Comments? Write to us at gater_20@hotmail.com
The heat was immense, and the shock of its intensity as Sg-1 was thrown out of the Stargate left them gasping for breath. It was always a shock to the system to fly millions of miles in a matter of seconds even when the planet that greeted them at the other side was cold and raining, let alone torrid. The fact that this planet threatened to burn them alive was almost torture.
After a few moments of swearing from the team leader, the team adjusted to the climate of what would be their home for the next few days. As unappealing as that seemed. Through his sunglasses, O'Neill looked to the horizon to familiarise himself with the surroundings.
"Carter, take note, we've actually gated to a world where there is a distinct lack of trees."
Carter looked to her CO and smiled. It was true, too many planets they had gone to had been drowning in flora to the point where she appreciated living in the city. Yes, trees, trees, and more trees were beautiful, but... only to a point.
This planet was just a desert, although the UAV had shown signs of civilisation a few miles from the Stargate. She found that unusual. Normally, Stargates were located near developments or even in the middle of them. This world had chosen to ignore the existence of their gate, and had made that decision to do so a long time ago judging by its condition. Wind-blown sand had completely covered the stone steps leading to its centre, and the team had to step to the ground cautiously to prevent themselves from slipping.
"Uh, Jack, we should probably make our way to that civilisation the UAV found. See how advanced they are, I mean, they must have some technologies to cope with this heat."
O'Neill looked to him in surprise. Finding new technologies was never an issue with Daniel; it was always learning about new cultures that intrigued him.
"Or some shade" Daniel finished.
Bingo. "Okay kids. The UAV found those buildings north east, right Carter?"
She nodded in confirmation
"Then north east it is." O'Neill ordered, and headed off in that direction; the other members of the team followed in silence, stripping off to their shirts and combat trousers. It was too much effort to make conversation as the suns rays beat down on them.
The journey lasted several hours and O'Neill was on the verge of collapsing when behind a group of dunes appeared what the UAV had shown.
It was primitive and dilapidated and was the most beautiful thing O'Neill had seen. Hell, after the amount of walking they had done in the level of heat they had done it in, anything would have looked beautiful.
The civilisation consisted of small mud huts, thousands of them, surrounding an elegant building. Daniel blinked. That didn't make sense. These, well, he would have to assume here, homes were crumbling away with time and yet standing in the middle was this elegant building seeming even more advanced than those on Earth. It was as though they were caught in different eras.
The building itself appeared to be made from different coloured marble, shaped so the edifice was circular. It reminded Daniel of the ruins of the great Coliseum in Rome, only this was larger and much more intricate in its design. He could only stare in awe as he grabbed his video camera he took with him on every mission.
O'Neill rolled his eyes, and continued walking towards it, hoping that those within it were friendly; he didn't have the energy for a shoot-up, as fun as they were. Carter and Teal'c followed, and after a few moments of hesitation, Daniel also followed. One of these days Jack was going to give him time to appreciate the cultural impact of these new societies.
The realisation of the sheer size of the Coliseum began to hit Daniel with each step he took. Perspective had made it look smaller than it actually was and as Sg-1 entered the city they couldn't help but feel intimidated by its overpowering presence.
All except Teal'c. He had grown being surrounded with such buildings dedicated to his false gods that they became unimpressive.
O'Neill would be the first one two admit his lack of interest in architecture, but even he was hypnotised by its beauty and size.
The city itself was eerily silent. Each house appeared empty (or abandoned), albeit recently, and the sandy streets were devoid of any signs of being used. But sand had a habit of deceiving when combined with wind. Wind. Yes, there was a slight breeze that offered limited comfort, but even that was warm.
The only signs that this city had any inhabitants were the noises coming from the Coliseum. Cheering emanating from thousands of throats filled the air, no matter how distant they seemed, it was still thunderous.
"Daniel, I'm quite obviously no historian, but doesn't this kinda remind you of Ben-Hur a little?" O'Neill asked.
Daniel was about to answer him when he became distracted by the sounds of marching feet heading in their direction.
"Uh, Jack? We have company" Daniel informed him.
"Ya think?" he answered, as he prepared himself.
Before they had a chance of finding cover, a troop of soldiers was upon them, pointing their swords and spears at them. They were dressed in primitive armour, and although their helmets hid their faces, their eyes were clearly visible. They could easily kill them, they weren't armed with weapons more effective than their own, but that would be a mistake, O'Neill thought. He could already hear more troops arriving, which meant they would be outnumbered. If they started shooting now, they would have no chance of getting out of here alive. Even as he was thinking, more soldiers appeared, surrounding them and pointing their weapons at them.
Carter had reached the same conclusion and, after looking to the Colonel, saw that he had also realised their predicament.
"You will identify yourselves!" one of the soldiers boomed.
"And if we don't?" O'Neill answered, not without receiving a glare from Daniel.
A sharp blow to the back of his head prevented O'Neill from hearing the answer as he was swallowed by blackness. He fell to the ground, unconscious.
Teal'c's first thought was to go to O'Neill's side, but spears pointing to his throat stopped him from moving.
"Why are you not in the Great Circle? And why are you dressed as you are?" the soldier fired at them.
It was Daniel who answered. "Excuse me, uh, my name is Daniel Jackson, this is Major Carter, Teal'c, and that's-" he paused for a moment, looking at the unconscious body of his friend, "-that's Colonel Jack O'Neill. We're peaceful explorers. We've come from the Stargate in search of-"
"What is that?" the soldier demanded.
"The Stargate? Uh, it's the stone ring out in the desert. It's a transportation device-"
"We are aware of its function. Only the Goa'uld use the Chappa'ai." The soldier paused to look at each member of the team, stopping when recognising the symbol on Teal'c's forehead representing he was the property of Apophis. "Why do you not serve the Goa'uld?"
"I no longer serve False Gods, I do not believe in their ways."
"We are from the Tau'ri. We fight the Goa'uld. As I said, we're explorers looking for races who also oppose the Goa'uld in the attempt to form alliances" Daniel explained, hoping that whoever was pointing a spear in his back would relent.
The soldier laughed in contempt. "You will not find it here." He turned to face Teal'c. "Perhaps your God was false, but ours has great power. This world is ruled by the Great Orcus, and he will be very pleased to find those who would betray him" the soldier snarled, nodding to others standing behind Sg-1.
Carter could see out of the corner of her eye that O'Neill was being dragged by two soldiers as she and Daniel were prodded in the back. She looked to her other side and could see Teal'c was complying. Thoughts were racing through her mind, how would they get out of this, where were they being taken to, and who was this Orcus? She turned to Daniel to find out. She didn't know what she'd do if he weren't around.
"Daniel?" she whispered. "Have you heard of this Goa'uld?"
"Yeah, basically Orcus was the Roman God of Death" he answered flatly.
Okay, that wasn't good. Any hopes that they could get off this planet were crushed with those words. How could he just come out with that and not realise the implications it brought? God of Death?
They were being lead towards the entrance of the Coliseum. It was made with pure white marble, with intricate designs of deities and animals and words written in what Carter could see was Latin. She looked to Daniel, who was already translating the texts to himself. She would ask him later about that. Stepping inside the entrance was bliss. Being out of the suns harsh rays and into the coolness of shade refreshed Carter and she immediately felt her thoughts clearing from the fog that the heat had brought. She looked around to take in her surroundings, not that there were many. To her left was a long corridor so white she found herself squinting to prevent its blare from blinding her. It led round a corner, so its destination remained unknown. To her right was another long and winding corridor, this one covered in shadows, leading to a darkness she hoped they wouldn't be taken to. They were.
Throughout the corridor were stains lining the decaying walls. Their faded brown colour looked distinctly like dried blood, and she could only imagine the goings on in this part of the building. There were no screams emanating from beyond the blackness, only reverberating from deeper within the Coliseum, and she found an odd comfort in that. Although, whatever had caused those stains, they were being led towards them, which stole any fleetingly comforting thoughts she might have had. She knew it would only be a matter of time before they found out, but they could deal with that when it presented itself. Or at least until their CO was conscious.
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of groaning coming from behind her. She instinctively looked to determine its source, already knowing that it was the Colonel coming to. The soldiers that had dragged him so effortlessly dropped him to the ground, then ordered him to walk the rest of the way unaided. O'Neill looked around confused for a moment. He was completely unaware of where he was and was disorientated. He looked around to find a familiar face, and when his eyes found Carter, he picked himself up, relieved to still be with his team. The leader amongst the soldiers was clearly irritated by the delay, glared at the other soldiers and continued down the corridor. Sg-1 remained silent as they were pushed forward into the increasing darkness.
With the darkness came cells on either side. Some were empty, but most were filled with people and creatures, some similar to those on Earth, others she had never seen before. She couldn't help but grimace upon seeing the condition of some of the people trapped within their prisons. Some threw themselves against the bars, reaching out to do what they could to the soldiers, to no avail. Others lay on the ground, bleeding from fatal wounds, awaiting death. The stench of blood and gore hung in the air and it made Carter's stomach wretch.
Daniel also felt waves of nausea overcome him as he unsuccessfully tried to look away from the scenes before him, but found himself feeling great sorrow for the unfortunate men, women and children doomed to die in this place. He could see them looking to him in pleading expressions, unaware that he would soon be joining them.
O'Neill remained detached. This was too familiar to him. Being locked in a prison, left to bleed to death whilst others around you screamed for mercy. Torture day after day for information your captors knew would never be revealed to them, yet continued with the sport simply because the sadistic bastards enjoyed hearing your screams of agony. He found himself involuntarily closing his eyes in an attempt to block out the images invading his thoughts.
Though you would never tell from his unrevealing face, Teal'c also felt great sorrow for those who were left to die painful deaths from infection and blood loss. He had seen many atrocities in his service of First Prime to Apophis. He had orchestrated many of them, and this place only served as a reminder to all the suffering that he had inflicted on thousands of innocent people. He only hoped that when they escaped from this prison (and they would) he would be able to further right the wrongs he had done in his lifetime.
The corridor had seemed unending, but when its end was finally reached, there were their cells. No different from all the others, they were as dilapidated as every other cell, and Carter found herself needing to hold her breath to prevent inhaling the effluvium seeming trapped within the walls. She and Daniel were shoved into the first cell, O'Neill and Teal'c were taken to the one next to them, the barred doors slamming behind them, acting as confirmation that they were now prisoners just like everyone else. They were silent as they took in their 'accommodations'. The floors were made of jagged rock, surely designed so to cause as much discomfort to the occupants as possible. There were traces of blood on every edge, both old and new, and Daniel didn't even want to know what the steaming mess in the cell's corner was. One glance at it was enough, and he released the vomit that had been churning in his stomach since they arrived in the prison. Carter had wanted to do the same thing but managed to restrain herself, and instead turned to her CO.
He was looking at Daniel, a trace of sympathy almost visible on his face for the archaeologist, but then he became aware of being watched, and it vanished as he faced her.
"Carter..?"
She glanced at Daniel briefly before answering him. "Sir?"
He paused for a moment, expecting her to know what he was asking. "What happened..." he encouraged.
"They knocked you out, sir"
"Uh, I'm aware of that. After that..." he was growing slightly impatient
"We were surrounded by soldiers and they led us to the Coliseum. Sir, this planet is ruled by a Goa'uld called Orcus. Apparently he's a God of Death, which would probably explain this place. We're assuming he's further within the Coliseum. There appears to be some sort of celebration going on. You can't hear it now, but as we were approaching we could hear large crowds cheering"
"Daniel?" O'Neill called.
Daniel, who was recovering from his nausea, looked up at him, not without a hint of embarrassment.
"Daniel, that whole Ben-Hur analogy's coming to mind again. Why is that?"
Daniel thought for a second. "That's probably because you're sorta right, just probably without the chariots. From what we've heard and seen, it sounds like the people of this city are watching these prisoners maim and kill each other. If that's the case then-"
"-then we can expect to be a part of the entertainment" Carter finished.
Daniel looked at her for a moment, his thoughts focusing on that image, then managed a nod. They were silent as the impact of Daniel's words sunk in. It was O'Neill who filled the void.
"Well, we might as well try and make ourselves comfortable while we figure out our motivations then." he quipped.
He didn't get a reply, although he hadn't exactly been planning on receiving one. He looked around in his cell, searching for an area where the rock was less serrated, and when he found it in the corner, made himself comfortable, well, if you'd call it comfortable. Teal'c remained standing, as always, and watched as the other members of the team sat themselves down, preparing themselves for the wait they would no doubt have to endure.
Sitting on his magnificent ebony-black throne was Orcus, watching over the carnage in the Great Circle. His viewpoint was the best in the whole Coliseum. From his vantage point he could see all, every swing of every sword, every gush of crimson-red blood from every blow, and every death. And he revelled in it all. Between each slaughter, he would gaze at the crowds of his followers and would smile at their loyalty to him.
Those in the crowds were fortunate that day. They had been loyal enough to escape being chosen to fight. Those who were not loyal enough in this two-month long celebration, determined of course by Orcus, were taken from where they were and thrown into the prisons, where they would wait for the time when they would fight until their deaths. If they chose to refuse, they would be merely slaughtered by savage creatures starving enough to rip the flesh from their bones in a matter of moments. Women and children were killed in this way. He had no sympathy for them, a traitor was a traitor, and as such they would be punished. The crowds seemed to share the same sentiment as a large group of children were dragged out, screaming and crying. Either that or they were too afraid to react otherwise. They cheered at their arrival, they cheered as the gates leading to the Great Circle were opened, they cheered as the beasts emerged, frothing at the mouth from deprivation of food and water, and they cheered as the creatures lunged at their prey. It was over in seconds.
As the beasts were recaptured by terrified soldiers fearing for their own selfish lives, Orcus was distracted by the general of his forces.
"My Lord, I am sorry for disturbing you during this time, but it is important" he said, the slight waver in his voice showing the fear he held for this Goa'uld. Orcus had sent many into the Great Circle for distracting him.
"It had better be" he boomed, his eyes glowing to emphasise the threat.
Almost reluctant to continue, the soldier almost whispered "My Lord, the Chappa'ai brought forth three men and a woman. One is a Jaffa, follower of Apophis. They claim to have come from the Tau'ri world." He held his breath as he awaited Orcus' reaction.
"If they are from the Tau'ri, they pose no threat to us. Send them into the prisons where they shall wait until they are called upon to serve in the celebrations" he said calmly, eyes straying back to the arena where one soldier was being pinned by the largest of the creatures. He smiled at the outcome as yet another life was taken.
"Yes my Lord" he said, reluctant to supply more information to his God. He thought for a moment and decided it was worth the risk. "One more thing. They carried weapons I have not seen before. They were more advanced than what your army carries. Perhaps it would be of some use to investigate-"
His sentence was interrupted by a glare from Orcus. He paused for a moment, deciding whether to meet with these beings. "Very well. After today's celebrations, you will take their leader to me. I will question him. Then I shall have him and the others killed. My followers will be shown that even those of other worlds are under my power" and with that, his attention was directed back to the arena, where a fight between two warriors was about to commence.
Sitting on his throne, Orcus smiled to himself, content with the progression of the day's bloodshed.
How many hours that had actually passed whilst they sat on the jagged ground waiting for something to happen was unknown to Sg-1. For the most part, they had sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. Daniel would have preferred talking to distract himself from a scene before him. A man, who in Earth's chronology would have been in his forties, was dying in his cell. He was pressed up against the bars, unable to find the strength to move himself into a more comfortable position. The slice across his lower torso was slowly and painfully killing him. He had been sat in the same position for hours as his blood seeped from the wound, draining him of his life. The whole time he had been there, this man had been staring at Daniel. Whether it was because he was different from other prisoners, or whether it was because he didn't have the will to look in another direction was beyond him, but with each minute that had passed, Daniel had found himself wishing the man to be out of his misery and for him to die.
And then it happened. The man died. He didn't close his eyes, or gargle his last breaths, his eyes simply relaxed, no longer showing the suffering he had endured. For him, it was over, he had escaped. Others were not so fortunate, but that man had served his time.
Several hours passed, and still the body remained. Daniel couldn't tell how much time had crawled by, but from the stench seeping from the corpse, it had been a while. Eventually it was removed to be fed to some of the animals caged further down the corridor. The sounds reverberating from the barbaric act chilled Daniel to his bones, and he felt the vomit churning in his stomach only moments before it erupted again.
Carter had been in her own reverie. It was her way of distancing herself from reality. She was thrown to the present with the sound of Daniel's regurgitation, and she immediately focused all her worries onto him. A raised hand was her indication that Daniel didn't want to be fussed over, that he wanted to be left alone for the time being.
She turned to O'Neill and Teal'c; both of whom had passive looks on their faces. She had expected that. Both of them were particularly good at hiding their emotions, of tuning out from situations such as these, and she envied them for their capability in doing that.
What she didn't know was the reasons why they had that 'skill'. Teal'c had grown accustomed to such horrific displays of suffering due to his years in service of Apophis. After years of seeing the same tortures and the same destruction of life, you are able to appear that you have become immune to such things. Of course, you never did, but you could deceive others into believing that you had. Teal'c had acquired that ability many years ago and he used it as a way of being allowed to deal with it himself.
O'Neill had been through enough hells to see kinds of suffering that you don't see in those dreams at night that wake you in cold sweats. Whether it had been inflicted onto others around him where he had to help the victim cope with the trauma their bodies were suffering, or whether it had been him trying to escape the nightmarish reality that you wouldn't wish upon your worst enemy, O'Neill had been through it. He had learned how to separate himself from the reality, not through the training he had received, preparing him for his years in Black Ops, but through the covert operations that had gone wrong. And there had been a few.
The sounds of marching feet approached their cells, growing increasingly louder with each second. They stopped outside their cells, trying to determine who was the leader amongst them. The general that had originally captured them pointed at Daniel. He was the one who took control in the streets; it had to be him. The barred door to his cell was opened and three guards flooded in. All of SG-1 immediately stood up to prepare themselves. The first of the guards knocked Carter down with a swift blow to the face; the other two grabbed Daniel roughly and pulled him from the cell, slamming the door as the exited.
"What the hell do you want with him? You should be talking with me, I'm the team leader, not him" O'Neill demanded, careful not to reveal any names.
The guards looked at each other for a moment, but decided to ignore O'Neill's protests and marched down the corridor, leaving the Colonel swearing his frustration. Carter had picked herself from the ground, a blue-black bruise already forming across her cheek, but the Colonel was too livid to notice.
"Are you all right Major Carter?" Teal'c asked, the concern evident in his voice.
"I'll be fine, thanks Teal'c" she answered, not without a hint of anger at what had just happened.
O'Neill looked to Carter, then a wave of disgust swept over it. "Sorry Carter, you okay?" he asked, his eyes distracted by the discolouring of her left cheek.
"I'll be fine sir" she repeated, the venom in her voice even more apparent. If anything happened to Daniel, she would gladly kill each and every one of those soldiers. That was a promise.
Throughout the journey to Orcus' throne room Daniel had demanded that he be told where he was being taken. His demands were met with silence. Several times he had tripped because of the ferocity of his handling, and those had been met with swift kicks to his side, forcing all his breath out of him. He was thankful when he was dumped in front of Orcus, sitting on his throne with a look on his face showing his distaste at Daniel's arrival.
Looking up at him, Daniel saw that Orcus was all he had imagined him to be. He was dressed in elegant black robes that spread all around himself and his throne. He had a brutish face with near-black eyes that seemed to pierce straight through him. The two men stared at each other for a few moments, assessing each other.
"You lead those who came through the Chappa'ai earlier in the day?" he asked, slowly and deliberately.
"No, there are no leaders" he answered immediately.
Orcus looked to his soldiers with displease.
"You have come from the Tau'ri world. I wasn't aware that you had access to your Stargates"
"We've come a long way since Ra ruled there."
"Yes, so it would seem" he paused for a moment, then turned to pick up one of the handguns that had been taken off Sg-1 when they had been taken to the prisons. He looked at it, then smiled. He aimed the gun at one of his soldiers and fired it, killing him instantly. "Crude, yet effective" he smiled. "Many of my people have heard of the arrival of beings from another world. That is dangerous to me" he continued.
"Because you have those people believing that you have power over everything and our arrival is contradicting that" Daniel summarised for him.
"Perhaps" he agreed. "You shall prove to them that they are unwise to think such things. During tomorrow's celebrations, you and the other members of your team shall kill each other in the Great Circle, to show that even you serve me."
Daniel looked at him in incredulity. "Uh, no, I don't think so" he answered.
"Those who refuse to fight are fed to the Taueret" he told him, smiling at the visions he held of such killings.
Daniel blinked in confusion. Taueret was a deity in Egyptian mythology, not Roman. Yet again an example presented itself where the Goa'uld borrowed parts of different religions when it suited them.
"However" Orcus continued, "Such actions would disappoint me, and my followers. I would much prefer them to see you turn against each other"
He turned to his general and nodded. He stood forward and grabbed Daniel; a second soldier did the same. Daniel didn't struggle against them, as he was concentrating more on the reason as to why they were holding him, rather on the fact that they were. Orcus stood up from his throne, his robe flowing as he stepped towards him. From under his robes, he pulled out a small vile containing a black liquid. It reminded Daniel of the Blood of Sokar, and wondered if it had the same effect. He doubted it. Orcus had shown no interest in gaining knowledge of how Earth had advanced in the last few thousand years. He didn't want to imagine what effects it would have, but as his mouth was forced open, he was getting the distinct sensation of Dj vu. He could almost see Apophis leering over him, that look of triumph written all over his face in the knowledge that he had captured his enemies and was making them pay. As the bitter black sludge sank down his throat and into him, he could almost feel it's numbing effects spread into every crevasse of his body, and he felt his world fade out. What was done after that, he didn't know, as he became lost in that all too familiar world of unconsciousness.
O'Neill hadn't stopped pacing in his cell since Daniel had been taken. It had been several hours since then, but time was lost on O'Neill, he could do this all day. Several times during this ritual he had caught his foot on a shard of rock and on one occasion had cut it open. He had sworn (it seemed he was doing a lot of that lately), but had dismissed Carter's warnings that he needed to keep his weight off it and had continued to pace back and forth. That had happened over an hour ago, and he could feel the sogginess in his shoe with each step he took, ignoring it until he could find time to worry about it later. At least until Daniel came back.
Teal'c's insistence that O'Neill should cease in his endless pacing had proved in vain, so he had placed himself in Kel'No'Reem.
Carter, just like the Colonel, had been worrying about Daniel, though she had the better sense to remain seated during their wait for his return. Although she would never tell him, Carter was getting annoyed by the Colonel's lack of self restraint, though in saying that, the trail of blood he was leaving was almost as worrying as Daniel's absence. Where was he? What were they doing to him? Daniel never had it easy on any mission. Teal'c, the Colonel and herself were soldiers, they were trained to react accordingly in situations such as these. Daniel was a civilian and therefore was never prepared. Although he had learnt a lot during these past few years, he was still the amateur. Well, at least as far as the Colonel was concerned. He never seemed sympathetic for Daniel. He always expected too much and came down on him too hard when he made a mistake or disagreed with a decision. As a civilian, Daniel saw himself as the only one able to put forward an idea opposing the Colonel's, and that was never a good thing. Woe be to the man who was on the receiving end of an enraged Colonel. Watching him incessantly pace in his cell made Carter almost feel sympathy for those who had taken Daniel. She knew that, despite their differences, if anything detrimental was done to Daniel in his missing hours, all hell would brake loose.
In her tiredness, Carter allowed herself to yawn, hoping to shake off the groggy feeling clouding over her. She grimaced as the left side of her face mercilessly tugged at her, catching her breath. She had almost forgotten about the bruise on her cheek in her silence, but that movement had reminded her how much it actually hurt. Again, it was something she would never admit to the others. She always tried to ignore any injuries, although she wouldn't really class a simple bruise as an injury. Her thoughts were seemingly trapped in a viscous circle as her mind strayed back to Daniel. Where the hell was he?
Several more hours passed until the familiar sounds of marching were heard. Sure enough, the soldiers arrived at their cells carrying a semi-conscious Daniel. They roughly threw him into his cell; Carter immediately went to his side to check on his condition. The barred door was slammed shut, and the door to O'Neill's and Teal'c's cell was opened. Carter glanced up to see O'Neill being dragged out, tripping over his dead foot. Teal'c was woken from his state of Kel'No'Reem, saw that O'Neill was being taken and lunged for one of the soldiers. He tackled him to the ground and charged at a second, but was stopped by a thump over the back of his head from an unknown source that sent sparks flying in his mind's eye. He stumbled backwards, stunned by the severity of the blow, and could only watch as O'Neill was lead away. Once again, only three fourths of Sg-1 were together.
Carter could worry about O'Neill later; right now she had to concentrate on Daniel. He was awake, and seemed unharmed, a part from a few bruises, but wasn't functioning properly. He stared straight past her, his lips moving as he whispered his thoughts to himself.
"Daniel, can you hear me?" she asked him, not expecting an answer.
He stared past her, not even acknowledging her presence. She sat next to him, holding him in her arms hoping it would wake him from whatever spell he was under. She looked to Teal'c, the expression on her face showing concern for him also. He nodded at her, that gesture showing her that he would be fine. It was then that the reality hit her; whatever had been done to Daniel, would more than likely be done to the Colonel also. But she was wrong.
Colonel O'Neill was merely taken to another cell further up the dark corridor. He was thrown into a cell very much the same as the one he had been removed from, and he wondered why the soldiers had made the decision to move him in the first place. He was alone in this cell, isolated from other ones. He had been separated from all the other prisoners and was being watched by several guards, each of their faces carrying a knowing smile. He hated that, when others around him knew something that he didn't, especially when he had a feeling that that something wasn't anything good.
Well, seeing as he was going to have yet another long wait ahead of him, he might as well check on his foot. He carefully pulled off his right boot, not without gasping for breath as needles shot up his leg, and then lowered his sock. Yep, it was pretty nasty, he had cut it open and the damn thing was still bleeding. The dank air bit harshly at the gaping wound, making O'Neill sporadically hold his breath to prevent cries escaping from his lips. He quickly pulled the sock back over his foot (not that it made much difference, the damn thing was probably infected already), emptied any excess blood out of his boot and put it carefully back on. He leaned himself against the back wall of his cell and sat in silence, not once taking his eyes off the guards persisting in staring at him.
Someone was holding him, not restricting him, but supporting him. He couldn't tell who it was, but knew it was someone familiar to him. Not that turning to look at them would help; he wouldn't be able to focus on them. There was an image racing through his mind, one where he couldn't escape. It was of a man, someone he knew, but couldn't recognise. What was his significance? And why was he feeling so much hatred towards him? All he knew was that this person was the reason he was in this hell, and all he had to do was kill him, and he could go home. Kill him. That thought was particularly strong in his mind. He wanted to do that so much. It would be easy, one swipe of his weapon would end his life and he could leave. That man was his ticket to freedom. Where could he find this man? Where was he? Who was he? Going in circles, Daniel remained laying on the ground, held by Carter, waiting for the time when he could carry out his mission.
The night had passed quickly for Orcus, as it always did. His sarcophagus opened at the time it always did, allowing him to rise from it in the same manor he always did; with the belief that he was omnipotent over all. His guards were there, waiting for him, bowing their heads in reverence to their God. He stepped out and slowly walked past each and every one of them, eyeing them, in the daily ritual. Which one of these beings was not loyal enough? Which one of them would be killed to warn the others that they belonged to him and him alone? He smiled as he picked one from the long line. There was no reason behind his choice, there never was, they were all the same to him. He touched the guard on his chin, raising his finger as an indication to rise. The guard did so, never taking his eyes from the ground. Orcus activated his Ribbon Device and threw the guard across the room. The guard screamed as he hit the ground, knowing that he was to die. Yet, it was never Orcus who killed the chosen ones. It was at this point where he would sit back on his throne and watch. He preferred that, watching carnage rather than participating. With a quiet satisfaction, he witnessed the barbaric killing of a loyal guard as others moved in with their swords, killing him instantly. When it was certain that the soldier was no longer a soldier, merely a body, they turned to face Orcus, bowing, then retreating with it, taking it to be used as food for the Taueret.
Today would be particularly interesting. The Tau'ri known as Daniel, as he had been told whilst the prisoner was in his drunken sleep, would kill one of his comrades, to show that even he abided by Orcus' laws.
He had told his general to pick neither the woman nor the Jaffa to be the sacrifice. The Jaffa would fight another day, and the woman, the woman had great beauty and he would offer her a choice before sending her out to her death. As always, the sacrifice had been separated from the killer, as the killer had been programmed to attack the second he lay eyes on his victim. It would be the first fight of the day, and Orcus was particularly excited about this one. He knew the crowds would love him even more for it.
Sg-1 hadn't slept at all during the night. They weren't even aware that night had come. Being in this place stole any sense of time you had.
Daniel's condition hadn't changed much, he was still staring at some unknown thing, and he hadn't moved an inch since Carter had held him. She knew that they had to be overdue to come back to the SGC. Hopefully Hammond would send another SG team through to search for them. For what? For them to be captured like Sg-1 had? No, if they were going to get out of here, it would be by themselves, not with any help from the SGC.
The position in which she had been sitting had stolen any sensation from her left leg long before. She longed to be able to get up and walk around, but she didn't want to disturb Daniel. She stared at him for some time, wishing she could get through to him.
Marching.
She looked through the bars of her cell to see the soldiers arrive again and instinctively held on to Daniel that little bit tighter. No words were exchanged, the soldiers merely entered the cell, stole Daniel from her grip, and left, leaving Carter wanting to cry. Where had half her team gone? She looked to Teal'c, seeing that he held the same expression of worry. It wasn't often Teal'c's face showed any emotion, and the fact that he wasn't even attempting to hide his concern disturbed her. She kicked at the wall in frustration; she had to find out what was going on.
O'Neill had seen the soldiers walk past his cell, not concerned with where they were going and why. They had passed his cell many times, dragging innocent people to their final homes, returning with looks of satisfaction that made O'Neill feel sick with disgust. On their return though, any apathy he had immediately vanished as he saw who the guards were carrying; Daniel. If he could have stood, he would have. But by now his foot was throbbing so severely that any sudden movement was agony. He simply sat back and watched as Daniel was being led out of the darkness. The fact that he wasn't struggling against them was bewildering. Something wasn't right. They had done something to him, and he felt a surge of fury erupt inside him. The guards that had been watching him all night noticed this and laughed. O'Neill interpreted that as yet another attempt to break him. They hadn't thus far, so why were they still trying? Staring and laughing and making him feel paranoid clearly wasn't working, so they stopped the laughing and moved towards him.
"Hey guys, noticed you've been staring at me for quite a while. Got something on your minds you'd like to share?" O'Neill asked, determined to show that they didn't intimidate him in the slightest.
They looked at each other, then opened the door to his cell. Oh, here we go again, O'Neill thought. He prepared himself as he was pulled to his feet and made to walk out into the corridor. They saw that he was limping on his foot and targeted it as he was being made to walk towards the light leading to beyond the prisons. The smaller of the two guards kicked at it harshly, sending O'Neill crashing to the ground, unable to breathe as it sent waves of pain throughout his trembling body. Determined not to let them win, he forced himself back up and continued walking. They repeated the action several times, each time O'Neill keeping his mouth shut tight to prevent making a sound. He was thankful when they reached the end of the corridor, stopping at the junction of three other paths leading to unknown destinations. Both were bright white in colour, and O'Neill waited for a moment so that his eyes could adjust. The guards pushed him down the corridor turning right, and with each step, he could hear cheering increasing in its intensity. After a few minutes of walking towards it, it became near deafening. The scene before him took his breath away.
The arena was huge. There were thousands of people squashed into the limited number of stone seats, all cheering for more carnage. The guards prodded him in the back to continue, so he forced himself forward. The ground was of soft sand and it made it that little bit more easier for O'Neill to walk. As he walked to the centre of the arena, he continued staring at the scenes surrounding him. At the ground floor was metal fencing, containing more prisoners and animals he had never seen before. The prisoners contained within seemed to be in a better health than the prisoners he had just left. Some of them cheered alongside the crowds; some remained quiet, some were throwing themselves against the bars and the remaining prisoners nodded in respect to him. Above the fencing was the first level of seating, filled with people. There was only one gap in this row, where a man sat dressed in robes, surrounded by guards. Yep, there was his Goa'uld. What had Carter called him, Orca, Arcus? Something like that, anyway. He stared at the Goa'uld in pure hatred, hoping this feeling was being conveyed clearly. Orcus acknowledged the look and laughed. This Tau'ri was only making him believe this fight was going to be even more enjoyable. O'Neill forced his eyes away to look around the arena more. Above the first level were three more levels, each one filled as tightly as the first. He realised why the city had appeared as empty as it had; everyone had piled themselves into here, as if it were some yearly celebration. The random patches of blood situated within the arena only confirmed this theory.
He was stopped at the centre of the arena, and the crowds fell silent. He found that disturbing. The only sounds were coming from the animals pacing within their cages; if someone from the very top of the arena had coughed, O'Neill would have heard it. The silence was interrupted by the sound of another gate opening. The rusted screeching filled the Coliseum, bringing with it a sense of doom. Emerging from the darkness behind the gate came a group of soldiers surrounding a man who had been blindfolded. Still, the crowd remained silent. From his peripheral vision he detected movement, and immediately turned to identify the cause. Another soldier had arrived, carrying a sword in both hands. He held out the weapon to O'Neill, who didn't take it from him.
"It is your choice to go without a weapon, you should be grateful we offer you one, however, should you not take it, you certainly have little hope of surviving" the soldier told him.
Again, he held out the weapon, and this time, O'Neill took it. The damn thing was heavy, and he had to hold it in both hands to keep it off the ground.
By the time he had taken the sword, the group of soldiers arrived with the blindfolded man, who was also carrying a sword. The soldiers surrounding each man departed, leaving them to stand, waiting for a sign for what to do.
O'Neill looked at the other man's face, and although his eyes were covered, he immediately recognised him as Daniel. Before he could call out his name, Orcus stood up and spoke to the silent crowds.
"My people" he boomed. "Perhaps you have heard of men and women stepping from beyond the Chappa'ai yesterday. Here are two of them; both warriors who oppose all that you worship. Yet, here they are, within our Great Circle, preparing to turn against each other. It is I who they do this for. Even those from another world serve under my command. They are comrades, yet, with one whisper from their God, they gladly chose to kill. Let it commence!"
With that, the crowds roared with anticipation. O'Neill had to tell Daniel it was him, and called out his name, barely audible above the cheers from the thousands of people demanding for carnage. But that was loud enough. Daniel instantly recognised the voice, it was not of his friend, but the man who could buy him his freedom; the man he needed to kill. He ripped off the blindfold and charged at O'Neill, eyes filled with a fury O'Neill had never seen before. Confused for a moment, it was only his quick reflexes that saved him from the sword aimed straight at his head. He threw himself to the left, grimacing as pain bit at his foot. He didn't have the time to appreciate his quick reaction, as another swing from a sword was coming down on him; he rolled out of the way just in time.
"Damn it Daniel! It's me, it's Jack!" he yelled at him, but it was in vain. Daniel clearly didn't recognise him and continued lunging at him.
With each attack, the volume emanating from the crowds increased greatly, with each miss being met with disapproval. O'Neill threw his sword to the ground, needing to be rid of the weight it burdened him with. So this was what they had done to him. Was he a Za'tarc? No, he thought that that had been a fairly new technology the Goa'uld had acquired. This Goa'uld had probably been separated from the System Lords for some time. Then what the hell had he done to Daniel? His question was met with yet another blow from Daniel, missing him by a matter of centimetres. He rolled across the sand, and hit the bars to the fencing containing the prisoners he had seen upon entering the arena. The ones who he had seen cheering grabbed hold of his clothing, pinning him against the bars, no doubt to use it to prove their loyalty to Orcus. He struggled to escape from their grasp, but there were too many holding him; he was stuck to the spot. Daniel saw this advantage and approached him, standing in front of him. This was his way to freedom. One fatal blow and his job would be done. O'Neill called out to him, to try and get through to him, but it was no good. Daniel recognised his name, but it didn't register. The word Jack had hit a nerve also. He knew that word, it meant something to him. He tried to concentrate on that feeling, but the rage burning inside him seemed to block out any repercussions he was having. Don't be distracted now, he told himself. You have him; you're almost there. He raised the serrated sword, held O'Neill by his collar, and plunged it deep into his lower torso. The force behind the blow was so great that it sliced straight through him, skewering him onto the bars. O'Neill let out a blood-curdling scream, so loud that it could be heard above the approval of the crowds as the warm blood poured out from the wound. His body was sent into shock as the sensation of blood flowing from the open wound sent shivers through his pain-racked body. He looked down and could see the rusted blade speared through him. Not believing it to be there, he forced himself to look away from the horrific image to Daniel's face, seeing it to be breaking free from whatever influence he had been under.
It was the sight of the deep red blood streaming onto him that snapped Daniel out of his trance. For a moment, he was confused. He had been under some sort of mind control where he had to kill someone. He looked at the blood covering him, bringing memories to the surface. Then it came down onto him, and he felt the colour drain from his face as he realised who that person was he had to murder. Oh god, please let it not be him! Please let it not be him! He forced himself to look away from the point where the blade had cut through soggy cloth and red-soaked flesh to the face of the man who he had just sentenced to death. His worst fears were confirmed as he stared into the face of his friend. His closest friend. Jack was looking back at him; his face contorted with pain as blood that had forced its way up his throat seeped through his lips.
Daniel's first instinct was to free his friend, so with one swift movement, he pulled the sword out of Jack's body, releasing a scream from his friend so loud that even some members of the blood-thirsty crowds winced in sympathy. Daniel caught Jack in his arms, and laid him onto the sandy ground, already red-stained.
"Don't die on me Jack, please don't die! Oh god, I'm so sorry Jack" he repeated over and over, disbelieving at what he had done.
Jack could barely hear him as his senses failed him. His vision began to blur, and the clarity of the cheers coming from all around was disintegrating. His breathing became more difficult as the angle he was being held at was causing him to choke on his blood, the metallic taste clogging his throat. At last he could no longer draw breath, and the last image his eyes had given him before his head hit the ground was of the thousands of strangers staring at him, cheering for his murderer.
What happened next occurred in slow motion. Daniel saw Jack's head fall back, he heard the cheers erupt from the crowd and the realisation hit him; he was a murderer. He felt hands grab him from behind, and he was being taken away from the bloody scene he had orchestrated. He struggled against them, trying desperately to get to Jack. He couldn't leave him; he had to do something, anything. Jack, you can't be dead, thoughts screamed in his head, you can't be! Yet, the body lay there, motionless, just a blooded carcass.
Back in the darkness, Daniel's vision failed him, eyes being accustomed to the brightness the sun had provided. Feeling numb, already the memories of mere moments ago haunting him, he was thrown into Carter's cell, and the crash of the barred door let him know that yet again, he was a prisoner. Laying on his back, not caring that several sharp edges of rock were digging into his back, he stared at the ceiling, praying that none of what had just happened were true.
"Daniel? Oh my God Daniel, what happened, what did they do to you?"
He recognised that voice. Sam. He pulled himself up and leaned against the wall, not bringing himself to look at her.
She moved next to him, and could see the blood that soaked his clothes, immediately thinking he had been shot or stabbed. She looked for the blood's source, but Daniel shoved her hands away before she could look closely enough to find it.
"It's not mine" he said slowly. God, how was he going to tell her?
"Daniel, what happened?" she repeated, the lines on her face showing her worry. "Do you know where the Colonel is?"
"It's not mine" was all he could give her. Not his. Blood spurting onto him as his sword sunk into soft tissue. A scream.
"Daniel, whose is it?" Not a question she had wanted to ask, but that was probably the only way to get through to him. That was what he was concentrating on, that was how she would get to him.
The head rolling back as he saw the life behind his eyes die. "Don't die Jack, please don't die, oh God-"
"Daniel, damn it, please, talk to me! What happened, whose blood is it?" she pleaded.
She hated this; she loved Daniel like a brother and as such, had always felt protective over him. She wanted to help him, but he wasn't letting her. Although they had remained at opposite poles for the majority of their friendship, the Colonel could always get through to Daniel. When Daniel had been addicted to the sarcophagus, it had been the Colonel who had helped him through it. He had been there for him, and where was he now? Daniel needed him, where was he?
He had to tell her. It was like taking off a Band-Aid, if you tore it off quickly, it would be less painful. Finally, he turned to look at her, but her face stole any chance of making this less than impossible. Her eyes were wide and focused on him, with the look of fear for his safety stronger than he had seen. The outcome of the news would be the same; it would kill both her and Teal'c no matter how he said it. He looked away to the ground again, but then forced himself to face her; he owed her that.
"Jack-" he started, God, this was going to be harder than he thought, At even the mention of his name, his mind flooded with the image of Jack's body laying in the sand. After all his years of fighting against the Goa'uld, this was how he met his end. Through him. And now what was to become of him? Food to a few hungry animals.
"The Colonel? What about the Colonel? Daniel" she asked quickly, her heart beating twice the speed as normal at the thought of what Daniel might say.
Daniel took a deep breath. "I killed him" There, he had said it. It was out, and now he would face the consequences.
Carter couldn't speak. No, there was some mistake. "You" she paused, "You killed him?"
He looked at her, seeing exactly what he had imagined he would see. "In the arena. I was, given something, a drug" he forced out. Don't you dare start justifying what you just did, he chastised himself. "This is his blood. He's dead"
Carter instinctively moved away from him, disbelieving what she was hearing. "That's why you were...." She started, not needing to finish. "They programmed you to-"
"Kill him." Daniel finished. "Sam, I saw him die. I put a sword through him, and he died. As soon as it happened I-" he looked down at his clothes. At the blood that now covered them. At his friend's blood. His fault. It was there because of him. Still the scream echoed in his ears. "I couldn't save him." He managed to get out. He couldn't continue, that was all he could stomach.
He had been expecting screaming. Sam going hysterical at him. Lunging at him. He looked at her, the tears flowing freely, and she moved to him and held him.
"Oh God Daniel" was all she said, and they sat in silence.
Teal'c had heard everything, and he felt a renewed rage build inside him. He would do everything in his power to kill Orcus. What honour would there be in defeat now, when such a barbaric act had been committed? When such barbaric acts continued? He closed his eyes, attempting to reach Kel'No'Reem, so he could form his plan of retribution.
General Hammond looked at the clock hanging on the wall of his office. Many hours had been spent in this room, going through files, mission reports; everything you could think of he had read through. But he couldn't read now. Looking at the clock hanging on his wall he sighed as it confirmed his thoughts.
Sg-1 were now five hours overdue. There was nothing unusual in that. Sg-1 was rarely on time, albeit when they tumbled back through the Stargate as overdue as they were becoming now, it was usually followed by a trip to the infirmary. Dr. Fraser was always prepared when Sg-1 went through the Stargate. In fact, she would worry if they didn't need to 'drop by'. It just wasn't them to not get a concussion or catch some contagious disease or be injured in one of the many imaginative ways Sg-1 could think of. She swore they did it purposely just so they could have stories to tell their grandchildren. She could imagine it now. Daniel would be sitting in an old chair with his five grandchildren crowded round him listening attentively as he told them of the times when he had been killed at work. She mentally chuckled to herself as that particular image filled her mind. But then she was dragged back to reality by the sharpness of the General's eyes looking into her.
"They're five hours overdue now. You know what that means doctor" he told her.
He didn't need to clarify. She knew exactly what he had meant, and nodded in understanding. That was his way of telling her "They're probably going to crawl back in three pieces and you'll need to be ready to glue them back together"
"As always, I'll leave it until they're six hours overdue and if there is still no sign of them, I'll send out Sg-3 to do some reconnaissance. Prepare yourself accordingly. Dismissed."
She nodded in respect, and exited his office, wondering what kind of miracle surgery she would be expected to perform this time.
Hammond had a bitter taste in his mouth. He had a particular soft spot for Sg-1. They were the best of his teams. They risked more than any other, did far more than what was expected of them and did it unquestioningly. He sat back in his chair and rubbed the bridge of his nose. It would be a long hour to wait for them. Deep down he knew they wouldn't come back, and he dreaded the even longer wait he would have to sit through whilst Sg-3 searched for them.
It was dark; pitch black. He lay still to allow time for his eyes to adjust, but they wouldn't. He tried to sit himself up, but his head thumped against a cold and hard surface. Panicking, he reached out with both hands to feel along the wall restricting his movement. He suddenly became aware that this wall surrounded him entirely. A box? A coffin? Had he been buried alive? Oh God no, anything but that. He would gladly go through the agony of having his insides torn from each other again as rusted blade invaded into chasms of his torso than decay from the inside out trapped in this prison whilst the rest of the world forgot his very existence. He'd go through it a hundred times before allowing himself to that fate of knowing you were rotting as each moment passed. Get a grip O'Neill, he thought to himself. There had to be another explanation other than currently residing six feet under. His hands scrambled against the sides of his prison, trying to find a crack in which to prise open, but found none. He was about to call out for anybody to help him, but at that moment his eyes were blinded by a burning light. The warm air was replaced by a cooler form, and he instinctively pushed himself towards it, desperate to escape the claustrophobic feeling plaguing him. Eyes adjusted, he looked around him to find that he was sitting in a sarcophagus. He could see glaring from his peripheral eye that his clothes were still discoloured with the now-brown blood that had not long ago been a part of him. Remembering the reason for its presence, he grabbed hold of the area where it had escaped from, shuddering as he momentarily relived the sensation of the blade biting through his body.
No pain.
No ruptured skin or muscle.
Just unbroken skin; no sign of the damage that had proven to be too much for his body to cope with, ending in its succumbing to death.
Orcus had given him a second chance. Well that would make sense of the fact that he was actually consciously thinking. Either he had been brought back, or the Goa'uld really were Gods and he was in their afterlife. Not much of an afterlife, he thought to himself as he turned to his right to see two guards pointing their staff weapons at him.
"Welcome back Tau'ri" he heard being boomed from behind him.
He swung his head to the direction of the voice to find Orcus sitting on his throne, smiling at him. How was it that even when they managed a smile, they still looked evil? Just lucky, he guessed. Prodding in his back forced him out of the sarcophagus and he was led closer to Orcus. This didn't make any sense. Why the hell had he been brought back to life? Not that he wasn't grateful of anything, but it just seemed a particularly un-Goa'uld thing to do.
"Such is the power of your God that you are brought back from the hands of death" he smiled, expecting wonder at what he had done. He received no such reaction.
"Not really. I've used that thing a few times before. Sweet little device, aint it?" he answered, pleased he was able to belittle him.
If Orcus had been disappointed, he hid it well. "I must thank you. Your death only strengthened the loyalty of my people. They cheer my name for controlling those from beyond the Chappa'ai. You have been the evidence I needed for them to realise that I rule over everything"
"Not everything" he corrected him. "In fact" he looked around him, looking as though what he was about to reveal a huge secret, "in the grand scheme of things, you don't actually rule over a whole hell of a lot"
Orcus' smile dropped to scowl. "There was no reason to revive you. Allow me to assure you that when I give the order for my Jaffa to shoot you, I shall not show the same mercy" His eyes glowed in an attempt to intimidate his prisoner.
It didn't work. O'Neill didn't see this Goa'uld any differently to all the other Goa'ulds he had come across; they were all the same to him.
"Yeah, why did you put me in that thing?" He motioned to the sarcophagus.
"I hold no interest in the Tau'ri, nor do I in the System Lords. This world had been forgotten, left to decay. It was I who built it to the glory in which it now stands. I have no need to involve myself in your petty rivalries. What importance is it to me?"
"That's all very nice, but why did you put me in that thing" he repeated, bored of this Goa'uld now.
"I owe you a debt of gratitude"
Gratitude? A Goa'uld owing gratitude? "Excuse me?" was all he could get out. He couldn't believe he was hearing this. He hadn't thought the Goa'uld even knew the meaning of the word, let alone be able to include it in a sentence.
"In return for increasing my power, I shall give you life"
There was something very wrong with this picture. Then it dawned on him "Oh, you bring me back so you can throw me back into that prison to rot, or be killed again? Sweet"
Getting impatient, Orcus stood and walked towards O'Neill, so close their faces were almost touching. "You shall step through the Chappa'ai to your world, never to return again" he whispered with a clear venom in his voice enforcing the command. "Your belongings shall be returned with you and you will forget the existence of this world. Should you attempt to return, I will slaughter those who came with you, along with any of those who would foolishly decide to follow you here. Do we have an understanding?"
"Uh, I'm not going anywhere without the members of my team, you can forget that" he told him. He winced mentally as the thought of them still being locked in their cells surrounded by the horrors around them flooded his mind. He knew what it was like to be left behind, to be taken to a kind of hell that even nightmares failed to convey. He wasn't about to do the same to the people who had been his family for the past few years. There was no way in hell he was going to leave them in that place.
Two more Jaffa entered with O'Neill's weapons he had had on arriving on this world. Amongst them he could see also his knife he kept in his boot and more importantly, his GDO.
"You sound as though you believe you have the choice" Orcus laughed, and with one swift movement of his hand, signalling to his guards, O'Neill was dragged out of the room by two Jaffa twice his size.
"Damn it Daniel, it's me, it's Jack" Daniel heard erupting in his ears.
He had dreamt during the few hours of sleep he had managed. The same image replaying over and over again: the sword eating through his friend. The clarity of his dreams was making him sick. He could hear the sound of tearing flesh; the sound of jagged steel scraping against the prison bars. He could still feel the heat of the blood that had poured onto his hands and clothes and he could still feel the emotions he had felt upon discovering who his victim actually was. Each replay of his memory had woken him in a sweat, heart racing and on the verge of tears. And each time he had woken, Sam had been there for him, calming him and holding him and cradling him until he found sleep again.
Sam was numb. Looking at his blood-soaked form, resenting it's continued presence, she couldn't suppress a mental cry. She hated what Daniel was going through, hated what had been done to the Colonel, and hated that she couldn't have been with him in his last few moments. She found comfort in the fact that Daniel had been there, holding him in his arms as he passed away.
Passed away. She had to phrase it like that; it made it seem less horrific.
She looked to Teal'c, who was sitting on the ground, cross-legged and meditating. She could use his company right now. But instead, he remained in his trance, away from the harsh reality of their conditions. He hadn't said anything about the Colonel, but she knew what he was thinking. She knew him too well not to.
She looked beyond his stance to a cell further across from them. A few hours ago, it had been filled with two men, both in good condition, and a woman, judging by her looks she had been younger than herself. They had been taken away by some soldiers, the barred door slamming behind them, reverberating throughout the prison. The length of their absence had confirmed what she had been thinking as they were being dragged away. She involuntarily looked away as she realised that they would not be coming back.
The journey back to the Stargate had seemed even longer (if that was actually possible) than when Sg-1 had ventured towards the Coliseum. God, that had seemed like an eternity ago. He would give anything to be back to that time, just so he could stop his team from stepping into that unknown hell. With each step he was forced to take, the feeling eating away at his soul increased in its ferocity. He was leaving them there, leaving to save himself, to get back to the safety of the SGC. What kind of team leader was he? After all these years together, this is how he treated them? "I got my ticket outta here, see you kids later. Oh no, that's right, no I won't. Oh well"
He was disgusted with himself; he didn't deserve his freedom.
His thoughts were in interrupted by the sudden appearance of the Stargate. There it was, his gateway out of this place. In a few moments, he would be explaining to General Hammond why he was however many hours overdue he was and why his team wasn't with him. He could hear it now. "Yeah, I felt that it was more important to save my own life than to risk it trying to save theirs sir. Basically they're still locked up like animals and they'll be there until they're killed. They weren't that important anyway sir. I'm still here, so that's a bonus"
The frame of the Gate expanded as each second passed, until it reached its proportional looming size. He wouldn't leave; they weren't going to make them.
The two Jaffa looked at him, waiting for him to punch in the address to Earth; a few minutes crawled by, and O'Neill made no attempt to do so, thinking about his plan of action. If he refused to go through, they would kill him. If he did go through, he would never forgive himself; it was stalemate.
He pulled out the GDO he had been holding in his hand since the Jaffa had handed it to him upon leaving the city. They had also given him all his weapons (with exception to his Zat Gun, apparently they had the good sense to not return that to him), albeit, they were all unloaded and therefore useless to him.
He stared at his ticket home, unsure of what to do. Stay and die. Leave and they die. Stay and die. Leave, and...It hit him. He had been killed in the arena to prove that he served Orcus. Orcus would have been just as satisfied had he killed Daniel instead of the actual outcome.
Had Daniel died, Orcus would have revived him and it would be him being made to leave right now.
So, assuming that that was the case, his team would also be sent back through the Stargate once their purpose for being there had been fulfilled, just as he had done. It would only be a matter of waiting.
Waiting? No, he wasn't going to wait for them to go through what he had gone through. Besides, even if they were allowed back through the Gate like he had, what about the iris? Hammond would never authorise it to be left opened and then what? Bugs on a windshield sprang to mind. Not an appropriate analogy there O'Neill, he thought to himself. Okay, time to stop talking to yourself and to start thinking.
"You will return to your world now, we will wait no longer" one of the Jaffa interrupted.
O'Neill just looked at him, unimpressed. "Yeah, just give me a second here. I'm just, uh, so emotional at leaving this place, I need to say a few goodbyes" He wasn't actually trying, but he had to admit, even as a half-hearted attempt, that was pretty lame.
The two Jaffa looked at each other, then turned to O'Neill, confused, and ultimately concerned for his sanity.
O'Neill didn't care, he had to think. It was at times like these he really wished he had Carter's brain. If he had, he would have had a plan hours ago.
The GDO. Open the Gate, type in the code, leave the GDO by the DHD and go. He would have to hope that they would spot the thing and use it so they could get back to Earth in one piece. Actually, scratch that, so they could get back full stop.
It wasn't the best idea he could have come up with, but it would have to do. He reached to the DHD and began pushing the seven symbols that spelt home. The nerves in the pit of his stomach grew as he pressed each symbol, the knowledge of the flaws in his plan becoming all too apparent the more he thought about it. This was a bad idea; this was a very bad idea.
The silvery plasma of the Stargate bellowed forward from the constraints of its circumference, then retracted to form the event horizon that would take him away from this world to his own.
O'Neill began typing in the iris code he needed to get safely through, when a loud grunt erupted from the throat of one of the Jaffa. O'Neill, after finishing the code, looked to him, seeing his staff weapon aimed at his head, threatening to discharge its lethal energy bolt.
Think fast O'Neill. Okay, apparently not one of his strong points. Think of something.
"Uh, this is nothing to concern yourselves with. If I don't type a number into it, you'll, well, you'll die. And we wouldn't want that now would we"
The Jaffa eyed him suspiciously, not buying it yet. Yet being the operative word here. Come on O'Neill, keep going.
"It's a device specially designed to explode the moment I step through that gate, but don't worry. The code I'm typing in will stop that from happening. I just need to leave it here," he continued, cautiously placing it by the DHD, ever watchful for the staff weapon pointing at him, "so that it won't, uh, go off" he finished.
The Jaffa moved forward and pushed him up the steps, eyeing the GDO, not sure whether or not to believe this being. Apparently he decided to trust him, for he stepped away from the Stargate and waited for O'Neill to step through the event horizon.
O'Neill moved closer to the shimmering blue, reluctant to step through. He didn't like this. This wasn't something he did. 'You don't have a choice,' a voice within him told him. 'If you get yourself killed now, what will that prove?' it continued. 'Nothing'
Holding his breath he pushed himself into the icy coldness, and braced himself. As expected, he was thrown forward, hurtling through the interminable blackness. Still able of conscious thought, he wondered if he had done the right thing. The memory of waiting in his cell told him he was wrong. He should have refused the chance for freedom and returned to his team, to tell him he was all right. What about Daniel? What would he be feeling right now? He hadn't thought. He would be eating himself alive for what he had been made to do, and O'Neill wanted to see him, to reassure him that he understood and that it wasn't his fault.
He knew Daniel would have a hard time forgiving himself. Hell, he knew that feeling of self-loathing. He had felt it for an eternity when Charlie died. No, when Charlie was murdered. It was because of him that his son, his child, was dead, lying in a coffin, and had been for years now. He knew what Daniel would be going through, and he wanted to be there for him more than ever. He had more important things to be concentrating on than believing a lie. Like keeping his sanity when surrounded by his thoughts were brought to a sudden end as he was flung to the other side of the Stargate into the familiar embarkation room.
Surrounding the Gate were Sg-3, all geared up and by the look of it, prepping themselves for an off-world mission. Standing amongst them was General Hammond, his face revealing the kind of relief a parent would show when their missing child came home after so many days. Behind O'Neill the Stargate shut down, and Hammond frowned at the lack of the remainder of Sg-1.
A voice rang from above, declaring the need for a medical team immediately, which made the General run up the ramp towards his 2IC, faster than a man of his stature should allow.
A moment passed, both men not needing to exchange words. Soft, murky brown eyes focused on sharp, crystal blue ones, the message of mixed emotions being conveyed clearly. Hammond could see the dried blood clinging mercilessly to O'Neill's clothing, afraid if it was his own, afraid if it was not. He wanted to ask multitudes of questions all at once, thousands of them racing through his mind, ranging from the obligatory exasperation for the extended absence from his facility to the more humane concern for his health.
Yet the questions remained unasked. Instead, the two military men stood before one another, waiting for an interruption before one of them broke.
The sound of the blast doors opening and the clatter of rushed footsteps heading in their direction was just what O'Neill needed. Good ol' Doc Fraser. He pulled his gaze away from the harshness of those blue eyes that spoke volumes with one simple expression to the familiar face of the doctor. Instinctively drawn to the area where the substance, that seemed to cover almost every crease of what barely resembled his uniform, originated from, Fraser reached to feel the extent of what she thought would be severe tissue damage. Instead, O'Neill's coarse hand grabbed hers, preventing her from looking at the injury.
"Nothing's there, I'm fine" he assured her in monotonous tones.
Frowning with a brief confusion, she cleared her throat. "Well, I want you to come with me to the Infirmary anyway, I want to do an exam just to make sure."
She found an odd discomfort in his lack of resistance as he immediately followed her down the ramp and out of the embarkation room.
Hammond watched them leave, perturbed by the unusually lifeless eyes of the man he held such great admiration for. He felt his own heart sink for the remainder of his best Sg team. Deep inside, a voice told him that the three men and women he had authorised to go to a seemingly peaceful world only days ago would not return any time soon. Whatever had happened, judging by O'Neill's condition, they had not been as fortunate as their CO.
Carter had experienced a whole range of emotions throughout the never-ending wait for something, anything, to happen. She had been watching over Daniel as he twisted and turned in his restless sleep. At some points she had wanted to wake him up, to free him of the nightmares he was suffering from, evidenced by the contortions of his face as mumbling escaped through clenched jaw and pursed lips. She wanted to spare him of waking up, unaware of the scream emanating from his own throat, calling for the one person who couldn't be there for him. But, she couldn't, because deep down she knew that, as cruel as his dreams were, his reality was its equal.
It had been an eternity since she had received the raw bruise from her face for trying to save her friend from his present fate, and she was grateful for its lull. Massaging her cheek, she found that it no longer hurt. Instead, she found it to offer a strange numbness that seemed to not only affect her face, but the rest of her body as well. They hadn't eaten since arriving on this world and the result of which had drained any of her stamina, leaving her weak and rendering her movements to being frail and shaky. They had to find a way out of this place; she wasn't going to let her team down.
Her team. They were her responsibility now, they needed her to get them out of here and here she was, back pressed against cold stone, preparing to meet defeat. The Colonel would have been so proud of her. The mention of that name made her ache. He deserved better than being killed on some forgotten world in an unknown part of the galaxy. She should have been there for him, there to hold his hand, to offer comforting words to help him. Yet again, she hadn't been. When they had been stranded in Antarctica, where had she been? On the surface whilst his life had been ebbing away stuck in a crevasse. When he had been pinned to the wall in the embarkation room, dying from infection, what had she done? Given the order to kill him. The list went on.
And what about her? When the Ashrak had killed Jolinar, leaving her for dead, who came to her side first? Who had remained with her for the duration of her possession? Who had been there for her when she came to after Jolinar had sacrificed herself? She felt sick with herself.
Trapped in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the approach of several guards, all standing outside her cell, waiting for their presence to be acknowledged. When none was given, they merely opened the cell. That got her attention. She jumped to her feet, determined they wouldn't get Daniel again and placed herself between them and her sleeping friend.
"He is to be taken to the Great Circle" one of them boomed.
"I don't think so" she forcefully threatened, preparing herself for a fight. She would be damned if she was going to lose him too. He was in no state to defend himself and being taken out into the arena would only result in his death.
Two of the guards stepped forward, and were greeted by swift kicks in the groin area from the surprisingly powerful woman that had seemed so harmless. The third guard wasn't taking any chances, and he swung the butt-end of his blade across the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. Her body slumped to the ground, her face lacerated by the sharp rocks on which it rested.
The confrontation had awoken Teal'c, and upon seeing Major Carter's body laying on the ground, he rose to his feet and threw himself against the bars that separated them. He was powerless to prevent Daniel being dragged out into the corridor, dazed and confused from being woken so harshly from his slumber.
The confrontation was over only moments after it had begun.
"My people, we begin the day's celebrations with the return of the mighty Tau'ri!" Orcus boomed, in pure ecstasy as the crowds roared his name in reverence.
Thousands of eyes focused on Daniel, as he was lead into the centre of the arena. As had happened before, when the central point was reached, the cheering ceased, waiting for further information to be provided by their God. Each held their breath in eager anticipation; apparently after all these days of carnage, their blood lust had yet to be satisfied. Daniel found himself hating each and every one of the people whose faces were too small to have any identity. Just as well, Daniel thought to himself, because he would store their images deep into his subconscious for the time when he would gladly make them suffer. Jack had been only dead for a day, and it was because of these cowards that he had died. He would be damned if he met their demands for further combat.
His opponent was brought forward from one of the many fenced prisons that surrounded the arena. In the distance, Daniel could still see the red-stained bars where captives had held Jack in a fatal trap, desperate to free himself, to save himself. To live. Stop it Daniel, he told himself, focus on the present.
His opponent had now reached the centre, standing mere metres away from him. Daniel slowly looked up to the face of the man who would be victorious in a matter of minutes. He was bigger than anyone he'd ever had the misfortune to lay eyes onto. The man had to be over seven feet tall and his huge bulk towered over Daniel. The word Goliath sprang to mind.
Unlike Daniel, this man had been given full armour, the silver steel blaring in the sunlight moving with the slow inhalation and exhalation of the giant's thorax. The huge trident carried by the man made Daniel realise that this time round, he had been given no such weapon with which to defend himself. It didn't matter. Daniel had no intention of defending himself anyway. Make this quick, disappoint the barbarians constituting the crowd. Any guards still within the vicinity quickly scattered like the hyenas that they were. Neither man flinched as cold eyes stared deep into resilient ones. What is this going to prove, Daniel asked himself. Anyone can die; there's nothing special in that. Sizing up the giant that stood before him, he realised that even if he chose to fight, there would be no victory. He would show the crowds that he chose to die rather than be made to.
"Will our Tau'ri defeat the challenger, unaided?" Orcus continued. His question was greeting by an eruption of thousands of answers flooding in from all around. Content with the reaction, he looked down onto Daniel, who had become somehow aware of those two particular eyes beating down on him and had found their source. He looked back, face as impassive as possible so not to give Orcus any satisfaction. Truth be known, he was terrified. His heart was beating at such a rate he thought that it would go into cardiac arrest at any minute. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end. All muscles in his body had locked, rendering him frozen to the spot and he could feel thousands of nerves stinging him in the pit of his stomach.
"Let it commence" Orcus yelled, sending his worshippers onto their feet, clapping and cheering and laughing.
The towering beast standing before Daniel immediately lunged for him, but when the trident had reached a point inches away from his chest, he stopped himself, suddenly aware of how this man had not moved from its path. He held the trident in the air for a few confused moments, looking into the face of his opponent.
Daniel hadn't even blinked, and was amazed at himself for doing so. Every gut instinct told him to run, but he had successfully overcome that. Instead, he stood motionless in the sand, face remaining stoic whilst heart went into overdrive.
The warrior pulled his trident back towards himself, and faced Orcus, searching for input. Orcus' face remained calm, oozing apathy. He merely raised his hand in a gesture to urge him to continue. There was no doubting Orcus' anger for the refusal to fight from the Tau'ri, but that was his choice. If he chose to die, then so be it.
The honour in the warrior was telling him not to throw the fatal blow, but the adrenaline from the cheering was urging him on. He looked into the Tau'ri's eyes, as if seeking forgiveness for the slaughter of someone who was clearly not his equal.
Daniel understood the message being conveyed to him, and closed his eyes, bracing himself for the inevitable. He hoped for the existence of an afterlife, not for fear of the eternal blackness that would otherwise be waiting for him, but so that he could find peace in the knowledge that Jack would be there.
A fire so intense in its ferocity exploded from within his chest, flaring into each corner of his body. A searing fire so intense that it denied Daniel of his ability to breathe. He refused to open his eyes as the fire brought him crashing to the ground. He refused to open his eyes as the heat sent his trembling body into shock. And he refused to open his eyes to the faces of the cheering crowd, celebrating yet another inevitable death. Daniel could taste the result of the inferno from his chest clogging his throat, allowing only his imagination to see his injury. He could hear his blood bubbling from his chest with each straggled breath he managed. Each breath became harder and harder to take, until eventually, he could take no more. The pain ceased as quickly as it had begun, and his body fell limp as the fire within him extinguished itself.
"Offworld activation" a voice yelled through speakers placed throughout the SGC. With it the sirens flared up bright red, warning military teams to gather themselves into the embarkation room to prepare themselves for possible hostile invasion.
No teams were due to come back.
No teams were even offworld.
It had been several hours since O'Neill's return to the SGC. He had gone down to the Infirmary for a full check-up, and was given the all clear. General Hammond had then insisted on a full debriefing in his office. O'Neill, reluctant to admit he had abandoned his team, had at first requested he be able to catch some sleep first. Doctor Fraser had supported his request, how often had the Colonel willingly chosen to recover? Not nearly enough times, she thought to herself. But the General had dismissed this, not wanting to wait another minute to find out what the hell had happened to the rest of Sg-1.
Sitting in his office, O'Neill closed his eyes, as if bracing himself for what had to be said. Keep yourself emotionally detached, you're military, he told himself.
Jack O'Neill was infamous for his reputation for being military through and through. Yes, he had the sense of humour; he had that certain amount of levity with authority that wasn't always appropriate, but it hadn't always been like that. Before the Stargate Programme, Jack O'Neill was the sort of man who could freeze a room with one look. One glance could intimidate even the most hard-nosed officer, and O'Neill enjoyed that reputation; it meant no confrontations, things just went his way. His son's death and his divorce had only intensified that attitude, and it had got him the image of being the biggest bastard within the airforce.
The Stargate programme had changed that though. A new Jack O'Neill had been born from that experience. Whatever had happened on the Abydos mission, he had come back a different man, he had a lot more respect from people with his new image.
It was situations like these that brought out the old Colonel Jack O'Neill. Sitting in General Hammond's office, Jack had forced open his tired eyes, military attitude switched onto full power, and had reported the mission on the planet from which he had just returned. General Hammond listened silently, taking in the events being described to him. Another Goa'uld to concern ourselves with, he had thought. As if reading his mind, O'Neill had assured his CO that this particular Goa'uld was no threat to the SGC and its allies. O'Neill's voice had not wavered once through the description of the prisons they had been confined in, nor when describing his own death at the hands of a member of his team, nor at the revelation of his abandoning his team, though Hammond wouldn't have quite phrased it that way.
He listened with interest as O'Neill put forward his theory on the fate of his team, and what he had done in case his theory was actually carried out.
O'Neill had finished the report explaining the flaws in his plan and that if there were to be any unauthorised Stargate activations, he would strongly recommend, whilst certainly understanding the risks involved, that the iris be left opened, with full Stargate personnel on standby.
Hammond had said he understood why he would suggest such a thing, but that the risks were too great to authorise it and they would have to assume that if the other members of his team were allowed to go back to the SGC, they would find the GDO by the DHD. Protests were met with "Dismissed" and with that, O'Neill had left the office, even more frustrated with himself than he had been upon entering.
No teams were due back.
No teams were even offworld.
Eyes fixated on the Stargate through the blast doors, following its every smooth turn as each chevron engaged, O'Neill stood, rooted to the spot as fingers turned white from unbearable pressure of his hands' grip against the console he had stationed himself at. Heart racing, O'Neill waited for the inevitable presence of his Commanding Officer to present itself.
Hammond arrived, confirming the Stargate's sudden spring to life to be unauthorised, and his hard eyes tore themselves away from the sight before them to his 2IC. The slight tremor in his hands as the nerves eating away at him took effect made Hammond realise how important it was to O'Neill that the form that stumbled through the shimmering blue was a member of Sg-1.
The symbols finished their interminable spinning, and fixed themselves to their various points along the circle. Those present to witness the sight were denied of the bellowing plasma as the iris was immediately closed, the sheets of metal scraping against each other screeching out the warning to those who would attempt to pass that death would follow before you were even aware of the iris being there.
Now or never, O'Neill told himself. Every gut instinct told him the GDO had not been found, whoever it was coming through. He had to get the iris open, and it was going to be a tough job convincing Hammond to believe the same. Now or never, now or never....
"General, I'm asking you, leave that iris open" he started. Build up to it, he would take a great deal more convincing.
"Jack, I understand - "
"With all due respect sir, you can't. Now I'm telling you that that is a member of my team coming through. With the bullshit story I gave the guards, the GDO was probably taken away. The members of my team stand no chance in hell of making it here."
Silence. Contemplating. Needing more.
"General, we're running out of time" he raised his voice, unable to contain the desperation behind its forced volumes. "You hear the thud, it's too late. We've got the personnel down there. Take the chance sir, I'm begging you now."
Hammond looked into the face of his best officer, all too aware of the urgency of the situation. Think quickly George. O'Neill was looking to him for an answer. The determination displayed across his weary features were telling him to listen, just this once.
"Very well. Sergeant, open the iris" he ordered, not without his gut wrenching. If this wasn't a member of Sg-1, what the hell could they be welcoming into his facility?
Every muscle in O'Neill's tensed body relaxed, and the sigh of relief that had been trapped within his lungs was allowed free. This was the right thing to do, he told himself. This was someone from his team.
Sure enough, just as the steel blades slithered back into hiding, a body crumpled from behind the glimmering water and rolled down the ramp.
Daniel, it was Daniel. A small voice cried at the absence of Carter and Teal'c, but that was drowned out by the other sounds of screams of relief reverberating from the back of his mind. O'Neill disappeared faster than anyone could have predicted, bursting into the embarkation room so fast that if you'd have blinked you would have missed it. Hammond remained where he was. He would allow O'Neill a few moments to welcome his friend. Watching the figure of the Colonel head straight to the body lying on the ramp made him exhale a breath he hadn't known he was holding. Thank God for following intuition.
"Daniel? Come on Danny, wake up buddy."
Who was that? That voice, it was Jack. Jack was dead, it couldn't be Jack. Was he dead? Think. Standing in the arena. Screaming. Thousands screaming.
"Come on Daniel, wake up!"
There it was again. Open your eyes, it was telling him. Too heavy. Keep them closed to think. Be with you in a minute. Couldn't be dead. Couldn't be thinking to yourself. Eyelids wouldn't be heavy. Wouldn't have eyelids. Searing heat through chest. Fell in the sand. Thousands cheering. Eyes closed then, eyes closed now, come on Daniel, concentrate. Hands were holding him now, trying to move him. Who? Jack? Jack!
He threw open his eyes, the blurred image making him feel sick in the spinning motionless. Blinking several times, he forced his eyes into focus, straining to see the figure before him, crouched over him in the motherly fashion usually reserved for Doctor Fraser when you had come back from a mission gone wrong.
Picking his glasses out of his pocket and thrusting them onto the bridge of his nose, he absorbed the sight of the impossible in front of him. Jack was there, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
But it had. Jack had died in the arena. He had been pinned by a sword spearing through him by his hand. Bled to death. Lying in the sand. Choked, and died.
Instinct took over and Daniel reached out to O'Neill and touched his face, assuring himself that what he was seeing and hearing was real. O'Neill tried not to flinch, no matter how much he wanted to. He wasn't a huge fan of these things, but he knew Daniel would have to do this. Daniel was here, he wasn't about to complain, so bite your tongue and put up with it, he told himself.
It wasn't his imagination; Jack was here, safe and alive. But so was he. He had been killed, he was sure of that, then why was he sitting on the ramp in the embarkation room? Orcus must have revived him and sent him back. Why? Think of that later, he ordered himself, more important things to deal with. Jack was here.
He couldn't form any words in his mind to say to him; he could only stare in open-jawed amazement. Don't say anything, he told himself. Instead, he pulled Jack closer to him and held him tight, relieved at still being able to.
"It's okay Daniel, it's okay" O'Neill soothed, understanding what Daniel had been through. "You're fine, I'm fine, we're all fine, everything's fine" he finished.
Yep, definitely the wrong person to have around when comforting a troubled friend.
Daniel didn't share the same sentiment, and continued holding him. It was O'Neill who pulled away as the sound of Hammond entering the embarkation sent him into military mode. He pulled Daniel and himself to their feet to await word from their CO, though Daniel still held at his arm; he wasn't letting him get away this time.
"Doctor Jackson, welcome back" were the only words the General offered. He wasn't about to admit that he had in fact given the order that would have killed him and if O'Neill hadn't been around, neither would he be. "Get yourself cleaned up and ready for a debriefing in one hour from now. Dismissed."
With that, he exited the embarkation room, heading straight to his office. It would be a slow hour he would have to wait. He had received most of the information concerning the past few days from Colonel O'Neill, but the doctor had been there longer, so perhaps he could provide more to help put the pieces together on what was going on.
Cleaned up, Daniel had repeated in his mind. Initial reaction taking over, he looked down at his body, seeing the stained and tattered clothing covering him. A painful reminder. Jack was still here; Orcus had shown the same compassion and allowed him back here. How had he got back without a GDO? Hammond wouldn't have left the iris opened 'just in case'. He was about to ask the other man, when his voice was prevented from sounding.
"Danny, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Meet you in the Commissary in twenty minutes?" Jack asked him, trying to sound as cheerful as he could for the kid.
He knew Daniel would be carrying around a lot of emotional baggage for the next few days, and he had to show him that everything was okay between them.
Daniel didn't appreciate it. Why did Jack always do that? Show one of his rare smiles and have an even rarer cheerful attitude and assume that that would be enough? They would have to talk about this, deal with it, not just sweep it under the carpet and forget about it, which was his usual MO. Any painful situation such as this was always dealt with in this way.
Nearly die in Antarctica? Sweep it under the carpet.
Killed by an alien organism? Sweep it under the carpet.
Near-Goa'uld possession? See above.
Smile and it goes away and don't you dare bring it up in any form of conversation or so be it on your head.
Truth be known, O'Neill wasn't okay. He never was. In his mind he thought that if he appeared unfazed by any significant occurrence, people would leave him alone to deal with it himself. That worked for him. Not anyone else mind you, but for him. He realised he was selfish like that, and even more so for not caring. It was his way and people needed to accept that.
He had had over a day to think things over, to straighten things out in his own head. Okay, maybe not straighten things out, but he had made progress. Seeing those eyes lusting after his blood was still devouring his mind, but there was another image neutralising that. That acid disappearing and changing to that of the usual warmth they held. Pulling him to the ground and holding him in his last moments (now that was a strange thing to remember), easing the immense fear he would never admit to having experienced. Concentrate on that one, he ordered himself.
Seeing Daniel nod his head in agreement was enough for O'Neill, and with that, he too left the embarkation room, with Daniel following not far behind, both of their thoughts circling in unison to the other.
Daniel was standing before her, features impassive and body motionless. His eyes fixated on her, no meaning behind them, just staring straight through her. She wanted to go to him, to see if he was okay, what had happened, but found her legs wouldn't comply. She screamed for him, but no voice was carried across the void to him.
Where was she? Was this real? Where was Teal'c? And the Colonel? Was the Colonel here? Large hands cupped themselves around her shoulders; thumbs rubbing slightly offering a warmth she had not felt in a long time. She felt no urge to turn around to identify who it was who was standing behind her, offering her the comfort she so needed. The hands released and the body moved to in front of her, revealing it to be the Colonel. He gave her a smile she didn't see often enough and couldn't help but smile back. They were both here, but why was Daniel standing so far away.
Suddenly the Colonel was standing next to him and she wanted to reach out to them. She didn't want them to go, she wanted to stay with them. Every bone in her body was telling her where they were going was where she needed to be, but she couldn't leave Teal'c. Teal'c? Where was he in all of this? Not anywhere in sight, but she could feel his presence; he was near.
What was that? The Colonel had said something, but his voice was unclear. It was muffled, as if having fought through waves of other reverberations too strong to allow his single voice to break through in its entirety. She screamed for him, to not leave her behind; she needed him to be with her. She needed to Daniel to be with her. They couldn't leave her alone.
"Colonel!" erupted from her throat as she jerked forward from her unconsciousness, pain cutting into her with the sudden movement.
She was back in the cell, far away from the place she had been taken to only moments previously. The images from her dream filled her mind, not being able to hide from them as she concentrated on their meaning. The optimist in her told her that it meant that all was not what it seemed. The sceptic in her told her to dismiss it as just a dream, a comforting dream at that, but still, merely a dream.
She forced herself onto her back, grimacing as shards of rock dug into her. Even that small movement had ignited the explosives in her brain, and she remained still to allow them to subside.
"Major Carter" a deep velvet voice sounded from behind her. She didn't need to turn herself to face that voice she trusted with her life. She smiled at its presence, relieved at not being entirely alone.
"Teal'c, What happened?" she croaked, throat dry and cracked from the water deprivation she had been forced to endure.
"Daniel Jackson has not returned. Many hours have passed since he was taken. I believe his fate has come to be with that of Colonel O'Neill's. It will only be a matter of time before we meet the same end Major Carter"
Never one for subtlety was Teal'c, but she preferred that. She hated those who lied to make any bad situation seem to offer a glimmer of hope. It always sounded as though they were humouring her, not trying to soften the blow.
She tried to push herself off the ground, but the pain beating against her head told her to remain still. She took its advice and closed her eyes, hoping that sleep would envelop her in its tender arms and take her away from all her physical and emotional pain. Sleep found her quickly, and cradled her for many blissful hours.
The feeling of smooth hot water falling onto his coarse skin was among the best feelings he had experienced in his lifetime. The showers in the Mountain were mediocre at best, but that sensation of ridding himself of those black substances clinging to his skin made the reality hit him; he was home.
The clear water that landed onto him quickly changed to that of blacks and reds and browns. Seeing the myriad of reds sliding into the drain brought back painful memories. Images of lying on the ground as his blood escaped through breaks of skin not occupied by the cold steel of the trident invading into his thorax made him reflexively grab for his chest. He could only stand there, frozen, as the realisation that Sam and Teal'c were doomed to the same fate struck him. What if they weren't allowed back home? What if Orcus decided to not show the compassion he had done with Jack and himself and left them to rot, or to be used as food?
His eyes closed themselves as water sprayed onto them, caressing his face with its velvet viscosity. In ten minutes he would have to meet Jack in the Commissary. He didn't know how to feel about that particular meeting. What could they possible talk about, knowing what they had done and what Sam and Teal'c would be forced to do? Well, it wouldn't be about the strange weather they'd been having, that's for damn sure. Jack's reaction to Daniel being here was, although expected, infuriating all the same.
Comforting in an odd and obscure way.
But infuriating.
Whatever Jack had been feeling, it remained unknown to him. His cheerful attitude may have fooled any witnesses that had been present, but it hadn't fooled him. Jack had flinched slightly when Daniel had reached to him for confirmation.
He didn't want to be near you, a voice in the back of his mind told him. What you did was unforgivable; things will never be how they were. Damn it, they had just reached a point where they were comfortable with each other. Jack had started showing a semblance of respect for him, and Daniel had grown patient with Jack's arrogance. Then this happens and they were back to square one.
Jack was never one for talking about these things. That was an understatement if there ever was one. Jack just didn't talk about anything, plain and simple. Things would be difficult, tension hanging in the air building multiple barriers between them until eventually the team's cohesion would be jeopardised. He couldn't let that happen, they worked together too well for that. They all knew what the other was thinking, all knew what plan of action to carry out without the need to clarify and all knew the part they played ensuring that this cohesion remained intact. This had been compromised and needed amending.
Daniel let a quiet laugh slip between his lips. That was Jack's terminology, not his. He had definitely been working with the military too much, what he needed was a long archaeological dig in some remote country to get him back to himself again.
Stop stalling, he told himself, you have a friendship to save.
Reluctant to tear himself from the cascading water, he forced himself away, wrapped a towel around his waist and headed for the mirror. There he was, features unmoving as stone.
Exhausted.
Seeming aged.
Hard eyes and tight mouth and jaw.
But clean.
He took a deep breath and set about getting dried and dressed. The next few hours would be interesting.
This was going to be interesting. What the hell was he supposed to say to the kid? Strange weather recently? Yeah sure, that'd work.
O'Neill had arrived at the Commissary fifteen minutes early. What else was he supposed to do? Sitting in the hard chair, staring at the congealing soup placed in front of him, he had suddenly lost his appetite.
He looked to his watch for the third time in the last five minutes, simply to pass the time. All right O'Neill, that passed two seconds, only another couple hundred more to go. How many times would he need to look at his watch to fill that? He'd have to ask Carter.
Carter. That struck a nerve. She was still millions of miles away, trapped in a hell that made Netu look like Maui. She was dying in a cell, and here he was, sitting nice and comfortable in the Commissary, staring at his chicken soup, finding ways to pass a few minutes. He needed to get her out of there, he needed to get Teal'c out of there, not wait for them to die and be sent back. He was about to pick up his bowl, smash it against the wall and throw his chair after it in frustration when Daniel's entrance convinced him of otherwise, numbing his rage and replacing it with the gratitude he had felt when he had seen Daniel come through the Stargate, relieved that he was alive. Danny, he thought to himself, you have the best timing humanly possible.
"Hey Jack" was all he said.
He mentally winced at himself for the tone he had said it with. It had come out awkward sounding, revealing his discomfort with being there. He'd messed up those two little words, how the hell did he manage to screw up those two little words? Great start there Daniel, he thought to himself and he seated himself in the empty chair sitting opposite the impassive looking Colonel.
"Hey. Not eating anything? You know you should really try some -" he started, grabbing the spoon that had been sitting in his soup. The sudden movement broke the skin that had been lying on the surface and they both watched as the sludge slopped back into the bowl. "Uh, you should probably try the meatloaf, can't really go wrong with that" he grimaced, dropping the spoon back into its resting-place.
"I don't think so" Daniel answered with a small smile. Come on Daniel, he told himself, you can do better than that. No, actually, you just come out and start things rolling. "Jack, we need to talk"
"I thought we already were" he answered, face as straight as they came.
Daniel let out a sigh of frustration. He wasn't going to make this easy at all. "Jack, I killed you," he said, so quiet that his whisper was barely audible.
"I know that, but I'm here now. So let's forget it, okay?"
He couldn't believe this. "No, we can't" he forced slightly stronger, the tone in his voice showing his seriousness. "What if Orcus hadn't put you in a sarcophagus? What then?"
O'Neill thought for a second, and sat back in his seat, putting a little more distance between himself and Daniel. "Then I wouldn't be sitting here trying to convince myself to eat whatever the hell it is in this bowl. And you wouldn't be sitting here either."
Daniel's head fell in vexation. He knew exactly what Jack was trying to do and he wasn't going to let him get away so easily. This was just textbook Jack O'Neill. Infuriate the enemy into giving up so you could get out of any uncomfortable situation. It would work with anyone else, but Daniel wasn't anyone else. He was just as stubborn and twice as relentless.
"Jack, you've got to be feeling something about all of this-" he started
"Your point being?" Jack interrupted.
It's not working Jack. "My point being we need to deal with this. You were killed, I was killed, Sam and Teal'c are likely to be killed, you can't tell me that that doesn't bother you in some way, not even you are that cold."
That had hurt, Daniel could see that by the flinch in the other man's face, screaming volumes to him that would mean nothing to anyone else. It had been out of line and he inwardly yelled at himself for allowing it to slip out.
"Look, I'm sorry, that came out wrong-"
"No Daniel, you're right. This is hurting; this is hurting a lot. I abandoned my team to save my own sorry ass and left you all in that place. I came back here, got checked out at the Infirmary, reported to General Hammond and got on with some paperwork. Your average day in here actually. The whole time you were stuck in there I was acting as though nothing had happened, glad that I as still alive" he bit at him, voice as sharp as knives.
"Jack, that's a normal reaction-"
"You wanted to know how I feel, I'm telling you how I feel, so you'll shut-up and let me finish" he snarled, getting out of his chair. He felt safer being higher up, not caring about the attention he was drawing. "Going through" he stopped himself, finding the words that would hit Daniel the most. He wanted to hear this and he was going to make him realise what a mistake it was getting Jack O'Neill to open up. "You know what? Forget it. Yes, I'm angry with you, who wouldn't be? You killed me Daniel, I was pinned down and you killed me. We sat in that prison for who knows how long waiting to see what they had done to you. Sliced myself up pretty good in the process. And what they hell point was there? The second I see you you take a couple of swings at me and the next thing I know I'm locked up in a box not knowing where the hell I am. That's what I'm feeling Daniel. I'm angry at you, I'm angry at myself and I'm furious at that damn Goa'uld. Satisfied?"
With that, he moved away from the table, fists clenched tightly as he stormed towards the exit. Daniel only watched him leaving, not knowing how to react. He shouldn't have pushed it so soon; Jack was a time bomb at the best of times and all he had done was pushed the self-destruct button.
Jack, suddenly aware of the great numbers of eyes beating down on him from behind, stopped at the doorway and turned around, glaring at each and every officer in the room. If looks could kill, Hammond would have been dealing with genocide. Those in the room knew the threat behind that look and immediately continued talking amongst themselves. Satisfied his message had been clearly read, he looked once more at the lonely archaeologist sitting in the middle, and left, fuming at himself for losing his temper. He hated himself when he was like this, and was sure that everyone else felt the same. Why couldn't Daniel have just left things when he had said?
Where was Teal'c? Oh God, had they taken him whilst she had been sleeping? Not caring about the pounding against her brain, she threw herself from the ground and searched into his cell. He wasn't there. In his place was a sleeping woman, uninjured and at an odd peace as she softly snored.
Panicking, Carter paced around in her cell, seeing if she could locate her friend in another cell, to no avail. She had to find out where he was; she wasn't about to lose him too. Too late for that, her thoughts whispered, he was taken while you took a nap.
So much for watching out for her team.
She pinned herself against the bars of her cell, and reached out in an attempt to get a guard's attention; it worked. A guard immediately saw her and marched to her, thinking she was trying an escape. Caught off guard, her reflexes failed her as the handle of the guard's weapon swung upon her hands, crushing them and flaring a searing heat through each of her fingers. Crashing to the ground, she landed on a shard and cut herself deeply in her thigh, and cursed to herself. Smart move Sam, way to go. Fighting back tears that desperately wanted to emerge from her eyes, she stared at the guard in pure hatred. The look she received showed her the feeling was mutual.
"What happened to my friend?" she demanded, standing herself up in such a way so to not apply any pressure to her stinging leg.
The guard allowed himself a quick laugh in contempt. "What would I know? You are all the same. Many have been taken out to the Great Circle, I do not take time to observe."
And with that, he disappeared out of sight, leaving Carter in an unspoken fury. Reaching to the jagged wall to support herself, her throbbing fingers dug into cold stone as she sat down on the uneven ground, grimacing as her thigh complained with the effort. It was bleeding badly, the murky atmosphere would prevent it from healing she concluded after a brief investigation to the extent of its severity. She laughed at the irony as she realised that she wouldn't actually be given the time for it to heal as she would more than likely be killed within a day or two anyway.
She looked to the still sleeping woman in the cell that the Colonel and Teal'c had been locked in only days previously. She would do anything for them to be there with her, their mere presence providing the confidence she usually displayed.
So much for wild horses.
Still fuming from the confrontation with Daniel, Jack made his way to his quarters, angry more with himself than with the archaeologist who was simply trying to clear the air. Damn it O'Neill, for once in your life could you not have been an ass? What, and destroy his well-earned reputation? On his way to the solitude of his room he bumped into Doctor Fraser and inwardly winced. He just wanted to hide away from everyone and the doc was never one for allowing the opportunity of interrogation to slip from her grasp.
"Colonel, I'm glad I caught you, how are you feeling?" she asked with a cheerful smile.
"Swell" was his chosen reply, and with that he tried to make his escape.
Her quick movement allowed her to catch his arm, preventing him from leaving. She wasn't letting him get away just yet. "Really" she said suspiciously. "Because evidence would suggest otherwise."
A quick raise of an eyebrow was her indication to continue.
"The Commissary? A few minutes ago? I was on my break" she informed him.
O'Neill instantly looked away from her, face unrevealing as always but stance showing his discomfort at the recollection.
"Doc, I'm fine, a little tired, but fine" he answered automatically.
It was the answer he always gave without any thought. Those little words easily rolled off his tongue and dispersed themselves to all those who were listening. The only problem with them now, he realised, was that he had used them so often that their plausibility was wearing thin. Not that the good old doctor had ever believed him anyway, but it was worth a shot.
"So you're usually in the habit of making outbursts like that?" she raised her eyebrows, hoping that the episode wouldn't be repeated.
The glare she received from him was her warning that he was getting close to snapping again, and so she remained silent and walked on ahead, hoping that the impact of her words would sink in.
But O'Neill was too caught up in his own self-loathing to allow that, and instead he continued to his room, alone with his privacy. The door opened and slammed closed, the sudden impact echoing down the empty corridors. It remained closed for many hours, the deafening silence emanating from within overwhelming all else in the vicinity.
"Why have you revived me?" Teal'c demanded, not afraid of the impressive figure standing before him.
"You have served your purpose, you shall be returned" the figure replied with his booming voice.
"What of Major Carter?" he asked, determined not to leave her alone in those prisons. He had sworn his life to protect her and the other members of Sg-1; he wouldn't abandon her now. He had failed O'Neill and Daniel Jackson, though he was wise enough to realise that there as nothing he could have done to save them from their fate.
"She shall remain until her purpose has been fulfilled. You will leave" he answered flatly, showing that he had no intention of providing any more information. Teal'c, however, had other ideas. His revival surely meant that Daniel Jackson and O'Neill were also revived. A new hope formed within him.
"What of my friends? Were they also returned from death?"
Orcus allowed a smile to form across his lips. He wouldn't give this being the satisfaction of an answer. Teal'c was led out of the hall by two impossibly large guards, both seemingly twice the size of Teal'c, if that were possible. Before reaching the exit, Orcus' deep voice sounded once more, the voice raised in a curious tone.
"Jaffa, you once served Apophis. Is your God now without power that you would turn your back to him?"
Teal'c gave him a long look, his face conveying his feelings on that particular subject. The thought that he had once seen Apophis as anything other than the parasite he was made him sick. It also made him proud of how he had broken free from the Goa'uld's rule and the thought that all Jaffa would one day be as free as he was only heightened that pride.
"The only power the Goa'uld possess is that of their armies. One day that power will turn against them, and the Goa'uld will be feared no more."
With that, Teal'c was led out of the throne room, leaving a bemused Orcus sitting on his throne. The day was early, there would be much bloodshed yet to come, and he smiled as his imagination allowed him to see the suffering he was about to inflict.
He had been pleased with the Jaffa's performance in the arena. He had fought well, resulting in the momentous cheering from the crowds. He had been surrounded by several Taueret, each as savage as the other. The Jaffa had killed three of the largest Taueret before a forth leaped from behind and bit into his neck, killing him instantly.
The crowd had roared their disapproval as guards were sent in to prevent the decimation of the body. Although Orcus would have enjoyed to see the warrior's flesh ripped from his bones, he knew that he could not allow it if he was to send him back through the Chappa'ai as promised. He was omnipotent and evil, but he kept his word.
The angry crowd soon changed their resentment to adoration when a group of slaves were dragged into the Great Circle, and the remaining Taueret were allowed to feast upon them, diverting their attention away from the guards dragging the lifeless body of the Jaffa. The slaves hadn't stood a chance and were killed within minutes.
It wasn't often Orcus was made to show compassion; he didn't enjoy the sensation. He would make up for it in the remainder of the celebrations.
Daniel hadn't stayed in the Commissary for long. The questioning glances from everyone in the room and their quiet chattering he was certain was focused on him had made him uncomfortable, and he abruptly departed, unsure where to take himself. He knew exactly where Jack would be right then, he would have shut himself away, needing no one's company but his own.
He looked at his watch; thirty minutes until his debriefing with Hammond. He had thought that the time would have been filled with discussing the occurrences on Orcus' world. He had thought wrong. Jack had been completely unreasonable, and for the first time since the meeting in the Commissary, Daniel began feeling resentment towards his friend. Just for once could he not have opened up and allowed himself to talk about something that was obviously troubling him.
No, he couldn't, because he was Jack O'Neill. Things went his way or they didn't go at all. That whole faade in the embarkation room was what was angering him the most.
"I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine, everything's fine" he had told him.
"Everything's fine" he had assured him.
"Everything's fine" rang through his ears.
"Everything's fine" was his now shattered glimmer of hope.
Jack had no reason to be angry at him; it hadn't been his fault that Jack had been killed. He had had no control over his actions, had there been the slightest chance of breaking through to prevent Jack's death.... It hit him. It wasn't his fault; he had to stop blaming himself. Yes, it was his hand that had killed Jack, but it wasn't him giving it the order to do so. Just as Skaara couldn't be blamed for the actions that Klorel had made him carry out, he shouldn't be made to take responsibility for what had happened. It was only through that that he could get through to Jack.
What time was it now? Twenty minutes to go. Find Jack? No, not yet, leave him some time to himself. He could go to his quarters, get some sleep, read, try to relax, do something to pass the time.
Realising his present course was heading in the opposite direction to where he needed to be going, he changed his footing and walked quietly to his room. Thankfully he crossed paths with no one, reached his room, and collapsed on his bed. It wasn't the most comfortable thing he had ever laid on, but compared to what he had just come from, it was bliss.
Sleep stole him the moment his weary eyes closed.
Teal'c had been forced to walk to the Stargate in the full blare of the blistering sun. The two guards leading him to his destination were showing no signs of being affected by the heat, despite their heavy armour, and every few minutes they found themselves needing to push the Jaffa with the ends of their weapons to keep him moving. Teal'c had stamina, much more stamina than anyone else, but even he couldn't withstand the immense heat beating onto his burning skin. Though he had almost stumbled on more than one occasion, his face remained as it always did. He would not allow them to see him weak. That is what his father had taught him before Cronos had murdered him.
Be strong Teal'c, he had said.
One day False Gods will rule no longer, when that time comes, you will have your strength to lead our people.
The sight of the Stargate brought him back to the present, though he was not glad to see it. He could not leave Major Carter; if O'Neill were here, he would not have done. Though perhaps he had already left this world, with Daniel retreating afterwards.
He looked to the DHD and found a small object lying beside it. He squinted his eyes to focus on it, and frowned in confusion as he recognised the metal object; the GDO was lying half-covered in the sand as if it had always been there.
His discovery provided him with a new-found energy as he realised his earlier thoughts of his friends being still alive were more than just suspicions. There was no other way that the GDO could be here.
He picked up the device and quickly pressed the seven symbols engraved on the DHD. The silent air was filled with the immediate rush of unstable vortex as the Stargate spat out its engulfing energy. Without hesitation, Teal'c entered the sequence on the GDO, returned it next to the DHD and turned to face the two guards, who were nervously looking at the device he had just been holding. Unknown to Teal'c, these were the same two guards that had taken both Daniel and Jack back to the Stargate when they had been freed, so he was unsure of their reaction to what he had just done.
"You will leave now" one ordered in an authoritative voice.
Teal'c gave no further thought, and stepped into the event horizon, eager to greet those he had thought he had lost.
The second he had heard the warning of an unauthorised Stargate activation, O'Neill had jumped from his bed and charged towards the Embarkation Room. He knew it was either Carter or Teal'c coming back through and he wanted to be there when they stepped from the Gate.
Teams armed with their multitudes of weapons had poured in before him, but he forced his way into the room despite the distinct lack of space. Carter or Teal'c, Carter or Teal'c his heart beat furiously. He looked around at the faces of the men whose attention was focused on the spinning symbols on the Stargate, and noticed a missing face that should be there. Where was Daniel?
He looked to the wall behind him, through the glass to see if he was standing with the General. Hammond was standing there, eyes just as focused as the men in the Embarkation Room, but there was no sign of Daniel. Didn't the kid even care? Of course he did, don't try to put him down so you can feel better he told himself, you know the kid's better than that. Better than you, a small voice offered?
The bellowing plasma didn't allow him the time for an answer, and the second the lethal water gushed back into the Stargate's frame, the iris was sliced closed. O'Neill turned to look at Hammond, but Hammond's attention was far from him, understandably. His gut was telling him that something was different this time, his plan had worked. That was probably due to him trusting Teal'c and Carter to carry out a simple procedure a hell of a lot more than Daniel, but then again, how could he have known that Daniel would be the first one to come back?
Suddenly the iris slithered back to its hiding place, and O'Neill swung back to face the General, a look of questioning lining his face. This time Hammond saw O'Neill in there, and nodded in silent confirmation to what the glance thrown at him had meant.
The sound of an entity emerging from the shimmering light stole O'Neill from Hammond's form, and was relieved to see Teal'c standing on the ramp, unharmed. The Stargate closed down behind him, separating the two worlds once again.
Part of him winced at Carter not standing in front of him, but the part that glowed with relief was what he focused on, and he ran up the ramp to greet his comrade. The two soldiers stood before one another for a moment, not needing to exchange words, simply enjoying the presence of the other. It was O'Neill who eventually placed his hands on Teal'c's shoulders, gripping them slightly, and allowed a small laugh to escape from his throat. Both men were smiling, and such was the occasion a rare one to see that Hammond was almost reluctant to intervene, but he had to. He entered the room and walked up the ramp, also smiling. O'Neill turned to face him, the two team members stood side by side, their stature reminding Hammond why they were part of his best team.
"Its good to see you Teal'c, welcome home" he said, his wide smile conveying more than his words. The smile then evaporated into his usual frown, signs of an important question. "What of Major Carter" he asked the warrior before him.
"She still remains General Hammond. It will not be long before she too returns"
The second half of the statement had been directed at O'Neill, who Teal'c knew would be concerned for her safety. Of course, he had every right to be concerned, she would be killed as they all had been, but, just as they all had been, she too would be sent back through the Stargate, never to return to Orcus' world.
Hammond then faced O'Neill, face still frowning.
"Colonel, Doctor Jackson was due to a debriefing over two hours ago. Usually I would send someone to retrieve him, but given the present circumstances..." he didn't need to finish.
"I'll get him sir, we'll all debrief" he answered, heading out of the Embarkation Room straight to Daniel's quarters.
It took him only moments to reach the archaeologist's room, and before entering, O'Neill stopped himself. How was he supposed to act? This was work, any personal issues were meant to be discarded until a more appropriate time. He took in a deep breath and stormed in; military heart not feeling any sympathy for the sleeping man curled up on his bed. He called out his name loud enough for him to jump wide awake. The emotion on his face was more than just shock; there was fear there too. That was enough to momentarily reach out to him, and he sat himself beside the bed.
"You all right?" he asked, tone of voice carefully neutral.
Confused for a moment, Daniel was unsure how to react. "What?" was the only quick response he could give.
"You looked a little out of it just there, something up?"
He opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it and closed it again. He wasn't about to reveal the nightmare he had just lived through again, the sight of deep red blood covering him, that same scream, those same cheers.
"I'm fine, just, don't wake me up like that again, okay?"
O'Neill raised his eyebrows, showing Daniel he neither believed him nor cared. Keep this short. "You missed your debriefing with Hammond, you'd better head on up there now. Oh, by the way, you might like to know that Teal'c's back"
Daniel's eyes opened so wide that O'Neill swore they would have popped out if it were possible. "He's here? He's back? When?" he threw at him, jumping to his feet.
"A few minutes ago and if you'd have been bothered enough to keep awake you'd have been there too"
O'Neill inwardly cringed. It wasn't the kid's fault; they had been through a lot in the past few days, he needed his sleep. Hell, he had slept for weeks after the Iraqi Prison deal. Nothing else but slept, grateful for a bed, grateful for being able to be grateful for a bed. No matter how angry he was at Daniel not being there for Teal'c in the Embarkation Room, he knew what he had just said was out of line. He wasn't about to apologise, just hope that the kid let it pass. He didn't.
"What's that supposed to mean?" he shot at him, voice hard and hurt at the same time.
O'Neill hated how he could do that. It certainly wasn't the first time Daniel had used it on him, and just like all the other times, he wasn't about to stand down. As much as he wanted to avoid a confrontation right now, he might as well throw even more shit at the fan while he was on a role.
"It means you should've got your butt out of bead and headed for the Gate Room when you heard the speakers. You know, those little annoying things that let out warnings about unauthorised activations and stuff?"
"Jack, if I'd have heard it, I would have been there just as fast as you" he defended, not wanting to be angry at the man he still felt he needed forgiveness from.
"Yeah, whatever, get to Hammond's office, you'll see him in there" he finished, and waited for Daniel to make his move.
Daniel headed for the door, but before stepping into the corridor, he stopped himself and faced Jack, wanting to be the one who finished round two. Searching for the right words, he found them and spoke in an even voice devoid of any intonation.
"Jack, in the Commissary, you said you were angry because of what you all went through in the prisons waiting to see what had happened to me, and I value that, I do. But look at it from another perspective. You're forgetting that we had to stay in those prisons after I had killed you. We had to stay there believing you were dead and that we would never see you again. I was made to kill you and I had to watch you die. For a few days, I had to live with that."
He looked briefly at the older man whose unrevealing face was looking right back, and with that, he turned and walked out into the corridor, motivated only by the thought of Teal'c being at his destination.
"Your beauty pleases me"
Standing in front of a figure desperately trying to impress her with its authority, Carter said nothing. It was what she and the Colonel were trained to do, although he hadn't always followed that particular rule. Despite herself, a fleeting smile curved her lips as she momentarily recalled several of those amusing moments of first contact the Colonel had managed to start.
Orcus misinterpreted the smile. "There are not many of those whose beauty matches your own"
His voice killed the smile, and replaced it with the frown she often used to show how unimpressed she was. She stared directly into his eyes, features unmoving as he continued.
"I would prefer not to kill you, a shame to waste such talent. I would give you a choice instead."
His eyes were piercing into her, the rarity of the lack of malice having no effect on her. This was the Goa'uld responsible for her team mates' deaths. Firstly the Colonel, who had been killed by his best friend, next Daniel, who probably had welcomed the killing blow, and then Teal'c, who, had she been awake, could have done something. The more she thought of what this Goa'uld represented, the more she found herself fighting the urge to murder him there and then.
Orcus waited for her to ask of the choice, and when no such question was put forward, he continued.
"I could send you out to your death, to be slaughtered for entertainment for a few thousand slaves who will forget you in a day. Is that the fate you want?"
She remained silent.
"I think not. Then allow me to offer you the chance of life"
She remained silent.
Growing impatient with her silence, he spoke more forcefully.
"Serve me, in any way I desire, and you shall live."
She looked at him in incredulity; this Goa'uld actually thought she would agree to this. Looking to her right and left, seeing the armed guards watching her every minute movement, she knew she would have to phrase her words carefully.
"You can have me taken to the prison again, I won't agree to anything" she said firmly, voice hard to emphasise her words.
Orcus raised his head and narrowed his eyes at her response. This he had not been expecting. The last whore he had offered life to had thrown herself at his feet, thanking him for his mercy. He had enjoyed her for several months before he tired of her and killed her himself, cooking her brain with the intense energy of the deadly Ribbon Device. It wasn't often he took life himself, the few times he had had made the experiences all the more enjoyable. He didn't want to become immune to the sensation of life slipping away by his hand; that last feeling had been better than all those times with her, and he took a deep breath as he realised that he would be denied the chance to feel it again.
"Very well, you shall die in the final of tomorrow's ceremony, to the sound of those who applaud your death. You shall be forgotten, that is what you shall amount to."
A few long minutes later, and she was back where she started, dumped in her cell, clinging to the sudden jolt of pain from the laceration in her thigh, staring at the woman in her neighbouring cell, who now was fully awake and curled into a self-comforting ball. The woman became aware of eyes focused on her, and she looked to their source.
Carter never altered her gaze, though changed its expression. Neither one of them would last long in this place; Carter was amazed that she had lasted this long so far relatively unscathed. Well, with exception to her leg, which was now dulling to an incessant throb.
The woman approached Carter's cell, and sat once again against the bars separating them.
"You are not from this world" she spoke in soft quiet tones. "You wear strange clothing"
"I came through the Stargate with three others," she answered, equally as quiet. "They're all dead now" she finished, hoping that that would serve as enough information to this woman she knew would have prodded for their whereabouts.
The woman looked at Carter in fascination. "What is the Stargate? It allowed you to our world?"
Carter saw no need to talk with this stranger, but found that she hadn't spoken a great deal to anyone for the past few days. She missed that contact, and despite her gut telling her that there was no possible advantage to talking with a fellow prisoner, she explained what the Stargate was, where she had come from, all useless information, but received with awe nonetheless.
The woman returned the favour. Her name was Sebrya, and had been taken from her home the day previously for not being in the Great Circle as they had been told. She had been ill and unable to move beyond a few steps as her illness had stolen her strength and will. All homes had been searched for people not attending, and because she was not well enough to hide, she had been found and dragged here. She wept as her fear of death surfaced, and she expressed her admiration for Carter's bravery.
"It's not being brave, it's just I've been in situations like this before. You learn to cope with these things."
"You are not afraid of death?" her timid voice asked, its raised tone wavering through sobs desperately trying to be hidden through inspiration of the stranger who showed no fear of what was to come.
Carter wished she could find an honest answer to that, but she couldn't. Instead, she chose to end the conversation there, suddenly feeling the drowsiness brought on by lack of sleep and food and water. She allowed her head to fall softly against the cold wall and closed her eyes, eager to escape.
Sebrya had formed respect for this Major Samantha Carter, and remained quiet for her, despite her need of support this woman had unknowingly given. She too leaned against the wall, and succumbed to sleep.
The kid was right. He hated to admit it, and although he would never reveal to anyone that he had agreed with the archaeologist, he had to admit that he had been unfair. Daniel had been through as hard a time as he had, probably even more. Daniel had been stuck in that place longer than he had. He had been killed just as cruelly as he had, so why was he feeling all this resentment towards him?
His own stubbornness.
"For a few days, I had to live with that."
Yes, he had. He could imagine what Daniel had been thinking the whole time he had been safe in the Mountain, not able to tell him that everything was fine. That's what he had said in the Embarkation Room, that everything was fine. God, he would do anything to be back then, where the two friends were merely happy to be united again. Words hadn't really been necessary; they could have just sat there for the duration in silence. Somehow, silence seemed more comforting. Words were harsh. They were unfair and they were cruel and they were his. This situation wasn't one sided, they were both guilty parties and they were both blameless.
Apologies were rare from Jack O'Neill. If he could avoid them, he would. Not this time. This time was different, and the second the debriefing with the General was finished, he would have to pull the kid aside and say his piece.
With that, he left the room and followed the direction Daniel had taken minutes before.
"Daniel Jackson, I am pleased to see you once more."
Those who didn't know Teal'c would have interpreted that statement as not the sort of reaction one would expect after what they had been through. To Daniel, those words were spoken with a warmth only Teal'c could provide in the deep tones of his voice. He didn't hold back as he allowed a smile to broaden across his face, and the two men sat down as they prepared for the interrogation by their Commanding Officer, not without holding a hand each in an unmoving handshake, both providing more than just what that gesture usually gave.
"Where's Colonel O'Neill?" Hammond's southern drawl inquired.
"He should be here in a minute" Daniel informed him, hoping the General wouldn't further question his absence.
"He's here right now. Permission to barge in late sir" O'Neill said with his usual irreverence, and sat down on the extra chair.
"Right, now that I have all of you here, Teal'c and Doctor Jackson especially, I would like to know what happened on that planet. I already have the Colonel's report, so you can continue on from when he returned."
It was Daniel who started the 'report'. His was definitely different in how his information was given to the General. Whilst Jack's had been based on events only, Daniel explored his version in greater detail, describing each and every event as best he could. He didn't dare look at the faces of his avid listeners; he knew only too well what expressions they would be carrying.
Hammond would have that grave look on his face that showed he understood what he had been through and that if this weren't official he would be offering him sympathy and support. But because of it being official, he could only listen with that face frowning; the lines of age creasing with concern.
Teal'c would have that stoic look on his face that never seemed to change upon a quick glance, but under study could reveal easily what he was feeling. His subtle expression would reveal his empathy at the situation, but not show the anguish Daniel was describing they had all been through, and the anguish Sam would still be going through.
O'Neill would probably be rolling his eyes at his superfluous descriptions, fidgeting in his chair eager to get this over and done with, as he always did. Throughout his version of the events of the mission gone wrong, Daniel strained to hear any sighs coming from the Colonel's direction, or any shuffling, but could hear none.
Daniel talked for nearly ten minutes, finishing with his arrival in the Embarkation Room. He sat, and brought himself to look at the General, who was looking at the Colonel. What he didn't see was the Colonel raise his eyebrows, playing ignorant.
"Thank you Doctor Jackson. Teal'c, can you continue?"
"Indeed I can General Hammond" Teal'c replied, in the way he always did.
His report was just that, the way O'Neill liked it; to the point, concise, and finished in half the time. Hammond was grateful, and the three men were dismissed to allow him to write his report. They left his office, leaving Hammond with a bitter taste in his mouth knowing that Major Carter was still out there, separated from her team.
"Daniel? A word?"
Once safely out of the overbearing pressure that the General's Office unintentionally supplied, O'Neill's core ordered him to make the move. It was one of those now or never situations, those ones that if you chose the never part of the equation you were forced to spend the next few hours kicking yourself over your wrong choice.
Daniel had immediately stopped and turned to face him, his slow and deliberate rotation playing in double time from the Colonel's perspective. He searched for a clue as to the other man's state of mind, looking into every part of his face, every muscle holding his expression, or lack of one. That was unusual for the kid. Granted, he was pretty good at hiding how he felt, not quite the master of concealment that he was, but fairly good all the same. Just raised eyebrows in the usual inquisitive and innocent manor, with head held slightly higher than usual showing that he was listening.
Where were the words? He should have planned this one, this was a biggie, and here he was, standing in front of his friend, not knowing what to say. What would he usually do in a situation like this? Sarcasm? No, Jack, no, don't you dare, that's the sort of thing that gets you into trouble with the kid in the first place. Think quick, oh yeah, not a strong point.
"We should talk" was all he could get out.
We should talk? That was what he came out with, we should talk? God, he was lame at this stuff.
Daniel frowned in brief confusion at Jack's words. Was he feeling okay? He knew that they would eventually do this, but he didn't think that Jack would have agreed so soon. This was a rare moment if there ever was one. Maybe his words had hit something inside that had made Jack realise the importance of this situation. He wasn't about to turn this down; he needed to do this probably more than Jack did.
"Yeah, I was, uh, kinda hoping we would" was all he could answer.
This wasn't Jack; this was definitely someone else. He looked to Teal'c, who had been standing in the silence, just as confused as Daniel, but for other reasons.
"I have yet to perform Kel'No'Reem. I shall vacate to my quarters where I may concentrate." With a nod of respect to both, Teal'c left the two men standing on the spot, both unsure where to go from here.
"Should we try the Commissary again?" O'Neill offered.
"Think that's such a good idea?" Daniel asked, remembering clearly what had happened that last time.
"What?" Jack said quickly, not entirely sure as to why that wouldn't be the best place for something like this. Yes, they needed to be alone to discuss things, but he wasn't entirely comfortable being isolated with no escape route, and those witnesses in the Commissary had been just that.
"Never mind" Daniel finished, not wanting to lose his chance.
The two men, both walking in silence, headed up to the Commissary, thoughts racing through both their minds. Round three was sure to be an interesting one, and hopefully, Daniel prayed, it would be the final one that fixed the damage that Orcus had inflicted.
Thankfully, those that had been in the Commissary for round one weren't there for round three. Daniel had looked for any faces he could identify, but, although he recognised each and every one of them, their faces revealed the comforting image that said they were unaware of the earlier confrontation. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't entirely comfortable with discussing things in such an exposed area, but it was what Jack had chosen, and he wasn't about to argue about that. Jack had finally agreed to do something he never did, and if he wanted to do it here, then that was fine by him. If Jack had wanted to talk in the Locker Room, he would have been fine with that. If he had wanted to talk in the Toilets, he would have been fine with that, and that was saying something.
They sat, strangely enough, at the same table they had done a few hours previously, and after a few uncomfortable seconds of silence, it was Jack who started.
Spit it out O'Neill, spit it out, "I'm sorry. I was rude and unfair and should have talked with you. You were right, I was wrong, we need to clear the air, and if you want to go first, then go."
Not an award winning start, but give him a chance, he wasn't used to doing this. It was new territory to him, and as much as he hated to admit it, this was probably better for his health than keeping things locked inside. Keeping things inside was what broke his marriage; keeping things inside was what nearly drove him to suicide when Charlie died; keeping things inside was overrated.
Daniel sat back and leaned against the back of his chair, arms folded in his usual stance, brows knitted as he lost himself in deep thought. How was he going to start this, he didn't know where to go. The last time this had happened between them, they had been walking down a corridor, not letting the other finish their sentences. That usually worked, but this time was different; this wasn't just an argument where they had thrown petty insults at each other, this went beyond anything else.
"I just wanted you to understand that what was done wasn't done in free will" Daniel explained.
"I know that" he interrupted. "It's just not a pleasant memory, that's all" Come on, give me some credit.
"I know, but I think you especially can understand what it's like to kill someone close to you" he started, noticing the sudden frown on the other man's face.
With that statement, Jack was involuntarily taken back to the image of his son lying on the floor, his own gun lying next to the small hand, each tiny finger curled slightly up, tainted with the flecks of blood that had splattered from the lethal bullet. He remembered running to his child, tears blurring his vision as he screamed to his wife to get an ambulance. Checking for a pulse and finding one, a weak one that gave him an unfair sense of hope. He had picked up his son and cradled him in his arms as he screamed to him not to leave him, rocking back and forth as if that would wake him, tears falling onto the lifeless face he loved more than anything in his world. Rocking for an eternity until the ambulance had arrived, not wanting to let go of what he knew he had killed as the medics rushed into the room. Taken away from him, left to pace in hysterics covered in the innocent child's blood, Sara not wanting to be near him as she screamed every swearword she knew at him.
She hoped the fucking asshole was pleased with himself.
She hoped the goddamned bastard could live with himself.
She hated the very sight of him.
Yes, he knew that feeling well; too well. That feeling had nearly killed him.
"All I'm saying is," Daniel continued, seeing that he had hit a nerve and needed to move on quickly, "is that, I just want you to forgive me" he said in lost hope, looking down, both at the thought of that not being possible and at how he knew the other man would probably ridicule him for it.
Jack looked in shock and confusion. "That's it? That's all you wanted to say?"
Daniel turned his head to see other people in the room, some were listening in, others were oblivious. "Uh, yeah" he said, uncomfortable at those who were listening.
"Daniel, for cryin' out loud, there's nothing to forgive. It's me who should askin' for stuff like that." He couldn't believe this; he had prepared himself for a deep philosophical conversation that would last hours, this was nothing.
"Then, everything's okay?" Daniel asked, equally as puzzled. In a way, he had thought that Jack would find some way to make this short and sweet. Granted, they were exactly the words he would have chosen to describe this third round, but that wasn't through anything Jack had organised. This was genuinely something that a few simple words could mend.
Jack allowed a quick laugh. "Yeah, everything's fine"
Both sat for a few moments in silence, each finding it hard to believe that the situation had been resolved as it had. Jack took in a deep breath and released it as a sigh as he looked around. What now?
Sebrya was gone. Carter had woken with a start, dazed from a dream she had been having, to find that once again, her neighbouring cell was empty. Yet again, she was the one that had been left behind, left to feel the overwhelming guilt that survival always brought. Each and every time someone had been taken to their death, she would question why she hadn't been chosen. That was the natural reaction apparently, and she knew it would go when it was her turn. That was hopefully soon, she couldn't take much more of this. No matter how long she had been trapped in here, the pungent stench still sickened her, polluting the air and clogging her lungs with each breath she took. That had been the only relief when she had been taken to Orcus; the air was sweet and clear.
As the days had passed more and more people had disappeared from their cells, leaving her as one of only a few survivors left. The celebrations would be ending soon; they had to be, how many people were there left to kill?
For the first time in this place, she allowed herself to cry. Not one of those little sobs that were over in a matter of minutes that once finished you were able to carry on as normal. It was one of those severe attacks that made you choke from the soggy gusts of air that forced their way from your lungs, beating on your throat and lashing into the open air.
Her whole body ached with each choked gasp of air as it sent waves of reverberations into every part of her, into every bruised finger and every numbed toe.
She was glad the Colonel wasn't here to see her in this state, she would never let him see her like this, or indeed any of the members of her team. She was strong and could handle situations and certainly didn't cry like this. But she needed to, and so she sat on the jagged rock digging mercilessly into her and cried until no more tears would come.
The feeling of the tonnes of weight pounding onto him that the tension between himself and Daniel had produced had been almost unbearable. The stubbornness in him had multiplied it with the initial refusal to succumb to reason and deal with the problem. Now that the confrontation was over, now just a curious memory, O'Neill could allow himself to concentrate on what he felt was more important matters; namely Carter. With each second that passed, his usually dormant imagination taunted him with the possible scenarios. Carter was possibly the best member of his team, the one he trusted the most. He was lucky to have the team he did, their unique abilities and knowledge having saved them time and again. Daniel, although he would never admit it, was infinitely more useful than he would ever allow anyone to know. How many people could speak the number of languages he could and had his knowledge of mythology, the latter of which had made first contacts that much easier? Teal'c was the one he was most comfortable with when engaged in fire. Teal'c was a soldier, like he, and therefore was one he could count on when it came to the crunch.
Carter, however, was different. She was the combination of the two. She knew more than someone her age should know; the amount she knew on astrophysics was something he had imagined, before meeting her, that someone twice his own age should know. They got into tricky situations; she got them out of them using everything she knew on the physics of the Stargate. But just as she was a scientist, she was military too. The fact that she was already a Major spoke volumes to anyone who came across her. Admittedly, O'Neill had reached the higher ranks fairly quickly also, but that was only through following orders unquestioningly, a trait he had decided to discard in the later years of his military career. Carter had reached her rank through dedication and through her own actions, not through a commanding officer's orders. That was a trait he admired in an officer, and that was one of the reasons he trusted her as much as he did. That admiration was bordering with another feeling, a forbidden feeling within the military, but was one that was carefully locked away behind many bolted heavy doors under prudent guard. And the fact that this officer, his officer, who epitomised all that the military was looking for, was trapped where she was was eating at him.
This waiting game was more torturous than he had anticipated. Game one, waiting for Daniel, was probably the worst, trying to find something to do that would pass the interminable duration until the Stargate activated. Game two, waiting for Teal'c, had been somewhat less painful, but that had only been because the second game had had more complicated rules to follow, namely the contestant from game one. Game three was getting to him, having only just passed the first two. Every gut instinct was telling him to put on his fatigues and to charge back through the Gate to get her out of there. But what had Orcus said? That's right, he realised after needing only microseconds, come back and they die. This was the perfect Catch-22 situation, wait and she dies, go after her and she dies. In some strange and obscure way, he realised what Cromwell had gone through in Iraq.
Perhaps not in such an obscure way, a voice inside said, because both prisons were similar in their goals, and although Iraq had proved more zealous in achieving that goal, Orcus' world was definitely a close second.
"What? They, they can't do that, surely they can't, Jack, can they do that?" Daniel choked out.
O'Neill didn't even bother in giving him an answer. Daniel should know by now that the military did what it wanted, especially in these matters. He was just as disgusted, probably more so, but he knew all too well that arguing with the General would gain nothing.
"Dr. Jackson, I don't like it either, but I have to follow orders. It's my duty to report these things to the President and it's been decided that this Goa'uld may be a threat and therefore must be dealt with accordingly" the General explained.
Sg-1 had been called into Hammond's office. That was all. They weren't told why, though there was nothing unusual in that, just that they were to report there immediately.
The reason was given clearly, much to the team's disgust, though O'Neill had to admit he was surprised that that particular order hadn't been given sooner. The Joint Chiefs, who had, obviously, been informed of this new Goa'uld, had decided that it was an unnecessary threat that needn't be added to the multitudes of threats the SGC had accumulated over the past few years, and therefore a nuclear bomb was to be sent through the Stargate to eliminate the danger. They were all too aware of Major Carter still being on that world, but had decided that to wait any longer was too dangerous and that the bomb should go ahead as planned.
Had Carter not been on that world, O'Neill would have gladly volunteered to set the bomb himself and blow that son of a bitch to pieces. But the fact of the matter was his officer was still out there and he wasn't prepared to give up on her just yet.
"General Hammond, so long as there is still one of my officers on that planet, I won't allow anything to be sent through. You can tell the Joint Chiefs that that bomb isn't going anywhere just yet until she is safely back in the Mountain. And you can tell them-"
"Colonel, I'm very aware that Major Carter is still out there, and believe me when I tell you that I argued that very point until I was blue in the face, but the order has been given. The bomb is to be sent through at eleven hundred hours tomorrow. I'm sorry Colonel, Major Carter is very important to this programme, what she has done for Earth goes beyond what any officer should do, but the decision has been made. I'm just as unhappy about it as you, but you know my hands are tied."
"I'm sorry General" Daniel spoke up, clearing his throat, then continuing, "doesn't what she's done in the past few years amount to anything?"
"If it were not for Major Carter, the people of Earth would have been dead many years ago" Teal'c finished, face and voice deceivingly calm.
Hammond forced out a heavy sigh, slumping his shoulders, allowing the weight acting upon them a temporary win. "I know son, if it were up to me, I wouldn't waste the bomb, it sounds to me that there are a lot of innocent people on that planet that shouldn't have to be sacrificed for one Goa'uld that's been out of the game for a while. But there's nothing I can do. I'm sorry."
O'Neill knew what had to be done, and now was the only the time to put it forward. He could read the desperation in the General's eyes, despite how well guarded it was, and therefore took his military stance as he always did. Putting his hands behind his back and stepping to the side so that his feet were standing slightly further apart, he held his head up high to drop the bomb.
"General Hammond, permission to make a request" was all he said, face unrevealing,
The General, unsure whether he wanted to continue with this, nodded slowly, brows frowning in morbid interest.
"Request permission to carry out a rescue mission sir"
"Request denied. I'm not sending you out there knowing that you won't come back. It's a suicide mission Colonel, I can appreciate volunteering for this but-"
"Sir," he interrupted, "Orcus is too far away from the Gate, if you just send a bomb out there and detonate it, minimal damage will result. However, if you send a team out there who can take the weapon to a closer proximity, the threat will be dealt with. While there, we can get Major Carter, place the bomb on a timer and get out before it detonates"
Hammond remained quiet for a moment, thinking, evaluating, reasoning. "It's too risky Colonel. The bomb might be found before it went off, they could send it back through, they could find you and then we'd be back to where we are now."
"Well then sir, at least we gave it a try, in which case, do it your way. All I'm saying is we should try other options. The bomb is still going through, so the Joint Chiefs are satisfied, and we'll be saving a fine officer. I don't see the downside sir" O'Neill argued. He knew Hammond would have to agree to this, there was no reason not to.
Hammond focused on the three men standing in front of him. He was about to ask them the question, when the answer was given. "General, both Teal'c and I are prepared to go through with this."
"I would have to send another Sg team with you, you know I couldn't allow just your team, it's too dangerous." Hammond explained.
"Sg-3 are on stand-down sir, I'm sure they'd be willing to volunteer for this" O'Neill informed his CO.
Hammond thought in silence once again, staring at his 2IC, as if trying to read whether what he spoke was in fact, the truth. "I'll phone the President, get his authorisation. If he agrees to it, I'll inform you. In the meantime, inform Sg-3 that they'll be needed. Dismissed."
With that, the three men left his office, each filled with a hope of success. Daniel was feeling nerves inside him. He was always nervous before a mission such as this one, simply because he hadn't had the training as the other three members of Sg-1 had. But he trusted them, and knew that these were the people he would be safest with. Teal'c's mind was filled with grave thoughts of retribution. In the prisons he had promised himself that he would have his revenge on Orcus. Now he would be able to fulfil that promise. It would not be as satisfying as killing the False God himself, but the Goa'uld would die just as well, and that would be enough. O'Neill's thoughts were different. He was cocky, knowing that everything would go as planned. He wasn't seeing the situation as anything other than routine. Drop the bomb, get the hell out, piece of cake. Of course, there was the whole covert thing, that was always a problem, but the guards on that planet had basic weapons, nothing a good old-fashioned grenade couldn't handle. And Orcus himself? He smiled to himself as the thought of what the Goa'uld was oblivious to entered his mind. That Goa'uld wouldn't know what hit him.
"Chevron One engaged"
SG teams one and three were crowded into the Embarkation Room, with Major Ferretti on the Colonel's team. The two hadn't worked together since the second mission to Abydos. They still saw each other around the Mountain, nodded in respect, asked how things were going, the usual, but to work together again?
"Chevron Two engaged"
O'Neill liked Ferretti; he could depend on him. He had heard about Ferretti volunteering to rescue his team when they had gone on that unofficial mission to Apophis' Ship. Not many would have done that, and O'Neill was secretly flattered about that.
"Chevron Three engaged"
O'Neill looked around the room, eyeing the other men who would be serving under him. He would have to give them a speech when the Stargate was activated, distracting them as the MALP was sent through first, ever cautious for threats. Looking at the four members of Sg-3, he gave a brief smile at the lack of Colonel Makepeace. He would never have imagined that Makepeace had been the mole. Hell, he never liked the guy, that was no secret, but going that far?
"Chevron Four engaged"
All the present members of the team looked prepared, not one showing any signs of nerves at what might be their last mission. But then, that meant nothing, O'Neill knew that. He was nervous; he could admit that to himself. Very rarely did a mission like this go as planned; there were always complications. Maybe on the inside he was apprehensive, but on the outside he displayed the usual confidence he was famed for.
"Chevron Five engaged"
The mission itself was relatively straightforward. Get near to the Coliseum (he could just imagine it now. "See there kids? That's where I died"), put the bomb on a timer, get Carter out, get to the Gate, get out. Nothing to it. Shoot anything that moves if you have to, but try and keep hidden.
"Chevron Six engaged"
He looked to Teal'c. He needed to, before almost every mission. Teal'c gave him that extra push he needed. He knew that this was the best he could have by his side, and the fact that he was on his side gave him that extra security. What he didn't know, was that Teal'c felt almost the same. He was proud to serve by O'Neill's side, in his mind they were brothers. He had told him so when they were preparing to die in space.
"Chevron Seven locked"
The final chevron glowed as it bit into the symbol it was representing. The inner circle stopped it's grating spinning, and all the silver Chevrons glowed as they found their destination. All the men in the Embarkation Room, and all those in the room that overlooked it, directed their attention to the massive stone circle before them. They all stared as it sprung into life, the unstable event horizon building up to its glory, the deafening roar beating against them as the watery plasma burst from it's constraints, threatening to swallow them up whole. They stared as it had a change of heart, and fell back into the circumference, sparing them, as they knew it would. And they stared as the event horizon smoothed its surface, only soft ripples causing the beautiful shimmering across the walls of the Embarkation Room underestimating its impressive force.
The MALP crept up the ramp, steadily heading towards that shimmering horizon, not pausing as the humans usually did before stepping through, wondering would this be their last time. All eyes watched as it disappeared, and waited for the all clear.
O'Neill took his moment.
He followed the MALP's footsteps, though stopping half way and turning to face his men. He wasn't one for profound speeches, and everyone there knew that. They were more intrigued as to how he was going to get out of this one.
O'Neill thought for a moment. They all knew what they were doing, they didn't need to be reminded of their mission, they had all been fully briefed. He looked at Daniel, who seemed to be the odd one out. He always did though, he wasn't military, of which he was reminded again and again, and O'Neill found himself wondering why Daniel was even allowed on a mission like this. Because he was a historian and would know the layout of the building where they had been only a few days ago? Because some people weren't happy with him still being on the programme and hoped that this time he wouldn't come back with them? Because he worked well with the team?
"Okay people. Right there is a bomb," he said, pointing to the object in question that was surrounded by each of the teams, "through here is a Goa'uld" he pointed behind him, without turning around. "Any questions?"
He received a few appreciative smiles before waiting for the order to move out. He looked up at Hammond, who was seeming almost reluctant to let them go, knowing full well the risk they were undertaking. He somehow changed his mind though, and leant over the speaker.
"SG units one and three, you have a go" the voice echoed.
"All right people, move out" O'Neill ordered, before placing his sunglasses on the bridge of his nose.
He was the first one to step through the event horizon, not without holding his breath, bracing himself for the inevitable. Sure enough, after the initial lack of movement, seeming as if standing upright in cutting water, he was thrown forward, the image of water trailing behind him, waiting for the next victim. Hurtling forward, he felt the usual bite of extreme cold as he flew through the wormhole, slicing into every part of him. He was getting too old for this kind of thing, if only there were another way of getting to another planet. The battle part that followed was no problem; he could do that with his eyes closed.
His thoughts were interrupted by a burning light as he was flung out of the Stargate at a great speed. Once steady, he turned himself to look for other members of his team. Once Teal'c stepped through, he surveyed the area.
Nothing.
No sign of anything having been here.
No Jaffa guarding the Gate as Orcus had said there would be.
Nothing.
That was never a bad thing, O'Neill thought cheerfully to himself. Maybe this would be easier than he had hoped. Nope, don't get too cocky, he warned himself. Having a little bit of cockiness was healthy, he had decided, but too much meant you got careless, and Carter's life depended on having the utmost care.
As he looked around the multitudes of sand dunes, he counted the number crashes of heavy feet hitting warm rock. When all soldiers were accounted for, he waited for the final one; not the sound of a person, but of the object that could kill them all. When it came, the Stargate shut itself down, trapping them there.
Give the orders. "Okay, Castleman, Johnson, take the nuke. Careful, we've got a long walk ahead of us. Hoffman, Carson, you watch their six. Teal'c, Daniel, Ferretti, you're up front with me. Let's go."
Immediately they arranged themselves accordingly. Johnson and Castleman carefully picked up the heavy bomb, which was, thankfully, not as heavy as it looked, despite the Naquadah enhancements. Hoffman and Carson moved themselves behind them, ever watchful over the mass weapon. O'Neill headed in the direction of the Coliseum, with Teal'c, Daniel and Ferretti close behind him. They moved out, walking with their rifles pointed for any signs of possible danger.
After only half an hours walk, they were already sweating under the sun's harsh rays, especially Castleman and Johnson. After a further forty minutes, the order was given that Hoffman and Carson take over, and so a quick changeover was made, and they were back to walking towards their target.
Several more hours passed and, after many swaps, they could see the Coliseum in sight, shaking side to side from the heat waves and looking much less impressive than the distance gave credit for. O'Neill hoped that the celebrations were still going on, that would mean that the city was empty and they wouldn't be found. They could hide the nuke in one of the houses, set the timer, and go. He also hoped that Carter was still in the prison, so that finding her wouldn't be much of a problem. Although, in saying that...
Searching for possible threats and finding none, they stopped, allowing themselves a brief but much needed rest. The weapon was placed slowly and carefully onto the ground, and all the men took out their water and took long and appreciative gulps. O'Neill and Teal'c were made uncomfortable by the silence, though it wasn't unexplained. But they were still cautious for any signs of guards.
Still nothing.
"Okay campers, break's over" O'Neill barked.
He could hear the men's thoughts of annoyance that their rest was only quick, but he didn't care. They had to get this over with shortly. Though annoyed, they all felt the same, and prepared themselves once more. Castleman and Johnson picked up the weapon once again, and followed the Colonel's lead.
As hoped, the city was still devoid of life. The Coliseum was still standing in all its glory, towering above all else in sight and leering over them, watching what they were doing. The could hear the cheers coming from within, and at one point, could hear Orcus booming to his mob, though what he had been saying was beyond them.
Contrasting to the massive edifice, the streets were painfully silent, with only the quiet whisper of a light breeze hitting against the mud buildings providing any sound. The sand made no sound as it was dragged cruelly across the ground by the gently moving air, and no matter how quiet it all seemed, the noise was enough to drown out the teams' silent footsteps.
O'Neill peered into every building; each doorway was cracked and dry, with the smell of crumbling mud wafting his way. He screwed his nose as the unwanted smell invaded his senses, before moving onto the next abode, moving ever closer to the building that would hopefully soon be there no longer by the day's end.
It was one of the last houses they decided in which to hide the bomb. The closer to the Coliseum, the better, though they had to make sure it wouldn't be found. O'Neill had thought through what the plan of action would be to prevent the bomb from being deactivated. The teams would be split up; Daniel, Carson, Hoffman and Johnson would remain with the bomb. They would activate the timer, and stand guard until the second team came back with Carter. The second team would comprise of Ferretti, Teal'c, Castleman and himself. They would get into the prisons, find Carter, and bring her back out. It sounded simple enough, but, well, did they ever turn out that way?
The house itself was one of the smaller ones they had found. The open doorway led into a small chamber, the mud walls providing no airways to allow sunlight in. O'Neill had imagined that inside would be ten times hotter than the outside, but upon entering, he breathed a sigh of relief as he stepped into the deceptive coolness the building brought.
Castleman and Johnson gratefully put the bomb onto the parched ground, standing as upright as possible to relieve the strain on their backs. After the sounds of a few cricks, they walked themselves around the room, searching for the best possible place to hide the nuke.
Daniel was enthralled with the small dilapidated home; it looked like the mud huts found in tribal Africa. Again, that didn't correlate with the Coliseum, but with the Goa'uld, discrepancies were all too common.
Teal'c also searched for the appropriate place that the nuclear device could hide in. This home seemed unable to provide such a place; he was about to inform O'Neill of this when such a place caught his eye. On the ground was placed a small woven rug, containing intricate designs of beasts seen within the Coliseum and the anthropomorphic representations of Orcus himself. Using his staff weapon, he lifted the corner of the rug, revealing a small door, comprising of three rotting wooden bars, concealing what was held below. Bending over, he lifted the door carefully, and was pleased to see what lay beneath. It was a secret chamber, as large as the house itself. It appeared empty; this would be where they would hide the bomb, he said to himself.
O'Neill had seen Teal'c, and after watching the man begin his descent into the dark chamber, he approached him.
"Teal'c? Whatya got there?"
"I believe this chamber would serve as an appropriate place to hide the nuclear device. It is large enough to fit several inside, preventing our detection."
And with that, he jumped inside, needing to crouch slightly to fit his mass height and bulk in the limited space. His eyes scanned the area, ever watchful for any guards who might have used such a place to retrieve any of those who would attempt to hide from them. But he found none. On the ground were groupings of blood, now dried from age. If there had been any hiding, they had been found a long time ago.
"This area is clear O'Neill, it will serve" was all the large man said, and climbed back out to joint the rest of his team.
"All right, here's the plan. Castleman, Johnson, get the nuke down there. Carson and Daniel will stay there with you-"
The latter part of that order was met with protests from the archaeologist. "Wait wait wait! Uh, I'm not staying here while you guys go out there and get Sam. I need to go too" he insisted.
"Daniel, this is a military operation. You're not trained for something like this, I don't need the burden" O'Neill shot back.
"The burden?" Daniel asked, after looking around sheepishly at all those present.
Yeah, that had been a little harsh. "Daniel, what I meant was we can't risk having you there. Chances are we're gonna get into a fire-fight, and there's no reason for you being there. It'd be better if you stayed here and made sure the nuke isn't found. Can you do that?" he said, tone hard as stone, but face contradicting.
Daniel thought for a moment. As much as he hated to admit it, Jack was right. He would have to leave this to the pros, make sure things ran smoothly from his end. "Okay Jack" was all he could muster up. He was usually better at all things profound, but not this time.
"Anyway" O'Neill started, clearly having lost his place. He looked to Teal'c for a reminder.
"You were instructing those who are to remain behind O'Neill" Teal'c informed him quietly, so as not to be heard by the others in the room. O'Neill would thank him later for that.
"Yes, Daniel, you, Carson, Johnson and Hoffman will stay here. Set the timer for ten hours. That'll give us enough time to find Carter and get her out. It should also give us enough time to get back to the Gate and get home before we're all blown to bits. You wait here for us. Anyone shows their faces, shoot them; we can't afford the risk. If we don't get back after about six hours, go, cause chances are we're not coming back. That should give you enough time to get your butts out of here. Got that?"
His question was met with silent nods of understanding.
"Good, Teal'c, Ferretti, Castleman, we go."
Daniel needed more. "Wait, Jack?" he piped up, hoping he wouldn't receive groans of disbelief.
O'Neill stopped as if being shot in the back, and turned to face the younger man, hoping Daniel wouldn't require more information in its usual superfluous form.
"Shouldn't you, you know, contact us through the intercoms to keep us updated or something?"
O'Neill paused for a moment. He hadn't thought he would have needed to clarify something like that. It came with the package. He decided he would spare the kid, yet again. "We'll keep you posted. Whatever you do, don't try to contact us, I don't think I need to specify why, do I?"
With that, the four men left, leaving the second team to carry out their orders. Daniel couldn't help but feel like the odd one out in this group, and resented Jack for making him stay behind. So far they were treating him the same as each other, but he wondered how long that would last.
Stepping back out into the heat was like receiving a soft blow to the groin; hard enough to knock the breath out of you, but not hard enough to cripple. O'Neill, sunshades placed firmly on his face, took the lead, with the three other men behind him.
The first few minutes were filled with the expected silence, just interminable walking towards their target. Castleman and Ferretti had no idea where they were being lead; this was new territory for them. Teal'c knew exactly where he was going, and O'Neill allowed him to take point. The last time they were here, O'Neill had been knocked unconscious for being a little quick with the tongue, so he had to trust Teal'c on this one.
"Colonel O'Neill?" Ferretti sounded.
O'Neill turned to face him, already knowing his question. "Yeah, I know, clarification as to what the hell I'm planning on doing, right?"
Ferretti allowed himself a quick smile. He liked working with the Colonel; it always seemed as though they were on the same wavelength.
O'Neill looked around to see if everything was clear. Listening out for any signs of guards approaching and hearing none, he was satisfied with what he didn't hear.
"Teal'c's gonna take us into the prisons, once inside we're gonna bust Carter out of there. There's only one entrance into there as far as I can tell, so we stick together. From what I can remember there's not too many guards" and there's a few I've got an appointment with, O'Neill said inwardly, "so taking them out won't be a problem. I'm assuming she'll be in the same cell, so finding her won't be a problem either. Once we find her, we get her out. She's probably gonna be in a bad way, so she might have to be carried out. Teal'c?" he glanced towards the man in question.
"I will assist O'Neill," he said with a small nod of understanding.
"Thank you Teal'c. While that's happening, we make a beeline out of here. Johnson and Ferretti, you watch our backs, I'll take point and keep the road clear. Once out, we head back to this place and hightail it back to the Gate. Any questions?"
It was Major Ferretti who spoke out. "Yeah, what if we get separated? It might be a set up, what then?" he asked, no tone of accusation in his voice.
O'Neill thought for a moment. He knew someone would ask that. "If we get split up, don't go looking for whoever's missing. Just continue with the mission. If you're the one who's on their own, head for the second team. If we're attacked, shoot your way out, we don't have time for running around with our heads up our asses. Just get the hell out. Anything else?"
This question was met with silence. O'Neill nodded to Teal'c, who started heading towards the Coliseum's entrance. Ferretti walked himself next to the Colonel, needing him to be there. It's what he had done on Abydos that first time, and it's what got him out of there alive.
Teal'c recognised the entrance, and all four were suspicious at the lack of guards. Perhaps they had all been sacrificed for the celebrations. Once inside, O'Neill knew exactly where he was. He had been made to walk down here with a bleeding foot. Thinking back on it, just a cut foot seemed petty, but at the time, it was murder. Looking down the corridor, he could still see the trail of blood he had made upon leaving the prisons. Ferretti turned to face him just in time to see a fleeting grimace form on his face.
"Down here" O'Neill pointed to the rest of his team.
They all looked to the direction at which he was heading, seeing that it led to a much darker corridor. Before entering it, O'Neill turned to face Johnson and Ferretti.
"You two stay here. Anyone comes in site, shoot them. We won't be long; you'll probably hear gunshots coming from our end. Ignore it; keep to your post. Got that?"
"Yes sir" they both answered simultaneously, with that they turned to watch the disturbingly empty and silent corridor.
Ferretti didn't like how the corridor divided and turned round in corners. There was no way they would be able to spot any guards in time to act. But those were his orders, and he wasn't about to disregard them. He watched as the Colonel and Teal'c headed into the darkness, and followed their forms until they were no longer distinguishable from the shadows enveloping the corridor.
Daniel had to hold the trapdoor open for the three military men to hold the nuclear weapon and safely get it inside the chamber as quickly as possible in case any unwelcome guests arrived. Within minutes, the bomb was in the chamber, well out of sight. The door was deceivingly heavy, and he was straining under its weight. Once everyone was inside, he himself clambered in and allowed the door to drop behind him. The officers all looked at each other, clearly this archaeologist knew nothing of covert.
Scattered around the chamber were sacks flowing with unknown grains. Some were larger than the men themselves, others were small enough to hold in their hands. Each was made with a rough canvas material that reminded Daniel of those on Abydos. He smiled at the brief memory his mind allowed him of happier times there with his wife and her people.
Looking to see if there was anything else of interest in this place and finding nothing, all the men sat down and prepared themselves for the long wait. In the back of his mind, screaming out at him so loud that he swore the others would have probably heard, Daniel knew he should have gone with Jack to find Sam. Something was yelling at him that he needed to be there. Why hadn't Jack let him go? Yes, he had a point, Daniel wasn't military, and at times he was grateful for that, but this wasn't the first time they had needed to go on a mission like this. Daniel had gone with the team plenty of times before, why was this any different? It just felt wrong.
Sitting in the chamber, no words were exchanged. No voice would have been loud enough to yell over the myriad of deafening thoughts.
O'Neill and Teal'c moved silently down the corridor, preparing themselves for the images they knew that would display themselves. For the first few slow and silent steps, there had been no movement made other than their own, but as they neared their destination, they heard the approach of what could only be guards. Finding an area dark enough to hide in the empty corridor, they swung into it, hoping they still had the advantage of stealth.
There were only two guards approaching; easy enough, O'Neill though to himself. He looked to Teal'c, who was now holding up his active Zat Gun, waiting until they were in range. Once the guards were near enough, Teal'c fired the Gun four times, hitting each guard twice, killing them instantly. Once their lifeless bodies had slumped to the ground, O'Neill moved in, checking for any others in the vicinity. Seeing there to be none, he gave Teal'c a nod, indicating him to shoot the guards once more. In moments, the evidence of their presence was gone. Once they were sure there were no more obstacles, they continued, each eager to have this finished as soon as possible.
They reached the final corner before the prisons. O'Neill gave Teal'c the sign that they were to stop at this particular point to allow another short instruction. Taking off his cap that he always wore and flipping it on his head so that it faced backwards, he edged closer to the corner's end to see how many guards were unknowingly waiting at the other side for them. O'Neill's heart sank as he counted at least eleven. He frowned as he wondered why there were so many there, remembering there to be a much smaller number standing there the last time they were here. Quickly moving back into his original place, he turned to face Teal'c, whispering as quietly as possible, but still loud enough to be heard.
"I count at least eleven, grenade?"
"Such an action would not be without its risks O'Neill" Teal'c replied in his usual tone.
All too aware of the truth behind his statement, he let his head drop slightly in momentary defeat. After only a second, he faced Teal'c again. "Other ideas?" he defended.
Teal'c thought for a moment, his mind not giving him any more than the one O'Neill had presented to him. With that thought, he slowly shook his head, before pulling out the grenade he carried with him. O'Neill took it and pulled out the pin. Crouching to the ground, he rolled it across, enough force to reach its target, but not too much where it could be detected. He and Teal'c moved to get themselves out of harm's way, before hearing the explosion. Shards of rock and metal and blooded clothing and limbs accompanied the blow, and O'Neill grimaced as he prepared to move in. He nodded to Teal'c and with that, they swung around the corner, trying desperately to ignore the sight before them. It was hard though, hard to block the images as they headed for deeper within the prisons. Even the most highly trained officer felt their stomach lurch at the unique and equally as sickening smell of blood and gore, and O'Neill found himself having to hold his breath as he ran past the scene, Teal'c running only a few steps behind him.
Most of the cells were now empty, and O'Neill hoped they weren't too late in getting to Carter. He remembered clearly where their cells had been, and moved efficiently towards it. More guards who had heard the explosion swarmed in from their posts, pointing their swords at their direction. They were easily taken out with bullets and staff weapon blasts, and O'Neill found himself feeling a small part of sympathy for them. The analogy of lambs to the slaughter house rang through his mind as more and more were gunned down, killed instantly by weapons most of them had never even heard of.
Teal'c followed behind, wishing that it was he who was in front of O'Neill, not the other way round. Being in front meant you were the prime target, and although the other man was doing well in defending himself, he would prefer that it was he himself who was leading the attack. But, as always, he simply followed, doing his best to kill off the opposition, and there were many.
Suddenly he felt an immense blow to the back of his head, and fell to his knees, stunned. He was greeted by more blows to his side, and as he forced his eyes open, he could see his attackers; there were two guards, thumping him harshly with the butt-ends of their swords, obviously enjoying causing him pain as to killing him.
O'Neill became aware of a lack of a following presence, and he turned to see where his friend had gone. Seeing him with two guards beating him ferociously, his first instinct was to run back for him. He began running towards them, when he stopped himself. He was disobeying his own orders; no matter what happens, carry on with your objective he had said, or something to that effect. Caught between his loyalty and the mission, he was at a loss what to do, all the while the guards were beating the Jaffa. A bitter taste polluted his mouth as he found himself turning to search for Carter. The instant that he did he was struck across the face with such a force it sent him flying to the ground. Upon hitting the rock surface, he heard a harsh laughter.
"I remember you," the guard said in his guttural tones.
O'Neill looked up at the man, trying to focus the double fuzzy images into one clear one. When that had been achieved, he recognised the man's face, seeing it to be the same guard that had led him into the Coliseum. Remembering this renewed his energy as adrenaline was pumped into his blood, allowing him to leap off the ground, swinging for the guard. The guard dodged his fist easily and swung a sharp kick to the kidney. The pain shot through him, momentarily crippling him.
"I believed you to be dead, you were killed in the Great Circle" the guard continued. "No matter, perhaps now I can kill you myself."
Grabbing his sidearm, O'Neill thought of something profound to say, but decided not to waste the words. Instead, he quickly aimed it at his opponent and fired a single shot, the bullet entering and exiting the guard's neck. The guard grabbed for his throat, the look of horror etched on his face. He saw the blood flowing out, and crashed to the ground as he legs betrayed him; he was dead before he hit the ground. Satisfied, O'Neill turned around to help Teal'c, disgusted at himself for not doing so earlier. He only hoped it wasn't too late.
Unknown to him, Teal'c had somehow gained the upper hand. With a swift kick, he had forced one of the guards onto the ground, and had swung his staff weapon into the throat of the second. By the time O'Neill had arrived, Teal'c had shot both with his Zat Gun, getting only a few bruises from the fight.
When O'Neill had arrived, Teal'c turned to face him, seeing he had a healthy bruise on his own face, accompanied by a nosebleed.
"Don't ask" O'Neill told him, before contradicting his own instruction by asking Teal'c about his own condition.
"I am fine. Were your orders not to leave anyone behind should such an occurrence as to the one that just took place happen?" he questioned.
O'Neill gave a quick shrug, and started heading towards their target. Both hoped they had seen the last of the guards, but, although unknown to them, they hadn't yet. Ignorant of any further danger, they quickly ran further into the lion's den.
Out in the corridor, Ferretti and Johnson had heard the explosion and the staff weapon blasts and the gun shots. Every bone in his body was telling Ferretti to head towards the noises and help, but his orders were to remain behind. Ever watchful for guards, he turned to Johnson, conveying those feelings clearly in his expression. The one he received back showed him that the feeling was mutual. The silence that echoed now was disturbing him. He wanted to contact the Colonel and Teal'c with his intercom, but he knew he couldn't; they probably needed that silence.
As if reading his mind, the intercom sprang into life, the voice instantly recognisable as the Colonel, sounding slightly out of breath, but strong all the same.
"Ferretti, Johnson, do you copy?"
Ferretti clumsily grabbed for his intercom and spoke into it. "Yes sir, we read you loud and clear. What the hell happened in there?" he demanded.
"Oh, you know, the usual. Ran into a few of our fans, things got a little heavy, but we're in the clear now. Teal'c took a bit of a beating, but he's okay. What's your status?" he answered in a usual flippant tone.
Ferretti smiled. "Everything's clear on our end Colonel. Are you sure we can't be of some assistance?"
"Keep to your post" O'Neill answered flatly. "I'll inform you when we have Carter. O'Neill out"
Ferretti allowed a breath of frustration, and turned to Johnson, who looked equally as bored. They were about check their sidearms for the fifth time, when they were distracted by the sound of heavy marching. Turning their attention instantly onto the possible threat, they pointed their weapons and waited. As soon as the guards came into view, the two men unleashed a rain of bullets. Gunning down the first row. They ran out of ammunition and reached for their Zat Guns. That split second had allowed the guards to approach their targets, and they were surrounded as more and more guards entered the scene. There had to be more than thirty of them, all pointing their long and deadly swords at them. The two officers looked at each other in dismay, not knowing whether to fire, or to surrender. Seeing they had the distinct disadvantage, they dropped their guns to the ground, not without unease at their decision.
Many more guards spilt into the room, all heading down the corridor, aware of who was down there. Ferretti had been right with his suspicions; they had been set up.
Orcus sat on his throne, smiling as his plan was successfully underway. He had been aware of the Tau'ri returning, and had decided to humour them into thinking their entrance had gone unnoticed. But he saw everything, heard everything and knew everything. He had waited for the perfect time to strike, and that had been when they had separated in the prisons. What he wasn't aware of was the location of the second team, and what the device was they had been carrying. The guards who had been secretly spying them had lost them, and for that, they had lost something else; their lives. Once the group in the Coliseum was apprehended, he would deal with those in the city. He would send his guards to search until they were found. He had been merciful the first time they had arrived; now they would suffer.
Hearing gun shots echoing from Ferretti's and Johnson's position, O'Neill grimaced. They were having a seriously bad day but then again, he had expected complications. He now knew that Orcus had realised they were here, that meant getting out ASAP. He turned to Teal'c, grimacing at the dark bruises that were showing despite his dark skin usually capable of hiding such things. Still they continued, knowing too well that they had only limited time left. Finally reaching the end of the prison, O'Neill headed immediately for the familiar cell. Finding Carter in there, his apprehension eased slightly, heart still pounding with an unusual amount of nerves. He had a bad feeling that was growing with each passing second. He called her name, but when she didn't move, he pulled out his Zat Gun, aimed for the lock to her barred door and fired three times. The heavy entrance moved slightly under the lack of a restraint. He pulled it more open to allow himself to get in.
He ran to Carter, checking for a pulse and finding a strong steady one. Grabbing her shoulders and shaking them ever so slightly, he whispered her name again, then looked to Teal'c who was standing at the door, watching for any more threats.
Under the gentle shaking, Carter was brought into the conscious world, dazed from the dehydration and lack of stamina. She blinked several times to focus her eyes, trying to determine who it was that was staring into her. Eventually her vision returned to its normal clear self, and she couldn't draw breath at who she saw. Sitting in front of her was her Colonel, alive. Instinctively she grabbed for him, holding the collar of his uniform in a firm grip.
"Its okay Carter, it's me, we're getting you out of here. Can you walk?" he hurried, wanting to vacate as soon as humanly possible.
"You're alive? Daniel said you were dead! Wha-"
"I'll explain everything later, can you walk?" he repeated, lifting her to her feet.
She moaned at the movement, her leg complaining greatly from the strain. Hearing this, he held her still, his strong arms steadying her.
"O'Neill, she appears to be injured" Teal'c informed him.
O'Neill's face was the image of disgust and anger. He put her gently back on the ground and looked her over, only now seeing the dried blood staining the uniform covering her thigh.
"Sir, it's fine, nothing Janet can't fix up. I just cut it on a rock, that's all." Seeing his own injuries, a look of worry crossed her face. "What about you? What happened?" she asked.
"Nothing, let's go" he ordered, that simple answer dismissing any worries. With that, he picked her up again, steadying her on her feet. "Teal'c, could use a hand over here."
"I will assist" he responded, and he walked towards them, taking Carter out of O'Neill's arms and holding her in his own.
O'Neill said nothing, he simply headed towards the cell entrance, hearing approaching guards. "Uh, we've got trouble," he warned, pulling out his Zat Gun once again. Thinking what plan of action to take, the sounds of marching increasing in their volume reminded him the need to think more quickly. Maybe he was getting too old for this stuff. "Teal'c, you stay in here with Carter, if any get past me, shoot anything that moves, just don't let them get near her cause she aint in any state to defend herself. As soon as you see a gap, get the hell out, clear?"
"Colonel, don't worry about me, if an opportunity arises where you can get out of here without me, take it" Carter told him.
"Not gonna happen Major, you're the whole reason we're here" he answered before disappearing out of sight.
That simple statement meant the world to her. The team and the SGC saw her as that important to risk their lives to save her. Colonel O'Neill cared that much to risk his life to save her, and Teal'c cared that much to risk his life to save her. It also brought an immense level of guilt, as she was the cause of any loss of life, and she wanted to cry for that. Not now, now they had to concentrate on getting out, she wasn't about to screw up this whole mission, lives would not be lost for nothing.
Colonel O'Neill stood against a cold, damp and jagged wall, preparing himself with what could be his final dance, all the while those footsteps were getting all the more closer.
Sitting in the darkness of the chamber, Daniel looked at his watch for the seventeenth time, hoping that there was some kind of discrepancy of chronology. Only one hour had passed, only another five to wait. There had been no word from anyone from the other team. He thought that Jack would have at least done that instead of leaving them to wonder. Usually no word meant there was a problem, and that wasn't entirely unheard of with this sort of thing.
The conversation in the chamber had been non-existent, but then, what could you say? There had been no evidence of them being discovered, as for the whole time they had been there, silence still filled the streets, with exception for the occasional cheer from a blood thirsty crowd not too far away. Daniel grimaced as his mind was taken back to that particular memory of the Great Circle. Not a description he would have chosen, but then, anything less for the Goa'uld would have been unacceptable.
"Daniel? Come in, this is O'Neill"
About time. Daniel picked up his intercom he had placed on the ground, placed there so that he could stare at it and will it to life. He had given up on that after ten minutes, it made time pass even slower. Scrambling for the buttons he needed to hold down to speak to his friend, he spoke quickly into it, with everyone's attention focused on him.
"Jack, what's happening?"
"Uh, gotta keep this one short Danny, we've got problems. I think we've run into a set-up, it's gotta be. Orcus knows we're here, he's sent guards in after us, there's about thirty headed this way now. We're in the prisons and we've got Carter, she's fine, a little battered, but she'll be okay. Ferretti and Johnson were at the prison entrance, but probably not there anymore if you get what I mean. Teal'c's with Carter, he's gonna try and get her out of here. I'm gonna try and distract the guards, hold them back a little to see if Carter and Teal'c can get out. You hightail it to the Gate, Orcus' probably gonna look for you guys, now's your chance to get out. That's an order Danny, get out now."
Daniel frowned at the other man's words. "Jack, if there's as many as your telling me, you've got no chance against them, you've gotta get out with Sam and Teal'c-"
"If I try that, they'll never get out, it's our only shot. Follow my orders, get the hell out."
Daniel looked to the other three men in the chamber, all of whom were on their feet, grim faces concentrating on the intercom. "Jack, it's suicide-"
"Shit, out of time Danny, see ya around"
With that, three officers and an archaeologist were left with the thought that the mission was hanging by a very thin thread. One that was about to break at any given moment.
O'Neill could the see first few guards arriving around the corner, marching in unison and swords pointed ready for a battle they knew they couldn't lose. Feeling for what he had to defend himself, he counted two grenades, his sidearms and a Zat Gun. Not much, but it would have to do. What he wouldn't do for a bazooka right now.
In the cell, Teal'c had Carter held over his shoulder, to enable a quick escape. He wasn't accustomed to leaving O'Neill to what would surely kill him, but he knew that he would not allow them all to die, which would most certainly be the outcome should he and Major Carter remain also. He walked to the cell's door, sensing O'Neill's presence not far away. O'Neill could also feel him behind him; he was all too familiar with that sensation.
"Teal'c, they're almost here, you find a gap, go"
"I will O'Neill" Teal'c answered him voice grave and knowing.
O'Neill pulled the pin out of the first grenade and threw it at its target. The first explosion took out the first two rows of guards, sending them flying in pieces, confusing the following rows. O'Neill swore as he counted much more than his original approximation.
Wasting no time, he threw the second grenade, killing another sizeable number. This time, the small army charged at the direction of the assault. O'Neill saw no other option than to fire blindly at the enemy, hoping to take out as many as possible. Body after body slumped to the ground, constantly being replaced by more forces that seemed never-ending. Teal'c took the opportunity to run into another empty cell, distancing himself to another position where he could escape with more ease, Carter limp in his arms, but still conscious.
More Zat blasts were fired, more bodies fell, more came closer and closer, the safety of the gap between the two sides decreasing into dangerous territories. O'Neill looked to Teal'c who had, thankfully, not been seen by the guards. Well, this was a fine mess, he thought to himself. He had no idea how much time had passed, but it didn't matter, the second team would be making their way home, the bomb was safely hidden and this whole planet would have a fair hole in it in a few hours. Mission accomplished.
How many were coming now? A quick glance counted at least thirty more. He supposed he could take that as a compliment that Orcus would feel the need for such a large number of soldiers to capture, kill, maim, whatever, a few people. All of them were now aware of his location and were headed for him, completely ignorant of the Jaffa and the Major hiding in another cell. Any minute now they would make a run for it and he would be left to die. Ever the optimist, hey Jack? Okay, playtime's over, down to business. He charged at the soldiers, Zat Gun firing and sidearm showering bullets into their direction.
The gap presented itself, and with much reluctance, Teal'c ran for the way out. The majority of the guards had passed his cell, and so he left unnoticed. O'Neill counted his blessings for that as he continued killing as many guards as he could. Although he was seriously outnumbered, in some obscure way he had the advantage in that they only had swords, where he had an actually useful weapon.
Though, no matter how useful it was to have a firearm, the guards closed in on him. In seconds they were on top of him, pinning him to the ground. O'Neill closed his eyes, preparing himself for death, but it didn't come. Instead, he received a thump to the head so strong that he lost consciousness. He had no way of knowing that Teal'c and Carter had made it out of the prisons to find Ferretti and Johnson missing and a clear path. Straining under Carter's weight, Teal'c continued to run out of the building into the sun's rays, hoping to make it to the gate before being detected.
Daniel, Carson, Castleman and Hoffman had made their way out of the chamber, hiding the bomb under several sacks, just to make sure. The door was sealed and covered, making it unnoticeable. They hoped it wasn't common knowledge to have a secret chamber in these homes and that the guards wouldn't come searching for one. Though, statistics would suggest that the probability of finding the bomb was slim to none. They took comfort in that as they hurried out into the open air.
Before leaving they had decreased the time left before detonation as it had become clear that the primary team would never make it back, limiting the time from nine hours to six, enough time for them to get out, and some in case O'Neill's team made it through as well. All moved in silence as they headed to their destination, though thoughts were echoing as one. They had accomplished Earth's objective, but at what price? Four lives would now be lost instead of one. O'Neill had been confident that the mission would be completed with ease, now, more than likely, he was dead, along with his entire team. It just didn't sit right.
Teal'c was now in the streets, making his way to the Stargate. He was aware that the second team had been contacted and so knew not to look for them, as they would have already vacated. Perhaps he would find them in the desert; they would not have left long ago. With that thought, he continued on, sweat dripping from his forehead under the strain of who he was carrying.
The second team was making steady progress across the sand dunes. They had covered a great distance in a short amount of time, though their effort was exhausting them. The day's temperature was not the highest they had felt, but it was high enough.
Although the sand dunes were not the ideal landscape to travel in, they were easy enough for the Jaffa warrior to retreat. Heatwaves were making the landscape appear constantly moving, but despite that, he had a good view. In the distance he could make out four figures, heading in the same direction as he was. Were they in range to be heard? He increased his pace in hope to decrease the distance between himself and who he knew had to be Daniel Jackson and his team. His hope renewed, he forced himself forward, eager to reach them.
The heat had forced them to walk at a slower pace. They couldn't stop, but if they continued at the speed they had started, they wouldn't make the journey. Something made Daniel stop though, to the confusion of the other men.
"Did you hear that?" he asked them, looking around for some unknown thing.
All of them stopped to listen, hearing nothing. It was Carson who spotted a small form following behind them. The distance and the heatwaves made the figure indistinguishable, but it was no mirage, it was definitely there. Carson pointed to what he saw, directing the other men's attention to what he was seeing.
Only one.
Couldn't be a soldier; would have sent more.
Jack? No, he was in the prison.
Ferretti or Johnson? No, they had been captured.
Teal'c? It had to be. But it looked as though he was alone. Sam wasn't with him.
His heart sank, but he was relieved at the same time. Someone had made it.
"It's gotta be Teal'c" Daniel told them, and started heading towards it, the other three following him.
Within minutes, they were close enough to see that it was in fact Teal'c, but that he was carrying someone or something. Daniel called out his name, receiving acknowledgement in return. That caused all four to run towards him, and upon reaching him, helped him to remove the form hunched over him. Seeing it to be Carter, now unconscious, all were relieved. Daniel held her, pulling out his water to feed some into her. Hoffman pulled his supply out and offered it to Teal'c, who gladly took it and drank its entire contents. When Teal'c had finished, he looked to Daniel Jackson, seeing him to be pouring water into the mouth of his friend; his face, held in a tender expression, showed the value he held in Major Carter. Sensing he was being watched, he looked up, seeing Teal'c watching over him. Nodding to Castleman, he lifted Carter slightly to allow him to take over, to give him the chance to speak with Teal'c. The two locked eyes with the other in mutual respect. It was Daniel who pulled Teal'c to him, hugging him. Teal'c wasn't accustomed to such actions, but returned with like. Daniel pulled away to face him.
"Teal'c, thank you. What about Jack? And the others?"
"I am sorry Daniel Jackson, they did not make it," he said with genuine sorrow. "I believe Major Ferretti and Lieutenant Johnson were captured by Orcus' forces. Colonel O'Neill remained behind to allow our escape," he paused for a moment, trying to think of the most likely outcome, but then deciding that the need to specify was irrelevant, "there were many guards" he finished, not needing to continue.
Daniel's head fell. Why did Jack do these things? He supposed Teal'c and Sam wouldn't be here right now, but that was the way of the military. One of the things he hated the most actually. Don't think of another solution, just commit suicide. "I'm glad you and Sam were able to make it out Teal'c" was all he said.
"Dr. Jackson, we've wasted enough time. We better start making our way before they catch up" Captain Hoffman spoke out.
He and Major Castleman both carried Major Carter for the journey, who remained unconscious the entire time.
No words were exchanged, only the sounds of straggled breath broke the silence. Eventually the sight of the Stargate presented itself, and gave the team that added energy to run the rest of the way, all the while Carter was still in her deep sleep.
When reaching the Gate, they made no time for delays; Daniel punched in the seven symbols on the DHD, Carson dialled in the code and in a matter of moments, they began steeping through the silvery event horizon; Castleman, Hoffman and Carter going through first, followed by Carson. Daniel stopped before stepping into the cold blue, gazing back over the desert, not wanting to stay, not wanting to leave. Teal'c stood beside him; he also shared the same feeling. Something told him that the three men they were leaving behind were not dead.
"If they are indeed alive Daniel Jackson, Colonel O'Neill has a GDO. They can escape before the nuclear device detonates," Teal'c offered.
"If they're alive, we should go back for them. We came back for Sam." Daniel argued.
"We knew that Major Carter was alive. We know not of the fate of the others. We returned only because we were instructed to set the nuclear device to eliminate the threat this Goa'uld posed to Earth. If we were to return in an attempt to rescue them, we would be surely die."
"I know I know, I just can't help," he turned to face him, trying to read the other man's face. Seeing his features formed in such a way telling him there was no need to continue, as the listener agreed with the point being made, "never mind" he finished. "Let's go"
Both turned in unison, both fell through space in the freezing temperature, and both landed on the ramp in the SGC, all eyes in the Embarkation Room following their every movement.
"Close the iris" an order was barked from an unknown source.
The familiar slicing of closing metal folding upon itself sounded behind them, and with that, the Stargate shut down.
Daniel looked behind him; how would Jack get out of this one?
"Sam? Sam, can you hear me? You're in the Infirmary, you're going to be fine"
It was the soothing voice of Janet Fraser that awoke her. Where was she? In the Infirmary? Well, that would explain why she as lying on a soft bed. She forced open her eyes, squinting from the brightness she had grown unaccustomed to. Standing by her bedside were Janet, Teal'c and Daniel, all three watching over her, protecting her. She allowed herself a smile as she recognised them.
"You were in a pretty bad way. I had to irrigate the wound in your leg, and then had to stitch it up. You were seriously dehydrated so-"
"What about the Colonel?" she interrupted, senses still not functioning enough to prevent the slight slur in her words.
Dr. Fraser looked confused for a moment. "Sorry?"
"Colonel O'Neill. What about him, did he make it?" she asked, this time with more force and increased clarity.
Dr. Fraser took in a sharp breath, about to speak out, but had a second thought and turned to the two men standing next to her.
"We don't know Sam" Daniel answered. "Castleman and Johnson disappeared, Jack was left behind" he finished, not without a hint of discomfort.
"Left behind?" Carter repeated, trying to sit herself up.
"Hey, easy, you've been through a lot" Fraser intervened, gently pushing her back to her bed. "You need to rest." She turned to the other two. "Come on, you can see her in a few hours after she's had some sleep"
"No, I want to know what happened" Carter protested, but it was met by orders from the doctor, and the immediate pushing out of Teal'c and Daniel.
Frustrated, she looked up at the ceiling. How was she supposed to sleep? Three good officers were missing because of her, and they weren't even telling her what had happened. Suddenly feeling how tired she actually was, she allowed her eyes to close. She fell asleep within minutes.
What a headache. Ferretti groaned as he was thrown into the conscious world. He had no idea where he was, couldn't remember what had happened to himself and to the rest of the team. He forced his heavy eyelids open only to see nothing. Okay, so it was dark here. Nothing new in that, just keep your eyes open and let them adjust, he told himself. Roughly five minutes passed before that happened, his vision returning in slow progression. What he saw, he didn't like.
He was in a small room, so small he wouldn't have been able to stand upright because the low ceiling was smaller than his relatively tall frame. There appeared to be a small door in one of the stone walls, but what it was made of remained unknown to him as it was too small and too dark to make out. Turning his head slowly to prevent setting off any fireworks in his head, he searched to see if he was alone; thankfully he wasn't. To his left was Johnson, still unconscious, and judging by the gash on his temple it would be some time before he came to. If it hadn't been for the deep breaths he was inhaling, Ferretti would have thought he was dead. To his right was O'Neill, also unconscious. No such injuries were evident, though darkness had the advantage of being able to hide such things. Edging closer to the Colonel's sleeping form, he tapped him on the shoulder and spoke out his name.
No movement.
He called his name out a little louder and shook him a little harder.
No movement.
One last try. Gently hitting him, this time he was successful. His efforts were greeted by a gasp and swearing.
"I can't see," he said, voice unusually hoarse.
"Don't worry Colonel, it's just dark, give it a couple of minutes."
"Where are we?" he asked, trying to look around but to no avail.
"I don't know, I just woke up a minute ago. Johnson's still out, got a pretty nasty cut to the head. I don't think he'll come round for a while yet. Last thing I remember is being surrounded by those damn guards colonel."
"Yeah, funny that, pretty much what I remember too," he answered back.
"Do you know if Major Carter and Teal'c got out?" Ferretti asked him, his voice trailing off indicating a hope they both clung to.
O'Neill didn't answer at first. He wanted to tell him that they made it out, that although they were in this mess, it was okay because they had achieved their objective. But he couldn't. All he knew was that Teal'c had made it past the guards in the prisons, and that meant probably squat. Though he wouldn't tell Ferretti this. "I'm sure they did, I managed to clear the road for them. Doesn't matter anyway, the bomb is still gonna blow," he added gravely.
"Colonel, we have to find a way out" Ferretti told him.
O'Neill let out a brief laugh. "I'm open to suggestions" he quipped, knowing full well that the probability of that happening was slim at the very best.
Despite himself, Ferretti let out a laugh. The Colonel had a point. Though in saying that, they had been in this situation before. On Abydos. Though thankfully, in this prison there was no water. How had they escaped then? By being saved before their very public execution. He couldn't see that happening again. This time they didn't have those kids on their side. In fact, they didn't have anyone on their side. The odds were pretty much stacked against them.
Suddenly the door opened, letting in a dull light dim enough not to shock their sight. The two men waited for what was to come, expecting a soldier to drag them out. Only, no one came in. Instead, a small object was thrown in, small and round like a grenade. The Colonel instantly recognised it. It had been used on him and his team before, on Apophis' ship. Before either had time to react, an intense light burst from within the grenade. They both were paralysed by its energy; the light burning their eyes even as they slammed them shut. Wanting to scream out but being denied that pleasure, they were helpless to do anything. Eventually, their bodies took mercy, and allowed them to fall unconscious once again.
Ferretti had never seen one of those things before, so wasn't prepared for what to expect upon awakening. He felt no pain, but couldn't open his eyes. He tried to open them as wide as possible, but they wouldn't co-operate. Moving his hand slowly to his brow, he rubbed his head, trying to clear his thoughts. It was then that he realised his eyes were in fact open, but he was in another dark room. Or was he? This felt different, there were no signs of that possibility, usually there were patches of a deeper darkness in one area than another. This was all the same, the same eerie black leering in every crevasse.
The room he was in was larger; he could sense that at least. Usually smaller rooms gave out a claustrophobic feel, letting you know you were trapped. He wasn't restrained, and his body was in no pain; what the hell was going on now? And where were O'Neill and Johnson?
"Your companions are not with you, they are dead" a voice whispered from a distance.
It was a whisper, but was still loud enough to fill the vast darkness he lay in. He had been told that the Goa'uld here was called Orcus, and that there was only one, so that had to be him.
"I don't believe that for a second. Why kill them and not me?" Ferretti argued, determined to show he wouldn't fall for any tactics.
"Believe what you will, either way, you are alone." Despite the blackness, Ferretti could still see the twisted smile form across the Goa'uld's lips. "You brought a device with you through the Chappa'ai. What is its purpose?" the Goa'uld demanded.
Ferretti gave his own smile. In some perverse way, he had the advantage, and he liked it. Either way he was going to die, be it by this Goa'uld or the bomb, but he would make sure that he died with the knowledge that Orcus had none.
"I already know much of your plans; your Colonel O'Neill revealed all he knew. He claimed ignorance of the device, and for that, I ripped his insides out. Tell me, shall you suffer the same fate?"
Ferretti's smile held constant, broadened as his vision began returning. He couldn't see much yet, merely blurred shadows, but it was something. "You're lying. Jack wouldn't have told you anything. Neither will I"
He could see the shadow move from its position. It was slowly nearing towards him, until eventually he could see nothing but that threatening smudge across his eyesight.
"You are foolishly obstinate," the deep voice warned him, disturbingly impassive.
Ferretti then felt a tight grip claw around his neck. He could feel the metal structure of the Ribbon Device dig into his throat. And then suddenly he was thrown from his world, explosions igniting through his veins. Through the blare of fire he could hear the Ribbon Device's deadly hissing as it burned through his neck. He could feel a wet warm substance cascade through his mouth only before losing his conscious thoughts. He slumped to the ground, never to feel again.
O'Neill had woken up, ever expecting of the temporary blindness he would be suffering. It didn't matter though, he had been in a dark room anyway, what difference did that make? Moving his hands, he felt along the walls of his room; it was the same one. He felt along the ground, feeling for a body of some sort; he felt only one. There was no way he could tell who it was, not until he could see again, but either way that was bad news. What had happened to one of his team? How much time had passed? How long until the bomb went off? How many more pointless questions would he ask until he realised there were no answers? He sighed in annoyance; this was getting boring.
He blinked furiously, trying to shake back his vision; it was actually working, he could make out his hand now. Well, while he waited for that, he could always count his injuries. Checking for the usual hazards, he found none other than a lump at the back of his head. There were no sore spots that indicated bruising or anything, no cracked ribs, fractures, nausea, just a bump on the head. He didn't mind that, not in the slightest, it was, well, just unusual.
It had to be at least twenty or thirty minutes that had passed by, waiting for nothing. His vision was back to normal, he could now see it was Ferretti who was missing. He could no longer hear Johnson breathing, apparently the damage to his head had been too much. So he sat there, wondering where he was supposed to go now. Finally the door to his room opened, and rough hands grabbed at his feet, dragging him into the dull light. Thrown to his feet, he realised that he was in fact more injured than he gave credit to, a bit more than a bump to the back of his head, the dim light was enough to cause the hammers to beat mercilessly to his skull. Great, another headache, he should be getting used to those by now.
He was led down familiar corridors to the familiar hall where Orcus resided most of his days. Upon entering, he recognised the sarcophagus and the throne, and the snake-ass Goa'uld sitting in it. What he hadn't expected to see was the body of Ferretti lying on the ground, lifeless. He could see the burns around his throat, and didn't need a clue as to what caused that. He couldn't help but feel daggers upon seeing his friend. Now he was the only one left from the Abydos mission, within the military at least. There was still Daniel, who had hopefully made it back to Earth.
"He wouldn't reveal anything, I hope you will not be so unwise to do the same" Orcus threatened.
O'Neill said nothing; he simply stared at his dead comrade.
"I will ask you what I asked your friend. What is the device you brought to this world? If you tell me, I shall spare your life, and save his" Orcus offered.
O'Neill looked to his watch, according to which they had nearly five hours. What he wasn't aware of was that the time had been shortened. In actuality, he had only two hours left.
"My guards told me you spoke of a device left by the Chappa'ai. One that would set off an explosion that would kill all on this world." Orcus glowered.
Reaching inside his robe, he carefully pulled out the GDO he thought was a bomb. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the device in disgust, then allowing himself to smile at his prisoner.
O'Neill immediately jumped as though he'd been struck by lightning. Of course, that pathetic little plan of his he had made up because nothing better had popped into that little brain of his could actually save him. Now he needed to somehow explain the relevance of the nuclear bomb and Orcus would still be blown to little Orcus bits.
He let his head drop in mock defeat, trying to convey dismay. Orcus was buying it.
"Did you think you could fool me Tau'ri? I warned you, I know everything, hear everything and see everything. You will explain this device to me" Orcus demanded, eyes glowing in an attempt to intimidate the man standing before him.
Come on Jack, I know you can't think quick, but make something up, look what it did for you the last time! "The device we brought through was meant to enhance the destructive capabilities of the device left by the Star- uh, Chappa'ai, but it got damaged before we got here, it's useless. It still won't stop that one, that'll still blow." O'Neill started.
Orcus' eyes narrowed to snake-like slits, hard as stone and twice as sharp as they stabbed into O'Neill, reading whether what he said was true or not.
O'Neill saw that he needed to provide more. "It needs to be deactivated before each time the Chappa'ai is opened, else it'll go off. It's what I did when I left here, and it's what the others did too, I'm sure. Once left activated, it can't be shut off. There are enough explosives in there to wipe out this whole planet. We didn't deactivate it when we arrived here, it's gonna blow in a few hours" O'Neill warned, enjoying this more than he should.
Orcus looked confused. "Hours? What is that?" he growled, not liking having to admit not knowing that particular term.
O'Neill had to stop himself from laughing. "It's a, uh, measurement of time. It's not long." O'Neill said, face so straight that anyone would have trusted him.
Apparently this Goa'uld was beginning to. "Would it also be enough to destroy your world, I wonder" Orcus grinned.
Bingo, that was exactly where O'Neill had wanted Orcus to go. A look of horror swept across his face and he tried to move closer to the Goa'uld, but was prevented by guards. "If you did that it would kill everything! You can't do that, I'll do anything!" he pleaded.
Orcus laughed, clearly taking delight in the thought of destroying a world that did not serve him, as they should. "Perhaps then, it will serve to teach those to worship their God" Orcus said, voice to a near-whisper. "Very well, you shall be returned to your world where you shall die, along with everyone you hold dear" Orcus boomed. "The device you have hidden in my city will be found and destroyed and if there are any survivors from your world's end, they shall be taken as slaves to serve in the celebrations"
Yeah, right, O'Neill thought. Hello, what's this, iris? Splat. He was about to mock protest when Orcus stepped from his throne and approached him. He held out his arm, revealing a strange device O'Neill had never seen before. Around his wrist was a small golden bracelet in the shape of a coiled snake; in its mouth it was holding a blue/black jewel twice the size of the bracelet itself. Orcus rubbed a finger over it and they both watched as the jewel began to heat up, slowly turning a brighter blue colour. It continued glowing with more intensity, until O'Neill could no longer look at it without leaving bright spots obstructing his vision. Suddenly both were immersed in the light, seeming blinding. It lasted only for a few seconds, though seemed an eternity. There was no sound, just a sudden change in temperature, a great increase. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the light disappeared, revealing that the Goa'uld, Tau'ri and three guards were no longer in the throne room, but were standing by the Stargate.
O'Neill whirled around, trying to determine what the hell had happened, and flipped to look at Orcus, whose face was written with the kind of smug look every Goa'uld held that believed they were all powerful. How the hell had he managed to do that? He'd never seen something like that, he was sure Apophis would love a device like that, and it was probably a good thing he didn't.
"Do you marvel at my power Tau'ri?" the Goa'uld roared.
O'Neill turned to look at him, face impassive. "Not really, just parlour tricks, that's all" he answered.
Orcus' smile vanished and was replaced by a scowl. "Return home," he ordered, pointing at the DHD.
O'Neill walked over to the console, sweat already forming at his temples. He was glad when he could see the back of this place. That little magic trick had been torture to his head, and he was paying for it now. With shaky hands, he punched in the address for home, careful not to allow Orcus to see the correct order. When the seventh symbol was pressed, the Stargate was thrown into life, O'Neill taking in the gush of wind the swirling vortex offered as it sprang forward.
Orcus was now standing beside him. "You will take this now. You will regret when you decided to return. I showed you compassion once. Now, you will incur my wrath."
He handed the GDO to O'Neill, who gladly took it. He couldn't believe this was being handed to him this easily. Orcus had not only taken him to the Gate in time before the bomb went off, but he had also gave him the very thing he needed to save him from hitting against the iris he knew nothing about. Before stepping up the stone steps, he surreptitiously pressed the code with his thumb, very slowly so that neither the guards not the Goa'uld himself would see the action. Once he was sure the code had been received, he began proceeding towards the event horizon, preventing a smile he so desperately wanted to show.
"Tau'ri" the Goa'uld boomed from behind him.
O'Neill stopped just before the shimmering screen, and slowly turned around, seeing the Goa'uld with a raised hand, Ribbon Device active and glowing. Before he could react, the deadly discharge was released, the electrical energy flowing directly at him. It hit him with an incredible force, throwing him backward into the cold.
This journey through the Stargate was torture for him. He could feel the burning and the weight crushing against him as he flew through space, the cold only serving to worsen the sensation. The duration seemed never-ending, until eventually the wormhole tired of his presence and spat him into the Embarkation Room. He never even touched the ramp. Instead he was flung across the room's length, only the back wall stopping him as he crashed into it harshly. He felt his head nearly explode from the sudden rush of pressure before the force of the collision gave in to gravity. He dropped to the ground in an undignified heap, lying on his back, GDO still in his hand.
"Shut it down" O'Neill could hear in muffled tones.
The fall hadn't granted him the bliss of unconsciousness, but he was getting there. In an instant the Gate was deactivated, no longer providing the extra light into the room.
"Medical team to the Embarkation Room" another voice screamed.
He couldn't move, couldn't even close his eyes as the blurred images were burning them. He only stared at the bare ceiling. He'd never noticed that before, how bare it was. Never got the opportunity. Despite the distorted vision, he could still make out the cracks, eyes focusing on one in particular, not being allowed to focus on another.
The sound of the door sliding open, the metal screeching flaring within his brain, rang out, momentarily taking thoughts away from that crack. He liked staring at it.
"Colonel O'Neill, it's Doctor Fraser, can you hear me?"
Yeah, I can hear you, can't tell you that though, can't take my eyes off that crack.
"Colonel?" voice trailing off to others around him.
Can't hear you now Doc, I'm, I'm losing, can't...
The warm face of Janet Fraser was fading away. He could hear orders of focusing on that, but he couldn't, no matter how much he wanted to.
Finally he could blink. Keep blinking, that'll work. It's not working, feeling nauseous, losing it now.
She was saying something else, concentrate O'Neill, what's she trying to say? Can't see her now, can't hear anymore.
"Yes sir, he's going to be fine. I've given him some Morphine for his injuries, that should keep him out for a while and should help when he comes to."
"Thank you doctor, keep me posted"
"Yes sir"
O'Neill had been taken to the Infirmary three hours previously and was still unconscious. He had a few skull fractures, not helped by the impact on the Embarkation Room wall, as well as a fractured scapula. They were easy enough to mend, give a few weeks and he would be back up and running as team leader of Sg-1.
The bomb had successfully detonated; a UAV had determined that. The Stargate itself had remained intact, but little else had. The Coliseum was now only shattered remains, shards of marble giving an injustice to the beautiful building they once constituted. All that was left rubble.
No survivors.
No celebrations.
No guards.
No Goa'uld.
The world was dead; SG units one and three were successful in their apprehension of Major Carter and in their elimination of a threat in the form of the Goa'uld Orcus. They had lost two good men, Major Ferretti, who, until Colonel O'Neill awoke, would be presumed dead at the hands of Orcus, and Lieutenant Johnson, who presumably suffered the same fate. Their memorial services would be later in the week, to respect their great sacrifice.
Colonel O'Neill had somehow successfully returned through the Gate, though in an unusual fashion. According to Doctor Fraser, it was probably due to a Goa'uld Ribbon Device, though that too would remain uncertain until a full report could be attained from the man in question.
General Hammond didn't like having to wait for the details, but he had to stomach that; after what his men had done, it was the least he should do.
After a full night of sleeping, being watched over by a certain Jaffa insisting on remaining until Colonel O'Neill awakened, Colonel O'Neill awakened. His speech was sluggish at first, as expected; he had mumbled about not wanting to stay in the damn Infirmary, as expected, and had sighed when told that he would have to stay for a few days, as expected. The General had visited the Colonel as soon as he had been told, and had been joined by Daniel and Doctor Fraser. Major Carter had also wanted to be there, but had been told that on no uncertain terms was she to leave her bed and that she could see him when she was fit enough to walk.
Days passed, the first spent debriefing the General; the second spent with the archaeologist who refused to stop talking about everything and anything, despite protests and insistence on being left alone; the third day was spent with Teal'c, who contrasted from the young doctor in so many ways that he was relieved by the lack of conversation exchanged. The fourth day O'Neill received a visit from Carter, though what words were said remained unknown. Fraser watched over both officers throughout their stay in her Infirmary and was just happy that the two were alive and safe. Day five saw them both dismissed; though they were to stay on the base.
All attended the memorial service; O'Neill had stayed silent throughout the entire time, eyes sad and hard. Carter had felt extreme guilt at being responsible for their deaths, but as she had said many times, stepping through that Stargate, for no matter what reasons, was a calculated risk. They had known, and she would always be grateful to them. She owed them all her life; she would remember that for a long time.
Then after that, the experience, like so many, was swept under the carpet, forgotten in conversation, but whispered through the minds of those involved. A lot had happened, too much for one mission. But, as always, Sg-1 recovered and was raring to go for their next mission.
General Hammond had decided that Sg-1 needed a short break from the usual gung-ho planet and had sent them to a planet to pick up mineral reserves. O'Neill had made jibes, complained, done everything he could to change the destination to a more, as he had put it, lively place, but his efforts were in vain.
And so, Sg-1 found themselves on a world already visited by another SG team a few weeks previously. Colonel O'Neill had groaned incessantly as they were greeted by trees and shrubbery and had been a general pain in the ass the entire time. As usual.
Carter found herself smiling. Yep, things were definitely back to normal. Trees, trees and more trees? They didn't look so bad anymore. She squinted as she looked up to the very tips of the trees, seeming to stretch to the sky for miles, scrunching as light rain sprayed onto her face. Not bad at all; beat the hell out of sand, that was for sure.
I noticed a few thousand words into my story that it was similar to a challenge, but didn't quite follow the guidelines given. Didn't know whether to mark this as a response or not though. Challenge 478.A few things to say. Firstly, I was in an evil mood when I started this so that would explain some of the nasty stuff; it's not anything personal against our favourite team, I can assure you that by the end they're all in one piece again. Secondly, just a quick thanks to Aquila for the inspiration to get involved in fanfic writing (sorry hun, have to say it) no matter how bizarre my story turns out, cheers. Thirdly, in Content Warnings it says character death. That's not technically true cause, well, just read it and you'll know why. Lastly (almost there), I like feedback (with the possible exception of flame-throwers and bazookas, but even they are appreciated) so good or bad, throw them this way.
© July 15, 2001 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.