Disclaimer: Stargate Sg-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, Sci-fi and Gekko
Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged
hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and
story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the
consent of the author.
Thanks to Sue for her beta.
Freedom From the Past
By
Denise
"Someone want to explain to me what the hell happened?" Jack demanded, his eyes on the horizon as Daniel untied Teal'c.
"We were set upon by several of the villagers," Teal'c explained. "Captain Carter and I fought against them, however the edict not to use deadly force left us at a disadvantage."
Jack looked at his teammate, his eyes picking out bruises that Teal'c's symbiote had not had time to heal. Blood trickled from several cuts and scrapes and the man's clothing was torn and stained. It was clear that he'd put up a hell of a fight, but even a Jaffa's strength couldn't do much against a mob.
"Where's Sam?" Daniel asked.
"They took her with them," Teal'c said. "You must make haste, O'Neill. I do not believe that their plans bode well for Captain Carter's well being," he warned.
"Ya think?" Jack said, his concern and frustration allowing him little patience for the
Jaffa's need to state the obvious.
"Where did they take her?" Daniel asked, helping Teal'c to his feet. They'd found the Jaffa hog tied and beaten at the base of a large tree, the thick ropes estrraining him unbreakable.
"In that direction," Teal'c said, pointing to his left. He took a few steps, stopping when O'Neill laid a hand on his arm.
"Are you up for this?"
"There are many men. You and Daniel Jackson shall require my assistance in subduing them."
Jack nodded and let the man take lead, acknowledging that – even wounded – Teal'c was a better tracker than him.
"This doesn't make any sense," Daniel said softly as they walked. "Colonel Jenson said that this was a peaceful planet."
"Jenson was wrong," Jack said flatly.
"But SG-6 spent three weeks here and nothing happened to them. Maybe there's some cultural taboo that we're not aware of. Or maybe we strayed onto their sacred grounds or—"
"Or maybe these people are just assholes," Jack interrupted, cutting Daniel off. "Let's worry about the why after we get Carter back and get off this rock."
They continued tracking the kidnappers and Jack couldn't help but ignore his own edict. Why the hell had these people attacked Carter and Teal'c? There had been no signs of any sort of animosity during the last twelve hours they'd spent on the planet, which did mesh with Jenson's report. And that lack of animosity was why Jack hadn't minded them being split up. He and Daniel negotiated with the local leaders about setting up some trade while Carter and Teal'c had gone off to gather some samples and get a more accurate picture of just what minerals the planet had to offer.
Things had been going well and the next thing Jack knew, Carter had radioed for help, yelling for assistance. He and Daniel had immediately and, most likely rudely, abandoned the negotiations and hurried towards their last reported position.
What they found was the stuff of Jack's nightmares, part of his team injured and
incapacitated and another part missing and in enemy hands.
Teal'c held up a fist and Jack stopped, closing up the gap. "Teal'c?"
"The group separated," Teal'c said, kneeling beside the trail. Jack could see that it
branched off, splitting into two distinct paths. The trees grew thicker now and closer to the path and Jack's instincts were screaming 'ambush'.
"Can you tell which one Carter is with?"
Teal'c didn't respond but studied the tracks closely. Daniel stood at his shoulder. "Aren't those boot prints?" he asked, pointing at a bare spot in the dirt.
"They are indeed," Teal'c confirmed. "This way, O'Neill."
"Let's go," Jack said.
"At least there'll be less of them," Daniel said.
Jack didn't answer, knowing that there was another, far darker, reason for the kidnappers to split up. And it didn't look good for Carter.
/////
Sam's foot caught on something and she tripped. She fell to the ground, her bound hands preventing her from catching herself.
The man holding the rope gave it a vicious tug and she cried out as he attempted to drag her to her feet. Two pairs of hands pulled her upwards and she tried to find her balance despite being bound and blindfolded.
"Why are you doing this?" She tried to communicate with them but they wouldn't respond. Instead they continued to drag her forward.
There were only three of them now, the other three had left for some reason and she didn't know if the decrease in numbers was a good thing or not. It did give her better odds if she got the chance to fight back. But it also meant that the colonel would have to decide which group she was with and – hopefully – choose the right one.
Presuming that he'd heard her call.
Presuming that he'd found Teal'c.
Presuming that Teal'c had been alive to tell him what had happened and presuming that they'd found her tracks.
Presuming that she was still alive when he caught up with them.
Suddenly, the person leading her stopped. He gave the rope a harsh tug and Sam fell forward. This time she managed to catch herself and ended up on her hands and knees. Rough hands tore the blindfold from her face and she blinked, struggling to clear her vision. "Rachon?" she gasped, recognizing her captor as the head priest of the village. "What's going on?"
"Do not speak demon!" he said angrily. "Your lies hold no power here."
Sam shook her head. "What lies?"
"SILENCE!" He hit her, knocking her to the ground. He grabbed her by her hair and pulled her up. "A generation ago, your kind came here. They subjugated us. Enslaved us. They forced us to work these mines. They murdered and raped and treated us no better than animals. But we won. We cast them out and we earned our freedom. We bought it with our own blood. And we shall never allow this to happen again."
"We're not the Goa'uld," Sam said. "We're fighting them. We're helping—"
"SILENCE! I have no desire to hear your lies." He pushed her head down, exposing the back of her neck. "This is all the proof I need."
In an instant, Sam realized just what he was talking about. Even though it had been weeks since she'd been possessed by Jolinar, some physical signs remained. Most noticeable of which was the small lump of scar tissue cause by the remains of the symbiote as her body worked to absorb it. "God! It's dead!" she yelled. "It's dead. It doesn't control me! I'm not a Goa'uld!"
Rachon snorted. "Of course you are not. You and your pet Jaffa are merely guiding the Tau'ri."
"They're my teammates. I'm not a Goa'uld. I don't control them."
"You will never enslave anyone again," he declared.
He pulled a knife from a sheath at his belt and Sam felt her stomach drop. "Rachon—"
He motioned at his friends and one of them pushed her face down onto the ground. She tried to get her arms under her so that she could have some leverage as she tried to fight. She tried to roll to her back, to get her legs free for some sort of defense. She yelled and screamed, hoping for a miracle. Someone leaned heavily upon her back, forcing the air from her lungs. "As my father did before me, I banish the demon!" A searing pain tore through the back of her neck and Sam screamed again.
The knife sliced through her flesh and she felt hot blood spilling down her neck.
Abruptly, the weight on her back was gone and she scrambled to her feet, not thinking past her need to get away. Her feet tangled in the rope still tied to her hands and she fell. Ignoring the pain, she got to her feet and tried to run. She stumbled down the trail, paying little attention to anything but the primal need to run.
Someone yelled at her, chasing her down the trail. Panicking and desperate, she struggled to breathe as she ran, her breath coming in choked gasps. Something grabbed her arm, pulling her off balance and she fell. She rolled to face her attacker, her arms held up protectively as she tried to kick.
"Carter! Carter!" Someone grabbed her arms and gave her a shake, one hand slapping her gently. "Come on, focus!"
The familiar voice penetrated her panic and she finally realized who was holding her arms. "Colonel?"
"Yeah. You with me now?"
"Uh, huh." She tried to nod, stopping when it hurt.
He stared at her for a few seconds, then he pulled his knife from his belt. Despite herself, she flinched, shrinking away from him. "I'm just gonna get those ropes off," he said. "You okay with me doing that?"
"Yeah." Sam forced herself to relax. Rationally, she knew that he wouldn't hurt her, but it
seemed her rational mind was taking some time off. Her hands started to shake and she looked down, trying to make them stop. "Sorry," she muttered, feeling him tighten his grip on her hands so that he wouldn't cut her.
"I'll let you know when you have something to be sorry for," he said, finally freeing her
hands.
"Jack?" Sam heard Daniel's voice over the colonel's radio.
"I'm about thirty yards down the trail," the Colonel said, still looking at her. "I've got
Carter and she's gonna be okay." He released the radio and reached for her pack. "I need to put a band aid on that scratch of yours."
She tried to nod again, instinctively raising her hand towards her neck. "Aah." He stopped her. "Your hands are dirty. I'll take care of it." He moved behind her and she couldn't help but flinch when his fingers brushed her neck. "You're okay," he said gently. "You're gonna be okay."
/////
"You're gonna be okay," Jack repeated, more to reassure himself than anything else. She had to be okay. He really wasn't in the mood for any other outcome. The gash on the back of her neck was nasty, deep enough that he could see some of the muscles and tendons. If she wasn't hurting now, she would be soon, as the shock wore off.
She'd also lost a fair amount of blood, the whole side of her neck was stained and he was sure that her t-shirt and jacket were soaked.
He did his best to bandage the wound, but it was still bleeding, a dark, sluggish line trickled down her back. What it needed was a pressure bandage, but there was really no way to use one without strangling her. He heard the rustle of footsteps and felt her tense. "It's just Daniel and Teal'c," he reassured.
She relaxed just a bit and Jack looked up, watching Daniel and Teal'c jog towards them.
"Sam! Are you okay?" Daniel asked, kneeling beside her.
"She's gonna be fine," Jack said, looking Daniel in the eyes, silently telling his friend that she wasn't to hear anything but positive things.
"We should not tarry here," Teal'c said.
"We heard voices," Daniel explained. "I think the group that split off heard the commotion."
Jack muttered a curse. He'd been afraid of that. Best case scenario, they'd have been able to rescue Sam without a fight. But this hadn't been the best case. In fact, about the only thing that kept it from being the worst case was that Sam was alive – unlike her captors who were all dead.
Jack could feel Sam start to shake and realized that she was going into shock. Which was another reason that they couldn't stay here.
"They're going to expect us to run for the gate," he said. "Which means we'll probably run right into an ambush. Teal'c, we need some place to lay low." Jack looked at his watch. "We're due to check in in three hours."
"It'll be dark by then," Daniel said.
Jack nodded. "We'll either use the cover of darkness or we'll make radio contact with
Hammond when he dials the gate and call for some Marines."
"I shall return as soon as possible," Teal'c said, nodding at Jack before he vanished down the trail.
"Daniel, let's find a spot off the highway," Jack said, motioning for his friend to help him
with Carter. Both of them got to their feet and helped Sam stand up and Jack let Daniel
remain at her side and support her, which also allowed Jack to have his hands – and weapon –
free.
They made their way off the trail and into the trees, trying to take care to leave as little
signs as possible. The last thing he wanted was to have to fight his way off the planet. He didn't regret killing Rachon and the other two. It was them or Carter, and Jack would
choose Carter – or any other member of his team – over aliens any day of the week. But he knew that they'd also just lost their chance at negotiations. And their access to this
planet's resources. And those resources were just what the SGC was supposed to be
securing.
Which basically made their mission a failure. And Jack didn't take failure well.
It took Teal'c nearly an hour to find a shallow cave for them to shelter in. It was about two miles from the attack site and Jack hoped that it was far enough away to give them some protection. "Daniel, fire us up some sterno and scare up something warm to drink," he ordered as soon as they were settled. Sam sank down against a wall and Jack fought the temptation to hover. She hadn't said a word in the past hour and he was starting to think that it was more than shock that was keeping her quiet.
He motioned for Teal'c to join him and the two of them moved a few yards away. "What do you think the chances are of us making it to the gate without engaging these people?" Jack asked.
"I find it highly unlikely that we will be able to attain the Stargate unmolested," Teal'c said.
"Yeah, figured that." Jack sighed and took off his hat, scratching his head. "I think we're
going to have to wait for Hammond to send us some help."
"Waiting may not be our best option," Teal'c said. "I am concerned about Captain Carter."
"She's just a little shook up," Jack said. "Hopefully a warm drink will steady her a bit. We'll probably need to cover her on the way back to the gate though."
"That is not of which I speak," Teal'c said. "Rachon attempted to excise the remains of
Jolinar of Malkshur."
Jack sighed. "She didn't say so, but I'm guessing. If they wanted to kill her…slicing up the back of her neck isn't the best way."
"That is my fear. O'Neill, Captain Carter's life may be in grave danger."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you notice if the remains of the symbiote had been disturbed by Rachon's attack?"
Jack shook his head. "I was more worried with whether he'd damaged her spine or hit an
artery. Why?"
"The blood of a symbiote is not compatible with that of a host or a Jaffa," he said. "In fact, if a Jaffa displeases his goa'uld master, one method of execution is to crush the symbiote within the Jaffa's womb and prohibit the Jaffa from removing it. The blood from the crushed symbiote will poison the Jaffa from within."
"Carter's not a Jaffa," Jack reminded needlessly.
"Of this, I am aware. However, she does carry the remains of a symbiote within her body."
"And Frasier said that she was absorbing it and that it'd be no issue."
"And it may not be. However, I know of no more painful way for a Jaffa to die," Teal'c said.
"So, you're telling me if Rachon managed to cut into what's left of that symbiote that's in
Carter, she could be dying right now?" Jack said.
"It is possible. However, it is also possible that the blood of a symbiote does not have the same effect upon a host."
Jack sighed again. "I can't do anything beyond getting her back as fast as we can."
"Of that I am aware," Teal'c repeated.
"Okay. We'll rest here for a bit, then we'll go scout, see how close we can get to the gate
when Hammond calls." He shrugged. "I don't think there's anything else we can do for the time being."
/////
Daniel held out the mug of chocolate, concerned that his friend had been rather quiet since they'd found her. She was sitting against the wall, her legs drawn up and her gaze focused unseeingly on the far wall. "Hey." Daniel touched her arm gently. "Hey," he said again, trying to get her to acknowledge him. She finally looked at him and he picked up one hand and pressed the mug into it, keeping his grip until he saw her tighten her fingers and take hold of it. "Let me get you some drugs," he said, noticing her wince as she took a sip of the cocoa.
He retrieved a packet of ibuprofen out of his pack and tore it open, handing the pills to her. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"We'll be home in no time," he said, trying to reassure her. He'd never seen her this shaken up. "Although I have a funny feeling that Janet will make you spend the night in the infirmary. But I can talk to Jack and Teal'c and we can smuggle you in some pizza, maybe even ice cream."
"They were going to kill me," she said softly. She looked at Daniel. "They thought I was a goa'uld and they were going to kill me."
"Well, they didn't," he said. "And they're not going to. General Hammond will open the gate and we'll go home and everything will be fine."
Sam closed her eyes and set down her nearly full mug. "I'm tired," she said.
Daniel picked up the mug and moved it out of the way. He took off his jacket and rolled it up as a pillow. "Why don't you take a nap," he suggested. "I'll wake you up when we're ready to start back to the gate."
With an uncharacteristic meekness, she lay down and curled up on her side, seemingly asleep within minutes.
/////
Sam moaned softly, muttering under her breath. Teal'c tensed and gently laid his hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. They were within sight of the Stargate, hiding in a small copse of trees. O'Neill and Daniel Jackson were a distance away, also seeking shelter amongst the flora of the planet.
They had waited in the cave for a couple of hours, O'Neill and Daniel Jackson keeping watch while Captain Carter slept and Teal'c himself meditated to allow his symbiote to heal him. Finally, close to planetary dawn, General Hammond had dialed the gate and O'Neill had made radio contact, setting up a time for reinforcements to come through.
Teal'c awoke from his meditation, refreshed and healed. However, the same could not be said of Captain Carter. The woman was in a near delirious state, restless but not cognizant of her surroundings. Teal'c feared that her illness was a result of the contamination of her blood by that of the symbiote.
Despite being recently injured, he was still the strongest of the group, thus when they made the decision to move closer to the Chappai, he had been charged with carrying Captain Carter the mile between the Gate and the cave and with safeguarding her until General Hammond sent reinforcements or until they could gain access to the Chappai themselves.
Carter calmed and Teal'c removed his hand, instead checking her brow. Her skin was hot to the touch and he knew that they did not have the luxury of time. He did not know if Doctor Frasier possessed the knowledge to assist her, but whatever the doctor could do was far more than they could themselves.
"Kartena."
Teal'c looked at Captain Carter, caught off guard. "Captain Carter?"
"Kartena. Saleba. Juna. Kareva. Maresa."
Teal'c frowned, recognizing some of the names. "Captai—"
"Teal'c?" O'Neill's voice came over the radio.
"Yes, O'Neill."
"The gate is clear."
"I understand."
Teal'c abandoned his questioning and picked up the woman, cradling her as gently as he
could. He slowly made his way towards the Chappai, his senses tuned to eluding any pursuit. As near as he could determine, the other members of Rachon's party had yet to discover their trail. However, Teal'c could not be certain. And he could not allow Captain Carter to fall into their hands again. He had failed to keep her safe once, he could not fail again.
The Chappai loomed through the trees and Teal'c permitted himself a small sigh of relief. His mission was nearly accomplished.
He caught sight of O'Neill and Daniel Jackson both waiting just at the edges of the clearing where the Chappai sat.
"I'm not seeing any movement," O'Neill said softly as soon as Teal'c joined them. "Daniel and I have circled the clearing."
"How is she?" Daniel Jackson asked.
"The same," Teal'c said, choosing not to mention the woman's delirious words. There was nothing that they could do to assist her beyond what they were doing now.
"Hammond should be dialing the gate any minute," O'Neill said. "SG-3 will come through, secure the gate and then dial home. Once they have contact, we'll follow and blow this popsicle stand". A few minutes later, the Chappai opened and O'Neill tensed, shifting his grip on his weapon.
As Teal'c watched, four members of SG-3 stepped out of the Stargate. Three took
defensive positions while the fourth made his way to the DHD. "SG-3 niner to SG-1 niner.
Do you read?"
"Five by five," O'Neill answered. "We're at your five o'clock in the tree line."
"Affirmative. We're dialing Earth now." The Stargate disengaged and the Marine
immediately dialed Earth. Teal'c watched the gate snap open then the Marine enter his iris code. "Door's open," Colonel Makepeace said.
"Ready or not, here we come," O'Neill gestured and the three of them left the cover of the trees. They made their way across the clearing, expecting with each step to be challenged or attacked.
Much to Teal'c's relief, they made it to the chappai unmolested. He carefully carried Sam
through the Stargate, telling himself that Doctor Frasier would know how to help his
teammate.
/////
Sam slowly opened her eyes, staring at the ceiling as her mind struggled to process the
information. She recognized where she was. For better or worse, she was very familiar with the SGC's infirmary. What she could not figure out, however, was just how she'd gotten here.
She heard a noise and turned her head, gasping as pain shot down her spine. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply as she waited for the pain to fade. "Sam?" a cool hand picked up her wrist and felt for her pulse. "Are you in pain?" Another hand felt her forehead as if checking for a fever.
"It hurts," Sam finally said, forcing her eyes to open.
"Now that you're awake I can up your pain meds," Janet said, smiling down at her.
"Other than that, how do you feel?"
"Just tired," Sam answered. "And thirsty."
Janet poured some water into a plastic cup and manipulated the bed controls, helping Sam to sit up. She held the cup and Sam took a few sips of water. "Let's take it slow," she said, pulling the cup away. "It's been a little while."
Sam started to nod, then changed her mind. "How long is a little while?" she asked, taking stock of her fuzzy feeling head, her empty stomach and the gummy coating in her mouth.
"You've been pretty out of it for the past week," the doctor said. "You were awake a few
times, but I don't know how lucid you were."
"A week?" Sam frowned. "For a little cut on the neck."
"Little is a relative term," Frasier said. "If that knife had gone a little deeper, there would
have been some serious damage. As it is, I'll be surprised if there's no nerve damage."
"And?" Sam asked, knowing that there was something the doctor wasn't telling her.
"The reason you were so sick…Sam, do you remember the man who attacked you?"
"Rachon….he tried to cut it out," Sam said slowly, her hand straying towards her neck,
lingering over the thick pad of bandages.
Janet nodded. "When he did that, he cut into the remains of the symbiote. According to
Teal'c – and your illness confirms it – the blood of a symbiote is poisonous to the host."
"I've been poisoned?"
"Not quite." Janet reassured her. "Since you were a host and since Jolinar has been dead
for quite a while, the symbiote's blood wasn't quite as toxic as it could have been. But it was still powerful enough to make you one very sick woman."
"What else?" Sam pressed.
"Nothing else," Janet promised. "Now that you're awake, I want to draw another blood
sample. Then I'm going to order you some food, and then I'm going to tell three very
worried guys the good news." Janet gave Sam's arm a reassuring squeeze, then left her
alone.
Her mind still trying to process that she'd lost a week, Sam closed her eyes and settled into a light doze, trusting in Janet to take care of her.
/////