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“Where are you, Carter?” Jack murmured as he stopped at the apex of a hill and took a slow 360 of the barren landscape below.
Everywhere he looked only pointed to destruction and devastation. The evergreens which had once lined the slopes of the rolling hills were no more; all that was now left were a few blackened and charred stumps. Further out were more pockets of burning debris scattered around, smoke billowing and twisting, slowly rising towards the clear blue sky. However, the sky was eerily still: no birds or wildlife could be heard and Jack felt a twinge of guilt at the destruction the Alpha Site had also caused for the planet’s natural inhabitants.
He took a deep breath and instantly regretted it when his throat caught. Even from this height, the air was heavy and the stench of battle fire and death permeated everything. He closed his eyes at the thought and tried to push it aside – Samantha Carter was alive. There was no other option.
But going by what he could see before him…
“Major Carter is a formidable warrior, O’Neill. We will find her,” came the soft, yet confident, baritones of Teal’c from where he stood to Jack’s left.
He darted a glance at his friend before he turned his attention back and scanned the surroundings.
“Yeah,” he muttered. He adjusted his tac vest and turned away to make his way back towards ground level, this time on a north-east bearing.
Jack pulled his cap off his head and scrunched it in his hand. They’d been searching for two hours – most of which was made in silence – and there was still no sign of Carter. With a heavy sigh, he lowered himself onto a large, fallen tree log nearby while Teal’c kept watch on their immediate surroundings. He was tired, hot, and for every second that passed his concern for his missing teammate only intensified. He had no idea where she could be but from what he and Teal’c had seen so far, there weren’t a lot of hiding places left.
His fingers involuntarily tightened around his cap as he ran his free hand across his face. Earlier, after they had found Jacob, no further survivors had been reported by the SG teams; just the bodies of their fallen comrades and allies.
Jack was genuinely sorry for every loss encountered by the attack because they weren’t just fellow soldiers; many of them had become his friends over the years. They had been some of the best people Earth had to offer and they had given their lives to keep their families, their loved ones, their home world, safe from the Goa’uld. But regardless of the grief Jack was experiencing, he refused to believe that Sam was among the deceased.
He knew she was still out there somewhere. Alive.
She had to be, he kept telling himself, but he also knew that her time was running out.
Jack had seen the extent of the devastation for himself; the severity of the injuries sustained by the survivors; the number of casualties and fatalities increasing as the hours passed. He knew there was no way that Carter had managed to escape the damage freely.
He also had to remember the fact that for as long as Sam was alive, she would also be trying to hide or escape from Anubis’ super soldier – and that bastard wouldn’t rest until it had killed her.
He closed his eyes and let the silence envelop him as he tried to listen for any sounds, any clues that could tell him where she was.
“Where the hell is she, Teal’c?” he found himself asking a few minutes later.
“If I knew the answer, I would not be standing here now.”
He hadn’t really expected a response from his friend, but he knew he could count on Teal’c for support – silent or otherwise – for which he was grateful. He was also aware that Teal’c knew more about the delicate balance of emotions that tied him and Carter together than he’d ever fully said in words. He glanced to his teammate and saw the look in his eye as he tried to lighten the mood and encourage him to keep focused. A small, appreciative smile tugged at the corner of Jack’s lips before Teal’c’s expression turned serious.
“Samantha Carter is out there, O’Neill, and she will find a way to escape and get to safety. Of that, I am certain.”
Jack nodded. He was as certain in this belief as Teal’c but what he wasn’t as confident over was the Major’s condition. Was she injured or immobilized in some way so she couldn’t fight her way to safety? It was why they couldn’t leave any area unchecked and the longer it took them to locate her, the worse she could become. They’d only just got her back from the Prometheus incident. He dug the toe of his boot into the ground in frustration.
“I’m not sure how much longer I can do this, T.”
His friend raised a brow. “Are you unwell, O’Neill?”
“No, I don’t mean –” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Teal’c studied him for a moment before understanding dawned and he turned his attention back to their surroundings.
“It has been a challenging few months.”
“Yeah.”
“And we shall have more difficult months ahead in our battle against the Goa’uld.”
Jack stayed silent.
“But I am confident that it is a battle we will ultimately win.”
“Is that what keeps you going?”
Teal’c inclined his head and spoke quietly.
“The cost of freedom can often be high,” he admitted, “but you cannot put a cost on the ability to be free.”
He was right; there was more at stake than how Jack was currently feeling and more to their fight with the Goa’uld than just SG-1. They were doing this for Earth, for Chulak, for the numerous people and planets that had been, and continued to be, enslaved by the enemy.
With a sigh, Jack pulled himself to his feet. He knew they would find Sam. She was out there – possibly injured, but still alive – and until he found evidence to tell him otherwise, he was going to keep searching and bring her home.
He straightened out his cap and jammed it back onto his head before he adjusted his shades and signaled for Teal’c to take the lead on their search once again.
“Hang on, Carter,” he mumbled under his breath. “I’m coming.”