With determination, Daniel strode through the eerily deserted corridors of the Tok'Ra base intent on his task. He guessed he would find Teal'c where he'd last seen him, in one small, secluded alcove trying to seek solace in Kel-nor-reem. Daniel knew Teal'c was struggling with an inner demon, called revenge, more specifically, "a Jaffa revenge thing", and the all-consuming compulsion to exact that revenge on Tanith. Unfortunately, anger and disappointment derived from failure had become mixed into the equation. The anger and disappointment necessitated Teal'c find a means to control these emotions since the despicable Gou'ald had escaped from Tok'Ra captivity and, thus, eluded justice. Only when Tanith was dead, would Teal'c have satisfaction. Daniel understood. It was a bitter struggle he, himself, privately waged and endured and did not wish upon anyone. It was a scenario he, too, had been battling for almost five years. With each passing year, Daniel found it more and more difficult to refrain from exacting revenge when given the opportunity and surrender to circumstances which dictate he walk away for the good of the cause. Right now, he fervently prayed he could lead his friend away from the same all encompassing rage.
Daniel slowed his pace as he approached the alcove. Teal'c was still present. Daniel saw the seated figure of the Jaffa as he rounded the corner entering the alcove.
"Hey, Teal'c," Daniel greeted, stopping to stand behind his friend. "I've been looking for you. There's been a change of plan."
"I have been informed of Major Carter's intentions," Teal'c stated not turning away from the blueish white crystal.
"So, you understand then there's nowhere for Tanith to run," Daniel stated, knowing this was what weighed so heavily on Teal'c's mind. "This whole planet is going to be incinerated."
"If all goes according to plan, yes."
Well, that didn't sound positive. "What, you' don't think we can pull it off?"
"I have great confidence in both Selmac and Major Carter."
"But.." Daniel prompted, knowing there was more to be said.
"Twice I have had the opportunity to avenge the murder of Shon'auc. Twice I have let Tanith slip through my grasp. I have failed Shon'auc."
Oh, yeah, this sounds too familiar Daniel thought. Definitely the Jaffa revenge thing. "That's, that's, not true," Daniel began in answer. "You let Tanith live so the Tok'Ra could use him and it worked. And now we're about to take down Apophis, and the largest Gou'ald fleet ever assembled. It will be a great victory." Daniel spoke the words, but even he privately doubted the implementation of Sam's ambitious plan would finally, finally rid the galaxy of Apophis.
"It will be a great victory," Teal'c stated with no enthusiasm.
"That's right," Daniel concurred, but with more emphasis.
"And knowing what Apophis did to Sha're, would you not trade it all for the opportunity to crush the life from his throat with your bare hands."
Damn you, Teal'c that's not fair!!
"Well,....ahh,...." Daniel stumbled as the nightmare he kept hidden even from his closest friends jumped to the forefront of his thoughts.
The sounds of battle raged around the kneeling, partially concealed soldiers. Daniel tried not to think on the chaos swirling around him as he quickly ejected the spent cartridge from his handgun and awkwardly shoved a full clip into the grip.
"Daniel, stay here!!" O'Neill shouted. "I'm scouting down that corridor!!" The colonel indicated the specified one with a jerk of his head.
"Jack, that's the one Apophis went down!!" Daniel yelled in response before levering himself to the barricade and firing at the surrounded Jaffa, the last remnants of Apophis' forces on his hatek.
"Right!! That's why I'm going!! You keep your head down!!!. Wait here with SG-2 for Carter and Teal'c to bring the calvary !!"
Last order issued, Jack crouched behind the barricade and in a bent posture, scurried into the unprotected corridor.
"Jack!!!" Daniel shouted before returning fire as blasts from staff weapons flew overhead and impacted with thundering resonance against the wall.
Through the swirling smoke, Daniel peered down the darkened passage and saw, with growing horror, two Jaffa sneak away from their defensive position and disappear into the hallway. Damn it!! He turned toward his left to call to Major Griff but saw all four Marines of SG-2 were pinned down, returning fire to the armor plated enemy. Unsure what to do, a sudden lull in the shooting gave Daniel the impetus he needed to act. He mirrored O'Neill's crouched actions and stumbled his way into the hallway.
Both hands gripping the gun, the way Jack had taught him, Daniel crept through the muted darkness, his ears hearing the renewed battle raging behind him, and the fading clomping of running Jaffa echoing ahead of him. Damn, he had to hurry or Jack could find himself pincered. Throwing caution aside, Daniel quickened his pace. He saw increasing illumination ahead, all the motivation he needed to rush onward. He turned a corner and came to stand in the entrance into the hateks' control room. He quickly plastered himself against the wall when he spied the two Jaffa just ahead of his position, staff weapons, primed and aimed. Craning his neck, Daniel glimpsed their target: Jack, back exposed and apparently unaware of their presence, the soldier's attention focused on the figure of Apophis busy engaging controls at the hatek's flight panel.
"Jack!! Take cover!!! Daniel shouted in warning as he positioned himself in the entrance, gun firing into the two kneeling Jaffa. Both fell under the barrage, mortally wounded. Daniel only ceased firing when he realized his gun was clicking indicating the ammo cartridge was empty. Damn, he needed more ammunition, he silently swore fumbling in his vest pockets for another, fully cognizant of his exposed position framed in the chamber's entrance. Jack was gonna chew his butt but good for this breach of battlefield tactics.
One hand still frantically searching for another clip, Daniel was griped with renewed fear as Apophis turned in their direction. A wicked smile of victory on his ebony featured face, the System Lord faced the two men, his hand raised, the ribbon device glowing. Before Jack could react, the ejected energy blast struck him in the chest. His body elevated with the impact and slammed into the wall, falling to the floor in a crumpled heap.
"NOO!!! Jack!!" Daniel screamed scrambling to the unmoving form.
He knelt, gently turning the body over. Jack's lifeless brown eyes stared at him, blood trickling from his nose and mouth. Through his stinging eyes, Daniel saw how Jack's head flopped. His neck was broken. The realization slammed into Daniel with heart stopping force. His friend was dead, killed by the abomination who had destroyed everyone Daniel ever cared for in his life.
The sadistic, triumphant, laughter echoed around the chamber. Hearing the unwelcome sound, Daniel lifted moist horrified eyes from Jack's lifeless form to the Gou'ald towering over both men.
"Too easy. I had expected more from you, Tau'ri. But now, finally, I will have removed both of you from meddling further in my affairs of conquest."
The hand device began to sparkle. Daniel watched it mesmerized, saw the gloating hated glowing eyes hovering above the hand. With a will of their own, Daniel's hands traveled over Jack's motionless body and found the hilt of the soldier's belted knife. Trembling fingers clutched the weapon. Powered by his blinding rage, his overpowering desire for revenge, Daniel sprang o his feet, screaming loudly.
Apophis was stunned by the attack, his host's face grimaced with pain as Daniel thrust the knife forward. The blade sliced through the red crystal of the ribbon device and the hand it adorned. Furiously yanking, Daniel freed the knife, and lunged forward again his momentum knocking the utterly dumbfounded Apophis to the floor. They struggled, but Daniel had the advantage and plunged the knife downward into the fleshy body pinned beneath him, again, and again, and again, all the while his vision blurred by red fury. His actions powered by adrenaline fed the desire to finally destroy the desecrator of his wife, the torturer of Sam because she had once carried the Tok'Ra Jolinar, the tormentor of Teal'c, and now the murderer of his dearest friend.
Daniel ceased his stabbing motion when his fury and hoarse screaming ebbed and the rational part of his mind relayed the sensation of the body beneath him going limp. Burning eyes saw the floor running red with blood flowing freely from the damaged host body. His nose registered the acrid stench of fresh blood. Gasping for breath, a trembling Daniel stared, slowly becoming aware of what he had done. As he hovered, the host's mouth opened and the symbiont's head emerged, inching out slowly, seeking refuge in another body. Its demonic red eyes glowed, their intensity increasing as it spied Daniel kneeling on the dead host body. Apophis coiled prepared to claim a new host, the irony of the selection not lost, only to find itself squealing in pain as two hands tightly gripped the coiling body ripping it free of the dead body.
Daniel lifted the symbiont eye level with him. All his pent up rage and hatred for this beast radiated from his heaving body. As he glared, his encircling hands clenched tighter, squeezing the life from the squirming and squealing alien snake.
"No more living for you!!" Daniel declared in a low, guttural voice.
His hands gripped tighter and pulled in opposite directions effectively tearing the Gou'ald apart, his actions in repetition of what he had seen Chaka the Unas do. Blue tinged blood squirted from the sectioned body, splattering Daniel's face and clothing. He tossed aside the squirming tail and placed the still screeching, fanged head to the floor. Daniel maneuvered his booted foot down, and stomped, again and again, smashing to a gooey blue pulp the entity who had been known as Apophis. He felt the Gou'ald bones crunch, heard the blue tinged blood squish. Daniel continued the stomping motions, each accompanied by the hoarse screams. The physical actions gave release to his hatred until exhausted, both physically and emotionally, Daniel stared wide-eyed at the smeared slime, the result of what he had done. He had killed, deliberately taken a life. It felt so...satisfying. Daniel had his revenge, but the price had been much too high. As his tormented blue eyes sought the unmoving green heap that was his friend, Daniel knew his soul was forever gone. He had crossed the threshold Jack had never wanted him to cross.
"Forgive me, Jack," Daniel whispered as he crawled to the unmoving body and gently cradled his friend in his arms, rocking slowly, his tears falling onto the open unseeing brown eyes...
"Well,...ahhh..." Daniel stuttered, balling his hidden hands into fists within his pockets as he struggled to bury both the vivid visions of the nightmare and its associated emotions.
It was the same dream which had haunted him in various evolving scenarios since they were forced to surrender the dead body of Apophis to Sokar. The dream always ended the same, with him killing Apophis after the System Lord had ruthlessly murdered either Jack, Sam or Teal'c. Finally regaining self-control, Daniel felt he was prepared to answer Teal'c.
"I'd be lying to you if I said I'd never thought about it. That doesn't mean I'd do it if given a more rational option." Daniel lied. He was privately pleased with the lie, pleased it sounded plausible to his ears. Don't follow my lead in this, Teal'c, please Daniel silently begged of his friend.
Teal'c rose and turned to face Daniel. "In the future, I will not be capable of such restraint." Declaration given, the Jaffa strode away.
Daniel didn't reply. He watched Teal'c's retreat, listening as the footfalls faded away. "Neither will I, Teal'c," Daniel whispered. "Neither will I."
In troubled silence, Daniel followed in the Jaffa's wake. Sam's ambitious plan had better work. Because he wasn't certain how much longer he and Teal'c could nurture this revenge thing before taking that irretrievable step.
Just a little something, which evolved from a few discussions at MediaWest con. An answer to a "what if" question as well as a missing scene for Exodus. I also borrowed most of the dialogue from the episode so I can't claim it as my own. Drat. Thanks to Val and Joyce for beta work and such stimulating con discussions.
© June 26, 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.