Chapter 2

It was cold, the air heavy with moisture and pine as he led the team along the Tok'ra compass bearing to find the hidden ship. The Tok'ra intelligence held more promise than expected; despite the prototype ship being heavily guarded the gate was not. It was a fair hike from the gate to the experimental site, using the planet's night hours for cover the team moved swiftly through the darkness, their senses on high alert for patrolling Jaffa.

So far it almost seemed too easy. Looking over at Teal'c Jack could see subtle lines of apprehension around his eyes. Black ops were not the big guys gig, and he was always uneasy when things were too quiet. They had encountered no signs of activity or life other than the plants. It was as though Tilgath had gone to great lengths to make it appear nothing of value was to be found on the planet.

To Jack's left Carter was closely monitoring energy readings in the area. If there were any Goa'uld traps around she would be their early warning system. With Teal'c's Jaffa senses and Carter's technology they had avoided more scrapes on missions like this than Jack cared to remember. Daniel was always more comfortable with exploration, but he could hold his own in the field. Hearing him breathing hard at his right was all the assurance Jack needed.

Aside from the usual Zats and P-90's they carried tranquilizers and enough explosives to leave a decent sized crater in the engine room in case the Naquadah fuel cells didn't ignite and blow the whole ship to hell. For once, Jack was pleased for the hike to the gate. They would be able to blow the charges from a distance and make their escape before being incinerated in the blast wave. Once inside the ship they should meet relatively little resistance, assuming the intel stayed reliable.

That was the part that really rankled Jacks nerves; putting their lives in the hands of the Tok'ra, again.

First of all, they had to find a way in.

Coming up over the tree covered ridge above the prototype mother ship Jack took out his binoculars to take a closer look at the facility. Counting 17 Jaffa guards protecting the entrance and more circling the perimeter the situation looked bleak. Getting in undetected would be next to impossible with such heavy guard.

'So, Teal, there isn't a back door to these things?' Jack asked, still looking through the lenses.

'There is not. The only way into a Hat'ak vessel is via the front entrance or a ring transport'

'You think there are rings nearby?' Sam questioned, sounding hopeful to avoid a direct confrontation.

'The ring rooms will most likely be heavily guarded' Teal's explained.

'Ok, rings not an option then' said Jack, lowering his binoculars to take a moment to weigh up their options.

Jack knew there was no way the four of them would be able to fight off so many Jaffa without drawing the attention of reinforcements. By the way Alas'yia had explained the situation, Tilgath had few options left and his territory was dwindling, slowly being absorbed by an unknown but powerful system Lord. The cloaking technology was his last Ace in the hole; he could either use it to regain control or curry favour with a more powerful Goa'uld. Should his secret be discovered before time then he would surely suffer defeat. The Jaffa before them were his best soldiers and would fight to the death to protect it.

The tree line passed close to the Hat'ak on both sides where the guard were more spread out, most of the Jaffa concentrated at the front of the ship guarding the entrance. Torches were the only light leaving shadows all around the ship as the flames flickered in the light breeze. If they were quiet they would be able to get close without being seen, but getting in would be a problem.

Jack turned to see Carter waiting expectantly, as though she knew what he was thinking and was just waiting for him to give the order.

'Carter, we need a distraction to draw away some of those guards so we can sneak in. Can you rig something to pack a punch without denting our supply of C4?'

Sam nodded sharply, a small smile teasing the corner of her lips before disappearing under years of military discipline 'Yes, Sir. I'll just need a few minutes'

'Teal'c, go with her' Jack ordered

The pair backed down from the ridge and slipped silently into the cool night air, while Daniel shuffled closer to Jack.

'Do you think the Tok'ra were right about the ship not being guarded on the inside?' He whispered.

It was though Daniel had been reading his thoughts too. Maybe he was loosing his touch with the tactical poker face, or as he hoped, they just knew each other really well after working in the field together for years.

'Well everything checks out so far, but I guess we'll find out soon enough'

'Right'

Daniel's reply was anxious as he shifted restlessly beside him. Despite becoming a capable soldier in his own right, Daniel was an archaeologist first and foremost, he was out of his comfort zone.

'Relax Daniel, I'm sure whatever Carter is cooking up will send most of these guys off on a wild goose chase anyway'

A rustle in the bushes behind them made Daniel start as Teal'c and Sam appeared out of the darkness, silently holding up their hands to prevent being shot.

Sam knelt beside Jack and kept her voice low 'Explosives are set, Sir. Ready and awaiting your order'

'OK, here's the plan; we get close to the ship, quietly take out a guard on this side and close to the front out of sight. After the distraction we take make our move, if they spot us use tranquilisers to buy enough time to get in before they get reinforcements'

The team nodded as Jack took one last look before putting away the binoculars. It was a risky strategy; if too many of the Jaffa stayed behind they could be seen and captured. If Alas'yia was right, the Jaffa would be more concerned about keeping the location a secret.

Standing up keeping his head low and steadying the grip on his P-90, Jack led them down towards the ship. The trees gave them cover as they spread out, keeping a watchful eye on the guard motions. The Jaffa close to them turned and Teal'c lunged forward, striking him from behind. The blow instantly knocked him to the ground with a sickening thud. The rest of the team rushed forward and took up defensive positions with their backs pressed against the side of the ship, hidden out of sight.

As Jack gave Sam the signal she clicked the remote detonator. Instantaneously the night sky was filled with thunderous sounds of a very large explosion followed by a number of smaller loud blasts that made Daniel flinch and cover his ears. How the hell? Looking across at Sam now there was the tell tale twist of her lips that gave away the pride in her work. Admittedly it was impressive, the Jaffa were running around like scalded cats.

'Geez! Sam what the hell was that?!' Daniel whispered loudly.

'Claymores. Lots of Claymores. Way to close together' Jack answered first while Carter's only response was a barely suppressed grin. He had always suspected that she a thing about explosives.

Moving swiftly along the wall of the ship, a quick check around the corner confirmed the guard was significantly reduced. A semi circle of six now stood just far enough away to sneak behind. Giving a quick hand signal Jack made a run for the entrance keeping his tread light as the team followed behind. The Jaffa furthest away spotted him but before he had a chance to raise the alarm Jack had fired a tranquiliser dart into his neck sending him quietly down like a rag doll. The secondary explosions and staff weapon fire from the Jaffa fighting an invisible foe provided enough noise to cover their entry to the ship.

Once inside with the team tucked behind the gold pillars, Jack took a quick glance back: the plan had worked, they weren't being followed.

'Ok, we're in. Part two, go!'

Sam ran with Daniel in tow turning left heading toward the computer core. Jack fell into step behind Teal'c en route to the engine room several decks below, the dim lights glinting off the gilt corridors that all looked the same. He had a vague idea of where he was going, but his ability to find his way on board a mother ship was no match for Teal'c's years of experience.

It was mostly deserted, but they were cautious as they ran along the hallways checking each hallway carefully. Only a few minutes had passed when they reached the engine room where two Jaffa stood guard. Taking his Zat, Teal'c rounded the corner quickly firing to take them out.

Something seemed wrong; every instinct was warning caution though the coast was clear. Pushing aside the nagging doubt Jack entered the engine room and looked around for the cloaking device. It wouldn't be long before the Jaffa who went to investigate the explosion would return.

'Here O'Neill'

Turning towards his team mate he saw the generator. It was the size of his first stack stereo system back in the 80's and was pulsing with yellow and red lights.

'Ok Teal'c, hand me your C4 and keep a look out'

Jack moved over to the device and began planting the blocks of C4 around it. He had no idea if there were force shields protecting the nearby Naquadah cells and he didn't plan on sticking around to find out. Figuring it best not to leave anything to chance Jack planted enough C4 to leave nothing but chard remains where the device sat. Taking the detonator from his vest and setting the remote, he paused. The cloaking generator had begun to hum and the lights pulsated faster.

This could be a problem, he thought grabbing his radio.

'Carter, what's going on up there?'

'Sir, we're almost finished the download. Daniel's reading through the test logs; it seems Tilgath has been having a few practice runs with the cloaking generator'

'OK, made it quick'

The pulsating got faster; time to bug out.

Leaning forward, Jack slapped the detonator into the nearest block of C4 when the device glowed brightly and a wave of energy rippled through the room.

His head swam causing him to stumble backwards, hitting the floor with a clatter.

'What the hell?! Teal'c did you see that? My damn fingers are tingling!'

Teal'c hurried back into the engine room from his guard position and scanned the room. His brow furrowed, like an old man struggling to make out his daily crossword.

'O'Neill? Do you require assistance?'

Flexing his fingers and holding his numb arm, Jack got to his knees. When they got back to Earth he would have to have a few words with the Tok'ra; they had failed to mention anything about electrocution in their report.

'Sure, I could use a hand up' Jack's head was still swimming as he held out his hand.

Stepping forward Teal'c looked around the room once more and hesitated. A look of concern started to appear in the corner of his eyes.

Shaking out the tingling arm as feeling began to return, Jack was getting impatient. 'Never mind, I'll pick myself up!'

'Are you in the Engine room O'Neill?'

'Teal'c! I'm standing right in front of you for crying out loud!'

Waving his good hand in front of the large Jaffa's face he wondered what the hell Teal'c was playing it. Then the shock realisation hit him; he could not see his own hand. A revelation which brought on the sinking feeling he got right before a mission went south.

'Oh crap' Jack said slowly, flexing the fingers that should have been right before his eyes.

'Sir, are you there?' Carter's voice came over the radio

'Yeah Carter, only we seem to have run into a little problem' He replied caustically

Teal's eyes suddenly locked on wide to where Jack stood only two feet in front.

'Major Carter, it would appear that O'Neill has made himself invisible' Teal'c spoke into the radio

'Teal'c! I made myself invisible?! It's that damn cloaking generator!' Jack cried indignantly.

'Say again?' Daniel's voice crackled through the comms.

'I'm invisible, Daniel! What did you do?!'

There was a hesitation before the reply which spoke volumes as far as Jack was concerned. What was it with Daniel and foxing with alien technology?

'I don't think it was anything we did, Sir. It might be something to do with the tests Tilgath was conducting' Carter was far from reassuring

'Well can you undo it?' Jack replied, testily.

'Standby Sir'

Don't panic Jack, don't panic, he thought in spite of the rapidly rising butterflies. Of all the Tok'ra screw ups, this one was certainly a new twist.

The sound of heavy Jaffa footsteps down the corridor startled them.

'O'Neill, quickly - this way!'

Teal'c turned out of the engine room down the corridor away from the sound of the impending Jaffa. Jack Hesitated.

He couldn't risk detonating the C4 while they were still on board or leave it to be discovered. Looking back toward the device he couldn't believe his eyes.

The C4 was gone.

There was no time to find the blocks he'd planted and he had no more explosives. As the sounds of the Jaffa grew louder, every second he was in the engine room he risked being discovered. Midway through bolting for the doorway Jack froze.

Right in front of him stood Ursan, the first prime of Tilgath.