"Janet," Sam said suddenly after a pause. "If they die. it'll be all my
fault."
"If they die," said Janet steadfastly, "it will be the fault of the
Goa'uld. You didn't invade Earth, Sam."
Sam smiled briefly at the mental image those words conjured up, but she was
soon back in her morose state. "Janet, I came up with this plan. It's
impossible, it'll never work, we'll all be discovered and then what will we
do?"
"Colonel O'Neill believed in it. Colonel O'Neill believes in you. It will
work, Sam. It will work." Janet spoke slowly, emphasising each word.
"What if it doesn't? What will we do?" Sam was getting more distressed by
the moment.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said Janet firmly. She
wondered for a moment what they would do, but crushed the thought. Now was
not the time.
"I don't know." Sam said, becoming reflective. "Everyone always thinks I'll
come up with a plan, it will all be fine, Sam has a plan. But they don't
know how much help I had in the SGC, how I had every piece of technology
ever invented to help me, and even the sometimes I couldn't think of
anything! Remember Antarctica? It was Daniel who saved us then, Daniel; if
it was left to me Colonel O'Neill would have died!
"And then it was me who wanted to open the orb that almost killed Colonel
O'Neill another time! I could have destroyed everything that time."
"Sam!" Janet was sharp. "Stop doubting yourself. I don't doubt you, and
can I assume you trust me?"
Sam paused, and nodded.
"Besides, you'll become hysterical if you carry on like this," Janet
continued.
"Once a doctor, forever a doctor, right, Janet?" Sam said, smiling a
little.
"Yes," said Janet smoothly. "Exactly. I'm the doctor here. And I say you
should get some sleep."
"I can't, Janet! Not until they get back!"
"But if the plan works, they won't come back, will they?" Janet asked.
"Yes."
"So go to sleep!"
Sam nodded wearily. Though her mind was working feverishly as always, she
was exhausted in body and didn't feel up to arguing with the doctor.
Janet waited for Sam's eyes to close, and settled down herself. It was
amazing, she reflected, how quickly human beings adapted. Some months
before, she would have recoiled at the thought of sleeping on a hard floor.
But thanks to the wonderful capacity for change her species possessed, she
was soon sleeping deeply. Beside her Sam slept too, not so deeply, but at
least she was asleep.
Darkness and silence reigned for hours.
Daniel's eyes snapped open. Something was about to happen. Rolling over, he stood up and looked around. In the flickering blue light of the room, he could just make out what looked like bodies, draped over chairs and spreadeagled on the floor. Daniel knew they were not dead, merely sleeping, and not one stirred as the archaeologist padded silently to the door. His movements were as deliberate and precise as a cat's. Daniel had spent the last few weeks and months eating and drinking no more than what was needed to keep him alive. Hunger had sharpened his faculties and slowed down his thoughts until he saw the world in utmost clarity. Now more than ever, he knew what he had to do. As he closed the door behind him, a brief blast of cold air permeated the room, and a few people stirred and some said a few words in their sleep. But the air settled within minutes, as did the sleeping people. No-one knew Daniel had gone. And in his mind, no-one cared.
Jack had made this journey three times before. The first time, the time he could barely remember, had been the night Anubis came. Deep in the mountain, he had stood and fought, and then he had cut and run. He supposed he had Daniel to thank for that. The civilian had none of the Custer's-last- stand military mentality - in other words, he knew when there was no chance of winning a fight. Thanks to him, a lot of people had escaped with their lives that night, climbing up the long ladders to the surface. They had scattered into the wild country, guided only by the lights of the town of Colorado Springs. But they were not guiding lights; once the humans had reached the town, they had immediately been rounded up by the Jaffa. In the meantime, the Jaffa had thoroughly disabled the small city. It had been reduced to a barren landscape which the Goa'uld had quickly augmented with their own technology. It would soon be the habitual ornate gold Ancient- Egyptian-style stereotypical Goa'uld city. Daniel might be pleased. finally, the chance to study one close up! Jack stopped there. He didn't want to think of Daniel. He didn't need him, he especially didn't need the choking feeling of guilt. And of course, that led him straight into thinking about Teal'C. Teal'C's death had been so sudden, so unexpected, so shocking and frightening. On his second visit to the mountain, to rescue Daniel, he had looked around, wondering in morbid fashion just what had happened to the former First Prime's body. Of course, he thought to himself, the Goa'uld would never leave the bodies of vermin lying around, and there must be such a thing as Goa'uld domestic staff. The mountain had looked a lot different anyway. Just like the human town above ground, it was slowly turning into a Goa'uld stronghold. The harsh, utilitarian military interior of Stargate Command and NORAD was being replaced by the typical ornate gold of the Goa'uld. Teal'C was gone. He tried not to think of it any more. Just as he tried not to think of Daniel any more. Though Daniel wasn't dead. Jack tried not to touch on the subject. He wasn't proud of how he'd tried to ignore his friend. Jack knew Daniel needed help. But he didn't know how to give it, not any more, not now when the world was in chaos. Daniel needed so much more than what they could give. Jack decided then and there to stop thinking and look around him. His team were in good shape so far. Nyan was next to him, and Jack noticed how the young scientist was constantly distracted by everything around him, not in a childish way, but in a calculating way, as if he were mentally evaluating and analysing and cross-referencing everything he saw. Jack always had to remind himself that Nyan was an adult - at least, they had no idea how old he was in Earth years, but on Bedrosia he had been old enough to call himself a scientist. Nyan had been an unusual asset to Stargate Command, but a valuable one - he had learnt how to think scientifically in an utterly alien environment, and so could be counted on to lend a new perspective to a problem. And then, he was young and enthusiastic and so eager to learn, that he reminded Jack of. He wasn't thinking about it. Sighing, he turned to look behind him. Behind Jack and Nyan came the other two, Sadurfield - strange, he could never remember her first name - and Jennifer Hailey. They were holding up exactly as he'd expected them to. Sadurfield was setting the pace for herself and Hailey, who was looking pale but determined. Come to think of it, Jack thought, Hailey was always looking pale and determined. It was a long trek, and it had to be made under cover of darkness. In front of them, the mountain loomed, with its strange new adornment - the mothership that had landed all those months before. The ship glowed with light, but it did nothing but make the darkness show up better. Jack knew in his mind that he was making a journey he had made many times before, but his subconscious persisted in telling him he was walking straight into danger. Which was true, in a way, but not what he need to hear. They were walking from the town of Colorado Springs to Cheyenne Mountain through darkness and trees. Lots of trees. They might as well not be on Earth, Jack decided. The darkness was pressing, and all they had for light was lanterns. The trees were enclosing and oddly claustrophobic - Jack shook himself at the thought. If mere claustrophobia bothered him now, the rest of the mission was unthinkable. He ran over the details in his head one more time, all the time silently thanking the powers that be that they still had Carter. Her plan could save the world, if only he, Jack O'Neill, managed to pull it off. Several hours of pressing darkness later, they were nearing their destination. In the silence, Jack held up a hand and bid his team to stop. It was dangerous here, so close to Anubis' home on Earth. They were in a clearing that Jack remembered. "How are we getting in?" Nyan asked, his voice low in the darkness. "Down through these," Jack said. "Remember when the black hole. oh, no, you weren't here, were you? These lead right down into the SGC." "We remember them!" said Hailey with a touch of humour, speaking for herself and Sadurfield. Jack was standing in front of the manhole-type cover that hid the long ladders that led the way down. Sifting through his memory, he entered the codes, remembering with more ease the fact that if the codes were wrong, poison gas would come spewing out. "Damn military efficiency!" he muttered to himself as he entered the last digits. "Jack?" Nyan said, looking surprised. "Nothing." Jack said, and just as he was getting worried, the cover opened. He tried to look as if he had never doubted it, and then turned to face his team. "You all know the plan," he said seriously. "I've warned you before and I'm doing it again - the place looks very different. No matter what I say, it won't prepare you for the difference. The basic geography is the same, it's just the feel of it that's different, and you must not let yourself comment on it in any way whatsoever. You are slaves who have been here every day of your working lives. Do you understand?" There were three murmurs of assent. Since the fall of Earth, the phrase, "Yes, sir!" had become redundant. No-one cared enough. "You also know how the Goa'uld treat their slaves. If you keep your heads down and look like you've got a place to go and job to do, you should be okay. Unfortunately, there is a risk involved - a Jaffa or even a Goa'uld may stop you and order you to do something. If that happens, you must go and do whatever you were asked without a word. We'll do out best to come back for you, but the success of the mission is all-important. Never forget, we're trying to save the world." "We're not likely to forget," murmured Nyan, his civilian side showing. Jack was reminded of someone he didn't want to think about, and he tried to shrug it off, saying acidly, "Quite so. Any questions so far?" The trio shook their heads and murmured, "No." "Good. Now once we're down there, we're going by my memories of the place as it is now, and it's all a bit sketchy. I didn't actually get all the way down to Level 28, as it happens - the Jaffa keep their prisoners several levels above that." "Just to interrupt for a moment - why were you here before?" Nyan asked. He wasn't quite au fait with events yet, having only discovered the existence of the Resistance during the winter. "Rescuing Daniel," Jack said shortly. "How did you do that alone?" asked Nyan. In the darkness, he couldn't see how his questions were affecting the team leader. "We have some contacts inside," Jack explained hurriedly. "They couldn't help us this time, not in a job of this magnitude. What I did here the last time is not the point. It's your job to focus on today, do you understand what I'm saying?" "Yes," said Nyan dispassionately. "That's good. Now according to our sources, the only room in the SGC that is just as we left it is the control room, which is good for us. Now, once we're close enough to it, we'll split up. You three are going to aim for the control room. I don't think it will be very heavily guarded, because they're not expecting any attacks on it. So the moment you three get in there, get on with your job - Hailey, you know the address you need to enter into the computers?" "Yes, I do." "Good. So, while you're doing that, I will be in the doorway of the Gate room. The first moment I can, I'll aim for the Gate. Now, it's quite possible that the Jaffa will manage to surround the control room while you're still in there. My advice to you - go for the glass. Fire the energy staff - who's got that?" A voice out of the darkness answered him: "Me." It was Hailey. "Right. Aim it at the glass, which will shatter onto everyone below it. Jump through and make use of the chaos - go straight for the Gate. I wish it could be the other way round, but I'm the only one who can do this - I have to get through that Stargate come hell or high water. Any questions?" This time there was. "There's one thing I'm not sure of," said Hailey. "Go ahead, caller." "Anubis has kept the Gate room as his own command centre on Earth, hasn't he? That means it will be the most heavily guarded place of all. How are you going to get from the blast doors to the Gate without the Jaffa stopping you?" "Firstly, I very much doubt Anubis will be there," Jack said. "He's a system lord, things to do, people to see, and he does have more than one mothership. I rather think the one on top of the mountain is a permanent fixture. If any Goa'uld does have its snaky ass on the throne, I'm guessing it will be Osiris. Not Nefertuum, as according to Carter he was last seen heading off to Europe. no, I mean it," he added off their looks. "The Goa'uld have got the whole planet to watch over." "Nefertuum," Nyan said slowly. For him, the name would always have religious connotations. Unlike the people of Earth, who had revealed the Goa'uld as false gods in the dim and distant past, his people had made the discovery in the living present. It was sometimes hard for him to contemplate the destruction of his one-time god. "And secondly?" Hailey wanted to know. "What?" "Secondly. You said, 'firstly,'" she reminded him. "Ah, yes. Secondly. I'm going to run like hell." Hailey didn't know whether to smile or not. She took her place among the rest as they began to descend the ladders. "We'll come out on level 19," Jack hissed as they made their way down. "Keep your heads down!" The team emerged several minutes later on level 19, into an almost deserted corridor. "Out with the secret weapons," Jack hissed. The team all whipped out empty fruit baskets from under the cloaks they wore. Hailey felt almost relieved; she suspected the others felt the same. It might not seem like much, but holding the baskets gave them a legitimate reason for being here. They were genuine slaves with a definite purpose and place to go. That was the idea, at least. They walked swiftly along the corridor, two abreast, swinging the baskets. They met assorted Jaffa along the way, as well as fellow slaves, but not one gave them a second glance. Jack began to be almost hopeful.
Darkness and silence reigned for hours.
Daniel's eyes snapped open. Something was about to happen. Rolling over, he stood up and looked around. In the flickering blue light of the room, he could just make out what looked like bodies, draped over chairs and spreadeagled on the floor. Daniel knew they were not dead, merely sleeping, and not one stirred as the archaeologist padded silently to the door. His movements were as deliberate and precise as a cat's. Daniel had spent the last few weeks and months eating and drinking no more than what was needed to keep him alive. Hunger had sharpened his faculties and slowed down his thoughts until he saw the world in utmost clarity. Now more than ever, he knew what he had to do. As he closed the door behind him, a brief blast of cold air permeated the room, and a few people stirred and some said a few words in their sleep. But the air settled within minutes, as did the sleeping people. No-one knew Daniel had gone. And in his mind, no-one cared.
Jack had made this journey three times before. The first time, the time he could barely remember, had been the night Anubis came. Deep in the mountain, he had stood and fought, and then he had cut and run. He supposed he had Daniel to thank for that. The civilian had none of the Custer's-last- stand military mentality - in other words, he knew when there was no chance of winning a fight. Thanks to him, a lot of people had escaped with their lives that night, climbing up the long ladders to the surface. They had scattered into the wild country, guided only by the lights of the town of Colorado Springs. But they were not guiding lights; once the humans had reached the town, they had immediately been rounded up by the Jaffa. In the meantime, the Jaffa had thoroughly disabled the small city. It had been reduced to a barren landscape which the Goa'uld had quickly augmented with their own technology. It would soon be the habitual ornate gold Ancient- Egyptian-style stereotypical Goa'uld city. Daniel might be pleased. finally, the chance to study one close up! Jack stopped there. He didn't want to think of Daniel. He didn't need him, he especially didn't need the choking feeling of guilt. And of course, that led him straight into thinking about Teal'C. Teal'C's death had been so sudden, so unexpected, so shocking and frightening. On his second visit to the mountain, to rescue Daniel, he had looked around, wondering in morbid fashion just what had happened to the former First Prime's body. Of course, he thought to himself, the Goa'uld would never leave the bodies of vermin lying around, and there must be such a thing as Goa'uld domestic staff. The mountain had looked a lot different anyway. Just like the human town above ground, it was slowly turning into a Goa'uld stronghold. The harsh, utilitarian military interior of Stargate Command and NORAD was being replaced by the typical ornate gold of the Goa'uld. Teal'C was gone. He tried not to think of it any more. Just as he tried not to think of Daniel any more. Though Daniel wasn't dead. Jack tried not to touch on the subject. He wasn't proud of how he'd tried to ignore his friend. Jack knew Daniel needed help. But he didn't know how to give it, not any more, not now when the world was in chaos. Daniel needed so much more than what they could give. Jack decided then and there to stop thinking and look around him. His team were in good shape so far. Nyan was next to him, and Jack noticed how the young scientist was constantly distracted by everything around him, not in a childish way, but in a calculating way, as if he were mentally evaluating and analysing and cross-referencing everything he saw. Jack always had to remind himself that Nyan was an adult - at least, they had no idea how old he was in Earth years, but on Bedrosia he had been old enough to call himself a scientist. Nyan had been an unusual asset to Stargate Command, but a valuable one - he had learnt how to think scientifically in an utterly alien environment, and so could be counted on to lend a new perspective to a problem. And then, he was young and enthusiastic and so eager to learn, that he reminded Jack of. He wasn't thinking about it. Sighing, he turned to look behind him. Behind Jack and Nyan came the other two, Sadurfield - strange, he could never remember her first name - and Jennifer Hailey. They were holding up exactly as he'd expected them to. Sadurfield was setting the pace for herself and Hailey, who was looking pale but determined. Come to think of it, Jack thought, Hailey was always looking pale and determined. It was a long trek, and it had to be made under cover of darkness. In front of them, the mountain loomed, with its strange new adornment - the mothership that had landed all those months before. The ship glowed with light, but it did nothing but make the darkness show up better. Jack knew in his mind that he was making a journey he had made many times before, but his subconscious persisted in telling him he was walking straight into danger. Which was true, in a way, but not what he need to hear. They were walking from the town of Colorado Springs to Cheyenne Mountain through darkness and trees. Lots of trees. They might as well not be on Earth, Jack decided. The darkness was pressing, and all they had for light was lanterns. The trees were enclosing and oddly claustrophobic - Jack shook himself at the thought. If mere claustrophobia bothered him now, the rest of the mission was unthinkable. He ran over the details in his head one more time, all the time silently thanking the powers that be that they still had Carter. Her plan could save the world, if only he, Jack O'Neill, managed to pull it off. Several hours of pressing darkness later, they were nearing their destination. In the silence, Jack held up a hand and bid his team to stop. It was dangerous here, so close to Anubis' home on Earth. They were in a clearing that Jack remembered. "How are we getting in?" Nyan asked, his voice low in the darkness. "Down through these," Jack said. "Remember when the black hole. oh, no, you weren't here, were you? These lead right down into the SGC." "We remember them!" said Hailey with a touch of humour, speaking for herself and Sadurfield. Jack was standing in front of the manhole-type cover that hid the long ladders that led the way down. Sifting through his memory, he entered the codes, remembering with more ease the fact that if the codes were wrong, poison gas would come spewing out. "Damn military efficiency!" he muttered to himself as he entered the last digits. "Jack?" Nyan said, looking surprised. "Nothing." Jack said, and just as he was getting worried, the cover opened. He tried to look as if he had never doubted it, and then turned to face his team. "You all know the plan," he said seriously. "I've warned you before and I'm doing it again - the place looks very different. No matter what I say, it won't prepare you for the difference. The basic geography is the same, it's just the feel of it that's different, and you must not let yourself comment on it in any way whatsoever. You are slaves who have been here every day of your working lives. Do you understand?" There were three murmurs of assent. Since the fall of Earth, the phrase, "Yes, sir!" had become redundant. No-one cared enough. "You also know how the Goa'uld treat their slaves. If you keep your heads down and look like you've got a place to go and job to do, you should be okay. Unfortunately, there is a risk involved - a Jaffa or even a Goa'uld may stop you and order you to do something. If that happens, you must go and do whatever you were asked without a word. We'll do out best to come back for you, but the success of the mission is all-important. Never forget, we're trying to save the world." "We're not likely to forget," murmured Nyan, his civilian side showing. Jack was reminded of someone he didn't want to think about, and he tried to shrug it off, saying acidly, "Quite so. Any questions so far?" The trio shook their heads and murmured, "No." "Good. Now once we're down there, we're going by my memories of the place as it is now, and it's all a bit sketchy. I didn't actually get all the way down to Level 28, as it happens - the Jaffa keep their prisoners several levels above that." "Just to interrupt for a moment - why were you here before?" Nyan asked. He wasn't quite au fait with events yet, having only discovered the existence of the Resistance during the winter. "Rescuing Daniel," Jack said shortly. "How did you do that alone?" asked Nyan. In the darkness, he couldn't see how his questions were affecting the team leader. "We have some contacts inside," Jack explained hurriedly. "They couldn't help us this time, not in a job of this magnitude. What I did here the last time is not the point. It's your job to focus on today, do you understand what I'm saying?" "Yes," said Nyan dispassionately. "That's good. Now according to our sources, the only room in the SGC that is just as we left it is the control room, which is good for us. Now, once we're close enough to it, we'll split up. You three are going to aim for the control room. I don't think it will be very heavily guarded, because they're not expecting any attacks on it. So the moment you three get in there, get on with your job - Hailey, you know the address you need to enter into the computers?" "Yes, I do." "Good. So, while you're doing that, I will be in the doorway of the Gate room. The first moment I can, I'll aim for the Gate. Now, it's quite possible that the Jaffa will manage to surround the control room while you're still in there. My advice to you - go for the glass. Fire the energy staff - who's got that?" A voice out of the darkness answered him: "Me." It was Hailey. "Right. Aim it at the glass, which will shatter onto everyone below it. Jump through and make use of the chaos - go straight for the Gate. I wish it could be the other way round, but I'm the only one who can do this - I have to get through that Stargate come hell or high water. Any questions?" This time there was. "There's one thing I'm not sure of," said Hailey. "Go ahead, caller." "Anubis has kept the Gate room as his own command centre on Earth, hasn't he? That means it will be the most heavily guarded place of all. How are you going to get from the blast doors to the Gate without the Jaffa stopping you?" "Firstly, I very much doubt Anubis will be there," Jack said. "He's a system lord, things to do, people to see, and he does have more than one mothership. I rather think the one on top of the mountain is a permanent fixture. If any Goa'uld does have its snaky ass on the throne, I'm guessing it will be Osiris. Not Nefertuum, as according to Carter he was last seen heading off to Europe. no, I mean it," he added off their looks. "The Goa'uld have got the whole planet to watch over." "Nefertuum," Nyan said slowly. For him, the name would always have religious connotations. Unlike the people of Earth, who had revealed the Goa'uld as false gods in the dim and distant past, his people had made the discovery in the living present. It was sometimes hard for him to contemplate the destruction of his one-time god. "And secondly?" Hailey wanted to know. "What?" "Secondly. You said, 'firstly,'" she reminded him. "Ah, yes. Secondly. I'm going to run like hell." Hailey didn't know whether to smile or not. She took her place among the rest as they began to descend the ladders. "We'll come out on level 19," Jack hissed as they made their way down. "Keep your heads down!" The team emerged several minutes later on level 19, into an almost deserted corridor. "Out with the secret weapons," Jack hissed. The team all whipped out empty fruit baskets from under the cloaks they wore. Hailey felt almost relieved; she suspected the others felt the same. It might not seem like much, but holding the baskets gave them a legitimate reason for being here. They were genuine slaves with a definite purpose and place to go. That was the idea, at least. They walked swiftly along the corridor, two abreast, swinging the baskets. They met assorted Jaffa along the way, as well as fellow slaves, but not one gave them a second glance. Jack began to be almost hopeful.