A Hidden Threat

Chapter 3

They all met in the debriefing room.

"How is she Dr?" Hammond stated.

"She is extremely weak. Honestly, I don't know how she has held on this long. According to her results, she is severely anemic and malnourished. There are also signs of other abuse" she stated.

"What kind of abuse" Hammond stated. Although they all knew by just looking at Amiri, that she had been physically abused, Dr. Frasier still had to finish her analysis.

"Amiri has been sexually abused. She has severe bruising and tearing" Frasier stated with a choke in her voice. She hadn't seen anything like this. Carter's head dropped. The emotions boiling inside her began to defeat her. As she fought back the tears, that so wanted to fall from her eyes, she suddenly rose to her feet and ran to the nearest trash can. Her entire day's worth of food had come up. She was sick to her stomach.

"Carter" O'Neill yelled as he ran towards her to hold her head.

"Hey, hey you ok?" he asked.

"I'm sorry Sir, as she wiped her mouth, I'm ok.. I'm ok" Carter said.

"Major are you alright?" Hammond stated, worried about his officer.

"Yes Sir, I'm ok.. I'm sorry" Carter profusely apologized. She made her way back to her seat. Dr. Frasier monitored Carter as they continued the debriefing. She had grown pale. She did not like the way she looked, but she didn't say anything.

"I don't know what other mental and emotional trauma she has experienced. Physically with rest and treatment, she will be ok. It's the mental and emotional part of this that I'm not sure she will be able to recover from. She is not on her planet, and we are all strangers to her." Frasier said.

"Welll..Not exactly" Carter stated still fighting the nausea that had taken control of her stomach.

"While on PX989, we met Amiri. We were placing the supplies we traded with the Jibatirans, in a small shed. Amiri was hiding. When she saw us, she spoke to us. There were others there and tried to stop her from conversing with us. But she was very curious. We did not get to say much, but she did warn us not to mention that we had spoken. It is forbidden for them to speak without being asked." Carter stated.

"Since then Carter hasn't been able to get her off her mind" O'Neill blurted out.

"Colonel" Carter yelled.

"I'm sorry Carter, but don't you find it a bit odd that since we visited PX989, you haven't been able to shake Amiri. And then poof, Tenan, out of all the women they have at their disposal, offers her up to us, Amiri of all people as a gift?" O'Neill said as he looked at Carter bewildered.

"Well, we won't know anything till she awakens. Till then, I will keep you all abreast of her condition" Dr. Frasier stated.

"Thank you Doctor." Hammond said.

"Major, is this going to be a problem?" Hammond asked.

"No Sir" Major Carter stated.

"Sir, it's more of a sisterly protection. After my experience at Simarka, and the way they treated women there, I just felt protective over her. That's all". Major Carter stated.

"Well I don't have a good feeling about this....that's my opinion" O'Neill chimed in.

"Well until we find out more information from Dr. Frasier, we will keep Amiri under guard" Hammond stated.

"Sir is that really necessary. Hasn't she been through enough already than to wake up under men with guns" Major Carter stated! At this point, she was extremely upset.

"It's for her and our own protection, Major" Hammond stressed.

"Dismissed"

Carter swiftly got up and almost bolted out of the briefing room. O'Neill was right behind grabbed her arm. Bodily contact was odd for them, so she immediately turned and looked at him.

"Hey...listen I'm sorry I called you out in there, but something just doesn't feel right." O'Neill said.

Carter was angry. But she knew he was her CO. So she calmed herself as best she could.

"I'm fine Sir, now if you could please let me go, I'd like to check in on her, if that's ok with you?" She said, with some sarcasm in her voice.O'Neill knew she wasn't fine. But he let her be. He released his grasp on her arm.

"Fine" he stated as he returned to his office.

He knew this was all too coincidental, but there was nothing he could do about till Amiri regained consciousness. He had a slew of questions for her. If it involved his 2IC, he wanted to know if this Amiri could be a hidden danger. He was determined to find out.