Jack kept his link with Sam wide open as the Jaffa led them through the Goa'uld mother ship and into Ba'al's throne room. With a jab to the back of his legs, he was forced to kneel in front of the false god. He didn't dare a glance at Sam, afraid of drawing attention to her even as she was thrown down beside him.
You okay? He asked, thankful for their connection. It was the only think keeping him sane as his mind remembered the last time he and Ba'al faced off.
Pissed as hell, but fine, Sam told him. Her inner strength soothed his soul.
"We meet again, O'Neill, as I knew we would," Ba'al's eyes flashed, his tone sadistic. "And I see you've brought a friend; the infamous Samantha Carter."
Jack fought against the urge to attack the bastard. The way Ba'al said her name sent chills down Jack's spine.
"Glad to see you missed me," Jack quipped instead, regaining the snake's attention. "I'd like to request better accommodations this time. Last time they were the pits."
Ba'al threw back his head in laughter, the sound perverted by his Goa'uld voice. "You're audacity pleases me O'Neill, I shall take immense pleasure in breaking you. Again."
With a quick motion he silently ordered a Jaffa to press a pain stick against Jack's back. Lightening tore through his body as the blinding pain engulfed him. Beside him, Sam's reaction was instantaneous, the agony transferring through their bond.
"Stop!" Ba'al ordered, slowly circling them both, but keeping his eyes focused on Sam. "Interesting." He leaned down, grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, forcing her eyes to his. "It appears much has happened since your last visit," he directed to Jack without taking his gaze from Sam.
Jack said nothing, just spat saliva and blood from biting his tongue at Ba'al's feet. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mixture of rage and disgust on Sam's face.
Releasing her, Ba'al took the the pain stick from the Jaffa and pressed it lightly against Sam's shoulder. Jack surged forward, trying to stop him. "You bast—" he screamed before collapsing as both he and Sam failed to suppress their joint cry.
Ba'al laughed in delight as he hauled Sam upright. "I have only heard stories of such bonds occurring between two beings, but never of such between two Tau'ri." Roughly gripping Sam's hair, he jerked her around, pressing her back against his front, and turned to Jack. "Perhaps we should see if you can feel everything she feels, hmmm?"
Jack struggled against the Jaffa holding him before he was once again struck with the pain stick. Sam reacted immediately, her head slamming back into Ba'al's face, causing him to rear back.
"You idiot!" He roared at the Jaffa holding Jack. "Whatever you do to one, the other feels!" Ba'al threw Sam down next to Jack, as he pressed his hand against his nose.
"Serves you right," Sam bit out, forcing a smile at their captor.
"Take them!" Ba'al ordered. "I'll wipe that smile off your face; you'll be begging for my mercy," he promised.
"Promises, promises," Jack and Sam said in unison. Ba'al glared at them, but said nothing as they were hauled out of his sight.
—scene—
Jack made his way over to Sam as Ba'al's first prime engaged the holding cell's force shield.
"Why did we agree to this?" She groaned, rolling over once they were alone.
Positioning them so her head rested in his lap, Jack lightly rubbed her scalp with his nails. The sensation was the only thing he remembered helping the residual pain from the sticks.
"Because we're the good guys," he said, not entirely convinced that was a good enough reason.
With a grunt, Sam forced herself into a sitting position facing him. "Thanks," she said running her hands through her hair. "I wish you didn't know from experience how to make that headache go away."
He shrugged, not wanting to think about the last time he occupied a cell like this.
"What's the plan?" Sam said, all business.
"Well, it feels like the hyperdrive engines are engaged, so we're probably moving away from the planet—that's good," he reasoned. "Sam," he said seriously, "I only escaped last time because Lord Yue attacked Ba'al. I don't—"
"Shhh," she clasped both sides of his face. "You aren't alone this time. We've been in worse spots," she used the same words he had on the planet.
Jack allowed her calmness to soothe the fear he couldn't push away. He was putting on a brave facade, but in truth he was scared. Of course, what terrified his soul was knowing what Ba'al would do to Sam. He'd gladly suffer torture over and over again if the bastard would leave her alone. Unfortunately, Jack had had a front row seat to Ba'al's brand of cruelty; he'd use Sam to dismantle him piece by piece.
"You are stronger than him," Sam whispered fiercely. "We can do anything if we are together."
"She's right," T'Mar's voice rang through the air as he shimmered in front of them. His form wasn't entirely solid. "You are stronger than him and he knows it."
Jack surged to his feet, pulling Sam with him. "If you're here to get us out, now would be a perfect time," he said, but knew in his gut they wouldn't be that lucky.
"I cannot interfere," T'Mar said sadly.
"Then why are you here?" Sam asked acidly.
"To let you know, you will survive this," T'Mar bowed his head.
"Oh gee," Jack spread his arms wide, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "That makes me feel so much better!"
"I know you think I'm being heartless, but one day you'll realize…," his voice trailed off before pinning them with a hard stare. "Trust you bond." With a soft shimmer, he disappeared.
Jack sucked in a sharp, deep breath. "I'm really starting to hate that guy."
—POV—
Daniel Jackson walked through the stargate and back onto Earth, exhausted, dirty, and excited. He'd been crisscrossing the galaxy in an effort to wage an offensive against Kinsey.
"General Hammond," he rushed down the ramp, "it's done. All proposed members of the United Planets Coalition have signed the charter."
"Welcome home Dr. Jackson," Hammond's tone made Daniel stop short. He expected the base's commander to be happier about the news.
"What's wrong?" Daniel saw Jacob and Teal'c walk into the room. "Why isn't Teal'c on the planet with Jack and Sam?"
"We have run into a problem, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c said more somberly than normal.
"We lost contact with the planet a week ago," Hammond informed him. "Teal'c was forced to return to Earth prematurely due to unexpected seismic activity on the planet's surface that separated him from Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter. We haven't ben able to reestablish a stable wormhole."
"So why not send the Prometheus to fetch them," Daniel's felt sick to his stomach. They would have done that already.
"The Prometheus reached the coordinates of the planet yesterday," Hammond said. "There was nothing there."
"It's destroyed?!"
"No, Daniel," Jacob said sadly, "it's just gone." Lowering his head, Selmac assumed control. "A Tok'ra ship was also dispatched and sensors indicate there was never a planet there to begin with."
"That's…not possible," Daniel shook his head in disbelief.
"It gets worse," Hammond said. "Tok'ra intel indicates Ba'al's mother ship was at the coordinates of the planet for less than an hour before jumping into hyperspace."
"We do not know conclusively if Jack and Sam were on the planet when it disappeared or if they were captured by Ba'al," Selmac interjected before Jacob reassumed control. "A Tok'ra operative is on board Ba'al's ship," Jacob said. "We are waiting on confirmation if Jack and Sam are there."
Daniel cringed at the implications of Jack being Ba'al's prisoner again. He knew first hand how close his friend had come to not making it home last time. If Ba'al was torturing Sam, too; well, Daniel didn't want to think about it.
"I've ordered SG-3 and 13 to be on standby for a rescue mission as soon as we have confirmation," Hammond told him. "In the meantime, report to the infirmary for your standard checks and then come to my office. I want to get that charter signed by the President before Kinsey gets wind of it."
"Yes, sir," Daniel said as he headed towards Dr. Fraiser. Teal'c fell into step beside him.
"You were successful," Teal'c stated.
"I was."
"Of this I had no doubt," Teal'c said. Daniel wished he had the faith in himself that Teal'c did. There were several times where he had thought he'd failed. Getting the Asgard to agree to UPC was easy; their relationship with Earth had proven to be mutually beneficial. The Tollen and the Tok'ra, on the other hand, had proven to be exceedingly difficult. The Tollen were, of course, suspicious and reluctant to share technology. The Tok'ra wanted many concessions on keeping their operatives classified, which made the Tollen even more suspicious. Then there was the rebel Jaffa. Originally, Teal'c was supposed to approach Bra'tac and the rebel Jaffa; however, Daniel had to see to the task once his friend was sent to the planet with Sam and Jack.
Despite the many difficulties, Daniel had prevailed. The one key point the Asgard, Tollen, Tok'ra, and Jaffa had agreed on was that Jack O'Neill and Samantha Carter were the only Tau'ri representatives they wanted on the inaugural UPC.
Assuming the President signed the charter, each world's two representatives would become dual citizens of their home planet and the UPC. The UPC would become a separate governing entity that negotiated and made decisions in the best interests of the entire galaxy, not just a single planet. Daniel had made sure the agreement was specific and binding in terms of dual citizenship, so that Sam and Jack would be considered both foreign and domestic diplomats, thus granting them diplomatic immunity in the eyes of the United States government. It was a risky move, but would add a substantial roadblock to Kinsey's trumped-up charges.
Daniel stopped outside the infirmary and looked at Teal'c. His face was etched with worry. Instead of celebrating, Daniel needed to get Janet to clear him medically, so they could get to his office. There had to be some mention of a disappearing planet in the texts he'd collected over the years. Certainly, beings with the technology to hide an entire planet could help locate Sam and Jack.