Tolgarth's Revenge – The Sequel
E-mail: SJ, Angst, Action/Adventure and h/c.
Rating: K+
Archive: Incoming Wormhole, Jackfic, SJ/A, Heliopolis and Novel Archive. Not to be archived with permission of the Author.
Summary: Jack's experiences with Tolgarth are not over.
Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA and Double Secret Productions. This story has been written for entertainment purposes only and no money whatsoever has exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations and story are the property of the author.
Spoilers: The Tolgarth Series.
Status: Completed.
Author's Notes: My wonderful beta readers have inspired this story. They insisted on knowing more of what happened to Jack from his point of view. So this story, not only deals with the aftermath of what Jack has experienced, but also covers his thoughts from what happened during his capture by Tolgarth.
It is imperative that you read the series first, of which you can find on any of the above sites. Otherwise, it will be very hard to understand what is happening. Dreams are indicated with the symbol and Italics. Flashbacks are indicated with the symbol \\. I would like to thank all the lovely readers who have given me feedback.
Thanks: This is an extra special thank you, to my three wonderful beta readers. DJ Boyd, Vicky and Tricia, who have helped a tremendous amount while writing this complete series. Any mistakes are ALL mine.
© Arrietty 2003
Tolgarth's Revenge
By Arrietty
Sam smiled to herself, as she pushed the door of the cabin open with her foot. Looking for a vase, she first laid the large bunch of flowers on the table. With a small frown, she stood in the middle of the wooden cabin and looked around for something, anything, she could place the flowers in. A look of inspiration flashed across her face and with a smile, she started to pick up some of the flowers.
Jack leaned his back against a post on the jetty, a fishing pole sat lazily in his hands. The float was bobbing with the movement of small ripples, as the light breeze disturbed the surface of the lake. He leaned his head back against the hard post and closed his eyes. Without realising it, a grin spread across his face, as he thought about who was busy in his cabin, getting lunch ready.
Opening his eyes with a start, a look of fear crossed over his face momentarily, then he relaxed once again. He had just realised that for the last hour, while they had gone for their walk, it had been the first time that he hadn't thought about his horrific time with Tolgarth.
He was so pleased with Sam's reaction. Through all the times that they had dreamed that dream, she had been totally unaware that he had 'really' been there too. But then, he had been unaware that Sam was having the same dream as well. This time, it hadn't been a dream. Thankfully, she hadn't disappeared into thin air as he had held her and they had kissed.
For Sam, the dreams had been wonderful, but for him they had been frightening, as she was always whisked away. He had tried to find her amongst the flowers, but he never could. Then, he would wake up and sometimes she would be there, reassuring him that everything was all right. It wasn't until this day, that they had fully realised what had been happening. Feeling secure, he pictured Sam's animated face, as she had tried to explain their experience scientifically on the way back to the cabin. He still had no idea what she had been talking about. Taking a deep breath, he turned his mind back to when Sam hadn't been there, a time when he had needed her so desperately.
FlashbackJack heard a grinding noise as he struggled to open his eyes. After he opened them, the first sight he saw, was a pair of eyes glowing at him through Tolgarth's mask. Jack closed his eyes and groaned. The last thing that he remembered was the wonderful kiss that he and Sam had shared as he had died. But he wasn't dead now. Two Jaffa guards roughly pulled him out of the sarcophagus, while Tolgarth watched. As yet, he hadn't said a word. Jack was taken into another room and was told to wash himself and change his blood soaked clothes. He was given a plain black tunic and matching pants. These he pulled on and padded out into the corridor in his bare feet. The two guards were waiting for him. He was led into the large hall that he and Sam had been taken to before. Jack looked nervously around for the death gun slightly relieved to see its absence.
Tolgarth was sitting on his throne, like he had before. He stood up as Jack was pushed down onto his knees.
"Kneel before your god," hissed one of the guards in his ear.
"I see you have learnt your lesson this time, Colonel O'Neill."
Uncharacteristically, Jack didn't come back with a sarcastic quip. For the first time in many weeks, he couldn't sense Sam's presence. He had come to rely on her being there all the time. Though he didn't show it, he was scared. He wasn't sure why as he had been in situations like this many times before, but this time, something seemed different, very different.
Tolgarth stalked down the steps towards Jack. Bending down he looked closely at him and then slowly nodded his head. Tolgarth stood up and removed his mask and hood. Revealed below, was a cruel looking face with glowing eyes. Jack then knew exactly what was going to happen. He struggled against the firm grip of the guards as Tolgarth walked around the back of Jack. As he shut his eyes, all he could see was Sam's face. The sharp pain penetrated the back of his neck, spreading out to his head and back. As he screamed out in pain, he called out her name in his mind, but she wasn't there. All that was there were the encompassing evil thoughts of Tolgarth as he flooded Jack's whole being with pain.
Jack opened his eyes with a start. He found his body was shaking from the memory. He really had to try and get passed what had happened to him, but however hard he tried, the memories just continued to haunt him. Suddenly, he felt a pull on the fishing line. He watched the float from his line bob down under the surface. With total surprise he quickly scrambled up, and then started to reel in whatever was hidden in the depths below.
A few minutes later, Jack ran up the bank towards the cabin.
"Sam. Sam…" He stopped dead in the doorway. Everywhere he looked, there were bottles, jugs and bowls. All filled with the colourful blooms from the meadow. Sam was just placing a beer bottle with a few stems of flowers sticking out of it on the table. She looked up with a smile. Jack was standing in the doorway with a large fish hanging from one hand and his fishing pole in the other.
"Look what we've got for lunch," he announced with a large grin across his face.
It had been hard for Sam to say goodbye to Jack at the airport. She wasn't going to see him until the weekend, a whole week to wait. The last two weeks at Jack's cabin had been very peaceful. They had spent time together, getting to know each other all over again. Jack was different now. If she was honest with herself, she knew that she was different too. The experience with Tolgarth had changed them both considerably. Jack much more than herself, though.
Jack had left on his flight for Colorado Springs two hours before her own flight. He said that it was about time that his house had a new coat of paint, so they had spent the last day packing up his cabin. She was now sitting in her seat, flying to Nevada. Sam was temporarily working at Area 51. General Hammond had not accepted her resignation and had suggested that after an enforced downtime of four weeks, she would be re-assigned to Area 51.
Although, she was officially on holiday for the first four weeks, she had spent the entire time in trying to help Jack get back to normal living. Even though he had recovered very well, he still wasn't ready for active duty. Sam was pretty sure that it would take many months before he would be. These last two weeks clinched it. They had only just come to the decision two days ago. Jack was going to retire and she was going to go back to the SGC. They both couldn't be in the Air Force and be together. Now, she had Jack back safe and the enforced rest had seemed to heal her misgivings of being in the Air Force, she thought she was ready to go back. As soon as she got back to work, she was going to contact General Hammond to let him know, that she was ready to come back to the SGC. If she could get passed Dr. McKenzie's scrutiny, hopefully she would get back command of SG-1. Teal'c and Jonas were on temporary loan to other teams. It would be good to see them again as she hadn't seen them for four weeks.
At approximately the same altitude, but going in a different direction, Jack was going over similar thoughts as Sam. He was secretly relieved; he had had enough of saving the world. It was about time someone younger did this job. He couldn't keep the smirk off of his face as he remembered their decision. Hopefully, only one more week, then Sam would be in Colorado Springs. They could be together now, with no rules or regulations or any pesky Goa'ulds to keep them apart. With these thoughts running through his head, he drifted off to sleep.
It was totally black; he couldn't see or feel anything. Deep down inside himself he could feel a dull pain, throbbing like an engine working in the bowels of a large machine. Jack's eyes were open, but there wasn't a single point of light. He tried to move, but nothing happened, then he felt something come up behind him.
"Are you going to do as you're told now?"
That voice, it terrified him. Jack tried to remember why. Struggling within himself, he answered.
"Yes."
"I don't believe you. But I will give you the benefit of the doubt."
Suddenly, a blinding light assaulted his vision. He could see. Then, he could feel. With a sinking heart, he remembered everything. He was host to Tolgarth. Jack could feel the mask pressing up against the skin of his face and the closeness of the hood that encased his head. He had no control over where he looked, but he drank in the sight like a thirsty man. Looking through the holes in the mask, he saw a man kneeling at his feet. Without warning, Tolgarth lifted his arm up and blasted this man with his hand device. Jack could feel the pain and suffering the man was being put through as he died. Jack could also feel Tolgarth's glee as the man before him died a rather slow and painful death.
"No. No. Stop! You can't do this."
Tolgarth chuckled to himself and said to Jack, "Too late. You were too late. He is dead now."
Jack was horrified at what he saw and what he felt and he was terrified at what he was exposed to, the raw evil that was Tolgarth. He started shaking within himself with anger. He started to swear at Tolgarth when he saw a young woman being led into the chamber; he knew what Tolgarth was going to do. She was going to die. Using all of his will power, he tried to control his movements. He used every piece of himself as he willed his arm to stay by his side. Suddenly, he felt he was in control. Tolgarth was screaming at him in Goa'uld. Jack started to scream back at him as they fought for control of this one limb.
Jack could feel someone holding him down as he thrashed around in his seat. Realising that he had been dreaming, he opened his eyes. He stared up at three pairs of frustrated and angry eyes as they held him down. One lady near him held a syringe in her hand. Quickly, taking in the situation, he promptly assured them.
"It's all right. Only a nightmare. I'm okay."
They didn't let go of him as the lady moved closer with the syringe.
"Really, I'm okay. I don't need that. I was asleep." By now, Jack was beginning to get panicky. The last thing he wanted was to wake up in a padded cell.
Jack could feel the sweat rolling off his face and down his chest. He couldn't move to wipe it away.
"Please. Can I sit up now?"
He looked pointedly at his captors, noticing for the first time, that one of them sported a swollen eye. 'Uh oh' he thought to himself. Slowly, one by one, the stewards that were holding him down let go. Jack carefully adjusted his position in the seat, held his hands up in a defensive position and said, "really, I'm okay. I won't move from this spot until we touch down. There's no need for any needles." One of the stewards looked at him closely and nodded his head.
"All right everyone, back to your seats."
The stewards and the woman with the needle left. Except for one steward, who promptly sat down beside Jack and stayed sitting there for the rest of the journey.
Jack turned away from the steward and looked out of the window. He really didn't want to explain himself and he needed time to pull himself together before leaving the plane. He had dreamed these dreams quite often, but not for the last four days. He had hoped that they had gone. But apparently, he had been wrong.
It was Monday morning and Sam had had a very trying meeting with the head of Area 51. It hadn't taken this man long to take away the well-rested feeling of a good holiday. Two weeks with Jack at his cabin. It had been just what she had needed. What they had needed. Now she was annoyed. This man, Pritchard, was a pain in the mikta. Giggling to herself as she thought of Teal'c, she walked into the very busy lab.
She had to admit though, that she thoroughly enjoyed her work here, especially as they were working on the defence shields. A part of her was going to miss being here, even though she had only been here for two weeks before going to the cabin. The problem being, her boss didn't like her. He seemed to have decided to make it as hard for her as he could. There was something else that was bugging her. She had been so busy with Pritchard, going over his petty problems, that she hadn't had time to enquire about what was behind some locked doors. Sam wondered just what they were hiding down there. She had meant to talk to Jack about it, but for some reason she never thought to bring it up.
Sitting down at her desk, she found herself remembering her holiday. It most probably had something to do with the fact that a large bouquet of flowers was sitting on her desk and the fragrance permeated her senses. There was one good thing about being the supervisor of the lab, she could have flowers on her desk and even though there was lots of sneezing, no one could complain.
She hadn't known who was surprised the most, her or Jack, when he came in with the fish. Apparently, he had never caught anything in the lake in his life. Smiling to herself with the memory, she switched on her computer to start work.
Sam had spent the rest of the week working on the project. She had spoken to General Hammond, but he hadn't got back to her yet with a date to start at the SGC. It was, unofficially, accepted that she would go back, but there was always red tape and also she had to finish off a bit more of this project.
She was due to go to Colorado Springs Friday afternoon for the weekend, only of course if she managed to finish this tonight. As tomorrow, she had another meeting with Dr. Pritchard and a few other bigwigs from the head office. That would take most of the day, so that was why she was working late tonight, to finish this. After running her hand over the back of her neck and stretching her muscles, she went back to working at the computer. Sam Carter was only disturbed once, by the security guard checking in on her.
Three hours later, with a big sigh, Sam finally saved her work and shut down the computer. Everyone had gone home long ago. It was weird as the security guard had only come in once to check on her, when he usually came in at least every hour. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand up. Something was wrong. Promptly, she moved to the phone. Picking it up, she dialled the security room. There was no reply, so she moved out into the corridor to investigate. It didn't take her long to come across the guard that had checked on her earlier. He was lying face down in the corridor. He was dead, having been shot in the back. Puzzled slightly as to why she hadn't heard a shot, she moved on down the corridor to investigate.
Cautiously, she rounded a corner. She saw two guards sitting on the floor. They were slumped over unnaturally. Their backs were propping open the two doors that had previously been locked. Going over to them, she checked for a pulse, but both of them were dead. This time, she couldn't see how they had died, as there weren't any bullet wounds. Checking for weapons, she was surprised to see that they had holsters that would accommodate zat'nik'atel's. But, unfortunately, they were empty.
Moving slowly through the open doors, she crept down the corridor. First, trying the handle of a cupboard, with relief she found it unlocked. Searching through some tools, she found a wrench. Carrying the hefty weapon in her hand, she proceeded down the corridor. She checked all the rooms, as she went along, silently, opening any doors that were unlocked. Sam decided that if the door was locked, it would most probably be a good idea to keep it locked. Who knows what the NID had stored in here without the Air Force's knowledge? Most of the rooms were empty. One she found had an untidily made-up bed, a small table and chair in it. It looked like it had been occupied very recently. With an increased sense of danger, Sam moved further into the complex. Another room, she came across, had her totally stunned. Sitting in the middle of the room, was a sarcophagus. 'Where on Earth did they find that?' she thought to herself.
Hearing a noise behind her, she turned abruptly - finding herself face to face with Tolgarth. Yellow, evil eyes glowed out of Lieutenant Grogan's face.
With an annoying laugh and a smirk, Tolgarth said, "So, Major…no, it's Lieutenant Colonel Carter, right? We meet again."
"You were dead," she stated.
Tolgarth started to walk around Sam, while all the time he was aiming a zat'nik'atel at her. "Yes, I was, but these fools put me in the sarcophagus. I have just been waiting for the opportunity to get free. And you, are not going to spoil it." Just as he finished speaking, he fired the zat'nik'atel at Sam. She was immediately enveloped with blue electricity and crumpled to the ground.
Jack had just finished putting his brushes away. He only had the topcoat on the window ledges to do. Then he was done. He had been painting the whole time, except when The Simpson's and a good hockey game were on. He wanted to get this finished, so he could show Sam. It was a foreign feeling as he had never wanted to show Sam things that he had done like this before. It felt so…domesticated. With a smile, he closed the garage door and started to move towards the house. Without warning, he found himself dropping to his knees. Everything went black. Shaking his head to clear it, he slowly stood up. "That was weird", he muttered to himself. Making a mental note to mention it to Dr. Fraiser at his next check up, he went into his well-lit house from out of the dark.
Switching the TV on, he settled himself down onto the sofa. With a beer in his hand, he let his mind wander over what he was going to do tomorrow. 'Get up, make breakfast, finish off those window sills and go to the airport and pick up Sam'. By the time he had finished making plans, he had a broad grin across his face. He had been so engrossed in what he had been thinking, he hadn't even noticed that The Simpson's had started. From what he could gather, Homer wanted something to eat as he had his head buried in the fridge. As soon as the commercials came on, Jack was mirroring Homer, while he hunted around his fridge for something to warm up. He could feel the cold air from the fridge on his face and the memory of Tolgarth's mask intruded into his mind.
He lost the fight as Tolgarth took back control of Jack's arm and killed the young, frightened woman. Tolgarth was angry. He saturated Jack with so much pain, that it beat him back down into the dark despair where he had been before. He couldn't see, hear, touch, taste or speak. The only thing he could do was think. The only blessing, he could see with this situation, was that he couldn't see into Tolgarth's mind. He stank of evil.
Jack had been witness to many cruel things that Tolgarth had done while using his body. He also had been shown the memories of what Tolgarth had done to previous hosts and victims. Jack's mind reeled and it felt numb. He started to give up. If he tried to fight Tolgarth, he just tortured him with memories of what had happened to him in the past as well as what he would do to him in the future. His only choice was to keep quiet and hope that Tolgarth left him alone. He had no idea of the passage of time. It could have been weeks. It could have been days since Tolgarth last tried to get information out of him.
All through this time, Jack had kept the one thing he couldn't risk him finding out. Sam. He must never find out about their connection or their feelings. If ever he found her, Tolgarth would use her to get to him. An image of Sam's face came to his mind. She was watching him. Her blue eyes were filled with tears as she looked at him. He knew he was hallucinating, but welcomed the sigh, as he gazed at the face that he loved. Blinking his eyes, he noticed that the vision had gone. However much he tried, the beautiful sight didn't reappear. With renewed despair, he let his mind go blank. After this, every so often she would reappear, watching him, looking like she was waiting for something.
Time seemed endless. He couldn't remember when he had seen real daylight last. Sam's face drifted in and out of his troubled dreams as he slowly began to lose himself in the darkness. He seemed to see her more often now and she seemed distressed, almost as though she needed his help. Dredging the last vestiges of hope from within, Jack started to fight back. He worked on finding a weak spot in Tolgarth's sub-consciousness.
Without warning, he heard his name.
"Jack! Jack!"
Looking up, he saw Sam standing in front of him. She was reaching out to him.
"Jack, we're coming to get you. We are going to get you out of here."
As soon as Jack heard those words, he knew that Tolgarth had felt something, something that didn't feel right to him. He shouted out a warning. "No! Don't! It's a trap!"
Suddenly, he was enveloped with a sheet of pain as Tolgarth came into his inner mind. Pulling him, dragging him into the bright daylight. Tolgarth started his torturing again as he prised the information out of the battered mind of Jack O'Neill.
Jack found himself lying on the floor in the kitchen. He was curled up in a foetal position, his body drenched in sweat. Slowly, he sat up, banging his head on the open door of the fridge. Reaching up shakily, he closed the door and staggered to his feet. This was getting too weird. Having nightmares when you are asleep is one thing, but when you are awake is another. Jack stretched his aching back and moved off to the bathroom to have a shower.
After coming out of his bedroom, dressed in comfortable sweats, he moved back into the kitchen. This time he didn't feel very hungry, so he just grabbed an apple out of the bowl and wondered back into the lounge. The thought of going to sleep didn't sound too thrilling. So he picked up the remote and started to flip through channels until he found something that he could lose himself in, hopefully, without any bad memories intruding.
Sam groaned as she came too. Someone was bending over her. With a start, she backed away from him. With relief she sensed no presence of a Goa'uld. Looking at her watch, she was surprised to see that it was nearly dawn.
"Colonel Carter. What happened here?"
"I need to speak to Dr. Pritchard now! You have a dangerous person on the loose."
"He's in his office, Ma'am. He too has been injured like yourself. You need medical assistance."
"No! I do not! I need to speak to Pritchard now."
By now, Sam was upright. Even though she felt a little wobbly, she walked quickly towards where Dr. Pritchard's office was.
"Dr. Pritchard!" she yelled as she slammed the door of his office open. Turning to the medical staff in his office, "Have you finished?" They nodded nervously. "Get out! Now!"
"Yes, Colonel," they said and quickly departed.
Turning back to Pritchard, Carter with short sharp questions fired them at him with the same precision, that she fired her P-90.
"What do you think you are doing? Reviving a Goa'uld? Are you insane? Where did you get a sarcophagus anyway? On top of all that you have detained Lieutenant Grogan…who was reported 'Killed in Action'…without informing General Hammond."
Still shaken by his first encounter with a live Goa'uld, Dr. Pritchard's voice wavered as he attempted to redeem himself. "H-ow do you know he wasn't informed?"
There was no doubt in her mind what Hammond's actions would be. "Because Hammond would never have agreed to using the sarcophagus to revive Grogan, without the Tok'ra here to remove Tolgarth." The whole time she spoke, it was with a firm controlled voice. The anger she felt over the stupidity of the NID bubbled just below the surface. "Please tell me that this Goa'uld has been contained."
Although Dr. Pritchard was the senior scientist on this project, Carter totally outranked him, especially, when it came to anything to do with Aliens and national security. Dr. Pritchard shook his head. Picking up the phone, Sam immediately put a call through to General Hammond. Who, though at home, surprisingly was awake.
Sam informed Hammond of the situation and then held the hand piece away from her ear, as she listened to his reaction. Nodding, she said, "Yes, sir," and then, promptly handed the phone to Pritchard. Finally walking out of the room, she felt absolutely no pity for Pritchard at that moment.
Immediately, Sam organised a containment team to surround the complex, but she knew it would be too late. The Goa'uld would be long gone.
Several hours later, she was ready to take a jet from Nellis to Peterson Air Force Base, where a chopper would be waiting to take her to the SGC. While making the journey back to Colorado, Sam received a message directly from General Hammond. It did not relieve any worry that she felt. Lieutenant Grogan, minus Tolgarth, had been admitted to a local hospital, only half an hour's drive from the Colorado Springs airport. He was being transferred to the SGC infirmary right now. What concerned her the most was that Tolgarth was loose near the Stargate and no one knew what he looked like.
When Jack woke up the following morning, he decided that sleeping on the sofa was definitely not the best thing to do at his age. Very carefully, he rolled his legs off onto the floor.
"I s'pose I should just be thankful, that I didn't have any more nightmares," he grumbled to himself as he stood up, stretching his arms up above his head.
Moving into the kitchen, he started to make himself some coffee. As he moved over to the fridge, he found himself hesitating. "This is stupid." He told himself. "You have been a colonel in the Air Force, you are special ops trained and you have faced countless nasty aliens. What's to be scared of? A very human fridge?" With that, he yanked open the fridge door, grabbed the carton of milk, while keeping his face as far away from the cold air as he could. He slammed the fridge door shut and leaned his back up against it. Frowning, he moved over to the cupboard and pulled out a cereal box and started to get himself some breakfast.
Later that afternoon, he quickly cleaned up all of his painting things, then, had a quick shower. Rummaging through his wardrobe, he finally found it. The blue shirt. It was the shirt that Sam had told him about in the dream. Smiling, he put it on and left it hanging out loose, over his jeans.
Before he raced through the front door, he paused and pulled his boots on. He had been looking forward to today. He hadn't spoken to Sam since Wednesday night. She had warned him that she would be working late Thursday night, so she wouldn't be able to speak to him until she met him at the airport. Just as he slammed the door, the phone started to ring. Not hearing it, he ran down to his truck, trying unsuccessfully, to dodge the large raindrops as they fell from the heavy-laden sky. He knew he would be too early, but he couldn't hang around the house any longer. Anyway, he needed some more supplies as he wanted to cook something special for Sam tonight. He was enjoying this feeling of anticipation, the pleasure of seeing Sam again.
Six hours later, Jack stomped back through his front door. He was mad. She wasn't on the plane, no message, nothing. She hadn't let him know. He was cold, wet and hungry. The first thing he was going to do after putting the groceries away, was check his messages then have a shower. As he removed his boots, he noticed something was wrong. Something was very wrong. Someone was in his house. Reaching down carefully, he picked up a hockey stick that was leaning up beside the front door and started to walk towards the hallway. Something smelt different. He could smell cooking. 'Sam.' With relief, he put the hockey stick down and made his way into the kitchen. He wanted to surprise her, but realising that most probably wouldn't be a good idea, he called out to her. "Sam!" What Jack saw as he came in through the doorway was not Sam, but Lieutenant Berkley, who was busy frying eggs on his stove.
"Hey! Lieutenant! What do you think you are doing?"
"Colonel O'Neill. Welcome home," he said as he turned and faced him. Staring at Jack, his eyes lit up. "I have missed you." With that, Tolgarth raised his arm and fired his zat'nik'atel at him. Jack stood there rooted to the spot unable to avoid the pulse of the energy as it hit him with full force.
As Colonel Carter's chopper touched down on the heli-pad at the SGC, Teal'c and Jonas were waiting for her.
"Are you well, Colonel Carter?" asked Teal'c.
"Yes, thank you, Teal'c." She then acknowledged Jonas with a smile and a nod.
"General Hammond has the SGC SF's as well as Fort Carson, Peterson and the Air Force Academy on alert. He even called the Sheriff's Department…though he is really hoping they don't have to be involved."
She thanked Jonas for the information and then directing her question to Teal'c, she asked., "Is Lieutenant Grogan awake yet?"
"Indeed," Teal'c replied with a short answer.
After going through the checkpoint with the others, she turned to the others and said, "I just hope he knows who Tolgarth is using as a host now."
Jack's head hurt. In fact, the whole of him hurt, but then that was to be expected after you battled with Tolgarth. Not that he could really feel his body, just the pain. It happened every time. When Jack fought with Tolgarth for control of his body, invariably Jack always lost. But sometimes, just sometimes he could make a difference. This time, Jack was determined that Tolgarth wasn't going to make him do anything he didn't want to, again. Knowing deep inside, that it most probably wouldn't work, he blindly ignored that knowledge and bided his time, waiting for the next opportunity.
It came sooner than he expected. Suddenly, there was a bright light as he now could see through his own eyes once again. His vision was slightly clouded as Tolgarth still had control over him, but he could see Sam's frightened face in front of him. He could feel the vibration of Tolgarth's double voice as he spoke to her.
"Ah. Major Carter, we meet again. Did you miss me?"
He thought 'good one, Major', when she retorted with, "Like the plague."
"Couldn't have put it better myself," he taunted Tolgarth.
Tolgarth immediately fired a bolt of pain into Jack as punishment for his insolence. Jack watched horrified as Tolgarth lifted up Jack's arm and with the hand device activated, he blasted Sam against the far wall.
"Noooooooo!" he screamed at Tolgarth.
Tolgarth fired another bolt of pain into Jack. He was helpless as he watched Sam reach up and pull away Tolgarth's mask. He knew what Tolgarth would do, but he couldn't stop him as he had no strength left. Jack in despair, watched as his own hand was lifted up to hit Sam across the face. With total blind anger, he swore at Tolgarth as he watched Sam's limp body lying on the ground. He swore revenge on Tolgarth, what he would do with him when he had the chance. Without warning, he saw a vision of Sam reaching towards him and kissing him as he lay dying on the battlefield. The all encompassing, feeling of love overwhelmed him, driving out any fear of death, flowed through him again. He couldn't hide it away from Tolgarth's prying mind. With a triumphant laugh, Tolgarth taunted Jack with what he would do to Sam now that he had the chance.
Jack watched helplessly as Tolgarth rummaged through SG-1's packs. He too was wondering where Teal'c was. He was aware of what Tolgarth was doing as he changed into some BDU's.
"You'll never manage it. They'll smell your slimy snake hide a mile away," he told him. Tolgarth ignored him and carried on dressing. Everything went black as Tolgarth buried him deep down to shut him up.
The next thing he knew, he could see Sam and the others in the cell that they were kept in. Jack was relieved to see that Sam was relatively unharmed, except for the blood that ran down her cheek. His first instinct was to reach out and touch her, to see if she was all right. But he managed to control this and watched quietly, waiting for the right moment to come. When it came, he screamed at Tolgarth to stop, calling him every derogatory word he could think of. Tolgarth just laughed at him. In horror, Jack saw his hands come up and fasten themselves around the throat of the woman he loved. Watched as her face suffused with colour as the pressure built within her head and life-giving oxygen was restricted to her starved lungs. Once again, using all of the strength of who he was, he fought Tolgarth for the control of his own hands. For a split second, he gained control, but Tolgarth, seeing what was happening, fired pain into Jack's head. Clutching his head with the excruciating pain, he felt Tolgarth slowly take hold again. He watched helplessly as he pulled out a long dagger from his boot.
"You stinking snake, you will not kill her. I will kill you first."
With renewed anger and with love for Sam, he thrust all of his strength into this one move. He took back control, bringing the knife towards himself. He cried out for Sam to help him. Just as he felt her hands pushing down on his, he lost control. He fell spiralling down to the depths below any awareness. He couldn't even tell if his eyes were open anymore. All he could remember was Sam's frightened eyes as she launched herself at him, to help him kill this monster that lived within him.
Jack's head hurt. In fact, the whole of his body hurt, but then that always happened after you had been zatted. A paralysing fear overtook him as he found he couldn't move his arms or legs. Tolgarth! Was he within him again? He blearily opened his eyes and gazed around his lounge. Obviously, Tolgarth had dragged him into the lounge while he was unconscious. With relief, he could see Tolgarth sitting on the sofa watching him, with an amused look on his face.
"Well. Well. Well," he said in an irritating voice. "Colonel O'Neill, you are in a fix, aren't you?"
By this stage, Jack had realised that he was gagged and hog-tied. Both his hands and feet were beginning to feel numb from the lack of circulation. Struggling against his bonds, he tried to swear at Tolgarth through his gag. But all that came out was an angry sound. His heart was beating rapidly as fear coursed through his body. He couldn't believe that this Goa'uld was alive. He tensed as Tolgarth stood up from the sofa, moved over to him and crouched down beside him. With a familiar movement, that Jack did not want to be reminded of, he watched Tolgarth pull out a long dagger from his boot and dangled it in front of his eyes.
"You know, Jack. I have been waiting for this moment for a long time. You are going to help me get into the SGC and you are going to get me through the Stargate. You have a choice. You can let Lieutenant Berkley through, or you can go through yourself…what will it be?"
Realising immediately what Tolgarth was meaning, he nodded his head in acquiescence. Hating himself, for the fear that gripped him like a vice. He would never, be controlled by Tolgarth like that again. He would rather die, than that. If he had felt uncontrollable fear before, it increased tenfold as he heard his phone ring. He knew who it must be and he was right. The answer machine picked up the message. As he heard the clear voice speak out confidently on the machine, his heart sank into despair.
"Jack, it's me, Sam. Something has come up at work. I had to get an earlier flight into Colorado Springs. I tried to get you, but I must have missed you. I'm on my way home now to pick up some things. I will be around soon."
"Ah! Jack. I wondered when the lovely colonel would show herself. But until she does, I am going to have some fun." He then started to lift up Jack's shirt with the point of his knife.
Sam was tired. It had been a long time since she had any proper sleep. General Hammond had sent her home, but she wanted to see Jack first, to apologise for not getting hold of him in time. He must be wondering where she was, even though she had left a message. Also, she was puzzled as to why he hadn't returned her calls. 'Well I will find out soon enough,' she thought to herself.
Lieutenant Grogan hadn't known whom Tolgarth had taken as host. After they had got back to the SGC, she had started to look up information on missing persons on her computer. Janet had found her fast asleep with her face buried into the keyboard. She felt a bit guilty as she hadn't told Janet that she had nearly blacked out several hours earlier. Sam had insisted that the sleep she had just had, was sufficient, but she had been sent home anyway. Inside, she was relieved as she really needed to see Jack. Meeting Tolgarth again had really shaken her up and filled her with fear. 'How could have the NID been so stupid to revive a Goa'uld?' she asked herself.
She desperately needed a shower and a change of clothes. So she was going to go home first, shower, change and then go to Jack's. If she bought some pizza on the way there, maybe he would forgive her for not contacting him in time. As Sam approached the turnoff to Jack's neighbourhood, an overwhelming feeling of loss flowed through her. She had just switched off the hands free cell phone in her car, after leaving Jack the message, when this strong feeling that Jack needed her, took hold. Making a split second decision, she turned off towards Jack's house.
Jack lay in the middle of his lounge in a pool of blood. He was having trouble thinking clearly through the pain that assaulted his senses. Two incongruous thoughts settled into his mind. One being that Sam would be disappointed that this shirt was ruined and the other was how on Earth was he going to get the stain out of the carpet? The thoughts began to get muddled as he confused the present with the past.
FlashbackHe was staring out at Hammond and Sam through the bars in one of the SGC cells. Tolgarth was steaming mad. He was taking all his frustration out on Jack. Being stuck behind bars, he had nothing better to do than torture Jack. Making him relive all the memories that he never wanted to remember ever again. The horrifying deaths of the men who had fought beside him. Men, who he had been responsible for. The death of his son. This one, Tolgarth used over and over again. Filling his heart with pain as he saw the lifeless body again and again. He reminded him of all the people he had killed over the years. Dredging them up from the depths of Jack's mind. Things that had been forgotten long ago.
Jack was relieved to see General Hammond and Sam there. Not only for himself, but also to distract Tolgarth from the anguish he was inflicting. Suddenly, Jack found himself writhing on the floor with pain. He couldn't even ask why he was being assaulted with so much pain. Every nerve ending screamed. His head felt as though it was in a large vice, being slowly squeezed.
Sam parked her car behind Jack's truck. After climbing out of her vehicle, she went up to the truck and felt to see if the engine was still warm. But it was cold. So he had been home all this time. Was he really this mad at her, that he would ignore her calls? She couldn't work out why he hadn't rung her. She could see lights on and hear music being played in the house. Walking nervously up to his front door, she wondered what reception she was going to receive. She knocked on the door, but there was no answer. 'Maybe he didn't hear me?' She thought.
Calling out, "Jack… It's me, Sam." The door opened, but no one was there. She looked around behind the door, expecting to see Jack standing behind it. But all she could see was stars and then blackness as a fist connected with her face.
When she came to, she was lying on Jack's lounge floor, gagged and hog-tied. Her sight was still slightly fuzzy, but not fuzzy enough to hide the vision that was before her. Jack was also lying on the carpet. He was unconscious, but his shirt had been cut open and someone had cut into his flesh with a knife. The wounds didn't look too deep, but deep enough to bleed profusely.
"Good evening, Colonel Carter. I see you are awake now." Tolgarth leaned forward and removed her gag.
"What have you done to the colonel?"
Tolgarth smirked as he stood up and walked out of the room. Sam looked across at Jack again, hoping that he was coming around. But there was no sign. She was disturbed to see blood still oozing from his many injuries across his chest.
Tolgarth came back into the room and dumped a medium sized box, which fell with a thud onto the carpet. He then bent down again, while holding a zat'nik'atel to her head, proceeded to cut her bonds.
Jack could hear voices. Struggling, he tried to open his eyes. What he saw filled him with dread. Sam was sitting up against the sofa, while Tolgarth was cutting her hands free. The whole time, he held a zat'nik'atel at her head. Sitting on the floor between him and Sam, was Jack's first aid kit. As soon as Sam's hands were free, she removed her gag. Her feet were still tied together.
"Now, don't do anything stupid, Colonel Carter. Now will you?"
Shaking her head, Sam picked up the first aid kit and shuffled forward towards where Jack was lying. Tolgarth followed closely brandishing his long thin dagger, the one that he had used to carve Jack with. With fear, Jack tried to warn Sam that Tolgarth had the knife and was right behind her. But he couldn't do a thing. Tolgarth reached around Sam, grabbed hold of the remnants of his shirt and cut them away from his body.
"Get on with it. I haven't got all night." Tolgarth moved away from them and sat back on the sofa.
Jack's whole body was shaking. He really thought Tolgarth was going to start in on him again, or worse start torturing Sam. He felt Sam lift him up slightly as she started to clean the excess blood away. He had no idea why Tolgarth was letting her do this.
"You okay?" She asked quietly as she gently removed his gag.
He nodded his head at her, not feeling okay within himself. He felt her lift him up again, so she could get her arms around him as she bandaged his injuries. At one point, she hesitated and held him tight, before she carried on. He could sense her fear, then her love as she held him briefly.
"Why has he been doing this?" she asked bewildered.
"It's just something he likes to do, to pass the time." Wincing as the pain shot across his body as he shrugged.
"Do you know how he got here so fast?"
"He hitched a ride to Las Vegas and just caught a flight. Apparently it was very easy with Dr. Pritchard's credit card. What on Earth were those scientists thinking of?" he asked incredulously.
Sam just shook her head. "I just wish I knew, what he wants to do with us now. I mean he could get into the SGC as Lieutenant Berkley, he doesn't need us," she whispered quietly.
"I don't think he knows what he wants, he's nuts. He always was a bit before, but now, he's gone Looney tunes," he replied rolling his eyes.
"Silence!"
Sam and Jack exchanged glances, before Sam carried on bandaging him.
When she had finished, Tolgarth grabbed hold of her hands and retied them behind her back. He put the gag back in her mouth and threw her to the floor.
"You've done a nice job, Samantha."
"You slithering parasite you will never get away with this…when I get hol…"
Tolgarth grabbed one of Jack's arms and pulled him away from the blood stained carpet., effectively stopping Jack's tirade. The movement sent sharp pains through Jack's torso, as his body was dragged, face down, along the floor. His mind began to go blank as the pain washed over him in waves.
He was safe. Tolgarth had taken Grogan as a host. Jack was bewildered as he moved his legs. They felt as though they weren't his at all. The metal of the bars were cold to his touch and he could feel the movement of the air around him as he walked. The weapon fire had stopped.
All he saw as he leaned against the doorway was his beloved Sam. The one person, he knew would be there for him. He must have said her name, because she looked up at him. Her eyes were full of tears. Slowly, her face turned from shock to happiness as she walked towards him. He felt her strong arms surround him as he struggled to stand. Holding her tight, he whispered to her, "Don't ever let go of me, Sam, don't ever let go."
He barely heard the choked reply, as Sam made a promise that she would never break. "No. I won't, Jack, I promise."
Jack opened his eyes. There was no sign of Tolgarth. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like he had been unconscious for some time. Jack could just see the back of Sam's head from behind the coffee table. She was wriggling. He hoped that she was successful in untying her bonds as he was sure that was what she was attempting.
Tolgarth came back into the lounge. He had some of Jack's clothes in his hands. Throwing them down in front of Jack, he bent down and started to untie him.
"You - try anything, Jack and she dies."
The pain was excruciating as the blood began to flow back into his hands and feet. Tolgarth pulled him up to a sitting position, stood up and kicked Jack's clothes towards him. "Put these on. You are going to get me into the SGC."
As Jack, struggled to pull the sweatshirt up over his head, without causing too much discomfort, he didn't notice that Sam had managed to get free. As Jack's arms were through the arms of the shirt while he was pulling it over his head, he felt a large body slam into him. It knocked him over, setting his already painful injuries afire once more. Just as he managed to push his head through the neck of the sweatshirt, he felt the electrical charge of a zat'nik'atel flow over him. With a groan and a feeling of horror, the last thing he saw was Sam standing over him, with the offending weapon in her hand, before passing out.
Jack could feel a cool cloth being wiped over his forehead and face.
"Jack? It's all right."
Blinking his eyes open, his gaze fell onto Sam's face. "Wha…what happened?"
"I'm sorry, but it was the only way I could stop him. I had to zat him," grimacing slightly, she continued, "unfortunately, you got zatted as well."
"Well." He clutched his chest as Sam helped him to sit up. "I'd rather be zatted, than be Goa'ulded any day."
Sam reached over and pulled the telephone down and started to dial the SGC. They needed security here fast. Jack's vision was still very blurry and he was having trouble focusing on his surroundings. He noticed that the blood had seeped through the makeshift bandages that surrounded his torso.
Sam's voice began to sound fainter as he felt the energy drain from his body. The combination of the blood loss and the recent zat'nik'atel's charge were affecting him badly. Suddenly, without any warning he saw Tolgarth standing above Sam with the long knife, ready to plunge it into her neck. Before she could react, Jack's instincts took over. Grabbing the zat'nik'atel he fired another shot into Tolgarth, killing him instantly.
"Sorry, Berkley, I tried," he called out as he found himself beginning to pass out again as the pain flowed across his body, plus the effects of being zatted became too much.
An overwhelming feeling of fear and anger was draining all vestiges of energy out of O'Neill. After they had come back into the ship, he couldn't wait to tear 'the' clothes off. They reminded him of the terrifying time when he had been a prisoner of Tolgarth. He hadn't even noticed Sam at the time quickly getting out of the way as he stormed into the back. Jonas had tried to talk to him, but he had shut him out. He vaguely remembered someone else talking to him after he had come back out into the main part of the ship, but couldn't remember who it was. All he could see were the horrendous pictures of what he had done while Tolgarth controlled him. One of the worst things he could remember was strangling Sam. HE had nearly killed her. His heart ached with the memory.
"Sir! Sir?"
"Huh?"
"Would you like to detonate the bombs?"
Shaking his head, he whispered "no" under his breath and placed his head back into his arms. A strong vision of Sam's face changing colour as her life was squeezed out of her, flowed through his mind. Looking up, he was relieved to see Sam standing there in front of the consol, alive and well. The bruises around her neck had faded now. He watched as she dropped the detonator onto the consol and walked into the back room. Starting to get up, he stopped as he saw Jacob follow his daughter.
After what seemed an insurmountable long time, Jack got up and walked carefully into where Jacob and Sam had gone. A feeling of security washed over Jack as he saw father and daughter, talking in obvious harmony. They looked up at him, as he made his way across the floor.
"Sam, we need to talk."
Jacob got up and turned around to Sam. Jack couldn't see or hear what he said, but Sam smiled back at him and nodded. Jack sat down on the floor and took Jacob's place next to Sam.
"We need to talk, Sam."
Moving around so that she was facing him, Sam leaned against the wall and gave him a small smile. "Yes, we do," she agreed.
"I wish…"
"I can't…"
They spoke at once, stopped and smiled at each other.
"You first." Jack gestured with his hand towards her.
"Sir." Stopping, she noticed the wince that crossed his face as he shook his head at her.
Looking down at the floor, she raised up her eyes to look at him again. "Jack…I wish we could still 'think talk'. It would make this so much easier."
Nodding his head, Jack stayed silent.
"Your turn, Jack."
Rubbing both hands over his face and then through his hair, he started to get up.
"Hey! Where are you going?"
Jack was standing with his back to Sam by now. He swivelled around on one foot, faced Sam and blurted out. "I can't do this anymore, Sam. I've had enough."
Quickly, getting up off the floor, Sam moved over to him. Touching him gently on the shoulder, "You don't have to. Anubis is dead. The system lords are dead. They don't need us anymore."
"Us?" he asked.
"Yes, Jack, us. You and me."
Sliding his arms around Sam, he held her tight. "Do you really want me after what I did to you?"
"Oh, Jack, that wasn't you. I know what it is like to be controlled. I don't blame you at all. Hey," she said softly as she leaned back away from him to look into his face. "If it wasn't for you, I would be toast," giving him a smile in the process.
"There is something else, Jack, which I want to tell you."
"What?"
"I'm getting out of the Air Force. There is enough new technology for me to work on, just as a scientist. I've been making enquiries and I can do it. They want me to work at area 51." Sam stopped speaking as Jack squeezed her tighter. Jack carried on speaking as though he hadn't heard what she had said.
"I could never have survived without you, Sam. You kept me sane. Tolgarth he…"
Once again, he could feel the cool cloth as it was laid against his forehead. He could also hear Sam's voice, but no others.
Opening his eyes, he could see Sam sitting on the floor beside him, talking to someone on the phone.
"Hey."
Turning her head, she smiled at him. "They are almost here," she told him.
Jack nodded, not knowing who was almost here and not really caring. He still felt very vague as he watched Sam get up off the floor and walk out of the lounge. When she came back, she had Teal'c, Jonas and Dr. Fraiser with her. Teal'c immediately, bent down and checked Tolgarth's body. Reaching inside of his coat, he pulled out a zat'nik'atel and fired it at Tolgarth. Jack watched mesmerised as Tolgarth disintegrated before his eyes. Then, Dr. Fraiser filled his vision, as she knelt down beside him and started to check his injuries. Jack felt himself drift away into blessed darkness once again.
He was climbing up a small slope. The sky was a brilliant blue, not a cloud to be seen anywhere. He felt the slight breeze lift the tail of his shirt and cool the warm skin on the back of his neck. He not only knew exactly where he was and where he was going, but also knew who would be waiting for him. Looking across the meadow full of colourful blooms, swaying in the breeze, he could see her. Her arms were full of the pungent flowers that she had obviously just picked. With confidence and anticipation, he strode towards her. He noticed her drop the flowers where she stood and start to walk towards him. Reaching out his arm, he took her hand in his and pulled her towards him.
He woke with a start as a resounding crash echoed around the infirmary. The sharp pain seemed to have gone. All that was left was a dull ache that permeated his body, coalescing mainly across his chest and abdomen. A hand was locked into his. Looking down, he could see the very scruffy looking blond head of Sam as it lay on the side of his bed.
With a smile on his face, he spoke her name softly, "Sam." She was already stirring. The sound that had woken him, most probably had woken her too. He watched her quietly as she sat up. Sam immediately, turned and looked at him. A smile lit up her face, when she saw he was awake.
"Hey. How are you feeling?"
"It's still there, isn't it?"
"Sorry, Jack. What are you talking about? You mean Tolgarth? He's gone. Teal'c finished him off."
"No. Not him. You and me, it's still there - the connection." Jack looked hard at Sam as he watched the slow realisation cross her face. "You were zatted on Thursday night, weren't you? I felt it."
Sam lifted both her hands and ran them through her untidy hair as she mulled over what he was saying. "But, we can't 'think talk' anymore. The white mass has gone. It can't be."
"Explain the awareness that we have and the dream."
Sam was looking down at the blanket on the bed, while he was speaking, but at the word 'dream' her head shot up and she looked at him.
"Yes! I knew it," he stated.
Sam moved closer to Jack and touched him on the side of the face. "I thought I was going to lose you again. I couldn't let that happen. I don't ever…"
"Shh…" Reaching up his hand, he pulled her down towards him. As they kissed, he felt all of her love wash over him, knowing now, that this woman was going to be his whole life. He didn't want to let her go, but she pulled away from him. Looking at him intently, she just said one word.
"Yes."
Just then, Teal'c and Jonas walked in with Dr. Fraiser. Janet immediately went up to Jack and checked his vital signs and the drip that was going into his arm.
"How are you feeling?" she asked.
"Fine, thank you," he replied.
Straight away, Janet was suspicious. The colonel was never this cheerful, when he was in her infirmary. Just as she was going to speak, Teal'c spoke first.
"You seem very pleased with yourself, O'Neill."
"Yes." He turned and glanced at Sam before he turned back to Teal'c. "I am. By the way, have you ever been a best man before?"
The EndFEEDBACK: Yes please. this is a great big honking hint.
28