Chapter Twenty-eight

"You're simply amazing."

"Gabriel, save the admiration for after we get out of here in one piece." Sam sighed, trying not to smile.

"Live or die, I stand by what I said." Gabriel replied honestly.

Sam just shook her head and went back to rearranging the Crystals below the console in Ba'al's lab. Making it to the lab had not been difficult. On several occasions while hiding and waiting for the guards to pass by Gabriel had closed his eyes and concentrated.

"More humans..." He had muttered. "I don't understand."

"Ba'al has lost a lot of his Jaffa to the Revolution."

"But why isn't he replacing them? He has the power to change these humans to Jaffa."

"That's right, Hathor turned General O'Neill once."

"There must be a reason." Gabriel insisted.

"Let's worry about it later."

Gabriel had nodded and lead her to the Lab, where she now worked on what would hopefully be the last Crystal combination. Sam slipped the Crystal in her hand into its new slot. All of the Crystals under the console flashed, went dark and then started a sequence.

"Got it!" Sam exclaimed in triumph. "Or at least part of it."

"I hope the next part doesn't take as long, Ba'al will have noticed that Daniel's missing by now."

"I need you to access as far as you can into Ba'al's files, to the point where you became stuck."

Gabriel nodded and started typing at the complicated interface. As he combed back through the files Sam watched the sequence carefully. When Gabriel announced that he was at an impasse Sam reached out and pulled out seven currently dark Crystals. She gently packed them in the back pack that Jack had given her and stood up.

"Okay, let's go."

"That's it?" Gabriel asked surprised. "That was...easy."

"It's only easy if you know what you're doing." Sam smiled.

"Do I detect a hint of actual 'pride' in your voice?" Gabriel chuckled.

"Maybe." Sam shrugged.

"How did you do it?"

"Ask me again when we're back at the Base."

Sam noticed with concern that Gabriel's frame had tensed at her last words. She knit her brow in sudden suspicion. Gabriel forced a smile, but it didn't help hide his true intentions.

"Gabriel...you can't go after Ba'al." Sam said sternly.

"I have to."

"Revenge won't help Daniel now."

"It's only partially about revenge." Gabriel sighed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Sam, if word spreads that I've made it out of the Ancient Lab...it will unite every Goa'uld in this Galaxy. They will drop everything and band together to find me."

"Why do they want you so badly?"

"I ingrained it into them a long time ago that if I die they will all loose their genetic memory. The Goa'uld want to make sure that I'm safe...forever."

"Stasis."

"Sam...I can't go back." Gabriel's eyes brightened with tears. "I can't be trapped in my own thoughts again...if I had known what it was going to be like I would have just let myself die with Gabriel."

Sam had never seen such a serious expression on Gabriel's face. It had never occurred to her that he'd been aware of being in stasis, she had always assumed that it was like being asleep. However the fear in his eyes told her it what a true prison it had been.

"Gabriel, this is suicide."

"I'd rather face whatever death holds for me than be placed back into timeless darkness of stasis."

"You aren't strong enough to take on Ba'al, and he won't kill you, he's smarter than that. Please just come back with me. Ba'al is going to have more than enough to deal with once we cripple this ship. We'll have time to think of something before he comes for you."

"He won't be coming for me. He thinks I'm in Daniel..."

"That's perfect!" Sam suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Gabriel, we have a surgery for removing Goa'uld..."

"Yes, I know." Gabriel rolled his eyes. "Jack threatened me with it on several occasions."

"Sorry about that, but if I know Ba'al he will contact us to try and barging before he joins up with the other Goa'uld and attacks. When he does...we'll just tell him we've done the sugery and you're dead. It will be very plausable, and remember the word that you're free would be coming from Ba'al's mouth anyway and I don't know anyone who trusts anything he says."

Sam watched Gabriel think about her plan. It was clear that he wanted to find a way to argue. However, eventually he conceded to it with a reluctant nod.

"Okay, we'll do it your way," Gabriel sighed "...under one condition."

"And that would be?"

"I'll need a kiss for luck."

"Forget it."

Gabriel chuckled and followed Sam as she made her way to the lab door. Before stepping out she reached into her pocket and pulled out the C4 trigger. Jack had planted two more smaller charges and then there was the main one near the hyperdrive. She triggered the last two smaller exsplosions. There was distant rumble that signified a continuation of the chaos.

Stepping out into the hall Gabriel took Sam's hand to lead her towards the nearest transporter rings. It had taken less than half an hour to get the Crystals and the mostly human crew seemed to be in complete disarray. So when they turned a corner and found themselves face to face with one of them no one seemed to know what to do.

When the guard finally decided to raise his staff weapon Gabriel raised up his hand device. The stone in his hand burned a deep red and the guard collapsed to the floor instantly. Blood trickled from the man's nose. Gabriel stared at him in disbelief.

"That...that wasn't what I was trying to do." Gabriel stuttered.

"It's okay," Sam said gently "let's just keep moving."

They arrived at the ring transporter room without further interruption. Before stepping into the ring Sam checked the cartridge of her sidearm. Deciding that a full clip was the way to go she riffled through the pack until she found one. Clicking it into place she flung the back pack over her shoulder and flicked off the gun's safety.

"Ready to go?" Sam asked.

Gabriel nodded and Sam turned away to step into the ring. Once in the ring she raised her gun just as Jack had in preparation for hostiles that may have been sent down to the Alpha Site once Ba'al noticed Daniel missing. She noticed at the last minute that Gabriel hadn't joined her.

"Gabri..."

Sam was cut off as the rings leapt up from the floor and bathed her in their white light. Gabriel wasted no time in disabling the transport mechanism to keep Sam from just returning. He dragged his hands through his long midnight and moonbeam hair.

"I'm sorry Sam. I made a promise to Daniel to see Ba'al dead...and I keep my promises."