General Landry had just had a royal chewing out by the President. Daniel Whitted had informed the President that SG1 had screwed up a top secret mission to infiltrate an unknown planet that was recently discovered by the Chinese government. He was informed that several key SGC teams had been contaminated and failed to contain their designated target. Gen Landry did not like his authority undermined by a NID Agent that had no real concern for his people or SGC's mission to contain and explore unknown worlds. From the beginning when Richard Woolsey contacted Gen Landry about the mission. Gen Landry was informed that Daniel Whitted would be in charge and that he would only inform SGC on a need to know bases about the mission. Woolsey would not elaborate why he was not in charge and thru numerous transmissions informed Gen Landry he would cooperate or risk being pulled from the SGC program.
Gen Landry was not a fan of NID agents. NID was an intelligence agency that supposedly provided vital civilian oversight of top secret military operations and procured alien technology and intelligence. However their mission became distorted when they exploited those trust and factions of rogue cells of NID used alien technology for their own interest and financial gain. Woolsey was tolerable only because he at least respected SGC's search for truth and was responsible in being honorable in disseminating alien technologies and intelligence. Whitted was none of these or honorable. He had come up through the ranks of several intelligent agencies and became a NID agent when the threat of Goua'ld domination became know to those organizations. He had a key interest in Goua'ld technology and when several NID agents became terrorist forming the organization called "The Trust" were exposed and captured, he became one of NID's chief advisors.
Gen Landry had contacted Gen O'Neill to lead his old team into action and he also was left in the dark about the mission and why they needed to explore an unknown planet that only the Chinese had found and would not share that information with SGC. Whitted made it clear that Gen O'Neill would be held completely responsible for the mission if anything went wrong and his tour in Washington would be in jeopardy. From the get go Jack hated this man, for his shear arrogance in meetings and the way he treated SG1 as if they were sheep to the slaughter. Jack had been informed that at all cost a powerful smybiote was to be escorted back to SGC and contained so that he personally would interrogate the symbiote. Jack was suspicious and argued he needed more intelligence before he sent his people in. Whitted used his authority to force Jack to take on the mission or he would be replaced. Jack did not want to leave his people unprotected and he knew Whitted would get some half whit to charge in and loose most of his team and his friends. Jack took on the mission and informed Whitted he would complete the mission as long as he had complete control of all the teams and resources. Whitted gleefully agreed.
Jack was on the Prometheus transport when he met with Col Mitchell who was his second in command.
"What the hell happened? Jack stated.
"We had our asses handed to us Sir. There were too many unknown factors involved and the symbiote was well guarded. I bet Whitted didn't tell you that this was a Goau'ld fortress. They must have had thousands of forces waiting on us, knowing that this was one of the most oldest and powerful symbiotes since Anubis." Said Mitchell.
"That idiot, I wouldn't put is past them. But where are Sam and Vala?"
"We don't know. We lost transmission when we were cut off by several hostiles and they were already in the fortress seeking out the symbiote."
"Damn; does Teal'c or Daniel know where they might have been before some of our own teams were contaminated?"
"I don't know yet. Teal'c had to Zat Daniel before I could question him where Sam and Vala might be. They are in the infirmary on the Prometheus. I contacted the Captain to make sure no one else is to transport down to the planet before we access our next move."
"Whitted has been contacting me every hour on the hour; Twit. He's going to blame me for this, I can feel it, but he isn't too concerned that we lost several teams including our friends the Jaffa. This whole thing stinks and Whitted is just knee deep in it." Said Jack.
"So what's next? I know we can't just leave Sam or Vala down there, but we don't even know if they are contaminated or still alive."
"I know, I know. I need to report to Gen Landry what's happened and hope Sam and Vala can hang on. I can't count them out yet. Their chip locators show they are still alive, but we don't know if they have been captured or contaminated." Get to Teal'c and Daniel and I'll be in touch."
Sam was trying to stick close to the fortress walls when a portion of the wall fell in cutting her off from Vala's view. Vala was willing to die and Sam knew Vala would not even contemplate this action unless she knew there was some terrible danger to her or the team. Sam knew the Vala was only afraid of one thing and that was to be taken over by a symbiote once again. It was her greatest fear that Sam had kept a secret because she and Vala had talked about it when she would go out with Vala. Vala was now a close friend and competent teammate and Sam would could not even contemplate leaving her behind or killing her. But they had been cut off from Daniel and Teal'c and she tried to radio the other teams, but no response. Sam was totally alone and she still had to complete her mission.
She finally could see her way thru one of the halls that supposedly held the old symbiote. Jack had informed SG1 and the other teams to be careful and that the Intel of this planet was sketchy at best. Jack didn't point fingers but they knew when Jack was concerned, they were concerned.
"Where are you Vala? Sam said to herself out loud. The horror in Vala's eyes haunted Sam; she had never seen Vala so desperate to die. Sam came across a semi empty room. There seemed to be a large tank in the corner. It looked as if someone was attending to the tank. She saw that there was a body in the tank and needed to move closer to see if it might be the symbiote. If it was, then she needed to find an exit passage and find Vala quickly and leave. Her options were slim and without backup she was going to make a diversion, capture the symbiote and find Vala and leave. To her great odds, considering she was SG1 and Jack would probably say. Are the other guys in trouble?
Sam stealthy crawled to the other side of the room to see if there was any other person in the room. Save for the person attending to the tank there was no one else. The fortress was sort of medieval in making and from the surrounding had no surveillance cameras that Sam could see. She moved closer and Zatted the person unconscious. She moved closer to the tank and inlay she thought a women. She uncovered the lid slowly knowing what might be inside may attack.
Sam gasped when she saw who it was.
They had captured Vala and she was in a Goua'ld incubator. They were using Vala to incubate their young. The horror was that Vala was submerged under water in the tank and they had lines of something hooked to her body as well a some type of underwater breathing apparatus. She looked lifeless and the young symbiotes that were swimming in the water she was laying in made Sam shake to her bone. Sam wasn't sure if she could even release Vala from this horror, but she would have to try. Sam kept watch on the unconscious form she Zatted needed to wake this person to release Vala from this nightmare. Sam by shear instinct Zatted the water to keep the young symbiotes from incubating into Vala's body. Sam wasn't sure if this would stop them, but she had to try for Vala's sake. She needed to set her friend free from this prison or kill her to not suffer the fate of being a host.
A/N: I had this little story swimming around in my head and just had to get it out. I needed action again and this will have plenty of angst as I can muster. Please review and let me know if ya like where it's going.