The Face of the Enemy By Sci-Fi Nut - justockert@satx.rr.com ******************* Includes: The Face of the Enemy Another Trip Into Wonderland ******************* The Face of the Enemy By Sci-Fi Nut - justockert@satx.rr.com RATING: PG-13 WARNINGS: None CATEGORY: Action/Adventure, Drama PAIRING: Sam/Jack SPOILERS: Small Victories, Upgrades, Divide and Conquer, Tangent, The Curse TIME FRAME: Season 4 SUMMARY: Sam and Jack struggle to regain common ground after the events of Divide and Conquer while gating to a new planet to discover the secrets of an ancient civilization and unveil the threat of a new Goa'uld dominance. DISCLAIMER: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. We have written this story for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the authors. Not to be archived without permission of the authors. ******************* Chapter One "None of this has to leave this room," she had said knowing they couldn't act upon the feelings each had declared just moments before. "And.... we're okay with that?" he had questioned knowing he would never truly be okay with such a concept. Granted, this had not been the way he had envisioned telling her of his ever-growing feelings but they were out in the open now. At least amongst themselves and a few others that had been in the room during the testing procedure. How could one just take back those moments and bottle them up as if they had never occurred? "Oh for crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed slamming the papers down on his desk for the umpteenth time. Pushing himself away from the desk he walked out of his office and headed toward the mess hall. Perhaps a cup of coffee would help shake the thoughts that had kept him preoccupied for the better half of the morning. It had been weeks since the Zatarc incident 'At least if you don't count the whole time loop thing' Jack thought to himself with a small smile. Yes, there had been far too many weeks of awkward silences and strained conversations between him and his 2IC. 'The whole Jonah and Therra thing hasn't helped matters either' an inner voice whispered. Somehow they were going to have to talk about the situation before things became irreversible. 'But how?' Just as he reached the mess hall, klaxons sounded and the all too familiar words "unscheduled gate activation!" reverberated throughout the base intercoms. 'Now what?' Jack thought to himself as he headed for the gate room. The only team currently off world was SG-13 and they weren't due back for another eighteen hours. The scene he arrived to was one of mass chaos. Staff weapon blasts hurled through the open wormhole, members of SG-13 were running and half dragging one of their injured teammates down the debarkation ramp, and Carter was frantically yelling at the young sergeant to 'close the iris.' Once the iris was closed, medical teams rushed in and herded the injured soldiers to the infirmary. General Hammond took a deep sigh and, not for the first time, briefly remembered how this was supposed to be a quiet run of the mill last-stop assignment before (what he considered to be) a well-deserved retirement. Interstellar travel, body snatching power hungry aliens and constantly sending those under his command into unknown and often life threatening situations had never figured into his plans. However, fate always seemed to have a way of stepping in and throwing a curve ball whether you wanted it to or not and Hammond was no exception. "Colonel Mailon what happened?" asked General Hammond as he surveyed the situation. It was Jaffa, sir. They came out of nowhere and started firing. We headed back through the forest towards the gate but Major Janeson took a hit. We managed to dial home and well... you saw the rest sir." "But I thought the MALP didn't detect any signs of civilization in the ruins" Hammond declared. "Sir, they didn't come from the ruins. As a matter of fact, they came from the opposite direction and they were headed toward the gate" Mailon said with a haunted look in his eyes as he relived the events on P3X 861 in his mind. "Sir, permission to check on the condition of my team?" "Go ahead son" replied Hammond "report to the infirmary. Debriefing will be at 1500 hours." "Yes, sir" Mailon replied as he headed toward the infirmary to check on his teammates and complete his post mission physical. It was a quiet SG-1 that occupied the briefing room two hours later. Each person lost in his or her own thoughts. As the General entered the room and took his seat, each member redirected their attention to the matter at hand. "SG-1, I have asked you all here to discuss the recent events which SG- 13 encountered on P3X 861. As you already know, the team encountered Jaffa and took enemy fire. Lieutenant Michaels suffered minor burns and lacerations while Major Janeson's injuries are more severe. However, Dr. Frasier seems to believe they will recover. Now, according to the data we collected from the MALP prior to the mission, this was supposed to be an uninhabited planet that showed evidence of Naquada deposits. So our next question would be, where did the Jaffa come from, who do they serve and what were they doing on P3X 861?" "Ah, I believe that would be 'questions' sir and all good ones I might add," answered O'Neill as he looked around the room at his teammates. "I take it General, that you want us to return to the planet and find the answers?" "Yes Colonel that is exactly what I want you to do. However, I am not authorizing any heroics. I want you all back unharmed. We need to know if there is something more important happening on this planet than Naquada deposits." "Perhaps there is something within the ruins the MALP detected that might help to give us a clue as to what the Goa'uld might be interested in on the planet" said Dr. Daniel Jackson, the civilian archeologist assigned to the team. "Teal'c, do you know of any reason the Goa'uld would be interested in this particular planet?" "I do not," answered the stoic Jaffa warrior. "This is not a planet in which Apophis ever showed an interest in." "Perhaps there is some naturally occurring power source or mineral other than the Naquada deposits we detected" theorized Major Samantha Carter, astrophysicist and second in command of the team. "Whatever the reason, I want you all to find it and report back. Any questions?" asked the General as he surveyed the room. Upon hearing a resounding "no" from each member of the team he stood up and declared "SG-1 you are to exercise extreme caution. You leave in one hour. Dismissed." "Colonel O'Neill, may I speak with you for a minute?" the General asked after everyone had left the room. "Yes sir?" O'Neill answered. "Colonel, things seem to be a bit strained on your team. Is there anything going on that I should know about?" he asked. "No sir, not that I'm aware of" answered O'Neill with the most innocent expression he could muster. "Very well son. Prep for your mission" the general replied as he gathered his reports and started to exit the briefing room. 'Whew, that was close' Jack thought as he made his way toward the door. "Oh, and Colonel" the general's voice stopped him just as he was about to leave. "Whatever the problem is, hurry up and resolve it. SG-1 is my best team. I would hate to see things change." "Yes sir!" Jack said as he hurriedly made his way out of the room and down the hall. 'Oh yeah' he thought to himself as he began gathering the necessary supplies for the upcoming mission. 'Carter and I are definitely going to have to talk.' ******************* Chapter Two One hour later the members of SG-1 were standing in the gate room waiting for the wormhole to engage. "Chevron six encoded" echoed the voice over the intercom. Another resounding thud could be heard from the gate as the disembodied voice once again rang out "Chevron seven locked". The shimmering pool of light known as the wormhole sprang to life. "Sg-1 your mission is a go. Good luck" said General Hammond into the microphone as the team stepped through the event horizon. Although they stepped through the gate on to P3X 861 with weapons ready, all was calm. There was no evidence of Jaffa or any other hostile forces for that matter. Only the telltale signs of scorch marks on the surrounding rocks left by the staff weapons alerted them to the recent altercation. "Alright kids, let's move out" O'Neill announced as he moved towards the forest. 'Great' he thought to himself as he viewed the surroundings, 'another planet full of trees. Why can't we ever visit a planet with a nice seaside resort?' It was a long trek to the ruins and it took several hours before they reached their destination. It was now early evening and P3X 861 was an arid planet. Even with the lowering of the suns it was obvious to all that the night would be warm. The trip through the forest had been an uneventful one. Occasionally a small noise could be heard but no danger emerged. Sam and Daniel quietly discussed possible reasons for Goa'uld interest in the planet while Jack and Teal'c maintained a steady vigil. Upon arriving at the ruins it was decided that O'Neill and Carter would complete a check of the perimeter while Daniel and Teal'c would scout the interior of the ruins to be sure they were actually alone. Once they had assured themselves that they were indeed the only beings in the area they set up camp and made plans to search the ruins the following morning. After finishing an evening meal of MRE's and a discussion of the day's events and possible theories as to Goa'uld interest of the planet, the team settled in for the night. It was decided that Daniel would take first watch followed by Sam, Jack and Teal'c. So far the night had passed uneventfully and Sam had almost completed her watch. Soon Jack would arrive to relieve her and she could turn in for some much needed sleep. Not that she truly believed sleep would be easy to obtain if the last several weeks were any indication to go by. The events of those days flooded back to her as if they had just now taken place. She could see them so clearly in her mind. Martouf and Anise's arrival, the Zatarc testing, Lieutenant Astor's self destruction, her confinement to quarters and the Colonel's face as she had called out to him as he was being led down the hall to undergo the Zatarc removal procedure. 'Jack...' why did things have to be so complicated she thought to herself. 'It's not like we weren't already aware of the situation but we were dealing with it. Why did we have to be forced into a position where we had to verbally admit it? And to Anise of all people!" she thought as she remembered the incident. Truth be known, the Tokra femme fatale was not her favorite person. First the arm band incident that had nearly cost the team their lives and now this. And to top it off she was sure the woman had designs on Jack. 'So what if she does?' a small voice inside her head questioned. 'It's not like you can do anything about it anyway. Move on and get over it. Regulations aren't going to change anytime in the near future so forget about it and find someone else." "But I don't want to move on and forget about it" she sighed not realizing that she had spoken her thoughts aloud. "What don't you want to forget about Carter?" Jack asked taking a seat beside her on the fallen log. Startled out of her reverie, Sam looked up with the expression of a deer caught in a car's headlights. "Sir, I didn't hear you arrive," she stammered quietly as she began gathering her things to head back to her tent. "Cut the "Sir" Carter, no one else is around to hear it," he stated flatly. He had decided a while back that it was truly the one word he hated more than any other in the English language (or any other language for that matter) because it was the one word that was the most effective in reminding him of the distance they must maintain on account of their positions. It was like having a bucket of cold water thrown in his face. And Carter was a master bucket handler. "What don't you want to forget about Carter?" he repeated quietly as he took a moment to take in her appearance. She looked tired as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders in that one small moment in time. He recognized that look as being the same one that stared back at him from his own mirror during the past few weeks. It was the look of a person who had discovered something so big and so earth shattering that it begged to be shared with all. It was a look that said its possessor held a knowledge that must be kept hidden. It was a look that said the timing was completely wrong. Placing her possessions back down on the ground she looked at him and considered her answer. Should she tell him the truth? After all, he already knew how she felt and on some level a part of her understood that he felt the same way. She knew he would understand her frustrations with the situation. The frustration of having to move forward while burying everything you felt, everything you knew was right, behind a brick wall. But at the same time she knew he understood it was something they must do because a greater purpose was calling them forth. There was so much more to consider then merely the two of them. "Nothing sir, goodnight" she replied opting for the coward's way out. Gathering her possessions she stood to leave him to his watch but stopped short as she heard him say, "I'm sorry about Marty. I know he meant a lot to you." Carefully placing the items back on the ground and taking a seat she exhaled the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and turned to face him. "Thank you" she quietly replied. "He didn't deserve to die like that. I was supposed to be there for him and I killed him." Jack had almost missed those last words because she had uttered them so softly. It was as if they were an afterthought but the emotion behind them could not be denied. Somehow she felt responsible as if the blame for Martouf's death lay with her and not the Goa'uld who had so effectively altered his mind. "You did the best you could for him in a bad situation. You did as he asked. No one could have expected more from you and you shouldn't beat yourself up thinking that you could have done something to prevent things from playing out the way they did. There was nothing more you could have done," he said softly as he tried to allay some of the guilt he knew she was feeling. 'Heck, I feel bad about what happened to ole' Marty and I don't even have to deal with the whole Jolinar thing' he thought to himself. "It wasn't fair!" she nearly shouted as the anguish that had been building for weeks bubbled to the surface. "He was a good person, he was trying to fight the Goa'uld, it shouldn't have happened like that!" "No, it wasn't fair!" he all but shouted back giving in to some off his own pent up anger and Sam had the feeling he was referring to much more than Martouf's death. "It wasn't fair, none of it was but we all knew the risks going in," he continued more quietly this time. Jack risked a look at Sam and was surprised to see her hurriedly wiping away a solitary tear that was trailing down her face. 'Great going Jack, good way to make a girl feel better' he thought to himself. Lifting her face up to look at him he tried again. "Marty wouldn't have wanted you to feel like this. He cared about you. This is the last thing he would have wanted, right?" "Yes si...Jack" she replied with a half-hearted attempt at a smile. In truth, she was grateful for his words. The incident with Martouf was not one in which she could share with many people and she hadn't been able to bring herself to talk about it with Daniel or Teal'c although she was sure they would have had an idea of what she was feeling. After a few moments of silence between them, Jack finally asked the question that had been on his mind since the incident. "Carter" he started somewhat hesitantly "what made you realize that we weren't Zatarcs in the first place?" "I'm not sure" she replied as she began to think back to the moment when things finally started coming together. "I mean, I never felt like a Zatarc although I guess the others didn't either, but there was just a feeling that kept nagging me that something wasn't right. That there was something we were missing, you know?" she offered a shy smile as she looked up at him to see if he was following the thoughts and emotions that she was still trying to sort through herself. "I guess it was when Janet was putting me under that things started coming together. I remember feeling fuzzy from the drugs and flashes or images of everything that had happened started running through my head and I just knew. The test tagged us as Zatarcs because we lied." "I did not lie" Jack exclaimed upon hearing her last words. "I may have left out a few ...feelings...but I did not lie." "Yes sir" she grinned as she recognized Jack's words as those of someone trying to justify his actions. "But it was those feelings that caused us to be tagged as Zatarcs. The machine was reading the actual words and actions as well as the very thoughts that lie behind those actions. When we didn't disclose why you wouldn't leave...well...the machine read it as a false response. Or in this case, false memories." "Carter, you understand why I didn't go into all of that...feeling business... when we were being tested the first time don't you?" he asked hesitantly. He was pretty damn certain she did understand but he needed to be sure and since it seemed they were finally talking he figured he may as well lay his cards on the table and get it over with once and for all. Besides, the strain on their relationship had been plaguing him more than having to admit those very feelings they had worked so hard to keep hidden. "Yes" she replied with a rueful grin. "I understand that you kept quiet for the same reasons I did" she returned happy to know that he really did understand. 'If nothing else then at least that much is clear between us' she thought to herself. "So...are we okay with this?" he asked again thinking back to the last time he had asked the same question and hoping that they truly were okay this time around. Sam thought about his question for several minutes. Too many minutes as far as Jack was concerned since he was beginning to think that Sam would decide they were not 'okay' after all. At last she looked up and smiled "if you mean are we okay with not acting on those feelings we discussed earlier and continuing on with our working relationship then... yes." This time it was Jack's turn to let out the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. 'Things may just finally be looking up a bit' he thought to himself as he sent her an answering smile. A smile that was quickly wiped off his face as Sam, who had picked up her belongings, turned back toward him and quietly said "For now." With that she gave him a quick smile and headed off for her tent leaving Jack to complete his watch and ponder what 'for now' actually meant. ******************* Chapter Three The first thing Jack noticed as he opened his eyes were the two suns of P3X 861 shining down on him through the thin material of his tent. 'Ooh ... double vision. How much did I have to drink last night?' he thought closing his eyes to shut out some of the light. The events of the evening quickly rushed back as he remembered why they were camped just outside of the ruins on P3X 861. '"I think the drinks would have been the better way to go' he grumbled to himself as he looked out and took in his surroundings. 'No doubt about it, the trees don't look any better this morning than they did yesterday afternoon' he told himself as he went to relieve Teal'c from sentry watch. "Morning Teal'c" he called to the Jaffa who stood silently surveying the area. "Any problems during your watch?" "Indeed there were not O'Neill" Teal'c replied as he strode toward the Colonel's position. After making their way back to the camp they found Carter and Daniel already awake and neatly packing their gear. A quick breakfast of ration bars followed and plans were made to begin examining the ruins. "It looks as if no one has inhabited these dwellings for some time," observed Teal'c as they began an inspection of the crumbling structures. "You're right Teal'c. It doesn't look like anyone has been around for at least a couple hundred years. I wonder what happened to this civilization? There must be some kind of clue as to what may have happened to all of the people." Daniel said as he searched for anything that might give him an idea as to what could have caused the population to vanish without a trace. "Maybe they just needed a change of scenery. You know, oceans, beaches?" O'Neill offered as he pushed the dirt on the ground back and forth with the toe of his boot. Suddenly he felt a thud as his boot caught on something in the dirt. Kneeling down he started pushing away the dirt that covered the area and was surprised to uncover a small object that resembled a trap door. "Ah Daniel," he called to the archeologist who had just left the dwelling to continue his search. "Could you come here for a minute?" At the sound of the Colonel's voice, Daniel re-entered the dwelling followed closely by Carter and Teal'c. "Well Teal'c let's open it up and see what's inside" the Colonel said as he ordered Daniel to stand back while he and Carter took positions on either side of the door with guns trained downward ready for the first indication of trouble they might encounter. The trap door opened to reveal a dark dusty staircase that descended into a small room. "Okay kids, let's check it out but watch your backs" he said as they all pulled out their flashlights and cautiously made their way down into the room. "What is this place?" Carter asked as she made her way down the staircase. With each footstep came an accompanying creaking sound as the old wood settled under her weight. "Maybe a well stocked wine cellar?" Jack joked quietly as his eyes attempted to pierce the darkness. "Uh... not unless the Goa'uld have taken up drinking." Daniel said as his flashlight illuminated the outline of a smooth metal surface with Goa'uld markings. "This is a Goa'uld locking device." Teal'c noted as he examined the markings to the side of the door. A quiet hush fell over the group as questions began forming in each of their minds. After a few minutes of toying with the device, a small sound could be heard and the door slid away revealing a maze of hallways covered in Goa'uld writings. "Déjà vu." Jack announced as he walked through the door and examined his surroundings. "Does this look disturbingly familiar to anyone else here or am I just losing it?" he questioned no one in particular. "This looks to be the interior of a Goa'uld mother ship O'Neill" remarked Teal'c as he gripped his staff weapon and began steadily moving down the longest corridor. "Ya think?" quipped Jack as he held onto his own weapon a little tighter and glanced uneasily around. "The more pressing question is what is a Goa'uld mother ship doing buried in the middle of a city of ruins that show no sign of Goa'uld presence in the first place?" said Daniel as he tried to make out some of the writings covering the corridor walls. "Ah...no Daniel. The question is whose mother ship is it and are they still around?" Jack returned glancing uneasily about the room. "That would be 'questions' Jack," Daniel smiled as he recalled the Colonel's earlier quip to General Hammond. Unable to hide her smile entirely, Sam looked between the two of them and playfully called "Play nice boys" as she also began to warily examine the corridors for any signs of life other than that of SG-1. Jack settled for shooting a dirty glance Daniel's way and ordered they pair off into groups of two to begin a thorough search of the ship. Jack and Teal'c would head toward the control room to see what they could find while Carter and Daniel would continue to scout the lower levels. "Keep your radios turned on. I want everyone to check in at ten minute intervals." He ordered as the two teams fanned out. "And Carter, see if you can do something about getting some power in here. This darkness thing is getting old." "Yes sir" she answered as she and Daniel headed off to begin their search in earnest. Twenty-five minutes and, two check-ins later they were still without answers to the questions they had raised. Suddenly a small hiss could be heard and lights flickered briefly as power was once again restored to the ship. "Sir, I've managed to restore partial power to the ship. Lighting and most of the subsystems should be available to all areas at this time." Carter's voice crackled through the static of the radio. "Good job, Carter. Teal'c and I are almost to the control room. We'll let you know if we find anything." "Yes sir" she replied depressing the button on her radio. Taking one last look around what passed for a Goa'uld engine room she turned and followed Daniel through the doorway to continue their search. Meanwhile the Colonel and Teal'c had reached the control room and were just beginning to look around when Teal'c stopped and stared hard at the dusty panel in front of him. "O'Neill, I do not believe that we are the first to arrive," he said pointing to the telltale evidence that lay before them. Jack walked over to stand beside Teal'c so that he could see for himself what the Jaffa had discovered. "Dust?" he questioned as he looked at the Jaffa in disbelief. "You called me over to look at dust?" "Indeed not O'Neill. I summoned you to examine the lack of dust by these controls" he solemnly replied as he pointed to the controls in question. Jack looked to his right where Teal'c had pointed and immediately saw the evidence that confirmed the man's suspicions. Sure enough the dust had been displaced and the outline of fingerprints and handprints could be seen scattered over one small section of the panel. "Just great" he muttered. "Teal'c these prints can't be very old. The area hasn't had time for any more dust to accumulate." "I concur O'Neill. Perhaps this was the reason the Jaffa were on the planet at the time of SG-13's mission" he theorized. "But why would they come to what seems to be a long abandoned mothership and then leave through the stargate. What did they want? They couldn't have been here for a mere sightseeing trip." Jack pondered as they began looking throughout the room for any other possible evidence to the aliens' motives. "And while we're asking the million dollar questions" Jack continued sarcastically "just how did they get in here in the first place? There were no signs of entry at the trap door thingy. That dirt hadn't been touched until we got there and the control panel on the door didn't show any signs of tampering." "I do not know O'Neill. Perhaps the Jaffa entered by means of a transport device." "You mean those rings that beam you back up to the mother ship? Well... so to speak" Jack amended as he realized they were already on the mother ship. Or at least they were on, "a" mother ship. "That is correct O'Neill," the Jaffa replied missing the Colonel's rather dry sense of humor once again. Pulling out his radio, Jack pushed the button to tell the others of the recent findings. "Carter, Daniel..." his voice called through the radio. "Be on the lookout. From the looks of things up here I'd say that we've had visitors recently." "Visitors, sir?" echoed Sam's voice through the transmitter. "What type of visitors" she questioned looking at Daniel whose facial expression changed to one of unease. "Teal'c thinks that maybe our not-so-friendly Jaffa friends from the other day may have dropped by." "Technically they did not drop O'Neill, they "transported" through the use of a transportation device" interrupted Teal'c who had been listening to the radio conversation. "Jeez Teal'c, it's just an expression" muttered O'Neill as he continued his conversation. "Teal'c thinks they may have "transported" here through one of those ring thingy's so be on the lookout. I wouldn't want anyone dropping in on us unannounced" he finished. "Yes sir, we haven't found anything out of the ordinary yet but we'll keep an eye out for visitors while we continue our search. Any idea why they were here or what they might have been looking for?" Carter asked as she and Daniel finished a search of yet another room that held no helpful information. "Negative, the only things that have been disturbed so far as we can tell are a few of the control panels but we'll keep..." his voice cut off as the ship began to shake and a large rumble could be heard throughout all levels. Suddenly, control panels that had been dark sprang to life and buttons and knobs began flashing throughout the room. "Carter, what the hell did you push down there?" Jack shouted as he groped for something to hold on to. "It wasn't me sir. We're nowhere near the engine room" she answered as she and Daniel were thrown to the ground from the force of the shaking ship. "Well if it wasn't you then who or what was it?" he questioned. Retrieving the radio that had dropped out of her grasp during the fall she replied, "I don't know. Maybe an earthquake?" she theorized while her mind was racing with possibilities of what might cause such tremors to reverberate throughout the ship. "Ok, that explains the shaking but what about the additional power?" he queried. "Power sir?" she asked confused since things had pretty much remained the same in the area she and Daniel had been searching. "Yes, power, Carter. Doohickeys and lights and gizmos came on everywhere just after the shaking began" he all but yelled back into the radio. "I don't know sir unless maybe the tremors caused some kind of electrical surge?" she suggested. Just then Teal'c who had remained quiet during the conversation spoke up. "O'Neill, I do not believe this is the result of a natural phenomenon," he offered. "Then what is it?" questioned Jack. "I believe this ship is returning to outer space," he answered. Suddenly the tremors stopped and the Jaffa's words echoed ominously throughout the chamber. ******************* Chapter Four "Outer Space?" mouthed Jack in stunned surprise. A look of utter disbelief spread over his face as he thought to himself 'Great a small side trip to see the universe. AGAIN! Why can't we ever have a nice, boring mission for once? One that doesn't feature body grabbing snakes and life and death situations?' Lifting his radio back up to his mouth, he depressed the button that would send his voice across the airwaves and deliver this latest news to Carter and Daniel. "Ah... Carter, Daniel?" he hesitated briefly as he waited for a response to filter back to him. As soon as he heard the all-too-familiar "yes sir?" from his 2IC he continued, "Teal's seems to think we're taking a little road trip. Meet us at the control room. We need to assess the situation." "Understood. We're on our way sir," she responded as they made their way to the control room to join their teammates. Minutes later they were all reunited in the control room. "Okay campers, the questions is how did this ship suddenly blast off?" the Colonel questioned looking to each of the members of SG-1. " Perhaps it was some sort of delayed timing device like Apophis used in the retrofitted death glider." hypothesized Daniel. "I believe I now understand why the Jaffa were here," said Teal'c. "Care to share?" the Colonel quipped rubbing his forehead. 'Yep, no doubt about it. I'm getting the mother of all headaches,' he thought to himself. 'Jeez, I can't imagine why!' Raising one eyebrow in a familiar gesture that had become so characteristic, the Jaffa continued his narrative. "Goa'uld ships can be made to return to a particular location at a future point in time." "A homing beacon?" Sam asked wondering what the ship's final destination would be. "Not exactly Major Carter. A person would have to enter the destination coordinates first. That person could then program the exact time in which the ship would begin its journey to those coordinates." Teal'c elaborated. "It's a timing device then," clarified Daniel as he began pondering the implications this information had raised. "So you're saying the Jaffa came here to program the ship. But where did they program it to go?" questioned Sam. "That I do not know Major Carter" Teal'c replied. "It doesn't matter because the destination is about to change" Jack said as a plan began to form in his mind. "Teal'c, how can we change the coordinates and take this thing back to Earth?" "You cannot O'Neill. Goa'uld ships have a failsafe device that prohibits such an action. If you attempt to alter the coordinates the ship will self-destruct." "Self-destruct? Isn't that a bit... harsh?" asked O'Neill in disbelief as he silently began directing curses toward every Goa'uld they had ever encountered in addition to those they had not. "Indeed not O'Neill" replied Jaffa. "The return device was only used as a last resort during battle. In the event a Goa'uld ship were to be overtaken by the enemy the device would be activated thereby returning the ship back to its owner. As a result, the owner not only regained the ship but was able to punish the enemy as they were delivered directly to him." "And should the enemy try to override the device then the failsafe would kick in and destroy both the ship and the enemy along with it" Sam surmised. "That is correct Major Carter. Either way the Goa'uld would be able to defeat his enemy and win the battle." "Okay... if we can't override the controls then maybe we could contact someone and try to arrange for a little help before we get to wherever it is we're going" Jack said switching to his newly formed 'Plan B'. "Carter, how long would it take to send a message to Earth to let them know of our current situation?" "Well, sending the message wouldn't take too long sir, but the problem would be the amount of time it would take to reach Earth" she replied mentally computing the calculations. "Okay, how long would it take?" the Colonel questioned. "Well, sir P3X 861 was a long way from the Earth and even assuming we're traveling towards the Earth as opposed to the opposite direction...." "Aaah" he waved his hands in frustration fearing that Carter was preparing to go into one of her long techno babble explanations "Bottom line Carter, how long?" Looking directly at her CO she quietly replied "A very, very, very ... long... time sir." Silence descended over the group as the finality of Sam's words hit home. "And that, boys and girls, effectively squashes 'Plan B'" the Colonel's voice oozed sarcasm as he stood amongst his teammates and silently wondered how SG-1 was going to pull off another miracle in their current situation. ******************* Chapter Five It wasn't often that both Plans 'A' and 'B' failed before they had a chance to even be attempted but then this wasn't an ordinary situation. style='font-size:16.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: style='font-size:Sam racked her brain trying to think of alternatives to their present scenario but truth be told, thing's were looking bleak. Suddenly a light went off in her head and just as she was about to offer a new course of action Daniel spoke up and said, "What if we were able to contact the Tokra? Maybe they have an operative near enough that could pick us up before we reach our final destination." Jack's mind began racing and Sam allowed herself a small smile. She had been about to offer the same suggestion. "Okay, first thing first" he said looking at the members of the team. "Teal'c, we need to know exactly where we are, where we're going and how long it will take us to get there. Also, I want to know how to trigger this self-destruct thingy. I intend to blow this ship if the Tokra can give us a ride." Teal'c inclined his head and the Colonel continued. "Carter, I want you to find a way to send an SOS to the Tokra. Give them any information that Teal'c comes up with and have them contact General Hammond to apprise him of our current situation." "Yes sir" she replied happy to have a task to focus on. "Daniel" he directed to the final member of his team, "You and I are going to finish searching this ship. I don't want any more surprises. The last thing we need is Jaffa storming us from the cargo hold or something worse. Besides, there has to be something in this place that will give us an idea who this ship belongs to." As Sam and Teal'c began fiddling with the control panel, Jack reminded them to check in every ten minutes. After synchronizing their watches he and Daniel left to finish scouting the ship. Nearly an hour had passed when Sam leaned back in her chair and placed her face in her hands. She had tried all of the frequencies that she knew the Tokra monitored but so far hadn't received a response. 'We must be farther from Earth than I figured' she thought knowing that it may be a while before any of the Tokra might receive her messages. For his part, Teal'c had figured a way to disrupt the failsafe device to blow up the ship but he had yet to figure out where they were going. Actually, where they were to end up wasn't really the question as he had just finished retrieving the coordinates from the ships' navigation system. The real question was 'who' was going to be there to greet them when they arrived. "Any luck Teal'c?" asked Sam as she looked up ready to continue her task. "I have had partial success with my appointed duties Major Carter" the Jaffa replied. "I have retrieved the coordinates but I still do not know when we will arrive or to whom we will be arriving to." "Well, you're fairing better than I am at this point" she grinned as she tiredly shook her head. "I've yet to receive any type of a response on this thing" she said pointing to the control panel in front of her. "I am certain you shall succeed" Teal'c returned hoping to offer her encouragement with his words. He had seen Sam come through time after time in situations that seemed to be utterly impossible. It was during these times that his respect for the members of his team and for the people of the Tauri in general rose even higher. He had no doubt that she would succeed in her current task. Pushing his thoughts aside he returned his attention to the panel in front of him and renewed his efforts. Breathing in and deeply one final time, Sam Carter turned to the panel in front of her and continued her hails to the Tokra. Meanwhile Jack and Daniel had almost completed their search of the ship and were heading toward the cargo room. "Alright, Danny Boy, so far we've come up with a big fat zero" Jack indicated with a wave of his hand in the direction they had just searched. "How can a ship of this size not have a shred of evidence to tell us who it belongs to?" "It's almost as if the Goa'uld were trying to erase any indication as to who owned it. Just like the ruins. There wasn't any indication of a Goa'uld presence there either until you found the trap door. Between that and the buried ship I would say that someone went to great effort not to be found" Daniel said trying to mentally sort through the pieces of the puzzle. Reaching the cargo hold, Jack opened the door and both men momentarily stood motionless as they took in the scene before them. Statues and artifacts filled the room and the indirect lighting of the ship glinted back at them from golden amulets and various other objects. "Well Daniel, I think we found those rocks that were missing on the surface," said Jack as he stepped inside the room and headed for one particularly large object that had caught his eye. "Artifacts Jack, they're ARTIFACTS!" the archeologist exclaimed as he looked around in wide-eyed wonder reminding Jack of a small child that had just been let loose in a candy store. At that moment Jack's radio began crackling and the voice of his 2IC could be heard throughout the cargo hold. "Colonel O'Neill do you copy?" the disembodied voice questioned. "What have you got Carter?" the Colonel asked studying the object that stood before him. "Not much sir" she replied. "Teal'c has figured out where we're headed but he doesn't recognize it as belonging to any of the system lords that he is familiar with. According to his calculations we should be there within the next twenty hours." "That doesn't give us much time does it Major?" he questioned and began rubbing his temples. 'This day just keeps getting longer and longer' he thought to himself. "Have you managed to contact the Tokra? "Not yet sir but I'll keep trying," she answered. "Daniel and I are in the cargo hold and it looks like we just hit the Goa'uld jackpot. I'll let you know if we find anything useful in a few minutes. Keep trying to contact Dad and his pals. We need to get off this thing and soon." "Yes sir," she replied smiling at the Colonel's reference to Jacob. "He reminds me of dad in so many ways. They're both stubborn and sarcastic' she thought to herself as she shook her head. She smiled again as she realized it was these character traits that had helped to see them through more than one impossible situation in the past. Feeling somewhat more hopeful than she had just moments before she turned and once again focused her efforts on the control panel in front of her. Having made his way to the far corner of the hold, Jack looked up at the statue that towered above him. His confusion was evident as his eyes took in the features of the 'artifact' that stood before him. It stood upright on two legs and had the hind legs of a lion and the tail of a crocodile. Its face resembled that of a hippopotamus and its stomach... "Ah... Daniel," he called to the man who was eagerly examining a small tablet covered in hieroglyphs. "Could you come over here for a moment?" he asked. "Sure, Jack what did you find?" he questioned. He could hear from Jack's tone of voice that the Colonel had found something that he didn't consider ordinary. "Daniel... perhaps you could explain to me why we're standing here looking at what appears to be a big honking PREGNANT hippopotamus?" he asked as he came eye level with the statues' protruding round belly. ******************* Chapter Six 'Jack you did it!" exclaimed the archeologist who had been so engrossed in the tablets that he had yet to see the larger objects near the far wall. "I did?" questioned Jack with a look that clearly said the young man had better start explaining some things and fast. 'Either this hippo thing is more important than I thought or Danny's finally lost it once and for all' he thought to himself as Daniel examined a few other items that lay about the room. "Carter" he called into his radio, "I want you and Teal'c to come to the cargo hold. I think we may have found something that might tell us who we're dealing with." Minutes later Sam and Teal'c arrived and took in the scene in front of them. There was Daniel standing amidst several artifacts and excitedly chattering to Jack who looked... bored. Jack allowed the glazed look to leave his eyes as he lifted his head to see the rest of his team standing in the doorway. 'Yes," he thought to himself 'the other adults have finally arrived.' "Hey campers!" he called to Sam and Teal'c as they made their way toward him. "I told you we hit the Goa'uld jackpot" he grinned indicating the objects surrounding them. "Hey Daniel. Care to tell the rest of us what's going on around here now?" the Colonel questioned as he indicated the presence of the remaining members of the team. Daniel looked up with eyes shining and gave a distracted 'hello' to Sam and Teal'c as they all made their way toward the statue. Sam's eyes widened in disbelief as she saw the object that had caused so much excitement for the young archeologist. "Sir, is that what I think it is?" she questioned the Colonel as she took in the statues features. "If you think it's a big pregnant hippo, crocodile, lion thingy then yes Carter, it is" Jack replied. "Although Daniel seems to think it's the answer to all of our questions. Either way it's not something one sees everyday" he finished flashing a big smile to his 2IC. Sam's heart did a small somersault at the sight of his smile. 'Stop it and concentrate on the situation at hand' she sternly admonished herself. 'We're trapped in outer space on a ship flying to the middle of nowhere with our one solid clue being a statue of a pregnant hippo. Get a grip on yourself!' "The statue that Jack found," Daniel started gesturing toward the hippopotamus "symbolizes the Egyptian goddess Taurt also known as Ta- weret, Taveret or Reret. There are other names but that's not important right now. What is important is that she was considered to be the protectress of pregnant women and infants. Hence the appearance of the statue" he said indicating the stone statue that had captured everyone's attention. "Anyway, she is considered to be the daughter of Ra, the mother of Isis and Osiris, who as you all know were husband and wife, and, some say that she was the wife of Seth." "Talk about a big family" Jack muttered in disgust as he eyed the statue. "And might I add a very 'familiar' family." "I have not heard of this system lord Daniel Jackson" Teal'c said as he tried to recall any mention of such a goddess. "She may not have been a system lord. Or at least not as maniacal as the other system lords we've encountered. She was a very minor goddess even back on Earth although she did have a small following at the Temple of Thebes and Deir-el-Bahri. She was worshipped more by the common people of her time and was said to be very protective of them." "So what, she was one of the good guys then?" asked Jack wondering if such a thing was possible. As far as he was concerned, the words 'Goa'uld' and 'good guys' had never been uttered in the same sentence. "Well, she was a Goa'uld so maybe 'less evil' would be a better way to phrase it" the archeologist replied. "I found a book written in Goa'uld on the dais. Maybe it will tell us how she came to be on P3X 861 and what happened. It's not normal for a Goa'uld to pack up any artifact which paid tribute them. Usually they leave them behind so that anyone who comes after can be awed by their 'greatness' so to speak." "Alright, Daniel grab your book and let's all head back up to the control room. We're going to be solving this mystery in person if we don't contact someone who can get us off this ship and soon. Teal'c how long will it take to rig this thing to blow?" the Colonel asked. "Not long O'Neill. Five of your Earth minutes at most," the Jaffa solemnly replied. "Well that's something," muttered Jack. Static could be heard as they entered the control room. Sam hurried to the communications panel just as a voice speaking in a Goa'uld dialect rang out over the speaker. "The speaker wishes for us to state our identity and the purpose for our communication" translated Teal'c. "Tell him who we are and that we are in need of assistance but don't give him our location. The last thing we need is every system lord even remotely near to start coming after us," ordered the Colonel. Sam stepped aside as Teal'c took his place at the console and sent the requested information. Moments later, the voice came back over the speaker and Teal'c could be heard returning a reply in Goa'uld." "He wants to know why we're transmitting on a Goa'uld frequency if we are from Earth," translated Daniel. A few seconds of silence ensued and another string of dialect could be heard. Again, Teal'c sent a reply through the vastness of space. "He says his name is Gran'uk of the Tokra. He is requesting the password to confirm we speak the truth," Teal'c said breaking from his conversation with the Tokra. "Then send him the password," replied Jack. "Very well O'Neill" the Jaffa replied as he relayed the necessary information. Minutes passed as the Tokra verified the password. Finally, SG-1 breathed a sigh of relief as the Tokra representative returned to the radio speaking English. "As I said previously, I am Gran'uk of the Tokra. I apologize for doubting you but we must protect our interests. It would not be wise if the Goa'uld knew we occupied this sector of space. I assume that Major Carter is with you as well," queried Gran'uk. "Yes," replied Teal'c. "Please inform her that Selmak sends greetings and has promised what help the Tokra can offer." "Somehow that just doesn't reassure me," muttered Jack as Sam put her finger to her lips warning him to be quiet so as not to offend what may be their only chance of getting out of the situation in one piece. Grimacing, Jack remained silent as Sam stepped in front of the console and began speaking. "Thank you Gran'uk, please send our best to Selmak. I am transmitting our current coordinates as well as the coordinates of our destination. Please be advised that we estimate time to arrival to be just over sixteen hours," she said as she forwarded the necessary information to the Tokra operative. "We will need time to analyze this information," stated Gran'uk. "I will contact you shortly." "Well, that went well," muttered Jack as they began waiting for the Tokra's response. "Daniel, you and Teal'c start translating that book and see if you can figure out what happened back there on that planet. Is the ship returning to this 'Tweet' person or did someone else trigger the timer? Carter, you and I are going to come up with a new 'Plan B' on the off chance that the Tokra are surprisingly less than helpful in getting us out of here." "Yes sir" she said. 'Somehow, I don't think "stupid ideas" are going to work this time' she thought thinking back to the time she helped the Asgard against the replicators. ******************* Chapter Seven Nearly four hours had passed and still SG-1 hadn't heard anything from Gran'uk. Jack sat in the control room tapping his foot and staring blankly into space. "Where is he?" grumbled Jack for the umpteenth time. "He said they would get back to us 'shortly' and I don't think four hours qualifies as a short amount of time. Especially when we're due to arrive at God only knows where in just over twelve hours." Sam, who had been patiently listening to the Colonel grumble to no one in particular for the past several minutes decided to put him out of his misery and start up a conversation. Daniel and Teal'c were still deciphering the book and she knew they were too engrossed to notice his discontent. 'At least it will give him something to focus on' she thought to herself. "Gran'uk probably had to give the information to the Tokra High Counsel. It will take a while to calculate our distance to their nearest operatives and make arrangements," she said calmly. "Yeah but FOUR hours? Come on, it's not like we have a lot of time here. They could as least 'try' to pick up the pace a bit," he complained as he paced back and forth like a caged tiger. "Maybe the Tokra don't consider four hours to be a long time," she offered. "Especially when you take into account the fact that their life spans are considerably longer than ours." "Well they are about to get considerably shorter if someone doesn't call back soon," he muttered unappeased as he sat down next to her on the hard floor. "Ours or theirs?" Sam questioned with a glint in her eyes. "What?" he asked, confusion evident on his face. "Ours or theirs?" she repeated slowly as if speaking to a small child. "Ours or theirs what?" he asked thoroughly confused. "Speak English Carter!" "You said that 'they', the life spans, are about to get considerably shorter but you didn't specify if 'they' meant us or the Tokra. So, ours or theirs?" she explained trying not to laugh as the look on the Colonel's face went from one of utter confusion to one of ... well one of something else anyway. 'I'm not sure if it's one of shock that he didn't pick up on the question sooner or shock that I actually bested him for once in the sarcasm department. Well pseudo sarcasm at least" she thought to herself. "Yours" he firmly replied having caught the twinkle in her eyes as she tried to hide her amusement. 'That's one thing I love about Carter. Even when the situation is at an all time low she still can manage to make me smile' he thought to himself. Aloud he said "You do know what they say about paybacks don't you Major?" he questioned good- naturedly. "Whose 'they'?" she returned with a huge grin. 'Ok, so it was a stupid little joke but at least it worked' she thought happy to see him smile if only for a few minutes. "Sam... Jack..." Daniel called to the pair as he wondered what all of the laughter was about. "Teal'c and I just finished the translation. It's quite a story!" "Well Danny since it seems that we don't have much else to do around here at the moment and we do have all of this time... have at it" Jack said turning his attention to the exuberant archeologist. "It all began... " the young man started. 'Great, one of those 'Once Upon a Time' stories. Well this one had better have a happy ending' he thought to himself as Daniel began his narrative. "... thousands of years ago back on Earth. As you already know Taurt was known as the goddess of childbirth and the protector of infants. The book says she was loved by her people and that she protected them all. It didn't matter if they were of the nobility or the simple peasants from the fields. She treated them alike and ruled wisely next to her husband Seth." Jack saw Sam flinch at the mention of Seth and gave her a reassuring smile. "She was the mother of Isis and Osiris who later became husband and wife. Now, according to the book, Seth was jealous of Osiris and coveted his power. To that end he devised a plan to eliminate Osiris and take what was his. To accomplish this, Seth ordered a casket to be made to very particular dimensions, Osiris's dimensions to be precise. He then held a grand party. The details at this point aren't very clear but the text goes on to read that Seth had the guests play some sort of game where each person would lie down in the coffin. However, no one was able to fit in it. Finally, Osiris took his turn and fit perfectly. As soon as he was in the coffin, Seth closed the lid and poured molten lead around the edges to seal it. He then cast the coffin out into the unknown." "Friendly family," muttered Jack. "Daniel, is this the same Osiris or Goa'uld that was in the missing canopic jar? The one that took a new host and escaped?" questioned Sam. "Ah, yes it is actually. The book goes into some detail as to how the symbiote was eventually placed in stasis," he answered. "Well....?" Jack asked and gestured for Daniel to continue with the story. "Right. The book goes on to tell of how Isis was heartbroken at the loss of her husband. So heartbroken in fact that she searched the land for ... an undisclosed amount of time... until she finally found him. Fearful of what Seth might do, she hid the coffin in the woods until she could make arrangements to have the body moved to a safe location." "Let me guess," Jack interrupted. "Things didn't go as planned did they?" "Ah, actually, no." Daniel said looking around at his teammates who were listening intently. "The book says that Seth found the coffin one day when he was hunting and, in a fit of rage, opened it and chopped Osiris' body into many pieces. He then scattered them throughout the land. Again, Isis was heartbroken and set out to find the pieces of her husband's body so that she might breathe life back into him. It says that Seth was so angered by her actions that he condemned her to share her beloved's fate for all of time." "Banished into oblivion," Teal'c said as he remembered the Goa'uld symbols on the canopic jar. "I believe so," answered the archeologist. "So how does this tie in to this 'Tweet' person ending up on P3X 861?" asked Jack. "Taurt" Daniel corrected. "The narrative continues to say that there was much unrest in Taurt's heart over the death of her children and many arguments ensued. Finally, fearing for her life, she escaped in the dark of the night to find a peaceful place to live out her days." "P3X 861. So why did she leave the planet and why did she hide all traces of her presence? " Sam asked. "The book also says that she knew Seth would not rest until he found and destroyed her because of her betrayal. So she found a small planet far away from the Earth and quietly made her home. According to the story she ruled over and protected the people of P3X 861 until a Jaffa scouting party arrived on the planet and discovered her whereabouts." "Wait... I know this one. The Jaffa belonged to none other than our old buddy Seth, right?" asked Jack. "That's right. Knowing that Seth would return to seek vengeance, she ordered her people to remove all tributes and writings from the city and had the artifacts placed in, what her people called, an 'iron bird hidden far below the surface'. The people then escaped safely through the stargate to... somewhere... the book doesn't say but they did escape. And that's where the narration ends," Daniel concluded. "She probably had all of the tributes moved to the cargo hold with the idea of sending for the ship after her people had adjusted to their new location," Sam mused aloud. "That makes sense Major Carter," said Teal'c who had remained quiet throughout Daniel's narration. "But why didn't she just put everyone in the ship and fly them all to their new place. Why use the gate? And did she get through the gate before Seth's men arrived?" queried Jack. "Perhaps she did not have enough time to prepare the ship O'Neill" Teal'c theorized. "That could be sir," Sam agreed. "Remember, the ship didn't take off as soon as the Jaffa left. Maybe it takes time to charge the cells after sitting for so long." "It didn't take Osiris long to power the ship back on Earth and escape," the Colonel observed. "But remember, Sara... or rather Osiris, arrived before the rest of us. She may have had time to get everything ready," offered Daniel, closing his eyes as he thought of his former friend and lover who had been taken as a host by the awakened Goa'uld. "So why didn't she come back for the ship? Daniel, you said so yourself, those ruins had been there for a long time," Jack asked realizing that this situation must be weighing harder on Daniel than the rest of them considering his friendship with the female archeologist. "Maybe she's coming back for it now Jack. I don't know. Perhaps something happened on the planet they gated to or maybe she waited this long to be certain Seth wasn't still looking for her. Either way, it still leaves us with unanswered questions." Suddenly, a communications panel gave out a small series of beeps. True to his word, Gran'uk had returned after completing his evaluation of the data Sam had previously transmitted. "It's about time," Jack muttered quietly hoping the Tokra operative had managed to come up with a plan that would not only get them out of this mess but get them back home as well. Or at least, to a planet with a stargate and they could return to the SGC on their own. "We have completed our analysis and the situation does not look good," said Gran'uk coming directly to the point. "Given the positions of our nearest ships in relation to your vessel, we are unable to rendezvous with you before you reach the coordinates. However, we do have knowledge of the region of space that your ship is heading for and can provide you with information to better prepare yourselves." "We appreciate any help and information which you can give us Gran'uk," Sam said graciously as she realized they were no closer to a solution now than they were several hours ago. "Where exactly are we headed?" A long pause came back to them over the radio as if Gran'uk was considering exactly how much information he should give them. Finally, his voice came over the speaker for all to hear. "You are headed to a relatively unpopulated region of space. One that is not controlled by any of the major system lords at this time," the Tokra said. "Yes, something in our favor!" Jack quietly exclaimed. Sam looked at the Colonel and quietly shook her head to convey that something wasn't right. "Gran'uk, you said that there were no 'major' system lords in the area but you didn't say who this ship is en route to. What aren't you telling us?" Sam queried realizing the Tokra had delivered the news in a fashion that was too quiet and cautious. Somehow she knew the answer would not be one any of them wanted to hear. "You are very perceptive Major Carter," Gran'uk replied. "You are correct in understanding me when I say that there are no major system lords in the area at this time. However, a Goa'uld has claimed that particular region of space and is currently building an army as we speak. It is a matter which the Tokra are investigating." "Oh for crying out loud Gran'uk" the Colonel exclaimed. "Are you going to tell us who we're dealing with or not?" Nothing but silence could be heard through the radio and just as Jack was beginning to think his words may have been construed as offensive, the Tokra's voice once again echoed throughout the room. "The Goa'uld with whom you are 'dealing with' Colonel O'Neill is called Osiris..." ******************* Chapter Eight Silence ensconced the room as the members of SG-1 took in this latest tidbit of information. "Of course, who else would it be?" Jack questioned while kicking the nearest console with the toe of his boot. "Osiris" Daniel whispered remembering their last encounter and the loss of his friend. A look of resignation passed over Sam's face as past memories played out before her eyes. Teal'c simply raised one eyebrow and straightened his tall frame as he acknowledged the reality of Gran'uks words. "Gran'uk, our calculations show that we should reach the programmed coordinates within the next four hours. We need a plan to get us off the ship within that time. Can the Tokra help us?" questioned Sam. "Major Carter, as I stated earlier, the Tokra do not have any vessels within the area that could rendezvous with your ship prior to your scheduled arrival. We are hopeful that we may be able to offer a small amount of assistance after your arrival but we cannot guarantee success," the Tokra operative said in a very dubious tone of voice. "Ah Gran'uk, what type of assistance?" Jack asked wondering why he bothered placing any faith in the friendly snakes at all. "We are not able to say at this time Colonel O'Neill however please believe that we are trying to work on a suitable solution to your problem as we speak." "What about the transporter rings on the ship?" Daniel questioned. "Is there some way we could use them to our advantage? Maybe transport somewhere else and escape from there?" "Osiris occupies a planet at the far end of this region of space. It is an uninhabited planet without temples or cities. At this time it is used as a training base for Jaffa. There is no place to transport to unless your ship comes directly in line with Osiris's mother ship. You could then transport to the other ship. Although, I do not know how that would help you in your quest for freedom," Gran'uk said quietly wondering, not for the first time, how the Tauri managed to get themselves into such unbelievable situations. "So much for the cavalry" Jack muttered. "Gran'uk does this training base have a stargate? I mean, wouldn't Osiris choose a planet with a stargate to make it easier to transport the troops?" "Yes the planet does have a Chappa-ai although I do not see how that will help you since it is down there and you are up here in space," he mused unable to fathom what the Colonel might be thinking. "Right, but if there were a way to get us from up here to down there then maybe we could get to the gate and return home before we get caught by Osiris and all the other snakeheads around here," the Colonel said thinking out loud. Suddenly realizing what he said about the Goa'uld and then who he was speaking to he muttered a sheepish "no offense Gran'uk" into the radio. "I am not offended Colonel, Selmak briefed me on your unusual Tauri mannerisms. He took additional time to brief me on yours in particular," the Tokra operative replied. Upon hearing the tokra's response, Sam lowered her head to hide the smile that was playing around her lips while Teal'c and Daniel stood back quietly watching their slightly embarrassed and confused CO take in Gran'uk's words. "Oh..." he managed a little sheepishly as he noticed the reactions of those standing around him. With a slight grin he leaned over to Sam "Chalk one up for dear old dad, eh?" "Yes sir," she quietly responded with a smile that said so much more. 'Not now Jack' he thought to himself as he took in that smile 'you've got Goa'ulds to annoy, ships to destroy and teammates to save.' But yeah sure ya betcha he was going to let himself think about that smile after this never ending day was finally over. Bringing himself back to reality and focusing on the matter at hand he once again addressed Gran'uk and his team. "Ok kids, we're about out of time and we need to get off of this ship. We can't use the transport rings and the Tokra can't fly in and pick us up so what other options do we have?" "If the failsafe device were not in place it would be possible to use the gliders and escape to the planet," Teal'c mused aloud. Suddenly the other members of SG-1 turned to stare at the towering Jaffa as each member seemed to have the same thought all at once. "What if..." "We could..." "How about..." "Aah! For crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed looking at his teammates as they all tried to speak at once. "One at a time okay?" "Well," Daniel began as he looked at the faces staring back at him. "Osiris wouldn't have expected us to be on the ship when it took off so what if we hid and then waited for our chance to leave? We could escape to the stargate and..." "But you are assuming that Osiris intends to land the ship on the planet. From what Gran'uk told us I doubt there are any pyramids or bases for the ship to dock with," Sam pointed out. "Major Carter is correct," Gran'uk interrupted. "Osiris will most likely maintain orbit around the planet rather than attempt to land the ship. However, if you were to conceal yourselves when Osiris boards the ship to deactivate the failsafe device then perhaps you could make your way to the gliders and escape to the planet once she departs." "Of course, someone would have to board the ship to input new instructions or coordinates. It makes sense that the failsafe would be deactivated since the ship had arrived as planned," Sam theorized. "Ok just hold it," Jack exclaimed waving his hands nervously in front of him. "What if Osiris and/or the guards don't leave once they board the ship and do their thing? And even if they do leave, wouldn't they notice if a couple of gliders suddenly left this ship and started flying toward the planet?" "O'Neill is correct. Any vessel leaving this ship will be observed. Osiris' Jaffa would pursue our ships and open fire," Teal'c stated flatly. "Then we are going to have to fly like bats out of hell'" Jack stated knowing that this was the best plan they were going to come up with under the circumstances. "Gran'uk, did you catch all of this?" "Yes, Colonel. I would say that under the circumstances this looks to be your best option although the risks are many. Even if you do make it to the planet you will have to land and make your way to the Chappa-ai. I will forward the coordinates to you but keep in mind that it will be guarded." "Thanks Gran'uk. Would you mind letting General Hammond know what we're planning? Tell him to give us another 48 hours before locking out our GDO codes. If we haven't made it back by that time then chances are we won't be coming back at all," Jack said grimly as he saw his own trepidation of the upcoming events mirrored on the faces of his team. "Very well Colonel. I wish you success," and with that Gran'uk closed the channel and began contacting his own superiors and the Tauri General to relay SG-1's intentions. "Ok campers we have just over 3 hours," Jack said as he looked at his watch. "So... here's the plan. We need to set C4 throughout the ship to rig it to blow. The last thing we need is some wanna be system lord getting its hands on another mother ship. That way when we leave in the gliders we blow the ship and Osiris gets zilch." "It may prove useful in distracting Osiris while we make our escape." Teal'c observed. "Or it may serve to make her all the more determined to come and get us," Daniel muttered. "Jack, I thought the ship was already set to detonate?" "It is Daniel but it's set through the failsafe on the contingency that we were able to get off this thing while still in route. Once the failsafe is deactivated then detonation is no longer an option. So... we need to place the C4 and detonate ourselves. Either way, this ship is history," Jack concluded as he looked at the younger man. He knew this situation was hard on Daniel and just hoped that the next few hours passed smoothly so the young archeologist didn't have to endure any more emotional pain than he already had. "Carter, you and Teal'c erase any indications that we were here. Coordinates, communiqués the works. It wouldn't do for anyone to discover we've crashed the party. Once you're done place the charges on the upper decks while Daniel and I take the lower decks. As soon as we're finished we'll meet up in the hangar and prep the gliders." "Yes sir," Carter answered in full military mode. "Come on Danny Boy," Jack said flashing a grim smile at the young man, "we've got some fireworks to set up." ******************* Chapter Nine One and a half hours later SG-1 stood in the hangar and took in the site before them. Surrounding the team was a large quantity of death gliders. "You can say whatever you want about this 'Tweet' person being kind and friendly Daniel but from the looks of things here she sure was prepared to fight if she had to" Jack said indicating the gliders which surrounded them. "Indeed" Teal'c remarked eyeing the machines. Daniel simply grimaced and turned to inspect the ships. "Carter did you and Teal'c finish placing the party favors?" the Colonel asked as he made his way toward one of the gliders nearest the hangar bay doors. "Let's just say this is one party Osiris will remember for quite a while sir," she replied as she inspected the glider next to the one the Colonel had chosen. "Good," he nodded as he looked over his team. "Carter and Teal'c will pair off in this glider," he said pointing to the glider Sam stood in front of "and Daniel and I will take this one here," he finished indicating the glider by the doors. "Teal'c we need to run a pre- flight check on these babies. I don't want any more surprises than necessary." "I concur," replied the stoic Jaffa as he began the pre-flight sequence checks. "Sir, if we hide out in the hangar bay then how will we know when the failsafe has been deactivated and when Osiris and her Jaffa have left the ship?" Sam asked. The colonel stopped for a moment. Leave it to Carter to come up with the one thing he hadn't thought of. If they opened the doors before the failsafe was deactivated then the ship would blow. If they waited too long then Osiris had time to coordinate all necessary arrangements between the two ships and that would really reduce the team's "element of surprise." "We're going to have to hide somewhere near the control room where we can keep an eye on things. Any suggestions Major?" the Colonel asked. Sam took a moment to consider the layout of the ship before answering. "We could hide one level below near the lift. That way we could tell when they make their way back toward the transport rings and still maintain a bit of distance from the control room." "Sounds like a plan," Jack agreed. "You and I are going to do a little spying on our snakey friends while Teal'c and Daniel hide out in the hangar." "Should I not accompany you O'Neill?" the Jaffa questioned. "You may need assistance if you are discovered" he pointed out. "I agree that you'd be a huge help Teal'c but I need you and Daniel to remain behind and set up the gliders. We'll signal you once the Jaffa are on their way back and you can have both gliders ready to go. Besides, you and I are the only ones that know how to fly these things. If Carter and I don't make it back you're to take Daniel and go home. Understood?" the Colonel asked with a finality in his voice that plainly stated he wasn't taking no for an answer. "Understood" replied the Jaffa with a slow nod of his head. "Okay, we have just under an hour before this party begins. Teal'c, get the gliders ready and then I want you and Daniel to stay out of sight. We don't know exactly what areas of the ship will be checked and I don't want the two of you discovered. Got it?" the colonel asked looking at both men. After receiving their assurances that everything would be ready and that they would stay out of sight he turned to his 2IC "Ready Carter?" "Yeah sure ya betcha," she replied with a small smile as she reached for her Zatniktel. Jack gave a pointed look at the Goa'uld weapon poised in her hand and then looked back up to Sam's face. "Pulling out the big guns Major?" he questioned as he turned to leave the room. "I just want to be prepared Colonel," she answered as she followed him out of the hangar to their predetermined hiding spot. Thirty-five minutes later as Sam and Jack sat quietly huddled in their hiding spot a rumbling was heard throughout the ship and suddenly everything seemed to stand still. With trepidation the two soldiers looked at one another knowing that their time was up and the countdown had all but come to an end. There would be no turning back and no more planning to be done. They had done all they could and now the moment of truth had finally arrived. The ship had dropped out of hyperspace.... ******************* Chapter Ten It wasn't long after the ship had dropped out of hyperspace that Daniel and Teal'c felt everything come to a complete stop. "We must prepare ourselves Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said as he made his way toward a stack of crates that were nestled in the corner nearest the glider he had chosen. "If by 'prepare' you mean hide then I'm right behind you," Daniel said nervously glancing toward the doorway. The young archeologist looked as if he expected to see a squadron of Jaffa heading his way at any moment. Squatting behind the crate he reached for his weapon as Teal'c lowered his staff and trained it on the doorway. If Osiris's guards did decide to tour the Glider bay then it would be the last stop they made. Meanwhile Sam and Jack took their places on opposite sides of a small room filled with a few pieces of oversized furniture. From their vantage points they could view any activity that took place between the lift and the control room and hoped to be able to tell when the Jaffa made their way back to their own ship. 'That is IF they make their way back to the other ship,' Jack thought to himself amazed at the position the team now found itself. Moving his radio a little closer to his face he called Daniel and Teal'c to confirm they had managed to prep the gliders and move out of sight. Assuring himself that things were still going according to plan and both men were in position he turned his attention across the room toward his 2IC. Giving her an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up sign he indicated that everything was good to go. Nodding her head she returned his smile and then sharply turned toward the doorway. Jack could see her body visibly stiffen and her eyes grow wide as she stared out at the hallway and readied her zatniktel. Wondering what had sent her into a very obvious defensive position, he looked out at the hallway while grabbing for his own weapon. And then he heard it.... Boom... Boom... Boom... as if someone were steadily beating a base drum. Boom... Boom... Boom... their rhythm in perfect sync. Faint at first but growing steadily in crescendo until the noise was almost upon them. It was the sound of many feet hitting the floor all at once in a twisted cadence. It was the sound of a Jaffa squadron marching down the hallway. It was a sound that SG-1 knew all too well. Dropping as low to the ground as she possibly could, Sam looked toward the doorway as a sudden wave of dizziness mingled with déjà vu slammed into her consciousness. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she glanced at the Colonel and shook her head to let him know that the passing Jaffa were not the last of the threats they currently faced. And then suddenly everything fell into place. Turning her attention back toward the hallway she spied the reason for her trepidation. 'As if the Jaffa weren't reason enough' she thought to herself with a wry grin and a small shake of her head. Passing in front of the doorway was a woman with long blond hair that fell in gentle waves around her face. Her dress was one of white fabric that reminded Sam of gauze. The airy fabric billowed around her feet as she strode past the room in which Sam and her commanding officer hid. Breathing a small sigh of relief that the woman didn't seem to be aware of their presence, Sam looked to her CO and saw him relax his grip on his weapon ever so slightly. And then she felt it. The presence became stronger and seemed to invade her being. Looking up she saw the woman step back in front of the doorway and quietly survey the room as if she was expecting to find something. 'Wow' Jack thought to himself as he took in the sight of the blond woman. Sitting back quietly he allowed himself to wonder if this was the woman Daniel had told him about. The one he had left behind when he held true to his own beliefs of ancient Egyptian culture. He realized that Daniel had given up much to pursue his ideas only to find in the end that he had been right in his beliefs all along. Only to discover that those beliefs must be kept quiet from a world that wasn't ready for the knowledge in which the truth would bring. The woman took another step towards their position and surveyed the room as if sensing something wasn't quite right. She had a look of confusion on her face but both soldiers could see the glint of determination in her eyes as she stopped and turned her head towards Sam's hiding spot. Seeing that the woman was about to make her way toward her, Sam readied herself and prepared for the fight that would inevitably come. Fearing they had been discovered, Jack also prepared himself to begin firing at the most opportune moment. Suddenly, a Jaffa appeared in the doorway and the woman turned to face him as he stood waiting to escort her to the control room. With a final glance back towards Sam's position she allowed herself a small smile and her eyes glowed with a golden light as she turned and followed the Jaffa out of the room. Jack and Sam both caught their breaths realizing just how close they had come to being found out. Instinctively they each knew that they were not in the clear and that they had only gained a brief respite from things to come. Instinctively they both knew that they had just gazed into the face of the enemy. "That was... strange" Jack said as he quickly made his way over to where his 2IC had been hiding. "I take it that was Daniel's friend?" "Osiris. Yes sir. I just hope we can get off the ship before Daniel catches sight of her. He's already been through enough during our last encounter and this just dredges up his memories of what Apophis did to Sha'ure." "I know. I'm guessing she honed in on you because of the whole Jolinar thing?" he asked remembering how the Goa'ulds could sense one another just as Sam had so obviously sensed Osiris. "Yes sir. I'm sorry, I should have thought of that before. Maybe we should split up. I could stay up here and radio back to you when the failsafe has been deactivated and you could go to the hangar and get things ready with the others..." "Absolutely not Carter!" Jack said holding his hand up to stop any further musings of his 2IC. "No one gets left behind and I'm not leaving you up here to sacrifice yourself so the rest of us can get away." "But sir, I..." she began and Jack angrily cut her off in mid-sentence. "Aah not another word Carter and that's an order. I am not leaving you here to act as a decoy and that's final," he stated emphatically knowing her well enough to figure out what she was thinking. "Either we both head back to the hangar or we both stay here. Either way, you're stuck with me so deal with it. Understood?" "Understood sir," Sam said sighing in defeat. She recognized the tone his voice had taken on and knew there was no arguing with him once he made up his mind. He was in full Colonel mode. "We should find another place to hide until the Jaffa leave. I'm sure Osiris is aware of our presence, or mine at least, and may come back with a contingent of guards." "That would be bad," the Colonel agreed as he glanced around the room to make certain they hadn't left anything behind. "Let's move out." Making their way to the lift they headed down a level and took up positions nearer the hangar. "Teal'c, Daniel, do you copy?" the Colonel whispered into the radio. "Jack, are you and Sam alright?" Daniel asked. "We heard Jaffa walk by earlier but everything has been quiet since." "Yeah, we saw them too Daniel. We've had to change our positions so we're a little closer to you than before. I want you to stay put until you hear from one of us. Understood?" O'Neill asked. "Understood. Be careful" Daniel cautioned. Something in his friend's voice wasn't quite right. Something had happened that Jack either couldn't or wasn't going to go into at this point in time. "Right, radio silence from here on in" the Colonel ordered as he concluded the conversation. "Teal'c," Daniel questioned as he turned toward the towering Jaffa "is it just me or did Jack sound a little... off?" "He sounded as he always does in the heat of battle Daniel Jackson" the warrior replied. "Maybe but..." he paused for a moment shaking his head lightly from side to side. "I don't know Teal'c, I just have a bad feeling about this." "Indeed" the man replied as he raised one eyebrow and concentrated his gaze on the doorway before them. "Indeed." ******************* Chapter Eleven It wasn't long after Jack ordered radio silence that the metallic humming of the lift was heard. Sinking further into their hiding spots, Sam and Jack waited with baited breath for the guards to pass by. Only then would the soldiers be able to make a break for the hangar and place their bid for freedom. As the lift passed making its way to the lower level they breathed a small sigh of relief. 'Maybe we'll catch a break after all and Osiris will take her guards and leave' Jack thought as he fumbled for his radio to contact Daniel and Teal'c. 'Yeah, and maybe pigs fly south for the winter' mocked a small voice inside his head. Annoyed at himself for the direction his thoughts had taken, Jack quickly shook his head and refocused his mind on the situation at hand. Lifting the radio closer to his face he called to his teammates in the hangar. "Daniel, Teal'c do you copy?" he whispered softly in case any of the Jaffa had decided to stray from their main path. "We are here O'Neill" Teal'c answered as the deep tones of his voice seemed to echo through the radio. "Have the Jaffa succeeded in deactivating the failsafe?" "Well, they just headed back toward the cargo bay and those transport rings so I'm guessing yes. Carter and I could go check out the control room to be sure but I don't want to risk dragging her all over the ship while the Goa'uld are hanging around. It's too easy for them to hone in on her since the whole Jolinar thing." "Agreed. Daniel Jackson and I will prepare for your return," replied Teal'c. Just then the humming of the lift could be heard. "Teal'c, we gotta go. You and Daniel just be ready in case we have to get out of here really fast" Jack ordered as he placed his radio back in his vest pocket and silently peered around the pillar toward the back of the room. Suddenly, the lift seemed to stop and Osiris peered out as if looking for something. Glancing over, the Colonel saw his major turn ghost white and a look of recognition cross her features as she realized that Osiris had once again sensed her presence. Would they be granted another reprieve as they had been earlier when the Jaffa had escorted Osiris from their previous hiding spot to the control room? Or would the pair find themselves surrounded by a vengeful Goa'uld and her personal guard? A small smile crossed the face of Osiris as she turned and made her way back toward the lift. Stopping just short of the platform, she spoke quietly to one of the guards who merely nodded his head. 'This cannot be good' Jack thought to himself as he silently witnessed the hushed conversation between the two alien beings. 'There is no way she could have NOT sensed us this time" Sam thought to herself as nausea settled in the pit of her stomach and began to rise in her throat. After shaking his head several more times in acknowledgement to whatever Osiris had been telling him, the Jaffa stood aside as Osiris made stepped on to the platform. The second guard who had been silently standing by also stepped from the lift and watched as her form disappeared from sight with the lowering of the platform. 'This is definitely NOT good' Jack thought as panic started to settle in. Something was obviously wrong. 'Why didn't I send Carter back with Daniel and Teal'c?" he thought to himself despairingly. 'At least then I could have radioed ahead to Teal'c and had him get her off of the ship before the guards had too much time to organize their movements. At least then she might have been safe.' Grabbing his weapon determinedly he watched as the Jaffa made several hand motions ordering the younger guard to search the area in which Sam was hiding. Giving his 2IC a few hand signals of his own to let her know of his intentions, he grabbed his weapon as he leaped up and fired at the Jaffa heading toward him. The bullets ricocheted off of the Jaffa's headgear as the metal encased warrior lifted his own staff weapon and began to fire. As the Colonel jumped up and began firing his weapon at the momentarily stunned Jaffa, Sam took advantage of the situation and fired at the distracted guard that was heading her way. Her own weapon found it's mark in the center of the Jaffa's chest and he fell to the ground in a display of electric charge. Seeing that her adversary had been hit and was now incapacitated, Sam ran over to him and fired a second and third shot from her alien weapon as she watched the guard die and disintegrate before her eyes. Hearing the weapons discharge she turned to see her CO ducking behind a pillar as he returned the barrage of energy that was being hurled toward him from the Jaffa's staff weapon. Inching her way toward the lift, she crouched behind another pillar and began laying down cover fire. "Sir, we need to make our way to the lift so that we can get out of here" she called to the Colonel as another blast from the deadly staff weapon came within inches of his head. 'Well, at this rate I won't need a haircut any time soon' he grimaced to himself as he felt the heat radiate from the blast as it passed dangerously close to his ear. Laying down one final array of heavy gunfire, he turned and ran toward Sam who had managed to hold the lift while laying down cover fire of her own. Just as Jack leaped onto the platform she pressed the button that would take them away from the deadly blasts. Blasts that could still be heard as the duo made their way downwards into the belly of the ship. Suddenly the lift came to an abrupt stop halfway between floors and an alarm began blaring throughout the ship. Sam and Jack looked at one another with a look akin to panic on their faces as a new noise assaulted their ears. From the floors above they could hear shouting and the heavy footsteps of Osiris's guards as they ran toward the lift. "Okay, NOW we're trouble" Jack muttered as he and Sam heard the word 'Tauri' shouted repeatedly. Looking around for a means of escape he realized that the platform had stopped between levels and left them just enough room to drop to the floor. "Carter, this is going to be tricky but we're going to have to slide out the bottom here and make our way to the next level" he told her as he laid down on the floor to shimmy his way out of the lift. Pulling her pack from her back so that she could squeeze through the narrow opening, she lay down and tossed it to the Colonel as soon as he made his way to the floor below. Carefully lowering herself over the side she leaped down and felt Jack's hands clasp her around the waist to ease her descent as he gently lowered her to her feet. Smiling gratefully, she leaned over to retrieve her pack as he did the same. Suddenly they heard a small whirring sound and looked up to see the lift begin an upward climb. "We need to find a way out of here now" Jack said in a voice laced with urgency. "As soon as that platform reaches the top they'll realize where we're at and they'll be on us in no time." "There's an access hatch on the opposite side of this level towards the front of the ship. We could use it to climb down to the hangar deck and meet Daniel and Teal'c" Sam said as she indicated the corridor to their left. Her words had no sooner left her mouth as the blast from a staff weapon raced above their heads. Looking back they saw a very large and determined Jaffa lean down on the platform as he attempted to aim the weapon through the expanding gap between the platform floor and the level just above them. "The party's over Carter, let's move now!" the Colonel exclaimed as he released a small volley of shots from his own weapon and turned to follow her down the corridor. "Teal'c, Daniel come in," he shouted into his radio. "We are here O'Neill" came the deep timbre of the Jaffa's voice through the tiny speaker. "Not for long you aren't" Jack replied ducking yet another blast as he rounded the corner right on Carter's heels. "We've run into trouble. Take Daniel and get out of here now. Do you hear me?" he shouted. "Could we not be of assistance O'Neill?" the man asked as he grabbed his own staff weapon and began heading for the door. "Negative!" Jack shouted. "We've already talked about this remember? Take Daniel, get to the planet and get HOME. Someone needs to alert Hammond about what's going on here and there is nothing you can do for us. Carter and I will try to make it to the hangar and fly out on our own." "Jack, we'll wait for you on the planet" Daniel said speaking into his own radio. "No Daniel, you'll go home. Carter and I will have enough to contend with just getting ourselves out of this mess and blowing the ship. You will go to the gate, make your way through and wait for us at the SGC" the Colonel said as he ducked yet another round of weapons fire. "Could we not send reinforcements through to the planet O'Neill?" Teal'c questioned. "Teal'c, if we aren't back at the SGC soon after you arrive then there will be no reason to send reinforcements. Understand?" Jack asked, desperate to get to the access hatch and hopefully find some cover soon. "Understood O'Neill. May you and Major Carter be victorious against the guards of Osiris. We will meet again at the SGC" the Jaffa said solemnly as he turned toward the glider, intent on following the Colonel's instructions to see Daniel safely home. "You too" Jack whispered softly as he closed his eyes for a split second and wished the best for his friends as they made their way towards home. ******************* Chapter Twelve Jack came to a sudden stop as he ran straight into Sam who was hurriedly removing a plate in the floor. "Access hatch?" he questioned as he fired another shot at a Jaffa and watched as the wounded man fall to the ground, the staff weapon rolling out of his hand. . The man lay on his back and his eyes stared up into nothingness. "Yes sir," she replied as she pushed the plate aside and cautiously began her descent to the floor below. Not seeing any sign of Jaffa she gave the Colonel an 'all clear' sign and stepped aside as he began his own descent pulling the plate closed behind him. 'Maybe that will confuse them a little and buy us some time' he thought to himself hoping the Jaffa wouldn't realize the humans had discovered the access hatch. "One more level to go sir" Sam said as she bent down and began pulling an identical plate in the floor aside. With weapon ready, Jack took up a defensive position between his Major and the open doorway and watched for any sign of the Jaffa guards and Osiris. Opening the hatch and descending the ladder, Sam again looked around the room below her. She could see no sign of the guards but still felt uneasy. 'Something isn't right' she thought to herself as the Colonel made his way through the hatch. Looking at his 2IC he noticed that her face was drawn and she seemed to be a little more on edge than he would expect seeing there weren't any guards around. However he had learned over the years to trust her instincts, especially when it came to Goa'ulds. "Sensing something Carter?" he asked quietly as they made their way toward the hangar. "Osiris. I think she's nearby" she replied with a worried look on her face. If Osiris was around that meant her guards wouldn't be far behind and not far behind was just a little too close for Jack's piece of mind. "Let's pick up the pace Major. I don't fancy being a guest of Osiris," he muttered as they began running toward the hangar. They were within feet of the hangar when they saw her standing at the end of the corridor flanked by several guards. Her eyes began to glow and she slowly raised her hand. As she raised her arm Sam and Jack both noticed her hand was adorned with an all too familiar Goa'uld device. Shoving Sam into the hangar Jack lifted his weapon and began firing at the approaching Jaffa as he followed her into the room. He heard a 'thwump' as the heavy door came to a close behind him and fired his weapon at the control panel blowing the circuitry so that Osiris and her Jaffa would not be able to enter behind them. "Way too close" he muttered as he turned to make his way toward the glider. Carter had already positioned herself in the tiny ship and was waiting for the Colonel as he hoisted himself into the pilot's seat. "Ready Carter?" he asked as the clear bubble began to close around them drowning out the sound of the blasts hitting the door as the Jaffa fired their staff weapons in an attempt to thwart their escape. "Ready sir" she answered as the Colonel flipped the last of the switches that would launch them out into space toward the planet below. Breathing a small sigh of relief Jack locked in the coordinates that would lead them to the planet and turned to look at his 2IC. "You okay?" he asked, concern flooding his voice. She replied by nodding her head and giving him a small smile as he checked the gauges on the panel before him. "Carter, we need to blow the ship and the sooner the better. Maybe we can take out Osiris and some of her henchman before she does any more damage than she already has." Silently agreeing, Sam pulled the detonator from her pack and made ready to flip the switch. Seeing a nod of encouragement from her commanding officer, she lifted the red plastic cover and pushed the small switch forward. Seconds later explosions could be seen as the mother ship that had brought them so far across the universe began breaking apart and falling aimlessly into the icy depths of space. Just then their tiny glider lurched violently to one side. "What now?" Jack muttered in disgust wondering if this wasn't actually the voyage of the damned. Looking back he saw the Goa'uld death gliders gaining on them and realized that they had been fired upon. Taking the throttle he steered the ship through the maze of Goa'uld blasts. "I guess our little firework display really ticked them off, eh Carter?" he quipped as he banked sharply to avoid weapons fire from one of the gliders. "Maybe a little too much sir" she replied closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She knew Jack was a good pilot but she hated feeling so helpless. Trapped in the back of the death glider she realized there was little she could do to help. "We're nearly there Carter, hold on" he called as he sent the ship into a nosedive which resulted in the destruction of the two death gliders that were firing on them from opposite sides. 'Serves them right,' the Colonel thought as he checked his coordinates one last time and began his descent to the planet surface. Just as it looked as if they would make it down unscathed they felt a jolt at the backside of the glider. They had been hit and their instruments were going haywire as malfunctions began to take over the small vessel. Jack released a volley of weapons fire and obliterated the offending Jaffa but the damage had been done. They were going down and they were going down hard.... ******************* Chapter Thirteen Trying to slow the speed of descent and where they would 'land' was becoming more difficult by the second. Most of the controls were useless by now and navigation was sluggish at best. "I'm going to try and make for that area of trees off to our left Carter" he indicated to his 2IC as the ship continued to shudder from the stress of the rapid descent. "It might provide some ground cover and make it harder for any gliders to spot our position." Looking toward the area that the Colonel had indicated Sam had to agree that the dense vegetation would provide an excellent cover for any gliders that may try to swoop in and finish them off. But first they had to make their way down safely and in one piece. "Hang on Carter!" the Colonel shouted as the glider reached the trees and began careening through them, snapping several of their trunks in the process as if they were mere toothpicks. It was the last thing she heard as she saw the green of the forest whip by them and with a sickening thud she felt a particularly violent jolt as the glider lurched to a stop causing her head to snap forward and then back against the steel of the cockpit. It was then that everything went black. She awoke to the feeling of something cool against her face and opened her eyes only to quickly close them in a vain attempt to block out the light which had sent pain shooting through to the back of head. Trying to sit up she felt a gentle but firm hand pushing her back to the ground. "Easy Major, one thing at a time" the voice chided quietly. She instantly relaxed as she recognized the soft timbre of the Colonel's voice and allowed herself to rest momentarily. "Where are we sir?" she asked in a cracking voice. Her throat was parched and it felt like days since she had last had anything to drink. 'How long have I been out?' she wondered as she felt Jack gently elevate her head and raise the canteen to her mouth. "Let's put it this way, we're not in Kansas anymore Dorothy" he joked softly, concern evident in his voice as he tried to assess her condition. Greedily drinking the water he offered, Sam cautiously opened one eye and smiled up at him. "I kind of gathered that already sir" she quipped thankful they had managed to survive the landing. Relieved that she seemed to be coherent enough to participate in his casual banter, Jack smiled as he recounted the events since their landing. "From what I can tell, it looks like we've managed to land in the thickest part of the forest which should help provide some cover. Nightfall looks to be a few hours off and I estimate that we are approximately eleven hours from the stargate although considering our present condition it may take us a little longer" he finished as he removed a couple of pain killers from his pack and handed them to her. 'I need to remember to thank Janet for insisting we bring these things along' he mused to himself as he assisted Sam to a semi-seated position so she could swallow the pills. As she swallowed the medication she took a moment to look around at their surroundings. Trees as far as the eye could see but the terrain seemed relatively flat. 'At least that will make our journey a little easier' she thought as her senses took in something else. Cocking her head to one side she looked questioningly at the Colonel. "Water?" she asked wondering if she was hearing things. "Yep and I don't even have my fishing pole" he grinned as he pointed in the direction of a nearby stream. "I figure we can use it as a point of reference when we make for the stargate." Nodding her head she sat up and winced in pain. "Easy Carter" he said reiterating his earlier statement. "From what I can tell you've got several cracked ribs, a concussion, and a bump on the head the size of Texas. You need to rest and let those pain killers kick in." "But shouldn't we keep moving? The Jaffa are bound to come looking for us and they should have a general idea of where we went down by now" she said trying to rise to her feet. "Relax Carter. The ship is about a mile upstream and it won't be long before nightfall sets in. I doubt they'll send out the hunting parties until morning. Besides, they'll probably know that our next target will be the gate and double their efforts around that area. I just hope Daniel and Teal'c make it out before that happens," he said wondering how his friends were faring. "You said the ship is about a mile upstream?" she asked as something began nagging at the back of her mind. "How long have I been out and how did we get here?" "You've been out for a few hours. I was beginning to get worried. As for how we got here, I carried you," he said simply as he busily dug through his pack for ration bars which would pass for their dinner. Accepting the MRE, Sam looked down and realized that he had bandaged her ribs and head. It was then that she realized his own face and hands were covered in scratches and his right foot was bandaged. 'He carried me in that condition and bandaged both of our injuries in two hours?' she thought to herself. 'That can't be right.' Knowing his 2IC and realizing the direction her thoughts were taking he sighed and quietly said "Four hours Carter." As she looked questioningly at him he explained his remark to her. "You were wondering how I could have carried you this far and treated our injuries in such a short time, right?" Seeing her nod he continued, "You've been out for four hours from the time I came to back at the ship. I was beginning to worry that your concussion may be something more severe and I didn't want you to worry," he explained softly. "I should have known that it would take more than a mere crash landing to really damage that hard head of yours" he joked, becoming uncomfortable with the directions of his thoughts. In truth he had been very worried about her. Much more worried than he wanted her to know. Amazed he could read her so well she smiled at his attempt at levity and merely replied, "Yes sir." She had learned a few things over the years about Jack O'Neill and knew that sarcasm was one of the tools he used to distance himself from a situation when his emotions became too involved. Having finished his MRE, Jack prepared the campsite for the evening. Tents and equipment would not be necessary as they were shielded by several large rock formations that created a cave like structure. Not that he felt like setting up the portable shelters anyway. His foot was throbbing and he was beginning to wonder how he was going to be able to keep pace the next day on their trek to the Stargate. Carrying Carter and hiking to their current position had pretty much guaranteed swelling so that his foot had doubled in size. And what Sam didn't know is that he had broken a couple of ribs in landing making his breathing more of a chore than he would have liked. After taking time to discuss their itinerary for the following day, they decided that it would be best to leave at the crack of dawn and follow the river for as long as possible. Each was mindful of the dangers that lay ahead and each realized that the clock was ticking. In less than two days the General would lock out their GDO codes cutting off their route home. Telling Carter to get some rest, Jack hobbled over to the nearest log and sat down as he prepared to watch over the camp. Darkness had fallen and the soldiers had decided to endure the evening without a fire for fear that it may draw attention to their position. Sighing softly, Jack pulled his blanket a little more closely around himself and took a sip of water from his canteen. 'No doubt about it' he thought to himself as he stared out into the darkness 'it's going to be a very long night.' ******************* Chapter Fourteen As luck would have it, the evening passed uneventfully. Sam awakened halfway through the night and insisted on taking her watch so he could get in a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Although she didn't know the extent of his injuries she suspected they were worse than he was letting on. When she tried to inquire about them he merely mumbled, "it's nothing Carter" and busily continued with the task at hand. That was her first clue that he was worse off than he was letting on. The second clue was his labored breathing as he slept. Morning arrived and they consumed another meal of MRE's and each took some aspirin before gathering their belongings and starting their walk to the gate. Neither opted for stronger pain medication since they needed to stay alert. If the Jaffa were searching for them then they would need all of their mental faculties to help compensate for the physical trauma their bodies had endured during the landing. A couple of hours into their journey, Jack suggested they take a small break. All things considered, they were making decent time but his foot was beginning to seriously hurt and he noticed that Carter's face was becoming paler by the moment. Looking around the area Sam spied a thick branch the Colonel could use for support as they continued on. He had refused to lean on her to relieve some of the weight and he wasn't about to slow his pace. As a result, his foot was quickly returning to its previous size of the night before. Resuming their course they continued on for several more hours when they decided to stop for lunch. After consuming another meal of MRE's they tended to their bandages. By this time both soldiers looked weary and their movements were slow and jerky. "How much longer do you think it will be before we reach the gate?" Sam asked. "Probably another five hours maybe a little longer the way we're going" he grinned as he pointed to the 'cane' Carter had fashioned for him. "How much resistance do you think we'll encounter once we reach the gate?" she questioned wondering if they were going to be in any condition to put up a fight against the Jaffa should the need arise. "Well, Gran'uk said this was a training camp and no doubt they're all on alert after what happened earlier so it's hard to say. I don't think they're going to make it easy on us though" he grimaced thinking of the upcoming skirmish he was certain they would have to face. "What if Osiris was on the ship when it blew? Do you think they would still come after us? I mean, we haven't seen or heard any signs of gliders flying overhead all day. Maybe we'll get lucky and catch a break for once" she said in a voice laced with heavy irony. "Catch a break? Us? Why break with tradition now Major?" he joked as he thought about some of SG-1's past missions. True, they had managed to survive, 'or be brought back to life' he thought, but it was rarely easy and usually involved stress and chaos. And it usually involved Daniel ending up in the infirmary. Bringing his attention back to the present he considered her words. Was Osiris on the ship when it blew? He certainly hoped so. Not that he wanted to see Daniel lose another person he cared about but a Goa'uld was a Goa'uld and so far they had all remained true to form. Take a host, proclaim themselves Gods, wreak destruction and havoc throughout the universe and somewhere along the line manage to try and kill SG-1. 'Yep, it's always the same' he thought to himself. 'Why can't we ever just run into a Goa'uld who wants to hole up somewhere and live a simple, quiet life?' "Let's move out Carter," he said as they once again continued their journey. Not long after they were forced to leave the path by the river and turn into the forest. Although plenty of daylight remained, the forest seemed darker due to the dense vegetation that shielded out much of the sun's light and gave the impression that evening was closer than it actually was. They were coming upon the last part of their journey and both were exhausted and worn out. Deciding that one final stop would do them each some good they found a quiet area where they could rest and still see the area around them. Each knew they were getting close to the gate and trouble was a very real possibility. With only a few more hours until nightfall they gathered their belongings and once again set out for, what they hoped would be, the final time. 'Almost there' Jack thought to himself a little over an hour later when he heard a noise. Turning to Sam he motioned for her to get out of sight as they took refuge behind a hollowed out tree trunk surrounded by vegetation which had grown up around it over the years. Through the gaps in the trunk they could peer out and see the source of the noise. Jaffa, three maybe four, came into view as they made their way in the direction in which the soldiers had just come. Looking at his 2IC, he saw her unholster her weapon. Turning his attention back to the forest he wondered how many more of the guards were positioned just ahead. And then he felt it. A large hand grabbed his shoulder. A hand that didn't belong to his 2IC... ******************* Chapter Fifteen Jack's body stiffened as he felt the hand clasp his shoulder. Sensing the change in her CO's demeanor, Sam turned her head towards him in an attempt to see what had triggered it. That was when he saw her eyes grow wide as her gaze traveled up to the person who now stood behind him. Fearing the worst and preparing to turn and tackle whoever might have sneaked up on them, Jack stopped short as her heard her utter a familiar name. "Teal'c" she whispered in shock, "What are you doing here? Where's Daniel?" 'Teal'c?' Jack thought to himself as his mind began processing this new bit of information. 'Teal'c is the guy who nearly gave me a heart attack?' he muttered to himself as he let out the breath he had been holding and relaxed his posture ever so slightly. "Daniel Jackson is nearby hiding from the Jaffa" he replied. If Jack hadn't known better he would have sworn he could just make out the slightest hint of a smile on the warrior's face. "I thought I ordered you two back through the gate?" the Colonel questioned quietly so as not to attract the attention of the patrolling guards. "That is correct O'Neill" he answered in hushed tones. "However the landing of our ships alerted the Jaffa to our presence. They have increased their numbers around the gate. Daniel Jackson and I have been observing their movements so that we might better plan for our escape." Jack momentarily remained silent as he mulled over Tealc's words. They had expected this. After all, it made sense that the Jaffa would double security around the gate as it was SG-1's only means of escape from the planet. 'Okay, so the guards aren't stupid' he thought to himself as he pondered their next move. 'Misguided maybe but not stupid.' As he looked at the guards he realized that several of them sported different emblems on their foreheads. "Teal'c..." he said as a plan began to form in his mind. "Why aren't the Jaffa all wearing the same tattoo on their foreheads? Don't they usually bear the mark of the Goa'uld they serve?" he questioned. "Indeed" the Jaffa replied as he briefly looked back through the forest to be certain the guards had not began doubling back. "However, it looks as if Osiris is assembling her army from many sources. Eventually the brands that now adorn the foreheads of the Jaffa will be removed. Osiris will apply her own brand at that time." "Teal'c, how is that possible? I thought the brands were permanent. A symbol of ownership that couldn't be removed" Sam asked. "You are correct Major Carter. The Goa'uld do have a method of removal. It is not commonly used as Jaffa are expected to stay loyal to one God only. However, it does exist" the warrior answered as he thought back to the only time he had ever seen the procedure take place. He briefly closed his eyes as the memory rushed back to him and then, as if remembering their current situation he pulled his thoughts back to the present. Seeing the uncharacteristic look on his friends' face was enough to leave Jack wondering about the whole removal process. "Ah, Teal'c," he began "how does this whole removal thing work?" "The Jaffa in question is strapped to a table and his head held securely in place. Acid is then poured on the emblem and used in combination with a Goa'uld healing device. After this has been accomplished, a new brand is applied." "And this works with all Jaffa?" Jack questioned. "All except those who serve as First Prime" Teal'c replied. "Because your brand is actually cut in and melded into your forehead?" Sam questioned as she thought back to what she had previously learned regarding the branding process. "That is correct Major Carter. The procedure is effective on the other Jaffa because their brands are made of a natural type of permanent ink whereas mine is not" he answered. "Sounds... painful" Jack muttered actually feeling sorry for the Jaffa that would soon undergo such a procedure. "You are correct O'Neill," Teal'c solemnly replied. "The screams of the Jaffa as the acid is poured upon them will be heard by many." Sam turned her head and quickly closed her eyes at the visual image that assaulted her mind. Not for the first time she marveled at the cruelness of the Goa'uld and shuddered as she wondered if they were ever capable of acts of kindness and compassion. Somehow, she seriously doubted they ever were. Deciding it was time they moved forward in their efforts to escape, Jack began to mentally work on refining the plan that had been forming in his mind during their conversation. "Teal'c, have you and Daniel seen any signs of weakness in their defenses?" he asked the man. "The guards are fewer around the gate at the onset of daylight" the Jaffa replied. "First thing in the morning?" Jack asked hoping he had translated his friends' words correctly and wondering how early the team would have to make its bid for freedom. Teal'c inclined his head as he replied to the Colonel's question. "Is that not what I just said O'Neill?" he questioned. Giving the Jaffa a look that would have offended most, Jack turned to check on Sam. She looked pale and utterly exhausted but still managed to stay alert and keep an eye out for patrolling Jaffa. It was now nearing nightfall and they could see the guards returning to their camps. Not for the first time he marveled at the stamina of his 2IC. He just hoped they could both maintain their resolve until they reached the SGC. Jack was no fool, having Daniel and Teal'c there would hopefully increase their chances of making it back but he wasn't naïve enough to believe for one minute that Osiris's forces were going to make things easy on them. Yes, in a few hours they were most likely going to have to fight their way out of their current situation. With that in mind, he began sending up a few prayers that the infamous SG-1 luck held out yet again and would see them all safely home. And all the while he wondered to himself if they weren't already on borrowed time in the luck department. ******************* Chapter Sixteen "It looks like the guards are starting to settle in for the evening" Jack said noticing the hustle and bustle taking place in the Jaffa campsite. "Indeed O'Neill" Teal'c replied observing the increased activity within the campsite. "Soon they will partake of their evening meal. Once that is complete they will retire for the evening." "Okay, let's get back to Daniel. I have a plan that might help us slip by the guards a little easier but we still need to work out the details and I want Carter to get some rest before we attempt to implement anything" the Colonel said worriedly glancing at his 2IC. "I'm fine sir" Sam protested as she felt a thread of annoyance run through her. 'He's in no better shape than I am' she thought to herself. 'If anything, with all of the walking we've done today, he's probably a lot worse off.' "No arguments, Carter" he admonished her quietly. "Teal'c, lead the way." With one final look around to make certain they were indeed alone, they stood up and made their way over to where Daniel had been maintaining his watch on the gate. Hearing multiple sets of footsteps behind him and fearing the worst, Daniel placed his finger on the trigger of his weapon and quickly spun around poised to fire upon whoever was coming his way. "Whoa!" Jack exclaimed seeing the look on Daniel's face and the archeologist's raised weapon "We come in peace for crying out loud!" A look of utter amazement settled on Daniel's face and was quickly replaced by a huge smile as he took in the forms of not only Teal'c but those of Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter as well. "Jack... Sam... you made it off of the ship!" he sputtered as he rushed over to give Sam a hug. Hearing her sharp intake of air as he hugged her he looked down and took in her appearance as she gave him a wan but heartfelt smile. "Are you guys okay?" he questioned as the expression of happiness on his face quickly turned to one of concern. "We're fine Daniel" Jack answered flippantly trying to ease the worry he saw etched on the young archeologist's face. "You didn't honestly think that Carter and I would let a battalion of Jaffa, an angry Goa'uld, a duel in space, a crash landing and an all day hike through enemy territory stop us now did you?" Sam merely smiled as she listened to the Colonel's quips and saw the look of concern on Daniel's face run the gambit from puzzlement to amazement to sheer happiness as he took in his friend's words. "I guess not" he smiled shaking his head in disbelief as he realized that SG-1 had managed to once again beat the odds. Sitting down to an evening meal of MRE's the group began to discuss their options and plan their next move. "Teal'c," the Colonel began "if we could knock out one of those guards and have you switch uniforms with him then we might be able to get closer to the gate and disable a few more Jaffa before being noticed." "Sort of an 'element of surprise' maneuver?" Daniel questioned as he began to see where Jack was going with this line of thinking. "Exactly. If they think that Teal'c is one of them then it might buy us a little more time to get closer to the gate and dial out." Jack answered. "There's just one problem sir" Sam chimed in as her thoughts whirled around her head. "That might work for Teal'c but what about the rest of us? The Jaffa will know that we wouldn't willingly walk beside one of their own." "Major Carter is correct. There is also the fact that, although the Jaffa currently maintain various marks of allegiance upon their foreheads, I am not one of them. My mark is that of First Prime of Aphophis. If my reputation does not betray us then the fact that there are no other First Prime's present at this training facility will most assuredly do so." "All we need is to fool them or catch them off guard for a few minutes" Jack said thinking aloud. "What if we started a fight as a diversion and then pretended to be caught by Teal'c. He could say that he was to take us directly to Osiris and then instead of transporting to Osiris's ship, he could dial in Earth's address and activate the stargate" Sam offered. "Ah... was Osiris on the ship when it blew?" Daniel asked. "Because if she was then there would be no reason for us to be taken to the ship. We'd probably be executed on the spot." "That would suck" Jack muttered as he looked around at the group. "Okay, so there aren't any perfect solutions here. We'll just have to wing it. Teal'c, you and I will sneak up on one of the guards just before we're ready to get this show on the road, knock him out and take his uniform. Then we'll attempt to get through the stargate without any elaborate schemes. If we can't manage that then we'll have Teal'c pretend he captured us. If that doesn't work then we fight our way out. Any questions?" "Yeah, what's Plan B?" Daniel asked looking uncomfortable and unconvinced that any of them had even the slightest of chances of pulling any of this off. "Plan B?" Jack questioned as three pairs of eyes turned toward him awaiting his answer. Jack grimaced as he briefly mulled over Daniel's question. Finally, looking directly at each of his team members he took a deep breath and replied "Plan B is we run like hell..." ******************* Chapter Seventeen "We run like hell?" Daniel questioned in disbelief, his sentence hanging in the air. "Okay, so you all run and I limp" Jack grimaced as another round of pain shot up through his foot. "What did you expect Daniel?" he asked seeing the young man's face fall a little. "We really don't have many options here so we're going to have to do what we always do. Fight our way through, cover one another's backs and make it home in one piece. I know it isn't going to be easy especially with the injuries Carter and I sustained but we have no choice. Hammond is going to lock out our access codes in less than eighteen hours if we're not back and we don't have any other way off this planet. And somehow I don't think the Jaffa are going to let us walk through that gate just because we ask them nicely." "I know" Daniel quietly replied. And he did know. They had gone over every conceivable option possible. Their options were limited, their supplies were getting low and their time was almost up. Still, he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was about to happen. Something more than a mere exchange of weapons fire as they made their bid for the gate. Something much more dire. "Let's turn in. It's 2100 hours now and we go at 0400 hours. We'll split the watch into increments of one hour and forty-five minutes. Teal'c, you take first watch followed by Daniel, Sam and myself. Any questions?" Jack asked as the team prepared to turn in for the evening. After saying goodnight to everyone he headed over to his pack and pulled out his canteen and some painkillers. He knew that the day had taken its toll on Sam and he also knew that she was too stubborn to say anything. He laughed quietly as he realized the same argument could be made for himself. His foot had again doubled in size and his breathing had become worse after the events of the day. 'Tomorrow ought to be a lot of fun' he muttered as he made his way over to where Sam had settled. "Here Carter, these ought to help a little," he said as he handed her the painkillers and the canteen. "It's not necessary sir," she responded quietly as she realized what now lay in her hand. "I want to be alert for the mission and these might impair my thinking." "Dammit Carter, that's exactly why I want you to take these. You need to rest and you'll be better able to do that if you can relieve some of the pain if only for a little while. Besides, if you take these now, they'll have worn off by the time we're ready to go. "Sir..." she began but the Colonel interrupted any further arguments on the subject by looking hard at her and quietly saying "Don't make me make this an order Sam." It was the use of her first name that was her undoing. Although the expression on his face and the first part of his sentence was delivered in full 'Colonel mode' his voice softened considerably as he uttered her name. Not 'Carter' but 'Sam'. That in itself spoke volumes to her, letting her know just how worried he really was. They both knew the odds of successfully completing the upcoming mission were certainly not in their favor even if they weren't injured. But given their current physical conditions... "Alright" she said softly taking the medication and the canteen "but only if you do the same. You're in worse shape than I am sir," she said giving him a shy smile to let him know that she wasn't trying to countermand his order but that she was worried about his own health. Laughing softly, Jack slipped the bottle of painkillers out of his pocket. Popping the cap he shook a couple of the pills onto his hand and reached over to take the canteen back from her. After downing the medication he quietly told her to get some sleep and then headed back for his own sleeping bag. Despite the pain and worries of their upcoming conflict he found that sleep came quickly. Four AM arrived all too quickly and with a definite grimace they each grabbed a ration bar and gathered their belongings. Fifteen minutes later they found themselves crouched behind a large clump of trees waiting to spring their plan on the unwary Jaffa standing guard a mere thirty feet in front of them. Using the perimeter of the trees for cover, Jack and Teal'c quietly made their way to where they were positioned just behind the Jaffa. Just as they were within feet of the guard Jack heard a small crunch. Looking down he realized that his oversized foot had managed to step on a fairly large twig. 'So much for all of those years of Black Ops training' he thought to himself in disgust. It was at that moment that he realized that if he could hear the twig snap then the Jaffa probably could to. Just as he raised his eyes from where they had been fixated on the ground, he looked up just as the Jaffa turned to face their direction. For a brief second their eyes met. As if he were watching the scene in slow motion, Jack saw the Jaffa begin to raise his staff weapon as he was placing his finger on the trigger of his own weapon to begin firing. Suddenly, a bright flash of light exploded on the side of the Jaffa's head. The Colonel watched as a look of intense pain passed over the man's face and the force of the blow caused the guard to stagger back several steps before stopping momentarily and then falling face forward to the ground. Looking over to his left, he saw Teal'c lower his staff weapon and cross the small distance that separated them. "Thanks Teal'c" he said indicating the fallen guard. "Although I think this rules out the element of surprise." "Indeed" the former First Prime of Apophis agreed as the sounds of Jaffa could be heard heading their way. "Daniel, Carter" the Colonel called out to the other two team members hiding across the small clearing, "time to go!" he shouted as they all made a mad dash to the gate. Just as they made their way to the platform they saw the Jaffa rush into the clearing and begin firing. "Daniel, get down behind that DHD and dial us home" Jack shouted as he returned enemy fire from his position behind one side of the gate. Looking over toward Teal'c he saw a shot from a staff weapon whiz by narrowly missing Teal'c as he stood shielded on the opposite side of the gate returning fire and wounding a couple of Jaffa in the process. Sam had taken up position behind the DHD and had managed to wound a couple more of the oncoming guards. The guards were getting closer now and suddenly the gate sprang to life. Grabbing her GDO, Sam entered SG-1's access code and shouted for the Colonel and Teal'c to hurry up. Firing wildly at the oncoming Jaffa as they backed up toward the wormhole, the team members heard a sound just as they began to step through the event horizon. Suddenly a light flashed in front of them. The last thing Sam saw as she followed Teal'c through the gate was the confused looks on the faces of Colonel O'Neill and Daniel as they were snatched away by Goa'uld transporter rings. ******************* Chapter Eighteen Stumbling down the ramp at the SGC, Sam quickly looked back hoping against all hope to see Daniel and the Colonel following just behind her. Instead she merely saw the wormhole disengage and the iris close with a small 'thunk'. "Major Carter, report," boomed the voice of General Hammond as he strode into the gate room. "Where are Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson?" Realizing that his friends were not behind them Teal'c also turned to Sam to see if she could offer and explanation for their absence. "General Hammond, requesting permission to return to the planet to mount a rescue operation for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson" she formally requested. "Denied Major until I know exactly what is going on" the General replied wondering what could have happened that had the Major so distracted that she failed to immediately answer a direct order. "Sir, Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson were directly behind us but at the last second were transported away by a set of Goa'uld transport rings. I believe they were transported to Osiris's ship," she stated. "Major, you and Teal'c are to report directly to the infirmary for post mission physicals and then directly to me for debriefing. Understood?" "Yes sir," Sam said realizing that she would get no further with the General until she had followed his orders. Teal'c inclined his head toward the General and followed her to the infirmary. Two and a half hours later Sam and Teal'c sat in the briefing room waiting for General Hammond to arrive. "I should not have entered the stargate first, Teal'c said as they waited the Hammond's arrival. "It wasn't your fault Teal'c. I should have waited until they were closer to the gate before stepping through myself" she replied. "I'm sure neither of you could have done anything differently to help Colonel O'Neill or Dr. Jackson" the General said as he stepped into the room. "But sir, we..." Sam stopped mid-sentence as she realized who was following the General into the briefing room. "Dad?" she questioned upon seeing her father enter the room. "What are you doing here?" "Now there's a fine greeting wouldn't you say George?" Jacob said directing his comment to the General while smiling at his daughter. "George thought you might need our help. But first we have to know what happened" he said taking a seat as he looked at both Sam and Teal'c. "So you can see why we need to mount a Search and Rescue mission," Sam concluded after recounting the events of the past couple of days from SG-1's trip to P3X 861 through the present. "Now hold on Major," the General said as he looked around the room. "I am not going to just go and send a bunch of good men back through that gate so that they can be killed as soon as they exit the wormhole. And how do we know that you can even get on Osiris's ship or for that matter if the ship is still even in the same place?" he questioned. "I think we might be able to assist you in that matter" Selmak said. "In what way?" Hammond asked. "I believe Gran'uk mentioned that we were investigating matters in that region of space did he not?" questioned Selmak. "He did indeed," replied Teal'c waiting for the Tokra to continue. "We currently have a Tokra operative on board Osiris's ship. It may be possible to arrange for the guards to be on maneuvers at the time you step through the gate. At most, resistance would be light." Selmak concluded. "Then Osiris is still alive?" Sam asked. Upon seeing Selmak's nod of the head Sam muttered, "we hoped she was still on board when we blew the ship." "Which by the way was a very good thing," Jacob said as he once again joined the conversation. That leaves Osiris one less ship and that much further away from gaining a stronghold in that region of space. "Dad," Sam asked "if we could get back to the planet, could your operative manage to transport us up to the ship so that we could rescue Colonel O'Neill and Daniel?" "It's possible but if you are going to mount a rescue mission then you will need to do it quickly. The longer Osiris has them in her grasp the longer she has to either break them, turn them into hosts or kill them" Jacob answered. "How many Jaffa are we talking about here?" the General asked as he listened to the conversation. "I observed anywhere from twenty to thirty Jaffa on the planet" Teal'c said. "And our source said she has approximately the same number on the ship" Jacob added. "George, we need to strike whether or not we can actually rescue Jack and Daniel" Jacob said as he saw the General contemplating his next move. "If Osiris is allowed to gain a stronghold now she will simply gather more and more power and wait quietly until she can make her next move. If we attack and take out at least half her forces then it will set her back and give us more time to plan an attack on Osiris herself once we can get our own people in position." "Alright. Major Carter, Teal'c, you will join SG teams 3,4,6,and 11" Hammond said coming to a decision. "I want to make this clear now. Rescuing Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson is second in priority to wiping out the Goa'uld training camp. Does everyone understand? You are only to proceed in a rescue attempt of the remainder of SG-1 if the opportunity presents itself. I do not intend to lose anymore people over this." "Yes sir" Sam answered while Teal'c also agreed to the General's conditions. "SG-1 you have a go. You'll depart as soon as Jacob gives us the go ahead from the Tokra operative. Dismissed." Hammond concluded. Jacob waited until Sam and Teal'c exited the briefing room before approaching Hammond with his concerns. "Are you sure it's a good thing to let her go on this mission George? She does have cracked ribs and a concussion." "I realize that but Sam and Teal'c are the only ones familiar with the training camp and surrounding area. Besides, this is Jack and Daniel, do you honestly think she will rest while everyone else is away on this mission?" "No, I guess not" Jacob replied. "It's nice to see that I'm not the only one she's so stubborn with," he said laughingly. "Not a chance of that Jacob, not a chance" Hammond chuckled thinking that stubbornness seemed to be an inherent trait throughout all of the members of SG-1. He just hoped it was a trait that would help Jack and Daniel in whatever situation they were currently facing. ******************* Chapter Nineteen The first thing that hit Jack as he rolled over was the darkness. 'What happened?' he asked himself as he tried to recall recent events. 'The last thing I remember was fighting to get through the gate and then...' He stopped as he heard a moan come from somewhere close by. "Ack... Ow... What the...?" "Daniel?" the Colonel questioned tentatively as he tried to peer through the darkness. "Jack? Where are we?" Daniel asked as he sat up and attempted to take in his surroundings. "And why can't I see anything?" "Well, if I had to guess I would say that we were zapped up to Osiris's ship and zatted upon our arrival" the Colonel replied with a typical mixture of Jack O'Neill sarcasm and disgust. "At least Carter and Teal'c made it through the gate." "Are you sure about that? Maybe they're being held somewhere else on the ship?" Daniel said speaking his thoughts aloud. "No. Teal'c had already stepped through the gate and Carter was backing through when those ring thingies got us" the Colonel replied confident they had returned to Earth but less confident they would be able to mount a rescue mission. Just then they heard a small electronic whirring and the door to their cell opened spilling light into the small room. Grabbing the opportunity, Jack quickly glanced around to ascertain that he and Daniel were indeed the only ones present in the cell. Looking back to the door he shielded his eyes slightly as the light shone directly on him. "Tauri, you will come with us" came the booming voice of the Jaffa warrior. "Yeah, well you see guys" Jack began as he squatted down next to Daniel, "that just doesn't work for us." He was immediately sorry as the Jaffa stepped into the cell and bashed his arm with his staff weapon. 'Well, that accomplished a lot' the Colonel thought to himself as he grudgingly stood up and assisted Daniel in doing the same. Giving the offending Jaffa a glare that would have had most men cowering in a corner, Jack stepped out into the hallway of what was obviously a Goa'uld mothership. "Here we go again," he said over his shoulder to Daniel as they were escorted to another room. The room was obviously a Goa'uld throne room. It resembled its counterpart on Taurt's ship however this room was furnished even more ornately and had a definite feeling of having been recently used. Just then, the guards assumed a kneeling position with heads bowed. Turning towards the door, Jack and Daniel saw the reason for the Jaffa's sudden reverence. There stood Osiris, flanked by two additional Jaffa and what looked to be a couple of servants. Walking into the room she headed toward the throne, her gaze locked on her prisoners the entire time. After she seated herself, the Jaffa again stood and silently watched the proceedings. "Daniel" Osiris began as she scrutinized the two men "we are pleased to see you again. We have many questions that we didn't have time to ask when last we met." "Ah no, actually I think we said all that needed to be said" the archeologist responded as the details of their previous encounter came rushing back to him. As before, he was finding it difficult to look at Osiris without seeing Sarah. 'Concentrate' he admonished himself. Upon hearing Daniel's reply, her eyes flashed briefly, the only indication that she was trying to maintain her patience. Flashing a benevolent smile in Jack's direction she began again. "And you" she said motioning to the Colonel who stood there glaring, not bothering to hide the obvious distaste his felt for the Goa'uld "you we have not met before. Who are you?" she asked in a voice that defied any attempt of insubordination. "Oh you know" he started in typical Jack-like fashion choosing to ignore the warning in her tone of voice "just your average guy that was in the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up here in the middle of a pit of snakes" he finished flashing a sardonic smile of his own in her direction. "Insolence" she bellowed as she stood and raised her hand revealing a Goa'uld hand device. Jack went flying several feet backwards into the wall and landed in a crumpled heap on the floor with a resounding 'thud'. 'That's going to leave a mark' he thought to himself as he realized he had not only landed on his injured foot but had now damaged his ankle as well. Falling back down as he attempted to stand he saw two Jaffa head toward his position. Flanking him on either side, they roughly grabbed each of his arms and dragged him back to 'stand' before Osiris. "We will not tolerate such insolence Tauri. You would be wise to heed our warning in future," she said, her voice softening ominously as she spoke those last few words. "Osiris, threatening and torturing us won't get you the information you're looking for," Daniel said hoping to deflect some of her attention from Jack who looked as if he would pass out at any second. "I mean, it's not as if we haven't been through this routine before." Upon hearing his words, she stopped and considered him thoughtfully. Suddenly a small smile played about her lips and for a brief second Daniel could almost believe he was standing there talking with his friend from so long ago. But as she began to speak, the familiar resonance of the Goa'uld inside could be heard and Daniel was snapped back to reality as if someone had doused him with a bucket of cold water. "No, violence never was the way to reach you was it Daniel?" she said not so much as a question but as if remembering something from their past. Looking over to Jack she realized that his injuries were far worse than what she had inflicted with the hand device just moments before. 'Maybe he is the answer' she thought to herself wondering at how she would deal with these belligerent Tauri. 'Violence won't achieve what I want with these two but maybe Daniel would respond better to...' and with that line of thought Osiris made a decision to try a tactic she never would have tried or wasted her time with before. Turning to the Jaffa standing guard behind her she ordered them to return Daniel to his cell. "He is not to be harmed" she instructed the Jaffa as they turned to lead Daniel back towards the darkened little room he had awakened in not so very long ago. "And leave the lights on" she added almost as an afterthought. "No wait!" Daniel said panicked as he realized he was the only one being led out of the room. "What are you going to do with Jack?" he shouted as he struggled ineffectually against the towering Jaffa. "You need not worry yourself Daniel," she said in a soft voice. She could still hear his protests as he was escorted through the halls. 'Yes' she thought to herself 'this may indeed be a better way to reach these obstinate Tauri. Their concern for one another is their weakness. Now if I can just exploit that...' she stopped as she turned her attention toward Jack who was still being held up by the Jaffa which flanked him on either side. "And you" she said to the Colonel as she walked up to him and softly touched his cheek. "You are of no use to us in your present condition." And with that she began speaking to the Jaffa in Goa'uld before exiting the room herself. With a nod of their heads as she departed, the Jaffa turned their attention to the battered man that stood between them. They were the last things the Colonel would see as one of the Jaffa raised his hand and suddenly everything went black. And with that, Jack O'Neill was carried from the room. ******************* Chapter Twenty Samantha Carter had spent the last hour and a half pacing back and forth in the control room. She had spent the previous hour pacing in the briefing room and two hours prior to that in her quarters pacing when she should have been resting. "What's taking them so long?" she asked practically pouncing on her father as he stepped into the room. "Calm down Sam. Selmak warned you that it would take time to make arrangements. It's not like our operative can simply say 'Hey guys it's time to leave camp for awhile so the Tauri can storm the gate' now is it?" Jacob replied with a twinkle in his eye as he watched his daughter continue her pacing at the back of the room. Smiling sheepishly she looked to where her father had pulled up a chair "I'm sorry Dad," she said as the man sat down. "It's just that I feel so useless! I should be out there finding a way to get them off Osiris' ship and instead here I am doing absolutely nothing!" "Oh, I wouldn't say nothing" Jacob said and grinned mischievously. "After all, it looks to me as if you've worn a pretty nice pathway on the floor with all of that pacing." Just as she was about to make a suitable reply to her father's comment, the klaxons began to wail throughout the base while the familiar words "unscheduled gate activation" were heard by all. "Major Carter, we're receiving the Tokra IDC signal," the sergeant said as he reviewed the information displayed on the monitors. "Open the iris" she ordered confirming his findings. As soon as the iris opened the all too familiar swoosh of the wormhole was heard and the gate room was momentarily bathed in a blue light. A lone figure stepped through the gate and calmly looked around as the wormhole deactivated and the iris once again assumed its customary closed position. "It's Ry'el" Jacob said as he exited the room to meet the Tokra visitor. Sam followed her father along with Teal'c and General Hammond who had hurried to the control room when they heard the klaxons sound. "Selmak" the Tokra greeted as Jacob entered the gate room. After returning the greeting and completing the necessary introductions, the group made their way to the briefing room where they each sat down to listen to what the Tokra visitor had to say. "We just received word from our operative on Osiris' ship. He has arranged for the Jaffa on the planet to commence with their latest set of training exercises beginning this afternoon. If an attack is to be launched then it will need to be done quickly" Ry'el said glancing at each of the people assembled at the table. "Ry'el" Sam said as she turned her attention to the young man now seated before them "won't someone be suspicious if a training exercise is suddenly scheduled for no apparent reason?" "Under normal circumstances that would be a very real possibility Major Carter" the Tokra responded. "However, our operative has convinced those on Osiris' ship of the validity of moving ahead with the training exercises given the recent events." "Ry'el, has your operative been able to confirm whether or not our people are on board Osiris' ship?" the General questioned. "Yes. Both Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson are currently being held as prisoners on board the ship" the Tokra responded. "Do we know of their physical condition?" Teal'c inquired remembering the Colonel's previous injuries. If the Jaffa employed traditional torture techniques then it was going to make getting them off of the ship all the more difficult. "We are told that both of your people are alive and have sustained minimal injuries, although it looks as if Colonel O'Neill requires medical attention" Ry'el replied delivering the last part of his news a little more quietly than before. Sam briefly closed her eyes upon hearing Ry'els words, an action that Jacob Carter didn't fail to notice. 'They're alive' she thought to herself 'and somehow we will get them back' she promised knowing that even with the Tokra's help nothing was guaranteed. But at least it was a start. "How long will these training exercises last?" Hammond questioned hoping they would have plenty of time to go through the gate and assume defensive positions before the guards returned. "The exercises are scheduled to last several hours but will conclude prior to nightfall" Ry'el replied. "Then that should give us time to go in and set up," the General declared. "Will your operative be able to assist us in getting Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson off the ship?" "It is difficult to say as we do not know what Osiris has planned for either of your people. If the opportunity presents itself then our operative will assist you in any way possible" the Tokra concluded. "We appreciate all of your assistance and understand the need for your operative to maintain his cover," the General said in an attempt to assure the Tokra he understood the gravity of the position in which the Tokra operative had placed himself. "When will the training exercises commence?" Teal'c questioned having remained silent throughout most of the briefing. "They are scheduled to begin in less than one of your Earth hours" Ry'el replied. "Sir" Sam said looking to the General, "our teams are already prepped and ready to go." "Thank you Major" Hammond replied looking at SG-1. "You have a go in ninety minutes. That should give the Jaffa time to get far enough away from the camp so that you have room to maneuver. Any questions?" "Just one sir," Sam replied. "How are we to board Osiris' ship if the Tokra's operative is unable to help us?" "We will give you a transporter device that should enable you to activate the rings. However you may need to adjust the frequency until you find the one that correlates to Osiris' ship" Selmak answered. "Thank you Selmak" the General responded. Taking a deep breath he looked over to where Sam and Teal'c sat. He knew of the bond SG-1 shared with one another and that each would risk his own life to save the lives of the others. He also knew what this would do to Sam and Teal'c if they were unable to retrieve their teammates. However, even knowing all of this, Hammond realized he had to impart one final reminder as to the main objective for the upcoming mission. "Major Carter, Teal'c" he began as he stood up from his seat "I am sure I don't have to remind you that while the retrieval of Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson is an important part of this mission it is not the primary objective. Your primary objective is to take out the Goa'uld training camp so that Osiris' efforts to amass an army will be delayed. Only then, and only if you can do so without unreasonable risk to your own lives or to the lives of any other members of the SGC, are you to attempt a rescue of Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. Is that understood?" "Yes sir" Sam responded as she prepared to exit the briefing room while Teal'c acknowledged the General's words with a deep bow of his head. Ninety minutes later SG teams 3,4,6 and 11 accompanied by Sam and Teal'c stood at the base of the embarkation ramp waiting for the wormhole to engage. "Chevron six encoded..." came the disembodied voice through the base PA system. Sam and Teal'c looked at one another and briefly turned their eyes back to the gate in anticipation of the familiar aura of blue light that would take them to Osiris' planet. "Chevron six locked..." the voice continued its countdown. 'Hang on Jack,' Sam thought to herself as the computer dialing sequence counted down the remaining few seconds. "Chevron seven encoded..." "Just a little longer guys' she said maintaining her silent mantra as she stood waiting for the final chevron to engage. "Chevron seven locked... Wormhole engaged..." "SG 1,3,4,6 and 11 you have a go" came the General's voice through the loudspeaker. And with that he watched with apprehension as the teams stepped through the gate to engage the Jaffa. ******************* Chapter Twenty-One The teams emerged through the wormhole and had just started to fan out when staff weapon blasts began whizzing by them. "Take cover in the trees" Sam shouted as she spied four Jaffa bearing down on them from the direction of the campsite. Ducking behind the DHD she began to return fire along with SG-4 and SG- 11 who had arrived first through the gate and had already taken positions in the trees nearby. Within minutes the teams had managed to take out the Jaffa and had continued on to the campsite. "Major Carter, we should destroy the campsite and then go after the Jaffa" said Captain Dennison of SG-6. "I agree that we need to destroy the camp Captain but I don't think we should do so just yet" she replied looking around at the deserted site. "Teal'c?" she asked looking around for the towering Jaffa. "I am here Major Carter" Teal'c replied stepping from behind the members of SG-4. Giving him a smile she asked "Didn't the Jaffa sit down to their evening meal at one time?" "That is correct" he replied "with the exception of the guards patrolling the area near the gate." "Which we've already taken out" she responded. "Yes" he answered. "Major Carter, what are you thinking?" asked Colonel Sandus of SG-6. "Osiris' people are probably going to be expecting them to report in after these training exercises are over. Right?" she asked looking to both Colonels of SG-6 and SG-11. As she saw them nod in agreement she continued. "Well, if we waited to destroy the camp and attack them after they came back and reported in then it might buy us some time." "Major, I'm not sure I follow what you're getting at" Colonel Sandus said trying to follow her line of thought. "Are you saying that you want the Jaffa to check in with the ship?" "That's exactly what I'm saying Colonel. Think about it. The Jaffa will be tired from their training exercises and they won't be in top fighting shape. Couple that with the fact that they won't be expecting us to attack them while they're eating dinner and we've got a very big element of surprise on our side." "I get it" Sandus exclaimed as the other surrounding members of the various teams started excitedly shaking their heads and talking amongst one another. "They'll be tired, unaware and their weapons will probably be elsewhere since they won't be expecting to need them during dinner." "Exactly" she agreed more optimistic now that it looked like they might have formed a viable plan to carry out their primary objective. "And they will have already reported back to the ship so that Osiris will think things are proceeding as normal here on the surface..." "Whereas if they weren't to report in prior to dinner then she might get suspicious and start transporting Jaffa down to investigate..." Sandus said continuing her line of thought. "...And that would be much worse on us" she concluded as everyone stood quietly for a moment looking around at one another. All of a sudden Colonel Allen's face broke into a big smile. "I think we've got our game plan. Now we just have to implement it." "Upon their return, several Jaffa will check in with those guarding the gate" Teal'c said. "If they are unable to find them they will send up an alarm and it would give our presence away." "Then we'll just have to take them out before they can report back to the main group at the camp won't we?" Colonel Sandus said. "Major Carter, SG-6 will position ourselves by the gate and stand ready to complete that part of the mission. Once we have accomplished this objective we will return and assist with the remainder of the camp" "Meanwhile the remaining teams need to flank the campsite on all sides," Colonel Allen reasoned. "Therefore SG-3 will position itself on the south side of the camp, SG-4 will take the west side, SG-11 will take the east side and the Jaffa will be returning from the north so..." "...So Teal'c and I will position ourselves on the north side of the camp after they have returned from training and SG-6 can backtrack and join us once they have disabled the Jaffa dispatched to the gate" Sam concluded. "We should assume our positions now. The Jaffa will return to camp within the hour" Teal'c said reminding everyone of the amount of time that had already passed. Each commanding officer assembled his team and began to make their way towards designated positions. With one last look at the camp, Sam and Teal'c found locations that allowed them to view the area while still enabling them to quickly make their way to the camp's entrance when the attack began. All they could do now was wait. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Two Jack opened his eyes to see two large Jaffa looking down on him. 'Okay...what's wrong with this picture?' he thought to himself as he realized he was lying on his back in a box-like structure. Looking back up he realized the Jaffa had grabbed his arms and were hauling him to his feet. Breathing in and mentally preparing himself for the pain he knew would follow when he put weight on his injured foot, he was surprised to find that he didn't feel the now too familiar stabbing sensation that shot through his ankle. In fact, he didn't feel anything at all. Looking down at his foot and then at the box he realized that the Jaffa were lifting him out of a Goa'uld sarcophagus. Wondering why Osiris would go to the trouble of mending his injuries, he thought back to her final words to him before she left the throne room. "You are of no use to us in your present condition" she had said. 'So why not just kill me?' he thought to himself. 'Why bother to heal me?' "No, violence never was the way to reach you was it Daniel?" she had asked the archeologist. 'Okay, so maybe she's planning on using me to get to Daniel. Fix my injuries and make Daniel think she's not so bad after all. Yeah right, like he would go along with that. But then he does believe that if the feelings of the host run deep enough the host can manipulate the Goa'ulds actions. At least that's what he said he believed happened with Shaure and the Harcesis child. Right? Just how close were they and was it close enough for the same thing to happen now?' he asked himself as the Jaffa led him through the corridors of the ship. Several minutes later they stopped before the door that opened to reveal a sparsely furnished room. Pushing Jack inside, the taller of the two Jaffa walked over to the bed and pointed to a set of clothing that had been laid out. "You will change now before we proceed," he demanded as he went to stand guard by the door to prevent any possible escape. "I don't think so," the Colonel answered glaring defiantly at the Jaffa. "You see, gray really isn't my color and the fabric... well, it's all wrong ya know?" The Jaffa glanced at one another and advanced toward him at the same time. "Your God wishes you to change apparel before proceeding therefore you will change" the taller one said menacingly. "Well see, now there's the problem. First, she's not 'my' God and second what if I don't want to change clothing?" Jack asked tiring of the jailer/ jailee routine. "Then we will do it for you" the Jaffa all but spat out his reply as he handed his staff weapon to the other guard and started walking towards Jack. Picking up the clothing, the Colonel backed up a few steps and pretended to examine the outfit. "Ya know, I think the lighting must be getting better in here. Now that I take a second look, this color isn't so bad after all" he said as he began to change into the pants and tunic. Five minutes later he had changed and was again being escorted through the corridors when they met up with Daniel who was also being escorted by two Jaffa. "Daniel, I see we have the same tailor?" he asked flippantly indicating Daniel's outfit which was the same color gray and cut from the same material as his own. "Ah yeah, I guess you could say so" the archeologist responded amazed to see the Colonel walking completely upright on his own without any sign of difficulty. "Jack, what happened to your foot?" he asked wondering what he had missed. "Ya know it was the strangest thing but Guido and Fido here knocked me out and the next thing I know I was waking up in a sarcophagus" Jack replied. "Oh" Daniel replied clearly confused as to why Osiris would bother to go to the trouble of healing either of them let alone Jack who, at their last meeting, she'd thrown against a wall with the aid of her hand device. "Yeah" Jack agreed mirroring his friend's puzzlement "go figure, huh?" "Silence Tauri" one of the Jaffa bellowed as they came to a halt in front of a large set of double doors. Suddenly the doors opened to reveal a large dining table covered with many different dishes and at the head of the table sat Osiris. Looking up as they entered, she motioned the men to take a seat on either side of her. Glancing at the Jaffa standing behind them and giving Daniel a small nod, Jack pulled out a chair and took a seat as Daniel did the same. Seeing that the Tauri had chosen to cooperate, she motioned the guards to leave and take their positions just outside the room. "You must be hungry" she began as she motioned for the servants to prepare plates for each of the men. "We will share a meal while we discuss how you came to be on my ship." "Now why do I get the feeling that we'll be doing most of the talking?" Jack asked assessing their current situation. 'One Goa'uld, a couple of servants and at least two Jaffa standing guard outside' he noted to himself. 'So much for making a break for it.' "We would be happy to answer any questions you may have," she stated taking a drink from a gold inlaid goblet. "Provided that we answer yours in return I suppose" the Colonel returned with a sardonic smile on his face. "That would seem only fair" she replied with a penetrating stare while Jack nearly choked on his beverage as he wondered if the Goa'uld even knew what the concept of 'fairness' actually was. "Thank you" Daniel said smiling to a young servant as she placed a large plate of food in front of him. The young girl, who couldn't have been more that sixteen, raised her head briefly and he could see a flash of pure shock reflected in her eyes. It was obvious the girl was unaccustomed to being appreciated for such services and Daniel wondered what game Osiris was playing by pretending to show courtesy to Jack and himself. With a small bow of her head, the girl silently acknowledged his words as she moved away from the table to stand across the room, patiently waiting for the next time her services would be required. "Now" Osiris began after both men had been served "why were you on my ship?" The question was a simple one and delivered in a deceptively calm tone of voice but Jack caught the flash of her eyes as she lowered her head to take another bite of food. Getting ready to deliver one of his usual sarcastic answers, he looked up just in time to stop the remark from exiting his mouth as he saw Daniel quickly shake his head. It was a warning to tread lightly with Osiris. 'Well, at least he knows she's up to something' he thought to himself glad his friend had not been deceived by the opulence which surrounded them and the seemingly gracious hostess act she was currently bestowing upon them. "Actually, our ending up on the ship was a complete mistake" Daniel answered just before biting into something that resembled a potato. "You expect us to believe you traveled to that planet and just happened to find a Goa'uld ship that was buried underground?" she asked with an edge of anger to her voice. "Yes. We gated to the planet because we detected Naquada deposits. Of course we detected the city but it looked to be completely abandoned. We didn't find the ship until we went looking for answers as to what happened to the culture that had previously inhabited the planet" the archeologist continued. Osiris stared at him as if trying to ascertain the veracity of his statement. The knowledge she had gained of the Tauri through her host told her that his words were plausible and from what she knew of this Tauri in particular it seemed even more so. After all, Daniel was an archeologist and a mystery such as the one that presented itself on the planet would definitely pique his attention. "So" she continued "you found the city and the ship. How did you transport to the ship if you were not at the temple?" "Temple?" Jack asked looking to Daniel for clarification. He certainly didn't remember seeing any temples on their visit to the planet, merely a lot of trees and dirt. "The MALP showed a temple several miles in the opposite direction of the city" Daniel confirmed. "What does the temple have to do with anything if it was miles away?" he asked mindful that Osiris was observing the two of them with great interest. "I don't know unless..." turning to Osiris as a thought struck him he asked, "there was a transporter device in the temple wasn't there? That's how the Jaffa boarded the ship without using the main hatchway and that's why they were coming from the opposite direction when they were heading back toward the gate?" "Of course" she conceded a little surprised they hadn't figured that out on the planet. "So, your ship was never in orbit around the planet at all was it? The Jaffa arrived on the planet through the gate, went to the temple, transported to the ship to activate the return device and then transported back to the temple and returned to the planet below through the stargate" Daniel questioned glad to have unraveled one of the small mysteries that had been nagging at him since the beginning of the mission. "You are correct Daniel," she conceded. "So the reason we didn't find any marks or evidence of Jaffa in the city or at the ship's entrance was because..." Jack began as he looked toward Daniel for confirmation "...They were never there in the first place," the young man said finishing the line of thought the Colonel had began. "So you 'accidentally' found my ship. Why did you not leave? Did you really think we would allow you to keep it for yourselves?" she said as the edge on her voice grew a little sharper. "We didn't know to whom the ship belonged to at first" Daniel replied mentally wincing at her tone of voice. "We were in the process of trying to figure that out when..." "... The damn thing took off" the Colonel finished for him. "And besides, according to the book we found, that ship didn't belong to you anyway. It belonged to someone called Tweet." "Taurt" Osiris and Daniel both said correcting him at the same time. "Yeah, whatever. The point is" the Colonel continued, looking directly at Osiris, "that we didn't know whose ship it was. I mean it's not like we woke up that morning and said 'let's all go and visit Osiris for a while.' Believe me there are other things I'd much rather be doing right now than sitting here trapped on a floating tin can full of snakeheads. So if you don't mind, how about skipping the concerned Goa'uld act and just telling us what you want?" Osiris's eyes flashed golden for a moment as she sat her goblet down on the table with more force than she intended to. 'Are all Tauri as obstinate as these?' she thought to herself wondering what it would take to extract the information she required. Directing her words at Jack she warned in a deceptively calm voice, "be careful Tauri. I have been lenient with you so far but my patience is wearing thin. I have healed your injuries and offered you hospitality during your stay on my ship but do not be fooled into thinking that I would hesitate in destroying you or your friend should the need arise." "I have no doubts as to what you might be capable of Osiris" the Colonel replied before returning his attention to his meal. He had seen Daniel's look warning him not to make matters worse by angering the Goa'uld more than he already had. "So, Osiris" Daniel began as he tried to turn her attention away from Jack, "what exactly is it that you want to know?" "Given your archeological background and the fact that you found written records aboard the ship you must know that Taurt was our mother" she said continuing as she saw Daniel nod his head in agreement. "During our 'incarceration' she decided to leave your planet and settled on the planet which you previously visited. However, we have not been able to determine her current location. Therefore, what we want" she said looking at Jack as she stressed her last word "is her location." "All of this because you're looking for your mommy?" Jack asked in amazement. He had expected to be asked details of their encounters with previous Goa'uld and other races or about Earth's defensive capabilities but this? 'What are we, babysitters?' he muttered to himself. "You will disclose her location to us now" she said as she moved her chair back and came to a standing position, all pretence of compassion and concern wiped from her voice. "But Osiris, we don't know where she is" Daniel began as she raised her hand to silence him. "Enough of your Tauri lies. Why do you insist on withholding this information from us?" she asked. "Of what use is such information to you that you would willingly keep it from us?" "It's of no use to us," Daniel said trying desperately to convince her of his sincerity. "All we know is that she left the planet along with her people after Seth's guards traced her location." "And how do you know this?" she asked in a tone of voice that had become ominously quiet. "Because we found a room on the ship filled with relics and writings. Some of those writings were contained in a book that detailed the events leading up to her departure from the planet" the young man said. "And where is this book now?" she questioned as she made her way over to where Daniel stood. "We don't have it," he answered dreading the reaction he knew was to come when she discovered what had happened to the book. "We will ask you one final time Daniel," she said as her eyes continued to glow "where is the book now?" "It was on the other ship," Daniel answered almost wincing in anticipation of her reaction. "The other ship?" she questioned. "The ship you destroyed before you landed on the planet below?" she asked turning to Jack. "Would you believe that we had nothing to do with that?" the Colonel asked wondering what she would do next now that she realized they didn't have the information she was searching for. "No we would not believe such a thing you pitiful Tauri!" she shouted looking as if she would break into a temper tantrum at any second. Walking over to the door, she summoned the Jaffa and spoke briefly with them in Goa'uld. Jack looked over just in time to see Daniel give a small gulp as he listened to her words. "Now you insolent Tauri, we have had enough of your pathetic lies and pitiful excuses. You will tell us the location of Taurt or you will be destroyed," she demanded. "He already told you we don't know what happened to her. The book never said anything about where she went. It just said she went. Why is that so hard to get through your snake infested head?" the Colonel shouted knowing that all pretense of playing nice was at an end. "We do not believe you!" she exclaimed and then stopped suddenly as she turned to stare thoughtfully at the Tauri standing before her. Walking slowly around each one of them as her eyes shone with the unnatural light of the Goa'uld symbiote she pondered over her next course of action. Coming to a conclusion she looked at both men and said in a quieter tone of voice "You may have until morning to consider our request. At that time you will tell us what we wish to know." "And if we can't?" Daniel asked knowing he wasn't going to like the answer. "Then you shall watch as one another suffers unspeakable agonies before being put to death!" she exclaimed and proceeded to exit the room. And with that thought in mind, Jack and Daniel were taken back to their cell where they were left to contemplate what "unspeakable agonies" Osiris might have in mind. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Three It had been nearly an hour when Sam and Teal'c began to hear indications that the Jaffa had returned to camp. From her position Sam was able to count the number of men they would be fighting against as they entered the campsite. "I count twenty-seven Jaffa including the two that just headed for the gate," she said turning to Teal'c. "As do I. The Jaffa on the far side of the camp look to be the leaders" he said pointing to two men who stood a small distance apart from the main group. "Taking them out in the beginning might create more confusion amongst the remaining ranks" she said thinking that the more chaotic the situation for the Jaffa then the better the chances of success for the SG teams. "I agree. The Jaffa have begun to gather for their evening rations," he said pointing to a tent which stood a short distance from the Jaffa leaders." "I guess it's just about time for us to circle back to our positions," she said shouldering her pack. "Ready?" "Indeed" he replied gathering his gear. Pulling out her radio, Sam called to the other SG teams. "Colonel Sandus, do you copy?" she asked speaking into the microphone. "Go ahead Major" came the disembodied reply over the small speaker. "The Jaffa have returned and are starting to settle down for dinner. We just spotted two guards leaving camp and heading your way toward the gate," she informed him. "We're ready for them" the Colonel replied. "We'll join you and Teal'c just as soon as we've cleaned up here." "Roger that" she said signing off. "Major Carter, look" Teal'c called softly drawing her attention back to the Jaffa leaders who now stood in front of a small orb-like object. "It looks like they're delivering their report," she said as they watched the men speak to an image that was being projected from the orb. "Yes" Teal'c agreed. "We should hold our attack until they are no longer in close proximity to the communications device." "Right, the last thing we need is for Osiris to send back up" she agreed. "Indeed" he replied nodding his head as he continued to survey the scene. "All SG teams this is Major Carter. It looks like the Jaffa leaders are currently in the process of reporting in to the mothership. Most of the others have entered the mess hall. I recommend we wait another five minutes before we begin our attack," she said into the radio. The radio crackled momentarily with static before the deep timber of Colonel Allen's voice was heard. "Confirmed Major. We're all in position and ready to move. All SG teams will stand ready to commence attack in five minutes on your mark." "Confirmed Colonel. We go in five," she said releasing the button on the radio and placing it back in her vest. "Now we wait," she muttered reholstering her gun and opting for her Zatniktel. Four minutes later they heard the voice of Colonel Sandus calling to them through the radio. "Major Carter, Teal'c do you copy?" "Yes Colonel we read you" Sam acknowledged. "Mission complete on this end. That's two less Jaffa we have to worry about. We're on our way back now," the Colonel said. "Understood. We're ready to commence the attack so we'll see you soon" she said sending up a silent prayer of thanks that the first part of the plan had been pulled off successfully. Looking at her watch and giving Teal'c a nod to let him know that it was time she spoke into the radio once more. "All teams, this is Major Carter. We have a go to commence our attack. Repeat, commence attack immediately." Suddenly several small explosions were heard as predetermined members of the SG teams tossed grenades into the area surrounding the dining tent. It had been decided that the teams would use the grenades just before entering the campsite in an attempt to create the most distraction amongst the Jaffa thereby giving the team members more of a chance to enter the camp without being noticed. Upon hearing the explosions and feeling the shockwave from the blast, the Jaffa began to stumble out of the tent and look wildly around in an attempt to see who or what had caused the commotion. Taking advantage of the confusion, the SG teams swooped in from their positions and began firing at the guards who were now running in all directions. Meanwhile, Sam and Teal'c took to chasing the Jaffa leaders who were located in a tent at the back of the camp. As they rounded the side of the tent a staff weapon blast whizzed by Tealc's shoulder causing him to turn just in time to see one of the leaders retreating behind a neighboring tent. Hoisting his own staff weapon he set off in pursuit. Sam had set her sights on the second of the two leaders. Seeing the man scurry out of his tent she lifted her zatniktel to fire but was stopped short as a blast from a staff weapon narrowly raced by her striking the tent and bursting into flames. Turning her attention in the direction in which the weapon's fire had emanated from, she was horrified to see that one of the Jaffa had a staff weapon trained directly on her and from such a close distance there was no way he could miss. With a sinister smile, the man took aim and went to discharge the weapon when suddenly his smile changed to a look of utter shock and disbelief as he fell to the ground. Glancing up from where the man had fallen, Sam was surprised to find herself staring into the smiling face of Colonel Sandus. "You didn't think we'd let you guys have all of the fun did you?" he questioned turning to join the rest of his team. Releasing a small sigh of relief she laughed and merely replied, "I guess not Colonel" as she followed to assist with the remaining Jaffa. Within minutes the battle was over and the Jaffa lay scattered throughout the camp. As predicted, most of the men hadn't had time to regroup and retrieve their weapons after the grenades went off but unfortunately that couldn't be said for all. Some of the Jaffa had managed to retrieve their staff weapons and, as a result, several SG soldiers had taken weapons fire and were now suffering from various degrees of injury. "Colonel Allen, we need to get these injured men back to the SGC right away. It's too dangerous for them to remain here and it looks like we have a couple of people who are badly wounded" Sam said quickly assessing the situation. "Agreed" the Colonel said as he ordered the soldiers to stand together in their respective teams. In the end it was determined that six members of the teams had sustained injuries during the battle and two of the member's injuries were critical. Looking over the remaining personnel he came to a decision. "SG-4 and SG-11, you are to escort the injured personnel to the gate where SG-4 will accompany the wounded back to the SGC to receive medical attention. Once you arrive back at base you will inform General Hammond of our progress so far. SG-11 will stand guard at the gate to prevent any unwanted visitors from making an appearance. Understood?" After hearing the various "yes sirs" from the team members he ordered them to proceed to the gate. "Major Carter, that leaves you and Teal'c in addition to what remains of SG-3 and SG-6 to get on that ship and retrieve Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson." "I have the device the Tokra gave us to activate the rings" Sam informed him. "I just need a few minutes to fine tune it to the proper frequency." "Is that something you can do while we walk back to the gate" the Colonel asked anxious to be on their way. "Yes sir" she replied as they began the short trek to the gate. Looking over her shoulder she asked, "Teal'c, do you still have the package?" 'I do and the contents remain undamaged" he replied solemnly. "Package?" a lieutenant from SG-3 questioned in confusion. "Just a little something for Osiris if all goes well," Sam answered but didn't elaborate any further. A few minutes later they arrived at the gate. "Everyone stand here," she said, indicating the area in which she had seen Jack and Daniel vanish. "Ready?" she questioned as she looked over to Colonel Allen. "Ready" he replied. "Combat positions boys, we should end up in the cargo hold but we have no way of knowing if there will be anyone present when we arrive." Each person clung tightly to their weapon and assumed a defensive position as Sam activated the device the Tokra had given them. Suddenly a bright light could be seen as the transporter rings encircled them. SG-11 observed all of this from their vantage points around the perimeter. They heard the 'swoosh' of the rings and then there was nothing. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Four "So what do you think she meant by 'unspeakable agonies'?" Jack asked Daniel as they sat on the hard floor of their cell. It wasn't that he really wanted to know but they had been sitting there for hours and he was bored out of his mind. 'If we don't find a way out of this room and soon I'm gonna go nuts' he thought to himself as he wondered if this waiting could be classified as one of the 'agonies' Osiris had mentioned. "I'm not sure I want to know" the young man answered watching as Jack began to pace back and forth. "Any ideas of how we can bust out of here?" the Colonel questioned as he looked around the room. There was only one door and he knew that was guarded by Jaffa. 'No help there' he thought to himself as he studied the remainder of the room. The walls were smooth and flat and the only control mechanism for the door was on the outside. There was a small ventilation shaft near the ceiling but that wasn't a viable means of escape either 'unless of course you're the size of Mighty Mouse' he thought sourly. Looking suitably depressed he turned back towards Daniel who sat quietly contemplating the recent turn of events. 'Who would have believed we'd be snatched by the transporter rings at the last second?' he asked himself for the hundredth time that hour. And yet it seemed to fit in perfectly with SG-1's track record. And then there was Sara... 'Osiris' he corrected himself as he thought about his friend and former colleague. Her initial display of congeniality had not fooled him. He knew from their previous encounter that Osiris could be ruthless in gaining what she wanted but would she really kill them if she truly believed they were the only link to Taurt's whereabouts? 'Probably so' he concluded thinking she wouldn't hesitate to kill at least one of them while attempting to extract the information from the remaining person using various methods. None of which held the promise of being easy or painless. "So..." the Colonel said as he stopped his pacing and came to stand directly in front of him. "So?" Daniel questioned in confusion. He had been lost in his own thoughts and hadn't heard Jack's previous question. Giving a very audible sigh the Colonel took a deep breath and reiterated his previous question. "So, any ideas of how we can bust out of here?" he asked. "No, but we'd better come up with something soon. Osiris seems a little... emotional... on this particular topic," the archeologist said searching for a word that would adequately describe the Goa'uld's previous outburst. "Yeah, just our luck to get captured by a Goa'uld that misses its' mommy" the older man said in disgust. "We could always lie" Daniel offered seeing no other means to buy some time. "Okay... so we lie to her and say this Tweet person is on some out of the way planet. I see two problems with that option. First, she does away with us on the spot thinking she's got what she wanted or second, we all take a trip to whatever planet we throw out and she does away with us in a fit of anger when she realizes we lied. Either way we end up as toast" he concluded. Nodding his head in agreement, Daniel looked up as the Colonel resumed his pacing. "At least Sam and Teal'c made it back" he said quietly, taking some comfort in the fact that his friends were all right. "Yeah" the older man agreed, "as long as they don't do something really stupid like trying to mount a rescue mission." "You think they might?" Daniel asked as a small light of hope shone briefly in his eyes. "I think Carter and Teal'c will fight like rabid dogs to convince Hammond to let them have a go at it but I can't see the General agreeing to it" Jack said hoping the General had the good sense to deny such a request. He knew how hard it was to say no to Sam when she had her mind made up but a rescue attempt in this situation would only get both her and Teal'c killed. "I guess so" his friend replied unable to hide the note of disappointment that ran through his voice. Closing his eyes his continued to contemplate their current dilemma while the Colonel resumed his pacing. The two men remained like this until, without warning, they heard something that sounded like two small explosions just outside the door to their cell. Looking at one another with expressions that clearly asked 'now what?' they backed away from the doorway and strained their ears in an attempt to hear any additional noises. Jack motioned to Daniel and they each took up positions on either side of the door as a small scuffling sound could be heard on the other side. The scuffling was quickly followed by an electronic buzz as the door slid open to reveal a solitary figure armed with a zatniktel. The figure cautiously entered the room and was immediately jumped by the captured members of SG-1. Realizing that his struggle was ineffective against Jack and Daniel, the man opened his mouth and began to speak. "I am Donair of the Tokra. I have come to assist you in your escape" he said as his eyes flashed momentarily. Despite the resonance of the Tokra's voice, Jack decided they were some of the best words he had heard in quite a while. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Five Sam and Teal'c, along with the remaining members of SG-3 and SG-6, stood in the middle of a darkened cargo bay on board the Goa'uld mother ship. "It doesn't look like anyone's home" Colonel Allen quipped looking warily around the room. "Don't let them fool you Colonel, the Jaffa have a way of showing up when you least expect them to" Sam said remembering some of SG-1's past encounters. "Or when you least want them to I'd imagine" the Colonel finished for her. Getting down to business he continued, "SG-6 will remain here in hiding to keep our escape route clear. If you don't have any objections Major, Captain Byers, Lieutenant Reardon and I will accompany you and Teal'c to look for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson. "That sounds fine. Teal'c," she called turning toward the Jaffa, "where would the Jaffa most likely hold Daniel and Colonel O'Neill?" "Security cells are usually maintained two levels above. We should begin our search on that level," he declared. "Right. We should maintain radio silence unless absolutely necessary," she told Colonels Allen and Sandus. "Agreed" Colonel Sandus said motioning to his people to fan out and find cover behind the various crates and boxes in the cargo bay. With one final look around Sam, Teal'c and SG-3 exited the cargo bay. Meanwhile Jack, Daniel and Donair were making their way to the cargo hold. "How do you plan on getting us off this tin can?" Jack asked wondering why the Tokra would risk exposure and aid them in their bid for freedom. "We will have to use the transporter rings to reach the surface of the planet. From there you will be able to use the gate to return to your world" the Tokra operative replied making the entire situation sound as if a child could successfully accomplish such a task. "Ah... one problem" he whispered to Donair as they rounded the corner and began walking down an additional hallway, "we tried that trick already and ended up here. The gate's guarded. The Jaffa would be on us before we could even dial out." "I do not think so. The Tauri have mounted a rescue mission which involved sneaking through the gate and immobilizing the Jaffa at the training camp," Donair told him. "If they were successful then our task should not be all that difficult." "Rescue mission?" he hissed incredulously wondering what argument Sam had used to get the General to agree to such a preposterous scheme. "Daniel" he said turning to the archeologist who was cautiously following along behind him, "remind me to kill Carter if and when we see her again, got it?" "Sure Jack" he replied worried for his friends on the planet's surface. 'How did they plan to 'sneak' through the gate when they knew it was being guarded by Jaffa?' he wondered to himself. Jack had been wondering the same thing but wasn't content with remaining silent. "So what made them think they could 'sneak' through the gate without twenty or thirty Jaffa hearing them come through" he asked the Tokra. "I suggested the need for completing the Jaffa's training exercises early in order to get them away from the gate while your people came through and prepared for the attack" he said in a matter of fact tone of voice. "And Osiris just bought that whole training exercise thing?" the Colonel asked dubiously. "In light of recent events, she agreed it would be to our advantage to speed up the Jaffa training schedule" he acknowledged. "Your people should have completed their raid by now. We have not heard anything from the planet in regards to an attack so I assume their mission proceeded according to plan." "You assume?" the Colonel asked repeating the Tokra's words. "Don't you think that's an awfully big assumption to make considering the fact that we might be beaming down into the middle of God only knows what?" "If you would prefer I could ask the Goa'uld to attempt to contact the planet. If we receive no response then it would seem that our assumption would be correct" Donair returned, tiring of the verbal exchange. "Would that be Tokra humor?" Jack asked Daniel as they turned the corner and ran straight into a squadron of Jaffa. Diving into the nearest room, the two men ducked behind a large pillar while Donair returned the Jaffa's fire with his zatniktel. "You wouldn't happen to have any more of those zats would you?" the Colonel called out to Donair. "Regrettably no," he shouted over the noise of the Jaffa's weapons blasts. "I was afraid you'd say that" Jack replied as he ducked behind the pillar again, narrowly missing the oncoming blast. Just as he was wondering how they were going to actually get out of their current predicament in one piece he heard a new type of noise. "Daniel, is that what I think it is?" he shouted. "It sounds like gunfire," the young man confirmed, not about to question any help they might receive from whatever source. "It sounds like the cavalry" the Colonel responded as he saw the last of the Jaffa fall to the ground and the noises of the weapons fire come to a halt. Looking across the corridor he saw a familiar sight as Samantha Carter and Teal'c came running up to them followed closely by most of SG-3. "So you finally decided to join the party eh Carter?" the Colonel asked with a smile that spanned from ear to ear. "Sorry we're a little late, sir. We had to contend with a few party crashers first" she replied with an answering smile of her own. Saying a quick hello to Colonel Allen and his team as well as Teal'c, Jack turned around and introduced Donair. "Thank you for all you've done for us" Sam said to the Tokra operative. "We never would have been able to take the Jaffa by surprise if you hadn't sent them out on those training exercises." "You are welcome Major Carter but now I think we should all hurry to the cargo bay. We are sure to encounter more guards shortly as I doubt this exchange of weapons fire has gone unnoticed by others on the ship." Surprisingly, the SG teams met minimal resistance as they made their way back to the cargo hold. It wasn't until they were standing just outside the cargo bay doors that Sam felt her stomach lurch. Glancing at Teal'c she saw a look of recognition pass over his face and knew that her suspicions were correct. Running forward to warn Colonel Allen not to enter the hold she stopped and shuddered as the door slid open. Suddenly, several Jaffa rounded the corner behind them blocking any means of escape they might have. Walking forward into the cargo hold they stopped short as they took in the sight before them. SG-6 stood at the back of the room with hands held over their heads as two Jaffa flanked them on either side, staff weapons raised and ready to fire at the slightest hint of resistance. And, standing directly in front of them, was Osiris. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Six "Daniel," Osiris said as the door slid shut behind the SG teams "It seems we have company." "Let them go Osiris" the archeologist answered in response. "You don't need this many people to tell you where Taurt is." "Perhaps not" she conceded walking to where SG-1 and SG-3 now stood. Studying each of the soldiers as they stood before her, she noticed their countenance never wavered under her gaze. 'Belligerent Tauri' she thought once again to herself. Turning to Sam she smiled slowly, "We remember you," she said circling around the woman and stopping to stand directly in front of her. "Did you really think you could sneak on board this ship without us sensing your presence?" "It was worth a try" Sam responded, her gaze never leaving Osiris's face. "And you" she said turning her attention to Teal'c, "I have heard stories of the First Prime of Apophis that turned against his God to fight side by side with the Tauri." "He was no God," the Jaffa answered allowing his true feelings to be heard through his words. "And neither are you" the man concluded as his lips twisted in a feral type of snarl. "We shall see" she replied as her eyes lit up, showing her own contempt for the Jaffa traitor and his comrades. Glancing quickly she returned to stand in front of Jack and Daniel. "We grow tired of such childish games" she began, directing her attention to Jack. "How did they manage to get by our army on the planet?" "You call that an army?" the Colonel returned with a look of incredulity. "From what I saw I would have said first year cadets at best." Seeing that Osiris's attention was focused on the Colonel, Sam took a small step back to where her actions would be shielded by Tealc's massive frame. Unnoticed, she slipped something out of her vest pocket and palmed it in her hand as she looked up in time to see one of the Jaffa roughly prod Jack in the back with the butt of a staff weapon in response to his insolent behavior. "We will not ask you again Tauri, how did your people get past our army on the planet?" the Goa'uld demanded. "How the hell should I know? If you remember, Daniel and I have been kinda busy up here listening to you spout the usual Goa'uld proclamations of greatness. Although frankly, I gotta tell ya, I think you give yourself way too much credit" he finished flatly wondering if he may have pushed Osiris just a bit too far with the last part of his comment. Within seconds he had his answer as her eyes flashed and she raised her hand to reveal the hand device he and Sam had seen her wear on the other ship. "We will tolerate you no longer!" she shouted raising her hand in the Colonel's direction. Just as she was about to release the full power of the Goa'uld device, she fell sideways as one of her Jaffa hurled against her petite form and landed next to her on the cargo bay floor. Shocked, she looked up to see Sam turning toward her with her own hand device in place and poised for battle. Momentarily forgetting about Jack, Osiris stood and devoted her full attention to Sam. "You may have been joined at one time but you are not Goa'uld and you do not know what it means to possess the power of Osiris," she boasted raising her hand toward Sam. Correctly interpreting the intentions of their God, the Jaffa guarding SG-1 and SG-3 began quietly backing away as those guarding SG-6 looked on from where they stood. It wasn't the cavalry but it was enough of a momentary distraction for Jack O'Neill and the others to use to their advantage. Grabbing their weapons, which the Jaffa had not yet taken from their possession, they started firing at their captors while SG-6, whose weapons lay nearby, attempted hand-to-hand combat techniques. "The time has come to put an end to your meddling Tauri presence" Osiris declared dispassionately viewing the chaos surrounding them. "Prepare to die," she snarled, viciously raising her hand in Sam's direction. "Give it your best shot," she told the Goa'uld, channeling all of her anger through the device. The more anger she channeled, the brighter the energy ribbon glowed. Sam thought about the last few months, Martouf's death, the Zatarc reprogramming of unsuspecting SG-1 personnel, having to admit her feelings for the Colonel in less than ideal circumstances, the pain Daniel had suffered at the loss of Shaure and friend Sara, the confrontation with the Goa'uld on board Taurt's ship, the crash landing on the planet, the Colonel's recent injuries and his abduction by Osiris. So many feelings she had repressed she now allowed to surface so that she might use them to her advantage in besting Osiris. Jack looked toward the two women and nearly gasped at the sight that unfolded before his eyes. Osiris stood in a flurry of white and gold, her arm outstretched toward Sam as her eyes glowed with an intensity that only matched that of her facial expression. A face filled with hate. Fifteen feet away stood Sam, her own arm outstretched as she battled with Osiris. Angry blue eyes met blazing gold as the battle between the two women ensued. A stream of energy was seen emanating from each device. The stream met in the middle as the battle of wills played on between the two women, a battle between good and evil. Hearing gunfire just inches away, Osiris briefly turned her head in time to see the last of the Jaffa fall to the ground. Although her lapse in concentration lasted only a second, it was enough to turn the tide of the ongoing battle of wills in Sam's favor. Focusing every last ounce of energy she had left into the device, Sam saw the energy ribbon emanating from her hand device glow brighter and get closer and closer to Osiris. Finally, the energy reached the Goa'ulds hand device and, with a scream of pure shock and outrage, the woman fell to the floor. Walking over to Sam, Jack caught her shaking form just as she collapsed and began a descent toward the floor. "Easy Carter," he said as a hush fell over the room. "You okay?" he asked as he made a quick visual evaluation of his 2IC to be sure she hadn't suffered any more physical injuries than she already had. "Yes sir, just very weak" she replied quietly trying to look past him in an effort to see Osiris. "Don't worry, you got her" the Colonel said as he saw the direction her eyes had traveled. "Is she dead?" Sam questioned seeing that Osiris had not moved a muscle. "No, she's just unconscious" he answered giving her a small smile. 'Leave it to Sam to be worried over the thought of killing a Goa'uld' he thought to himself. Looking at the SG teams standing quietly nearby, he indicated it was time to make their escape from the ship. "Daniel, keep an eye on our buddy there" he told the young man as he pointed to Osiris. "We will need to transport to the planet in groups," Donair said, indicating that there were too many people to transport in one group. "And, we should take Osiris with us" he finished as several of the SG members' jaws nearly fell to the floor. "Take her with us?" the Colonel questioned as if he was certain he had misheard the Tokra. "Are you crazy?" "She may have access to information that would help the Tokra in our fight to rid the universe of the Goa'uld. We should take her with us, under guard of course, and let the High Council decide how she can best serve our cause" Donair replied. "Fine, but take that hand device thingy off of her. SG-6, prepare to head back to the planet. We'll take her snakey-ness back with us" Jack said as he helped Sam to stand up. "Sir, wait" she said as she looked over to Teal'c. "Teal'c, do we still have the package?" "Yes Major Carter," the Jaffa responded pulling a small cylindrical device from his pack. Everyone looked on in surprise but it was Jack who broke the silence. "Ah... Carter? What the heck is that?" he questioned indicating the object that Teal'c now held. "It's a bomb enhanced with Naquada" she replied looking at her commanding officer as Teal'c placed the device near Osiris's unconscious form. "A bomb?" he questioned in disbelief. "We figured it's not a party until someone breaks out the party favors" she answered smiling when she saw the Colonel's facial expression. "We thought taking out her army and blowing the ship might go a long way in setting her plans back a while." "I'll say" the Colonel answered impressed by their thoroughness considering the short amount of time they had been given. "But Carter," he said pausing as she looked at him questioningly, "remind me not to get you really mad any time soon, okay?" "Why is that, sir?" she asked confused. "Well, a hand device AND a Naquada bomb?" he replied indicating the equipment. Smiling, she merely replied "yes sir" as she turned to Teal'c and instructed him to set the timing device on the bomb for ten minutes. "Okay campers," Colonel O'Neill said looking at the group who was still on the lookout in the event any more Jaffa decided to join them or any of the unconscious ones woke up, "let's go home." Gathering their gear, SG-6 took their positions within the transporter rings. "We'll see you on the planet, Colonel O'Neill" Colonel Sandus said as his team prepared for departure. Donair then pushed a button on a small device that he carried with him and the transport rings encircled the members of SG-6. In a brilliant flash of light, the team was gone. "SG-3, you take Donair and transport to the surface next" O'Neill said as Donair handed the transporter device to Sam so that SG-1 could follow behind them. Turning to Sam as the team disappeared from the platform behind him, he asked "Carter, is everything ready?" "Yes sir. We set the countdown for ten minutes just in case we ran into any unforeseen difficulties while transporting to the surface" she replied indicating the bomb that now showed just under eight minutes remaining before detonation. Hearing a small noise behind them, Jack turned to see Osiris quickly making her way to the door. Teal'c lifted his staff weapon and dislodged a round of fire but it was too late. Osiris had already left the room and was running down the corridor. Turning to look at Daniel he said, "I thought I told you to watch her?" "Oops" the young man replied squirming a little under the glare the Colonel was giving him. "Yeah... Oops" he repeated sarcastically as he looked toward the door. "Dammit Jack it's not like I let her go on purpose!" Daniel said as he made his way toward the doorway. "I know that!" the Colonel exclaimed exasperated. Seeing Daniel head for the doorway he asked, "Where do you think you're going?" "To bring her back" Daniel simply replied as if his intentions should be obvious. "I will assist Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said heading for the door. "No. Both of you just stop right there. In case anyone has forgotten, we have a BOMB here that's ready to go 'boom'. We'll just have to leave Osiris behind," the Colonel concluded. "Carter, is there any way she could disarm that bomb after we're leave?" he asked motioning to them all to take their positions on the transporter platform. "Only if she has the remote detonator sir. Otherwise, there isn't enough time for anyone to open the bomb and disarm it. I've rigged the device with several fail safes so that if anyone attempts to tamper with any of the mechanisms without really knowing what they're doing it will simply detonate on the spot" she said. "And the remote detonator is...?" the Colonel began to question as he nervously looked around. "...Right here sir" she said holding up the device. "Good. Okay kids, time to leave this party" Jack said as they all took their places on the transport platform. "But Jack, the Tokra wanted Osiris alive," Daniel began but stopped as the Colonel held up his hands to indicate the discussion was now over. "The Tokra will just have to deal with it. It was a stupid plan anyway. Now let's get out of here before she comes back with more of her Jaffa buddies and we all go BOOM!" the Colonel ordered. "Carter, send us home." And with that, Sam activated the transport device sending SG-1 back to the planet surface. The only indication of their presence that remained on the ship was a few wounded Jaffa and a naquada enhanced bomb. ******************* Chapter Twenty-Seven "Unscheduled gate activation!" the voice rang out over the loudspeakers at the SGC. General Hammond hurriedly walked into the control room. "What have you got son?" he asked the Sergeant on duty as he pointed to the control panels that had lit up Looking at the information that was now being transmitted through the gate, the Sergeant smiled as he replied, "It's SG-6 sir." Hammond began breathing a sigh when he heard the Sergeant speak again. "And it's SG-3 sir" the man said as he returned his attention on the readouts in front of him and a huge smile began to spread across his face. "And it's SG-1 sir!" "Open the iris Sergeant" he ordered as he made his way to the gate room. 'Let's see how many of them made it back' he thought to himself. Reaching the oversized doors of the gate room, the General was surprised to see so many of the SGC personnel standing just outside the blast doors. "What's going on?" he asked one of the Captains that had been positioned toward the front of the group. "Sir, we all heard the announcement that the gate had activated. We were hoping to see if it's the rescue party for Colonel O'Neill and Dr. Jackson" the Captain replied. "I see" the General said knowing that just about everyone on base had been nervously awaiting news of the mission since it was launched. Indicating that the group should follow him, they all stepped inside as the gate opened and a stable wormhole was established. With baited breaths the SGC personnel waited to see who would step from the gate. Suddenly, the three remaining team members of SG-6 emerged followed closely by Donair. Quickly moving down the ramp, they stood aside as SG-3 walked through the gate followed closely by Samantha Carter, Teal'c, Daniel Jackson and Jack O'Neill. Upon seeing the entire team of SG-1 the room burst into noise as SGC personnel began clapping and cheering and patting one another on the backs. Looking around in amazement, the teams exited the ramp and were immediately met by General Hammond. "SG-1, 3 and 6" he began "welcome back." "Thank you General and might I say on behalf of all of us that it's good to be back, sir" Colonel O'Neill replied taking in the familiarity of the gate room. Nodding his head, the General looked at Donair and was about to ask for clarifications as to whom he was when the Colonel interrupted. "General Hammond, this is Donair of the Tokra. It seems he was working undercover on Osiris's ship. He was instrumental in getting us out sir." "The Tokra operative. On behalf of the SGC, I thank you" the General said as he shook hands with Donair. "You are welcome. The Tauri have assisted in dealing a crippling blow to Osiris. We thank you for your own efforts in disabling not only a growing army but Osiris herself" the Tokra replied. "Disabling Osiris?" Hammond asked looking to Jack for clarification. "Yeah, it seems that Carter and Teal'c brought along a little bomb with a BIG bang" the Colonel said as he spread his hands far apart emphasizing the word 'bang.' "So Osiris is dead?" the General questioned. "Well... as dead as any of the Goa'uld seem to ever be" the Colonel responded remembering their dealings with Apophis. "I see" General Hammond said. Turning to the teams he continued, "I am sure this will make an interesting debriefing but first, I want you all to report to the infirmary so that Dr. Fraiser can complete your post mission physicals. In the meantime, we'll contact the Tokra to let them know of Donair's arrival. Debriefing will be in three hours." After hearing a chorus of "yes sirs" from the various team members, Hammond left the room to contact the Tokra. "Let's go campers" the Colonel called, smiling at the remaining personnel milling about the gate room. "I'm sure ole' Doc Fraiser has some needles with our names on them that are 'that big'" he said, again using his hands to emphasize the size of the hypodermic needles. With smiles as big as the supposed needles Jack had been referring to, SG-1, 3, and 6, accompanied by Donair, made their way to the infirmary. ******************* Epilogue The debriefing was a long one and by the time it was over SG-1 wanted nothing more than to simply sit down and relax. Dr. Fraiser had confined them all to the base for the next forty-eight hours for observation to be sure they hadn't suffered any additional injuries. This of course brought a lot of moaning and groaning from Jack until Janet reminded him that, while he had been healed with help from the Goa'uld sarcophagus, Sam had not and was still fighting exhaustion and cracked ribs. "Okay, Carter needs to rest" he said turning to look at his 2IC. "The rest of us can watch a movie in my quarters." "With all due respect sir," she said pausing on 'sir' for emphasis, "I'd rather watch the movie." When it looked like the Colonel was about to protest, Daniel stepped in. Giving Sam a small wink he said, "Ah Jack, you might want to listen to her. Remember, hand devices and Naquada..." "Indeed" Teal'c said lending his support to Sam and Daniel. Having the distinct feeling that his friends were ganging up on him he shrugged his shoulders and exclaimed "Oh for crying out loud! Okay but Carter's laying on the bed so she can 'rest' while she watches the movie." General Hammond stood quietly outside the briefing room and listened to the exchange between the members of SG-1. Smiling, he thought about the individuals that currently occupied the room. Daniel Jackson... SG-1's resident archeologist. He was a man that had lost so much and yet still maintained a childlike innocence. A man that had come a very long way since he stepped back through the gate from Abydos and a man who still usually ended up in the infirmary. 'Although this time he got lucky' the General thought to himself. Samantha Carter... SG-1's scientific miracle worker. She was a beautiful young woman who had proven throughout her years in the military that there could be a balance between brawn and intelligence. Teal'c... an alien turned turncoat against those who worked to enslave humanity throughout the galaxy. He was a quiet man that would remain loyal to his friends until the end. Jack O'Neill... a twice-retired Colonel that held his team together through a combination of sarcasm, concern and intelligence. A man who had seen more than his fair share of suffering and yet still tried to make things better. 'Of course, he'd deny it to the end,' the General thought chuckling to himself as he envisioned the Colonel's reaction if he were to discover his current musings. And they all sat together in that room lending their friendship, acceptance and support to one another. Hammond was glad to see that whatever had been disrupting the team's dynamics before the mission had obviously been worked out. He watched them for another moment before continuing the walk to his office. Yes, it was the most diverse team you could find with each member having different backgrounds, different views, different methods and motivations. And yet they had managed to come together and create the best team the SGC had ever known. He knew of the respect and awe they were treated with around the base as was evident by the earlier display in the gate room. Yes, they really were the best and the brightest and once again they had managed, with help, to pull off the impossible. They had managed to come back alive. But Hammond was no fool. The Tokra had learned that Osiris had managed to reach an escape pod and leave the ship just before it exploded. That meant she was not only still out there but also that she now held a personal vendetta against SG-1, as did so many other system lords in the galaxy. And General George Hammond could only stand there and hope as he watched the playful interaction of the team, that when the next time came, SG-1 would fare as well as they did today. ******************* Another Trip into Wonderland By Sci-Fi Nut - justockert@satx.rr.com RATING: PG-13 WARNINGS: None CATEGORY: Action/ Adventure/ Suspense PAIRINGS: Sam/Jack (however, this is primarily a team adventure) SPOILERS: General spoilers for all episodes through Season 4 TIME FRAME: Placed toward the end of Season 4. This is a sequel to my earlier story "The Face of the Enemy" and although it contains several references to the previous storyline, I have tried to summarize when necessary so that this story may stand on its own. SUMMARY: Several months following their confrontation with Osiris, SG-1 unwittingly embarks on an entirely new adventure that takes them to a place in which humanity is all but lost. Can SG-1 find a way to overcome the horrific chain of events they have been faced with or will humanity suffer annihilation at the hands of the Goa'uld? DISCLAIMER: They aren't mine, not now, not ever. Thanks to the Stargate Gods for letting me borrow their creations if only for a short while. And... no money has exchanged hands before, during or after this story was written. AUTHOR'S NOTES: Okay folks, several people asked for a sequel to "The Face of the Enemy" and I'm happy to say that I've finally completed it. (Okay, so it took me three and a half months but I kept facing writer's block on this one). Anyway, as always, I hope you enjoy the story and I would really appreciate your feedback. Now, you all don't need to torch me or start an inferno or anything like that, but reviews are always nice (good or bad) as they help me to improve on my writing style. So, without further stalling on my part.... On to the story!!!!! ~Jules ******************* Another Trip into Wonderland Jack sat at his desk staring blankly at the papers that lay before him. 'Mission reports' he thought to himself as he waded up another piece of paper and sent it flying toward the wastepaper basket across the room. The small bundle missed its mark and bounced off the wall to land in a heap alongside several other objects that had met the same fate. "It figures," he said aloud, the words echoing off the walls. The truth of the matter was that Jack O'Neill was bored. Things had been too quiet since their encounter with Osiris and paperwork was just not his idea of a good time. 'Although it's hard to find anything that compares with blowing up a snakehead's mother ship' he thought to himself with a sense of satisfaction 'unless of course you get to blow up two mother ships' he smiled, leaning back in his chair. And that is exactly what SG-1 had recently done. After gating to a planet and taking an unexpected trip across the universe, the team had found themselves face to face with Osiris. True, they had planned to blow up the first mother ship but they had barely made it off the ship in one piece before detonation. After a crash landing and coming within feet of making it back home through the stargate, Jack and Daniel had found themselves on Osiris's ship with their only hope of escape in the hands of an undercover Tokra operative named Ry'el. 'And then the cavalry charged in' he thought remembering the very unevenly matched firefight between Ry'el and Osiris' Jaffa. It was then that Sam and Teal'c, along with SG- 3, had rounded the corner and unintentionally stepped into the fight. Again, just as they were within feet of making their escape, Osiris stepped in to foil their plans. 'If it hadn't been for Carter and that hand thingy we would have all been toast' he muttered to himself as he remembered the scene that played out in the cargo hold of the ship. SG-6 stood off to the side, guarded by Jaffa while more Jaffa guarded SG-1 and SG-3 from behind. Osiris was just about to use the hand device on him when Sam pulled a rabbit out of her hat, 'or in this case, a Goa'uld hand device out of her pocket' he thought to himself, and bested Osiris. It was then that Sam and Teal'c had surprised them all by bringing out a small device, a device that turned out to be a Naquada enhanced bomb. 'Of course, the snakehead got away' he thought in disgust remembering how Osiris had regained consciousness and run from the cargo hold just before his team used the transport rings to return to the planet and ultimately, travel back to Earth via the stargate. 'But still, the damned thing blew up in the end' he murmured with satisfaction as he thought back to the spectacular display they were treated to as they looked to the sky. It was the last thing he saw as he stepped through the gate and returned to the safety of the SGC. It wasn't until a little while later that Tokra intelligence had delivered the news that Osiris had managed to escape from the ship before detonation. And now, two months later, nothing had been heard of Osiris. Nothing had been heard from any of the Goa'uld recently leaving Jack to wonder what they might be up to. Hearing a knock on his office door, he looked up to see Teal'c quietly standing in the doorway. "Teal'c ole' buddy, what's up?" he asked glad to have a distraction from the mound of paperwork. Glancing briefly at the ceiling the Jaffa raised one eyebrow in question as he replied, "I do not see anything that could be described as being "up" O'Neill." Giving his friend a bemused expression he sighed and explained "No, Teal'c. It's just an expression. It's another way of asking 'how are you?' or 'what's going on?" "I see" the Jaffa replied wearing an expression that clearly stated he did not. He wondered yet again, why the Tauri simply did not say what they meant instead of inventing confusing jargon that, in his opinion, served no purpose other than to waste time. "What is 'up'" he continued, pausing as he repeated the unfamiliar jargon, "is that Major Carter and Daniel Jackson thought you might wish to partake of an afternoon meal together in the cafeteria." "You mean 'lunch' in the mess hall?" the Colonel questioned, standing up and walking around to stand in front of his desk. "Is that not what I just said O'Neill?" the Jaffa answered leaning his head slightly to one side in question. Deciding that he would never win out on this particular topic, Jack decided to let it drop and see what Daniel and Carter were up to. 'Someone on this base has to be doing something interesting' he thought to himself 'and if not, then I'll just have to settle for trying to make Carter giggle.' Giving Teal'c a small smile he merely replied "sure, lunch sounds great, even if it is base food." And on that note, they exited the office and made their way toward Sam's lab. ******************* Jack allowed himself a small smile as they walked down the corridor towards Samantha Carter's office. He was very fond of his second in command for a number of reasons. 'What's not to like?' he asked himself as he thought about the woman who had occupied so much of his thoughts lately. 'She's brilliant' he continued thinking to himself and smiled as he remembered the whole 'Doctor/ Captain' discussion during their first meeting, 'she's an excellent officer' he continued his musings reflecting on the many different missions they had shared, 'and she's beautiful' he concluded remembering various images of his 2IC. Images of their first meeting as she walked into the briefing room dressed in full uniform, images of her in Shivadai dress, images of casual attire during down time.... 'Better stop right there' he admonished himself 'before you remember more than you can handle. She's your 2IC and therefore OFF LIMITS' he all but shouted to himself as he focused on the walk toward her office. And that was the problem. They both knew they had feelings for one another and they both had agreed to place those feelings on hold for another time. A time when they wouldn't be breaking fraternization regulations, a time when they wouldn't be jeopardizing their careers by risking a court martial and a time when they wouldn't be needed to defend the Earth against the Goa'uld. Reaching her lab, Jack noticed that she and Daniel were gathered over a small cylindrical object that shined brightly as a result of the fluorescent lighting which illuminated the small underground lab. "How's it going guys?" he asked as he and Teal'c entered the room. Looking up from her inspection of the object, Sam gave a wry smile as she saw the Colonel approaching. "Not too well" she responded grimacing at the device that rested on the countertop in front of them. "Daniel and I have been studying this object that SG-14 brought back the other day from their mission on P3X 964 but so far we haven't had any luck in figuring out what it is." "The inscriptions seem to indicate that it might be some sort of travel device but I can't be sure until I've done a little more research on the translations" Daniel said showing Jack a small band of alien markings that were imprinted on the outside casing. "Sounds like...fun" the Colonel replied, wondering if he might actually have had a better time sitting at his desk and staring absently at his mission reports. Knowing how bored her CO could get when it came to discussions of unknown alien artifacts, she looked up and said, "We'll be ready to go to lunch in just a moment sir. We just have to close this panel and..." she stopped as she heard a small hum come from the object and a few of the buttons on the outside casing began to glow. "It's never done that before" Daniel said as he looked over the device. "Oh?" the Colonel questioned looking first to Daniel and then back to Sam. "Well, what's it doing now and what started it?" "I don't know sir, it looks like it had something jammed in the mechanism," she said holding up a small wiry looking object. This started when I pulled it out." "Well, seeing that we don't know what it does yet, maybe we should put it back or turn the thing off or something..." the Colonel stopped as the hum from the device grew louder and the lights began to flash more rapidly. "You may be right sir," Sam replied as she attempted to place the object back in the same position it had previously been in. Suddenly, the device emitted a small beam of light that bathed the room in a pinkish glow. The team members covered their ears as the whine from the device grew to an ear shattering level making them feel as if their eardrums would burst. And then, everything went black. ******************* Teal'c was the first to regain consciousness. As he sat up he took in his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was the lack of light in the lab. 'Perhaps the energy emitted from the device has something to do with the lack of illumination' he thought to himself. The second thing he noticed, thanks to the small band of light coming from the corridor, was the unconscious bodies of his friends scattered on the floor. At least he hoped they were merely unconscious. Moving over to the Colonel, he placed his fingers against the man's throat and sat quietly for a moment. Feeling a steady pulse at the base of his friend's neck, Teal'c breathed a small sigh of relief. Evidently the device had merely rendered them unconscious. "O'Neill," the Jaffa called, gently shaking the Colonel. Receiving no response from his friend he shook him a little harder and repeated in a louder voice "O'Neill, you must awaken." That was enough to bring the commanding officer of SG-1 back to consciousness. Grabbing his head, he sat up and groggily looked around. "What the ..." he muttered in confusion as he surveyed the scene before him. The last thing he remembered was heading towards Carter's lab for lunch and then... 'Oh yeah, another ARTIFACT' he thought to himself as he recalled the strange pink light and the ear breaking noise the device had emitted. "Teal'c?" "It is I O'Neill," the warrior acknowledged. "What happened? The last thing I remember is the noise from that doohickey Carter was fiddling with. And what happened to the lights in this place?" he asked as he stood up. "It seems we were rendered unconscious by the device that Major Carter and Daniel Jackson were examining. They both remain unconscious at this time" Teal'c replied looking to the bodies of his remaining friends. "Let's wake them up. Maybe Carter can figure out what went wrong. Somehow, I doubt that thing was created just to knock people out" the Colonel grumbled as he made his way over to his second in command. "It would make for an effective weapon if that should prove to be its purpose" the Jaffa pointed out. "True" Jack agreed. "Set the doohickey up in a room full of enemies, push the button and whamo! It's instant naptime for those who ail you. The only problem is that you have to knock yourself out in the process." "Indeed" the man agreed. Turning his attention back to Sam he gently nudged her in an effort to wake her. "Carter" he called softly waiting for her to regain consciousness. Not receiving a response he pulled her unconscious form into a sitting position and called more insistently "Major Carter wake up and that's an order!" As he had figured, Sam began to emerge from her sleeping state and looked around the room in a display of momentary confusion. 'Always the good little soldier' he thought to himself with a wryly. "Sir?" she asked as she recognized the form of her commanding officer hovering over her. "Welcome back to the land of the living Carter" the Colonel replied as he helped her stand up. "It seems your doohickey over there put the whammy on us and we all took a little nap. Any ideas on what went wrong?" "No sir, at least not yet. Where's Daniel?" she asked as she attempted to look around the lab. "Right here" the archeologist replied after thanking Teal'c for his assistance. "How long have we been out and what happened to the lights?" Pulling his sleeve up, Jack pushed the small button on his watch that would illuminate the faceplate and gasped. "Four hours?" he all but shouted in disbelief poking at the timepiece as if it had to have malfunctioned. Hearing his exclamation, each member looked at their own watches in turn and confirmed the Colonel's findings. It had indeed been four hours since the device had been activated. Not understanding what was going on but knowing that he had to do something, Jack looked over to Daniel. "Daniel, turn the lights back on. I'm tired of running around in the dark. Carter, I want you and Daniel to figure out what that thing is supposed to do. Teal'c and I will go talk to Hammond. And does anyone else have a hard time believing that NO ONE came by in the last four hours or noticed our absence or is it just me?" he called as he and Teal'c went in search of General Hammond. ******************* "Something's not right" Jack murmured as he and Teal'c walked through the deserted corridors. "Indeed" the Jaffa agreed. "Should there not be SGC personnel working this afternoon?" "Ah, yeah" Jack confirmed. "We've yet to see one person and why is the entire base on back-up generators and emergency lighting? What the heck happened in the last four hours?" "I do not know O'Neill but I do not think we will find General Hammond on this base" Teal'c replied. "I'm beginning to agree with you" the Colonel replied as they stepped into the General's office. "Great, deserted, just like everything else around here. Let's head to the gate room and see if we can find anything there that will help us figure this out." A couple of minutes later after checking the control room and finding it empty they walked into the gate room and looked around. "I don't see anything out of the ordinary, do you?" the Colonel asked his teammate. "I do not" Teal'c replied with a very grim expression on his face. "There are no signs to indicate hostile forces came through the gate," he concluded as he checked the walls for scorch marks that might have come from staff weapons or any other type of artillery. "Perhaps there was a malfunction that made it necessary for the base to be temporarily evacuated," he suggested. "Maybe. It would explain the backup generators but it doesn't explain why we were left in Carter's lab. If a base wide evacuation was ordered then a quick sweep would have been done to check for stragglers. Or in this case...us" the Colonel said. "Why don't you search the control room while I make some phone calls in the briefing room." "Very well O'Neill" the Jaffa said. With a small nod of his head, he exited the gate room and headed toward the control room hoping to turn up something that would help explain what had taken place while they were asleep. ******************* Jack O'Neill sat at the long briefing table and slammed the phone down for the fourth time. Frustrated and confused he sighed and placed his head in his hands. "It just doesn't make sense," he muttered for the umpteenth time as he looked around the briefing room. "I concur" came Teal'c voice from the doorway as he walked in and sat in the seat he always claimed during briefings. "So...did you find anything?" the Colonel asked with a facial expression that said he already knew the Jaffa had not. "There was nothing to aid us in our search O'Neill" the man responded. "However, the computer data regarding the last gate coordinates have been erased." "The phones aren't working either. I can get a dial tone but no answer. Not even from an operator. And from the state of things around here it almost looks as if the base had been quarantined. Which means that the only way out would have been through the stargate" the Colonel mused. "It is indeed puzzling. Perhaps Major Carter and Daniel Jackson have had more success in their endeavors" Teal'c suggested. "Maybe. Let's head back to the lab and check in," the Colonel said as he stood and made his way to the door. Taking a final look around the briefing room, he paused momentarily and shook his head. "I don't know Teal'c. Do things seem a little 'off' to you?" "Off?" the Jaffa questioned. "Yeah, you know...off. Not quite right. Sort of different and...out of place" the Colonel elaborated, trying to explain something to his friend that he couldn't quite yet clarify in his own mind. "We are the only members of the SGC remaining on the base O'Neill" Teal'c reasoned. "However, things do seem be 'off'" he agreed as they headed back to Sam's lab. ******************* "Deja vu" Jack exclaimed as he and Teal'c re-entered the lab. The sight that greeted them was very reminiscent of their entry to the lab earlier in the day. Sam and Daniel stood hunched over the alien device and were conversing quietly. The only difference being the countertop that previously held the device now held both the device and stacks of books which Daniel was pouring over in an obvious attempt to finish deciphering the writing found on the outer casing. "Hello sir" Sam said as they entered the room. "We think we may be a little closer to figuring out what happened but we need to know what you found before we can be sure." "Well...if you must know...Teal'c and I found nothing, as in zip, nada, zilch, bubkus" the Colonel said, warily eyeing the alien artifact. "Nothing?" Daniel questioned. "Nothing, Daniel Jackson" Teal'c confirmed. "We are the only personnel remaining at the SGC." "So...there's no one else at all?" Daniel asked looking to Sam with a worried expression. "Not a soul Daniel. So what's the deal with that...thing" the Colonel asked waving his fingers to indicate the alien artifact. "Is it the cause of all of this or not?" "Well, yes and no sir" Sam replied glancing away. "Care to elaborate on that a bit Carter?" Jack asked with his typical inflection of sarcasm. Giving him an uncomfortable smile that clearly indicated he wasn't going to like the explanation, she took a deep breath and tentatively began. "Well sir, the device is responsible for knocking us out which was a result of the whining we heard it emit just before we blacked out but..." she stopped momentarily and looked to Daniel whose expression mirrored her own. "Carter, spit it out" the Colonel said flatly. "Yes sir. Anyway, as I was saying, the device is responsible for knocking us out and placing us 'here' but it isn't responsible for whatever happened to the base personnel. Not directly anyway" she finished. "Do you have any idea what she's talking about?" Jack asked Teal'c as he tried to make sense of what his 2IC was telling him. "No" the Jaffa merely replied raising one eyebrow as he waited for Sam to continue with her explanation. "Basically sir, it's an alternate reality device. It takes us from our own universe and transports us to one that mirrors our own" she concluded. "Then it is comparable to the quantum mirror Daniel Jackson discovered previously?" Teal'c questioned. "Exactly" Sam replied. "Well from what we just saw, this base is nothing like our own. Our SGC is crawling with people and this one doesn't have anything or should I say...anyone?" Jack asked wondering how they were going to return home with nothing more than a faulty alien device to rely on. "I know sir. As we've seen previously, the variations in realities can range from minute to vastly different. This reality seems to have taken, what looks to be, a radically different course but the setting that we've found ourselves in is virtually the same. It's the circumstances that are different," the Major concluded. "Jack," Daniel began, "I think we need to find out what happened here. It may have some bearing on things to come in our own reality." "Or, we could just get Carter here to fix that doohickey and zap us back to our own reality" the Colonel said. "I think Daniel's right sir," Sam intervened. "We've seen in the past that information gained from an alternate reality can aid us and in this case it might help to know what happened that would possibly have caused an entire base to be emptied." Looking between the archeologist and his 2IC, Jack mentally shook his head and sighed. Somehow he knew that going home wasn't going to be so easy but for once it would be so nice just to leave without a lot of fuss. After all, they had enough mysteries to solve in their own universe so why did they have to worry about alternate universes as well? Not to mention the fact that leaving now meant there wouldn't be any injuries or Goa'ulds to run into. "Fine" he replied. "Carter, I'm assuming that knocking us out wasn't part of the designer's original intent," he said indicating the alien device. "So, why did it malfunction and how long before you can repair it?" "Do you remember that small object that I removed from the device just before it activated?" Sam asked. Seeing the Colonel nod his head she continued, "well, I believe the object had merely become dislodged. If you take a close look just in here" she said indicating a small crevice just to the right of where the object had lodged "then you'll see that it looks to have dropped down and to the side, impeding the flow of matter that regulates the device. This interrupted flow, combined with our earlier examination of the device caused it to activate. The loud whining sound that knocked us unconscious is a result of the misdirected flow and the reason we ended up in this particular reality is a direct result of the settings we had unknowingly punched in during our examination." "But you can get us back, right?" Jack questioned looking back and forth between Sam and Daniel whom were both shifting from one foot to the other in obvious discomfort. "I believe so sir. It's merely a matter of reversing exactly what we did in the first place that caused us to land here. And Daniel thinks he's almost deciphered the translations so, between the two of us, we should be able to return to our own reality" she finished. "You believe? But you're not sure you can get us back?" the Colonel questioned. "Well...I can't be 100 percent but I'm relatively confident this will work sir" Sam replied a little uneasily. "Well then that will have to do. How much longer before that thing is ready to go?" Jack asked indicating the alien device. "I just need to finish translating the last set of writings and then we should be able to leave. Maybe a couple of hours or a little longer?" Daniel suggested. "Two hours?" the Colonel repeated. "Or a little longer" Daniel reiterated "unless of course you want me translate this wrong and we could end up somewhere else?" "Fine. Just finish it," the Colonel said. "Teal'c, stay here with Daniel just in case any trouble comes up. Carter, you're with me. We need to go back to the control room and see if we can find out anything from the computers. The phones are down and Teal'c said the last set of gate coordinates was erased. Let's see what we can dig up." "Yes, sir" she replied following him out of the room. ******************* The base seemed eerie as they walked through the empty corridors. The lighting was minimal and the many people who usually roamed the corridors of the SGC were no more. Even the sounds of the many different types of machinery the base used on an everyday basis were now absent. Reaching the control room, Sam and Jack walked in and began looking around. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Sam walked over to the main computer terminals and began hurriedly tapping the keyboard to retrieve information. She sat back and sighed after several minutes of furious typing. "Problem?" the Colonel asked. "Yes sir. I've been attempting to access the most recent mission logs but the mainframe keeps denying me access and until I can gain access I can't determine anything" she said shaking her head. "So...we aren't going to be able to find out what happened here?" the Colonel asked. "There still might be a way sir. When I was designing the systems I programmed a back door. Maybe my counterpart in this reality took the same precautions. If so, I might still be able to access the mainframe and determine what happened. Providing the information exists somewhere in the system" she concluded. "That's assuming that your counterpart was part of the SGC in this reality," Jack said coming to stand behind her. "And what's this about a back door?" "I created a back door, a code that only I was aware of, in case the main system was ever damaged or compromised. That way we could remotely access the main gate controls from another location on base if necessary" she concluded. "So why didn't you use this back door thingy when Linea took over the base computers?" he asked knowing that it was highly unusual for his 2IC not to explore every option at their disposal. "I tried sir, but she somehow managed to circumvent my precautions and lock me out of the system" she replied, obviously unhappy with the way things had played out during that particular mission. "Don't worry about it Carter. These things can obviously happen to the best of us" he said with a small smile. 'One thing about Carter is that she doesn't like to lose' he thought to himself. And that was why he was so confident that his 2IC would once again find a way to break through the encryptions and pull the information they needed from the mainframe. Recognizing the compliment under the teasing tone, Sam smiled as she continued her task. All of a sudden she sat back and exclaimed, "We're in" and proceeded to pull up several files. "Access the personnel files for the base. Let's see how closely this reality parallels ours," the Colonel ordered. "Yes sir," she replied and within seconds the monitor displayed several files listing the SGC's last known command structure. Opening several of the files, Sam looked up to find the face of her CO staring back at her from the computer monitor. Glancing briefly at the picture and then to the data she raised her eyebrows in surprise. "It looks like you received a promotion 'General'," she said to the man hovering over her shoulder. "A very recent promotion." "What happened to Hammond?" the Colonel questioned. "One moment sir," she replied pulling up several more files. "According to this, General Hammond resigned his commission due to..." she stopped scanning several more sentences. Sitting back with a stunned expression on her face she looked to Jack and shook her head. "What is it Carter?" he asked trying to read the file from where he stood. "He resigned due to an undisclosed terminal illness. According to the information here, he died within forty-eight hours of handing over command of the SGC" she concluded. "Pull the files for the rest of the team and let's figure out where things stand," he ordered. "Yes sir. It looks like SG-1 consisted of yourself, at least until your recent promotion, Teal'c, Lieutenant Michaels and Captain Haggerty," she said with a confused look on her face. "Where's your counterpart Carter? She's obviously somewhere around here or you wouldn't have been able to use that back door to break into the system. And what happened to Daniel?" Jack asked. "I'm checking sir. Oh no" she exclaimed softly as she read the file displayed in front of her. "What is it?" the Colonel asked immediately alarmed at the emotion in her voice. "According to this, Daniel was killed in action nearly two years ago" she replied. "How?" he asked, shock plainly written on his face. "It doesn't say sir. Although, I'm sure that we could find out from the mission reports. They must be on record somewhere sir," she said as she began searching for files that would reveal what had happened to the archeologist in this reality. "Leave it for now" the Colonel ordered. "What about your counterpart?" he asked fearing that something similar may have happened to Sam. "I don't show an active military record for my counterpart sir" she responded as she continued to pull up additional files. "Check the roster of civilian personnel assigned to the base. We've seen other realities in which you weren't military," the Colonel said wondering if something had also happened to Carter in this reality. "Yes sir" she absently replied as she continued to search through the data. It was still unfathomable to her that she would be anything but military. Continuing her search of the civilian roster she finally announced, " I found it" and then sat back and simply stared at the screen. "Carter?" Jack asked wondering what she had found. "What is it?" "Nothing sir, it's just not what I expected that's all" she replied as she went to close the file. Leaning over, Jack stilled her hands on the keyboard while he read the file. And then he too went silent for a moment. Raising his eyes to look at her he said quietly, "It's not like we haven't seen this before now is it?" "No sir, I guess it's just that I've never seen it in black and white so to speak" she answered looking back at the screen and reading the information displayed on the screen. Dr. Samantha Carter-O'Neill Civilian consultant- Astrophysics Retired Military as of 04/01/1999 "It says that she retired from the military three years ago and continued on with the project as head of Research and Development. It also says that we, or rather they, have a fourteen month old child," she said looking down toward the desk. It was true they had run into other realities where she and Jack were either engaged or married but none of them had ever mentioned a child. She wondered, not for the first time, if they had made the right decision when they decided to place their feelings on hold to continue their careers and their fight against the Goa'uld. "It's okay Sam" Jack said placing a hand on her shoulder. He had a pretty good idea what thoughts were going through her mind, not so much as a result of knowing her so well, but merely because the same thoughts were rushing through his own mind. "I know" she replied, closing the file and scanning through several more files listing base personnel. "It doesn't seem like there is anything else that is drastically different as far as personnel and job assignments are concerned." "Can you find anything that will tell us what happened here? I don't know about this other me but I know that I wouldn't have just up and declared a holiday for no reason" the Colonel quipped. "No sir" she agreed wryly. I can't find any mission updates for the last two months which basically correlates with the time you...I mean your counterpart, assumed command of the base." "Which means that whatever happened to Hammond was probably tied into this whole mystery," he concluded. "I believe so" Sam answered and then stopped typing to lean forward and look at some information in the latest file she was reviewing. "Oh no" she exclaimed softly and sat back in her chair with a hint of tears glistening in her eyes. Jack began to worry as he looked at the face of his 2IC and her dejected posture. "What is it Major?" he asked knowing that he probably wasn't going to like the answer. "According to this information, there was a Goa'uld attack on the planet almost three months ago. A mother ship entered the planet's atmosphere and began firing upon several key targets throughout the world," she said continuing to read the file. "But what about the planetary treaty with the Asgard?" the Colonel asked. "Don't they have that in this reality?" "Apparently so, and according to this, the Asgard stepped in and thwarted the Goa'uld attack by destroying the mother ship" she replied. "So, what's the problem?" the Colonel asked. "The real purpose of the Goa'uld visit to Earth was to release a toxin into the atmosphere which rendered the planet uninhabitable. Basically, it was a chemical that, once inhaled, caused the immune system to break down and the body to turn on itself causing all bodily systems to erupt and shut down" Sam said trying to fathom how any race could be so ruthless as to annihilate an entire species. "Then that means that Hammond..." the Colonel began. "Was not at the SGC at the time of attack and was infected by the toxin" Sam finished for him. "How fast does this stuff work?" the Colonel asked. "According to these records, symptoms started within twenty-four hours of the attack and mimicked a severe case of the flu. Bodily deterioration continued at a rapid pace and most people were dead inside of a week after inhaling the agent. It's a very horrible death sir and these people would have suffered unmercifully," she concluded. "There wasn't any way to reverse it or find a cure?" Jack questioned. "I doubt they would have had enough time. According to this" she said indicating the information displayed on the monitor in front of them, "we detected the chemicals in the atmosphere but didn't realize what was going on for almost forty-eight hours. By that time, it was too late. All human and animal life would have been infected. The damage had already been done." "So what happened to the people that were manning the base?" "According to these records, your counterpart ordered an immediate lock down at the time of attack. At that time the base automatically switched over to a self-contained ventilation system effectively blocking the possibility of infection. At that point most of the remaining base personnel were transferred to the Alpha site. A few remained here to collect any final data they could before joining the others at the alternate site," Sam concluded. "So" the Colonel began, "you're telling me that everyone that was topside at the time of attack is dead? That no one is left alive?" "Yes sir" she solemnly replied. "The only people left alive are the eight teams that were off world and those that were on duty at the time of the attack." "Okay, so why did they leave the base intact? Usual procedure dictates a self-destruct procedure as soon as the final team gates through to the Alpha site" Jack pondered. "Well, the Goa'uld wouldn't be able to use the planet so they wouldn't have had to worry about hostiles gaining access to the Alpha site via the SGC and from the information here it will be thousands of years before this chemical fully dissipates from the atmosphere. They probably figured it would be safe to come back through and use the equipment as needed," Sam surmised. "Right" the Colonel muttered in a clipped voice as he tried to hold his anger in check. "Let's get back to Daniel and Teal'c and fill them in," he said as he turned and headed for the hallway that would ultimately lead them back to their teammates. ******************* "... and, that's the story" the Colonel concluded watching the horrified looks cross the faces of his teammates as everyone gathered around the device, quietly looking to one another as if hoping someone would crack a smile at any second and tell them that it was some terrible April Fool's Day prank. "This is not the first time the Goa'uld have rendered a planet uninhabitable" Teal'c offered. "Yeah but why would they render the planet uninhabitable after destroying the population?" Daniel questioned. "I mean, surely they would gain more benefit in coming down to the planet and acquiring new technology or at the very least, information." "In this case the people of the Tauri posed more of a threat to the Goa'uld than the lure of discovering new technology Daniel Jackson" Teal'c informed the archeologist. "The Goa'uld reason that it is better to destroy an enemy and gain knowledge elsewhere than to risk allowing that enemy to continue to live." "That's all well and good but do we have any idea which scum sucking snake was responsible for this massacre?" Jack asked as he turned to Sam hoping she had been able to retrieve that information from the computer files. "No sir, the records didn't say..." she stopped mid sentence as a base wide alarm sounded indicating the formation of an incoming wormhole and activation of the stargate. "Alright people, we've got company. Let's go check it out," the Colonel ordered as they grabbed their weapons and made their way toward the gate room. "Any idea about who this could be?" he questioned as they rounded the corner and approached the gate room. "I noticed earlier that they disengaged the iris so it could be anyone sir" Sam replied taking her position next to the large doors that would allow them access to the gate room. "Well, whoever they are, let's just hope they're friendly" Jack muttered as they entered the room and assumed defensive positions not far from the ramp. Just then the all too familiar swoosh of an incoming wormhole was heard and the gate room became bathed in the blue shimmering glow of the event horizon. Suddenly, two figures stepped through the gate and began walking down the ramp. With weapons raised, SG-1 was surprised to find themselves staring into the faces of Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter. ******************* "What the..." muttered the man that had just stepped through the gate only to find himself targeted by four separate weapons. "Sir, if I'm not mistaken, I would say that these are our counterparts from this reality," Sam told her commanding officer. "Alright, stand down" the Colonel ordered as he cautiously lowered his weapon. "Keep an eye out for trouble," he quietly told Teal'c as they made their way to the debarkation ramp to meet the stunned people who had just stepped through the gate. Inclining his head in silent acknowledgement of Jack's words, the Jaffa brought up the rear of the group, his hand steady on his staff weapon, poised to strike should the situation warrant it. "So who the hell are you people and what are you doing here?" General O'Neill questioned coming straight to the point. "I see we need to work on our introduction skills," muttered the Colonel as he came face to face with his counterpart. "The name's Jack O'Neill and as you're probably aware, this is Major Carter, Daniel Jackson, and Teal'c" he said pointing to each of his team members in turn. "We're from an alternate reality and only arrived here a few hours ago" Major Carter elaborated seeing the confused looks on the newcomers faces. "Samantha?" the General questioned, obviously confused by Sam's words. "I don't know Jack," the woman answered. Turning to Sam, she stared at her for a moment. True, with the exception of a few cosmetic differences they looked the same. 'So this woman was promoted to the rank of Major' she thought to herself wondering at what point in the time line that would have happened. Aloud she said to the members of SG-1 "How can you be from an alternate reality? We destroyed our quantum mirror some time back." "Uh, we didn't use the mirror" Daniel said stepping to the front of the group. "We ended up here as a result of a glitch in an alien artifact we were examining." "Danny," the General said softly in a manner that was both questioning and disbelieving. "Hi Jack," the archeologist said awkwardly, having previously been told by Sam and Jack that his counterpart had died a while back. Realizing that everyone's attention was now focused on him, the General straightened himself up and merely replied "Good to see you again, so to speak." "Thanks" Daniel responded with a small nod of his head. "We were hoping to find out exactly what happened before we return to our own reality" Sam said looking at SG-1's counterparts. "We figured out a lot of it from the information in the computer files but..." "Computer files?" questioned the General turning to look at Samantha. "I thought we had protocols to protect against anyone walking in and accessing information?" "You do" assured the Colonel before Samantha could respond. "But this is Carter, or one of the Carter's or... whatever. Anyway, they both have this back door thingy that allows them to access the system, even if it is locked down." "Back door?" the General asked turning again to Samantha for explanation. "Yes Jack" she replied. Taking a deep breath she continued, "When I designed the system, I programmed a back door in case the main computer was ever compromised. This way we would be able to access the system remotely from anywhere on the base." "I knew that" the Colonel said to no one in particular. Seeing the looks on everyone's faces and the glare from his 2IC, he shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot. "What?" he exclaimed to no one in particular. "And you didn't think this would have helped us when Linea decided to take over the base computer?" the General asked. "See" the Colonel said softly nudging Sam. "That's the same thing I said." Shaking her head, Sam looked at her counterpart and merely said "Linea found a way to lock you out of the system too?" "Yeah" Samantha muttered in disgust as she thought back to the events that had taken place during that mission. "Well folks, this little reunion has been... nice, but we need to retrieve what we came for and be on our way. When did you say you were leaving?" the General asked, letting SG-1 know, in a not-so-subtle way, that their visit was at an end. "Well, the device is about ready to go but there seems to be a problem with last part of the translation" Daniel said looking at his best friend's counterpart. "And we really were hoping to learn about what happened here before we left." "Why?" the General asked not relishing the idea of recounting the morbid chain of events that had led to the destruction of his world. "Well, because it might help us prevent the same outcome in our own reality" the young man replied. "You don't even know that this whole mess will happen in your reality," the General countered. "True, but we don't know that it won't happen either" Daniel argued. "Wouldn't it be better to know the details up front so that we have a chance of changing the outcome? Or do you really want to take the chance of another reality being wiped out by the Goa'uld?" The General simply stared at Daniel for a long moment and then suddenly his face broke out in a smile. "I've missed you Danny," he said patting the archeologist on the back. "Things just haven't been the same since you... left." "So, you'll tell us what happened?" Daniel asked. "Why not?" the General asked. "But we need to make it quick. Samantha and I need to get back to base camp ASAP." "Why don't we go to the briefing room," Samantha suggested. "We can talk there." "And then you can tell me about this 'translation' problem" the Colonel said quietly to the archeologist. And as SG-1 followed their counterparts to the briefing room, they each felt a sense of dread at what they were about to discover. ******************* "So..." the General said looking around the room. "Where would you like us to start?" he asked looking at Jack. "How about we start with the Goa'uld attack and take it from there?" the Colonel answered leaning forward to allow his elbows to rest on the table. "Right" the General replied, clearly uncomfortable with the entire situation. 'Recounting this tale is bad enough' he grumbled to himself 'but to have to sit across the table from yourself and your dead friend and recount everything is about as bad as it gets.' "It started nearly six months ago. We had been receiving reports from the Tokra that there was a new Goa'uld alliance forming that was much more ruthless and dangerous than the system lords had ever thought of being on their own. Unfortunately, the Tokra never did discover which Goa'uld was pushing for the alliance" Samantha said. "You make it sound as if the Tokra are no longer around," Sam stated picking up the note of pain in the other woman's voice as she spoke of their allies. "Most of them aren't" she replied. "The Goa'uld have managed to all but wipe out the Tokra along with several other races that offered resistance. There are still a few Tokra factions remaining but their numbers are very small and most of their leaders were killed during an attack that took place shortly before the attack on Earth began." "Dad?" Sam questioned hesitantly, not certain if she was ready for the answer she feared was coming. Sam knew the answer before she heard the words as she saw Samantha cast her eyes downward and inhale sharply. "He was killed also" she replied as the General reached over to cover her hand with his own. Giving him a small smile and a nod she silently assured him she was all right. "Okay" the Colonel said, trying to deflect the attention from Samantha to give her time to compose herself. "We know the Goa'uld attacked in a mother ship and outright violated the treaty of protected planets and how the Asgard came to the rescue and destroyed the ship. Couldn't they do anything to fix the damage?" "You'd think so wouldn't ya?" the General said, displeasure clearly written on the features of his face as he thought about the 'help' they had received from the Asgard. "Unfortunately, they now have their own problems. Between the replicators and the Goa'uld, the Asgard are finding things a bit hectic. They said they were low on resources and did not have the time or the means to help with the toxin. But... and this is a biggie... they're really sorry for the Tauri's destruction and wish us the best in our new home." "Well, that was big of them" the Colonel muttered. 'I bet they talked to Freyer' he thought to himself. 'That little gray guy is way harder to deal with than Thor.' "Wasn't it though?" the General responded sarcastically. "So the toxin was released and it took forty-eight hours to detect it?" Sam asked. "Why so long? Why didn't anyone notice anything at the time of the attack?" "Probably because we were kind of busy at the time trying to save our cities, contact our allies, yada yada yada. You know the drill" the General responded. "Actually, there was no way any one could have detected it at the time it was released" Samantha said. "You see the toxin was released in the form of an inert gas. Basically, it was designed to be neutral until enough moisture gathered in the upper atmosphere. Once a certain amount of moisture mixed with the gas, it became active and poisoned the atmosphere. By that time there wasn't anything anyone could do to counter the effect." "So by introducing the gas into the atmosphere in an inert or innocuous form, it gave the gas time to spread undetected throughout the atmosphere thereby affecting the entire planet rather than merely the cities that were attacked. That way when enough moisture had mixed with the gas it would expose everyone on a world wide scale rather than a mere fraction of the Earth's population" Sam said. "Very sneaky" Daniel commented as he mused over the deviousness of it all. "Indeed. The Goa'uld knew that an outright attack against the Tauri would take too long and consume too many resources. This method allowed minimal loss to the Goa'uld alliance while effectively eliminating the Tauri threat" Teal'c said. "Oh, it was effective alright," the General agreed. "Most people started getting sick within a day or two of the gas going lethal. At first the doctors thought they were looking at a bad flu epidemic but then the symptoms started getting worse and they began to realize there was a lot more than flu involved." "Also, atmospheric readings had begun to filter in by that time and it wasn't long before we realized there was a correlation between the sickness and the toxin in the air. But before we could mobilize and try to start doing anything we found that people were dying. Most people died within a week of inhaling the toxin. They were the lucky ones. Some lasted as long as two weeks but in the end they were all dead. Even if we could have found an antidote, there wasn't enough time to synthesize and distribute it" Samantha concluded, unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "That's one of the reasons we came back," General O'Neill said looking around at the stunned group that sat before him. "Samantha and Janet are trying to find an anecdote in case the Goa'uld find the Alpha site and attempt this little trick of theirs again." "You need access to data and equipment to continue your research. Things you wouldn't have at the Alpha site" Sam concluded. "Exactly" Samantha answered. "Have you had any success so far?" Daniel questioned. "Janet has managed to isolate some of the variables but we still have a long way to go. Once inhaled, this stuff basically manages to rapidly break down every system within the body. We think we've managed to isolate one part of it and several other factors jump into play" Samantha finished. "Okay, so they attacked, tricked and killed everyone and... was that it?" the Colonel questioned. "Wasn't that enough?" his counterpart asked bitterly. "No, I think what Jack is trying to ask is if you've heard any more from the Goa'uld since they did this? Any attacks on the Alpha site... that sort of thing" Daniel explained jumping in before an already tense situation became explosive between the two men. Although he didn't know General O'Neill, Daniel was very familiar with Colonel O'Neill's reactions to bad situations. Especially when they involved the Goa'uld. And the General had not only lost friends in the attack but an entire planetary population. Jack's reaction would be one of sarcasm and bitterness to cover up his feelings and he was pretty sure the General's psyche pretty much followed the same pattern. "If the Goa'uld are aware of our existence then they're keeping it to themselves right now. So far, we've maintained a pretty low profile while we organize and strengthen our position at the Alpha site but we do have plans to join up with the remaining Tokra as well as continue our own program to pay the Goa'uld back in full" the General said with a steel-like quality in both his eyes and voice. "I hesitate to ask, but how many people made it to the Alpha site?" Sam questioned quietly. Looking toward Samantha and then back at SG-1, Jack shook his head and quietly replied "364 people including the eight teams we had off-world at the time, the class of students taking the field trip of the upper levels when the attack began, and Cassie and Jayden" the General finished, momentarily closing his eyes as he spoke the last name on the list. This time it was Samantha that placed her hand on his shoulder to lend support. "Uh, Jayden?" Daniel questioned. "Our son, Jayden Daniel O'Neill" Samantha quietly responded. "Son?" Daniel and Teal'c echoed in surprise. Looking at Sam and Jack, Daniel realized they didn't seem overly surprised by the information they had just heard. Which meant they had left a few things out of their narration back in Sam's, or rather Samantha's, lab. "Yes. Jayden was ill the day of the attack. We couldn't leave him at the Daycare facility so we brought him to work with us and Janet offered to call Cassie to come to the SGC and babysit for a while. It was probably the best thing that could have happened otherwise we would have lost them both" the General replied, the pain of almost losing a second son evident in his eyes. It was then that Daniel noticed the simple gold wedding bands on each of their counterpart's hands and realized they were not only colleagues but husband and wife as well. "So, you're not military in this reality?" Daniel questioned, directing his gaze on Samantha. "Retired military" she replied. "I retired from the military nearly three years ago after I was injured on a mission. I had broken my leg in several places and while the breaks healed, they left me with a noticeable limp. At that point, retirement was not an option. However, I didn't want to leave the stargate program so when General Hammond offered me the position of heading up Research and Development, I accepted the offer." "Which left the two of you free to pursue a relationship without the fear of fraternization regulations hanging over your heads" Daniel finished. "Yes" they both replied in unison "Speaking of Hammond" the Colonel began "why wasn't he here at the time of attack?" "Any other day he would have been" the General confirmed "but on that particular morning he had attended a school function for his granddaughters. The base went to immediate lock down when the attack began. You know the drill, no one gets in and no one gets out. It wasn't long after he fell ill that I was promoted to the rank of General and command of the SGC fell to me" "Which would explain why a classroom of children ended up at the Alpha site," Sam said. "Yes, a class of 22 fourth graders were touring the upper levels and discovering the wonders of deep space radar telemetry when the base went on lockdown. Unfortunately, the lock down never ended," the General concluded. "So it was the Goa'uld Alliance that was responsible for the attack on the Tauri and not one Goa'uld in particular?" Teal'c asked. "Our sources say the attack was implemented by the Alliance but that Osiris is boasting himself to be the brains behind the operation. If we had known two years ago what those damned jars held..." he stopped momentarily as he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "It's my fault, I shouldn't have let Daniel try to play the mediator and just shot them as soon as I saw them" the General muttered, his voice filled with self- recrimination. "You couldn't have known what would happen" Samantha assured him knowing he still blamed himself for the situation. "And if you had known, you still couldn't have prevented the final outcome." "Wait a minute" Daniel interrupted the pair as their words began to sink in. "You encountered Osiris *two* years ago? And why do you keep saying 'he'?" "Because 'he' is the one who is responsible for all of this as well as Daniel's death," the General snapped. Or maybe I should say 'they' are the ones responsible" he amended. "But we just found Osiris earlier this year. Our last encounter with her showed she had begun to form an army but didn't have the resources to destroy a planet full of people," Daniel explained remembering their previous encounter with Osiris. "Well, WE found them two years ago and believe me they've had plenty of time to amass more than enough resources to cause all of this" he indicated the current condition of the SGC with a wave of his hands. "You continue to say 'they' O'Neill" Teal'c said to the General. "To which 'they' are you referring?" "To Osiris and Isis of course" he said looking at each of the members of SG-1 carefully as he heard the gasps and saw the shocked expressions on their faces. Seeing their confused expressions as they looked back and forth between one another he asked, "Whom did you think I was referring to?" "Ah, that's a little different than things in our reality" Daniel began trying to clear up the confusion and hoping to learn more about how both Osiris and Isis had managed to survive. "You see, it all started with the death of my mentor Dr. Jordan. I flew to Chicago to attend the funeral and ran into Sarah and Steven who were former colleagues of mine. They were working on cataloging some ancient Egyptian artifacts when a fire broke out killing Dr. Jordan. After the funeral, I stayed on for a few days to assist Sarah because the Egyptian government was pushing to have the artifacts returned. It was then that I discovered the canopic jars were inscribed with Goa'uld translations. I took the Isis jar back to the SGC where Sam examined it and found the dead Goa'uld larvae that had been stored in stasis. Upon my return to Chicago, I was unable to find the Osiris jar. When people started getting killed in unusual 'accidents' and based on Sam's examination of the Isis jar, I began to suspect that we might have a goa'uld on the loose. Only I mistakenly thought it was Steven because he had stolen an Egyptian amulet and flown to Egypt. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sam, Janet and I traveled to Egypt to stop Osiris who, in the end, escaped in a mother ship." "The beginning of your story is very similar to the way things happened here in our reality" Samantha began as she looked to the General as if asking for permission to tell them of the events that took place. Upon seeing him nod, she continued, "Daniel's professor was killed in a fire here also and he went to Chicago to attend the funeral. It was then that he met Sarah and Steven again for the first time since joining the Stargate program. In the end it turned out that both Goa'uld had survived stasis and were now residing in their bodies. The only difference being that, in this reality, Osiris inhabits Steven's body and Isis is in Sarah's body. Anyway, Daniel figured out what was going on and Jack, Daniel, and Janet traveled to Egypt in an attempt to stop them from carrying out whatever plans they might have had. A struggle followed and Janet was rendered unconscious while Jack was injured. Osiris turned the ribbon device on Daniel in an attempt to obtain the location of the stargate and ended up killing him." "He never told them the location of the gate," the General said brokenly as he recalled the events of that fateful day. "I tried to stop them but they were already in the transporter rings by the time I started firing. They transported to their ship and left the planet. They've been making a place for themselves amongst the system lords ever since and the rest, as they say, is history." The room lapsed into an uncomfortable silence as each person sat lost in their own thoughts. Without warning, General O'Neill stood up and announced that he and Samantha needed to gather the information and supplies that she and Janet would need to continue their research. There had been reports of recent Goa'uld activity within the system and they shouldn't be away from the Alpha site for too long. "I'm going to head on over to the armory and gather supplies," the General said giving Samantha a smile. "Will you be okay in your lab on your own?" "Of course" she replied. "And don't forget to pick up that box of Daniel's books. We still need to try and have Lieutenant Michaels translate the inscriptions on the temple we found." "Inscriptions?" Daniel asked suddenly looking like an excited child. "What type of inscriptions?" "We found a small structure or temple that contains several sets of inscriptions on the door. So far we've been unable to gain access and Lieutenant Michaels hasn't had much luck deciphering the translations" Samantha replied. "Wait a minute," the Colonel said in confusion. Looking at his counterpart he asked, "you picked an Alpha site that is already inhabited?" "Was inhabited," the General quickly corrected. "And no, we didn't detect this temple when we did our preliminary surveys. The thing is located pretty far into the jungle and was covered by trees. The only reason we found it is because we established a couple of teams to scout for resources once we arrived." "Do you have any idea what this temple was doing in the middle of the jungle or how long it has been there?" Daniel asked excitedly. "Are you sure that whoever built it isn't coming back?" "All good questions Danny which is why we need the books to try and figure it out" the General answered, making ready to exit the room. "You have your radio Samantha, call me if you need anything," he said, leaving the room to begin gathering necessary supplies. "If you'd like, you can come with me to my lab. I can give you copies of some of our research to take back with you. You could use it as a starting point to continue researching on your own. It might help save some time and some people in case the Goa'uld try the same thing in your reality" Samantha said as she turned to exit the briefing room. "Actually, I think I'm going to follow me, I mean him, and see if he needs any help with the supplies" Jack said nodding to his 2IC. "Let me know when you're ready to head back." "Yes sir," Sam said as she watched him leave the room. "I think I'll go too. I want to take a look at some of those archeological books," Daniel said as he made his way toward the door. "I shall accompany you Daniel Jackson" Teal'c said as he followed the archeologist out of the room, leaving the two women alone. "Men" Samantha muttered with a small smile on her face. Turning to Sam she gestured for her to follow. "Come on, maybe you can take a quick look at our data and find something we may have missed. Or at the very least, give us some ideas on different directions we might be able to take with our research." "Sure" Sam agreed following the woman into the corridor. "And I can show you the device that transported us here. It's really quite amazing..." she began as she started outlining some of the more interesting aspects of the alien device. ******************* "So, Jack" Daniel tentatively began speaking to the General as they made their way to the base storage facility which housed the deceased Daniel's books and research notes, "do you have any idea which language or culture may have once occupied the temple?" "Well, we have two linguists and one archeologist at the Alpha site but they can't seem to agree on anything except that they don't agree. But, if you ask me, I'd say it was probably the Ancients" the older man said as they came to the door of the storage room. "What makes you think that O'Neill?' questioned Teal'c. "Because I spent some time a while back with all of their knowledge jammed into my head and although it was all taken out, courtesy of the Asgard, the symbols still seem familiar" he concluded. "So the people at the Alpha site haven't been able to decipher any of the writings?" Daniel questioned momentarily envying the scientists the opportunity to further decipher and understand the language of the Ancients. "Nope, not a thing" the General replied as he stopped to stand in front of a small stack of boxes. Eyeing Daniel warily for a moment he asked, "Do you know how to translate their writings?" "I had some experience when we went through the time loop" the young man responded absently as he began sifting through the box nearest to him. "Time loop?" the General questioned noticing how the Colonel suddenly seemed to study an imaginary spot on the ceiling and shift from one foot to the other. Obviously this time loop was something that O'Neill didn't want to remember or at least, didn't want to discuss. "Um, yeah" Daniel replied absently as he looked through a large book that had yellowed with age. "Jack and Teal'c were stuck in a time loop a while back due to a time travel device devised by the Ancients to save their dying civilization. Unfortunately, it didn't work properly and they kept living the same day over and over until we finally figured out how to translate the writings on the device and shut it down." "And how long did this take?" the General asked. "Several months" Teal'c replied as his facial expression became slightly haunted. "I take it you didn't get a chance to experience the same time loop," the Colonel asked. "No, I think I would have remembered that one" the General answered. Looking to Daniel he continued "Daniel, why don't you stay here and sort through these books? I figure you know more about which ones may be useful to the geeks at the site then I would," he said stopping as he realized what he had just said. "Sure" Daniel replied looking to the Colonel for confirmation. "Yeah, it's fine" the Colonel agreed. "Teal'c" he said turning to the Jaffa, "stay with him." "As you wish O'Neill," the warrior replied as he watched the Colonel and the General continue on toward their destination. "Not that you're a geek or anything like that Daniel" the General amended remembering his comment about the scientists as the Alpha site. "Yeah, sure Jack" Daniel said absently as he began to sift through the box of texts. With a slightly uncomfortable look, the General turned and exited the room as the Colonel's face took on a slight smirk. 'At least I'm not the only one that sticks my foot in my mouth' he thought. The two men continued their trek in silence for a few moments when the General turned to his counterpart and asked a little uncomfortably "so you and Carter aren't involved?" "What?" the Colonel asked more out of shock then anything else. 'This is so not the conversation I want to be having with myself or rather *him*' Jack thought to himself. The truth of the matter was that he envied the other man. Not because of his rank and of course he certainly didn't envy the man the position of trying to hold together what was left of humanity but he did envy him for being able to do the one thing that he himself could not. Make a life with Sam. After all, it was something he had daydreamed about way too many times but until one of them retired or the fraternization regs were changed then there wasn't much either one of them could do without risking a court martial. And Jack wasn't willing to risk Sam's career. 'We'd probably have a better chance of wiping out the snakes' he thought to himself sadly. "I asked if you and Carter were involved" the General repeated bringing his counterpart back to reality. "I realize that she's under your command and all but surely you've thought about it?" "You of all people should know that it just isn't possible," Jack said quietly. "Neither one of us are ready to give up the fight against the Goa'uld and retirement is not an option at this time. Besides, Carter is career military. I can't see her giving it up." "No, not voluntarily" the General said remembering how hard early retirement had been for Samantha. "Of course, Samantha didn't have a choice after her injury but things were still difficult at first." "Yeah well, you're the lucky one" Jack said as they arrived at the artillery lockers. "Lucky?" the man asked with a deprecating laugh. "My planet has been rendered lifeless, the only remnants of humanity are in a galaxy far, far away and it's my job to see to their survival. But yeah," he conceded giving the Colonel a wry grin "when it comes to Samantha and Jayden then I guess you could say I'm lucky." "Yeah, I guess so" the Colonel agreed. "You're lucky too though," the General continued with a small catch in his voice. "You've still got Daniel. Things just haven't seemed the same since his death and you wouldn't believe how many misunderstandings we've had on missions with the inhabitants of other planets. It's a wonder that we haven't been speared, beheaded or scalped on some of our missions because the geeks that call themselves linguists mistranslated initial conversations." "Good help is sooooo hard to find nowadays" the Colonel muttered. "You have no idea," the General agreed. "Could you grab a couple of those," he asked tossing a duffel bag toward the Colonel. "Sure," Jack replied placing several Zatniktels in the black duffel. "Anything else?" "Yeah, a couple of those and some of these" he answered indicating several other types of weapons as he loaded his own duffel with extra ammunition. "Got 'em" Jack called as he zipped the duffel and threw it over his shoulder. "Good, let's get Danny and Teal'c and head back to Samantha's lab. She should be about finished by now." And with that the two men exited the artillery locker and headed back to meet with Daniel and Teal'c. ******************* "Is that the device you mentioned?" Samantha asked as she entered her lab and noticed the alien device. "Yes" Sam answered as she picked the device up and brought it to her counterpart for inspection. "There are markings here along the outer casing, she continued as she pointed out the unusual alien markings. "Daniel said it's a derivative of Latin but he's still trying to translate this last set of markings along the outer rim." "Hmmm..." Samantha remarked absently as she peered inside the casing to get a closer look at the internal mechanisms. "You said the device emitted a loud whine before you were transported to our reality?" "Yes, although I think that was my fault. There was a small object that was lodged right here in this little crevice. The noise began after I removed the piece. Four hours later we woke up to find ourselves here in the lab," Sam explained. "It looks like it might have disrupted the matter stream" Samantha replied as she studied the device in closer detail. "It's too bad we don't have more time to study this and exchange notes on our realities but we are going to have to get you all back to your reality before the entropic cascade failure begins." Sam nodded her head in agreement as she shuddered slightly, remembering what her previous counterpart had gone through when she and Kawalski had stepped through to her own reality. "What about the research you mentioned?" she asked as Dr. Carter-O'Neill began pulling up various files from the computer at the far end of the lab. "I'm copying our research files now so that you can take them with you" she answered as she transferred the appropriate data. "Howdy campers," the Colonel called as he, General O'Neill, Teal'c and Daniel re-entered the lab. Looking up from the files, Sam was surprised to see the men laden with so many supplies. In addition to a couple of boxes of books, both the Colonel and the General carried duffels of weapons, ammunitions and MRE's. "Samantha, did you get everything you need?" her husband asked. "Yes, we're just about finished here" she replied handing a small stack of disks to Sam. "All I need to do now is retrieve..." she stopped mid- sentence as the base alarms sounded. "More of your people coming through?" Jack asked the General as he laid the duffel down and grabbed his own weapon. "I don't think so. Everyone had strict orders to stay on the planet. Samantha and I are the only ones that have any business here," the General replied. "Teal'c, let's go check it out" the Colonel ordered handing Teal'c a zatniktel. "Carter, Daniel, make sure that device is ready to go in case we have to make a quick exit. We can't leave the mountain because of the toxin and the only other way out would be the gate." "I'm coming with you," the General commented. "Samantha, see if you can help them with that device thingy and keep your radio on" he ordered as he followed the other two men out of the lab. Arriving at the gate room, the three men entered with weapons raised just as the Stargate whooshed to life. Several seconds later a lone figure carrying a small bundle came running through the gate looking back as if being chased. "General O'Neill" the figure called to the man that met him at the base of the ramp. "Simmons, what are you doing here? What's happened?" he asked as he took in the man's disheveled and bloodied appearance. "The Alpha site, sir" he responded gasping for breath from the staff weapon blast he had taken to his left side, "It's gone, everyone's gone. Jaffa came through the gate and death gliders came from the sky all at once. We tried to stop them but there were too many of them. They took some of the children back through the gate and a few of the women but everyone else is dead" the man finished giving a cry of agony and clutching his side. "Who was it Simmons?" the General asked as he tried to suppress the emotions threatening to erupt at any moment. Opening his eyes, he looked at the General with a mixture of terror and pain. "Osiris sir. The Jaffa wore the mark of Osiris." "Alright, let's get you to the infirmary and see what supplies are left to patch you up. Then we'll figure out what we do now" the General choked out. "No sir. Not enough time" the Lieutenant uttered as he was momentarily overtaken by a bout of coughing. "What do you mean not enough time?" the Colonel asked as he leaned down to gently speak with the dying man. Seeing two Jack O'Neill's was enough to cause the man to momentarily forget his circumstances and his eyes went wide and he looked from the General to the Colonel wondering what he had missed. "It's okay Simmons," the General said giving the Colonel a wry smirk. "We ran into a couple of friends from an alternate reality. Now, what do you mean there isn't enough time?" Just as Simmons was about to answer, the base alarms began to sound once again. "The Jaffa that followed me to the gate," he answered pausing as he gasped for breath, "they're on their way here." And with his warning delivered, Lieutenant Simmons gasped and coughed one last time, and died... Suddenly, the small bundle Simmons was clutching began to move and the ear shattering cry of an infant could be heard. "What the hell..." the General muttered as he leaned over to inspect the bundle. Removing the wrapping, the man was surprised to find himself staring into the face of his own son. "Jayden" he whispered in shock having believed his son had been killed along with the others at the Alpha site. Choking back the tears he lovingly picked up the child and looked at the corpse of the man who had given his own life to bring him not only a warning but his son as well. "Thanks Simmons, I owe you," he said quietly. Giving the body one last look he turned to the others "Let's get back to Samantha's lab. Maybe we can use that device of yours to beam ourselves out of here while we figure out what to do next." "What of the Jaffa?" Teal'c asked. "Should we not stay and fight?" "If I know Osiris, he'll send everyone he has through the gate to destroy what's left. We need to get out of here now or we're all toast." the General replied. "What about Simmons?" the Colonel asked. "Leave him. I'm hoping the Jaffa will be fooled into thinking he was the only one here. Seeing him lying there may serve to slow them down and buy us some time," the General said. "Okay folks, let's move out" the Colonel said as they quickly made their way to the lab. ******************* Samantha let out a cry of surprise as the men entered the lab carrying her crying son. Holding out her arms, she gratefully accepting the squirming little boy from her husband as her eyes held so many unasked questions. "Simmons came through the gate with Jayden" he replied to her unspoken question. "He said the Alpha site has been destroyed by Osiris and the Jaffa are coming through the gate as we speak. We need to find a way out of here now!" he finished as he searched through the duffel bag for more weapons. "But Jack," Samantha began as she watched her husband revert to 'full General mode' "Where are we supposed to go? We can't go to the surface because of the toxins. And knowing Osiris, the Jaffa have orders to destroy the mountain." "Carter, Daniel" the Colonel called to his team who were looking on in shock at the sudden turn of events. "Is that doohickey ready to go?" "Yes sir but Daniel thinks that it's capable of more than just travel to alternate realities," Sam answered as she made her way to the device and began adjusting the controls on the outer casing. "In English Major," Jack said hurriedly as he and Teal'c assumed defensive positions on either side of the doorway. "Well, he thinks it's capable of..." "Time travel Jack," Daniel interrupted Sam as she began to relay his findings to the Colonel. "I finished translating the writings on the outer casing with the help of one of the texts that I, he, I mean *Doctor Jackson* of this reality had, and this device is amazing. It can actually take a person back to the exact same place in time as well as to another reality" he finished excitedly. "Could you take us back to before this whole Goa'uld mess began?" the General questioned. All eyes in the room suddenly turned to Daniel in anticipation of his answer. The room became quiet and even Jayden seemed to realize the importance of Daniel's next words. "It's possible," Daniel said slowly, rubbing his hand across his chin in a gesture of heavy contemplation. "Given a little bit of time I think we could program the machine to send you back before the Goa'uld attack began on Earth. But Jack, I need to go back over the translations to be sure. I'm going to need time to...." "Danny Boy, time is the one thing we don't have. Can you do it or not?" the General practically shouted in frustration. "Not with absolute certainty. If I don't go back over the translations, I could make a mistake in programming the coordinates and who knows where we would end up. Or even *when* we would end up..." the young man finished as he looked apologetically back and forth between the General and Samantha. "I just can't be sure yet." "Daniel," the Colonel began as he realized they were running out of time, "Can you get us back to our own reality?" "Yes. Sam just finished setting the coordinates, but what about them?" he asked pointing to the General and his family. "They can't stay here and if they come with us then they're risking Entropic Cascade failure by staying in our reality." "They could come back here" Jack replied quietly. "Sir," Sam began as she saw the look of confusion which crossed Daniel's face upon hearing the Colonel's words, "If they're right about Osiris's intentions then there won't be a 'here' for them to come back to." "I realize that Carter. Look, Daniel said that device is capable of traveling not only to alternate realities but through time as well. Right?" Jack asked, looking at his 2IC expectantly. "Yes, sir" she replied. "Well then, we take them back to our reality, let Osiris do whatever it is she, I mean *he*, is going to do here and then we use that thingy to go back in our own reality to a time before this would have happened in this reality and zap them back here. Once we bring them back here we return to our own reality and then back to our own time." Stopping for a moment he looked up to see not only Sam but everyone else staring at him. "What?" he asked in typical Jack O'Neill fashion. "That might work" Samantha said. "If you brought us back here before any of this happened we could take the information that we've already gathered and plan a line of defense." "No Goa'uld attack?" the General asked questioningly. "Well, we probably couldn't prevent that but we could alert the Asgard and attempt to stop the mother ship from reaching Earth in the first place. We could also try to develop an antidote just in case we can't stop them in time." Samantha answered. "No destruction of Earth, no annihilation of the Alpha site and no end of humanity" Daniel mused thoughtfully. "And we would still have copies of the research in case the Goa'uld in our reality try anything similar," Sam said. "Well campers, what are we waiting for?" the Colonel asked. "Carter, Daniel, get your stuff. General, Samantha, grab whatever you're going to need when you get back. Teal'c, it's time to go." "But what about Simmons?" Samantha asked looking down the hall. "Why isn't he here yet?" Walking over to his wife, the Colonel sadly shook his head. "Samantha, he didn't make it. He died in the gate room." Grasping Jayden a little more tightly she allowed a small sob to escape before gathering her research. The loss of Simmons was another tragedy on an impossibly long list of good men and women that had been lost to the Goa'uld. An entire planet full of men, women and children but, if they played their cards right, they would be able to go back and perhaps change all of that. Looking down at her sleeping child she silently vowed they would change the events of the last three months. She owed it to him and everyone else who had fought so hard. Suddenly, they heard a commotion at the far end of the hallway and then the inevitable footsteps of the approaching Jaffa. Grabbing the duffels of supplies, Jack motioned for everyone to stand together while Sam picked up the device. Just as the first Jaffa reached the lab and began firing his staff weapon, Sam pressed a sequence of buttons and SG-1, along with the last remnants of humanity from this alternate reality, were swathed in a pinkish light and disappeared before the very stunned Jaffa's eyes. ******************* The pinkish glow of the alien device diminished as quickly as it had appeared. This time there was no ear shattering, unconscious rendering sound emitted from the device, merely a very disoriented group of people left standing in the middle of Sam's lab. "Well, I guess we fixed the problem" Daniel said, pointing to the device. "Indeed. We did not lose consciousness this time" Teal'c added as he took in the familiar surroundings of Sam's lab. "Wow" Samantha said as she allowed her gaze to travel around the room she was now standing in. "That's amazing," she added, checking Jayden for any indications of side effects from the journey to the new reality. Finding no ill effects, she began examining several experiments in various states of completion. "Scientists" the General said to Jack in a teasing tone of voice as he noticed his wife's interest in the objects on the counters. "It doesn't matter what reality they come from, they're all the same." "Tell me about it" the Colonel muttered. "Sir," Sam said coming to stand directly in front of the Colonel. "I think we may have a problem," she continued indicating the alien device. "A portion of that last staff blast hit the edge of the device just before we dematerialized. I'll need to study it to be sure there wasn't any damage before we attempt to use it again." "First we'll take our friends to meet General Hammond and debrief and then you can examine that thing for as long as you want" the Colonel replied. "Well actually sir," Sam returned "I'll have to make it fairly quick. I don't think we'll have more than 24 hours at best before the entropic cascade failure begins." "Sheesh Carter, it was just a figure of speech," the colonel said in an exasperated tone of voice. Shaking his head, he continued "You can start on it immediately after the debriefing ok? And then, I'm going to get that lunch we missed. Or should I say dinner?" "Yes sir," she answered looking up as the base alarms began to sound. "Unscheduled off-world activation." "Now what?" the colonel muttered exiting the lab and heading toward the gate room. The gate room was a picture of organized chaos as the klaxons sounded throughout the room. Soldiers rushed through the massive door from all directions and took their places on either side of the debarkation ramp, guns trained on whoever or whatever might step through the gate. Meanwhile, SG-1 and company hurried to the control room in time to hear General Hammond ask, "Sergeant, do we have confirmation on who is attempting to come through the gate yet?" "Not yet sir but... Wait a minute, we're receiving an IDC signal now. It's SG-7 sir," the Sergeant stated confirming the code displayed on the console before him. "They're under attack." "Open the iris Sergeant" the General ordered "and get a medical team down there in case they've sustained injuries." "I thought they weren't due back for several more days?" Daniel asked. "They aren't Dr. Jackson. SG-7 is on a research mission to study the ruins found on P3X 881. According to our preliminary reconnaissance, the planet wasn't inhabited" the General stated. "Here we go again," Jack muttered, remembering the last supposedly uninhabited planet SG-1 had encountered. 'That mission ended with a trek across the universe and some bad reminders of Goa'uld hospitality courtesy of Osiris and her merry men' he thought sourly. All eyes turned toward the Gate as four figures came hurling through its' shimmering waves followed by some poorly aimed staff weapon blasts. "Close the iris" the General said to the Sergeant. Activating the intercom, he ordered the troops in the gate room to stand down. Upon hearing the General's words, the troops guarding the gate lowered their weapons and stood at ease while several medics rushed forward to assist SG-7. "They look alright but let's make sure" the General stated in a matter- of-fact tone. Turning to face Jack he noticed General O'Neill, Samantha and Jayden for the first time. "Colonel, care to explain what's going on here?" he asked with apparent confusion as he wondered what SG-1 had managed to stumble into this time. "Certainly sir." Seeing his commanding officer's confusion, a small smile tugged at the corners of Jack's mouth. 'Yep, now the fun part really begins' he thought to himself as he envisioned Hammond's reaction to the 'nowhere-but-a-sci-fi novel' story that would soon unfold. 'And they all thought my fish story was unbelievable' he grinned, remembering the *slightly* exaggerated tales of his fishing exploits at his cabin on the lake. "Colonel, I want you to accompany SG-1 and our guests to the debriefing room," the General ordered. "I'm going to check on the status of SG-7 and then I'll join you." "Yes sir" Jack answered as the General made his way out of the control room. "This ought to be fun," he muttered to no one in particular as he escorted the group to the nearby conference room. ******************* Twenty minutes later General Hammond arrived in the conference room. Glancing around the room at the faces of the people seated in front of him, he marveled at the amount of trouble SG-1 seemed to attract. 'They weren't even on a mission' he thought to himself in exasperation. Looking over to where his second-in-command sat quietly watching, he merely said "Well, Colonel, are you going to introduce me to our guests?" "Yes sir," Jack replied wondering what the best, or rather the most believable, course of action would be given their current situation. In the end he decided the most direct approach would be best when dealing with the General. "Sir, this is General O'Neill, Dr. Samantha Carter- O'Neill and their son Jayden." "Welcome to the SGC" General Hammond said acknowledging the presence of the O'Neill's and their son. "I'm assuming you're from an alternate reality but what I can't figure out is how you arrived here. It couldn't have been through the quantum mirror because I ordered ours destroyed a while back." "No sir," General O'Neill replied. "We actually came here by means of some doohickey that your people brought with them to our reality" he said as he looked to Samantha to see if he had phrased the circumstances of their arrival with any degree of accuracy at all. Listening to General O'Neill's description nearly made Hammond laugh. 'He's Jack O'Neill alright' he thought to himself 'even if he is a General.' Aloud, he asked "What do you mean 'a doohickey that my people brought to your reality,'" the General asked. "SG-1 isn't scheduled for another mission for another 48 hours. They've been on base all day, although I've heard a few officers say that couldn't seem to find them a while ago," he concluded looking over to the Colonel with a rather stern expression. "Actually sir..." the Colonel said in an effort to address both the question of the means of arrival and his own team's whereabouts for the afternoon "we were here on base but then that alien doohickey started glowing and flashing and knocked us out cold. When we woke up we were in their reality." General Hammond sat quietly for a moment trying to decipher the information the Colonel had just given him. Deciding that at this rate they would be here all evening, he looked to Sam in hopes of a clearer explanation. "Major Carter, would you care to explain to me what Colonel O'Neill is trying to say?" Looking to her CO with an apologetic expression on her face, Sam began the tale of their arrival to and from the alternate reality. With the help of the entire group, she told the General of their accidental arrival to the other reality, the search of the abandoned base, the discovery of the events that had transpired after the Goa'uld had unleashed the bio-toxin into the atmosphere, their unexpected meeting with General O'Neill and Dr. Carter, the arrival of Simmons and Jayden, the Jaffa attack on the base and their narrow escape back to their own reality. Hammond sat back for a moment trying to absorb the story and the horrific chain of events the Major and the rest of the group had just imparted to him. Questions were forming in his mind so quickly that he didn't know where to begin. In a matter of six and a half hours, SG-1 had managed to knock themselves out, awake in an alternate reality, uncover the events leading up to Earth's annihilation, meet their counterparts, observe the destruction of the last of humanity via the attack on the Alpha site, translate the markings on the alien device to discover a time machine, engage Osiris's Jaffa, and bring the only 3 remaining members of humanity back to this reality. 'These people really need to take a break and learn to relax' he thought to himself as he once again remembered how this was to be a nice quiet, final assignment on the road to retirement. Not for the first time Hammond wondered what he had done to deserve such a fate. Mentally shaking himself, he returned his focus to the matter at hand. "So where do we go from here?" he asked noticing the saddened expressions on everyone's faces. "Major, wasn't there a problem the last time we had someone from an alternate reality come here?" "Yes sir, when Dr. Carter and Major Kawalsky arrived from the other alternate reality. Dr Carter experienced the effects of entropic cascade failure due to the fact that we were both occupying the same reality," Sam answered. "Wouldn't it be logical to assume that we can expect the same type of situation in this case since both you and Colonel O'Neill exist in this reality?" the General questioned. "Yes sir, we estimate that we only have about 24 hours before the effects start taking place, possibly less since we both existed in their reality as well. We really have no way of knowing what the effects of sharing existence in two different realities in such a short period of time might be. However, since Colonel O'Neill and I don't share the same relationship as General O'Neill and Samantha, we are certain that Jayden will remain unaffected," she concluded a little self-consciously. It was hard enough pushing her own thoughts and feelings to the back of her mind when it came to Jack O'Neill. She didn't really want to think about the fact that her alternates in three separate realities had managed to find a way to share their lives with him, or rather the other Jack O'Neill's, when she could not. Nor did she want anyone to start drawing parallels and begin to wonder about her and her CO in this reality. 'What a mess' she thought sadly. "Okay they obviously can't stay in our reality much longer. So where will they go?" the General asked. "Well, actually we're planning to send them back to their own reality sir," Daniel said. "But you all just said the Earth is uninhabitable in their reality and we are assuming the Jaffa destroyed the base during their last attack. And even if the base wasn't destroyed and the Jaffa have left and were no longer a threat, the fact remains that they would be the only surviving members of humanity," the General reminded the archeologist. "Well, yes that's true General, but when translating the symbols on the device we brought back from P3X 964 we discovered that not only is the device used to travel between realities but also to move back and forth through time," Daniel replied realizing the entire concept of time travel seemed a little unreal. 'Then again, we not only traveled back to 1969 but forward in time as well before returning to the SGC so maybe it doesn't sound as far-fetched as one might think' he thought to himself. "What Daniel's trying to say sir, is that we intend to travel back in time to this reality so that we can travel to the past in our own reality and warn the SGC of the events to come. We've analyzed samples of the toxin and were in the process of trying to create an antidote or neutralizing agent when the Alpha site was attacked. If we could get this information far enough in advance we might be able to find the antidote before Osiris' ship ever reached Earth," Samantha said as she noticed Jayden was beginning to awake. "They might even be able to enlist the Asgard's help before the mother ship reaches the planet," the Colonel said. "Will the Asgard actually help before the attack begins?" General Hammond asked. "Wouldn't the protected planet treaty stand in their way if the Goa'uld hadn't yet showed any signs of aggression?" "That could be a problem sir, which is why we want to go back in time far enough before the attack to give ourselves time to prepare against the toxin," Samantha agreed. "Sort of a Plan B" General O'Neill chimed in reaching over to take a now squirming Jayden from Samantha's tired arms. "There could be a problem with all of this though," Sam said as she looked at the faces of the people surrounding her. "Just one problem Major?" the Colonel asked sarcastically wondering if there would ever come a point in time when they could just come up with a plan and execute it without any unexpected surprises. Realizing the Colonel was tiring of the debriefing Sam gave him a small smile before continuing. "The Jaffa found us in Samantha's lab just as I was entering the final coordinates to bring us back here to our own reality. Some of the energy from the staff weapon hit the device. I still need to analyze the device for any possible signs of damage." "Well then, I think that's the next item on our agenda. You can begin working on it in the morning Major" the General said as he stood up at the table. "But sir, with all due respect, I really think I should begin examining the device immediately," Sam protested. "Major Carter, it's been a long day for everyone, it's late in the evening and I dare say you all have not eaten or rested since late this morning" Hammond said as he looked around the table. When no one contradicted him, he continued "I realize that you're anxious to begin working on the problem at hand and believe me Major, I understand the gravity of the situation as well as the deadline we're facing. However, you will not do any of us any good if you're too tired to think clearly. Now, Jayden looks hungry so I suggest you all go to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I'll make arrangements for our guests to occupy one of the VIP suites and you can begin working on the problem first thing in the morning. We'll meet here again at 1100 hours to re-assess the situation." "But sir..." Sam protested. "This is non-negotiable Major. Understood?" the General asked in a tone of voice that clearly indicated he would accept nothing less than complete obedience. "Yes sir," Sam acknowledged rising slowly from her chair. "Oh, I almost forgot" the General said as he reached the doorway, "SG-1, you are to remain on base tonight in case any medical problems arise from your visit this afternoon. I'll notify Dr. Fraiser of today's events should the need for medical attention arise." ******************* It wasn't too long after dinner that Jack showed General O'Neill and his family to one of the VIP suites. "Well, it's not much but it'll work for this evening I guess," Jack quipped a little awkwardly as he showed the O'Neill's around the suite. There'll be someone outside the door at all times if you need anything so don't hesitate to ask." "Why are we being guarded?" Samantha asked. "Don't you trust us? After all, you found us. We didn't go looking for you." "Relax Samantha," her husband said quietly as he tucked Jayden into bed. "It's standard procedure. We would have done the same thing." Samantha had the good grace to look ashamed and walked over to the Colonel. "I'm sorry," she told him with a small, apologetic smile. "It's just that so much has happened today that I guess I'm a little on edge." "It's okay" he assured her with an understanding smile. "I would have lost it long before now if I were in your shoes. Besides, Carter will make sure that alien thingy works and then we'll go back and make things right in your reality. Okay? Just hang in there a little bit longer." "I'll try. I'm not sure how well I'll do but I will definitely try" Samantha answered. "If you're anything like our Carter then you'll succeed with flying colors. I've never met anyone stronger or smarter. I'll stop by at 0700 hours tomorrow. We can all get together for breakfast and come up with a game plan, ok?" the Colonel asked the couple as he made to leave the room. "Fine," the General agreed. "Colonel," Samantha called just as Jack stepped into the hallway, "I'd really like to help with the device if possible." "I'm sure Carter would like that," he assured her as he left the couple to themselves for the evening. A couple of minutes later he found himself standing outside of Sam's quarters wondering if he should knock or just continue on to his own quarters for the evening. Lifting his hand to rap on the door and announce his presence, he was surprised to see the door suddenly open and find an obviously shocked Sam standing before him. "Colonel... sir" she stammered. "I didn't realize you were out here." "Going somewhere Carter?" he asked wondering why she seemed so nervous. "Uh, not really sir. I thought I'd take a little walk, you know, to clear my head before turning in" she answered. "Uh huh" he replied as the reason for Carter's nervousness suddenly dawned on him. "And this route you were planning to use for this walk wouldn't happen to coincidentally pass by your lab would it?" he asked with mock innocence. "I hadn't really thought about it sir," she replied missing Jack's amused smile as she stared fixedly at a non-existing spot on the floor. "Yeah right," he said pushing her back inside the room and closing the door behind him. "Sam, I know you're anxious to start examining that alien device but it can wait until morning. Besides, the other Carter wants to help. I figure with two Carter's working on the problem then it'll get solved twice as fast." "There may not even be a problem sir. It's possible the device didn't sustain any damage at all," she said looking directly at him for the first time since he appeared at her door. "Well then, waiting a few more hours definitely won't hurt, will it?" he said grinning. Sam smiled in response as she looked at him. 'How is it he can always manage to make me smile?' she thought. 'Even when I'm caught disobeying orders and sneaking off to my lab to work?' "Was there something you needed sir?" she asked suddenly trying to distance herself from the emotions that threatened to break free at any moment. "What?" he asked confused by the sudden change in questioning. "You stopped by," she explained. "Was there something you needed?" "Ah, no, not really" he stammered. "I just thought I'd check on you and see how you're doing. You know, with this whole twin thing?" he said picking up a pencil from her desk and nervously fiddling with it. "Oh..." she replied. "Well..." he prompted. "Well, I guess I'm okay with it. I mean it has happened before but somehow it still feels so *weird* looking up and seeing, *yourself*, for lack of a better word" she said thoughtfully trying to put into words some of the feelings that were still confusing her. "Yeah," I still find it hard to look up and see *him*. After all, one of me is plenty, don't you think?" he asked waggling his eyebrows at her. "Oh DEFINITELY," she agreed laughing at his boyish antics. "What about, you know, them being together and all and the baby..." his voice trailed off as he tried to phrase his question in a way that wouldn't make Sam close herself off more than usual when it came to talking about their relationship 'or lack thereof' Jack thought. She sat there so still and quiet that Jack was afraid she wasn't going to answer. A thought that worried him because he needed to know they were still okay. Finally, after taking a deep breath she looked straight at him, catching her bottom lip between her teeth in a nervous gesture, her eyes conveying so much more than mere words ever could. Silently, he reached out and took her in his arms and held her in a protective gesture that spoke volumes of his feelings. It was one of the few times they ever allowed themselves to get close to one another. Each giving and taking the comfort they so desperately needed. "It's hard," she said in a muffled voice against his chest. "Seeing these other realities, seeing *them*, it just seems like we're missing out on something special." "I know," he answered clutching her more tightly and gently rocking back and forth "but one day Sam, I swear one day we'll get there. Wherever 'there' is for us. We just have to hold on. We just have to believe." "I do," she assured him as she pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. Eyes she knew she could become hopelessly lost in forever if she would only give herself the chance. "And I know that what we're doing is important especially after seeing all of the lives lost to the Goa'uld in these other realities. But sometimes..." she sighed, allowing her voice to trail off. "I know, sometimes..." he agreed wondering if the war with the Goa'uld would ever come to an end. Loosening his hold on her, he pulled back just enough to see her face as he spoke his next words, "I seem to always end up asking you this but... are we okay?" The earnestness she saw in his expression as he once again asked if they were 'okay' nearly brought her to tears. She thought about the question for a moment as she asked herself if they were truly okay. Could she really continue on like this? Finally, she looked up and flashed one of her most brilliant smiles as she nodded her head. "Yes Jack" she answered. "We really are okay," she told him and in her heart she knew she meant every word. Hearing her confirmation, Jack sighed and smiled back at her. Now that he knew they would be fine he could relax a little and not worry so much about saying or doing the wrong thing. 'The wrong thing' he thought to himself as he finally seemed to consciously realize exactly where he was and at what hour of the night. "I should go," he said as he began to gently untangle himself from their embrace. Sam stood still for a moment and stared at him wondering at the abrupt change. All of a sudden she too realized their surroundings and calmly shook her head. "That would probably be best sir," she said trying to regain an acceptable air of professionalism. A mischievous light shone in Jack's eyes as he stopped momentarily in the doorway. "Carter," he said making certain he had her attention, "I'm ordering you to stay away from your lab and that device until tomorrow morning." "Yes sir," she agreed as a frown marred her face. Something in her expression caught his attention or maybe it was that she answered just that little bit too quickly but either way Jack knew she was up to something. Knowing Sam's penchant for bandying semantics when she wanted to have her way he thought back to what he had just said. Suddenly, he grinned as he turned back from the doorway one last time. "Oh, and Carter, when I say morning I mean we will all meet for breakfast at 0700 hours. We'll start on that device thingy after breakfast and not a moment sooner. Understand?" Knowing she had been caught, Sam had the grace to blush and with a rueful shake of her head replied, "Yes sir, I understand. Morning doesn't begin prior to 0700 hours. Goodnight sir." And on that note Jonathan 'Jack' O'Neill retired for the evening to his own quarters happy in the knowledge that for once, he had actually bested Sam Carter. ******************* Morning arrived all too soon for the SGC and after finishing a less than stellar breakfast in the cafeteria SG-1 and the O'Neill's found themselves back in Sam's lab examining the alien device from P3X 964. "Found anything yet Carter?" the Colonel asked for the fourth time as he sat in the corner of the lab bouncing Jayden up and down on his knee. "Not since you asked me two minutes ago sir" Sam replied glancing at Samantha and Daniel with an exasperated look in her eyes. "Oh" Jack responded as Jayden let out a squeal of laughter at the Colonel's antics. "The child seems to have taken a liking to you O'Neill," Teal'c noted with a facial expression that resembled a look of approval. "Nah, he's just biased" the Colonel said, laughing as Jayden's chubby little hands reached for his nose. "After all, I look like his dad." Upon hearing that remark, General O'Neill looked up from his work and grinned. "I don't know about biased but I'd say the kid definitely has great taste." Shaking her head at her husband's latest remark, Samantha pointed to a crystalline object at one end of the device. "I'd say you're right about this being the main power source," she said to Sam as she placed the device on the counter and rubbed her eyes. "And this looks to have been a back-up power supply" Sam remarked as she pointed to a small rectangular object located just below the crystalline object. "Um... I'm no expert guys but do you think that should be charred like that?" Daniel asked pointing to the back-up power supply. "No, and look at the crystal, it looks to have been damaged also" Samantha said. "We need to measure the output of energy remaining in the device. Without a back-up power supply the device may be practically useless," Sam stated as she began pulling out equipment from a nearby storage locker. "Useless?" both Jack O'Neill's asked in unison. "We don't have an alternate power supply sirs" Sam informed them, a grim expression adorning her face. "Look Carter, you're a whiz with that Naquada stuff. Couldn't you just rig up something and use the Naquada as an alternate power supply?" the Colonel asked. "We've done it before," Daniel pointed out. "Yes, but not this time. You see the device is dependent on the type of energy derived from a crystalline power supply. If we attempted to introduce Naquada it would probably overload and burn out the remaining systems" Sam explained to the group. "The whole thing could just blow up altogether," Samantha mused softly. "Well that would be... bad," the Colonel muttered. "Indeed" agreed Teal'c raising one eyebrow in typical Teal'c-like fashion. "What if we could get some crystals from the Tokra?" Daniel asked. "It's a good thought Daniel but there is no way to adapt them. The crystals used by the Tokra to create the underground tunnels are very specific in their functions. It just wouldn't work" Sam answered. "Before we get too worked up, let's try and see how much power is remaining in this device. There may be enough for what we need," Samantha said, directing her comments to both Jack O'Neill's. "In the meantime, maybe you guys could go to the cafeteria, get some coffee and meet us in the conference room? It's almost time for our meeting with General Hammond." "Yeah sure you betcha," the General muttered. Turning his attention to the Colonel he asked, "Do you get the feeling we're not wanted here?" "Whatever would make you say that?" the Colonel replied sarcastically. "Come on kid, let's make a coffee run and leave the *Doctors* to finish their work in peace." Jayden merely giggled in response to the Colonel's good-natured grumbling and the men left the room accompanied by Teal'c. "Thanks," Sam said to her counterpart. "The Colonel can really get on your last nerve when he's bored." "Tell me about it," Samantha replied giving Sam a conspiratorial wink. Ten minutes later a decidedly dejected looking trio entered the briefing room and took their seats at the table. "From the look on your faces, I'd say things aren't going too well," General Hammond began as he noted the expressions on Sam's, Samantha's and Daniel's faces. "No sir," Sam acknowledged and began relating the latest problems with the device. "The main power supply was damaged as a result of the discharged energy from the staff weapon blast. In addition, the back-up power supply was completely destroyed. It looks as if the blast created an energy feedback loop and overloaded the primary and secondary power supply components." "Can you fix it Major?" the General questioned. "No sir. The power supply is of a crystalline base and I know of no compatible alternatives. Anything we could rig up would be incompatible and at best, overload the device's systems," Sam explained. "And at worst Major?" the General asked wondering if there was going to be any type of happy ending to this not-so-little problem. "At worst it could destroy the device completely sir" Sam responded. "Is there a bright side to all of this people?" the General questioned hoping that the legendary luck of SG-1 would win out yet again. "Yes sir although we aren't certain how much of a 'bright side' it actually is. The device still has some residual power remaining in the main crystal. It's not much but it might be good for two if not three jumps at best," Sam said noting the thoughtful look on the Colonel's face. "So it's settled then. We take them back to their past and return to ours. Two jumps, mission complete" the Colonel quipped matter-of-factly. "It's not quite that simple sir," Sam said tentatively. "And why not Major?" the Colonel asked wearily. 'Why can't we just catch a break on this one?' he wondered. "Well sir, the device won't last more than one jump if we all try to go. The more people that are transported the more energy is expended. Now usually the power supply would automatically regenerate or rely on the back-up power supply unit in the event the crystal failed but as you already know, that's not an option. We're merely hoping that what little power remains holds out long enough to return the O'Neill's to their own reality. Therefore, we need to send as few people as possible. In short, General O'Neill, Dr Carter and Jayden will have to return on their own." "And you think this plan has the best chance of success Major?" General Hammond asked. "Yes sir. It's a risk but it's the best we can do. The device only travels through time in any one given reality just as it only transports a person to an alternate universe in a time frame parallel to the one you are being transported from," Sam explained. "In English, Carter" the Colonel muttered not understanding a word of what she had just said. "Well sir, we can't just jump them from our present to their past. The machine will only cross into an alternate reality on the same timescale. That's why we transported to the exact same moment in time in their reality and not to some time in their past or future. Therefore, in order to get them to their past, they will have to jump back into our past to the precise time in which they will need to arrive in their own reality. Once they have traveled back they will have to set the device to cross realities so they arrive in their own reality" Sam explained hoping her explanation was simple enough so as not to further confuse anyone. Teal'c, who had been quietly listening to Sam's explanations, questioned, "How far back in time will they travel Major Carter?" "Well, that's the other problem. The greater the distance traveled the more outlay of power is required from the device. In order to give them the best possible odds they will have to go back to a time very close to the Goa'uld attack," Sam answered. "No margin for error?" the Colonel guessed. "None sir," Sam replied. "General O'Neill" Hammond said turning to the battle weary officer that sat across the table from him, "this is a very risky undertaking. Are you sure that you want to go through with this? We might be able to enlist the Tokra and settle you in a different reality." "We're sure General," the man answered. "We owe it to all of the people that were lost and even to Jayden to try and change things. We're both in agreement that this is something we have to do." "General," Samantha interrupted "We may not have much time to try and change things but we've made a big start on our research and it's possible we can convince the Asgard to help before the ship ever reaches Earth. We have to try." "Let's suppose you manage to make the leap back in time within your own reality and that you manage to stop the attack and change the events of the past few months. What then? There will be two of each of you within that period of time. What will you do?" the General questioned. "Well, we could try using the device to travel forward and return us to our own time or, if that doesn't work, we could find an out-of-the-way place to settle down and live out our lives" General O'Neill answered. "That's a pretty big risk General," Hammond said in a stern tone, staring hard at the man who had so recently come to them from another reality. "With all due respect sir, it's a risk that we're willing to take," the man answered returning General Hammond's look with an equal intensity. "Very well, you have a go on this mission" the General said. Looking to Sam he asked, "Major Carter, how long before the device is ready?" "It's ready now sir and we're going to have to move within the next couple of hours before the cascade failure begins" Sam replied. "But first I need to show you a few things regarding the research we've gathered so far on the bio-toxin. It might help you if you ever have to face a similar situation in this reality," Samantha told Sam. "You'll depart in two hours," the General said. "We'll meet at 1400 hours in Major Carter's lab and departure can take place from there." "Yes sir," the Colonel answered. "We may want to grab lunch before the two of you get started," he said motioning to Sam and Samantha. "I have no doubt that when they arrive back in their past they are going to have a lot of explaining to do. Explaining that will take a long time." ******************* Everyone was gathered in Sam's lab when 1400 hours arrived. Samantha was going over last minute details regarding her research on the bio-toxin and Daniel was double-checking the coordinates on the device. There was a nervous feeling in the air and even Teal'c seemed a little edgy. "Good luck," Sam said giving both the General and Samantha a hug goodbye. "I wish we could be there to help you but the risk of being able to sustain the power supply on the device would be too great. Just remember that you'll need to jump immediately to your own reality after landing in our past. You can't afford to spend the time going through all of the inevitable explanations on account of the cascade failure." "I know," Samantha said. "Well, I guess this is it," General O'Neill quipped shaking General Hammond's hand. "Yep, just another trip into Wonderland," the Colonel replied in his familiar sarcastic tone of voice. "Let's just hope the White Rabbit stops long enough to help you out this time," Daniel said giving General O'Neill a warm handshake. "What is this White Rabbit you speak of Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked in apparent confusion. "We'll explain it to you later Teal'c," the Colonel assured the Jaffa. "In the meantime, take care of this little guy," he said pulling a piece of candy from his pocket for Jayden "and don't forget to kick some Goa'uld butt!" "Not a problem," General O'Neill assured him. "Um, sirs, we had better all clear out of the lab while they make their exit. Otherwise, we'll end up four and a half months in our own past," Sam said as she handed the device to Samantha. Exiting the room, the group took one last look at General O'Neill, Doctor Samantha Carter-O'Neill and their son. Each sent forth their own silent form of well wishes as they made their way to stand at the end of the corridor and wait for the pinkish glow of the device to fade. "Well, I guess that's it," Sam said as SG-1 and General Hammond re- entered the recently vacated lab. "I don't think so, Major," the Colonel replied with a small smile. "What do you mean Jack?" the General asked. "Oh, something just tells me they're going to be ok," he replied softly. "Let's hope so son," Hammond said. "But for now, SG-1, I am postponing your next mission until Tuesday of next week. Until then you are on stand down for the remainder of this week. I do not want to see you back on these premises until Monday is that understood?" "What about SG-7 sir?" the Colonel asked. "What about them?" the General answered, surprised at the change of topic. "Well sir, they came barreling through the gate yesterday from a supposedly uninhabited planet with Jaffa on their tales. Don't you want us to check it out or something?" Jack clarified. "No son. The members of SG-7 are fine with nothing more than a few scrapes, bruises and a sprained wrist. I can't find anything with enough strategic value on P3X 881 to justify sending another team into a known hostile environment to investigate" the General told them. "Besides, I think SG-1 has had enough excitement for a few days, don't you?" "Yes sir," Jack answered for his team. "Thank you sir" he called as Hammond left the room. Turning to his team he smiled as an idea formed in his mind. "So guys, movie and pizza night at my place this evening?" He grinned when he heard the various replies of "Sure but no anchovies", "Sounds great", and "as you wish O'Neill." 'Yep, life is definitely good,' he thought with a satisfied grin. ******************* Epilogue "Ah come on Carter, watching a few hours of hockey was NOT all that bad," the Colonel grumbled as they made their way to Sam's lab. "I wouldn't say that five-and-a-half hours was merely a *few* hours sir," she returned laughingly as she sat her coffee mug down on her desk. Looking around she realized that something didn't feel right. There was something different but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. "Hey Carter, isn't that the doohickey time travel device thingy we sent away with the other 'us' last week?" Jack asked, pointing to the device on the countertop. "Yes sir," Sam confirmed examining the device and looking around to see if anyone else had traveled back with it. "But why is it here and what is this?" she mused looking at the small package sitting next to the device. "Early Christmas present maybe?" the Colonel joked eyeing the package warily. "I don't think so sir" Sam said as she cautiously shook the box to try and get a better clue as to what might be inside. Deciding the contents didn't sound too dangerous she removed the tape from the box and lifted the lid. Inside she found a letter address to SG-1, and a newspaper with today's date. As Sam unfolded the letter a Polaroid snapshot fell to the ground of General O'Neill (who was now wearing the insignia of a Colonel), Samantha Carter O'Neill and a smiling Jayden reaching towards the camera. "So what's this Carter?' Jack asked looking at the photo. "It's from us, or rather them," she said as she began reading: To the members of SG-1 and General Hammond: We wanted to thank you for all your help in saving our planet. The device barely has any power remaining but we're hoping there's enough left to get this package to you. We were able to go back into our own time and warn the SGC of the upcoming events. With the help of ourselves, (does that sound strange or what?) Samantha and the others were able to cook up an antidote. Luckily, we didn't need it because information we brought back with us from our own time was enough to convince the Asgard of the nature of the Goa'ulds intentions. Within the box you will find a letter addressed to Sam detailing the formula for the antidote in the unhappy event that you should ever need to use it. You will also find a newspaper with today's date on it just to assure you that we did make it back to our own reality. Anyway, that's all for now. Tell Danny that crazy rabbit actually came through for us and that our tour through Wonderland was worth it in the end. Regards, Colonel Jack O'Neill, USAF Handing the letter to the Colonel, Sam removed the newspaper from the box and opened the letter containing the formula for the bio-toxin antidote. "They made it," Jack said quietly thanking whatever God was listening for giving the people of Earth another chance in the other reality. "Let's go tell the others," Sam said excitedly pushing him out the door. And as they made their way towards Daniel's office Sam thought about the O'Neill family from the other reality. 'Someday' she thought to herself remembering the picture of the happy trio that had fallen out of the letter, 'Someday.' The End Thanks for taking the time to read this 'little' story. Please be kind and leave the author a few crumbs in a review. It would really make my day!