Saying Nothing At All

Chapter Two: Déjà Vu

Based upon Stargate: SG-1

- - -

This is going to sound very similar to what you've just read, just go with it.

- - -

Sam sat leaning against a wall in Ericthonius' brig. El Tahir sat similarly on the opposite wall. She had an awful sick feeling in her gut. Leaning forward, she rested her head in her hands.

"Major, are you alright?" El Tahir asked.

She shook her head. "I don't know. I feel . . . like something should hurt, but nothing does."

The sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts. El Tahir must have heard them too because he got up and stood next to the door. He was going to jump them.

"Colonel, what are you doing?" she whispered. "This is never going to work!"

He gestured for her to be silent, and stood at the ready. When the door opened, he pounced on the second Jaffa through the door. Sam took the opportunity to grapple to the first's zat.

There was a struggle, but it ended with a third Jaffa grabbing Sam and the second Jaffa beating El Tahir in the face with the butt end of staff weapon, knocking him to the floor as blood seeped from his nose.

She stopped struggling against the two Jaffa when the First Prime arrived.

He raised an eyebrow. "I would advise against similar actions in the future." He waited for her to nodded and then glanced at El Tahir on the floor. A smile came to his face. "Normally, I would describe to you your eminent doom at the hands of the God, Lord Ericthonius."

"He's not a god," Sam said dryly.

The First Prime shrugged. "Maybe so," he conceded lightly, and for some reason Sam wasn't surprised. "As I was saying, the delegation of the Tau'ri has arrived."

"Delegation?" Somehow Sam had known that Colonel O'Neill, Daniel and her father were on their way. She had the oddest feeling that she had been in this situation. She shrugged it off, attributing the feeling to the fact she'd been behind Goa'uld bars before.

The First Prime laughed. "Your infamous Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and an unknown Tok'Ra have come to negotiate your release in return for the shol'vah Selmak."

"Shol'vah Selmak?" Sam repeated. "Just because he fooled Ericthonius into trusting him and then left him for dead." Sam surprised herself; she didn't remember hearing that, from anyone. Her father must have told her, or maybe Jolinar knew. Yes, that must have been it, Jolinar must have known.

"You are lucky the Lord Ericthonius is more merciful than Selmak was. Even though Lord Ericthonius has enough power to destroy you and your delegation and then turn and hunt down Selmak, he is willing to trade you and your friend for the location of the shol'vah.

"He has already released your other friends."

El Tahir rolled over and attempted to stand, he settled sitting down, apparently unable to stand. "What about the one you shot?" he spat.

"Do you regret every Jaffa you shoot?" the First Prime asked.

El Tahir did not respond.

The First Prime chuckled. "As I believed . . ." he turned back to Sam. "You will be summoned before Lord Ericthonius when the Tau'ri arrive."

The Jaffa released Sam and followed the First Prime out.

Sam helped El Tahir to his feet, then to a bench on the wall.

He took off his jacket and held his sleeve to his profusely bleeding nose. "Okay."

"That was a bad idea," they said together.

El Tahir smiled sheepishly.

She smiled and took a look at his nose. "I don't think it's broken, but you're going to have a nice bruise."

El Tahir leaned his head back against the wall. "Bruises are fun."

- - -

Jack stepped through the stargate with Daniel and Jacob on his heels. The planet looked familiar. He shrugged it off, after a while, all the alien planets start to look the same.

"Okay," he said turning to them. "We head to the ring site, meet the Jaffa, get onto the mothership, and lie our asses off? Got it?"

Both Jacob and Daniel nodded.

Jack got an awful feeling that Jacob was going to do something stupid. "Now, Jacob, stick to the plan."

Jacob smiled. "It's alright, Jack, I know the rules."

"Alright, let's go."

- - -

Greene stood with Richie behind Teal'c in their borrowed Tok'Ra scout ship.

"Think they're alright?" Richie asked. He was concerned. Sure the Colonel was a strong guy, but there had been a lot of Jaffa, and Kendell was dead.

"They're fine, Lieutenant. The Colonel is a tough guy and . . . Teal'c how would you describe Major Carter? Extremely resourceful and a formidable warrior?"

Teal'c glanced behind him. "Those would be the exact words I would use to describe her."

"How'd you know those were the words he'd use?" Richie asked.

Greene shrugged. "I think I've heard him say it before. Anyway, don't worry about them." He slapped Richie's shoulder. "Rock solid, Richie. They're fine."

- - -

Jack felt uncomfortable on a Goa'uld mothership without an assault rifle. However, there really wasn't anything he could have done. The Jaffa weren't going to let him on their ship with it. He supposed she should have felt grateful that they allowed him to keep his sidearm, but he had the terrible feeling that he was going to need the rifle.

The Jaffa leading him stopped, causing Daniel to bump into one of them. He apologized, and then looked around sheepishly.

The First Prime approached them. He seemed to study them for a few minutes. "Colonel Jack O'Neill, Doctor Daniel Jackson, and . . ."

"Jacob Carter," Jacob identified himself.

"And you are?" Jack led.

The First Prime glanced at him before turning his attention back to Jacob. "You wouldn't happen to know a Major Samantha Carter, would you?"

"Only by reputation," Jacob lied.

The First Prime smiled. "I respect your wish to protect your kin, but I know you lie. She is your . . . daughter?"

Jacob pursed his lips. "Yes," he admitted.

"Very interesting." He paused gathering his thoughts. "You are Tok'Ra. Which?"

Jacob paused. "Delak," he lied.

The First Prime nodded. "The Lord Ericthonius will see you now." He turned and headed back in the direction he had come. The Jaffa contingent followed him.

They were led into a large throne room where Ericthonius was waiting, all decked out in cliché finery.

From another door, five Jaffa brought in Carter and El Tahir. The Colonel had a nasty looking bruised nose and the sleeve of his jacket was covered in half-dried blood. Somehow, Jack was not at all surprised.

"Lose a boxing match?" Jack quipped.

El Tahir smiled and tapped his nose, "I think I just need a little more practice."

Jacob stepped towards the Goa'uld. "Ericthonius," his symbiote spoke.

"Jacob, don't!" Jack put his hand on Jacob's shoulder.

"I know what I'm doing." He turned back to Ericthonius. "You have been lied to."

"Dad! Wait!" Carter shouted, seeing where this was going.

"Quiet, Sam," he replied, not breaking eye contact Ericthonius. "I am not the Tok'Ra Delak, but the Tok'Ra Selmak."

Jack pulled his side arm as Ericthonius called his Jaffa to "Kree." Two of them grabbed him and disarmed them with ease while the other Jaffa likewise incapacitated Jacob and Daniel.

Jack started struggling. They were going to kill Carter. He knew it. He didn't how he knew it, but he knew Carter would be dead in minutes; and those minutes would be the most painful of his life.

Ericthonius chuckled. "My dear nemesis, Selmak. I suppose that you assumed my offer of leniency would stand as soon as you turned yourself in."

Jacob didn't move, and his silence was not at all encouraging.

"Well, generally you would be correct. I do enjoy standing by my word. A foreign concept to you, I know. However, today is different.

He smiled darkly. "I was going to let them all go, really I was. But then I learned that Jacob Carter, the father of my prisoner, was indeed the shol'vah Selmak, not Delak as he had originally claimed. I simply cannot pass that opportunity up."

Jack glanced at Jacob, who looked terrified. It was obviously that he realized he should have not said anything and, instead, stuck with the plan.

Somehow, Jack knew this was going to happen. When he stepped out of the gate, he knew Jacob was going to go against the plan, and he couldn't stop it.

Ericthonius retrieved a torture weapon from the wall and motioned to his Jaffa. They drug Carter to the center of the room. He tapped her once with it and an orange light shot from her eyes and mouth.

"Oh, Selmak, I'm afraid you brought this upon yourself."

Then it began.

Jack fought against his captors. He fought with every ounce of strength within him. He had to stop it. He had to save her. As her screams tore at his soul, he couldn't imagine anything worse than what he was then witnessing: the brutal torture of his Samantha Carter.

- - -

They took the Pel'tak easier than Richie thought they would. He thought it was because most of the Jaffa were on the lower decks with Ericthonius, the prisoners, and the delegation.

Richie and Greene held the door as Teal'c took control of the ship. He heard energy blasts on the other side of the door.

"Teal'c! How are we doing! They're beating down the door!"

"Major Greene, someone is attempting to reroute control of the vessel. We are headed towards the binary star."

They could go through them! Richie knew he had the answer, he knew it would work. "Go through them!" he shouted.

"I do not understand, Lieutenant Richie."

"The hyperdrive, go through the stars!" he clarified.

Teal'c nodded. "It will take a few moments to make the necessary adjustments."

- - -

Jack had stopped struggling, but stood in a tense forward position, putting strain on the Jaffa holding him. He had no idea how long it lasted, but it felt like hours . . . like days . . . like millennia.

He felt like he had seen it all before. It was not any easier. He wanted to throw up.

He tore his eyes from Carter writing in agony on the floor at Ericthonius' feet just long enough for them to settle on Jacob. He hung limply from his Jaffa captors. He was in complete shock, and simply stared at his dying daughter.

Looking back at Carter, his heart bled. For a split second, they made eye contact before she shut her eyes in an attempt to shut out the pain. He had seen that look before, and he felt like it had killed him before as well.

Then Ericthonius stopped, glancing at Jacob. "It seems, Selmak," he said with a sadistic smile, "there is only one more thing I can do."

Carter lie on the floor, trying to breathe.

Ericthonius took a staff weapon from one of the Jaffa and the room got very loud, very quickly.

Daniel and El Tahir were shouting incoherently.

Jacob found his voice. "Don't! I will do anything! I'll do anything! Just don't kill her!"

Ericthonius laughed again. "Selmak, I only want one thing from you."

"Anything," Jacob struggled towards Ericthonius, attempting to kneel at his feet. Ericthonius nodded to his Jaffa and they released him. Jacob knelt on the floor in front of Ericthonius. "I will do anything," he pleaded.

Ericthonius' smile grew and he lowered the staff weapon in Carter's direction. "You will suffer," he charged the weapon.

"Carter!" Jack shouted.

She looked up at him with the bluest eyes he had ever seen. They both knew what was going to happen. They both knew that they couldn't stop it. Her eyes seemed to tell him "I know you tried."

He obviously hadn't tried hard enough.

Time slowed as Jack felt the ship accelerate. He was momentarily distracted and when he regained his thoughts, he heard the staff weapon discharge.

The energy blast hit her square in the chest, sending her sprawling onto her back, dead.

Jack heard someone shouting her name; it took him a moment to realize that it was him.

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