Coincidence
Coincidence
by Demon Faith, Meloko and Stephali
TITLE: Coincidence
AUTHORS: Demon Faith, Meloko and Stephali
EMAIL: rosabeth@hotmail.com , meloko8@hotmail.com and stephalij@hotmail.com
CATEGORY: S/D, Action/Adventure, Drama, Angst, H/C
SPOILERS: A few minor dotted about: but a general knowledge is all that's needed.
SEASON/SEQUEL: Set after Season 4.
RATING: PG-13
CONTENT WARNINGS: injury, sexual situations, torture, (evil) character death
SUMMARY: SG-1 are trapped off-world - and another SG-1 have taken their place...
DISCLAIMER: The original SG-1 belongs to MGM/Showtime/Viacom. The 'other' SG1 kinda belong to us: anything original - looking is the property of the authors. Not to be archived without the authors permission.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: There is only one thing I have to say - we survived! We have not been committed to mental health - yet. Anything you don't understand, just e-mail us!
Daniel stared at the vast landscape in front of him; it was perfect in every way. The sun hit the leaves at just the right point and reflected beautifully. The birds were singing and for once he'd had a good long sleep. They were all happy, actually, Sam was more than happy she was ecstatic, as the natives had given her what she believed to be a miracle drug, everything couldn't be better.
"It's too perfect, " he thought. " Or maybe I'm just being cynical, I should just enjoy it for how it is, as we only have a short time left". As much as all of them liked it, they had to go home; they'd already stayed longer than they needed to. Jack had told them if they didn't go soon they would be tempted to stay forever, and he was right... but that feeling wouldn't go away, it just lingered in the air and no matter how hard he tried to forget it, he just couldn't.
"Daniel? Daniel, where are you?"
"Over here, Sam."
Sam moved towards his voice, passing through the dense bush to reach the cliff edge and the view beyond.
"I thought you hated heights."
Daniel turned around, just as Sam stepped through the last metres of scrub.
"But the view is worth the trouble."
Sam turned to look, and gasped with wonder. The sky was filled with orange light and there was an ambient glow coming from the hills. The fiery red sun had just risen and was throwing the whole spectre in a blood red light.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
"Yep, it sure is. Come on, Jack'll be looking for us."
Sam nodded slowly, but didn't move from the spot. Daniel sighed, took her arm and began to drag her backwards.
"Hey! Stop it!"
Sam turned towards him, trying to look annoyed. Daniel just laughed. She chased him towards the bushes but suddenly stopped, as the ground began to quake.
"Daniel..."
The archaeologist stopped, grabbing onto her arm again.
"What's happening Sam?"
Before she could answer, the ground beneath split and they fell into the dark chasm below.
~
"Where the hell are they?"
"I know not, O'Neill." Teal'c stopped to consider this. "However, I do believe that they would most likely be in a close proximity to the tremor we just felt."
"That would be just about typical, I suppose. Well, come on. Let's go look for the little lost sheep."
They trudged up the path, alert for any sight or sound of their missing team-mates. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Jack was getting worried, it was unlike Sam to miss a deadline, and the fact she was responding to her radio either meant that something was almost definitely wrong. They had finally reached the spot that Daniel and Sam had been admiring, but any sense of beauty or wonder was lost on them, as their feelings of anxiety and concern took over.
Teal'c began unconsciously retracing the steps that his friends had taken only a few minutes before. He strode towards the bushes, until he saw a strange sight. A small hole, no larger than an elevator, was cut square into the ground. It looked cold and black, and seemed to disappear downwards forever.
"O'Neill!" he called and within seconds, Jack was standing by his side.
"You don't think they....?" He didn't need to finish the question; in his mind there was no doubt where his colleagues were. "So how are we going to get down there?"
Whatever Teal'c was about to say was lost in a terrific rumbling sound, like thunder, but coming from below. Jack shot a glance at him and nodded once. They both stood their ground, even though it seemed that the planet itself was trying to move them from this place. In a few seconds it was all over. It was as if nothing ever happened.
"So what do we do now?" Jack asked, a rescue plan forming in his mind.
There was no need for that plan. The ground splintered, as before, shards of rock falling away like melting snow. Jack lunged for the seemingly unaffected tree, standing only a few metres away. But it was too late. They were swallowed by the darkness, and not a trace of their presence remained.
~
"Any report of SG1" asked the General.
"No, there has been no contact from them for days" the technician told him.
"Tell me as soon as they do" the General insisted. "Are any teams on Earth now?"
"SG3 and" he quickly looked through the files. "They're the only team here, General"
"Get me SG3 at once and tell them to be ready immediately"
"Will..." he stopped as a signal appeared. "It's ...SG1's signal, Sir"
The General now glad but a little confused ordered "Open the iris"
The wormhole gushed out and with it came SG1, with a serious tan.
Hammond walked down to see them; but this was no greeting.
"Colonel O'Neill you were due back days ago"
"Sorry, Sir we lost track of time but Carter did find something which the doc might be interested in seeing"
Sam reached into her bag and pulled out a small green herb like plant.
"I'd liked to run some tests on them Sir"
"Of course Major"
Sam went to her lab to uncover the mystery.
~
Daniel coughed and opened his eyes; where was he?
"Sam" he called in worry.
"I'm here Daniel" she managed to reply through her splitting headache.
Daniel looked around him and tried to figure out where they were. A shiver went down his spine. Well it's cold for a start but it's lit, by what? He tried to stand up and fell back down. He looked back up and saw a friendly face.
"Need any help Daniel" Sam asked, swaying slightly.
"Are you alright?" Typical Daniel; caring by nature.
"Yes, but I think I have a migraine. Give me your hand"
Sam helped Daniel up. "How do you think it's lit?" he asked the expert.
"I don...." She stopped as she saw two people lying on the floor a few feet away.
"Sir! Are you alright?"
Sam took two hurried steps forward, then stopped when her headache overtook her. Daniel took her waist and arm, gently helping her lean against the wall...ah, there was a wall! Daniel's mind quickly jumped to the conclusion of intelligence. An intelligent earthquake? Jack's gonna really hate this...Remembering his friend, Daniel left Sam and went over to Jack, who was moving to sit up.
"You just had to wander, didn't you? I can't leave you alone for one minute..."
Satisfied that Jack was his normal self, Daniel glanced over to Teal'c, who was already on his feet.
"Daniel Jackson, you are injured."
Daniel frowned, and then noticed the pain in his side. He looked down and winced. There was a large gash in his side that had, up to now, dulled its protests because of Daniel's worry and guilt. Now, that he was assured everyone was safe, albeit also sorry, the pain could take over. He just shrugged and made his way back to Sam, who was looking far worse than he did. He slid slowly down the wall and touched her arm gently.
"Hey, you okay?"
Sam looked up at him, and blinked at him rapidly.
"Um...I have a huge headache. I think I've been out for a while."
"Well, I think we all have major concussions! No thanks to you two wanderers, who just had to stumble into an earthquake!"
Sam tried to smile and laugh, but she suddenly saw black creeping across her vision. She tightened her grip on Daniel's arm.
"Daniel, help me. Please, Daniel..."
Sam collapsed to the floor, completely unconscious.
~
Jack strolled into Sam's lab - well, his Sam anyway - and smiled at her.
"How's it going, Carter?"
She looked up and smiled at him. She walked over, pointed to a piece of paper and wrote a passage:
NO ONE SUSPECTS US. WE'RE CLEAR FOR NOW. THE PROTOTYPES WILL NEVER ESCAPE. WE ARE PERFECT COPIES.
Jack smiled and picked up the pen, writing back:
I KNOW. WE WILL SOON TAKE OVER THIS WORLD AND ADD IT TO THE VAST EMPIRE OF APOPHIS.
She nodded and then spoke aloud. "Have you seen Daniel recently, sir? I think he was going to go and look for you."
"No I haven't seen him, but thanks, I'll go and look for him now." He went out the door, into the wider SGC.
~
"Dr. Jackson?" Daniel turned and scowled, but quickly covered it up. It was one of those really annoying military linguists who only spoke a few languages and expected him to translate for them on the spot, it wasn't as if he had anything better to do than help them was it?
"Yes," was all he answered.
"I was just wondering if you'd take a look at these markings. Now they seem to be hieroglyphics, but the word patterns are more compatible with the structure of modern day Italian..."
Now didn't that seem absolutely stupid? Of course this Daniel knew all of these languages and could easily point out where this young officer was going wrong, but he found it so absolutely boring. At least the rest of them got interesting jobs.
At the turn of one of the off-shooting corridors, he saw the form of Jack. He decided to make his escape.
"Well, you're doing fine on your own."
"I am?"
"Yes. You'll soon have this sorted. If you'll excuse me, I have to talk to Colonel O'Neill."
He hurried off, glad to be rid of the linguist and also glad to get the chance to talk to Jack, to see if their plan had developed any further.
~
Sam opened her heavy eyes and let the light return to them.
"Sam" said a caring voice.
Daniel she realised, he was sitting next to her and a sigh of relief had cast through him, as she had awoken.
"Ah, Carter, you've returned" the Colonel joked.
"Are you alright?" Daniel's voice was of pure concern.
"I'm still not a hundred percent but I'll manage, thank for asking Sir"
"What?" he defended.
Just as Sam was about to reply with a snide remark, the Jaffa returned.
"Any luck?"
"Yes I found a hole, but it's only big enough for one person to fit through, but not of my size" Teal'c informed.
They all looked at Sam.
"What?" then she realised. "I'm not going through there.....suddenly I'm feeling faint again"
"Strange that isn't it?" Jack commented.
"Well I took a sudden turn"
"Major, by the sounds of it, you're our only hope" Jack explained in a melodramatic voice.
"But Jack, she's just woken up" Daniel reasoned.
"What if I get stuck?" she asked in attempt to discourage Jack.
" Carter, you're going through whether you like it or not, even if I have to physically push you"
Sam agreed, though not through choice.
"If I do get stuck, be it on your head, and you better be able to get me out of here" she threatened him.
She looked at the hole and saw what Teal'c meant, there was a pretty small gap which no-one else could have fitted through. " But what if I can't get through?" she worried as she reluctantly placed her head in the gap and pushed herself through.
"You alright Carter?"
"So far" she answered as half her body was in and the rest was still at their end; had it not been so serious, it would have almost been comical.
She grabbed onto a rock to help her go forward and felt the ground shake.
"Jack" she cried as the rocks tumbled around her.
~
Daniel woke up, feeling ten times worse than when he fell asleep. Oh, that might be because he was buried under a huge rock! Daniel stared at the massive boulder in horror, as it sat on his protesting legs. His arms were spread-eagled under quite a few rocks, and obviously pinned to the ground. It seemed the wall had fallen on him.
To make matters worse, Sam, who had been in the wall, was lying unconscious beside him. He heard someone stir nearby, and, seeing as Teal'c didn't curse in quite that language (who was he kidding? Teal'c didn't swear at all!), it had to be Jack. He tried to call, but the rocks made breathing difficult. Damn, he always got himself into these stupid situations! So, he tried another way...
Jack could hear something. A slow and steady tapping noise drew his attention to rather large pile of rocks. He moved over to them and gasped.
"Daniel! Are you okay?"
Daniel glared at him, and Jack grinned sheepishly.
"Okay, so I can see you're not. Um...what do you want me to do?"
Daniel was getting frustrated now. Jack wasn't quite that thick, was he? Then, Sam woke up.
"What the hell happened?"
She stood up, clutching her head. She glanced at Jack and then followed his eyes to Daniel.
"Daniel! Oh, let me help you out!"
Then, Jack caught on. Together, they started to move the smaller rocks from Daniel's chest, Sam apologising profusely every time Daniel yelled.
" O'Neill, Major Carter; do you require assistance?"
Teal'c bounded up and took over Sam's position, meaning she could try and make Daniel more comfortable as the pain got worse.
"Carter, we'll need your help with this boulder."
Sam nodded, squeezed Daniel's hand, and then helped them try and shift the boulder. Daniel fully screamed, but the boulder was gone. Sam sat back beside him, and cradled him gently in her arms.
~
Sam was typing, Jack looking anxiously over her shoulder. He wasn't sure that their plan would work and if didn't: he knew he would be the one blamed for it.
"Are you there yet?" he asked impatiently.
"Not yet. But I will be. And soon." He lay his hand firmly on her shoulder, gripping it tightly.
"Good. We wouldn't want to keep the General waiting."
Finally, she brought up the computer program from which she could assess all the iris codes and disable them. It had taken her a long time to get into them, as they had been very well protected. Unfortunately for the SGC, Sam Carter had protected them, and as she was the one breaking in, it was inevitable that she'd get there in the end.
"Now, we know what we're doing, right?" Jack said slowly.
"Of course we do."
Suddenly they heard a loud sneeze, followed by the sound of someone falling violently to the floor. "Damn it!" said Jack, "If that's Daniel..."
It did indeed turn out to be Daniel. Surprisingly though, he was not the one slumped on the floor, or the one staring in horrified shock. He was the one laughing at the scene, in a rather evil kind of way.
"Daniel! What the hell is going on?" Well Jack thought, have to stay in character.
"Sergeant Rogers was fixing those fiddly control panels things.... And then Dr. Frasier came up behind him to tell him something, but instead she sneezed.... And he was a bit shocked, so he turned round really fast.... And hit her."
Sam burst out into the corridor. "Oh my God! Janet?"
The well-trained medical response team was already there, attending to her. "Excuse me Major Carter, but could we use your office for a moment, since it's just over there?"
Sam could think of no reason to say no. "Of course," she said, winking at Jack. He understood and rushed in, flicking off the power to her computer and shutting it down.
"We'll only be a few minutes, then we'll move her to the infirmary."
"As long as she's all right." Sam said that with the sweetest voice she could muster, but inside she was feeling as bitter and evil as a vampire, she could almost taste the blood.....
Perhaps this wasn't going to be that bad after all.
~
Daniel winced as he attempted to stand up with Sam's help, as he gripped tightly on her shoulder, he decided pain did have it's perks after all! But that feeling didn't last......
"Daniel I'm sorry, but I can't keep this up, my head still spinning, Jack can you take over?" Sam asked.
"What take hold of that lump!"
"Excuse me" Daniel protested. "I'm not that heavy!"
"Well I didn't mean that" he paused. "Well actually I did, I should think about......"
Daniel glared at Jack with a thanks-a-lot look.
So it was the strong Jaffa that carried Daniel to the...
"Er, Jack, remember how our only escape route got blocked up" she reminded him.
"Then how exactly are we meant to get out of here?"
As much as Jack wanted to have the solution, he didn't have a clue. They were stuck and there wasn't anything they could do about it.
~
Daniel was feeling powerful. He strolled through the corridor, until he came to Jack's office. He opened the door, and saw Sam sitting in the middle, deep in meditation. Jack and Teal'c were nowhere to be seen, so Daniel locked the door and sat down beside Sam. Colonel's offices have no video cameras...he thought gleefully.
"Daniel, you wanted something?"
Daniel leaned close to her, so that his breath was warm on her neck.
"You need me to answer that?"
Sam opened one eye lazily, before stretching out her legs and leaning back on one hand.
"And have you thought about what I want?"
Daniel mimicked her position, and raised an eyebrow.
"What you've always wanted..."
Sam threw herself at her Daniel, sending him to the floor, as she lolled on top.
"Wants are dangerous things..."
"Who cares?"
Sam kissed her Daniel deeply, before the outside world was lost to them.
~
Teal'c laid Daniel gently on a nearby piece of flat ground. Sam sat down next to him, and he looked up in concern.
"Are you okay?"
Sam eyed him sceptically.
"Shouldn't I be the one asking that?"
"You know it's really not so bad."
Sam studied him. "Really?"
He tried to lie but it didn't work. "Yes... no."
"Do not worry Daniel Jackson, we will find a way out of here soon."
"Thanks Teal'c. I hope so."
~
Teal'c headed up to the briefing room; he needed to speak to Hammond to confirm something. Something important.
"Ah Teal'c! What can I do for you?"
"General Hammond, are there currently any teams off world?"
"No I don't think so. SG6 got back two hours ago and no one is scheduled to leave until your mission tomorrow. Is there a problem?"
"No General Hammond, I was wondering if the Stargate would be activated again today. Sometimes its vibrations disturb my meditation."
"Well you've got nothing to worry about. No one will be coming through that gate while I'm around."
"The same goes for me."
Teal'c turned away, he had to find Jack and tell him that the coast was clear. Any time they wanted they could use the Stargate. And now the iris was temporarily deactivated, who knew who would be paying Earth a visit.
~
Jack paced for the hundredth time. "I can't stand doing nothing, there must be some way out"
"In theory, no-one would build a place without an entrance..." she stopped and the obvious came to her. "What am I saying, there has to be an entrance otherwise they couldn't have got out, or in"
"Maybe it got covered with the constant earthquakes," Daniel suggested.
"How are you feeling?" asked Sam, how many times had she said those words? Each time they left earth, she feared for his safety, oh Daniel.........
"My chest still hurts a bit............"
"Do you want me to check to see if you're okay?" Sam asked quickly: what if he was really hurt?
"I'll be fine, I just don't think I'll be going to the gym for a week............"
Jack burst out laughing and couldn't control himself.
"What's so funny?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing" Jack replied calming himself down. "You made a joke". "Gym..." Jack muttered.
"You're ok then?" Sam clarified.
"I'm fine..."
"Carter, Danny been in a lot worse situations than this, anyway we have more important matters to deal with, like the fact we're stuck with no food, nothing" Jack reminded everyone. "We need to find the exit, now, as I don't think this place will ever grow on me"
"Ok Sir, what do you think we should do?"
"Ok, then Major, you go down there, don't go to far, cause Danny here's pretty helpless, if anyone tries to attack.........." Jack ordered but was cut off by Sam.
"Who?"
"I don't know, just because we haven't met the natives, doesn't mean there aren't any" Jack reminded them. "Teal'c you go that way and I'll go down here, are we clear?"
"As day" Sam muttered.
"Right come back here" he looked at his watch. "In about half an hour, if you find anything, you come back here, you don't go on, Ok?" Jack checked.
"Definitely" Sam commented. "See you soon Daniel"
"Bye". Daniel watched her and everyone go; so what was he going to do?
Sam walked slowly down; what seemed to be a never-ending path. " Everything's the same, haven't they heard of decorating? Oh I wonder what I'm going to find down here?" she wondered as she turned the corner. " More stone, how exciting!" She stopped. A faint dripping sound, she sped up her pace; the sound got louder.
"Water" Sam said in glee. She bent down and swept the cool water on her face, the water dripping into her mouth. " It's fresh". She scooped another handful into her hand and drank. "What am I doing? This is what we wanted, our way out. If I follow the water, in theory, it should lead us out of here"
She turned round to return to the others when a hard object hit her head. Sam slumped to the floor and fell in to unconsciousness.
~
"Sam?"
Sam lazily opened her eyes and smiled.
"Daniel."
He smiled back, fingers trailing down her chin.
"You don't know how long I've wanted to do that..."
"The prototype, not you. You're the replica, aren't you? Hang on, if we're the replicas..."
"Then, how come we can do this?"
Sam stared deeply into her Daniel's eyes, knowing that somewhere there was another, with another Sam, possibly doing exactly what they were doing. However, not in Jack's office. Prototype Jack's office. For the first time, Sam had an overwhelming feeling of unease: this wasn't her world, this wasn't even her time. She was living someone else's life, and for what? To please a Goa'uld. The thought made her sick. This wasn't what the Amalai were for: they were peaceful, loving people. Now, Apophis had found them after many centuries of searching, and had harnessed their shape-shifting abilities for his own use. However, she wasn't going to think about it. The act was everything: she was Samantha Carter and he was Daniel Jackson. And the act must continue...
~
Daniel woke up to beating drums, wondering what the hell was going on. And found himself hanging from the ceiling. Upside down. And it hurt.
"You are awake, stranger."
Daniel hissed with the pain, wondering just why someone felt like stringing him up on the ceiling.
"Who the hell are you? Where are my friends?"
"Your friends? The others in the caves? Why, you are one of them?"
The alien was suddenly very frustrated, and Daniel rolled his eyes. Well, at least the others are okay.
"Yes I am. Um... we're peaceful explorers from another planet, we didn't mean you any harm."
"We could see that from the others, but you? We will not be so easily fooled."
"What?! Sorry, let me rephrase that. You think I'm here to hurt you and the others aren't?"
"We have no reason to believe your story. Those such as yourself are accomplished liars."
This was going nowhere fast. An expression more suited to Jack sprang into Daniel's mind. Oh for cryin' out loud...
"What have I done? Why do you not believe me?"
The alien poked its finger into Daniel's wound, causing him to yell out. "That is proof enough. I will leave you to your torture."
~
"How you feeling Carter?"
Sam lifted her head up. "Like someone's continually beating my head, as if it's a drum"
"That bad"
"I gather aspirins are out of the question" Sam joked
"I'm afraid so"
Sam opened her eyes fully, and looked around her. "Jack where are..." there was someone missing. "Where's Daniel?"
Jack looked at the floor.
"Where is he?" she insisted.
"They, have him"
"Who exactly are they?" she demanded.
"An alien" Teal'c explained.
"So why Daniel, and not us?"
"We're not sure either, maybe they didn't like his face!" Jack remarked.
Sam gave Jack an evil look.
"Ok, maybe now isn't the best time for jokes, but the fact of the matter is, we're stuck"
"Right, they have Daniel...somewhere, and we are where exactly?" she asked.
"Somewhere in this cave, they don't believe we're threats but they're still wary"
"Which is why we're in a...prison, and Daniel's not?" Sam said in frustration; the situation was hopeless.
"O'Neill, they seemed to look suspiciously at Daniel Jackson's injuries" Teal'c told him.
"Really" Jack responded as he hadn't noticed it, actually the fact was these, alien species were hardly nice to look at, he wanted to spend as little time as possible looking at them.
"What's so fascinating about injuries?"
"Maybe, their race doesn't injure easily and they're fascinated or even wary of it?" Sam suggested.
"Ok so they've got some, thing for injuries" Jack searched his mind for any way this could possibly help them but found nothing. "Which doesn't help us at all, and we're basing this all on one suspicious glance, we are doing well," he added with a sarcastic tone.
"There must be some way out of here," Sam reasoned.
"Sam, its rock, there's no way out, unless you have an idea"
"No, I don't " she admitted.
"This is just how I wanted to spend my day..."
~
Daniel felt very sick. His head was throbbing, and the steady drip of blood wasn't helping much either. Oh, why is life so unfair? No one felt like answering.
Suddenly, a young woman, the same sickly mottled green as the rest, walked in. She carried a bowl of water and a cloth and looked as if she was afraid of being seen. She had a jagged scar just above her eyebrow.
"I do not believe you to be Evil. You have suffered as I have."
She pointed to the scar on her forehead, smiling sadly
"My skin was cut by an Evil blade. This is why I serve. They believe markings such as mine are the Evil's sign. And you have a large marking..."
Daniel tried to keep track of her ramblings, a difficult task while hanging upside down.
"You must release me. I need to see my friends."
The girl looked at him steadily and shook her head.
"I can't. The Elders will return soon, and punish us."
Daniel was liking this less ands less. Evil blades? Elders? This sounded like some warped nightmare.
"What's your name?"
"I am Sadie."
"Well, Sadie, I think its time for a revolution."
~
Sam was getting frustrated. The plan was not coming together. And Daniel was becoming increasingly...distracting... No, she told her herself. I have to keep my mind on the job... even if...
At that moment Teal'c marched in, his face caught up in a panic that would normally be associated with his usual self. "Major Carter, I suggest you report to the infirmary immediately."
"My God Teal'c, what's happened?"
He tried to keep himself from breaking down, but failed rather miserably. "It's that Mikau..."
Sam stared in horror, "You mean Jack. You know Jack O'Neill, he's not Mikau any longer."
"But he is..." His voiced trailed off.
"Then they have discovered who he really is?"
"No, he showed them. He told me that he could not bear to watch these people, this planet be enslaved by the Goa'uld. He said it was not what Jack O'Neill would do."
Well that's shed a whole new light on things, Sam thought. I was prepared to go through with this. I was prepared to watch Janet, General Hammond and the others become the slaves of our enemy, just to save my own life. What kind of an Amalai am I? I could not have disobeyed Mikau though; after all he's done for my brother and me.
"What's wrong with Mikau? You have to tell me."
"Since he has lost his shape, he cannot find the strength to continue harnessing the 'oxygen' of this planet."
"Why doesn't he just change back?"
Teal'c said nothing.
"Answer me!" she yelled. "Listen Darmani, I need to know."
At the sound of his real name, Darmani halted. He stepped closer to his sister and asked, "You know how it takes a particular state of mind to change your form? And that any outside disturbance can prevent it?" She nodded. "Are you really ready to hear this?"
"What kind of a question is that? You've known me all my life, you know I'm strong enough to handle it."
"I know you're good friends with Gryorg, and that the relationship between Dr. Jackson and Major Carter only strengthened yours, but Cremia, whatever he's promised you, whatever he's said, it's all lies. He's not allowing Mikau to return to O'Neill's form and it's killing him. He's waiting for Apophis to come and then he'll turn us all in, even you."
Cremia, Sam, whoever she was, she drew herself up straight and raised her head high. "Come on Darmani, just like the old days. We're the cavalry and we're ready to win."
"Just let me remind you of one thing. I don't want to see anyone die here, but especially not you. You're my sister, and I'm ready to fight whoever hurts you. But Gryorg, he's different. He won't mind betraying us all and he'll use any advantage he can find. If that means blackmailing the part of you that is Sam Carter, by appearing as Daniel, then he will. Don't let him win, remember who your real friends are."
"I promise Darmani. No one hurts Mikau and gets away with it. Even if I did sleep with them."
That was news to Darmani, but wisely, he kept that to himself.
~
Sam just couldn't stop worrying about Daniel. A thousand 'what ifs ' went through her mind. What if he was hurt, or worse.............She couldn't bare thinking about it. She couldn't stand just sitting about, in anticipation, not knowing whether they would get out or even what they wanted with them, or even who 'they' were? A thousand questions and she couldn't answer a single one.
Her mind was racing, a plan. She had to think of one, before she and Jack, by the look of things, went crazy. His constant pacing was beginning to make her dizzy and was definitely irritating.
Her thoughts went back to the missing archaeologist. "Where are you Daniel?" Daniel's track record was hardly comforting; no matter how hard he tried, he always seemed to be the one to get hurt.
"Jack stop pacing" She insisted.
He stopped and looked at her. "It helps me think"
"It makes me dizzy" she told him. "So has it helped, any bright ideas?"
"You interrupted my thoughts," he complained.
"Really" she muttered.
Jack was just going to make a sarcastic come back when the door flew open.
"The Elders request to see you"
They all looked at each other and followed her to their fate.
~
Gryorg sat in the prototype's office, thinking of what he was doing. He concentrated on Mikau's energy, moulding it back to its original form. Mikau would not escape him. He needed him dead, away from here. Cremia could not be his until Mikau was dead. Gryorg was descended from the greatest Amalai of all, and Mikau was a mere soldier in the lowliest ranks. But Apophis had made Mikau the leader, casting Gryorg in a very distasteful role. The only advantage to Daniel Jackson was his obvious attachment to Samantha Carter, Cremia's role. And when Mikau was dead, nothing could stop him. Darmani would be easy prey, and Cremia would be his.
Gryorg smiled to himself. Mikau was almost in his natural form - Gryorg could go back home in glory, tell the Amalai's less-evolved cousins, the Terrata, that the Elders had fought a great battle, but only he had survived. The simple idiots would buy it, and then he could explore this universe. There were better games now: The System Lords, Asgard, Tok'ra - lots of brilliant roles, all his for the taking. Gryorg had never felt so alive: there was nothing that could stop him...
"Gryorg? I need to talk to you."
Cremia. She had come to him, would beg for Mikau's life at his feet. He couldn't wait for this scene to begin.
~
"I cannot!"
Sadie ran out of the room, head in her hands. What did he say? Daniel was very confused. He twisted in his restraints, gritting his teeth when the metal chain dug into his ankles. He had to get out of there.
He had been studying the mechanism that had him suspended from the ceiling. The chain was strung through a hook in the ceiling and then came down onto a T-shaped piece of metal sticking out of the wall. Daniel concentrated carefully, and started to swing. Gradually, he built up momentum; trying to ignore the pain it was causing him. Soon, he was swinging the full length of the chain and could reach out to the metal...
Daniel grabbed the piece of metal, pulling himself to it, feeling the chain pull tight. He just resisted the urge to scream, holding the metal tightly with one hand, while unwinding the chain from around the metal. Just as he unwound the last loop, the chain slipped out of his hand. The chain flew through the hook, dropping Daniel quickly and suddenly to the floor. The metal ripped a gash in his hand, and his back crashed into the hard stone floor. Daniel rolled over, trying to control the agony.
After a few moments, he slowly sat up, reaching painfully towards his legs. It was a simple sliding mechanism, and the cuffs came off easily. Daniel slowly got to his feet; hand over the blood-soaked patch of his shirt that concealed his wound. The door was still open: they weren't worried about escape. Daniel moved out of the cell, and into the corridor, fighting to stay conscious. He could hear voices nearby and was sure he recognised them...he made his way to the door. As he approached, the voices got louder and louder. He turned the stiff handle, and the door swung open.
"Daniel!"
Satisfied he was safe, Daniel knew he could rest. He collapsed forward, letting the darkness take him.
~
"What do you think you're doing Gryorg? I know you've done some terrible things in the past, but this?"
"I'm doing what we were ordered to do, what we were paid to do. Surely the benefits of completing this mission successfully are - how shall I put it - an incentive?"
"How can you even consider it? Mikau has done a lot for you, you know?" Cremia flashed with anger, literally, her form losing some its stability as the emotions rose up inside her.
"Temper, Cremia, temper. You wouldn't want to be like our poor friend Mikau now, would you? Such a shame that he let the feelings of his prototype interfere with the saving of our race."
"Stop hurting him! You're doing it now aren't you? You're still killing him!"
"My mind is merely preoccupied, but I admit, my thoughts have wandered to him now and again."
Cremia closed her eyes and concentrated. She didn't care who Gryorg was, but he was killing Mikau and she would stop him somehow. She pictured it in her mind, his atoms, molecules, his very being, and in her mind she saw it flow back into his original form. Gryorg walked over to her and grabbed her head roughly, her eyes flung open in panic.
"Trying something, are we?" he asked.
She gulped, for it took even the most skilled Amalai several hours to complete the transformation and even then, when they were totally undisturbed. It was different, of course, transfiguring yourself, which could be done in just a few minutes, providing no one else was blocking your thoughts. Cremia was trying to change Gryorg though, just to take his mind off Mikau and allow him to regain his strength. If Mikau could just assert his feelings of control over the invading ones, he would be all right. He needed more time though.
"I think I'd like to see you die here," she said.
"Sam, honey, don't talk to me like that. I am, after all, what you believe to be your soul mate. You love me don't you? Deep inside of you, it's there, you cannot deny it."
Cremia recognised what he was doing, trying to trap her within the feelings of her prototype, the same thing which had led Mikau to this whole situation in the first place. She wasn't going to let him, she was stronger than that. But deep inside, she knew a longing more powerful that anger was eating away at her. She still loved him.
Cremia thought quickly, there has to be another way! But her racing heart couldn't find one. There was only one thing left to do, but it was killing her to even try.
~
Janet was worried, confused, angry, frightened, confused, scared, bewildered and extremely confused all at the same time. What had been going on around here lately?
The whole of SG1 had been acting...weird, to say the least. Ever since.... " They returned from P39 5X" she realised. " What happened there? And where in the world is Jack". She wondered, as she hadn't seen him in days. She was going to figure out what had happened on that planet, before things got any weirder. She left her office in search of General Hammond but heard a voice calling her.
"Janet"
"Yes, Daniel". She turned around slowly; worried at what he might do.
"Sam's hurt" he explained. "In one of the science labs"
"How bad?"
"She needs your help immediately"
~
"Daniel" Sam screamed as he crumpled to the floor.
The guards turned round pointing their spears.
Jack signalled to Teal'c. " Time to use our initiative"
Teal'c slammed one of the guards to the wall while Jack grabbed another from behind. After sending them both to the floor they swiftly grabbed their spears.
"Jack" Sam mumbled.
The last guard was holding a spear near her throat.
Jack turned round quickly and stabbed the man with the spear. "Teal'c, can you carry Daniel?"
The Jaffa didn't need to be told twice and awaited his next orders.
" Now to get out of here"
They raced through the corridors, trying to find somewhere to be safe. Sam could feel her heart pounding in her chest, as she ran her very fastest. She kept glancing at Daniel's still form, wondering what they had done to him. When I get my hands on them...
Suddenly, Sam saw a door. It was exactly like the walls - blending in naturally. She pulled Jack to a halt, who in turn grabbed hold up Teal'c. Sam placed her hand instinctively in the centre, and the door slid open. They rushed in, and the door closed behind them.
"Evil!"
They turned suddenly, to see one of the female aliens nursing a child in her lap. A girl attended to her, and she looked up as well.
"No, he is the one they caught!"
The girl stood and walked over to Daniel, touching his face lightly. Sam bristled, but Jack held her back. Daniel's eyes opened weakly, and he frowned.
"Sadie?"
The girl nodded, and turned back to the other woman.
"It is all right. I know this man. He is not Evil."
The woman relaxed, and Sadie indicated a linen couch. Teal'c laid Daniel gently upon it, and Sam knelt next to him. Sadie handed Sam a bowl and cloth.
"You can help him?"
"I'll try."
Sadie nodded, and returned to the woman, bandaging a deep gash on her wrist.
"Hide from the Guards for three days. Then, tell them you were lost. There shall be no markings."
"Thank you, Sadie."
The woman stood, carrying her child, and exited through a door in the back of the room. Sam had already started cleaning Daniel's wounds, apologising profusely when he winced. Soon, she came to the large wound on his abdomen. It looked to be infected. Sam cleaned it carefully and dressed it, before arranging the pillows to make Daniel more comfortable.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better. Thank you."
"No trouble."
Sadie was sitting with Jack and Teal'c then, and she nudged Jack and whispered,
"They are married then?"
"Hell, no. Just good friends."
Sadie frowned, before turning back to Jack.
"Friends do not gaze so."
Jack watched Sam carefully, the ways her eyes unwaveringly fixed on Daniel; how her hand moved gently over his skin; how she talked in warm and comforting tones. Perhaps Sadie was right...but it couldn't be, could it?
"I'm not sure, Sadie."
Sadie just kept looking at them, and she smiled.
"But I am."
~
General Hammond was disturbed to say the least: it seemed as if nothing had gone right recently. He stared down at his transmitter, not knowing what to say in response to the threats he had received. In the corner of his office, Mikau slouched, dying. He barely resembled Jack O'Neill anymore; instead his finer, paler skin and dishevelled, weaker limbs were unravelling their secrets. The Amalai was revealing his true colours, but he wasn't the only one.
The radio had stuttered once, several moments beforehand, issuing an ultimatum. Gryorg had contacted them, dictating a series of harsh demands, or threatening them with total annihilation. Hammond had been considering refusing outright, but a heart-breaking scream from Janet had changed his mind. Gryorg had taken her, tortured her, wearing the face of one of her best friends. George also heard the plaintive cries of Carter, or whomever she was, in the background, pleading with Daniel not to take this any further. But he hadn't listened, and Hammond had been forced to listen to their pain.
"Don't!" Just one word left Mikau's lips, his voice cracking before he could say anymore.
General Hammond studied him, wondering why on Earth he should allow himself to be swayed by the judgement of this creature. This thing had deceived him, abandoned his team and abused his staff. He had come into the base with one thing only in mind, to hand the Tau'ri over to Apophis. Why should he even listen to Mikau's words?
But he looked harder. He saw Jack there, he saw aspects of himself. Hammond saw Mikau as a leader of a team in a hostile, unfamiliar environment, forced into slavery by an evil dictator. Yet he saw him as someone who was trying to make things right, risking his own life in the process. Hammond knew he should listen, because Mikau was asking him to do the right thing. He nodded to the alien, who he had known for short a time and grimaced, preparing himself for what he was about to say.
"We have heard your demands, Gryorg, and we understand them. But in no circumstance will I allow this facility to fall into enemy control. I will be sending a patrol to your destination and when they will find you, your life will indeed be terminated."
Despite his previous control over the situation, there was a definite sense of panic in Gryorg's reply. "But... but what about the hostages? Will you let your doctor die?"
Mikau stood up for the first time, still wincing in pain, but stronger, he had just regained some control over himself. "Listen Gryorg, this is about you and me. Let Dr. Frasier and Cremia go and then we can do this one on one."
"Ah Mikau, I didn't think I'd be hearing from you so soon. I'm glad that..."
"Shut up! Shut up! This is your fault and we're going to finish it here. You better start praying to your god, because you're gonna need all the help you can get." Mikau moved to burst out the door, when a warning suddenly sounded in the embarkation room.
"Unauthorised Gate activation. Unauthorised Gate activation. Defence teams to the Embarkation Room. This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill!"
Hammond and Mikau rushed to the control room, Mikau automatically taking control of the situation. It was in Jack's nature. He looked to the technician, as a grinding, hissing sound started sounding from the iris.
"The iris is not holding, sir. It's under attack."
"Can you divert power?"
"Negative. We're using the maximum available already!"
Suddenly Gryorg's voice echoed round the room, amplified by the radio he was holding. "Seems my God is already here. You better start praying for his mercy, not that he'll give you any, but it'll be fun to see you beg."
Mikau turned to him, furious. "You planned this all along, didn't you?"
"Maybe I did. But foolish, old, self-confident Mikau, you missed it didn't you? Well now you're going to face up to your mistake. Apophis is all-powerful and he'll be here very soon."
~
"Please Gryorg, please don't do this" Cremia begged.
"Do what? Obey our God, isn't that what we were sent here to do? Do you not remember who you are, has this planet made you loose your mind. You are not Samantha Carter; you're an Amalai, sent by Apophis. You know the plan Cremia, he's here now, choose your side, but I'm warning you, make sure it's the right one"
"You mean, your one, never" she shouted.
" Such a waste, but you do have a choice, well death or victory by a God." He grabbed her face. "A God Cremia, not just a petty human". He threw her to the floor. "Then again, you were always weak"
She looked up at him, in pure hatred. "I can't believe I ever loved you, if I'd known what you'd become, I would have stopped myself" she said bitterly.
"The point is you still do, our love will not die, but you might"
"Our love did die, it died the day you went against me"
"So heartbreaking" he replied sarcastically walking to the door. He turned back "I have a world to conquer"
"Do you not remember what he did to your mother, you're whole family"
He turned around and for one moment, she was sure she saw a tear in his eye. "How dare you speak of them!"
"True, though, he killed them one by one; but before he did, he tortured them, slowly........."
"Stop it" he demanded. "Apophis will make your death slow"
"Can you imagine the pain they went through, your little sister was still only a toddler...?"
"Stop it now, otherwise I'll make you" he threatened.
Cremia coughed and the door landed heavily on the floor and before Gryorg could do anything he was hit on the back of the head, sending him into complete darkness.
~
"You look tired, Sam."
Jack, Teal'c and Sadie were still covertly watching them, Jack realising just how much he had missed before. The gestures, the smiles, the total understanding between them - no wonder Sadie thought they were married.
"Are you sure you'll be alright?"
"The others are here, I'll be fine. Just rest."
Sam sighed, gathered a few cushions and lay on the floor beside Daniel. It only took a few minutes before her figure relaxed, and she finally fell asleep. Daniel watched her, smiling lazily. He was so lucky to have a friend like Sam. Someone he could trust, confide in, rely on and simply enjoy being with. She was the one constant in his shifting universe, what made him smile when he thought of her, what made him never wish for more. She meant so much to him - there were no words to describe it. He owed her everything, a debt he could never hope to pay. Their friendship was the most important thing in his life, but its limits cast a shadow on his heart.
"Dan-yel, you are well?"
"Yes, Sadie, I'm feeling much better."
Sadie glanced between Sam and Daniel, smiling to herself.
"You care for her?"
"Very much."
Daniel reached down and brushed the hair out of Sam's eyes.
"As she cares for you."
With that, Sadie stood and walked away, leaving Daniel feeling very confused and doubtful. As she cares for you. Just words, meaningless. Sam and him possessed a torment that no one could understand: empty vessels holding no wine; leafless trees that bear no fruit and shattered hearts that can never love.
~
Janet clambered up from the floor, though it was clear the motion hurt her. She needed to stop the blood that was pouring from her arm, from the wounds, which were still stinging. She looked at the dark form that was Teal'c who was standing in the door.
"Thank you," she gasped. "I don't know what came over Daniel. Any ideas Sam? And what was that about his sister? And what the hell's going on? What about Apophis?"
It was clear to Cremia that Janet was still seriously in pain, as her hands were shaking and her eyes seemed to have trouble focusing. She was also confused, having missed the fact that this SG1 were not who they seemed. A sudden thought flashed across her mind. What if they survived this? What if the prototype SG1 came back? How would Janet react to seeing Daniel, when she thinks he's done this to her? She was about to explain, but was reminded harshly of problems, which needed acting on sooner. Sorry Janet, she mentally wrote, I'll explain later.
Darmani looked briefly from one to the other. "Perhaps it would be kindest...."
Cremia nodded. Darmani tapped Janet skilfully on the back of her head and she collapsed into his arms. "I'm sorry, friend," he said, "But at least you'll be safe for now,"
A booming voice suddenly echoed throughout the complex, everyone's worse fears had come true. #This is your god Apophis. People of the Tau'ri, you will surrender to me. Disobey me and you will all be destroyed#
"Looks like the party's begun."
"Cremia, did anyone ever tell you that you had the worst sense of humour?"
"Several times, but don't you think we should get going?"
"Plan A or plan B?"
"I guess we'll just have to see how it goes."
~
A Jaffa ran up the ramp to the Stargate, bowing respectfully as he approached Apophis. "My Lord, the Amalai are here to welcome you."
#Send them in.#
Cremia and Darmani marched solemnly in through the door, both stopping what they deemed to be a safe distance away from Apophis.
#The plan worked, did it not? #
Cremia stepped forward, "Perfectly, my Lord. Your plan was as excellent as ever."
#Where are Gryorg and Mikau? Surely they would not dishonour me by staying away?#
"They both deeply regret not being here to make you welcome but the tasks they are performing are both of the utmost importance."
#I understand. Send them to me as soon as possible#
"Yes, my Lord."
#Dismissed#
~
"As much as I love, this planet and the cosy relationship we've got going here" he looked straight at Sam and Daniel. Why can't they just get their act together? " For my sanity's sake, we need a plan. Sadie you know this place better than any of us, how do we get out?"
"There are many guards..." she warned.
"We can deal with man power, those last guards didn't know what hit them!"
They all groaned, for once even Teal'c understood the comment, but the 'joke' was lost on Sadie.
"What about these Elders?" wondered Sam.
"They are very wise and they've have deliberately designed this place, so escape will not be easy"
"What about a plan of this place?" Daniel suggested.
"We hardly have pen or paper" Jack replied in disbelief.
"But we do have rocks and a wall"
Sam saw where he was going and picked up a rock for her.
"Draw everything you can think of," she told her.
Sadie looked at them doubtfully, but started to draw. She finished what seemed to Jack, an eternity later. She stood by it: proud of her work.
"Quite the artist aren't we" Jack commented at the vast detail she'd gone into. "So now we have the diagram, explain what you mean and any helpful information like, where the guards are"
As Sadie explained a plan began to form in Jack's mind
~
#Bring in the prisoners# Apophis demanded.
Cremia watched in dismay as his guards led out Mikau as well as, what seemed to be the whole base. "Gryorg, how could you". She felt Darmani's grip her hand and she looked at him with tears forming in her eyes. " I thought he believed us!" she thought as she remembered Apophis's first reaction.
#You thought you could disobey a God # he shouted. #Or have you forgotten that you worship me. Where is Gryorg? I demand to see him# He looked at Cremia and Darmani. # Now#
Cremia could stand this no longer. Fire was building inside her, energy converging on her position. Her anger fuelled her and she knew what she had to do.
"You are no God! We are the Amalai, masters of disguise. You thought you could control us, but you cannot even begin."
Apophis looked angered, but Cremia was past anger and well into fury. And her rage could be contained no longer. With a roar, she morphed suddenly into a huge serpent-like creature, hissing and spitting. Cremia lunged towards Apophis, seized him in her jaws and shook him like a rag doll, sinking her venomous fangs into his limp body.
"Cremia watch out!"
The Stargate was dialling. Cremia knew she couldn't move in time. Or, maybe she could...
Cremia leapt towards the Control Room, and smashed through the window and into the room, her tail sliding down the stairs. She dropped Apophis onto the floor, before morphing back into Samantha Carter.
"I think that's the end of this invasion."
Dusting off her jacket, she sauntered down to the Gate room.
~
Jack looked at the 'couple', well they would be if they got their act together, he didn't have the heart to wake them but if we want to get out of here.............
"Carter" he shook her.
Her head slumped and she slowly opened her eyes; she was surprised to find that she'd been sleeping in Daniel's lap. Daniel then woke; they stared at each other, and Sam stood up.
"Yes, Sir" she try to sound formal, in order to avoid the awkwardness.
"Do we all know the plan?" asked Jack.
They all nodded.
"So go get you're weapons" he ordered. "We don't have much time"
Jack and Teal'c stood by the door, waiting in anticipation. They had one chance, and a single fault could ruin the whole escape. They listened carefully next to the entrance, awaiting the distinct sound of footsteps. A small sound came from down the corridor and they both tightened their grip. Jack signalled as he heard what they had been waiting for: footsteps.
Quickly Jack pressed the device to open the door and Teal'c walked out slowly, his staff weapon in position to pull the trigger, he checked for guards but as they hoped he found none. He nodded and they all moved swiftly out the door. They followed Jack as he led them into a room, which, if his memory served, would lead them out of this place. When he'd reached the room he watched his team move towards safety and saw in horror a shot being fired into Sam's back.
~
Watching from the not so relative comfort of the observation room window, General Hammond finally allowed himself to smile. Although a part of him wished that his SG1 could be the ones to finish off Apophis all the same, he was still very, very, very glad that their arch nemesis had finally been killed. And this time, there would be no Sokar to save him. It was over. Finally.
Mikau picked himself up off the floor and sank into a chair. He looked stronger now, happier, as if a great weight had been lifted off his shoulders. Still in the form of Jack O'Neill he waved to Cremia and Darmani in the Gate room below, who upon seeing their leader well again, dashed up a flight of stairs to meet him.
Hammond watched somewhat in amusement. It you hadn't have known they were Amalai, you would have thought they were the real SG1, saving the planet yet again from being taken over. Except there was no Doctor Jackson. Speaking of... "Congratulations of course, and thank you for helping protect this Earth, but where is the other Amalai?"
Mikau frowned. "I suppose that we should take care of him." He didn't mean it in the nice, friendly nursing way.
Cremia was almost ready to agree, but then a thought struck her: Janet! "I think we should keep him around a little while longer."
"Why?" asked Darmani, perplexed.
"When the real SG1 return, Dr. Frasier may find it hard to accept Dr. Jackson's presence after what Gryorg has done to her. She may find it easier to adjust, if she sees Gryorg there as well as him."
Hammond sighed, if he was completely honest with himself, he had forgotten about Janet in the overwhelming crisis. Now it was time to be the real leader of the SGC and help her recover. As well as praying for SG1's return.
~
Daniel heard the shot being fired and saw Sam falling to the ground; he fell to his knees stopping her from hitting the floor. Teal'c then pulled the trigger on the staff weapon killing her shooter. The noise-triggered an alarm, sending an army of soldiers for them.
"Teal'c you guard the door while I help Daniel out with Sam"
Sam was fully unconscious and the blood was gathering around the wound. Daniel looked at her in fear; she was the scientist and he wasn't a doctor (of medicine). He needed Janet, but she was back on Earth. Think, Daniel, think - she could die...
Suddenly the weight got lighter; Jack had taken Sam's other arm. Daniel could see that Jack was panicking as much as he was; he was trying to think of how they were going to get out of here, at the same time as worrying about Sam.
"We stick to the plan," Jack ordered. By carrying Sam he had no hand to fire. "Sadie, can you take Sam?"
"Yes, follow me, I will lead us out"
"How many?" Jack asked Teal'c who was watching the door.
"There seems to a whole army, O'Neill"
"We must move quickly" Jack insisted: taking out his gun.
They were going to be in for a ride. Jack glanced behind him, aware of Daniel lowering Sam to the floor for a moment, trying to stem the blood flow. The archaeologist slipped off his jacket, wincing as he did so. Jack could've kicked himself. He had completely forgotten about Daniel's own injuries. This was going totally wrong - it wasn't meant to be this way!
Daniel wrapped the jacket around Sam's frail body, noticing his own dried blood on the material. Daniel heaved her into his arms, hugging her close in an attempt to keep her warm. He checked her pulse again, and was glad that it seemed to be getting stronger.
Daniel nodded to Jack, and the colonel smiled tightly. He readied himself, signalled Teal'c, and they started towards the Stargate. Sadie had spoken of the trap door that led to the basement floor, and that would provide them with a safe route to the corridor opposite the Stargate Room. Sadie wasn't sure of the security on the Gate, but they just had to pray that Fate was on their side. Jack's faith in any Gods had long been shattered, but he still hoped that there was some force to aid them.
They crept stealthily around the corner, Daniel attempting to be furtive with Sam in his arms, now warming a little. Jack found the trap door and Teal'c released it, revealing a flight of stone steps. They hurried down into the inky darkness. Sadie shut the door, and Teal'c illuminated the dark, dank corridor. Immediately came the stench of fresh blood, and Sadie blanched.
"The Evil are executed here," she whispered anxiously, "Their ghosts haunt this place."
Jack glanced at Teal'c, and then hurried on. Daniel shifted Sam in his arms, knowing he had done all he could, but still feeling inadequate. They soon reached the end of this corridor of shadows and death, passing disturbing corpses of the executed.
Teal'c slowly opened the door, and they moved swiftly into the corridor and glanced across. The room was empty!
"Jack, you will take me?" Sadie looked up at Jack, pleading with her eyes. He nodded slowly, and then glanced over again. He could've sworn he had heard something.
"I'll go."
Sadie moved slowly towards the Stargate, and slipped through the door. A girlish giggle could be heard, followed by a harsh male laugh. Jack retreated into the shadows, as Sadie lead the man outside, whispering seductively. The man looked pleased enough, and all Jack had to do was aim...
The man fell, and they headed quickly into the room, Teal'c heading straight for the DHD. The Gate seemed to dial extra slowly, painstakingly taking an eternity to establish a wormhole. Finally, the seventh chevron locked, as footsteps were heard in the corridor. No one needed to be told twice. A moment later, as Jaffa burst onto the scene, they found an empty Stargate and a deserted room.
~
General Hammond had to admit he was slightly anxious when he saw the iris code designating that SG1, the real SG1, were coming home. There were still Amalai wearing their faces inhabiting the base and since the last encounter with clones, he didn't think they would take this situation too well. He was pleased to see them though, very pleased. Until he saw the still, bloodied form of Carter and instantly his heart sank, couldn't they have just one peaceful mission? He guessed not.
The well-practised medical team were already on the scene, although the absence of Janet, their natural leader, was missed. They didn't seem as confident somehow, double-checking equipment and questioning each other for their opinions. Normally Janet gave the orders with no arguments. Hammond sympathised with the team; it was hard to cope when such a leading figure was missed, especially if no other senior members of the team were present. It looked as if any serious medical crisis was going to have to be diverted away from the SGC. However, he had to concentrate on the present.
When Sam had been stabilised, still sleeping, but relatively well set on the road to recovery, General Hammond called Teal'c and Jack into his office. Daniel would not be pried away from Sam's bedside, something, which didn't necessarily surprise George, but something, which would probably not be looked too favourably upon within the military. Waiting for them were Mikau, Darmani and Cremia.
Hammond had kind of explained to Jack what had happened since they had been away, but he was still not expecting his full-scale explosion when he saw the three Amalai sitting comfortably in the office.
Jack took one look at them, turned to Teal'c and yelled, "How dare you?"
Teal'c looked between the two Colonels', but it was easy for him to tell which one, was the actual Jack O'Neill, due to the look of fury on his face.
Deep down Jack was angrier that he himself hadn't killed Apophis, or even been there to see it for himself, for so long they'd fought him. Well least I got to see him die once........ How dare they impersonate us....
"Remember Colonel that they did in fact stop Apophis from killing us all" General Hammond reminded him.
"There wouldn't have been a danger, but for them"
"They killed Apophis, you should give them gratitude"
Cremia looked angrily at Darmani, she'd saved them after all, they could be grateful.
Mikau, couldn't believe this jerk was the real Jack O'Neill, leader of the famous SG1, killer of many of the Egyptians Gods, Ra and Hathor, to name a few. They really must be better at fighting than talking.
"So Colonel" Hammond gestured to him.
"Yeah, thanks" he muttered.
"Thank-you" the Jaffa said solemnly.
The three Amalai were still not clear about this Jaffa, deserter of Apophis, but then again now they had something in common.
"Request to see Major Carter" Jack asked before he'd do something he'd regret, to them. He didn't care what the General said, nobody pretended to be him, and help the Goa'uld take over the world. The one called Gryorg, still wasn't to be trusted, and after what he did to Janet, he was furious. Yeah, thanks a lot, thanks for getting my world nearly taken over. That reminded him, how was Janet, would she ever trust Daniel again? But it wasn't Daniel, it was him, Daniel had been with him, getting hurt again, but for once it wasn't him lying in bed; he was in the infirmary though.
"Come on Teal'c, time to see the blooded Carter"
~
A shaken Doctor Frasier entered the infirmary. General Hammond had explained to her about the clones, and at first she couldn't believe him, then he showed her Daniel's clone. It made sense, but that clone had tortured her; she whimpered as the door hit her side. Of course she'd been happy to find out that it hadn't been the real Daniel who'd subjected her to that pain, but it still didn't take away; the fear and suffering the clone had exposed her to. She'd recovered physically but mentally; she didn't know........................................
She stopped and her heart skipped a beat.
It was him, her mind flashed back to the torture. She felt the pain, and all she could see was him.............
"Janet" he uttered.
How dare he call me by my name...........
"Are you alright, Janet?" Sam asked her in concern.
" Sam, this is Daniel, the real one, remember, not torturer" she forced herself to recall.
"I'm fi, fine" she stuttered.
Both Sam and Daniel looked at each other; realising why she was in this state, and how hard it was, and still is for her.
"Janet, the General explained, you needn't be afraid of him, this is Daniel, the same awkward," he protested at that remark, but saw her point. "Archaeologist you've always known. Could he really hurt you?"
Sam nudged him, and he looked at her with the same puppy dog eyes, which women couldn't fail to resist.
Janet lightened slightly, but still she found it hard to look at that face...
They just didn't know how to convince her; they had to; for her to fight the ghost she must conquer her fear.
Sam couldn't think straight lying down; she shifted and lifted herself up. As her legs hit the floor, she lost her balance, Daniel catching her fall.
Janet looked intently at the caring, concerned look on his face, of which the clone wasn't possible. This was Daniel, Sam, was right, Daniel could never do that. I've seen the clone, now I'm just going to have to fight.......................
~
"I can't believe they all thought that Ama....Ama, whatever they're called"
"Amalai" Teal'c reminded him.
"They all thought he was me, how could they believe that, jerk was me?"
"They were very convincing, and they had no reason to doubt them" Teal'c reasoned.
"Yeah, I suppose they must've been."
Jack rubbed the bridge of his nose. It had been a long day.
"You should rest, O'Neill. I will check up on Major Carter."
Jack was already down the corridor.
"Yeah, you do that."
~
Daniel gently helped Sam back up onto the bed, as Janet came up towards him, cautious and afraid. Daniel didn't know what to do, how he could help - he just held out his hand. Janet placed her hand in his, knowing this was really Daniel, not some impostor, some torturer.
"Daniel, I can't..."
"I know, Janet. It's okay."
She smiled, and then turned to Sam.
"And don't you try that again!"
Sam smiled, as Daniel gently hugged her, and then winced. He clutched his side and promptly fell off the bed.
"Daniel!"
Janet bent down, forgetting everything for a moment. She removed his shirt and gasped. Blood was seeping through the makeshift bandages, and she met his apologetic eyes.
"Daniel Jackson, sometimes you can be insanely stupid."
"Don't I know it," he muttered. Janet helped him up and sat him on the next bed, calling some nurses over. Sam settled down on her bed, wondering where this was going to lead.
~
Not very far, surprisingly. Daniel's injuries weren't too bad, on his scale anyway, and soon he was released from the infirmary in a considerably less pain than when he entered. General Hammond had called all of SG1 and Dr. Frasier to another debriefing about the Amalai, which Daniel was looking forward to with interest, though Gryorg wasn't the ideal character to impersonate him.
He entered the briefing room and sat down. Jack, Sam and all three Amalai were already there. Teal'c soon walked in and sat down by Sam and they waited. General Hammond came a couple of minutes later, Janet only a few steps behind him. Everyone in the room watched as she swallowed hard, before quickly seating herself beside Daniel. She was getting better.
"Well, SG1, Dr. Frasier and our guests, it's certainly been an interesting mission for..."
Mikau interrupted Hammond, "I know what you're going to say. It's time for us to leave now. We'll go home and maybe try and stop our people becoming slaves to the Goa'uld."
Jack opened his mouth to protest, who interrupted the General in such a disregarding way? Then he realised he did nearly every day. And anyway, then he'd end up arguing for the Amalai to stay. Jack really didn't want that.
"You don't have to leave right away," Sam said, "There are a lot of things we could..."
This time it was Cremia who interrupted. "Look at me, Sam. I can't stay here now you're back. And even though I could change form, I wouldn't want to. I want to be myself again, and the only place I can really be me is back home."
"Well if you're sure you want to leave..." Jack hinted.
"It's Ok O'Neill," Darmani said, out of habit of impersonating Teal'c, "We can leave as soon as you're ready."
Jack nodded, a small smile of gratitude on his face.
Cremia couldn't help herself and burst out, "We're going home at last!"
~
The seventh chevron was locked in place, as Mikau, Cremia and Darmani pushed Gryorg unceremoniously through the wormhole. He had been knocked unconscious to prevent him from changing form and escaping his bonds. Mikau was going to see to it personally that Gryorg got exactly what he deserved.
"Once again, I'm sorry for what happened," Darmani said as he said goodbye to the SGC. "We didn't mean it."
"I know," General Hammond said, "We all know."
As they turned to step through the Gate, Janet called, "Cremia!"
She turned and smiled.
"I just wanted to thank you, all three of you again, for saving me."
"No problem." She waved and then followed Mikau and Darmani back to their home world, where they could start a better life.
The Gate shut down and then the silence was broken by an agitated, "You really couldn't tell that guy.... what was his name..... Mikau?...... wasn't me? General I'm ashamed of you. And what kind of name is Mikau anyway?"
Daniel and Sam quickly edged away. "I think the General's not going to ever here the end of this," he said.
Sam laughed and put her arm round him. "I think you're right."
THE END
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