Author's Notes:
Okay – this is the first fic I ever wrote and concerns an SG-5 team based on members of the Showtime website for SG1. Here, they feature alongside SG1 on a mission to destroy a Goa'uld mother ship. I don't understand the rating system just yet, so it's PG for some fight scenes etc. Please review it, and I might post some of the others, which introduce the rest of the team! Thanks! – Dragon
For more fanfic or to just browse some cool Stargate related stuff, visit me website:
http://www.stormpages.com/sgcdragon/welcome.html
Disclaimer:
Stargate SG-1 and the characters thereof are © MGM and other associated producers, no infringement intended. Dragon is my character, Coca Cola in the name of another – please do not use our character names with permission. Other standard disclaimers apply.
Hell And Back
By Dragon
Lt. Colonel Coca Cola entered General Hammond's office; unsure of why she had been summoned. An Airman opened the door for her, and then closed it quickly behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if she was in some kind of trouble, noting the presence of both the General and a female Lieutenant General she didn't recognise. She immediately snapped to attention, saluting quickly. Hammond returned the salute, and the Lt. General behind him smiled, also saluting, less crisply than some officers might.
"Sir," Coca Cola noted, "you wanted to see me?"
"Yes," Hammond nodded, getting up, "you have been selected as part of a Special Ops team. Your mission will be to go aboard a Goa'uld mother ship and destroy it."
"Yes, sir," Cola nodded, waiting for him to go on.
She wanted to know more details about the mission, and about the other officer in the room, who so far hadn't moved or said a word. She wasn't kept waiting.
"This mission is top secret, and of course, highly dangerous," Hammond continued, "for this reason, you will not know any other members of your team, other than by their ranks and call signs. In the event of capture, therefore, you will be unable to give away any information about your teammates. Upon your departure, all base codes will be changed, aside from your GDO code. Should you fail to report back after twenty four hours, we will assume that you have failed, and your code will be permanently locked out of the system."
"Yes, sir," Cola replied, numbly.
"This is Lt. Gen. Dragon," Hammond gestured to the officer behind him, who nodded, "she will be directing the operation. You will function as Second in Command. Any questions?"
Cola paused. 'Why me?' sprang to mind.
"When do we leave?" she asked instead.
Two hours later, the team was assembled in the gate room. There were five in all – Dragon, Cola, and three men. Cola quite liked the idea that the two women were in charge of the men, and, from the looks of it, so did Dragon. They all carried silenced MP-5s, two combat knives, four grenades and blocks of C4 with timers in their back packs. They also had Zats, handguns and spare ammo. To Cola, it looked as if they were off to fight an all-out war. Also, the black, tight fitting uniforms looked quite good.
"All right then," Dragon announced, sounding quite cheerful, "the ship is planet-bound and has a gate aboard, according to all our intelligence."
Cola heard one of the men utter a joke about female intelligence, and fixed him with a withering glare that made him snap to attention.
"We'll gate in, and plant charges around the gate, the engineering section and the helm controls," Dragon continued, flashing a quick grin at Cola, having not missed the joke, "any questions?"
She made it sound so much like a challenge, Cola had to suppress a grin. As expected, there were none.
"Right," Dragon nodded, "let's move out!"
They exited the gate, immediately dropping into the nearest hiding spaces. Cola found herself behind a cargo box with the Airman who'd made the joke.
"I'm Flash," he whispered, by way of introduction.
"Sure you are," Cola muttered, rolling her eyes slightly.
From the opposite side of the room, Dragon signalled the all clear, and they stood up, moving together. They synchronised their watches, and set to work.
"Osprey, Flash, you set the charges," Dragon ordered, quietly, "set the timer for thirty minutes."
The two Airmen nodded, and obeyed. Dragon moved towards the door, closely followed by Cola and the third member of the party, a Second Lieutenant called Voice. Dragon hesitated by the door, planning her strategy.
"Cola, you and Osprey go to the control room, and plant the charges there," she ordered, eventually, "Flash, you stay here, and cover for us if things get hot on our way back to the gate. Voice, you come with me, and we'll take out the engines with a couple of grenades. Anyone not back in twenty five minutes is left behind, understood?"
They all nodded silently, as Dragon opened the door. As soon as she established that the corridor was free, they slipped through, and split up.
Cola headed for the command deck, with Osprey in tow. She held her Zat tightly, knowing it would be far easier to use, over the MP-5 that was slung across her back. As they rounded a corner, making their way up through the ship, she heard the unmistakeable sound of approaching Jaffa. She gestured for Osprey to get down and get back. He did so, nervously fingering the safety catch on the MP-5 he was holding in a death grip. Cola hoped he wouldn't get an itchy trigger finger. The guards marched passed, and Cola waited for a beat, before gesturing for Osprey to follow her.
"Stay close," she hissed, "there could be more of them."
He nodded slowly, weapon still at the ready. They made their way down the corridor, and came to a door. Cola frowned. She'd memorised the layout of Goa'uld mother ships on the premise that they were all pretty much the same, and there shouldn't be a door there. Hesitantly, she opened it, and, as it slid back, she did her best not to gasp. She was looking at an exact replica of the SGC gate room. She could only think of one thing to say.
"Oh, crap."
Dragon and voice made their way down through the decks rapidly, evading patrols easily. Almost too easily, Dragon thought, but kept her guard up. Two Jaffa were on duty at the entrance to their section. Dragon nodded to Voice, and the two of them opened fire with Zats, three rounds each. The guards convulsed, collapsed, and vanished. The two of them paused for a moment to see if any others had been attracted by the noise, but no one came running and no alarms came on, so they proceeded through the doors. Voice peered over the railings.
"You can see why we have to use grenades," Dragon whispered.
"How many?"
"Colonel O'Neill's report said two should do it."
"Okay."
"We'll use three, just to be on the safe side."
Dragon pulled out two grenades, and Voice supplied the third. Just as Dragon was about to pull out the pins, Cola's voice whispered in her headset, reporting their discovery. Voice's jaw dropped, and the same thing ran through everyone's thoughts.
"Hathor?" Voice whispered, horrified.
"We need to blow this place, and blow it now!" Dragon decided, "Cola, forget about finding the control room – the C4 around the gate should be enough to blow the ship, especially with the naquadah in the gate. We'll take out the engines and meet you there."
"Affirmative," Cola whispered back.
Dragon gave a mental countdown of twenty seconds, then pulled out the pins and dropped the grenades. Voice followed simultaneously. The explosions rocked the ship, throwing them to the floor. A klaxon blared out, as Dragon and Voice scrambled to their feet, and began to run.
The explosion flung Cola to the deck, and she cursed, scrambling to her feet, with Osprey not far behind. They ran, heading back towards the gate room, keeping under cover as much as possible. Suddenly, without warning, a staff weapon blast hit the wall not far from Cola's head.
"Return fire!" she shouted at Osprey.
"Cola, report!" came Dragon's voice over the communications link.
"We're under fire, repeat, we're under fire!" Cola shouting firing back with her Zat, picking off one Jaffa, "we're outnumbered!"
"Flash! Get to Cola! We're on our way to meet with you!"
"Affirmative," came Flash's reply, "I'm on my . . . Jesus Christ!"
Cola winced as a burst of static came over the earpiece, and, as it cleared, she heard Voice, calling for Flash. A staff weapon blast grazed past her arm, close enough for her to feel the heat. She pulled back, keeping up a constant barrage of fire, as she heard Dragon report that Flash was dead, and that she and Voice were pinned down by enemy fire.
"It's a trap," Dragon said, grimly, "I don't think we were meant to find that SGC mock up, Cola. Looks like our Tok'ra friends got it wrong again. We walked into a trap."
"Sounds like you've been hanging around Colonel O'Neill, sir," Voice commented.
Cola had to smile, but it didn't last long. She felt a cold, hard point in the back of her neck. A Zat. She'd felt the blast of one of those once or twice, and waking up from one at such close range wouldn't be pleasant.
"Surrender or die!" ordered a voice.
"That's multiple choice, I assume?" Cola responded.
The guard made a growling noise, so Cola unwillingly raised her hands, and was forced to turn around. Osprey was already a prisoner, and was being stripped of his weapons and communications gear.
"Dragon, get out!" Cola cried, suddenly, "you've gotta blow this damn ship!"
For her troubles, Cola received a stinging blow to the side of her head. She reeled, but stayed upright, as her weapons and communications gear were snatched. Dazed, she and Osprey were dragged away.
Cola shook her head, trying to clear it, as they were taken through the mock up of the gate room, and into SGC corridors. The guards came to a blank wall, at the end of the corridor, and, instead of stopping, walked straight through it.
"It's a projection," Cola realised, as they too were pushed through.
They came through, into some kind of huge throne room. In a huge chair at the far end sat a figure, draped in long robes and hidden by the shadows. A single candle burned beside the throne, with two guards at the base of the steps leading up towards the figure. Two more guards stood beside the entrance, plus the four that were escorting the two humans. Not very good odds, all things considered. Cola and Osprey were forced into kneeling positions, and their wrists were bound behind their back.
"You are now my prisoners," spoke up the leader, seated on the throne.
His voice was hoarse, and, unmistakeably, Goa'uld. Cola closed her eyes, wondering if things could get any worse.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and Cola knew what had happened, before more guard entered. Between them, came Dragon and Voice. The latter was pale and shaking – even from where she was kneeling, Cola could see the staff weapon wound to his right shoulder. Dragon just looked . . . well, 'furious' didn't quite cover it. Cola figured that if they ever got out of this, Tok'ra heads would roll. Dragon and Voice were also forced to kneel, as the Goa'uld stood up.
"Sir," Cola whispered, by way of greeting.
"They defused all the C4," Dragon whispered, without preamble, "but we took out the engines, so at least the ship's not going anywhere."
"Silence!" shouted the Goa'uld.
He stood up, walking forward, down the steps and into the light.
"Sok'har," Dragon hissed in recognition.
Cola froze. This was the guy who owned hell. Tortured for fun. Nearly had SG-1 for sure. They were in it deep now.
"Now," said Sok'har, his voice reverberating throughout the room, "you will hand over your access codes to me, and information about your planet."
"Up yours," snarled Dragon.
Sok'har strode forward, and back handed her across the face. Dragon winced, but said nothing. The Goa'uld turned on Cola, who steeled herself bravely.
"Perhaps I should make you a host," he murmured, stroking her face, "then you would give your knowledge to me willingly."
Cola wrenched back, glaring at him. Sok'har hissed, and gestured to the guards.
"Take them away," he snapped, "we will interrogate them one at a time. Leave him here."
He pointed to the wounded Voice, who glared back at him defiantly.
"No!" Dragon protested, "You leave him alone!"
They struggled ineffectively, as they were taken away, leaving Voice behind with Sok'har.
Cola sat on the edge of a bed, next to Dragon. Osprey was pretending to be asleep on another one. They'd been placed in an SGC-style brig, so at least it was relatively comfortable. As least they weren't tied up or anything like that. Cola sighed, softly. This wasn't quite what she'd expected. Her worst-case scenario had been to get shot down in a fight. For some reason, capture and torture hadn't entered into it.
"God damn it!" Dragon hissed, suddenly, jumping to her feet, pacing around.
Osprey opened one eye, and gave a small, humourless smile.
"Never been taken prisoner before, sir?" he asked, with a 'been there, done that' attitude.
"Oh, I've been a prisoner before all right," Dragon responded, tersely, "I just don't appreciate having my people tortured! You got a problem with that?"
Just then, the door slammed open, and a guard came in. He looked around the room.
"Where's my team member?" Dragon snapped.
"Dead," the guard replied, shortly, "all of you. Together. Now."
He glared at first Osprey, then Cola, and then Dragon, who shook her head.
"Leave them, I'm in command of this mission! It's me you want!"
"Bring them," ordered the guard.
Three more guards stepped forward, and their wrists were quickly bound. The three of them were dragged out, and Cola wondered if there would be any rescue.
Back in the throne room, the three prisoners stood before Sok'har. The Goa'uld sat impassivly on his throne – it was clear his First Prime would be doing the torture part. Cola recognised a pain stick from the description in Sam Carter's report. She suppressed a shudder, as Sok'har shifted position slightly.
"What are the access codes to open your Chapp'ai?" he demanded.
No one moved, or spoke.
"What are the passwords to your computer system?"
Silence.
"Give me your codes or you will be screaming for me to kill you within five minutes."
Dragon muttered a curse under her breath. A guard stepped forward, pointing a Zat at Osprey.
"The codes!" he demanded.
Osprey swore at him, and the guard fired once. Osprey cried out, and fell to the floor. The guard aimed at Cola.
"The codes!"
She raised her eyebrow, taunting him with silence. He fired, and she managed to stop herself from crying out, as the energy crackled through her, dropping her to the floor. The guard turned to Dragon, who lunged at him, only to be shot down. The three of them pulled themselves back up slowly, coming to attention. The guard swapped the Zat for a pain stick. Cola braced herself, and wondered if now were a good time to pray.
Dragon, Cola and Osprey lay on separate beds, none of them able or willing to even think about moving. An hour dragged slowly by, before Dragon shifted slightly, and sat up, slowly, glancing at her watch, the only piece of equipment that hadn't been taken from them.
"We've just been locked out of the SGC," she told the other two, grimly.
"Looks like we're on our own, then," Cola commented.
"If we tried to escape, where would we go?" Osprey asked, "we can't even take this ship – the engines are blown."
"I know," Cola agreed, "But it's bound to carry gliders – even if we can't get back to the SGC, escape is better than being made a host."
Dragon nodded, and then held up her hand for quiet. Cola and Osprey paused, before they heard it too – the sound of approaching guards.
"Subtle, these guys, aren't they?" Cola commented.
The door slammed open, and Sok'har's malicious First Prime, Darr'ok, appeared, grinning.
"Rest's over," he announced, "I hope you won't talk. I do so enjoy hearing you scream."
"Before I die," Dragon promised, "you'll be the one who's screaming."
Darr'ok simply laughed, as the three captives were wrestled out of the cell, back towards the throne room.
Cola fell to her knees, gasping for breath, as the pain stick released the back of her neck. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the ache to subside and for her vision to clear after the blinding light that had shone from them only moments before. She'd seen it used on the other two, and hated the idea of the way it looked as it was administered. She fought to get control of herself, wondering if she should try and make a break for it, before realising the futility of it. Dimly, she was aware of Osprey screaming, as they finished with Dragon, dropping her to the floor. Then, it was over again, and the three humans lay on the floor, gasping and groaning.
"I tire of this," came Sok'har's voice, "you will tell me your computer codes."
Cola considered telling him to Go to Hell, but, remembering who it was, realised that wasn't far off the truth.
"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of beating me!" Dragon snarled.
"I'd rather die than tell you anything!" Cola snapped.
"You'll not even know my name!" hissed Osprey, glaring at him.
Sok'har rose, his robes falling around him with a gentle swish. He came down the steps, standing regally before the three captives, who were still on their knees. Dragon tried to get up and face him, but was knocked back by a guard with a staff weapon. Sok'har fixed her with a baleful glare.
"I have tortured you," he stated, slowly, "I have killed two of your own. I have locked you up. You have had no food or water. And yet you still defy me! I can end your suffering. Give me the codes to your computers that I may destroy your world!"
Dragon looked him in the eyes.
"Screw you," she replied, simply.
Sok'har snarled, and turned around, placing himself back on the throne. He sat up, his eyes filled with malice and hate. Three guards stepped forward, ready to return the prisoners to their cell.
"Wait!" Sok'har ordered.
Everyone froze, and Cola could see the horror she felt reflected in the eyes of her co-prisoners.
"What are your orders, my lord?" asked Darr'ok, anticipation giving an edge to his voice.
Sok'har glanced at each of the prisoners in turn, as if deciding their worth. His incredibly pale eyes glittered, and Cola was suddenly stuck by how totally suited he was to the role of the Devil.
"They continue to defy me," he said, slowly, "and I tire of it. If I cannot hurt their bodies enough, perhaps I can hurt their minds."
He stood up slowly, but did not come down the steps.
"Line them up before their God!" he ordered.
Darr'ok pushed the three of them in to line – Dragon on the right, then Cola, and then Osprey. Sok'har gestured, and, from the curtains behind him, emerged a man, bare to the chest. The cross-shaped slit in his skin pulsed, and Cola forced herself not to look away. At a second gesture from Sok'har, and Darr'ok approached the other man, sliding his hand into the pouch. Cola saw Osprey flinch, and swallowed nervously. She'd heard about this, from other SGC officers – a mature Goa'uld was about to be given a human host. But here, there were no stasis chambers to save them as the Tok'ra operative had saved O'Neill. Darr'ok stepped forward, grinning.
"Now," said Sok'har, "if you will not speak to me by choice . . ."
The three humans stared straight ahead, at attention, saying nothing.
"Then which of you is to become a host?"
Cola wanted to close her eyes and die. The black, snake-like thing in Darr'ok's grasp hissed and snapped it's jaws, writing excitedly at the proximity of unblended human. Darr'ok stepped forward, and held the black snake thing up close to Osprey's face. He visibly flinched, and Sok'har laughed. The Goa'uld spat, twisting and wriggling. Darr'ok then presented it to Cola, who fought to suppress a shudder of disgust. She balled her hands into fists and stared straight ahead, unblinkingly. Darr'ok growled, then moved on to Dragon, holding the Goa'uld inches from her face. Dragon gave him a look of absolute contempt, and struck out.
"No!" Darr'ok cried out, falling back with the force of the blow.
The Goa'uld was flung from his grasp. It hit the wall and dropped to the floor, squealing and hissing. Sok'har snarled incomprehensibly at the assault on the Goa'uld.
"Stop them!" he shouted.
The guards exploded into action, as did the prisoners. Sok'har retreated into the shadows, watching the fight, his anger growing. Cola dodged a blow from a staff weapon, landing in a few good punches. She heard Osprey drop one opponent, only to be taken down by two more. Someone fired a Zat, the blast clipping past her arm close enough to numb it as she struggled against a Jaffa who was nearly twice her size. She got a good grip, ready to throw him, when a heavy blow to her legs swept her off her feet, dropping her flat on the floor.
"Cola!" shouted Dragon, but it was too late.
A Jaffa stood over her, staff weapon charged and at the ready. Dazed, she lay there, bruised and winded. Vaguely, she heard Osprey shouting to Dragon, but the meaning of his words passed by her. She could feel a bruise swelling on her leg and forehead, adding to the array of cuts and bruises she'd picked up along the way. Not far off, Osprey was also down, sitting on the floor, blood running form his nose and gripping his wrist, which was obviously broken. Dragon struggled briefly, but one of the guards swung his staff weapon around, catching her a blow across the side of the face. She gasped, and dropped, as weapons were levelled at them. A guard had retrieved the Goa'uld, and cradled it his arms like a child.
"It has been injured, my lord," he reported to Sok'har, "It will need to be placed within a host."
Sok'har stepped forward, confronting the three prisoners. He stood before Cola, and raised a hand to touch her face.
"Perhaps you will be a host to my new queen," he murmured, softly, "hmm."
Cola waited until he had moved past her to start breathing again. His touch was as cold as ice. He moved on to Dragon, reaching up to touch her face as he had with Cola. She snarled and pulled back, having to be restrained by the guard. A small, cold smile drifted across Sok'har's pallid features.
"Such spirit," he commented, "you would make an excellent host."
He stepped back, as the guard cradling the injured Goa'uld stepped forward. Dragon struggled, kicking wildly, as the man came closer, holding up the Goa'uld.
"No!" Shouted Cola.
She lunged forward, breaking free of the guards, knocking the Goa'uld away. Osprey was suddenly at her side, before a guard knocked him to the floor. The Goa'uld, sensing his proximity, slithered forward. It snapped its jaws, shrieked once, and lunged forward. Both Dragon and Cola froze with horror, as Osprey screamed, and the Goa'uld burrowed into his neck. Osprey's eyes flashed, and Cola dodged back, horrified. Dragon took advantage of the sudden pause, grabbing the nearest guard's Zat. She fired rapidly, three times in succession, at Osprey. Cola could have sworn he smiled in thanks, just before his body vanished. Dragon immediately turned the weapons on the guards, but was taken down by a Zat shot from Darr'ok. Sok'har seethed with rage, at the loss of a prisoner, a host and a Goa'uld.
"Take them to their cell!" he screamed.
Cola was grabbed roughly, and was practically carried back to the cell, where the guards flung her in unceremoniously. She pushed herself up off the floor, as Dragon was dropped beside her. The door slammed shut, leaving them alone in the cell, and Cola couldn't help but feel it was all over for them both.
General Hammond paced around his office restlessly. Thirty hours had passed since Dragon and the others had stepped through the gate. He'd cancelled the codes after twenty-six hours. Two hours after the given deadline. Then he'd had no choice. No choice. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that he only said there was no choice in order to console himself with the choices he had already made. He'd chosen to doom five good people to die.
"Damn it," he sighed, to himself.
Just then, there was a loud banging on the door. Hastily, he sat back down behind his desk, pretending to be working on a report.
"Come in!" he called out.
The door swung open, and in walked Colonel Jack O'Neill, flanked by Teal'c Sam Carter and Daniel Jackson.
"Sir, request permission to go after Lt. Gen Dragon's team," O'Neill announced, without preamble.
"Denied," Hammond replied, when he wanted to say 'affirmative', "they've most likely been captured or are dead."
"No way," O'Neill shook his head vehemently, "I refuse to give up on them that easily! They're damn good people!"
"Sir, if they failed to blow up the mother ship, then we need to go in and finish the job," Carter pointed out, "other wise, the safety of Earth is at stake!"
"Yeah, that too!" O'Neill agreed, not to be outdone.
Hammond sighed.
"It's true we need to take out the mother ship," he agreed, "and that will be your mission. Rescuing the Special Ops Team is not, I repeat; not the objective."
"Are you ordering us not to rescue them?" demanded O'Neill.
Hammond smiled, briefly.
"That's not what I said."
O'Neill paused, caught the meaning, and smiled grimly.
"We'll be ready to go in five minutes," he nodded, "thank you, sir."
SG-1 filed out of the office, and Hammond sighed, hoping he hadn't made a grave mistake.
Cola sat in the semi-darkness of the prison cell, knowing without a doubt she would die soon. Strangely, she felt an odd kind of calm grip her – she did not feel hysterical about it, and resolved to die as proudly and with as much dignity as she could. The only regret she had was that she'd never said how she felt about him . . .
"Dragon," she whispered, softly, "are you awake?"
"Yes," came the reply, sounding light and slightly amused.
Cola swallowed, and steeled herself.
"Can I make a confession?" she asked, quietly.
"I'm not a priest, CC," from the tone of her voice, Cola had a feeling Dragon was smiling, "can I call you CC?"
"Yeah, sure," Cola nodded, relaxing slightly.
"So what's on your mind?" Dragon shifted forward slightly, into the light, so that they could talk face to face.
"We're more than likely going to die," Cola whispered, "no, don't contradict me. Just listen. I . . . I wanted to tell someone about how I feel . . ."
Dragon nodded in understanding, as if telling her to go on.
"I . . . um . . ." Cola faltered slightly, looking for words to say how she felt.
"Colonel O'Neill, am I right?" Dragon asked, amused.
Cola flushed slightly, but nodded. Dragon smiled.
"He feels the same," Dragon told her, gently, "don't feel bad."
Cola stared at the other woman in amazement.
"How did you . . . ? Why didn't he tell me?" was all she could think of to say.
"I know because he told me," Dragon replied, still smiling gently, "and, in response to your second question – why didn't you tell him?"
"I never thought he'd . . . feel the same . . ." Cola shook her head and smiled, "damn. Now I'll never get the chance."
"Let's make a deal," Dragon said, "if you promise to tell him how you feel when, not if, we get out of here, I promise to always keep you informed on what people say, okay?"
"Okay," Cola stuck out her hand, and they shook, securing the pact.
"And one of us has to kill Darr'ok," Dragon added, with a grin.
Cola laughed.
"That was kind of a foregone conclusion," she agreed.
O'Neill watched as the Stargate spun to life, and wished it would hurry up. He checked his weapon for the fifth time in as many minutes, impatient to get on. Sam Carter glanced at him, amused, but he ignored her. She of all people knew why he was in such a hurry. She, Daniel, Teal'c and Dragon were the only ones who knew why. And they only knew because they'd gotten him drunk a party once, a while back. At least they'd kept it a secret. He tried to keep his mind on their primary objective of blowing the ship, but knew he wouldn't be able to do until he knew the other team was safe. For one thing, he hated leaving anyone behind to die. For another, Dragon was a friend and a fellow officer. But, above all, he loved Cola like a sister. Well, more than that even, but he had a hard time admitting it.
"Come on," he whispered, under his breath.
As if responding to his request, the Stargate event horizon exploded outwards brilliantly, snapping back into a wavering event horizon. O'Neill glanced back at his team, not wanting to look too eager to get going.
"SG-1 you have a go," came Hammond's voice over the speaker, "good luck."
O'Neill waved to him in mock cheerfulness, then turned back to the rest of SG-1.
"Let's move out!" he ordered.
He glanced up at the Stargate, hoped he would find the others alive and well, and entered the wormhole at a run.
Cola lay on her bed, a small smile on her face. Outside, she could hear the activity of the Jaffa, and wondered what was going on. No-body seemed in too much of a hurry to come along and disturb them, so she closed her eyes, to try and get some sleep. It didn't work. She sighed, softly.
"Can't sleep?" came Dragon's voice, from the shadows of the other bunk.
Cola smiled.
"Not much point," she sighed, "but I'm not afraid any more."
"No," Dragon replied, "nor me. At least we grounded the ship – perhaps the Tok'ra will finish off the job."
"Nah," Cola shook her head, "they'll just ask for another SG team to do it, 'in the interest of the Tok'ra/Earth alliance', you know."
"Yeah," Dragon laughed, "you sound like O'Neill."
"Yasureyoubetcha!"
The two of them laughed, and the guard outside their cell couldn't help but wonder how humans could act so strangely in the face of certain death.
O'Neill came through the gate, and took down the two Jaffa that were supposed to be guarding it. The other members of the team came through, weapons at the ready. O'Neill gestured that the area was safe, and the Stargate shut down. It was then he noticed the C4 packed behind the gate. Crossing over to it, he realised that the Goa'uld had disconnected the timer. They hadn't removed the explosive, probably because they didn't know if it was safe to move.
"They've more than likely been taken prisoner," Carter noted, "and didn't get the chance to blow it."
"We could destroy the ship and return now, O'Neill," Teal'c noted.
"Not a chance," O'Neill replied, "Teal'c, you're with me. Carter, you and Daniel stay here, and guard the gate. If we're not back in fifteen minutes, set the timer for one minuet and get out. That's an order, Carter. Got it?"
"Yes sir," she nodded, while privately thinking 'No way in Hell'.
O'Neill nodded once, turned on his heel, and left, closely followed by Teal'c.
"What is our destination?" Teal'c asked, as they made their way quickly through the ship.
"The brig first," O'Neill replied, "If they're not there, we go to the command deck."
Teal'c nodded, then gestured for O'Neill to get back, as a platoon of guards marched by. Teal'c recognised the emblem on their foreheads immediately.
"This is a ship controlled by Sok'har," he reported.
"Oh, crap."
The two of them made their way further up the ship, when they came across a door, blocking their path, where there should have been corridor. O'Neill glanced at Teal'c, who raised his eyebrow, the Jaffa's equivalent of a shrug. O'Neill opened the door, and then leapt back, waiting for a Jaffa to leap out at him. When none did, he poked his head around the door, and swore. He looked at the replica gate room, and then glanced at Teal'c.
"Looks like our boy Sok'har's been taking lessons from Hathor," he commented.
"Sok'har is not a boy," Teal'c responded, "He is in fact over two thousand years old."
O'Neill sighed, and shook his head.
"Let's go see if we can find our people," he said, not bothering to explain, "We'll assume the layout is the same as the SGC. Let's head for the brigs."
"Agreed," Teal'c inclined his head, and they set off.
Dragon sat up, when the bolt slid back on the door, and the Jaffa strode in. Cola, who'd finally fallen into a light sleep, woke up with a start, and sat up.
"Sok'har wants to see you," announced one of them.
"I don't want to see him," replied Dragon, "go away."
The guard glared at her.
"You will come with us," he ordered.
"You're really not my type," Cola told him, languidly.
Neither of the humans moved. The guards came forward, and one of them tried to grab Cola's arm. Instead, she kicked him, and he doubled up with a grunt of surprise. She then dropped him with a rounded kick in the side of the head. The other stepped forward and punched her full in the face, sending her sprawling. Dragon launched herself from the bed, landing on his back, crashing him to the floor before snapping his neck with one swift movement, leapt off the body lightly, and helped Cola to her feet.
"You okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Yasureyoubetcha," Cola replied, gently prodding her split lip, "It'll vanish under some lipstick."
Dragon grinned, and the two of them headed to the door, ready to make a run for it. Just as they cleared the door, Darr'ok appeared from around the corner, with his usual escort of two Jaffa, to see what was taking the other two guards so long. He let out a snarl of rage, and held up his Zat.
"Stop!" he shouted.
Cola froze, as Dragon stepped forward protectively, poised to move at any time. Darr'ok laughed.
"I will not kill you," he sneered, "I will watch my Lord Sok'har do that."
Dragon glared at him, as the two guards came forward, grabbing the two of them roughly, pinning their arms behind their backs and holding them before Darr'ok. He smiled and stepped forward, glancing at each of them in turn.
"A shame you would not comply," he murmured, "you would have made excellent hosts."
He reached forward with his hand to touch their faces, but Dragon moved quicker. Relying on the guard to hold her, she kicked upwards, catching Darr'ok right in the groin. He yelled in pain, and Cola could not suppress a giggle, as he limped forward.
"Take them to Sok'har!" he screamed, in fury.
Both of the women were lead away, but they were both grinning widely.
From the shadows at the end of the corridor, O'Neill had to suppress a laugh at the way Dragon had struck out at the guy who looked like the First Prime. He was intensely glad to see Cola was alive, even though both of them looked as though they'd been in a fight or four. He wondered what had happened to the three other members of the team. When he saw Cola, he had to stop himself from rushing forward to help her.
"Let's go after them," he whispered to Teal'c, who nodded in reply.
The two of them slunk forward, following the Jaffa and their prisoners down the corridor. They turned the corner, just in time to watch them vanish through a wall. O'Neill stared at it, but Teal'c merely watched.
"A projection," he informed O'Neill, "it disguises a main entrance."
"Don't suppose there's a back door?" O'Neill asked, lightly.
"There is indeed a 'back door', O'Neill."
"Good. Let's go in that way."
Dragon and Cola were pushed unceremoniously into the throne room, where Sok'har sat on the throne, his eyes blazing.
"You have continued to defy me," he intoned, "you have attacked my Jaffa, wounded and then killed a Goa'uld, and attempted to destroy me."
"Who, us?" Dragon asked, with mock innocence.
"Nah," Cola shrugged, "we wouldn't do anything like that, would we?"
"Silence! Or you will be killed!"
"Gee, and I thought that was what we were here for," Dragon commented, "what an anti-climax."
"Now I'm disappointed," Cola added, rolling her eyes.
Sok'har glared at them.
"On your knees!" he commanded, "you will kneel before your God!"
"I thought he was acting as the Devil," Cola pointed out to Dragon.
"Hmm, yes," Dragon nodded, as if in deep thought, "schizophrenic as well as a neurotic megalomaniac. Tragic."
Cola was about to reply to that, when one of the guards hit her in the back of the legs with his staff weapon. She was pitched to her knees, and Dragon was soon forced to join her. Sok'har came forward, slowly, raising his hand so that the sleeve of his robe fell back, revealing his hand device, which glowed hypnotically. Dragon stared up at it, and wondered if this really was the end.
O'Neill peered around the curtain, trying not to attract any attention. He and Teal'c had found the 'back door', and were hiding behind the curtains that adorned the 'wall' behind Sok'har's throne. O'Neill checked to see that no-one was watching them, before dodging forward, taking cover behind the Sarcophagus that was hidden behind the throne. Sok'har obviously didn't believe in having a separate bedroom. O'Neill watched as Dragon and Cola kept up the light-hearted banter, until they were forced to their knees. He watched Sok'har advance, bearing the hand device down on them. Then, he could stand it no longer.
"Now!" he shouted.
He and Teal'c leapt up in unison, firing their Zats on the six guards, dropping them one by one. Sok'har swung around in fury, bringing his palm device to bear on O'Neill. Just as he was about to fire, Cola leapt up, kicking his wrist to divert the blast.
"Look out!" O'Neill cried.
Sok'har swung around, grabbing Cola by the throat and lifting her off the ground. She cried out and struggled ineffectively, choking. Dragon leapt up and slammed into Sok'har, knocking all three of them to the ground in a pile. Sok'har flung Cola to one side, throwing her into the wall. Dazed, she slumped to the floor, and O'Neill rushed over to help her up. Dragon tried to twist away from Sok'har, but he grabbed her arm, twisting her around, using her as a shield.
"Shoot!" Dragon shouted, "for God's sake, shoot him!"
Teal'c opened up the Zat gun, but Sok'har turned the palm device on him, unleashing a small burst that flung the big Jaffa to the floor.
"Teal'c!" O'Neill shouted, raising his own weapon.
Sok'har turned to do the same to O'Neill, but Dragon elbowed him sharply, just below the ribs. He flinched, but hardly seemed to notice, and flung Dragon to one side easily. He raised his hand to fire, but Teal'c suddenly appeared beside him, grabbing his wrist. Goa'uld and Jaffa struggled against each other, but Teal'c was used to physical activity, whereas Sok'har spent most of his time on a throne. Teal'c forced him to the ground, just as Darr'ok burst in with four more Jaffa.
"My lord!" he cried, in horror.
Darr'ok raised his staff weapon, intending to fire, but with a snarl of rage O'Neill was upon him. The two struggled, hand to hand, and Dragon and Cola scrambled up, each attacking the Jaffa. Cola fought to gain possession of a staff weapon with one of them, while the second once circled defensively, waiting for her to let down her guard. Dragon took on the third and fourth in a tangle of hand-to-hand fighting, which looked more like a random brawl. Their heavy armour weighed down the Jaffa, giving the humans the advantage. However, the Jaffa were used to fighting with it on. Darr'ok succeeded in throwing O'Neill to the ground, and picked up his dropped staff weapon, turning on the fray behind him. Dragon dropped one of her opponents, turned to face the other, and found herself staring down the end of Darr'ok's staff. He grinned at her evilly.
"I do believe I owe you some fun," he commented, "I intend to repay that debt."
With one fluid motion, he swung the staff weapon around, catching her first in the side, and then across the face. Cola, still struggling with two of the remaining Jaffa, found O'Neill at her side.
"We didn't think you were coming," she commented, lightly, as the two of them fought back-to-back, "glad you could make it!"
"Wouldn't miss this for the world!" O'Neill replied, through gritted teeth.
Cola grinned, feeling ridiculously happy, as she stepped forward, kicking the Jaffa just under the ribs, then punching upwards, scooping the palm of her hand under his chin. His head snapped back, and he collapsed to the floor with a dull thud. O'Neill went it for the kill, putting his opponent down with a karate chop to the throat, then the back of the neck for good measure. Breathlessly, he and Cola stood back, watching as Dragon and Darr'ok circled each other warily. Teal'c had disposed of Sok'har, leaving him unconscious on the floor, and joined them.
"I owe you this," Darr'ok growled, "you'll all die!"
"Like I've never heard that one," Dragon shot back.
Darr'ok swung at her with the staff, and she ducked, kicking him in the side. He grabbed her ankle, flipping her over, and tossed the staff weapon up in the air, catching it in the other hand, so that as she got to her feet, he used it to knock her back down again.
"Is this the best you have?" he taunted, "I don't normally kill women, but in your case I make an exception!"
"I'm honoured!" Dragon responded, picking herself up.
O'Neill glanced across at Cola. She caught his gaze, and flashed a quick smile, which he returned, self-consciously.
"What about the other members of the team?" he whispered, quickly.
"Dead," she replied, glancing away.
O'Neill kicked himself up mentally, and turned back to the fight. Dragon and Darr'ok still faced each other, Darr'ok clearly holding the advantage. O'Neill picked up a staff weapon, aiming it at Darr'ok, but Cola took it off him.
"We promised ourselves this," she told him, softly, "don't do anything, okay?"
O'Neill hesitated, then nodded, reluctantly, and Cola smiled in return, then turned back to the fight.
"Dragon," she called, "catch!"
Dragon spun around, and Cola threw the staff weapon up into the air. Dragon jumped up, catching it, swung it round, and landed a heavy blow on Darr'ok's shoulder. He growled, and swung his own weapon around. Dragon blocked the blow, and it became a match of speed and strength. Darr'ok was clearly stronger, with more power behind his blows, but Dragon was the faster, dodging and blocking the blows, while attempting to attack him in return. Absorbed in the fight, no one noticed Sok'har rise to his feet.
Sok'har raised his hand, flexing his fingers as he felt the power of the device flowing through him. Darr'ok had always been more hindrance than help, and there would be other Jaffa more worthy of becoming First Primes. He concentrated the power, preparing to fire.
"Look out!" Teal'c shouted a warning, but was too late.
Sok'har fired, and the air seemed to pulse with energy. Both Darr'ok and Dragon were picked up and flung against the far wall. Darr'ok was clearly dead, his neck broken, but Dragon shifted slightly, fighting unconsciousness. O'Neill and Cola both moved to help, but Sok'har turned on them, and they froze.
"You will die," he rasped, hatefully.
Not taking his eyes off them, he bent down to pick up the staff weapon Darr'ok had dropped. He activated it, aiming it at O'Neill. The Colonel straightened up, and glared at him. Sok'har stepped forward slightly, and fired.
"No!" shouted Cola, and leapt aside, knocking O'Neill aside.
"Cola!" O'Neill cried, as she fell, the staff weapon catching her in the side, "No! God damn it!"
Sok'har smirked, and turned the weapon on the distraught Colonel. O'Neill glared at him, kneeling beside the wounded Cola, as the staff weapon fizzed, ready to fire.
"Hey," came a voice.
Sok'har, distracted, turned and found him staring down a staff weapon held by Dragon. She swayed unsteadily, but did not loose her aim.
"Did ya miss me?" she exclaimed, and fired.
The bolt hit him square in the chest, and he fell. Dragon sighed, leaning on the staff weapon for support.
"Cola?" she asked, tiredly, "oh, no . . ."
O'Neill made a sudden decision.
"Teal'c, get Dragon get back to the gate," he ordered, "Cola and I will catch up as soon as we can."
"Do you intend to use the Sarcophagus, O'Neill?"
"I don't have a choice!" O'Neill snapped back, "Just go!"
Teal'c hesitated, and then inclined his head.
"We will clear the way for you," he told O'Neill.
Dragon did not protest to taking orders from O'Neill, as Teal'c joined her. He took her by the arm, and the two of them ran out of the throne room, staff weapons at the ready. O'Neill gently reached down, and picked Cola up, gathering her in his arms. He carried her up the steps, and behind the throne. Supporting her with one arm, he opened the Sarcophagus, and carefully laid her inside it. It closed, covering her completely, as it began to repair the damage.
"I hate these damn things," he muttered, but at that moment had never felt so glad of them at the same time.
O'Neill waited impatiently, listening to the distant sounds of staff weapons firing. He wondered, bleakly, if he was saving Cola's life, only to be killed alongside her on their way back to the Stargate.
"Better to die with you than live without you," he whispered, to the Sarcophagus.
He checked his watch. Sam and Daniel should have blown the ship and ran ten minutes ago. He sighed, wondering if it was worth having a go at them for staying. Probably not.
"Come on," he whispered, "come on . . ."
As if on cue, the lid of the Sarcophagus slowly began to open, revealing Cola, lying within. She took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes, focussing on him in wonder.
"Hey," O'Neill greeted her, softly, "you had us worried there for a minute."
Cola stared at him.
"Sorry," was all she could think of to say.
He smiled.
"It okay," he replied.
He reached down to help her up, taking her hand in his. He couldn't help it. As she slowly stood up, he lifted her out of the Sarcophagus, and kissed her. She hesitated, taken by surprise, and then returned the gesture joyfully.
Dragon raised her staff weapon. Too many of them, whispered a voice in the back of her mind, there are too damn many of them! She told the voice to shut up, as she concentrated on firing. She and Teal'c advanced slowly, picking off the Jaffa as they went, but for every one they shot down, two more seemed to appear from no-where. Dragon felt immensely cheated – she and Cola had promised each other that one of them would kill Darr'ok, and Sok'har had done it for them. The fact that she'd killed Sok'har meant little – he would undoubtedly be placed in his Sarcophagus, unless they managed to blow the ship before anyone had the chance to do it. On the opposite side of the corridor, Teal'c kept up a steady barrage of fire, and she did the same. Idly, she wondered how long the charge lasted in staff weapons, and nearly smiled at the thought of trying to change the batteries. She wondered if it took Duracell. Probably not.
"They're retreating!" Teal'c shouted, over the noise of the fighting.
Dragon glanced up, and saw it was true – the Jaffa were backing away down the corridor rapidly.
"They must have found out Darr'ok and Sok'har are dead!" she shouted back.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
They pressed their advantage, moving rapidly forward, leaving a trail of dead and dying Jaffa in their wake. Slowly but surely, they made their way towards the Stargate.
Cola released Jack slowly, and the two of them smiled, lost in their mutual feelings. Suddenly, in the corner, a noise interrupted them – transport rings had activated.
"Quick, let's get out of here!" O'Neill grabbed her hand, and they ran.
They found their way out of the mock SGC, and entered a corridor, following it down. Everywhere were bodies and blast marks, and the two of them checked around thoroughly, terrified of finding the body of Teal'c or Dragon, but they did not. Back in the throne room, the transport rings vanished, and a group of Jaffa appeared, lead by a tall, pale woman, who was dressed all in black. She glanced down at the body of Sok'har, and her white face twisted with rage.
"I will have my revenge for this!" she snarled.
She made a quick gesture with her hand, and two Jaffa stepped forward.
"Bring him to my ship," she ordered, "and place him in my Sarcophagus."
The Jaffa moved to obey, lifting the body slowly and reverently. They stepped back inside the area covered by the rings, and the woman pressed a button on a bracelet she wore. A beam of light surrounded them, and the rings dropped around. There was a flash, and they disappeared.
Cola and O'Neill quickly caught up with Dragon and Teal'c, where there was a brief but happy reunion.
"They've got us pinned down," Dragon summarised the situation, "The gate room is behind them, to the right, but there's at least a dozen of them in the corridor between."
"What about Carter and Jackson?" Cola asked.
"From the sounds of it, they're firing on the Jaffa from the gate room," Dragon replied, "but they're pretty much cut off from us."
"Then we'll just have to blast our way through," O'Neill decided, then remembered Dragon out-ranked him, and hastily added, "sir."
Dragon grinned.
"That was my plan entirely," she agreed, and leant down, picking up a staff weapon from a dead Jaffa, "here."
She threw one to O'Neill, and then did the same for Cola. Noting the small smile on Cola's face, Dragon had a pretty good idea of what had transpired back in the throne room, she grinned to herself, and then turned back to the situation at hand.
"On my mark," she called out.
She waited for the confirming nods from Cola, O'Neill and Teal'c, bracing herself.
"Fire!"
Carter stepped back into the gate room, almost out of ammo.
"Dial it up," she ordered, "they're about to come through!"
Jackson nodded, quickly dialling out the Stargate. The wormhole opened in its usual dramatic style, and he quickly punched in the GDO code.
"Ready!" he called.
"Go on!" Carter shouted, "Get through!"
"But . . ."
"No buts! Move! Get a med team ready on the other side – we may need it!"
He stared at her, torn between leaving her there and going back to the SGC to make sure any wounded got immediate attention. In the end, he went. Carter smiled to grimly to herself, glancing around the doorframe. A staff weapon blast hit the wall behind her, and she pulled back, cursing softly. She heard Colonel O'Neill calling her name, and tried to pick out what he was saying over the noise of multiple staff weapon discharges, the shouting of orders, and cries of the injured.
"Carter!" he was shouting, "Get ready!"
She took that to mean they would be coming, and go into position behind the door, in order to give effective cover fire. She then stood and waited, hoping she had enough ammo left.
"Carter!" O'Neil shouted, "Get ready!"
He listened for a reply, but couldn't hear one. Whether it was because he hadn't heard her or she hadn't heard him, he didn't know. Either that, or she didn't reply in order to keep her position a secret. Whatever.
"Teal'c!" he cried, "you go first! Help Carter!"
Teal'c paused in firing long enough to nod to O'Neill, and then watched for a lull in firing. The remaining Jaffa had taken up positions along the sides of the corridor to the Stargate, and O'Neill judged there to be around half a dozen left. He raised his staff weapon, increasing his rate of fire.
"Go!" He yelled.
Teal'c went. From the gate room came the sounds of gunfire, and O'Neil guessed that Sam had heard him shout to her. As he and the other two watched, the seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, as his friend dashed down the corridor, ducking and dodging to avoid being hit. O'Neill held his breath and kept up a steady stream of cover fire. He breathed a sigh of relief when Teal'c made it, catching one of the Jaffa out in the crossfire.
"Cola!" he called, "you next!"
"But what about you?"
"Just go!"
Cola hesitated, not wanting to leave his side. Dragon smiled at her from the other side of the corridor.
"I'll make sure he gets through!" she promised, "now get over there and watch our backs!"
Cola hesitated for a second longer, and then ran. The air was hot with the energy of staff weapon blasts. She tried to concentrate on running, and she barely had time to register the Jaffa trying to get a shot at her before she was in the gate room with Carter and Teal'c, out of the line of fire. She gasped for air, shaking slightly, but quickly regained control of herself. She took a deep breath, secured her hold on the staff weapon, and knelt down, preparing to fire.
"I'm out of ammo," Carter reported, glancing down at her weapon in disgust.
"Get through the gate," Cola told her, "we'll follow you as fast as we can – make sure they keep it open on the other side."
Carter nodded once, turned, and ran towards the Stargate, disappearing into the event horizon. Cola took up the position Carter had held, and readied herself.
Dragon dropped another Jaffa guard, and smiled grimly as the enemy fire lessened slightly.
"You next, Colonel!" she called, almost cheerfully, using his rank on purpose.
He glared at her and she smiled back.
"I did promise I'd get you through!" she told him, "now move!"
He threw her a sloppy salute, and ran. Dragon gave as much cover fire as she could, watching as he ran, knowing there would be no one to cover her back. From the corridor behind her, she could hear more Jaffa approaching.
"Uh-oh," she whispered, "here comes back up!"
She waited for a second longer, uttered a short prayer along the lines of 'God, get me outta here', and ran. A staff weapon burst shot past her face, almost causing her to stumble. She caught herself, and leapt forward, landing on the floor of the gate room in a sprawled heap.
"Glad you could make it," Cola commented, with a smile.
Dragon grinned, and scrambled to her feet.
"Set the timer on the C4 to thirty seconds," she told her, "and then get through the gate!"
"I'm on it!" Cola responded.
Dragon dropped down, firing at the Goa'uld.
"They've got re-enforcements," she told the others, "should be here any time now."
O'Neill winced, as the incoming fire intensified three fold.
"Yasureyoubetcha," he commented.
He couldn't understand why Dragon and Cola found that so funny.
Cola, still grinning, quickly reconnected the timer to the C4. It began a thirty-minute countdown and she shook her head.
"Too long, me thinks," she commented to herself.
She reached forward, and adjusted the time. It shot down the thirty seconds, and she stood up.
"Timer's set!" she shouted.
"Good – now go!" O'Neill shouted back.
Cola smiled, and leapt through the gate.
"Teal'c, go!"
Teal'c nodded, and, in one swift movement, was on his feet and gone. O'Neill and Dragon exchanged a glance.
"We go together, on three," Dragon told him.
He nodded in reply, as they continued to fire.
"One!"
A Jaffa fell, under the deadly accuracy of the two officers.
"Two!"
A blast scorched the wall above O'Neill, and he swore at its close proximity.
"Three!"
The two of them leapt up, and ran. The Jaffa tried to give chase, just as one noticed the countdown on the small blocks around the base of the Stargate. He pointed it out to the guard next to him, puzzled.
9 . . .8 . . . 7 . . .
The guard shook his head, as some of the more heroic others ran through the Stargate. He leaned closer, trying to make out the little flashing symbols.
6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .
It was then he realised, far too late, it was a countdown. He turned to run, but there was no time.
3 . . . 2 . . . 1.
Dragon and O'Neill staggered through the gate, almost falling over themselves in an attempt to stop.
"Shut it down!" Dragon shouted, "Close it, now!"
The technician in the control room hastily tried to obey, but called back; "we've got incoming!"
"Close the iris!" O'Neill ordered.
The huge metal iris slid closed, and silence fell through the gate room, at the sound of multiple impacts on the metal. Then, the Stargate shut down.
"Wormhole disengaged," reported the technician, "from the point of origin."
Dragon turned to General Hammond, who'd come down to meet them as soon as Jackson had first come through.
"Mission accomplished, sir," she reported.
She then turned around, and nodded to O'Neill and Cola.
"Don't you two have something to do?" she asked, smiling.
Cola grinned, and O'Neill glanced at Dragon in surprised.
"Don't make me turn it into an order," she warned him, still smiling.
"Yes, sir!" he grinned back, and then turned to Cola.
The two of them burst out laughing, and fell into each other's arms.
"Love ya," O'Neill whispered.
"Love ya too," Cola giggled.
Dragon smiled, and everyone in the gate room cheered loudly.
"So the mission was a success?" Hammond commented, over the noise.
"Yes, sir!" Dragon nodded, "in more ways than one!"
Okay – this is the first fic I ever wrote and concerns an SG-5 team based on members of the Showtime website for SG1. Here, they feature alongside SG1 on a mission to destroy a Goa'uld mother ship. I don't understand the rating system just yet, so it's PG for some fight scenes etc. Please review it, and I might post some of the others, which introduce the rest of the team! Thanks! – Dragon
For more fanfic or to just browse some cool Stargate related stuff, visit me website:
http://www.stormpages.com/sgcdragon/welcome.html
Disclaimer:
Stargate SG-1 and the characters thereof are © MGM and other associated producers, no infringement intended. Dragon is my character, Coca Cola in the name of another – please do not use our character names with permission. Other standard disclaimers apply.
Hell And Back
By Dragon
Lt. Colonel Coca Cola entered General Hammond's office; unsure of why she had been summoned. An Airman opened the door for her, and then closed it quickly behind her. She couldn't help but wonder if she was in some kind of trouble, noting the presence of both the General and a female Lieutenant General she didn't recognise. She immediately snapped to attention, saluting quickly. Hammond returned the salute, and the Lt. General behind him smiled, also saluting, less crisply than some officers might.
"Sir," Coca Cola noted, "you wanted to see me?"
"Yes," Hammond nodded, getting up, "you have been selected as part of a Special Ops team. Your mission will be to go aboard a Goa'uld mother ship and destroy it."
"Yes, sir," Cola nodded, waiting for him to go on.
She wanted to know more details about the mission, and about the other officer in the room, who so far hadn't moved or said a word. She wasn't kept waiting.
"This mission is top secret, and of course, highly dangerous," Hammond continued, "for this reason, you will not know any other members of your team, other than by their ranks and call signs. In the event of capture, therefore, you will be unable to give away any information about your teammates. Upon your departure, all base codes will be changed, aside from your GDO code. Should you fail to report back after twenty four hours, we will assume that you have failed, and your code will be permanently locked out of the system."
"Yes, sir," Cola replied, numbly.
"This is Lt. Gen. Dragon," Hammond gestured to the officer behind him, who nodded, "she will be directing the operation. You will function as Second in Command. Any questions?"
Cola paused. 'Why me?' sprang to mind.
"When do we leave?" she asked instead.
Two hours later, the team was assembled in the gate room. There were five in all – Dragon, Cola, and three men. Cola quite liked the idea that the two women were in charge of the men, and, from the looks of it, so did Dragon. They all carried silenced MP-5s, two combat knives, four grenades and blocks of C4 with timers in their back packs. They also had Zats, handguns and spare ammo. To Cola, it looked as if they were off to fight an all-out war. Also, the black, tight fitting uniforms looked quite good.
"All right then," Dragon announced, sounding quite cheerful, "the ship is planet-bound and has a gate aboard, according to all our intelligence."
Cola heard one of the men utter a joke about female intelligence, and fixed him with a withering glare that made him snap to attention.
"We'll gate in, and plant charges around the gate, the engineering section and the helm controls," Dragon continued, flashing a quick grin at Cola, having not missed the joke, "any questions?"
She made it sound so much like a challenge, Cola had to suppress a grin. As expected, there were none.
"Right," Dragon nodded, "let's move out!"
They exited the gate, immediately dropping into the nearest hiding spaces. Cola found herself behind a cargo box with the Airman who'd made the joke.
"I'm Flash," he whispered, by way of introduction.
"Sure you are," Cola muttered, rolling her eyes slightly.
From the opposite side of the room, Dragon signalled the all clear, and they stood up, moving together. They synchronised their watches, and set to work.
"Osprey, Flash, you set the charges," Dragon ordered, quietly, "set the timer for thirty minutes."
The two Airmen nodded, and obeyed. Dragon moved towards the door, closely followed by Cola and the third member of the party, a Second Lieutenant called Voice. Dragon hesitated by the door, planning her strategy.
"Cola, you and Osprey go to the control room, and plant the charges there," she ordered, eventually, "Flash, you stay here, and cover for us if things get hot on our way back to the gate. Voice, you come with me, and we'll take out the engines with a couple of grenades. Anyone not back in twenty five minutes is left behind, understood?"
They all nodded silently, as Dragon opened the door. As soon as she established that the corridor was free, they slipped through, and split up.
Cola headed for the command deck, with Osprey in tow. She held her Zat tightly, knowing it would be far easier to use, over the MP-5 that was slung across her back. As they rounded a corner, making their way up through the ship, she heard the unmistakeable sound of approaching Jaffa. She gestured for Osprey to get down and get back. He did so, nervously fingering the safety catch on the MP-5 he was holding in a death grip. Cola hoped he wouldn't get an itchy trigger finger. The guards marched passed, and Cola waited for a beat, before gesturing for Osprey to follow her.
"Stay close," she hissed, "there could be more of them."
He nodded slowly, weapon still at the ready. They made their way down the corridor, and came to a door. Cola frowned. She'd memorised the layout of Goa'uld mother ships on the premise that they were all pretty much the same, and there shouldn't be a door there. Hesitantly, she opened it, and, as it slid back, she did her best not to gasp. She was looking at an exact replica of the SGC gate room. She could only think of one thing to say.
"Oh, crap."
Dragon and voice made their way down through the decks rapidly, evading patrols easily. Almost too easily, Dragon thought, but kept her guard up. Two Jaffa were on duty at the entrance to their section. Dragon nodded to Voice, and the two of them opened fire with Zats, three rounds each. The guards convulsed, collapsed, and vanished. The two of them paused for a moment to see if any others had been attracted by the noise, but no one came running and no alarms came on, so they proceeded through the doors. Voice peered over the railings.
"You can see why we have to use grenades," Dragon whispered.
"How many?"
"Colonel O'Neill's report said two should do it."
"Okay."
"We'll use three, just to be on the safe side."
Dragon pulled out two grenades, and Voice supplied the third. Just as Dragon was about to pull out the pins, Cola's voice whispered in her headset, reporting their discovery. Voice's jaw dropped, and the same thing ran through everyone's thoughts.
"Hathor?" Voice whispered, horrified.
"We need to blow this place, and blow it now!" Dragon decided, "Cola, forget about finding the control room – the C4 around the gate should be enough to blow the ship, especially with the naquadah in the gate. We'll take out the engines and meet you there."
"Affirmative," Cola whispered back.
Dragon gave a mental countdown of twenty seconds, then pulled out the pins and dropped the grenades. Voice followed simultaneously. The explosions rocked the ship, throwing them to the floor. A klaxon blared out, as Dragon and Voice scrambled to their feet, and began to run.
The explosion flung Cola to the deck, and she cursed, scrambling to her feet, with Osprey not far behind. They ran, heading back towards the gate room, keeping under cover as much as possible. Suddenly, without warning, a staff weapon blast hit the wall not far from Cola's head.
"Return fire!" she shouted at Osprey.
"Cola, report!" came Dragon's voice over the communications link.
"We're under fire, repeat, we're under fire!" Cola shouting firing back with her Zat, picking off one Jaffa, "we're outnumbered!"
"Flash! Get to Cola! We're on our way to meet with you!"
"Affirmative," came Flash's reply, "I'm on my . . . Jesus Christ!"
Cola winced as a burst of static came over the earpiece, and, as it cleared, she heard Voice, calling for Flash. A staff weapon blast grazed past her arm, close enough for her to feel the heat. She pulled back, keeping up a constant barrage of fire, as she heard Dragon report that Flash was dead, and that she and Voice were pinned down by enemy fire.
"It's a trap," Dragon said, grimly, "I don't think we were meant to find that SGC mock up, Cola. Looks like our Tok'ra friends got it wrong again. We walked into a trap."
"Sounds like you've been hanging around Colonel O'Neill, sir," Voice commented.
Cola had to smile, but it didn't last long. She felt a cold, hard point in the back of her neck. A Zat. She'd felt the blast of one of those once or twice, and waking up from one at such close range wouldn't be pleasant.
"Surrender or die!" ordered a voice.
"That's multiple choice, I assume?" Cola responded.
The guard made a growling noise, so Cola unwillingly raised her hands, and was forced to turn around. Osprey was already a prisoner, and was being stripped of his weapons and communications gear.
"Dragon, get out!" Cola cried, suddenly, "you've gotta blow this damn ship!"
For her troubles, Cola received a stinging blow to the side of her head. She reeled, but stayed upright, as her weapons and communications gear were snatched. Dazed, she and Osprey were dragged away.
Cola shook her head, trying to clear it, as they were taken through the mock up of the gate room, and into SGC corridors. The guards came to a blank wall, at the end of the corridor, and, instead of stopping, walked straight through it.
"It's a projection," Cola realised, as they too were pushed through.
They came through, into some kind of huge throne room. In a huge chair at the far end sat a figure, draped in long robes and hidden by the shadows. A single candle burned beside the throne, with two guards at the base of the steps leading up towards the figure. Two more guards stood beside the entrance, plus the four that were escorting the two humans. Not very good odds, all things considered. Cola and Osprey were forced into kneeling positions, and their wrists were bound behind their back.
"You are now my prisoners," spoke up the leader, seated on the throne.
His voice was hoarse, and, unmistakeably, Goa'uld. Cola closed her eyes, wondering if things could get any worse.
Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, and Cola knew what had happened, before more guard entered. Between them, came Dragon and Voice. The latter was pale and shaking – even from where she was kneeling, Cola could see the staff weapon wound to his right shoulder. Dragon just looked . . . well, 'furious' didn't quite cover it. Cola figured that if they ever got out of this, Tok'ra heads would roll. Dragon and Voice were also forced to kneel, as the Goa'uld stood up.
"Sir," Cola whispered, by way of greeting.
"They defused all the C4," Dragon whispered, without preamble, "but we took out the engines, so at least the ship's not going anywhere."
"Silence!" shouted the Goa'uld.
He stood up, walking forward, down the steps and into the light.
"Sok'har," Dragon hissed in recognition.
Cola froze. This was the guy who owned hell. Tortured for fun. Nearly had SG-1 for sure. They were in it deep now.
"Now," said Sok'har, his voice reverberating throughout the room, "you will hand over your access codes to me, and information about your planet."
"Up yours," snarled Dragon.
Sok'har strode forward, and back handed her across the face. Dragon winced, but said nothing. The Goa'uld turned on Cola, who steeled herself bravely.
"Perhaps I should make you a host," he murmured, stroking her face, "then you would give your knowledge to me willingly."
Cola wrenched back, glaring at him. Sok'har hissed, and gestured to the guards.
"Take them away," he snapped, "we will interrogate them one at a time. Leave him here."
He pointed to the wounded Voice, who glared back at him defiantly.
"No!" Dragon protested, "You leave him alone!"
They struggled ineffectively, as they were taken away, leaving Voice behind with Sok'har.
Cola sat on the edge of a bed, next to Dragon. Osprey was pretending to be asleep on another one. They'd been placed in an SGC-style brig, so at least it was relatively comfortable. As least they weren't tied up or anything like that. Cola sighed, softly. This wasn't quite what she'd expected. Her worst-case scenario had been to get shot down in a fight. For some reason, capture and torture hadn't entered into it.
"God damn it!" Dragon hissed, suddenly, jumping to her feet, pacing around.
Osprey opened one eye, and gave a small, humourless smile.
"Never been taken prisoner before, sir?" he asked, with a 'been there, done that' attitude.
"Oh, I've been a prisoner before all right," Dragon responded, tersely, "I just don't appreciate having my people tortured! You got a problem with that?"
Just then, the door slammed open, and a guard came in. He looked around the room.
"Where's my team member?" Dragon snapped.
"Dead," the guard replied, shortly, "all of you. Together. Now."
He glared at first Osprey, then Cola, and then Dragon, who shook her head.
"Leave them, I'm in command of this mission! It's me you want!"
"Bring them," ordered the guard.
Three more guards stepped forward, and their wrists were quickly bound. The three of them were dragged out, and Cola wondered if there would be any rescue.
Back in the throne room, the three prisoners stood before Sok'har. The Goa'uld sat impassivly on his throne – it was clear his First Prime would be doing the torture part. Cola recognised a pain stick from the description in Sam Carter's report. She suppressed a shudder, as Sok'har shifted position slightly.
"What are the access codes to open your Chapp'ai?" he demanded.
No one moved, or spoke.
"What are the passwords to your computer system?"
Silence.
"Give me your codes or you will be screaming for me to kill you within five minutes."
Dragon muttered a curse under her breath. A guard stepped forward, pointing a Zat at Osprey.
"The codes!" he demanded.
Osprey swore at him, and the guard fired once. Osprey cried out, and fell to the floor. The guard aimed at Cola.
"The codes!"
She raised her eyebrow, taunting him with silence. He fired, and she managed to stop herself from crying out, as the energy crackled through her, dropping her to the floor. The guard turned to Dragon, who lunged at him, only to be shot down. The three of them pulled themselves back up slowly, coming to attention. The guard swapped the Zat for a pain stick. Cola braced herself, and wondered if now were a good time to pray.
Dragon, Cola and Osprey lay on separate beds, none of them able or willing to even think about moving. An hour dragged slowly by, before Dragon shifted slightly, and sat up, slowly, glancing at her watch, the only piece of equipment that hadn't been taken from them.
"We've just been locked out of the SGC," she told the other two, grimly.
"Looks like we're on our own, then," Cola commented.
"If we tried to escape, where would we go?" Osprey asked, "we can't even take this ship – the engines are blown."
"I know," Cola agreed, "But it's bound to carry gliders – even if we can't get back to the SGC, escape is better than being made a host."
Dragon nodded, and then held up her hand for quiet. Cola and Osprey paused, before they heard it too – the sound of approaching guards.
"Subtle, these guys, aren't they?" Cola commented.
The door slammed open, and Sok'har's malicious First Prime, Darr'ok, appeared, grinning.
"Rest's over," he announced, "I hope you won't talk. I do so enjoy hearing you scream."
"Before I die," Dragon promised, "you'll be the one who's screaming."
Darr'ok simply laughed, as the three captives were wrestled out of the cell, back towards the throne room.
Cola fell to her knees, gasping for breath, as the pain stick released the back of her neck. She screwed her eyes shut, waiting for the ache to subside and for her vision to clear after the blinding light that had shone from them only moments before. She'd seen it used on the other two, and hated the idea of the way it looked as it was administered. She fought to get control of herself, wondering if she should try and make a break for it, before realising the futility of it. Dimly, she was aware of Osprey screaming, as they finished with Dragon, dropping her to the floor. Then, it was over again, and the three humans lay on the floor, gasping and groaning.
"I tire of this," came Sok'har's voice, "you will tell me your computer codes."
Cola considered telling him to Go to Hell, but, remembering who it was, realised that wasn't far off the truth.
"I wouldn't give you the satisfaction of beating me!" Dragon snarled.
"I'd rather die than tell you anything!" Cola snapped.
"You'll not even know my name!" hissed Osprey, glaring at him.
Sok'har rose, his robes falling around him with a gentle swish. He came down the steps, standing regally before the three captives, who were still on their knees. Dragon tried to get up and face him, but was knocked back by a guard with a staff weapon. Sok'har fixed her with a baleful glare.
"I have tortured you," he stated, slowly, "I have killed two of your own. I have locked you up. You have had no food or water. And yet you still defy me! I can end your suffering. Give me the codes to your computers that I may destroy your world!"
Dragon looked him in the eyes.
"Screw you," she replied, simply.
Sok'har snarled, and turned around, placing himself back on the throne. He sat up, his eyes filled with malice and hate. Three guards stepped forward, ready to return the prisoners to their cell.
"Wait!" Sok'har ordered.
Everyone froze, and Cola could see the horror she felt reflected in the eyes of her co-prisoners.
"What are your orders, my lord?" asked Darr'ok, anticipation giving an edge to his voice.
Sok'har glanced at each of the prisoners in turn, as if deciding their worth. His incredibly pale eyes glittered, and Cola was suddenly stuck by how totally suited he was to the role of the Devil.
"They continue to defy me," he said, slowly, "and I tire of it. If I cannot hurt their bodies enough, perhaps I can hurt their minds."
He stood up slowly, but did not come down the steps.
"Line them up before their God!" he ordered.
Darr'ok pushed the three of them in to line – Dragon on the right, then Cola, and then Osprey. Sok'har gestured, and, from the curtains behind him, emerged a man, bare to the chest. The cross-shaped slit in his skin pulsed, and Cola forced herself not to look away. At a second gesture from Sok'har, and Darr'ok approached the other man, sliding his hand into the pouch. Cola saw Osprey flinch, and swallowed nervously. She'd heard about this, from other SGC officers – a mature Goa'uld was about to be given a human host. But here, there were no stasis chambers to save them as the Tok'ra operative had saved O'Neill. Darr'ok stepped forward, grinning.
"Now," said Sok'har, "if you will not speak to me by choice . . ."
The three humans stared straight ahead, at attention, saying nothing.
"Then which of you is to become a host?"
Cola wanted to close her eyes and die. The black, snake-like thing in Darr'ok's grasp hissed and snapped it's jaws, writing excitedly at the proximity of unblended human. Darr'ok stepped forward, and held the black snake thing up close to Osprey's face. He visibly flinched, and Sok'har laughed. The Goa'uld spat, twisting and wriggling. Darr'ok then presented it to Cola, who fought to suppress a shudder of disgust. She balled her hands into fists and stared straight ahead, unblinkingly. Darr'ok growled, then moved on to Dragon, holding the Goa'uld inches from her face. Dragon gave him a look of absolute contempt, and struck out.
"No!" Darr'ok cried out, falling back with the force of the blow.
The Goa'uld was flung from his grasp. It hit the wall and dropped to the floor, squealing and hissing. Sok'har snarled incomprehensibly at the assault on the Goa'uld.
"Stop them!" he shouted.
The guards exploded into action, as did the prisoners. Sok'har retreated into the shadows, watching the fight, his anger growing. Cola dodged a blow from a staff weapon, landing in a few good punches. She heard Osprey drop one opponent, only to be taken down by two more. Someone fired a Zat, the blast clipping past her arm close enough to numb it as she struggled against a Jaffa who was nearly twice her size. She got a good grip, ready to throw him, when a heavy blow to her legs swept her off her feet, dropping her flat on the floor.
"Cola!" shouted Dragon, but it was too late.
A Jaffa stood over her, staff weapon charged and at the ready. Dazed, she lay there, bruised and winded. Vaguely, she heard Osprey shouting to Dragon, but the meaning of his words passed by her. She could feel a bruise swelling on her leg and forehead, adding to the array of cuts and bruises she'd picked up along the way. Not far off, Osprey was also down, sitting on the floor, blood running form his nose and gripping his wrist, which was obviously broken. Dragon struggled briefly, but one of the guards swung his staff weapon around, catching her a blow across the side of the face. She gasped, and dropped, as weapons were levelled at them. A guard had retrieved the Goa'uld, and cradled it his arms like a child.
"It has been injured, my lord," he reported to Sok'har, "It will need to be placed within a host."
Sok'har stepped forward, confronting the three prisoners. He stood before Cola, and raised a hand to touch her face.
"Perhaps you will be a host to my new queen," he murmured, softly, "hmm."
Cola waited until he had moved past her to start breathing again. His touch was as cold as ice. He moved on to Dragon, reaching up to touch her face as he had with Cola. She snarled and pulled back, having to be restrained by the guard. A small, cold smile drifted across Sok'har's pallid features.
"Such spirit," he commented, "you would make an excellent host."
He stepped back, as the guard cradling the injured Goa'uld stepped forward. Dragon struggled, kicking wildly, as the man came closer, holding up the Goa'uld.
"No!" Shouted Cola.
She lunged forward, breaking free of the guards, knocking the Goa'uld away. Osprey was suddenly at her side, before a guard knocked him to the floor. The Goa'uld, sensing his proximity, slithered forward. It snapped its jaws, shrieked once, and lunged forward. Both Dragon and Cola froze with horror, as Osprey screamed, and the Goa'uld burrowed into his neck. Osprey's eyes flashed, and Cola dodged back, horrified. Dragon took advantage of the sudden pause, grabbing the nearest guard's Zat. She fired rapidly, three times in succession, at Osprey. Cola could have sworn he smiled in thanks, just before his body vanished. Dragon immediately turned the weapons on the guards, but was taken down by a Zat shot from Darr'ok. Sok'har seethed with rage, at the loss of a prisoner, a host and a Goa'uld.
"Take them to their cell!" he screamed.
Cola was grabbed roughly, and was practically carried back to the cell, where the guards flung her in unceremoniously. She pushed herself up off the floor, as Dragon was dropped beside her. The door slammed shut, leaving them alone in the cell, and Cola couldn't help but feel it was all over for them both.
General Hammond paced around his office restlessly. Thirty hours had passed since Dragon and the others had stepped through the gate. He'd cancelled the codes after twenty-six hours. Two hours after the given deadline. Then he'd had no choice. No choice. A voice in the back of his head reminded him that he only said there was no choice in order to console himself with the choices he had already made. He'd chosen to doom five good people to die.
"Damn it," he sighed, to himself.
Just then, there was a loud banging on the door. Hastily, he sat back down behind his desk, pretending to be working on a report.
"Come in!" he called out.
The door swung open, and in walked Colonel Jack O'Neill, flanked by Teal'c Sam Carter and Daniel Jackson.
"Sir, request permission to go after Lt. Gen Dragon's team," O'Neill announced, without preamble.
"Denied," Hammond replied, when he wanted to say 'affirmative', "they've most likely been captured or are dead."
"No way," O'Neill shook his head vehemently, "I refuse to give up on them that easily! They're damn good people!"
"Sir, if they failed to blow up the mother ship, then we need to go in and finish the job," Carter pointed out, "other wise, the safety of Earth is at stake!"
"Yeah, that too!" O'Neill agreed, not to be outdone.
Hammond sighed.
"It's true we need to take out the mother ship," he agreed, "and that will be your mission. Rescuing the Special Ops Team is not, I repeat; not the objective."
"Are you ordering us not to rescue them?" demanded O'Neill.
Hammond smiled, briefly.
"That's not what I said."
O'Neill paused, caught the meaning, and smiled grimly.
"We'll be ready to go in five minutes," he nodded, "thank you, sir."
SG-1 filed out of the office, and Hammond sighed, hoping he hadn't made a grave mistake.
Cola sat in the semi-darkness of the prison cell, knowing without a doubt she would die soon. Strangely, she felt an odd kind of calm grip her – she did not feel hysterical about it, and resolved to die as proudly and with as much dignity as she could. The only regret she had was that she'd never said how she felt about him . . .
"Dragon," she whispered, softly, "are you awake?"
"Yes," came the reply, sounding light and slightly amused.
Cola swallowed, and steeled herself.
"Can I make a confession?" she asked, quietly.
"I'm not a priest, CC," from the tone of her voice, Cola had a feeling Dragon was smiling, "can I call you CC?"
"Yeah, sure," Cola nodded, relaxing slightly.
"So what's on your mind?" Dragon shifted forward slightly, into the light, so that they could talk face to face.
"We're more than likely going to die," Cola whispered, "no, don't contradict me. Just listen. I . . . I wanted to tell someone about how I feel . . ."
Dragon nodded in understanding, as if telling her to go on.
"I . . . um . . ." Cola faltered slightly, looking for words to say how she felt.
"Colonel O'Neill, am I right?" Dragon asked, amused.
Cola flushed slightly, but nodded. Dragon smiled.
"He feels the same," Dragon told her, gently, "don't feel bad."
Cola stared at the other woman in amazement.
"How did you . . . ? Why didn't he tell me?" was all she could think of to say.
"I know because he told me," Dragon replied, still smiling gently, "and, in response to your second question – why didn't you tell him?"
"I never thought he'd . . . feel the same . . ." Cola shook her head and smiled, "damn. Now I'll never get the chance."
"Let's make a deal," Dragon said, "if you promise to tell him how you feel when, not if, we get out of here, I promise to always keep you informed on what people say, okay?"
"Okay," Cola stuck out her hand, and they shook, securing the pact.
"And one of us has to kill Darr'ok," Dragon added, with a grin.
Cola laughed.
"That was kind of a foregone conclusion," she agreed.
O'Neill watched as the Stargate spun to life, and wished it would hurry up. He checked his weapon for the fifth time in as many minutes, impatient to get on. Sam Carter glanced at him, amused, but he ignored her. She of all people knew why he was in such a hurry. She, Daniel, Teal'c and Dragon were the only ones who knew why. And they only knew because they'd gotten him drunk a party once, a while back. At least they'd kept it a secret. He tried to keep his mind on their primary objective of blowing the ship, but knew he wouldn't be able to do until he knew the other team was safe. For one thing, he hated leaving anyone behind to die. For another, Dragon was a friend and a fellow officer. But, above all, he loved Cola like a sister. Well, more than that even, but he had a hard time admitting it.
"Come on," he whispered, under his breath.
As if responding to his request, the Stargate event horizon exploded outwards brilliantly, snapping back into a wavering event horizon. O'Neill glanced back at his team, not wanting to look too eager to get going.
"SG-1 you have a go," came Hammond's voice over the speaker, "good luck."
O'Neill waved to him in mock cheerfulness, then turned back to the rest of SG-1.
"Let's move out!" he ordered.
He glanced up at the Stargate, hoped he would find the others alive and well, and entered the wormhole at a run.
Cola lay on her bed, a small smile on her face. Outside, she could hear the activity of the Jaffa, and wondered what was going on. No-body seemed in too much of a hurry to come along and disturb them, so she closed her eyes, to try and get some sleep. It didn't work. She sighed, softly.
"Can't sleep?" came Dragon's voice, from the shadows of the other bunk.
Cola smiled.
"Not much point," she sighed, "but I'm not afraid any more."
"No," Dragon replied, "nor me. At least we grounded the ship – perhaps the Tok'ra will finish off the job."
"Nah," Cola shook her head, "they'll just ask for another SG team to do it, 'in the interest of the Tok'ra/Earth alliance', you know."
"Yeah," Dragon laughed, "you sound like O'Neill."
"Yasureyoubetcha!"
The two of them laughed, and the guard outside their cell couldn't help but wonder how humans could act so strangely in the face of certain death.
O'Neill came through the gate, and took down the two Jaffa that were supposed to be guarding it. The other members of the team came through, weapons at the ready. O'Neill gestured that the area was safe, and the Stargate shut down. It was then he noticed the C4 packed behind the gate. Crossing over to it, he realised that the Goa'uld had disconnected the timer. They hadn't removed the explosive, probably because they didn't know if it was safe to move.
"They've more than likely been taken prisoner," Carter noted, "and didn't get the chance to blow it."
"We could destroy the ship and return now, O'Neill," Teal'c noted.
"Not a chance," O'Neill replied, "Teal'c, you're with me. Carter, you and Daniel stay here, and guard the gate. If we're not back in fifteen minutes, set the timer for one minuet and get out. That's an order, Carter. Got it?"
"Yes sir," she nodded, while privately thinking 'No way in Hell'.
O'Neill nodded once, turned on his heel, and left, closely followed by Teal'c.
"What is our destination?" Teal'c asked, as they made their way quickly through the ship.
"The brig first," O'Neill replied, "If they're not there, we go to the command deck."
Teal'c nodded, then gestured for O'Neill to get back, as a platoon of guards marched by. Teal'c recognised the emblem on their foreheads immediately.
"This is a ship controlled by Sok'har," he reported.
"Oh, crap."
The two of them made their way further up the ship, when they came across a door, blocking their path, where there should have been corridor. O'Neill glanced at Teal'c, who raised his eyebrow, the Jaffa's equivalent of a shrug. O'Neill opened the door, and then leapt back, waiting for a Jaffa to leap out at him. When none did, he poked his head around the door, and swore. He looked at the replica gate room, and then glanced at Teal'c.
"Looks like our boy Sok'har's been taking lessons from Hathor," he commented.
"Sok'har is not a boy," Teal'c responded, "He is in fact over two thousand years old."
O'Neill sighed, and shook his head.
"Let's go see if we can find our people," he said, not bothering to explain, "We'll assume the layout is the same as the SGC. Let's head for the brigs."
"Agreed," Teal'c inclined his head, and they set off.
Dragon sat up, when the bolt slid back on the door, and the Jaffa strode in. Cola, who'd finally fallen into a light sleep, woke up with a start, and sat up.
"Sok'har wants to see you," announced one of them.
"I don't want to see him," replied Dragon, "go away."
The guard glared at her.
"You will come with us," he ordered.
"You're really not my type," Cola told him, languidly.
Neither of the humans moved. The guards came forward, and one of them tried to grab Cola's arm. Instead, she kicked him, and he doubled up with a grunt of surprise. She then dropped him with a rounded kick in the side of the head. The other stepped forward and punched her full in the face, sending her sprawling. Dragon launched herself from the bed, landing on his back, crashing him to the floor before snapping his neck with one swift movement, leapt off the body lightly, and helped Cola to her feet.
"You okay?" she asked, concerned.
"Yasureyoubetcha," Cola replied, gently prodding her split lip, "It'll vanish under some lipstick."
Dragon grinned, and the two of them headed to the door, ready to make a run for it. Just as they cleared the door, Darr'ok appeared from around the corner, with his usual escort of two Jaffa, to see what was taking the other two guards so long. He let out a snarl of rage, and held up his Zat.
"Stop!" he shouted.
Cola froze, as Dragon stepped forward protectively, poised to move at any time. Darr'ok laughed.
"I will not kill you," he sneered, "I will watch my Lord Sok'har do that."
Dragon glared at him, as the two guards came forward, grabbing the two of them roughly, pinning their arms behind their backs and holding them before Darr'ok. He smiled and stepped forward, glancing at each of them in turn.
"A shame you would not comply," he murmured, "you would have made excellent hosts."
He reached forward with his hand to touch their faces, but Dragon moved quicker. Relying on the guard to hold her, she kicked upwards, catching Darr'ok right in the groin. He yelled in pain, and Cola could not suppress a giggle, as he limped forward.
"Take them to Sok'har!" he screamed, in fury.
Both of the women were lead away, but they were both grinning widely.
From the shadows at the end of the corridor, O'Neill had to suppress a laugh at the way Dragon had struck out at the guy who looked like the First Prime. He was intensely glad to see Cola was alive, even though both of them looked as though they'd been in a fight or four. He wondered what had happened to the three other members of the team. When he saw Cola, he had to stop himself from rushing forward to help her.
"Let's go after them," he whispered to Teal'c, who nodded in reply.
The two of them slunk forward, following the Jaffa and their prisoners down the corridor. They turned the corner, just in time to watch them vanish through a wall. O'Neill stared at it, but Teal'c merely watched.
"A projection," he informed O'Neill, "it disguises a main entrance."
"Don't suppose there's a back door?" O'Neill asked, lightly.
"There is indeed a 'back door', O'Neill."
"Good. Let's go in that way."
Dragon and Cola were pushed unceremoniously into the throne room, where Sok'har sat on the throne, his eyes blazing.
"You have continued to defy me," he intoned, "you have attacked my Jaffa, wounded and then killed a Goa'uld, and attempted to destroy me."
"Who, us?" Dragon asked, with mock innocence.
"Nah," Cola shrugged, "we wouldn't do anything like that, would we?"
"Silence! Or you will be killed!"
"Gee, and I thought that was what we were here for," Dragon commented, "what an anti-climax."
"Now I'm disappointed," Cola added, rolling her eyes.
Sok'har glared at them.
"On your knees!" he commanded, "you will kneel before your God!"
"I thought he was acting as the Devil," Cola pointed out to Dragon.
"Hmm, yes," Dragon nodded, as if in deep thought, "schizophrenic as well as a neurotic megalomaniac. Tragic."
Cola was about to reply to that, when one of the guards hit her in the back of the legs with his staff weapon. She was pitched to her knees, and Dragon was soon forced to join her. Sok'har came forward, slowly, raising his hand so that the sleeve of his robe fell back, revealing his hand device, which glowed hypnotically. Dragon stared up at it, and wondered if this really was the end.
O'Neill peered around the curtain, trying not to attract any attention. He and Teal'c had found the 'back door', and were hiding behind the curtains that adorned the 'wall' behind Sok'har's throne. O'Neill checked to see that no-one was watching them, before dodging forward, taking cover behind the Sarcophagus that was hidden behind the throne. Sok'har obviously didn't believe in having a separate bedroom. O'Neill watched as Dragon and Cola kept up the light-hearted banter, until they were forced to their knees. He watched Sok'har advance, bearing the hand device down on them. Then, he could stand it no longer.
"Now!" he shouted.
He and Teal'c leapt up in unison, firing their Zats on the six guards, dropping them one by one. Sok'har swung around in fury, bringing his palm device to bear on O'Neill. Just as he was about to fire, Cola leapt up, kicking his wrist to divert the blast.
"Look out!" O'Neill cried.
Sok'har swung around, grabbing Cola by the throat and lifting her off the ground. She cried out and struggled ineffectively, choking. Dragon leapt up and slammed into Sok'har, knocking all three of them to the ground in a pile. Sok'har flung Cola to one side, throwing her into the wall. Dazed, she slumped to the floor, and O'Neill rushed over to help her up. Dragon tried to twist away from Sok'har, but he grabbed her arm, twisting her around, using her as a shield.
"Shoot!" Dragon shouted, "for God's sake, shoot him!"
Teal'c opened up the Zat gun, but Sok'har turned the palm device on him, unleashing a small burst that flung the big Jaffa to the floor.
"Teal'c!" O'Neill shouted, raising his own weapon.
Sok'har turned to do the same to O'Neill, but Dragon elbowed him sharply, just below the ribs. He flinched, but hardly seemed to notice, and flung Dragon to one side easily. He raised his hand to fire, but Teal'c suddenly appeared beside him, grabbing his wrist. Goa'uld and Jaffa struggled against each other, but Teal'c was used to physical activity, whereas Sok'har spent most of his time on a throne. Teal'c forced him to the ground, just as Darr'ok burst in with four more Jaffa.
"My lord!" he cried, in horror.
Darr'ok raised his staff weapon, intending to fire, but with a snarl of rage O'Neill was upon him. The two struggled, hand to hand, and Dragon and Cola scrambled up, each attacking the Jaffa. Cola fought to gain possession of a staff weapon with one of them, while the second once circled defensively, waiting for her to let down her guard. Dragon took on the third and fourth in a tangle of hand-to-hand fighting, which looked more like a random brawl. Their heavy armour weighed down the Jaffa, giving the humans the advantage. However, the Jaffa were used to fighting with it on. Darr'ok succeeded in throwing O'Neill to the ground, and picked up his dropped staff weapon, turning on the fray behind him. Dragon dropped one of her opponents, turned to face the other, and found herself staring down the end of Darr'ok's staff. He grinned at her evilly.
"I do believe I owe you some fun," he commented, "I intend to repay that debt."
With one fluid motion, he swung the staff weapon around, catching her first in the side, and then across the face. Cola, still struggling with two of the remaining Jaffa, found O'Neill at her side.
"We didn't think you were coming," she commented, lightly, as the two of them fought back-to-back, "glad you could make it!"
"Wouldn't miss this for the world!" O'Neill replied, through gritted teeth.
Cola grinned, feeling ridiculously happy, as she stepped forward, kicking the Jaffa just under the ribs, then punching upwards, scooping the palm of her hand under his chin. His head snapped back, and he collapsed to the floor with a dull thud. O'Neill went it for the kill, putting his opponent down with a karate chop to the throat, then the back of the neck for good measure. Breathlessly, he and Cola stood back, watching as Dragon and Darr'ok circled each other warily. Teal'c had disposed of Sok'har, leaving him unconscious on the floor, and joined them.
"I owe you this," Darr'ok growled, "you'll all die!"
"Like I've never heard that one," Dragon shot back.
Darr'ok swung at her with the staff, and she ducked, kicking him in the side. He grabbed her ankle, flipping her over, and tossed the staff weapon up in the air, catching it in the other hand, so that as she got to her feet, he used it to knock her back down again.
"Is this the best you have?" he taunted, "I don't normally kill women, but in your case I make an exception!"
"I'm honoured!" Dragon responded, picking herself up.
O'Neill glanced across at Cola. She caught his gaze, and flashed a quick smile, which he returned, self-consciously.
"What about the other members of the team?" he whispered, quickly.
"Dead," she replied, glancing away.
O'Neill kicked himself up mentally, and turned back to the fight. Dragon and Darr'ok still faced each other, Darr'ok clearly holding the advantage. O'Neill picked up a staff weapon, aiming it at Darr'ok, but Cola took it off him.
"We promised ourselves this," she told him, softly, "don't do anything, okay?"
O'Neill hesitated, then nodded, reluctantly, and Cola smiled in return, then turned back to the fight.
"Dragon," she called, "catch!"
Dragon spun around, and Cola threw the staff weapon up into the air. Dragon jumped up, catching it, swung it round, and landed a heavy blow on Darr'ok's shoulder. He growled, and swung his own weapon around. Dragon blocked the blow, and it became a match of speed and strength. Darr'ok was clearly stronger, with more power behind his blows, but Dragon was the faster, dodging and blocking the blows, while attempting to attack him in return. Absorbed in the fight, no one noticed Sok'har rise to his feet.
Sok'har raised his hand, flexing his fingers as he felt the power of the device flowing through him. Darr'ok had always been more hindrance than help, and there would be other Jaffa more worthy of becoming First Primes. He concentrated the power, preparing to fire.
"Look out!" Teal'c shouted a warning, but was too late.
Sok'har fired, and the air seemed to pulse with energy. Both Darr'ok and Dragon were picked up and flung against the far wall. Darr'ok was clearly dead, his neck broken, but Dragon shifted slightly, fighting unconsciousness. O'Neill and Cola both moved to help, but Sok'har turned on them, and they froze.
"You will die," he rasped, hatefully.
Not taking his eyes off them, he bent down to pick up the staff weapon Darr'ok had dropped. He activated it, aiming it at O'Neill. The Colonel straightened up, and glared at him. Sok'har stepped forward slightly, and fired.
"No!" shouted Cola, and leapt aside, knocking O'Neill aside.
"Cola!" O'Neill cried, as she fell, the staff weapon catching her in the side, "No! God damn it!"
Sok'har smirked, and turned the weapon on the distraught Colonel. O'Neill glared at him, kneeling beside the wounded Cola, as the staff weapon fizzed, ready to fire.
"Hey," came a voice.
Sok'har, distracted, turned and found him staring down a staff weapon held by Dragon. She swayed unsteadily, but did not loose her aim.
"Did ya miss me?" she exclaimed, and fired.
The bolt hit him square in the chest, and he fell. Dragon sighed, leaning on the staff weapon for support.
"Cola?" she asked, tiredly, "oh, no . . ."
O'Neill made a sudden decision.
"Teal'c, get Dragon get back to the gate," he ordered, "Cola and I will catch up as soon as we can."
"Do you intend to use the Sarcophagus, O'Neill?"
"I don't have a choice!" O'Neill snapped back, "Just go!"
Teal'c hesitated, and then inclined his head.
"We will clear the way for you," he told O'Neill.
Dragon did not protest to taking orders from O'Neill, as Teal'c joined her. He took her by the arm, and the two of them ran out of the throne room, staff weapons at the ready. O'Neill gently reached down, and picked Cola up, gathering her in his arms. He carried her up the steps, and behind the throne. Supporting her with one arm, he opened the Sarcophagus, and carefully laid her inside it. It closed, covering her completely, as it began to repair the damage.
"I hate these damn things," he muttered, but at that moment had never felt so glad of them at the same time.
O'Neill waited impatiently, listening to the distant sounds of staff weapons firing. He wondered, bleakly, if he was saving Cola's life, only to be killed alongside her on their way back to the Stargate.
"Better to die with you than live without you," he whispered, to the Sarcophagus.
He checked his watch. Sam and Daniel should have blown the ship and ran ten minutes ago. He sighed, wondering if it was worth having a go at them for staying. Probably not.
"Come on," he whispered, "come on . . ."
As if on cue, the lid of the Sarcophagus slowly began to open, revealing Cola, lying within. She took a deep breath, and then opened her eyes, focussing on him in wonder.
"Hey," O'Neill greeted her, softly, "you had us worried there for a minute."
Cola stared at him.
"Sorry," was all she could think of to say.
He smiled.
"It okay," he replied.
He reached down to help her up, taking her hand in his. He couldn't help it. As she slowly stood up, he lifted her out of the Sarcophagus, and kissed her. She hesitated, taken by surprise, and then returned the gesture joyfully.
Dragon raised her staff weapon. Too many of them, whispered a voice in the back of her mind, there are too damn many of them! She told the voice to shut up, as she concentrated on firing. She and Teal'c advanced slowly, picking off the Jaffa as they went, but for every one they shot down, two more seemed to appear from no-where. Dragon felt immensely cheated – she and Cola had promised each other that one of them would kill Darr'ok, and Sok'har had done it for them. The fact that she'd killed Sok'har meant little – he would undoubtedly be placed in his Sarcophagus, unless they managed to blow the ship before anyone had the chance to do it. On the opposite side of the corridor, Teal'c kept up a steady barrage of fire, and she did the same. Idly, she wondered how long the charge lasted in staff weapons, and nearly smiled at the thought of trying to change the batteries. She wondered if it took Duracell. Probably not.
"They're retreating!" Teal'c shouted, over the noise of the fighting.
Dragon glanced up, and saw it was true – the Jaffa were backing away down the corridor rapidly.
"They must have found out Darr'ok and Sok'har are dead!" she shouted back.
"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.
They pressed their advantage, moving rapidly forward, leaving a trail of dead and dying Jaffa in their wake. Slowly but surely, they made their way towards the Stargate.
Cola released Jack slowly, and the two of them smiled, lost in their mutual feelings. Suddenly, in the corner, a noise interrupted them – transport rings had activated.
"Quick, let's get out of here!" O'Neill grabbed her hand, and they ran.
They found their way out of the mock SGC, and entered a corridor, following it down. Everywhere were bodies and blast marks, and the two of them checked around thoroughly, terrified of finding the body of Teal'c or Dragon, but they did not. Back in the throne room, the transport rings vanished, and a group of Jaffa appeared, lead by a tall, pale woman, who was dressed all in black. She glanced down at the body of Sok'har, and her white face twisted with rage.
"I will have my revenge for this!" she snarled.
She made a quick gesture with her hand, and two Jaffa stepped forward.
"Bring him to my ship," she ordered, "and place him in my Sarcophagus."
The Jaffa moved to obey, lifting the body slowly and reverently. They stepped back inside the area covered by the rings, and the woman pressed a button on a bracelet she wore. A beam of light surrounded them, and the rings dropped around. There was a flash, and they disappeared.
Cola and O'Neill quickly caught up with Dragon and Teal'c, where there was a brief but happy reunion.
"They've got us pinned down," Dragon summarised the situation, "The gate room is behind them, to the right, but there's at least a dozen of them in the corridor between."
"What about Carter and Jackson?" Cola asked.
"From the sounds of it, they're firing on the Jaffa from the gate room," Dragon replied, "but they're pretty much cut off from us."
"Then we'll just have to blast our way through," O'Neill decided, then remembered Dragon out-ranked him, and hastily added, "sir."
Dragon grinned.
"That was my plan entirely," she agreed, and leant down, picking up a staff weapon from a dead Jaffa, "here."
She threw one to O'Neill, and then did the same for Cola. Noting the small smile on Cola's face, Dragon had a pretty good idea of what had transpired back in the throne room, she grinned to herself, and then turned back to the situation at hand.
"On my mark," she called out.
She waited for the confirming nods from Cola, O'Neill and Teal'c, bracing herself.
"Fire!"
Carter stepped back into the gate room, almost out of ammo.
"Dial it up," she ordered, "they're about to come through!"
Jackson nodded, quickly dialling out the Stargate. The wormhole opened in its usual dramatic style, and he quickly punched in the GDO code.
"Ready!" he called.
"Go on!" Carter shouted, "Get through!"
"But . . ."
"No buts! Move! Get a med team ready on the other side – we may need it!"
He stared at her, torn between leaving her there and going back to the SGC to make sure any wounded got immediate attention. In the end, he went. Carter smiled to grimly to herself, glancing around the doorframe. A staff weapon blast hit the wall behind her, and she pulled back, cursing softly. She heard Colonel O'Neill calling her name, and tried to pick out what he was saying over the noise of multiple staff weapon discharges, the shouting of orders, and cries of the injured.
"Carter!" he was shouting, "Get ready!"
She took that to mean they would be coming, and go into position behind the door, in order to give effective cover fire. She then stood and waited, hoping she had enough ammo left.
"Carter!" O'Neil shouted, "Get ready!"
He listened for a reply, but couldn't hear one. Whether it was because he hadn't heard her or she hadn't heard him, he didn't know. Either that, or she didn't reply in order to keep her position a secret. Whatever.
"Teal'c!" he cried, "you go first! Help Carter!"
Teal'c paused in firing long enough to nod to O'Neill, and then watched for a lull in firing. The remaining Jaffa had taken up positions along the sides of the corridor to the Stargate, and O'Neill judged there to be around half a dozen left. He raised his staff weapon, increasing his rate of fire.
"Go!" He yelled.
Teal'c went. From the gate room came the sounds of gunfire, and O'Neil guessed that Sam had heard him shout to her. As he and the other two watched, the seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, as his friend dashed down the corridor, ducking and dodging to avoid being hit. O'Neill held his breath and kept up a steady stream of cover fire. He breathed a sigh of relief when Teal'c made it, catching one of the Jaffa out in the crossfire.
"Cola!" he called, "you next!"
"But what about you?"
"Just go!"
Cola hesitated, not wanting to leave his side. Dragon smiled at her from the other side of the corridor.
"I'll make sure he gets through!" she promised, "now get over there and watch our backs!"
Cola hesitated for a second longer, and then ran. The air was hot with the energy of staff weapon blasts. She tried to concentrate on running, and she barely had time to register the Jaffa trying to get a shot at her before she was in the gate room with Carter and Teal'c, out of the line of fire. She gasped for air, shaking slightly, but quickly regained control of herself. She took a deep breath, secured her hold on the staff weapon, and knelt down, preparing to fire.
"I'm out of ammo," Carter reported, glancing down at her weapon in disgust.
"Get through the gate," Cola told her, "we'll follow you as fast as we can – make sure they keep it open on the other side."
Carter nodded once, turned, and ran towards the Stargate, disappearing into the event horizon. Cola took up the position Carter had held, and readied herself.
Dragon dropped another Jaffa guard, and smiled grimly as the enemy fire lessened slightly.
"You next, Colonel!" she called, almost cheerfully, using his rank on purpose.
He glared at her and she smiled back.
"I did promise I'd get you through!" she told him, "now move!"
He threw her a sloppy salute, and ran. Dragon gave as much cover fire as she could, watching as he ran, knowing there would be no one to cover her back. From the corridor behind her, she could hear more Jaffa approaching.
"Uh-oh," she whispered, "here comes back up!"
She waited for a second longer, uttered a short prayer along the lines of 'God, get me outta here', and ran. A staff weapon burst shot past her face, almost causing her to stumble. She caught herself, and leapt forward, landing on the floor of the gate room in a sprawled heap.
"Glad you could make it," Cola commented, with a smile.
Dragon grinned, and scrambled to her feet.
"Set the timer on the C4 to thirty seconds," she told her, "and then get through the gate!"
"I'm on it!" Cola responded.
Dragon dropped down, firing at the Goa'uld.
"They've got re-enforcements," she told the others, "should be here any time now."
O'Neill winced, as the incoming fire intensified three fold.
"Yasureyoubetcha," he commented.
He couldn't understand why Dragon and Cola found that so funny.
Cola, still grinning, quickly reconnected the timer to the C4. It began a thirty-minute countdown and she shook her head.
"Too long, me thinks," she commented to herself.
She reached forward, and adjusted the time. It shot down the thirty seconds, and she stood up.
"Timer's set!" she shouted.
"Good – now go!" O'Neill shouted back.
Cola smiled, and leapt through the gate.
"Teal'c, go!"
Teal'c nodded, and, in one swift movement, was on his feet and gone. O'Neill and Dragon exchanged a glance.
"We go together, on three," Dragon told him.
He nodded in reply, as they continued to fire.
"One!"
A Jaffa fell, under the deadly accuracy of the two officers.
"Two!"
A blast scorched the wall above O'Neill, and he swore at its close proximity.
"Three!"
The two of them leapt up, and ran. The Jaffa tried to give chase, just as one noticed the countdown on the small blocks around the base of the Stargate. He pointed it out to the guard next to him, puzzled.
9 . . .8 . . . 7 . . .
The guard shook his head, as some of the more heroic others ran through the Stargate. He leaned closer, trying to make out the little flashing symbols.
6 . . . 5 . . . 4 . . .
It was then he realised, far too late, it was a countdown. He turned to run, but there was no time.
3 . . . 2 . . . 1.
Dragon and O'Neill staggered through the gate, almost falling over themselves in an attempt to stop.
"Shut it down!" Dragon shouted, "Close it, now!"
The technician in the control room hastily tried to obey, but called back; "we've got incoming!"
"Close the iris!" O'Neill ordered.
The huge metal iris slid closed, and silence fell through the gate room, at the sound of multiple impacts on the metal. Then, the Stargate shut down.
"Wormhole disengaged," reported the technician, "from the point of origin."
Dragon turned to General Hammond, who'd come down to meet them as soon as Jackson had first come through.
"Mission accomplished, sir," she reported.
She then turned around, and nodded to O'Neill and Cola.
"Don't you two have something to do?" she asked, smiling.
Cola grinned, and O'Neill glanced at Dragon in surprised.
"Don't make me turn it into an order," she warned him, still smiling.
"Yes, sir!" he grinned back, and then turned to Cola.
The two of them burst out laughing, and fell into each other's arms.
"Love ya," O'Neill whispered.
"Love ya too," Cola giggled.
Dragon smiled, and everyone in the gate room cheered loudly.
"So the mission was a success?" Hammond commented, over the noise.
"Yes, sir!" Dragon nodded, "in more ways than one!"