Hold on Hope (1/4)
Hold On Hope
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.
Pairings/Characters: Gen
Spoilers: Through TSbyBS for The Sentinel, and early S5 of SG-1.
Word Count: ~27,000 (total)
Summary: Not everyone believed Blair’s press conference.
A/N: Written for the
hc_bingo prompt, “experimented on by evil scientists”. Title from the Mumford & Sons song, “The Cave.”
Part I
Blair walked into the bullpen to whistles and calls of approbation. “Way to go, Sandburg!” H called out.
Blair waved and collapsed into what had been Jim’s chair two months ago. Well, two months, one week, and four days, but who was counting?
Megan plopped herself down in the chair next to Jim’s desk, giving Blair a sharp, knowing look. “You don’t look like you’ve had any sleep at all.”
Blair shrugged. “I caught a few hours. I’m fine.”
“Jimbo would have flipped his lid if Simon had lent you out to Narcotics.”
Blair scowled, hating the reminder that Jim was gone; he had enough of those. “Yeah, well, Jim isn’t here.”
Megan winced. “I’m sorry, Blair.” She reached out to put a hand on Blair’s arm. “Seriously, have you been sleeping at all?”
Blair knew better than to try to put Megan off when she was in this mood. “Nightmares,” he explained briefly. He’d been dreaming of the blue jungle ever since Jim had disappeared, always searching for a black panther, listening to its screams of pain, and never getting close. “And I feel like I’m being followed,” Blair added, almost as an afterthought.
Megan’s eyes widened. “What? How long?”
“The last couple of weeks,” Blair admitted.
“Shit!” she exclaimed. “When were you going to tell someone?”
“It’s probably my imagination,” Blair said dismissively. “I’m just being paranoid.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there aren’t people out to get you,” Megan quipped. “And after Jim-” She stopped, giving him a sharp look. “You want them to try.”
Blair sighed and shook his head. “No, I don’t, but I don’t have any proof. I haven’t seen anybody. All I have is a feeling, and that’s not enough to take to Simon. I’m sure it’s lack of sleep and, you know. The usual.”
Wanting desperately to change the subject, Blair glanced over at Simon’s closed door. “What’s up with Simon, anyway?”
Megan grimaced, but she allowed the change in subjects. “A couple of suits came in here about an hour ago. They went straight into the captain’s office, and he closed the door and shut the blinds.”
Blair summoned up a smile. “So, he didn’t notice I was late, then.”
“Are you kidding?” Megan asked. “You’re the hero of the hour. I think you can afford to be a little late.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Tell the captain about being followed, Sandy.”
Blair was saved from having to respond when Simon’s door swung open and he hollered, “Sandburg! My office!”
Megan patted Blair on the shoulder sympathetically. “Good luck,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Blair muttered and went to join Simon. “Hey, Captain.”
Simon stepped aside to let Blair enter. “I hear congratulations are in order, Sandburg,” he began. “Captain Kubek tells me you’re to be commended.”
Blair snuck a curious look at the man and woman already seated in Simon’s office. “Uh, thanks.”
Blair turned his attention back to Simon, whose smile reminded Blair of a cat about to pounce. “With that out of the way, let me make the introductions. Sandburg, this is Major Samantha Carter of the Air Force, and Dr. Daniel Jackson. This is Detective Blair Sandburg.”
As a student of people, Blair catalogued what he saw fairly quickly. The woman was pretty, blonde, and sharply dressed. Dr. Jackson looked like an academic in glasses and a tweed jacket. Blair thought Jackson’s name and face were familiar, but he couldn’t place him.
Blair shook their hands. “Nice to meet you both.”
“You, too,” Dr. Jackson said for both of them.
Simon cleared his throat, bringing Blair’s attention back to him. “But before I let Major Carter and Dr. Jackson explain their presence here, I have a question, and I expect you to answer honestly, Sandburg.”
Blair nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“When were you going to tell me you were being followed?” Simon demanded.
Blair hadn’t been expecting that question, and his exhaustion made it impossible for him to keep the surprise off his face. He knew he’d given himself away when Simon’s eyes narrowed. “Ah…” Blair began.
“No lying, no obfuscating, just the unvarnished truth,” Simon said, his tone cool and polite, which Blair knew was a really bad sign.
Blair sighed. “Megan made me promise to tell you today. I didn’t have any real evidence. It was just a sixth sense.”
“Well, now we have proof,” Simon replied, nodding at the two guests. “Major?”
“We believe that a rogue cell of one of our intelligence agencies kidnapped Detective Ellison and is now interested in you,” Major Carter explained. “We aren’t sure why yet, although having read your dissertation, we can guess.”
“I faked my results,” Blair said automatically. “My dissertation was a fraud.”
Dr. Jackson smiled slightly. “Yeah, that might work for most people, but not for us. We know better.”
“Blair,” Simon said quietly. “Listen to them.”
Blair took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. No offense, but so what? What do they want with me or Jim?”
“That’s on a need to know basis,” Major Carter replied. “But we can fill you in if you accept our offer of protective custody.”
Blair shook his head emphatically. “No. No way. I go underground like that, and I have no chance of finding my partner. I’m not going to sit on my hands and wait for somebody else to rescue him.”
“Sandburg,” Simon began. “I think it might be smart to accept the offer. From what they’ve said-”
“Do you know where Jim is?” Blair demanded, cutting Simon off, too worried and angry to care whose toes he was stepping on.
“Not yet,” Dr. Jackson replied. “But we’re close.”
Blair’s jaw tightened. “Fine, great. I want to be there when you do find him. That’s the only way I’ll agree to protective custody.”
“Detective Sandburg, we can’t promise that,” Major Carter said.
“Call me Blair,” he said, using the same charm he employed whenever he was going after something he really wanted. “And I think you can.”
“Blair,” Dr. Jackson started. “I know you want to be with us when we locate your friend-”
“Partner,” Blair corrected him.
“Partner,” Dr. Jackson agreed. “But this is a classified mission.”
Blair snorted. “Look, you might have read my dissertation, but you don’t know Jim. You don’t know what they’ve done to him, or what condition he’ll be in when you find him. And like it or not, I’m the expert on Sentinels.”
Major Carter and Dr. Jackson exchanged a meaningful look, and Blair could see the connection between them. That kind of unspoken communication was only achieved through a long relationship, and was usually forged under fire.
“You can handle a weapon,” Major Carter finally said. “Can you follow orders?”
Blair grinned, knowing that the battle was half-won. “Sure.”
Simon made a sound behind him, but he didn’t say anything other than, “He can follow orders.”
“Then I think we can agree to those terms,” Major Carter replied.
Blair looked at Simon. “Captain?”
“I loaned you to Narcotics. I can loan you to the United States Air Force,” Simon grumbled. He came around the desk to clasp Blair’s shoulder. “Bring him home, Blair.”
“I’ll do my best,” Blair promised. “And before you ask, I’ll keep you in the loop.”
Simon shook him a bit. “You’d better, or your ass will be grass.”
Blair grinned. “Yes, sir.”
~~~~~
Blair Sandburg wasn’t quite what Sam had expected. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she’d expected from an academic turned police detective, but Blair was still something of a surprise.
She and Daniel had taken a taxi from the airport, and Blair offered to give them a ride. “I need to get some things,” he said. “When did you want to leave?”
“As soon as possible,” Sam replied. “We have a private jet waiting.”
Blair’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Daniel smiled reassuringly. “Really. We didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Okay,” Blair said. “You can follow me back to my place if you have a car. Otherwise, I can give you guys a lift.”
“We took a taxi from the airport,” Sam replied. “So, we’ll ride with you and call for a car to pick us up at your place.”
In spite of Blair’s apparent exhaustion, he kept pushing for details during the drive to his place with the kind of dogged enthusiasm that reminded Sam of Daniel. He asked questions about Ellison, and what they knew, and who was behind this mess, but finally subsided when Sam and Daniel insisted they couldn’t give details before he’d signed the nondisclosure agreement.
They followed Blair up to the apartment he shared with Ellison, and Blair led them inside. Sam had half-expected to find out that Blair and Ellison were sleeping together, but when they entered, she saw the loft above their heads, and Blair disappeared into a small room under the stairs.
She exchanged a look with Daniel, who shrugged. “Not what I expected either,” he murmured sotto voce.
Sam pulled out her cell phone and checked her messages while Daniel wandered around examining the artifacts that hung on the walls and lined the shelves. Blair moved frenetically from his bedroom to the bathroom and back again.
Blair emerged from his room twenty minutes later with a duffel bag and a backpack. “I don’t have much,” he explained briefly. “And I’m assuming this won’t take too long.”
Sam glanced at Daniel, who winced. “We can’t guarantee that, Detective Sandburg.”
“Blair,” he insisted. “I’m used to packing light. As long as I’ve got access to laundry facilities, I’ll be fine.”
“That we can promise,” Daniel said.
Blair shrugged. “All right then. I’m ready.”
Sam glanced around the loft, seeing all the artifacts on the walls and pretty much every flat surface. It reminded her of Daniel’s apartment, in a way. That was probably why the loft felt so homey.
“Okay, let’s get moving. There’s transport waiting for us.” Sam led the way to the SUV the car service had sent, a little surprised at how well this mission had gone. Granted, General Hammond and Colonel O’Neill wouldn’t be happy that they’d basically given Blair a spot on the mission, but Sam didn’t think there was another choice, and Blair did have a point.
From the data she’d read, Ellison would do better with a familiar presence on the rescue team, and they couldn’t afford to let Blair get captured.
If Blair was kidnapped, Sam didn’t think they’d even have a shot at finding him or Ellison, and if the NID figured out how Sentinels worked, and if they could create more…
Well, Sam was pretty sure it would be bad news. It would mean the NID had managed to do what the Goa’uld had been attempting-creating a super-soldier. The NID might want the perfect weapon, and the Goa’uld might want a better host, but the result would likely be the same.
And any way she looked at it, whether it was the NID or the Goa’uld, the Sentinels under their control would be enslaved.
Besides, if the NID unlocked the secrets of how to turn someone into a Sentinel, or how to find those Sentinels already in existence, she would hate to leave that knowledge in their hands.
The SGC jet was waiting for them at the Cascade airport, and although Blair’s eyes went wide as he looked around the interior, he didn’t say anything other than, “Nice plane.”
“It gets us where we need to go,” Sam replied.
Blair shrugged and hovered at the front until Sam and Daniel had taken their seats. He chose one across the aisle from them, next to the window. “Okay, you guys really aren’t going to answer my questions, are you?” he asked with wry humor.
Sam shook her head. “Sorry, not until you sign the nondisclosure agreement.”
“And you wouldn’t happen to have that with you?” Blair asked.
“It’s back at the base,” Sam replied.
Blair grimaced. “Okay, I can’t believe I haven’t asked yet, but where are we going?”
“Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado Springs,” Sam replied. “I should have said something sooner.”
“Not like it makes any difference to me,” Blair replied candidly. “As long as the road leads to Jim, I don’t care where we are between now and then.”
Blair fell asleep as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, and Sam leaned in close to Daniel. “What do you think?”
Daniel shrugged. “He and Jim close, probably for the same reasons we’re close. Blair is intelligent enough not to be satisfied with the usual pat answers, and he’s stubborn enough to keep digging if we don’t fill him in.”
“Do you think it’s worth it?” Sam asked.
“The guy scuttled his academic career to protect his friend,” Daniel pointed out. “I think he can keep a secret.”
Sam nodded. “I hope you’re right about that.”
Daniel grinned. “I’m always right, Sam.”
“So you say.”
~~~~~
Jim wasn’t sure he knew which way was up anymore. The first few days he’d been held, he’d steadfastly refused to cooperate-and then they’d threatened to go after Sandburg if he refused to go along with their tests. That had been enough to convince Jim to do what they asked.
He couldn’t stand even the thought of Sandburg being here, at the mercy of the men in their white coats and rubber-soled shoes. He hated the idea of his partner’s boundless energy trapped inside four walls, behind locked doors and small, barred windows.
And if they ever did capture Blair, Jim knew he’d do anything they wanted, and the possibilities were endless now that they knew he was a Sentinel.
He’d waited for a chance to escape, but his captors were good. The room he was kept in was secured at all times; he was always in restraints if he wasn’t in his room. They’d taken away everything that he might have used as a weapon before he’d even woken up.
After the first couple of weeks, at least so far as he could count time, they stopped the sensory tests. Instead, they took endless blood samples, and injected him with a variety of drugs.
Jim had no idea what they were trying to prove, or what they were trying to do. He didn’t think he was much use to them, strung out as he was, his senses either spiking or gone completely. He couldn’t get a handle on the dials, and he couldn’t concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time. It was like how things had been during the Switchman case, before Sandburg had been able to help him, but worse.
Jim knew that control was possible now, the way he hadn’t known at the time, and not to have that hard-won control was beyond frustrating. If they’d wanted to prevent his escape, they were doing a damn fine job; otherwise, Jim had no idea what their goals were.
He felt like a hamster on a fucking wheel-stuck, going nowhere, with no idea what they wanted or how to give it to them even if he did know.
The only time he got a respite was when he was asleep, dreaming of the blue jungle, listening to a wolf howl.
~~~~~
Jack leaned back in his chair and studied Blair Sandburg with a critical eye. He didn’t much like the thought of including an unknown civilian on a mission, even if that civilian was a cop. Sandburg looked like a man running on fumes, but his eyes showed a keen intelligence.
Sandburg had grimaced when presented with the nondisclosure agreement, but he hadn’t done more than skim it before signing. He just pushed it across the table to General Hammond and glanced around the table. “Okay, so what’s going on with Jim? And how is the Air Force involved?”
Jack let Hammond give the spiel about evil aliens, the Stargate, and other planets; he kept his eyes on Sandburg to gauge his reaction.
“Okay, so, aliens,” Sandburg said slowly. “You know, I’ve seen some pretty weird stuff over the years, so I’m going to go with this. What I still don’t get is what this has to do with Jim.”
“There’s a rogue element of one of our intelligence agencies that’s interested in anything to help us with our fight against the Goa’uld,” Hammond explained. “And they’ll use any means necessary to gain those advantages.”
Sandburg frowned and rubbed his eyes. “And any means necessary means kidnapping Jim, because what? They think he’ll work for them?”
“We think they’re trying to isolate the gene that controls his Sentinel abilities so they can turn it on in other people,” Sam said quietly. “As well as finding a means to identifying other Sentinels.”
Sandburg stared at her in disbelief. “That’s impossible. Gene sequencing takes years of work, and this kind of gene therapy isn’t possible.”
“You think that’s impossible, but you don’t have any trouble believing in aliens?” Jack asked in disbelief.
Sandburg shrugged. “You’re talking about serious DNA manipulation. The technology for that isn’t available yet.”
“It’s not available on Earth,” Daniel corrected him.
Sandburg swallowed hard. “Okay, fair point. So, do you know where he is?”
“We’re working on it, son,” Hammond replied. “But we had reason to believe that they were targeting you next, and we wanted to be sure you were protected.”
“Why me?” Sandburg demanded. “There’s nothing special about me.”
“Let me ask you something,” Jack said. “What would Detective Ellison do if they got their hands on you?”
Sandburg paled and glanced away. “I don’t know.” He sighed. “Probably anything they asked.”
“I read your dissertation,” Daniel said. “You said a Sentinel needed a guide, someone to watch his back.”
Sandburg shrugged. “Sure, but anybody can do that job.”
“Maybe they don’t think so,” Jack said.
“How do I know what they’re thinking?” Sandburg demanded. “Look, I want to be cool about this. I really do. But my head’s kind of spinning right now, and I’m not sure what you want from me.”
“We want to protect you,” Hammond replied gently. “And we’d like to find your partner.”
Sandburg nodded. “Right. I’m sorry, sir. It’s just been a long couple of months.”
“Of course. Why don’t you get some rest? We’ve got base quarters set aside for you. We’ll have another briefing with more information tomorrow. For right now, I’d ask that you not wander around the base unescorted,” Hammond said.
Sandburg ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Yes, sir.”
He followed the airman out of the conference room. Hammond waited until the door closed behind them and there was no chance of being overheard before asking, “Impressions?”
Jack glanced at Daniel. “You were the one who studied his dissertation, Daniel.”
“Well, his background indicates that he’s highly intelligent,” Daniel began. “His dissertation demonstrates an in-depth understanding of his subject, and of Sentinels in general. The fact that he denied his work gives a pretty clear picture of how close he and Ellison are.”
“And the theory that there are more Sentinels out there?” Hammond asked.
Daniel shrugged. “We know of two, based on his dissertation. It stands to reason there are more, and Blair is the expert.”
“What about these guides?” Hammond asked. “Can anyone do the job?”
Daniel shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea, General. But the NID apparently decided that Blair has knowledge that can help them, that he’s important for some reason, or that they can use him against Ellison.”
Hammond nodded. “Very well. Major Carter, I want you to expend all reasonable efforts to find Detective Ellison. I don’t want to leave him in the hands of the NID one moment longer than we have to.”
“Yes, sir,” Carter said.
“Dismissed.” Hammond rose from the table and walked out to do whatever it was he did in between briefings and debriefings and emergencies.
Carter and Daniel headed out, and Jack glanced at Teal’c, who had been characteristically silent during the briefing. “I gotta go talk to Daniel.”
“Go,” Teal’c replied.
Jack jogged to catch up with his teammates. “Hey, guys.”
“Yeah, Jack?” Daniel asked, a trace of impatience in his voice.
“Yes, sir?” Carter was, as always, appropriately deferential.
“I need a better feel for Sandburg,” Jack said. “Maybe you can check him out.”
Daniel and Carter exchanged looks that were equal parts amused and exasperated. “Why us?” Daniel asked.
“Because you were the ones to invite him along when we locate Ellison,” Jack said with a smug grin. “And he’s a geek.”
Daniel frowned. “Blair does have a point, Jack. Ellison was kidnapped by people who are nominally part of the government. It’s entirely possible that he’ll fight us when we rescue him. Having a familiar face on the team could help.”
Jack shrugged. “So what? We could always zat Ellison and carry him out. The point is, I don’t know Sandburg, and I’m a little wary of having someone I don’t know accompany us into a volatile situation.”
“I’m not going to spy for you,” Daniel objected.
“You can tell him exactly what you’re doing,” Jack replied. “Just-get a feel for him, Danny.”
Daniel and Carter looked at each other again, and this time, Jack couldn’t read their expressions; he hated it when they did that sort of thing.
“He’ll probably want dinner,” Daniel offered. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not going to make any promises.”
“There aren’t any promises in this line of work,” Jack said soberly. “Carter? You’re tracking these goons?”
“On it, sir,” she replied.
Daniel shook his head. “I’ll invite him to dinner, Jack. The rest will be up to him.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” Jack assured him.
Daniel could get just about anyone to talk to him; Jack wasn’t worried.
~~~~~
Blair punched the pillow on his relatively comfortable bed. He hadn’t been quite sure what to expect, since he was technically in protective custody, but the quarters were large enough not to feel like a cell, and there was a separate, en suite bathroom. He’d had every intention of getting some sleep, but his mind was racing, and he couldn’t seem to relax.
“Jim, man, I really wish you were here,” Blair whispered.
He and Jim had been roommates for almost five years, and official partners for one year, when Jim had disappeared. Blair had gone off for a weekend with Naomi to reconnect, and had returned to an answering machine full of increasingly panicked messages from Simon.
Jim had disappeared without a trace, and Blair missed him more than he could say. The irony was that Blair wanted to talk this current situation over with him, but he wouldn’t be in this situation if Jim hadn’t been kidnapped.
Over two months with no leads, and now Blair found himself hundreds of feet underground, waiting for the fucking Air Force to somehow locate his partner.
And all Blair wanted was Jim; Blair wanted to ask him what he thought about signing a nondisclosure agreement, and what he thought about aliens and the silent guy with the weird tattoo on his forehead.
Blair curled up, his arm over his face, blinking the moisture out of his eyes. He was so fucking tired, and he missed Jim so fucking much.
Blair wanted his best friend back.
He buried his face in his pillow. Even though he was exhausted, Blair didn’t think he’d be able to sleep. He was hungry, but he didn’t want to brave the guard at the door. He was pretty sure he could ask for a meal, and someone would bring it, but Blair didn’t want to ask.
For whatever reason, Blair didn’t want to give these people any sign of weakness.
He was still trying to sleep when a sharp knock came at his door. “Detective Sandburg, Dr. Jackson is here to see you,” said the airman.
Blair was grateful that they asked him first before allowing Dr. Jackson to come in. That told him that they were at least sort of serious about him being a guest, instead of a prisoner. “Yeah, let him in,” he called, hoping that none of his emotional turmoil showed on his face.
Jackson stepped inside a few seconds later. “Not bad. There are worse quarters.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Blair asked.
Jackson shrugged. “Not really. I thought I’d see if you wanted dinner.”
Blair hesitated. “Yeah, I could eat,” he admitted.
“The commissary isn’t too bad,” Jackson replied. “If you’re interested.”
“Well, I am hungry,” Blair admitted.
Jackson jerked his head towards the door “Come on, then.”
Blair was still a little wary. He had some of the facts-he knew who had kidnapped Jim, and why, and he’d been promised that he could be there when they got Jim out. Blair had no idea what he was supposed to do in the meantime, however. At least in Cascade, he’d had work to keep him occupied when he wasn’t trying to run down leads on Jim’s whereabouts.
And he’d been home-although Jim’s absence had sometimes made that feel more like a curse than a blessing.
In any case, Blair was grateful that Jackson had provided him with a distraction, no matter how short lived. The menu was limited, but the food looked pretty good, although Blair opted for the less ambitious spaghetti and meatballs rather than the lemon chicken.
“I feel like I should warn you that I’m here by Colonel O’Neill’s request,” Jackson said. “He doesn’t like the idea of taking a stranger along on a mission.”
Blair could appreciate the honesty. “What do you want to know?” he asked, digging into his meal, which had nothing on Jim’s special sauce, but was at least palatable.
“What do you want to tell me?” Jackson countered.
Blair suddenly remembered why Jackson’s name and face seemed so familiar. “Wait! You’re that Dr. Jackson, the one who claimed the pyramids were built by aliens.”
Jackson winced. “You heard about that?”
Blair grinned. “Well, I went on a couple of digs as an undergrad while I was still making up my mind between archaeology and anthropology. Besides, it was the kind of story that made the rounds-a rising star comes up with a crackpot theory like aliens building the pyramids, and then disappears.”
“Damn, I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Jackson asked ruefully.
“Hey, but you were proven right,” Blair pointed out, waving a hand at their surroundings. “You’re visiting alien planets, getting new insights into ancient civilizations-you can’t beat that.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Does knowing you’re right help you?”
“Being right was never the issue for me,” Blair replied softly. “It was always about Jim.”
“And that’s why you’re doing this,” Jackson replied.
Blair sighed. “Look, I can give you a rundown of all the reasons I should be there, and it would all be true. Jim will respond better to me, and I’m the best person to help him get his senses under control if he’s spiking or zoning. He won’t trust you, but he’ll trust me, and it will be a lot easier to get him out if he’s functional and cooperative.”
“But?” Jackson prompted.
“But in the end, I just know that I have to go,” Blair replied. “There’s nothing in this world that’s as important to me as Jim, and I need to be there when you get him out.”
Jackson nodded. “Trust me, I get that.”
“Then you’ll tell Colonel O’Neill I’m good to go?” Blair asked.
“You know, he wasn’t all that happy about me or Carter being on the team, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“So, who should I worry about?”
“I wouldn’t,” Jackson replied with a smile. “General Hammond has already made the call.”
~~~~~
Jim wasn’t sure how much longer he could hang on. He’d started to think seriously about alternatives, knowing he could probably kill himself with the scrub pants he was wearing, or maybe he could induce a zone. If he went deep enough, they might never get him out of it.
Either way, Jim thought, it meant giving up, and he wasn’t quite there yet. If he could get his senses under control for long enough, and if he could catch a break, Jim knew he could escape.
But the thought of ending it all comforted him in a way. He could take himself beyond their grasp, of his own free will. Jim had to admit that he appreciated at least the illusion of control.
The door to his cell opened, and his captors shone a light directly into his face. Jim jerked his head away, trying to shield his eyes, but it was too late. He saw afterimages and spots, and his head pounded with an incipient migraine. By the time he got his spiking eyesight under control, the guards had him restrained and halfway to the lab.
He was strapped down before he could summon the ability to fight back, but he struggled his bonds anyway. One of the doctors approached with a syringe, injecting something else into his veins-just one more drug in a long series.
Jim’s hearing was the one sense under his control, and he strained to listen, trying to get a better picture of what was going on.
“Sandburg has disappeared,” Jim heard, although he couldn’t tell who was speaking. “Last we heard, he’s with the SGC. There’s no way we’ll get to him now.”
“Fuck,” came the response. “Okay, we’ll get what we can out of Ellison, and then we’ll kill him and dump the body. But we need the results of this test first, and I want to run one more if this does what we expected.”
Jim held back a sigh of relief, grateful that Blair was apparently safe. As long as Blair didn’t wind up here, Jim thought he could face death without a single qualm.
Then his sight was completely gone, and Jim was literally in the dark.
Part II
Author: enigmaticblue
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I don’t own these characters; too bad, so sad.
Pairings/Characters: Gen
Spoilers: Through TSbyBS for The Sentinel, and early S5 of SG-1.
Word Count: ~27,000 (total)
Summary: Not everyone believed Blair’s press conference.
A/N: Written for the
hc_bingo prompt, “experimented on by evil scientists”. Title from the Mumford & Sons song, “The Cave.”
Part I
Blair walked into the bullpen to whistles and calls of approbation. “Way to go, Sandburg!” H called out.
Blair waved and collapsed into what had been Jim’s chair two months ago. Well, two months, one week, and four days, but who was counting?
Megan plopped herself down in the chair next to Jim’s desk, giving Blair a sharp, knowing look. “You don’t look like you’ve had any sleep at all.”
Blair shrugged. “I caught a few hours. I’m fine.”
“Jimbo would have flipped his lid if Simon had lent you out to Narcotics.”
Blair scowled, hating the reminder that Jim was gone; he had enough of those. “Yeah, well, Jim isn’t here.”
Megan winced. “I’m sorry, Blair.” She reached out to put a hand on Blair’s arm. “Seriously, have you been sleeping at all?”
Blair knew better than to try to put Megan off when she was in this mood. “Nightmares,” he explained briefly. He’d been dreaming of the blue jungle ever since Jim had disappeared, always searching for a black panther, listening to its screams of pain, and never getting close. “And I feel like I’m being followed,” Blair added, almost as an afterthought.
Megan’s eyes widened. “What? How long?”
“The last couple of weeks,” Blair admitted.
“Shit!” she exclaimed. “When were you going to tell someone?”
“It’s probably my imagination,” Blair said dismissively. “I’m just being paranoid.”
“Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean there aren’t people out to get you,” Megan quipped. “And after Jim-” She stopped, giving him a sharp look. “You want them to try.”
Blair sighed and shook his head. “No, I don’t, but I don’t have any proof. I haven’t seen anybody. All I have is a feeling, and that’s not enough to take to Simon. I’m sure it’s lack of sleep and, you know. The usual.”
Wanting desperately to change the subject, Blair glanced over at Simon’s closed door. “What’s up with Simon, anyway?”
Megan grimaced, but she allowed the change in subjects. “A couple of suits came in here about an hour ago. They went straight into the captain’s office, and he closed the door and shut the blinds.”
Blair summoned up a smile. “So, he didn’t notice I was late, then.”
“Are you kidding?” Megan asked. “You’re the hero of the hour. I think you can afford to be a little late.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Tell the captain about being followed, Sandy.”
Blair was saved from having to respond when Simon’s door swung open and he hollered, “Sandburg! My office!”
Megan patted Blair on the shoulder sympathetically. “Good luck,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” Blair muttered and went to join Simon. “Hey, Captain.”
Simon stepped aside to let Blair enter. “I hear congratulations are in order, Sandburg,” he began. “Captain Kubek tells me you’re to be commended.”
Blair snuck a curious look at the man and woman already seated in Simon’s office. “Uh, thanks.”
Blair turned his attention back to Simon, whose smile reminded Blair of a cat about to pounce. “With that out of the way, let me make the introductions. Sandburg, this is Major Samantha Carter of the Air Force, and Dr. Daniel Jackson. This is Detective Blair Sandburg.”
As a student of people, Blair catalogued what he saw fairly quickly. The woman was pretty, blonde, and sharply dressed. Dr. Jackson looked like an academic in glasses and a tweed jacket. Blair thought Jackson’s name and face were familiar, but he couldn’t place him.
Blair shook their hands. “Nice to meet you both.”
“You, too,” Dr. Jackson said for both of them.
Simon cleared his throat, bringing Blair’s attention back to him. “But before I let Major Carter and Dr. Jackson explain their presence here, I have a question, and I expect you to answer honestly, Sandburg.”
Blair nodded. “Yes, sir.”
“When were you going to tell me you were being followed?” Simon demanded.
Blair hadn’t been expecting that question, and his exhaustion made it impossible for him to keep the surprise off his face. He knew he’d given himself away when Simon’s eyes narrowed. “Ah…” Blair began.
“No lying, no obfuscating, just the unvarnished truth,” Simon said, his tone cool and polite, which Blair knew was a really bad sign.
Blair sighed. “Megan made me promise to tell you today. I didn’t have any real evidence. It was just a sixth sense.”
“Well, now we have proof,” Simon replied, nodding at the two guests. “Major?”
“We believe that a rogue cell of one of our intelligence agencies kidnapped Detective Ellison and is now interested in you,” Major Carter explained. “We aren’t sure why yet, although having read your dissertation, we can guess.”
“I faked my results,” Blair said automatically. “My dissertation was a fraud.”
Dr. Jackson smiled slightly. “Yeah, that might work for most people, but not for us. We know better.”
“Blair,” Simon said quietly. “Listen to them.”
Blair took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. No offense, but so what? What do they want with me or Jim?”
“That’s on a need to know basis,” Major Carter replied. “But we can fill you in if you accept our offer of protective custody.”
Blair shook his head emphatically. “No. No way. I go underground like that, and I have no chance of finding my partner. I’m not going to sit on my hands and wait for somebody else to rescue him.”
“Sandburg,” Simon began. “I think it might be smart to accept the offer. From what they’ve said-”
“Do you know where Jim is?” Blair demanded, cutting Simon off, too worried and angry to care whose toes he was stepping on.
“Not yet,” Dr. Jackson replied. “But we’re close.”
Blair’s jaw tightened. “Fine, great. I want to be there when you do find him. That’s the only way I’ll agree to protective custody.”
“Detective Sandburg, we can’t promise that,” Major Carter said.
“Call me Blair,” he said, using the same charm he employed whenever he was going after something he really wanted. “And I think you can.”
“Blair,” Dr. Jackson started. “I know you want to be with us when we locate your friend-”
“Partner,” Blair corrected him.
“Partner,” Dr. Jackson agreed. “But this is a classified mission.”
Blair snorted. “Look, you might have read my dissertation, but you don’t know Jim. You don’t know what they’ve done to him, or what condition he’ll be in when you find him. And like it or not, I’m the expert on Sentinels.”
Major Carter and Dr. Jackson exchanged a meaningful look, and Blair could see the connection between them. That kind of unspoken communication was only achieved through a long relationship, and was usually forged under fire.
“You can handle a weapon,” Major Carter finally said. “Can you follow orders?”
Blair grinned, knowing that the battle was half-won. “Sure.”
Simon made a sound behind him, but he didn’t say anything other than, “He can follow orders.”
“Then I think we can agree to those terms,” Major Carter replied.
Blair looked at Simon. “Captain?”
“I loaned you to Narcotics. I can loan you to the United States Air Force,” Simon grumbled. He came around the desk to clasp Blair’s shoulder. “Bring him home, Blair.”
“I’ll do my best,” Blair promised. “And before you ask, I’ll keep you in the loop.”
Simon shook him a bit. “You’d better, or your ass will be grass.”
Blair grinned. “Yes, sir.”
~~~~~
Blair Sandburg wasn’t quite what Sam had expected. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she’d expected from an academic turned police detective, but Blair was still something of a surprise.
She and Daniel had taken a taxi from the airport, and Blair offered to give them a ride. “I need to get some things,” he said. “When did you want to leave?”
“As soon as possible,” Sam replied. “We have a private jet waiting.”
Blair’s eyes widened. “Really?”
Daniel smiled reassuringly. “Really. We didn’t want to take any chances.”
“Okay,” Blair said. “You can follow me back to my place if you have a car. Otherwise, I can give you guys a lift.”
“We took a taxi from the airport,” Sam replied. “So, we’ll ride with you and call for a car to pick us up at your place.”
In spite of Blair’s apparent exhaustion, he kept pushing for details during the drive to his place with the kind of dogged enthusiasm that reminded Sam of Daniel. He asked questions about Ellison, and what they knew, and who was behind this mess, but finally subsided when Sam and Daniel insisted they couldn’t give details before he’d signed the nondisclosure agreement.
They followed Blair up to the apartment he shared with Ellison, and Blair led them inside. Sam had half-expected to find out that Blair and Ellison were sleeping together, but when they entered, she saw the loft above their heads, and Blair disappeared into a small room under the stairs.
She exchanged a look with Daniel, who shrugged. “Not what I expected either,” he murmured sotto voce.
Sam pulled out her cell phone and checked her messages while Daniel wandered around examining the artifacts that hung on the walls and lined the shelves. Blair moved frenetically from his bedroom to the bathroom and back again.
Blair emerged from his room twenty minutes later with a duffel bag and a backpack. “I don’t have much,” he explained briefly. “And I’m assuming this won’t take too long.”
Sam glanced at Daniel, who winced. “We can’t guarantee that, Detective Sandburg.”
“Blair,” he insisted. “I’m used to packing light. As long as I’ve got access to laundry facilities, I’ll be fine.”
“That we can promise,” Daniel said.
Blair shrugged. “All right then. I’m ready.”
Sam glanced around the loft, seeing all the artifacts on the walls and pretty much every flat surface. It reminded her of Daniel’s apartment, in a way. That was probably why the loft felt so homey.
“Okay, let’s get moving. There’s transport waiting for us.” Sam led the way to the SUV the car service had sent, a little surprised at how well this mission had gone. Granted, General Hammond and Colonel O’Neill wouldn’t be happy that they’d basically given Blair a spot on the mission, but Sam didn’t think there was another choice, and Blair did have a point.
From the data she’d read, Ellison would do better with a familiar presence on the rescue team, and they couldn’t afford to let Blair get captured.
If Blair was kidnapped, Sam didn’t think they’d even have a shot at finding him or Ellison, and if the NID figured out how Sentinels worked, and if they could create more…
Well, Sam was pretty sure it would be bad news. It would mean the NID had managed to do what the Goa’uld had been attempting-creating a super-soldier. The NID might want the perfect weapon, and the Goa’uld might want a better host, but the result would likely be the same.
And any way she looked at it, whether it was the NID or the Goa’uld, the Sentinels under their control would be enslaved.
Besides, if the NID unlocked the secrets of how to turn someone into a Sentinel, or how to find those Sentinels already in existence, she would hate to leave that knowledge in their hands.
The SGC jet was waiting for them at the Cascade airport, and although Blair’s eyes went wide as he looked around the interior, he didn’t say anything other than, “Nice plane.”
“It gets us where we need to go,” Sam replied.
Blair shrugged and hovered at the front until Sam and Daniel had taken their seats. He chose one across the aisle from them, next to the window. “Okay, you guys really aren’t going to answer my questions, are you?” he asked with wry humor.
Sam shook her head. “Sorry, not until you sign the nondisclosure agreement.”
“And you wouldn’t happen to have that with you?” Blair asked.
“It’s back at the base,” Sam replied.
Blair grimaced. “Okay, I can’t believe I haven’t asked yet, but where are we going?”
“Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado Springs,” Sam replied. “I should have said something sooner.”
“Not like it makes any difference to me,” Blair replied candidly. “As long as the road leads to Jim, I don’t care where we are between now and then.”
Blair fell asleep as soon as the plane reached cruising altitude, and Sam leaned in close to Daniel. “What do you think?”
Daniel shrugged. “He and Jim close, probably for the same reasons we’re close. Blair is intelligent enough not to be satisfied with the usual pat answers, and he’s stubborn enough to keep digging if we don’t fill him in.”
“Do you think it’s worth it?” Sam asked.
“The guy scuttled his academic career to protect his friend,” Daniel pointed out. “I think he can keep a secret.”
Sam nodded. “I hope you’re right about that.”
Daniel grinned. “I’m always right, Sam.”
“So you say.”
~~~~~
Jim wasn’t sure he knew which way was up anymore. The first few days he’d been held, he’d steadfastly refused to cooperate-and then they’d threatened to go after Sandburg if he refused to go along with their tests. That had been enough to convince Jim to do what they asked.
He couldn’t stand even the thought of Sandburg being here, at the mercy of the men in their white coats and rubber-soled shoes. He hated the idea of his partner’s boundless energy trapped inside four walls, behind locked doors and small, barred windows.
And if they ever did capture Blair, Jim knew he’d do anything they wanted, and the possibilities were endless now that they knew he was a Sentinel.
He’d waited for a chance to escape, but his captors were good. The room he was kept in was secured at all times; he was always in restraints if he wasn’t in his room. They’d taken away everything that he might have used as a weapon before he’d even woken up.
After the first couple of weeks, at least so far as he could count time, they stopped the sensory tests. Instead, they took endless blood samples, and injected him with a variety of drugs.
Jim had no idea what they were trying to prove, or what they were trying to do. He didn’t think he was much use to them, strung out as he was, his senses either spiking or gone completely. He couldn’t get a handle on the dials, and he couldn’t concentrate for more than a few minutes at a time. It was like how things had been during the Switchman case, before Sandburg had been able to help him, but worse.
Jim knew that control was possible now, the way he hadn’t known at the time, and not to have that hard-won control was beyond frustrating. If they’d wanted to prevent his escape, they were doing a damn fine job; otherwise, Jim had no idea what their goals were.
He felt like a hamster on a fucking wheel-stuck, going nowhere, with no idea what they wanted or how to give it to them even if he did know.
The only time he got a respite was when he was asleep, dreaming of the blue jungle, listening to a wolf howl.
~~~~~
Jack leaned back in his chair and studied Blair Sandburg with a critical eye. He didn’t much like the thought of including an unknown civilian on a mission, even if that civilian was a cop. Sandburg looked like a man running on fumes, but his eyes showed a keen intelligence.
Sandburg had grimaced when presented with the nondisclosure agreement, but he hadn’t done more than skim it before signing. He just pushed it across the table to General Hammond and glanced around the table. “Okay, so what’s going on with Jim? And how is the Air Force involved?”
Jack let Hammond give the spiel about evil aliens, the Stargate, and other planets; he kept his eyes on Sandburg to gauge his reaction.
“Okay, so, aliens,” Sandburg said slowly. “You know, I’ve seen some pretty weird stuff over the years, so I’m going to go with this. What I still don’t get is what this has to do with Jim.”
“There’s a rogue element of one of our intelligence agencies that’s interested in anything to help us with our fight against the Goa’uld,” Hammond explained. “And they’ll use any means necessary to gain those advantages.”
Sandburg frowned and rubbed his eyes. “And any means necessary means kidnapping Jim, because what? They think he’ll work for them?”
“We think they’re trying to isolate the gene that controls his Sentinel abilities so they can turn it on in other people,” Sam said quietly. “As well as finding a means to identifying other Sentinels.”
Sandburg stared at her in disbelief. “That’s impossible. Gene sequencing takes years of work, and this kind of gene therapy isn’t possible.”
“You think that’s impossible, but you don’t have any trouble believing in aliens?” Jack asked in disbelief.
Sandburg shrugged. “You’re talking about serious DNA manipulation. The technology for that isn’t available yet.”
“It’s not available on Earth,” Daniel corrected him.
Sandburg swallowed hard. “Okay, fair point. So, do you know where he is?”
“We’re working on it, son,” Hammond replied. “But we had reason to believe that they were targeting you next, and we wanted to be sure you were protected.”
“Why me?” Sandburg demanded. “There’s nothing special about me.”
“Let me ask you something,” Jack said. “What would Detective Ellison do if they got their hands on you?”
Sandburg paled and glanced away. “I don’t know.” He sighed. “Probably anything they asked.”
“I read your dissertation,” Daniel said. “You said a Sentinel needed a guide, someone to watch his back.”
Sandburg shrugged. “Sure, but anybody can do that job.”
“Maybe they don’t think so,” Jack said.
“How do I know what they’re thinking?” Sandburg demanded. “Look, I want to be cool about this. I really do. But my head’s kind of spinning right now, and I’m not sure what you want from me.”
“We want to protect you,” Hammond replied gently. “And we’d like to find your partner.”
Sandburg nodded. “Right. I’m sorry, sir. It’s just been a long couple of months.”
“Of course. Why don’t you get some rest? We’ve got base quarters set aside for you. We’ll have another briefing with more information tomorrow. For right now, I’d ask that you not wander around the base unescorted,” Hammond said.
Sandburg ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah. Yes, sir.”
He followed the airman out of the conference room. Hammond waited until the door closed behind them and there was no chance of being overheard before asking, “Impressions?”
Jack glanced at Daniel. “You were the one who studied his dissertation, Daniel.”
“Well, his background indicates that he’s highly intelligent,” Daniel began. “His dissertation demonstrates an in-depth understanding of his subject, and of Sentinels in general. The fact that he denied his work gives a pretty clear picture of how close he and Ellison are.”
“And the theory that there are more Sentinels out there?” Hammond asked.
Daniel shrugged. “We know of two, based on his dissertation. It stands to reason there are more, and Blair is the expert.”
“What about these guides?” Hammond asked. “Can anyone do the job?”
Daniel shrugged. “Honestly, I have no idea, General. But the NID apparently decided that Blair has knowledge that can help them, that he’s important for some reason, or that they can use him against Ellison.”
Hammond nodded. “Very well. Major Carter, I want you to expend all reasonable efforts to find Detective Ellison. I don’t want to leave him in the hands of the NID one moment longer than we have to.”
“Yes, sir,” Carter said.
“Dismissed.” Hammond rose from the table and walked out to do whatever it was he did in between briefings and debriefings and emergencies.
Carter and Daniel headed out, and Jack glanced at Teal’c, who had been characteristically silent during the briefing. “I gotta go talk to Daniel.”
“Go,” Teal’c replied.
Jack jogged to catch up with his teammates. “Hey, guys.”
“Yeah, Jack?” Daniel asked, a trace of impatience in his voice.
“Yes, sir?” Carter was, as always, appropriately deferential.
“I need a better feel for Sandburg,” Jack said. “Maybe you can check him out.”
Daniel and Carter exchanged looks that were equal parts amused and exasperated. “Why us?” Daniel asked.
“Because you were the ones to invite him along when we locate Ellison,” Jack said with a smug grin. “And he’s a geek.”
Daniel frowned. “Blair does have a point, Jack. Ellison was kidnapped by people who are nominally part of the government. It’s entirely possible that he’ll fight us when we rescue him. Having a familiar face on the team could help.”
Jack shrugged. “So what? We could always zat Ellison and carry him out. The point is, I don’t know Sandburg, and I’m a little wary of having someone I don’t know accompany us into a volatile situation.”
“I’m not going to spy for you,” Daniel objected.
“You can tell him exactly what you’re doing,” Jack replied. “Just-get a feel for him, Danny.”
Daniel and Carter looked at each other again, and this time, Jack couldn’t read their expressions; he hated it when they did that sort of thing.
“He’ll probably want dinner,” Daniel offered. “I’ll see what I can do, but I’m not going to make any promises.”
“There aren’t any promises in this line of work,” Jack said soberly. “Carter? You’re tracking these goons?”
“On it, sir,” she replied.
Daniel shook his head. “I’ll invite him to dinner, Jack. The rest will be up to him.”
“That’s all I’m asking,” Jack assured him.
Daniel could get just about anyone to talk to him; Jack wasn’t worried.
~~~~~
Blair punched the pillow on his relatively comfortable bed. He hadn’t been quite sure what to expect, since he was technically in protective custody, but the quarters were large enough not to feel like a cell, and there was a separate, en suite bathroom. He’d had every intention of getting some sleep, but his mind was racing, and he couldn’t seem to relax.
“Jim, man, I really wish you were here,” Blair whispered.
He and Jim had been roommates for almost five years, and official partners for one year, when Jim had disappeared. Blair had gone off for a weekend with Naomi to reconnect, and had returned to an answering machine full of increasingly panicked messages from Simon.
Jim had disappeared without a trace, and Blair missed him more than he could say. The irony was that Blair wanted to talk this current situation over with him, but he wouldn’t be in this situation if Jim hadn’t been kidnapped.
Over two months with no leads, and now Blair found himself hundreds of feet underground, waiting for the fucking Air Force to somehow locate his partner.
And all Blair wanted was Jim; Blair wanted to ask him what he thought about signing a nondisclosure agreement, and what he thought about aliens and the silent guy with the weird tattoo on his forehead.
Blair curled up, his arm over his face, blinking the moisture out of his eyes. He was so fucking tired, and he missed Jim so fucking much.
Blair wanted his best friend back.
He buried his face in his pillow. Even though he was exhausted, Blair didn’t think he’d be able to sleep. He was hungry, but he didn’t want to brave the guard at the door. He was pretty sure he could ask for a meal, and someone would bring it, but Blair didn’t want to ask.
For whatever reason, Blair didn’t want to give these people any sign of weakness.
He was still trying to sleep when a sharp knock came at his door. “Detective Sandburg, Dr. Jackson is here to see you,” said the airman.
Blair was grateful that they asked him first before allowing Dr. Jackson to come in. That told him that they were at least sort of serious about him being a guest, instead of a prisoner. “Yeah, let him in,” he called, hoping that none of his emotional turmoil showed on his face.
Jackson stepped inside a few seconds later. “Not bad. There are worse quarters.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Blair asked.
Jackson shrugged. “Not really. I thought I’d see if you wanted dinner.”
Blair hesitated. “Yeah, I could eat,” he admitted.
“The commissary isn’t too bad,” Jackson replied. “If you’re interested.”
“Well, I am hungry,” Blair admitted.
Jackson jerked his head towards the door “Come on, then.”
Blair was still a little wary. He had some of the facts-he knew who had kidnapped Jim, and why, and he’d been promised that he could be there when they got Jim out. Blair had no idea what he was supposed to do in the meantime, however. At least in Cascade, he’d had work to keep him occupied when he wasn’t trying to run down leads on Jim’s whereabouts.
And he’d been home-although Jim’s absence had sometimes made that feel more like a curse than a blessing.
In any case, Blair was grateful that Jackson had provided him with a distraction, no matter how short lived. The menu was limited, but the food looked pretty good, although Blair opted for the less ambitious spaghetti and meatballs rather than the lemon chicken.
“I feel like I should warn you that I’m here by Colonel O’Neill’s request,” Jackson said. “He doesn’t like the idea of taking a stranger along on a mission.”
Blair could appreciate the honesty. “What do you want to know?” he asked, digging into his meal, which had nothing on Jim’s special sauce, but was at least palatable.
“What do you want to tell me?” Jackson countered.
Blair suddenly remembered why Jackson’s name and face seemed so familiar. “Wait! You’re that Dr. Jackson, the one who claimed the pyramids were built by aliens.”
Jackson winced. “You heard about that?”
Blair grinned. “Well, I went on a couple of digs as an undergrad while I was still making up my mind between archaeology and anthropology. Besides, it was the kind of story that made the rounds-a rising star comes up with a crackpot theory like aliens building the pyramids, and then disappears.”
“Damn, I’m never going to live that down, am I?” Jackson asked ruefully.
“Hey, but you were proven right,” Blair pointed out, waving a hand at their surroundings. “You’re visiting alien planets, getting new insights into ancient civilizations-you can’t beat that.”
Jackson raised his eyebrows. “Does knowing you’re right help you?”
“Being right was never the issue for me,” Blair replied softly. “It was always about Jim.”
“And that’s why you’re doing this,” Jackson replied.
Blair sighed. “Look, I can give you a rundown of all the reasons I should be there, and it would all be true. Jim will respond better to me, and I’m the best person to help him get his senses under control if he’s spiking or zoning. He won’t trust you, but he’ll trust me, and it will be a lot easier to get him out if he’s functional and cooperative.”
“But?” Jackson prompted.
“But in the end, I just know that I have to go,” Blair replied. “There’s nothing in this world that’s as important to me as Jim, and I need to be there when you get him out.”
Jackson nodded. “Trust me, I get that.”
“Then you’ll tell Colonel O’Neill I’m good to go?” Blair asked.
“You know, he wasn’t all that happy about me or Carter being on the team, so I wouldn’t worry too much.”
“So, who should I worry about?”
“I wouldn’t,” Jackson replied with a smile. “General Hammond has already made the call.”
~~~~~
Jim wasn’t sure how much longer he could hang on. He’d started to think seriously about alternatives, knowing he could probably kill himself with the scrub pants he was wearing, or maybe he could induce a zone. If he went deep enough, they might never get him out of it.
Either way, Jim thought, it meant giving up, and he wasn’t quite there yet. If he could get his senses under control for long enough, and if he could catch a break, Jim knew he could escape.
But the thought of ending it all comforted him in a way. He could take himself beyond their grasp, of his own free will. Jim had to admit that he appreciated at least the illusion of control.
The door to his cell opened, and his captors shone a light directly into his face. Jim jerked his head away, trying to shield his eyes, but it was too late. He saw afterimages and spots, and his head pounded with an incipient migraine. By the time he got his spiking eyesight under control, the guards had him restrained and halfway to the lab.
He was strapped down before he could summon the ability to fight back, but he struggled his bonds anyway. One of the doctors approached with a syringe, injecting something else into his veins-just one more drug in a long series.
Jim’s hearing was the one sense under his control, and he strained to listen, trying to get a better picture of what was going on.
“Sandburg has disappeared,” Jim heard, although he couldn’t tell who was speaking. “Last we heard, he’s with the SGC. There’s no way we’ll get to him now.”
“Fuck,” came the response. “Okay, we’ll get what we can out of Ellison, and then we’ll kill him and dump the body. But we need the results of this test first, and I want to run one more if this does what we expected.”
Jim held back a sigh of relief, grateful that Blair was apparently safe. As long as Blair didn’t wind up here, Jim thought he could face death without a single qualm.
Then his sight was completely gone, and Jim was literally in the dark.
Part II