Chapter 2
The proximity alarm, alerting them that they were nearing the planet, went off far more quickly than they wanted. Jolinar pressed her naked body closer to Ian, hugging him tightly. She knew this was probably the end. One, if not both, of them would probably die down there on the planet.
Ian kissed her tenderly on the temple. "It's time to go, Jolinar." He slid off the bed and grabbed his clothes from the floor.
Ian was already dressed and in the cockpit by the time Jolinar forced herself to throw off the blanket and grab her bodysuit. She quickly dressed and stepped out into the narrow hallway. She stopped for a moment and looked back into the bunkroom. This was the last time she would leave that room, the room where she had spent so many nights alone with Ian in the cold darkness space. Shaking her head in a vain attempt to clear her thoughts she headed to the cockpit.
"We've got a bigger problem than I thought," Ian said, when he heard her footsteps behind him. "The ships are still here, but they're no longer firing on the planet."
Jolinar frowned. "That means they've infiltrated the base."
Ian nodded in agreement. "You need to go without me, Jolinar," he said without looking at her.
Her face grew pale, and she rested her hands on her hips, regarding him uneasily. "What the hell is that about, Ian? I thought we were in this together."
He looked up at her, some anger in his face that she wasn't trusting him. "I'll draw the attention of the ships. You'll have a better chance if those ships aren't focusing all their scans on the base. If someone has betrayed us, they may know we're coming. We need to split up."
Jolinar shook her head the entire time he was talking. She didn't want to go anywhere without him. She wanted them to make it to the Stargate together. "I can't do this alone, Ian. I need you. You don't need to worry about the ships. We'll transport directly into the gate room."
Ian shook his head and let out a deep sigh. "The facility has taken significant damage. The energy from the assault hasn't completely dissipated, and the facility's energy systems are going haywire. It's going to mess with the teleporter. I'll have to transport you into an area farther from the gate that is more stable. Once you're at the gate, you can send a beacon that will strengthen the teleport signal and allow me to transport to you."
"Fine, but you better stay alive," she replied tenderly, smoothing his short brown hair. "I do need you."
He stood up and quickly pulled her against his chest, wrapping her in his arms. "You can't wait but a few seconds, Jolinar. Everything depends on this. Get to the gate, send the beacon, open the gate and go. I'll follow if I can, but you'll need to set explosives to the gate. Just give me fifteen seconds. If I'm alive, that will be enough."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him softly. He tasted her tears, and then reluctantly pushed her from him. "You have to go, Jol."
She nodded and gave him a weak smile. From her five implants a dark blue liquid spread over her skin and bodysuit until it had enveloped her entire body and then solidified into a metallic second skin. All this happened in only a matter of seconds. She looked at Ian, and for a moment the metal skin retracted from her head, so that he could see her face. She opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a frown.
"No goodbyes, Jolinar. I love you," he said, his head aching with despair and anger. He touched one of the screens and Jolinar vanished in a flash of white light.