A Hidden Threat

Chapter 11

They all stood in the gateroom. As the stargate spun, Amiri looked as petrified as ever. She knew she had to go back, but the thought of Tenan finding out she had returned, frightened her to her very core. Carter was close by. She could sense the fear rise up in her.

"Hey..you o.k.?" She asked as she leaned into her.

"I'm o.k. Sam" Amiri said, trying to sound reassuring, but she knew that Carter felt her fear.

The wormhole was open. SG1 started their walk up the ramp. Amiri didn't realize it but she hadn't budged. When O'Neill turned she was still at the bottom of the ramp, staring at the wormhole. He made his way down, and held out his hand for her. Carter watched their interaction. She knew that O'Neill though as stubborn as he was, meant the girl no harm. But procedure was procedure, and she knew that he would follow it to the letter. Their relationship or lack thereof was proof of that.

"It doesn't hurt a bit, I promise..."O'Neill stated trying to make light of the dreaded situation at hand.

Amiri smiled. She knew that he meant her no harm, but she also knew that he had to follow the procedures of his military. There was nothing anyone could do. She grasped his hand, turned and looked at Sam. Sam held out her hand and they stepped through the gate together. The three of them hand in hand. What waited for them on the other side no one could have imagined.

The gate closed behind them. The silence was deafening as SG1 began to take survey of PX-989. What they saw was unexplainable. It was gone. All of it! Trees were burnt to the grown. The forest that once encompassed the gate was burned up in smoke. It took several seconds for anyone to speak.

"Oh My God" Carter barely said. It was as if it was all in slow motion. Carter looked at Amiri who stood in shock.

"Carter?...O'Neill stated her name knowing if anyone would have the answer to what they were looking at it, it would be here.

"CARTER" O'Neill yelled this time. Carter was taken a back at what she was seeing. It took a couple of minutes for her to even register O'Neill shouting her name.

"Sir...um..there seems to be a low level of surface radiation Sir...We're ok Sir but we shouldn't stay to long." She stated, trying to regain focus.

Suddenly Amiri he dropped to her knees in agony.

"Ahhhhhhhhh" Amiri yelled. She grasped her stomach in dyer pain. As if in sequence, Carter suddenly fell to the ground as well.

"Ahhh" Carter suddenly yelled in pain.

"Carter?" O'Neill yelled as he ran towards her.

"Oh God Sir...the...pain...ahhh" Carter barely spoke.

Daniel rushed to Amiri trying to comfort her.

"Daniel dial us home NOW' O'Neill shouted as he held Carter.

"Nooo..." Amiri shouted in the midst of her agony. "We...must..go to...caves...we must...NOW." Is all she can say in the midst of the pain she was feeling.

"Carter!" O'Neill shouted her name this time. Carter too was in too much pain to react and in shock, feeling only what Amiri was a feeling.

"Noooooooooooooooooooooo..." Amiri yelled till she had no more breath in her lungs. And again..."Noooooooooooooooooooooo". Daniel grabbed her as she began to collapse on the steps of the stargate.

"Amiri" Daniel yelled as he grabbed and held her close.

"Where...where are the caves..can you tell us" Daniel try to get information from her as best he could in the midst of her pain.

"Daniel, what the hell are you doing?" O'Neill shouted.

"Didn't I tell you to dial home?" O'Neill was screaming at this point. Angry at the situation, O'Neill ran to the DHD and began to dial home himself.

"Sir...Please..." Carter yelled in pain... "we have to go to the caves..please..listen to her" Carter pleaded with O'Neill.

O'Neill didn't know what to do. All he knew was his 2IC was in trouble.

"NO" he yelled, as he dialed the earth's address..."We are getting the hell out of here"

In sequence, Amiri and Carter yelled "NO"..."We'll die" Amiri said barely at a whisper now,,,,slowly falling into unconsciousness and Carter was not far behind.

She crawled to O'Neill and pleaded with him.

"Sir, please...Amiri is right, we will die if we go back. We have to go to the caves." Carter was in agony, but being the soldier she was, she sucked it up, and tried to plead with her CO.

O'Neill grasped her head, and her knees collapsed beneath her. "I'm sorry Carter, but you don't know that. You're gonna be ok." O'Neill said, as Carter slowly passed out.

"Carter! Carter" O'Neill shouted. "Crap...let's get the HELL out of here"

O"Neill threw Carter over his shoulder, and yelled to Daniel "Let's Go!"

Teal'c grabbed Amiri and they ran through the gate. With every ounce of uncertainty O'Neill leaped through that the wormhole with Carter in his arms. What was causing her the pain, he did not know, but staying on that planet could not be the option, or was it? Was he jeopardizing her life, her trust by leaving the planet? Would he be the cause of her death.