A Hidden Threat

Chapter 6

"Sir..."...she hesitated telling him. But she knew she had too. She took a deep breath.

"Carter" O'Neill stated. He had a feeling she was keeping something from him. But what, was the question.

"When we met Amiri on her planet, she leaned in and touched me. I felt a small electrical surge, Sir" Carter treaded lightly as she informed her CO.

"And..." O'Neill stated knowing that could have come from anywhere.

"Well Sir, I didn't think anything of it myself, till Amiri showed up... here." Carter stated. She was feeding him the information slowly as to not overload his brain. She knew he didn't process too quickly.

"Carter?" O'Neill asked. He still wasn't getting it.

"Well Sir, when Amiri showed up in the gate room, and we rushed her to the infirmary, Frasier let me see her, once she was stabilized. I grabbed her hand, and again felt the same electric surge I did on the planet. I again paid it no mind, but..."

"Wait a second Carter" O'Neill interrupted her. He was finally getting the relation to all this.

"Are you telling me that you think those electric surges, has something to do with this connection you have with Amiri?" O'Neill was slowly getting furious. How could she withhold such important information?

"Carter why the hell has it taken you this long to mention this" O'Neill at this point was starting to yell.

"Sir, you yourself thought nothing of it till I elaborated...Sir" Carter said trying to save her ass.

"Carter, you've been sick for weeks. Connected to a person you met for practically less than five minutes, and you are going to tell me that you didn't connect the two, till now?" O'Neill questioned her with much annoyance.

"Sir, I'm sorry, but yes that is what I am telling. Till now, I didn't think anything of it. But after I woke up from the dream, no, not a dream a nightmare, Sir, I realized that can be the only explanation at this point" Carter said hoping he would believe her.

"Whatever this surge is Sir, it has not harmed me. Dr. Frasier did an entire work up on me, and I am physically fine" Carter tried to reassure him.

"Let's go" O'Neill stated grabbing Carter's arm.

"Sir, where are we going?" Carter said as he dragged her through the SGC.

"The infirmary" O'Neill stated. He was pissed as heck. He knew that Amiri was the reason for why Carter was sick and so preoccupied. Now that Amiri had awakened he was going to get his answers.

"Sir, no please Sir...shouldn't we go talk to General Hammond first Sir?" Carter trying to avoid the inevitable.

"We will... as soon as I get some answers" O'Neill stated, still having Carters arm.

As they walked, to the infirmary, Carter knew that Amiri was not going to be in any state of mind for an interrogation. But she also knew that once O'Neill set his mind to do something is was hard to change it.

Carter had to think fast. She quickly stopped in her tracks, with her arm still in O'Neill's grasp.

"Carter lets go" O'Neill stated pulling her.

"Sir, please if I can just have a moment" Carter tried to plead with him.

"Sir, please...just hear me out...please..." Carter stated.

She looked at him with those amazing blue eyes. He knew that she would never withhold information. He knew that Samantha Carter was a dedicated solider. He knew her very well. More than he cared to admit.

"I'm listening" O'Neill said trying to calm down.

"Sir...if Amiri was going to harm me she would of done it already. If the surge was meant to hurt me, don't you think it would have? All it's done is connect me with her. And there has to be a reason for that. She has been through something that no human being should ever go through. Sir, if you want answers, Sir, going in there with a mind set of interrogation methods is not going to help us. She fears men Sir. If we are going to get answers, I think I am the only she will trust right now. Please Sir, let me speak to her, please. You can watch from the observation room, but please Sir."

Jack knew that she was right. Although he did not trust Amiri at this point, He knew that she had gone through hell. She was frail at this point. And having a man interrogate her might not be the best thing.

"Carter, let's go talk to General Hammond, if he agrees with you then that's fine." O'Neill stated.

He knew that he had to let General Hammond know of what Carter was experiencing.

They made their way to the Generals office. Carter was nervous. What if he didn't agree? Amiri could not go through an interrogation. She had been through so much. She would not be able to handle more.

KNOCK KNOCK...O'Neill had knocked on the Generals door.

"Come in" the General stated.

"Colonel, Major...how can I help you?" Hammond asked. He saw the perplexity on Carters face.

"Is there something wrong?" Hammond asked.

"Sir," O'Neill took the floor, "It's about Amiri. It seems there's more to her than we know."

"Carter" O'Neill stated allowing her to fill in the blanks.

Carter began to tell General Hammond first of her nightmare, and then of the electric surges she had felt from Amiri. She can tell that Hammond was upset but he was keeping his cool. He was allowing her to continue. He knew that if Major Carter withheld information, it was for good reason.

"Sir, if Amiri was going to harm me, don't you think she would have already?" "Sir, like Jolinar, I saw what happened to her. No one should have to go through what she did..." Carter said, as she began to get choked up.

She hated that she was fighting back tears, but the nightmare came back to her, and suddenly that all too familiar sensation in her stomach came back to haunt her. O'Neill already knew that face.

"Carter" he grabbed for Hammonds garbage bin.

Carter just started to breathe through her nose and out her mouth.

"I'm ok Sir..." Carter said, still fighting the nausea.

"You sure..." O'Neill stated, I'd rather not replay the incident in your lab" He said. Holding the garbage bin close, just in case.

"Major are you alright?" Hammond asked, quite concerned for her.

"I'm fine Sirs...please all I ask, is that I get some alone time with Amiri. I told the Colonel he can watch from the observation room, but she does not trust men, and I don't blame her one bit. But if we are going to get any answers it won't be by our normal interrogation methods" Carter pleaded with the General.

"Colonel if you feel o.k. with this, I'll allow it, as long as we have armed airman outside." Hammond stated.

"I'm good General" O'Neill stated but obviously still not sure.

"Then it's a go" Hammond stated. He stood from his chair, as did O'Neill and Major Carter. They made their way the infirmary.

"Carter you're sure about this?" O'Neill asked.

"Sir what other choice do we have?" Carter stated the obvious. He stopped mid way to the infirmary. He grabbed her arms. No words were spoken but she knew exactly what he was thinking.

"Sir, I'll be fine. She is not going to harm me...don't ask how I know I just do." Carter said, as she looked at his arms around her upper arms.

He didn't realize her was holding her that long. He released his grip, and let her free.

O'Neill trusted Carter with his life. It was Amiri that he was trusting less and less. But he trusted his 2IC. He had to play this out, even though he had that eerie feeling, that in the end, this was not going to turn out pretty.