The computer keyboard was the closest thing Carter could reach for, but first she had to get her hands freed. She abruptly brought up her knee, hitting the soldier's abdomen hard. Stunned, the soldier released her out of reflex. Seeing the opportunity, Carter grabbed the keyboard, its cable snapped free and she swung it at him. When the soldier had her pinned, Carter had already figured that he was much too big for her to physically take on. She just wished the technicians hadn't already left. Quick action was the key here. She swung it for his upper body, but the soldier had recovered too quickly and avoided the possibly disastrous blow with ease.
Red eyes glowing, the soldier grabbed the keyboard and tossed it aside. Carter leaped away as he tried to grab her.
"Filthy To'kra!" the soldier shouted, furious at his inability to catch her. The voice echoed of two men, a clear sign that he was possessed by a Go'uald.
Door! Got to get to the door! Carter feints left and then made a dash for the door. The soldier tackled her around the ankles and she came down hard on the floor, banging her forehead. Stars flooded her vision for a moment, but Carter shook her head to clear it just in time to see the soldier pull his weapon out. Shit, shit, shit, SHIT! Carter rolled away and kicked his feet out from under him.
"Traitorous bitch!" the soldier howled in such anger in his dual voice that Carter couldn't suppress the shiver that went down her spine.
"That is not a nice thing to say to a lady." Carter gasped out as she ducked under a metal cabinet just before he fired. The bullet flew out, tearing through the thin metal and whizzed by her ear. It was so close; Carter felt a breeze as it zipped by. It had made no sound. A silencer, Carter realized with a chill that it was probably the same gun used on Daniel. Carter felt a knot of anger in her throat. She wished she had her gun. Bastard, Carter thought; for a brief moment, she forgot about the soldier and just thought only of the parasitic enemy. Normally, Carter sympathized with the human, who was innocent of his actions under the invading parasite but her anger made her forget. Just one bullet, Carter wished fervently as the bullets punched through her pathetic shield without any warning sound. Payback was one thing, surviving was another and that was overriding her thirst for vengeance right now.
Carter spared a calculating glance to the door and the alarm that she knew was there by memory. Eleven feet, can I make it? The other bullet made the decision for her. Not a good chance, but better than none. For the hundredth time, Carter wished she carried her sidearm as she had seen Jack does, but she often spent time at the labs when not on a mission and guns weren't necessary there.
Carter could just kick herself in the pants right now.
At the click of an empty gun magazine, Carter took a deep breath and ran for the door. Just as she reached the door, the clicking sounds signaled that the gun was reloaded. Carter barely got the knob twisted open when she felt a sharp pain to her head. The door flew open and she staggered out of the room. Her legs lost its stability and she stumbled to the ground, but not before giving a loud cry. As she hit the floor, Carter became aware of three things. First were the soldier's footsteps coming right at her, second was that she dimly heard responding footsteps from down the hallway, and the last thing was that the pain she felt was from a bullet.
I've been shot in the head, Carter thought numbly. As her vision melted away, Carter became aware of a pair of hands and she wasn't sure if they were friend or foe.
"J-jac?"
With a start, Jack jerked himself awake. Teal'c turned around from his guarding stance by the curtained off area. His stiff shoulders seem to relax a bit as he realized that the voice was from Daniel Jackson. Jack had decided to wait by Daniel's bedside in hopes of Daniel awakening.
"There's our boy." Jack said with a relieved grin to Teal'c. He leaned forward to hear Daniel better. The oxygen mask was muffling what Daniel was saying. When the groggy scientist realized that, he feebly tried to remove it. Jack shook his head, brushing Daniel's weak hands away from the mask. After a few attempts, however, Jack sighed and helped Daniel.
"Only for a few minutes, okay?" Jack turned around, about to ask Teal'c to get Doctor Fraiser but saw that the Jaafa had already read his mind.
"W-where?"
"In the infirmary, Daniel." Jack could see the confusion in his eyes. The colonel fought the urge to start pressing him for details. "Do you remember why, Daniel?"
Daniel's eyebrows knitted together as he sought for a memory. He looked at Jack, a bit worried and confused. "I-I'm not sure." Daniel took a deep breath, then winced at the pain. "Ow."
"Take it easy, Danny." Jack said quietly, his hand rested on Daniel's forehead. "Never mind. Forget I asked."
The presence of Jack's hand seemed to clear the confusion in Daniel's eyes. "Shot?" Daniel managed out. He tried to take another deep breath again but ended up coughing.
"Easy, easy." Jack's other hand laid gently on Daniel's chest to still him. "Don't go scary on me here. Yes, you were shot."
"G-gun?" Daniel asked, his mind still hazy on the details.
"No, by a camera." Jack grinned at Daniel, getting a weak smile from the scientist.
"Ha-ha," Daniel replied as he winced. Daniel looked scared. "J-jack, there's something I'm suppose to re-remember." His breathing quickened as he continued. "It was important, Jack."
"It can wait." Jack lied, stroking Daniel's forehead to calm him down.
"Yes, it can." Doctor Fraiser interrupted as she briskly went over to the bedside. Teal'c was right behind her, his eyes dark with worry. She did a quick examination, asked Daniel to cough for her and listened to his chest with her stethoscope. Jack waited through this with barely contained impatience. When she was done, Fraiser gave Daniel a reassuring pat to his arm and motioned Jack and Teal'c to step outside of the curtained area.
"Well?" Jack demanded as soon as they were a few feet away.
"Is Daniel Jackson well?" Teal'c asked, his eyes glued to the curtained area.
"Daniel is recovering just fine. There's a bit of fever that I'm concerned with, but we'll monitor it carefully. He's going to have to stay here until it goes down and we can move him to the military hospital."
"Daniel couldn't remember what happen to him." Jack said, his initial fears gone with Doctor Fraiser's reassuring diagnosis.
"Patients often suffer from temporary memory loss due to traumatic events. It will come back to him if his recovery goes well." Fraiser looked at Jack with understanding, "But I guess that it wouldn't be fast enough for us to catch our man."
"No." Jack murmured, a bit frustrated, "Although Carter may have something for us."
"Well then I suggest you wait for Captain Carter instead because I won't have you upsetting Daniel, Colonel O'Neill." Fraiser looked back at the curtained off area where Daniel was, "It's going to be a delicate recovery and I don't want him worrying over bad memories in his condition."
Fool. You have failed again. How could you let this happen? Pain. You are a failure as my host. I do not wish to be with you anymore. Find me another. Pain.
"What happened here?"
"An intruder. I heard shots fired and I came to investigate. I found Captain Carter on the floor."
"Did you see who did this?"
"No, sir."
"Lasting, get me a gurney here."
"Do you wish me to accompany her, sir?"
"What? Oh, yes. Good idea, lieutenant. What's your name?"
"Harper. Gary Harper, sir."
© 1998 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa’uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.