Mirror, Mirror: It's the Little Things
Mirror, Mirror: It's the Little Things
by Denise
Summary: After Daniel returns from the Alternate Universe, Sam finds out that all is not as it appears
Category: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Angst
Episode Related: 105 First Commandment, 113 Hathor, 202 In the Line of Duty, 217 Serpents Song, 218 Holiday, 222 Out of Mind, 301 Into the Fire, 304 Legacy
Season: Season 4
Pairing: Team
Rating: 13+
Warnings: language
Author's Notes: My thanks to Sel for betaing this
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author(s).
Archived on: 06/05/06
Mirror, Mirror: It's the Little Things By Denise
Sam stood in the doorway of the gym, he eyes riveted upon the figure on the far side of the room. He was seated at one of the weight benches, a small barbell clutched in his right fist. She watched him do curl after curl, the muscles of his right arm rippling as his mangled left arm lay in his lap.
Even after six months, the stump was still wrapped, a large elastic bandage serving to both protect the delicate skin and to help it heal. He wore a patch to cover his missing eye, the narrow band doing nothing to cover the deep scars that marred his face and head. There were other scars along his chest and arms, exposed by the tight fitting tank top that he wore and Sam knew that there were a few more hidden by the black shorts he wore.
"He looks good."
Sam glanced over her shoulder, smiling a bit at Daniel. "Yeah," she said softly.
"Janet said that Junior's helped a lot."
She nodded. "He'd be dead without the symbiote."
Teal'c set down the barbell and got up from the bench, making his way over to the treadmill. He punched buttons on the controls and started to jog, setting the machine to a brisk pace.
Sam watched him run, her gaze riveted on his bandaged stump. She knew she shouldn't stare, but she couldn't help it. Her eyes were drawn to the stump and even though she knew he no longer had a hand, her mind kept trying to fill in the void and the tan colored elastic wrap did little more than accentuate his loss.
"I know he's still not comfortable going out in public," Daniel said. "But I was going to see if Teal'c wanted to come over for dinner, maybe toss a DVD in the player. Want to come?" he invited.
Sam shook her head, tearing her eyes away from her former teammate. "I have a ton of things to take care of," she said.
"A team hasn't gone through the gate since The Attack," Daniel said. "There's no new tech to study, no new MALP readings to go over. What's there to do?" he asked, letting his frustration show.
"Kinsey will run out of ammunition pretty soon," she said. "And when he does, the SGC will be back up and running. We have to be ready when that happens."
"If that happens."
"When," she insisted. "And when it happens we have to make sure that we can't have a repeat of The Attack," she said, falling into the habit of using the euphemism that they'd all adopted.
That was how time was told here in the mountain now. Before The Attack and After The Attack. Before The Attack was when the SGC could devote itself to exploration and adventure. After The Attack was when they discovered that their greatest enemy didn't come from the stars.
Thirty-eight deaths was enough to guarantee an investigation and the Joint Chiefs were divided, torn between the prospect of the riches and technology they could find off world and afraid that searching for such riches could make Earth a target again.
General Landry figured that they had a 50/50 chance of the SGC getting shut down, odds that weren't helped by the fact that they were banned from the gate, and so couldn't hope to find something to sway the Joint Chiefs in their favor.
"Still," Daniel said. "Nothing's gonna happen for a while. You might as well come with us."
Sam looked over at Teal'c and slowly shook her head. "I don't think so. But thanks for asking. Meet you for lunch?" She pasted a wide smile on her face.
"Sure," Daniel said, accepting her excuse. She left the gym and made her way down the hall. She waited until she was around the corner to slow her pace and sigh. She knew that Daniel meant well, but he just didn't understand the situation.
She didn't spend time with Teal'c any longer, and it was very much his idea that she keep her distance. She knew that his injuries bothered him, probably more than Daniel even realized. It wasn't just the scars on his face and the loss of his eye, but the amputation of his hand.
Daniel was pretty much the only person on base that Teal'c tolerated with anything more than the most basic level of politeness. And his tolerance level of her was even lower.
"Major Carter to the control room."
Sam looked up, even as she acknowledged the silliness of looking for the source of the page. Turning on her heel, she hurried back down the hall and towards the elevator, quickly summoning a car and getting in.
It took her only minutes to arrive at level twenty-eight. Many of the base personnel were gone; either transferred to other posts or taking long term leave. With no off-world missions or operations, they really didn't need too much beyond basic support staff. Of course, there were a few hold outs, Sam among them. She just couldn't believe that the SGC would ever be totally closed down; there were far too many 'goodies' out there for the boys in Washington to just give it all up. She figured, worse case scenario, they would just have to wait out the current administration and try again with the next president.
She jogged up the stairs to the control room, acknowledging General Landry. "Sir?"
"We just received a transmission." He nodded at Sergeant Wood and the man typed a command into the computer, playing the recording over the speakers.
"Stargate Command, this is Jacob Carter. I'm requesting permission to land at Peterson AFB. My ship is cloaked and I'm presently in a geosynchronous orbit."
"That was fifteen minutes ago," Landry said. "He should be landing pretty soon and will be here in half an hour."
"That's great," Sam said, thrilled at the prospect of seeing her father. That was one aspect of the SGC being shut down that she found the hardest to deal with: the prospect that her father could be marooned off world forever.
Landry nodded. "The preference is, of course, that General Carter remain on Earth. Despite the fact that in him staying here, we are also basically imprisoning an alien ambassador. Because of that, he will be permitted to leave, for the time being."
"For the time being?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrows.
"Just one of many things the JCS is fighting over," he said. "Take your time, Major. Once he clears medical, General Carter is free to leave the base, as long as he's accompanied. Let me know if he shares any vital intel."
"I will, sir, thank you. I'm going to go meet him at the surface," Sam told Sergeant Wood after the general left the control room, returning to his office.
"Yes, ma'am."
Mindful that it would take her several minutes to get to the surface she left the control room and retraced her steps back to the elevator. Riding the car to the surface she leaned against the wall, trying to remember what all had changed since she'd seen him last. "Just the world," she muttered, pushing her fingers through her hair. "Just the world."
/////
Jacob Carter got out of the car, glaring at his escorts. 'Such fear is laughable,' Selmac said. 'Our ship could very easily have evaded their primitive surveillance efforts and landed where we wished.'
'I know,' Jacob said, forgoing his own ire to calm his symbiote. 'But you can't blame them. Not after the invasion attempt. Besides, tell me that the Tok'ra aren't just as paranoid.'
'I cannot,' she admitted. 'However, such knowledge does not alter the fact that their fear is directed towards the wrong sources.'
'I know,' Jacob agreed. Even while he understood the need for heightened security, he also acknowledged that their efforts were pitiful at best. There were many highly advanced and technologically rich cultures that couldn't hope to withstand a full fledged goa'uld invasion.
"I'll take it from here." Jacob turned, a smile creasing his face as he caught sight of Sam walking out of the tunnel entrance.
"Hey kiddo," he greeted, indulging himself in a hug.
"Hi, dad." She returned the hug, then stepped back. "What brings you here?"
"I have to have a reason to visit my kid?"
"You don't have to, but you usually do," she said. She looked over his shoulder, eyeing the guards. "Maybe we should continue this downstairs."
"You're probably right."
Jacob followed his daughter back to the tunnel and into the elevators which delivered them efficiently to the lower levels of the SGC. Mindful of General Landry's orders, Sam bypassed the briefing room and instead led her father into her lab, closing the door to give them some privacy. The physical could wait. "What's up?" she asked, motioning for him to take a seat.
"You were right on the surface, I'm not really here for a social call," he confessed. "Although, I do have to admit that I am glad to see you." He sighed at the understatement. In truth, the only thing that had kept him from visiting Earth earlier was that he'd been deep undercover in Sokar's court and literally had no idea what had happened. "How bad was it?" he asked seriously.
"The ship turned around so the attack was contained to the SGC," she said. "We lost thirty-eight, Colonel O'Neill among them."
Jacob nodded, her words not a surprise. "You saw him?" he fished.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you see Colonel O'Neill's body?"
She looked down, closing her eyes for a second. "No," she finally said after taking a deep breath. "He and four other were MIA presumed KIA."
'I believe the phrase is 'I told you so,'' Selmac said.
"That explains this then," Jacob said, reaching into his tunic to pull out a small recording device. "Korra brought this back from a mission a couple of weeks ago. And, I'm afraid, that no one really knew what it meant until Martouf happened to be going over his information."
He handed the disc like apparatus to her. She took it and pressed the small switch that activated the display. A small hologram shimmered into existence, seeming to float above her palm. Her eyes widened and her face paled. "This isn't possible," she whispered.
"I am afraid that it is quite possible, Major Carter," Selmac said, taking control.
"Selmac, he's dead," Sam insisted.
"Did you see his body?" Selmac pressed.
"It was a fire fight," Sam said. "A vicious fire fight." She stared at him with haunted eyes. "We found pieces," she said flatly. She dug in her fatigue pocket. "We also found this." She handed him a blackened and battered dog tag.
Jacob took it and studied it for a second before handing it back to her. "The goa'uld in the image that Korra obtained calls himself Ba'al. And, we have it on good authority, that he recently changed hosts after his previous one was severely injured in battle." He handed the dog tag back to her. "Sam, I don't know what to tell you but...it fits."
"How did he get off Earth and on some planet?" she asked, taking the bit of metal. "The ships never got closer than Mars." Jacob remained silent, waiting for her to put it together. "It took us eight hours to get the gate room back," she said after a few minutes, her voice soft. "The security cameras were damaged. We have no idea who came or went."
"Losing your 'god' would make the Jaffa retreat. Especially if the First Prime ordered it." He lowered his head as Selmac took control. "Given that he had three Hatak ships at his disposal, the 'death' of the goa'uld is likely the only thing that would have stopped the attack."
"I've got to talk to General Landry," Sam said, hopping down off the stool.
"Sam?"
"If Colonel O'Neill is alive, then the other four missing men might be as well. We have to go get them," she said over her shoulder as she hurried from the room.
'That was a predictable response,' Selmac said.
'And the one I expected but...I have a funny feeling that going after Jack is going to be a lot easier said than done."
/////
"So, presuming that this isn't Jack O'Neill's evil twin, how precisely is him being the host to a system lord a good thing?" Landry asked, holding up the imager Carter had just given him.
"He's alive," Sam said, a slight touch of patronization in her voice. Landry chose to ignore it. He was well aware of what the woman had lost, and how it felt to lose a person that was not only your leader, but also a friend.
"And is off-world, a prisoner in his own body if I recall the situation correctly."
"Sir, if Colonel O'Neill is alive, then our other missing personnel might be too."
"A fact that is not in our favor."
"General--"
"Major, this will play right into Kinsey's hands. He has a lot of friends. Do you have any idea the intelligence that Jack O'Neill carries in his brain? Information about Earth's defenses. Hell, I don't even remember if we deleted his iris codes." Hank tossed the image device down on his desk and sighed. "He could hand them Earth on a silver platter."
"I think the fact that he hasn't done that by now, speaks volumes," she said.
"He may just be gathering forces. Unlike this Ba'al, he's got a realistic idea of the resistance he'll face."
"If we could capture him, he might give us anything we've ever wanted to know about the goa'uld," she retorted.
"Presuming that the creature controlling his body and mind lets him," Landry said.
"Obviously, we would have to recover the colonel, get him back here and get the goa'uld out of him."
Hank stared at her for a second, wondering if she realized exactly what she was saying. What she suggested was tantamount to searching for life on Mars by taking a quick afternoon stroll. Then again, she and her former team had pulled off the odd miracle. "How do you plan to recover O'Neill? The SGC is still shut down, and I know they will not authorize us to use the gate. Especially since we have to way of knowing if Jack O'Neill still exists."
"Something of the host survives," she said after a few seconds.
"Something?"
"Sir, you know that I'm speaking from experience--"
"This isn't a Tok'ra."
"Jolinar wasn't exactly...considerate," she said. "She took over and she took control, very much without my consent."
"For...three days was it?"
"Four," she corrected, her voice tight.
Hank nodded. "O'Neill's been gone, and presumably a host, for six months," he reminded needlessly.
"He's experienced it once before so he knows what to expect." Hank raised his eyebrows. "The colonel doesn't give up," she said. "Where there's a will, there's an or." He frowned and she shook her head. "You had to be there. General, if anyone can survive six months as a host, Colonel O'Neill can."
He stared at her for a few minutes, oddly disconcerted when she refused to break his gaze. She was stubborn, he'd give her that much. He had a feeling she'd need every ounce of that stubbornness if she was going to pull this off. "Let me make a few calls," he said.
"Thank you, sir," she smiled.
"Don't thank me yet," he warned. "Right now I figure you have a 50/50 chance of them approving this. Dismissed."
She got to her feet and left the room and Hank watched her go, taking a second to shake his head before he picked up the phone. "And god help me if they say no," he muttered, punching the numbers.
/////
Sam sat in her lab, glaring as the screen saver popped on. She didn't turn it off, rather sat there and watched the multi-colored ball bounce slowly across the screen.
Her pensive mood had even bugged her father enough that he'd left her alone, seeking refuge in the commissary.
Looking at her watch, she sighed. What the hell was taking him so long? It shouldn't take an hour to get approval. General Hammond had gotten some of their missions approved in just minutes. "How hard can it be?" she muttered, drumming her fingers on the desk.
"Harder than you might think."
Hearing Landry's voice, she jumped out of her chair, grateful that she'd been keeping some of her less charitable thoughts to herself. "Sir."
"At ease," he said, motioning for her to take her seat. He took a moment to close the door then pulled up a chair of his own. "What I'm about to say is more than I should and more than you're supposed to know." He paused for a moment, collecting himself. "In theory, the JCS is all for rescuing Colonel O'Neill and any more survivors that may exist."
"In theory?" Sam asked, catching his careful choice of words.
"While they recognize the advantages of rescuing him, they also have to look at the big picture, namely not putting this planet at risk."
"Colonel O'Neill could already be doing that," she said, not betraying her leader but willing to spin the facts any way she had to to get a mission approved.
"That possibility has been considered. However, in light of the attack a few months ago, there are members of the Joint Chiefs that are literally scared shitless of ever opening the Stargate again. As far as they're concerned, we brought this upon ourselves."
"That's not fair, sir. Every exploration has risks," Sam protested.
"And if some of these folks actually left the city limits, they'd know that," he said. "But," he said a bit louder, getting her attention. "The super-cautious were not a majority." Sam's heart skipped a beat but she refused to get her hopes too high. True, she didn't know General Landry as well as she had General Hammond, but there was something in his eyes that suggested that she wasn't going to like whatever he was going to say. "Colonel O'Neill has been deemed a threat worth being neutralized."
"Neutralized?"
"The risk that he presents to Earth is too great of one to be allowed to continue. I am to assemble a strike force with the sole purpose of eradicating that threat."
"They're going to assassinate him?" she asked, horrified at his words. She surged to her feet. "They can't do that!"
"They can and they will," he said calmly, nonplused by her outburst.
"That's ridiculous! Colonel O'Neill has given over twenty years to his country. He deserves better!" she ranted, not caring if her behavior was a serious breach of protocol. For half a second she regretted that her father had come. She paced angrily, her boots slapping down on the concrete.
"There are members of the JCS that felt the same way," Landry said, getting to his feet. He grabbed her arm and stopped her pacing. "If Jack O'Neill makes it back to Earth, alive and un-goa'ulded, they will consider that a neutralization of the threat."
Sam smiled, her anger fading in an instant. "So it is a rescue mission."
Landry shook his head. "You don't understand. It is feared that any action on our part will be seen as an act of aggression, but Jack has enough friends that don't cotton to him just being abandoned. But they also can't risk the safety of the planet for only one man.
"I have two choices. Officially send in a strike force to assassinate him, or do nothing and 'unofficially' hope that he can make it home."
"So you're saying that we either kill Colonel O'Neill, or we kill Ba'al?" she asked, trying to wrap her brain around it all.
"And Ba'al cannot die on Earth. In fact, he can't die in any manner that can be attributed to us," Landry clarified.
"Ok," Sam nodded. "We'll just get him and take him to the Tok'ra and--"
"No."
"No?"
"They don't trust the Tok'ra."
Sam threw her hands up in the air. "General, they're making it impossible to exercise any other option but to kill him," she complained.
"Which is why you can refuse this mission," he said. He sighed heavily. "As disgusting as I find the prospect of assassination, I think you and I can both agree that Jack, given the choice between death or eternity as a host, would take death. I've checked the duty files, we have two men on SG-3 who have qualified as snipers. I can send them to the planet General Carter gave us."
"To kill Colonel O'Neill," she said bitterly.
"The blood won't be on your hands if you fail," he said bluntly.
Sam paused, tempted to take him up on his offer. It would be so easy. So incredibly easy to just let go, to let someone else take care of it all. As horrible as it sounded, it was easier to think of him as already dead. And in a lot of ways he was.
She'd already mourned his passing. She'd called his ex-wife, stood beside her during the memorial, told the woman the cover story. She'd already cleaned out his office and his locker and even spent a weekend helping Sara clean out his house before the woman put it on the market.
As far as Earth was concerned, he died six months ago.
#Flashback Jack hopped up on the gurney, sighing softly as he laid back, getting comfortable while he waited for Janet to show up. There were a lot of physicals for her to do, not just the normal post gate, but also triage and treatment for the injured.
SG-3's rescue of them had certainly been welcome, but it hadn't come cheaply. Three men died and four others were injured, and it was those injured that occupied Janet's time at the moment.
Sam knew that Doctor Warner was helping, taking responsibility for the routine post-gates. But she, Colonel O'Neill and Daniel were due for an extra thorough exam. Not only because they'd been missing for so long, but because of the other things that had happened. Namely Daniel's injury to his leg, Sam's little run-in with Hathor's ribbon device and, most especially, the colonel's possession by the goa'uld.
Sam hadn't missed the shocked looks on everyone's faces when they'd heard about Jack. General Hammond's swift intake of air, Makepeace's cautious and appraising look. She knew that the goa'uld was dead. But they couldn't take her word for it. She was compromised too.
"Carter, do me a favor?" he asked, softly, one arm lying over his eyes.
"What's that, sir?" she asked, crawling up on a gurney of her own. She glanced at the door, not surprised to see the two SF's standing there. They would be under guard until Janet had time to run the MRI and prove that neither of them were hosts. But, at the moment, she was occupied sewing up the gash in Daniel's leg.
Jack rolled his head over and looked at her, his gaze serious and haunted. "If I ever get taken over by a goa'uld again, shoot me," he requested softly.
She stared, horrified at his words. She caught a glimpse of remembered horror and pain before it vanished, replaced by a faade of calm. Acknowledging the importance of what he was asking, she simply nodded.
#End flashback
She couldn't. She wouldn't leave him. Not like this. "Major?" Landry asked.
"SG-1 takes care of its own," she said, meeting his gaze.
He sighed and nodded. "Somehow I knew you were going to say that. Whatever supplies you need, just let me know and I'll sign off on it." He started to leave then turned back. "Major, you should know. The President's the strongest supporter of bringing him back alive."
Sam barely waited until he was gone before she grabbed a pen and pad, writing down the supplies she would need, balancing that need with what she could carry. As she wrote, she acknowledged to herself that she and the colonel would return - sans Ba'al or neither would come back at all.
/////
Daniel paced, impatiently checking his watch. "What the hell did you do, take the stairs?" he muttered, tapping his foot. The elevator door opened and he perked up, almost tackling Sam as she stepped out, a small container in her hand.
She took a quick step back, clutching the container to her chest. "Daniel, what are you doing?" she asked, frowning at him.
"Waiting for you," he said, falling into step beside her as they walked down the corridor. "Where'd you go?"
"I had to run a little errand." She shifted the container and looked at her watch. "It's 2324, what are you still doing here?"
"Waiting for you," he repeated, following her into her lab. She set the package down on her bench and he looked around, unable to miss the small pile of supplies in the corner. So Siler's info had been right. "You aah, you going somewhere?"
She turned to look at him. "I think you already know the answer to that," she said, challenging him.
"Yeah, I think I do." He moved closer, crossing his arms over his chest. "I ran into Jacob today."
She looked down and he was glad to see that her face colored a bit. "Daniel--"
"Why didn't you tell me?" he demanded, giving into his anger.
"Because I didn't know for sure," she said.
"Jacob had pictures. How much more 'sure' do you need to be?" he demanded.
"What's your point?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Daniel paused for a second, taken aback by her challenge and the closed off nature of her face. "When are we leaving?" he asked.
"WE'RE not," she said, accentuating the word. "I am leaving in a few hours."
"Excuse me?"
"What's so hard to understand?" She busied herself, moving around the room. "I am going on a mission, you are not."
"Why not?" he asked, letting his frustration show. Her behavior made no sense at all. He would have expected her to come running to him, eager to share the news of Jack's unexpected survival. Instead she had treated it almost like a secret, something to keep hidden. In fact, if he hadn't have run into Jacob, he never would have known.
"Because you're not," she said, glaring at him. "Daniel, I don't have to explain myself to you. I'm going, you're not, get over it."
Daniel stared for a second, put off by her oddly cold and terse tone. "Fine," he bit out, recognizing that he'd get no more information from her. "Be a bitch," he said. He spun on his heel, ignoring the fact that his words were uncalled for.
If he'd learned nothing else from Jack, it was that there was more than one way to skin a cat, and that nothing, no matter how secret, happened on a military base without at least half a dozen folks knowing about it.
He just needed to find himself another source. He stalked down the hall, cursing both the late hour and the recent changes in personnel. He regretted Sergeant Davis' death. The unassuming man, in his position as General Hammond's Aide de Camp, had been an invaluable source of information. He never broke any rules or revealed anything he shouldn't, but Davis certainly had his finger on the pulse of the base and often made the control room the epicenter of the base gossip mill.
But that option was no longer available to him . Sergeant Keliher, General Landry's aide, was a very efficient and personable woman, but she was tight lipped to a fault. No, he probably couldn't get any information from any of the base personnel. They were all too gun shy from the recent and current rounds of investigations.
But there was someone on the base that didn't care about investigations. Making up his mind in an instant he altered his course, abandoning the futility of the lower levels for the promise of the VIP rooms. He would find out what was going on, if it took him all night to do it.
/////
Sam hefted her pack, smiling her thanks at Siler for the ride. It was an odd feeling, to go on a mission some other way than through the gate. But the fact that her father's ship was parked at Peterson AFB, and her need for a ride, necessitated the unusual action.
It was an even odder feeling to be going on a mission alone, but it had to be this way. At least as far as she was concerned. If she went alone, then only she would bear responsibility for her actions.
"Over here," Jacob said, seeming to appear from nowhere as he opened the door to the Teltac.
Sam made her way over to him. Once she got close she could see other signs of the ship's presence, a fine sheen of dew seeming to float in mid air, and crushed grass under the ship. "Good morning," she smiled. She held up a small bag. "We hit the drive thru on the way over," she explained, handing him the paper bag holding some of her father's favorite pastries, donuts from the newly built Krispy Kreme.
"You just made Selmac's day," he said, taking the treats from her.
"Your symbiote's a sugar junkie?" she asked, stowing her supplies in a corner of the ship.
"Among other things," he said, closing the hatch and making his way over to the pilot's seat. "You ready?"
Sam nodded and sat beside him. "Yeah." She looked at her watch. "We only have about ten more minutes in our window anyway." Given that they had to orchestrate the teltac's ascent with that of local airline and other traffic, they had a short window in which to take off, a period of time when a squadron of fighter planes were taking off from a runway a short distance away. It was hoped that the sound of the jets would disguise the roar the Teltac made as it disrupted the air.
He nodded and manipulated the controls, starting the engine and lifting the craft off the ground. "How long until we get to Ba'al's planet?" she asked as they climbed in altitude.
"We have a little side trip first," he said, staring out the window as the sky faded to dark blue and then black. He glanced over at her. "I got a message from the High Council last night. I need to go take care of something else."
"What?" she asked, alarmed. "What else do you need to take care of?"
"We were contacted by an informant yesterday. He says that he has some important information about Cronos and Yu. Information that he'll only give to me."
"Surely it can wait," Sam said.
"Sam, believe it or not, there's a lot more at stake in the universe than the fate of one human," he said. "Your mission isn't scrubbed. I just need to get off on a nearby planet and gate to the rendezvous. You can keep the ship."
Despite herself, Sam gulped. Alone? She was going to do this alone? Yeah, she had put Daniel off and certainly hadn't told Teal'c but...she hadn't thought that she'd be totally alone. In fact, she'd counted on her dad being there. She hoped that he could accept the decision that she'd have to make. "Great," she said softly, trying to hide her insecurities. Not that it really mattered, they were past the point of no return anyway. She was afraid that, if she went back to the SGC, that Landry would find some reason to scrub the mission.
"Yeah, I wasn't too fond of it either," Jacob said, glancing over at her. "Which is why you're gonna cut your dad some slack."
Sam looked at him, the tone of his voice setting off little alarm bells in her brain. "What did you do?" she asked.
"He got you some backup." Sam turned and stared at Daniel and Teal'c, both of which stood just outside the entrance to the cargo part of the ship.
"Damnit, Daniel," she moaned.
"Sam, you can't do this by yourself," he said, stepping forward.
Sam glanced over at Jacob. "He's right. There's no way you can deal with a fully blended goa'uld by yourself," he said.
Sam sighed, pushing her fingers through her hair. She was touched by their gesture, honestly and truthfully touched. But they'd also just complicated things beyond belief. She knew what she had to do. And she knew that it'd be the most difficult thing she'd ever done. And it was going to be even more difficult if she had to do it while also dealing with Daniel and Teal'c.
They wouldn't understand. She looked at Teal'c, standing dark and silent behind Daniel. He might. But Daniel wouldn't. "You still only have one cloak," Sam said, turning to her father. "And even if you had more, they couldn't use it."
"We kept that?" Daniel asked. "I thought Yu and Cronos wanted to take it with them."
"Cronos was too busy being injured and Yu...well the colonel distracted Yu and we kinda...forgot to give it back to them," Sam said, smiling a bit as she remembered their little subterfuge of that day. One quick sleight-of-hand and they had in their possession a piece of technology that even the System Lords didn't even know existed.
"Sam's gonna use it to infiltrate Ba'al's compound and get Jack," Jacob said.
"In our original plan, Dad was going to hang out and keep out of sight until I incapacitated the colonel. He'd then help me get him into the Teltac," Sam explained.
"We can do that," Daniel said.
"Daniel, I don't want to take on the whole palace," Sam protested. "In fact, it would be best if they never know that the Tau'ri were involved."
"Of what do you speak?" Teal'c asked.
Sam sighed softly. "The only way General Landry could get permission for us to do this is if we insure that the goa'uld never know that it was the Tau'ri who are behind it."
"Wouldn't it make sense that we'd want to rescue Jack?" Daniel asked.
"And if Ba'al's allies know what we've done, wouldn't it make sense that they'd take retribution on us?" Sam shot back.
"`Skittish' is an understatement," Jacob said, glancing over his shoulder. "Before they verified my identity, they were scrambling fighter jets." He nodded his head and Selmac came to the fore. "The people of Earth are most mindful of their tenuous position in the universe," she said. "The recent attack will have ramifications beyond the most obvious physical repairs."
"Ok," Daniel said. "We'll do it stealthy." Sam raised her eyebrows at his choice of words. "We can do stealth."
Jacob shot him a look, but wisely chose not to respond. "I've programmed in the closest planet with a gate that I can use. It's about eighty-six light years from Ba'al's home world. You guys can drop me off and be there in a few hours. At that time, it would be best if you landed the cloaked ship a short distance from the palace. Sam can use the personal cloak and go get Jack."
"I shall accompany her," Teal'c said. "Major Carter does not possess the physical strength to adequately transport a resistant host."
"He brought his armor," Daniel said.
"Sounds like a plan," Jacob said, forestalling any of Sam's protests.
She shrugged, surrendering herself to the inevitable. It wasn't like she could turn the Teltac around and drop them off. "I'm gonna go check the supplies," she said, pushing herself out of the chair.
Reaching the relative privacy of the cargo hold, she took a second and leaned against the wall. "You're just gonna have to make sure you don't have to use plan B," she muttered.
/////
Teal'c slid the chain mail over his chest, fumbling a bit as he struggled to thread the leather tabs into their catch. Falling back on the lessons of the therapist, he used the stump of his left arm to assist in fastening the armor.
His difficulty with the most simple of tasks was simply one of the burdens that his present state placed upon him. Finishing with the chain mail, he reached for his breast plate and settled it over his shoulders. In the main part of the Teltac, he could hear Daniel Jackson and Major Carter conversing. He took a deep breath, denying the surge of annoyance he felt at hearing the woman's voice. He cared little for her plans or ideas. His only concern was to liberate O'Neill from his captivity, and if such a task necessitated being in her presence, it was a trial he was willing to forebear.
He fastened the breast plate and cowl, twisting his body awkwardly to accomplish his task. In truth, he found many elements of his current situation unacceptable. He was not bothered by the scars on his face. The damage to a warrior's body was something that a warrior accepted. It was a mark and badge of honor to be so marred. It often spoke of the warrior's ability to survive.
The loss of his eye was a mere annoyance. He did find it true that the limit of his vision was a weakness, however he also found that his awareness to and perception of auditory clues was augmented - an augmentation that permitted him to compensate for his inferior vision.
It was the loss of his hand that he found most onerous. The simplest tasks were now more difficult. He had to learn to eat, to bathe, even to dress himself again. And he discovered that he did not enjoy such a level of dependence upon others. It was not a level of humiliation he would have to endure had he been permitted to perish as a warrior.
He reached for his gauntlet and slid it carefully over his stump, manipulating it a bit to force it to accommodate the swollen and mangled flesh protected only by a tan wrapping. "Are you almost ready?" Major Carter asked from behind him.
He reached for his right gauntlet and stopped, realizing that he'd made yet another error. He could not grasp the item with his right hand and place it upon said appendage at the same time. He gritted his teeth, realizing that he would need to remove his left gauntlet so that he could use his stump to assist in putting his right gauntlet on. "Let me--" She stepped towards him, her hands outstretched in a gesture to assist him.
"Do not!" he bit out, stepping back. She stopped, a shocked expression playing across her face. "I do not require your assistance," he said, indulging himself in his anger. He was not helpless and did not need to be dressed like a child.
"Fine," she said, altering her stance and crossing her arms over her chest. He glared at her for a second, then turned his attention back to his task, carefully removing the left gauntlet, sliding the other one over his right wrist, then replacing the left one.
Once he was finished, he retrieved his staff weapon from where it was leaning against the wall and stood before her. "I am prepared now."
She nodded. "Teal'c, thank you," she said.
"I do not do this for your benefit," he said. "I am here to assist O'Neill. And to protect him from ANY that would do him harm."
He stared at her for a few moments, daring her to look away. When she did not, he stalked past her, deliberately walking close enough to force her to take a step back.
He stepped out into the main area of the small ship and stood beside the control console, taking a second to glance out the small view screen. Their ship was parked in a small clearing, shaded by the trees. "The palace is about a mile that way," Daniel Jackson said, glancing over his shoulder. "There's a small grouping of houses on the other side. That's probably where the workers live."
"How about the palace?" Major Carter asked, joining them.
"Sensors show about thirty life signs. Most of them Jaffa."
"Fifteen to one. We've had worse odds," she said.
"This is probably the throne room," Daniel said, bringing up a graphic. "I doubt you'll want to confront him there."
"He will eventually retire to his chambers," Teal'c said. "If we are fortunate, he will retire alone," Teal'c said.
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," Major Carter said. "Daniel, keep your ear on the radio. Chances are we'll need a retrieval."
Daniel nodded. "Give me the word and I can be in the air and there in ten minutes," he said, glancing back at the controls. "Presuming I remember how to fly this thing."
"Funny," Major Carter said, rolling her eyes. She glanced out the view screen. "It's almost sunset. If we go now, we should make it to the palace before dark. Hopefully, Ba'al goes to bed early. Teal'c, are you ready?"
"I am," he said.
"Then let's go catch ourselves a goa'uld."
/////
Sam walked slowly down the corridor, unable to suppress the urge to duck out of sight. She knew that the cloak was working, Teal'c had reassured her and, even as much as he didn't like her at the moment, she trusted that he wouldn't risk the mission for the sake of some revenge.
Teal'c marched beside her, his face concealed by a stolen helmet. Fortunately, the palace seemed rather quiet, the halls sparsely populated. "The throne room is approximately ten meters ahead," he said softly.
"Maybe we should hang--"
Three figures appeared at the end of the hall and Sam broke off, both shutting up and moving to the wall. The cloak might make her invisible but it could not alter the fact that she still took up space. Even if they couldn't see her, anyone who bumped into her could still feel her.
Teal'c moved to the other side of the hall and slipped behind a partitioned wall. Sam stared as the trio walked past them, her eyes riveted on the figure in the front. The colonel was dressed far fancier than she would ever have imagined him. Black boots and black pants were worn with a long velvet coat, liberally decorated with golden threads and brocade. The ruffles of a white silk shirt peeked out from behind an embroidered vest. He looked like a hero off the cover of a bad romance novel. He was flanked by two large Jaffa, both men heavily armed and intimidating.
She waited until the trio disappeared around the corner before joining Teal'c, making sure that she was behind the false wall before she disengaged the cloak. "The intel was right," she said.
"He is indeed alive," Teal'c confirmed.
"Do you think those guards stay with him all the time?" she asked.
"Perhaps outside his chambers," Teal'c said. "Most goa'uld, even those who enjoy exhibitionism, prefer to exhibit their predilections to a worthy audience." He looked over at her. "Jaffa are not deemed worthy."
"If those two guards are going to be outside his chambers, how do we get in?"
"Many goa'uld employ the use of hidden tunnels or passages. It is not only a way to escape attack but to also facilitate private rendezvous," he said.
"Can you find a passage?" she asked.
"I can."
She nodded. "Ok, we'll do it that way. It might work out better. If we can take him down fast enough, we could make it back to the ship before they even know he's missing."
"Indeed."
"Ok, I'll reactivate the cloak and follow you." She pressed the button on the ribbon device and felt a slight tingly feeling wash over her skin, signaling that the cloak was active. She fell into step behind Teal'c, doing all she could to keep up with his long stride while also making as little noise as possible. He led her down the main hall and turned into a narrow off shoot. This hallway was narrow and dark, the torches spaced so widely apart that there were deep pools of darkness between them.
As she walked, she distracted herself by noticing that she cast no shadow. Despite the fact that she still took up space and could be felt, light was bent around her in such a way to make it appear that it was passing straight through her. She should study that, figure out exactly how the light bending properties of the cloak worked. Maybe she could replicate it--
"Here," Teal'c whispered, drawing Sam's attention back to the here and now. "This should lead into Ba'al's chambers."
He pointed out a narrow door, one far different from the ornate 'public' entrance to the goa'uld's private rooms. "Is it locked?" Sam asked.
He shook his head. "Unlikely. A goa'uld has no need for such a security measure within the safety of his own palace."
Sam nodded. "So their arrogance might play into our hands," she said softly, deactivating the cloak.
"You will be able to incapacitate him?" he asked.
She nodded again, drawing a small pistol from the small of her back. "Janet helped me mix this up. She actually based it on the first experiments we did on Junior. It's a very fast acting and potent sedative. It should take him down in about ten seconds. If it doesn't work, that's what the zat is for," she said, forcing a confident tone into her voice. Yes, she definitely wanted to retrieve the colonel. But she also knew just how powerful a goa'uld could be. He could very easily overpower her. In fact, he could very easily overpower Teal'c. Her only advantage lay in catching him by surprise.
He nodded. "This is perhaps better done sooner rather than later," he said. "Every moment that we delay increases our chances of being discovered."
"Yeah," she agreed. She activated the cloak and waited for Teal'c to manipulate the controls, opening the door. She slipped inside and heard him close the door behind her. Fortunately, the door was concealed behind an ornate wooden partition, the heavily carved panels concealing the door from easy view while allowing a glimpse into the chamber.
Ba'al's private rooms reminded Sam of something between Buckingham Palace and one of Saddam's palaces. The room was large, perhaps thirty feet square. The walls were covered with dark wooden paneling and elaborate hangings, providing splashes of gold, red and white against the mahogany colored wood.
The floor was wooden, wide planks stained the same dark color as the wall. There were several small and medium sized rugs scattered around the room, some of them looking like animal skins while others reminded Sam of Persian rugs, intricately woven and patterned.
A large canopied bed dominated one wall, it's copious and creamy white satin sheets standing out starkly against the dark wooden floor and walls. The bed was piled high with fluffy pillows and heavy ornate drapes hung at the corners. Sam guessed that they were meant to be drawn at night, to protect the sleeper from drafts.
A large fireplace was across from the bed, it's mantle made from shiny black marble and about six feet off the ground. The hearth was so large that Sam figured that three full grown men could stand in it. Two chairs sat in front of the fireplace, a small table with a tray between them. On that tray she could see a crystal decanter and a pair of goblets.
There was a large armoire in the corner and another table, this one obviously meant to be work space stood in another corner. Several scrolls were scattered on the surface of the table, along with a bottle of ink and a small jar of feathered quills.
A flash of movement caught her eyes and Sam turned her attention to the last corner of the room and the figure stepping across the threshold. Ba'al didn't walk in from the large double door into the hall, but another, much smaller doorway and Sam could only guess that it was the bathroom. Or whatever the goa'uld equivalent of a bathroom was.
Squinting slightly, Sam could see the faint sheen of moisture on his face, which confirmed that that room had at least a passing resemblance to a bathroom. He walked slowly across the room, sliding off his velvet jacket as he walked. He tossed the jacket negligently onto the bed then crossed to the fire place, claiming one of the chairs. As Sam watched, he poured himself a drink, a large golden ring on his finger glinting in the fire light.
She slowly crept out of the alcove, doing the best she could to minimize the sound of her footsteps. She drew closer and closer, her heartbeat increasing with each step. She watched him take a drink, slowly sipping what she could only guess was wine. He leaned back in the chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him. She needed to get a good shot, and she couldn't do that from the back.
She edged around towards the fireplace, enjoying the warmth from the fire. He moved and she froze, gasping softly as he set down the goblet and got to his feet. He tossed another log onto the fire, taking a moment to watch the flames. Sam raised the pistol, taking aim at his thigh. She and Janet had agreed that the large expanse of muscle of the upper leg was the perfect place to aim the darts at since there was little chance that it could be deflected by a bone.
Her finger tightened on the trigger as he spun, a blast from his ribbon device sending her flying across the room. She landed hard, sliding into the table and chairs. The wind knocked out of her, she struggled to get to her feet as he stalked towards her, his left hand raised, the center stone of his ribbon weapon glowing menacingly.
Sam tried to move away, frowning when she saw his eyes following her. She realized in an instant that the impact had damaged her cloak in some way and that she was visible. She raised the pistol and fired, the dart bouncing harmlessly off his personal shield. "One reason you never deserved command," he said, his voice echoing menacingly. "Tunnel vision, my dear major."
Sam tried to get away, struggling to get her feet back under her. She couldn't move fast enough and he reached down, digging his hand into the collar of her jacket and pulling her to her feet. "Did you not think that I would sense your presence? You and your pet Jaffa. I thank you for bringing him to me. The other System Lords will pay most highly to witness his execution." Sam struggled against him, her fingernails digging ineffectually into his hands as he lifted her up until her feet could not touch the floor. He raised his left hand, the ribbon weapon flaring into life. "This is beyond my wildest dreams. Not only can I enjoy my pleasure in your pain, but I can revel in my host's as well."
The device activated and Sam cried out, the beam tearing like liquid fire through her brain.
/////
Daniel drummed his fingers on the console, resisting the urge to check his watch for the fifteenth time. "Come on, guys," he muttered. What the hell was taking them so long? The palace, while large, wasn't that big. And he doubted that Jack - Ba'al - would be that hard to find. Discretion was definitely not a virtue the goa'uld possessed.
His stomach churned at the thought of Jack as a goa'uld. He couldn't even imagine the horror, being trapped in your own body. Sam knew. Her time with Jolinar had given her first hand experience of what it felt like to be possessed. But she never talked about it. At least not to him. He thought that she'd talked to Jack a bit, and knew that she'd talked to Teal'c, especially after their time in Shyla's mine and the odd exhaustion- wrought flashbacks Sam had experienced. But she'd never spoken to him beyond saying that it was something she never wanted to experience again.
Jolinar was such a turning point in her life and, as much of a nightmare as the other reality had been, there were times when Daniel wondered if this one wasn't worse. Instead of coming home to a 'not perfect but his' reality, he'd instead come home to a place almost as bad as the one he'd left.
Teal'c had been horribly maimed, his left eye and hand destroyed in the attack while Sam was a shadow of her former self. Between the stress of cleaning up the aftereffects of the attack and dealing with the investigations, he really hadn't seen her much since he'd gotten back. She always seemed to be busy or gone or somewhere.
And Teal'c. Teal'c had spent most of the past six months learning how to do the simplest things. From tying his shoes to bathing himself to cutting his meat, he had to re-learn how to do all of those things and more while using only one hand.
Daniel knew that he found such it incredibly difficult. More than once, Daniel had borne witness when Teal'c frustration won out over his normal reserve. He hated feeling weak and hated depending on others, and Daniel knew that hate was hampering his recovery.
There were times when Daniel found Teal'c's situation probably more frustrating than Teal'c did. He wanted to help his friend but he didn't know how. Teal'c certainly didn't like it when people helped him, but it pained Daniel to just sit there and watch him struggle.
Feeling the need to vent some frustration, Daniel got to his feet and started to pace the small confines of the Teltac. He didn't like this. Didn't like cowering here like some useless waste of space while Sam and Teal'c were out there trying to kidnap a goa'uld all on their own.
The proximity alert beeped and Daniel spun, hurrying back to the control console. He threw himself down in the chair and studied the readings, his heart jumping when he caught sight of a Jaffa moving towards the door.
He saw the Jaffa prop his staff weapon against the invisible hull and relaxed, realizing that it was Teal'c. It him in an instant, Teal'c was alone. Daniel pushed the buttons to open the door and got to his feet, meeting Teal'c. "What happened?" he demanded, barely letting get in the door. "Where are Sam and Jack?"
Teal'c leaned his staff weapon against the bulkhead. "Ba'al was aware of our presence. He set a trap, which Major Carter fell victim to. She is his prisoner."
"What?" Daniel asked, horrified. "We have to go do something."
"What do you suggest that we do?" he asked.
"I don't...Teal'c, we can't just do nothing."
"Of that I am aware, however I do not know of a viable option at the moment."
"Why didn't you do something?" Daniel challenged, Teal'c's sour attitude towards Sam giving him pause. He wouldn't have left her behind, would he? Would Teal'c let whatever he had against Sam color his judgment on a mission? Was that why Sam hadn't wanted to include them?
Teal'c glared at him. "Ba'al was aware of my presence as well. He instructed his Jaffa to attempt to capture me. I could not safely remain in the palace and felt it would be better if I were to bring word of Major Carter's capture to you." He sighed softly. "While I no longer consider Major Carter to be blood kin, my ire does not cloud my judgment. Our only hope to liberate O'Neill rests with you and I remaining free and able to implement another plan."
"You're right," Daniel conceded. "And you did the right thing." He sighed and pushed his fingers through his hair. "What can we do now?"
"It will be difficult to attain entrance now. And, while it is possible that the palace possesses some sort of external hidden entrances, I do not believe that we shall have the time to adequately explore."
"Ok, so we can't sneak in. What would you do?" Daniel asked, falling back on Teal'c's superior tactical knowledge. His friend had been planning raids and invasions for longer than Daniel had been alive. And his tactical knowledge rivaled Jack's. Which meant that he might be the only one to outsmart Jack now.
"If I were still First Prime of Apophis, I would attack from orbit. Use a hatak ship to confuse and frighten while I used the rings to transport a cadre of heavily armed Jaffa to lead a ground assault," Teal'c said.
"Don't think that's an option," Daniel said wryly.
"Indeed."
"One of O'Neill's favorite tactics would perhaps be the most expeditious," he said. "Use a diversionary tactic to distract the Jaffa whilst one of us infiltrates the palace again, likely using the Teltac to ring directly into and out of his chambers."
"It's A plan," Daniel admitted grudgingly. "And I doubt we have the time or resources to come up with something better."
"We do not," Teal'c said. "In fact it would be best if we were to move this Teltac. Since Ba'al knows that I am here, and knows that we did not enter via the chaappai, thus he will discern that we journeyed here via a ship. A ship that he shall search for."
"But we're cloaked?"
"Technology that O'Neill is familiar with. Thus, technology that Ba'al is familiar with. He shall search for us. Likely using the same technology that Earth has used to defeat cloaking devices."
"We can't just leave," Daniel protested. "He has Sam."
"I do not believe that Ba'al will kill Major Carter. Not in the immediate future." He walked past Daniel and sat down in the pilot's chair. "We shall take flight to elude discovery and return in a couple hours time." The engines fired up and the ship took off, sliding into the night sky. "Ba'al will expect an immediate reaction from us. Waiting will lure him into a false sense of security and shall make our next attempt more likely to succeed."
Daniel sighed and sank down in the co-pilot's chair. "I hope you're right," he said. "And if you're wrong, I hope Sam's alive for you to explain it to." /////
Ba'al lowered his hand and smiled, watching as the female fell to the floor. "So weak," he said, giving her a negligent kick in the thigh. She moaned softly and curled into herself. "This host has always known that about you. You're weak. Do you have any idea how many times he was forced to compensate for your weaknesses?" Ba'al slowly walked around her, the fingers of his right hand caressing the warm stone of the ribbon weapon in his left hand.
"He hated that, you know. Hated that you were weak, but he could do nothing about it. He was forced to have you on his team and despised every moment of it."
She did not respond beyond a soft moan and Ba'al kicked her again, striding back to the fireplace. He picked up the goblet of wine and quaffed it in one gulp, pouring more from a carafe. He walked slowly back over to the female, taking a moment to savor the impotent rage of his host. The man was angry. No more than angry, he was enraged. Enraged and sickened. And Ba'al could not think of something he would enjoy more. This human vexed him. Even after all these months, the human still raged at him. Calling him the most annoying of names. Some of which were so creative that Ba'al had been forced to delve into the human's memories to fully understand the insults.
He slowly walked past the female and into the bathing chamber, indulging himself in a quick study of his host. This human was not as fine as his previous host. That host had been selected specifically for his build and coloring. Over the centuries Ba'al had discovered that he had a marked preference for hosts with a more swarthy appearance.
This human, even accounting for his age, was fit enough. And, while his appearance did not meet Ba'al's own standards, it was bearable. At least until a new host could be procured.
He returned to the female, taking a sip of the sweet red wine as he studied her. It was unfortunate that he did not wish to be in a female form. Hers was suitable. And any physical imperfections were more than compensated by the knowledge she possessed in her brain.
"I should find you a symbiote," he said, squatting down at her side. "My host remembers that you did not find your time with the Tok'ra pleasant. That will not be so with a goa'uld. A symbiote would compensate quite well for your weaknesses and shortcomings."
"I'll die first," she whispered, barely opening her eyes. She attempted to move away from him and Ba'al laughed, her weak, uncoordinated movements humorous.
"Such spirit," he chuckled, reaching out one hand to thread his fingers through her hair, forcing her to look up at him. "I must choose a goa'uld most carefully. It is unfortunate that Hathor is dead. I believe one of her children would suit you." He sighed. "But she is not the only queen in the universe. I should acquire one. It is time for me to add to my ranks." He released her head and got to his feet. "However, I fear that what little beauty you possess will be faded by the time the child is old enough to properly take you as host. I am afraid that I shall just have to find a symbiote. You do understand, don't you my dear? The good of the many. Isn't that the platitude you and your kind prefer?"
She didn't respond and he shook his head, draining the goblet of wine. Not only was she weak, she was infuriating, barely doing more than to moan or whimper when he used the ribbon weapon on her. Her behavior was unacceptable. It was so much more enjoyable when his guests struggled and fought instead of meekly closing their eyes. The only enjoyable aspect was that each time he harmed the female, it angered his host.
An idea occurred to him and he returned to her, carelessly letting the goblet drop to the floor. He knelt beside her and roughly grabbed her hair. She cried out softly as he forced her head back while his left hand raised, the stone in his palm glowing to life. 'Yes, Jack,' he drawled internally. 'I can kill her. And you will not be able to stop me. Every time you fight me, I will harm her.'
He felt his host's anger swell and he lowered his left hand, instead wrapping his fingers around her throat. 'You shall not only witness her perish, you shall feel it," he threatened, squeezing slightly. 'And once I kill her, I shall resurrect her and kill her again and again and again." He still felt his host's anger, but this time it was mixed with dread and fear. 'Perhaps I shall even give her to my Jaffa. It is doubtful that she shall survive more than two or three of them but...I always have my sarcophagus."
His host relented, fading submissively into the background and Ba'al smiled. "I have just discovered your value, my dear." He loosened his grip and she gasped for breath, coughing roughly. The door to his chamber burst open and Ba'al shot to his feet, his left hand rising instinctively.
"Forgive me, my lord," Herak said, kneeling submissively just inside the doorway.
"I am not to be disturbed!" Ba'al roared.
"We are attacked," he said quickly. "Explosions rock the outer walls."
"Who dares attack me?" Ba'al demanded, stepping over the female.
"I do not know, My Lord. We have detected no ships."
"It is likely the human's companions. Do not divide our forces. Withdraw to the palace."
"Yes, My Lord." Herak got to his feet and hurried from the room.
Ba'al shook his head and stalked angrily across the room. "Fools, I am surrounded by fools!" he ranted. He cursed himself for not immediately killing the Jaffa when he first saw him. He knew what the Jaffa was doing. "Do not get your hopes up, my dear." He turned to face her. "Teal'c will not--" He broke off, his eyes widening at the sight of the female kneeling on the floor, a pistol in her grip. He stared at her, noticing her shaking hands and pain marred face. "Surely you do not believe that you can harm me?"
Her eyes narrowed and he saw her fingers clench, squeezing off two shots in quick succession. Two bullets tore into his host's chest, the shock and pain supplanting his ability to mask the feelings.
Ba'al felt his knees buckle and he fell, landing hard on the wooden floor. He struggled to breath, his bullet damaged lungs filling with blood. He stared as the woman staggered over to him, her gait halting and unsteady.
She stood over him, her pistol aimed unerringly at his head. He wanted to stop her but he could not. His arms and legs would not obey his commands. His breath gurgled in his throat and he coughed, recognizing the bitter taste of blood spilling across his tongue and down his chin.
"I'm sorry," she said, blinking to clear tears from her eyes. Her finger again tightened on the trigger and Ba'al tensed, waiting for the killing shot. A brilliant white light washed over him and he knew no more.
/////
Teal'c felt the effects of the stun grenade fade and he checked the corridor, ascertaining that the blast had gone unobserved before he re-entered the room, his zat weapon armed and ready.
Both Major Carter and O'Neill lay crumpled on the floor and Teal'c approached them, seeking to confirm his first impression. O'Neill was prone, one arm resting on his hip. Noticing the dark stain on his clothes, Teal'c tore open the man's shirt, revealing a pair of gunshot wounds. "Hataka," he muttered, torn between empathy for his friend and rage at his injuries.
Teal'c reached over and quickly stripped the ribbon weapon off O'Neill's left arm, shoving it into his vest. He had neither the time or supplies to dress the man's wounds. He could only hope that Ba'al's own sense of survival would also save the host.
Teal'c turned to Major Carter, noting the angry red marks around her neck. He had no doubt that her time with Ba'al had been far from pleasant. Her handgun was lying just inches from her hand and he picked it up, also shoving it into his vest.
"Teal'c? How's it going?"
"One moment," he said into the radio.
Realizing that time was of the essence, he picked Major Carter up, slinging her over his left shoulder, trusting that she had no injuries that he was exacerbating. Even if she did, there was little that he could do about it at the moment.
Grunting with the effort, he got to his feet and returned to O'Neill's side. He bent down and dug the fingers of his right hand into the back of the man's collar. He dragged him across the floor, struggling a bit with his burden. Stunning both of them had not been the preferred outcome, rather one born in an instant of rage upon witnessing Major Carter ready to commit murder.
Hearing the sound of Jaffa approaching, he hurried more, moving as quickly as he could while weighed down by the weight of two people. Arriving at the rings, he released O'Neill and reached for his radio. "Daniel Jackson, we are ready."
"I'm not, hang on." Teal'c could hear the stress in the man's voice and could only guess that he was encountering resistance.
Having no other choice, Teal'c knelt down, laying Major Carter onto the floor beside O'Neill. He pulled her weapon out of his vest and carefully removed the clip, holding it between the stump of his arm and his chest.
Seeing that he had several bullets left, he pushed the clip back into the gun and got to his feet. He could hear the cries of the Jaffa and knew that they had discovered their master's empty chamber. He wanted to radio Daniel Jackson and impress upon him the need for urgency. However he would have to relinquish control of the weapon to do so.
He heard the pounding of the Jaffa's footsteps coming down the hall and he tensed, readying himself for battle. "KREE!" he heard as two Jaffa appeared at the junction of the hall. Teal'c fired off two shots, kneeling to make himself a smaller target as the Jaffa fired their staff weapons at him.
He returned fire, aware that his ammunition was limited. He struck one of the men and he fell, only to be replaced by a third and fourth. The weapon clicked, signaling that the magazine was empty and he dropped it, pulling his zat out of his vest. He fired, well aware that he had only moments before he was overwhelmed.
A staff blast tore past his right ear and Teal'c lowered his head, firing at and killing the Jaffa. Just then the rings swept up, shielding him from further fire. In just seconds, the rings swept back down and he was on the teltac. He felt the ship cant and tilt and was aware that Daniel Jackson was leaving the planet with all due haste.
Trusting in Daniel Jackson's piloting skills, Teal'c returned the zat to his vest and quickly made his way over to their supplies, digging for and returning with a handful of plastic zip ties. He restrained O'Neill, using several ties to secure both his hands and legs. The ship jolted and Teal'c recognized the sensation of a jump to hyperspace.
Within seconds, Daniel Jackson was at his side. "What the hell happened?" Daniel Jackson asked.
"Given that there were only two individuals in the room, I would presume that Major Carter shot O'Neill," Teal'c said, finishing restraining O'Neill. He got to his feet and retrieved the first aid kit from their supplies. As he returned to O'Neill he saw Daniel Jackson go to Major Carter's side, examining her.
"I think she's just stunned," he said, feeling for her pulse.
"That is most likely," Teal'c agreed. He dressed the seeping wounds acknowledging that there was little they could do for him beyond stabilizing O'Neill's condition. With O'Neill secured and his wounds dressed, Teal'c got to his feet. ""What course did you choose?" he asked, ready to resume the role of pilot.
Daniel Jackson looked up at him sheepishly. "The only course I could remember was Abydos," he admitted.
Teal'c raised his eyebrows. "Abydos is several days' flight from our current position."
"I know. But I didn't think we'd stay on the course for long." He shrugged. "I figured it was better than nothing."
Teal'c sighed softly. "I shall go correct our course then." He got to his feet. "Do NOT release O'Neill, " he warned.
"I know," Daniel Jackson said. "He's still Ba'al. And he will still be Ba'al until they get that thing out of his head."
"Indeed," Teal'c confirmed. He made his way to the pilot's chair and took a seat, examining the controls before he altered their course.
They might have been successful in their audacious plan to retrieve O'Neill, however he knew that the most difficult test was yet to come. And he feared that, if they failed, it perhaps would have been kinder to have allowed Major Carter to pull the trigger.
/////
Daniel checked Jack one more time, relieved to find the man's pulse steady under his finger tips. He studied his friend, searching for some sign that he was waking up, while dreading that possibility at the same time.
Logically he knew that Ba'al was still alive and well and buried in Jack's brain. But, other than the ostentatious clothes, Jack had no outward signs of his possession. Which made it all the harder to believe that Jack was really Ba'al.
He heard a soft moan and turned his attention from Jack to Sam. "Easy," he said, reaching out to lay his hand on her shoulder. "Easy, you're ok." She blinked and opened her eyes, her breath quickening. "Teal'c had to use the stun grenade. It'll go away in a few minutes, remember?"
"Daniel?" She reached out and he caught her hand, reassuring her with his touch.
"Yeah. It's me. You're back on the teltac. Everything's fine."
She nodded. "The colonel?" she asked suddenly, seeming to remember all at once.
"He's here too. He's ok." He helped her sit up, reaching over to grab a canteen and press it into her hands.
She took it and took a small sip of water. "I shot him," she said, staring sightlessly at Daniel.
"We know. He seems to be doing ok." She nodded and pushed a shaky hand through her hair. "What happened?" he asked softly.
"What?"
"Is there anything we need to know about? Did he hurt you?" Daniel asked, not quite believing that he was asking Sam if Jack had hurt her.
She shook her head. "I'll be ok."
"That's not what I asked," he said, reaching out to touch her again. "What did he do?"
She shook her head and sighed. "It was mostly the ribbon weapon," she confessed. "I just have a really bad headache."
"I can do something for that." He left her and reached for the med kid, pulling out a packet of pain killers. He tore the foil open and picked up her hand, pouring the pills into her palm. She smiled her thanks and tossed them into her mouth, washing them down with water from the canteen.
"I think my vision's coming back," she said, frowning as she blinked.
"Sounds about right. You should be just fine by the time we get back to Earth."
"We're going back to Earth?" she asked, raising her voice.
"That was the general idea," he said, puzzled by her alarm.
"We can't," she said, setting down the canteen and trying to get to her feet.
"Sam, what's wrong? I thought getting Jack home was the whole reason we were doing this."
"He can't."
"Can't do what?"
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "As long as he's a goa'uld, he can't go back to Earth." She looked at him, although Daniel still wasn't sure if she was focusing very well. "If he goes back still a host, he'll end up at Area 51."
"Ok. This is a surprise," Daniel said. "Can I presume that you have some sort of plan?"
"Where's my stuff?" she asked.
Daniel looked around, spying her bag. "Hang on, I'll--"
"No. I gotta get it." She held out her arm and Daniel helped her to her feet, leading her over to her pack. She knelt down and he stood by her as she dug into it, finally pulling out a small box.
"The Tok'ra lending us toys now?" he asked.
She shook her head. "More like Machello."
Daniel frowned for a second, then he realized what had to be in the box and he instinctively leaned back, remembering all too well what had happened the last time he'd run across one of Machello's toys. "That's not--"
"It's the only way to get Ba'al out of Colonel O'Neill," she interrupted.
"There's ten goa'uld killers in that PTD," Daniel said. "And only one Ba'al."
"Remember what happened when Janet and I tried to study it?" she said. "All ten came out. Maybe they'll all go into Ba'al. If not, they'll go into me." She shrugged. "No harm, no foul."
"Those things went through walls last time," he reminded remembering the impotent horror he'd felt as he'd watched Jack, Janet and Sam trying - unsuccessfully - to flee from the creatures. Horror tempered with a bit of relief that it wasn't him experiencing it again.
"Not walls, just out of the containment unit," she corrected. "Going by the last time, their first instinct is to go into a person. They'll go into either the colonel or me and then you and Teal'c will be safe."
"Ok," Daniel shrugged. She'd obviously been planning this for longer than he'd realized. "What's your plan?"
"You go up front with Teal'c and lock us in here. I'll activate the PTD and Machello's little toys will do the rest."
"Lock you in here? With a goa'uld?" he asked. "How hard did you hit your head?"
Sam smiled wryly. "How many ropes did Teal'c use to tie him up?"
"Only about six zip ties," Daniel said. "Not that he's in much shape to do anything right now."
Her face fell as she remembered that she'd shot him. "How bad is it?" She pushed past him and made her way to Jack's side.
He took her arms and kept her from getting too close. "He's stable. We're guessing that Ba'al is either healing his wounds or keeping the status quo."
She closed her eyes and slumped. "So if I get Ba'al out he could die?" she said.
"Do you think he wants to live like this?" he asked. He saw defeat cross her face and he sighed. "We don't have to do this right now do we?" he asked.
"What?"
"It'll be a few hours before we get back to Earth. We just can't land if he's still blended, right?"
"Right," she nodded.
"Well, if Ba'al is keeping him alive, then I say we wait. Use those little slugs right before we land when he's just a few minutes away from help. Maybe by then, Ba'al will have even healed him."
"That could work," she said.
Daniel smiled at her. "He's not gonna go anywhere. Why don't you go grab a nap. I'll keep and eye on him and wake you up when we enter the solar system."
She nodded and turned, making her way over to a pallet in the corner. Daniel watched as she carefully set down the box then laid down on the pallet, curling up on her side. He waited a few minutes until he was sure she was asleep before making his way out into the bridge area to let Teal'c know that they couldn't land, not until Jack was 'treated'.
/////
Ba'al lay upon the ship's floor, content to maintain the subterfuge that he was still unconscious. He could feel the steady thrum of the ship's engines and knew that the teltac was still in hyperspace. However, since he did not have an accurate assessment of how long he had been unconscious, he could not begin to estimate their position.
He carefully shifted position, exploring the limits of the bonds securing him. They could be broken, however not without drawing attention to himself, and damaging his host rather severely.
From the front of the ship he could hear the two males conversing softly. Unfortunately, their voices were too low for even his augmented hearing to comprehend.
Behind him, he could hear the even breathing of the female, her deep respiration confirming that she still slumbered.
She had surprised him - and his host - this day. His host had underestimated her, which was why Ba'al himself had not adequately anticipated her actions.
It was not a mistake he would make again.
The female - and her companions - obviously held this host in high esteem. This was a weakness that Ba'al could exploit. Although his host was unconscious and Ba'al could not fully explore his mind, many of the memories he'd extracted before suggested that Earth was a world he could conquer, just not by brute force.
He had made an error when he'd attempted to attack the planet several months ago. Yes, Earth was vulnerable because they kept the Stargate a secret, so any defense they mounted had to be a subtle one. However, when confronted by a common enemy, the people of Earth were likely to set their differences aside and rally against the interloper.
Because of this, any attack of sheer brute force would fail and would only anger them more. Earth's population was simply too large to be controlled.
But Earth had another weakness. The governing bodies of its most powerful nations were easily manipulated and corrupted. This was how the emotions of his host's friends would come into play.
He would use them, cooperate with them to gain their trust. He would even assist them with their attacks upon the other goa'uld. Perhaps, if he was lucky, the humans would vanquish some of his enemies for him. Then, once he held their trust, he would use it, either to escape or to rise in power. He would conquer the planet, not with bombs but with words.
It would take time, many years, even decades. However, thanks to his new body, he had centuries to spend on this task. He had little doubt that they would believe him. After all, they considered the sholva a trusted friend, and all he'd done to earn such trust and devotion was to kill a few of his men. Ba'al could certainly orchestrate more than the deaths of a handful of other goa'uld.
Through his host he knew that Earth had other needs. They lusted after the riches and wealth of other planets. He could deliver that to them. All they wanted and more. As a gesture of good faith, of course.
The ship shuddered slightly and Ba'al recognized that it had dropped out of hyperspace. He heard one of the males leave the teltac, the younger one he knew, since he could not sense the Jaffa's approach.
The man walked past him pausing a second before continuing on his way to the female. "Sam?" he said softly as Ba'al heard the rustle of him shaking her. She moaned softly. "Sam. We're there."
Ba'al heard the sleeping bag rustle and the sound of the female sitting up. "Daniel?"
"Yeah, we're just inside Pluto. Teal'c wasn't sure how far out SATCOM could pick us up."
"Not until Mars maybe. But if he cloaks they won't see us at all unless they know where to look," she muttered, her voice clearing as she spoke.
"I'll just tell him to fly slow then," Jackson said, a smile in his voice. "It's time." His tone changed, going from friendly humor to seriousness in an instant.
"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "You better go. Lock the doors behind you."
"How are we gonna know if this works?" he asked.
"We probably won't for sure until Janet can do a scan."
"Then how will you know if they work?"
"I'm trusting Machello."
Ba'al listened to their conversation, struggling to make sense of it. It was clear that they were not returning directly to Earth. But he did not understand who this Machello was. He prodded at his host, forcing his way into the man's memories. There was something older, and something recent. Painful, shameful, embarrassing. Machello. Ba'al remembered an old man, a rebel from years and years ago. Cronos and Yu had captured him. Held him prisoner for years before he'd escaped. They'd hunted him. They'd been afraid of him, afraid of what he'd do.
Machello was bad. Whatever they had of his--Ba'al heard the door to the peltac close and he opened his eyes, giving up the subterfuge of sleep. "What are you going to do?" he asked, ignoring the pain in his chest and sitting up. His hands were bound tightly in front of him, as were his feet, and it limited his movement severely.
She looked over at him, clearly startled. "Of course you're awake," she muttered, looking down at the box in her hand. "Why did I even think it'd be any other way." She looked over at him, her eyes flat and cold.
He watched her walk towards him, the box held in both hands. The box wasn't very large, perhaps six inches square and was flat. "Your superiors are curious about what is out there, are they not?" he asked, tearing his gaze from the box. "They seek wealth and technology. I know where that is. I have centuries of knowledge that I can impart. Information that I know your superiors would find of value."
"I'm sure they would," she said softly, kneeling down, careful to keep out of arms reach of him. "But I think your price is a little too high."
He watched as she opened the box, carefully pulling out two wrapped items. She set one down and unwrapped the other, revealing an information tablet. A memory triggered in Ba'al's brain and he felt his heartbeat quicken. "Daniel Jackson seeks the one known as Amaunet does he not? I can lead you to her. Since Apophis' capture she has been in hiding."
"And you just happen to know where that is?" the female said, her tone mocking as she picked up the second device.
"I know more than you can even comprehend," he said. "Centuries of knowledge. My own and the memories of she who bore me and he who seeded her. Knowledge that I would willingly share."
"As long as it benefits you," she retorted, unwrapping the second device. He noticed that she was careful not to touch it with her bare hands. She looked up at him, her gaze cold. "The colonel doesn't want you in there and it's time for you to leave." She picked up the information tablet and passed the changing device over it. He stared as ten small shapes fell out of the device, cascading to the floor. She quickly got to her feet and stepped away, distancing herself from the creatures. Despite her actions, some of them swarmed towards her and she simply stood there, nonchalant at they slithered up her leg. His host's memory surfaced and he stared in horror as they swarmed towards him. "If you kill me, you will lose all access to my knowledge," he said, trying to scoot away from the creatures.
"I can deal."
"I will kill the host," he threatened.
"He'd rather die than put up with you in his brain," she retorted.
Ba'al watched helplessly as six of the creatures slithered towards him, effortlessly piercing his clothing and his skin. He felt them slide into his host, crawling under his skin as they worked their way towards him. He knew what they were. But they weren't supposed to be real. It was just a legend, a myth. It wasn't real. Couldn't be real. He was a god, nothing could kill a god.
Something tore into his body and he screamed in pain, his host's body convulsing. He fell back to the floor, unable to control the movements of his host. The creature was joined by another and a third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Each of them attacking him, pulling and tearing at his flesh.
Overwhelming anger tore through him. He forced all his waning strength into one final act of revenge. "Do you know how I breached your iris and invaded your world?" he said. He looked up and met her gaze. "Hathor took the information from you and I took it from her. Do not blame me, blame yourself."
He had a brief moment to comprehend the flash of horror across her face before he felt the creatures attack him one last time and then he knew no more.
/////
Sam sat in Landry's office, her fingers drumming nervously on her knee. A flash of movement caught her eyes and she looked out the window, noticing that SG-5's briefing was over. General Landry got to his feet and walked towards his office. Sam instinctively got up, stiffening her spine as her commanding officer walked into the room. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Major. Colonel Charles' anthropologist needs a lesson in brevity." He sat down and Sam remained standing. "Sit, sit," he ordered. Sam obliged and retook her seat. "I hear that Colonel O'Neill is recovering nicely," he said, opening a file folder.
"Yes, sir. Apparently Ba'al did repair a lot of the damage. All Janet needed to do was remove the bullets. She said she's going to release him from the infirmary by the end of the week."
He nodded. "That's what she told me too." He looked up. "Congratulations on a job well done, Major," he said.
"What's going to happen to Colonel O'Neill?" she asked, ignoring his praise.
Landry shrugged. "He'll be debriefed. I should have no problem keeping the briefings here, if that's what you're worried about."
Sam nodded. "Colonel Kennedy and Colonel Maybourne will likely try to get him transferred to Area 51," she said, expressing her strongest worry. She knew that she'd played by all the rules, but she also knew that the men involved wouldn't hesitate to alter the rules to suit themselves.
"They'll have to run a mighty big load of bullshit across the President's desk. He's on Jack's side, and more than willing to call in a favor or two."
"I didn't know they were that close," Sam said.
"Jack's managed to accumulate some rather highly placed friends over the years. Along with a few enemies." He smiled wryly. "One usually cancels out the other. He'll be fine."
Sam nodded, realizing that she couldn't do very much even if he was wrong. "That's good."
"We do have another matter to discuss." Landry pulled another folder out of the pile and handed it over to her. "Your mission report," he said as Sam took it.
Sam took it and stared at the folder. "I wrote everything down, sir. Except for some of what happened in Ba'al's chambers. I'm afraid that my recollection is a bit blurry. Maybe Colonel O'Neill will remember enough to fill in the blanks."
Landry shook his head. "I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about what happened in the teltac. And what you reported that Ba'al told you right before he died."
Sam stared at him. "Those are his exact words, sir. I know that Daniel and Teal'c weren't in there to confirm but it wasn't safe to have them in the same room with Machello's goa'uld killers. They couldn't come in until the four that were in me and the six that were in Colonel O'Neill left our bodies and died."
"I'm not doubting your recollection. I'm just doubting the need to have those words officially noted in your mission report."
"General, Congress has been investigating how Ba'al breached our iris. You've had me working on that very same problem for months," Sam said. "You said yourself that we can't re-open the SGC until we can prove that we won't have another gate breach."
Landry sighed. "That I have. And despite that, I am not going to accept this report until the facts have been verified."
"Sir?"
"For all we know, Major, Ba'al made up the story about Hathor just to get revenge before he died. I am not going to let the word of one psychopathic parasitic alien destroy the life and career of a member of this command." He got up and sat on the edge of his desk. "I read your reports on Hathor's memory devices. You could not control which memories it accessed, or how it accessed them. Therefore you are not responsible for any information she gleaned from you. And you are even less responsible for him getting his hands on information that the clean up team missed and left there for him to find."
Sam looked up at him. "General, she took knowledge that I had and Ba'al used it to attack us. Thirty-eight people died, Ba'al took the colonel as a host, Teal'c lost his hand--"
"All of which are unfortunate. But they're not your fault," he interrupted.
"General--"
"Major," he interrupted again, accentuating her rank. "You will redo your mission report and you will remove all instances of the goa'uld's opinion. It's here-say and it has no place in an official mission report. You will resubmit your mission report and if I agree with it, I will sign off on it. As soon as Jack is up to it, we'll find out exactly what method Ba'al used to breach the iris and we'll plug that hole. Since the knowledge taken from you is the only weakness, it's the only thing we need to fix. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir," Sam said softly, getting to her feet.
"Major?"
"Sir?"
"You will not talk to anyone about this. Not your teammates, not your friends. Let Ba'al's poison die with him. And you can consider that an order. What happened in the teltac, stays in the teltac," he said, smiling slightly.
Sam nodded and quietly left the room, shutting the door behind her. She made her way down the hall, avoiding the gaze of all she encountered. She was humbled by Landry's actions. He was sticking his neck out for her. Risking his own career to save her own. He didn't have to do that. He didn't have to take that risk, but he did.
But his actions also angered her. She didn't deserve it. She didn't deserve to get a free pass. Thirty-eight people were dead because of her. The SGC was still shut down because of her. Colonel O'Neill had been through six months of hell, Teal'c was maimed for life...all because of her and her weaknesses.
She arrived at the elevator and got into the car. She chose level 19 then leaned against the wall, the folder held against her chest. She'd do it, she decided. She'd alter her report to fit Landry's standards. It might be the coward's way out, but the rational part of her brain acknowledged that, even if she confessed to the Congressional committee, she'd probably end up court-martialed and imprisoned, which wasn't exactly a future she wanted. And she'd make damn sure that the iris was impenetrable. But she also knew that she couldn't ever allow something like this to happen again. Nobody else would die because of her and her failures.
/////
Jack slowly rose out of the depths of unconsciousness. He became aware of things, smells, feelings. The air was chill, caressing his bare arms like the first dip in the lake in spring.
He could smell something sharp and slightly unpleasant, but an odor that he equated with clean. Bleach and pine.
He was not alone. He could hear the soft whisper of mechanically moved air and a steady beeping of a monitor. In the distance, people were talking, their voices hush and low. It took him a moment to realize that they were speaking English. It had been so long he'd almost forgotten what it sounded like.
And why couldn't he hear the snap and crackle of the fires? There was always a fire present. He demanded it. A fire meant wealth and power not to mention a primal comfort. And why did it not smell like incense? Everything smelled like incense. It permeated his clothes and he took the scent with him no matter where he went...no, not HE, HIM. These weren't his preferences, they were Ba'al's preferences.
His heart pounding in his chest, Jack felt for Ba'al, searching for his presence in the back of his brain. He was in control. That wasn't right. Jack was never in control. Ba'al wouldn't permit that.
His inquiries encountered nothing but an empty space, a void where something once was. Where was he? Why wasn't he there? Was this some sort of trick? Some new torture, new torment to amuse himself? What the hell kind of game was he playing now?
"Colonel? Colonel?" A voice inserted itself into Jack's perception. "Colonel. I know you're awake. Your heart rate is too high for you to be asleep. I need you to open your eyes."
A warm hand grasped his cold one and squeezed gently. "Sir, open your eyes," the woman insisted, her other hand brushing the side of his face. "This is real. It's not a dream, it's not a trick. You are in the SGC and you are safe. Ba'al is dead. He's gone and I need you to open your eyes and look at me."
The hand on his face slapped him slightly, her fingers tapping his cheek. "Colonel O'Neill, I am giving you a direct order. OPEN YOUR EYES!" she said, raising her voice. Jack responded to her insistent pleas, forcing his eyes open. "There you are," she said, her voice gentle now. Jack blinked several times, struggling to clear his blurry vision.
A figure came into focus, female with short dark hair and a wide smile. "Doc?" he groaned, still not ready to accept what he was seeing.
"The one and only," she said. "Glad to have you back with us, sir." Jack took a deep breath and it caught in his throat when a shaft of pain cut through him. "Yeah," she said, seeing his distress. "You were shot. We had to remove the bullets. That's why you're sore. But the injuries are relatively minor. You'll feel better in a few days."
Jack nodded, only half listening to her. He looked around, his eyes searching his surroundings, looking for some flaw. There had to be a flaw. It couldn't be real. "What do you remember, sir?"
"What?" Jack turned his attention back to the woman.
"What do you remember?"
Jack thought back, memories washing over him. His hand flew to the back of his neck and he met her gaze, his eyes going wide in horror as he encountered a bulge. "Doc?"
"It's dead," she said quickly, reaching out to pull his hand down. "I swear to you, it's dead. I did the scans myself."
'You are now free of your goa'uld captor.'
"Machello," he whispered, hearing again the ghostly voice of the old man.
Janet nodded. "Yeah, Machello. Ba'al is dead and you are home and you are going to be all right."
Jack closed his eyes, not caring about the twin trails of tears that ran down his cheeks. It was over. It was finally over.
/////
"How the hell did you manage this?" Jack asked, gratefully sinking down on a rounded rock protruding from the dirt.
"Friends in high places," Daniel said, sitting on a rock beside Jack's. He set a large plastic bag between them and bent over, pulling out two grease stained boxes, one of which he handed to his friend.
Jack took the box and Daniel set his own aside, retrieving four small containers from the bag as well as two bottles of water. "Potato salad and baked beans I can manage, beer I can't," he said, handing Jack his share of the side dishes.
Jack shrugged and took the food. "Can't win em all I guess," he said, setting down the salads and twisting the lid off the water. He took a deep drink, then set it aside and opened his box of chicken. He pulled out a leg and raised it to his mouth, tearing off a large chunk of meat.
Daniel did the same, although he ate much slower. He took advantage of Jack's distraction to get a close look at his friend. Jack looked better than he had in the Teltac, more relaxed and definitely less arrogant. Daniel guessed that those expressions came courtesy of Ba'al. He was still a bit thin, his time in the infirmary and dealing with the aftereffects of his possession having taken a toll on his appetite. Jack was also a bit paler than Daniel was used to and there was a look in his eyes that Daniel couldn't quite put his fingers on.
He tried to equate Jack's experiences with Sam and Jolinar, but he knew that, while basically the same, they were worlds apart. "You never did do subtle," Jack said, tossing the bare bone into the bushes.
"I don't recall you being that good at it either," Daniel shot back, tossing his bone to follow Jack's.
Jack rolled his eyes and pulled out another piece of chicken. "Spit it out," he said, tearing into another chicken leg.
Daniel shrugged, not surprised by his friend's blunt request. "What was it like?" he asked, knowing full well that he was juggling a land mine but unable to stop himself.
"I had a goddamn snake crawl in my head, cart me off and hold me hostage for half a year." Jack glared balefully at him. "What do you think?"
"I mean...do you remember anything?"
"A lot," Jack said, his eyes drifting past Daniel to stare off into the distance. "I remember when it happened, getting off world..." He turned to look at Daniel. "He was in the hall you know." Daniel raised his eyebrows. "When you and I met up. That wasn't just Jaffa that were chasing you, it was his personal guard."
"Wow."
"Yeah, although that wasn't my response at the time. I didn't even know who he was. I just shot him. Hell, I thought he was dead. I remember kneeling over him. His armor was just like one of the Jaffa's. I didn't even realize he was a goa'uld until I saw the ribbon device and then it was too late."
"What happened?"
"He jumped into me. Next thing I really remember is beating my ass to the gate room and getting off-world." Jack tossed the partially eaten chicken leg into the bushes and wiped his hands off on his pants leg before reaching for the water and taking a drink.
"Sam said that she remembered a lot from Jolinar. Most of it actually," Daniel said.
Jack sighed. "Yeah, well." He shrugged. "I do remember a lot. But there are gaps." He looked over at Daniel and grimaced. "If I pissed him off he'd lock me in my room," he said.
"Huh?"
"The goa'uld can control how much a host sees and hears. After a while, bad memories are better than no memories." He took another drink and set the water down, picking up the container of baked beans. "I hear you had quite the adventure," he said, signaling an end to the conversation.
In truth, Daniel was surprised that it'd gone on this long. When he'd broached the topic, he'd expected to be totally shut out. He shrugged, accepting Jack's boundaries. "It was interesting," he said. "You, Teal'c and Lorne spent a year stuck in Hedantes--"
"Lorne?" Jack interrupted. "Who the hell is that?"
"A new guy. Quite coincidentally, he transferred here just last week," Daniel explained. "I, of course, was dead and Sam had a really crappy time because of Maybourne." His light tone faded.
"What happened to her?"
"There was no Cassie, so when she got depressed after Jolinar, they shipped her off to a 'care facility'." He made little quotes in the air. "We got marooned on Hedantes and left for dead, she spent about nine months at Area 51."
"Damn," Jack muttered.
"Yeah. I never did find out exactly what happened, she'd never talk about it. But when I arrived, Bauer was using her as a human healing device."
"She can barely control that damn thing," Jack said.
"I'm guessing that's what they worked on during those nine months. Anyway, when I broke out, I took her with me and we headed to Hedantes. Found you guys, broke you out, went to Cimmeria, got rid of Heru'ur then Thor brought us back to Earth and helped us kick some ass. When I left, people were resigning right and left and...well I'm sorta hoping that Thor can help them get rid of Kinsey and his cronies."
"So, just a normal day at the office?"
"Pretty much, yeah." Daniel chuckled. "Although I am kinda developing a complex about being dead in every universe."
"Could be worse. You could be married to me." Daniel rolled his eyes and ignored his friend's baiting. "How is Carter?" he asked, changing the subject. "I haven't seen her much since I got back."
"No one's seen her much," Daniel said. "She's been holed up in her lab since we got back." Jack nodded silently and again stared off into the distance. "Something happened between you two, didn't it?"
"Huh?"
"You...Ba'al," he corrected. "Had her prisoner for a few hours..."
"And?"
"And all she'll say is that she doesn't remember."
"Maybe she doesn't," Jack said, his voice low.
"But you do." Jack looked to him, and the pain in his eyes confirmed Daniel's suspicions. "Oh my god. You do know. What did...what did he do?"
"Something one friend should never do to another," Jack said.
"You didn't?" Daniel asked, horrified. Teal'c had been the one to retrieve Sam and Jack, so Daniel had no idea what Teal'c had seen in Ba'al's chambers. Daniel did know that, other than a few bruises, Sam seemed to be fine. But if Ba'al had a sarcophagus he could have done horrible things to her and--
"Not that, thank GOD," he said. "There are worse things than just beating someone up," Jack said flatly, cutting into Daniel's thoughts.
"Look, Sam, more than anyone, knows that anything you said as Ba'al wasn't YOU talking," Daniel said, trying to reassure his friend. "Have you even tried talking to her?" Jack shook his head. "Try," Daniel urged. "General Landry's been keeping her busy on some project of his." He reached out and touched his friend's hand. "Jack, the whole mission to save you, it was her idea. Even if she's a little pissed, she doesn't stay pissed for that long."
"You're probably right," Jack said. He craned his neck. "What else do you have in that bag?"
/////
Jack walked across the short cropped grass, taking care to walk around as many of the graves as he could. The air was heavy and humid, just what he'd expect from Texas in the late summer. Bees buzzed, busily tending to the wild flowers that grew in neatly tended rows, occasionally drowned out by the roar of jet aircraft, flying to and from nearby Lackland Air Base. Off in the distance, he could see hovering clouds, lurking just on the horizon and ripe with the promise of thunderstorms in a few hours.
The cemetery was very quiet and, as cemeteries go, a nice place. The graves were well tended and many of them were decorated with flowers and trinkets from families and friends.
Spying his quarry, Jack looked back, waving at Daniel and Teal'c, both of whom had chosen to wait by the car. He picked up the pace and walked up beside Sam, helping himself to a seat beside her on the small concrete bench. "I turned in my keys," she said, not acting surprised to see him.
"Yeah, Landry was impressed. Said you even labeled them," Jack said, leaning over to perch his elbows on his knees.
"What are you doing in Texas?" she asked, her tone annoyed. "And don't tell me you were just passing by."
"Remember? A couple of years ago? You told us that you always stopped here between assignments," Jack said, reading the name and dates on the tombstone. He did the math, realizing for the first time that she'd just been thirteen when her mother had died.
She shrugged. "It's kinda hard to just drop by, even if you grab a hop," she said. Her situation was a common one amongst military families. Family plots and generational cemeteries were a luxury that most just couldn't manage. "I figure the least I can do is keep her up to date between assignments."
"Yeah, speaking of that," he said, broaching the topic that had sent him, Daniel and Teal'c on a thousand mile flight from Peterson to Lackland earlier that day. "You kinda filled out the wrong form."
She turned to look at him. "No, I didn't."
"For cryin out loud, you're not resigning," Jack said, abandoning all prevarication.
"Already have," she said. "Accepted and signed, in triplicate."
"Aren't you jumping the gun a bit?" he asked. "The SGC's still on hold. It hasn't been shut down."
"Yet," she said. "You and I both know it's coming. Besides, I, aah, it's the right thing to do." She smiled at him, a small expression that didn't reach her eyes. Her self-imposed mission was complete. That was what she'd spent the last month working on, creating the most secure, hardest to breach iris possible. It wouldn't make up for all those that had died because of her weakness, but it was a start.
"Carter--"
"Colonel, I can't do this anymore," she interrupted.
"Can't or won't?" he countered. She closed her eyes and looked away. Jack sighed, regretting that he'd let things go between them the past couple of months. He should have talked to her, the very instant Doc let him get out of bed, he should have tracked her down and sat on her until they hammered things out.
But, as much as he wanted to, he didn't want to. He didn't want to rehash the memories or repeat all those horrible things Ba'al had said to her. He didn't want to remember that, even if the words weren't his, the voice was. And the voice had said such nasty, hurtful things.
Ba'al had used him, delved deep into Jack's mind to pull out just what would hurt Sam the most. Every word, every phrase had been coldly calculated to inflict the maximum amount of hurt. And, out of all the memories Jack had to live with, those few hours with her were worse than anything else he and Ba'al and done in the previous months.
It'd been easier to just put it off and ignore it and hope -count on - her natural instincts to forgive to smooth things over. If he was smart he'd have realized that some things can't be so easily forgiven. He'd allowed himself to continue to excuse her absence with the importance of her work. Now he saw that he'd made a huge mistake.
"Is there a difference?" she asked softly.
"There is to me," he retorted.
She snorted. "You, better than anyone, should know this is for the best."
"Don't tell me you believed that crap," he said, inserting what he hoped to be the right level of annoyance into his voice to snap her out of her maudlin mood while cursing his own laziness.
She looked at him. "Thirty-eight people died. You spent six months as a host. Teal'c lost his eye and his hand--"
"None of which were your fault," he interrupted.
"Yes, they were," she contradicted. "And you know why."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, remembering all too well his and Landry's conversation a few weeks ago. How they both - very unofficially - decided just how much Jack would remember, and how much he'd simply forget. She glared at him and he sighed, rolling his eyes. "You know damn good and well he was pushing your buttons."
"Was he wrong?" she asked pointedly.
"It doesn't--"
"Yes, it does," she interrupted.
"Yes," he said after a minute. "Ba'al did use the information that Hathor took from you to breach the iris," he confessed.
"Told ya," she said, smiling grimly.
"Just like he used the information he took from me to tear you up into little pieces," he said. "So I guess that what he did to you is my fault and I need to go back and tell Landry that he needs to pursue assault charges on your behalf."
"Colonel--"
"Same thing," he interrupted. "Just like I guess I shoulda kicked your ass when Jolinar tossed me across the room. Not to mention traumatizing Cassie. And then there's the credit card fraud Machello committed when he ran off with Daniel's body. And I think Hammond and I and, hell every other man on the base other than Teal'c should all be brought up on charges of conduct unbecoming an officer."
"Colonel--"
"Hey, you started it," he interrupted again. "You're obsessed with playing the blame game, let's play it. While we're at it, I can go get Teal'c and Daniel can kick his ass for Shau'ri while I shoot him for getting Skaara blended." She growled softly and leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. "Let it go," he said. "What happened, happened. And you can't change it. Hathor used you, just like Ba'al used me. He fucked with both of us. Are you gonna let him keep screwing up your life?"
"It's FUBAR'd already," she said. "Colonel, I'm not going back. I've got this great job at Columbia. I'm going to teach a class in applied astrophysics. Nobody shooting at me. No life or death decisions." She looked at him. "Nobody dying because of me."
"Sam--"
"I can still see them..."
#Flashback A thin smoke hung in the air, lending the narrow halls an eerie look. She heard the men behind her, the sound of their footsteps barely audible over the clatter of their weapons and muttered curses.
She led them down Corridor C, pausing as they checked each and every room, searching for survivors that might be too afraid or unable to step out, surviving enemies who might be lying in wait and, worst of all, looking for the dead.
They approached a door and Sam glanced over her shoulder, meeting Castleman's gaze before she moved to the side, her weapon at the ready. Castleman nodded, then opened the door, dropping to his knees.
"Clear," Sam said, scanning the room and finding it empty. Castleman got off his knees, standing back to allow Sergeant Marchenko to mark the door with a red X, signaling that it had been cleared.
"Corridor C, room 345, clear," Sam reported, speaking softly into her radio.
"Roger that," she heard. She tried to identify the voice but couldn't. None of the control room staff had survived and since the base was locked down, the survivors were on their own until they could verify that the base was secure. Which meant that every able bodied person had been pressed into mop-up efforts.
"Continuing to room 346," she said, exchanging a look with Castleman. They quietly made their way down the hall. There wasn't as much damage here as there were on other levels. But, the lingering smell of gunsmoke and scorch marks on the wall told her that this part of the base hadn't been immune from the battle.
She stopped in front of room 346, her heart dropping at the sight of smeared bloody fingerprints on the door jam. She looked at Castleman and he nodded, signaling that he too saw the blood.
She tensed, almost afraid of what she'd find. This time Castleman stood at the side and Sam knelt down, nodding at him to open the door. He twisted the doorknob and it swung open with a small creak. Sam scanned the room, her eyes darting over the crumpled form in the corner as she searched for anyone else in the room.
"Clear," Castleman said. Sam got to her feet and hurried forward, kneeling beside the fallen man. She felt for his pulse, closing her eyes when her fingers encountered cold, still skin. "That's Johnson isn't it?"
"Yeah, SG-3," Sam replied, pulling the chain out from under his shirt and snapping off his second dog tag. "Control, we have a KIA. Corridor C, room 346." Sam read off Johnson's name and serial number before sliding the dog tag into her vest. They weren't collecting the dead at the moment, rather they were simply keeping a list of where they were. As soon as they knew the base was secure, there would be time enough for the dead.
"Roger that," the voice said. "I'll add it to the list."
"Two more rooms and we're done with this corridor," Castleman said.
"Corridor A, room 116 secure," the heard over the radio.
"They're moving slow," Sam said, mentally mapping the other team's location.
"It's a mess down there," Castleman said.
"Yeah," Sam said, wishing that she was with the other group. There were a lot of SGC personnel missing and unaccounted for. Among them, all three members of her team. "Control, this is team three," Sam heard. "We need medics. I have two survivors, one enemy KIA. Room 212, corridor B."
Sam's ears perked up and her hand reached for her radio only to stop before she could key the mic. She wasn't the only one missing friends and teammates and she couldn't clog the radio asking for names.
"The medics are dispatched. Who are the survivors?" Control asked.
"Sergeant Whitlock and Teal'c."
Sam's eyes shot up to meet Castleman's. "Go," he said. "We'll get the last two."
"Thank you," Sam said, getting to her feet. She hurried from the room, hearing Castleman warn Edwards that she was approaching his position.
It took her just minutes to navigate the cluttered halls. "On your six," she said, warning them that a friendly was approaching. Two men passed her in the hall, carrying a third on a stretcher. Sam presumed that this had to be Whitlock on his way to the infirmary.
"He's over there," Edwards said, grabbing Sam's arm as she passed. "It doesn't look good," he warned.
Sam stared at him for a second then pulled away, going to Teal'c's side. The medic knelt beside him, the man's rubber gloves shiny with blood. "Major."
"How is he?"
He shook his head. "I don't think he's gonna make it," he said, busying himself with Teal'c's left hand. Most of Teal'c's face was covered with a thick layer of blood spotted gauze. "His eye is gone. His hand is hamburger. He's got multiple shrapnel wounds on his chest and abdomen," he listed.
Sam slowly shook her head, not wanting to believe what he was saying. "No, Junior--"
"It's dead," he interrupted, looking up at her. "Piece of shrapnel got it." He nodded over to his left. "I took it out so that the blood wouldn't kill him. Although, I don't see what difference it makes."
Sam looked over, seeing the small blood smeared figure of Teal'c's symbiote. "Symbiotes are hard to kill," she said. "Are you--"
"Major," he interrupted. "It was almost cut in half. It's dead."
"We got two more down here!" Sam heard a man call out.
The medic glanced up before starting to gather his gear. "I gotta--"
"You can't," she said, reaching out to stop him.
"Major." He shook her hand loose. "Cold reality of triage. You help the ones that have a chance. He doesn't." He got to his feet, stripping off his bloody gloves. "I'm sorry, Major, I really am. He's lost enough blood he'll probably never regain consciousness. Transport will be here soon to get him to the infirmary and that Jaffa is secured." Sam looked over at a figure lying several yards away. It was one of the Jaffa they'd been fighting. He had likely fallen victim to the same grenade that had so grievously injured Teal'c. "You said he was KIA," she said, catching the man's words.
"As good as," he dismissed. "We're taking care of our own first. By the time they get to him, he'll be dead." He picked up his bag. "Besides, half his brain is gone, his body just hasn't figured that out yet."
He hurried from the room, leaving Sam alone with the two dying men. She reached out and took Teal'c's uninjured hand, taking it in both of hers. "I don't know where they are, Teal'c," she whispered. "The colonel and Daniel, they're both missing and I know that something's wrong. They would have checked in by now. You know that. The colonel would be helping us search and Daniel would be trying to talk to the Jaffa. Something's wrong, I can feel it."
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears at bay. "I think they're dead," she said, voicing her fear for the first time. "We're down to the last few halls and...oh god!" She leaned forward, clutching his hand to her chest. "They're gone. I know that they're gone and...I'm gonna lose you too."
She ignored the tears that would not be denied, mentally listing the casualties. General Hammond, Sergeant Davis, Colonel Makepeace, Major Kovacek, Sergeant Johnson. And now Teal'c.
She opened her eyes and looked over at the small, blood smeared form of the symbiote. "All because of you," she muttered, glaring at the dead symbiote. She gently laid Teal'c's hand on his chest and got to her feet, walking over to the dead symbiote. She prodded it with her foot, confirming that the medic had been right, Junior was dead. His thin corpse was smeared with his own blue tinged blood and well as some of Teal'c's, the red color dried to a rusty brown. One little piece of shrapnel was all it took. "Bastard." She petulantly kicked the symbiote, sending one half of the corpse sliding across the floor.
Her eyes followed it as it came to land just inches from the other Jaffa. A thought occurred to her and she stared, not quite believing that she was thinking what she was thinking.
'Half his brain is gone, his body just hasn't figured that out yet.'
She looked from the Jaffa to Teal'c and back. Teal'c could recover from his injuries if he just had a symbiote. The Jaffa was brain dead. They'd just send him to Area 51 to be dissected.
Before she could change her mind, she threw herself to her knees and pulled at the man's armor, struggling to unfasten his breast plate. She shoved it aside and unfastened the chain mail shirt he wore, opening it to expose the man's belly. She took a deep breath and shoved her hand into his pouch, belatedly thinking that, if the symbiote was close to maturity, it could try to take her as a host.
Something wriggled against her palm and she grabbed it, pulling the symbiote from the pouch. It writhed weakly, squealing in protest. She clambered to her feet and hurried back over to Teal'c, unceremoniously shoving the creature into his empty womb.
She leaned back on her heels, her breath rasping in her throat. Her hand felt cold and she looked down, staring at the drying mucus and blood that smeared her fingers.
#End flashback
"I killed him," she whispered, looking down at her hand.
Jack shook his head, confused by the sudden change in topic. "Who?"
"He was there and it wasn't fair." She turned to look at Jack. "He shouldn't have lived while Teal'c died."
Jack frowned, still not understanding her. As he watched, her expression changed from dismay to hate in a second. "Code of Hammurabi. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, snake for a snake."
Jack gasped, the meaning of her words sinking in. "Sam--"
"I didn't mean to hurt Teal'c. I thought the new symbiote would fix him but it was too weak, too near death itself. Teal'c hates me for making a cripple and I can't blame him because I hate myself."
"Carter--"
"I CAN'T do it anymore," she said, accentuating the word. "Let me go," she requested, getting to her feet.
"Sam," he said, standing up as well. He wanted to stop her, convince her to come back. That they could work things out. That nobody blamed her for what had happened. That it wasn't her fault, that they could make it all right again.
But he couldn't. He couldn't lie to her. The world had changed and things would never be 'right' again. "You'll call?" he asked, accepting her choice.
She nodded. "Yeah." He pulled her into a hug, surprised when she returned it, her arms sliding around his waist. After a few seconds she pulled away, taking a step back. "It's been an honor."
"Yes, it has."
She turned and Jack watched her walk away. She was stopped in a few yards by Daniel and Teal'c, both of whom Jack guessed had gotten tired of waiting in the car. She and Daniel hugged and she exchanged a few words with Teal'c before she continued past them.
As he watched, she made her way over to a waiting U-Haul. She pulled herself up in the cab and started the engine. "Jack?" Daniel said, joining him.
"Let her go," Jack said. "When she's ready, she'll come back." He forced a confident note into his voice that he didn't feel. Somehow he knew that he'd never see her again.
"And if she doesn't?"
Jack had no answer. /////
"This is bullshit!" O'Neill exclaimed, his voice echoing off the walls of Landry's office.
"Don't hold back," General Landry said, nonplussed by O'Neill's outburst. His sardonic words served to calm O'Neill and the man sighed.
"This can't be the final decision," Daniel Jackson said, holding the same piece of paper that Landry had handed to O'Neill. And the same piece of paper that Teal'c held in his hand.
"As final as it gets," Landry said. "I was sent that as a heads up from a friend of mine. The official announcement will be made in a day or so."
"They're really shutting us down?" O'Neill asked, looking down at the piece of paper in his hands.
Landry nodded. "I'm afraid so."
"Don't they realize what a huge mistake they're making?" Daniel Jackson asked. "If they want weapons to fight the goa'uld, the only way to get those weapons is to go look for them."
"They're confident that we can make our own," Landry said.
"They are wrong," Teal'c said. The three men in the room turned to look at him, Daniel Jackson twisting around in his chair. "Earth may believe that it is advanced, but it is not." Teal'c looked directly into Landry's eyes. "When the goa'uld come again, Earth will be easily conquered. The only advantage Earth has over other planets is its exceedingly large population. However, that too will be vanquished in time."
"There's nothing we can do?" Daniel Jackson asked.
Landry shook his head. "It was all I could to do get permission for Teal'c to go home. In roughly a week's time, the iris will be permanently welded shut and this base abandoned and closed. It will be monitored from Area 51 and the personnel here will be reassigned." He looked up to Teal'c. "If you want to return to your people, I will do that. But you have to leave before the iris is welded shut. Once that happens, there's nothing I can do."
"We still have the Teltac that Sam got from her dad," Daniel said.
"What about Jacob?" O'Neill asked. "Are we going to abandon him too?"
"As far as the Joint Chiefs are concerned, Jacob Carter made his choice. I do have permission to try and get a message to him. But if he doesn't make it back before the iris is closed--"
"He's stuck," O'Neill said.
"I'm afraid so." Landry sighed. "Look, you don't have to do anything just yet. Teal'c, when you want to leave, just say the word. I'll dial the gate myself. I do ask that you keep this information to yourselves until it's officially announced. Dismissed."
O'Neill and Daniel Jackson got to their feet and Teal'c followed them from the room. "Jack," Daniel Jackson said as soon as they were out in the hall.
"Not here," he said. He led them to his office, closing and locking the door to insure their privacy. He walked to his desk and sat down. "Well?"
Daniel Jackson stared over at Teal'c. "So you're just going to accept this?" he asked.
"What the hell do you suggest I do?" O'Neill asked.
"You can fight."
"With what?"
"You know what it's like out there. You, better than anyone, knows what the goa'uld are capable of," he said.
"Which is precisely why they won't listen to a word I say," O'Neill said. "I'm 'compromised'." He made little quote marks in the air. "I will never get another command and I sure as hell will never be allowed off world." He shrugged. "I was going to retire anyway. This just moves things up a bit."
Teal'c frowned, concerned at the level of defeat he heard in his friend's voice. He knew that O'Neill was still suffering from the after effects of his possession by Ba'al. And it was a recovery made even more onerous by the prejudices and fear of those around him. Teal'c knew that O'Neill's mind was again his own, yet in the minds of many, he would never be deemed free from Ba'al.
"They might as well just invite the system lords to come and make themselves at home," Daniel Jackson ranted.
"I shall return to the Land of Light," Teal'c said, looking down at the mangled stump that was his left arm. He did not relish returning to his people. In truth, he feared it. The Tau'ri did not understand the meaning of the word Kek. Any group of Jaffa were only as strong as their weakest member and he, maimed as he was, was weak. For the good of the whole, the weak were excised, removed for the betterment of all.
He could only hope that Drey'auc would welcome him. If she would not, he was confident that he could find employment as a mercenary. Perhaps he and Bra'tac could work together and lead the Jaffa to rebellion. Dying, even in an unwinnable battle, was far more honorable than existing as kek.
"Shau'ri is still out there," Daniel said, his anger fading. "I'm not going to just abandon him."
"You're not gonna have a choice," O'Neill said. "They're gonna shut the gate down and we'll be stuck here. When the goa'uld invade we'll just have a slight heads up on everyone else."
Daniel Jackson looked at Teal'c, his brow knitting furiously. "I have a choice," he said. He looked over to O'Neill. "I can go with Teal'c."
"Are you nuts?"
Daniel Jackson shook his head. "I don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. There's nothing here for me."
"Your family."
"Nick is locked up in a nuthouse. I doubt he'll even notice I'm gone. And don't say my job. THIS is my job, and I'm getting laid off."
"Tupelo would welcome Daniel Jackson in his house," Teal'c said, oddly intrigued by the idea of his friend joining him. "As he would you, O'Neill."
Daniel Jackson turned his gaze to O'Neill. "That's a great idea."
"It's a crazy idea," O'Neill protested.
"What's so crazy about it?"
"You mean other than abandoning Earth and running off to an alien planet?" O'Neill got to his feet. "Landry will never go for it anyway."
"We do not require General Landry's permission," Teal'c said. "In fact, if I understand your rules correctly, it would be best if he has no knowledge of our plans."
"Hijack the gate?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel Jackson shook his head. "We'll hijack the teltac."
"Oh, that'll be easy."
"I believe that it will not be as difficult as you believe," Teal'c said. "In fact, unless I am mistaken, that teltac has not attained flight since we returned from our last mission."
O'Neill frowned and looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "Landry did kinda mention that. What'd you do?"
"I believe the term is insurance," he said. "I removed one of the crystals vital for long term flight and replaced it with a non-functioning one."
"Go, Teal'c," Daniel Jackson said, chuckling a bit.
"You're really gonna leave?" O'Neill asked.
"My goal has always been to fight for the freedom of my people. I cannot do that if I am marooned on this world," Teal'c said. He looked at O'Neill. "It is also not safe if I were to remain. My symbiote will mature in a few of your years. I do not believe your government will look fondly upon my remaining here."
"I'm going with him," Daniel Jackson said, looking at Teal'c for permission. Teal'c nodded.
"Daniel--"
"Jack. There's nothing left here for me. At least if I'm out there I can do something." O'Neill retook his seat, sighing heavily as he leaned back in the chair, covering his face with his hands. "It's ok if you don't want to come," Daniel Jackson said. O'Neill lowered his hands and looked at him. "I doubt we'll be able to come back and Sara and--"
"Sara thinks I'm dead," O'Neill interrupted.
"What? God, Jack--"
"All they found after the attack was a charred dog tag," he said. "Sara was notified and..." He tossed his hands in the air. "It was easier to just stay dead." He leaned forward in the chair, propping his elbows on the desk. "I'm gonna miss pizza."
Daniel Jackson smiled, clearly pleased with O'Neill's response. "What about Sam?" he asked.
"Daniel, she's got a life."
"Don't you think she at least deserves to know what we're doing?"
"Why? So the NID can toss her in jail for being an accessory?" O'Neill said. "Daniel, your little idea can be interpreted as treason at the worst and felony theft at the best. The less people involved the better."
"We can't just go without saying goodbye," Daniel Jackson protested. O'Neill sighed and looked over at Teal'c and he realized that it was not Major Carter that O'Neill was protecting.
#Flashback
Teal'c stood beside the vehicle idly watching the two humans conversing a short distance away. Even with his hearing he could not perceive their words from this distance however their postures and gestures suggested that their topic was a serious one.
"This kinda reminds me of where my parents are buried," Daniel Jackson said, leaning against the side of the car. He looked over at Teal'c. "They died in New York, so Nick buried them there."
"I do not understand the human need to preserve a corpse," Teal'c said. "Once a Jaffa's spirit leaves his body, that body is nothing but an empty shell. It is to be discarded in the most efficient means possible."
"You don't bury your dead?"
Teal'c shook his head. "We prefer cremation."
"I guess that makes sense. Warrior races tend to prefer cremation. I kinda think it's a preference built from practicality."
"It is far more efficient to cremate a corpse than it is to spend valuable time and energy to bury it," Teal'c said. "After a battle, the first priority is to search the fallen and recover any goa'uld symbiotes that have survived."
"What about your own injured?" he asked.
"If they are the injured of the victors, they shall be returned to their barracks if their primta can heal them. If they are the vanquished, they are kek and they shall die," he said.
"Kek?" he asked, frowning. "I'm not sure I'm translating that right. Weak?"
"Indeed. Only the weak lose."
"But the strong survive," he said pointedly. Teal'c did not respond. "That's it," Daniel Jackson said, comprehension crossing his features. "That's what's between you two."
Teal'c remained silent, turning his attention to the two humans. Major Carter got to her feet. She and O'Neill exchanged an embrace then she started to walk towards them. "Sam?"
"It was sweet of you to come, Daniel," she said, embracing him as well.
She turned to Teal'c. "I'm sorry," she said. "I just...I never meant to hurt you. I was just afraid to be alone." She squeezed his arm and hurriedly walked past them.
Daniel Jackson stared after her for a few seconds then hurried to O'Neill's side. "Jack?"
"Let her go," he said as Major Carter climbed up into the cab of a rented truck. "When she's ready, she'll come back."
Teal'c looked at O'Neill, the confident tone of the man's voice ringing false. He did not believe that they would see their friend ever again. Teal'c could see it in O'Neill's eyes. He felt that the woman's departure was permanent. "And if she doesn't?" Daniel Jackson pressed. O'Neill remained silent and Teal'c turned his attention back to the vehicle, watching as it slowly drove out of sight. He should feel peace and vindication that the woman was gone. Yet all he felt was a sense of loss. #end flashback
"Major Carter's skill would be most beneficial to our cause," Teal'c said.
"It will?"
"You sure about this?" O'Neill asked, looking him in the eyes.
"I am indeed," Teal'c said, realizing that he was in fact, sure. He did still have issues with Major Carter, however they were HIS issues. And he could not allow his personal issues to jeopardize his people's freedom.
"Ok." O'Neill shrugged. "Presuming we manage to hijack the teltac without getting killed, we'll stop by Carter's and see if she wants to come." He clapped his hands together and smiled. "So, anybody got a plan to steal this ship?"
"I thought you had a plan," Daniel Jackson said.
"It's your idea."
"I do ideas, you do plans," Daniel Jackson shot back.
Teal'c settled back and listened to his two friends bicker, refusing to allow the amusement he felt show on his face.
/////
Sam jogged up the sidewalk, her feet pounding on the pavement. She turned and made her way up the short walk leading to her apartment complex and slowed, gradually coming to a walk. Still breathing fast, she slowly walked in a circle, cooling down a bit before she went inside.
The apartment complex was an older one and located on the edges of the campus. It was favored by members of the staff and - unofficially - held open for them thanks to the owner being an old class mate of the Dean.
After her house, Sam found it a little small and the plumbing was a little wacky, but it had a certain charm that she found appealing. Her breathing slowing, she climbed the stairs up to her apartment, running through her plans for the day while she climbed. The college was on spring break so the campus and town was pleasantly unoccupied. She was enjoying the peace and quiet, enjoying the well groomed emptiness of the campus.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small keychain, opening the screen door and unlocking her apartment. Regretting not hitting the bagel place during her jog, she made a bee line to the kitchen. She'd set some of that nice imported coffee to brew while she took her shower then settle down and leisurely read the Sunday paper. Maybe she'd have an early dinner, order out from that little pizza place downtown then hit the store and pick up some ice cream.
Just as she stepped into the kitchen, her nose picked up the unmistakable aroma of freshly brewed coffee. A half full carafe sat on her coffee maker and she tensed, her hand going to the cell phone she wore clipped to her waist.
"I'd really appreciate if you didn't do that."
Sam spun, the shock of another voice in her home barely pushed aside by recognition of the voice. "Colonel," she gasped. "What the hell are you doing here?"
He held up her black and gold Mizzou mug. "I see you picked up that fancy coffee thing from Daniel." He took a sip and walked past her, topping off the mug. "This stuff's better than his though. He keeps going for that crappy hazelnut thing."
"It's French vanilla," she muttered, shaking her head slightly. "And you still haven't answered my question."
"I just dropped by." He leaned against the counter, casually crossing one leg over another. He was dressed in civilian clothes, a pair of baggy jeans, Henley shirt and a black leather jacket.
"A thousand miles and two states and you were just in the neighborhood," she said skeptically.
"Distance is relative," he said with a shrug.
"Actually that's time," she corrected. "What's going on? What's wrong?"
The pleasant expression on his face faded, replaced by one of familiar seriousness. "The SGC's shut down," he said. "They're gonna weld the iris shut and bury it and transfer everyone out."
"Oh my God, I didn't think they'd do that," she said.
"Neither did I, but it's done."
"Do they think with the gate buried, the goa'uld won't come?" she asked. "They know where we are. It'll just take them a little longer to round up the ships," she said. "Without the gate, we'll have no chance to stop them. There'll be no warning. We're...we're trapped, easy pickings."
He sighed heavily. "Yeah." He glanced around the room. "Which is why Teal'c, Daniel and I are gonna take a little trip."
"Trip? What kind of trip?"
"A trip," he said meaningfully. "And knowing more could get you arrested."
"But you said the gate..." she trailed off, remembering that the Stargate wasn't their only way off world. "You're not gonna use the gate, are you?"
"We probably won't be back," he said, answering her question by not answering it. "They won't take too kindly to us lifting your dad's ride."
"We?" she asked, afraid to put the question into words.
"Teal'c, Daniel and I," he said. "T was going to return home anyway and Daniel...he still wants to find Shau'ri."
"And you?"
He shrugged. "As far as the world is concerned, I'm still dead."
"Oh."
"We just aah, we didn't want to just disappear."
"Right," she said, forcing enthusiasm into her voice. They didn't want to disappear. Maybe it'd be better if they'd disappeared. At least then she wouldn't have to know what they were doing...and that they were going to do it without her.
"Figured we owed you that much. You have a nice place here," he said, switching the topic. He strolled out of the kitchen and into her living room. "Little small but it's better than my first apartment. That place was a dump. But this is nice. This real wood?" He ran his hands over the door frame.
"It's probably from a real tree and everything. Where are Daniel and Teal'c?"
"They're staying with the ride. You've really made a fresh start here, haven't you?" he asked, looking at her. "I bet your students pay more attention to you than I ever did."
She chuckled. "They pretty much fall asleep," she confessed. "When are you leaving?"
"We just had this one errand," he said. "You know, I'm kinda glad I retired. I don't know what they're teaching cadets these days, but it was way too easy to grab the ride," he said, turning to face her. "All it took was the right ID and a couple of zats."
"You guys are really gonna take that teltac for an extended trip?" she asked.
"If it's good enough for the Tok'ra..."
"You know, that ship is shaky at best," she said. "We had to make a couple of repairs on the way to get you."
"Teal'c can fix it," he said.
"He's a great pilot but...not the best engineer in the world."
"Yeah, well, you know, we can't exactly run an ad in the paper. We'll be fine."
"You'll do better if you have someone with you that actually understands the technology," she said, moving to stand in front of him.
"We're never coming back," he said seriously. "At best we're outlaws, at worst it's treason. Which is why I don't want to ask, I don't..." He stopped and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "The three of us don't have anything left here but you do. You've got a life and a job and family and..."
"I have twelve students that sleep through my class and I was voted the teacher that you don't want to get," she said. "And I am beyond sick of grading papers. Do you think you can use an engineer on that ride of yours?"
He smiled. "I think we can make room." He held out his hand. "Welcome aboard."
Two hours later, Sam signed a note and shoved it into the large envelope, carefully taping the envelope shut. She scribbled Mark's address on the envelope and dug in her purse, finding her book of stamps and sticking several on the envelope.
She looked over at the colonel, rolling her eyes at the amused look on his face. "What?"
"You know, tying up all the loose ends, kinda shoots a hole in the 'he made me do it' defense," he said.
"You said we're not coming back," she said, taking one last glance around the apartment. For the most part, it looked just like normal. She wasn't really taking that much, a couple suitcases of clothes, toiletries and some personal effects that she didn't want to leave behind for Mark. "When dad 'left' he gave me control of his finances. He set up funds for the kids for college. I have to make sure Mark gets that stuff." She held up the envelope. "This is all he needs to get access to my and dad's stuff."
He nodded. "Anything else?"
She shook her head. "I'm ready."
He got to his feet and they each took a bag, Sam tossing her laptop and purse over her shoulder. "You just had to be on the second floor didn't you," he groused as they struggled down the stairs.
"It's safer than the first floor," she said. "How far away did you park?"
"Not far at all," he said, steering her towards a nearby park.
She followed him, her eyes picking out the tell tale shape of a teltac sized area of smashed down grass. "You're very lucky it's spring break," she said. "This park is normally busy."
"Thank god for lazy people," he said, pulling a walkie-talkie out of his pocket. "Open sesame," he said.
Sam watched as the door opened, the interior of the teltac seeming to float in nothingness. "Sam!" Daniel hurried out and walked towards her, his arms outstretched.
Sam let him pull her into a hug, closing her eyes for a second. "Daniel."
"Teaching agrees with you," he said, letting her go and stepping back. Daniel, too, was dressed in his civvies, something that Sam found oddly appealing.
"You wouldn't say that if you were in my class," she said, letting him take the suitcase from her.
"We shouldn't linger, kids," the colonel said, looking back from the doorway.
Sam and Daniel hurried forward, realizing that it would be best if they could make a clean getaway. "I'll go put this away," Daniel offered, heading towards the cargo area of the ship.
Sam looked after him, catching sight of several boxes and crates stacked in the hold. She walked towards the peltac, stopping short as she saw Teal'c stand up from the pilot's chair and walk towards her. She stopped, belatedly realizing that she'd forgotten to ask the colonel one vital question. He wanted her to come along...but did Teal'c?
She stared as he walked closer, her heart pounding in her chest. What if he told her to leave? "Teal'c?"
"Major Carter," he acknowledged, standing a few feet away. Unlike the colonel and Daniel, Teal'c was dressed 'normally', wearing fatigue pants and a black t-shirt. She found it oddly comforting and familiar. A black patch covered his missing eye, giving him a roguish look.
Sam shook her head. "Not any more."
He nodded. "I welcome you to join us, Samantha Carter," he said, smiling slightly. Sam returned the smile, relaxing under his welcoming gaze.
"If you two are done making goo-goo eyes at each other, think we can lift off before someone scrambles the fighters?" the colonel called, looking back at them.
"As you wish," Teal'c said, turning on his heel and reclaiming the pilot's seat. Sam saw Daniel join them as she heard the exterior hatch seal. Jack sat next to him while she and Daniel stood beside the console.
Teal'c fired up the engines and they effortlessly took flight, quickly rising in altitude and leaving the planet. The glowing brightness of the moon filled the view screen and Teal'c paused, looking back at the rest of his team. "Where are we going?" he asked.
Jack looked back at her, raising his eyebrows. "Carter?"
Sam glanced around and grinned. "Second star to the right..."
"And straight on `til morning," Daniel finished.
"You heard her," Jack said, smiling widely. "Let's see what's out there."
~Fin~
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