taken back to her
room and then walked straight in.
The girl was lying weakly on
her side, one arm draped over the side of the bed. There was a deep frown on
her forehead, as she laid a hand over her slightly swollen stomach. She looked
up at Brian and smiled.
“So, you’re here now, are
you?”
Her voice was low and soft,
and Brian was straining to hear her. He kneeled beside her and slipped the
phone into her free hand.
“It’s from Lou.”
She inclined her head
slightly but he just left. Summoning her strength, Charlie pulled herself
against the wall, relaxing her head against the solid surface. She switched on
the phone, surprised at it’s content. There were several numbers in the Phone
Book: Irish Devil, Astro Girl and Clumsy Klutz. Charlie smiled to herself, as
she read the numbers. Suddenly, a text message alert came up. She clicked on
the button and a little message scrolled across the screen. Charlie replied
quickly, changed the codes on the phone and turned down the volume. She
switched the phone off, the words running through her mind.
The ruined statue. Tuesday
at 11am.
~
Tuesday dawned with
radiance, as Jack slipped on his denim jacket. Sam and Daniel had stayed at his
house, and Teal’c had already taken up residence for their ‘holiday’. Jack was
like a cat on hot bricks, nervously wringing his hands until the others woke
up.
Sam rubbed her eyes sleepily
and looked up at the clock.
“Okay, we have an hour to
get there. I’ll wake up Daniel and Teal’c.”
“I am awake, Major Carter.”
Teal’c walked in, looking
more alert than the rest of them. Sam scowled at him for no particular reason
and Jack winced.
“Okay. So, where’s Daniel?”
~
Charlie hammered on her door
steadily. Finally, an airmen came in.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“I need to go to Colorado
Springs. I have some shopping to do.”
The airmen smiled, taking in
her blood-stained fatigues.
“Sure, ma’am. Would you like
some…other clothes?”
Charlie smiled kindly at the
man, who began to blush. He saluted and left. Charlie looked on her computer
clock nervously. 10:15. She sat down, took some tablets out of various bottles
and swallowed them down dry.
The airman returned, with
some clothes. Charlie smiled again
“The car will be ready at
half-ten, ma’am.”
Finally, she thought, someone who doesn’t use military time!
“Lieutenant
Rogers, ma’am.”
Charlie nodded
to him again, feeling an opportunity appearing.
“Thank you,
Lieutenant.”
He saluted and
left. Charlie sighed and began to get changed.
~
Jack sighed
heavily. After looking everywhere for Daniel, he had found him. The young man
was slumped over the computer keyboard, glasses askew and hair sticking up. Sam
came in behind Jack and smiled. She went over to Daniel , kneeled beside him
and blew softly on his face. He moaned softly and Sam took his face in her
hands and kissed him lightly. Jack went downstairs and started up the car.
Teal’c was already in the front seat and Sam and Daniel finally arrived, Daniel
looking decidedly tidier.
They drove off,
towards the ‘deserted’ end of Colorado Springs. Jack had arranged to meet
Charlie at a very distinctive place; where the statue had fallen on Daniel. Of
course, the local people didn’t know that it was actually an alien who thought
she was an Egyptian goddess masquerading as a terrorist group that had blown up
the bomb in Colorado Springs. Then again, they didn’t know half the things that
went on in their ‘quiet’ town. Why should aliens be any different?
The statue had
been too heavy to move, so it had just been left lying on its side. It had
become something of a landmark and there was now a small precinct of cafes and
shops around the area. Jack parked in a nearby car park and turned to his
friends.
“You stay
here. We’re more recognisable as a group and I’m not landing everyone in
trouble for the sake of some recon. Got it?”
They all
nodded solemnly, as Jack got out of the car. It was a beautiful day, but Jack
didn’t feel like smiling. He made his way to the statue and stopped a few
metres away. A very dejected, tired-looking figure sat on the upturned ‘base’
of the statue, dangling her legs over the edge. She wore a faded pair of jeans,
a white T-shirt and a long leather coat that came to her knees. She also had a
pair of sunglasses covering her pretty, brown eyes. She looked up as Jack
approached, and a slight smile played on her lips. Jack sat down beside her and
she leaned against him, wearily.
“Been a while,
hasn’t it?”
“Oh yeah.”
They sat in
silence for a few minutes before Jack got to his feet and pulled Charlie up.
“Come and have
something to eat. If Area 51’s food is bad as the SGC’s, then you’ll need
feeding up.”
“Actually, I
haven’t touched it. Looked a little…off.”
Jack looked at
her in concern, but couldn’t tell a thing while her eyes were hidden behind
those dark glasses. They sat down in a small café, and Jack ordered.
“Two coffees
and…”
“Two chocolate
sundaes with extra cream.”
The waitress
smiled and went off. Jack looked at her and smiled.
“Chocolate?
You trying to make me fat?”
Charlie
shrugged and then shivered, but Jack didn’t miss the little wince she gave. If
that bastard’s laid a finger on her…Charlie looked a little haggard but
Jack could tell little of her emotions while her dark, expressive eyes were
hidden. She had the look of someone who had lost a lot of weight in a very
short time.
The waitress
arrived with the sundaes. Charlie smiled at her and ate the ice cream slowly.
Her coat slipped slightly, revealing red sores on her lower arm. Jack reached
over and took her arm.
“How did this
happen?”
Charlie pulled
her arm away, gasping as she did. She didn’t know why she had agreed to this
meeting in the first place. She had just been so desperate to see him.
“I can’t tell
you.”
Jack arched
his eyebrows and a smile played on Charlie’s lips. She took another mouthful of
ice cream. A drip ran from the corner of her mouth and Jack leaned forward to
wipe it away, noticing a purple bruise at her neck. The anger boiled inside him
but he kept silent. Charlie finished her ice cream and Jack did likewise. She
looked straight at him.
“I have
something to tell you, Jack. I’m sure you’ve been told many reasons for my
leaving but I doubt you know this one.”
Jack was
curious. What hadn’t he been told?
“When I was
kidnapped by Apophis, there was an…incident. I don’t remember much but it
was…intense. But there is something that I know, something that Maybourne is
using against me. All I really want to say, Jack, is that…is that…”
Charlie faltered, fatigue and lack of energy sinking deep into her