Title: I Can't Save her.
Author: Tels
Fandom: Stargate SG1
Pairing: Jacob/Sam
Rating: PG13
Word count: 895
Prompt: #51 Water
Notes: Jacob's thoughts during Descent. The speech comes directly from that episode. Jacob;s thoughts are mine as are Selmak's. This is my take on that scene.
I can't save her
By Tels
The ship was flooding. Though to be honest they had known it was only a matter of time. Jacob hadn't realistically expected the ship to survive the impact with the sea bed. He knew the hull could only take so much pressure and when Sam radioed to say they'd found water he wasn't surprised.
Major Davies had helpfully used his arm attached to his broken collar bone to pull him to his feet and that had hurt. Fortunately he'd been able to mask most of it and made his way to the console.
Sam's voice came over the radio with the words he'd been dreading. “Dad, the door's closing behind us!”
Jacob raised his radio. “It's a security measure. All doors are sealed behind the breach. I'll try to open it from here.” His hands started working frantically at the controls, trying every code he could think off. It had to be here. <Selmak help me out here?>
<What do you think I am doing?>
Sam's voice came over the radio again. “Dad, how's it going with that door?”
Jacob swallowed. “This could take some time, Sam.” Time of course being the one thing he didn't have. The flooding was escalating and this damn security programme was over riding every single thing he did. <It's adjusting too fast… whatever this virus is is just blocking everything.>
Selmak racked her brains. <Try these> she said rattling off another list of passwords.
This time it was Jack's voice. “Jacob?”
“Yeah, without the proper codes, I can't get access to the security program.”
Then Davis spoke up. He sounded worried too. Maybe Selmak was right and the guy did have a crush on Sam. “I'm going down there.”
Jacob's reaction was terse. “To do what? The local controls are locked out.” <Just like these ones are!!> He spoke into the radio again. “Jack, I'm gonna try to find a back door to the programming.” He hit the console again. There had to be something. The water was rising too fast here, faster than he could work but he wasn't going to give up.
Jack's voice came over the radio again demanding to know how long it was going to take.
“I don't know. This is kind of a unique situation here. Give me a few minutes.” Jacob kept working, yelling at Selmak, trying every combination he could think of but nothing was working. It was hopeless. Under normal circumstances he'd give up but that wasn't an option. He had to keep trying.
Five minutes later Davis spoke up again. He'd been hovering at Jacob's elbow all but getting in the way. “Jacob, we could blow the door.”
“No, in such a confined space, the concussion would kill them,” Jacob snapped.
Davis looked at him, his tone fast and anxious. “They'll be dead if we don't! We can't leave them in there to drown, Jacob! We have to do some…”
Jacob cut him off yelling at him. “What the hell do you think I'm trying to do, Major?!?!” His voice was heavy with emotion, almost tearful. That was his daughter in there!!!! Had this guy forgotten that? If he failed here his Daughter Died!
Jacob continued working frantically until finally he realised he'd failed. The screen in front of him indicated the compartment was flooded. “I can't do it.” He raised his radio. “Sam…“ he choked, tears in his eyes. “I'm sorry…” He'd failed. He was barely away of Davis turning away. Grief filled him. He'd failed his wife and now his daughter. What kind of a man was he? Parents weren't meant to outlive their children.
Selmak tried to comfort him but he pushed her away. She felt just as bad. She should have known the passwords, known how to get round the security systems but not this time. She just didn't know why it hadn't worked. It should have worked.
The console started beeping but Jacob ignored it. He was trying to contain his grief, tempted to just go down to the flooded levels and wait for the inevitable. It was only when Davis spoke to him that he looked up. “The security protocol's been erased.” <But how the hell did that happen?> He raised his radio. “Jack, Sam! Come in!”
<Why Jack? Why not Sam?>
<Because I failed Sam… I promised her I'd not fail her and I did.>
<Jacob this wasn't your fault… you did your best.>
<My best wasn't good enough!> he snapped.
A new voice came over the radio. “Jacob, this is Teal'c. We are on board the ship.”
Tension obvious in his voice Jacob answered, “Teal'c, Jack and Sam are in trouble! Main computer room.” He held his breath, afraid of what the next radio transmission would bring. He closed his eyes seeing the body of his daughter lying on the floor
The radio activated. “Dad, this is Sam. We're OK!”
Davis reacted first. “Yes!” He thumped Jacob's broken collar bone hard then mouthed “Sorry.”
Jacob's eyes filled again. He couldn't quite believe it. She was alive… but no thanks to him. He tried to explain that he hadn't done anything, that he wasn't able to do anything but he was just so pleased she was alright. All he wanted to do was hug her. Something more was going on onboard this ship than met the eye but for now that didn't matter. He'd got his daughter back.
© Tels July 19 th 2006 .