Chapter Ten
There was nothing they could do but wait, and they didn't even know what they were waiting for.
Jack wished, not for the first time, that he had at least some small hint of what Daniel's plan was. Being ready would have been easier if he'd known what he was supposed to be preparing for. "You'll know it when you see it," Daniel had said.
All he could do was hope that the trust Daniel had in him wasn't misplaced.
Fifteen minutes later, Daniel's plan walked through the door, and they knew him when they saw him. But knowing he was acting in accordance with Daniel's wishes didn't make Jack any less angry with him.
"Why the hell did you do that?"
Bra'tac bowed his head, though Jack didn't know if it was from deference or shame. "I was given an order by the queen's … by Daniel Jackson. I was powerless to disobey."
"What order are you following now?"
"I am here to escort you to the Chappa'ai," Bra'tac answered. He lifted his head and started handing them back the weapons that had been taken from them after their capture. "We must hurry. The tension between Hathor's new recruits and those loyal to Apophis is escalating. I expect a large scale battle between them soon."
"Here?" Sam asked, stepping forward. "In the palace?"
"Yes," Bra'tac answered.
She turned toward Jack, her eyes wide. "Sir, Daniel …"
"Daniel Jackson is aware of the situation," Bra'tac informed them. "In fact, he is relying on it. He believes that it will create a large enough diversion to camouflage your escape."
"And what of him?" Teal'c asked. "Does he intend to stay in Hathor's service?"
"No," Bra'tac answered slowly. "He intends to kill her."
"And die in the process," Jack said with certainty. "Not happening." He stalked toward the door and motioned for Bra'tac to open it. "Get us out of this cell."
"He was very clear in his order to me, human. I am to take you to the …"
"I don't give a damn what Daniel told you to do, Bra'tac," Jack said. "I'm telling you that you're going to take us to where he is, and you're going to do it now." He raised his MP5 and pointed it directly at Bra'tac's chest. "Maybe I can't mind-whammy you with my glowing eyes, but I can sure as hell shoot you where you stand. Now open this door and take us to Daniel."
Bra'tac sighed and nodded his head. "Very well," he said. "But he is with the queen." He put his hands on Jack's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye. "You will not enjoy what you are about to see."
"Nothing I haven't seen before." He shrugged Bra'tac's hands off and stepped around him. "Let's go."
Jack strode out the still-opening door, pretending that he didn't see the looks of shock and horror that the three other occupants of the room aimed at his retreating back.
The corridors, which an hour before had been mostly empty and silent, were a swarm of activity, hostility and confusion. Daniel had been right about the escalating disagreement between the Jaffa providing cover for their escape, because they were walking down the hallway completely unnoticed by any of the soldiers they passed. They were too embroiled in their own differences to pay much attention to two humans being led around by two Serpent Guards.
"I will lead you to the second level of her quarters," Bra'tac told them. "It will provide you with both excellent cover and a vantage point from which you can survey the situation."
Jack shook his head quickly. "Not really planning on watching the show," he said. "Planning on stopping it the second we walk through the door."
"We must surveil before we attack, O'Neill," Teal'c insisted.
"I hate it, too, sir," Sam said, "but Teal'c's right. If we go in there shooting, and Daniel's in the way …"
"I know, Captain," Jack snapped angrily. He took a deep breath as they walked up to the door the Bra'tac had led them to. "Just … you two keep your heads down. Do not look down until I tell you to, got it?"
"Colonel …"
"O'Neill …"
"Not up for debate," he insisted. "There's no way Daniel would …" He shook his head. "You don't want to see what she's doing to him. Believe me."
He could see the question in Sam's eyes more than in Teal'c's, but that made sense. He'd told Teal'c that they'd been together, that he hadn't been able to stop Hathor from doing what she wanted. Obviously, he'd just never put the two things together. Sam, though, was hearing all of it for the first time. He raised his finger in the air.
"Don't ask me how I know that, Carter."
She nodded, then crouched down on the floor next to Teal'c. Jack took one last, deep breath and nodded at Bra'tac, who pressed a panel on the wall. The door slid open. Teal'c and Sam crawled in first, Jack gestured for Bra'tac to follow, and then he entered behind them in a low crouch.
They were on a balcony that looked down over what had obviously become Hathor's private quarters. Sam, Teal'c and Bra'tac sat with the wall at their back, their weapons at the ready. Jack closed his eyes, swallowed hard, then raised up on his knees far enough to see into the room below.
Jack took stock of the situation as quickly as he could, knowing that he had to keep himself together long enough to put together a solid plan of attack. He counted six Jaffa standing at various points around the room, and four more - the four Jaffa from NORAD, still dressed in their BDUs - standing at the corners of the bed.
The bed that they were holding Daniel down on.
Jack's heart jumped into his throat.
Daniel, shirtless, barefoot, his glasses lost somewhere in the tangle of sheets …
… his pants low on his hips, his arms pinned above his head, eyes open …
… but not unseeing. Struggling, fighting with everything he had left, not crying, screaming in defiance ...
… Hathor walking around the bed, running her fingers down his arms, enjoying his pain …
"You dare defy us? You belong to us!"
… the sound of a fist striking flesh, Daniel's head jerking to the side, Hathor climbing onto the bed …
"I enjoy watching you struggle, our beloved."
… stop her, stop her, stop her …
"Not as much as I'm going to enjoy watching you die."
That was all it took to separate the past from the present in Jack's mind, and he stood up, took aim at one of the Jaffa holding Daniel's arms, and shot him right between the eyes.
"Get the fuck away from him!"
Sam, Teal'c, and Bra'tac took that as their cue, and came up from the floor with their own weapons raised. Three more shots were fired, three more Jaffa fell, including the two that held Daniel's ankles. Daniel took a deep breath, pulled his knees in to his chest, and planted both feet against Hathor's stomach.
"Get off of me!"
He kicked as hard as he could, and Hathor flew off of the bed, landing in an undignified heap at the base of the stairs that led up to it.
Jack was moving around the balcony, making his way toward the stairs that led down into the room, with Teal'c right behind him. Bra'tac and Sam were moving around the other direction. One of the Jaffa started climbing the stairs; Jack took aim and shot him.
Daniel rolled over and off of the bed, landing on his feet right beside the Jaffa that still held his left wrist. The second of surprise was all that Daniel needed to pull his right hand back and slam the heel of his hand into the Jaffa's face, shattering his nose, spraying them both with blood. The Jaffa released Daniel's arm and stumbled back, blinded.
Bra'tac and Teal'c fired their staff weapons at two of the remaining uninjured Jaffa as they ran down the stairs, and Sam sprayed a third with bullets. All three went down and didn't move again.
Daniel was knelt down beside Hathor's bed, and it looked like he was opening an ornate table. Jack called out a warning to him when he saw Hathor regain her feet and stalk toward him, but Daniel couldn't have heard him over the rising sounds of battle in the room. He reached the bottom of the stairs, taking out another Jaffa as he did so. A sound from across the room caught his attention and he turned.
Jaffa were pouring into the room from every door, but strangely enough, none of them seemed to be paying any attention to the humans or the two Jaffa trying to kill their queen. They'd turned on each other. Jack didn't know if their attack had started it, or if it had started on its own and spilled into the room with them, but he didn't think it made a difference. One way or another, they had their diversion.
Now they just had to grab Daniel and get the hell out.
Hathor reached Daniel before they did, grabbed a handful of his hair, and dragged him to his feet.
"Stupid child!" she spat in his face. "You will pay for this!"
"No!" Jack cried out, jumping forward. But there was no way he could push his way through the sudden mass of swarming Jaffa in time to stop her from throwing Daniel across the room and slamming him into the wall.
"Carter!" he called out. "Teal'c! Bra'tac! On me!" The four of them formed a wedge and forced their way through the battle that raged around them.
Daniel had slid down the wall bonelessly and was sitting against it. He was pale as a ghost, and Jack couldn't help but notice the stream of blood that ran from the corner of his mouth and slid down his chin. His eyes were open, but he was noticeably dazed - so much so that Jack wondered if he even remembered where he was.
Then Hathor was there, standing over him, the ribbon device on her palm glowing and she knelt beside him.
"You brought us such pleasure, our beloved. I would have kept you for eternity. But even my fondness for you will not save you now."
Daniel blinked his eyes, trying to focus on her as he made a half-hearted attempt to back away. She raised her hand to his forehead just as Jack stepped up behind her.
"Hey!" he called out.
Hathor jerked her head up to face him.
"Not yours, snakebitch," he growled. "He's ours."
He swung his MP5 like a baseball bat, and he enjoyed both the sound and the feeling of it colliding with her skull before she flew across the room again. She landed in the middle of one of the many scuffles taking place between the rival Jaffa factions, and they seemed to swallow her up. Jack turned his back on what was left of her and knelt next to Daniel.
Daniel's eyes were closed, his body slumped against the wall, and he looked dead. Jack's heart dropped into his feet, and he patted his cheek lightly. "Hey," he said. "Kinda need you here, Daniel. You can't pass out yet."
Daniel opened his eyes and blinked them slowly. "Hey," he returned with a rather stupid-looking smile. "Jack."
"Need you to focus, Daniel," Jack said urgently.
Daniel blinked again, and looked Jack in the eye. Jack saw it happen, was watching the second the clarity snapped into place, and Daniel's mind caught up with the rest of him. Jack also knew that it wasn't going to last very much longer; Daniel was going under and he was going under fast. Every time he exhaled, the stream of blood coming from his mouth got wider.
"Bomb," Daniel whispered.
"Bomb?" Jack couldn't quite believe it.
Daniel pulled something out of the pocket of his trousers and shoved it into Jack's hand. "Hold … this," he said. "Don't … don't lose it."
Jack looked down, confused as to why Daniel had just given him a GDO. Didn't he know they already had one? But he dismissed it from his thoughts as quickly as he put it in his own pocket and focused on the most immediate threat. "There's a bomb?"
"Under … the … bed …" Daniel took one last quivering breath, his eyes rolled back in his head, and his body went limp against the wall.
"Teal'c!" Jack bellowed. "Grab him! We gotta go! Now!"
Teal'c scooped Daniel up and draped him across his shoulders. Jack led the way into the corridor. He and Sam took point, Bra'tac brought up the rear, and SG1 ran like hell.
They were only stopped once on their way to the Stargate, by a Jaffa that stepped out of the trees.
"Whom do you serve?" he demanded.
Jack stepped in front of him, tightened his grip on his gun, and fixed him with a hard stare. "We're taking the beloved back where he belongs," he said. "Interfere and die."
The Jaffa bowed his head deeply, and stepped out of their way. As they jogged past him, Bra'tac said to him, "A battle rages at the palace. Go. Defend the honor of your goddess." The Jaffa turned and ran in the same direction they'd just come from.
They'd just reached the Stargate - the completely abandoned and unguarded Stargate - when the palace exploded behind them. The flames shot into the air, above the trees, and for the briefest of moments, Jack swore he felt the ground beneath them shake.
"What was that?" Sam asked, her voice filled with awe as she looked up from the DHD.
"That," Jack answered, with more than a hint of pride in his voice, "was Daniel's plan."
"A most effective plan, O'Neill," Teal'c said.
"He wanted to kill her," he answered. "I think he just might have done the job."
The Stargate opened behind them, Sam pressed the code sequence on her GDO, and all three ran up the steps quickly. They each took just enough time to wave their goodbyes and thank yous to Bra'tac before they stepped through.
Jack had hoped that the greeting party on the other side of Earth side of the gate would be heavy on medical personnel, and he wasn't disappointed.
Janet was at their side in an instant, helping Teal'c to lay Daniel down on a gurney so she could rush him to the infirmary. Daniel showed no signs of waking, even when the bleeding welts on his back came in contact with the sheet. Jack moved toward him quickly, but before he could reach his side, Janet had ushered him out of the room and to the infirmary.
General Hammond walked up the ramp toward them. "SG1," he said. "Welcome back. Are you all okay?"
Jack nodded as he looked around the Gate Room. He'd half expected Dr. Mackenzie to meet them when they returned, to drag Daniel off to Mental Health for being a danger to himself. He was pleasantly surprised not to see his face among the dozens assembled.
Hammond must have noticed his distraction, and he guessed correctly about what was causing it.
"Dr. Mackenzie will be returning, Colonel," he said. "But not until Dr. Jackson is fully recovered from his physical injuries. I managed to convince him that going through the gate wasn't an attempt at suicide by Jaffa."
Jack wanted to tell him that it had been, but no way was he going to expose Daniel to another threat from Mackenzie, not so soon after they'd gotten rid of the last one.
"How'd you do that, sir?" Sam asked from behind him.
"I told him the truth," Hammond answered. "I told him that I knew why Dr. Jackson went to Chulak."
Jack and Sam stared at him in amazement, and Teal'c tilted his head.
Hammond smiled at them weakly, lowered his voice, and continued his explanation. "I found it while I was reviewing the security tapes," he said. "I … I gave Hathor something before she left. Dr. Jackson was in the room did it. He and I were the only ones who knew about it, and I didn't remember until I saw myself."
Sudden understanding dawned on Jack. He reached his hand into his pocket and wrapped his fingers around the GDO that Daniel had given him on Chulak.
"Dr. Fraiser, likewise, was reviewing the tapes from the infirmary, around the time of Dr. Jackson's kidnapping," Hammond continued. "You might be interested to know that it was the Jaffa who gave him your uniform, Colonel. That wasn't a decision he made on his own."
Jack smiled and shook his head in mild amusement.
"She told me that Dr. Jackson was talking about stopping Hathor, talking about her coming back, saying that he couldn't let her …"
"What did you give to Hathor?" Teal'c asked.
Hammond opened his mouth to answer, but Jack made it unnecessary. He pulled the GDO out of his pocket and held it out to the General, who accepted it carefully and with a small, shamed smile.
"I'll be damned," Hammond said. "He did it."
"Yep, he did."
Sam shook her head in confusion. "I don't understand. A GDO would be useless without the codes to operate it. Why would Daniel risk his life to get it back?"
"Because this one is special, Captain," Hammond answered. "This was the first GDO we built, the prototype. And the codes that have been preprogrammed into it are accepted by the system without requiring manual confirmation."
"Hathor could have returned to the SGC, and to Earth, whenever she desired," Teal'c said.
"Yes, she could have," Hammond admitted. "So you can see why it was important that we get it back."
"He saved us," Sam said, awe and admiration both clear on her face and in her voice. "He saved the whole planet."
"He was willing to die to do so," Teal'c pointed out.
"Yep," Jack agreed.
"It would have been a worthwhile trade – a warrior's bargain."
"Except he's not a warrior," Jack pointed out. "And he still might have to pay up."
The three other people in the room turned toward him, but it was too much for Jack to deal with at that moment. He shook his head and turned away, walked down the ramp and out the door, and headed for the infirmary.