Part Ten: Nifty, it's shock absorbent.
Disclaimer – Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Stargate: SG1 are not mine.
Notes: Sorry about the long wait for the update, but this chapter has really been giving me trouble. It's been sitting on my work computer for two months now, and even though I'm not entirely satisfied I think I've just got to post it and move on. Hopefully it doesn't suck too much.
Ethan realized almost right away that he was out of his league, not that he would ever admit that out loud. The largest operation Ethan had undertaken to date was the mass production of cursed candy, but being an intergalactic system load was quite a different thing all together. He was just glad that Janus was only a low level system load with just a handful of planets under his control.
So just what was he going to do with it? If he was being honest with himself, and he usually was, he didn't really want that much responsibility. On that note, what was he going to do with those SGC fellows that were currently sitting in his new prison?
"Oh I know." He said to no one as he stood from the throne.
Ethan began walking through the halls of Janus' palace till he found the prisoner's holding cell. The three men from SG-10 stood up and glared at Ethan, just waiting for what they figured was the inevitable torture for information.
"How is everyone this afternoon?" Ethan said cheerfully, clasping his hands together.
Major Clarkson had over heard from the guards that the man Ethan Rayne was Janus' new host, so Clarkson stood up and leveled him with a cold hard stare.
"The SGC isn't going to take kindly to this aggression."
"Really, what exactly do you think they're going to do? Think they'll send a search party for you?" Ethan laughed "You don't really believe that they'll come for you? Even I know that you're expendable. Oh they'll mourn your loss, and shake their combined fists in anger at what ever goa'uld they figured caused your death, and then they'll forget about you."
Clarkson crossed his arms over his chest and tried to give off the air of confidence that his colonel usually exuded. God he wished Colonel Stacey was here to deal with this mess.
Ethan just shrugged his shoulders and nonchalantly waved his hand.
"If it makes you feel better, you probably aren't going to live much longer anyways."
"Why is that?" The oldest member of the team, Dr. Gordon Lemieux asked as he moved to stand behind the Major.
"Because I plan on turning you all into Fyarl demons, then shoving you through the gate. Either you'll rip everyone to shreds or you'll be mowed down in a hail of bullets. Either way, it's bound to be a hell of a good time. Shame I won't be there to see it."
Gordon didn't understand what Janus meant by demon, be he felt that he had to continue the dialogue.
"Why would you want to do that?"
"To be honest, I just don't have any use for you."
"Why not let us go?" Gordon implored.
A smile came onto Ethan's face, the same one that Janus saw before he took Ethan as host.
"What would be the fun in that?"
" * * * "
The guards marched to the gate, keeping the prisoners roughly in the middle with Ethan trailing at the rear. He was going over the spell in his head. It was a simple spell that required SG-10 to drink the potion that Ethan had made before they left the safety of the ship. It was pretty fast acting or he would have given it to them before they started their way to the gate, but the last thing he needed was three very aggressive demons trying to kill him.
Ethan was pulled from his thoughts, when before them the gate came to life. Without being told his Jaffa took up positions of protection, but they turned to him for additional orders.
Ethan motioned for a group of his Jaffa to fall back, and to wait a little bit before making their presence known, after all the last thing you want is your enemy to know the full strength of your force. Not wanting to risk his own life he then selected a couple of the other Jaffa to follow him into the forest and out of sight from whoever might be coming through.
" * * * "
When they exited the gate, the last thing Colonel O'Neill expected to see was a contingency of Jaffa frog marching three of the four members of SG-10 to the gate.
"Jaffa Cree!" Called out the First Prime.
O'Neill Grabbed Dr. Giles and pulled him behind the DHD for cover before he fired a round at the Jaffa closest to him. He noticed from his peripheral that Daniel and Teal'c took cover behind the gate, where as Buffy and Sam took cover behind a large boulder to his right.
Buffy had the shocked look of someone who brought a knife, or in this case an axe, to a gunfight. Jack almost felt guilty for the slight feeling of satisfaction that the got from seeing the slightly stunned reaction.
O'Neill popped his head up over the DHD and took stock of the position of the enemy combatants. Quickly he came up with an adequate strategy for freeing SG-10 and for dialing out in as little time as possible. When he saw a break in their defense near the back, he gestured to Carter to circle round, and attack from the rear. First however he needed a diversion to draw their attention away from Carter.
A lucky shot by one of the Jaffa managed to hit the boulder Buffy was hiding behind, exposing her to attack. They took their chance and began to fire, Jack was expecting Buffy to take a hit but was surprised to see that her scythe seemed to stop and absorb the staff blasts. A feral look crossed Buffy's face, and Jack was just glad that it wasn't directed at him and that she was on his side. Then She stood up.
"Wait, don't!" He called out as the stupid girl jumped out from her cover and began to take on the Jaffa using hand to hand. She only paused to swing her scythe to block the incoming staff weapon fire.
"She needs back up!" O'Neill called out, and wasting no time, Daniel and Teal'c concentrated their own attacks to the Jaffa who were firing at Buffy.
Gesturing to the bound members of SG-10 O'Neill asked if Giles could sneak over and free them. He gave an affirmative nod, before slipping away using the foliage as cover. The Colonel then gave Carter the signal to begin to circle around to the back.
He turned back to Buffy and it took effort not to stare as she engaged in battle, but he was going to have a serious talk to her about her lack of lethal force. Time after time, he saw that she was free and clear to give a fatal blow to end the fight, but always she choose the attack that would temporarily stun them only to have them attacking her all over again. Luckily Daniel, Teal'c and himself were able to thin out the herd for her.
"Finally." He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Sam take up position from behind. Buffy had been able to weed out most of the Jaffa close to the DHD, so he could now put Daniel to work.
"Daniel, Dial the SGC, I'll cover you!"
Daniel ran from his protective position behind the gate and jumped away from frenzied fire aimed at him landing in the position that Giles just recently vacated. With a look of understanding between them, Daniel reached over the DHD and slowly started to push the keys, as Jack fired out controlled burst of ammo keeping Daniel safe.
Giles had managed to free Major Clarkson, who was now helping to free the rest of his team mates. When the last of them was freed, Jack noticed that Colonel Stacey's geek grabbed a basket that was dropped by one of the now dead Jaffa who had been marching them.
Then the world seemed to stop and run in slow motion when to his horror he saw another Jaffa patrol group arrive from behind, blocking Carter between two unfriendly forces.
"Carter!" He called out.
She didn't hear him over the fire fight going on around her, but her sister did. Buffy's eyes went wide as she saw a jaffa raise his staff weapon and take aim at her sister. Play time was over, Buffy kicked out sending the jaffa she was sparing with flying into the boulder she had previously been hiding behind. The way that he hit, Jack knew that the jaffa wouldn't be getting back up. She took off running throwing enemy jaffa out of her way like they were rage dolls, intent only on getting to her sister before it was too late.
Sam turned sharply around when she heard the familiar click of a staff weapon being opened, and the energy gather at the tip. There was no way should could get out of the way in time.
Realizing that she was running out of time, Buffy picked up her speed and kick another jaffa in the stomach to use his back as a stepping stone as she vaulted into the air landing in front of one of the
firing jaffa, just in time to block the shot with the scythe. Too late she saw the second burst of fire, and quickly used her body to shield Sam from the blast. She looked down at the burning hole in her stomach and thought to herself how odd.
"There's no blood Sammy?" She whispered as she fell to her knees.
Sam cried out when she saw Buffy fall to the ground, and Buffy could hear the rapid fire of Sam's P90 unload into the group of Jaffa who just shot at them.
She felt Sam's arms circle around her. Sam was speaking to Buffy but she couldn't hear what she was saying. Everything was going fuzzy, just like it had when the Master fed off of her and left her to die. As the darkness started to over take her, out of the corner of her eye she saw Giles grabbed by two of Jaffa who had survived the onslaught of SG-1. Horrified that she could do nothing, she called out to anyone who would hear her.
"Giles!" Sam turned to look for Giles but there was nothing she could do as the goa'uld transport rings dropped around them.
Giles was gone.
With the Jaffa all dead or dying, Daniel was able to swing around the DHD and finish the dialing sequence. Colonel O'Neill checked over the members of SG-10, where Colonel Stacey was would have to wait for when they got back to the SGC. He just hoped that Felger has fixed the gate, because the last then needed was the Jaffa to send reinforcements.
"Colonel!" Carter cried out. Seeing Buffy's fallen form, he motion for Teal'c to go help Carter.
"Daniel, make sure medical is standing by." When Daniel's questioning eyes met his he replied. "Buffy's been hit."
" * * * "
Arriving back in the embankment room was chaotic and crowded. SF's were on guard in case any Jaffa were stupid enough to follow them, and there was a medical team waiting to take Buffy from Teal'c's arms. Jack quickly herded SG-10 and his team, minus Carter, out of the way to let medical do their thing.
Carter's hands were shaking as she looked at her sister's sill body on the gurney. Running beside the medical team on the way to the infirmary, she tried not to hit the people in the hall as she watched Dr. Fraser straddle her sister to perform CPR. It was all happening so fast, wasn't it only yesterday that Buffy walked into the briefing room full, and now she was watching her baby sister die.
Sam was barred from entering the OR, and she barely registered that the rest of her team had joined her in the infirmary. Had she been thinking more clearly she would have asked how SG-10 was, but she had other things on her mind.
"No." Carter whisper to no one in particular as she felt Daniel put a comforting arm around her shoulder.
When Daniel started to lead her away from the OR, she shrugged him off and yelled with a little more force. "No!"
"Carter?" O'Neill question as watched his 2IC trying not to break down in front of him.
"Sir, the hand device."
"I don't think so, I remember what that did to you the last time you used it." If she didn't Jack sure did, use of goa'uld technology takes a great deal of concentration and naquadah in the blood. Sam only had trace amounts left, and prolonged use could be fatal.
"She's my sister, and I just got her back. I haven't even had a chance to tell her I'm sorry." Her eyes pleading with him.
Jack saw the pain and guilt in Carter's eyes. Denying her the chance to try might later destroy her.
He sighed loudly. "Go."
She rushed to the safe, and removed the healing device. Wasting no time, she pushed her way into the OR just in time to hear Dr. Fraser call the time of death.
"I can save her." Carter said glaring at the nurse who tried to pull on her arm.
"It's too late Major." Ignoring Janet, Sam focused all of her emotions into the healing device, grief, guilt, and anger. A warm orange glow slowly started to emit from, and it was harder then she remembered. Sweat started to form on Sam's brow, just as her breathing became laboured.
"Sam, honey. She's gone."
Just as the words left Janet's mouth, Buffy's heart started to beat, very slowly, but beat none the less.
" * * * "
Not long after Buffy started to breathe again, SG-1 and Dr. Fraser found them selves in the conference room facing a very annoyed and concerned General Hammond.
"What the hell happened out there SG-1? You were supposed to be on an uninhabited world. Instead you gated into an unknown situation, with two civilians no less."
SG-1 looked to O'Neill not wanting to deal with the General's disappointment.
"SG-10 was over due to respond, and gate travel to the SGC was down. We saw what the civilians were capable of in that little show and tell session of Davis', so I made a judgment call."
The General narrowed his eyes. "A judgment call that has Dr. Giles missing, and Miss. Summers with a hole in her chest."
Jack had the foresight to look regretful.
"Now, Dr. Fraser, how is Miss. Summers?"
"She flat lined on the operating table, and it was Sam using the goa'uld healing device that got her back."
"Is she stable?"
Janet gave a cautious look to Sam, and then turned back to the General. "No sir, its effects seem to be temporary, she needs a longer treatment, but Major Carter isn't strong enough to provide the amount of healing Miss. Summers body requires. As it stands, with the injuries she sustained she shouldn't even have survived long enough to get to the SGC. It's a miracle she's alive at all."
"Could the hand device work if used by someone who still had a symbiote?"
"That's what I'm hoping sir. For now all we can do for now is try to make her comfortable. Her body is fighting, but I don't know how long she'll survive."
"Contact the Tok'ra Doctor."
"I already did, sir."
Walters's voice came over the PA, "unscheduled offer world activation."
General Hammond stood from the table, and regarded the room's occupants.
"We'll pick this up shortly."
When he left the room, SG-1 followed, but then General Hammond knew that they would.
" * * * "
General Hammond entered the gate room with SG-1 close on his heels. Jacob Carter was already walking down the ramp with a worried looked plastered on his face, but that changed to relief when he saw Sam standing with her team.
"George, what's this about? I was told that my daughter was critically injured off world."
Sam broke free from the group to stand before her father.
"Not me Dad, Buffy."
Shock and Anger briefly registered across his face. "What was your sister doing off world!"
"I'll explain later, right now she's in the infirmary. She took a staff blast for me, and we need you to use the healing device. She doesn't have much time."
Jacob caught Hammond's eye, and with a nod from him, Jacob and Sam rushed down to medical.
" * * * "
Buffy looked around in wonder as the haze in front of her eyes cleared and she found herself in the old high school library.
"Giles?" She called out, expecting her watcher to pop out from behind the stacks or to see him walking out of his office. Then to her incredible sadness, she remembered.
"Giles isn't here, and the library's gone." Burned to the ground, in what felt to Buffy like a life time ago.
"He's still on that planet, Slayer."
She turned around and standing there in the same ugly shirt and hat as the first time they met, was the last person, and she used the term loosely, she wanted to see.
"Whistler."
"Glad to see you haven't forgotten me kid."
Her eyes took on a dangerous glint as she crossed her arms.
"Where am I?"
"Think of it like a waiting room. You've got a big decision ahead of you." Whistler moved past her to take a seat on the counter.
"What are you talking about?" She cut him off before he could speak. " And I want straight answers, because if I recall I still could make my self a snazzy new ribcage-hat."
"I'm getting there, geez Slayer, keep you shirt on. You died."
"Again!"
"Tell me about it, you should be getting some sort of frequent flyer points or something. Anyways, that little stunt you pulled, you know jumping in front of your sister."
Buffy nodded, waiting for him to finish.
"Well, that fulfilled your last vision."
"My illustrious gift of death." Her tone was less then enthused.
Whistler jumped down and gently put his hand on her shoulder.
"With your death, you preserved your sister's life. She's got a destiny of her own that one, and by saving her you've saved countless others around the galaxy and beyond. Pretty nice gift if you ask me."
She shrugged the demons hand off, uncomfortable with the subject.
"Getting back to the decision I have to make."
"How badly do you want to go back?"
"Huh?"
"You've fulfilled your destiny. You destroyed the master, stopped Acathla, blew-up the mayor, killed Adam and saved your sister. So the powers are giving you a choice. Lay down your arms and move on to the next plane of existence, or go back."
It was then Buffy noticed that beyond the library swing doors was a warm and welcoming white glowing light.
"Go back?" She didn't mean to sound a little dim, but just then her whole body started to tingle and her skin began to glow.
"They're trying to bring you back, so you don't have much time. If you want to passover walk through the doors now."
"And if I don't want to?"
Whistler gave her a proud smile. "I guess you've made your choice."
" * * * "
Jacob looked at his youngest child. It had been over four years since he had last laid eyes on her. Gone was roundness of childhood, lying before him was a young woman, a young woman who looked so much like his beloved wife. Seeing Buffy's broken body brought him back to the day that his wife had died, her body was broken then too.
"Oh Buffy." He breathed out through his sorrow.
Selmak took over from Jacob, not sure if he could focus enough to get the job done. As Selmak guided the hand device over Buffy, Jacob stayed in the background watching as his friend tried to save his youngest child.
"Come on Buffy." Sam quietly chanted in the background.
Buffy's body was engulfed in the glow of the alien technology. It felt like hours, but in reality only a few seconds had passed. Selmak was almost ready to give up, and then as if a switched was flicked on, her heart rate increased as the hole in her stomach began to heal.
"She is healing much faster then should be possible with this device." Selmak's echoing voice said with wonder and concern.
Buffy's eye shot open, and looked to her father. He had aged since the she last saw him, His hair was grayer, there were more lines in his face, and his eyes held a look of sorrow she was sure wasn't there when she was a child. She wanted to hate him, even though she had begun to forgive her sister, but those feelings could wait, right now she was just glad that he came.
"Daddy."
Selmak wasn't able to correct her because Buffy had fallen back asleep. Jacob took back over and for a minute or two he just absently stroked her hair and looked upon the sleeping face of his daughter. Gathering his thoughts he turned to his eldest daughter, but before he could question her Sgt. Walter Harriman interrupted them.
"Sirs, General Hammond wants to see you in the briefing room A.S.A.P."
" * * * "
Hammond looked from the rest of SG-1 to Sam and Jacob as they entered the room. He waited for them to take their seats at the board table before he spoke.
"How's she doing Jacob?" Hammond's voice was laced with concern.
"She's tired, but should make a complete recovery." Jacob Carter said severely.
"You don't sound pleased."
"Don't get me wrong George; I'm ecstatic that Buffy's going to get better. But there is just no way that she should have recovered that quickly. It should have taken multiple sessions with the device to heal her that much."
"Dad, I've got some things to tell you about Buffy."
"Do these things include how did she got hit by staff weapon?"
Jacob's tone of voice made Sam feel like she was ten years old all over again. She didn't relish being to one to tell him everything that she had learned in the last 24 or so hours.
"Jacob," Hammond brought the attention to him. "Buffy was asked to the SGC by the pentagon. She was being consulted about something that was found off world."
"She's a flighty second year psych-student, George. How could she help with anything found off world, unless it was an ancient mall?"
"Dad!" Sam admonished sharply.
"She is the Slayer." Teal'c said plainly.
Jacob turned to look at Teal'c wondering just how to explain to the Jaffa about his daughter's mental illness.
Sam gently placed her hand on his arm. "It's true Dad, it was all true."