The Patience of Kings - Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: SG-1, Atlantis or Universe, I am just playing in the world
Previously: Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5
The Patience of Kings - Chapter 6
Skies above the Ancient outpost, Antarctica, June 2004
He banked over to the right again and growled at how the 302 kept trying to shimmy to the leftt. The airframe must have been damaged by that hit as well. He turned his head to get a look at the immediate area around Prometheus and Sam's cargo ship. He could still see around a dozen F302s dogfighting with gliders and the pair of remaining Al'kesh, one of which exploded as he watched, littering the snowfield below with alien metal shards. He tipped the 302 over and powered back towards the fray, noticing on his radar that Nash was still tight at his four o'clock.
"Nash, my bird has just about had it, but we've gotta take out that Al'kesh." He turned a head over his shoulder to glance at Banks. "She's in a bad way, Adam. Can you try to lock it down a bit?" His co-pilot nodded with a flurry of his hands over his control board.
"Copy that, Blue Leader. I only have one missile though." came Nash's voice over the radio. Cam cursed at that, noting he had none.
"Blue Flight, this is Blue Leader, sound off ammunition counts. Guns, low. Missiles, tally zero." He waited while his squadron rattled off their own totals. Across the board they were almost out of railgun rounds and Nash's lone missile was the last one amongst all the 302s.
"Colonel, that Al'kesh is heading for the deck and towards Prometheus." Banks declared from behind him and Cam cursed again.
"Blue Two, join Blue Six and Seven. Get behind that Al'kesh and open up." he ordered as he peeled away to the left and headed straight for the cargo ship, Nash gave a confirmation and broke right then called out a quick 'Fox Three' as he launched his last radar-guided missile while closing in. Cam waited with bated breath as the missile closed and veered in towards the Al'kesh, striking its flank and causing it to buck up and veer off its attack run on the Tel'tak. It was only damaged though, not dead. He glanced down at the radar screen as the Goa'uld assault craft sped away before swinging back around. "Banks, will we fall out of the sky if I kick in the afterburners?"
"No, sir, but she's gonna fly like a pig." he replied. Cam turned and locked his gaze with the younger man.
"Are you with me, Lieutenant?" he asked in a low voice. Banks nodded.
"Protect SG-1 at all costs, sir." he intoned and Cam turned forward again, pushing his thrusters to maximum and then kicking in the afterburners to chew up the distance between them and the Tel'tak. The Al'kesh, burning and belching acrid smoke, was already being harried by railgun fire from a couple of F302s before Nash and his pair of wingmen joined up, but it wasn't going to be enough before the alien ship got in another attack. Cam wrestled with the flight stick as it wrenched and twisted in his grasp from the feedback. He could feel the ship wanting to tear itself apart trying to fly to the left as he forced her straight. "Contact!" Banks cried out. "Bandit at our six!" Cam snarled and began flying erratically, which just involved giving the ship a little more free reign to do what it wanted to do already, while still trying to keep it under control. He twisted his head, seeing the glider weaving from side to side behind him while staff cannon blasts shot past his canopy. He looked off to the right and saw the Al'kesh closing in. He grunted and pulled the stick over, twisting the F302 in a corkscrew to get in between the Al'kesh and Sam's cargo ship. He cut off the afterburners and the fighter nearly bucked under him with a shudder. He then flipped onto his side, cut the engines and pitched the ship to force a stall. He kicked in his RCS thrusters and the 302 spun over with a back-flip which allowed him to sweep his railguns across the nose of the incoming Al'kesh, driving round after round through its hull.
"Fox Four." he growled. The assault bomber pitched down which took Sam's Tel'tak out of the firing arc of its ventral staff cannons. His spin carried on and brought the glider trailing him into his firing arc and he pulled the trigger. "Fox Four." he called again only for the ammo indicator to show zero rounds. He snarled, but pulled the ship all the way around and kicked his engines to full power again. He turned his head and watched the Al'kesh fly past the cargo ship and then explode as the other 302s finished it off. He let out a little relieved breath only to curse as staff cannon fire rained past his cockpit again. He pulled the stick back and to the right, trying to evade the glider behind him.
"Blue Leader, take evasive action!" He could hear the note of desperation in Alonso's voice and he grunted while twisting the stick in his hand.
"I can't shake him. Reroute power to the-" He felt the ship being shunted forward while his flight stick nearly jolted out of his grasp. Sparks and little shards of burning plastic and metal flew past his head to land on his control board. Indicator lights began flashing yellows and reds all over the place and angry warning tones poured forth from the equipment. He turned his head from side to side, trying to get a look behind him. "Banks, you okay? Banks!" He pulled the yoke back and forth but only heard the shriek of metal tearing itself apart. "Awww, I'm losing it. Hang on back there. Eject, eject!" He reached up to either side of his head and yanked hard on the two levers next to the rest. He grimaced when the expected bursts of exploding bolts failed to materialise. "Dammit, ejection failed. Mayday! Mayday! We are going in. Repeat. We are going in." He took up the bucking yoke in his hands once more and tried to bring it under some control, pulling back hard in an attempt to level the dying fighter before he crashed into the snow at three hundred miles an hour. Keening groans of metal and the burning smell of overloaded wiring were the last thing he could remember before his vision filled with white.
Camelot, September 2010
"I know you're thinking the same thing I'm thinking, Jackson. And I know you've been thinking it ever since Merlin started spouting off on Muranis." Cam muttered from his bench by a side table where he sat with a massive tome lying over his legs as he leaned back with his heels propped up on another chair. Daniel frowned at him from where he stood around the main table with several books, and not a few scrolls, open and spread out over the top of it.
"Yeah, I am, and it's crazy, Mitchell." replied the archaeologist in exasperation. Cam shrugged his shoulders.
"When has crazy ever stopped us?" he asked seriously. "Hell, alternaSG-1 crossed realities in the hopes of stealing a ZPM. Tell me that's not crazy."
"It didn't work though, did it?" Daniel pointed out. Cam shook his head and turned the page of the book he was looking over.
"It kinda did, Jackson." he countered. He glanced up to see the linguist frowning at him. "It worked because they never once stopped being SG-1. Remember, they warned us, and if security footage is anything to go by, they warned each and every team that came through at some point or another." Daniel closed his eyes and sighed.
"Can you really say that wasn't something personal?" he asked gently. Cam glared at him.
"Jackson, remember the year Sam was in Atlantis?" he probed, his voice slightly sharp. Daniel looked away. "Sam is the beating heart of SG-1, Jackson. We did good, we made out okay without her, but can you honestly say there wasn't something missing?" Daniel sat down heavily.
"No." he replied with a shake of his head.
"We can do crazy, Jackson, if crazy is called for." Cameron concluded. Daniel scrubbed at his head and sighed. "So what have you found?" Daniel drew his lips tight and slapped one of the books with the back of his hand.
"You have to understand something, Cam." he began. "We call them legends because for the most part they're not real. There may be a tiny grain of truth somewhere in there, but essentially, we're dealing with fiction." He chortled and pushed his glasses up onto his forehead to squeeze his eyes shut under his fingers. "Just knowing Merlin isn't a fictional character would send every single Arthurian scholar on Earth into paroxysms." Cam frowned slightly. "I know, I know, I've spent the last fourteen years essentially proving every myth and legend is real, but I was never supposed to be the protagonist of one before! I don't want it to be real!" he cried. He leaned on his elbows over the table and cupped his hands over his mouth and looked at Cameron desperately. "There aren't many stories. But there are... details that just stand out. I mean... Bors..." he lifted a book and pushed it over towards Cam who didn't make a move to stand. "A foreign prince, whose main distinguishing feature is a large scar on his forehead." He scrubbed at his hair. "It's vague, but the damn thing fits! Sure, most of what they write about him is fiction, but the little details just cry out."
"It's us, isn't it?" Cam asked softly. Daniel looked ready to tear his hair out, but clenched his jaw and leaned back in the chair.
"It's us." he whispered. "I'm sure of it."
"So am I." Vala declared as she walked into the Library with Sam and Teal'c in tow. She moved behind Daniel and leaned over him with her arms around his neck. Sam sat by Cam with a small frown on her face and leaned back against him. "Samantha doesn't like the idea, but she agrees too." Sam held her hand up to cover her eyes then tilted her head back when Cam kissed her hair as it nestled in the hollow of his shoulder.
"I agree also, Daniel Jackson. As far-fetched as it sounds, I believe we are indeed these historical figures." Teal'c added from where he stood with his hands clasped behind his back. "We have spent the last several hours visiting the villages and every one recounts a similar story of a band of warriors who visit Merlin in search of a Key."
"Fine." Daniel said softly and smirked ruefully when Vala kissed his cheek. "I'll work over some of these references and try to come up with something that might convince the Generals."
"They're going to like this even less than we do." Sam pointed out. Valencia stuck her head into the room and gave them all a smile which faltered slightly as she took in the mood of the room.
"Meurik sent me to gather you for evening meal. Though if you are indisposed..." she trailed off only for Cam to wave his hand dismissively.
"We're always happy to dine with Meurik. And honestly, I think we all need a break right now." He looked pointedly at Daniel who huffed, but nodded. Vala backed up and pulled him up by an arm. Sam moved off Cam and similarly helped him stand after taking the large book off his legs. As they all began to leave Cam turned to Daniel with a curious glance. "Jackson, does the name 'Prinpare Domunis' mean anything to you?" Daniel's eyes narrowed and flicked to the side as he thought. Vala simply took over leading him forward.
"Dominion or Domain of the Forefathers... Ancestors? First Fathers sounds awkward." he looked at Cam and Sam. "Is this from Ilemus' Archive?"
"Yes, we've had a few dreams since we came back from Muranis." Sam supplied. "That's the name of Kariala's home planet."
"I'll try to find something." Daniel replied, making a motion to turn around. Vala just tugged him forward.
"After you eat, Daniel." she warned him and Cam smiled.
USS Odyssey, above P3X-474, May 2007 + 3,741 days relative
Sam crouched down with her back against the wooden barricade and shook her head incredulously for the sixth time in the last twenty minutes. She looked over at Cam as he hunkered down at the end of the low wall, looking past the edge into the deeper woods beyond. She held the P90 between her knees and touched her forehead to the stock wondering how exactly it had come to this.
"What am I doing here?" she whispered. She heard Cam turning towards her and shuffling over to prop himself against the wall beside her.
"You know why we're here." he replied gruffly and she frowned. Was he was implying this was her fault? She ground her teeth together and her fingers tightened around the grip of the sub-machine gun in her hands. She ducked as she felt the wood behind her head splintering and shattering under a hail of 5.7mm fire. She spun on her heel and put her head down, trying to pinpoint the source from the sounds.
"Well, this is crazy!" she said at last before setting herself up on one knee to fire over the barricade into the trees in the distance. "If I had known it would go this far I never would have agreed to it." Cam frowned at her and the disappointment she could see in his eyes caused her anger to flare up. "Oh, please... The three of you just don't know when to stop. Or how far is too damn far!"
"Sam, you know-" he began, but stopped when she glared at him.
"I don't care, Cam. This is all just a game, a meaningless play, and none of you seem to be able to understand that!" She stood and swept her P90 across the line of trees in the distance and turned to run off further away, firing her gun as she went. "And I've had enough."
"Sam, wait!" he called, but she wasn't listening, instead, she tore through the trees and bushes as fast as her legs would carry her. She stopped by a stream which cut through the small slope and ran off to join a larger creek in the distance. She leaned heavily against a tree, taking in several deep breaths. She shouldn't have said that. She scrubbed at her forehead with a hand and closed her eyes. She let her cheek fall against the tree and marvelled again at how much Cam had improved the field projectors' fine control. It felt like a tree now. She crouched down and pawed a hand through the dirt at her feet. He still had trouble with very fine things, but that was to be expected, and of course he was trying to figure out how to integrate chemical synthesizers to add in olfactory simulations. She gritted her teeth again. Too. Far. And yet, her heart still swelled up with pride whenever she looked at any of it, knowing this was all the work of her beloved. She shouldn't have said what she said. This was her idea after all. It was just that they had all gotten so into it.
She closed her eyes and held her hand up to her forehead after shaking off most of the dirt. The worst of it was that she was enjoying it. She liked running around in these recreated woods and shooting a P90 loaded with simulated bullets. She even liked how Vala used it as an excuse to go all hammy and dramatic on them, and truth be told she felt like doing the same as well, just to unwind from her work. And she knew that was why she was so upset really, she felt guilty about taking the time away from her work. Even though she knew Cam was doing this for her own good.
She sighed and stood up, walking slowly down the slope. She turned to look up from where she had come, wondering if Cam would follow her, when she turned back she found herself looking at Vala raising a P90 in her direction as she came around a screen of high brush. She raised her own gun even though she knew it was too late, but instead of the expected crack of gunfire she heard only clicks and Vala's short curse. Sam smirked and raised her gun all the way and pulled the trigger, only to look down in dismay when she found it too was out of ammo. She patted at her pockets in desperation and Vala laughed.
"You see, Samantha," she said as she slipped the empty plastic magazine from the top of her gun and let it fall into the shallow stream, "that's the difference between you and I." She reached behind her and produced a new full clip from somewhere and locked it into place with a slap. "I took this seriously, right from the start." Sam grimaced as the raven-haired woman raised the gun to point it straight at her heart. "That's why I'll always-" she stopped at the cry from her left and Sam turned to see Cam running down the slope into the little hollow the women were occupying.
"Sam!" he cried as he threw his P90 into the air and leapt over the stream in front of her just as Vala's P90 opened up, slamming several shots into his chest and stomach as he landed into the loamy soil to lie prone and limp. Sam caught the P90 and pressed the trigger down viciously after taking aim right at Vala's chest. She saw several hits spraying blood from the woman as she stumbled and dropped back into the water behind her. Sam threw the gun away and ran towards Cameron.
"No! Cam!" she cried as she grabbed at his shoulder and turned him over, getting an arm under him and lifting him to her chest. "Oh, Cam. Holy Hannah, no!" She stared down at the gaping wounds on his chest and the blood flowing from them and cried out in despair as he coughed and gasped in pain. She turned her head to look to the top of the slope. "MEDIC!" she called out desperately.
"Is that you, Sam?" he asked in a voice straining against the pain. She reached a hand up to cup his cheek and turned his face to hers.
"Yes, Cam, I'm here, just hold on, hold on!" she ordered while her brows tightened and she looked down over the front of his BDUs, now awash in blood. She shook her head slightly.
"I'm tired, Sam." he said weakly while his eyes worked to focus on her. She ran her hand over the wounds on his chest and stomach as she began to rock him gently in her arms.
"Everything's going to be fine, I promise." she said in a broken voice, grimacing and clenching her jaw as a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry I said those things, okay? I wasn't thinking straight." Cam shook his head weakly, or rather, allowed gravity to have its way then fought against it for a moment.
"You were right," he smiled slightly as he looked up, "we do go too far sometimes, you can always tell. So smart." he admitted with a cough and a gasp of pain as his breath hitched and his muscles tensed. She shook her head over and over before cupping his cheek with a hand and leaning down to kiss him gently, pressing her lips to his again and again before pulling back.
"No, Cam, I'm too smart for my own good, always have been, and it makes me forget what's important sometimes." she whispered as she blinked rapidly when his eyes finally managed to focus on hers. Cam chuckled wryly and she frowned.
"What are you laughing at?" she asked in consternation, while still caressing his cheek lightly.
"Guess I got to be the hero one last time." he explained with a faint smile. She bit her lip and choked down on a sob which started in the pit of her stomach. She took a deep shuddering breath before smiling down at him gently.
"Yeah, I guess you did." she conceded with a slight nod while her fingers ran over the hair around his ear.
"I've gotta... I've gotta sleep." His head lolled slightly in her grasp and she shook her head.
"No, no, Cam... stay with me!" she pleaded, pulling his head up with her hand and running her thumb over his cheek.
"So tired." he breathed as his eyelids fluttered, struggling to stay open.
"No, Cam!" she begged, shaking him slightly.
"So tired... good-bye, my love..." he whispered in a voice lighter than she'd ever heard from him.
"No... Cameron!" she cried as he raised a hand with all his remaining strength and caressed her cheek with the back of his fingers. She choked back a small cry when it dropped limply against his chest. She screwed her eyes shut while rocking back and forth and pressing his head to her chest. The tears still escaped from between her shuttered eyelids and rolled down her cheeks and she took in a deep quaking breath before turning her face to the heavens and crying out with all her pain and despair. "NOOOO!" She looked back down into his face, he seemed so peaceful, as if he were just sleeping. She kissed his lips again before burying her face against his.
"What do you think, Muscles?" Vala asked as Teal'c helped her stand and she shook out her hair and her top so that the 'water' and 'blood' disappeared into nothingness. The Jaffa looked from her with a raised eyebrow to the two Air Force officers huddled in the dirt, the one rocking gently as she cradled the other.
"I would give Colonel Mitchell an 8.5." he intoned with a slight nod. Vala looked to him then glanced back at the other two.
"Hrm, really? I was thinking more like 7.5 myself, 8 at the most." she replied with a finger raised to tap at her cheek. Teal'c looked at her from the corner of his eye. "How about Samantha?" He turned back to regard his blond friend as she stared at the blood coating her hands.
"She is no Simon Pegg, however, I believe Colonel Carter deserves a 9, Vala Mal Doran." he declared as if daring her to disagree with his assessment. Vala pushed her lips out and nodded deeply with a hand on her hip.
"Oh, I couldn't agree more, my friend."
Rampart Range Road near Colorado Springs, September 2010
Tergali? Cameron cursed his luck as he stretched out his arm to reach for the grip of the CZ 85 by the rear view mirror. He got the tip of a finger on it when he heard the man tell the motorcycle rider to kill him. He redoubled his efforts to grab at the gun while he watched the hard booted feet making their way around the front of his destroyed Mustang. He heard Sam calling his name just as he tugged the grip close enough to snake a finger around it and pull it closer still. They were taking Sam away from him and he'd made her a promise! He pulled the gun to him just as he heard the motorcycle rider stop by his door and pull the slide on his machine pistol. He pointed at the door and opened fire, seeing satisfying twitches from the feet out his window while Sam's voice in the distance cried out his name, he choked at the sound, but there was nothing he could do about it right now.
The large man slumped down onto the ground and Cam dropped the gun to open the pocket dimension and pull out his swiss army knife. He began to cut at the seat belt and grunted loudly when he sliced through the waist strap and fell painfully onto his neck and shoulders. He twisted around, slipped the knife into his trouser pocket after closing the blade, retrieved his gun and crawled for Sam's door only to stop when he spotted a metallic shimmer amidst the broken glass, Sam's rings. He snatched them up and climbed out of the car, slipping the chain around his neck. He pulled the handgun up and quickly moved around the car to stand over the rider, a Jaffa, he could see now, very dead. He heard the sound of the SUV starting up and driving off and cursed until a plan formed up in his head. He reloaded the gun, slipped it into the strip of light and moved back to the Jaffa. He searched the alien's pockets finding keys to the motorcycle. He snatched and pocketed them then awkwardly lifted the Jaffa.
"Sorry, buddy, but I need your jacket." He managed to strip it off and rolled the Jaffa over to pick the jacket up off the ground. He crouched down to look in the car and let his eyes scan around, but there was no sign of his other CZ 85. He frowned and threw his head up to look behind at the trail of destruction left by the Mustang. He grunted and reached over to grab the Jaffa's black cap, he'd need that too, and put it on gingerly over the cut above his right eye. He shrugged on the slightly too long coat then reached into the strip of light and pulled out his phone and the headset he had for it, having no time left to look for the radio. He connected them together, slipped the phone into the inside pocket of his dress blues, wrapped the headset around his ear and pressed the button on it. "Call 'The Base'." He croaked as loudly as his aching ribs allowed. He heard the ringing of the phone.
"SGC." came a nondescript voice and Cam identified himself as he walked back towards the road.
"This is Colonel Cameron Mitchell, access code seven three one alpha slash five eight six lambda. Acknowledge secure communications." He heard several tones and clicks and audible thumps before the voice returned.
"Line is secure, Colonel." Cam blinked when he spotted something silver flashing in the moonlight and dashed over to find his second gun, slipping it into the strip as well after checking the magazine.
"I'm declaring a Code Red Omega emergency. Lucian Alliance personnel have kidnapped Dr. Samantha Carter." The voice sounded an acknowledgement as he found the motorcycle by the road and climbed onto it, slipping the key into the ignition and turning over the engine. "Can you read my transponder location?" A confirmation returned and he revved the engine as he kicked the bike off its stand. "Mark it and secure the wreck of my Mustang, there is one dead Jaffa in the vicinity. Confirm."
"Affirmative, Colonel, position locked." returned the voice and Cam put the bike into gear and sped off.
"In pursuit of gunmetal grey SUV, Colorado plates, four something something juliet whiskey something. Heading southeast along Rampart Range Road." He heard another confirmation before he gave the big order. "Wake the General." He hung up with a press of the headset in his ear and flicked a glance over a switchback to spot the SUV down below. He slowed down and pressed the button again. "Call 'Jackson'." He was mightily relieved when he heard Daniel pick up, laughing.
"Cam, I wouldn't have thought you'd need advice about what to do when you take a lady home." He groaned as he heard Vala demanding the phone.
"Cameron, put Samantha on, I'll make sure to give her some good recommendations for wholesome activities you can both take part in." Cam gritted his teeth, but managed to stop himself from snapping at his friends.
"Vala, Sam's been snatched by the Lucian Alliance. They forced me off the road and took her. I need you and Daniel to make sure you aren't in danger and contact the SGC. See if Teal'c is back." he ordered over the sound of the Fireblade's engine.
"That's not funny, Cameron." came Vala's distressed voice.
"No, it isn't, Vala. I'm after the bastards and I'm going to need backup when they stop. Call the SGC." He hung up and gunned the engine again, feeling the bike kick up underneath him and wrestling the wheelie back down as he sped down the road. He lost sight of the SUV on several occasions, but he knew as long as he could see it when he got off the mountain he'd be okay. When he caught up and knew he wasn't going to lose it again, he eased off and tried to keep a good distance. He followed it onto the expressway heading east only to get off again onto a county road soon afterwards. He was sure they were close when he saw it turning right onto a road he knew wasn't on most maps. He heard his phone ringing in his ear and pressed the headset quickly. "Mitchell." he called into it while keeping his distance from the SUV.
"Colonel, this is Landry. What's your situation?" He grimaced while slowing down slightly.
"Subjects in sight heading north on unmarked road off South 26th. Appear to be approaching fenced in area, looks like an old airfield." He pulled back further to get out of sight of the SUV then pulled off the road and got off the bike. He pulled a CZ 85 from thin air and hurried through the tall trees on the side of the dirt road until he spotted a path cutting through them that ran parallel with a fence. He crouched down just inside the treeline and looked on to a long runway in a sea of dying grass. "Confirmed, airfield off 26th. They've got Carter, sir."
"Acknowledged, Mitchell. Any idea of enemy disposition?" Cam replied in the negative. "I'm dispatching Teal'c along with SG-17 and 12 to your location right now. Will dispatch the rest of SG-1, 2 and 3 when they arrive here. Hold tight, son."
"Yes, sir." he acknowledged before something came to mind. "General?"
"What is it, Mitchell?" asked Landry.
"Please tell Teal'c to bring all mine and Sam's toys with him, sir." He got up and took a walk around the perimeter, trying to find sentries or other signs of defenses.
"Will do, son, Landry out." Cam hung up and let his eyes wander over the tall grass on the other side of the fence, he watched for signs of activity in any of the scattered hangers and buildings in the distance, but saw nothing. Then his eyes widened in a sudden thought. He quickly tapped his headset again. "Call 'Vala'." the phone barely rang.
"Cameron! Any news?" cried the smuggler immediately.
"No, Vala, I just called to... well... you know what Sam was wearing tonight and... what she wasn't wearing." he said in a low voice as if not wanting to be overheard in the darkness.
"What? Oh. Oh! Right! I got you! Don't worry, I'm on the case!" he smiled slightly despite himself.
"Thanks, Vala, talk to you soon." He was sure Sam would know he would put lots and lots of guns into the pocket. He just wondered whether she'd know to look for undergarments. He frowned as he looked at the friendship bracelets wrapped around his wrist until they morphed into the dark metal clasp once more. He could communicate with Sam in the dreams. Why not at other times. He blinked when the clasp told him it was precisely their sleeping state which allowed them to share thoughts. The clasp was programmed and calibrated to sense and translate the REM state brainwave patterns, so they effectively shared the same dreamspace when connected to the Archive records due to the quantum entanglement between the two clasps. He sighed dejectedly, then frowned when the clasp kept on explaining what that meant. That the clasps were essentially the same object in two pieces, constantly in contact with one another, sensing what the other sensed though only attuned to the wearer. His eyes widened. He looked down at the band and concentrated, asking what sort of things it could transmit to the other half. The clasp would have shrugged if it could, informing him only that what one part of the clasp sensed, the other sensed.
He scrubbed at his forehead with his hand and thought hard after wincing at the pain along the cut. His eyes widened, some things were universal, pain, touch, heat, vibration. He needed to communicate with Sam, the other half of the clasp wasn't attuned to his waking thoughts so could not translate them for her, but other things were universal. He remembered on Muranis when Sam had been drawn towards the crystal, he'd felt a humming along his wrist from the clasp. He lifted it and tapped at it. His eyes widened when he realised the clasp had actually transmitted that to the other half. He concentrated on his wild idea and the clasp was happy enough to comply, producing a small lump of itself which he pulled off and slipped into his ear. He twitched and cringed as he felt the metal sliding in and coating his ear canal.
"Gah, that feels kinda weird." He told the clasp to produce the same thing at the other end, then wracked his memory and chuckled manically before he began tapping away at his wrist like a madman.
Abandoned airfield near Colorado Springs, September 2010
Sam groaned and fluttered her eyes open with the jostling she was receiving. She looked around to see she was slumped on the back seat of an SUV with her hands tied in front of her. Mistake number three. She felt her hair against her cheek and bare shoulders and realised it was loose, they must have taken her Chinese hair pins. Smarter than they looked then. She felt along her left wrist with her fingers and was happy to find the friendship bracelets snugly closed around her skin. The cuts and scratches along her back and shoulders stung like Hell, which probably meant they'd received some treatment.
"Ah, Dr. Carter. I see you've rejoined us." Tergali said from the seat ahead of her as he looked over the back of it. "Sorry to say, Colonel Mitchell is dead." He smiled when he saw her brows tighten, but she blinked in surprise when the clasp told her Cam was alive. She asked how it knew and it said it just did. She blinked when it mentioned quantum entanglement. Holy Hannah. Her surprise was making Tergali frown though.
"He's not dead." she said softly and he laughed.
"Oh, but he is." He turned towards the man beside him. "Have Ger'to visit Dr. Carter in her cell when he arrives and tell her exactly how he killed the Colonel." The other man nodded and Tergali turned to grin at Sam. She frowned, wondering why the man was so sure. The clasp simply said Cam was alive and she blinked again when she started feeling some steadily paced thrumming against her wrist which felt like a pulse. Her eyes began to sting and well up and Tergali laughed again so she frowned and screwed her eyes shut. "You believe me now, then?"
"No, he's not dead." she reiterated far more calmly than Tergali seemed prepared for. He snorted and turned away when the car stopped. Doors opened all around the SUV and she was roughly grabbed by the arms and pulled out to stand between two men carrying guns. She glared at them and shook her shoulders so they would let her stand up straight.
"Take her to her cell. I'll arrange for contact and orders." Tergali said as he bustled away and waved nonchalantly over his shoulder. She was pulled by one of the men into a large hangar and then further into some buildings attached to it. A set of stairs led underground into a concrete bunker below the hangar and she was guided through the tunnels and down more stairs until she got to a very modern looking door with what looked like an electronic lock. She frowned at it and looked around at the wall fixtures nearby, not like the rest of the bunker. This section was new. One of the men swiped a card through the lock and the door opened slightly. He opened it all the way and motioned to his partner who shoved her inside. Before they closed the door she saw the woman from earlier still staring at her intently.
She looked around her cell, scanning the walls carefully. If there was a camera she couldn't see it. She really wished she had some sort of signals scanner. She cursed herself not only for not following Cam's example of setting up an equipment store of her own, but also making him clear his armoury out. She sighed, determined to apologise to him when next she saw him. She expected he'd stock the pocket dimension as soon as he could anyway. She frowned when she felt a tap on her wrist and looked down at the friendship bracelets entangled around it. After several seconds she felt several more taps and presses and she blinked. Morse code? God, she loved that man! She frowned as she concentrated on the message. Ear bud? She glanced down and noticed an end of one of the bracelets was fat and solid and she gaped. How had Cam done that? She turned around to face the corner of her cell and pulled the bud off and slipped it into her ear. She nearly flinched when it slid in and started oozing all the way to her tympanum. She'd been tricked! She was going to kill him!
"-am? Can you hear me?" She blinked in surprise. She gasped as she realised what was happening, the metal was vibrating in her ear canal in exactly the same way as it was vibrating in his. Oh, Cameron was way smarter than he looked. "If you don't think you can speak safely then one tap for yes and two for no." She could really hear him. She nearly started crying and just slumped down into the bench at the back of the cell and tapped once on her wrist. "Joseph and Mary, honey, I'm so glad. Are you okay?" She blinked rapidly and tapped once. "Alright, as soon as we get a lock on your transponder we'll get Apollo to beam you out." She tapped twice. "Anti-beaming field?" Tap, tap. "You think they're jamming works on the transponders too?" Another double tap. There was a pause and in her mind's eye she could see him frowning down at his wrist. She chuckled and covered her lips with her still tied hands. "No transponder?" She tapped once and he cursed, swearing wrathful vengeance upon Tergali. She smiled ruefully at the anger in his voice, cutting her had been mistake number two after all. "Okay, well, as soon as the guys get here I'm gonna start stuffing things into the pocket dimension, yours as well as mine, my CZ 85s and combat knife are already in there." She sighed in relief until he whispered the next. "And Vala's bringing you some underwear." She flushed crimson.
On to Chapter 7