Author Notes: Okay, so when I first started reading fanfiction, years ago, I had three major Stargate ideas in my head. The first two got merged into my original SG-1 story, but I never felt competent enough to tackle the third idea. Finally I do, with a few tweaks and twists to the original concept. This story will be AU, requiring knowledge up to the beginning of season 7 Canon-wise, and also with an awareness of later seasons, namely Vala. Although in that regard, for the purpose of this story, Vala was never made host for Qetesh.
As with some of my other stories, Jonas will be a fifth member of SG-1, as I always loved the banter between him and Daniel in the season 7 opener. There will be OCs in this story, but never to the point where they obscure the Canon characters. As for pairings, no OCs will be involved, but it may swing in the direction of a background/sidestory Daniel/Vala – I haven't decided yet. These notes are far too long, so I'll now let you get on with the story!
Behind the Mask
Chapter 1
It had come out of nowhere. How many times had Jack used that as an excuse in his mind? One minute they had been talking amicably, or at least, as amicably as possible when considering events of late, and the next some very violent masked men armed to the teeth with Goa'uld weapons had been bearing down on them.
Just once Jack would like a quite day out in an alien forest. Was that too much to ask?
And why, why of all the times they could have been ambushed, did they pick now? Today was meant to have been an easy ride, a simple way to pull the team back together again.
Jack scanned the forest as accurately as he dared without sufficient cover fire, trying to get a fix on his other teammates, having to remind himself continuously that he had four people to look out for now, not the accustomed three. After the most recent incident with Daniel, Jonas and Anubis, an uncertain period of months had followed, with SG-1's future make-up in question. At first, Jonas had returned to Kelowna, or whatever the blasted planet was calling itself nowadays, with Daniel steadily falling back into place on the team – an uphill struggle to say the least. But then fighting had broken out again, the Kelownans once more blaming Jonas, and the younger man had been forced to retreat to the only ones who would take him in; Earth.
Jack didn't really mind – not that he would ever admit it of course. Jonas' presence had allowed Daniel to relax more. The young alien was, ironically, much less alien than the soldiers that Daniel had been coming into contact with in his month of 'rehab' into once again being a member of the SGC.
And so the only course of possible action had been taken, and Jonas was established once more on the team, leaving Jack with not one, but two righteous, trouble-attracting, self-preservation lacking archaeologists. Thus bringing him right back to where he was now.
Carter's voice crackled on the radio, muffled by the discharge of staff weapons. He couldn't make it out.
They were being pushed back through the dense forest, and Jack noticed with a growing sense of dread that not only was it the opposite direction to where the Stargate lay to the north, but also into progressively thinning undergrowth.
He caught a flicker of movement, and was relieved to see a flash of blonde as two figures ran and fired at the same time. Jack dived behind the damp rotting truck of a once great tree, squinting in the fine mist of rain that had blown in. Carter had Jonas with her, which hopefully meant Daniel was with Teal'c.
Jack cursed. They needed to get out of this, but apparently these guys weren't giving up, making Jack increasingly certain their encounter was not a simple accident. Whether the cloaked men had been waiting for SG-1 in particular or not was unclear, but they were clearly after humans – their identity would probably be a bonus.
Shots directed at his head forced Jack to pull back more. He collided with Carter and Jonas, and the three ran without a second word. This time it was Major Carter who cursed.
The forest was thinning rapidly, and by the looks of it, was about to drop into a sharp incline; the growing noise of roaring water indicating a nasty landing at the bottom.
A lucky blind shot by Jack took down another one of their assailants, but more came.
And that was the end of their luck.
A cry to his right, and Carter fell, clutching her leg. Both Jack and Jonas skidded on the wet leaves and mud as they pulled themselves up short. They were on the edge of the forest now, with still no sign of the rest of their team, pinned down.
Carter's teeth were clenched as she tried to stem the sluggish bleeding from the burning wound. Their eyes met. This was very bad.
Jonas had the sense to try and contact Daniel and Teal'c by the radio while Jack lay down cover.
They were closing in, shot from staffs and zats flying in all direction from their enemies...and against them?
Teal'c was running towards them, followed by Daniel, skirting the edge of the undergrowth to increase their speed.
Everything seemed to slow down.
This wasn't possible.
Not again.
One minute Daniel was running, the next a stray staff blast impacted his chest, burning its way through to the flesh, its force throwing Daniel's momentum off balance, sending him flying. Right into the gorge.
It was enough to give their attackers the opening they needed. A zat blast caught Jonas, and the man slumped sideways. Teal'c had reached their position, adrenaline being the only thing keeping him and Jack from registering what had just happened.
But then everything blacked out as an electric charge surged through Jack's body.
Voices. Dull. They faded in and out like a bad phone line. Completely insignificant, especially when compared to the searing, throbbing pain coming from her leg.
At least, they were insignificant until one of the voices' owners touched the source of the pain.
"Major Carter? Can you hear me?"
Memories faded in and out. Well, at least he didn't sound like an alien.
Sam cracked open her eyes, failing to keep the grimace from her face as she was greeted by a canopy of trees silhouetted against a dull grey sky. The worried face of Major Griff of SG-2 swam into view, "Where..?" Her voice tried to catch up with her confused brain. What had happened? Had she passed out? Been shot a second time?
"Just try to lie still. We're going to get you on the stretcher here."
"Sir, they're coming round!" A voice came from outside of Sam's limited field of vision. She ignored Griff and managed to half sit up. Her stomach lurched.
"Where's the rest of my team?"
Griff's face was unreadable as he followed her gaze to where Jack and Teal'c were being helped up, "We were hoping you could tell us. When you didn't check in Hammond sent us after you. There are scorch marks on some of the trees, and if your leg is anything to go by, we figured something big must have happened."
Sam regarded him for a second, and then her lungs contracted, "Oh my god...Daniel." The realisation hit her like a speeding train, and she was pretty sure she had started shaking, belated shock from her wound setting in.
The Colonel's face was set, his eyes meeting Griff's, "He went over the edge." His voice was cold.
One of the less experienced men in the team – part of the medical detail by the looks – was unable to hold back his exclamation.
Griff nodded, leaving the rest unsaid. A team would be sent to try and find Daniel's body, but with the speeding river rapids below, little effort would be made. "And Quinn?"
Jack looked lost for a second, but his masked was wrenched into place too quickly to be sure, "He was hit by a zat. I didn't see."
"He was taken by the men." Teal'c voice rumbled, the venom that dripped from the tones letting everyone know how badly the stoic Jaffa was taking the situation. The medic dabbing his head wound blanched, but did not relent from his task. "One of them hit me around the head with his weapon. I could do nothing to stop them."
"We need to find him!" Sam knew she wouldn't be able to deal with losing both of them at the same time. At least Jonas could still be alive.
Major Griff looked grim, and there was a long pause. "We sent out a MALP and a UAV before Hammond would let us go after you. Apart from you three, there's no indication of life for miles, or any energy signature that would indicate a ship. Whoever they were, they seem to have gone. I'm sorry Colonel."
Silence reigned as a shocked SG-1 simply sat there as their rescue team prepared to move out. This morning they had been the biggest team in the SGC, and now they were the smallest.
Sam's hands clenched into fists, her spirit vowing to find Jonas, while her mind sorrowfully informed her that he might as well have died along with Daniel; finding one person in the entire galaxy was next to impossible, and the funding for such a search...
Her eyes met with the last two members of her team.
Words would never cover it.
Jonas awoke to someone shaking his shoulder. He let out a barely audible groan as he recognised the throbbing in his head, and remembered being shot and...Daniel. He opened his eyes, expecting to see one of his team, instead coming face to face with the dark eyes of a man he had never seen before.
Jonas sat bolt upright, only just keeping the bout of dizziness he experienced from showing on his face. The man sat back on his heels. He was bigger than Jonas, but the dirt smudges on his dark tan skin, ratty clothes and bare feet suggested that he had not been involved in the ambush on the planet, "I am Renn." The man spoke with a lilting soft accent, a surety in his tone that suggested he was not one to mince his words. He gestured behind him to another figure, curled up in a corner of their dark cell. Squinting in the half-light, Jonas saw it to be a young woman, with the same glittering dark eyes of Renn, and the same night-black hair, "My sister, Kera. She is mute. You will not come near her."
The Kelownan nodded slowly, trying not to be intimidated by who seemed to be a fellow captive, and failing miserably. Although not as large as Teal'c, the man was most definitely someone to be respected, "My name's Jonas Quinn." He swallowed, shifting into a position that he hoped would not seem threatening to the tense man, "Where are we?"
Renn shrugged, moving to sit against the opposing wall beside Kera, his eyes resting almost unblinkingly on Jonas, "I do not know."
When Renn appeared to be no more forthcoming, Jonas continued, "I was with other people – my friends – we were ambushed by these men. Do you know where they might be?"
"Either dead or left behind. They are not here. We were pulled from our village. The men chose us above others. I do not know their reasoning. They shot our brother when he resisted. You were chosen."
Jonas blinked, unsure of the truth of Renn's words, "Who are they?"
"Men with intentions." Was all Renn seemed to be able to say, "We have been here many days. I do know this is a planet. This is all I have been able to tell."
Kera's eyes still followed his every move, and Jonas was getting more unnerved by the second.
And then a door swung open, and a body was thrown in. It groaned as the door was slammed shut, "Ow."
Jonas started, "Daniel?"
Sure enough, the figure rolled onto its back, and Daniel's clear blue eyes blinked up at the ceiling before resting on Jonas, "I really hate that damn sarcophagus. Not that I s'pose I should complain."
Jonas let out a nervous laugh. Daniel's eyes flicked to scan the room before once more regarding his teammate "You okay?"
"Depends on your definition of okay." He proceeded in telling Daniel what little he knew, introducing their cellmates. "Do you think they're Goa'uld?"
"They didn't look it..." Daniel grimaced, "Jack's gonna be pissed."
"I think that's putting it mildly." Jonas said ruefully.
A commotion caught their attention, voices drifting through the door. Renn tensed, and after exchanging worried looks, Daniel and Jonas moved back against the wall. The door scraped on its hinges once more, and the noises formed themselves into words, "Just throw them in there! She will decide which cell she wishes to proceed with afterwards!" The commanding voice seemed to be at the end of his patience.
Three figures were thrown roughly in, a dark-haired woman, a stocky sandy-haired man and a tall black boy maybe a little older than Kera. The older man looked dazed, while the other two were more...vocal about their treatment, although the young man seemed to recover from his landing a little faster than the woman, "Have you any idea who I am? You cannot treat me like this! When my father finds me-" The door was slammed firmly in his face. The boy seemed to be in momentary shock from his rather abrupt cut off, before huffing very loudly, and folding his arms, casting his disdainful glare about the cell, "Who are all of you then?"
The woman spoke before they could answer, one eyebrow hiked up and a smirk in place, "Not exactly down with the criminals, are you Beren?"
The boy rounded on her, his voice shrill, "I am not talking to you, Halan! You are nothing but a traitor and a disreputable woman! You should have laid down your life for me, your crown prince, not offered me to those, those...men! And for another matter, you will address me by my full title, the illustrious-"
Once more he was cut off, "Oh shut up you insufferable little twit. And my name isn't Halan, it's Vala. No point keeping that ridiculous name now the con's been blown out of the water – oh, don't look so betrayed, you can't pull it off," she snorted at the shocked prince, "Remind me why you thought this gig was a good idea, Drek?" She addressed the man beside her.
He laughed huskily, "I seem to remember the appeal his father's money had for you. That, and we didn't expect the palace to be attacked midway through the job."
Daniel and Jonas exchanged looks, unsure of what to make of the situation they had found themselves in. Their captors' words had not been reassuring, and they still had little to no idea what they had been caught for. Jonas, however, was far more preoccupied with the immediate issue of how Renn was handling three more additions to the cramped cell, all of whom seemed blissfully oblivious to his darkening expression.
To Be Continued...
Author Notes: So? What did you think? I'd really like to know your thoughts! As updates go, I'll try to keep them regular, probably once a week as exams are looming for me. Thanks!