Summary: AU version of "In The Line of Duty". Jolinar takes refuge in Jack.
Author's Notes: Originally written for the Stargate Last Author Standing prompt, "Pick a scene from any episode and re-write that scene to have it happen differently from the show," but didn't use due to the fact that this story covers more than one scene. My story "Passing of the Torch" was written as a replacement.
Nothing was real anymore. Stuck in a nightmare that just would not let go, Jack sat in a cell, desperately trying to figure out what had happened. He vaguely remembered giving some guy mouth to mouth resuscitation, something slimy, and a sharp stabbing pain in his throat, then chaotic confusion from that point on.
It just didn't seem real. Even now, as he sat in a cell with flashes of someone else's memories racing through his mind, he was at a complete loss as to what was going on.
"Snake," he thought with disgust, as memories of his own seeped in. Kawalski strapped to a bed in the infirmary, begging Jack to make sure the snake didn't win.
"Effin' Goa'uld."
"Tok'ra." The voice seemed to seep in, silk threads weaving in and out through Jack's hearing. "I am Jolinar of Malkshur."
"Whatever," Jack tried to say out loud. It was a useless attempt. The goa'uld had complete control - had been from the start of their less than lovely relationship. "You're nothing but a slimy…"
"I am not Goa'uld." This was said with such conviction that Jack took a mental step back.
"Probably pushed back," he thought with what he hoped was a snarl. He couldn't tell, but knew it wouldn't matter anyway. The freaking snake was an arrogant jerk.
The confusion got worse when the Goa'uld… "Tok'ra" was tired. An onslaught of memories the snake couldn't conceal flashed through Jack's mind like lightening in an electrical storm. Faces, scenery, anything and everything swirled around, some racing through so fast that Jack couldn't make sense, nor retain them to use against his captor.
He had to wonder if maybe the Goa'uld did this on purpose, just to trip him up.
"You will sleep," the snake said in a warning tone. "I must rest."
"Not tired," Jack said, hoping to irritate the snake enough to find freedom. Jolinar reacted by closing his eyes, leaving Jack totally in the dark and completely helpless to do anything but think. The snake tuned him out, or so it seemed, yet kept its control. Jack had no option but to give in, despite the dread that seeped in.
Things were definitely worse when the snake was tired, but nothing compared to the nightmares that ruled its sleep.
The snake let go of its control so suddenly that Jack had a moment of denial. Only a moment though. "Teal'c!" he shouted, his fingers grabbing at the bars of his cell. "Come on, buddy Get me out of here!" Teal'c hesitated on his way out, but then kept moving. Jack couldn't give up. His freedom depended on them to help him. "Carter! Please Carter. You have to help me." She stood and stared at him, visibly upset, and Jack put everything into his pleas. "Get me out of here. That's an order, Captain!" She backed away from him, her eyes wet with tears as she shook her head. "Damn it, Carter. Don't leave me here with this thing." She reached the door and stopped to look back at him once more, then turned and walked out. "Carter!" Jack shouted just as the door shut behind her. "Please," he whispered, his whole world crashing down around him. It was almost as if they had given up on him.
Despair settled in as Jolinar took over again. Jack knew why his teammates did what they did, but it still hurt that they had left him behind.
"What will it take?" the snake said through Jack's voice.
"A whole lot more than you have to offer," Jack told his demon.
Terror raced through the snake. Jack could feel it, the familiar tugging in the gut, adrenalin coursing through his veins. Pure unadulterated terror. Memories assaulted him at full speed, scenes of torture and pain, the stranger's face bringing on a sense of dread so overwhelming that even Jack had to steel himself for the inevitable. The snake knew that death had come to take what was his. There was nowhere to run and Jack doubted they would get far even if they did get the chance. He was going to die, and he was glad. Freedom would be his at last.
The Ashrak wasted no time, the device in his hand poised to do its job. Jack waited patiently for Jolinar to finish its speech, knowing that death was his only way out, yet not really wanting to rush into anything. It was a strange contrast of feelings, but soon it didn't matter. The torture was worse than anything he could ever imagine. Wave after pulsating wave of excruciating agony plowed through his skull, carving a path toward total annihilation.
And then it was over. He tried to focus on Carter's face as she kneeled over him, but he was distracted by the soft words ringing through his ears. "You must live, O'Neill. I have seen your mind and know what you have done. And what you will do." The pain of torture still lingered as Jack now tried to focus on the voice in his head. "You must live."
His eyes closed then and Jack was grateful for the darkness. His last coherent thought before passing out was that he wished he had some aspirin.
He woke up in the infirmary, the Doc hovering over him and Carter giving him a faint smile. Everything still hurt, but Jack knew that he was going to live. Jolinar made sure of it. He reached into his mind, searching for his nemesis to be sure, but there was nothing, only the faint memories that used to torment him during the few times the Tok'ra was exhausted.
"You did it, sir," Carter said with a smile. "You won."
Jack slowly shook his head. He knew better. "Did I?" he had to ask.
Carter nodded, but Jack closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of having control again, despite the fact that he was really too weak to keep them open. "Jolinar saved my life," he told them as sleep lulled him in. "The snake won this time around."