Chapter Twenty-One
Punching in the code to home on the DHD, Withers watched as the worm hole blasted open in front of him. "Best part of the mission." He smirked. "going home."
"For you maybe." Mayborn said.
"We should go." The slave whispered, glancing back towards Cronus' ship. "Cronus will notice his mates absence soon."
Mayborne nodded before he saw a couple Jaffa through the trees holding a canopic jar on a platform. "Get through the gate, I think we need something else from this planet."
"Sir we can't leave you behind." Withers protested as Mayborne shoved Taryn into his arms. "Plus we have a symbiont..."
"We need this one." Harry said.
"Y...Yes sir..." He nodded, turning in his spot and heading through the gate.
Mayborne went into the trees and quickly Zatted the two Jaffa. He picked up the canopic jar and frowned. "Aphrodite... That's not right..."
Mayborne shook his head before heading towards the gate.
Opening his eyes slowly, John groaned. "I hate those things..." He grumbled under his breath, sitting up slowly and giving his head a shake.
"To your feet slave." Teal'c barked.
Standing up in his spot, John turned around and frowned when he saw Teal'c standing beside Ba'al. "Where is she?" He demanded angrily.
"That is no way to speak in the presence of your God." Ba'al huffed.
"Well I certainly didn't come here to talk to 'evil goatee' man." He grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at the system lord. "Where is my fiancée?"
"She is none of your concern anymore." Ba'al said.
"Like hell it isn't." John growled, moving to tackle Ba'al only to be hit with a torture stick by one of the Jaffa.
"I like your spirit, you might be a good host for my son." Ba'al said.
"Right, like hell that's happening." John growled.
"What if I told you that this symbiont was one of the first born of the rekindling of mine and Aphrodite's marriage." Ba'al said.
"Again, go to hell." He hissed. "I'm not here for your creepy snakes."
"I think you would be a good match for him." Ba'al said.
"And what make's you say that?" John growled angrily.
"You're young, strong, and not that bad looking." Ba'al said. "A perfect host by all measures except for one."
"One? And here I thought I was perfect." He smirked.
"Do you have the same abilities as the others we have recently plucked from the Tau'ri's populace?" Ba'al asked.
"Oh sorry," John smirked. "All normal human here."
"Are you sure about that?" Ba'al asked.
"I think I'd notice if I could make things float or blow shit up."
"I took the liberty of testing your DNA while you were unconscious." Ba'al said.
"Wonderful." John said with a roll of his eyes. "And let me guess, you found nothing."
"You have the same errant gene that Aphrodite's previous host has." Ba'al said. "I think all you need is a push."
"A push?" He laughed. "Right, torture isn't going to work on me ugly."
"I am not talking about torturing you..." Ba'al said with a smirk. "But I wonder how long you can watch your love being tortured without intervening and showing me your true power."
"Don't touch her..." John growled, grunting when a Jaffa grabbed his shoulder and held him down so he couldn't attack Ba'al. "She's one of the most powerful people you could ask for. You need her."
"Her emotional control is useful." Ba'al said. "But I have a feeling you will be more useful to me."
"I won't do a damn thing for you!" John screamed angrily.
Hearing the door open behind him, John craned his head to the side and winced when he saw Terri being dragged into the room.
"John..." Terri whispered as she struggled to keep her eyes open.
"Let her go!" He demanded, turning his attention back to Ba'al. "She's injured enough!"
"Show me your power." Ba'al said.
"I would, but I tend to keep that kind of thing to myself. Wouldn't want a psychopathic gou'ld overlord trying to get his nasty hands on it." John smirked.
Ba'al smirked as he took a Goul'd torture stick from his Jaffa. "Care about rephrasing your answer."
"I could go with a much worse explanation, but you bore me." John growled back, his eyes drifting towards Terri as Ba'al walked to her side.
"John, don't tell him anything..." Terri whispered. "Promise me..."
"Terri..." John protested, wincing when she stared back at him.
"No matter what..." Terri whispered before the stick was pressed into her neck and she screamed.
Clenching his jaw, John turned his eyes away from the scene and screwed them shut. the last thing he wanted to do was see Terri hurt, but he couldn't give Ba'al what he wanted.
"Look at her." Ba'al demanded.
John shook his head, unable to watch as Terri suffered.
"Teal'c Cree." Ba'al ordered as he pointed at John.
Feeling a hand in his hair, John grunted when his head was forced towards Terri and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Look at her..." Ba'al demanded as he turned on his ribbon device.
Clenching his jaw, John did his best to ignore Terri's screams and keep his eyes closed.
"John... Don't do anything he says." Terri said through gritted teeth.
"Stop..." He whispered weakly.
"Are you going to show me your power?" Ba'al asked.
"Go... To hell..." John hissed.
Ba'al smirked before driving the torture stick into Terri's neck.
Grinding his teeth together, John kept himself from yelling out as he listened to Terri's screams, unable to do anything to stop them.
Standing beside Taryn's bed, Melidir watched as she slept soundly while doctors moved around her. "How do you expect to take him out?" She frowned, glancing back at Harry as he walked up beside her. "They do not like to release their hosts."
"We have methods of doing it." Harry said.
"Will it be safe?" she asked, watching as Taryn was hooked up to a breathing machine.
"As safe as it would be removing any symbiont, and she's survived it at least once." Harry said.
"Perhaps that is why Narcissus choice me than." She commented.
"What do you mean?" Harry asked.
"If she was able to take control of her body back, maybe she was able to do more." She explained. "Maybe she was aware that to get Narcissus out of her body it would be a risk, one that a child might not survive..."
"You think he wasn't thinking about the health of the baby?" Harry asked.
"Narcissus is known for caring about no one but himself and Lord Cronus. His sudden care for a child that he had nothing to do with was... odd." She explained.
Harry nodded as he thought for a bit.
"Something is on your mind." Melidir noted. "What is it?"
"I was just wondering what Cronus and Narcissus hoped to gain by switching Athena out with Aphrodite." Harry said as he looked at the canopic jar across the room that was being examined by the medical team.
"How can you know that they switched them?" she inquired
"Well, if we have Aphrodite than Ba'al must have Athena if they did what I think they did." Harry said.
"If that is the case, it may be a trick to confuse their enemies." She explained. "Someone looking for Ba'al's enemy Aprhdoite would go to one of his planets after all, and when they found Athena they may simply turn away and leave her where she is."
"I do not think that will happen." Mayborne said. "On the other hand, the Goul'd could kill her."
"I am sure that Athena is fine." She said softly. "They have no interest in killing her."
"What makes you say that?" Mayborn asked.
"It is much more satisfying for them to leave their enemies in a jar, hidden deep within the ground or a temple for no one to reach. then they have to suffer their punishment."
"I hope you are right." Harry said.
"What will you do if you find her?" Melindir inquired. "You seem like you want all Symbionts dead."
"I don't care if the snake lives or dies either way." Harry said. "But she is important to Taryn, so I will try my best to find her."
Smiling, Melindir looked down at Taryn as she slept "You truly care for her..."
Harry heaved a sigh as he nodded.
"Then why do you keep such distance?" She questioned. "You refuse to step up to her side, hold her hand, or interact with her in the way a lover would."
"It's my job..." Harry whispered.
"Your...job?" Melindir inquired "What do you mean by this?"
"I was given the job of getting her to join the NID because I have a reputation of not getting attached to people." Harry said. "My job has always come first for me."
"Until suddenly it no longer did?" She asked, watching as he nodded his head "But, by the way you act... you attempted to keep it that way. To ensure your job continued to come first?"
"It's the way I was raised." Mayborne whispered.
"what do you mean by this?" Melindir inquired
"My father was a marine, he was all about following orders no matter how unjust or immoral they were." Mayborne whispered "When I was a kid he expected me to follow his orders without question or hesitation... Or there were consequences..."
"And this is how you want your own child raised?" She asked, tilting her head to the side when Mayborne gave her an odd look "It is obvious that the child is yours."
"I don't want a child to go through what I went through." Mayborn whispered.
"You cannot be sure that you would do such things to your own child." Argued Melindir. "You do not know what kind of father you would be."
"I am exactly like my father." Harry huffed as he stood up.
"I believe you are wrong." she said softly
"I need some air..." Harry whispered.
Nodding her head, Melindir turned her attention back to Taryn and watched as the doctors started to work on removing Narcissis from her while Colonel Mayborne walked out of the room.
Terri didn't know how long she had been asleep but her eyes opened to see that she was in a cell, with John unconscious next to her. "John..."
"Mmmmm..." John groaned, unable to open his eyes as his body ached.
Terri crawled over to her Fiancée weakly before laying her head on his chest. "It's ok, you can sleep."
"Terri..." Wrapping an arm around her waist, John pulled her close and buried his face into the top of her head as he tried to ignore the pain.
"It's ok, John, I'm here." Terri said softly.
"You can't go through that again..." John whispered against her hair. "I... I can't let you..."
"It's too dangerous to tell him." Terri whispered. "There is no guarantee he will put one of Aphrodite's children in you."
"Who cares Terri?" He asked. "I'm nothing compared to you and Taryn, and i'm supposed to protect you. Besides, we're not alone here."
"If Teal'c was going to do something he would have done it while we were being tortured." Terri said. "Or even before."
"I trust him to have a plan..." He whispered weakly.
"John, you can't tell him." Terri said. "If he finds out the potential of your powers he will take you for his own host."
"But you'd be safe..." John whispered. "You'd be safe Terri..."
"My safety would be worth nothing if you were being controlled by that asshat." Terri said.
"I don't care about me..." he said softly "I care that you get home, and if Ba'al took me as a host Teal'c would have to act before he gained full control because his cover would be blown."
"John, do you know what Ba'al could do with your powers?" Terri whispered.
thinking about it for a second, John sighed "Yes..." He whispered weakly. "A lot of damage..."
"You can't let him know..." Terri whispered.
"I can't let him hurt you." He whispered into her hair. "I'm supposed to keep you safe"
"Keep me safe by keeping yourself safe." Terri said softly. "Because I can't live without you."
"I'm not letting him hurt you." John whispered softly.
"I'll be fine." Terri said softly. "You need to get home to Mike, he'd be lost without you."
"You're coming home too." John said simply "I won't leave without you."
"John..."
"I'm not budging on it Terri." John said firmly.
"Alright..." Terri whispered as she snuggled close to him.
"I'm glad we agree." John smiled as he pulled her closer and closed his eyes once again.
Extracting the symbiont from Lt. O'Neill's spine, Dr. Withers moved it carefully towards the jar he had procured, grumbling when it wiggled in his grip. "We are not having a repeat of this procedure." He grumbled, shoving the symbiont into the jar and slapping the lid on as quickly as possible.
"Is there a problem, Doctor?" Col. Kennedy asked.
"It attempted to take the Lt with it." He explained calmly. "Thankfully that device that Mayborn precured from the Tok'ra prevented the poision from releasing."
"Thankfully."
Screwing the jar lid shut, Withers picked it up and held it out towards the Colonel. "I still have to finish here." He explained. "If you take this to the science lab i'm sure they will adore the opportunity to study it."
"Don't you want to study it?" Kennedy asked.
"I keep my studies to two legged homo sapiens, thank you." He huffed in annoyance. "They can talk to you without taking over someone else's body."
"I see." Kennedy said.
"After you take the symbiont to the lab I would suggest you contact Colonel O'Neill, sir." Withers said as he turned back to Taryn
"I'd rather not tip our hand just yet." Kennedy said.
"My studies are limited when there is no situation for them to use their gifts." He explained. "You have placed some of our people in the SGC. They will be able to give me information that I have failed to get here."
"Very well..." Kennedy said. "I am taking the other Symbiont as well."
"Are you sure that's wise Colonel?" Withers frowned. "Colonel Mayborn left it here for safe keeping."
"It will be the perfect opportunity to study a Goul'd Queen." Kennedy said.
"I can't deny that..." he admitted
"Exactly, it could give us an edge over the Goul'd." Kennedy said.
"Which we could use." Withers sighed. "They've found ways to take gifted hosts, and if they get hold of anyone else like the O'Neill twins..."
"Exactly, if they exist there must be more like them out there." Kennedy said.
"We need an edge..." He whispered.
"We need to know how to kill them." Kennedy said.
"You drink crap for beer, Jack." Harry said through a full mouth as he held a sandwich. "I hope you don't mind, I made myself at home."
"Friend of yours, Jack?" Jacob asked.
"Pain in my ass more like it." Jack grumbled
"Awww, I dated your daughter, I had hoped we were closer than that." Mayborn said.
"You also gave her up to the NID so no, we are not." Jack growled. "Now what the hell are you doing here? This isn't an open-door house. You ass holes arn't allowed to drop in whenever you want."
"I have a very good reason for being here." Harry said.
"Don't you have people to go torture and animals to murder?" He grumbled.
"More like saving your daughters, which one of them is asleep in your room." Mayborne said. "There was too much stuff cluttered in her old room."
Narrowing his eyes, Jack holstered his gun carefully and made a beeline for the stairs without another thought.
"Jack, it could be a trick." Jacob said.
Ignoring Jacob, Jack opened the door to his bedroom, releasing a breath he hadn't realized he was holding when he saw Taryn curled up under the blankets.
"Now that I have established even a little trust, I need your help." Mayborne said from the door. "And the Tok'Ra General here might want to pitch in his symbiont's skills."
"Right, cuz we're so open to helping." Jack said with a roll of his eyes as he made his way over to his bedside and sat down carefully beside Taryn. "And what exactly do you need our help for?"
"We found Aphrodite." Mayborn said. "But I couldn't get her out of there before the NID took her."
Jack raised an eyebrow at the sound of that. "You want to help us get Aphrodite back?" He inquired "Why?"
"Jack?" Jacob frowned. "We kind of need Aphrodite back... Why wouldn't we help him?"
"Because he's the reason the NID got hold of Aphrodite and Athena in the first place!" Jack said sternly. "Ok... Not Aphrodite, but he did give up Taryn and Athena."
"It seems like we have no choice." Jacob said. "He seems to be the only one who wants to give us her location."
"Don't you just love how that works out." Mayborne smirked.
"No." Jack growled, surging to his feet and closing the distance between himself and Mayborne. "You give us the location and we'll take care of it, but I am not going into the field with you."
"Why not?" Harry asked, insulted.
"Because with my luck you'd shoot me in the back." He growled. "And I like this shirt."
"I'm not going to shoot you, Jack." Mayborn said.
"Jack, I think we might need him." Jacob said.
Glancing over at the General, Jack huffed in annoyance and turned his back on Mayborne "Fine." He whispered as he walked over and picked up his landline phone.
"What are you doing?" Jacob asked.
"I'm not leaving her here alone." He said simply. "I'm calling someone to watch her while we're gone and as soon as that's done I'll call Sam and the others to meet us here for a plan."
Jacob nodded before he rounded on Mayborne. "If our queen is harmed in any way I will kill you myself." Sel'Mac warned.
"Understood." Mayborne said.
"Glad to see you're getting along." Jack said with a roll of his eyes while the other line picked up. "Mike, you're not busy are you?"
"No, just trying to bury myself in work to keep from worrying about my significant others." Mike sighed as he looked at an Artifact. "What's up?"
"Good. Come to my place. I have a job for you." He explained.
"Unless it has to do with Terri, John or Taryn, I'm not interested." Mike said as he wrote in his notebook.
"Well, good news." Jack sighed "I need you to play watchdog while Taryn's sleeping."
"What?!" Mike demanded.
"I'd tell you who found her, but you'd want to puke and since you're working I'm guessing you're holding something valuable that you don't want to get dirty." Jack explained.
"Gee thanks Jack." Harry huffed.
"Just a three-thousand-year-old artifact, no big deal." Mike chuckled. "I'll be there soon."
"Thank you." Jack sighed, hanging up the phone and turning to Harry and Jacob. "Alright, time to tell us everything you know."
"Jack..." Mayborne started.
"Out of this room." He said simply. "I don't want you anywhere near Taryn"
"I brought her home safe when you failed." Mayborne said. "That should earn me some credit."
"You still dumped her, got her pregnant and gave her up to the NID for testing." Jack frowned. "Trust me, you have a lot more 'credit' to build up before I let you in the same room as her."
"At least I have a chance of it." Harry said softly.
Jack rolled his eyes at the sound of that. "Yeah, good luck." He huffed in annoyance.
Holstering his side arm, Jack listened to the activity around him as everyone got ready to head into the building, frowning when a bullet proof vest appeared in front of him.
"What are doing?" He frowned, glancing over at Jacob.
"You need this." Jacob said.
"I don't need that." He stated, loading his rifle as he spoke. "It's just wasted money."
"Now is not the time to be a risk taker, Jack." Jacob said.
"Sir, trust me." He smiled over at the general. "I'll be fine"
"I am not letting my little girl's boyfriend go into a hostile situation without protection." Jacob said sternly.
"What's the big deal, Jack, you don't need to show off for Carter, she already likes you." Mayborne smiled.
"Why does everyone think i'm trying to show off?" Jack groaned.
"It... Is kind of something you do, Sir." Sam smiled over at him.
Rolling his eyes, Jack turned towards the building and sighed. "Just...stay behind me." He instructed before heading towards the building.
"Is he always this stubborn?" Jacob asked, "How do you stand it?"
"I have bad news for you dad." Sam smiled playfully. "Most women marry men who are a lot like their father."
"He is not like me." Jacob said.
"Yes, he is." She smiled before following Jack towards the building.
"Is not." Jacob huffed.
"I can't hear you complaining old man." Sam called back at her dad. "You might want to catch up if you want to keep telling me how you're not exactly like him."
Jacob laughed at that. "Well if he's like me at least I know he will protect you."
"i'm surrounded by the worst sort of people." Jack sighed "Harry, get the door before I kick it in."
"I'm coming, I'm coming..." Mayborne huffed.
"Good. Try not to take forever with that." Jack frowned, taking a step back so that Harry could access the door and punch in his code.
"Easy as pie." Harry smiled.
"Still don't like you." He stated as he brought his weapon up and headed into the building.
"The feeling is entirely mutual, Jack." Harry huffed.
"Can we focus on the mission, gentleman?" Sel'mac asked.
Making his way down the hallway, Jack grumbled when Mayborne went in front of him. "You know your back makes a good target."
"I'm the only one here willing to give you Aphrodite's location." Harry said.
"Only reason i'm not shooting." He grumbled under his breath.
"Yeah, yeah." Harry said before stopping them and waving at them to back off. "Company."
"Harry! I wasn't expecting you back till Thursday." Kennedy said.
"I have to get something from my office." Harry lied. "Why are you working so late?"
"Why do crazy people always work late?" Jack grumbled under his breath, huffing when Jacob jabbed him in the side.
"I was about to head home actually." Kennedy said as he adjusted the files under his arm.
"Colonel!" Making his way down the hallway, Doctor Withers raised an eyebrow when he saw Colonel Mayborne and Colonel Kennedy talking. "The lab would like to speak to you"
"I was about to head home, Whithers, can't it wait?" Kennedy asked.
"It's about the Jaffa that Colonel Mayborne brought back with his team." He explained. "She's refusing to... Cooperate."
"Well maybe if you didn't insist on keeping her cooped up here." Mayborne said.
"You know as well as I do letting her out into public would be a terrible idea." Withers frowned. "Even General Hammond is not stupid enough to allow Teal'c into public unattended, and that took weeks."
"I'll take her to my place." Harry said. "I'll keep her secure."
"Are you sure?" Kennedy asked.
"She's carrying my child, the least I can do is take care of her." Harry said. "Besides, until the child is born she is useless to us."
"if you insist." Doctor Withers frowned "and how is the Lt? I assume you got her home safe?"
"I'm going to shoot him..." Jack growled under his breath, grunting when Jacob grabbed his shoulder and shoved him back against the wall.
"Not until Aphrodite is safe." Jacob said.
"She is safe." Mayborne said softly.
"That's good." Withers sighed. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."
"Understood." Harry said.
"You should get home Colonel." He said as he brushed past Harry. "You had a long day in the Field playing hero."
"I wasn't playing." Harry grumbled under his breath.
"Hero my ass..." Jack grumbled under his breath as the group dispersed and Harry walked back over to them.
"Easy as pie." Mayborne smiled.
"I'm shooting you in the foot after this..." He grumbled as he pushed passed the other man.
"If you can catch me." Harry said.
"I'll hold you down." Jacob growled.
Jack smirked at the sound of that. "See, I'm not alone." He said as they headed down the hallway.
"So how are things going with you and Carter, anyways?" Mayborne asked.
"I really don't think that's any of your business." Jack frowned.
"Can't I inquire about an old friend's love life?" Mayborne asked.
"You stopped being friends when you decided to fuck my daughter." Jack grumbled.
"Yeah that kind of crosses the line." Jacob said.
"Aren't you two in the same boat?" Harry asked.
"He was dating my daughter first and as far as I know they haven't done the nasty yet." Jacob said.
"Ewww" Jack winced "Can we not call it that? It makes it sound... Wrong..."
"I'll call it what I want." Jacob smiled.
Jack rolled his eyes at the sound of that. "Sir, yes, sir..."
Glancing through the window, Jack sighed "That room is full." He whispered as Harry stepped in behind him. "We can't grab Aphrodite in a full room."
"What's the problem Jack?" Harry asked.
"The last thing I want to do is start shooting up the room." He huffed. "Don't get me wrong, everyone in there deserves it. I'm just afraid a stray bullet may hit Aphrodite."
"Do we or do we not have an air force general in our midst?" Harry asked.
"Yes, we do..." Jack frowned. "But what does that have to do with anything? this is the NID."
"NID still has to report to the pentagon." Harry said.
Glancing back at Jacob, Jack sighed "You think you can do it sir?"
"And if my cover is blown?" Jacob asked.
"I'll make sure no one tries to shoot you if they choice to be insubordinate ass holes." He breamed.
"This coming from the idiot without a bullet proof vest." Jacob raised an eyebrow.
"You're not going to let me live down the no tac vest thing, are you?" He sighed softly.
"Not as long as you are dating my little girl." Jacob said.
"I already have forged orders for the symbiont to be transferred to the pentagon." Harry said.
"Oh look, he's useful for something." Jack smirked, swiping the orders from Mayborne when he took them out of his jacket pocket and handing them to Jacob. "See. this shouldn't be hard at all."
"You're jinxing it O'Neill." Jacob sighed.
"I promise the only person I'll shoot is Kennedy, and that's only if he shows his ugly face." He smirked.
"I'll hold you to that." Jacob said.
"Go." Harry said.
Watching as Jacob headed into the room, Jack leaned his shoulder against the wall and sighed. "Don't you have a Jaffa to go pick up?"
"Right..." Harry said.
"Yeah... Don't think I'm not shooting you for knocking my baby girl up..." He grumbled.
"They are not exactly a girl right now." Harry said.
"Oh, sorry. knocking my baby boy up." he smirked
"Yeah... That's just wrong..." Mayborne winced.
"As wrong as you are conspiring with O'Neill is." Kennedy said as he walked up.
Turning around in his spot, Jack grunted when he a gun went off and he felt something colliding with his forehead, forcing him back against the wall and onto his ass.
"Jack!" Harry yelled.
"I knew they had to have gotten it from somewhere." Kennedy smirked.
"God damn it..." Jack grumbled as he brought a hand up and rubbed his forehead. "What the hell Kennedy..?"
"Same to you." Kennedy said.
"Jack... You want to explain?" Mayborne asked.
Picking up the warped bullet that Kennedy had fired at him, Jack rose an eyebrow. "A bullet? Really?" He groaned. "I'm going to have a headache for the rest of the night thanks to you."
"You should be dead." Kennedy said.
"I kind of agree with the colonel here." Mayborne said. "That's not natural."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "What?" He frowned. "There's nothing weird about not dying. I quiet like not dying."
"That bullet should have gone through your head and killed you." Mayborne said.
"You want me to test if your forehead can handle a bullet?" He frowned.
"I'd rather not, thanks anyways, Jack." Mayborne said.
"You're in no position to make threats, Colonel." Kennedy said.
"You literally just tried to kill me!" Jack screamed as he unholstered his weapon and pointed it at Kennedy. "Please tell me why I shouldn't actually kill you?"
"Because your grandchild is at stake." Kennedy said.
"Jack, I'd do what they say." Mayborne said.
Feeling a surge of electricity running through him, Jack recoiled into himself, dropping his weapon to the ground and backing up into the wall.
"Well, it seems some things can still affect you, Colonel." Withers stated, pulling the Taser away from Jack and allowing the colonel to recover from the assault.
"You were quick." Mayborne said.
"You didn't think we would miss seeing them on the camera's did you?" Withers frowned. "Either you're an idiot, or you wanted them to get caught for some reason."
"I told you that I would figure out his secret." Mayborne smiled.
"You fuck..." Jack growled, bringing a hand up to his side when Withers had tasered him.
"I told you not to trust me, Jack." Mayborne said.
Finding is footing, Jack started to push himself back up to his feet carefully as his legs shook under the weight of his body. "Carter, now."
"You were prepared." Mayborne said.
"Stop him!"
Seeing the lights go out, Jack kicked his foot out and sent Kennedy flying into the opposite wall before elbowing withers in the face.
"Jack, you can't get out of here." Mayborne said.
Ignoring the other man, Jack turned around and clenched his jaw before slamming his hand through the concrete wall and ripping out all of the wires he could grab, causing the sprinklers and alarms to go off.
"I'm guessing things went south?" Jacob asked as he came out carrying a canopic Jar.
"Time to go." Jack growled, grabbing the general's shoulder and directing him down the hallways with a shove.
"I'll take that as a yes." Jacob said as he held the Jar close.
"A very bad yes." Jack confirmed as he unholstered his gun and started to fire at those who tried to follow them.
"What do we do?" Jacob asked.
"We need to get Aphrodite out of here." He said sternly, ensuring that he was covering Jacob from any oncoming bullets as they made their way down the hallway.
"Jack, what is going on?" Jacob asked.
Turning a corner, Jack growled when he found their path blocked. "I'm going to clear you a path." He stated, stepping in front of Jacob without a thought. "Once I'm through you need to head for the exit."
"I should be here helping you." Jacob said.
"Your first priority is Aphrodite" He said sternly.
"You're going to get yourself shot." Jacob said.
"Yeah, well... Time to ruin a shirt." He grumbled, charging forward into the ground and ignoring the bullets that bounced off of him as he plowed through the group, knocking out every person he passed with a well-placed elbow or foot.
"Jack! Watch out!" Jacob called.
"You are not going anywhere." Mayborne said.
Turning around in his spot, Jack growled when he saw Mayborne at the other end of the hallway. "Go, General." He said sternly.
"If I leave you, Sam will kill me." Jacob said.
"I'll be right behind you." He promised. "But you need to get Aphrodite out of here!"
Jacob frowned before turning on his heel and running for the exit.
"Just me and you, Jack." Mayborne said.
"You're trying to make it sound fun." Jack huffed. "This isn't fun... At least not for you." He grumbled before lifting up his side arm and shooting Mayborne in the leg.
"Hey!" Mayborne protested.
"We both know if I just leave you and your creepy sidekicks will follow me home." He frowned "And Taryn just got back, and the last thing I want if you within ten feet of her."
"Jack, listen to me." Mayborn said.
"Do I have to shoot you again?" He growled, pulling the trigger back on his side arm as a warning.
"Let him go." Mayborne nodded to someone behind Jack.
"Not a chance." Kennedy growled.
Feeling a familiar pain radiating through his body, Jack reached out and grabbed the end of the gou'ld pain stick that Kennedy had found and yanked it out of the man's hand with a grunt. "Stop... With the... Electricity." He growled, tossing the weapon off to the side and putting a hand over the area Kennedy had hit him.
"You're not leaving here, Colonel." Kennedy said.
"It's almost like you forget who I work for..." Jack growled. "You can't just keep an air force colonel locked up."
"I kept your daughters locked up for months back in the day." Kennedy said.
Letting his eyes scan over to the exit, Jack sighed. There was no way he was sticking around here for some sort of weird experiments or whatever Kennedy had in mind.
"In that case..." He reached down and unclipped one of the grenades off of his belt. "I guess I'll have to take out the room."
"Jack, you don't want to do that." Kennedy said.
"I know exactly what i'm doing. " He corrected, pulling the pin out of the grand and letting the handle fly off.
"Hit the Deck!" Mayborne yelled.
"Shit..." Kennedy growled as he dived to the side.
Seeing Kennedy jump off behind the nearest wall, Jack smiled. Now he had a clear get away, and he wasn't going to miss it.
Making a sprint for the door, Jack dropped the dummy grenade on the ground without a thought and used his shoulder to slam the door open a bit faster while Kennedy peeked his head out from behind his hiding spot.
"O'Neill!" Kennedy yelled.
"I'll send a postcard!" Jack called back playfully, turning around the corner and bolting out the exit without another thought.
Terri laid against the cell wall as she rubbed her forehead and John was thrown in by Teal'c.
"You don't need to be so rough." John growled under his breath, holding onto his arm while he fought to stay on his feet.
Terri waited until she could no longer hear the Jaffa's footstep before speaking. "I think I have a plan, but you aren't going to like it."
"You know, why you put it that way it makes me not want to hear the plan." John sighed. "But... It has to be better than this... What is it?"
"It involves using your powers." Terri said softly.
"Terri... The last time I did that..."
"I know, you got stuck as Dad..." Terri said. "It was an awkward day, but I think this is our only way."
Giving himself a moment to think about it, John sighed. "Alright..." He whispered.
"You're not going to like who you need to turn into either." Terri said softly.
"Mmmm…" John groaned. "Who is it?"
"How do you feel about a Goatee?" Terri winced.
Narrowing his eyes, John growled. "No..."
"John..."
"I am not going to risk being stuck as him for... Fuck knows how long." He protested. "There has to be another way."
"I don't think there is." Terri whispered.
"Terri..." glancing over at his fiancée, John sighed when she gave him a pleading look. "Fine..."
"You won't get stuck, I promise." Terri said softly.
"How can you be sure of that?" John groaned.
"Remember, I was the one who figured out how to get you out of being Dad." Terri said.
"So long as I can change back before I get home" He whispered. "Your dad's bullet proof, not me."
"I won't let anyone shoot you." Terri smiled as she leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
"What was that for?" John inquired as he raised a hand up to touch his cheek
"I just wanted to do that before you turn into ugly." Terri smiled.
"Well..." He chuckled. "At least I know you think i'm the hotter one."
"Are you comparing yourself to Ba'al or you to Mike?"
"Ba'al." John assured her. "Mike's too pretty to be compared to."
"Good because I don't want that debate started between the two of you again." Terri smiled.
"It only lasted a week." John smirked playfully.
"And as you recall I ended it by locking you two out of the bedroom." Terri smiled.
"Yeah... That was kind of horrible..." John admitted. "But we made up."
You always do." Terri smiled.
"Well, kind of." John chuckled.
"Please, you wouldn't last a day without Mike." Terri smiled.
"That is absolutely true." He chuckled. "I would die if either of you left."
"Damn straight!" Terri smiled.
"Let's just..." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "Let's get this over with."
"You won't get stuck, I promise." Terri said.
"I hope you're right." John sighed.
Making his way down the hallway, John tugged on the chain that Ba'al had left around Terri's neck. He hated doing this, seeing her pretend to cower beside him, but she was right. It was the best way out of here
"Where are we going, my Lord?" Teal'c asked.
"I have decided to separate her from the other one for a while." He explained, hoping Teal'c bought the act and followed. "And I require you by my side."
"Where is it that we are going?" Teal'c asked.
"We are taking a trip onto the surface." He explained calmly. "We will acquire an Alkesh and fly down, so that she can get a glimpse of her new home."
"My Lord, the Jaffa are still getting used to me as their first prime." Teal'c said. "I should remain here."
"It won't be long until I break the human and take him as my host." He dismissed "Until then, I want my first prime to accompany us down to the surface. Is that a problem for you?"
"No, my lord." Teal'c said.
"I'm glad to hear it." John stated, stepping back and holding out an arm to signal that Teal'c should start walking. "You can fly"
"Yes, My Lord." Teal'c said as he raised his eyebrow at Ba'al's unusually friendly voice.
"Did I stutter?" John asked sternly.
"No, my lord." Teal'c said.
"Then get moving" John ordered sternly.
"Yes, my lord." Teal'c said.
"You weren't supposed to get hit..." Jack grumbled from the front seat, his eyes glued on the road as he drove everyone back to base and Sam took care of bandaging her fathers wound in the back.
"Mayborne got off a lucky shot." Jacob said. "You're lucky it wasn't you."
"I told you, I don't need a tactical vest sir." He reminded the general. "But that's not the point. Our mission was successful. We got Aphrodite back"
"Yes, but in what condition?" Sam asked as she analyzed the Jar. "The readings I am getting don't look so good."
"What are you trying to say?" Jack frowned
"Bottom line, Sir, we need to get her into a host and soon." Sam said.
"Do you have a host to take her?" he inquired, glancing back at Jacob through the rear-view mirror.
"She will only accept Terri as a host." Sel'Mac said. "She has gotten quite attached to her."
"We're going to have to find someone" He whispered. "At least till Terri gets back."
"I will see what I can do." Sel'Mac said.
"That is the best we can ask for." Jack sighed. "We'll be at the base soon. just... Don't bleed to death back there."
"Do not give him ideas!" Sam grumbled
"I'm not going anywhere for a long time, Sam." Jacob smiled.
"It would be nice if you avoided getting shot. I would doubt that promise a lot less..." Sam whispered
"Sorry, Sam." Jacob said softly.
"Just...no more getting shot." Sam sighed. "Please."
"I'll try my best, sweetheart." Jacob said gently.
"That is all I ask." Sam smiled softly.
Pulling the van into the base, Jack held his I'd out to the guard and waited for them to wave him through before heading into the parking lot.
"I need to contact the Tok'Ra right away." Jacob said.
"What about?" Sam sighed
"We need a host for Aphrodite." Sel'Mak said.
"You can do it after you get patched up." She frowned. "Aphrodite is safe for now."
"You said she needed a host." Jacob said.
"She does." Sam confirmed "after you're healed"
"I'll have General Hammond put in the call." Jack promised. "Were not going to argue with the Captain on this one sir. She might kill us both."
"It's nothing Sel'Mac can't take care of." Jacob said as he moved away from the bandage his daughter was trying to put on his shoulder.
"Let me bandage you up" Sam growled at her dad.
"I'm fine, Sam." Jacob said.
"let me bandage you up or I'll make dinner plans with mark and let you explain why you're in so much pain when we get there." She threatened.
"You know I haven't spoken to your brother in years." Jacob said.
"All the more reason for me to make dinner plans." Sam smiled.
Seeing a cup appearing in front of her, Taryn smlied weakly "Thank you." She whispered, taking the offering from Mike and holding it close while he took a seat beside her.
"How are you feeling?" Mike asked. "Like a million bucks?"
"I feel like I've been hit by a truck." She corrected. "Whatever they did to get that thing out of me, it was not up to medical standard."
"Having a symbiont pulled out of you isn't exactly standard medical procedure." Mike smiled.
Quit it." She chuckled, nudging Mike in the shoulder playfully while the light above them flickered. "You know dad's rule. No electricity in the house that's not controlled by wires."
"That's a stupid rule." Mike chuckled. "I'm just trying to distract myself."
"From what exactly?" Taryn asked, lifting her cup up to her mouth so that she could take a sip.
"John and Terri are still missing." Mike whispered.
"They'll get back home." She promised. "If they don't do it by themselves, dad will find them."
"I hope so." Mike said as the doorbell rang.
Glancing back at the door, Taryn frowned. "Are we expecting company?"
"A cute Canadian recommended a Hot Scottish doctor to check you over." Mike smiled. "That should be him."
"Why do you keep trying to set me up?" Taryn groaned
"Because I love my best friend and I want her to be happy." Mike smiled.
"You're the worst..." She sighed softly.
"You love me, and you know it." Mike smiled as he started to leave the room.
"Wait... Carson can't check up on me." Taryn protested. "He doesn't know about the symbionts so what the hell am I supposed to tell him?"
"Dr. Beckett has clearance." Mike confirmed.
"How the hell did you guys get him clearance?" She frowned.
"He's kind of the doctor who discovered the way to remove symbionts from human bodies." MIke said as the doorbell rang again. "It's better if he explains it."
"I leave for a short time and everything goes back ass backwards..." Taryn grumbled, watching as Mike headed to the front and opened the door.
"What took so long?" Mike asked.
"I had to convince my ride to get out of bed." Carson shrugged as Rodney walked up behind him. "Though... That didn't take him long once I said why I had been called in."
"How is she?" Rodney asked.
"Awake and annoyed." Mike said.
"That sounds relatively normal" Carson smiled, pushing past Michael carefully and heading towards the living room.
"I would be annoyed too if I was brought home by Mayborne?" Rodney huffed.
"I can hear you..." Taryn called back, watching as Carson set down his medical kit on the coffee table. "I'm fine."
"I'll be the judge of that." Carson corrected as he opened his kit.
"Let the sexy Scottish doctor do his work." Rodney smiled.
"There's no work to do" Taryn groaned. "I'm snake less, baby less. I'm basically in perfect health here."
"You're also stressed and have been through god only knows what." Carson reminded her. "Now, let me do a checkup."
Rolling her eyes, Taryn sat there quietly as Carson brought out a blood pressure cuff and wrapped it around her bicep.
"You're ok, right?" Rodney asked.
"I'm fine." She said for what felt like the 100th time. "Tired and annoyed, but fine."
"Good cause, I don't know what I would do without you." Rodney said softly.
"Survive?" Taryn suggested with a raised eyebrow.
"I think he'd be more likely to eat away his sorrows." Carson chuckled.
"Hey!" Rodney protested.
"Just sit-down, Rodney." Carson smiled. "This will take a while."
Rodney sighed before his phone went off.
"Who could be messaging you at this hour?" Carson frowned.
"It's Jeanie." Rodney sighed as he checked his texts. "She's in town for a conference."
"A conference?" Frowned Carson. "You didn't tell me you were going to a conference this week."
"I'm trying to avoid it like the plague." Rodney said.
"You, avoid a chance to talk science and show off how smart you are?" Carson narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend
"I agree, that's not like you at all." Taryn frowned. "What's up?"
"Because ever since I joined the SGC I have been getting questions about why I haven't published any formulas or come to visit." Rodney sighed. "I can't tell them what I am doing so it is pointless to meet them."
"No, its not" Taryn smiled. "You can tell them you're doing a ton of work for the government. They don't need answers and you have every right to be there."
"I don't think so..." Rodney whispered.
"Plus, it's a good chance for your sister to meet your boyfriend." She smirked while Carson checked her blood pressure.
"My family doesn't know I am Bi..." Rodney whispered.
"So?" Taryn frowned. "That's something you can tell them."
"No, it's another reason to ignore them." Rodney said.
"That sounds like a terrible idea." Carson sighed. "Or if this is worrisome for you, you could just take Taryn."
"Are you two seriously ganging up on me?" Rodney chuckled.
"Yeah." Taryn smiled softly "That's what we're here for."
"Wonderful." Rodney sighed. "Can you imagine what they would say if I brought both of you?"
"They'd be jealous of the pretty girl by your side." Carson smirked.
Rolling her eyes, Taryn reached out and flicked Carson in the ear playfully. "They'd be too busy looking at the pretty boy Scott to notice me."
"Can we keep on track please?" Mike asked.
"Sorry." Carson blushed. "She seems to be fine. Blood pressure is a little higher than normal, but that comes with the stress of her situation."
"Obviously." Mike said softly.
"We can take care of her from this point." He promised. "You should get some sleep. You look tired"
"Not really tired, just stressed." Mike whispered.
"Stressed about what?" Asked Taryn
"It's that time of year." Mike whispered. "And now that Daniel is back on planet..."
"Ouch..." Taryn winced. "That's... I'm sorry."
"Yeah..." Mike whispered.
"I'm sure he'll make it up to you." She offered. "I mean, Daniel's really bad at a lot of things, but he was always pretty good at apologies."
"He can make it up to me by not making me do this pointless ritual." Mike sighed.
"Then tell him that." Taryn said.
Pulling off his under shirt, Jack sighed as he poked a finger through one of the new bullet holes. "I liked this shirt too..." He sighed softly.
"You want to explain what happened?" Jacob asked as he entered the locker room.
"There's nothing to explain, sir." Jack frowned, tossing his shirt off to the side and reaching into his locker for a few one. "Took some bullets, ruined a shirt. Nothing special."
"If you are a Hak'taur you need protection." Jacob said. "If the Goul'd find out..."
"They won't find out." Jack stated simply "their weapons are based off electricity. That shit hurts me like hell so the gou'ld are not a threat. Besides, I'm trained. I know how to fight and protect myself."
"You haven't fought the Gould for that long." Jacob said. "What if you are captured?"
"I spent six months as a POW sir. I can survive just find if the gou'ld do catch me." He assured Jacob. "Besides, they won't. I have Sam and Teal'c watching my back."
"And Me." Daniel said as he came into the room.
"Yeah, not gaining much confidence for my safety with that one, Danny boy" Jack smirked. "What are you doing here anyways? Don't tell me you need me to help you with shooting practice again."
"Heading home actually." Daniel said softly. "Hammond gave me and Mike the evening off."
"How did you pull that one off?" Jack chuckled
"It's the anniversary of our parents' death..." Daniel said softly. "We always go to their favorite place."
"right... Sorry..." Jack winced.
"It's not your fault, Jack, I never really talk about it." Daniel said softly as he grabbed his Jacket and his keys.
"Still, I've known you long enough it's not something I should forget." Jack sighed. "Although...it has been a few years since you went hasn't it? Is mike ready to get back into that tradition?"
"I missed it when I was on Abydos, I have to make it up to him this time." Daniel said.
"I guess" jack sighed. "Alright, in that case I'll see you later."
"When are you heading home?" Daniel asked.
"I'll be home soon to keep an eye on taryn." He promised. "Besides, I think Beckett and McKay are there right now. I don't think they'd be able to do a thing if anything happened, but it's better than leaving her alone right now."
"Worried she won't recover?" Daniel asked.
"I'm more afraid of Mayborne getting near her." He sighed.
"I doubt the boys will let that happen." Daniel said.
"What makes you say that?" Jack frowned.
"You don't see it?" Daniel asked.
"I'm finding it difficult to think of what you mean when you say 'it'." Jack's frowned deepened as he thought.
"Both McKay and Beckett like her." Daniel said.
Narrowing his eyes, Jack thought about it for a moment before giving his head a shake. "No."
"You're in denial." Daniel said.
"She just got out of a nasty relationship and was taken as a host for the gou'ld." He protested. "The last thing she needs right now is more people trying to get into her pants."
"Just because they like her does not mean they are only interested in getting into her pants, Jack." Daniel sighed.
"Bullshit..." Jack grumbled under his breath. "Anyways...what about you? When are you going to get back out there and find someone?"
Daniel chuckled when Jack changed the subject. "No, there is no one but Shar'A. I will find her..."
"At least one of us has hope." Jack whispered as he thought about S'kara.
"Hey, I know you are close to S'kara." Daniel said. "I'm sure the serpent guards put him in the sarcophagus and got him off the ship before it blew."
"That or I killed him…" Jack whispered.
"Jack..." Daniel said gently.
"Never mind." He sighed, giving his head a shake. "You should get going, and I have to get home."
"Why the sudden rush to go home to an empty house?" Daniel asked.
"My daughter is there." Jack corrected. "I don't want to leave her alone long."
"She's not alone, she has McKay and Beckett." Daniel smiled.
"No..." Jack grumbled under his breath.
Looking out the window of the space craft, John watched as the ship shrank in the distance.
"Wait until we jump to hyperspace before changing back." Terri whispered.
"Why do you say that gorgeous?" John whispred back to her.
"I don't know if Teal'c has been Nishtaed or not." Terri whispered as she covered her stomach when it did a flip flop.
"You alright?" He inquired, frowning when Terri's face went green
"I'm fine." Terri whispered.
"No, you're not" He sighed. "But there's not much we can do about that here."
"John..." Terri whispered.
"Just hold on gorgeous" He said softly. "We'll be home soon."
Terri nodded as she put a hand to her stomach. What if she was pregnant?
"we'll be home soon" John promised
"I love you." Terri said softly.
"I love you too." He smiled, back at her while Teal'c started up the hyperdrive.
Terri closed her eyes as the jump to hyperspace made her stomach lurch.
"We have jumped to hyperspace, my lord." Teal'c said.
"Good" John smirked, ignoring the fact that he still looked like ba'al "now..." he stopped talking when Terri reached out and put a hand on his shoulder
"Get his Zat before ordering him to change course." Terri said quietly.
"That's kind of hard to do from here." John protested.
"Sweetie, you're still disguised as ugly." Terri said. "Order him..."
Sighing, John took a deep breath and focused on his ruse once more. "First prime, did you bring your zatnikatel with you?"
"I did indeed, my lord." Teal'c said.
"I may need it." He said with a slight growl, giving Terri chain a slight tug so that she growled at him and started to fight. "It seems we still have some work to do with this one."
"As you wish my lord." Teal'c said as he unholstered his Zat.
Taking the zat from Teal'c, John sighed. "Now I need you to change course"
"May I ask why, my lord?" Teal'c asked.
"I lied." He admitted, letting out a soft breath and changing back into himself.
"I am relieved." Teal'c sighed. "I am guessing we are changing course to the Tau'ri."
"You would be guessing right, Teal'c" Terri said as she undid her own chains. "As soon as possible."
"How are you doing?" John asked as he reached back to help Terri with the chains.
"I'm ok... I hope." Terri said as she held her stomach.
"We'll be home soon." He smiled softly. "And doctor Frasier will make sure everything is alright."
Terri nodded as she held onto John.
"We'll be home soon." John promised. "Just relax till then."
"SG-1 to the control room." Walter called over the com system.
"Oh, come on." Jack groaned. "We just sat down"
"I guess we had better go and find out." Daniel said as he set his spoon down.
"It's always us." He grumbled under his breath. "Why is it never someone else?"
"Perks of being the main field team." Sam smiled softly as she stood up beside Jack. "Come on sir, before the general gives us shit."
Stepping into the control room, jack sighed when he saw the general standing behind Walter and looking at some of the security cameras. "Whats going on sir? Did someone let skyler fix something again? I told you to stop that, he always hurts himself."
"There's an alkesh landing on the base." Hammond said.
"A what?" Jack stopped in his tracks. "Why aren't the alarms going off?"
"We were expecting it."
"We were expecting a gou'ld ship?" He frowned.
"Shepard one has docked." Walter said.
Feeling his eyes going wide, jack glanced over at Walter. "S... Sheppard?"
"You'll want to come with me Jack." Hammond said. "Doctor Jackson I suggest you find your brother."
"Sir?" Daniel frowned.
"Go get mike..." jack whispered softly
"Jack, do you know what is going on?" Daniel asked.
"Do it, Daniel." He ordered. "He'll want to be here."
"If he will let me into his lab." Daniel whispered.
"What do you mean by that?" Jack frowned.
"The night out for our parents didn't go well." Daniel sighed.
"Just..." Jack rubbed a hand over his eyes in annoyance. "Tell him Terri and John are home..."
"That'll get him to open the door and ignore me as he rushes by." Daniel said.
"Go... Now!" He ordered.
"Okay, I'm going, Mr. grumpy." Daniel huffed.
"You can fix it later." Jack grumbled under his breath.
"This is a bad idea." Terri said as she eyeballed John/Mayborne.
"It is a great idea." John corrected. "Amazing, in fact. She'll laugh."
"She's going to punch you is what she is going to do." Terri said.
"Hey, no informing her with your twin telepathy thing." John protested. "That's not fair. It ruins the surprise."
"I don't need twin telepathy to tell you that." Terri said.
"Well... I think you're wrong." He huffed.
"We have arrived." Teal'c stated as he started to lower the ship.
"The folks at Area 51 are going to love this thing." Terri said as the Alkesh landed.
"They do always like new toys to play with." John agreed. "This should be an interesting one for them to experiment with. And I'm sure your dad will love it even more." He smirked. "He always likes flying new things."
"Oh yeah." Terri said as they made their way to the loading ramp. "She's still going to hit you."
John chuckled as the ramp lowered and they walked out into the Earth's sun.