All disclaimers in Chapter 1.
Special Case
by Amanda Ohlin
Chapter Three
The control room was uncharacteristically silent as General George Hammond stood there, hands behind his back, looking out anxiously at the dormant Stargate sitting in the Gate room below. SG-5 had returned without the other two teams, and in the two hours since he'd heard the reason why from the team commander, Hammond had been locked in that place and in that position, waiting for the return of SG-3 and SG-1.
He had to admit, he wasn't entirely surprised. Going back to rescue a soldier was Colonel O'Neill's M.O., all right. It wasn't exactly characteristic of Colonel Makepeace, but then again, Makepeace *had* commanded the mission to rescue SG-1 from Hathor's clutches. Although he probably wouldn't admit it, Hammond mused, Makepeace was probably as hot to trot to rescue his own lieutenant as O'Neill. The question was not why they planned to do it, but how. The minutes were dragging by interminably, and Hammond was beginning to fear that they had not, in fact, succeeded.
His fears were proven wrong once again as the alarms went off. "Incoming traveler!" Harriman announced. "It's SG-1."
As he spoke, the iris retracted, and the Stargate activated in a bright plume of blue-white energy particles before settling back into a stable wormhole. Hammond turned and hurried down the steps and into the corridor, heading for the Gate room. By the time he entered, all but one of SG-3 had crossed the event horizon. Hammond opened his mouth to ask Makepeace where the rest where when Jack and Teal'c stepped through the wormhole, carrying a limp form between them. "We need a med team!" Jack shouted.
The guards on duty hurried to obey as the two men carried their load down the ramp. Sam and Daniel were the last to exit the wormhole, which shut off behind them. Dr. Frasier entered the Gate room at that moment with three other medical staffers and a gurney. As they loaded the inert form onto the gurney, Hammond recognized the young lieutenant they had gone back for. He was alive and breathing, but his unfocused eyes and slack expression indicated a near-catatonic state.
Frasier checked his vitals as Hammond turned back to the two team commanders. "What's going on here?"
It was Makepeace who answered. "The Goa'uld attempted to take Lieutenant Scott as a host, sir."
"Attempted?" Hammond echoed, confused.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain..." Daniel began.
Jack cut him off. "Sir, the snake didn't take. It's a long story."
Hammond looked at Sam, but the Major looked to be bereft of an explanation for a change. "All right, then," Hammond sighed. "Briefing is at 1400 hours. I'll expect to hear the whole story then. In the meantime," he added, looking them up and down, "you'd better get yourselves checked out in the infirmary as well. Looks like you need it. Dismissed."
As Hammond left the Gate room, the rest of SG-3 and SG-1 began to disperse. Only SG-1 hung back, watching as Jason was wheeled out of the room towards the infirmary. "So..." Jack began after a moment. "Any idea how we're going to explain this one, Carter?"
"Frankly, sir," Sam sighed, "I honestly don't know."
"There's a first," Daniel observed as they turned and left the Gate room.
******
"...and using the abandoned Tok'ra tunnels that Teal'c discovered," Sam finished, "we were able to infiltrate the fortress and retrieve Lieutenant Scott."
Hammond frowned. "Why didn't you use that means of escape earlier?"
Jack shot a look at Makepeace. "Colonel, would you like to tell him?"
Makepeace sighed. "Teal'c was initially with Major Carter and SG-5 guarding the Stargate. My men... would have been uncomfortable having him along."
"And yet Davis and Johnson remained at the Gate as well," Hammond observed, looking at Makepeace dangerously.
"Sir, if I may," Sam interrupted, "in light of Johnson's ambivalence towards Teal'c in the past, it was probably better that Davis stayed behind as well." To make sure Johnson didn't start a fight, she added silently.
Hammond got the point. "Never mind, then. Let's get back to the topic at hand." He thumbed through the report for a moment. "Lieutenant Scott had been implanted when you found him, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Sam replied.
"And yet Dr. Fraiser reported that he was not in possession of a Goa'uld when you returned," Hammond concluded. "Care to explain?"
"Well," Makepeace began after a moment, "we can explain the how, but not the why."
At Hammond's quizzical look, Teal'c spoke up. "When we attempted to return through the tunnels, the Goa'uld gained control of Lieutenant Scott and broke free. It attacked Colonel O'Neill and was holding Colonel Makepeace hostage when the symbiote was rejected."
Hammond stared at him, astounded. "What? How?"
"The snake shot out the way it came in," Jack answered. "It screamed, he screamed, and it just... shot out of there."
"We honestly don't know what could have triggered it," Daniel added.
Still amazed, Hammond shook his head. "No concealed devices? Like those Machello employed?"
"None that I know of, sir," Sam told him. "To all appearances, it looked as though Lieutenant Scott fought the Goa'uld off completely unaided."
"Of course, we don't know that," Daniel pointed out.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I have never heard of such a thing before."
"Well, there's only one person who can tell us," Hammond said after a moment. "Unfortunately, he's currently in no position to."
"In the meantime, we could pull his medical records," Sam suggested. "See if he's been exposed to anything that could have triggered this kind of reaction."
"Whatever it is," Jack muttered, "I'd like some of it myself."
******
She should have known.
Hatmehit scowled as her guards fanned out through the ancient network of Tok'ra tunnels. Until now, she had never been entirely sure whether or not her husband truly had connections with the Tok'ra; his death had merely been a means to keep the System Lords from destroying them both. But now the proof was before her very eyes. For all his faults, Banebdjetet had never been a fool, and the Tok'ra tunnels would not have escaped his attention.
~But it escaped yours.~
Her scowl deepened as she mentally swatted back the persistent whisper in the back of her mind. Weak as the host she had chosen was, every so often that remnant would surface, taunting her, trying to play on her weaknesses. But she was too smart for that.
The tunnels were cleverly hidden, she reminded herself. Had it not been for the faint howling of her new consort drifting up to the lower floors, the passageway might not have been discovered. And even with that clue, it had taken her guards a few hours to discover the entrance. Perhaps if the symbiote had taken hold, her consort would have stood a chance against his kidnappers; mere humans were no match against a Goa'uld.
As she reassured herself with those thoughts, she continued down the corridors until suddenly, she felt something, a stirring. Could it be? Shouting orders to her guards, she marched in the direction of the sensation. But when she came upon what was left of her consort, her confidence dissolved.
The cry alerted all of her guards to come running. When they reached her, the personal guard of Hatmehit saw something they had never seen before: their queen, kneeling on the ground, her features frozen with horror. In her outstretched hands was the lifeless husk of a Goa'uld symbiote.
For several seconds, she did not move. Then she lifted her head, and the horror on her face twisted into fury as Hatmehit let out an enraged scream.
******
Jason opened his eyes, blinking in confusion at the ceiling. Disoriented, he lay flat on his back for a second, unsure where he was or how he'd come here. The last thing he remembered was being hustled down the Tok'ra tunnels, and then that *thing* had taken control...
With a gasp, he sat bolt upright, regretting it immediately as the room began to swim. His head felt like an overripe watermelon that had just been dropped twenty stories. Trying to shake it off, he was relieved to see a familiar face come into his line of vision. "Lieutenant, calm down," Dr. Janet Fraiser said, pushing him back down on the cot. "It's all right. You're in the SGC."
"Thank God," Jason croaked. He was surprised at how hoarse he sounded. "What happened, Doc?"
"We were hoping you would know." At the confused look he gave her, she proceeded to explain. "You were in shock when you were brought through the Gate, and you've been unconscious for nearly six hours. How do you feel? How's the leg?"
Jason shut his eyes briefly. "When the room stops spinning, I'll be better." He shifted his weight and winced at the ache in his wounded leg. "Well, at least I can feel it."
"Nothing's broken, fortunately," Fraiser told him. "But you've got a couple bruised ribs as well." She hesitated before adding, "The Goa'uld symbiote managed to partially heal your wounds, but not enough to guarantee a clean bill of health. I'm recommending that you spend another 24 hours in the infirmary at least to make sure you don't go aggravating your injuries."
Jason grinned weakly at that. The last thing he wanted to do was get up and move around. "That's fine by me."
"I'll have to inform General Hammond that you're awake," she sighed, standing up. "He's anxious to find out just what happened on P9X424." Jason groaned, and it was Dr. Fraiser's turn to smile. "I don't think you're ready for an interrogation just yet, though."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
She nodded, turning and walking away. Alone again, Jason let his head drop back down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling blankly. The thought of being questioned by General Hammond made him feel queasy. Then again, moving his injured leg made him feel queasy, so that wasn't saying much. In the short time that he'd been assigned to the SGC, Jason had discovered that the General was surprisingly open-minded, compared to some commanders he'd served under. He didn't expect to be coddled, but he didn't think Hammond would give him the third degree.
But it still worried him. He knew what Hammond wanted to know - how did he manage to expel the Goa'uld? The question would come up, of course, and Jason wasn't sure how to answer it.
He knew what the answer was, though. At least he thought he did.
That burst of flaming energy was the key. It had seemed familiar then, and the memory was clearly familiar now. He'd felt that same rush with every morph, first as the Red Ranger, then as the Gold Ranger. It had been within him the entire time, a spark, a remnant of the good old days. And when the symbiote attempted to take over, it was as if the spark had struck a pool of gasoline. The Goa'uld was unable to withstand the assault.
Somehow, his exposure to the Power made him immune to implantation.
In a way, it made sense. But not when it came to explaining it to a superior officer. To someone who'd never seen the Power Chamber, someone who'd probably only seen or heard of the Power Rangers through the media, the explanation would sound purely ridiculous. Besides, he couldn't simply explain that he was a former Power Ranger. It was bad enough letting the secret slip without Zordon's consent, but letting it fall into military hands was even worse. Hell, it wasn't to say the folks at the SGC weren't trustworthy. It was the rest of the military that worried him.
Still, he couldn't just go and lie outright. The General would see right through that. Jason inhaled deeply, ignoring the soreness in his chest. He was going to have to tell them something, though. Well, why not the truth?
Not the whole truth. He'd just tell them what he thought he'd seen and felt, but not what it really meant. With luck, they might dismiss it as hallucination. Even if they didn't, it would buy him a little time.
Impulsively, he reached back with his free hand, feeling the back of his neck as if he expected to find the symbiote back there. Instead, his fingers brushed the entry scar, and Jason shuddered at the memory. If he hadn't been a Ranger, he doubted that he would have been able to fight Tal'mek. He'd come so close to being possessed by a Goa'uld...
But he hadn't. That was what mattered. Pulling his hand away, Jason closed his eyes against the tears of relief that welled up. For the first time, he realized the magnitude of what had happened, and just how incredibly lucky he was to still be alive and be in control of himself. Any interrogation was preferable to possession. Whatever the next morning had in store, he was sure he could handle it. He silently thanked Zordon for choosing him in the first place before sinking into a grateful sleep.
******
"Hit."
Jack took the next card from the deck and laid the king of diamonds down next to Teal'c's pair of fives. Daniel groaned. "Oh, great."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "A bad move?"
"Not for you," Daniel replied, eying the queen of spades and the four of hearts in front of him. "Fourteen. I always get these lousy numbers."
Jack drummed his fingers on the table. "We don't have all day, Danny boy. Your turn."
Daniel sighed. "What the hell. Hit."
A six of clubs landed beside the queen, and Jack scowled. "Damn."
Someone knocked on the door, and the three men turned to see Sam standing at the door. "Hi. Am I interrupting something?"
"Just a second," Jack said, reaching for the deck. He drew an eight of diamonds and made a face. "Twenty-three. Bust."
"Pay up," Daniel told him, grinning as Jack fairly threw the chips at them.
Sam sat down beside him. "Teaching Teal'c how to play blackjack?"
"Well, Jack's been teaching him how to lose for about twenty minutes," Daniel replied.
"Hey, I was on a roll there until these two started getting lucky," Jack retorted.
Teal'c almost smiled. "I believe it was you, O'Neill, who said that luck had nothing to do with it."
Jack was shuffling the deck. "Want to play, Carter?"
"Maybe later," Sam answered, standing up. "Before you risk it all again, sir, I thought you'd like to know that Lieutenant Scott's awake."
The deck was immediately discarded.
******
"I haven't found anything out of the ordinary to explain this," Dr. Fraiser explained as Jack and Teal'c followed her into the infirmary. "There's no evidence of any diseases, pathogens, or drugs of any kind that might affect the symbiote. I've run every test I can think of."
"Which is why we didn't find out about this until now," Jack surmised.
Fraiser had to smile. "Colonel, it was difficult enough getting him to agree to all the tests I had to run. I didn't need you getting in the way."
Jack looked a bit put out, so Teal'c took the opportunity to speak. "How has Lieutenant Scott fared?"
"He complained non-stop throughout the testing, so I'm guessing that's a good sign," Fraiser answered. "The staff blast he received in the leg is not as severe as it could have been; the Goa'uld symbiote managed to speed up the healing process." Jack nodded uncomfortably as Fraiser went on. "He's also got a couple of bruised ribs, and he's been scratched up pretty well, but nothing that won't heal. I'm keeping him under observation just to be safe."
"Wait, wait, wait," Jack protested. "We do have to talk to the kid, Doc."
Fraiser sighed. "I suppose he can leave the infirmary for a short time, but I want him brought back here afterwards. 24 hours under observation should be enough."
"And after those 24 hours?"
"Sir, I'm recommending that Lieutenant Scott be temporarily relieved from active duty for a few days. Give him some time to get back on his feet."
Teal'c and Jack exchanged glances. "I don't have a problem with that," Jack admitted. "It's all up to Hammond, though."
"We will see," was all Teal'c said.
******
"Find anything yet?" Sam asked.
Daniel removed his glasses briefly to rub at his eyes. "Nothing out of the ordinary. You?"
"I've been going through his case history," Sam sighed, pulling a file out of the cabinet and sitting down. "Apparently joined the Army after high school, presumably to pay for college." She continued to skim the file. "Hm. That's interesting. I didn't know that."
"Know what?" Daniel asked, glad for the chance to turn away from the medical records on the computer screen.
"Got in here on a recommendation from Colonel Masterson," Sam replied. "Masterson's recommendation said that Scott was 'the right kind of soldier to deal with something this out of the ordinary.'"
Daniel sat down, curious. "Does it say why?"
"File's kind of sketchy," Sam sighed. "Looks like an accumulation of good performance rather than one glowing assignment. But there's nothing here to indicate any reason for rejecting the symbiote like he did."
"Nothing in the medical records, either," Daniel admitted. "Have you checked pre-military records yet?"
"I'm working on that. Civilian records obviously take a little longer." She tapped a finger thoughtfully on the file in front of her. "The little we have is interesting, though. Born and raised in Angel Grove, California."
Daniel waited for the punchline, but none came. "So?"
Sam stared at him. "Where have you been? Angel Grove. That's where all those monster sightings and claims of aliens have been springing up since '93."
"What?" Daniel chuckled incredulously. "You're not talking about those Power Ranger stories, are you?"
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, come on, Sam. It's an old hoax that no one's really taken seriously. You've seen the 'footage' of these attacks - they can't be real."
Sam bit her lip. "You know the aborted moon expedition back in '93? The one that supposedly unleashed these attacking aliens?" Daniel nodded. "Well, that at least wasn't a hoax. NASA recorded the astronauts' last transmissions after they opened an unidentifiable container. We don't know what exactly was uncovered, but the tape implies it did away with the astronauts."
Daniel frowned. "I didn't hear anything on the news about this one."
"That's because NASA didn't want it to get out," Sam replied. "It was publicly blamed on faulty equipment and a computer error. Those two men went and opened that thing against orders, and got themselves and the shuttle blown up as a result."
"NASA didn't want to admit that?"
"They also didn't have a clue what was going on either. Not until the bizarre news reports started coming out of Angel Grove." Sam flipped through a report. "I think there were a few investigations conducted early on, but they didn't turn up very much - and the 'attacks' never occurred outside of the city limits. Washington eventually decided it was wasting its time."
"And then the Stargate was uncovered," Daniel guessed.
"Exactly. Since the Angel Grove happenings never left Angel Grove - even when Apophis sent his ships to Earth - the Pentagon decided to focus on the Stargate program. At least here we had some actual proof, some actual technology."
"All right, all right," Daniel sighed, shaking his head. "I get why it hasn't been looked into. But that doesn't prove it's not a hoax."
"It's something, though," Sam pointed out. "We might want to look through news reports of those attacks to see if the citizens were exposed to anything unusual."
"Tabloids aren't really my reading material of choice," Daniel began, but he stopped at the look Sam shot him. "Never mind."
******
To say Jason was nervous went beyond even Jack's powers of stating the obvious. It wasn't as though he were fidgeting, or pacing, or worrying out loud; Jason was sitting up straight, attentive, alert, and in far better shape than he had been the previous day. His hands betrayed his inner state; while the rest of him was still, his fingers drummed incessantly against the polished wood of the table. Jack sighed deeply, wondering where the hell Hammond was. Five more minutes and the agitation would become contagious.
Teal'c, as usual, was the picture of serenity, standing by the wall like a statue. Sam, who had just arrived, was staring blankly at the star chart etched into the window between the briefing room and Hammond's office, fixated on the crisscrossing lines. Daniel was nowhere to be seen; he was checking something out for Sam.
After a moment, Jack finally turned to face Jason. "Lieutenant, could you knock it off?"
The drumming abruptly stopped as Jason caught himself. "Sorry, sir."
Feeling a twinge of guilt, Jack opened his mouth to apologize when the door opened and Hammond walked in. "At ease," he said as Sam turned from the chart and Jason tried to stand up. "If you don't mind, I'm going to dispense with the formalities for once. Sit down, all of you."
They took their seats as Jason eased himself back down, wincing from his wounded leg. Hammond noticed this as he set the papers down in front of him. "How's the leg, Lieutenant?"
"It's just a flesh wound," Jason answered. As Hammond gave him a knowing look, he added, "But it still hurts like hell, sir."
Hammond nodded. "Under other circumstances, I would have waited until your injuries were fully healed before questioning you."
"Other circumstances, sir?" Sam echoed.
"Major, I will have to submit a report to the Pentagon about this eventually. The events will get some attention."
Jack scowled. "Maybourne." Teal'c looked grim.
"Not necessarily, but after recent events, I'd like to have a complete handle on what's going on here before R&D comes barging in." Hammond turned back to Jason. "Lieutenant, I know it may be difficult for you to discuss, but when you were - implanted, was there anything out of the ordinary?"
There was a moment of silence before Jason took a deep breath and began to speak.
******
Special Case
by Amanda Ohlin
Chapter Three
The control room was uncharacteristically silent as General George Hammond stood there, hands behind his back, looking out anxiously at the dormant Stargate sitting in the Gate room below. SG-5 had returned without the other two teams, and in the two hours since he'd heard the reason why from the team commander, Hammond had been locked in that place and in that position, waiting for the return of SG-3 and SG-1.
He had to admit, he wasn't entirely surprised. Going back to rescue a soldier was Colonel O'Neill's M.O., all right. It wasn't exactly characteristic of Colonel Makepeace, but then again, Makepeace *had* commanded the mission to rescue SG-1 from Hathor's clutches. Although he probably wouldn't admit it, Hammond mused, Makepeace was probably as hot to trot to rescue his own lieutenant as O'Neill. The question was not why they planned to do it, but how. The minutes were dragging by interminably, and Hammond was beginning to fear that they had not, in fact, succeeded.
His fears were proven wrong once again as the alarms went off. "Incoming traveler!" Harriman announced. "It's SG-1."
As he spoke, the iris retracted, and the Stargate activated in a bright plume of blue-white energy particles before settling back into a stable wormhole. Hammond turned and hurried down the steps and into the corridor, heading for the Gate room. By the time he entered, all but one of SG-3 had crossed the event horizon. Hammond opened his mouth to ask Makepeace where the rest where when Jack and Teal'c stepped through the wormhole, carrying a limp form between them. "We need a med team!" Jack shouted.
The guards on duty hurried to obey as the two men carried their load down the ramp. Sam and Daniel were the last to exit the wormhole, which shut off behind them. Dr. Frasier entered the Gate room at that moment with three other medical staffers and a gurney. As they loaded the inert form onto the gurney, Hammond recognized the young lieutenant they had gone back for. He was alive and breathing, but his unfocused eyes and slack expression indicated a near-catatonic state.
Frasier checked his vitals as Hammond turned back to the two team commanders. "What's going on here?"
It was Makepeace who answered. "The Goa'uld attempted to take Lieutenant Scott as a host, sir."
"Attempted?" Hammond echoed, confused.
"Well, it's kind of hard to explain..." Daniel began.
Jack cut him off. "Sir, the snake didn't take. It's a long story."
Hammond looked at Sam, but the Major looked to be bereft of an explanation for a change. "All right, then," Hammond sighed. "Briefing is at 1400 hours. I'll expect to hear the whole story then. In the meantime," he added, looking them up and down, "you'd better get yourselves checked out in the infirmary as well. Looks like you need it. Dismissed."
As Hammond left the Gate room, the rest of SG-3 and SG-1 began to disperse. Only SG-1 hung back, watching as Jason was wheeled out of the room towards the infirmary. "So..." Jack began after a moment. "Any idea how we're going to explain this one, Carter?"
"Frankly, sir," Sam sighed, "I honestly don't know."
"There's a first," Daniel observed as they turned and left the Gate room.
******
"...and using the abandoned Tok'ra tunnels that Teal'c discovered," Sam finished, "we were able to infiltrate the fortress and retrieve Lieutenant Scott."
Hammond frowned. "Why didn't you use that means of escape earlier?"
Jack shot a look at Makepeace. "Colonel, would you like to tell him?"
Makepeace sighed. "Teal'c was initially with Major Carter and SG-5 guarding the Stargate. My men... would have been uncomfortable having him along."
"And yet Davis and Johnson remained at the Gate as well," Hammond observed, looking at Makepeace dangerously.
"Sir, if I may," Sam interrupted, "in light of Johnson's ambivalence towards Teal'c in the past, it was probably better that Davis stayed behind as well." To make sure Johnson didn't start a fight, she added silently.
Hammond got the point. "Never mind, then. Let's get back to the topic at hand." He thumbed through the report for a moment. "Lieutenant Scott had been implanted when you found him, correct?"
"Yes, sir," Sam replied.
"And yet Dr. Fraiser reported that he was not in possession of a Goa'uld when you returned," Hammond concluded. "Care to explain?"
"Well," Makepeace began after a moment, "we can explain the how, but not the why."
At Hammond's quizzical look, Teal'c spoke up. "When we attempted to return through the tunnels, the Goa'uld gained control of Lieutenant Scott and broke free. It attacked Colonel O'Neill and was holding Colonel Makepeace hostage when the symbiote was rejected."
Hammond stared at him, astounded. "What? How?"
"The snake shot out the way it came in," Jack answered. "It screamed, he screamed, and it just... shot out of there."
"We honestly don't know what could have triggered it," Daniel added.
Still amazed, Hammond shook his head. "No concealed devices? Like those Machello employed?"
"None that I know of, sir," Sam told him. "To all appearances, it looked as though Lieutenant Scott fought the Goa'uld off completely unaided."
"Of course, we don't know that," Daniel pointed out.
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "I have never heard of such a thing before."
"Well, there's only one person who can tell us," Hammond said after a moment. "Unfortunately, he's currently in no position to."
"In the meantime, we could pull his medical records," Sam suggested. "See if he's been exposed to anything that could have triggered this kind of reaction."
"Whatever it is," Jack muttered, "I'd like some of it myself."
******
She should have known.
Hatmehit scowled as her guards fanned out through the ancient network of Tok'ra tunnels. Until now, she had never been entirely sure whether or not her husband truly had connections with the Tok'ra; his death had merely been a means to keep the System Lords from destroying them both. But now the proof was before her very eyes. For all his faults, Banebdjetet had never been a fool, and the Tok'ra tunnels would not have escaped his attention.
~But it escaped yours.~
Her scowl deepened as she mentally swatted back the persistent whisper in the back of her mind. Weak as the host she had chosen was, every so often that remnant would surface, taunting her, trying to play on her weaknesses. But she was too smart for that.
The tunnels were cleverly hidden, she reminded herself. Had it not been for the faint howling of her new consort drifting up to the lower floors, the passageway might not have been discovered. And even with that clue, it had taken her guards a few hours to discover the entrance. Perhaps if the symbiote had taken hold, her consort would have stood a chance against his kidnappers; mere humans were no match against a Goa'uld.
As she reassured herself with those thoughts, she continued down the corridors until suddenly, she felt something, a stirring. Could it be? Shouting orders to her guards, she marched in the direction of the sensation. But when she came upon what was left of her consort, her confidence dissolved.
The cry alerted all of her guards to come running. When they reached her, the personal guard of Hatmehit saw something they had never seen before: their queen, kneeling on the ground, her features frozen with horror. In her outstretched hands was the lifeless husk of a Goa'uld symbiote.
For several seconds, she did not move. Then she lifted her head, and the horror on her face twisted into fury as Hatmehit let out an enraged scream.
******
Jason opened his eyes, blinking in confusion at the ceiling. Disoriented, he lay flat on his back for a second, unsure where he was or how he'd come here. The last thing he remembered was being hustled down the Tok'ra tunnels, and then that *thing* had taken control...
With a gasp, he sat bolt upright, regretting it immediately as the room began to swim. His head felt like an overripe watermelon that had just been dropped twenty stories. Trying to shake it off, he was relieved to see a familiar face come into his line of vision. "Lieutenant, calm down," Dr. Janet Fraiser said, pushing him back down on the cot. "It's all right. You're in the SGC."
"Thank God," Jason croaked. He was surprised at how hoarse he sounded. "What happened, Doc?"
"We were hoping you would know." At the confused look he gave her, she proceeded to explain. "You were in shock when you were brought through the Gate, and you've been unconscious for nearly six hours. How do you feel? How's the leg?"
Jason shut his eyes briefly. "When the room stops spinning, I'll be better." He shifted his weight and winced at the ache in his wounded leg. "Well, at least I can feel it."
"Nothing's broken, fortunately," Fraiser told him. "But you've got a couple bruised ribs as well." She hesitated before adding, "The Goa'uld symbiote managed to partially heal your wounds, but not enough to guarantee a clean bill of health. I'm recommending that you spend another 24 hours in the infirmary at least to make sure you don't go aggravating your injuries."
Jason grinned weakly at that. The last thing he wanted to do was get up and move around. "That's fine by me."
"I'll have to inform General Hammond that you're awake," she sighed, standing up. "He's anxious to find out just what happened on P9X424." Jason groaned, and it was Dr. Fraiser's turn to smile. "I don't think you're ready for an interrogation just yet, though."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
She nodded, turning and walking away. Alone again, Jason let his head drop back down on the pillow, staring up at the ceiling blankly. The thought of being questioned by General Hammond made him feel queasy. Then again, moving his injured leg made him feel queasy, so that wasn't saying much. In the short time that he'd been assigned to the SGC, Jason had discovered that the General was surprisingly open-minded, compared to some commanders he'd served under. He didn't expect to be coddled, but he didn't think Hammond would give him the third degree.
But it still worried him. He knew what Hammond wanted to know - how did he manage to expel the Goa'uld? The question would come up, of course, and Jason wasn't sure how to answer it.
He knew what the answer was, though. At least he thought he did.
That burst of flaming energy was the key. It had seemed familiar then, and the memory was clearly familiar now. He'd felt that same rush with every morph, first as the Red Ranger, then as the Gold Ranger. It had been within him the entire time, a spark, a remnant of the good old days. And when the symbiote attempted to take over, it was as if the spark had struck a pool of gasoline. The Goa'uld was unable to withstand the assault.
Somehow, his exposure to the Power made him immune to implantation.
In a way, it made sense. But not when it came to explaining it to a superior officer. To someone who'd never seen the Power Chamber, someone who'd probably only seen or heard of the Power Rangers through the media, the explanation would sound purely ridiculous. Besides, he couldn't simply explain that he was a former Power Ranger. It was bad enough letting the secret slip without Zordon's consent, but letting it fall into military hands was even worse. Hell, it wasn't to say the folks at the SGC weren't trustworthy. It was the rest of the military that worried him.
Still, he couldn't just go and lie outright. The General would see right through that. Jason inhaled deeply, ignoring the soreness in his chest. He was going to have to tell them something, though. Well, why not the truth?
Not the whole truth. He'd just tell them what he thought he'd seen and felt, but not what it really meant. With luck, they might dismiss it as hallucination. Even if they didn't, it would buy him a little time.
Impulsively, he reached back with his free hand, feeling the back of his neck as if he expected to find the symbiote back there. Instead, his fingers brushed the entry scar, and Jason shuddered at the memory. If he hadn't been a Ranger, he doubted that he would have been able to fight Tal'mek. He'd come so close to being possessed by a Goa'uld...
But he hadn't. That was what mattered. Pulling his hand away, Jason closed his eyes against the tears of relief that welled up. For the first time, he realized the magnitude of what had happened, and just how incredibly lucky he was to still be alive and be in control of himself. Any interrogation was preferable to possession. Whatever the next morning had in store, he was sure he could handle it. He silently thanked Zordon for choosing him in the first place before sinking into a grateful sleep.
******
"Hit."
Jack took the next card from the deck and laid the king of diamonds down next to Teal'c's pair of fives. Daniel groaned. "Oh, great."
Teal'c raised an eyebrow. "A bad move?"
"Not for you," Daniel replied, eying the queen of spades and the four of hearts in front of him. "Fourteen. I always get these lousy numbers."
Jack drummed his fingers on the table. "We don't have all day, Danny boy. Your turn."
Daniel sighed. "What the hell. Hit."
A six of clubs landed beside the queen, and Jack scowled. "Damn."
Someone knocked on the door, and the three men turned to see Sam standing at the door. "Hi. Am I interrupting something?"
"Just a second," Jack said, reaching for the deck. He drew an eight of diamonds and made a face. "Twenty-three. Bust."
"Pay up," Daniel told him, grinning as Jack fairly threw the chips at them.
Sam sat down beside him. "Teaching Teal'c how to play blackjack?"
"Well, Jack's been teaching him how to lose for about twenty minutes," Daniel replied.
"Hey, I was on a roll there until these two started getting lucky," Jack retorted.
Teal'c almost smiled. "I believe it was you, O'Neill, who said that luck had nothing to do with it."
Jack was shuffling the deck. "Want to play, Carter?"
"Maybe later," Sam answered, standing up. "Before you risk it all again, sir, I thought you'd like to know that Lieutenant Scott's awake."
The deck was immediately discarded.
******
"I haven't found anything out of the ordinary to explain this," Dr. Fraiser explained as Jack and Teal'c followed her into the infirmary. "There's no evidence of any diseases, pathogens, or drugs of any kind that might affect the symbiote. I've run every test I can think of."
"Which is why we didn't find out about this until now," Jack surmised.
Fraiser had to smile. "Colonel, it was difficult enough getting him to agree to all the tests I had to run. I didn't need you getting in the way."
Jack looked a bit put out, so Teal'c took the opportunity to speak. "How has Lieutenant Scott fared?"
"He complained non-stop throughout the testing, so I'm guessing that's a good sign," Fraiser answered. "The staff blast he received in the leg is not as severe as it could have been; the Goa'uld symbiote managed to speed up the healing process." Jack nodded uncomfortably as Fraiser went on. "He's also got a couple of bruised ribs, and he's been scratched up pretty well, but nothing that won't heal. I'm keeping him under observation just to be safe."
"Wait, wait, wait," Jack protested. "We do have to talk to the kid, Doc."
Fraiser sighed. "I suppose he can leave the infirmary for a short time, but I want him brought back here afterwards. 24 hours under observation should be enough."
"And after those 24 hours?"
"Sir, I'm recommending that Lieutenant Scott be temporarily relieved from active duty for a few days. Give him some time to get back on his feet."
Teal'c and Jack exchanged glances. "I don't have a problem with that," Jack admitted. "It's all up to Hammond, though."
"We will see," was all Teal'c said.
******
"Find anything yet?" Sam asked.
Daniel removed his glasses briefly to rub at his eyes. "Nothing out of the ordinary. You?"
"I've been going through his case history," Sam sighed, pulling a file out of the cabinet and sitting down. "Apparently joined the Army after high school, presumably to pay for college." She continued to skim the file. "Hm. That's interesting. I didn't know that."
"Know what?" Daniel asked, glad for the chance to turn away from the medical records on the computer screen.
"Got in here on a recommendation from Colonel Masterson," Sam replied. "Masterson's recommendation said that Scott was 'the right kind of soldier to deal with something this out of the ordinary.'"
Daniel sat down, curious. "Does it say why?"
"File's kind of sketchy," Sam sighed. "Looks like an accumulation of good performance rather than one glowing assignment. But there's nothing here to indicate any reason for rejecting the symbiote like he did."
"Nothing in the medical records, either," Daniel admitted. "Have you checked pre-military records yet?"
"I'm working on that. Civilian records obviously take a little longer." She tapped a finger thoughtfully on the file in front of her. "The little we have is interesting, though. Born and raised in Angel Grove, California."
Daniel waited for the punchline, but none came. "So?"
Sam stared at him. "Where have you been? Angel Grove. That's where all those monster sightings and claims of aliens have been springing up since '93."
"What?" Daniel chuckled incredulously. "You're not talking about those Power Ranger stories, are you?"
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, come on, Sam. It's an old hoax that no one's really taken seriously. You've seen the 'footage' of these attacks - they can't be real."
Sam bit her lip. "You know the aborted moon expedition back in '93? The one that supposedly unleashed these attacking aliens?" Daniel nodded. "Well, that at least wasn't a hoax. NASA recorded the astronauts' last transmissions after they opened an unidentifiable container. We don't know what exactly was uncovered, but the tape implies it did away with the astronauts."
Daniel frowned. "I didn't hear anything on the news about this one."
"That's because NASA didn't want it to get out," Sam replied. "It was publicly blamed on faulty equipment and a computer error. Those two men went and opened that thing against orders, and got themselves and the shuttle blown up as a result."
"NASA didn't want to admit that?"
"They also didn't have a clue what was going on either. Not until the bizarre news reports started coming out of Angel Grove." Sam flipped through a report. "I think there were a few investigations conducted early on, but they didn't turn up very much - and the 'attacks' never occurred outside of the city limits. Washington eventually decided it was wasting its time."
"And then the Stargate was uncovered," Daniel guessed.
"Exactly. Since the Angel Grove happenings never left Angel Grove - even when Apophis sent his ships to Earth - the Pentagon decided to focus on the Stargate program. At least here we had some actual proof, some actual technology."
"All right, all right," Daniel sighed, shaking his head. "I get why it hasn't been looked into. But that doesn't prove it's not a hoax."
"It's something, though," Sam pointed out. "We might want to look through news reports of those attacks to see if the citizens were exposed to anything unusual."
"Tabloids aren't really my reading material of choice," Daniel began, but he stopped at the look Sam shot him. "Never mind."
******
To say Jason was nervous went beyond even Jack's powers of stating the obvious. It wasn't as though he were fidgeting, or pacing, or worrying out loud; Jason was sitting up straight, attentive, alert, and in far better shape than he had been the previous day. His hands betrayed his inner state; while the rest of him was still, his fingers drummed incessantly against the polished wood of the table. Jack sighed deeply, wondering where the hell Hammond was. Five more minutes and the agitation would become contagious.
Teal'c, as usual, was the picture of serenity, standing by the wall like a statue. Sam, who had just arrived, was staring blankly at the star chart etched into the window between the briefing room and Hammond's office, fixated on the crisscrossing lines. Daniel was nowhere to be seen; he was checking something out for Sam.
After a moment, Jack finally turned to face Jason. "Lieutenant, could you knock it off?"
The drumming abruptly stopped as Jason caught himself. "Sorry, sir."
Feeling a twinge of guilt, Jack opened his mouth to apologize when the door opened and Hammond walked in. "At ease," he said as Sam turned from the chart and Jason tried to stand up. "If you don't mind, I'm going to dispense with the formalities for once. Sit down, all of you."
They took their seats as Jason eased himself back down, wincing from his wounded leg. Hammond noticed this as he set the papers down in front of him. "How's the leg, Lieutenant?"
"It's just a flesh wound," Jason answered. As Hammond gave him a knowing look, he added, "But it still hurts like hell, sir."
Hammond nodded. "Under other circumstances, I would have waited until your injuries were fully healed before questioning you."
"Other circumstances, sir?" Sam echoed.
"Major, I will have to submit a report to the Pentagon about this eventually. The events will get some attention."
Jack scowled. "Maybourne." Teal'c looked grim.
"Not necessarily, but after recent events, I'd like to have a complete handle on what's going on here before R&D comes barging in." Hammond turned back to Jason. "Lieutenant, I know it may be difficult for you to discuss, but when you were - implanted, was there anything out of the ordinary?"
There was a moment of silence before Jason took a deep breath and began to speak.
******