A Bad Feeling
A Bad Feeling
by Jackie
Title: A Bad Feeling
Author: Jackie
Email: jackiwi2002@yahoo.com
Category: Action/Adventure, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance
Episode related: 202 In the Line of Duty, 211 TokRa 1, 212 TokRa 2
Season: any Season
Pairing: Sam/Jack
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: adult themes, language
Summary: The team must find a way to escape Apophis, but at what cost.?
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).
TITLE: A bad feeling.
AUTHOR: Jackie
EMAIL: jackiwi2002@yahoo.com
STATUS: Complete (6th July '02)
CATEGORY: Action/romance
PAIRINGS: Jack/ Sam
SPOILERS: 'In the line of duty', 'Tok'ra 1 & 2'. Possible minor spoilers for others. SEASON: Four
RATING: PG
CONTENT WARNING: Contains mild and infrequent swearing. Deals with adult situations. Some very cheesy bits, (according to my mate Mel.) SUMMARY: Sg1 are taken by Apophis and they have to find away home! And if they do get home, deal with the nightmares that will inevitably follow. ARCHIVE:
FEEDBACK: Yes. I want some of that!!! Please send to jackiwi2002@yahoo.com DISCLAIMER: I did not invent the Stargate, the characters, or any of their high tech gadgets, i.e. DHD. MGM owns it. I only own this story. I did not write this with the intention to infringe any copyright laws, and if I have it's by accident and I'm very sorry. (Please don't sue me; I have no money, so there is little point!) Please don't archive this anywhere else without my permission. AUTHORS NOTE: To Melon Y. Bestest chum, and editor of this story. Without you, Daniel would still be in denial! ;0) Also to links the friendly desktop cat. My only source of amusement at 2 in the morning, and so cute too! (Microsoft don't sue me either, ok? I know Links is your creation) ENJOY!
A Bad Feeling.
By Jackiwi.
SAM
It was a Friday, and I was beat, as I usually am at the end of the week. I never thought I'd say this, but I can't wait to get home and climb into a hot bath. Just when it looked like this might happen, fate dealt me another joker, and I found myself on some sandy planet, (by the way, I hate sand!) in some distant corner of the universe. And before you ask, I do have a physics degree, and therefore I know the universe doesn't really have corners, it's just an expression.
A few hours before hand, my dad, a member of the tok'ra, came through the gate, and requested our help in searching out a new planet for the tok'ra home world. Normally, they would have done it themselves, but they believed this to be where Apophis's host was born, and that makes it therefore, his home, and a potential problem.
You might be thinking, 'If they know it's his home, why are they going there?' Well, he hasn't been back there since the goa'uld was implanted in him, so they think its safe. Crazy? We'll see.
You know, I'm starting to think that Colonel O'Neill is right. Every time the tok'ra turn up, trouble's usually not that far behind. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing my dad whenever I can, its just, well... I was really looking forward to that bath.
Anyway, back on the planet, we did our stuff. Search and secure. Its basic training when you join the military. The planet seemed to be deserted. We'd gone a fair distance from the Stargate, and when night started to roll in, we decided to call it a day. (I expressed a quiet 'woohoo' at this decision.) As we were making our way back, something flew overhead. We fell to the floor, and flung our hands over our heads as it came back for a second time, this time landing about 200 feet away from our position. Colonel O'Neill ordered us to find cover, so I rolled behind a nearby sand dune. I heard a shuffling as the Colonel joined me.
I could see the side of the craft. It was motionless, and there were no sounds or lights being emitted from it. It was eerily quiet. I could feel my heart pounding on my ribs, like it was going to burst out of my chest.
Suddenly, there came the sound of metal grinding metal. The door was opening revealing a red light. I gave my father a questioning look, but he seemed as confused as the rest of us.
Someone or something was coming out of the craft. Colonel O'Neill poised his finger on the trigger of his gun. I followed his example. What we saw was not good. It would appear that our favourite system Lord, Apophis, (Who has proved, thus far, very difficult to kill) visits home from time to time. So it was goodbye hot bath, hello long night.
JACK
'Oh good,' I thought. 'Apophis.' I really hoped he was alone, but I knew he wouldn't be. I rearranged my body to get a better view, and my blood ran cold as I heard the familiar clinking of serpent guards.
Sweet.
Why can't anything be simple? Why couldn't old Aphosis just have called home, like normal gods?
Now came the difficult question of what to do next. 'This doesn't feel right, Jack' I told myself. They were just standing there. It was like a game of cat and mouse. If we had moved, we would've given ourselves away. We could of made a run for the gate, but we would of never made it. Not with a greasy assed snake between the DHD and us. I felt Carter's eyes on me. She was expecting me to start giving out orders any second now. A plan to get us home in time for tea. Ok, maybe that's what I was expecting... hoping.
"Jaffa, Kree"
Good. His guards were returning into the ship. But he seemed unsure. I thought he seemed suspicious.
"Colonel O'Neill, do you read" Shit. My radio went off. That was it; he knew we were there.
"Jaffa, Kree, Jaffa I"
I opened fire. Teal'c, Carter, Denial and Jacob followed suit. I took down 3, and yet they kept coming. A swarm of them like bees pouring out of a hive. I still kept firing, and they kept coming.
"Sir, behind you"
Carter's warning was to late. I felt the cold metal of the starf on the back of my neck. I looked round. Carter had one pressed onto the side of her face, and Teal'c and Daniel the same. I couldn't see Jacob, because of the guard blocking him from my view, but I hadn't held out much hope that he made it back to the gate.
"On your feet. NOW"
"Kind' a' cranky, aren't you?"
Why did I do that? I always do it. And I always get a slap. You'd think I'd learn after the first couple of times. NOPE! But, if I didn't make fun of this totally messed up life I'm leading, (Actually, dragging along is a better way of putting in it), I'd go crazy. And I know what you're thinking, ' Jack, you are crazy' OK, so maybe I am. But not as crazy as I could be... would be if I actually stopped to think about this crap.
SAM
They frog marched us in to the ship. It was dark and cold inside. Not what I was expecting. I thought it would be hot, but no, it was defiantly cold. I felt a sudden sharp pain at the base of my spin, as the guard jabbed his starf in to my back, to push me into the awaiting prison.
Well, this was not how I had pictured spending my Friday night. But hey, that's life when you're working on a covert military operation. It's all fun and games.
I felt a shudder, and a brief weightless feeling, like when a lift first starts moving. We were leaving the planet.
I watched the guards decrease in numbers, until just two were left watching the door. I approached the others, and we huddled in a tight circle with our backs to the goa'uld, so they wouldn't hear us.
"So, What now, sir?" I said in barley more than a whisper.
"To be honest, I don't know. If anyone has any bright ideas, feel free to share them with the group. Any one? Any one at all?" Silence followed. "I guess not"
"Well, I guess the smartest thing to do would be to survey our surroundings. Maybe we'll spot a weakness. Then we can use that to our advantage, and figure out a way to get out of here, and back to the gate." Good thinking, Daniel.
Colonel O'Neill pulled his 'that's a great plan, man I wish I'd have thought of that,' look. He does it all the time. It's actually quite cute. Not that I'm supposed to think that, but well... our situation is complicated. Especially since he practically told me he was in love with me.
"I was just about to suggest that, Daniel."
"Ok, well there's two serpent guards on the door." Dad chose to point out the obvious.
"It's cold, maybe that has some significance." I offered.
"Ya think?"
"Well you never know. I mean, maybe they need to stay cold, it could be some biological thing. In which case, if we can get it to heat up..."
"It would have an affect on them" Teal'c finished.
"OK, but how are we supposed to get this cosy little dungeon to heat up?"
"Well, there must be some kind of cooling device regulating the temperature. If we can convince the guards to take us to Apophis, then we can use that opportunity to look round, and find it."
"Then what"
"Then we break it, Daniel. You know, for someone with a PhD, you're not very smart."
"Gee, thanks Jack"
Men can be so annoying at times.
So we had a plan. It wasn't necessarily a good plan, and there was no guaranteeing it would work, but it's all we had. Jack, Teal'c and I were the ones to pay Apophis a visit. The guard's wouldn't let us all go. It was hard enough trying to convince them to let just the three of us go. I say that, but Teal'c did all the talking, as he's the only one who can speak the goa'uld language fluently. I have no idea what he said, but it worked.
One goa'uld aimed a starf at us, while the other opened the cell door. I watched carefully as he did this. We had to know how to open it to get the others out later. Jack, Teal'c and I walked though the open door, and waited while they closed it behind us. I felt so guilty leaving my friends... no they're more than that, my family; while their fate rested in our hands.
So, no pressure.
TEAL'C
Humans. They are strange, but I have come to respect, and even value some members of this race. We headed down the hallway into a great chamber, where Apophis, my former God, sat on his throne. I experienced an emotion that I believe is referred to as hatred, on Earth.
"O'Neill, what do you intend to do?" I asked out of the hearing range of Apophis.
"Well, Teal'c, I ... haven't thought of that bit, yet. Just go with it." I gave him a questioning look. Even though I come from a much superior race, human sayings still confuse me.
"You know, follow my lead. Do as I do, excreta, excreta." Daniel Jackson and Major Carter are much better at explaining things than O'Neill will ever be. However, I understood what he meant at this point.
Apophis turned towards us. His face was dark and threatening. He began to speak.
"Why have you requested to see me?"
"Because we love ya so damn much." I do not understand O'Neill's' use of sarcasium in such a situation. Indeed, he paid for his comment when the guard fired a zat-nicata at him.
"Ow!"
"I ask again, what is your purpose here?"
"Well, we could ask you the same question. I mean, you took us prisoners. You must have a reason." Major Carter asked. She is naive. Most gou'ald system lords will take prisoners purely for the pleasure of watching them die. However, I was shocked by the answer that Apophis gave.
" You are right. I do have a purpose. And I believe you are just the host I need. Jaffa, Kree." They grabbed our arms. "Leave the woman, take the others back to the cells. I want them left alive so that they can see. Especially the tok'ra, Celmac."
SAM
I saw the cooling device. It was located on the wall in one of the hallways they had brought us down. Colonel O'Neill saw it too, which is a good thing, because now I had something else to worry about. Like becoming a host to an evil snake, for example.
They grabbed my arms with such a force that it almost knocked me off my feet. Apophis walked over to me, and looked into my eyes. What I saw in his eyes scared me so much that I had to look away. There was no emotion. Only a black soul. I don't normally say that sort of thing, or even think it, but that's the only way I can describe it. Whatever good was in his host seems to have completely disappeared.
"I sense that you have been blended. A Tok'ra. Only such a traitor would let the host go on living after them. However, you will be blended again, and this time you will make amends for the mistake that traitor made."
"I won't be enslaved." To this he laughed.
"Oh, but it would seem, you don't have a choice. Jaffa." A Jaffa host entered the room, and I felt sick as Apophis plunged his hand into the guy's stomach, and pulled out a squirming goa'uld.
"This one's host has just perished. It is in need of a new home." Apophis said. I didn't want to know why the previous host had died. I could guess that it wouldn't have been of old age.
He held it up like it was a trophy. All that went though my mind was that it was bad enough when I had been blended with Jolanar, and she was a tok'ra. This, this would be different. So much worse. Goa'ulds take over your mind, and your body. You can't think or act for yourself. Everything you do or say is coming from them. They read your memories like a book, so that they can better fit in. So that people won't notice any difference, unless the goa'uld wants them to.
And the worse thing is, all the time your there. You see everything, hear everything, but are powerless to stop it. It's like your watching your life from the other side of a screen.
I saw its blood red eyes as he held up to my neck. I felt sick, scared and desperate all at once. Like my life was ending. My heart was thumping at my rib cage so hard, it hurt. All I could do was wait. Wait to live, wait to die. Wait for it to take over, and to banish my soul to another place, deep in my mind, where I had no control.
I screamed as the skin on the back of my neck split open. I felt a cold chill run though my veins, and pain that I never thought was possible, as it dug its way in. A hot tear rolling down my check was the last thing I felt before I fell into darkness.
DANIEL
I hate that. Just sitting there when you know there is something you could be doing to help. I was left alone with Jacob, while Sam and the others went off, to who knows, maybe face their death, if Aphosis found out they were trying to trick him. After at least half an hour of small talk with a human - slash- tok'ra, Jack and Teal'c finally came back. Without Sam.
"Guy's? Where's Sam?"
"Well, Daniel, it would seem that Aphosis has plans for her."
"What! And you just left her? If he hurts my daughter, I swear..."
"I wont let that happen."
"I'm just saying, if he hurts her..."
"If he hurts her, we'll all go round to his place and beat the crap out of him."
Typical Jack. He can't take anything seriously. She was in real danger, and all he could do is make sarcastic comments. Still, I know why he does it. He's scared. Scared because he didn't know what to do. He didn't have a plan. He was scared he'd lose her. Of course, he's not supposed to feel like that, so he tried to cover it up. And it works on most people. But not me, I've known him for to long.
The room went silent for a moment, and I really wished we hadn't chosen that moment to run out of things to say.
I heard it echo down the corridor. The heart-rending sound of screaming. Sam's voice was screaming to be more precise. I looked from Jacob to Jack. I could see by the look on Jack's face. He knew. We all did. We had to get her out of there. Whether Sam was still Sam was something we could think about later. We just had to get her away from him. But how do you help someone when your behind bars?
JACK
I flinched as I heard her scream. She'd gone. With a goa'uld in her head, there was no way she'd ever be the same again. I knew I was being selfish, but all I could think about was how I was never gone get to talk to Sam, our Sam, again.
No. I owed it to myself not to think like that. And I owed it to her. Sam's never given up before, and I knew she wouldn't now. So nothing gave me the right to give up on her.
If we just got her out of there, and got back to the SGC, Janet could do tests; maybe find away to get it out of her. The tok'ra know a way, but I'm told it's extremely painful, both to the goa'uld (although, I wasn't worried about what happened to that bastard) and to the host. The host, I worried about.
I was pulled back into reality by the sound of Jaffa guards ordering us to follow them back up main chamber. At least, I took it that's what they meant when they pointed a starf out our heads and prodded us in the back to indicate which direction to go in. Jaffa's don't say an awful lot. They just kinda stand there looking big an ugly. Except Teal'c of course. He's not ugly, more... You know what, I'm not gonna go there.
We stood in a line in front of Apophis, who was sitting on his throne. Honestly, anyone would think he was a god or something. The Jaffa spread out in a circle around us. They all pointed their weapons at us.
"So... what's up?"
"SILENCE"
"Hey, I was just asking" Man. You gotta feel sorry for this guys parents. If he's like this now, imagine what he was like as a teenager!
He said something that sounded like 'Keita' and as he said it, Sam walked in. But she was different. Her eyes were glowing (a sign that the gua'ald was in control) and she looked pail, and tired. There was a spot of dried blood on the side of her neck, and she was wearing a goa'uld hand device.
"You know what you must do. DO NOT fail me."
With that she lifted up her hand and aimed the device she was wearing at Jacob. It emitted a golden yellow glow, and Jacob's head tilted back with the force of it. He fell to his knees as the device started to kill him. I can't even begin to imagine what Carter was going though in there. Knowing her father was dieing by her own hand. Watching him suffer.
Just then, her hand started to shake.
SAM
I have never fought so hard in my life. All I knew was that I could see his face. His eyes were looking at me, Pleading with mine. The goa'uld was very strong, but I couldn't let that happen. I couldn't let it kill my father. So I kicked for the surface, like I would if I was being held under water, and was desperate to take a breath of air.
I was amazed that I actually made it. I regained control. Not for long, but long enough to aim the hand device at Apophis, and activate it. It only lasted about 15 seconds, then I was being dragged back under, and as the darkness fell around me, I heard a voice saying, ' You can never win'
JACOB CARTER
An overwhelming sense of pride filled me as I realised for the first time, just how strong my little girl is. All those years, she'd been though so much, and I'd never realised. I should have noticed it when her mother died, but I was to busy falling apart myself.
Suddenly she stopped and took the device away from Apophis, who was now very weak. Realising what had happened, the goa'uld, was now back in control and started to beg for forgiveness. But Apophis isn't one to forgive and forget.
Raising his hand to a nearby serpent guard, he simply said, ' Kill her'
" No, my lord. It was a mistake. The woman, she is strong. Please. Please, give me another chance, I will not fail you again"
"SILENCE. You have betrayed me, and now you will pay the price."
With that, the guard fired the starf he held in his hand and Sam fell to the floor. I had to fight back the instinct to run to her side. To my total amazement, the goa'uld tried to escape from Sam's lifeless body, squeezing out though the same way it had gotten in. But Apophis caught the goa'uld, then held it out in front of him and broke its neck. I was sure no one could survive that, and I was filled with a dread.
The situation was still very tense. The goa'uld had failed to kill me, but that didn't stop Apophis from trying. When I took my eyes off Sam, I saw a bright yellow light pointing at my head, and felt a sharp pain as though someone was cutting me. I fell to my knees as things started to go dark.
JACK
It wasn't good. Carter was on the floor, and I was praying that she was still alive. Jacob being killed by Apophis, and not a damn thing I could do about it. It makes me so mad. I'm supposed to be trained to deal with these sorts of situations. I'm supposed to be able to get us the hell out of there. I have before, but couldn't do it then. Carter and Jacob needed me, and I'd failed them. I'd failed everyone. Daniel, Teal'c, General Hammond. I didn't deserve to be a Colonel. I should have never come back out of retirement. I knew it was a bad idea all along.
Suddenly I felt a huge jolt. So strong it knocked me off my feet. It also knocked over Apophis, just in time to stop him from finishing Jacob off.
Fortunately, our luck changed. I saw an opportunity, and I grabbed it with both hands. I rolled to my left and picked up a starf weapon that a guard had dropped. I jumped to my feet and ran over to Apophis, where I pointed the weapon at his chest, and threatened to kill him if he didn't call off his guards, and let us go.
"I will not bow to your demands. You are weak and meaningless" Goa'uld's always say stuff like that. It makes them feel more powerful. I've learned to put it down to a case of being a spoilt child, and I ignore it.
"Hey, you wanna call my bluff?" I charged up the starf. "Press one button, and Apophis go night nights." God that would be the best feeling in the world. But I needed him. The very thought sent a chill down my spine. However, if I wanted to save Sam and the others, which I did, he was the most valuable hostage on that ship.
"Jaffa"
Yes. It had worked. The Jaffa laid down their weapons and a big door opened behind me. Evidently, we had crashed. That's what the jolt had been. I kept my weapon on Apophis, while Teal'c helped Jacob, and Daniel picked Sam up in his arms. Once they were safely off the ship, I backed away from Apophis to the door. Once there; I gave into desire and fired the starf. At everyone. I couldn't risk them picking up thier weapons, and killing us on the spot.
I don't know whom I hit or didn't hit, because there was a wall of fire between them and me. I didn't hang about to find out though. I ran, and the others followed.
DANIEL
We kept running. My legs where burning, and I was exhausted from lack of sleep, and food. I was also carrying Sam's dead weight over my shoulder. Just when I was getting to dropping point, I heard an enormous thunder-like sound. It was coming from behind us.
We were about a mile or so away from the ship, but the ground still moved, and clouds of dirt flew up around us as it started its engines and flew away. Obviously, Jack had not killed every member of Apophis' followers. As for Apophis himself... well who knows. That guy has a nasty habit of surviving anything we throw at him.
I watched the ship get further away, and then saw a bright flash of light as it jumped in to hyper speed, and disappeared. I looked at Jack, and we both knew it could be a trap. But there was nothing we could do if it was. The place, for miles around was empty; except for this cave, near the sea, which was a very odd colour.
We climbed up to the cave, Jack and Teal'c checked it out first. Jacob was able to walk by himself now. His symbiote, Celmac, had helped him recover faster than a normal human would be able to. As for Sam, she was still alive, just. By this point I was very worried about her. She had survived Apophis' attack, but she was losing a lot of blood. I made the decision that as soon as we were safely hidden away, I would try and wake her up. I knew a bit about first aid, and I could try and stop the bleeding.
I laid her down on the cold damp floor in the cave. Our supplies had been taken away when we were taken prisoner, so I had nothing to protect her from what was on the floor. I looked around at the others. Jacob looked tired and worried about his daughter. Teal'c was, as usual, displaying an expression that was almost impossible to interpret. Jack looked very old all of a sudden. His face was dark and he had bags under his eyes so it looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. I can only imagine what I must have looked like.
Silence filled the air, as we sat in a misshapen circle. After a while, Jack looked up, and, noticing my shivers and rumbles of hunger, decided to allocate jobs.
"OK kids. We can't sit around here all day. There's work to be done. Teal'c, can you go and look for something edible. Take the starf with you. Who knows what's out there-Jacob can you go with him. You probably know a lot more about cooking than Teal'c does." Thank god for that. If Teal'c had gone alone, we'd be dining on rat and elephant dung.
"Danny, I'm putting you in charge of fire. See what you can find, but don't go too far from the camp. We only have that starf, and my knife. Here." He tossed me the knife.
"I'm gonna try and fix Carter" I forgot, all soldiers go though a basic first aid training program, and Jack has more experience with battle wounds than me. I gave a look at Sam and then one at Jack that said ' Save her life, Jack'. I turned and left the cave.
On my way out Jack called out, "Daniel. I will." I smiled to myself, and walked away.
JACK
I shuffled over to where Carter was lying, and lifted back her top to reveal a nasty looking wound. She was bleeding heavily, so my first priority was to stop it, or at least slow it down. I had no idea how long we would be there for. This new planet may not even have a Stargate, and if it does, we still have to find it.
I took off my jacket and shirt, then put my jacket back on. Then I ripped my shirt into a long piece of cord, and screwed up the rest to make a rag that would absorb the blood. I placed it over the wound, and tied the cord around it as tightly as possible. As I was doing this, I heard a small sigh. At first I thought it was Daniel, outside. Then I realised that Cater was, by some miracle, waking up.
"Sam, can you hear me?"
"Colonel?"
"Yeah. Glad to see you're awake at last."
"What happened? Where are we?"
"It's a long story, and I have no idea."
She tried to sit up, then laid straight back down again, vocalising her pain.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you. That wounds pretty bad. For a while there, I thought you weren't gonna make it."
Privately, I still had doubts about her health. I knew that if we didn't get her out of there, and back to the SGC soon... well, I didn't want to think about what might happen. And with Carter out of action, it left only the four of us to search, perhaps an entire planet, for a Stargate.
I felt helpless. All I could do at that point in time was watch as Carter lay there in pain, until eventually fatigue and lack of blood took hold and she fell into a deep sleep, or maybe even a comma. I couldn't tell.
TEAL'C
As I walked into the cave, with the carcass of an ambiguous creature of some kind over my shoulders, I noted that Daniel Jackson and Colonel O'Neill were sitting by the fire, and that Major Carter was also lying close to it, with a bandage around her wound. General Carter walked straight over to Colonel O'Neill to report our news.
"Jack, we've found the Stargate. Its about two miles south-east of here."
"Well, it's about time!"
"Well... what are we waiting for, lets go." Daniel Jackson said.
"Not so fast. There's no way we're gonna get there before dark now. The sun's already setting. I say we stay here for the night, eat that fine beast that Teal'c is so kindly modelling for us, and leave at sunrise." I tilted my head and raised my eyebrow at Colonel O'Neill. He is wiser than he thinks. We did not know what would come out after dark. There could be many Gek-si, (Nocturnal) animals on this planet.
I dropped the carcass on the floor, picked up the knife lying near to it and began skinning the animal. I tried a piece so that my symbiote could confirm if it was poisonous. I hoped if it was I'd get ill before we finished cooking the meat so it could heal me.
SAM
Waking up is always a hard thing to do, especially when, despite having slept for... a very long time, you feel like you haven't slept for years.
For one blissful minute, everything was fine. I may as well have been at home in my own bed, and that's when it all came flooding back and I remembered everything, but most of all the aching in my chest... and the blinding headache creeping up on me. I felt so weak and tired and hungry. My clothes where damp from the cave floor, and that damp was seeping into my bones, making me feel like an eighty year old woman with chronic arthritis.
I was lying near the entrance of the cave, and I could see out over the horizon. This planet had two moons, (That I could see) that where fading as the sun began to spread out over the land. It was the first time I had stopped to think about how beautiful a sunrise can be. But the thought didn't last long, because I was distracted by the sound of Daniel talking in his sleep. Even in my state, it was enough to make me chuckle to myself. Although I quickly discovered that this hurt. A lot.
Either my laughing/groaning (In pain) or Teal'c's talking woke up the colonel. He sat bolt upright, looked around, and then raised his hand to his head and began to rub it.
" Morning. Does it hurt?" I asked, trying to focus on someone else's suffering other than my own.
"Huh?" He said.
"Your head."
"Oh, yeah. Bit. It's no big deal; just remind me never to stay at this hotel again. All the food tastes like chicken, and the beds are so uncomfortable. Plus the room service, non-existent."
I don't know how he does it, but Colonel O'Neill can usually make you see the funny side of a situation.
"So, what about you, can you still feel your legs?"
"I can still feel my legs... and my feet, and fingers and every other bone in my body. Although, my right arm feels weird. Kind of numb."
" I think I'd better take a look at that wound." He crawled over to me, and I sat up to let him look at the gaping hole in the top right hand side of my chest. It had stopped bleeding so fiercely, and had been reduced to a steady stream running down ruining my beige top that I'd worn as camouflage back on the planet that we were exploring for the Tok'ra.
I saw a very worried look on Jack's face, which didn't exactly fill me with confidence as I took a deep breath and looked down at the wound for myself. It wasn't good. In fact, it was very bad, and very gross.
"Its infected" Jack confirmed what I already knew. This meant, that without medical treatment, I could lose my arm. Or worse, I could die. I was already suffering dizziness and palpitations, from blood loss, and I was still in shock. The fact was that I needed to get home, fast. We all did.
"Well, the good news is that Teal'c and your dad found the gate last night. We're going to head out there as soon as I get the others up. The bad news is it's a two-mile hike. Do you think you can make it?" He asked.
"I don't have a choice. I mean, its not like you can bring the Stargate to me."
Truth be told, I had my doubts, but I had to try.
JACK
I should have taken better care of her. I should never have let her wound become infected, and now she could lose her arm because of me.
We set out about half an hour later, and we headed in the direction Teal'c lead us. Although it was only two miles, the walk took a lot longer than it should have done. We were all exhausted, and we had to keep stopping for Carter. I offered to give her a piggyback at one point, but she insisted she was alright and kept on. Carter is not a quitter, and a ride would make her uncomfortable, at least. In the old days, she wouldn't have even dignified my offer with a response, but now were closer, and she knows she doesn't have to prove anything to me, or the rest of SG-1.
When we got there, things became complicated. You'd think, that after the last couple of days we've had, God would give us a break, and just let us dial in the address and go home, right? WRONG!
Guess what, the gate didn't work. We dialled, and redialled, and nothing happened. Carter took a look and announced that she couldn't fix it; it had been struck by some kind of strong electrical burst, and had short-circuited. If she'd had any tools, and hadn't been shot, she may have been able to fix it, but as it stood she couldn't. So, basically the Stargate was kaput and we were stuck. (And, to top it all off, I had a bad craving for a banana!)
But, we had no food left (so no bananas, then?). NO drinking water, because, although we were by the sea, we didn't know if it was safe to drink, and the only equipment we had was what was around us. We had no other way of getting out of there, and no-one on Earth knew where we were.
We just sat there for a very long time, mostly in silence. We all knew what was coming, and no one knew how to make it better. In the end I couldn't take it any more. I got up and started walking away, yelling back, "I'm gonna find a way off this planet if it kills me" Adding under my breath, "Which it probably will, knowing my luck."
I walked for what seemed like hours. I only hoped I could remember the way home! My feet started to ache, so I wondered into a nearby cave and sat on a rock near the entrance.
You know when you just have this feeling that something or someone is behind you, watching. Your spine tingles, and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Well I had that feeling. With a certain dread I turned around very slowly, and then I saw it. Not a bad thing, rather our ticket out of here. A way home.
A ship.
I only had two hopes, one: that it still worked, and two: that it was a gift and not something we would have to fight or bargain for, as we had nothing to exchange and nothing to fight with. Oh yeah, I also prayed that Jacob or Teal'c would know how to fly this baby.
I took a look around, and found only a few rat-like creatures, and some insects. Huge, honking insects that looked like they were hungry for some human. I avoided them as much as possible. Then I started to walk/run back to where I had left the others.
SAM
Colonel O'Neill had been gone for some time now, and just as I started to get worried about him, he appeared on the horizon. He seemed to be happier than he was when he left. Why, I didn't know, but I was glad.
The reason soon became clear. He had found a ship. My heart leapt, a way out of here and back home. I got up, but immediately fell back down again. That was everyone's queue to start fussing around me.
"Sam" My dad yelled.
"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just felt a little dizzy for a second" I said, climbing to my feet.
"Oh no you don't. Sam, that infection's nasty. It's probably spreading to the rest of your body, and making you sick. Speaking of your infection..." Jack took my hand and dug his nail into my finger, "Can you feel that?"
I couldn't lie. Not to Jack. He trusted me to always be honest and tell the truth when it really counted. And it counted then. If I had lied, it could cost me my arm. So I looked straight at him, hoping that he would be my strength. I couldn't look at my dad. I knew what this meant. I just prayed that it was reversible.
Whether I was too weak or not, I was allowed to walk to the cave that offered us our last means of escape. The boys took it in turns to carry me, starting with Jack. I felt ridiculous, but I must admit, it did feel nice not to have to walk. I was very tired and I could still feel my legs weighing me down.
So we trundled on, and all I could think about was a hot cup of coffee and a bath over flowing with bubbles, and the person I wanted to share it with...
Reaching the ship Teal'c and my dad began an immediate inspection while Daniel spent some time going "oh" and "ah" at some engravings on the wall. It made me laugh that a load of squiggles could be so entertaining. Give me a quantum particle accelerator any day, but not a bunch of symbols.
So, about three hours later we were out of there, and on our way home, at last. The ship had a tracking device and hyper-speed, so dad laid in the course, hit the button and sat back for the ride. You'll never understand how good it feels to be going home until you've been trapped, shot and lost for three days. It seemed like things were going quite well at last. We were fast-forwarding to the happy ending.
But the worst thing was still to come. The nightmares...
DANEIL
It was a long way home, and I felt useless, as did Jack. We decided we'd get out of the way, and have a look round the ship.
Jacob ordered us not to touch anything, which put Jack in a fine mood. I think he resented being ordered around by a tok'ra, but Sam's dad was also a military General, which meant he out ranked Jack.
So off we went. The ship was huge, and the walls where lined with golden symbols, each telling there own story. I've always been fascinated by them, but I sensed that now wouldn't be a good time to admire the local artwork. We entered a large room, which had a platform much like one that you'd expect to find if there was a ring system, which I'm guessing there must be. But you know what else we found... another Stargate. One that actually worked!
For a while, I worried why the ship had be left there, when it still worked. But I found some writing on a nearby wall, left there by whoever this ship had belonged to, I'm guessing someone like the ancients.
Anyway, it said that the ship had been used for evacuating the planet before a natural disaster (a volcano or something, I wasn't able to translate that part of the text). It had been left behind to provide a working Stargate, which would be protected by the ship and the cave it was hidden in, to bring the natives back home, once it was safe. (The other gate must have been damaged in the disaster) That's where the text stopped, and the question as to why the planet was never re-inhabited, I had to leave unanswered.
This meant that we would only have to get close enough to earth to use it as a point of origin, and then we could gate home. It would prevent raising Russian and other non- Stargate peoples (i.e. X-files fans who just happening to be star gazing) suspicions.
Jack and I walked back to the bridge and told the others of our discovery. We were nearly home now; with only about another 20 minutes flight before we could use the gate. Carter had slipped into unconsciousness while we'd been gone. I hated it. Sam was... is, a really close friend, and we've been though a lot together. All I could think was 'come on Sam, we've made it this far, just hold on a bit longer. Please.'
JACOB CARTER
All I could do to stop myself from losing my mind with worry was to concentrate on the job in hand; getting us home. Celmak had healed the damage to my body caused by the hand device. It had taken him a while, but he'd done it.
I relaxed my mind and allowed him to tell me how to the fly the ship. Alone, I would have had no idea. I could sense that he too was concerned for my daughter, but we couldn't let that get in the way of our mission, after all her life depended on us getting her home, where Dr. Fraser could take care of her. And the doc was one of the best in her field.
We flew within range of earth and Daniel dialled up the gate. We had to gate to another world, and from there gate home again. We went to the tollan home world. We knew we wouldn't receive any hostilities there, and we would be permitted to go home in piece. And that we did.
I stepped thought the event horizon, and immediately reappeared in the gate room of the SGC. General Hammond and about fifteen trained personnel greeted us with guns loaded and pointing at us. Although they knew it was us coming home, you never know, and its better to be safe than sorry.
Doctor Fraser was called for as soon as they saw that Sam was unconscious and being carried by Jack. He laid her down on a stretcher, and she was carried away to the infirmary.
"Colonel O'Neill, I want a full mission report as soon as your team has been debriefed, and Major carter has been stabilised." General Hammond got the formalities out of the way and as he walked out of the room he stopped, turned and said, "Oh, and its good to have you back SG1, Jacob." I smiled to myself. He never has called me by my title. I guess its because we go back. Way back.
I freshened up and then headed for the infirmary.
SAM
I knew that they would come. The darkness and trapped feeling that starts deep down inside, and as the panic grows the fear burns it's way to the surface. There was nothing I could do to stop it. I was alone and helpless.
Everything was dark. I could hear a voice coming from somewhere between my own thoughts and eternity. It was a soulless voice speaking chilling words. Then suddenly my life was flashing before my eyes, focussing in on the painful parts of my life; when my mother died and when I found out that my dad had cancer.
I wanted to get away but I couldn't move, I couldn't even close my eyes. It was like I was paralysed. I tried to shout, and tell it to stop, but I couldn't.
Then I started to see the goa'uld's life. The torture and pain it indured from Apophis and other system lords, and I could feel the memory, as if it was happening to me. I felt the pain of having a burning hot rod pressed onto my skin, and I felt the agony of having each finger broken one at a time. I thought I was going to die. I wanted to die. I couldn't stand it.
Then, over all the confusion, I could hear his voice telling me not to give up. It gave me strength. Something to cling to. Something to use against the goa'uld. Nothing pissed it off more than to know that I was wanted and cared for, and he was just a parasite to be killed. To be killed, and no one would give a damn. All of a sudden I felt an adrenalin rush flood through my veins, and summoning all of my strength, I moved. I broke the invisible bonds holding me down, and I fought back...
JACK
I sat in the infirmary by her side. She'd been in the operating room for five hours, and during that time Jacob had decided to report back to the tok'ra home world. He said he would come back as soon as he could.
All I could do was wait, and pray. I held her hand and prayed. I've never really been a great believer of God, especially as most of them seemed to have snakes in their heads, but I hoped someone up there, someone good, heard me.
Doc Fraser came by a couple of times to check on her, and suggested that I try talking to her. She said it might help to bring her round quicker. I was willing to try anything. So I did.
"Hi Sam. It's me. The doc says that talking to you might help, so... Sam, please wake up. I know you can beat this; you've just got to fight it. The doc says you have a secondary infection, that's why you're in a coma, cause your body is trying to fight it off, but it's to weak to keep you conscious at the same time." I ran out of things to say. What I really wanted to say was so difficult to put into words. So I held her hand tighter, and gently kissed her forehead.
"I'll be here when you're ready."
I was expecting a long night, and when her fingers started to twitch, I thought I was imaging things. Wishful thinking. But it happened again, and she started to open her eyes, so I called a nurse over and backed off as they surrounded her like flies.
"Sam, Sam can you hear me?"
I held my breath, letting it go when she finally attempted to communicate with the nurse. This sent them into a frenzy, and several other nurses and Doc Fraser came over. They each had a part of her, shinning lights in her eyes, poking her with needles, and so on.
All I could do was stand there, like a lemon. Nothing to do but watch and wait.
When all the confusion was over, and the nurses went back to their other jobs, I was left alone with her. She looked so tired, and sad, but at least she was alive!
"Hey. Long time, no see" I didn't know what else to say, but to my great relief, this raised a smile.
" Did everyone get home safe? My dad, Teal'c, Daniel."
"Yeah. They're all here. Well... when I say here, I mean in the land of the living. Your dad's off world at the moment, but he'll be back ASAP. Teal'c is in Kel'nor'eem, and Daniel's around here somewhere."
"Good"
"Colonel, no tiring out the patient. She still needs to rest." Doc Fraser appeared from nowhere.
"Yes, m'am" I gave Carters hand a friendly squeeze and reluctantly left.
SAM
Seven days passed, and when all you have to do is stair at the same four blank walls, seven days goes by painfully torpidly. Sure, people came to see me, mostly, my dad, but I wanted more than anything to be given an assignment or something to do. But no matter how hard I pleaded with Janet, there was no getting her to change her mind.
I was going crazy.
So when the day came that she said I could go home, I didn't hang around. Don't get me wrong, I love the SGC, but I needed a change of scenery, and as I wasn't allowed to work, I may as well go home.
Jack gave me a ride, because I still had my arm in a sling, so I couldn't drive. We got back to my place, and he followed Janet's orders by being annoyingly helpful.
But to tell you the truth, I was glad he was there. I didn't feel ready to be on my own yet. It wasn't that I couldn't handle it physically, more that the whole thing had, well... shaken me. I was in a weird place, emotionally.
But Jack would have to go sooner or later, and as the time passed and it got late, he finally made his move to leave.
" I should get going. Uhm... are you gonna be ok?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Are you? Sure I mean. Cause I could stay, I mean, only if you want me to."
My heart was screaming 'Stay'. My head was saying, 'this is wrong' but I said, " If you're sure you don't mind, it would be great if you'd stay. Its not like I can do very much with my arm in this sling. And I'd love some company."
Ok. I said it. I asked him to stay. And he did. Trouble was, once he accepted, I didn't know what to do next. We ended up watching the telly, and ordering in pizza.
I don't how late it was by the time the fourth movie we watched had ended, but Jack had fallen asleep at some point during it. He laid at the other end of the sofa, gently snoring. I collected up our beer bottles, turned the TV off and went to get a blanket for him.
I attempted sleep, but it wouldn't come, so I decided to run a bath. As the bubbles formed, and the steam rose from the water, I remembered back to before the mission, and the bath I had been so looking forward too. If only I'd gone straight home that night. I would have had my bath, and never have gone to that planet. Then none of this would have ever happened.
Memories of the goa'uld still haunted me. Just the thought of it inside me repulsed me, and I felt physically sick. It was like I had been raped. I'd been violated, and it was the most horrifying experience of my life.
I couldn't hold it in anymore. I felt a sudden wave of sickness, and ran to the toilet. Jack must have heard me throwing up, because I felt his hand my shoulder. I wiped my mouth and pulled the chain. My legs gave way and I found myself sitting on the floor. He sat next to me and rubbed my back.
"Not feeling great, huh?"
I couldn't speak. I just shock my head and before I knew it the tears where tumbling from my eyes. He pulled me into his arms, and gently rocked me. He kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes and fell asleep in his arms.
THE END.
So... what did ya think of that then! Whether you loved it or hated it I want to know. But please be merciful, this is my first ever-completed Stargate story! Thanks :0)
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