Lights! Camera! Action! Action! ACTION! Well ok, not quite, but as much action as you're gonna get from this story anyway.

Chapter 10

The pain was intense and burning and ...

...Wasn't there. Jack was perplexed. He shook his head to try and clear the blanket draped over his cognitive process. Even a few seconds of that thing were unbelievably painful. Only once his mind had clear did he start to wonder why it had stopped; surely this Crusty guy would have kept him in pain longer than that.

He slowly lifted his head, meeting Daniels worried eyes. It was then he saw the Goa'uld lying sprawled next to his throne. A moment later he saw a Jaffa flying through the air to meet him. Turning round he saw the slight figure of the female goa'uld wreaking havoc on the Jaffa guards who had run in on hearing the disturbance. Continual pulses of energy ripped from the device on her hand, knocking down the Jaffa like skittles.

Slowly Jack also tuned in Daniel's excited babbling. 'This is amazing. And of course rather lucky. She must have a feud with Procrustes. Or maybe another Goa'uld has paid her off. Or maybe she's a Tok'ra...'

'Danny, much as any other time I would find it fascinating to hear why snakeheads might want to bump each other off, might we take this opportunity to, I don't know, ESCAPE!'

With a mumbled apology Daniel scrambled to his feet and turned to help Jack to his, while Teal'c smoothly rose behind them. They scooted over to the wall and then started to skirt round the walls, heading towards the entrance. Jack swore when some of the zat and staff blasts swung away from their former target and started towards the SG1. Damn. He had hoped that the Jaffa would be too busy to watch SG1 quickly slip away.

The goa'uld started to back towards them, still firing at the depleted number of Jaffa. She turned and barked an order to Teal'c. And Teal'c followed it. Jack almost sat down in shock when the large ex first prime turned round and grabbed a forgotten staff weapon using it to blow a hole in the wall.

Distracted by Teal'c Jack didn't notice the staff blast heading towards him until it was too late to duck. He would have ended up with his innards spread over the now crumbling wall if the veiled figure hadn't spun round and used her ribbon device to push the blast harmlessly off course. At the same time though while her back was turned a solitary zat burst found its target in the now smoky room.

She grunted and her knees started to buckle. Jack was ambivalent over whether to help her; she was a goa'uld but she had just saved his life. What was in it for her? Was she another bounty hunter? His problem was solved when she pushed herself back up and started to fire at the shadowy shapes still visible.

'Go.' Her duplex voice sounded almost despairing. 'Go, I'll hold them back. Please!' Jack shared a look with Daniel and Teal'c. He hoped they were thinking what he was, that it would be easier to take out one female, even if she was a goa'uld, than several dozen Jaffa. The second ribbon blast from another direction convinced him, as he heard Pocustad...Porcrusted...whatever join the fight. He motioned for Daniel and Teal'c to leave through the now gaping hole, before following himself.

Luckily it had been an outside wall, and so SG1 had taken off into the surrounding woods. After a few minutes, Jack looked back and was surprised to see their mysterious rescuer was running like hell after them, clutching one arm. Behind her, he could faintly hear the horde of Jaffa. 'Colonel! Wait!'

He saw Daniel slow slightly and turn to watch her. He could have throttled him. Now was not the time to start getting fluffy feelings towards a goa'uld. He was about to snap at him to start up again, the gate was just over the next bluff, when suddenly a zat blast snaked through the trees and wrapped around their saviour.

This time she did collapse, twitching as the electricity disrupted her nervous system. Daniel, behind the other two ran back to the still form, ignoring the calls Jack sent after him, ordering him to get his ass back over here.

'Teal'c go, get the gate open.' The Jaffa nodded and sprinted the remaining distance to the DHD. Jack turned and run back round to where Daniel crouched by what at any other time he would have thought was a burnt bundle of cloth. 'Daniel get going, we can't risk our hide for a snake, even if she did rescue us.' He paused for a minute before adding 'It's not a Tok'ra is it?' Don't be Anise, Don't be Anise. He could hear the Jaffa getting closer and blast once again started to pepper the grass around them.

Daniel ducked his head to avoid a particularly close blast, before lifting his head to meet Jack's hard glare. 'Jack, you'd better see this' and he lifted away the veil. More shots scattered around them, and while Daniel scooped the still unconscious form into his arms and started to run, Jack stayed frozen in shock.

The next blast close to his feet though sent he sprinting after the rest of his team though, skidding to a halt next to steps to a Stargate. For a moment he wondered where Daniel had got the GDO, as all their equipment had been taken. But that was forgotten as he dived through the gate after Daniel, who was still clutching his precious bundle, feeling Teal'c follow right on his heels.

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