CHAPTER ONE

Jacob Carter stepped through the wormhole and onto the SGC ramp, feeling his mood lift almost instantly. As much as he loved seeing all of the different worlds he travelled to with the Tok’ra, there was just something about the smell of Earth that he missed.

‘You can’t possibly detect “the smell of Earth” this far under a mountain. It is my nose as well, and to me this place smells like a bunker full of warriors and scientists. Hardly what one would hope represented Earth as a whole.’

Jacob smiled. ‘Just humour me, Sel. It’s good to be home.’ His smile widened as he caught sight of his daughter at the end of the ramp. He met her at the bottom and gave her a hug. “Sam, I missed you, kiddo.”

“Me too, Dad.”

He pulled out of her embrace and turned to General Hammond. “George, nice to see you.”

Hammond shook the offered hand. “Jacob, what brings you here?”

“Can SG-1 meet us in the briefing room? We need some help with something.” Jacob glanced up at the control room above them. Speak of the devil. Most of SG-1 was already there. Jack stared down at him, dressed in civvies and looking annoyed. Oops. Jacob must have interrupted plans for impending down time. Daniel at least was still in BDUs. He smiled, raising his hand in greeting. Jacob waved back and then followed the General and Sam out the door and up the stairs to the briefing room.

Jacob sat next to Sam and Daniel on one side of the table, with Hammond at the head and Jack on the other. Teal’c joined them shortly thereafter.

“What’s this about, Jacob?” Hammond asked.

“As you know, the Tok’ra have been studying the Telchak device Daniel recovered and are attempting to develop a method of killing Anubis’s Kull warriors.”

Daniel shuddered, no doubt at the memory of his trip to Honduras. Jacob didn’t know the details, but from what little he’d gleaned in the debriefing after he, Sam, Teal’c and Bra’tac had returned from Tartarus, it had been bad.

Next to him, Sam’s arm moved under the table as she placed a sympathetic hand on Daniel’s knee. To Jacob’s surprise, Daniel placed his hand over hers, squeezing what looked to be a thank you. Ouch. If he was still accepting comfort in public, Jacob would have to reassess his opinion of Daniel’s Central American experience to very bad.

‘You see? That is what I would call a lingering touch.’

Jacob sighed inwardly. Selmak had somehow got it into his head that there was something going on between the two scientists. Jacob, while he wasn’t against the idea, was fairly certain his symbiote was delusional.

‘Maybe I’m not the delusional one, human.’

“How’s that going, anyway?” Jack asked.

Selmak’s delusions? Oh, right. The Telchak weapon. Jacob shrugged. “It’s going. We’ve made some strides, though not as many as Selmak and I had hoped for by now. To be honest, Anise is driving us crazy.”

Sam snorted and quickly tried to cover it with a cough. Good to know other people were annoyed by Anise too.

‘You think they’ve enjoyed her experiments on them?’ Selmak asked.

Good point. “We’re also still trying to get used to the new Alpha Site labs, and the rising tensions between the Tok’ra and the Free Jaffa haven’t made it any easier. I’d like to request Sam’s help in finishing the weapon. We could use her expertise.”

“That’s all you wanted?” Jack asked, pushing his chair back and standing. “Great. Carter’ll get to futz with thingamabobs, and I can still get to Denver in time for the puck drop. Assuming Siler hasn’t left yet.” Daniel looked up at Jack with a faintly disapproving expression. “What? I told him the tickets were only his conditionally.”

“Sit down, Jack,” Jacob said. “I’m sorry about your hockey game, but Sam’s help with the weapon isn’t what I’m here for. That’s just a request for when we get back.”

“Back?” Jack fell back into his seat with a sigh. “We going somewhere?”

“Yes. A planet called Tzabek. Anubis has a new base there. One of our operatives infiltrated the ranks of the Goa’uld in charge, who you’ve met before.” He smiled. “Any guesses?”

Jack shrugged and waited. Hammond was looking at Jacob thoughtfully. Sam shook her head. Daniel was idly tracing the grain of the wood on the table in front of him, staring at his fingers with an intensity that suggested to Jacob that he had the answer but hadn’t yet caught up to it.

‘Believe what you wish,’ Selmak taunted. ‘He won’t guess it.’

Teal’c’s head tilted. “I have not previously heard of Tzabek.”

Suddenly, Daniel’s head jerked up. “Zipacna.”

‘Mai’tac.’

Jacob grinned and narrowly suppressed the urge to mentally thumb his nose at his symbiote. “Thanks, Daniel. You just won me a bet with Selmak on whether or not you’d figure it out.”

“Oh, that’s just great.” Jack scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. “I have such fond memories of Zipacna. Most of which involve trying very hard not to punch him in the face. Daniel? Dare I ask how we know this?”

“Tza-bek is the Mayan name for the Pleiades, which you probably know as the Seven Sisters constellation, Jack. Since Zipacna is a demon from Maya mythology, and Jacob said we’d met this Goa’uld before...” Daniel looked like he might keep going with his explanation, but then he hesitated and turned to Jacob. “Wait. You placed a bet with your symbiote? About me?”

“Yep.” Jacob smiled at the archaeologist. “I owe you one.”

Sam shot him a questioning look. “What in the world did you bet?”

Jacob was a bit embarrassed at the juvenile nature of the bet, though that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to savour the reward. “Uh, this time it was who got to tell Anise she was being replaced.” He turned to Hammond. “That’s assuming you’ll let me borrow Sam once we’re back.”

“That will depend on exactly what this proposed mission will entail. You haven’t made that clear, Jacob.”

No, he supposed he hadn’t. “Sorry, George. The operative we have at Zipacna’s base, Hanyah, has missed her last two scheduled reports. Her last message included simplified schematics of the base at Tzabek, as well as its operation.” He paused, mostly for dramatic effect. Side effect of having a symbiote, he supposed. “Anubis has found a new queen.”

Sam’s head snapped up. “What? Already?”

“That’s what I said. It seems Anubis was already setting this second queen up when we killed his first one. We’re not sure if he wanted a backup, or if he thought production of the Kull warriors would proceed quickly enough that two queens would be necessary. Zipacna has apparently succeeded in making the base fully operational in record time. However, it’ll take time for Anubis to move his lab to Tzabek, especially without Thoth’s help. And because the queen is apparently in the middle of a spawn cycle, he can’t easily move her to Tartarus. The Tok’ra High Council feels this is the best opportunity we’ll have to destroy her, and cripple the future production of Kulls.”

“The planet has a gate, right?” Jack asked. “Dial it up and shove a bomb through. Wham, bam, thank you Zippy.”

Jacob sighed. “You really believe we didn’t think of that, Jack?”

Jack shrugged. “I just want to know why you need us.”

“The gate at Tzabek is defended with an energy shield, much like the one at Tartarus. And not only can this one stop any bomb or invasion force we could send through, it is reportedly capable of stopping Kull warriors.”

Judging by the way Sam’s eyes lit up, that part had interested her. “Zipacna has a shield that can trap a supersoldier?”

“He’s not using it as a trap, but we see no reason the technology couldn’t be adapted.” Jacob grinned.

‘We don’t know that for sure, Jacob,’ Selmak said.

‘I know my daughter. She won’t be able to resist. And if it’s possible to adapt it, she’ll make it happen.’

Sure enough, Sam went for the bait, turning to Jack and Hammond. “Sirs, I have to see this.”

Jack shot an irritated glance at Jacob and heaved a heavy sigh. “Of course you do, Carter. Okay, I may know why ‘we’ want to go, Jacob, but I still haven’t heard why you need us.”

“As usual,. we don’t have any spare operatives to pull this off. We need you to go in and destroy the place. Blow up the queen. Get a look at the shield. Feel free to take out Zipacna while you’re at it, but don’t risk either of the other objectives to do so.”

“We will be travelling by ship?” Teal’c asked.

“Yep. It’s actually a fairly ingenious location for a base. It’s remote. The next closest gate is on a planet which is part of the Asgard Protected Planets Treaty and is guarded by a hammer device, guaranteeing that any System Lord wishing to launch an invasion has to travel a lot further to do so. And while Anubis apparently hasn’t seen fit to share the sensor technology of Tartarus with him, Zipacna has adapted the shield on his own. Seems there isn’t a lot of trust lost between the two of them.”

Jacob paused to listen to a rant from Selmak which at this point had become almost a soothing refrain. He chuckled. “Selmak really loathes Zipacna, not only because of his attack on Revanna, but because he’s fairly creative for a Goa’uld. It makes him more unpredictable.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “He was quick enough to change strategies during Skaara’s Triad after he lost his ‘nothing of the host survives’ argument.”

“Yeah, that’s ‘cause he knew he was full of crap.”

“I’m not sure he did, Jack,” Daniel said. “I think he might have changed strategies because he saw his wasn’t working, not because of any change of heart.”

“Whatever. Doesn’t matter. What does matter is that Jacob wants us to go on a mission to kick some Gould ass, and Carter is practically drooling over the techno-weirdness possibilities she could learn.” Jack turned to look at both Jacob and Sam. “Does that about sum it up?”

“Pretty much,” Jacob agreed. “What do you think, George?”

“Forgive me, Jacob,” Hammond said, “but the Tok’ra have never been fond of letting us borrow their equipment. They’re just going to lend us a ship?”

This was the uncomfortable part. “Uh, no. They’re lending me the ship. I’ll be going along. We’ll be gating to the Alpha site, where the Tel’tak we’ll be taking is waiting.”

“Always has to be a cargo ship, doesn’t it? Couldn’t you just once spare something larger than a sardine can?” Jack asked.

“How many Ha’taks you think we have lying around in the garage, Jack?” Jacob asked. “Relax. You’ll like this one. We’ve managed to outfit it with a cloaking device and defensive shields and everything.”

“Big honking space gun?”

Selmak snorted internally.

“Okay, maybe not everything,” Jacob said.

Hammond leaned forward and crossed his hands on the briefing room table, frowning. “I’ve also noticed that the Tok’ra do not hold my people’s safety in high regard. Jacob. Selmak. I want your promise that this mission is achievable.”

Jacob bowed his head, letting Selmak take over. “I assure you, General Hammond, that although this mission will be risky, both Jacob and I have every confidence that SG-1 can accomplish it.”

Hammond studied him for a long moment before turning to Jack. “Colonel?”

“Yes, sir?”

“It’s your mission, if you want it.”

Jack glanced at his team. Sam’s blue eyes were pleading with an expression that, in the past, had bested even Jacob’s stubbornness. Teal’c inclined his head to indicate his agreement, and Daniel shrugged and nodded. “Then I guess we’ll be going,” Jack said.

“Very well. You have a go. Be ready to depart at 0700. Dismissed.”

Hammond got up and left, followed by Jack, Teal’c and Daniel.

Excellent. Jacob took over once more. Now he just had to wrangle an off-base dinner invitation out of Sam. He was dying for a decent steak.

‘Perhaps you should arrange for Dr. Jackson to come along, too. I believe the Tau’ri often initiate romantic relationships over a meal?’

Jacob snorted, apparently aloud. He waved away Sam’s puzzled look. ‘Usually not with their fathers along for the ride, Sel. Will you stop already? Her love life is none of our business.’

‘You should make it your business. She’s your daughter. You can’t tell me you don’t see it. She cares for him. He cares for her. They clearly need some help recognizing the next step.’

Forget the steak. What he needed was coffee. Something strong and thick. Preferably Turkish. Selmak gave an internal grunt of disgust, which amused Jacob. ‘Ready to shut up now?’

‘Coffee should be deemed cruel and unusual punishment. My next host will be much more cooperative, I’m sure.’

‘Oh, you’re lucky I put up with you as it is. You’re hardly Miss Congeniality.’ Jacob ignored the rest of Selmak’s good-natured grumbling and turned his attention back to his daughter. He was looking forward to the mission and the opportunity it would provide to relax and catch up with Sam. Three days there, a quick infiltration and destruction of the queen and hopefully Zipacna, and then three days back. What could go wrong?

Sam and the rest of SG-1 crept silently toward one of the side entrances of the Goa’uld base on Tzabek. Selmak had landed as close as he dared to the complex, and SG-1 had hiked in from there, carefully avoiding several Jaffa patrols. The frequency of those patrols had convinced Sam’s father and Selmak that it wouldn’t be safe to leave the ship where it was, cloaked or not. So, reluctantly, her father had stayed aboard and taken the ship up into orbit around the planet.

Sam was more than grateful to have finally arrived at their destination. She loved her father and her teammates, but three days cooped up with them in a cargo ship had been more than enough. She’d had a nice long chat with her dad, both of them catching up on recent news and events. It was her team that had driven her nuts.

They’d spent most of the first day devising their game plan, checking and rechecking their equipment, and going over the schematics of Zipacna’s confusing base until they could get around it in their sleep. Then the Colonel had become bored, and the rest of them had suffered for it.

Teal’c had spent most of his remaining time either piloting the ship or escaping into Kel’no’reem, although he did join the others for meals and the occasional philosophical discussion with Daniel and Selmak. His response to Colonel O’Neill’s attempts at ‘fun’ diversions was to ignore him. And it had worked, to the detriment of everyone else.

Sam had succeeded in making the Colonel’s eyes glaze over with technical theories about the shield she was hoping to study. Her father had entertained him for awhile before finally pulling rank and ordering the Colonel to go away. Which left poor Daniel.

Daniel’s attempts to bore Colonel O’Neill into submission with Maya legends of Zipacna clearly hadn’t worked. The resulting banter and mutual annoyance had amused her at first, but it eventually became grating and tedious for everyone involved.

Curiously, it was Selmak that had come to the rescue, distracting the Colonel for a while with questions about the strategy they’d be using. The Tok’ra had glanced at Sam over the Colonel’s shoulder and nodded towards Daniel.

Sam had helped Daniel calm down from the irrational level of crankiness that only Colonel O’Neill seemed able to generate in him. She was proud of the fact that she’d managed to make him laugh twice as they again went over the base schematics, though of course it couldn’t last. The Colonel had returned, and soon enough he and Daniel were back to hurling sarcasm at each other.

Oh, yeah. Sam was glad they’d arrived.

Teal’c held a hand up in warning, and Sam and the others stopped abruptly. They silently waited in the underbrush for four Jaffa to go by. Then Sam and the Colonel darted into the doorway, him covering her as she manipulated the electronic lock into co-operation. Teal’c and Daniel were still in the underbrush, ensuring they wouldn’t be ambushed as she worked.

Soon enough, the door slid open, and she tucked her tools back into her vest. The Colonel patted her on the shoulder and swung through the entrance, weapon ready. A moment later, he came back out and motioned for Teal’c and Daniel to join them.

Inside, Sam took point, leading them up the long hallway to the first intersection, a good hundred yards in. This was where they’d be splitting up. Teal’c and Daniel would be heading left, towards the queen and the tanks holding the immature Goa’uld larvae. Sam and Colonel O’Neill would head in the opposite direction to get a look at the gate shield and then set the charges to blow up the base’s power station.

Sam peered around the corner of the cross-hallway and confirmed it was empty. She motioned for the others to join her. The Colonel took a quick look himself and then turned to Teal’c and Daniel. He tapped his watch, signalling that they’d all meet back here in one hour. They’d already discussed the need for radio silence except in the case of an emergency.

Daniel and Teal’c nodded their comprehension and took off down the left-hand hallway with Teal’c in the lead and Daniel covering his six. Sam let her gaze drop for a second to admire Daniel’s six, before shaking herself out of such inappropriate thoughts.

She looked up and saw Colonel O’Neill’s eyes on her. She fought back a blush. He couldn’t possibly know what she’d just been thinking about, could he? He turned away without saying anything, but the smug-looking half-smile on his face answered her question. Okay, that was embarrassing.

She followed the Colonel down the hallway towards the gate room. She’d have to deal with both her embarrassment and attraction to Daniel later. Right now there was a job to do.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“You just about done over there, Teal’c?” Daniel Jackson asked quietly.

Teal’c set the last of his C4 under the edge of the Goa’uld queen’s tank. “Indeed, I am.”

“Good. Me too.” Daniel Jackson stood up from behind the machinery on which he had planted the last of his own explosive charges. He checked his watch, walking over to join Teal’c by the tank. “We have ten minutes to get back to meet Jack and Sam.”

Teal’c pointed to the strange glyphs on the wall above. “Can you read these symbols?”

Daniel Jackson looked up and frowned. “It’s Yucatec Maya. It’s not one of my stronger languages, but I think it refers to the goddess Ixchel. She’s probably the queen.” He paused and observed the fattened Goa’uld in the tank for several seconds before shuddering. “Ugh. These things are even uglier than you described.”

“I had not remembered that this is your first experience with a Goa’uld queen.” Teal’c heard Daniel Jackson’s breath catch and cursed himself for his poor choice of wording. His friend most certainly had experienced a queen in the past, when Hathor had compromised Stargate Command. It was a time Teal’c knew Daniel Jackson would as soon forget. “I apologize. I meant a queen without a host.”

“It’s fine, Teal’c. I know what—” Daniel Jackson’s words were cut off by the angry shout of an enemy Jaffa. Teal’c shot the warrior, and then he and Daniel Jackson ran past the body into the corridor which would lead back to the team’s rendezvous point. Unfortunately, there were now more Jaffa down it, likely responding to the sound of Teal’c’s weapon.

“Jack! Teal’c and I will have to find an alternate route. Our exit’s cut off!” Daniel Jackson managed to report before a staff blast forced him to let go of the radio and concentrate on dodging further attacks.

Teal’c returned fire, bringing down several enemy Jaffa, which allowed them to retreat down the corridor from which they’d come. He could hear Daniel Jackson’s weapon firing as he too fought their attackers. O’Neill’s voice issued from the radio on Teal’c’s shoulder, but he had neither the time nor a hand available to respond. Indeed, he did not even hear what had been said. He assumed Daniel Jackson did not either.

After several sharp turns, they lost sight of the Jaffa pursuing them. They continued around another corner into a storage room and were suddenly faced with Zipacna himself entering from another hallway, along with two Jaffa warriors.

Teal’c fired at the Goa’uld, but the blast was absorbed harmlessly by a personal shield. Zipacna raised his hand, revealing a glowing ribbon device, and Teal’c threw himself sharply to the right. Daniel Jackson’s reflexes were an instant slower, and Teal’c winced as his friend was slammed into a wall. Zipacna strode towards the fallen man.

Teal’c readied his staff weapon, anxious to protect Daniel Jackson, but instead found himself in battle with the two Jaffa. He realized he would not last long without seeking cover and regrettably retreated around the closest corner. He quickly dispatched the two, only to find that those following them had caught up to their location. Teal’c ducked back into the room.

To his relief, he saw that Daniel Jackson had recovered from his impact with the wall and had thrown his knife at his attacker. Zipacna was clutching at the large blade imbedded in his shoulder, cursing the human in Goa’uld. Daniel Jackson began climbing to his feet, no doubt to press his advantage.

Teal’c’s attention was forcefully brought back to his own battle by a staff blast impacting with the wall not three inches from his face. He turned and spent several moments engaging the remaining Jaffa. Though he regretted having to kill his Jaffa brothers, he did take pride in the skill with which he defeated those who outnumbered him. Soon his enemies were dead, and he once more turned back to Daniel Jackson and Zipacna.

Daniel Jackson’s attempts to defeat the Goa’uld quickly had failed. He was on his knees before Zipacna, caught in the beam of the hand device. The scene instantly transported Teal’c back to the tent four years earlier when he’d been forced to destroy Amonet, and with her, Sha’re Jackson. This time, Daniel Jackson had not dropped his sidearm, unable to kill his beloved wife. Indeed, Teal’c could see that Daniel Jackson was attempting to extricate his weapon from its holster, but was clearly hampered by the agonizing pain inflicted by Zipacna’s hand device. Teal’c did not hesitate. He brought his staff weapon around and blasted a hole in the chest of Zipacna, scoring directly on the hilt of Daniel Jackson’s thrown knife.

The stream of light from the hand device ended abruptly, and Daniel Jackson slumped to the floor. A brief flicker indicated that Zipacna had raised his personal shield, but it was far too late. The Goa’uld looked down at himself, no doubt in shock as he took in the new hole in his black armour, the molten metal of the knife blade running down his chest. He looked up at Teal’c, his eyes flashing his denial, before falling forward, sprawled across the floor.

Teal’c was momentarily distracted by another Jaffa, but dispatched him as quickly as he had the false god. Then he strode forward to ensure that Daniel Jackson would be what he referred to as ‘fine’. Teal’c was relieved to have saved his friend again, this time without the guilt of having destroyed someone that Daniel Jackson loved.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack and Carter had been remarkably successful in finding, scanning and planting explosives all around the gate room shield device as well as the base’s power generators. They’d also searched the empty prison section as they’d passed it, hoping to find the Tok’ra operative. If she’d ever been there, she wasn’t now. Wherever she was, they’d have to leave her. Jack wasn’t fond of the idea, but this was a Tok’ra mission, not an SGC one. It was Jacob’s call, and he’d called for them to destroy the base as quickly as possible.

All the charges were set. The remote detonator was in Jack’s hand. Now they just needed to reunite with their teammates and blow this popsicle stand.

It wasn’t to be, not that that was surprising. The distant sound of staff blasts mixed with the retorts of a P90 told him that the jig was up, even before Daniel’s voice called to them through their radios.

“Crap,” Carter muttered under her breath.

Jack spared an amused glance at her; apparently he was a bad influence on his team’s vocabulary. He thumbed his radio. “We’re on our way. What’s your situation?” There was no answer. “Daniel? Teal’c?”

Judging by the intensity of the weapons fire he could make out, he guessed neither one had even heard him. Great. Jack just loved going in blind. This day was getting better and better. He closed the safety on the detonator and stuffed it into the front pocket of his vest.

Quickly but cautiously, they made their way towards the sounds of fighting. Soon enough, the sound of the P90 halted, although the continuing staff blasts told Jack that Teal’c was still fighting. So, Daniel was down, was he? He shared a worried look with Carter, and they picked up their pace. And came to a dead end.

Jack stared stupidly at the wall in front of him for a few seconds before turning on his heel and backtracking. Carter was beside him, her face flushing a dark red at her apparent mistake. Jack brought the image of the base schematic back up in his mind and recognized where they’d taken the bad turn. He’d been leading at that point. His fault, not hers. He shook his head. Damned Goa’uld and their inefficient architecture. The fact that the base had intentionally been designed to be confusing didn’t impact Jack’s mental condemnation in the slightest.

Jack’s worry at the delay was not lessened by the fact that he could no longer hear weapons fire. It might be a good thing, but somehow he doubted it. Especially when the next thing he heard was a single staff blast, which sent images of Teal’c or Daniel being dispatched execution style flooding through his mind. He shied away from the thought. They were fine. They were both more than capable; they’d be fine.

The staff blast had sounded so close, but due to the ridiculous layout of the base there was actually a significant amount of corridor between them. And now the Jaffa were crawling out of the woodwork. Carter took one out before Jack even registered the presence behind them, but he quickly returned the favour by killing the next two.

And then there were no more live Jaffa in their way, however as Jack and Carter cautiously rounded the corner they were confronted by several dead ones as well as the Goa’uld queen undulating in her tank. Jack ignored the bloated snake and turned his attention to the fallen Jaffa. Carter knelt down beside one, reached for a pulse and shook her head. Excellent. A good enemy was a dead enemy. Three had succumbed to staff blast wounds, and further down near the far doorway were two more who’d apparently met the business end of Daniel’s P90.

Jack and Carter continued, now following Jaffa bodies like a map. Jack grinned briefly at the image of Teal’c skipping merrily down the corridor, leaving a trail of Jaffa crumbs for his teammates to follow. Carter gave him a strange look and he swallowed the smile. He’d tell her later, when she could appreciate the joke.

A group of five Jaffa lay sprawled in the entranceway of another room, which Jack figured was probably storage, based on his memory of the schematics.

Jack peeked into the room, quickly determining that it was empty apart from the figure curled up in the middle of the floor and several very dead looking Jaffa. He motioned for Carter to scout up the corridor a bit farther. She hesitated briefly, looking at the man in the room before them. Her eyes flicked back to Jack, and he clearly received her implied threat. Take care of him, or else. Then she was heading down the hall to cover their six. Hopefully she’d also be able to find Teal’c. Jack turned his attention back to the man huddled in the centre of the room.

“Daniel?”

There was a brief pause, then, “Yeah.”

“You okay?”

“Uh, not really. Got ribboned.” Daniel rolled over onto his back. “Really hate that.”

“Yeah, I know you do.” Jack entered the room and knelt beside his friend. Oh, yeah. Big nasty hand device burns. For someone so smart, Daniel managed to get his brain fried, erased, subjugated, bruised or otherwise screwed over with alarming frequency. “Where’s Teal’c?”

“Not sure,” Daniel said. “Should be around here somewhere. He shot Zipacna. Saved my life. He wasn’t quite dead. Maybe Teal'c went to finish the job?”

Jack wasn’t particularly reassured by Daniel’s uncharacteristically short sentences, but he just nodded and helped him to his feet. Daniel swayed slightly and leaned against him for a long moment. Jack held him up, one hand on his weapon, one on his friend’s shoulder. He looked into Daniel’s face to see if he would be okay. Jack didn’t think so, not judging by how pale and distracted he suddenly seemed to be. However, Jack soon realized that Daniel wasn’t distracted by pain; he was staring at something behind Jack. Something or, more likely, someone. Jack froze and squeezed his eyes shut in a futile attempt at denial.

“Tau’ri kree!”

Great. He still had one hand on his P90 and one on Daniel’s shoulder. He wouldn’t be able to get either hand into a position where he could set off the explosives without the Jaffa blowing his head off. Daniel had torn his eyes away from the Jaffa and was looking at Jack, nodding almost imperceptibly. Years of practice at unspoken communication between them told Jack what Daniel wanted to do. The archaeologist’s hands were hidden from the Jaffa by Jack’s body. Jack flicked his eyes towards the pocket of his vest holding the remote detonator. Daniel extracted the device, carefully ensuring that the movement wasn’t visible to enemy eyes. Jack slowly turned to face the Jaffa, making sure that he was still blocking their view of Daniel’s hands. Several seconds passed with Jack tensed to move the moment the Jaffa were distracted.

But instead of a big honking explosion, there was only the sound of a distant zat blast. Probably Carter getting herself captured. Yup. This day was getting better and better.

And still there were no explosions. What the hell? Why hadn’t Daniel used the detonator? Was it defective? He risked turning his head to look at Daniel and was confused to see that the detonator hadn’t even been activated. Instead, Daniel tossed it to one of the nearby Jaffa, not seeming the least bit surprised when the guard bowed to him in response. His lips curled into a lopsided sneer.

Jack had a very bad feeling about this. “Daniel?”

“Not exactly.” Daniel’s eyes flashed with an inner light and his voice took on the deep flanged tones Jack hated so much. He uttered an all too familiar phrase, “Nothing of the host survives.”

Teal’c watched as the being that controlled the body of his friend entered the cell in which he’d been imprisoned.

“Your friends are exceptionally gullible.”

“You are mistaken.”

Zipacna smirked, and Teal’c resisted the urge to snap his neck, though only due to his care for the true owner of that neck. “They are. All I had to do was remove you and the body of my previous host, and O’Neill believed the scenario I fed to him instantly. He even trusted me enough to give me the device that controls your pathetic explosives.”

“It was Daniel Jackson that O’Neill trusted. Not you. Your duplicity was not the fault of either of them.” Teal’c did not add that he felt some responsibility himself. He had not known Zipacna had fled his dying host for Daniel Jackson until he had been betrayed. He had half-carried what he thought was the injured archaeologist out of the storage room, only to have the man take the zat’nik’tel from the holster on Teal’c’s thigh and fire. Teal’c had awoken in this cell enraged and mourning his friend’s fate.

“I had been expecting further Tok’ra infiltrations. Imagine my surprise when, instead, I found Tau’ri.” The Goa’uld’s smirk disappeared, and he seemed to grow pensive, though Teal’c doubted he was anything of the sort. “Tell me, shol’va, how is it that you believe my host did not hate you?”

Teal’c remained silent. There was no point in responding to this creature that sought only to dishonour his friendship with Daniel Jackson.

“I truly do not understand. You are responsible for the abduction of his wife. You chose her to be host to Amonet. You even slew dear Amonet and destroyed his last imagined hope for ever reuniting with his love.” Zipacna smiled. “He pretended to forgive you for all these wrongs, yet deep within, he could not.”

Teal’c stared steadily at Zipacna, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a response.

“You believe I’m lying. You are wrong, Teal’c, betrayer of Apophis, betrayer of Amonet, betrayer of my host. You have my word that this is so.”

“Your word holds no value. Daniel Jackson has never lied to me, whereas you have yet to speak the truth.” Teal’c scowled at the Goa’uld before him. “You will not succeed in making me doubt my friendship with Daniel Jackson, nor will I tell you anything you wish to know.”

“You claim friendship with the Tau’ri, and in doing so, you betray your gods. You have become as foolish and weak as they are. As weak as my host.”

Teal’c had to smile at that. He could not think of a human that would make a more inconvenient host for a false god than Daniel Jackson. He would wager his life that his friend was even now doing everything in his power to thwart his possessor.

“You are not a god. You are nothing more than a parasite enslaving the body of a good man. A strong man who will never cease fighting you.” Teal’c looked the false god before him up and down. “I will see you die, Zipacna. Perhaps you might ask your host the fate of the other Goa’uld I have sworn to destroy.”

“I ask nothing of my host, for nothing of him remains.” Even as Zipacna spoke, his eyes widened in surprise. Teal’c didn’t know whether Daniel Jackson had actively informed the symbiote, or if Zipacna had simply found the answer in his stolen memories, but Teal’c was sure he had become aware of the ends of Cronus and Tanith. Teal’c hoped that Daniel Jackson was still capable of some small amount of pleasure in the fear Zipacna was failing to conceal.

“Enough! Kneel before your god, shol’va.”

“I will not.”

“You will.” The hand device activated and Teal’c felt the burning begin in his head. “I will have all I desire in time.”

It was only because the muscles in his legs eventually ceased to support him, but Zipacna was right. Teal’c did kneel.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Sam ran her fingers along the seam of the wall, trying to find something, anything, that she could open or use to get herself out of her cell. She was worried about her teammates. She’d seen Daniel on the floor of that chamber earlier, but didn’t know how badly he’d been injured. The Colonel had ordered her to scout ahead, so she hadn’t been able to check on her friend. Then she’d stupidly managed to get herself zatted before she could even cry a warning. She hadn’t had time to locate Teal’c, either.

Sam held out some hope that the reason she was alone in this cell was that the others were still free. The Colonel had helped Daniel, they’d found Teal’c, and they were all hiding somewhere, plotting how to get her out. It was a comforting thought, but it was probably also overly optimistic.

Her current prison seemed to be nothing more than a black box about 5 paces wide with a force field making up one wall. A force field which delivered an exceedingly painful shock, Sam had discovered. It had taken a good five minutes for full feeling to come back to her hand. She was glad she hadn’t run into it with her face.

Sam finished examining the left wall, and started on the back one. The thin seam ran all the way across this wall at about hip height. She traced her fingers along it. There. It connected with another seam about two thirds of the way across. Soon, Sam had traced out a full square. This might just be the access panel she was looking for.

There was a commotion in the hallway outside her cell. Someone was speaking, too low-pitched for Sam to understand, though the cadence suggested it was in Goa’uld. She straightened up from her examination of the wall and moved to the centre of the room. She was sure that whatever was going on, she probably wouldn’t be able to make a break for it. Still, she felt better away from the wall with a bit of room to manoeuvre.

“Swiac?” said a familiar voice. Daniel? Daniel was talking to the Jaffa guarding her?

“Kel’sha, dis’tra.” Sam assumed that to be one of the Jaffa. She wished again that Jolinar had left more memories of spoken Goa’uld in her head. She really should take Daniel up on the tutoring he’d once offered.

She felt the unpleasantly familiar tingle that signified the presence of nearby naquadah, and predictably two Jaffa stepped into view just outside her cell. They seemed tense, but they weren’t glowering at her in that threatening manner the entire species had apparently perfected. What the hell was going on?

The force field came down. Daniel stepped between the two Jaffa and into Sam’s cell. “Sam? Are you hurt?”

Oh, thank God. She’d been worried about him, and now here he was. His left arm was supported in a make-shift sling, and he had ribbon burns on his forehead, but apart from that he looked perfectly fine. Confident, even. “I’m okay. How did you get in here?” She thrust her chin towards the Jaffa in the hallway. “And what’s with them?”

“They’re rebels, Sam. They recognized Teal’c and sprang me. We’ve got to go. If we can get to the gate—”

“What about Teal’c and the Colonel?”

He shook his head. “Zipacna’s in with Jack, and Teal’c’s too heavily guarded by loyal Jaffa. We’ll have to get help from the SGC.” He held up a GDO, tossed it to her and then pulled a radio out of his pocket. “The Jaffa managed to get these for me, but they wouldn’t risk bringing our weapons.”

Sam nodded. If they could gain control of the gate, they could call the General and arrange for reinforcements to come for a rescue mission. And they could finish their original mission of destroying the base and the queen. But why the GDO? Surely Daniel wasn’t suggesting that they leave without the others. “What’s your plan?”

He nodded towards the two Jaffa. “Jer’ac and Re’noc here will escort us to the gate room so we’ll be able to pass the guard posts. Once the gate is activated, they’ll be able to bring down the shield and allow us to contact the SGC. I’m guessing one of us will have to go through to convince General Hammond that this will work”

“What about Dad?”

Daniel hesitated, confusion crossing his features for a moment. She thought she saw a rare flash of anger, but it was gone before she was even sure it was there. “Right, Selmak...and Jacob. I almost forgot. We’ll have to let him know what’s going on once we get to the gate.”

Sam looked back to the two Jaffa guards, who were still standing motionlessly by the door. “You really trust them?”

“They brought our stuff when I asked and brought me here. And they helped stabilize my arm. So far, so good.” He started back out of the cell. “We have to hurry if this is going to work.”

“True enough.” Sam took a step towards him and hesitated. Why would the Jaffa risk bringing them a radio and a GDO, and not their weapons? Surely if they were caught the Jaffa wouldn’t be any less dead for not crossing that line. And why hadn’t they said anything?

Daniel turned to look at her, clearly not understanding why she wasn’t following him. Sam wasn’t sure herself. Something just seemed...off. “Daniel, wait. I think it’s a trick.” She grabbed his free hand to keep him from getting between the Jaffa again. “They’re setting us up some...” Her voice trailed off as she realized that the tingle of nearby naquadah had just become exponentially stronger.

Shit! Sam dropped Daniel’s hand like it had burned her. She backed up until she bumped into the back wall of her cell.

Daniel’s expression changed from surprise to confusion to amusement. His eyes flashed with a golden light, and Sam felt her last ounce of desperately needed denial ebb away. The Goa’uld pulled his arm out of the sling to reveal a hand device, and his voice echoed with the tone of a symbiote. “You were once host to a Tok’ra. I should have realized the implications of that fact. It’s a mistake that, I assure you, will not happen again.”

Sam stared at him, watching his face in an attempt to read his now foreign expression. He pulled the sling off and tossed it aside, then clasped his hands firmly behind his back, emphasizing the muscles in his chest and arms that Daniel had worked so hard to build. “Who are you?” she finally asked.

“Ah, my dear. How rude of me. I had forgotten you would not recognize me in my new...attire. We’ve met before.”

There was something familiar in the tilt of his head and the curl of his lip. “Zipacna.”

The Goa’uld inclined his head in greeting. “A pleasure, as always.”

Not even remotely pleasurable. The only thing she could imagine that would be less pleasurable was if she was in Daniel’s place. Oh, God. Daniel.

No doubt Zipacna knew what she was thinking and took pleasure in her discomfort. He smiled in that insufferable way he had, made all the more intolerable because it wasn’t remotely like Daniel’s. His mouth twisted into a smirk, lopsided and strange.

“What is the matter, Major?” he asked, stepping towards her, far too close for comfort. “Do you not enjoy spending time with your friend?”

Sam looked up at him. His arrogant bearing made his body seem taller and more intimidating than it ever had before. She’d never realized how much Daniel normally slouched. “Youare not my friend. My friend is fighting you with everything he has.”

The smirk turned into a sneer. “He has already given up. Soon he will cease to exist completely. A shame, really. I had expected him to be stronger.” His words were crisp and precise, each consonant carefully emphasized.

But precision was not the same as accuracy. “Daniel will never stop fighting you.” Sam stopped for a moment as a thought struck her. Then it was her turn to smirk. “There’s a reason you tried to trick me into going with you to the gate. You need the codes to get past the iris, and if you need them from me, it means you haven’t been able to get them from Daniel.”

It might have been her imagination but Sam thought she could see a flicker in Zipacna’s eyes. It was gone before she could identify it, but it was...something. Zipacna hesitated a moment, his sneer faltering, but it returned all too soon.

“But what I have learned from him is so much more interesting than access codes. He wants you, Samantha. Were you aware of that? It appears he has for a long time.”

“That is not true.”

“Oh, but it is. Even now, my host is guarding his secrets. Painful beyond words for him, and inevitably futile, but he tries. This, though, he cannot hide. Not with you so close.” Zipacna smiled again, apparently savouring his host’s reaction. “He loves you, and he’s afraid I will force him to hurt you.” The Goa’uld chuckled and lifted his hand, gently tracing a finger down her cheek before turning away.

Sam wasn’t sure she could bear any more of this. A part of her sensed that Zipacna was telling the truth, that Daniel did love her. That part was thrilled to hear what she’d longed to for so long. But most of her was sickened by this betrayal of secrets that were Daniel’s alone. He hadn’t wanted her to know, and now she did. “Stop it! Stop violating his mind.”

Zipacna turned back, a twisted grin on his face. “Violation. An excellent idea. I’m not certain which I’d enjoy more. Your pain or his torment as I rape you with his body.”

Oh, God. Sam felt herself involuntarily back up a half step, only to realize she was already against the wall. She tried to remain calm, to hide her reaction, but she knew she hadn’t been successful. The parasite in Daniel’s body smirked at her again.

“His deepest desires played out for him. You, writhing beneath him. He should thank me, really.” He leered at her, cold and cruel, and stepped closer. “And what of you? Have you not wanted him as well?”

This time, Sam knew she’d been successful in hiding her feelings. She’d hidden them for years from Daniel, and he knew her so much better than this bastard ever would.

However, Sam couldn’t hide her flinch when his hand tangled in the hair at the back of her neck and pulled, hard, tilting her head back. His other hand easily caught her arm as she attempted to push him away. His lips crushed hers, punishing both her and his host with one action. The kiss was rough, bruising and hateful. Not anything like she’d imagined kissing Daniel would be. Of course it wasn’t. It wasn’t Daniel kissing her.

Sam tried to break his embrace. The sharp twist and the tug of her wrist that would have worked on a human attacker were insufficient to escape a Goa’uld. Zipacna almost casually blocked her knee from intersecting with his groin as intended. The hand in her hair tightened painfully, and she felt tears collect in her eyes as he laughed at her.

Then Zipacna was tugging at her jacket, wrenching it over her shoulders, trapping her arms. A knife appeared in his hand and sliced her black T-shirt open from collar to hem. She distracted herself for a moment, trying to figure out what metal the knife must be made of to cut her shirt like it was paper. His hand tugged at her hair again, pulling her attention back to him. The knife had disappeared, tucked back wherever he had pulled it from.

His other hand reached for her breast, no doubt to crush, to bruise. But then the hand stopped, trembling. Zipacna looked down at it in apparent surprise. It inched towards her a bit farther before stopping again.

Zipacna looked up into her eyes, and Sam caught sight of something more. The anger was still there, but it was softer somehow, mixed with confusion and that same flicker that Sam had seen before. Determination? The hand reaching for her breast was shaking outright now, seemingly unable to close the distance and hurt her. And still his eyes stared into her own. His shoulders dropped slightly into a much more familiar stance, and he let go of her hair.

“Daniel?” It was him. She knew it was him.

Suddenly, his eyes flashed menacingly. He straightened to his full height and tilted his chin up, arrogance personified once more. He backhanded her, the ribbon device slicing across her cheek, her teeth cutting into her lip.

Zipacna strode away, calling for his Jaffa to follow. Sam wiped the blood away from her mouth with the back of her hand and absently watched the Jaffa reactivate the force field behind them. Then she shrugged her jacket back over her shoulders, doing it up to cover herself once more, and hugged her arms around her chest. Sam leaned back against the wall and let gravity bring her down to the floor, pulling her knees into her chest. Her defiance fled, and she felt the tears of fear and rage she’d been holding back flow down her cheeks.

Daniel had won a battle with his possessor, and he’d done so to protect her. But Sam knew first hand what he was up against, and though he’d accomplished far more than she had, she knew it was inevitable that Daniel would lose. She had to find a way out before Zipacna returned.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zipacna stormed out of the prison block, his rage building with every stride as he made his way to his quarters. He ripped the corrective lenses off his face and flung them against a wall as he passed, though it did nothing to calm him. Anger at his previous host for having the gall to die so inconveniently. Anger at his current host for his rebellion. Anger at himself for losing control, however briefly. Especially in front of his prisoner. It would be much harder to frighten her if she thought her friend might emerge to help her at any moment.

‘You’d find it tough to frighten her anyway,’ said the voice of this most stubborn host. ‘Sam is strong.’

‘Your resistance will not go unpunished, human,’ Zipacna snarled. ‘And I will inevitably discover all you know. Your attempts to shield the Tok’ra from me have failed.’ It was only due to Major Carter’s question regarding her father that he’d finally discovered who had brought the Tau’ri to his base, but he was not about to admit that to the remnant of his host. He felt the human’s satisfaction in the knowledge anyway, and sent a flare of the agony only a symbiote could give. The cry of pain from his host gave him some satisfaction in return. It was quite soothing, really.

Zipacna reached his chambers and allowed his lo’tar to dress him in a more suitable fashion than the ugly garments the Tau’ri wore. He watched the slave appraising his new body as she worked, seemingly liking what she saw. He’d long since tired of her as a lover, keeping her only because she was skilled at the other aspects of her job and had earned his trust. But perhaps with her renewed interest in the novelty of this host, she’d again please him as she once had. It would be worth a try. After he’d finished with Major Carter, of course.

Apparently the pain inflicted thus far was not enough to silence his host for long. ‘I won’t let you hurt her. Not like that.’

‘You don’t mind me hurting her in other ways? I can be very... creative.’

‘I don’t have the strength to prevent it. Sam is strong. She can withstand torture. But I won’t let you rape her.’ Zipacna felt the anguish and weariness in his host’s voice, and to his chagrin, he felt relief that the man had been stretched to his limits. He didn’t wish to admit it to himself, but he’d begun to fear this human. The thought alone was enough to make him snort. Zipacna feared no one, certainly not the remnant of the human he possessed. Still, a little bargaining would make control easier. It might save him the headache of continuing to battle for dominance.

The lo’tar finished dressing him and escorted him to his command centre. He would attempt to contact the Tok’ra in orbit above before taking a well needed rest in his sarcophagus. But first he’d seek a bargain with his foolishly obstinate host. ‘Give me the codes that open the Tau’ri stargate and I will never attempt to rape her again.’

‘No.’

Zipacna tried to dig the information out by force, as he would with any other host, but again he failed. He had access to the vast majority of memories and thoughts, but somehow this host had tucked a few key bits of information away in some small corner of himself, a corner Zipacna had so far failed to reach. Never before had he experienced such resistance. Klorel had clearly had difficulties with the host the Tau’ri referred to as Skaara, but Zipacna had attributed that to weakness on the part of Apophis’s son. Certainly not to strength on the part of his host.

The only way to reconcile Zipacna’s knowledge that nothing of the inferior host survived with his current difficulties was to grudgingly acknowledge a fault of his own. Obviously it had been far too long since he’d taken a new host. He’d lost the touch for quickly subjugating the remnant. He’d spent a thousand years in his previous host. He’d become too complacent. Too soft. It would not do to repeat the mistake.

Zipacna also realized he’d have to work fast. Once Anubis discovered he’d taken a formerly ascended being as host it might very well mean Zipacna’s death. Anubis would not allow anyone to pose a threat to his power. Zipacna had to rid himself of the Tau’ri infiltrators, and then find a way to break into both the memories his host was intentionally hiding, as well as those Zipacna could sense were locked in the man’s subconscious. The knowledge of the Ancients might allow Zipacna to rival Anubis, but he would have to be both fast and daring to take advantage of them.

He smiled lopsidedly and spoke to the remnant. ‘I will have all I desire in time. Since you remain uncooperative, I will see to it that you are in pain every moment that I am neither taking the woman, nor learning your access codes.’ He clamped down hard on his host and revelled in the resulting mental screams.

But from somewhere deep within their minds, even through the cries, Zipacna heard his host’s surprisingly calm reply. ‘It’s a deal.’

“Jacob? Jacob, come in,” crackled a voice from the intercom.

About time. Jacob hit the communication control in front of him. “Daniel? Where the hell have you guys been? I haven’t heard from you in hours. What’s going on down there?”

“Slight change of plans.” There was a short pause. “Jack, Teal’c and Sam have been captured.” Daniel’s voice seemed strained. “I’m going to need your help, Jacob.”

‘He does not sound like himself,’ Selmak said.

Jacob agreed. “Are you okay, Daniel?”

“Uh, I’ve been better. I ended up on the receiving end of a hand device blast. Knocked me out for a while.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. Look, Jacob, Zipacna seems to have found and removed all the C4 we planted. I can get to the ring room. Can you send down some more? I’m hoping I can still blow up the queen and use the distraction to get everyone out.”

Jacob was silent for a moment while he processed the request. It was so...

Selmak ‘verbalized’ what Jacob didn’t want to. ‘Stupid. What is he thinking?’

‘I really have no idea.’ He hit the comm. switch again. “Uh, Daniel, as soon as I ring something down they’ll be aware of our position.”

There was a slightly longer pause, then a sigh. “Crap. Hadn’t thought of that.”

Apparently not. “Can you get to the armoury? Goa’uld explosives will take care of it just as well as ours.”

“Good point. Now I just have to find it.”

Jacob frowned. “You studied the base schematics the entire trip here. How hard did you hit your head?”

“Uh, hard enough to hurt. Alright, I remember now. I’ll get the others out and contact you when we’re on our way. Daniel out.”

Jacob stared at the now silent comm. control. Just great. His daughter was down there in enemy hands, and all she had going for her was an apparently concussed archaeologist.

‘He’ll get them out, Jacob. He does not give up easily, particularly on those he cares about.’

‘No, but he doesn’t normally suggest flawed plans or forget key information either.’

‘True.’

‘Not very reassuring, Sel.’

‘We’ll just have to wait and see.’

‘And when did you get so patient?’

‘Right after I blended with you. Survival mechanism.’

Jacob rolled his eyes and allowed Selmak’s banter to distract him from brooding over his concern, at least for the time being. There’d be plenty of time for concern when they heard back from Daniel. Or didn’t.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jack paced in his cell. He hated the waiting. The waiting was always the worst. He snorted to himself at the thought. Okay, so maybe the torture part was always the worst, but the waiting was a close second. He almost wished someone would come and get started on the torture part just so it would break up the monotony and let him look forward to more waiting.

The sound of marching Jaffa approaching told Jack he was about to get his wish. The pair of them stopped, flanking the opening of his cell, and Daniel— no, Zipacna— stepped in between them. Fairly easy to tell the difference. For one, Daniel would never have been caught dead in that outfit, and since Jack had actually seen what Daniel would be caught dead in, he felt qualified to make the judgement. Jack supposed it was an improvement over Zippy’s previous choice in wardrobe. Leather pants and some sort of ludicrous chest armour in what Jack almost granted was a tasteful black. He could have sworn that Daniel had said Zipacna was Aztec or Incan or something like that, so what was with Night of the Evil Pompeii ensemble? Still, it certainly beat the skirt and jewellery he’d worn on Tollana.

The other key tip-off for Jack that this wasn’t Daniel he was dealing with was the look in his eyes. Daniel had never looked at him like that. Like he was looking forward to pulling Jack’s head off his shoulders. Slowly. Apparently this was going to be fun, though not for Jack.

The force field lowered and the Goa’uld stepped in. “Nice to see you again, Colonel O’Neill. Might I call you Jack? I almost feel as if I know you, with all of the memories swirling through my host. And my own dear memories of our arguments on Tollana. How are the Tollan, by the way? I understand Tanith paid them a visit.”

Of course, that voice would have given it away if Jack hadn’t picked up the other subtle clues. “You know damn well what happened to them. You probably gave Tanith the idea.”

Zipacna smirked. “I did owe the Tollan something for their hospitality during my visit to their lovely world. I could not lose. Either the Tollan would destroy you, or Tanith would destroy them, or they would destroy Tanith, and I would be rid of a competitor in Anubis’s court.”

“Scheming bastard, aren’t you?”

“Oh, come now, Colonel. You are no stranger to manipulating those around you. My host has memory of your betrayal.”

“I would never betray Daniel.”

“But you already have. You abandoned your team and threw his feelings of friendship in his face when he tried to find out what was wrong.” Zipacna smiled. “You crushed him.”

Ah, crap. Daniel wasn’t still feeling that, was he? Of course he wasn’t; it had been four years, for crying out loud. He’d said he was fine. Which, now that Jack thought about it, meant absolutely nothing. But Daniel had also said he’d understood, didn’t he? “I was undercover. Daniel understands that.”

“What he understands is that you don’t trust him.”

“I do trust him. More than anyone else.”

Daniel’s head tilted back and Zipacna peered at Jack, one side of his mouth opening into a lopsided sneer. “You trust him? Like you trusted him in the negotiations with the Eurondans? The alien entity infecting Major Carter? The Gadmeer? The android Reese? How many times have you proven you don’t trust his judgement or his abilities?”

It was the Gould. The Gould was rifling through Daniel’s memories trying to find ways to hurt Jack. Daniel didn’t feel this way. He didn’t keep a catalogue of all the ways Jack had screwed up with him. He didn’t, right? “Daniel and I spend a lot of time together; we’ve had a few misunderstandings along the way. It was a rough patch. It happens.”

“Does it? You trust the shol’va, despite his proven inability to remain loyal to his masters. And you have never failed to trust Major Carter.”

“Actually, there was that time with the human replicators...Uh, never mind, not important.” Bringing up that event was about as stupid as Jack could get. The only person angrier at him than Carter for forcing her to betray Fifth had been Daniel.

Jack’s memory of the ‘discussion’ they’d had after Daniel had descended and finally read that mission report was not a pleasant one. Lots of angry words about the two of them spending five years working together and Jack still being incapable of doing the right thing without Daniel there to argue with him. Not that Jack regretted his choice to trap Fifth. He didn’t. But he did regret some of the things he’d said to Daniel in response.

Judging from Zipacna’s expression, Daniel had some pretty strong memories about it too. The Goa’uld pursed his lips. “For all of your professions of friendship, all your so-called trust, you have done nothing but hurt him, far more deeply than you know.” He raised the ribbon device, and the central crystal began to glow. “Part of him is going to enjoy this.”

As the burning pain started in Jack’s head, all he could think was This day is just getting better and better. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped him, nor could he prevent himself from falling to his knees.

The hand device released Jack for a moment, and a very familiar expression stared down at him. It was the one Daniel wore when he thought Jack was being obtuse enough to be treated like a child. “Don’t worry, Jack. This won’t last long today. It’s only a taste of things to come.” Then the device hummed back to life, and the burning sensation returned.

Better and better

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Well, Sam thought, at least we’re together in our misery.

She’d been hard at work with her arm deep in the back wall after prying the panel open when the Jaffa had brought first Teal’c and then the Colonel to her. She’d hurriedly stood in front of the open panel, relieved and surprised that the Jaffa didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary. Much to her annoyance, she’d determined that the crystals behind the panel were merely part of a backup system intended to keep power running in her cell in the event of a main system malfunction. It seemed Zipacna wasn’t as much of an idiot as Apophis had been. There was no way she would be able to bring the force field down from inside her cell. She’d been trying to figure out just exactly what she could accomplish when the arrival of her wounded teammates distracted her.

Neither man looked good. Teal’c was reasonably well recovered when he’d arrived, only staggering slightly when his Jaffa escort let him go in the cell. His forehead was sporting the burns of a hand device session on top of his gold tattoo, but his eyes were focusing well. Sam figured it’d been some time since his interrogation. She had been about to ask him if he’d learned anything that might help when the Colonel had been dumped into the cell. He didn’t look well at all.

Colonel O’Neill collapsed to his hands and knees when the guards left, quickly rolling onto his side on the floor. Sam and Teal’c both went to him.

“Sir?”

“Carter?”

“Yes, sir. Are you alright?”

“Just peachy, why do you ask?” His eyes peeked open for a second before he squeezed them shut again. Sam winced in sympathy. She knew as well as any of them the light sensitivity a ribbon session could leave. “Carter, when this is over and we get back, remind me never to piss Daniel off again.”

Oh, boy. She didn’t know what to say. Daniel and the Colonel were so close; it must have been unbelievably painful to be tortured by what looked like his best friend. And Sam didn’t even want to think about how Daniel had felt during the experience.

As if sensing her thoughts, Teal’c spoke up. “It was not Daniel Jackson who did this, O’Neill.”

The Colonel shook his head. “No. No, it wasn’t.” He opened his eyes again, this time managing to squint up into Sam’s. “You look like crap.”

“Yes, sir. Thank you. So do you.”

“Good, then. Matches how I feel. Tell me you’ve got a plan to get out of here.”

That would be nice, wouldn’t it? “Uh, no, sir. Not really. I have access to the back-up power supply for the cell, but that’s not going to help much.”

“You can’t use it to somehow lower the force field?”

“No. If there was a power failure, I could bring it back up, but no, I can’t bring it down.”

“Well that’s useful.” The Colonel rubbed a hand over his face and sat up with difficulty, waving away Teal’c’s attempt to help. “Wouldn’t do much good anyway. We can’t leave without Daniel.”

“Indeed, we can not,” Teal’c said. “We must find a way to incapacitate Zipacna and bring Daniel Jackson with us when we escape.”

Sam almost smiled. When they escaped. Not if. Nice to see at least one of them was still an optimist.

The Colonel snorted softly. “Good plan, Teal’c. Let me know when you’ve procured a zat, and we’ll work on that. Knock old Zippy out and let Daniel talk for a few seconds.”

Sam was just thinking some non-complimentary thoughts about the uselessness of the Colonel’s sarcasm when the meaning of what he’d said struck her. A zat. “I think that’s it, sir.”

“Of course it is,” he said. “And what, pray tell, is it?”

“The force field gives off a powerful electric shock when you touch it. If Zipacna comes back—”

“Oh, I think we can rest assured that he will. He’s having way too much fun with this.”

Sam winced at the thought of the ‘fun’ Zipacna wanted to have with her, but the Colonel was right. “When he comes back we need to knock him into the doorway at the same time we reactivate the force field. The resulting shock should have the same effect as a zat blast and disable him temporarily. But we’ll have to work pretty fast to disarm him and get him back to the ship.”

The Colonel looked from her to Teal’c and then to the hole in the wall. “Okay, that’s our plan then. What do you need us to do?”

Twenty minutes later, Sam was fairly certain that she could activate the force field when required. It would be up to Teal’c and the Colonel to get Zipacna into it.

It was only another ten minutes before her adjustments were put to the test.

One of Zipacna’s Jaffa stepped into the cell, staff weapon trained primarily on Teal’c. Sam guessed that compared to Teal’c, she and the Colonel didn’t seem to be too much of a threat. While such an underestimation would normally have annoyed her, in this case it might come in handy.

Then Zipacna strode into the cell, and Sam felt a shiver of fear. If this didn’t work, if they didn’t manage to knock him out and escape, he was going to be very angry. Sam had no doubt that another struggle between Zipacna and Daniel would take place, one that Daniel would most likely lose. She was glad to see that his injuries had been healed, but she dreaded what too many more trips through the sarcophagus would do to Daniel’s ability to fight his possessor. She drew in a deep breath and made sure she was standing in front of the open panel in the rear of the cell.

“I trust you are enjoying each other’s company,” Zipacna said. “I thought a reunion would be a pleasant distraction for you. A little reminder that not only can I cause you pain, I can also force you to watch each other’s.”

Sam could feel her hands start to shake. This was ridiculous. She’d faced Goa’uld before without letting them get to her, but it was so much worse when it was the body of her dearest friend threatening them.

Zipacna held up a radio. “You were brought here by a Tok’ra. He believes my host to be in the midst of rescuing you from imprisonment. O’Neill, you will convince him that you are on your way to the transport rings, or I will have the shol’va killed. Painfully. In front of you.”

He’d been in contact with her father? Her father, who probably had no idea that he hadn’t been talking to Daniel? For some reason that angered her far more than was reasonable.

The Colonel’s hands were clenched, and Sam knew he was feeling it too. He probably had an almost uncontrollable urge to wipe Zipacna’s smirk off Daniel’s face with one of his fists. Actually, that just might work. She saw him glance at Teal’c and receive a slight nod. When he glanced back at her, she gave a nod of her own. Then he turned around and let his desire take over.

The Colonel’s knuckles connected solidly with Zipacna’s jaw, knocking the Goa’uld back a step, into the archway. Sam reached behind her and pressed the small crystal she held into its socket. Her adjustments worked perfectly, and the force field flared to life as the back of Zipacna’s head and shoulders hit it.

Zipacna’s jaw clenched and the muscles in his body spasmed as the shock tore through him. He was thrown forward a step and staggered, putting out a hand to lean on the wall. His other hand came up to rub the back of his neck where he’d taken the brunt of the shock. Then he turned on them, rage evident on his face. Damn. It hadn’t worked.

“You dare, human?” He asked, apparently too startled to add the melodramatic undertone to his voice. He held his hand out to his Jaffa. “Vi’toi zat’nik’tel!”

The warrior immediately obeyed and handed his god the weapon.

“Thank you,” the Goa’uld said before promptly shooting him.

He spun the zat in his hand and gave it butt-first to Teal’c, before frantically ripping the ribbon device off of his other hand and throwing it across the room. Its central crystal shattered against the far wall.

Sam stepped towards him. “Daniel?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Thanks.”

“Are you okay?” Oh, God. Could she possibly have asked a dumber question?

He must have thought so too, since he only shot her an incredulous glance before focusing on the Colonel. “I can’t hold out for long, Jack. Take the corridor to the left. Then the third right. There’s a set of rings that can get you to the ship.” He picked the radio up off the ground where it had fallen and handed it to Colonel O’Neill. “Our stuff is in a room to the right of the first branch. Most of the Jaffa are guarding the queen, so the route should be relatively clear. He’s had the C4 removed. At least, all the charges I knew about. You’ll have to about forget blowing the place up and just get the hell out of here.” Daniel clutched at his head, falling to his knees.

“Daniel!” Sam knelt beside him, not sure how to help.

Daniel took several shuddering breaths through clenched teeth. “I’m almost out of time.” He looked up at Teal’c. “You’ll need more weapons. Are you ready?”

“Indeed I am, Daniel Jackson.”

Daniel nodded, and then yelled, “Jaffa! Kree!”

An instant later two Jaffa lowered the force field and ran into the cell, stopping when they saw their fallen master. Teal’c shot both of them before they recovered from their shock, then passed his zat to Sam and took one of the now liberated staff weapons. The Colonel picked up the other.

Sam peered into Daniel’s eyes. “Daniel? You still there? Say something.”

Daniel brought his fingers up to her face and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I’m glad you know, Sam. I’ve wanted to tell you for so—”

One moment Daniel’s hand was caressing her cheek, and the next it had tightened painfully around her throat. Sam didn’t need the eye flash to tell her that Zipacna had regained control. She brought her hand up to try to pull herself free, though she knew it was useless. She was no match for Goa’uld strength. Her zat fell from her other hand, clattering to the floor.

“You will release me or I will kill her,” Zipacna said, not taking his eyes off of Sam.

The edges of Sam’s vision were beginning to grey when she heard a staff weapon open and charge. She tried to focus on the sound and saw Teal’c aiming the weapon at Daniel. No. Please God, no. The Colonel. Where was the Colonel? He couldn’t let Teal’c kill Daniel.

“You will release her or I will kill you.”

Zipacna tilted his chin up and drew one side of his mouth into a smirk. “You will not kill my host.”

“If it becomes necessary to save Major Carter, I will indeed. This is what Daniel Jackson would desire, and I will honour his wishes. Release her now.”

Sam’s vision had faded out completely when she heard from behind her “Oh, for crying out loud!” followed by a zat blast.

Then there was silence.

Jack watched Teal’c lean over Carter and put his fingers to her throat. The Jaffa turned and nodded. She had a pulse. Jack was incredibly relieved, not only because she would recover, but also because Daniel wouldn’t have to live with having killed her.

Jack turned his attention to Daniel, who was now flat on his back on the floor, trembling through the after effects of the zat blast. He knelt beside his friend. “I’m sorry.”

Daniel’s eyes were clenched shut against the pain. “Sam?”

Jack peeked behind him to see Carter starting to come around with Teal’c’s aid. “She’ll be okay.”

“I couldn’t—” Daniel shook his head. “Zat me again before I lose control.”

“That’s not one of your better ideas. A second shot will kill you.”

“Really? Is that how those things work? Someone should’ve told me.” Jack was somewhat relieved to hear the sarcasm, though the hysterical edge in his voice was concerning. Daniel’s eyes opened and looked straight into Jack’s. “Do it again. Please.”

“I’m not giving up, Daniel. We’ll get you out of this.” Jack started to back away, knowing the symbiote wouldn’t stay dormant for long. But Daniel grabbed his wrist and held him there.

“Promise me! Promise me that if you can’t remove him, you’ll kill me. That you won’t let us escape. I can’t live like this, Jack. Not like Sha’re. Please.”

Ah, Jesus. Jack leaned over and grasped Daniel’s head in his hands, looking straight into his frightened blue eyes. “I promise, Daniel. I promise. But you have to hang in there. No giving up, you hear me?”

Daniel’s eyes searched Jack’s for several seconds before he gave a tight nod. Jack let go of his friend and backed away just in time to see the arrogant mask slide back into place over Daniel’s features. Zippy was back. And judging by the new twist to his mouth, he was pissed. Good. He could stay pissed, as far as Jack was concerned, right up until the moment the Tok’ra yanked his smarmy, slithering ass out of Daniel’s head.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jacob was worried. He hadn’t heard a peep from Daniel for several hours. He’d already thought through a multitude of possible explanations for the continuing silence, and it was getting harder and harder for Selmak to keep him calm.

The more he thought about the conversation he’d had with Daniel, the more it bothered him. Something wasn’t right. He almost wondered if the archaeologist had called him under duress, but he knew the man wouldn’t have caved under torture and tried to betray him. Certainly not so quickly, anyway.

But what if it hadn’t been his own pain Daniel was trying to avoid? Would he betray Jacob to save his team?

‘And to save the woman he loves.’

Jacob frowned. ‘We don’t know that he loves her.’ But he knew Selmak had a point. If Daniel was in love with Sam, would he hand them over to save her?

‘And what would you consider to be the correct answer to that question?’ Selmak asked.

Jacob had no idea. He would do anything, suffer anything to spare Sam from similar pain. He’d be able to forgive Daniel for such a betrayal. But he also knew that Sam’s values and loyalties would never let her forgive it. If Selmak was right, it would leave Daniel in an unenviable position if it came down to such a choice. Let his love die, or betray her father and lose her forever.

Reason enough for the frat regs right there.

‘Do you really believe he would deceive us to save her?’

‘I don’t know, Sel. I wouldn’t have thought so, but something is off with him besides a bump on the head. I just can’t figure out what.’

‘Perhaps he was attempting to send us a message without letting his captors know?’

Oh, lovely thought. Jacob tried to remember the details of the conversation. Had he failed to do something that Daniel had tried to imply? Was that why he still hadn’t heard from SG-1?

Just as Jacob’s mind was taking him in directions neither he nor Selmak wanted to go, the radio crackled to life. “Jacob!” hissed Jack’s voice. “You still up there?”

He flipped the response control on the helm. “Jack, where the hell have you been? Is everyone okay?”

There was a moment’s hesitation, before Jack’s voice came back. Jacob could hear what sounded like zat and staff blasts in the background. “We’re all accounted for. On our way to the rings. Be ready to punch the hyperdrive when we get aboard.” More sounds of weapons fire came through.

“Will do.”

‘They’re all accounted for? He did not say they were all okay,’ Selmak noted.

‘No, he didn’t.’ Jacob was trying hard not to think about it and failing miserably. ‘Please, not Sam.’

‘She will be all right, Jacob.’

‘She better be.’

Several tense minutes later, Jack radioed again. Jacob quickly lowered the defence shield and immediately heard the rings activate. He took a quick glance backward, counted four upright people of the right description, and then focused on getting out of there. Death gliders were launching from the base and beginning to converge on their position when the Tel’tak entered hyperspace.

Jacob sighed with relief and turned back to his companions, eager to know what had happened. There had been no explosions, no damage to the base. The mission had obviously failed, yet they had still managed to escape. Jacob, and especially Selmak, wanted to know why. He was expecting to see a guilty looking tableau of exhausted people who, hopefully, were not too badly injured.

Instead what he saw was Teal’c forcing a struggling Daniel to his knees, with Jack pointing a zat at the archaeologist’s head. Sam was pulling zip ties out of one of the packs, securing several around Daniel’s wrists with Teal’c’s help.

What the hell? Jacob got up got up from the helm and entered the cargo bay. He was just about to voice his question when the feeling of naquadah struck him, far more than he would perceive from Sam alone.

‘Goa’uld!’ Selmak yelled in his head.

Jacob didn’t have much trouble guessing who it was. ‘Daniel’ scowled up at him, eyes flashing his anger. “Selmak of the Tok’ra. How unpleasurable it is to meet you.”

Jacob winced at seeing the archaeologist in such a state, tied up and guarded by his friends. Suddenly, his previous conversation with Daniel made so much more sense. He hadn’t been concussed or under duress; he’d been possessed. And the plan hadn’t been stupid or hiding a cryptic message; it had been a deliberate attempt to get Jacob to reveal his position.

He let his head drop as Selmak took control, both to give Jacob some relief from the rage building inside him, and because the Goa’uld would more readily respond to another symbiote.

Jacob snorted internally as Selmak went for the most haughty expression he could. “And you would be?”

“Where are my manners?” Jack asked, never taking his eyes off the Goa’uld. “Selmak, this is Zipacna. Zippy, I see you recognize Selmak. Play nice.”

“I have nothing to say to this gonach,” Zipacna sneered.

So, it was going to be like that, was it? Jacob didn’t know why he’d expected anything else. Selmak bent down to stare into Zipacna’s blue eyes. “You may not have much to say to me, but I assure you there is much that the Tok’ra High Council will wish to hear. You will tell them all you know. And then you will be removed. I will be certain to be there, as I have great respect for your host.”

Selmak stood up again, turned his back on Zipacna, and went back to the helm. Jacob took over control when Jack and Sam followed a short while later. Sam sat in the co-pilot’s chair, and Jack flopped down on the floor.

“How long until we get back to the Alpha Site, Jacob? Please tell me it’ll be faster than the way here.”

“Sorry, Jack. Can’t tell you that.”

Jack looked back into the cargo area where Teal’c was guarding Zipacna. “Oh, yeah. I’m really looking forward to a three-day journey in this box you call a ship with a cranky Gould whose ass I can’t kick without hurting my best friend. Next time we go on a pleasure cruise, Jacob, I’m choosing the destination.”

“What the hell happened? How did the mission go from ‘blow the place up’ to ‘capture the Goa’uld lord living in your archaeologist’?”

Jacob immediately regretted his callous word choice when he saw both Sam and Jack wince. Sam looked close to tears.

‘What are you thinking, Jacob? She loves him, and you speak about him like that?’

‘It’s not that I don’t want you to be right, Sel, but wanting it doesn’t make it so.’

‘Look at her. She loves him.’

Jacob looked at his daughter, finally starting to see what his symbiote was talking about. He could only remember a few times that Sam looked as upset as she did now. When he’d told her that her mother had died. When she’d learned that he was dying. And when they’d watched Daniel die. Ascension or not, Sam had been inconsolable afterwards.

“I’m sorry,” Jacob said. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. But I do need to know what happened.”

Jack nodded. “We got caught. The charges were set but the Jaffa found Teal’c and Daniel. Carter and I went to help them. Daniel was down when I found him, but he wasn’t hurt too badly. I stupidly gave him the detonator before I knew he was the enemy. Then we had a little torture time, with Daniel getting a ringside seat I’m sure he didn’t want. Carter arranged our escape. We grabbed Daniel, hitchhiker and all, and high-tailed it back to the ship. It’s quite possibly our worst mission ever. I’ll have to think about it some more before I decide.”

Sam was looking back at Teal’c and Daniel. “The Tok’ra will be able to get him out, right, Dad? Daniel will be fine?”

‘Tell her the risks, Jacob. She’ll never forgive you if he dies and she wasn’t warned. Better yet, let me tell her what else we’ll be dealing with.’

Jacob set the ship on autopilot and turned to his daughter, pausing briefly to let Selmak take control. “Samantha, it is a delicate procedure, even for Tok’ra surgeons. Things can and have gone wrong in the past. The host does not always survive. Dr. Jackson’s chances are good, but they are not guaranteed.”

Sam wrapped her arms around herself and looked down at the floor. Jacob wanted to reach out and hold her, but even if Selmak was not in control of their body, it wouldn’t be appropriate in front of her commanding officer.

“Better and better, I tell ya.” Jack pursed his lips. “Any other good news you feel like sharing, Selmak?”

“Unfortunately, there is. The Tok’ra will want to spend time interrogating Zipacna before they remove him from Dr. Jackson. The intelligence he could provide would be invaluable.”

“Oh, I don’t think so. Daniel is the last of us to have a Gould take up residence, and I am not—”

“The symbiotes that blended with you and Samantha were Tok’ra, not Goa’uld!”

Jacob sighed internally and took control over from Selmak before the symbiote’s temper got the best of him and he really pissed Jack off.

Oh, boy. Too late. Judging from his facial expression, Jack was already way beyond pissed off. He got up off the floor and started to pace. “Carter wasn’t given a choice before Jolinar took over her body. And while I stupidly agreed to have a snake put in my head, I did not sign up to be carted across the galaxy before being abandoned to face Ba’al by myself. Pretty damn hard to tell the difference between Gould and Tok’ra from where I’m sitting.”

“Colonel!”

Jacob waved away Sam’s objection. “It’s okay. Let him finish.”

“And where were the Tok’ra when my ass needed to be pulled out of the fire, you might ask? Nowhere to be seen, that’s where. Carter, Teal’c and Jonas were the ones to figure out how to give me a chance to escape. After having to beg and threaten the Tok’ra to get the information they needed, I might add. And the only reason I was still sane enough to take advantage of that chance when it finally came was because that man back there,” Jack pointed a finger toward the cargo bay, “refused to leave me alone, despite having the incredibly good excuse of technically being dead at the time. So the Tok’ra will gather more ‘intelligence’ and leave Daniel living what is literally his worst nightmare for one second longer than is absolutely necessary over my dead body. Is that clear?”

Jacob waited a few moments for Jack to calm down, and then asked, “Are you done?”

Jack seemed to think about it. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Mind if I share Selmak’s idea now?”

“If you must.”

“He was about to remind you that we are very close to a planet protected by the Asgard. Which we believe has one of Thor’s symbiote killing machines on it. It would probably be more painful for Daniel than the surgery, but there would be no arguments or negotiations between Zipacna and the Tok’ra to deal with.”

“Selmak suggested that?” Sam asked.

“He’s fond of Daniel too, Sammy. He’ll support whatever decision you make, and will argue for Zipacna’s immediate removal if it comes down to it.”

Jack pursed his lips. “So the surgery could kill Daniel?”

“The procedure is tough. Sometimes the host doesn’t make it.” ‘Especially if the symbiote is particularly unpleasant and intentionally harms the host first,’ Jacob added silently.

‘As Zipacna no doubt will.’ Selmak agreed.

“And how long will the Tok’ra dither and debate whether the snake will be a decent source of intel?” Jack asked.

“Could be days, could be weeks if Zipacna spins a tale they’ll believe.” Jacob glanced back at the prisoner in the cargo bay. Zipacna’s eyes were closed, though Jacob didn’t believe for a second that he wasn’t listening. “And you can bet that he will.”

“Is the hammer safer?”

Jacob shrugged. “To be honest, we don’t know too much about them. The Tok’ra tend to avoid the planets protected by them, both because they are of little strategic importance in our war with the Goa’uld, and because the devices don’t distinguish between Goa’uld and Tok’ra. However, the Asgard have superior healing technology, and are well aware of the innocence of a Goa’uld host. I believe it would be less risky.”

“But more painful.”

“Judging from your reports on how the device worked on Cimmeria, yes, I’d say so.”

Jack stared at his trapped friend. Jacob had no doubt as to what Daniel would choose and knew Jack didn’t either. However knowing what would be chosen and having to make that decision yourself were very different things. Jacob quietly watched Jack watch Daniel until finally the Colonel turned to Sam. “Carter?”

She hesitated briefly but then closed her eyes and spoke. “He wants it out now, sir. He’ll suffer anything to have it out now.”

Jack nodded. “Head for the protected planet.”

Jacob turned back to the controls and complied.

XXXXXXXXXX

Zipacna was indeed listening to the plans the Tok’ra and the Tau’ri were making concerning his fate. How dare these invaders believe they could kill him? Zipacna was a god. He had lived more than four millennia, and no one, not Goa’uld, not Jaffa, and certainly not human, had ever threatened him with such disregard for his status. It was infuriating.

‘Long fall from that deity pedestal, is it?’

‘Are you never quiet?’

‘Not really, no. If you don’t like it, feel free to leave.’

The Jaffa’s attention as guard didn’t wander from him for a second. This one had been well trained before he’d betrayed his master. It was irritating in the extreme. Zipacna made a big production out of stretching and uncramping his legs, but in reality he was setting them to be able to move more rapidly. He twisted his wrists in his bonds, wincing exaggeratedly as the blood flowed from them, but confirming they were weak enough to break under a concerted effort. Now he only had to await an opportunity.

It came less than ten minutes after the Tok’ra had reoriented the ship toward the damnable Asgard treaty planet. The humans had separated from the Tok’ra and the female was speaking quietly to O’Neill. Zipacna watched as O’Neill pulled at the sliced section of Carter’s black shirt which was hanging below the bottom of her jacket, a querying expression on his face. She briefly closed her eyes and then answered him. O’Neill’s eyes widened and he abruptly stood up, fists clenched.

“I’ll kill him!”

Carter pulled on his arm, “No, sir! I’m fine. He didn’t— I’m fine. Remember, it’s Daniel too. You can’t hurt Daniel!”

Zipacna smiled internally. Their care for the host would help significantly. But, more importantly, Zipacna could see that the Tok’ra had turned a curious expression onto the humans, and the Jaffa glanced their way as well.

Zipacna didn’t hesitate. He pulled roughly on his bonds, pushing himself to his feet even as they snapped away from his wrists. He launched himself at the Jaffa, feeling his fingers brush against the shol’va’s throat before the incapacitating blast of a zat’nik’tel knocked him to the floor. Blackness enveloped him.

He woke only a second or two later, completely incapable of controlling his body. Zipacna dreaded the trouble the stubborn remnant of his host would cause in his incapacity, until he realized the human was still unconscious. That puzzled him, but then perhaps this second zat’nik’tel blast within such a short time was more than the inferior nervous system of the human could handle. Zipacna felt lucky that it had been as long between blasts as it had. Much closer together and it might actually have killed him. He revelled in the glorious silence in his head as he tried in vain to open his eyelids. The body would not yet respond. Damned Jaffa. At least he could hear what was going on.

“Oh, God.” That was Carter. “How long since the Colonel zatted him? Daniel?” He could feel her frantic touch at his neck, and assumed she was checking for a pulse. If he’d had control he might have tried to slow his heart enough that she would think him dead, but it was impossible now. Her other hand smoothed over his forehead, and she sighed with obvious relief. “He’s alive.”

“We must retie him before he awakens, Major Carter,” Teal’c said. Zipacna swore that one would die painfully. He tried to track where O’Neill and the Tok’ra were located, but he couldn’t hear them.

Zipacna felt one more caress along his cheek, felt his host take semiconscious comfort from it, and then the woman moved away. “You’re right. Hang on.”

The Jaffa hauled Zipacna upright, grasping him by the shoulders and pulling one arm behind him. His host let out a soft groan at the movement. And Zipacna scrambled to overpower the remnant before he could recover completely.

He was finally successful just as Carter returned with a handful of the disposable devices the humans used to bind him. He waited for her to kneel beside him before twisting into Teal’c’s arm, using his superior strength to break the Jaffa’s grasp. Then he struck the woman in the jaw and unhooked the handgun strapped to her thigh as she sprawled to the floor. Another split second and he was on his feet, pointing the weapon first at the Jaffa and then at Carter. He let his mouth draw back into his preferred sneer.

“Move and I will kill her,” Zipacna said. The shol’va, who had been slowly drifting towards him, stopped.

Selmak was on his feet near the helm. O’Neill stood in the doorway between the cargo hold and the pel’tac. He too had ceased moving. Carter glared up at Zipacna from the ground where she’d landed. Oh, yes. This one had spirit as well as beauty. He’d have to see if he could procure a symbiote for her once they returned. Ixchel would need a new host once she was done producing symbiotes for Anubis’s army. She might be grateful enough to receive such a fine one that she’d finally agree to become Zipacna’s consort.

‘Not while I live to fight you.’ Oh, good. His host was awake again. Just when the peacefulness was becoming almost unbearably pleasant.

‘You’re already dead, human. You just don’t know it yet.’ He felt his host’s fear at the thought of Carter becoming a host along with him. ‘Whatever is the matter? You would be with her for centuries. You’d have her in your bed every night. You should look at this as a mercy I am granting you. The only one you will receive. I will have all I desire in time.’

Zipacna felt only amusement at the creative curses his host cast at him, especially once he’d delved into the man’s memories for translations of the most intriguing. He let the rant continue in the back of his mind, though he did not allow it to distract him from the stand-off he’d created. He backed away from the Jaffa, carefully keeping his weapon trained on Carter.

O’Neill took a step forward, and Zipacna raised his gun to him instead. “Okay, so you’ve got us at a disadvantage. Now what are you going to do?” The human widened his hands in front of him, trying to appear non-threatening. Not that Zipacna considered him much of a threat.

Zipacna smirked. “Selmak. You will set a course back to my base, or I will kill the daughter of your host.” He pointed the weapon back down at the woman.

The Tok’ra’s eyes flashed as the symbiote took over without bothering with the mockery of lowering his head. “Release her or I will kill you. Slowly.”

“I doubt that. Do it, or she dies.”

Selmak’s eyes flicked to the woman and back before sitting back down at the helm and entering the new coordinates. The hyperdrive field shifted slightly, and they were soon on their way back. No wonder the Tok’ra weren’t a serious threat to the System Lords. Why they would care for the family of the humans they inhabited was beyond Zipacna’s comprehension. Selmak finished with the controls and glared at him from the console.

However, while he was distracted by the Tok’ra, both O’Neill and Teal’c had crept closer to him. It was time to set an example. He had plans for Carter and preferred not to kill her. However, any of the others would do. Zipacna swung the weapon around, taking aim at his target.

‘No!’ his host screamed in his head. ‘No, don’t!’

Zipacna’s pull on the trigger slowed momentarily, impossibly. He’d be damned if his host was going to thwart him again. He redoubled his efforts and was rewarded when his finger was abruptly released and completed its action. But apparently his host had not given up; he’d just switched tactics.

As the weapon fired, Zipacna felt his wrist jerk to the side, throwing off his aim, though not enough to prevent the bullet from tearing into the chest of his victim. The effort, though impressive, had come too late. His host cried out in denial. Zipacna smiled in victory, even as he spared a moment’s concentration to punish the resistance.

It was a mistake. Carter took advantage of Zipacna’s internal distraction and kicked at his legs. He felt something strike the side of his head with brutal force. Then he felt himself hit the floor.

The first thing Jack thought when the bullet tore into his shoulder was Ahhh! followed by a stream of invective that he was pretty sure his mother hadn’t taught him. In fact, he doubted she would have understood half of it.

An instant later, Jack’s mind cleared a bit to allow him to have his second thought, which was Since when is Daniel such a lousy shot?

His third thought came immediately after his back hit the wall behind him, sending a new wave of pain through his damaged shoulder. It was almost identical to his first thought, though this time even he didn’t understand a few of the curses flowing through his mind. Jack made a quick mental note as he slid to the floor: Must stop hanging out with linguists.

Jack blearily watched the offending linguist slump to the deck of the ship. Looked like Teal’c had whacked him over the head with something. Sweet.

“Sir!” Jack lolled his head across the wall until a battered-looking Carter came into focus, leaning over him. She seemed concerned. That was nice.

“Carter?”

“Yes, sir. Dad’s getting his healing device and the med kit.” She pressed her hands to his wound, apparently in an attempt to slow the flow of blood. Jack realized that this time he might have verbalized his reigning opinion of the situation because Carter winced and apologized.

Soon Jacob was there. “Colonel O’Neill, the bullet must be extracted before I can heal you.” Check that. Selmak was there. Jacob was apparently out to lunch. Dual toned vocal wonkiness was just what Jack wanted to hear right now. Although it was probably just as well, since he was already conditioned to expect pain whenever he heard it. He felt the prick of a needle in his arm, and the pain suddenly became much more tolerable.

Then Carter was digging around in his shoulder, and despite her stated attempts at gentleness and whatever she’d just jabbed him with, Jack felt the best thing to do would be to just pass out for a while.

Sometime later, he woke up and felt quite a bit better. He sent a test twitch through his left arm and was relieved to feel only a dull ache in his shoulder. He really loved healing devices. It was too bad no one at the SGC could reliably use one.

Time to open his eyes. Jack looked up to find Carter still sitting beside him. Her hand was resting on his arm in a comforting gesture, but her face was turned away and pulled back in an expression Jack could only describe as disgust. He turned his head to follow her gaze. Ah. That explained it.

Teal’c, or more likely Jacob, had found a stronger set of restraints somewhere and had trussed a glaring Zipacna up in them. Jacob was using the healing device on the nasty looking bump on the side of the Goa’uld’s head. Teal’c was glowering over the procedure, clearly intent on ensuring there would be no further trouble from the prisoner.

“No wonder your kind are so weak, if you show such compassion for your enemies,” Zipacna said.

“Believe me,” the deep tones of Selmak answered, “it is not our enemy we are feeling compassion for. I see no reason for Dr. Jackson to continue suffering from this headache.”

“You believe me, Selmak of the Tok’ra, this headache is the least of my host’s concerns.”

Selmak drew back and deactivated the device. “Stop it. Now.”

Jack frowned. Stop what?

Zipacna smirked. “You cannot force me to stop. My host must be punished for his continued resistance. A necessity you refuse to see, as you insist on letting your host believe he is an equal in your laughable ‘partnership’.”

His host must be punished? Jack didn’t like the sound of that. And neither did Selmak, judging by the way his eyes flashed. Only seriously pissed off Tok’ra pulled that little trick. Selmak reactivated the healing device and jammed it into the back of Zipacna’s neck. The Goa’uld howled in pain and passed out.

Jack sat up. What the hell had just happened?

“Selmak?” Carter exclaimed, rising to her feet. “What did you just do?”

“I have incapacitated Zipacna. He was committing har’kalash. It could not be allowed to continue.”

“Harka what?” Jack stood up, and received Carter’s rather belated help graciously. It couldn’t be a good thing that he could see Teal’c’s jaw clenching from clear across the room. “Teal’c?”

“Har’kalash,” Teal’c said. “Torment of the soul. It is the pain that a symbiote can inflict on its host. It is said to be...excruciating.”

Selmak shuddered. “It is.”

“Have you done it?” Jack winced immediately at the expression on Selmak’s face. “I’m guessing that’s a no.”

Selmak glared for another moment before his head dipped and Jacob took control. “Wow, Jack. You really do know how to endear yourself.”

“What’d I say?”

“Har’kalash is one of the most ingrained taboos the Tok’ra have. You might as well have asked him if he ate children while you were at it.”

“Ah, see, I didn’t know that.”

“I’m sure Selmak will realize that once he’s calmed down.”

“I’m still not sure I understand. What was Zipacna doing?” Carter asked.

Jacob sighed. “A symbiote connects directly into the nervous system of its host. It can control motor function, access memory, monitor sensory input. This is all done through force of will, and a strong host can occasionally keep a symbiote from attaining full control. That’s where some Goa’uld resort to har’kalash. The host, whatever Zipacna argues, maintains their identity, at least until they are driven mad by the sarcophagus. They are also able to receive sensory input. The problem is that a symbiote can create their own input that only the host can feel. Zipacna was directly stimulating Daniel’s pain pathway in an effort to control him. He’d likely have done so each time Daniel resisted him.”

“Oh, God,” Carter whispered, and Jack watched most of the colour drain out of her face. She was looking at Daniel’s still form with horror. She must know how much Daniel would have resisted. Especially when that bastard tried to do what he’d been doing when he ripped Carter’s shirt like— Don’t think about it, Jack!

Instead he took a deep breath. “So that’s what is happening to Daniel? Right now?”

“Sel’s stopped it for now by knocking out both Zipacna and Daniel. But he won’t be able to do it again without risking permanent harm.”

“I don’t care if he does harm Zipacna permanently. We’re just going to kill him taking him out anyway.”

“Selmak doesn’t care about him either, Jack. But he does care about Daniel. He’d be at risk too. I don’t think you want him brain damaged.”

Jack shuddered. As much as he might joke that Daniel could stand to lose a few IQ points, the thought of it actually happening was devastating. “No. We don’t. I assume we’ve turned this crate back towards the protected planet?

Jacob nodded. “Took care of it while you were unconscious. We’ll be there in a few hours. I have to get back to the helm. Try to make sure he doesn’t cause any more trouble? I don’t like watching the bodies of people I care about be used to try to kill my daughter.”

“Yeah, and I really enjoyed being shot by my best friend, Jacob.”

Jacob nodded again and then got up and headed back to the helm. Carter lingered for another moment beside Daniel, tracing her fingers down the side of his healed face where the butt of Teal’c’s zat had laid him flat. Then she got up and crossed to the other side of the room. Reaching into a supply crate, she took a spare T-shirt and headed to the small bathroom.

Jack looked up at Teal’c, whose eyes had watched her go. “Is it just me, or is she taking this harder than might be expected?”

“I am not certain that she could take it ‘harder’ than what it is. This is a most difficult situation. But if you are asking if I believe there are deeper feelings than friendship involved, I do. Both Major Carter and Daniel Jackson have harboured feelings for each other that I believe they consider to be inappropriate for some time. This crisis has brought them to the fore.”

“Both of them? What are you saying, Teal’c? That they’re in love?”

“They are, though I do not believe either of them is aware of the other’s feelings.”

Jack tried to process that for a few minutes. Daniel and Carter. He’d occasionally caught Daniel watching Carter when she wasn’t looking and had immediately recognized it for what it was, since he’d occasionally caught himself looking at her too. Jack had some pretty deep feelings for her, though he had no intention of ever acting on them, even in the brief moments when he let himself acknowledge them. He was surprised to find that the idea of Daniel and Carter didn’t bother him that much.

Jack remembered Carter’s grief after Kelowna, or Langara, or whatever the hell it was called now. He also remembered her joy at Daniel’s return. He’d thought it was just because she’d got her best friend back, but when he added it to catching her checking out Daniel’s ass while on the base, he figured Teal’c was probably right. Clearly, Jack would have to set any feelings he had aside.

Jack patted Teal’c on the shoulder. He stood, grimacing at the throb in his shoulder, and made his way over to Carter, who after changing had sat down against the wall. He sat down beside her. “You okay?”

She nodded slowly, then paused and shook her head. “No. I’m not. I hate this. I hate him. I hate what he’s doing to Daniel. I hate that he almost killed you. I hate everything about this situation.” She thumped her head back against the wall behind her.

“We’ll get even, Carter. Zipacna will die and we’ll have Daniel back.” Jack looked back at the unconscious archaeologist, not believing his next words even as he said them. “Good as new.”

Carter shook her head again. “It’ll never be the same again, sir. Zipacna said Daniel loves me. Daniel didn’t want me to know, and now I do.”

Jack could just guess when the snake had let that tidbit slip. Bastard. “You believe him?’

She laughed harshly. “I wanted to. And I didn’t want to. But I think Daniel confirmed it.” Her hand came up and brushed the bruises on her neck. “I can’t lose him now, Colonel. I need him. I love him. And if he loves me...”

Score one for Teal’c. Very perceptive, that Jaffa. “We’ll get him back. Thor’s doohickey will free him, we’ll gate back to Earth, and then we’ll work together to bring him back to us.”

Carter nodded, though Jack wasn’t convinced that she believed him. He stopped talking and let find her own answers in her thoughts. But he didn’t leave. She needed his support beside her, even if she didn’t know it.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Zipacna looked warily around as the rings deposited him and his captors on the protected planet. He tugged once more at his restraints, but again he failed to break them. The Jaffa glowered down at him, and he ceased his struggle for the time being. He’d have to hope for a chance later.

“Uh, Carter? I’m thinking gating back might not be an option,” O’Neill said from behind them. “Unless you can fix that?

Zipacna turned to look at him, and then in the direction he was pointing. That caught his attention. Not only was the Chappa’ai on the ground rather than in its normal upright position, but it was broken into several pieces. The control device was also smashed. Impressive. Zipacna might have been curious as to what power had managed the feat, if he wasn’t so concerned with his imminent destruction.

Carter walked over to the remains of the Chappa’ai. “No, sir. I think we’ll be flying back with Dad.” She shook her head and looked toward the native-looking ruins which lay nearby, crumbled between the Chappa’ai, the rings and what appeared to be some sort Asgard warning device. “I wish we could find out what happened here.”

“More pressing matters, Carter.”

She turned back and rejoined them. “I agree.”

The tall Asgard device stood before the destroyed gate, and the shol’va shoved Zipacna stumbling towards it. He caught himself and attempted to salvage a bit of dignity by walking to the obelisk on his own.

‘It’s not an obelisk,’ said his host.

‘Be silent.’

‘Uh, no. I don’t think so. You’ve spent so much time and effort trying to get me to share information with you, I thought you might appreciate learning something about the device that’s about to send us to your death.’

Zipacna was biting back a snarl of rage at the rather gleeful explanation of the differences between an obelisk and a stele going on in his head when the structure in question started to hum menacingly. The humans and the shol’va stepped closer, all of them grabbing hold of him. A blue light shot out of the top of the device and slowly scanned over Carter, O’Neill and Teal’c. Then the light brushed over him, scanning the length of his body before returning to his head. There was a sharp burning that seemed to emanate from his own symbiote body, spreading along the synapses of his host, and he gritted his teeth against the pain of it. The world faded around him.

Then there was blackness.

Zipacna awoke slowly, aware that he was now in a different location. It was dark and damp and reeked of mould. He opened his eyes and realized that the humans were both lying unconscious next to him. He sat up slowly. If he could just reach them before they awoke—

A firm hand grasped his shoulder and held him in place. “Do not consider it.”

“Or what?” Zipacna snarled at the shol’va. “You’ll kill me? You’re going to do that anyway.”

‘Hope you’re not expecting sympathy. I’m fresh out.’

“O’Neill! Major Carter! You must awaken now,” Teal’c called. O’Neill groaned softly, and the woman sat up. Zipacna felt his last real hope of survival drain away at the looks the two gave him. Still, he had to try.

“This is a mistake. I have valuable information that could protect your world from Anubis and his armies.”

“And you’ll string us along for years without ever disclosing something actually useful,” O’Neill muttered as he stood. “Not worth it.”

“I would be willing to take a new host. You would only have to procure one for me.”

‘Never going to happen.’

“Never gonna happen.” O’Neill gestured with his primitive weapon. “Get up.”

The cavern they were in was roughly cut stone, but there was a wide archway leading to a much more soundly constructed room. The stone panels were straight and flush with a smooth floor and ceiling. It appeared to be empty, but beyond it was an oddly shaped doorway in the shape of a stylized T. There was a corridor beyond that, and Zipacna could see sunlight streaming in from beyond. If he could just make it out of that room and down the hall, he might have a chance of escaping out onto the surface of this world.

Zipacna was tensing his muscles to bolt through the doorway when he caught a stray thought from his host, one the human had immediately tried to suppress. Zipacna sent a flare of pain and dug after the thought, managing to catch it before his host hid it away in that infuriating corner of his. The doorway was the hammer device? He’d been about to try to escape through the very thing that was going to kill him?

‘Maybe I’m trying to trick you out of taking your only chance for escape,’ whispered his host once he’d recovered.

‘And maybe you wish me to voluntarily enter the contraption.’

‘Well, it would save time.’

If he couldn’t run to freedom perhaps he could still talk his way out. They valued the life of their friend above all else, it seemed. He could use that. He’d taken the woman’s weapon before. He could do it again.

‘It’s not going to work.’

But it would work. She was weak, and she was afraid of harming his host’s body. He’d get her weapon and use it to negotiate. He had an ideal hostage in his host. They seemed willing to risk everything to protect the man; they would spare Zipacna to save him.

He lunged for Carter, reaching his bound hands for her weapon and twisting his body to ram her into the nearby wall with his shoulder. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened was a blur, but Zipacna felt himself twisting too far, and then stumbling. He slammed into the wall and then into the floor and felt his breath leave his body with a whoosh.

‘Way to go, Sam!’

Zipacna shook his head slightly to clear it and looked up at the three faces peering down at him. The woman looked a strange combination of apologetic and smug.

“Ouch. That must’ve hurt.” O’Neill glanced at the Major. “Nice moves, Carter.”

“Indeed,” the Jaffa agreed.

There was one more thing to try. Zipacna suppressed the overtones in his voice. He groaned and allowed his head to fall to the side before looking back up at the humans. “Jack?” he called softly.

‘That isn’t going to work either,’ his host muttered.

And it appeared it wouldn’t, judging from the look O’Neill had on his face. “Hello, not-Daniel.”

Zipacna sat up slowly, and brought trembling hands up to his forehead, pressing the heels into his eyes. “I am- I am Daniel.”

“No. You’re not.”

Zipacna pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yeah, I am.”

“Are not.”

“Am too.”

Zipacna caught Major Carter and the Jaffa glancing at each other. It seemed this was working; they were beginning to believe, despite what his host was muttering in his head.

O’Neill, on the other hand, wasn’t. “Are not.”

“Jack, shut up and listen for a minute. Zipacna wants to cut a deal. He’s agreed to let me have control for the majority of the time in exchange for his life. If my continuing to be a host is unacceptable, he’s agreed to move to a new host once we find a volunteer.”

“And you’re okay with that?” O’Neill asked.

‘Hell, no.’

Zipacna glanced at the Hammer and back at O’Neill. “Well, to be honest, it’s looking a bit better than going through that thing.” He noted O’Neill’s disbelieving expression. “From what little he’s shown me, I think Zipacna’s information may be the key to defeating Anubis. He believes that with time he’ll be able to access my memories of ascension. If it’ll save Earth, it’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”

“Yes, well, it’s not one I’m willing to let you make. Assuming that’s even you talking. We’ll beat Anubis some other way.”

“I don’t think we can, Jack.”

Carter knelt down beside him, temptingly close. He could almost reach forward and grab for her already bruised neck, though the ever-alert Jaffa with the Tau’ri weapon dissuaded him from trying it. Instead, he looked deeply into her eyes, willing her to believe. And she did, he could tell, though his host seemed to still read doubt in her gaze. “Why?” she asked. “Why would you doubt we can defeat Anubis after all we’ve been through?”

“We can’t be sure. How can we risk what he would do to Earth? Look what he did to Abydos. My second home, Sam. My family. Skaara, Kasuf. The family of my Amonet.”

To Zipacna’s surprise Carter stood up immediately, her weapon swinging back towards him. His host felt a sudden surge of an emotion Zipacna couldn’t quite identify.

“The family of whom?” O’Neill asked mildly.

Triumph. The emotion his host was feeling was triumph. Zipacna cursed the man, and then cursed himself as he realized the extent of his error. “Of my Sha’re.”

“You said Amonet.”

“Slip of the tongue. You know I meant Sha’re, Jack.”

“Slip of the forked tongue, you mean.” O’Neill gestured to the Jaffa, and both of them grabbed Zipacna’s upper arms, hauling him to his feet. He struggled against them, but despite his strength he couldn’t break their grip. And it wouldn’t matter if he did, as Carter’s weapon was trained on him.

They dragged Zipacna through the Asgard room and over to the archway. He made one more attempt to break free, and succeeded in escaping O’Neill’s grip, but Teal’c was too strong. The Jaffa clasped both of his shoulders.

“Say goodnight, Zippy” O’Neill said with a smirk.

‘Goodnight, Zippy!’ sang his host as the Jaffa shoved them forward into the hammer device.

Red light flared all around him as some sort of energy field sprang up. He tried to step forward out of the light, but there was a force field holding him in. And Teal’c was preventing his escape back into the sealed room. A terrible burning started in the back of his neck, and suddenly Zipacna was no longer aware of the sensations of his human body. The agony of his symbiote form stole all of his attention. He threw back his head and screamed.

The pain seemed to go on and on, and after only a few seconds he wished for the death he’d fought so hard against. It felt like he was simultaneously on fire and being torn into a thousand tiny pieces. It went on for what seemed like forever, never easing, only growing worse with every breath he dragged into his body, only to scream back out again.

Zipacna’s last thought as the device ripped his symbiote body apart was that at least his host was screaming too.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Jack grimaced at the ungodly scream Zipacna gave as the hammer device flared to life. The echoing timbre seemed to go on and on as Teal’c held Zipacna in the device until it was clear the Goa’uld was no longer capable of escape. Daniel’s body spasmed within the archway, and Jack fought the urge to close his eyes against the sight. This needed to happen, and it would be over soon. Very soon. Any second now.

Eventually, the distortion of Zipacna’s presence in Daniel’s voice vanished, yet Daniel continued to scream. All three other members of SG-1 stepped forward. Jack resisted his instinct to tackle his friend and knock him out of the device; he didn’t dare until he was certain that Zipacna was gone for good. Carter and Teal’c seemed to be fighting similar battles with themselves.

Then the device abruptly cut off and Daniel crumpled to a heap on the floor. Jack and Carter pulled him out of the archway, laying him down on the floor of the hallway beyond. They both knelt beside him, with Teal’c standing guard over them all.

“Daniel?” Jack called, leaning over his friend. “C’mon, answer me.”

He was rewarded with a faint groan, and Daniel’s head lolled towards him. “J'ck?”

“Yeah. I need you to wake up now and talk to me.”

There was no response. Carter leaned over and put a hand to Daniel’s cheek, turning his head towards her. “Daniel? Please wake up. Daniel?”

Blue eyes were slowly revealed as Daniel dragged his eyelids open. “Hey.”

She smiled. “Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?”

Daniel frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion or pain, Jack wasn’t sure which. “Gone?’

Jack squeezed Daniel’s shoulder. “Yeah, buddy. He’s gone. We’ll have Jacob do whatever tests he needs to do to make sure, but you can bet Thor and his buddies did a thorough job of the whole thing.”

Daniel nodded, then squeezed his eyes shut. “It hurts.”

“I bet it does.” Jack slipped his knife out of its holder and sliced through Daniel’s restraints, revealing torn, bleeding wounds where Zipacna had fought against his bonds. Daniel immediately brought a hand to his face to try to comfort what was no doubt a monster of a headache. Jack put the knife away and sighed. “Go back to sleep, Daniel. I’m sure Teal’c won’t mind carrying you back to the ship. You could use the rest.”

“Indeed.” Teal’c was looking down at Daniel with an almost paternal gaze, Jack thought. This had been hard on all of them. “I am honoured to assist you, Daniel Jackson.”

“No, I can walk.”

Sure he could. That’s why he was lying there looking so convincingly like he wanted his head to just explode and get it over with. “Daniel—”

“Just give me a few minutes to rest and then I’ll walk back myself.”

“Daniel, you’ve been through a hell of an ordeal. Relax and let us get you back to the ship.”

“No!”

Jack and Carter both pulled back slightly, startled by the strength of the response. They exchanged a glance, and for a moment Jack wondered if Zipacna had really been cleared out for good.

Daniel lowered the hand that had been pressed to his forehead. His eyes opened and he met Jack’s gaze. “Please. I need to walk out of here under my own power and of my own free will.”

Oh. That was— that made sense. Jack nodded. “Okay, Daniel. You let us know when you’re ready.” He rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder, trying to give him whatever support he needed. Carter picked up Daniel’s hand in hers, clutching it to her chest as if afraid to let go. And Teal’c stood watch over them, studiously trying to avoid the appearance of hovering and not fooling Jack for a second.

The walk back to the rings was shorter than Jack had expected. Apparently, when putting this Hammer together, Thor had decided to make the whole thing a lot more efficient and convenient than the one on Cimmeria. They’d barely made it out of the exit hall and cave structure when they were confronted with another pillar. It scanned them as the first one had and then transported them back to its twin near the rings and what remained of the gate. You had to love Asgard technology. The little guys seemed to really hate walking. Must be the short legs.

Daniel walked slowly with both Carter and Teal’c close by his side. Jack figured Carter needed to be close to him to reassure herself of his presence, and Teal’c stayed close to make sure Daniel didn’t injure himself if he fell. Jack felt both urges keenly, but forced himself to stay apart. Someone had to be alert. And he was pretty sure that Daniel would want some space when he was a bit more settled.

It was a little disconcerting to see Daniel walk by the structures left by both the Asgard and what Jack assumed were the natives of this planet without so much of a trace of interest. Carter kept the archaeologist from bumping into a panel covered in a writing style that Jack was almost certain they had not come across before. Daniel paused when Carter pulled him to a halt in front of it. His eyes flicked over the carvings. Then he turned away and followed Teal’c to the rings. No interest. No protest. Nothing. It was surreal. Jack hated it.

The four of them stepped onto the ring platform, and Jack radioed up to the ship. They reappeared in the safety of the cargo hold. Jack let out a sigh. Mission still unaccomplished, but now his team were all safe. Definitely not unscathed, he noticed as he watched Daniel stare almost blankly at nothing Jack could see, but safe.

Jacob tapped a few controls on the console, then strode over to them. “Daniel?”

Daniel seemed to make an effort to draw himself out of his daze. “Hey, Jacob.”

Jacob brought his healing device up and held it briefly behind Daniel’s head. Then he smiled. “You are now officially Goa’uld free.” The wave of relief that Jack felt at the news was somewhat quashed when Daniel didn’t appear remotely relieved himself. Jacob apparently noticed the lack of reaction too. “Daniel? Are you okay?”

Jack was half hoping for and half dreading the inevitable ‘I’m fine’ but he didn’t hear it. Instead Daniel stared at Jacob for several seconds before looking away again, his eyes losing focus. He didn’t move, didn’t try to sit down. He just looked...lost.

Jack glanced at the others. Teal’c’s concern was almost palpable, easily seen in his angled head and clenched jaw. Jacob’s lips were pursed, and he appeared to be trying to force what was wrong with Daniel out with the strength of his gaze. Carter looked like she wanted to throw herself into mothering Daniel back to mental health while simultaneously beating the crap out of the being that did this to him. Given that Daniel looked like he was in dire need of mothering, and that the object of her ire was already quite clearly dead, it seemed best to let her deal with Daniel’s current state.

And with the new revelations of the feelings his kids had for one another, it might be best to let them have some privacy. Comfort after traumatic events could take many forms, and as much as Jack didn’t really want to think about it so soon, he wouldn’t begrudge them if they chose one of the more intimate methods.

Jack gestured towards the bridge with a nod and both Teal’c and Jacob followed him. He glanced back at Carter and saw her smiled thanks. Then he palmed the door shut.

“I think it’s time to go home, Jacob.”

The Tok’ra stared at the closed cargo bay door for a few more seconds before nodding. “Way past time, I’d say.” He sat down at the helm and the ship soon entered hyperspace.

Jack sat down on the floor, unsurprised when Teal’c sat down next to him. Neither said anything; they simply waited in companionable silence, just as SG-1 always did when one of their own was healing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sam watched Daniel for a few minutes after the others left. He stood before her, staring vacantly at nothing in particular. She’d never seen him so distant. It was painful to watch in someone as normally passionate and alive as Daniel.

Wait. It had been a long time ago, but she did remember a time he’d been in a similar condition. She had found him sitting on Hathor’s bed, the disarray of the sheets and his clothes telling her exactly what had happened to him. He’d been completely unresponsive. Catatonic. She couldn’t let him get to that state again.

She cupped a hand on either side of his face, gently turning his head in her direction. “Daniel, look at me.” She didn’t have high hopes of being obeyed, so when his eyes slowly focused on hers she was both surprised and relieved. She hadn’t been able to get through to him after Hathor, but back then they’d barely known each other. She had years of familiarity and friendship to lean on now.

But now that Sam had his attention, she realized she had no idea what to say to him. That she understood? She didn’t. She couldn’t. Her experience with Jolinar was a far cry from this. That she forgave him? There was nothing to forgive. He’d done nothing wrong. That everything would be okay? She didn’t know if that was true, and she couldn’t bring herself to lie to him. Not now.

Daniel continued to stare into her eyes, not searching as he normally would, not even really seeing, she didn’t think. His expression was shuttered, completely closed off, which in Daniel’s case was all too easy to decipher. The only time she couldn’t immediately see what he was feeling was when he was in pain, either physically or emotionally. She had to do something, say something to help him.

No words would come. Her hands were still cupping his cheeks, and she dropped her gaze to his lips, gently running her thumb over them. She didn’t really have to say anything, she thought. He loved her. She would be able to bring him back without saying anything. Sam pulled his head down to hers and tenderly kissed him, holding back, making sure he had the chance to set the pace or pull away. She didn’t want to frighten him, or to take anything he wasn’t willing to give.

Too late, she realized that the tentativeness of her kiss might be misunderstood entirely. Daniel pulled away from her.

“I don’t need your pity, Sam. You don’t want this.”

At least he was speaking to her. “You don’t have my pity, Daniel. You have my sympathy. You know there’s a difference. If you don’t want to that’s fine; I won’t do anything you don’t want. But don’t you think for a moment that I would do this if I didn’t want to.”

“Are you sure?” His eyes were guarded, but she could see the hope in them.

She smiled, and tried to let him see just she how sure she was. “Very.”

Daniel’s arms came around her and he pulled her roughly into his chest. His lips came down on hers with crushing intensity, paining her where Zipacna had cut her earlier, but not in any way that made her want him to stop. Daniel’s hand cradled the back of her neck and he tilted her head to a better angle, deepening the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth, searching it frantically, and Sam felt her back arch at the sensation.

Sam ran her fingers over the planes of Daniel’s face, then tangled them in his hair and dragged him closer to her. The hand he had at her neck trailed down her arm and over her body, caressing her hip before slowly making its way back up to cup her breast. His thumb glided over her nipple, and she moaned into his mouth, feeling more than hearing him echo it. His other arm tightened at her lower back, pulling her even closer, and she could clearly feel how much he wanted her.

Daniel’s lips travelled away from hers and across her jaw, trailing warmth to a spot behind Sam’s ear, and then down her neck. He pulled her T-shirt out of her pants and smoothed a hand inside and up her back, leaving fiery trails where his fingers touched her bare skin. His lips captured hers again, hungry and demanding.

Sam’s fingers fumbled at the fastenings of his ridiculous leather shirt, and she pulled back slightly, trying to see how the damn thing came undone. Daniel voiced a wordless protest at even that temporary separation and pulled her back to him. “I will have all I desire in time,” he murmured against her lips.

She didn’t quite understand what he meant, but it didn’t matter, not when he needed her so badly. Not when she needed him almost as much. But suddenly his lips froze, and his hands stilled under her shirt.

And then Daniel shoved himself away from her. He stumbled back several steps, bumping into the wall behind him. Almost instantly, he slid down to sit at the base of it, curling his legs to his chest and pressing his palms into his temples. He squeezed his eyes shut.

Sam felt the tenuous hold she’d tried to pull him back with vanish. He was lost again, though she wasn’t sure how it had happened. She pushed back the desire that had been building in her with effort and knelt down beside him, putting a hesitant hand on his knee. “Daniel?”

“No!” He flinched away from her, and she quickly drew her hand back.

“Okay. I won’t touch you. But please talk to me. What happened? What’s wrong?”

He drew in a shuddering breath, but didn’t open his eyes, or relax the rigidity of his posture at all. “I don’t know if I’m still me. I have his memories, his feelings inside me, and I don’t know if I can still be me.”

You can recognize his thoughts by the fact that he’s an evil, manipulative bastard still playing with you even after he’s dead, Sam thought. Whereas you’re a kind-hearted, gentle man who didn’t abandon us even when you were dead.

What she said was “Am I still me?”

“What?” His voice was almost strangled, like she’d thrown aside his concern and said something he found completely unrelated. His hands came away from his face and he wrapped his arms tightly around his chest. She had to make him see what was so clear to her. That he was still himself.

“I have fragmented memories of Jolinar’s life, her emotions, her ideals. I can’t even think of Martouf without remembering what it felt like for her to hold him. Does that mean I’m not me anymore? That I haven’t been me in years?”

He shook his head. “Not the same. Jolinar wasn’t the polar opposite of everything you believe. Her thoughts aren’t telling you to hurt your friends. No voice in your head is telling you that everyone should be cowering before you.” Daniel snorted softly. “God, listen to me. MacKenzie’s going to love this. I’ll be stuck in a little white room and pumped full of pharmacofun.”

Over my dead body, and definitely over the Colonel’s and Teal’c’s too. Not to mention Janet’s. “That won’t happen.”

“Maybe it should. I’ve seen this one before, Sam. Shifu showed it to me. It might be better for everyone if they did lock me up.”

“It would never be necessary to lock you up.” Sam reached out and put her hand on his knee again, this time ignoring his flinch. She could feel his body trembling under her fingers. “Daniel, I love you.”

He looked up at her finally and brought his right hand to her face, cupping her cheek in his palm. “I know. That’s why I need you to go.”

She shook her head. “You’d never hurt me.”

His fingers trailed down her face in an intimate caress, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw before his hand slid down her neck. Sam realized too late what he was doing. She could feel his fingers lining up with the tender bruises on her throat. The bruises that she knew he was matching in size and shape to his hand. “I already have,” he whispered.

“Daniel, no. That wasn’t—”

“Please, Sam, I need you to go.” He drew his hand back and crossed his arms on his knees, dropping his head to rest on his forearms. “Please go.”

“Daniel—”

“Go!”

Sam jumped at his shout and stared at him, blinking back tears. She’d been so sure she could reach him, but she hadn’t taken into account his infuriating need to protect everyone around him, especially from himself. She didn’t want to leave, didn’t want him to be alone, but no one would reach him while he was so closed off. She nodded, finally, then realized he couldn’t see the action. “Okay, I’ll leave. But I’ll just be in the next room.” She squeezed his knee one more time, trying not to notice the way he turned away from the contact. Then she reluctantly got up and left the hold.

Colonel O’Neill and Teal’c looked up from the card game they were playing as she entered the control room. Her father turned from the helm to greet her too.

“That was fast, Carter. I figured you two would have a lot more to ‘talk’ about, if you know what I...” The Colonel’s teasing trailed off as his eyes met hers. “Carter? What’s wrong?” He dropped the cards he’d been holding and stood up, walking towards the cargo bay. “Is it Daniel? Is he all right? What happened? I’ll go talk to him.”

She caught his arm as he brushed past her. “Don’t, sir.”

He looked down at her, clearly not understanding. “Why not? What’s going on?”

Sam closed her eyes. “He’s confused and angry, and feeling guilty for everything that Zipacna did. You won’t get through to him for the same reason I couldn’t. He cares too much for you, and that bastard used him to hurt you. I think he needs to work through some things for himself before he can face us.”

Teal’c got up off the floor. “I shall speak to him. He will listen to what I say.”

She shook her head. “No, Teal’c, I don’t think he will. He hurt you too. He won’t accept any of us until he’s sure he won’t do it again.”

The Colonel snorted. “That’s ridiculous. Of course he won’t do it again. He’s Daniel.”

“I know that, sir. The problem is he doesn’t.”

The three of them were silent for a long moment. Sam knew the Colonel and Teal’c wouldn’t be able to accept just leaving Daniel alone. She wasn’t sure it was such a good idea either; she just couldn’t think how to get around it.

“Teal’c, come take over the controls,” her father said. “I’ll go talk to him.”

Sam opened her eyes and looked over at him. “Dad...”

“It’s gotta be me, kiddo. Zipacna did nothing to me except piss me off. And I think I’m in a better position than any of you to help him sort through what is him and what was Zipacna.”

Sam thought about it for a second and then nodded. Teal’c slid into the pilot seat as her father vacated it. Jacob stopped to give her a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead. “I’ll talk him around, Sam, and if I can’t, then Selmak will give it a try.”

Sam let Colonel O’Neill lead her over to where the card game had been abandoned. She thought for a minute that he was going to suggest that they play, but he just swept the cards aside and sat down with her against the wall. And when she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, he put a comforting hand on her shoulder and let her cry.

Jacob entered the cargo hold and quickly spotted Daniel sitting against the back wall. His arms were crossed over his knees, his head resting tiredly on them. The posture practically screamed that he wanted to be left alone. Which was just too bad, because there was no way Jacob was going to let him get away with it. It wasn’t what he needed, no matter what he’d told Sam. Selmak wholeheartedly agreed, and they sat down beside the troubled man.

Daniel didn’t look up, and Jacob wasn’t even sure he was aware he had company. But finally Daniel spoke. “He didn’t remember his previous host’s name. A thousand years holding the man hostage in his own body and he didn’t know his name. I doubt the host even knew his name anymore.”

“Zipacna was a bastard, Danny, but he’s dead, and you’re not.”

“How long, Jacob? How long would it have taken for me to completely lose myself? To forget who I was, forget what I was? Two years? Five? Ten? How long before that would I have stopped even trying to fight him?”

‘Let me speak to him. I can make him understand.’

Jacob hesitated for only a moment before allowing Selmak to take over. He might be right in that Daniel would only listen to him.

“A Goa’uld chooses a new host for one of three reasons.” The young man’s shoulders tensed at the sound of Selmak’s deeper voice, but he didn’t move or interrupt. Selmak ticked the list off on Jacob’s fingers as he spoke. “Physical beauty, knowledge they wish to obtain, or pain they wish to cause others. Zipacna received all three in you, and his possession wasn’t even planned.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” Daniel’s voice was muffled as he spoke into his arms. “That the Gould, who we all know have the worst taste in the galaxy, find me attractive? That I could have helped them destroy my world? That my weakness brought pain to those I consider to be family?”

“Your inability to see your attractiveness is most irritating, Dr. Jackson. If I were still in a female body—”

‘Sel!’

“Or if my current host were not so close-minded—”

‘This is not happening.’

“I’d be after you in a second.”

‘This is officially a nightmare. Get the hell out of my head, you lecherous old snake.’

‘Shut up, Jacob, I know what I’m doing.’

Daniel looked up and blinked at them, his mouth hanging open slightly. “I’m not sure whether to be flattered or frightened.”

‘Frightened. He should be frightened.’

“Be flattered. My taste has always been impeccable.” Selmak smiled in what he considered to be a reassuring manner, though Jacob figured it was probably just creeping Daniel out. Hell, it was creeping Jacob out, and it was his face.

Selmak continued his argument. “As for the other reasons a Goa’uld would want you as host, your knowledge of Tau’ri codes and defences is but the smallest part. You have the knowledge of hundreds of human cultures and their derivatives in your head, as well as literally dozens of languages. Not to mention the secrets of the Ancients that are, quite possibly, locked up in your subconscious.”

“Great, so my inability to keep Zipacna out of my thoughts could have destroyed far more than just my own world. Very reassuring, Selmak. Thanks.” Daniel lowered his head to rest on his crossed arms again.

‘Oh, good job, Sel. Clearly you know exactly what you’re doing.’

‘How is it he can so quickly twist my intent into more guilt?’

‘The quickly part is because he’s way smarter than us. The guilt part is because it’s what Daniel does best. Languages are a distant second.’

‘Smarter than you perhaps, human.’

‘Keep telling yourself that, symbiote.’

Selmak ignored the hit with what Jacob considered to be poor grace and turned his attention back to Daniel. “Your ability to cause pain to your friends as a host is due to the love and respect you’ve garnered from them because of the man you are, because of your strengths. Certainly not because of any weakness on your part. They know that you would never hurt them. Having to see you be forced to watch as Zipacna used your body to do so is what caused most of their pain.”

Daniel still didn’t move.

Selmak sighed, and tried again. “There is an attribute that the Goa’uld and even most Tok’ra try to avoid in their hosts. One that Zipacna found in abundance in you. Strength of will. A Goa’uld does not want to constantly battle for control. He wants a quick capitulation and endless submission. Zipacna’s view that nothing of the host survives might have been near true in the case of his previous host, especially if he was raised on a Goa’uld dominated world. You, on the other hand, would have been a new and shocking experience.” Selmak chuckled. “I have heard Colonel O’Neill comment several times that no one on your planet is more stubborn than you are.”

Daniel looked at them, and for a long moment, Jacob thought Selmak had managed to get his point across. But then his head thumped back into his arms. “Not stubborn enough.”

‘Okay, you’re done. My turn.’

‘And you’re going to do better?’

‘I’m not likely to do worse.’

Selmak retreated, letting Jacob take over. “Daniel, Zipacna is dead. You were strong enough to defeat him. That’s no small thing.”

Daniel shook his head on his arms. “The only reason I’m free now is that Sam came up with a way to disable him, Jack made it happen, and Teal’c took out the remaining guards. I didn’t do anything.”

“From what Jack tells me, you immediately took control once Zipacna was shocked. Most hosts would have been confused and disoriented. You took out your escort, disarmed yourself and arranged for the remaining Jaffa to be incapacitated by Teal’c.”

“And then I almost killed Sam.”

“No, you didn’t. Zipacna did that.” Jacob studied Daniel’s still closed body language for a moment. “What about here on the ship when Zipacna grabbed the gun?”

“That would be me nearly killing Jack.”

“Daniel, you saved his life. Jack might believe that Zipacna was a bad shot, but I saw his aim shift just as he fired. You did that, didn’t you? Moved his hand that inch to the right?”

“Not far enough.”

“Just far enough. Do you have any idea how much strength that took? Trust me. It’s next to impossible to keep a symbiote from doing exactly what it wants. I sometimes have a hard time with Selmak, and he’s Tok’ra.”

“Selmak does things you don’t agree with?”

“You think I choose to hit on archaeologists in my spare time? Male archaeologists? Male archaeologists that my daughter is in love with?”

He wasn’t sure, but Jacob thought he saw Daniel’s lip curl into a slight smile. But it disappeared again, almost instantly.

‘Did you see that?’ Selmak asked. ‘He loves her too.’

‘Yes, yes, you’re very insightful.’

“Jacob,” Daniel whispered. “He tried to rape her.”

Jacob tried to push back the sudden flood of rage welling in him. “He what?”

“It was my fault. He found my feelings for her and figured it would break me if he raped her. He was right. I think it would have.”

Red. Why had everything gone red?

‘Calm down, Jacob. The boy will think you’re angry at him.’

‘Angry doesn’t even begin to cover it. But not at him.’ Jacob took a few deep breaths and waited for Selmak to get his heart rate and adrenalin levels back under control. “What happened?”

“Sam was frightened. She fought, but...Zipacna was too strong for her. I—he kissed her, painfully, pulled her hair.” Daniel’s arms left his knees had wrapped tightly around his chest, though Jacob wasn’t sure if he was trying to comfort or suppress himself. “Her pain aroused him, aroused my body. Sam’s pain.” His chin lowered to his chest. “Oh God, what have I become?”

‘Jesus.’ Jacob wasn’t sure he wanted to hear this. “Daniel? You don’t have to do this.”

Daniel didn’t seem to hear him. “He pulled out a knife. I thought he was going to cut her, but he laughed in my head and said there was plenty of time for that later. He just sliced her shirt open. Then he wondered if he could crush her breast until she screamed. He wanted to feel her scream.” He shook his head in a denial that seemed to be directed inwards. “I couldn’t—I had to stop him.”

‘He stopped him?!’

“You stopped him?” Jacob echoed Selmak’s astonishment. “How’d you stop him?”

“Just had to.”

‘Jesus,’ Jacob repeated. He wasn’t sure if he’d said that out loud or not, though it didn’t much matter.

‘Reassure him, Jacob. Look at him, he’s shaking.’

Selmak was right. Daniel had curled in on himself, the muscles of his neck and shoulders so tight he was trembling. His eyes were screwed shut and his breathing was shallow and ragged.

Jacob risked putting a hand on Daniel’s shoulder, and felt the muscles under his fingers bunch even tighter. “Daniel, look at me.” There was no response. “Look at me.”

Slowly Daniel’s head lifted, and his red-rimmed eyes met Jacob’s. “There was nothing of you in what he did. Nothing he did, nothing he felt is your responsibility or your fault. The only thing you did was fight him, and you did that damn well. Far better than I ever believed was possible.”

The pain in Daniel’s eyes lessened slightly, but not nearly enough. “I almost killed Sam,” he whispered. “Almost killed Jack.”

“You saved Jack. He’s fine. A bit cranky and very worried about you, but he’s fine. And Sam...” Jacob took a deep breath before continuing. “Daniel, I have always liked you. I’ve always thought you’d be a good match for Sam. You’re her intellectual equal, you make her laugh, you’re kind to her, and you’re strong enough to protect her, even if she would never accept that protection. But now I—”

Daniel turned his face away. “It’s all right. I don’t blame you for not trusting me with her. I don’t even trust myself. I’ll stay away.”

‘Surely he’s misunderstanding on purpose?’ Selmak complained.

Jacob ignored him and instead grabbed hold of Daniel’s jaw, turning his head back towards them. “There is no one I would trust with Sam more than you. Do you hear me? All that’s happened only proves to me that you are even stronger and better for her than I thought. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than for you to be with my daughter.”

“How can you mean that?”

“Just trust that I do.” He let go of Daniel’s jaw and patted his cheek before resting a hand on his shoulder. “Sammy’s my little girl. I’d kill to protect her. But I don’t need to protect her from you. You’d be good for her, Daniel.”

Daniel studied him for a long moment in silence.

Jacob chuckled as another thought struck him. “Actually, when it comes down to it, it won’t matter what I want, or even what your guilt complex thinks she needs. Once Sam knows you love her, there’ll be nothing in this galaxy that’ll keep her away from you for long. She’s a stubborn woman, my daughter.”

To Jacob’s relief, Daniel hesitated for only a moment before he gave a tight smile. “She is, isn’t she?”

‘I wonder where she learned that from.’

‘Oh, lay off. She’ll need it if she’s going to deal with Daniel Jackson for the rest of her life.’ Jacob smiled back at Daniel.“Selmak says that’s my fault.”

“You really trust me with Sam?”

“Without hesitation.”

Slowly, Daniel nodded.

Jacob squeezed his shoulder. “It’s hard now, but it’ll get better. If it remains too difficult to deal with, the Tok’ra have means of helping you suppress the memories, but it would be much better in the long run if you can deal with them yourself.”

Daniel nodded again, and then unwound himself enough to rest his arms and head on his knees again. He took a deep breath. “I can do this.”

“I know you can.” Jacob hesitated, not wanting to send Daniel back into his self-loathing, but needing to know an answer. “I’m sorry, I have to ask this. Can you tell me what happened to Hanyah, the Tok’ra operative? Obviously Zipacna captured her, but if she’s still alive...”

“She’s not. He learned what he could from her, which wasn’t much, and then he executed her. He didn’t want Anubis finding out he’d allowed a spy onto the base.”

Hanyah, along with her host Vhen, had been a friend of Saroosh, and though Jacob hadn’t shared the friendship, he did share Selmak’s grief at the loss of a connection to his former and much loved host. ‘I’m sorry, Sel.’

He felt his symbiote accept his condolences, but anything further fled from his mind as a thought struck him. “Daniel, he didn’t force you to..?”

Daniel shook his head. “No. Thankfully she was already dead before— before we arrived.” He paused. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean I’m grateful she’s dead. Just...”

“That you didn’t have to be the one to kill her.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad you didn’t either.”

‘It’s time for us to go check on the flight controls, I think,’ Selmak said.

‘What are you talking about? Teal’c’s got them. Daniel shouldn’t be left— Oh.’ Jacob noticed Sam standing nervously just inside the room. He got up and went to the door, patting her shoulder before giving her a nudge towards her friend. He watched long enough to see his daughter gather Daniel up in her arms and soothe him as he finally broke and let his tears and emotions flow. Then Jacob palmed the door closed.

‘He’ll be fine eventually,’ Selmak observed.

‘They both will be.’

‘We do good work.’

‘We?’

‘We.’

Jacob sighed and headed back to the control chair, smiling reassuringly at Jack and Teal’c. ‘Fine. We.’

Daniel woke slowly, momentarily disoriented. The past two days came back in a flood, and he tensed, expecting the pain Zipacna had inflicted each time Daniel regained consciousness. But this time he realized that his muscles had actually tensed along with his mind, and he remembered that he had control of his body once more. He forced his shoulders to relax.

With a touch of embarrassment, he remembered bawling on Sam’s shoulder for what seemed like hours. All the pain of what he’d been forced to do, all the resurrected anguish of having his Sha’re go through the same thing came pouring out at once. And Sarah. And Skaara. And Sam herself.

At least twice, he’d thought he was finished, only to open his eyes and have the sight of the injuries his hands had left on Sam’s face and throat set him off again. He probably wouldn’t mind last night’s emotional instability so much if he actually believed he was now finished with the breakdowns, but he had a feeling it was going to be a while yet.

God, he hated this.

Daniel reached out a hand and frowned when he didn’t find Sam beside him. At some point the previous evening, he’d fallen asleep as Sam held him. He vaguely remembered Teal’c gently coaxing him over to the sleeping pallet, and helping him out of his boots and armoured shirt. Then Sam had covered him with a blanket and curled up next to him.

He woke once during the night, shaking from the remainder of a nightmare, sure that Zipacna was still in his head. Sam had comforted him, reassuring him with her presence. He’d drifted off to the feel of her caressing his hair and face, and to the sound of Jack, Jacob and Teal’c quietly bantering with each other in the other room. Daniel had slept feeling more peaceful and protected than he had in years. Just thinking about it let him doze off once more without even really noticing.

When he woke again, he decided he should actually surface at some point and opened his eyes slowly, blinking in the light.

Jack peered down at him. “Thinking about waking up there, sleeping beauty?”

Daniel snorted. Trust Jack to be able to make him feel both comforted and annoyed by his presence at the same time. “I was considering it, but if all I’ve got to look at is you, I may reconsider.”

“Even if I have coffee for you?”

“That I’ll wake up for.” Daniel sat up and put his feet on the floor, then accepted the mug Jack offered, hardly grimacing at all at the taste of instant. It was warm, it was caffeine, and it was his choice to drink it. It was wonderful.

“What, no complaints on the quality?” Jack sat down next to him on the bed.

“Nope.” Daniel expected some crack about being a pod person or possessed, but Jack stayed silent and just watched him drink his coffee. Too close to home for even Jack to joke about it, Daniel supposed. “I’ll be fine, Jack, you don’t have to hover.”

“I can hover if I want to.”

Daniel smiled slightly and resigned himself to the inevitable. “How’s your shoulder?”

Jack grunted and rotated the offending joint. “Could be worse. Glad Jacob was around.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Not your fault, you know. Stop blaming yourself.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “I’m getting there. I’m sure in another few days I’ll figure out some way to have my shooting you be your fault.”

“I look forward to hearing that story. We’ll be going back to the range for some target practice when we get back, by the way. Your aim sucks.”

So Jack didn’t know that Daniel had tried to deflect the shot. Good. He didn’t need to. “If I’m not responsible for shooting you, you can’t hold me responsible for Zipacna not being able to hit the broad side of a barn either.”

Jack squinted at him. “Did you just call me fat?”

Daniel blinked. Not what he’d meant, no, but what the hell. “Hey, if the tarp fits...”

“Yes, well, if we’re going to discuss fashion advice, you might want to look in a mirror first.”

Daniel glanced down at himself, and immediately felt a deep blush creep up over his features. Leather pants and no shirt were not exactly his normal attire. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten what he was wearing. What he was almost wearing. He grabbed at the blanket and pulled it over his shoulders.

Jack smirked at Daniel’s discomfiture before apparently taking pity. He got up and rooted through one of the nearby boxes of gear before bringing back a set of BDUs. “Here, I think these’ll suit you better, though Carter might not agree.”

“Thanks.” Daniel accepted the uniform, and started changing quickly. “Where is Sam, anyway?”

“She slept as long as she could, but eventually, I think even her patience with sitting still was wearing thin.” Jack sat back down and leaned on the wall. “I volunteered to Daniel-sit, and she found herself a quiet corner somewhere to do some of the techie mumbo-jumbo figuring out stuff that she’s always enjoying.”

“I hardly think I need to be ‘Daniel-sat’,” Daniel muttered as he pulled his T-shirt over his head. “How long have I been I asleep?”

Jack checked his watch. “Oh, about sixteen hours.”

Daniel froze for a second, and then started peeling out of his hateful leather pants. “Huh. That’s a long nap.”

“Yeah, can’t think why you needed it. Oh, wait. Maybe the fact that you’d just had a snake fried right out of your head? Nah, probably has nothing to do with it.”

“Thanks Jack, you always know just how to make me feel better.”

Daniel had expected a snort or a dismissive wave, but all he got was Jack staring at him. He finished getting dressed, luxuriating for a moment in the feel of cotton blend, and then sat down beside his friend.

“What’s the matter?” Daniel asked.

“You know you’re my closest friend right? I have a lot of respect for you. I admire you more than a little.”

Daniel frowned. Okay, he’d been out of it for a while, but this wasn’t the normal sort of conversation he’d have with Jack. Even dying didn’t bring this level of voluntary feelings out of Jack, so something else had to be going on. Daniel thought about it for a minute.

Oh, God. The interrogation. Zipacna had dragged out the memory of almost every argument they’d ever had and thrown them in Jack’s face. And then he’d tortured him with the hand device. With everything else that had happened, Daniel had almost forgotten. He dropped his chin to his chest. “Jack, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you all those times I should have. I’m sorry I let you believe I didn’t respect you. And I’m sorry I didn’t think to apologize before now for everything I’ve done over the years to hurt you.”

“Jack.”

“Daniel, don’t.”

“It wasn’t—”

“I know. And I—”

“I know, Jack.”

“Good.” Jack sighed. “Quite a pair we are, aren’t we?”

“No doubt about that.” Daniel looked up into Jack’s brown eyes. “I didn’t enjoy it, you know. The pain he was causing you. No part of me enjoyed that.”

“I know you didn’t.” Jack squeezed his shoulder. “Even if you should have.” He stood up and grabbed Daniel’s now empty coffee cup. “Now, if we’re done with the touchy feely stuff, I’m going to go kick Teal’c’s ass at gin again. He already owes me twenty bucks. Want in?”

“No, thanks. I’ll keep my money.”

“Don’t say I didn’t offer to share the wealth. T’s really really bad at gin.”

“Maybe next time.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Daniel leaned against the door of the tiny engine room, watching. When Jack had said Sam had found a quiet corner to work in, he hadn’t been kidding. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor peering at her laptop, frowning intently, and occasionally tapping on the touch pad. Daniel shoved himself off the doorframe with his shoulder and sauntered over to her.

She didn’t notice him until he sat down beside her. She jumped slightly in surprise, but smiled when she saw it was him. “Daniel, you’re awake.”

“Hey, Sam.”

Sam brought a hand up and cupped his face, running her thumb along his cheek. “How are you feeling?”

“Better.” He leaned in and kissed her gently, being careful to pull back long before he wanted to. Despite Jacob’s blessing, Daniel still didn’t trust himself with Sam, certainly not while the bruises his hand had left on her neck were still so vivid. Instead, he leaned against her and rested his head on her shoulder. “What are you working on?”

“The shield on the Tzabek stargate could block supersoldiers. I was able to get some readings of it while the Colonel was setting up explosives. I’m hoping that with some time and effort I’ll be able engineer something similar to use on Earth. Maybe even a portable shield generator that we can use in the field.”

“So you might be able to create a viable defence against the supersoldiers?”

Sam nodded. “Well, to trap them or restrict their movements, maybe. And with the weapons the Tok’ra are working on, we’ll have a way to kill them too.”

“Hopefully before Anubis sends them in droves against us.”

“Agreed.”

Daniel leaned further toward the screen. Damn it. Zipacna had left all sorts of things floating around in his head. Why was it that out of all of them, the Gould’s fix of his eyesight had to be the first to fade? There. That was clearer. He pointed to a rotating diagram that seemed to show some sort of fluctuating waves. “What’s the picture in the corner?”

“It’s a graphical representation of the shield frequency harmonics. Given enough time, I think the base computers and I might be able to decipher the access code that will open it, although whoever takes control of the base will change the code long before that happens. Still, it’ll be a useful exercise, and it’ll also allow me to determine what level of fluctuations might be best if we develop...”

Daniel wasn’t really listening anymore. The frequency representation had captured his attention. It looked so familiar. He pushed himself up off Sam’s shoulder and stared at the diagram shimmering on the screen. There was something...

“Daniel?”

It was right there, if he could just reach a bit farther and remember it.

“Daniel? Are you okay?”

There.

He had it.

Daniel lurched to his feet so suddenly he had to lean on the wall while his blood caught up to the new position of his brain.

Sam dumped the computer off her lap and reached up to steady him. He captured one of her hands in his and squeezed a thank you. After she stood up, he pulled her along behind him into the flight control room.

“Jacob?”

The Tok’ra turned around at the helm, a questioning expression on his face.

“Can you communicate with your base from here?”

“Only if I drop out of hyperspace. And this isn’t the best neighbourhood.”

Jack and Teal’c came up to stand behind them.

“What’s going on?” Jack asked.

Daniel held his hand up to silence Jack, addressing Jacob instead. “It’s important.”

“Why?”

“I know the code to get through Tzabek’s gate shield. The Tok’ra can send through a bomb. What I don’t know is how long the Jaffa will wait for their master before altering the shield.”

Jacob stared at Daniel for all of two seconds before dropping out of hyperspace and contacting his base.

“Zippy left a few souvenirs, eh, Danny-boy?” Jack patted him on the back. “Nice.”

Daniel squeezed his eyes closed and clenched his fingers on the back of the co-pilot’s seat.

“O’Neill,” Teal’c said, his tone sharp.

“Selmak, it is good to hear from you,” came a voice through the ship’s comm. system. “Was your mission successful?”

“Not exactly,” Jacob said. “I need to speak to Per’sus.”

“The council is in session. Can it not wait—”

“Get him now, Thellas. We have the code to open the shield guarding Zipacna’s gate. It will not remain valid for long. If you want that queen dead before she produces a whole lot more symbiotes for Kull warriors, I suggest you interrupt the council meeting and get a bomb or some symbiote poison through the wormhole as soon as possible. Transmitting code now, with encryption.” Jacob nodded to Daniel, who dropped into the co-pilot’s chair and punched the long sequence into the console.

Once the code was sent, Jacob gave Thellas some final instructions, and signed off before moving the ship back into hyperspace. Daniel leaned back into his chair with a sigh. He glanced over to where Jack and Teal’c were again sitting, though it appeared that little attention was on their card game. They were both watching him, and Jack’s expression clearly held an apology. Daniel accepted it with a small smile.

Slender hands came to rest on his shoulders, and he looked up to see Sam’s face smiling down at him.

“You realize you just completed our mission? The base will be destroyed and the queen killed. Anubis will have to find another one.”

Jacob nodded in agreement. “And I’m thinking a third volunteer will be harder to locate once the fate of the first two gets out. And that’s news that the Tok’ra will be sure to spread around. You did good, Danny.” He clapped Daniel on the shoulder.

Daniel tensed at the unfamiliar sensation the contact brought about and pulled away. Then, realizing what it must be, he tentatively reached out and put a hand on Jacob’s arm. His eyes widened. “I can feel the naquadah in you. It sort of...tingles.”

Jacob raised an eyebrow. “Freaks you out a bit?”

“Um, yeah. Sorry.”

“It’s alright. You’ll get used to it. It’s a pretty useful skill at times.” Jacob glanced up at his daughter, whose hands were still on Daniel’s shoulders. “What about Sam? Surely she feels strange to you too?”

Daniel looked back up at Sam. “Uh, yes, she does. I didn’t realize what it was. I thought—” He broke off, and felt a blush creep across his features.

“That it was our incredible newfound chemistry?” Sam asked. She cupped her hand onto Daniel’s cheek and leaned closer, over the back of his chair. “I’m sorry that you had to go through what you did, but I’m not sorry that I can feel you when you’re near, or that your very touch sends a tingle down my spine.” She gently brushed her lips over his.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the kiss for a long moment. But when he opened them again, it was to be greeted with the bruises his hands had caused on her face and neck. Daniel pulled away, slowly this time so as not to upset her.

Sam smiled at him sadly and squeezed his shoulder. He knew she understood.

“So,” Jacob said. “Let me get this straight. The naquadah in my system gives you the creeps, but the naquadah in Sam’s is a turn on?”

“Something like that. There really is quite a difference in the feeling between a current host and a former one.” Daniel turned to face Jacob. “And let’s face it. You’re not exactly my type.”

“I’m hurt.” Jacob paused, and then snorted. “Actually, that’s not entirely accurate. Selmak’s hurt. I’m very much okay with it.”

“I’m sure Selmak will get over it,” Daniel said dryly.

“He’d better,” Sam muttered. She squeezed Daniel’s shoulder one more time, running her hand up his neck and through his hair before making her way back to her computer in the engine room.

Daniel watched her go, wishing that he felt comfortable enough to make love to her as he so desperately wanted. But, until he could be sure that the remnants of Zipacna were firmly under his control, he couldn’t risk it. Especially with the stark reminder of what his body had almost done to her painted in blue, purple and red on her face.

But that led him to another thought. “Jacob? Can you teach me to use the healing device?”

Jacob tilted his head. “You really want to learn? Sam’s always been a bit afraid of it. Especially since...”

“Since she couldn’t save me. Not exactly a fair test for one of her first times out, was it?” Daniel shook his head. “I really want to learn, Jacob. I could save lives at the SGC. If I can become proficient enough, I might even spare Janet and her team some of the more dangerous of their rescue missions. Pay her back a bit for having to save me so many times.”

Jacob’s gaze flicked to the engine room and back to Daniel’s face. “Not to mention clearing up a few bumps and bruises now and then?”

Daniel hesitated, and then nodded. “Yeah. That too.”

Jacob lowered his head, and Selmak raised it again. “I believe I would be the better teacher for this, Dr. Jackson. We still have more than a day of travel back to the Alpha Site. We could start now.”

Daniel nodded again. “I would like that.”

Selmak set the ship on autopilot and got up to retrieve the healing device.

Daniel looked around the ship. Jack and Teal’c were still sitting on the floor in the cargo hold, playing gin. Teal’c seemed to sense that he was being watched and looked up at Daniel. He smiled slightly and nodded his head in one of his regal half bows. Daniel smiled in return, and watched as Teal’c’s attention was drawn back to Jack, who had apparently just completed his hand. The Jaffa frowned and said something Daniel couldn’t hear, but whatever it was it made Jack’s face pale and his mouth twist into some sort of denial. Daniel’s smile widened. Busted. Took Teal’c long enough.

Daniel turned and looked at Sam through the engine room doorway. She was again frowning into the screen of her computer. Whatever the problem was, it didn’t last long. Her face lit up and she started typing at a rapid pace. Nothing ever stumped her for long. He loved that about her. Actually, he loved just about everything about her. And now that he knew she loved him back—

I will have all I desire in time.

Daniel shuddered, squeezed his eyes shut and pushed back the flood of memories which were the remnants of Zipacna. Surprisingly, he was able to almost immediately clear his mind. That boded well. It was probably far too early to consider a fleeting success to be a sign of permanent control, but it was a start. It also gave him the thought that he’d be spending a lot more time meditating with Teal’c.

A hand on his shoulder and a disturbing tingle startled him. “Are you okay?”

Daniel looked up into Jacob’s sympathetic face. “You know what? I think I am. At least, I will be.”

“Good. Ready to get started?”

Daniel nodded. The sooner something good came out of this whole mess, the sooner he could get his life back together. A life that suddenly had a lot more potential than he’d previously imagined. Besides, learning something new was something he’d always considered to be fun.

Jacob bowed his head as Selmak took over. He handed Daniel the healing device, and then used a Tok’ra blade to slice a cut across his own palm.

Daniel winced and looked down at his torn wrists. “Uh, Selmak?”

“It is much more difficult to heal yourself than it is to heal another, Dr. Jackson. And I would prefer it if your first few attempts were on someone who can heal themselves with or without the device.”

Okay, perhaps fun was a bit of an overstatement.

Daniel glanced at Sam and saw that she was watching him. She smiled encouragingly.

He turned his attention back to the task at hand and listened to Selmak’s instructions. Everything would be fine. He could do this.

Several hours later, Daniel settled down for another nap. He’d managed to heal Selmak’s hand several times, and the Tok’ra had promised to allow him to tackle Sam’s bruises once he’d rested. The healing device took a lot out of him, but he’d been assured that it was normal and was, in fact, a sign that he was doing well.

Daniel got a perverse sense of satisfaction in knowing that Zipacna’s legacy was going to save Tau’ri lives. His satisfaction grew as Sam snuggled in next to him. He turned to make room for her, gathering her into his arms and tucking her head under his chin.

His last thought as he drifted off to sleep was his and his alone. Soon I’ll finally have everything I’ve wanted. He smiled, and nuzzled his cheek into the mop of blond hair under it. Make that desired.

END