Chapter 11
Garshaw walked out of the meeting room, "Please, come with me, Major Carter.""
They made their way through several tunnels and Sam quickly lost her bearings in the maze of passages. "Since our last contact with you new information and an opportunity has been given us that you must be aware of before we continue. Originally, you were to infiltrate Bastet's court as a servant to ascertain the situation then report back to your contact and be extracted."
"Yes." Sam replied. "The ultimate goal was to ferret out this new goa'uld Sekhmet and gain as much information on a weapon she is believed to have created." Sam clarified.
"Correct."
They entered a small chamber with a large table in the center of the room. Scientific equipment filled the table giving the impression to Sam that this was most definitely a lab, but what caught her attention was not the table, it was a liquid filled tank set to the right of the table. Sam approached cautiously never taking her eyes from the symbiote that swam around the confined space in agitated circles. She was only a couple feet from the tank when the snake-like creature suddenly stopped as if sensing something and whipped around to look at her. Sam stopped immediately wary of its change in behavior.
WHAM!
Sam jumped back as the symbiote began attacking the transparent wall of the tank trying to break through the barrier. She stared entranced at the violent reaction to her presence as a light blue tint began to color the liquid while the creature injured itself with its enraged behavior and its blood seeped into the fluid keeping it alive.
Garshaw watched Sam closely as she joined her in front of the tank.
" Major Carter, a development has occurred that requires a change in the mission."
Mesmerized by the symbiote Sam said nothing as the Tok'ra continued.
"You will be a Goa'uld."
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Cradling his phone to his ear, Jack O'Neill tapped his fingers against the gray metal of his desk, waiting for the ringing to stop and the line on the other end to pick up.
"Yeah, this is Burke."
Jack could hear the ever constant pop of the man's gum as he identified himself.
"Burke."
"Jack! Great to hear from ya."
"Yeah, you too." He said shaking his head. "I need to ask you a favor."
"A favor? Sure. Who did ya lose this time?"
Jack scowled into the phone at the not so subtle reminder of Daniel's kidnapping a few months ago down in Honduras. "No one lost this time" he lied, unrepentantly, "just need to track someone's movements without all the red tape that tends to be involved."
"Oooookay……." Burke responded.
"Are you gonna do it?"
"Are you kidding? You got me out of that hell hole of an assignment, of course I'll help! "What's the name and what do you want checked?"
"Samantha Carter. I just need to track her movements. You know, hits on her credit cards, things like that."
"Sure thing, Jack." Burke replied. " I should have something in a day or two."
"That'll work, call me when ya got the info."
Jack hung up the phone and started to dial Daniel's office.
"Unauthorized Off-World Activation!"
The bases alarms began blaring throughout the base and Jack could hear the sound of military issued boots running passed his door. Hanging up the phone he left his office and headed for the control room.
"It's Teal'c's IDC, sir." Sgt. Harriman announced as Jack entered the control room.
"Open the iris, Sergeant." General Hammond commanded as he turned to the stairs heading toward the gate room. Jack followed.
Teal'c and Bra'tac exited the event horizon as the General and Jack entered the gateroom. Both warriors looked tense as they descended the ramp and approached them.
The Jaffa bowed in greeting, "Hammond of Texas, we have troubling news to bring you." Bra'tac informed the Commander.
General Hammond waved his arm toward the exit, "Let's go to the briefing room and you can update us on your mission."
The General and Bra'tac walked passed Jack, but Teal'c stopped even with the Colonel.
"Has there been word of Major Carter?" The warrior asked.
Jack shook his head. "Nah, but it's only been a few days. You should be more patient, Teal'c."
Teal'c frowned at the Colonel thoughtfully. "I am impressed, O'Neill."
"By what?"
"By your patience. I am confident that you and Doctor Jackson have deduced that Major Carter desire to leave was not genuine and began to investigate it."
"Yeah…well…" Jack hesitated. "Teal'c do you think Carter lied?" Jack wanted his friend opinion.
"I believe she did not speak the entire truth."
"Yeah, neither did we."
"Do you believe that Major Carter may be in danger?"
Jack could feel the menace that came from Teal'c as he asked the question. God help anyone who hurt Sam Carter. Teal'c would tear them limb from limb…that is if there was anything left after he had finished with them.
"Daniel and I think that Carter is going undercover at Area 51."
"Without SG-1 for assistance?"
"Apparently."
"I do not like that, O'Neill." The Jaffa said with a trace of anger.
"Neither, do I." Jack agreed. " I already check with Area 51 and she is not due to report there for another couple weeks, so I have employed a few methods to see if I can hunt her up." He clapped the big man on the shoulder as they exited the gate room. "I should know more in a few days."
They entered the briefing room effectively dropping the subject, but Jack knew that Teal'c was far from satified with the current information on Sam's whereabouts. He took a seat next to the General and across from Bra'tac. The old warrior looked exhausted and Jack felt a twinge of worry for him. Teal'c seated himself to the Colonel's right and waited for his mentor to begin.
"We gated to the planet where the strange Jaffa had been taken, but when we arrived the settlement was deserted…somewhat."
"Somewhat?" Jack asked.
"No Jaffa could be found." Teal'c continued, "However, the ground was littered with the remains of hundreds of prim'tah's.
"Dead?" General Hammond clarified.
Teal'c bowed his head. "Indeed."
The General looked at Bra'tac. "Master Bra'tac do you have any idea what could have occurred to cause hundreds of Jaffa to remove their symbiotes?"
"No. To remove one's symbiote without the aid of tretonin would be suicide.
"Could be a Jaffa Jonestown, sir." Jack added.
The General considered this, but the two Jaffa simply stared at him questioningly.
Jack answered their unspoken question. "Jonestown was a commune of people back in the seventies that were convinced by some nutcase to take their families, leave the world behind and eventually to commit mass murder/suicide. They gave everyone poisoned fruit drinks killing over nine hundred men, woman and children."
The Jaffa looked shocked at such a horrendous act. "Jaffa warriors will gladly die in service to their god, but none would ever commit such a cowardly act of which you speak, O'Neill." Teal'c said firmly.
"Yeah, I didn't think so." Jack admitted.
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"You will be a Goa'uld."
Sam's gaze jerked away from the aggressive goa'uld in the tank to stare at the Tok'ra next her.
Garshaw saw a momentary glimpse of fear in the tauri's eyes before a steely gaze replaced it announcing to all in the room that death awaited anyone who tried to touch her.
Sam slowly stepped back from the tank ignoring the violent thumps of the symbiote trying to escape…trying to get to her. Every instinct in Sam's body screamed at her to run, but she knew it was pointless. Her firearm was in her room sitting uselessly on her bed and she was outnumbered five to one in this room alone.
Her keen mind began running through every scenario of escape she could find and found none. She watched Garshaw as the Tok'ra turned back toward the tank. Tok'ra. Was Garshaw a Tok'ra anymore? Was she now a goa'uld? Sam reeled with the insight that she had just walked into a goa'uld-infested hole in the ground without the slightest fight. She scanned the room again getting ready to fight her way back to her gun, when she realized someone was missing.
Pha'esh
Suddenly, strong hands grasped her arms and pulled her back against an unyielding chest. Sam pulled against Pha'esh's grasp, but the strength the symbiote gave its host was well beyond hers. She watched as Garshaw reached up to the lid of the tank and pressed a button emitting a slight whooshing sound as an air pressure mechanism was released. Fear lanced threw her and she pulled at Pha'esh's hold once more putting all her strength into the forward motion.