Although never openly lovers, there was a certain bond between O’Neill and Carter, yet the two had managed to maintain their personal feelings for each other at a level that was as platonic as possible, so when Carter saw O’Neill kneeling next to her with a certain warm expression on his face and an equally seductive tone to his voice, she was moved to respond. She felt one of his hands gently wrap itself around her while the other slipped behind her head drawing her near. As O’Neill moved closer to place a kiss on Sam’s open mouth, she felt her heart begin to beat hard and rapidly. Then, as quickly as he had appeared, new images of alien objects filled a sterile room. Disappointed, Carter realized that she was regaining consciousness. Unknown faces appeared and disappeared as she slowly became aware of her surroundings as of one awaking after surgery.
“Well hello,” said the petite young woman who while working on a monitor nearby, had noticed Carter’s attempt to sit up. “Let me give you a hand.” Slipping over to the table, she undid the restraints pinning Carter down. “These were only to keep you from falling off while you were asleep. You won’t need them now.”
Carter took a brief look around and was not surprised to see that her weapons were no place in sight. “Where am I exactly?” asked Carter, swinging her legs over the side. “The last thing I remember is stepping through the stargate and then becoming dizzy and passing out.”
“I don’t know anything about that. All I know is that we got a call to pick up three persons by the Chappa Eye.”
“Three? That’s odd,” Carter thought to herself, careful to conceal her surprise.
“Oh!” becoming suddenly aware, the attendant responded, “You actually came through the Chappa Eye. I didn’t know that. I guess that explains your clothing. Well, you are in the capital city, on the planet, Athenia. And, you are in the best medical facility in the capital. I am Diana.”
Carter could not get over the aching feeling of déjà vue she was experiencing at this particular moment, remembering a former time being captured by the Goa’uld and how they had briefly convinced her that she had been thrust into the future at Stargate Command, only to find out later that it was a ruse to gain Intel about the real Stargate command. Yet, Carter could not help but be disarmed by this seemingly kind, gentle person, who seemed so innocent. To be free of restraints and any other alien technology was also disarming. “I’m Samantha Carter. You mentioned that there were three of us. Are the others all right? Is there any chance that I can leave?”
“If you can stand and are not too dizzy, you may want to walk down the hall and see your friends. They are both in rooms at this end of the corridor. Come, I will help you.”
“Thanks, I’d like that,” Sam said, thrusting out her hand to get a grip on the technician’s arm. Together, they proceeded out the door, down the wide well-lit corridor and presently entered the adjacent room. The fact that she was being allowed to see the others, also gave Carter some confidence that things were not as bad as she had previously thought.
There lay Jackson, still out cold, pinned to the table as she had been just minutes before. At a nearby terminal, checking Jackson’s vital signs, was another petite young lady. As she turned to greet the visitors, Sam was astonished to see another young woman, a perfect replica to that of the one whose arm she was holding. “Clones?” she thought.
“He hasn’t awoken yet,” she said. “I see you have met my twin sister. We do so many things the same that some people think that we are clones. I am Minoa”
“Are there any more of you?” Sam asked smiling.
“No. It’s just the two of us,” said Minoa.
No sooner had she spoken than Jackson began to wriggle and moan. The technician stepped up to the table and gently rubbed the hair from his forehead.
From behind, came the voice of the general. “Well, Stanley. Here’s another nice mess we’ve gotten ourselves into.” He was unaccompanied, leaning against the door frame. “I see you two are all right. Has anyone seen Teal’c?”
“Teal'c? Is that his name?” inquired Diana while pointing to Jackson.
“No,” said O’Neill dryly, “Teal’c is a little bit bigger than him, has a gold plate on his forehead, and by now, is probably in a very ugly mood. He gets that way when he hasn’t had his breakfast. No, this would be Daniel.” Jack casually entered the room and sidled up to Jackson’s gurney. “Wakie, wakie Daniel.”
After another ten minutes, Daniel was fit enough to stand and walk around, his presence of mind quickly returning. Apparently, whatever had caused them to fall unconscious was neither permanent nor long lasting. Jack strolled over to a window and peered out onto the streets and buildings of a large metropolis. “A good place to get lost,” he thought. “Or hide.”
Diana’s head cocked slightly to one side as she suddenly became quiet, then straightening, she said, “If you are feeling all right, you may leave at any time.” It was then that Carter noticed that Diana was wearing something in her left ear. It was quite small, but Diana’s action had the appearance of someone using a communication device.
Entering the hallway with the trio from earth, the two ladies pointed them in the direction of a set of stairs that would lead them to the exit of the facility. They made no effort to follow them as the team headed for the stairs. “We’re on the fourth floor,” said O’Neill. “Where do you think the welcoming committee is waiting?” he said, more as a statement than a question.
“We’ll soon see, I guess,” added Carter.
They had descended to the second floor and were part way down the steps with the general in the lead, when O’Neill stopped them, motioning for silence as he made his way back up the steps. “There are at least four Jaffa with staff weapons waiting for us down there” he said quietly after moving the group back up the stairs and down the hallway. “Anybody got an idea?” he questioned. “Where there’s Jaffa, there has to be Goa’uld.”
“Has anyone but me noticed that this hospital is rather empty?” asked Carter. “Other than those two upstairs, I haven’t seen a soul.”
“And this helps us, how?” said O’Neill in his usual dry manner.
“We are relatively free to wander about in here without anyone noticing us,” she responded.
“Maybe, but we can’t hide out in here forever, if that’s what you had in mind,” he said.
“You said we were on the fourth floor and now we are on the second, right?” continued Sam. O’Neill opened his mouth to speak, but Sam finished her idea. “Let’s try a window. It can’t be far from the ground.” O’Neill frowned.
“It’s worth a try and there is a window at each end of the corridor,” added Jackson.
“I guess we can at least have a look,” he agreed.
Choosing the closest window at the end of the wing they were presently on, they were surprised that it opened so freely. Yes, they could fit through it, but the drop was more than usual for a single story. O’Neill was beginning to think that he had underestimated their circumstance, but there was no more glass below, so this must be the second floor. It was a twenty foot drop for sure and not onto soft grass, but hard concrete.
“Maybe we can tie some bed sheets together,” suggested Daniel.
“There’s a plan. Does anyone remember seeing sheets or blankets in this building?” retorted O’Neill.
Carter, who’s head had been out the window studiously making observations, pulled her head back in and with a broad smile, said, “We can climb down.” And before O’Neill was able to ask where the ladder was located, she added, “I’ve been looking at the wall and I think we can easily do this.”
O’Neill and Daniel joined her at the window. “I don’t see anything to walk down on said O’Neill. But suddenly, he was on the sill ready to make his way downward. “Wish me luck,” he said on his way down. Daniel, who was carefully watching, quickly understood as O’Neill scrambled down the wall to the sidewalk below. It was like a climbing wall he had gone to for fun back on earth. Here and there, were bricks sticking out, some perhaps no more than half an inch, but just what they needed to scale the wall.
“Hurry, Carter. I hear someone coming,” whispered O’Neill, “And don’t fall. From this height, you could really hurt me.”
Carter grinned, thinking how juvenile this whole escape plan seemed, slipping out a window, climbing down a wall. What were they going to do next, run away and hide?
As soon as Carter’s feet touched the ground, Jack grabbed her and dragged her to the back of the building. Someone was coming indeed and by the sound of the marching, it sounded like Jaffa. Having disappeared behind, their only course left was to run to the other end of the hospital. O’Neill continued to look over his shoulder checking to see if they had been spotted. Meanwhile, he also noted that they were running uphill, and that windows on this end of the edifice were getting remarkably closer to the ground. At the other end, the window was not more than 5 feet from the surface, which was also covered in grass. O’Neill gave Carter a look, but she just raised and lowered her shoulders. After all, how could she have known?
Daniel, who had stood close to the corner of the building as a lookout, saw the Jaffa march past and out of sight. “If they’re looking for us, they don’t seem to be in a particular hurry.
“Maybe we should take some cover until it gets dark,” said O’Neill. “When we were upstairs I noticed that hedge of trees over there. I think there’s a river on the other side.”
They wasted no time scurrying to the protection of the thick emerald growth. Trees had lined the exterior of the hedge. Inside were lower bushes that gave way to foot long grass and finally a rocky shore line. It was a river indeed and lined with the same greenery on both shores, so they were well hidden from would be bounty hunters.
“Time for a reality check campers,” announced O’Neill as he staked out a large rock and seated himself facing the team. “Let’s see. What have we got?”
“We have no weapons,” said Carter.
“No weapons. So we can’t really defend ourselves,” O’Neill continued.
“We’ve been picked clean. There’s nothing in my pockets,” said Daniel feeling all over his uniform.
“Our pockets are empty. Which means, no granola bars and I don’t know about you two, but I’m getting hungry.” O’Neill was getting irritated. “This has been quite a welcome. First, they knock us out, then they rob us blind and the coup de grace is they leave us with our clothes.”
“Huh!” Daniel and Samantha exchange curious glances, thinking that perhaps there were some residual effects of whatever had caused their unconsciousness, for who would presume that leaving someone their clothes was not civilized.
O’Neill appeared to read their minds. “Have you noticed how people dress on this planet?”
“Well, not really. We haven’t seen anyone other than the nurses,” said Carter with Jackson nodding his head in agreement.
“Well. One thing I can tell you is they won’t be dressed like us. We’re going to stick out like Teal’c at a KKK reunion. No matter where we go, we’ll be recognized as foreigners. We need a change of duds. And we can’t stay here. We have to keep moving. Hopefully, we can locate Teal’c and get out of here.”
“That’s going to be a little like finding that needle in the haystack, don’t you think, Jack?” asked Daniel.
“Not really. I figure that Teal’c is being held at a separate place – some place more secure. Maybe it has something to do with his having been first prime of Apophis. We simply need to find out where they would hold him.”
