Tolbena

By

Jennaya


"What's up?" Jack inquired as he entered the control room.

"Kasuf sent the Sagan Box we left him through the gate," Daniel said, as he turned around to tell Jack, his long hair tickled his neck. Long hair? He didn't remember having long hair for a quite a while. Before he could contemplate it, the thought disappeared from his mind.

"What do you think he wants?" Jack asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Daniel muttered as the Stargate came to life.

"Open the Iris," General Hammond ordered. They all watched for a few seconds before anything happened. Then a single female in traditional Abydonian dress, entered through the Stargate looking around. She was frightened of the guns pointed at her, but looked up to the control room hoping for admittance.

"Daniel…," Jack started but Daniel was out of the control room and into the Gateroom, before anyone could stop him. "Sir, I recommend closing the Iris," Jack said as he headed down to the Gateroom.

"Do it!" The General commanded. The technician tried repeatedly, but the Iris would not close, nor could they shut down the Stargate.

"Sha're," Daniel said as he ran into the Gateroom.

"Husband, my Danyel," she replied with her eyes full of mist.

"No, I know what you are. You're not Sha're," Daniel stated empathically. He was now standing at the bottom of the ramp, while Sha're stood near the top.

"The demon within me sleeps, for the sake of the child,*" Sha're said looking down at her huge stomach. She looked as though she was about to give birth. "It is I, husband."

"Daniel, not too close," Jack stated, as he and Teal'c entered the Gateroom both armed with Zats.

"Kasuf has sent me here in hopes that your people could remove the demon, before it awakens again," Sha're informed them. Hope filled Daniel's heart.

"Why are you with child?" Daniel asked. He knew it was not his child; it had been too long.

"Apophis," Sha're replied sadly looking down in shame.

"What does Apophis want with a human child?" Daniel demanded.

"He wants it for his new host. Please my Danyel, do not allow him to take my child," Sha're cried out.

"I won't, and he'll never again get his hands on you either. I promise," Sha're smiled back at his words.

"But why a child? He could take anyone as a new host," Jack questioned, holding Daniel back.

"Not just any human host, O'Neill, but a harsesis," Teal'c filled in.

"Yes," Sha're agreed quietly looking down at the ground.

"What's a harsesis?" Daniel asked.

"A harsesis is a child of two Goa'uld; it is punishable by death to have one. The child would have all the genetic knowledge passed down from both Goa'uld who bore it. The child will be hunted down by other Goa'uld and killed, before it can become mature enough to be taken as a host," Teal'c stated solemnly.

"That's not going to happen," Jack declared, then turning back to the control room, he questioned. "Sir, why is the Iris still open and the gate active?"

"We don't know Colonel. We're having trouble closing it. Watch yourselves," Hammond replied.

"Sha're do you know of anything Kasuf is doing to keep the Stargate open?" Daniel asked. Jack wouldn't let him move up the ramp to where she was standing.

"It is not Kasuf who is doing it," Amaunet made Sha're's eyes glow. "I knew if I gave my host enough time, she would lead me to the Tau'ri."

Suddenly, Jaffa started pouring through the Stargate; both sides exchanged rapid and heated fire. But the Jaffa and Sha're were being protected by personal force fields. SGC personnel backed out of the Gateroom, carrying the wounded with them. Blast doors were sealed as quickly as possible, preventing the Jaffa from exiting to any other part of the SGC. Airmen and Marines lined the halls to block the Jaffa's passage if they escaped the Gateroom.

Minutes later, SG-1 watched the scene, from the observation window in the briefing room. The mountain had been locked down due to the foothold situation. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Jack exclaimed, as he recounted the two-dozen Jaffa now controlling the Gateroom. The Stargate had finally shut down. "Sir, how do you want to handle this?"

"I'm open for suggestions," Hammond stated. He was trying to keep his anger in check.

"We have to get her out of there," Daniel pleaded.

"Right now Doctor Jackson, I don't think that's going to be an option," Hammond responded. He wasn't uncaring, but he had to put the safety of the Earth first.

"He's right, there's no way we're going to get to her with that many Jaffa between us. Plus, they've got those damn force fields on. We're just lucky they haven't blasted through the doors yet," Jack acknowledged.

"We have to do something. That's my wife down there!" Daniel exclaimed.

"She's not Sha're. She's a Goa'uld that has taken over the Gateroom. We've got a few more important things to think about," Jack retorted.

"Daniel Jackson is correct. We do need to capture Amaunet alive. We may never have a Goa'uld as our prisoner again, and the child she carries will have all the knowledge of the Goa'uld. As it matures we could learn much," Teal'c informed him.

"How?" Hammond asked.

"Well, sir, we could flood the Gateroom with a gas, rendering them unconscious," Sam stated.

"Would it work, Captain?" Hammond questioned.

"There's only one way to find out, sir," Jack replied still watching the Gateroom.

"Will it hurt Sha're, or her baby?" Daniel demanded.

"I don't think it will hurt her, I don't know about the baby," Sam answered honestly.

"Let's do it people. I'm not letting them get a hold of the SGC," Hammond ordered. Sam left to make the preparations. "I'm going to inform the President of our current predicament," Hammond declared as he went into his office.

"We can't use the gas! You've got to do something else," Daniel implored with fear in his eyes.

"What Daniel? Exactly what else would you have us do?" Jack was angry, but not uncaring for his friend or Sha're.

"I don't know; you're the great military mind. Think of something!"

Jack looked at Daniel with his infamous poker face. "You come up with another plan in the next five minutes, and we'll consider it." He stated as he turned back around to watch the Jaffa and Goa'uld in the Gateroom. How had this happened? Exactly how had a Goa'uld taken over control of their Stargate, he wondered.

"Do you not believe Captain Carter's plan will work?" Teal'c asked, as he moved over to the Colonel's side.

"I hope so, I really do. I'd like to take her alive for Daniel's sake, if nothing else. Plus, I'd like to get my hands on some of those personal force fields; they'd come in handy in the field. Don't you think?"

"Indeed they would," Teal'c agreed with a nod of his head.

"Do you have any suggestions to try Teal'c?" Jack asked.

"No, I do not," Teal'c sadly admitted.

"We're ready sir," Carter's voice came over the radio.

"Very well, proceed Captain," Hammond ordered. Hammond, Jack, Daniel, and Teal'c, watched from the observation room window as the gas slowly began to fill the room. The Jaffa started falling over unconscious, one by one.

"Fools!" Amaunet retorted angrily. "This will not stop my plan for destroying the Tau'ri. In fact, it has already begun."

"General Hammond," Doctor Fraiser's voice came over the radio. "We have a situation, sir."

"What is it, doctor?" The General questioned.

"Sir, several of our people have just died. I don't know exactly why, but I'm guessing it's some type of germ warfare. I've never seen anything like it before," Fraiser explained. Anger and uncertainty could be heard in her voice.

"Did some of the gas get into the ventilation system?" Hammond asked, concerned.

"No, sir, this started just before we released the gas," Fraiser answered.

"Thank you, doctor," Hammond said as he looked at his second in command. The stakes had just been upped. They all walked down to the control room. People were beginning to die all around the room, and in the corridors. Hammond spoke into the microphone. "What have you done to my people?"

Amaunet laughed horrendously, a sound only a Goa'uld could make before answering. "My Jaffa carry a virus. It is not deadly to them, but it shall kill all the Tau'ri," she gloated.

"How?" Jack demanded, with obvious anger in his voice.

"Since there is no cure and you only have a little time, I will tell you. The virus is passed from person to person as they exhale. You cannot stop it. You shall all die, and in a matter of days, every Tau'ri will be gone. Then I will present Earth as a present to my Lord Apophis," she said with satisfaction.

"Colonel, we can't allow this virus to escape the SGC," Hammond stated somberly.

"Yes, sir," Jack agreed, as they started entering their codes for the autodestruct. This was not how Jack wanted to die, but somehow he'd known it would come to this once Sha're had walked through that wormhole.

Hammond left to make that last phone call to the President, while Sam rejoined her team in the control room. They stood watching the countdown without speaking, as the last of the Jaffa finally succumbed to the gas pumped into the Gateroom. Sha're could barely stand, and then with cry, she too fell. She reached her hands out towards the control room.

"My Danyel, please forgive me," Sha're cried out.

"I'm going down there," Daniel declared.

"Daniel, no!" Jack reached out and grabbed his arm.

"She's my wife, and I think she's in control right now. I'm going," Daniel stated defiantly.

"Colonel," Sam said, "the gas amounts won't affect him now. It was a short acting agent."

"Daniel…," Jack started, but looked over at the countdown. There was less than 40 seconds left until they all died, so he let go of his arm. He ordered the SF's to allow Daniel to pass.

Daniel took a deep breath then slide his key card into the reader, and hurried over to Sha're. "Sha're?" Daniel hesitantly asked.

"I am here, please forgive me," she replied, with tears in her eyes.

"There's nothing to forgive, you didn't do this. I love you," Daniel said with his heart, and held her tight in his arms.

"I love you, my Danyel," were the last words Sha're spoke. Then Amaunet took over pulling herself away from Daniel.

"You shall die by my hand, as my host watches helplessly," Amaunet avowed bringing a hand device to Daniel's head. Pain, white-hot pain, was all he saw as he felt the rumble of the mountain begin.


The Planet Laboratory

Alarms blared inside the laboratory control room. One of the human's vital signs was going critical. Daniel was near death.


*Episode – Secrets