Tittle: 37,000ft
Author: KaraMeL
Email: Kristine_sci@hotmail.com
Summary: Sg-1 is given leave to go on vacation, but even up in the air they can get in the worst senarios.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: This story belongs to MGM and all the other companies/cooperations that own Stargate. So, initially the characters don't belong to me. Darn.
 
 

Jack O'Neill sighed once more, as he tapped his watch. It was way past boarding time. This was not what he enjoyed calling a vacation. It was yesterday when the General had insisted SG1 take a vacation. He had given them all tickets for a plane ride and told them to get off base before he had them arrested. Jack disliked vacations. Beside him, completely immersed in a book on Latin sat Daniel Jackson. Jack gave him a scornful glance and wished that they could go soon. But as in all fairy tales, or rather life at this point he heard the announcement blare over the nearby speaker.
"All passengers for flight 101 to the Czech republic, please go to gate four. I repeat, all passengers for flight 101 please go to gate four." The message was repeated in Czech. Jack sighed and hoped that somehow the flight would be over soon. He disliked vacations and he dislikes being 37,000 feet up in the air. It felt good when you were speeding along, but after you got up, all hell brakes loose. Seniors playing bingo, (although he was sure that there were no seniors groups on this flight) people walking around, loud toilets (he really, really hated those) and crappy movies. At least there was no bad meals served. He found that airlines that differed from the U.S had better meals. Thankfully, he wasn't one to be picky. On his other side, Sam got up and recheck that he carry-on bag was secure and her ticket in hand. Well, at least one of the team was thinking straight. On his right, Daniel hadn't stirred. Jack slapped him.
"Huh, what?" Daniel's stuttered exclamation did nothing to ease Jack's fear of Daniel probably destroying something onboard. Knowing Daniel, he would probably walk into an exit. Daniel finally got it that it was time to go.
"Brushing up on you're Czech I hope," Jack teased. Daniel looked confused, and then down at the tittle clearly visible on the book he had been reading. 'Ancient Latin for beginners' it read. Daniel looked back up at Jack, then stuffed the book haphazardly into his carry-on.
"No." He said rhetorically. "I can speak Czech fine." Jack rolled his eyes, not willing to fight with his friend. He noticed that Sam had left their 'happy' entourage and was already in line to get onto the plane. Jack literally took Daniel by the scruff of his neck and pulled him to the line. Daniel was completely oblivious to Jack's attempt to help him. He instead was searching for his ticket. Finally, he found it under a half-eaten mars bar and his stack of books. Jack sighed and shook his head, not the slightest bit amused or angry at his friend. He could see Sam waiting for them on the other side of the counter, impatiently pointing to her watch. Jack grinned again and waved back. Excusing Jack's behavior as a childish imitation, she grinned back. Daniel was still spaced out, looking slightly uncomfortable at the prospect of going onto a plane. He noticed Jack's scrutiny.
"What?" A slight edgy tone accompanied his question.
"Nothing." Jack was wondering if Daniel felt the same about planes as he did. He wondered a lot about planes, and the special he had seen yesterday entitled, 'World's worst plane disasters caught on tape' didn't exactly help calm his phobia. He thought it to be peculiar that while on the ground, coasting at at least ten miles an hour you were not aloud to move from your seat, but when you were going five hundred miles an hour at 37,000 feet you were allowed to roam free as you liked. Some things were strange. Taking his mind off what he hoped to be plane fears he finally gave the flight attendant his ticket and followed Carter up the ramp. Jack also wondered if she had her own fears of flying, she hadn't been very talkative. Suddenly, as if sensing his thoughts, she turned him.
"What's with the cameras and videos?" Sam was referring to the multitude of people armed with filming equipment. Jack shrugged, loosely translated into: How the hell am I supposed to know? Daniel, who had suddenly appeared behind them spoke in a hushed tone.
"Because of him." He gestured vaguely with a jerk of his chin to a man dressed in regal clothing. Jack wondered how that man could survive the Colorado heat, when he, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt was suffering in the air-conditioned airport.
"Who's he?" He asked. He vaguely remembered the man from somewhere. Maybe newspaper photos.
"He," said Daniel, stressing the word, as if Jack was stupid and didn't know anything, "is the Ambassador of Turkey. My guess is he's touring." Jack nodded.
"Uh huh." Jack ignored the man. He didn't really care who was on their flight as long as they got there in one piece. Finally, following the entourage onto the plane they located their seats, smack in the middle of the plane. Sam commented that at least they were together, but she would've preferred a window seat. Daniel openly agreed. Jack watched in silent interest as the two bantered then finally settled down in their respective seats. Jack sat in the middle of the two, hoping no arguments would ensue. Jack flipped through the flight magazine looking over the selection of movies they had. At least they didn't have the special that they had watched yesterday. There were a couple of good movies, Mask of Zorro, Jurassic Park, and even Les Miserables. Jack hoped they would see that. It was one of his favorite movies.
"Yuck," exclaimed the voice by his right. It was Daniel. "I hope they don't play that." He jabbed at the picture of Les Miserables.
"Why not?" Jack got offensive.
"It's stupid. I'd rather see Jurassic park, I love the graphics." Jack looked at him as if he were nuts. Daniel shrugged, and Sam ignored the two of them.
"Graphics, I would've thought you'd like to see 'how grass grows' by the 2000 and one flushes guy," Jack said, mentioning the character of the overly advertised commercial. Daniel shot him a futile glance. Jack could almost see the retort coming.
"Well, at least I'm not an old fogey who insists on watching classics." Daniel rolled his eyes to punctuate the words.
"Fogey? That's the best you can come up with? God, you're pathetic Danny-boy." Jack said, intentionally saying Daniel's hated nickname.
"Well, at least I don't have to, to, uh.... Help me here Sam." Sam, who was watching the exchange with silent interest looked surprised at Daniel's plea for help.
"Sorry Daniel," she shrugged, "you're fighting a loosing battle any ways. Give up." Daniel glared unhappily at her and sat back, dejected. Just then, the captain announced that it was time to be seated. The empty seat beside Daniel was now taken by a Turkish looking man in his late forties. Daniel barely acknowledged the man. Soon the plane moved, leaving Colorado behind. Daniel sat up, as the video screen lowered and a man appeared. Talking in Czech, he explained how to fasten the seatbelts, and he was followed by an English-speaking woman who repeated the procedure. The man and woman alternated, telling passengers on the plane of the escapes, oxygen masks and life jackets. Jack really didn't want to listen to them drone on about emergencies, no matter what language it was. Finally the video ended and the screens returned to their original places, in the ceiling. The seatbelt flashed again on the light fixtures above and Daniel tightened his belt, as did Jack. Sam looked more relaxed then the both of them, but the man next to Daniel looked as if he was going to shit in his pants. Jack hoped he wouldn't, it was after all a pretty nice plane. Finally they were given clearance and the turbines flared with power. The fired up again and they took off down the runway, the force of the engines pushing the three team members into their seats. They were pushed back some more as the planes nose lifted to an angle and the bumpy runway below disappeared. Jack breathed a little more easily. He was glad that they had at least taken off without a hitch. Daniel, beside him, also relaxed a bit. Finally, they leveled off at about a 10,000 feet, gathering power to rise again. The flight attendants now walked the aisle and Jack wondered what guts that took. Jack realized that that woman that had just made her way up to the front was the same woman who began to speak on the intercom a minute later.
"Welcome aboard," she said in heavily accented English. "I am one of your flight attendants for this flight, We will serve complementary drinks in ten minutes and a choice of dried fruits or nuts. We will be landing in Toronto in one hour and then we will resume our flight to the Czech republic. I wish you a safe and happy flight." Her voice cut off and the turbines flared again, their nose raising to an almost forty-five degree angle. Jack gripped the seat's arms tighter and closed his eyes for a moment, calming himself. Beside him, Daniel was now lost in his book on Czech sightseeing. Jack was bored with the whole concept of sightseeing but did not disagree to whatever Daniel and Sam had planned for their two-week holiday. Jack settled back and watched the nose dip slightly then level off again. The TV monitors above them dropped and Jack saw the probable flight path on the screen that was a seat ahead of him. According to the path, they were know at 30,000ft and climbing. The rattle of dishes distracted him and he saw the attendants pull their carts to the front of the third class section. Jacks mouth widened as he saw the rich assortment of beer, wine and other beverages on the cart. Daniel didn't even look up, and already Sam was also eyeing the cart. Jack turned his attention back to the screen, they were still climbing but not so rapidly any more. The numbers ticked up and they finally leveled at 37,000 feet. Jack sighed and happily noticed that the cart was coming. Sam ordered first, to Jack's disappointed. Unfortunately, military etiquette went only so far. To his surprise, Sam ordered a foreign beer, Czech probably, and Daniel, who was served by the attendant on the other side, ordered the same. After Jack had gotten his peanuts and good ol' American beer he threw an amused glance in Daniel's and Sam's direction. They never drank beer. Daniel, catching the tail end of his gaze smiled tentivly.
"It has a lower alcohol content than Canadian and American beer. More taste if I may add too." Jack looked down at the gold-brown beer suspiciously, clearly not believing Daniel. Taking the can, he poured a generous amount into a CSA cup he had received from his female attendant. Hoping that it wouldn't kill his taste buds, he drank the liquid, coughing as he swallowed it the wrong way. The man beside Daniel turned towards him worriedly.
"You've got to be kidding me right, you drink this crap?" Daniel shot him a wounded look.
"Where do you think most beer comes from? This is a true Czech beer, grown and made in the Czech republic. Who knows," he pointed to Jack's can of beer, "where that is made." Jack pondered the point then shrugged. Daniel turned from him and continued to drink the tepid beer. Sam had also taken care of the beer. Now, she was writing in a little black book. Jack leaned over to see what she had written. Sam noticed his attempt and pulled the book away, shoving it into her bag. Jack still had read some of the large, loopy writing.
"What are you doing?" He admonished, catching himself before he called her captain.
"Nothing." She replied innocently.
"You're keeping score Carter." Daniel looked up from his studies.
"Of what," he piped up.
"Of us." Jack watched her expression carefully and noted the slight tinge of red that flushed her face.
"Huh?" Daniel didn't get it.
"Of us, as in when we're fighting."
"Oh really, what's the score?" He sounded truly interested. Jack groaned and elbowed his friend in the ribs. Daniel sat back and glared at the Colonel.
"Ow." Jack stuck out his tongue in response. Finally, Sam stopped the pair.
"If you both don't behave I'll have to sit in between you two." Daniel didn't look too downcast about the threat.
"Sure, even better you can sit on my lap." Sam smiled and shook her head. Daniel's slightly teasing expression disappeared and a slight frown furrowed his brow. As soon as it appeared it disappeared. The three of them jumped slightly at the seatbelt sign. It was time to land in Toronto. Jack snapped his seatbelt on and awaited the descent. They lowered and finally circled the last time and went down, landing on the gray paved airstrip. They bounced up once, leaving Jack's stomach two seats behind him. They finally approached the bland airport, the attendant logged onto the intercom again.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Toronto Pearson International airport, please stay seated until we dock. We will continue the flight in fifty minutes. Thank you." The last word was heavily accented and almost unrecognizable. The engines cooled down and they finally 'parked' in their space. Jack hoped it would be fast, he was going to be slightly tired of plane travel for a while after this. He wished that it was possible to gate to the Czech republic, it would be a hell of a lot faster. Jack regrettably finished the last of his peanuts. The only thing though, he thought, they didn't serve peanuts during gate travel.

Finally, after forty minutes of just sitting in their seats, the last passengers boarded the plane and the doors closed. Jack inspected the last passengers. There was a blond teenager, her mother Jack presumed, another woman and a dark haired elderly man who spoke to the flight attendant in hushed tones. Jack could hear snippets of the conversation and knew it was Czech. He didn't think the attendants spoke any other language. The blond teen and her mother sat in the chair across the aisle from them. Jack followed them with his eyes until the teen shot him a strange glance. Jack caught himself and ignored the review of the video on snapping seatbelts and exits. Jack rolled his eyes and paid attention to whatever Daniel was reading. It was something about a city called Troja. Jack looked and was unimpressed with the descriptions of elaborate paintings and gardens. He did however get interested when Daniel turned the page to a picture and description of Karlstenj. There was a whole paragraph on the military use, or rather when the castle was threatened by attack. Jack read a bit until he realized that the turbines had flared up again. He braced himself and the plane shot foreword. Daniel, who had not realized the plane was about to take off, was completely thrown off guard and into the seat. A strangled laugh from the blond by the aisle prompted Jack to look over. The girl was a perfect picture of innocence, but Jack knew better. Instead of investigating further, he turned to Daniel, who was now back to his usual boring self.
"Look mom," Jack perked his ears. "Figure this one out." The teenager flipped something that sounded like cards and her mother drew in a breath.
"Do that again." Jack had to turn.
"Okay, I'll do it with aces this time." Jack watched in fascination as the girl picked out three aces, a red and two blacks. She put them on the fold out table and put the rest of the deck opposite of the three cards. Picking one card from the deck, she placed it on her hand then picked up an ace, then another card from the deck, then another ace, a card from the deck, then the last ace. Tapping the six cards, she placed the three on the top face up. They were all aces. Sam, beside him smiled. She knew how the trick had been done. Thanks to Jolinar, she retained a good memory, enabling her to remember many things well. Jack was still stumped. The teenager turned to him and grinned impishly.
"Could you do that again?" Jack asked. The teenager nodded. She once again lined up the cards and did the trick. Jack knitted his brows in frustration. It wasn't possible. She hadn't touched the cards or messed around with them. She grinned wider, showing her pale white teeth. Sam leaned over and whispered into her ear.
"Hey, how did you figure it out? It took me forever to learn this trick," she tilted her head in thought, "well, only a half hour, but besides the fact." She pocketed the cards.
"I'm Sam. This is Jack." She pointed to Jack who was beside her, still trying to figure out the trick.
"Who's he?" The teenager pointed to Daniel who was immersed in the book.
"That," Sam said, "is Daniel."
"He's funny." The teen stated, smiling as Daniel looked up confused.
"Huh?" He said. Sam shook her head and rolled her eyes.
"What's you're name?" The teenager looked towards her mother who had also begun to read about the Czech republic.
"I'm Katherine Lat. Late without an 'E'." Sam smiled. She had always had a way with kids. "Are you Czech?" The question threw Sam off.
"No."
"Are you from the U.S.?"
"Yes."
"Where?" Well, she was definitely inquisitive.
"Colorado."
"Oh." Katherine seemed to run out of questions. "Why are you going to the Czech republic?"
"Vacation."
"Uh huh. You're military aren't you?" Sam was taken aback. She shrugged: maybe. Jack smiled. Let the captain figure out a way to explain her job to the girl.
"Well, Katherine," Sam started.
"Just Kat please, I feel like an antique when people call me Katherine."
"Okay Kat, I do work for the military, how did you know?"
"Well, he," she pointed to Jack, "is too silent and you're to brief with your answers. No women I know speak in brief terms, especially," she shot a pained look towards her mother, "my mom and sister. Non-stop they are. My sister was bugging me the entire time before my trip about the horrors of flying. The only thing I hate is how my ears popped."
"Yeah, well to pop or not to pop and all that Jazz." Kat looked at him strangely then shrugged.
"You remind me of my dad, too sarcastic." Sam hid a smile, Jack looked crushed.
"I'm mortally wounded, by a child!"
"Child?" Kat said indignantly, "I'm fifteen." Suddenly there was a pop in the first class area. Kat's deep blue eyes flicked in the direction of the unknown sound then turned back to the two adults. "What was that?"
"They're probably celebrating in first class, they have some president or something there." Kat didn't look convinced. She shrugged.
"Do you know what movie we're watching?" Jack shrugged.
"I'm hoping for Les Miserables, that movie is the best!" Kat looked shocked.
"No offense, how old are you?" Jack did look offended. "That movie is for like, mummies," she turned to her mother, "no pun intended."
"I have to agree with you on that one." Daniel piped up. Kat looked at him, a smile spreading across her face; she shook her head and laughed a bit.
"Difference of opinion." Sam looked at her.
"You don't know how bad." The two giggled and related stories. Jack, perturbed, got up and headed for the bathroom, something was wrong, he knew it. Locking the door behind him, he searched for an alternate route to get out.

"Everybody, freeze!" A man came out from the curtained area with a smoking gun. The man was about 6.1 feet tall a tough build and had short dark hair. His eyes were like fiery orbs. Sam swallowed. Daniel's book clattered to the floor, forgotten. The man walked down the aisle, he seemed to be searching for something. Sam blinked as the man approached them.
"Where is the imperial body guard?" Kat looked at the man in fear. Sam shot a look towards her: Don't show fear. Kat blinked, and settled back into the chair. Her mother took her hand and squeezed it. Sam looked at Daniel, he saw her and nodded, silently telling him it was all right. The crazed man stopped between Sam and Kat. The man glanced down at the two. He grabbed Kat by the hair. She winced at the very real pain.
"Are you afraid?" The man inquired. Kat opened her eyes and glared at him. All the eyes on the plane were focused on the two figures.
"No." The man blinked.
"I admire a strong spirit. Come with me."
"No," both Sam and Kat's mother yelled in protest. The man grabbed Kat and hauled her up, pointing his unwavering gun at the floor.
"If the guard will not show himself I will shoot this girl." Kat gasped for a breath and struggled to keep still. Suddenly the man beside Daniel stood.
"I am he."
"Good," with one movement the terrorist pulled his gun up and shot the man. The shot careened into the man's shoulder. He fell back, Daniel grabbed the man and put seated him, throwing a futile glance at the man who had shot the guard. The terrorist smiled, more of a sneer then a grin.
"You," He pointed to Daniel. "Get up, come with me." Daniel shot a glance towards Sam who looked helpless.
"Okay, don't get angry." He used a placating gesture and stood, Suddenly the man noticed that one of the bathrooms were locked. Shoving Kat into Sam's lap, he stalked towards the bathroom.
"Open up, come out." The man rapped on the door. Sam held her breath. The Colonel was in there. Receiving no answer, the terrorist shot the lock open, and continued to shoot until the door was in ribbons. Sam covered her mouth with her hand to keep a scream of terror from escaping her throat. The man swung the door open, gun ready. The washroom was empty.
"Was anybody in here?" He yelled in accented English. Nobody answered him. This infuriated the man and he stalked towards Kris and Daniel again. Grabbing Kat, he prodded Daniel foreword. Kat shot an angst look towards her mother before she disappeared. Sam shot a look to the back of the plane. There was no sign of anybody.

"Leave me alone," Kat yelled at the terrorist. The man just laughed and held her tighter. Daniel looked back.
"Move!" Said the man in his accented English. Daniel did. They went through first class and Daniel's eyes roamed the area. He saw a man stretched out on two seats obviously in pain.
"You shot the Turkish Ambassador?" Kat asked, her eyes wide in disbelief. "Why?"
"You are too young to realize what we are fighting for."
"Look man, terrorist, or whatever you call yourself, do I look stupid to you? I graduated grade nine with an 84 in History, you'd think I know a bit of terrorism." Daniel looked back, regardless of the gun pointed at his back, amused.
"Alright girl,"
"Kat." She interrupted.
"Kat. You have freedom in your country; we have strict laws, racism and hate. It is hard to survive there. My family has been jailed and hated and as you have seen, a rash of destruction has hit my country, people dying, injured and all because one person may not like another. Do you understand?"
"Okay, I'll repeat what I said earlier. Do I look stupid?" The terrorist wasn't amused.
"Shut up."
"Okay." Kat shrugged.
"You, move." Daniel felt the prod of the gun in his back.
"Sir?"
"What?" The terrorist seemed slightly irritated with Kat.
"How many of your people are on this plane?" By this time they had reached the pilots door. Kat realized that she would probably find out in the next few seconds.
"Guess."
"Just you?" Kat's innocent question infuriated the man even more.
"No, there are five of us." Kat seemed to sense the man's annoyance and shut up for good. The man opened the door and Daniel, Kat and the man found themselves looking at the non-business barrels of three guns. The man barked something in a foreign language and the guns dropped. The man shoved Daniel into the room and placed him on the floor, or rather shoved him. Kat came next. The man began speaking fluently to the three other men.  Daniel took this opportunity to shoot a questioning look in Kat's direction. Mouthing a word, she pointed her gaze upwards. Daniel didn't understand and pretended to shift, getting closer.
"Jack," she whispered. Daniel nodded and sat back. Leaning back Kat took the cards out of her pocket. She tossed them to Daniel and shifted her gaze upwards.
"Okay," Daniel said out loud. He knew that Jack was above them. "I have a five of clubs. Four over here and one ace of clubs hidden in the deck." Kat nodded. She hoped Jack got the clue.
"What are you doing?" The terrorist who had brought them here leaned down. Kat quickly took the cards and shuffled them.
"We're going to play crazy eight's. Want to play?" The man shook his head and stood muttering something about children. Kat breathed out and shoved the cards back into her pocket. Exchanging a look with Daniel, she leaned over.
"Please say that we aren't going to die." Daniel looked at her and for the first time he saw the true fear in her eyes, overlaid with the witty sarcasm that Jack usually had. She was afraid. Maybe more than he gave her credit for. Scooting over he patted her on the shoulder and smiled. She smiled back and turned, but Daniel could still see the worried look that shadowed her face.

Jack breathed a little easier when the man disappeared down the aisle. He had managed to get out of the bathroom and to where to flight attendants usually worked. Escaping to the stairs which led up and over the third, first and front parts of the plane. Jack watched through a slight crack in the floor as the terrorist grabbed Kat and Daniel and made his way down the aisle. Jack winced as he saw a man who was literally covered in blood. He could see Sam cover the man's shoulder with a blanket to cover the wound.
"Good girl," he said more to himself then Sam. He picked up the pace, following the man and his two hostages down to first class. He could hear Kat talking to the terrorist and wondered if she was nuts.
"Look man, terrorist, or whatever you call yourself, do I look stupid to you?" Jack smiled a bit. She sounded a lot like him. Very sarcastic. "I graduated grade nine with an 84 in History, you'd think I know a bit of terrorism."
"Alright girl," The terrorist started but was interrupted a second later by Kat
"Kat."
"Kat. You have freedom in your country; we have strict laws, racism and hate. It is hard to survive there. My family has been jailed and hated and as you have seen, a rash of destruction has hit my country, people dying, injured and all because one person may not like another. Do you understand?" Jack didn't understand why Kat was asking all these questions. She didn't seem too interested, but she seemed to be flicking her gaze upwards as if she knew he was up there. There really was no point in the information, unless of course he was able to contact air traffic control. He listened as Kat once again shot off her sarcastic mouth, aggravating the man more then helping her current situation. He hoped that Kat would have the sense to be quiet.
"How many of your people are on this plane?" Jack's ears perked at the question. Finally, some information he could use. He followed the three of them to the pilot's door, finally aware of the sloping 'roof' over him. He listened for the man's answer
"No, there are five of us." Jack closed his eyes. Wouldn't do any good unless he knew their positions. The door closed with a thump behind the three of them and Jack crouched over, finding another crack to see them. He was frustrated to realize that there was no way he could know how many people were in the front of the plane. He was thinking when he heard Daniel's voice. Looking down he saw Kat and Daniel playing with something, they were cards.
"I have a five of clubs. Four over here and one ace of clubs hidden in the deck." Jack wondered what the hell they were doing. Looking closely at the arrangement he realized what they were trying to accomplish. Jack theorized that since they were all of one group, meaning clubs, they stood for a specific group of people. Placed on the one side, isolated from the two other cards put down, was the five of clubs. On the right to that card was the four of clubs and ace of hearts. Jack wondered what it meant. Five was equal to four and one, if that was what the ace added up to. But when Daniel said the ace of clubs was in the deck, it appeared to mean that the ace of hearts didn't belong there. Just then, the terrorist bent over and Kat snatched up the cards. Jack snarled silently in frustration, then it came to him. Since the five was alone it meant that it was split in two because there were two group. Two different cards made up the two groups. Daniel mentioned, the ace of clubs was in the deck. Since it was with all the other cards the man was with the passengers, which then left the other four terrorists were in the cockpit with Daniel and Kat. Crawling backwards he got up and stepped back to the access port where he had entered the top part of the plane. Hoping that he would find this alleged fifth terrorist, he grabbed the nearest piece of airline equipment that resembled something of a weapon. Gabbing the piece of thin, but strong metal pipe, he opened the access port and hoped there wouldn't be any more surprises.

Sam bit the bottom of her lip as she tried to stabilize the man she had laid on the three empty seats. First Jack had disappeared, getting himself almost killed. Of course, she reminded herself, he was a grown man who was capable of taking care of himself, and had gotten out of his share of scrapes. Then it was Daniel, who had done nothing to provoke the terrorist. She hoped that he wouldn't do anything stupid. Almost anybody who had ever gone on a mission probably knew Daniel's, uh, 'talent' in getting himself into trouble. Sam wiped the brow of the guard. Obviously, he didn't have the sense to be in first class along with his charge. Sam's head perked up as a woman snuck into the back and into the back. Sam noticed the flight attendant's uniform and thought she was getting a first aid kit. Sam thought it was slightly peculiar that the woman was of Asian build, slight and had no visible sign of being bilingual. Sam turned her attention back to the man. He was stabilized, jut unconscious. Sam looked up as the 'flight attendant' passed. The woman spared a glance at the man, no the slight bit surprised he was wounded, almost as if she expected it. Sam followed her disappearing form with her eyes. Something was wrong with that picture. All she had to do was isolate the cause, or rather find the solution.

Daniel took off his glasses and wiped his eyes tiredly. Kat looked up at him.
"Why don't you get contacts?" Daniel looked down at her. She had calmed somewhat; her eyes didn't show her fear. She had instead begun to listlessly trace circles on the carpeted cockpit. Daniel shrugged, he really never thought of it.
"I don't know. I guess I'm too used to having glasses. To put it in simpler terms they're my security blanket." Kat smiled, looking up at the conversing men who were by the pilots.
"I also have glasses. Unfortunately, I left them in my bag. It's not that bad, everything's just blurry." Daniel looked at her.  "Yours are new aren't they?"
"Yes. How'd you guess." She shrugged.
"I'm a good guesser." She looked back at the men then turned back to Daniel. Her face was half in the shadows now, it seemed oddly like a Native American mask, one side a blackish color, and the other shaded red from the beeping consoles. She looked as if she was going to say something again but stopped herself.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh, nothing.  She averted Daniel's question. Looking at the direction of the men he realized that Kat hadn't been looking at them, she had been looking past them, out the window. The clouds churned and rolled. They were black and lighting flashed across the sky. He turned to Kat.
"Are you afraid of the storm?" She blushed.
"I never did like storms, ever since...." She trailed off.
"Ever since what?"
"Lightning stuck a tree near my house. Killed one of my siblings." Daniel nodded.
"I know how you feel." Her eyes flared, and she hissed.
"No one knows how I feel, nobody should ever have to see their own flesh and blood die in their hands, nobody." She quieted and Daniel felt silent. As a child he had received many false sympathies, being told his parents were better off and that he would find his way in life around them. Daniel blinked at the thoughts. He had relived his parent's death while on the VR world. To hear their screams and the ensuing shouts that followed again was like reliving a nightmare from Hell, thrice over. He made a solid promise to himself that he would make sure Kat would survive this, even if it cost him his life.

Jack opened the door and peeked out. Nobody that he could see. He pushed the access hatch open a little wider. Still nobody. Jack peered around the corner and drew in a breath as he realized that there was a woman getting something. Jack watched in silent interest as the woman pried lid over lid off the 'TV' dinner like meals they were supposedly supposed to be served. It occurred to him that this woman could be the fifth terrorist. Jack watched on with narrowed eyes as he saw the woman stop. Instead of a sloppy meaty meal, the woman pulled out a gun. Jack wondered what she would need that for. Picking up some extra clips, She shoved them into her regulation uniform and shot a careful look around the 'room.' Jack let out his breath out slowly. As the woman finally confirmed that there was nobody else in the kitchen, she left, passing by Jack to the curtain. Before she could leave the area though, Jack grabbed her, covering her mouth and efficiently quieting her. Turned her head, so she looked him straight in the eyes. Her eyes widened and Jack remembered the gun. Grabbing her wrist with his free hand he took the small, compact gun and put it in his pocket. Motioning that the woman was not to make a sound, he took his hand from her mouth. She looked downcast and she talked to Jack in a clipped accent, proving she wasn't an American or Canadian citizen.
"Alright, kill me now. I have failed in my mission." Jack rolled his eyes.
"What mission, and how could you have failed if you haven't even started." The woman obviously didn't understand American sarcasm.
"I am royal guard to Ambassador Ahmed of Turkey."
"Royal guard huh, well, if you haven't noticed he was shot." The woman glared at him, and then her gaze flickered around the deserted kitchen.
"Who are you?" She asked in clipped English. Neatly evading his earlier question.
"Jack. I'm Jack O'Neill." He offered no further information.
"Do you work for these terrorists?"
"Do I look like I was born yesterday?" The woman looked at him strangely and Jack closed his eyes so the woman wouldn't see him roll his eyes.
"I do not understand."
"No." The woman nodded.
"What are you doing then?"
"I am Colonel Jack O'Neill or the U.S. Airforce." He thought a bit. "I'm supposed to be on vacation but as you can see it's really not cut out to be a good piece of cheese." If the woman had heard him she gave him no indication that she understood or didn't.
"Airforce. Colonel." She seemed to be thinking the words over as if they had no real meaning to him. Jack wasn't really surprised.
"Ma'am, no disrespect," he drawled, "but why aren't you too, uh, sad I guess about the shooting of your ambassador?"
"That is not the ambassador." The woman said, as if it was already relevant.
"Yeah, right. Then who was shot?" Jack asked suspiciously.
"That is her bodyguard." Jack stared at her.
"Excuse me did you say 'her'?" The woman looked up sharply.
"If you say that any louder I will kill you!" Jack rolled his eyes, this time openly.
"Uh huh."
"I will." With that she flipped Jack on his back, pulled the gun from his pocket and pointed it at his throat. Jack looked up at her, calculating. The woman seemed to fight with herself then stood, offer him a hand up. Once Jack had levered himself up, she saluted smartly.
"I am lieutenant major Andrea Hardy, with the British Navy." Jack nodded and eyed her. She was a packet of peas she was. Jack edged back to the access port and took a look out; he was relived to know that no one had noticed their little skirmish.
"Hey, you wouldn't happen to have another gun hidden in those meals would you?" Jack flicked his gaze back at the woman. She wasn't paying any attention to him.
"How do you suppose they got those guns aboard?" She asked, completely ignoring his earlier question. She looked at him.
"Were they by any chance the same people who were 'cameramen'?" Andrea nodded. "Think about it. When you go through the metal detectors, metal rods for the camera aren't counted really because nothing could fit in those things. The gun is in separate parts and can be snapped together. Strange ain't it?" Andrea looked at him, taking his snidness for granted. A lot of people did that.

Daniel glared at the wall in front of him. It was a useless exercise but so far, it had kept him occupied. Beside him, Kat had taken out her cards and was aimlessly shuffling them. The four terrorists had started to converse in their foreign language, frequently looking back to their two hostages. Daniel couldn't really understand them, they were talking in hushed tones and too fast for him to grasp both their nationality and culture. He knew for sure that they weren't Turkish, so they must have been something else. A little voice in the back of his mind told him: brilliant deduction. Either he was sinking to Jack's level fast or something was screwed. The four men looked back again and then approached. Kat looked up from her flipping of cards to the man, and she immediately backed off. Daniel looked up warily at the men but didn't move or show any sign that he appeared the least bit frightened. He could thank Hathor and the rest of the gou'alds for that, but he wouldn't. The man that had taken them here in the first place stepped foreword. He looked at Kat then his gaze flicked to him. He seemed to enjoy the fear that Kat was radiating. As if making a decision, the man quirked his head and smiled slightly.
"I have contacted the U.S. and Canadian political embassies if you will. They in turn will contact the Turkish embassy. If they fail to meet our demands in one hour I shall execute two prisoners every half hour." He turned towards Daniel and Kat. "Starting with you two." Kat swallowed, but had the sense to remain passive. Daniel looked up.
"What do you hope to accomplish? They will never agree to your terms of, of, terrorism!" The man leered in front of him, and then Daniel felt the shock of a blow to his jaw. He turned with the blow but the sensation still stung his face. He could taste the metallic copper blood that leeched from a cut in his lip. Daniel looked at the man.
"What we hope to accomplish is freedom." He snarled, "and what you will do is die for the cause." The man smiled.
"No!" Kat stood and swung a fist in the direction of the leader. The man caught the fist easily and forced the girl to her knees, twisting the hand painfully behind her back. Kat could feel the pressure building, but was not about to give him the satisfaction of crying out. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the man lean close to her.
"You will never do that again girl, never." He hissed. Daniel watched silently. He couldn't help her unless he did something drastic.
"Look, leave her be." Daniel said, the words hollow to even his own ears. "She doesn't know any better." The man looked at him, releasing pressure off her arm. Finally, he let it go.
"You are brave, but foolish young man." His eyes flickered which could only be described as madness. "Tell me your name, so the world can hear the first person to die for our cause." Daniel squared his shoulders.
"I'm Daniel Jackson, an archeologist." The man nodded, telling him to go on. "I'm not married or anything." He could barely say the words, but he forced himself too. At least he would be able to join Sha're's spirit, if not her body, in where ever people went when they died.
"You lie, I can see it in your face. Who is your wife?" Daniel swallowed back the lump that was forming in the back of his throat.
"Her name is not relevant, but she is dead." The man searched his face. Daniel was unwilling to give his emotions away as quickly this easily.
"If she is out there she will know eh?" The man took Daniel by the arm, his grip powerful enough to break his bone. Behind him, he could hear Kat quietly sobbing.
"What are you doing?"  Daniel asked, although he already knew.
"You shall talk to your leader. You will tell him what has happened." The man pulled out his gun once again and pointed it at his back. Daniel wished that for once he hadn't decided for this vacation. Next time it was a road trip. If there was a next. The gun jammed itself between his shoulder blades and the man pointed at the microphone of sorts.
"Uh, okay. I'm Daniel Jackson." The man nodded. "I'm I guess the first to be shot." His eyes flickered to the man who was smiling in content. "These, uh, men or rather terrorists have already shot the Turkish ambassador and his imperial guard. They are still alive as far as I know. He's got one more hostage up here. A Canadian girl named Katherine Lat. She's Okay." He stopped talking and his eyes met with those of the pilot. He gave a small nod of encouragement. Daniel turned back to the man. He nodded to Daniel and took him by the arm and put him down again beside Kat. She looked at him, her eyes wide with apprehension and possibly adrenaline.
"Any last wishes Daniel Jackson?" Daniel looked up at him.
"May I say good-bye to my friend, Sam?" The man looked thoughtful.
"Alright." Barking an order at his three men, two picked up Kat, and the other one grabbed Daniel. Daniel prayed that Jack would do something. Time was running out, fast.
The lead terrorist took Daniel in a vise like grip, which made no sense. There was no where to run, no where to hide. They passed first class and Daniel stole a look at the downed Turkish ambassador. The sheet was pulled over his body and a woman leaned, her head bowed. Daniel looked, and for a small second the woman looked up, her face streaked with tears. The woman was no older the him, and her large eyes held wisdom the belied her years. Daniel realized that the man that was covered in a death shroud wasn't the man that the terrorist seeked to destroy, it was her. They just didn't realize that. Daniel was then shoved through the curtain and led up the aisle to where Sam was. Daniel's eyes flicked briefly to all of the passengers that were there. All of them potential victims to this madman. Sam's eyes clouded over as she saw Daniel, Kat and the four men armed with guns. Daniel smiled to show her there was nothing to worry about. Daniel stooped to Sam's level and he looked at her, his emotions flickering over his eyes. Sam understood. She dropped her head and Daniel could see the tear that slid down her cheek.
"I'm sorry," he whispered as he was dragged off. The leader brought him to the front of the third class section.
"For all of you sitting here today, you witness the beginning of my people's freedom. This man," he gestured to Daniel, "has bravely committed himself to be the first to die for our cause. Maybe one of you will be chosen for the cause next." He looked and smiled fondly in Sam's direction. Daniel glared at the man. The clatter of dished made the men look up. Two attendants wheeled their carts down the aisle. The leader snapped up his gun and one of the attendants stopped.
"Oh, what is happening?" One of the women turned, her mouth an 'O' of surprise. The leader relaxed his trigger finger.
"What are you doing?" The woman looked at him, the gestured towards her drink cart.
"Complementary drinks. Care to have one?" The other woman finished rolling her cart to the front of the third class. The lead terrorist's tapped her on the shoulder. The woman turned, a bottle of alcohol beverage in her arms.
"Yes?" She said in a high pitched squeaky voice. She finished turning. The lead gunman holding Daniel realized that she wasn't a she after all, too late. Jack, dressed in a flight attendant's uniform, brought the bottle of whatever down on the man's forehead. The glass shattered and yellow liquid splashed everywhere. Including Jack's borrowed uniform.
"Look what you did," he said in his falsetto voice and grabbed another bottle. He knocked the other guard out and two shots rung out from a gun. The passengers screamed. Two men fell. The remaining terrorists fell. The woman looked at Jack and he shrugged.
"Whoops," he said. Jack took another arsenal and looked over at Daniel.
"Hey Danny-boy, know who the ace of clubs is?" Daniel looked confused and searched the crowd. The airplane was now bathed in silence, passengers looking at each other with intent. Jack stepped foreword, wary.
"Where is the fifth guy?" Jack searched the crowd and then back to Daniel who shrugged. Kat was deep in thought. Jack searched the aisle. Just then, Kat figured it out.
"Uh, Daniel." She tugged on his hand. "Daniel?" Daniel looked down at her
"What?" She cast her fearful eyes around her.
"It's the pilot." Daniel looked at her.
"You have to be kidding." She shook her head solemnly.
"Why would they leave him there, unattended?" Daniel realized with a flash of minute fear that she was right.
"Shit." The explicit caused some people to turn and stare but Daniel was unaware of it. Walking quickly to where Jack was searching, he tapped him on the shoulder.
"Jack," he started, searching for the right words to say, "Kat figured it out."
"Figured what out? Jack looked at him.
"Who the fifth guy is." Jack looked up, his brown eyes flickering.
"Who?"
"The pilot."
"Yeah, and I'm Santa clause." Jack continued his search.
"Well then get to the North Pole because we're in deep shit." Jack stood straighter.
"Crap." He took leave of the third class, Kat and Daniel following closely. Kat's mother tried to make her stay but with no avail.
"Kat stay." Jack hissed. His mouth working. He furiously tried to think of some way to make better than the situation offered. The pilot would kill himself before taking them down in any other place but wherever they were headed. Jack doubted that anybody on this plane would be able to fly this rig, and he had some experience flying aircraft, but it was the kind that worried him. Jack approached the door that led to the cockpit, tossing off the mop head he had used for his 'disguise' and taking off the dress to.
Daniel was too worried to laugh at this point. Jack rapped his bottle on the doorway, aware that this bottle would do nothing but knock the man unconscious. Jack opened the door, wincing as the door squeaked. Jack slipped into the doorway and approached the pilot's chair. The man was slumped over the controls and was unresponsive when Jack touched him. Putting his fingers at the man's throat, he found no pulse. Jack swore violently. This man had poisoned himself. The nutty after smell of cyanide lingered in the air. The plane for now was on autopilot, this probably meant that he wanted the plane to stay up for a little longer so he could kill himself. Daniel came into the doorway, followed by Kat who stared at the dead man with wide eyes. She turned to Jack.
"He dead isn't he." Jack closed his eyes.
"What do you think?"  Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Can you fly?" Jack looked at her, then to Daniel who was looking at all the controls. He looked up at Jack too.
"Uh, depends."
"Depends?" Daniel asked. "How can it 'depend' if you fly a plane or not?" Jack looked back to the controls.
"I fly fighter planes, or at least I did." Kat opened a locker beside the navigation equipment.
"Uh Jack, I found the pilot and copilot." Daniel went to her side.
"Yes you did, but that isn't going to help us." Daniel winced at the hole in the pilot's head. He couldn't see the copilot's head. In the meantime, while Daniel and Kat were looking at the corpses, Jack struggled to move the dead body of the terrorist pilot.
"A little help here," he wheezed. Daniel went to him. Kat seated herself in the copilot's seat as the two men struggled to move the dead man out of the way. She grabbed the headset and fiddled with the stations.
"Hello, anybody there?" Her eyes flickered to the gauges and unfamiliar equipment that surrounded her.  "Hello? Houston, we have a problem." The radio crackled with static and the fuzzy words came through. Kat struggled to hear them.
" Flight.... 101, This is...... is.... kay?" Kat struggled with the panel.
"Uh, This is Kat, please repeat." The static cleared a bit.
"This is London.... please, what has happened.....?" Kat struggled some more with the radio then gave up.
"Look, we have some problems here. Our pilot's dead and the only guy who has marginal experience is an airforce officer." She listened.
"Await... structions... over." Kat slammed her fist on the radio. Jack and Daniel came back through the door, their faces haggard and worn.
"Please tell me you go through." Jack said, seating himself in the pilot's chair. Daniel strapped himself into the navigation chair.
"Uh, well, I got through to some London thing. That's good right?" Jack shrugged; he was checking gauges and flicking levers.
"Do you know what you're doing?" Kat asked. Jack shrugged.
"Somewhat." Kat looked back at Daniel who shrugged too. This was their last chance of survival. They had to trust Jack. Jack flicked on the onboard intercom.
"We have taken back the plane. Everybody please strap yourselves in and hold on. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but both our pilot and copilot are dead. I'm going to try and land." The was a period of silence where Jack replaced the 'walkie talkie' back onto the hook then flipped a switch, Kat presumed was the auto pilot. She was right. The plane jolted and fell a few feet. The nose dipped and Jack pulled up. The nose dipped to a forty-five degree angle. Jack grimaced and pulled down, righting the plane. He took a look at his two protégés. Kat was white faced and clung to the seat. She looked up at him.
"What are you doing, look back, we might crash into someting!" Jack smiled slightly.
"Crash into what?" He asked, pulling the throttle down slightly he sent the plane in a glide down. Daniel, behind him, cleared his throat.
"Uh Jack," he stuttered.
"What, can't you see I'm busy?"
"Well, you might want to see this." Jack looked back briefly. Well, at least it couldn't get any worse. They were on a direct course towards another plane.
"Hang on!" he yelled and pulled the plane sideways. Fast. The plane was filled with screams as personal items; glasses and papers scattered everywhere. The plane dropped, doing a little spin before Jack pulled it out of a steep dive. Jack swore loudly as the plane in front of them whooshed past. Kat covered her ears as it went past. The roar of the other plane's twin engines drowning out all sound. The plane past and the plane was silent again. Daniel was ashen faced and stared straight ahead. Jack looked back.
"Well, that was insane," Kat said. Suddenly the headphones she had around her neck squawked to life.
"This is flight 129. Are you alright?" Kat looked towards Jack. He shrugged and continued to fly the plane straight.
"This is Kat. We are okay. Mind telling us where you just came from?"
"We just took off from the London airport. Ten minutes away." Kat breathed a sigh of relief.
"What channel please flight 129?"
"Channel 14."
"Thank you, Kat out." She leaned over and flicked on channel 14. Jack was sweating with the effort of trying to keep the nose down only slightly. The radio jolted to life once more.
"This is London airport, we have you on our radar, please identify yourselves."
"This is Czech airlines flight 101, we are in trouble. We were hi-jacked when over the Atlantic Ocean. The terrorists are incapacitated I guess." Daniel leaned over as far as he could with his restraints to listen.
"We read you loud and clear. Did you say trouble?"
"Well, Our pilot and copilot are dead, so is the terrorist flying the plane, and an airforce Colonel with limited flying experience is flying us at this point. I'd say that would classify as trouble, wouldn't you?" She flipped off the speak button.
"We read you. Please can you put the Colonel on." She nodded an affirmative and tossed Jack the extra pair of earphones.
"Hey, hello out there." Jack said, still concentrating on going down slowly. They were slowly passing the clouds. Daniel could see land.
"Hello, I'm Michael, I'll be helping you land the plane." Jack grimaced.
"I don't need help, I need a miracle." There was a short pause on the other side.
"Well, then call me miracle." Jack laughed.
"I prefer Michael. Okay, what do you want me to do?" The slight crackle of radio static filled the air.
"Alright, good you're calm. No do as your doing right now, you said you had experience right?" Jack shot a pained look in Kat's direction.
"Well, I've logged a couple hundred hours in the gulf on a F18. Kinda reminds me of this plane. I've also copiloted a carrier once."
"I hear you. Okay, we have you in visual, can you blink your landing lights?" Jack flipped a lever. "Thank you. We've cleared runway 2 for you, emergency crews are ready and standing by."
"And which runway is runway 2?" If to punctuated his words runway lights sprung up, forming a road.
"Put your landing gear out flight 101." Michael's voice cut through Jack's brain.
"Okay," he turned a switch and the landing gear came out with grind of metal upon metal. Kat closed her eyes tightly. Jack nudged her.
"Have faith will you." He wiped his brow. Kat looked at him.
"Well, you've saved us from terrorist, practically flown us here, and on top of that offered to land us, I guess I should be grateful right?"
"Right," Jack chuckled. The runway loomed closer and Jack steadied his nerves. He needed a drink. A big drink. The lights were starting to bother him and he saw the runway. It seemed to cover the entire view. The plane bounced as it made contact with the ground and Jack pulled up instinctively. The back wheels screeched in protest and Jack pulled the throttle up, causing the plane's front to hit the runway. The passengers in the back screamed, mingling with the screech of tires on cement. The plane slowed, then stopped all together. Jack let out a huge sigh and slumped back, his knuckles white and gripping. Kat just looked wide-eyes at the wall that was no less than a couple meters away from the plane.
"Oh Kay," she said, he mouth numb. "I am not riding in any type of car, plane or boat with you again." She looked back at Daniel who had also been sheet white a while ago.
"Well, this defiantly adds to my list of your unusual talents." Daniel said. Behind them the door opened and Kat's mother and Sam rushed in. Kat was attacked with kisses and she turned red in embarrassment.
"Mom," she said. Then she thought about it. She hugged her mother back. Jack smiled and looked up at Sam.
"No hug for the brave pilot?" Sam looked at him.
"You almost got us killed and you want a hug?" Daniel laughed, so did Kat and her mother, slowly Jack also allowed himself a chuckle.
"Thanks captain. Thanks a lot." Daniel got up and he stared at all the fire engines and trucks heading towards them.
"Well, he said, "I really don't feel like a vacation now." Jack looked up.
"I agree, let's take a boat back to Colorado. Sam nodded.
"Defiantly, unless it's going to get hi-jacked too." Jack heard the opening of the exits and the inflatable slides hiss with air. He smiled. Ride from hell, that's what this was.
"Jack," he turned to Kat.
"Yes?" Kat had taken her deck of mangled cards out of her pocket and had laid them out.
"Now I will show you my trick." She set up the cards, showing Jack the three cards. She put one on top of another and tapped them. Then she exposed the top three cards. They were the same type.
"That will always stump me. No matter what." She smiled.
"Learn to pay attention, like Sam. She flipped the three unturned cards and showed them to him.
"Well, I'll be." She had used a different card instead of the original. She handed him the four cards. They were all Jack's. Jack smiled.
"Now," she said seriously. "If you were as cute as these Jack's, I'm sure Sam would go for you." Jack looked shocked, Sam smiled. Daniel laughed.
"I have to agree with her on that one!" Jack growled and accepted the four cards.
"Beaten by a child." He muttered, beaten by a child." Kat just grinned.
 
 

KaraMeL

Dedicated to all boring, too-long flights where you have nothing to do but make up your own entertainment.