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stargatefan.com : episodes > season 2 > next episode: holiday

A death glider is seen, being fired upon by several larger Goa'uld ships. It dips into the atmosphere of a planet.

The scene shifts to a desert world where SG-1 is waiting—sitting on the steps to the Stargate while Teal'c paces.

"Shouldn't they be here by now?" Daniel asks.

"Yes," Jack tersely answers.

Teal'c comments "I do not believe the Tok'ra would mislead us."

"That's assuming it was the Tok'ra who sent the message to meet them here in the first place. All we really received was a set of coordinates," Daniel reminds them.

Sam interjects, "On our radio frequency. Who else would send us a signal like that?"

Jack looks uneasy, "I'm not too crazy about this 'don't call us we'll call you' policy."

Teal'c hears something and snaps to a full alert, finally seeing something in the sky, "There!"

A death glider zooms overhead, hit by weapons fire and crashes just behind the Stargate. The team runs to the site of the crash. On first inspection, the craft is empty, then they find the pilot... it is Apophis and he is badly injured.

O'Neill (when he saw Apophis): "Holy buckets."

Apophis weakly calls out to them "Help me!"

Arriving a few steps behind, Daniel calls out, "Whoa! Is that who I think it is?"

Apophis again pleads "Tau'ri...please!"

Teal'c arms his zat gun, intending to finish off Apophis, when Sam stops him, "Apophis is much more valuable to us alive than dead." She reacts to a noise behind her, "Sir! We've got incoming!" Dozens of death gliders are now approaching.

Jack takes one look, "Oy!... Alright... dial us up... get us outta here!" The gliders swarm about, but don't fire. Apparently they want to take Apophis alive. Jack backs into the wormhole, still firing his weapon and falls out into the embarkation room on his back...still firing!

Jack introduces Apophis to General Hammond. Dr. Frasier already has Apophis strapped to a gurney.

"I demand kel'ma!" Apophis calls out.

"I'm not really sure, but I think what he's asking for is..." Daniel begins.

Teal'c finishes "Sanctuary."

Daniel agrees, "Right!"

The General wants to know why, and Jack explains "I think some rival Goa'uld just kicked his ass!"

Once again Apophis demands kel'ma, and Hammond reminds him "You're not in a position to demand anything, sir." He then orders the guards to lock him up.

Dr. Frasier protests such treatment, "Sir, with all due respect, he is badly injured. He's not going to be any good to you unless we get him into the OR right now!"

Hammond agrees, "Do what you can to keep him alive, Doctor, we have lots of questions that need answers." He orders a debrief at 1100 hours.

Jack is obviously quite pleased, responding enthusiastically, "Yes, sir!"

The team observes Apophis in intensive care, as Dr. Frasier recounts his injuries, "Both femurs were smashed and there was internal bleeding. Surgery and transfusions have stabilized him for now."

Teal'c comments, "The Goa'uld symbiote will repair the injuries."

Dr. Frasier answers him, "Well, it's kept him alive so far... take a look at the monitors..." She shows that his symbiote has multiple lesions, "I can treat the human part... but as for the symbiote..."

Sam finishes, "There is no treatment. He's been tortured." Sam remembers her torture at the hands of the Ashrak when Jolinar had joined with her. Apparently the same device tortured Apophis.

The scene shifts to the debriefing room. Hammond states, "So, he's dying."

Dr. Frasier confirms, "Yes."

"You're sure about that?" Hammond needs to be certain.

"As sure as I can be considering what we know about Goa'uld physiology..." Frasier responds regretfully.

Jack can't wait, "Good! When?"

Dr. Frasier responds, "Without a sarcophagus the Goa'uld will continue to deteriorate...days... weeks certainly."

Sam adds, "This kind of torture wasn't meant to extract information...it is a method of execution."

O'Neill: "So what does he really want?"
Daniel: "You heard him yourself, he wants sanctuary."
O'Neill: "I'm not buying that."
Daniel: "He gambled we would show compassion even to our worst enemy. He was right."
O'Neill: "You think he orchestrated this? Let me tell ya something. The only compassion I showed was by not blowing his head off."

Teal'c seems very relaxed and pleased, "I have witnessed once powerful Goa'uld enter the service of their conquerors in exchange for life...and we are greatly responsible for his downfall."

Daniel comments again, without much emotion, "So, his blood is in the water and all the other sharks are having a feeding frenzy."

Extremely pleased Teal'c agrees, "And he has come here seeking refuge."

Jack doesn't like the way this conversation is turning, "Well, that's tough! I say we beat whatever information we can outta old snake boy, open the gate, and toss him back to the sharks!"

Hammond reminds O'Neill, "He is essentially a prisoner of war, that gives him certain rights."

Jack is totally stunned now, "Rights!! General?"

Sam takes another tack, "We also have to consider the host. The symbiote is our enemy, but the host is innocent."

"Aw, c'mon! How much of the host do you think is still around after all this time?" Jack fumes.

"Apophis would have this knowledge," Teal'c states.

Hammond points out that they also need to consider military intelligence. They need to extract as much information as they can.

Teal'c is not certain, "He will tell you nothing of use, General Hammond."

"If he believes it's in his own interest he might," Hammond interjects. "We need answers, let me know when he's conscious." Dr. Frasier agrees. As everyone files out of the room, O'Neill is obviously still very upset, Sam asks "Sir?"

"I should'a shot him!" Jack spits, and storms out of the room.

In intensive care, Apophis wakes up and asks for O'Neill. "O'Neill, I am dying."

Jack stands impassively next to his bed, "My heart bleeds for you."

"You lie poorly. It is you who have done this...you rejoice," Apophis hisses back.

Jack: "Not really...what do you want?"
Apophis: "To live"
Jack: "Can't help you there, that's between you and your god...Oh! Wait a minute! You ARE your god! That's a problem!"

Apophis tries to convince O'Neill, "I am worth more to you than you will admit."

"You tell me, what are you worth?" Jack asks.

"Your people, they are still primitive. You will be destroyed."

"You don't look like you're up to it."

"Not me...there is another."

"Who?"

"There is much you would learn from me Tau'ri. But for the knowledge there is a price. A new host."

Jack can't believe he's hearing this, "A host!"

Apophis continues, "So that I may live. In exchange for all the knowledge of the Goa'uld. Weapons...power..."

"All that," Jack answers with obvious sarcasm.

"In time MORE!" Apophis is angry now at Jack's refusal.

"Go to hell," Jack retorts.

"A single human life is worth so much you would risk a world?" Apophis can't believe it.

Jack smugly answers "That's right...that's why they call us the good guys." Jack's done with him now and turns to Dr. Frasier, "Doc, let me know when he dies."

"Sokar!" Apophis calls after him. "An ancient and powerful Goa'uld. You have helped him to become strong. The last of my loyal Jaffa died stealing me from his grasp. He will not rest until I am found. That is why I chose to come here—so that in death I could be sure you would die with me!"

SG-1 is meeting in Daniel's office, learning what they can about Sokar.

Teal'c explains, "Sokar is a Goa'uld of ancient times. He once was a ruler of the system lords, but was defeated by an alliance of Goa'uld many centuries ago. Apophis and Ra were among his conquerors. Apophis thought he was destroyed, apparently he was mistaken."

Jack quips "If he was almost wiped out...how bad could he be now? It's rhetorical Teal'c!"

Daniel continues to enlighten them, "He was the most feared deity in ancient Egypt, the original god of death."

"Got anything more up to date?" Jack asks.

"Well, I don't know what he's been up to lately, but according to the Book of the Dead, there was a time he ruled all of Earth. There seemed to be Unas (original Goa'uld hosts) present on Earth at that time as well. His portion of Tuat, or the other world, was filled with lakes of fire where the wicked were thrown for punishment after torture and mutilation," Daniel finishes.

Jack: "Hell?"
Daniel: "Yeah...He was the original Satan."
(The sirens blare and the loudspeaker announces, "Incoming traveler.")
Jack: "Speak of the devil,"

Lt. Simmons informs them that no units are presently off world, so General Hammond orders the iris closed. A dull thud is heard and the wormhole disengages.

Hammond asks Sam, "Is there any way to determine what that was?"

She responds "Yes sir, a radiation team can get the decay signature on the iris."

While this is being done, Daniel steps forward and asks Gen. Hammond if he could volunteer for something, "Sir, I'm kinda the resident expert on Sokar here... I'd like a shot at the interrogation."

O'Neill gives him the OK.

Daniel asks the intensive care nurse if Apophis is conscious, to which he responds, "Come, Daniel."

"You know my name?" Daniel asks, surprised.

"Because of what we hold in common...Ammonet...my Queen," Apophis smugly replies.

Daniel is trying to remain very composed and speaks softly, "Her name is Sha're...she is my wife."

"They are one and the same," Apophis dismisses his comment.

"Ammonet possesses her, Sha're is a prisoner. But she is somewhere...I want you to tell me where," Daniel demands, again quietly.

Apophis greatly enjoys invoking Ammonet's name, he sees that it bothers Daniel a great deal, "Ammonet... I loved her... you do not believe me."

"No. No, I don't think that's possible," is Daniel's honest response.

Apophis becomes very arrogant now, "Our minds, our knowledge, our very being is so much greater, so much more!"

Daniel can't help himself anymore. He knows that his knowledge about a certain something is greater than his enemy's "I know where your child is."

"My son!"

"Yes, I brought him into the world with my own hands on Abydos," Daniel proudly announces, knowing this will hurt Apophis.

"He was taken by Heru'ur!" Apophis looks away, confused.

"No! By me!" Daniel triumphantly tells him.

Apophis glares back, then not wanting to appear at all weak, continues, "I have no use for the child now..." He returns to tormenting Daniel, "AMMONET! I knew the moment I laid eyes on her she was the vessel for a Queen!"

Daniel leans very close to Apophis, still speaking softly, the hatred plain in his voice, "If you don't tell me where she is, I'll kill you right here."

"You have neither the strength nor the will!" Apophis fights back with words.

Sam interrupts, calling Daniel away as Apophis begins to writhe and moan in pain. Daniel finds he must lean against a wall for support. "We think that thud was a Sagan box, it's radioactive signature matches the one we gave the Tok'ra. They're coming," Sam tells him. They both leave.

Incoming travelers are once again announced and the chevrons are engaging as everyone debates whether or not the box actually came from the Tok'ra. The decision is made to keep open the iris, and as the defense team readies itself, Martouf and two other Tok'ra emerge.

"Greetings from the high council of the Tok'ra," Martouf offers.

Carter asks why her father hasn't come and is told that he is dealing with more urgent matters. "We come to offer you a warning. You must return Apophis to the planet you retrieved him from...immediately!"

In the briefing room once again, SG-1 lets Martouf/Lantash know that Apophis set this all up. He knew he was going down and wants to take Earth with him. Lantash warns them that if they keep Apophis any longer, they will be destroyed by Sokar, or any other Goa'uld that wants Apophis destroyed, "You have entered a battle you are ill-equipped to fight! We cannot defend you from the Goa'uld. You can not expect us to."

"We don't," O'Neill tells him.

Lantash quips back "Overconfidence was their failing, O'Neill. I hope it also doesn't become yours."

Martouf asks to see Apophis, as he has been unable to convince them of the danger they face.

Apophis cries out continually for Ammonet, and Daniel reacts also in pain to hear this. He is in a pain and drug craze. Suddenly, Apophis' eyes widen and he screams a different language.

Daniel is astounded, "That is ancient Egyptian! This must be the host!"

"Talk to him!" Jack urges.

"I don't know what to say!" Daniel answers in frustration. Just as suddenly, Apophis passes out.

"Thousands of years trapped inside your own body...it's like a nightmare...it's unimaginable," Daniel thinks out loud.

Martouf announces that he will be leaving, and as he does the loudspeaker again calls out there is an incoming traveler. The iris is closed, the defense team activated. Martouf is certain that Sokar has found them. His pilots saw SG-1 flee and the symbols for the Tau'ri are well known among the Goa'uld.

"That iris will hold," Jack tells him confidently.

Sam tells him "It won't allow matter to reintegrate."

Teal'c notes, "Something is appearing!"

Apparently, there is enough space for subatomic particles to reintegrate in the space between the event horizon and the iris. A frightening image speaks to them "People of the Tau'ri, you have taken what is mine, for this you will be destroyed!"

Simmons notes that the iris is beginning to heat up. They discuss how a wormhole can be maintained for a maximum of 38 minutes before it collapses. "They'll just dial us up and do it all over again," Daniel says.

Sam asks Martouf if he can help them, but he knows of no way. Jack suggests that Carter question Apophis, and Teal'c offers to accompany her.

Apophis looks much older now, as he is aging at an accelerated rate due to no sarcophagus. Apophis tells Carter there is no defense against Sokar's weapon, but Teal'c is certain he is lying. Finally, Teal'c confronts Apophis directly, "I have waited may years for this moment."

"Do you think you have won, Teal'c? You are about to die!" Apophis gloats.

"Perhaps that is so, but my people have won freedom."

"The Jaffa will never be free."

"They are free even now, as am I. Hear me, Apophis. This day will become a holy day on Chulak. The day of your death!"

Apophis insists that Teal'c's larval Goa'uld is his master, and when it matures, he will die. But Teal'c says he and his people will find other symbiotes to survive upon and then discard. They will use the Goa'uld the way they were used. "The time of Apophis is finally at an end!"

Apophis is to the point of giving up, "Then kill me now!"

Teal'c wants answers "Tell us how to defend ourselves!"

"I will die with a smile on my lips knowing you will die with me—Shouva!" Apophis doesn't crack.

Teal'c wants Doctor Frasier to withhold medication and make him suffer so he will talk. Janet asks him to move aside and let her do what she must.

"There is a time you would die for me, Teal'c!" Apophis pleads.

"That time is no more," Teal'c firmly tells him.

The Gate room is getting unbearably hot. They are spraying the iris with liquid nitrogen to cool it down, but it isn't helping much. They try to dial out at the end of the 38 minutes, but they aren't fast enough and Sokar is able to dial back in faster. The room is up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit, and the iris is estimated to be six or eight times as much. Martouf continues to warn that Sokar will come by ship if this doesn't work.

Hammond informs all of them that the President and the Joint Chiefs have ordered cessation of all medical intervention on Apophis. They feel it is too risky not to heed the Tok'ra's warning, and they want Apophis' body sent back to where he was found.

Martouf offers "Sokar is at war with Heru'Ur and wants no part of the Tau'ri, for the moment. Retrieving Apophis' body should be sufficient."

It is 17 minutes to the next window, and Carter reveals she has a faster dial up program. The temperature is up to 180 degrees.

Jack goes to tell Apophis they are sending him back, but finds the host talking.

Daniel translates, tenderly, "He's been in an unending dream. He hoped to waken from it to see his wife and his children. He was a scribe in the temple of Ammun, but that was a lifetime ago...before the nightmare. And now he wakens only to die again." Daniel talks further to the host, "I said I will speak the words of power and do the rites. He will be returned to Egypt and buried with honor. He will pass through the seven gates, see his wife and children again and rejoice with them forever."

Apophis is very close to death now. "Help me!" he implores.

Jack tells him, "No."

"A host!"

"No."

"I am afraid!" Apophis gasps and dies... but the host is still alive! The dial faster routine works and the wormhole is ready to send Apophis back. Daniel places a statue on the man's chest and tells him, "This funerary statue will take your last breath and carry your soul back to Egypt." The host dies.

Teal'c lifts the covering blanket and makes certain he is dead. He then carries him to the wormhole and places him through... he is gone.

"What now?" Daniel asks solemnly.

"We wait," Jack answers.

Martouf tells them something they don't want to hear, "Sokar has a sarcophagus in his possession. He can revive and torture Apophis as long as he pleases. Surely a fate he justly deserves."

After seeing the host, everyone is mute, dumbstruck, and thoughtful.

Martouf gives them a signaling device for reaching the Tok'ra, similar to the Tollan device. In return, they give him a GDO for entering the remote iris code. The Tok'ra leave a very somber SGC.

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