The Legacy Part 1
The Legacy Part 1
by Hallrho
Title: The Legacy Part 1
Author: Hallrho
Email: Hallrho@AOL.com
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Season: Season 5
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: language, violence
Summary: O'Neill and SG-1 discover the true intentions of the Araraan race with horrific results. Sequel to 'Through Another Eyes' and 'The Special Gift.'
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. I have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
The Legacy
For three hectic weeks it had been wild at the SGC. The whole place was in an upheaval. It had begun with one trip to PSX-577. Who would have ever guessed it would lead to this mess.
O'Neill was seated in one of the chairs that surrounded the conference table. At the moment, he was by himself. But that would not last long. He had been furiously scribbling on a pad, trying to finish his notes before the debriefing. It was too late to type them, so he was going to have to decipher the notes and give it verbally. That was okay. He broke away from his scattered thoughts and looked through the wide window in front of him. The Stargate was there. Quiet for now. He smiled tiredly. Sometimes, he would come up here just to watch the Stargate come to life with its brilliant Ka-whoosh of matter that then settle to a beautiful shining shield. It calmed him in a way he could not describe. It was a part of him now, a part he truly valued and....liked. He glanced about the large room. At times, it seemed like a second home. He signed softly, at least he was never alone here. He shook his head in mild amusement and continued with his notes. He took a peek at his watch and noted that he had just under an hour to finish his work. Good enough. He had started this in his office, but felt so distracted that he eventually decided to take a walk and it led him here. He leaned back and blinked.
There it is again!
He frowned and placed his pen down. It was a memory that had begun as a daydream or a dream during deep sleep. He rubbed his hands against his face. He had tried to deny it for weeks, but it wouldn't go away. He sat with his elbows on the table and palms rubbing his temples. His head still hurt. Diama's gift or curse to him. All this information, too much attacking him when he desired quiet, pushing him when he wanted peace, scaring him because it hadn't gone away.
He woke up four nights ago out of a sweat-drenched sleep, gasping for air as if he were drowning. He sat up in his bed and peered out the window of his bedroom. There was a full moon gleaming magnificently over the snow-capped mountains. The night breeze was causing the trees to sway gently. O'Neill remembered placing his hand to his racing heart.
What just happened?
Was it a dream? No, no, it was a nightmare!
He couldn't recall what drove him to wake, but he did not go back to sleep that night. And now, he felt uneasy. He dropped his eyes to the pad before him and almost gasped outloud. Another sharp pain shot through his battered senses.
"Oh my God, what am I doing?" He whispered.
He touched the legal pad with his left hand and moved it closer. He stared in shock at the paper. The pad was halfway used. He remembered this being a new pad, and he had just flipped over to his third page.
What happened here? He thought trying to control his panic. He flipped the pad to the first page. His notes. Scattered, but still having a strange sense of organization. He quickly flipped to the second, and then the third page. More of the same. Then, with his left finger, he flipped to the fourth page. He stared at the page for a long moment. He slowly removed his finger and ran that hand through his unruly gray hair. There was a growing uneasiness in the pit of his stomach.
There it was!
This was from the dream. Oh God, it wasn't a dream!
He scanned the page and flipped to the next, then the next and the next, all displaying his handiwork.
He had written pages and pages of information on a new weapon and a strange new device that wasn't a weapon. He looked closely and saw that he had labeled the device the Ta'alchar. There were odd squiggly lines and some bizarre mathematical equations scribbled down the sides of the paper, as if he was trying to squeeze as much information as possible on each page.
"Oh God." He murmured and glanced at his watch. Forty-five minutes had passed and he could not remember doing this.....work. He suddenly felt nauseated and jumped up from his chair. The chair tumbled back and smacked the floor loudly.
"Uh, Jack?" A voice floated past him. He did not want to turn to the voice. He stood there bent over slightly with his hands gripping the table. He willed himself to turn the tablet over, concealing the information from the other.
"Jack?" Daniel walked around him cautiously. He looked at his friend. He was standing at the table, his chair lying on the floor. Daniel frowned at the expression on Jacks face. The soldier looked as if he had just seen a ghost.
Jack forced himself to relax. He released the white knuckled grip on the table and backed away to retrieve the chair.
Daniel beat him to it. The archeologist had righted the chair in one move and was now standing by his friend's side.
"What's the matter? You are as white as a sheet." Daniel touched Jacks rigid shoulder.
He could feel the vibrating tension in the older man.
Jack blinked several times and reached out for the chair. The nausea was still there. Right on the edge. He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He sat down and placed his hands on the pad.
"I'm..ah..ah..okay." He finally answered.
Daniel sat down next to him. He placed the notebook that he had tucked under his arm, on the table. He continued to watch his friend with concern. There were beads of sweat on O'Neill's brow and he still looked pale.
"Hum, you sure don't look okay to me. What just happened in here?" Daniel gestured about the room.
"Nothing. I think I'm just tired." O'Neill pulled the pad onto his lap.
"Nope, won't work. I have seen you tired. And this isn't tired. This is something else." Daniel stared at Jack with intense blue eyes.
Jack turned his dark brown eyes to his friend. Yeah, Daniel would know.
"I must have fell asleep on the table here and you know, had a bad dream. I woke up..disoriented. That's all." O'Neill gestured with his right hand, then brought the fingers nervously to his mouth. He raised his brows at Daniel as if to say, 'don't you understand?'
"Jack?" Daniel began gently. "I know you haven't been sleeping lately. I know that you have nightmares. I think you need to talk about it. Stop bottling this up. You should see yourself." Daniel waved his hand over his friend.
Jack did look ragged. He had dark circles under his eyes and had lost some weight. His color was not quite right and he had been somewhat standoffish that last two weeks.
Granted, it had been a wild three weeks at the SGC.
"Daniel, it's nothing to worry about, okay? If it gets too bad, out of control, then....I'll go see Janet. I think, I think all this stuff is playing with my head. Once everything settles down, I'll be alright." Jack held the notebook to his chest. He tried to appear as casual as possible. A near impossible task.
"Jack, you have had the weight of the entire world resting on your shoulder's before, literally, and I don't believe I have seen you behave like this." Daniel countered, not giving in.
"Hello Colonel O'Neill, Daniel Jackson. I trust all is well with you?" Teal'c came into the room with Major Carter in tow.
"Yeah, peachy Teal'c." Jack answered. He slowly placed the pad on the table.
"Well, I feel fine." Daniel said looking directly at Jack.
"Hi Daniel, Colonel. Just when I thought the ride couldn't get any wilder, it does." Sam said stepping around to the other side of the table.
Teal'c sat down and frowned. "What ride?" He asked knowing he shouldn't.
"Ah, its just a figure of speech Teal'c." Daniel offered.
O'Neill stirred and looked about the room at his people. "Well campers? Ready for a new and exciting day of espionage and betrayal at the SGC?"
"O'Neill, have they tracked down all the people involved with Rand and the Goa'uld T'umock?" Teal'c studied O'Neill's features. The man needed to rest more. Perhaps Kel-no-reem might help.
"That appears to be winding down. As soon as General Hammond arrives I'll give the report on that situation."
"Colonel, I have been working on the Toomis and the Neel'pa. It appears that the Toomis will need a tad of Naquada for the explosive properties. Overall, it is a simple weapon to create and use. There are variations to the amount of destruction that can be implemented. I have noted that you listed 8 different combinations that involve power, distance, and force." Sam glanced down at her notes.
"Yeah, it can overpower their hand dillies any day." O'Neill said smiling slightly.
"Ohh, I have personally seen what that one can do. If I recall, it put me on my butt." Daniel said looking at O'Neill.
Sam jerked her head around as she heard General Hammond approach the room. O'Neill and Carter went to stand up when Hammond waved them down.
"At ease people. Are we ready for the debriefing?" Hammond sat down and glanced about the table at SG-1. He smiled slightly. Good people all of them.
O'Neill flicked a look about the table, then raised his brows. He lifted his hands to the table and touched the pad in front of him. He glanced to the first page.
"Yessir, we are. We were just touching on the Araraan weaponry. Major Carter has been diligently working on the information I have given her."
"What is the news from that front, Major?"
"Well sir. As I was going to tell the others. The Neel'pa is way out of our league as far as understanding it, much less replicating it. The fact that it works off of mental commands that involves great distances is mind boggling. I have looked at the schematics again repeatedly, and it is going to take someone way smarter than me to make it work right. The scary thing is...I believe if Colonel O'Neill wanted to, he could make it work without any problem. Besides, I'm not too sure we want this technology. It could be very dangerous." Carter looked disturbed as she gave her report.
"Way smarter than you? Hum. Maybe you're right. Maybe we shouldn't be messing around with this thing quite yet. I know there are materials in the Neel'pa not found here on earth. However, they are located on the planets surface." O'Neill said nodding.
"PSX-577?" Daniel asked looking to Teal'c.
O'Neill looked up from the pad and nodded his head. "Yeah, They have elements there that are not naturally produced here. We might be able to reproduce them in a lab situation."
"Elements?" Sam asked arching her brow.
"Okay, stuff." O'Neill shrugged.
"Natar is aware of the Neel'pa. He mentioned it several times. That would be the first thing he would go after if he ever got free." Teal'c offered.
"Can it be built?" Hammond asked simply looking at O'Neill.
"We would have to go to PSX-577 to get the remaining material to complete the design. What Major Carter is getting at, are, our capabilities of using such a weapon. It might determine a particular type of brain wave activity for usage. We may not have the capability to use this weapon." O'Neill nodded to his second in command.
"So, all the materials for these weapons could be found on the planets surface? What about their home world?" Daniel asked.
"When Diama created this technology, she wanted to make sure that all materials were readily available at the research center. You know, rather than traveling back and forth though the gate. Besides, I understood that the homeworld was destroyed by Natar." O'Neill answered.
"That is true O'Neill. Many of those who were imprinted spoke of Natar destroying their home." Teal'c answered.
"So, have we discussed testing what we have?" Hammond asked the group.
"Where would we test it?" Daniel said alarmed. "I saw first hand what some of these weapons are capable of doing. It would be difficult to hide that here."
"True. It would have to be off world." Teal'c said quietly.
"Off world?" O'Neill leaned back in his chair and placed his hand over his mouth. He looked at the pad again.
Hammond looked at O'Neill curiously. That was a strange reaction for O'Neill.
"Colonel? Let's move on for right now, tell me about the investigation."
O'Neill looked at Hammond with haunted eyes. His mind was somewhere else. He nodded and forced himself to change routes.
"It would appear that we have apprehended all of Rand's entourage. Not counting Becker and Knight, there was ah...ah..eight more involved within the SGC. Some of these people, ah better yet, most of them were newly transferred to the complex. Placed in inconspicuous positions. There were both Air Force and Marine infiltrators. We have yet to track down the real source behind this fine mess. And if I was a betting man, I would say we may never find out who is behind this." O'Neill moved his hands in concert with his speech.
"What of Sergeant Walking Bear?" Hammond asked, taking in how truly fatigued his second in command appeared.
" That's an enigma. Daniel?" O'Neill turned to the younger man.
Daniel nodded and picked right up. "Jack is right. First, we can't find out how or when Walking Bear became a Goa'uld. I mean, I saw him on the surface. He appeared to be very human. He went through a blending and suffered wounds like Jack and Sam. Teal'c was with him. I can't imagine when or where he was implanted with a Goa'uld."
"It would have had to been on the planet's surface." Sam said slowly.
"Not necessarily. T'umock could have given him the symbiote here on earth. After all, were they not together?" Teal'c asked Hammond.
"They were at that. But, something very strange happened. I asked Walking Bear point blank when he became a Gould and he told me, 'when no one was watching.' There is one thing I do know, Walking Bear was only around one Goa'uld, Natar. And that is when he helped escort Natar to the To'kra." Hammond shrugged.
O'Neill stirred. "The symbiote must have been very young and immature."
Teal'c nodded in agreement. "Possibly implanted hastily. The mere fact that he was able to fight off the Goa'uld within and his master T'umock, indicated that he had great mental strength and the Goa'uld was not fully capable of controlling him. Walking Bear was a highly unusual individual. I believe he, for a short while, was able to overcome the Goa'uld long enough to allow Colonel O'Neill to escape and for him to destroy T'umock."
Daniel and Sam were nodding in agreement.
O'Neill had a look of pain on his face. Walking Bear died saving him. He was helpless and could not bring his friend back with him. He looked down to his hands.
"It is not your fault Jack. There was nothing you could have done to save him." Hammond said softly.
"Yeah, Oookkayy, ah...by the way, where is Jacob?" O'Neill said peering at Sam.
"Dad is finishing with Natar. He won't tell me what they are planning to do with him. He said, I wouldn't want to know."
"Humm, sounds like a plan to me." O'Neill smiled.
"Yeah, it's a good thing that Tok'ra were willing to come and help us flush out the possibility of any Goa'uld here at the base." Daniel said shooting a look at Jack.
"Well, there weren't any." Jack shot back.
"Gentlemen." Hammond said patiently.
"Okay, we have gone through every department twice. There are some missing personnel and that pisses me off. They must have really wanted this information bad. Their communications within our base was adequate. Because some slipped through our fingers." Jack touched the pad with his fingertips.
"That's because we are not sharing." Sam said.
'So, they are leaping upon the weapon?" Teal'c asked solemnly.
"Jumping the gun." O'Neill said trying to keep a straight face.
"Yes, and we are not going to share this information?" Teal'c said not missing a beat.
"Hell, I'm not even finished yet. The Toomis was easy, all it needs is a little contained Naquada, the Neel'pa, well, to be honest, I don't know if we will ever be able to control that puppy. But the Fraa'le, that baby, that's.....highly technical."
"Did Jack say technical?" Daniel murmured.
"I believe he did, Daniel Jackson." Teal'c raised a brow.
"Real amusing guys. At least we don't have to back engineer this stuff, and the Goa'uld don't have em." O'Neill said, rolling his eyes.
"It's the front engineering that worries me." Daniel pointed out.
"And we have the prototypes." Sam said writing.
"Do we know for certain they work? I want them tested." Hammond said scanning his people.
"Oh, you bet at least two of them work." Daniel said glaring at O'Neill.
"Not my fault." Jack said smoothly. "Anyhoo, I say, until we are able to understand how these weapon's really work, and we can reasonably control them, no one except us should have access to them. If they are to be tested, then, we need to field-test them. Maybe get Mike Taylor's crew to help us out."
Hammond agreed. "Jack, we are still faced with the problem coming from those who are aware of the weapons. The Pentagon is clamoring for at least the research notes. They, as well as Area 51, know we have working models. We can not keep this a secret forever. Look what has occurred so far."
"We must sir. It is more than likely their damn fault that we are backlogged on the research. All this stupid spy stuff and the oh so covert attack from the rear! I've got my ass in my hands and my head up my ass...."Jack was getting wound up.
"Okay Colonel, we got the message." Hammond said hastily.
"In all fairness sir, this doesn't seem to be the work of the NID or Area 51. I would better believe it was some faction acting independently. What would they have gained by kidnapping Colonel O'Neill? They would have eventually got the research. It just doesn't make sense." Sam argued.
"Eventually, but not soon enough. Look folks, these three weapons are, so far, the most advanced pieces of alien technology we have ever put our grubby hands on. All that other Goa'uld stuff we have stored at Area 51 or even here at the base, like the Zat, we can pick up at any Goa'uld-friendly planet. This stuff, to be honest with you, scares the dickens out of me. Not because of what it can do, but rather, we can't control it. Let's not fool ourselves, the Neel'pa, it's so far over our heads, a lifetime of dedicated work could not help us. I don't know what Diama was thinking when she downloaded me with this information. I have all this......." O'Neill stopped suddenly. He felt a sharp spasm pierce through his head. He gritted his teeth together in pain and tried to exhale to control the pounding. He placed his shaking hands under the table then swallowed convulsively to push down the growing nausea.
"Colonel O'Neill?"
O'Neill heard Hammond's voice, but it sounded like it was coming from a far distance. Faint and tinny. He felt the room jump in temperature by at least twenty degrees. It was so fricking hot. He closed his eyes.
He opened his eyes.
He was lying down?
On a bed?
He stared at the ceiling. Familiar.
He was in the infirmary.
He rolled his eyes to the left. It hurt way too much to turn his head.
There stood a very concerned looking General Hammond and a nervous looking Daniel.
He smiled slightly. Or at least he thought he smiled. He rotated his eyes to the right. Sam and Teal'c. What? Where is the Doc?
"Jack? Hello?" Daniel leaned over and touched his arm.
O'Neill inhaled and turned his head to his friend.
"Uh. What just happened?" He asked confused. His own voice sounded too loud for his ears.
"Well, you passed out four hours ago." Daniel answered looked to the general.
"What's going on here Colonel?" Hammond walked around to the foot of the bed. He had Jack's legal pad tucked under his arm.
Uh-oh. Not a good sign. Jack thought, knowing what he had scribbled on that pad.
"Four hours ago? I don't know what is going on."
"It looked like you suffered some type of seizure. Has this happened before?" Sam asked pulling up a chair next to him and sitting down.
Hammond leaned down and placed the pad on the bed. He frowned at the supine man. It was a frown of concern.
"What is this, Colonel?" He motioned to the pad.
Sam and Teal'c were both watching the General, but Daniel was watching Jack's reaction.
O'Neill stared at the pad with apprehension.
"Just when you thought it was safe to come out, someone bites you on the ass when you weren't looking."
"Sir, what exactly is a Ta'alchar and Otosin? Sam asked.
"Ah, reading my notes again? I hope they made more sense to you than to me. What's an Otosin?" O'Neill struggled to sit up. Teal'c made a movement forward. Jack waved him off. "I'm fine for now, really. Hey, where is Janet?"
"Getting your lab work completed." Daniel said. "And you are not fine, in fact, you are rapidly becoming a permanent guest of the infirmary."
"You should talk. Really, I do feel okay. Now, what's an Otosin?" He looked to Sam curiously.
"O'Neill, we were discussing the technology of Araraans when you began to behave oddly." Teal'c said nodding his head at the pad on the foot of the bed.
"Not that you don't behave odd anyway." Daniel added. "But, you stopped in the middle of a sentence and began frantically writing on that pad."
"We tried to talk to you, but it was as if you were fixated on finishing this." Hammond held up the pad.
"Colonel, there are two new pieces of Araraan technology on that pad. You have drawn.....Schematics, diagrams, complicated mathematical equations that I can't decipher. We have no clue what these things do, or..or why you have knowledge of them now. Do you still have access to the knowledge of Diama?" Sam asked. Her blue eyes narrowed. This put a whole new and terrifying twist to what was happening.
O'Neill shifted on the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He fruged out again. In front of everyone, for crying out loud. The worse part, was the total lack of control. He used to think it was merely a bad dream, now he knew better. She didn't go away, she was there the whole time, just waiting for him to become so tired to fight her. He waved one hand and let it drop into his lap. He gestured in frustration.
"I don't know. Really, I...I don't understand this. You know, it's not the same as when I was downloaded with the knowledge of the Ancients. That was different. It was the knowledge and the language that overwhelmed me, but they gave me an out. With their help, I was able to divest myself of that intense encounter. This is not the same. I really thought she was gone." O'Neill rubbed his forehead and looked to Hammond.
"Until?" Daniel asked curiously.
"After Walking Bear died. It started almost immediately after he died. At first, it was like a memory. A small thing. Nothing really important. I'd see a blur of a past thought." O'Neill moved his hands restlessly. "Then, it began to change."
"The dreams." Daniel said quietly.
"Yeah, the dreams. Nothing real specific. Just vague unconnected images that made no sense. Flashes of disjointed thoughts." O'Neill was becoming increasingly agitated.
"Okay Colonel, what are we dealing with? Are these weapons? Are there prototypes on the planet? What do they do? Why, if you thought she was gone, has she returned?' Hammond glanced down at the pad in wonder. He had also witnessed the frantic, compulsive writing that O'Neill had done in the conference room. It had unnerved him in no small way.
"General, I don't know yet, it is as if she was pushing me to finish something. I guess there was much more and I was suppressing it."
"Even if you were suppressing the information, what brought her back?" Sam asked looking to the general.
O'Neill looked at his restless hands. They were flitting all over the place. "After T'umock hit me with that frigging hand crystal thingy, that force..you know what I mean." He looked to Sam and Daniel.
They both found themselves nodding in agreement.
"It knocked me for a loop. When I gained full awareness, I realized something was very different, and it was way too late to clamp down and fight it. I wasn't very strong. I was battling physical and mental pain, and...and..." O'Neill ran his hands over his face.
"Come on Jack." Daniel coaxed.
"And, maybe it was there all along." Jack looked over his hands to Sam. His soft brown eyes pleading.
"We need this information. I know it is a hard thing to ask of you, but, this is a unique situation." Hammond said softly.
"Does anyone else know about what is written on that pad?" Sam asked pointed to the precious notepad.
"Not to my knowledge." Hammond said.
"Oh... that's the tip of the iceberg." Jack said suddenly, gesturing to the pad.
"My God, how much more is there?" Daniel whispered.
"Apparently Daniel Jackson, Diama left everything she ever knew to O'Neill. It is her Legacy. She has passed the mantle of responsibility on to him. Everything that was once her people, a proud and brilliant race, has been given a chance to awaken. What has occurred here is rare indeed. But, unless you allow all the knowledge to be passed on, and stop fighting it, it will eventually overwhelm you and.... destroy you." Teal'c said with a strangely quiet tone. For the first time, he was truly afraid for O'Neill.
"What if I don't want it? Why can't I make it go away? It makes my head hurt." O'Neill complained.
"Because she is not finished with you. You must surrender to her. Allow her to complete what she started. It is her gift to you." Teal'c carefully watched O'Neill's expression as he explained.
"No, if I do that, I'll lose myself. I can't do that! Besides, I really don't look at this as a gift. A pain in the ass is more like it. Good grief, just how much more is there?" O'Neill glanced to Sam.
Her eyes softened. She met his eyes with compassion. She knew that her commander was an intensely private person. This must be tearing him apart.
"There is no telling sir. This might be the last two objects she worked on or the first two. Whatever it is, from what I saw, this is radically different from the Toomis, Fraa'le and Neel'pa. I don't know if they are weapons or scientific equipment."
"The Ta'alchar is a hand held DHD." O'Neill said suddenly.
Teal'c looked startled.
Daniel smiled.
Sam's mouth dropped open slightly.
Hammond was busy flipping through the pad. When he came upon the schematics for the Ta'alchar, he shot an amazed look to the Colonel.
"We wouldn't need anything from the planet to create those things. It is really quite simple in principle. It's a wonder we never thought of it." O'Neill eased up and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Colonel? Is there anything else you have....done since the death of Walking Bear? Hammond gestured at the pad.
"I don't think so....hell, I don't know. I didn't even know I had done that until I looked down at my watch and realized forty-five minutes had passed without my knowledge.' O'Neill looked a little green. He had that same queasy feeling again.
"Sir?" Janet had stepped into the room.
O'Neill waved her off.
Sam looked at the pad in Hammond's hands. She then returned her attention to O'Neill.
"Sir, if you don't mind, I would like to take a closer look at that information. I would also like to check your terminal in your quarters. There might be data on that computer that you are not aware of."
"Sure, sure, do what you have to do. If I just gave us more tools to fight the Gould with, the more the better. But I would really like to get this stuff out of my head, I swear, this is worse than the Ancients." O'Neill refrained from cringing.
Hammond gave her the pad and turned to Daniel.
"Dr. Jackson, accompany Major Carter and give her some assistance. For all we know, Colonel O'Neill might have written some of that information in that alien language. And you can translate." Hammond gave him no options.
"Uh, certainly. Jack? As soon as Janet springs you from purgatory, I will come and get you."
O'Neill gave his friend a tired smile and waved him on. Daniel followed Carter out of the infirmary.
Teal'c remained standing. He had been studying O'Neill movements and body language. Something was very different. And it was changing.
"Okay Colonel O'Neill, as soon as Dr. Frasier feels you are ready to be released, we will conclude the debriefing. I have something I must do, and several things we need to discuss. But it can wait. Doctor, let me know of his progress." Hammond passed a brief smile to his second in command.
"Yes sir, understood." O'Neill waved off a sloppy salute as Hammond retreated.
Leaving Teal'c and Janet standing there quietly.
For the longest moment, the Jaffa stood staring at his friend. His expression troubled. He knew he had to help O'Neill. He wasn't sure how to do that. He walked around the bed and stood in front of the man.
Janet watched with interest. There was something within her that urged her to leave and then there was another part of her that insisted that she stay to understand exactly what was going on.
O'Neill watched Teal'c walk around the bed. He frowned.
"What?" He asked raising his hands up.
"I wish to tell you the truth. You need to understand the truth." Teal'c looked at Janet.
"Do you want me to go?" She asked plainly not wanting to go.
"No, you may stay." Teal'c answered. He returned his attention to O'Neill.
Who was frowning.
"What truth? Has someone been lying to me?" O'Neill asked.
"No, it has to do with what Diama has done to you." Teal'c sat down in a chair next to O'Neill's bed.
"Okay. What has Diama done to me?"
"She has given you the responsibility of passing on the information to fight our common enemy."
"No, she has forced herself upon me. She makes me think independently and differently than I normally do. I am not the same! All I want is to be me again. Not some messiah from another frigging world!" O'Neill answered angrily.
"What you want no longer matters. As long as you hold the legacy of the Araraans, you are responsible for passing that information on. It cannot die on that planet surface. Should that happen, then the Goa'uld would win! O'Neill, I believe she would have never blended with you if she felt you unworthy." Teal'c said passionately.
"Go away Teal'c. I don't want to hear anymore of this. Leave me alone for now. Okay?" O'Neill turned his head away. He was so tired.
Janet looked at Teal'c. Her brown eyes clouded with compassion for this man sitting in front of her.
Teal'c reached out and ever so gently touched O'Neill's knee.
Jack lifted his head and looked at him.
The Jaffa shook his head slowly.
"I can and will help you with this. But you must be willing to listen. Allow me to do what is right. Once all the information is exhausted, you will be free. I promise that."
O'Neill looked at Janet. He signed. "This is taking over. I can't. I don't know when I blink in or out. Or what I have left in the wake. I am a control freak, okay? I need to be in control of myself!" O'Neill brought his hands in towards his chest.
"I will leave you now. You must rest." Teal'c stood up and went to walk to the door.
"Teal'c?" O'Neill said softly.
Teal'c turned around to face his friend.
"O'Neill?"
"Thanks."
Chapter Two
Jacob stared at the handsome man. Striking actually. He steepled his fingers and leaned back on the bench that faced the holding room. He had watched this creature for weeks, and had grown to really dislike him. This Goa'uld was annoying, arrogant, insulting, demanding, and a royal pain in the ass. Jacob smiled suddenly. Now he was sounding like Jack O'Neill.
Natar.
Jacob turned to the sound of someone approaching. It was Mal'tek/So'lar. Mal'tek was a petite brunette with huge blue gray eyes. She could have been 20 or 50 years of age. She moved towards him with an athletic grace. She sat down next to him and sighed softly.
Jacob scooted over to give her space. She really was quite attractive. He smiled at her as they both peered into the room that held the Goa'uld.
"What are we going to do with him?" She asked disdainfully.
"I don't really know. We could let Jack O"Neill have a shot at him." Jacob said loudly, waiting for a response.
And he got one.
Natar raised his head up and stared at the two Tok'ra. His eyes flaring in anger. He had been sitting staring at the floor, not saying a word.
Jacob found himself smirking. That was a conditioned response, if he'd ever seen one. It would get a rise every time.
Mal'tek smiled slightly. She knew that Jacob was baiting Natar. She could hardly blame her friend. She absolutely hated this creature. He had done everything in his power to make life miserable for the Tok'ra. He had already attacked two of their people who were only trying to help him when he tried to kill his host.
Despicable creature!
She quietly wondered why they had not simply removed the Goa'uld from the host. She mulled over that for a moment. Perhaps it had something to do with the Tauri. Now, they were odd creatures. She turned when she felt Jacob stir.
Jacob stood up and walked over to the barrier door. He had ordered them not to help Natar in the event he tried to harm his host. Just Zat him.
Every time he tried something.
Jacob looked back at the petite woman.
"What do you think Mal'tek? Do you think we should let O'Neill loose on him? I believe he could take him."
Jacob kept his back to the Goa'uld. He could hear the distinctive hiss of anger coming from Natar.
Oh yeah, he's pissed.
"He will be mine Selmac. You wait and see. And once he is Goa'uld, I shall enjoy seeing him single handedly destroy your world."
"Sticks and stones Natar. You are just a sore loser and a slow learner." Jacob sat back down as Natar stood up and moved towards the door.
"The other's will come for him. And then they will come for me." Natar sneered. He contorted his handsome face.
"Such a vivid imagination." Mal'tek said getting into the game.
"You wait, you pathetic creatures. They are coming."
Natar paced back and forth in front of the security door. He was agitated and furious. He stopped suddenly and glared at the two Tok'ra.
"Selmac, you cannot keep me here forever." Natar shouted angrily.
Jacob cocked his head slightly. As if thinking. He turned to his friend and raised his brows.
"Yes, we can." He said smiling.
Natar spun around and stalked off to the back of the room and threw himself on the bed.
"Selmac!" He shouted. "You have been given ample warning. Heed my words. You cannot afford to be complacent. They are coming for him. Diama made certain of that!" Natar lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Jacob made a motion with his hand and Mal'tek stood up. Jacob took one hard look at Natar and stood up also. They both walked away from the holding cell to a place where they could talk in private.
"Jacob, do you think we should take this creatures threats as a warning to protect O'Neill? After all, he does have the information that any Gou'ald would desire as a means to increase their power. There are those out there that feel the data O'Neill holds within his memory belong to them. I fear for O'Neill." Mal'tek asked worried. She glanced back down the hallway.
"Mal'tek, I would be six kinds of a fool if I didn't take him serious. But considering everything Colonel O'Neill and the rest of SG-1 have been through recently, I hope they are taking every precaution to protect themselves. But, Colonel O'Neill would never agree to be....contained. He has always been a man of action. Be it smart or not."
"But, Natar just told us that they, whoever they might be, are coming for Colonel O'Neill. I do not believe that to be an empty threat." Mal'tek looked into her friends dark eyes.
"Neither do I. Look my friend, I am scheduled to return to the SGC tomorrow. I will convey what happened here today to Hammond. I will check on the good Colonel. Besides, I have an ulterior motive to go back." Jacob smiled gently as he thought of his daughter.
Mal'tek raised her brows. "Yes, of course. The Araraan weapons, perhaps he had more design plans. I would be most interested in seeing them. I have heard that they are fantastic." She nodded eagerly.
Jacob looked at her mildly annoyed. "Yeah, it would be for the Araraan technology." He shook his head. Sometimes the Tok'ra could be so blind to the obvious.
Chapter Three.
"Milord Ptah-sek-ani" The young Jaffa bowed before his Gou'ald master. He stepped back and kept his blue eyes to the bright mosaic floor.
"And the word is?" Ptah-sek-ani asked in a bored voice.
"Natar is still being held by the Tok'ra."
"Where is his exact location?" Ptah-sek-ani asked. He was seated in a large overwhelming chair. He himself was as obscene as the plush chair. The Goa'uld weighted considerably over three hundred pounds and stood close to seven feet in height. He had oily jet-black hair that hung limply to his shoulders. He rolled his round brown eyes in the direction of the young Jaffa, and smiled.
It was an unpleasant smile.
The young Jaffa tensed suddenly. He had heard terrible rumors of this Gou'ald he served. He knew that his youth and physical beauty would please this abomination. He did not want to get close enough for this creature to touch him. He knew that he was suppose to worship this thing, but something within him screamed that this was a beast. Others told him that he should be honored to serve Ptah-sek-ani. He didn't feel that way. He had heard others, who were willing to tell the truth, that he should beware of this one. He had managed to heed the warning until now. Today, he was standing far to close.
"It is still unknown. Our operatives are searching for him as we speak. It will not be long." The Jaffa despaired. He wanted to take two steps back, but that would be a sign of disrespect and he had not been dismissed yet.
"We know that he is with the Tok'ra and yet we do not know of his location?" Ptah-sek-ani leaned closer to the young Jaffa. Ah yes, beautiful eyes, fine strong looking body. Perfect.
"That is correct Milord." The Jaffa swallowed convulsively. He tried not to shift his weight. This creature was so repulsive.
"We want Natar. How long must we be made to wait?" He reached out and touched the young man's arm.
The Jaffa did not move.
Good. Good. Potential. Ptah-sek-ani stroked the Jaffa's arm.
"And what are the plan's to bring us the human O'Neill?" Ptah-sek-ani smiled, showing a row of sharp tiny pointed teeth.
For gnawing! The Jaffa thought horrified.
"Fordack had almost completed the plan of attack on the humans. The demise of T'umock was untimely. It set us back somewhat, but.." The Jaffa tried to push away his fear.
"T'umock was a fool. So is Natar. The time for planning is over. It is time for action. Our patience is waning. We are tired of waiting. You go and tell Fordack that we want a plan of attack now and one that will work. Do you understand our love?"
"Understand perfectly Milord." The Jaffa moved slightly.
Ptah-sek-ani's grip tightened on the Jaffa's arm.
The Jaffa looked at the hand, bespeckled with rings, and then, to the leering hungry face of his master.
"Fordack can wait. We wish your company. Why don't you stay with us for a while." Ptah-sek-ani pulled the young man towards his chair. He knew this one would fight him.
And he loved a good fight!
Chapter Four.
Janet Frasier stood at the edge of the bed. She was quietly watching O'Neill sleep. Hour's earlier she had insisted in giving him something for sleep and then hooked him up to monitor his REM sleep.
He was getting REM sleep, but it was anything but restful. His delta sleep remained disturbed. Either he was having one whopper of a nightmare or he was dreaming of running a marathon. Under his lids, his eyes were bouncing all over the place. He was sweating profusely and moving about restlessly. Occasionally his arms would thrash about as if warding off something or someone.
And then he would speak. That is what disturbed Janet the most. He was not speaking in English.
Or French.
Or German.
Nor in Spanish, Finnish, Japanese or even Arabic.
It was alien sounding.
Really alien.
He would struggle and kick the blanket off, then reach for the leads to his head trying to rip them off.
Many times during the course of his sleeping cycle, Teal'c would have to help her restrain him.
He would open his eyes and stare at them unseeing. Janet could not ever remember seeing that type of terror in the Colonel's dark eyes.
Then, as quickly as it came on, it would cease.
And he would fall into a regular cycle of sleep.
Only to wake up screaming and fighting both her and Teal'c.
His screams would chill her to her bones. It was almost inhuman sounding.
At one point, after six exhausting bouts, Teal'c asked her: "Is this absolutely necessary? Can we not wake him now before he injures himself?"
The concern was apparent in the Jaffa's voice. He feared for his friend.
And for good reason.
This had been going on for close to seven hours.
No wonder Jack looked exhausted. He was. He had not been sleeping for a while now.
Janet hated to tell Teal'c that they had to see this through until O'Neill awoke on his own.
An hour and a half later, O'Neill woke up.
In a really bad mood.
"Doc? What's been going on?" He asked groggily. He pushed himself up to a seated position and began to fiddle with the leads attached to his temples.
"Leave those alone. I'll remove them." Janet said moving towards him. She gently touched his shoulder and found it damp. She took a hard look at him.
There were dark circles under his eyes and new fatigue lines around his mouth and eyes. His hair was literally standing on end. He was pale and tired looking. There were beads of cold sweat on his brow. He looked at her with haunted eyes. He remained passive and quiet as she removed the leads.
"I'm still tired." He groused.
"And well you should be. We're exhausted also." She shot back.
O'Neill frowned.
"Was I bad?" He asked looking to Teal'c.
"Indeed you were O'Neill." The Jaffa said softly.
"I didn't.....hurt anyone...did I?" O'Neill asked haltingly.
"No, you just kept us entertained." Janet answered removing the last lead and pushing the machine away. She pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed.
"So Sigmund, what is wrong with me?" He asked attempting to make light of the situation.
"Don't really know yet. Except that you are not sleeping. Probably haven't been since Diama was downloaded into your subconscious. Something is happening to you while you sleep. It may also be linked to the fruge state that Teal'c and the others witnessed in the conference room. You actually had some form of a seizure and wrote.."
O'Neill's expression froze her in place.
He was staring beyond Teal'c, who was standing directly in front of him. His lips were moving as if conversing with someone.
"Teal'c, get Daniel and Sam down here now." Janet hissed pointing to the door. She glanced up and was satisfied that it was being recorded.
Teal'c nodded and backed out of the room.
"Colonel O'Neill? Can you hear me?" Janet touched Jack's arm gently. He turned to her and stared at her with unblinking dark eyes. His mouth opened slightly and then snapped shut. He frowned and shook his head.
"Lo'na yaa." He said pushing her arm away.
He quickly scooted over to the other side of the bed and before she could get around. He was out of the bed. He had a pair of green BDU pants on and a black T-shirt. He was barefoot. He stood on the other side of the bed and scowled at her.
"Naa-na. Di fra'rook faaween." He said pointing at the door.
"Colonel, wake up! You are in the infirmary! I am Dr. Frasier. Wake up!" Janet said loudly pointing to herself as she worked her way around the bed.
O'Neill was frowning in dismay. He nodded to the door again. His eyes narrowed in distrust. He took two steps and with a sweeping motion of his left hand he shoved her away and bolted for the door.
Janet stumbled against a rolling table, but did not fall. She struggled up and headed for the red phone mounted on the wall.
But not before Teal'c came into the room with a struggling, screaming O'Neill.
He was shrieking and shouting words no one recognized. He was fighting to break free from the large Jaffa.
Teal'c was having a time trying to hold the wiggling man. O'Neill was by no means a small man. He was also very strong. Much to Teal'c's dismay.
"Hold him Teal'c and let me sedate him." Janet shouted as she ran to get a tranquilizer.
"He is fighting me. O'Neill, stop this struggle right now. I insist!" Teal'c shouted.
O'Neill continued to fight. He screamed in the strange language and brought his elbow hard into Teal'c midsection.
Teal'c, startled, stumbled back. He released the struggling man. O'Neill spun around and with lightening reflexes brought his elbow around and connected with the Jaffa's jaw. As he completed that blow he quickly brought his knee up into Teal'c ribcage. Teal'c was stunned for a moment then in a bear hug brought his beefy arms around O'Neills chest and squeezed. He lifted the hysterical man off the floor in the attempt to subdue him.
"Hurry Doctor! I cannot hold him much longer." Teal'c gasped. O'Neill's strength and fury surprised him. He knew that if this continued he would end up injuring his friend.
Who at that moment had no compunction about hurting his enemy.
"Hold him! I've got it!" Janet ran over and with one smooth movement jabbed the needle into his arm.
O'Neill continued to struggle and shout senseless words. He fought against Teal'c's strong arms. Then, with an unearthly wail he collapsed.
Teal'c stood there for a long moment just holding the unconscious man.
Janet looked at Teal'c and could see the incredible pain on the Jaffa's face. The pain of knowing. O'Neill was going to suffer until Diama finished what she had begun.
Janet touched Teal'c gently. "That should keep him quiet for a while. Here, help me get him back to the bed. Teal'c, he will be okay." Janet reassured him. She wished someone would reassure her.
The two of them partially dragged, partially carried the unconscious man back to his bed. Once in, Janet went and pulled out restraints.
Teal'c looked at them disturbed.
"Are those really necessary?" He asked.
"If we don't want him running amuck? Yes. Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but I don't have a clue where he thought he was heading to, and I don't think he did either. You know what I believe?" She asked as she restrained O'Neill's wrists.
"No Doctor Frasier, what is it you believe?" Teal'c watched her and then looking to the door as Sam and Daniel entered the room.
Both of them stopped in the doorway. They had shocked and appalled expressions of their faces.
"I believe Diama never left him. She is still there. He has managed to suppress her. You know he can be very strong willed." Janet secured his ankles. "I am going to make sure he doesn't try anything like that again. Teal'c, you saw how much strength he displayed. Would you say that was normal?"
"Janet, what are you doing?" Daniel asked aghast. He quickly entered the room and headed for the bed, opposite of Janet. He looked at his friends' face with concern.
"I am restraining him." She said annoyed with the question.
"Why?" Sam was standing next to Teal'c.
"Let's just say he wasn't himself." Janet secured the last restraint and stepped away.
"Did I hear you correctly when you said that Jack had been suppressing Diama the entire time we believed her gone?" Daniel was still peering at Jack's supine form. Even with the powerful sedative, the man was still twitching and shifting about restlessly.
"How is that possible? He had tried searching his conscious mind for her, as I did Natar, and he swore she was gone. And until now, he has been perfectly normal." Sam was clearly disturbed by what she saw. She reached down and touched her commander's hand.
It was cold.
"Why is he so cold?" She asked looking alarmed.
Janet Frasier motioned to one of the nurses. A young man came into the room looking at O'Neill cautiously. He had heard stories of O'Neill and had witnessed the earlier outburst.
"Yes, Major."
"I want blood and vitals on this man ASAP." She nodded to O'Neill and then took his hand.
It was cold. She moved her hand up his arm. Freezing. He was ice cold all over. This must have just happened because he wasn't that cold when she restrained him.
"Blankets, bring me blankets, now!" She ordered. Another nurse came into the room with an armload of blankets.
Sam grabbed some and went to wrapping them around him. She could feel him shivering violently. A suddenly memory hit her. He was that cold then. She almost shivered with him.
The young male nurse, Lieutenant Hartman, had taken the Colonel's pulse and BP. He was checking the axilla temperature.
"Well airman?" Frasier snapped, rubbing O'Neill's cold hand.
"Pulse, fast, way to fast, 170 beats per minute. Blood pressure, dropping quickly, it is now 80/50, body temp at axilla, whoa, 92.4" The young man frowned at his instrument. He tossed the probe and inserted another one and wedged it into O'Neill's mouth.
The thing beeped at 92.2.
"This can't be correct." He said shaking his head.
O'Neill chose that time to wake up.
Surprising all. Considering the powerful dose of tranquilizer Janet had given him, he should have been out for hours.
He tried to shoot up in the bed, but found himself restrained. He jerked against the bindings, then turned to look at Teal'c, who was standing at the foot of the bed quietly watching everything.
"Why am I restrained? Will someone please turn up the heat? It is like an icebox in this place." He continued to wrestle with the straps.
"Calm down sir, it's okay." Sam said gently.
Daniel had stepped from the room to watch the video of what had occurred earlier with O'Neill. He stepped back into the room with a strange expression on his fair features.
"No damn it! It is not okay! Why am I in these things? What the hell did I do? And will someone build a fire in this place?" O'Neill was beginning to rub raw places on his wrist with his struggling.
"Sir, if you insist on fighting the restraints, I will sedate you again." Frasier said placing her hand on his chest. She could feel his heart beating wildly and the cold emanating through the blankets. What was going on here? She wanted to hook up telemetry, but he was far too combative at the moment. She reached down and took his pulse again. Racing.
"Teal'c? What did I do?" O'Neill said. There was the slightest edge of panic in his normally calm voice.
"You did nothing wrong O'Neill. However, you were endeavoring to escape from the infirmary."
"So what's so abnormal about that?" O'Neill answered staring at Janet.
"Well for one, you weren't speaking English at the time." Daniel stepped in the answer.
Sam looked at Janet. "He seems to be warmer now. I would bet that his BP and pulse are returning to normal also."
Janet released O'Neill's hand and motioned for vitals to be taken again. That sudden, he was warmer and had calmed his breathing down.
"Major Carter is correct ma'am. All vitals have returned to normal, or very close to. His body temp is now 97.3, B/P. 120/76, and pulse rate is 65. Boy, that was strange." Hartman moved back away from O'Neill.
Janet turned to Sam. "How did you know about the vitals returning to normal?"
"Because she is gone for now." O'Neill said quietly.
Sam nodded in agreement. "It would appear that her presence causes biological stresses on the body."
Teal'c raised a brow in curiosity.
Daniel stood next to Teal'c. "Jack, do you remember anything that happened earlier in this room? The archeologist waved about the room.
O'Neill looked at his friends. He was clearly disturbed. "I thought she was gone. Why has she come back?"
"Janet, can we take these restraints off?" Sam pointed to the straps.
Janet stared at O'Neill for a long moment, then nodded. "Yes, help me take them off."
Janet took one wrist, Sam the other side. Teal'c merely ripped the ankle restraints clean off.
"Uh Teal'c?" Daniel said mildly amused. "I don't believe Jack is in that big of a hurry."
O'Neill sat up in the bed and rubbed his wrists. "I don't know what to say. Except, she's back and I have no earthly idea why. The only thing I can remotely guess is my confrontation with T'umock must have triggered a link that she still had with me."
"It would appear that Colonel O'Neill had been given more information concerning the Araraan technology. If not all of it." Teal'c answered the unasked question.
"Why now?" Daniel wanted to know.
"So that's what the Otosin and Ta'alchar are. They are more Araraan technology. Colonel, did you realize you had downloaded some information about the Ta'alchar on your laptop? And the diagrams on the notepad are so tremendously detailed, as if to say, 'we will simplify this so that you understand it'. This is fantastic. But.. if we know, who else knows of the potential knowledge you have locked up inside of your head?" Sam stopped speaking as what she was saying sunk in.
O'Neill continued to rub his wrist. He glanced about and settled on Daniel.
"What did I say?"
Daniel frowned. "It is difficult to translate without a true reference and some study."
"What did I say?" Jack asked more forcefully.
"You said, in a nutshell, you had to go. The ..uh..evil was coming and it would destroy all of us." Daniel blurted out.
"Is that all?" O'Neill asked tiredly. He was ready to leave this place, go home, turn on the tube and drink a beer. In that order.
"Uh, no. It's not. You said, actually you were screaming it, 'they will destroy us, they will possess us, they will take and ruin what we hold dear.' I think the 'they' are the Goa'uld."
"Really?" Jack said quirking a brow.
"Really. If this was a remainder of Diama, the final dredges of her link, then we know two things." Daniel held up his hand.
"That we are to be attacked." Teal'c announced.
"Uh, yes, that is one."
"And that Colonel O'Neill still has more Araraan technology locked up inside of him. Diama is not finished yet." Sam mused outloud.
"Ah, well, yes, yes, that's two." Daniel said irked with them for jumping the gun and stealing his thunder.
"And three, she never left me." O'Neill said quietly.
"What has reawoken her memories?" Janet asked curiously.
"Do not be mistaken Dr. Frasier, these are not memories. These are current events. Do not ask me how, but she is frantically trying to warn O'Neill about a threat to him and to us." Teal'c tilted his head to drive home his point.
"Okay people, this is the situation. According to what Diama caused me to blurt out, we are looking at an imminent attack, but gave no indication of where or when. There appears to be more Araraan technology locked up in my bean here, including the Ta'alchar, which is a hand-held DHD. Don't slobber Major Carter, that's unbecoming." O'Neill nodded to the blond woman.
She clamped her mouth shut.
"We need to contact Jacob." Daniel said looking to Sam. "We must know what Natar has been threatening to do. I know he has not been silent all this time."
Sam nodded, staring at O'Neill. "Dad said that he would be here to report on Natar, but this changes everything. I'll contact him and tell him that we have some new developments." Sam turned and left the room. She had been concerned with how things were progressing with Natar. Every time she thought of him, a raw cold feeling went down her spine. She turned and headed for the control room. Whatever they did, they needed to protect the precious information O'Neill had been gifted with. Whether he liked it or not.
Daniel watched Sam take off down the hallway. He returned his attention to O'Neill. Who was now sitting up on the edge of the bed. His legs were restlessly swinging back and forth in rhythm.
O'Neill had also watched Sam leave the room. He took one long look at Daniel and flipped his attention to Janet Frasier.
"You are thinking this will kill me if we don't do something soon. It kind of reminds me of our reaction to those armbands that Anise put on us." O'Neill said quietly remembering that awesome rush.
"Uh, into reading my mind Colonel?" Janet asked uneasily. She sat down next to him.
"No, not at all. It just makes sense. Personally, I can't do this much longer. Something is going to have to give. At least with the Ancients, I still knew who I was." O'Neill's hands fluttered slightly.
"Jack, if Diama is back, or rather, never left, how are you going to rid yourself of her presence?" Daniel asked watching O'Neill's restless hands.
"Wish I knew that Daniel. Why did I believe she was gone in the first place? Is it because I did not sense her memories anymore? Or because, I thought, everyone else's links have vanished, so should mine. Right? What made mine so different? Was it she or I or the combination of our personalities? What else do I know as a result of the link? How long will the information keep tumbling out of me? I don't know about you guys, but I am more than ready for a somewhat normal life." O'Neill was becoming agitated.
"Easy Colonel. We all realize that." Janet touched his swinging knee.
"Janet, with each passing day, I lose touch with this world and come closer to falling into her world. Her dead world! I have this antsy, nerve wracking feeling that something very very bad is going to happen, but I don't know what or when. I feel like I am about to leap out of my skin. And this, this fading in and out of awareness is just plain scary. I know I wouldn't hurt anyone, but damn it, you guys don't know that!" O'Neill had slid off the bed and was pacing back and forth nervously.
"Jack, we have to figure out what it is she wants you to do." Daniel frowned at the ragged appearance of his friend.
"And how do we do that?" O'Neill demanded angrily.
"We continue with the deep delta sleep and allow her to take over." Janet suggested.
"What? After what just happened in here?" Daniel said outraged.
"Of course, how else will we know what she wants us to do?" Jack said slowly. He did not like the idea, but at this point, it seemed to be the only way.
"Lets do this at least until we find out what she wants and has to offer." Janet finished.
"Okay, lets do it. I'm am tired of waiting." O'Neill hoisted himself back into the bed. He looked at Janet with old eyes.
"Uh, Jack, before leaping into this, why don't we wait for Jacob? He might have another..approach to our problem. I want this to end as badly as you do, believe me, but, not at the risk of your life."
"I appreciate your concern Daniel, but it looks like I may not be able to wait. Her presence seems to come on whether I am sleeping or awake. Right now, at this moment....." Jack put his hands to his face and began to breathe rapidly. "Ho-boy, I feel..really really sick right now." O'Neill dropped his hands and swallowed convulsively. "She is with..me..right..here..." O'Neill began to gulp in air. Sweat popped out on his brow. He looked at Janet with fear in his brown eyes. "I gotta go, I'm going to be sick!" O'Neill jumped off the table and raced pass Daniel to the bathroom.
Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other startled.
Janet took off after him.
Jack made it to the restroom and fell to his knees, retching into the commode.
Janet appeared by his side and placed her hand on his back. A cold cloth was slapped into her other hand. She placed it over the back of his neck.
Jack was shaking uncontrollably. He felt the cool cloth on the back of his neck. Janet's hand was gently rubbing his back. Comforting. The sickness finally passed and he took the wet cloth and wiped his face. He waited for the hot flash to pass. He rocked back to his knees.
"Thanks." He breathed.
"Come on Colonel. Can you get up?" Frasier encouraged the man to stand up.
Daniel and Teal'c were close by. Watching with sympathy.
"Yeah, give me a moment." O'Neill waved her away. He still felt the edge of nausea, but it wasn't as bad as earlier. He pushed up to a standing position, unsteady at first.
Janet placed a hand on his arm. He was still trembling. He glanced at her and made his way into the infirmary.
During this time, Carter had made her way back to the infirmary. She was somehow there by his side.
He smiled at her and then to the two men standing in front of him. They would be there to catch him in the event he decided to pitch forward.
Sam looked at his pinched white face. He was shaking beneath her touch. He was allowing her to guide him back to the bed. That was not good. He usually fought being dependent on someone else.
O'Neill enjoyed Sam's touch. Her hands were cool. He felt more secure. He motioned to a chair and indicated he wanted to sit. He eased into the seat, feeling suddenly overwhelmed.
"Hey, I'm okay." He assured them looking directly at Daniel.
"You don't look okay to me." Daniel answered pulling up a chair next to him.
Sam stood at O'Neill's side. She gently massaged his tight shoulders. She ran her fingertips over the site of the bullet wound. A sudden flash of anger went through her and her lips quivered. She was anxious for all the wonderful information coming from the Araraan Diama, but the cost had already been deadly.
Way too many people have died or have come close to dying. She placed her hands on his neck. He felt really warm to her. She looked down at his face in question.
"Colonel, I agree with Daniel, you don't look okay."
"Hey, don't stop massaging, it is not often I get one of those." O'Neill smiled slightly.
Daniel rolled his eyes and then turned his attention to a very worried Dr. Frasier.
Teal'c sat next to Frasier and closest to the door. He did not trust the Diama within. O'Neill showed tremendous strength earlier and managed to override a powerful sedative. He wanted to be prepared in the event there was another escape attempt.
Janet tilted her head slightly. "Colonel, where were you going earlier?"
"Home." He said softly.
"Home? Home? Like your house?" Daniel questioned looking to Sam, his brows furrowed.
"No." O'Neill's voice was a whisper. His lids dropped down then snapped open. His head dropped to his chest and popped back.
"No? Then where?" Janet asked signaling for Hartman to bring her another sedative. She abhorred the idea of giving it because of the danger of overdose, but she witnessed what had occurred earlier and she was taking no chances.
"Home, my home." He said tilting his head drowsily. He was beginning to pant and sweat was rolling down his forehead.
"Janet, Colonel O'Neill feels really feverish." Sam said alarmed as she pulled her hand away.
Janet jerked her head towards the door and was relieved to see not only Teal'c standing there but Lt. Hartman. She nodded briefly and reached out to grab O'Neill's arm to help him to the bed. Daniel jumped up to help.
O'Neill slowly stood up, weaving slightly. He could feel the pressure of Frasier and Carter's hands on him. He was vaguely aware of the activity around him. He kept thinking that there was something he needed to do, something he had to say.
They steered him to a bed and helped him get up and on it.
"So hot in here." He murmured. By now, his shirt was soaked and his face was red with heat.
"God, he feels like a furnace!" Daniel commented as he helped them pull his T-shirt off.
Janet tossed the shirt to the floor and took a hard look at the man. The sweat was pouring from his forehead and chest.
"Ice, get me some ice in here!" Janet yelled behind her.
"What is wrong with him?" Sam asked alarmed.
"I am certain it is Diama. Colonel, try to let go. Stop fighting her so we can find out what she wants, before she kills you." Janet said desperately.
Two nurses entered the room with ice packs. Sam took some and placed it on the back of his head and neck. Janet packed the others around his shoulders and armpits.
"Jack, Jack, can you hear me? What is happening?" Daniel pleaded touching his friend's leg.
"Make her go away!" He murmured. "Make her go away." He repeated. He opened his eyes and looked around dazed. The room was strangely silent. Jack closed his eyes then slowly opened them looking at the ceiling.
"I really need a vacation.' Jack said to himself. He met Daniel's eyes and sighed loudly. He felt the chill coming from the ice around his neck and shoulders. Why would Janet place ice on him? He indicated he wanted to sit up.
Daniel glanced at Janet, who nodded cautiously.
"Okay." Daniel said grabbing Jacks outreached hand and tugging slightly forward.
Jack grunted and sat up. The ice pack was under the back of his neck slid off on to the floor. He looked down at the pack and frowned.
"What was that for?" He asked turning his attention to Frasier.
"To cool you off. You were burning up with fever a moment ago." Janet answered.
"Really?" Jack raised his brows in surprise. He looked around at his friends and noted that Teal'c and the male nurse were standing in the doorway.
"Afraid I'll escape again?" He observed wryly.
"That was a possibility. How do you feel now?" Janet asked as she walked around the table to take his vitals.
"Okay for now. You know, I know where I was going earlier." Jack began as he watched Janet take his blood pressure.
"Where?" Daniel and Sam asked at the same time.
"Home. Her home."
"Colonel, the Goa'uld destroyed her home, does she understand that there is nothing there to go home to?" Sam said.
"She doesn't want to go to her homeworld. She knows that it no longer exists. It is the....ah..second moon. That place..Kainae." O'Neill's fingers fluttered upon recalling the name.
"Kainae?" Daniel asked with raised brows.
"What is Kainae?" Sam looked to Teal'c.
"There is a second moon?" Teal'c said softly. "They called it Kainae?"
"Does that mean something to you, Teal'c?" Sam peered at the Jaffa.
"Perhaps there is more to the Araraans than we originally believed." Teal'c frowned at O'Neill.
Who was busy plucking at the sheets on his bed.
"More, yeah, you could say that." O'Neill muttered.
Sam looked astonished. "I'm sorry, but we only found one moon. There is only one moon. What exactly do you mean by the second moon?"
"There appears to be another moon." Teal'c said.
"It is cloaked. They cloaked it against the Goa'uld." O'Neill smiled slightly.
"What exactly does that mean?" Daniel was beginning to worry about Jack's sanity.
"It means, she left something else on that moon. Something very important to her." O'Neill met Sam's eyes. They locked for a moment, then she broke contact.
"We've got to go back." Sam whispered.
"That is an absolute. We must return." Teal'c agreed.
"Okay guys, what am I missing here?" Daniel said annoyed. He looked from Jack to Sam and settled on Teal'c.
"Daniel, we have to return to where this began in order for me to resolve her conflict. Everything happened there, and for her peace it must end there. And until we go back, her presence within me will not settle. It will eventually kill me. This much I know." Jack said sadly. He was staring at his hands.
"I want to know why she is back?" Daniel demanded.
"Daniel, she never left." Janet countered.
"Oh yes she did. Jack, you said she was gone. You said you didn't feel her presence anymore. How can she just disappear and then suddenly reappear?" Daniel was now agitated.
"Haven't you been listening? I was able to repress her. I fought her down so deeply she couldn't battle with my conscious mind. That was until T'umock zapped me, leaving me unable to block her out, and only then was she able to escape through my dreams. The more fatigued I became, the easier for her to fight through and overtake me. She was there all along, waiting. Sooner or later, she would have come back, it was only a matter of time."
"Then there has to be another way, short of killing you!"
"Daniel, I know of no other way."
Sam walked over and stood next to Daniel. She knew that he was afraid for his best friend.
"Why not the others? How come their imprints vanished upon going through the gate?" He demanded.
"Diama was different." Teal'c finally offered.
"Different how? A Goa'uld?" Daniel spun around to address the Jaffa.
"No, I don't think so. She led those people. She was like... their queen mother..ruler..whatever. She was their base of strength and intelligence. They looked to her for guidance." O'Neill shifted his legs over the side of the bed. With acceptance, Diama backed off to allow O'Neill to explain to his people the situation.
Daniel turned to Sam. His blue eyes accusing.
"And you Sam? What about Natar? Is his presence within you completely gone?"
O'Neill recoiled slightly. Good question.
Sam touched her chest and nodded slowly.
"Yes, Daniel. He is gone. But, there are trickles of information that I know about Diama that I still retain. Maybe because I chose to. What I do understand, is Colonel O'Neill must return to Kainae."
Janet stirred. "And do what?"
"I am not real sure. I feel there is something on the surface of that moon I need to see, to finish or just touch. I dunno. I think I'll know more when I get there." Jack shook his head slowly.
"Well, you are not going anywhere without me." Janet announced. She folded her arms across her chest.
"I think you are suppose to go. I believe that is what she wants. All of you." Jack waved his hand over the group.
Sam stared at Jack. She felt the strong presence of Diama around her. She intellectually knew she shouldn't, but maybe her close connection with O'Neill and her imprint of Natar augmented it.
"Uh, I just have one question, if this moon is cloaked, and we missed it big time, how the hell are we suppose to find it?" Daniel asked.
"No worries, we have the capabilities to uncloak the moon. It is a simple shielding device. They did not have to get real fancy because I think the Goa'uld never knew of its existence. It is very similar to cloaking device used by the Tok'ra."
"Oh, it has an on and off switch?" Daniel asked with a wry smile.
"Exactly. Let me worry about that."
"Well, I am going to have to explain this one to General Hammond, and it won't be easy." Janet turned to Sam. "Was there anything else on Colonel O'Neill's laptop?"
Sam broke away. Hating to but having to, she licked her dry lips and nodded eagerly.
"Oh God yes! Colonel, you have been a busy beaver. I took the laptop to General Hammond. There was two other things on the computer."
"Yeah, like the Seic and Dak." O'Neill nodded slowly. "The Seic is a long-range communication device. The Dak is a ..kinda like an ever ready battery, only it lasts a hellava lot longer than that pink bunny."
"A battery?" Daniel asked curiously.
"What pink bunny?" Teal'c asked confused.
"Hey yeah, look I didn't design it, besides, it's better than some of the other stuff the Goa'uld wanted her to create." O'Neill nodded knowingly.
"Uh, I don't want to know?" Daniel held up his hands in question.
"For real." O'Neill agreed rolling his brown eyes.
"Okay people, lets get to work on this. Daniel, help me with Colonel O'Neill." Janet motioned for the archeologist to help the man off the table.
"Janet, I can do this. Get permission or I will. I need to make a requisition and dig a little deeper before we head out." O'Neill turned to Sam.
"Carter, we will need for your Dad to accompany us to the moon."
"Yessir, he is on his way." Sam nodded to her commander.
"On your way. I will be out of here shortly." He looked at Janet with penetrating eyes.
Sam turned and left the room. Her mind racing from one task to another.
"Daniel, gather all the information you can on the history of the Araraans and what Diama might have been to them. Talk to some of the others who were imprinted, find out if they have had any flashbacks. If so, what kind. You have two hours." O'Neill tilted his head towards his friend.
Daniel smiled. So Jack is in command of his senses again. Good! Daniel straightened his shoulders and whipped out a salute. "Aye-aye Colonel!" He sharply did a reverse turn and marched out of the room.
"Smartass." O'Neill murmured.
Teal'c stood waiting.
O'Neill's brown eyes settled on him.
"Teal'c, I want you to wait here. I'll have a requisition order for you. It will be for weapons we will need on the surface. There is a Stargate on that moon." O'Neill looked troubled.
"Really? You know this? How..how long have you known this?" Janet asked walking back into the room with a pair of fresh blue BDU's.
"Uh, thanks." O'Neill took the uniform from her and glanced about the room, then to the curtain.
"Of course. Go ahead and get changed." Janet reached over and pulled the curtain shut. She stood on the other side and waited. She did not trust O'Neill or Diama within. She certainly did not want him running amuck in the SGC. But, then again, his acceptance could be all the difference in the world. Her presence might have backed off once she understood he wasn't going to fight her.
"Colonel O'Neill, what makes you believe there is another Stargate on the surface?" Teal'c asked standing next to Janet.
"Symbols." O'Neill jerked the curtain back. He was putting on his boots. He peered up at the Jaffa. "I know the symbols to the gate." He tied the boot tight and slid off the table. He had to admit, he felt somewhat better.
Janet was still distrustfully eyeing him.
"And how do you know those aren't symbols to her homeworld." Janet asked.
"Because I know those also. No, these are absolutely for the other gate. The longer this goes on, the more certain I become. However, I don't know what we will be gating into. Our answers will be found at those co-ordinates." O'Neill's brow wrinkled. "You know, there is something else." O'Neill waved his hands distracted.
"What Colonel?" Janet watched him carefully.
"Perhaps it is a Goa'uld base?" Teal'c offered.
"Is it?" Jack raised his brows.
"That I do not know. To my knowledge, I only knew of one Stargate not two."
"If there was a Gould base there, why haven't they attacked? Why just send Natar? We have been there for almost two months. I have no doubt whatsoever that they know we are there." O'Neill mused leaning against the bed.
"Perhaps there is nothing for them to want." Teal'c said thoughtfully.
"If they can't have it all, they destroy it. That is the way of the Goa'uld." O'Neill snapped. He glanced up at the ceiling. "Something is not right." He stared at the wall, lost in thought. He then looked down to Janet and then to Teal'c.
"Oh my God! Now I know. The Goa'uld have no idea. They don't know!" Jack's eyes grew round.
"Know what Colonel O'Neill. What is it they don't know?" Teal'c asked intrigued.
Janet stepped in closer, now watching every nuance.
"They have no clue. In fact, that is where the true research and development center is located. That one we went to is more of a faade. They....uh..they gave the Goa'uld what technology they felt they could safely give them. The Goa'uld destroyed a mock-up of the real thing. For crying out loud, the Araraans screwed the Goa'uld over but good. This place is their home away from home. No wonder we found no living quarters. They must have been traveling back and forth to the other gate." O'Neill laughed outloud. His hands were moving from one point to another.
"Wait a minute, how is that possible? Natar was once Tor, Diama's mate. Surely he would have known about the second gate." Janet said.
O'Neill turned his attention on the doctor. His head tilted at an odd angle. His mouth was moving but no sound escaped.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c asked cautiously. He shot a look to the petite doctor.
"I apologize." O'Neill said softly.
"You do?" Janet stepped closer.
O'Neill rotated his head to stare at the woman.
"Of course. Your language is so very convoluted. I have.... learned enough from...this one to communicate effectively." O'Neill touched his chest gently. He looked at his hands in surprise. "Such strong hands." He murmured, turning his hands over and over again.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Teal'c asked again. This behavior of his friend was beginning to unnerve him.
Jack smiled gently. "He is here." He touched his chest again. "It is alright. He is aware. Although he does send a message to you Teal'c." Jack nodded to the large Jaffa. "It's okay Teal'c, let her talk."
Teal'c frowned deeply. He turned his attention to Frasier.
Who was taking O'Neill's pulse and reaching for the blood pressure cuff.
O'Neill watched passively.
"Not for long. He is already showing signs of stress. Diama, if you must, talk quickly." Janet shook her head in alarm. His pulse and BP were rising quickly.
Jack turned his dark eyes to Teal'c. "He is correct. We have hidden a Stargate on Kainae. The Goa'uld have no knowledge of its presence. Or for that matter, what we have concealed there. It is imperative that all of you....take the..the information stored there and then destroy the base and the Stargate. The Goa'uld must never know of its existence." Sweat had begun to appear on O'Neills forehead. He was breathing heavily.
Teal'c was thinking of the way O'Neill used the word 'Goa'uld'. It was certainly not O'Neill's inflection of the word. She hated the Goa'uld worse than any of them. He stirred slightly. "What of Natar?" He asked finding himself more and more concerned with O'Neill's rapidly deteriorating condition.
"Natar is a fool. We.... have the ability to destroy long and short term selected memories. Tor, upon realizing he was to become a wretched Goa'uld, wiped out all memory of this base. Kept what that thing would believe viable, and plied him with it. The Goa'uld only knows what he has been fed. You are safe." O'Neill fell forward.
Teal'c wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him back. "You must let go of him!" He said distressed.
"Diama, you are killing him!" Janet said alarmed.
O'Neill lifted his head and looked at Janet. "I would never....harm this one. Let him do what must be done. For my people as well as yours." O'Neill slumped into Teal'c arms unconscious.
"Too damn close!" Janet said angrily.
Teal'c picked up the unconscious man and gently placed him on the bed. He understood why O'Neill allowed her to go so far. Even at the risk of his own life.
"You do know how very important this information can be to us. And Dr. Frasier, O'Neill will allow her to do this again, until she has told us everything. This could be the key to destroying the Goa'uld once and for all."
"Teal'c, it almost killed him. It puts far too much stress on his heart. She will kill him before this is all over. His blood pressure was 240/130! That is asking for a stroke or a heart attack. No, as his physician, I will not allow this to happen again!" Janet's voice had the raw edge of panic to it.
"It's okay Janet. I'm okay now." O'Neill reached up and grabbed her hand.
"No, no! I want an EKG right now! I want blood gasses done." She tried to turn, but O'Neill's hand held her fast.
"No, don't do this. She won't harm me. Teal'c, we need to follow through with her instructions. We need to do it now. The Goa'uld are far to close. There is something...very..bad out there. We are the only ones that can stop it." O'Neill sat up and glanced to the doorway.
"Colonel, this is not good for your health. I will not permit this to keep occurring. It is your safety I have concern for. Yes, I want her to speak, but not at this cost." Janet said angrily.
"Janet, this is the only way. She won't hurt me." Jack said with pleading eyes.
"Colonel O'Neill is correct. We need this information. We have to destroy the base and their Stargate." Teal'c said nodding in agreement.
"At what cost?" Janet shouted. She spun around to face the Jaffa.
"Janet, listen to me. I will be okay. She is teaching me some type of biofeedback techniques. I should be able to control my vitals somewhat while she is visiting. Okay? You'll be there, you'll see."
Janet had to admit that he already looked better. She shook her head slowly.
"We need to confer on all fronts. I'm certain General Hammond will want to know exactly what is transpiring here and the new information." Teal'c said.
"I agree. Janet, you can come with me if you wish to the conference room when I debrief General Hammond." Jack said rubbing his hands together. They felt suddenly cold.
"I'll permit Teal'c to stay with you, but I will be there at the debriefing."
O'Neill met the physician's dark eyes for a moment.
"She's gone for now. It is just me here." He pointed to his chest and smiled gently. "At least I know what I am dealing with now." His brown eyes softened.
"Are you so sure?" Janet asked not really wanting an answer. She snatched his chart and left the room.
"She is not happy with you." Teal'c observed.
"Ya think?"
Chapter Five
Jacob stepped on to the ramp at the SGC. As usual, there were at least 15 heavily armed guards at the base of the Stargate. They relaxed slightly upon seeing a familiar face. Jacob stopped. General Hammond and his daughter were patiently waiting at the foot of the ramp. He smiled warmly and continued down.
"George, how the hell are you?" He asked as he reached his daughter and gathered her into his arms. He hugged her tightly. His flesh and blood.
"Fair to middling Jacob. How goes things with the Goa'uld Natar?" Hammond motioned to move to the conference room.
Jacob reluctantly released his daughter. He met her so blue eyes and smiled warmly.
"Hate him, wouldn't want to date him." Jacob said with a bitter smile. "So what's up Sammy?"
Carter turned and followed Hammond out of the gate room and upstairs.
"Something very interesting has occurred with Colonel O'Neill."
"More Araraan technology?" He asked hopefully.
"Oh yes, but something else unexpected, totally unexpected." They quickly made their way into the open room.
Jacob glanced about and saw Daniel, Teal'c and a tired looking Colonel O'Neill seated at the table.
"Hello Jacob." Jack said standing up and reaching out to shake his hand.
Daniel patted the Tok'ra on the back and pulled a smile to Sam, who was making her way around to the opposite chair of O'Neill. She glanced at him, concern on her fair features.
Jack sat down and winked at his SIC.
She smiled back and pulled the report in front on her to her.
Jacob sat down next to her, a report on front of him as well. He looked expectantly at Hammond.
"So George, what's the big deal? Do I get to kill Natar with my bare hands? He is begging for it!" He said looking towards O'Neill.
Who smiled wolfishly.
"No Jacob. This is something we need to deal with, but we'll need your help."
"Okay, what?" Jacob looked around the table curiously.
No one said anything for a long moment.
Then the deep resonant voice of Teal'c spoke up.
"It would appear that Diama is still with us."
"What?" Jacob looked startled. "How is that possible?"
"She never left me. She was there the whole time." Jack said softly.
"I was under the strong impression that after the development of the three Araraan weapons she slowly ebbed away. As it was with the other imprints. That is what you said." Jacob said to Jack.
"That is what I believed also. But my mishap with T'umock somehow brought her back to my conscious mind. I must have suppressed her big time. But to cut to the chase, she has given us some really valuable information. Tremendously valuable."
"Dad, Colonel O'Neill believes that there is another Stargate. It is located on a second moon so named Kainae, which is the true location of their research and development center. We need to go there." Sam said excitedly.
"Jack has given us the design of four new Araraan designs. And there is a good possibility there might be more." Daniel added.
"She had spoke through O'Neill several times since yesterday giving us new information." Teal'c glanced at his friend.
"Yes, and at what cost?" A new voice cut through the excitement. It was a very upset Dr. Frasier.
"Aw Doc, methinks you protest to much. Have a seat." Jack motioned to a chair next to Jacob.
"What is meant by that, Dr. Frasier?" Hammond asked. He frowned at her. Something was up.
"It means, that each time she takes possession of Colonel O'Neill, she places a tremendous physiological strain on his system. To put bluntly, it is killing him. Thank God he passes out before the stress blows out vital systems. She seems to leave when he cannot compensate anymore."
"Janet, you know as well as we do, that this is one of the most important discoveries we have received since going through that Stargate. I already told you, she won't hurt me. There is way too much work to be done. Remember, she cannot stay forever, she's dead already. This is the strength of her imprint that I feel." O'Neill touched his chest.
"See this?" Janet held up a sheath of paper at Hammond. "These are the EEG's, EKG's and bloodwork on Colonel O'Neill. Of which none are within normal ranges. Do you feel unusually warm Colonel?" Janet cocked a brow.
O'Neill lowered his head slightly and murmured to Daniel. "Can I try the hot-blooded male excuse?"
"Nope, won't work this time." Daniel whispered back.
"How much sleep have you gotten in the last six weeks? Appetite down? You have lost twenty-one pounds since your shoulder wound. I would say that is significant. And I am just getting started."
"Oh boy, she is wound up." Daniel looked at Jack in sympathy.
"Some friend you are." Jack muttered back.
"Okay Dr. Frasier, your protests are duly noted. But, what has been discovered, and what potential lies on the surface of that moon could be the very thing that saves us and others like us from the Goa'uld. I know it is a risk, but we must take it." Hammond countered.
"Janet, Diama wants to go home." Jack said suddenly.
"Janet, please, we absolutely need to see this through fruition. For the sake of this world and other worlds. She is handing us the opportunity of a lifetime. We may never have this chance again. We must take it." Sam said gently.
"Is anyone listening to me? He could die. That is what might come to fruition. And I am not willing to risk that as his doctor!"
"Janet, this is my choice. And I chose to follow through by going to that moon. I need to put her people to rest." Jacks warm brown eyes begged her. Whatever Diama's torment happened to be, it was now Jack's as well.
"What are we looking at here?" Jacob asked slowly.
"Colonel O'Neill had the drafts for the Ta'alchar and Otosin on a pad. I then went to his laptop and found further designs for a thing called a Seic, which is a long range communications device, and another thing called a Dak." Sam informed her father.
"A Dak is a honkin forever battery. Its just way cool." O'Neill muttered feeling suddenly sick to his stomach. He reached his water and took a cautious sip.
"Four new discoveries? This is fantastic! She has shown this to you?" Jacob turned excitedly to O'Neill.
"Oh yeah....and more." O'Neill whispered painfully.
"Colonel O'Neill, are you alright?" Janet asked walking towards him.
"Uh, Jacob, there is something.....something you must do before we can go home." Jack struggled to focus on the Tok'ra. She was pushing so hard. He was trying to separate himself from her insistence.
"Okay Jack, what is it you would have me do?" Jacob peered at the struggling man.
"Let Natar go." The words appeared to be forced from Jacks mouth.
Daniel raised a finger and looked about confused. "Uh Jack? Are you sure that is wise?"
"Diama, why do you wish the release of Natar?" Teal'c asked O'Neill.
"To remove the Goa'uld." Jack relented and Diama answered.
"How? How would you do that?" Sam asked.
"Bring him through my Stargate. To our home. Until this is done, and the remainder of our history is let, this one,' O'Neill pointed to himself, 'cannot rest. For that I apologize." O'Neill bowed his head. When he spoke there was this odd inflection, similar to a lilt.
Sam suddenly found it charming.
Daniel was trying to figure out what dialect.
Teal'c already knew.
"Through which Stargate?" Hammond asked.
O'Neill's head bobbed up. He smiled suddenly. It was a strange knowing smile.
"The Stargate unbeknownst to the Goa'uld. It was the safety place. We transferred much of our knowledge and work to the center there. The Goa'uld knew only of what we allowed them to know. If they had any idea how much knowledge was hidden from them, they would be....furious." O'Neill placed his fingertips lightly on the table. He glanced down at his hands and smiled again.
"Are there any people at this center?" Daniel wanted to know.
"And once there, will we be able to access the information from your center?" Sam pressed.
"What precautions will we need to take?" Hammond shot across.
"How are you so certain the Goa'uld hasn't found this gate?" Teal'c leaned forward with his question. "It has been several weeks since we have been there. What if the Goa'uld suspect another site?"
O'Neill moved his hands dreamily across the table. He smiled vacantly and kept his dark eyes on his hands.
"I would know if the Goa'uld had come through our gate." O'Neill looked over the table to Sam. His expression calm. "This one will tell you what you need to know about access to the information. I warn you, it is a tremendous amount of data." O'Neill tapped his chest again. He shifted his attention to Daniel. "My people are gone. Long since died at the hands of the Goa'uld. Long..since died." O'Neill's face had a lost expression, sad. He blinked slowly and appeared to shake away the sadness. "So, no. There are no survivors, there or anywhere. That is, all save for Tor."
O'Neill had begun to sweat again. There was a tightness around his mouth. He finally drifted his attention to Hammond.
"There will be precautions you will have to take. The Goa'uld are watching." O'Neill inhaled sharply. He placed his shaking hands to his forehead. "That is enough for now." He gently laid his head on the table.
"Colonel? Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond asked worried.
Janet was at his side immediately.
Daniel had reached across to check Jacks pulse. Way too fast. Jack's shirt was coated with sweat. Daniel looked up alarmed.
Janet checked his pulse also. She bent over and looked at his face. His eyes were closed and he was panting slightly. His expression was of one in pain.
She touched his shoulder and then shook it. "Colonel? Wake up Jack." She glared at Jacob and then at Hammond.
"We were pushing it and you knew it!" She accused Hammond.
"That will be enough Doctor." Hammond said sharply. He had already witnessed several episodes of the Jack/Diama flux. It was disturbing each time it happened.
"I need to get him to the infirmary." She snapped looking back to Teal'c.
"No.....s'kay..no." O'Neill waved off the doctor and raised his head slowly. His head was pounding, like someone with a sledge hammer banging away inside trying to get out.
"No Colonel, I don't think so." Janet argued.
"She has told us what to do and we need to comply." O'Neill said weakly. He looked across the cool table to Jacob.
"Jacob, she wants to.... rip the Goa'uld out of Tor. They have the technology at the Caolone. She wants to free her mate of the Goa'uld. She also wants to know what happened to her children." O'Neill's head rolled slightly towards Sam.
"Sam, we need to drain the research center of all information, then destroy the facility and the Stargate. She wants no one to go there after we are finished. The Goa'uld must never know of its location."
Sam nodded slowly. She looked at her father, who wore a troubled expression.
"There might be booby traps throughout the complex. We will have to disarm them in order to get to the data. I want to take Mike Taylor's team with us. I don't believe there is anyone better at detonation than Major Taylor's crew. I do not believe there is anyone alive at the R and D center. But you never can be to sure." O'Neill's color was returning quickly as he spoke.
"Okay Colonel, what about this request to take Natar. He is a Gould ya know. What if he relays information concerning the location of the center to his master? Isn't that possible?" Jacob asked.
"Not if he is unconscious." Jack snapped.
"Jack, it is hard to keep a Goa'uld unconscious for any period of time. How do you plan to do that?" Daniel frowned.
"There are certain drugs that can be used." Sam suggested.
"They will have to be powerful enough to subdue the Goa'uld and not damage the host." Teal'c said.
"What does she want with Tor? She is dead." Daniel said getting a look from Sam and Jack. "Okay, her body is dead. What would be the point? Other than freeing Tor from Natar. And what would you do with Natar?"
"Tor is the last survivor of an entire race. A race we know nothing about except they managed to outsmart the Goa'uld." Sam answered.
"They are humanoid, but not quite human." O'Neill added.
"Yes, that is correct Colonel O'Neill. It would appear that they have a higher metabolism, body temperature, faster pulse rate, and if I were able to examine an Araraan I am certain I would find other anomalies. A Goa'uld would adapt, but not a human. She is killing you." Dr. Frasier pointed out.
"Maybe that is true. But we need to act on this information now, at least before the Goa'uld do." Hammond said placing his beefy hands on the smooth surface of the table. "Jacob, figure out a way to transport Natar to the surface of the planet without his knowledge of where he is going. Major Carter, you and Dr. Jackson set up a survey crew for intelligence gathering. Contact SG-4. I want that place sucked dry of data. People, this is the opportunity that we have been waiting for. Whatever information we bring back should shut those folks up at the Pentagon."
"Then we go and level the place afterwards. Teal'c and I need to configure what munitions we will need. You guys know how much I like blowing up things!" O'Neill suddenly grinned looking at Teal'c.
Who nodded in response.
"Dr. Frasier, I want you to accompany SG-1 and SG-4 to the surface." Hammond said letting his eyes settle on the petite doctor.
"General, I must protest. Colonel O'Neill has been having episodes that seriously impede his health. He has little or no control of this Diama, and even during deep delta sleep he is violent. And now he wants to go to the moon's surface, to an unknown location for what? Because she wants to go home? That's doesn't make sense. And all of you are acting like this is the strike of the century!" Her eyes were glittering with anger. She was still standing by O'Neill's chair. She grabbed his chair and squeezed hard. She had not been this angry or frustrated in a long time. Her brown eyes locked on the general's.
"Well, it is the mother lode of technology against the Gould!" O'Neill argued.
"What would you suggest Doctor? Keep him locked up in the infirmary so she can bangs away at him to get out?" Hammond suggested coldly.
Janet placed her hands on O'Neill's shoulders. Gently. "No, of course not. I am not sure what should be done at this point. But we have no idea what might happen once he gets to the surface."
O'Neill felt her gentle touch on his shoulders. She means well.
"Yes, we do Dr. Frasier." Teal'c spoke up.
"We do?" She turned her attention to him.
"Yes, that is the place where it will end. It is the place of her release and his freedom. We must go there now. And we cannot leave O'Neill behind. He is the very reason we are going there in the first place. Forget the technology, that is secondary to what her main goal happens to be. She wishes peace. I suspect it has been a very long time. Allow her to give us her legacy and release her spirit." Teal'c spoke passionately. He understood exactly what the Araraan female wanted and felt somewhat responsible for helping her attain it.
O'Neill frowned then grimaced. "Janet, I don't have a choice, okay? I keep getting this feeling of anticipation, or anxiety within me and I know its her. She is pushing me to finish this....' He waved his hands about in frustration. "It's like something is going to happen and we are the catalyst that will set it in motion, not the butt end of the deal. I can't explain it in words, it is just a feeling, and not a good one."
Janet studied the Colonel for a long moment. He still looked flushed and upset. His restless hands moving more than usual. Antsy. That's a good descriptive word. She shook her head slowly knowing that there was nothing she could do to alter the chain of events unfolding before her. She pushed away from his chair and looked to the General.
"Whatever this team does, I am an active part of it until Diama is out of his head."
"Of course Dr. Frasier, that is not an unusual request."
Daniel turned to face O'Neill. "Jack, what about Natar? What happens to him after he is freed?" Daniel was returning to his original question.
"Give the damn snake to Jacob. Give Tor the opportunity to choose. Maybe he would like to stay with us or go with the Tok'ra. I really don't know, we'll have to wait and see."
"Sir, do we even have co-ordinates for this second Stargate?" Sam asked.
Jack blinked. Then nodded. He reached across the table and grabbed a pad and pen. He quickly scribbled down seven symbols. He pushed the tablet towards the blond woman.
She glanced down and nodded. "This will certainly do. We'll send a MALP through and obtain a topographical map of the moon surface. Once I receive all the information about the conditions on the surface and what we will be facing I will contact you. With your permission, sir?" Sam nodded
"Absolutely, go." O'Neill pointed to the door. Then turned to Hammond.
"Well people, we know what we need to do. Let's get moving before it is to late." Hammond nodded a dismissal to his people as he stood up.
Jack scanned the table.
"Lets do it."
Chapter Six
The Jaffa was whispering among themselves. They were afraid. One of their own had been brutally murdered at the hands of their God Ptah-sek-ani. Two of the Jaffa was sharing with their fellow soldiers the mess they had been ordered to clean up in Ptah-sek-ani's chambers. They both fearfully described the horror in that room.
"I tell you my friends, how can we worship one who commits such atrocities against those who would serve him?" Talmek asked quietly.
"Our duty is to serve!" Canow harshly reminded him.
"We understand that Canow, but this...this is an abomination! No one Jaffa should be forced to suffer as Da'al did!" Cristis, a young Jaffa argued back. He had been a good friend of Da'al's.
"Do not you think I know that? I fear this God as well. But, as I remind you all, what we are doing here now could be viewed upon as treason! As Shol'va!" Canow whispered angrily.
"Cristis is right. What Ptah-sek-ani did to Da'al could happen to anyone one of us. I would far rather die in battle than to die as Da'al did, at the hands of that creature!" Talmek's voice shook with emotion.
"He raped him! He violated him!" Cristis said with contained fury.
"Yes, yes, that is true. I for one would never think to deny that. But, the fact remains he is our God. And we worship and obey! That is our duty. Put away forever what you saw today. Push it far from your minds! Remember that we are warriors!" Canow said looking about the room in fear.
"No warrior should die like that." Cristis growled. "And you know that!"
"Let us stop discussing this matter now, before we are reported and he kills us all for disobedience." Canow continued to scan the room. His heart was pounding painfully in his chest.
"Be not afraid Canow. I did the surveillance on this room. I removed all listening devices earlier today." Talmek said calmly.
"Have you lost your mind?" Canow's dark round eyes bulged in fright.
"Maybe." Talmek looked at Cristis in mutual understanding. They will wait for the proper time.
"What are you planning to do?" Canow asked fearfully.
"We are planning nothing. But I promise you this, I will not die like young Da'al did. No Jaffa can! We could not help him. He suffered at the hands of that beast without anyone to come to his aid! That will not happen again." Talmek said angrily.
"So you are planning something!" Canow countered.
"No Jaffa will enter his chambers alone." Cristis turned his golden eyes to Canow.
It struck Canow that Cristis was as attractive as Da'al. And what happened to Da'al could very well happen to young Cristis. That is, if Ptah-sek-ani took light to see him. He frowned suddenly.
"Then it is agreed. We allow no Jaffa to enter Ptah-sek-ani's room alone. We will always attend in pairs." Talmek nodded to Cristis and turned his attention to Canow.
"And what if our God protests?" Canow asked playing devil's advocate.
"There are always safety measures for our Lord's protection. We are concerned for his well being." Talmek answered.
"Yes, that might work." Cristis stood up and smoothed out his armor. He was a tall, well built, golden skinned, golden eyed young man. He clasped his hands together to prevent them from fluttering about.
"We must be careful." Canow hissed.
"I warn you Canow, if you betray us, you will pay dearly." Talmek said glancing to Cristis.
Who was watching Canow closely.
"Do not worry about me. I would not do that. I am here am I not?" Canow touched the door that opened into a broad hallway. He flashed an uneasy look to his friends. He nodded to them deeply, then turned and stepped into the hallway.
The other two Jaffa waited and listened to the retreating footsteps.
"Watch him closely Cristis. I do not fully trust him." Talmek said slapping his young friend on the back.
Cristis watched Canow walk away. "That would be a wise idea, my friend."
Chapter Seven.
Mike Taylor waited in the embarkation room. He blinked at the large round ring in awe. His men restlessly milled around the room. He turned to look at the newest member of his team. Not that he wanted one. This one took the place of Lt. Rand. He shuddered slightly. It took him a while to get over the feeling of guilt. He felt somewhat responsible for what happened to Jack. He shook that feeling off. Jack had admonished him many times since that incident that it wasn't his fault. There was no way in hell that he could have known of Rand's duplicity. Jack reminded him over and over again. Mike finally accepted when last week, Jack soundly beat him in a fast game of hockey. Then had the gall to gloat about it. Okay, no more Mr. Nice Guy! He glanced over to the door. Jack had sent a message that they were waiting for Daniel Jackson to get the rest of his stuff together and for Jacob to bring the Goa'uld Natar through the gate.
Natar!
Taylor made a face.
Smythe stepped over and leaned towards his C.O."
"What's up boss?" He asked in that clipped British accent.
"Nothing really, just remembering something."
"Yeah, does it have to do with a low down no good for nothing snake in the head?" Smythe said smiling.
Taylor raised his dark brows and smiled back. "Hey, no fair reading your commander's mind." He turned quickly to the sound of the Gateroom door opening.
Teal'c was the first to enter, carrying his staff weapon. Daniel was close behind him carting a load of books in his arms. Behind him was Major Carter, who was speaking to O'Neill. Jack was nodding. Agreeing maybe?
Taylor made a quick note of the gossip around the base. So what if there was feelings between O'Neill and Carter. So what. So long as it didn't interfere with their duties and their behavior as soldiers. He could care less what the gossip was this week.
He smiled again. Well, the gossip could be interesting at times.
"Colonel O'Neill? At your service, sir!" Taylor saluted sharply as O'Neill took notice of him.
He waved off a sloppy salute.
"As you were soldier." He grinned in return.
"Colonel O'Neill, can you give us some conditions about the place we are gating to?" Mike nodded towards the Stargate.
"Sam?" O'Neill turned to his second in command.
"Yessir. According to the MALP and the UAV, this is a less of a moon, more of a planetoid. It has an atmosphere that is slightly denser than our own. Gravity appears to be 0.5 percent heavier and it is an arid climate. More like Abydos. We might have a little difficulty when we arrive due to the relative heat. There is a city of sorts about 10 klicks from the gate. Travel will be over desert like conditions."
"Great, why can't they place the city right next to the gate....no, no, no, I know why, that would be way too easy." O'Neill waved his hand towards Mike, who was making ready to answer why.
"Okay. Then we are ready?" Mike asked.
"Everyone accounted for?" O'Neill said glancing about. No, Dr. Frasier and Jacob were missing.
"Daniel, I can't believe it! You are actually ready on time." O'Neill said eyeing the stack of books the archeologist was stuffing into his rucksack.
"Jack, this is all the research that has been compiled on the Araraan society. I believe that it might be beneficial and important. Have you even looked at any of this stuff?" Daniel looked up at his friend and raised his brows.
"Have you Daniel?" O'Neill raised his brows back.
"Well, no, not all of it. But I will. Why?" Daniel zipped up his bag and tossed it over his shoulder.
"Colonel O'Neill wrote a good bit of that research you have there." Sam said stepping up to help Daniel with his straps.
"Huh?" Daniel eyed Jack astonished. "Really?"
"Not all of it, but some." O'Neill said amused.
"Com'on Jack, I read some of it and it is really good stuff. Some of it reads like a novel, like a Clancy book." Mike said nodding eagerly.
"Too far Taylor, one day you will go to far." Jack wagged an ominous finger at his friend.
"Actually Colonel, it does make for an interesting read." Carter agreed.
"If you know all this stuff, then why did you tell me to get all the research on the Araraan culture?" Daniel demanded.
"Because I didn't write it all. And besides, we need an archeological viewpoint on the Araraan history. They were a tremendously convoluted people. They were brilliant on one end and self destructive on the other. But way smart enough to outwit the Goa'uld. We need to know the what and why and how about this race." O'Neill's eyes strayed to the Stargate.
"He comes." O'Neill announced.
The Stargate came alive as the chevrons lit up.
"Incoming Traveler." A disembodied voice called out.
The crew stepped out of harm's way as the last chevron locked on. The explosive blue fluid exploded outward and settled to the watery shield.
"Closing the iris."
O'Neill began to fidget.
"Who is coming?" Taylor leaned over to ask O'Neill.
"Natar." Teal'c said softly.
"Opening the iris. Tok'ra ID confirmation."
O'Neill glanced up to the control room to see Hammond staring down at him. He nodded to his commander. Then returned his attention to the Gate.
There was a moment of silence as everyone waited.
O'Neill's heart had begun to slam into his chest. What the hell?
Then the shield of the Stargate rippled and a man stepped through first and looked behind.
Natar stepped out next with his head held up.
To the Goa'uld's side was Jacob, with a Zat held at the aliens head.
"Oh." Jack said softly.
"I just love it when I am able to do that." Jacob said smiling.
"Oh yeah, come through the wormhole still holding the gun where you originally had it. Neat trick Jacob." O'Neill said shaking off the strange sensations that invaded him earlier.
Natar sneered at Jacob and the burly Tok'ra guard, Lian. He walked down the ramp. At that moment, several M-16 and P-90's leaped to life.
Craft, who had been talking to the newest member, David Whimbly, casually threw his gun up. Whimbly jerked his weapon up and pointed it at the Goa'uld.
O'Neill kept his weapon at his side. He watched the creature as it came down the ramp and headed directly towards him.
Frasier chose that moment to enter the room. Hammond was behind her. She nodded at Jacob and remained neutral upon spying the Goa'uld.
The Goa'uld stood facing the unmoving O'Neill. He closed his eyes for a moment and allowed his eyes to roam under the lids.
"Ahhh, O'Neill. Is it you that brought me here? I so hope. It will give us the opportunity to destroy you." Natar opened his eyes and they flared. He smiled wickedly.
"Hey snakebait. That's Colonel Jack O'Neill to you. O'Neill leaned in towards the Goa'uld. "You know what?" He smiled dangerously. "I can't wait to have the opportunity to fuck you over!" Jack said softly for the Goa'uld's ears only.
Natar pulled his head back and jerked his body towards Jacob.
"I sense her strong in this one! She never left him!" Natar hissed pointing to O'Neill.
"Surprise!" Jacob said grinning. He walked down the ramp and spotted General Hammond.
"Hey George, do you like my new pet?" Jacob jerked a thumb towards Natar.
"He's probably not even house trained yet." O'Neill muttered.
Hammond smiled briefly and glanced to his second in command. He did not trust Goa'uld, least of all, this one.
"Where's the lease Jacob?" Hammond returned.
Jacob nodded towards the large muscular Tok'ra standing next to Natar.
"Meet Lian. I trust him very much, that is why he is going with us."
"Ahh, okay." Hammond nodded in approval.
"I demand to know where you are taking me!" Natar said forcefully. He lifted his head in defiance.
"You are in no position to make demands. So my suggestion to you is to remain quiet and only answer when spoken to. Is that understood?" Hammond snapped at the Goa'uld.
"I am not a Tok'ra minion!" Natar shot off angrily.
"No, you are right, you are a Goa'uld minion." O'Neill muttered. He shifted his attention to Hammond.
"General, I am ready. I believe that I can safely speak for the rest of my people in saying they are ready as well. How about you Jacob?" Jack turned his attention to the Tok'ra.
"Ready as I will ever be." Jacob agreed.
"Let's rock and roll!" Mike said cheerfully.
"Is everything okay on the surface?" Hammond asked remembering their debriefing.
"Yessir, the terrain is somewhat different than what the other gate presents, and it is a bit of a trek from the Stargate to the establishment. At least that is what the UAV showed. It also indicated that there was no signs of life, but an intact township." Sam said.
"Uh, exactly how far of a trek?" Daniel asked looking at Natar.
"Roughly 10 klicks through a desert. Ambient temperature reads 90 Fahrenheit. It's somewhat warm. The town sits down in a valley. I wonder about its strategic location." Sam mused.
"It would be easy for a small force of Jaffa to surround and overtake. You Tau'ri are nothing but fools." Natar sneered.
"Oh shut up." O'Neill shot back.
"All things are not what they seem." Selmak spoke up. Jacob was staring at the Goa'uld.
"Really Selmak? Such awe inspiring wisdom coming from a Tok'ra. You are pitiful. All of you. My Master will bring you to your knees! You will beg for mercy! This I can promise you." Natar spun about waving his hands.
O'Neill's ears perked up as he heard the sound of a Zat engage and then a moment later, engulf the mouthy Goa'uld.
"Whoa!" O'Neill shouted spinning in the direction of the sound.
Natar fell to the floor heavily. He landed in a heap and laid still.
"Sorry Selmak, that was an accident." Lian said shrugging.
The guards in the Gateroom had also spun around and had their weapons pointed at the Tok'ra.
"Accident my ass." Daniel murmured to Jack.
"Well that was a big ya-hoo. Now, we drag him through the gate?" Jack asked looking at the unconscious alien.
"Better than listening to him run his mouth." Jacob commented.
Hammond frowned. He did not like the firing of weapons in his Gateroom. He motioned to the soldiers. "Lower your weapons."
The soldiers complied, but all were watching the Tok'ra with undisguised distrust.
"Okay people, Let's do this. Forty-eight hours as agreed. I don't have to remind you to be careful." Hammond nodded his head towards Jacob then turned to his second in command. "Jack, are you certain you are up to this?" He glanced at Frasier as if to confirm his observation. He was glad that she was going along with SG-1.
"Yessir. I am up to this. In fact...been waiting for it. Anything to feel normal again." Jack looked at Daniel. "Anything."
Chapter Eight
Ptah-sek-ani moved his bulk slowly, but with an odd sense of grace. He was seated at the command center of his large battleship. The window before him displayed a spectacular view. Hyperspace. He studied the brilliant flashes of streaking color. He watched the sight, but his mind was elsewhere.
He finally received a signal from Natar. Useless creature that he was. At least he gave some interesting information.
They knew where Natar was located.
The Araraan tech world.
The research center.
Oddly enough, the signal was not emanating from the planet. Ptah-sek-ani figured there had to have been another establishment. But how did they miss that? Or, the Tok'ra had enough of him and dumped him somewhere to rid themselves of him.
Both scenarios possible.
He had sent out some long-range gliders to do reconnaissance. It certainly could not hurt.
He still had to find the one with the knowledge. T'umock spoke of a Tau'ri by the name of O'Neill.
Ptah-sek-ani grunted loudly. A thorn, albeit a small one, in the side of the Goa'uld. The massive Goa'uld shifted in his chair. However, this O'Neill was responsible for the deaths of several Goa'uld. Somehow, directly or indirectly he destroyed Ra, Hathor, Kronus, Apophis, Seth and others.
Ptah-sek-ani glanced at his fingers. No waste in grieving for those who would try to steal your piece of the universe. Yes, better that they are dead and gone.
Ptah-sek-ani eased out of the chair and lumbered to the viewing window. He leaned on the console and stared out.
He had heard O'Neill could be a challenge. So he had some worth.
Diama's memories!
That bitch! Ptah-sek-ani's beefy hand slammed down on the console shattering part of it.
Yes, he had to have that Tau'ri. He had to have that wonderful information that was rightfully his!
T'umock said that he held the knowledge of several fantastic weapons that had been designed for the Goa'uld, but never got into their hands.
How much did the Tau'ri know? Could they use the information against him? Did O'Neill understand how the weapons operated? Could he manufacture one? Ptah-sek-ani rubbed his hands together. Natar was somewhere on that planet, and they needed to find him. When they located Natar, Ptah-sek-ani was relatively certain they would find O'Neill.
Ptah-sek-ani smiled suddenly. He so hoped O'Neill was nice to look upon, as well as a physical challenge. He so hoped.
Chapter Nine
O'Neill insisted on going through the gate first. Taylor vehemently protested. O'Neill simply told him that if it were booby trapped, like he somehow knew it was, then he and he alone would know where the traps were located. So someone had to disarm them.
Carter, Teal'c and Mike spoke up at the same time. He needed a six!
Jack merely smiled and nodded his head. Daniel was frowning.
There were a few moments of arguing, but in the end O'Neill prevailed. Besides, he argued back, it would only take a few moments, then they could come through.
It was their safety he was concerned about.
Hammond gave the go ahead and O'Neill disappeared into the Stargate.
Sam felt a tightening in her stomach as her CO and friend vanished. She glanced at her watch and began to count time.
Daniel felt it in his throat. He saw Sam look to her watch. Counting the moments before they went through.
Teal'c set his jaw in a rigid line.
Taylor continued to grouse. His people nodding and agreeing. But still understanding the logic.
Hammond spun on his heels and headed for the control room. He had spoken to Frasier briefly. He wanted to make sure that O'Neill was fit to gate travel.
Frasier told him that his guess was as good as hers. But that she would keep a close eye on him the entire time there.
Jacob and Lian stood in between SG-1 and Sg-4. Natar was standing in front of the two Tok'ra.
The Goa'uld had been unusually quiet for the last ten minutes. His eyes were fixed on the Stargate. He roused quickly from the Zat blast, but something was stirring deep within him.
Jacob poked him.
The Goa'uld refused to acknowledge him.
"How long has it been?" Daniel asked the to quiet room.
"Three minutes Daniel." Sam answered.
"So, two more minutes and we go through, right?" He asked nervously.
"That's right Daniel." Mike drawled.
"Looks like the Araraans made sure the Goa'uld could not locate their second gate." Jacob said suddenly.
'A force shield of some sort. That is what Colonel O'Neill needed to disengage." Sam said looking at her watch.
"Make sense. Why else would the Goa'uld be totally unaware of a second moon, much less a second gate, unless it was being shielded." Daniel looked at Natar and raised his brows.
"You had no clue there was a second moon? Or another gate elsewhere?" Jacob leaned over and asked the Goa'uld.
"Tor made certain that the Goa'uld would never know by purging the memory before implantation. It brings cause to wonder what else he purged." Teal'c said sliding a look to the very quiet Goa'uld.
"Okay kiddies, time to make the leap of faith." Mike said tapping his watch.
"Take care SG-1 and SG-4 and God speed." Hammond said from the control center.
SG-4, Frasier and Carter turned and saluted, then headed for the gate.
"This is a mistake." Natar said suddenly. He turned to Jacob with wild eyes. "Do not go! They will track you there and destroy Diama!" It was the voice of the host Tor.
"Who will?" Jacob asked, pulling the Goa'uld to face him.
"He who waits. The Beast!" Natar said with real fear.
"Com'on, O'Neill is there and we are wasting time here. He is a lying snake." Taylor said heading up the ramp. Craft, Smythe and Sam had already gone through. Daniel, Teal'c, Whimbly and Frasier were at the event horizon, they all turned to look at the hysterical Goa'uld.
Mike waved his hand. "Go people, we will see you on the other side. Doctor, get there, I would feel a whole lot better about you being there...you know..in the event. One never knows about Colonel O'Neill." Mike wagged his eyebrows.
Janet smiled and thought how much these two men where alike. No wonder they were friends from way back. "I fully agree with you Major." Frasier stepped through the Stargate without a second look back.
Jacob spun around to face the Gou'ald.
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Taylor's P-90 was up and ready.
"The Abomination. He is coming. He is coming to that place and will be looking for the Tau'ri O'Neill. Whatever you do, protect that human from Ptah-sek-ani. And.....if you get the opportunity, kill me. Kill this..thing that is within my head. I do not wish to live like this!" Natar grabbed his head and slumped slightly.
The Tok'ra guard Lian grabbed his arm and jerked the Goa'uld up, looking at Jacob the entire time.
"Ptah-sek-ani will destroy all of you. Tok'ra and Tauri alike. You will suffer terribly and I will watch you die!" Natar's head came up and his eyes flashed in fury.
"Oh shit, the snakehead is back." Mike Taylor muttered disgusted.
Jacob smiled briefly. "So Natar, your host is stronger than you would believe. Thank him for that most useful information." The Tok'ra placed a hand against the creatures back and shoved him up the ramp.
Mike took the six and watched as the Tok'ra and the Goa'uld disappeared into the Stargate. He turned to look up at Hammond. Who nodded in response. Taylor saluted and stepped into the cold void.
Chapter Ten
O'Neill stepped out of the Stargate into a starkly bright environment. He blinked a few times and slid his sunglasses on. He glanced about getting a feel for the land. Much like the original Tok'ra world. It was arid, quiet and curiously barren. He looked up at the huge white sun and.....the planet. He cocked his head in amazement. It looked so...close. Almost as if he could reach out and touch it. What a difference there was between the two places. He took one step away from the Stargate and stopped suddenly.
Force shield.
Ten meters beyond the gate. Surrounding the gate. Good safety device. Even if they did come through the gate, they would not get every far. Nope. And the DHD was about 10 meters beyond the shield. Clever. O'Neill chuckled to himself. Good girl Diama! A woman after my own heart! He walked around to the side of the Stargate and knelt down. He ran his hand over the rough surface of the ground seeking something.
O'Neill closed his dark eyes and began to breathe very deeply. He moved his hands again then pressed down on the ground with his finger-tips. The floor sunk under his fingers and gave way to a panel. He reached in with one hand and rapidly entered a 12 digit code. He turned slightly and saw a slight vibration of the air around him. He felt the sudden rise of temperature to the air. Ah! The shield somehow kept the heat of the desert away from the gate. Cool! He stood up and jogged to the DHD. He rounded it and glanced down.
Intact.
Turning away from the gate, he peered into the desert. The heat causing the ground to shimmer. He pulled his cap down and made one complete rotation, taking every sight in. He could feel Diama within assessing the grounds, warning him of areas of danger. He silently acknowledged as he continued to scan the grounds. There was another force shield a half a klick from the gate. A really nasty one. He smiled suddenly. The schematics of the force shield flashed up before him. Such a temptation, but no, he had to let it go, for more important things.
He heard the sucking sound of the gate producing a traveler. He turned to see Sam and two of Taylor's people stumble out.
He smiled and waved.
"Hey, all clear here!" He shouted.
Sam turned around surveying the area. Her blue eyes missing nothing. "Anything to be aware of?" She asked walking towards him. Smythe and Craft had split up and was flanking her.
"Well, there was this big honking force shield that would basically trap whoever came through the gate. It began there.." He said pointing. "And stopped short of the DHD. You have to be able to disengage it or one would be stuck here for ...oh always." He pointed to the panel on the ground.
"How would they be trapped?" Craft asked coming up to O'Neills left.
"The shield fell short of the DHD. So, no dial home device to get back. They could see it, but would get severely zapped each time they tried to get to it. And a wormhole travels in one direction." O'Neill made a waving motion with his hand.
Sam smiled in appreciation.
Daniel, Teal'c and Whemby stepped out of the gate. They all blinked at the bright light.
Janet stepped out right behind them. She quickly scanned the area. Desert like.
O'Neill perked up when he saw the rest come through the gate.
"Mike behind you guys?" He asked walking towards Daniel.
"Yeah, right behind us. What's up?" Daniel said looking about curiously. "Reminds me a lot of Abydos." He added wistfully.
"Yeah, it does, doesn't it." O'Neill also stared out.
Sam walked over to them. Craft and Smythe was taking point, waiting for their commander to show.
"Colonel O'Neill disarmed a shield that surrounded the gate." She said.
"Really? Is there anything else we should be concerned about?" Daniel raised his brows.
"I'll let you know. I think we are okay for now."
"You think?"
"Okay, okay, I know we are okay for now." O'Neill said mildly irritated.
Teal'c walked about frowning. "O'Neill, I do not believe anyone has been here for some time now." He peered into the desert.
"I get that impression as well. But, Diama and her people have left plenty of protective devices along the way. So we need to be on guard until we get to Vegas."
"Vegas?" Teal'c said confused.
"A city in the state of Nevada. Las Vegas." Daniel said helpfully.
"Ah, yes. Viva Las Vegas." Teal'c said correcting Daniel.
"Jack?" Daniel glared at his friend.
"I can't help it if he likes Elvis." Jack said shrugging his shoulders. He stepped away from the gate, stopped and spun around.
The To'kra guard and Natar stepped out first, then Mike Taylor and Jacob.
Natar gasped as he took in the view. He jerked his attention to O'Neill, shock clear on his handsome features.
"He knows not of this place!" He whispered to O'Neill.
Mike shoved the Goa'uld in the back and urged the creature down the steps.
"Wait Mike, that's not Natar." O'Neill quickly covered the distance to Natar.
"How the hell is that possible? He did this in the Gateroom. Yammering something about a mistake and....he who waits." Mike waved his hand towards the Goa'uld.
"Yes, yes, the Beast. He will come to take you O'Neill. We must be prepared." Natar shuddered violently then his blue eyes flared. The Goa'uld was back.
"Fools! All of you! Ptah-sek-ani will crush you." Natar glared at O'Neill. "He will suck you dry then destroy you at his leisure."
"Shut him up." O'Neill said disgusted.
Jacob moved around the Goa'uld and stared openly at O'Neill.
"Do you know what is happening here?" He asked.
"No, not yet." Jack turned away and walked away from the Goa'uld.
"Need I remind you that you, yourself said, that was not Natar." Jacob pressed.
"Because it wasn't. It was the host Tor. But he's not strong enough to fight Natar constantly, so Tor looks for moments of weakness to break through and speak to us. It would seem that Natar is not a very powerful Goa'uld. He has a few weak spots." Jack peered into the desert. "We've gotta go that way." He pointed.
Sam, Daniel and Smythe were already heading in that direction.
Mike, Whemby and Craft were lingering about.
The To'kra guard and Natar were waiting.
"Com'on Jacob, there are no answers here. We have got to get to the city to get them. And I'll bet you ten bucks, the closer to the city we get, the more nervous that asshole gets." O'Neill jerked a thumb towards Natar.
Natar hissed loudly. The guard grabbed the back of Natar's gown and roughly shoved him forward.
"Walk." He ordered.
The guard glanced towards O'Neill and Jacob.
"Guard him well. Do not trust him for one second." Jacob warned.
"Not to worry." Lian answered.
O'Neill took off after his people. Janet had hung back so she could shadow him. She did not trust the Araraan woman Diama, or the Colonel's reaction to her.
Taylor and Craft tucked in behind the Goa'uld and the To'kra. Mike watched O'Neill carefully as his friend set a good pace into the desert.
Craft came in close behind the Goa'uld and whispered loudly: "You know the old saying? The only good Gould is a dead Gould."
He then dropped back to walk with his commanding officer.
"Craft, you are a troublemaker." Taylor muttered.
"Learned it from the best sir." Craft replied with a small smile.
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