[Author's note: Whoops! I'm sorry. I sorta thought nobody was reading this so I've been overhauling it and not posting. My sincere apologies to you mletts6 and thanks so much for prodding me onwards! : ) My only defence is that I was distracted by another fic I'm writing and having a bit of a crisis of… conscience? No… hmmm… not 'conscience'… hmmm… crisis of intention then with where Emma's going as a character. As always, many thanks to Pettygrew for her assistance and advice. I believe I'm up to chapter seven so more to follow soon, I hope. Despite how this chapter finishes, this is definitely TBC.]
"SG1 ready to go… awaiting your command, General Hammond."
It was 0600. SG1 had spent a restless night in their respective hideaways, killing time until morning came.
"I don't recall ordering you to active duty, Colonel." Hammond's voice was kind, but firm. He had not slept either, but had managed a shower and a change of clothes. Coffee was his best friend at the moment, his mug on a convenient shelf.
"Yes sir. Actually, if the General recalls, you said that a rescue mission could not proceed until morning on P8T-119. Consulting our mission logs will confirm that the sun will rise in exactly," O'Neill looked at his watch, "Fourteen minutes. SG1 is prepared to move out at that time." O'Neill was on his best military behaviour, back ramrod straight, arms at his side, head up. Carter was doing a perfect imitation of him and even Teal'c looked imposingly formal.
Hammond shook his head. This is why he loved this job and the SG teams. They were pig-headed and a handful to deal with, but Lord knew, they never quit.
"What do you intend to do on P8T-119, Colonel?" He asked quietly.
"Sir. SG1 will do a thorough sweep of the Stargate site, looking for any evidence the MALP may have missed."
"And if you are attacked?"
"Upon reaching P8T-119, we will immediately dial home. Using the MALP to relay video and radio transmissions, even if we are taken by surprise, the SGC will have a better idea of what we are up against."
"And I will have lost another group of soldiers." Hammond sighed. "Colonel… we have an unknown and most likely hostile situation and you may be adding to it. Whatever is out there could have four hostages already. Why would I add three more?"
"Sir. We are running out of options. We don't leave our people behind, so we have no choice but to investigate. SG1 volunteers its services with full knowledge that this is likely a hostile planet, and possibly a trap."
"Colonel…" Hammond began. Whether he was going to allow or deny the mission would remain unknown as a voice cut through the room.
"Unscheduled off-world activation! Security to the gate room." The Sergeant looked up from the computer panel. "Sir! It's P8T-119! We have no iris code though."
Hammond's face went dark. "Close the iris." He just hoped he wasn't damning his people with this action. With a metallic grinding noise, the dome slid into place.
"Sir, we have MALP telemetry. Receiving video." Hammond and SG1 crowded around the screen. The video was somewhat grainy, but the form of Emma Collier, without glasses, was clearly visible. Hammond took the microphone with a sense of relief.
"Doctor Collier… what is happening there?"
Emma looked sideways and then to the camera. "Good morning, General. Ah… We need to talk." She was in lecture mode, hands moving a mile a minute. At the moment, they were making a little circular motions, hands revolving around each other. Sam frowned, wondering if it was significant.
"We most certainly do need to talk, Doctor! We received an incoming wormhole and SG6's iris code yesterday. We have been trying to reach you for almost twelve hours. What is happening there?"
Emma frowned and cocked her head, thinking. She looked like she was considering about fourteen or fifteen options. Sam's attention went to her hands as they flew a mile a minute. "Don't know anything about that, sir. Perhaps a malfunction on your end? We've had nothing here." Her hands twitched nervously. Like Daniel, she was a hand-talker. Fingers to lips, pointing, and the ever-present index finger making little circular motions. Sam's brow furrowed as she started finding some patterns in those motions.
"Sir… we… found something." She said hesitantly, eyes sliding from the camera to points off to the right, then left. Hammond frowned, getting a bad feeling. Emma's hands picked up again as she started talking. "We need you to send us… uh…" The eyes flicked around again, hands jittering. "Well… We need Daniel Jackson here."
The SGC frowned as one, everyone looking around to confirm what they had just heard. Slowly, Hammond took the microphone. "Doctor Collier… Doctor Jackson is…"
"On P3X-888… yes, I know." Emma spoke quickly, and loudly, over-riding Hammond's voice. Sam's eyebrows shot up. Before Hammond could speak again, she put her hand on his.
"Sir." She pointed to the screen. "Watch Emma's hands. She's spelling things out in sign-language. I've been trying to figure it out. I think she's under duress. Her signs are sloppy, but she probably can't risk making them too clear."
Hammond's eyebrows lifted slightly, his only show of surprise. He nodded and held up a hand, telling Sam to be quiet. "Alright Emma, I understand. Before I can get Doctor Jackson in, I have to know what you have found. Where are Major Sanchez and the rest of SG6?"
Emma's shoulders dropped slightly, a relieved look flickering in her eyes. She wagged a finger at Hammond, middle finger and thumb in a circle. She made a loose fist, fingertips touching the back of her thumb, quickly clenching her fist and then wagging her finger again as she spoke. "Yes. They're, uh… they're not here right now. They are… at the site we found."
Hammond looked at Carter. She grimaced. "She spelled out 'dead', sir."
"Dammit." Jack winced and shook his head, turning away slightly.
"And they left you alone?"
Emma gave him a brilliant smile. "Safe as houses, sir. We found a site… no danger."
Hammond looked to Sam. Carter said hoarsely. "Ship."
"Ship?" O'Neill asked. "As in 'mother-ship'? No wonder we didn't find anything."
"Why do you need Doctor Jackson for this particular site?"
"Well, there are some glyphs here that I can't translate. My, uh, knowledge… if you can call it that… of Goa'uld is not quite up to his, if you know what I mean." She chuckled, looking more at ease.
Hammond paused before replying to consult Sam. The Major was pale. She closed her eyes and forced out the word. "Osiris."
Nodding, Hammond returned to the mike. "What sort of site did you find?"
"Sir?" Emma looked confused.
"Why is this site important?"
Emma's mouth made an 'o'. "I get it. Well… I think it is a library of sorts. Books and such. Scrolls." Her hands waved. "I'm just a… just a humble geomorphologist. What do I know? Think it might be something big though." The index finger waved.
This time, Sam didn't wait for the look. "Bait SG1."
"Alright, Doctor. As you say, Doctor Jackson is on P3X-888. I will need an hour to contact him and make arrangements. Anything else you can tell us?"
Emma pursed her lips, looking up and then back to the camera. "Just tell him that this is the find of a lifetime. Really, he needs to be here. I know playing with wild Unas is a ton of fun, but this is better."
Hammond forced a chuckle. "I'll pass the word along, Doctor. Wait there. I want to talk to you in an hour."
Emma nodded. "Understood, sir. I'll be here."
"SGC out." Hammond nodded, allowing the MALP telemetry to end and shortly afterward, the gate shut down. He immediately turned to Sam. "What did she say at the end, Major?"
"Sir." Sam's voice was soft. "She said, 'No rescue'."
"Dammit!' Jack burst out again, banging his fist against a cabinet.
"SG1, I want you in the briefing room… now." Hammond nodded to the gate room staff and they got to work while he led SG1 up the stairs.
- - - - -
"That went well." Osiris purred as the gate shut down and Emma slumped.
"I think I'm going to be sick." The scientist held her stomach and slumped to her knees.
"Emma, Emma, Emma." The genteel British accent did not betray the malevolence of the Goa'uld's gaze. Emma stood and edged around Osiris, over to Patrick. The commanding officer was on his knees, hands bound behind his back. Osiris had forced Emma's apparent co-operation by bringing the CO along and stationing half a dozen Jaffa with powered up staff weapons directly behind him.
The scientist eased the soldier off of his knees and into a seated position. "Can you at least undo his hands? God, Sarah, you got what you wanted. This is just being a jerk."
Osiris muttered a Goa'uld command to his Jaffa. The brawny soldier lifted his staff weapon, intending to hit the bound Major. Emma shot upright and wrapped herself around his helpless form. The butt of the weapon took her between the shoulder blades, but she bit her lip, refusing to cry out. Frustrated, the Jaffa switched his weapon around and slammed her in the forehead, knocking her back onto the ground. Both Sanchez and Osiris screamed, "No!".
Osiris was the only one able to react though. He activated the hand device, blasting the Jaffa backwards, right off the spire and into the valley. The Jaffa gave a short scream as it fell, bouncing off the steep cliff walls. Osiris released a torrent of Goa'uld abuse on his remaining Jaffa before pushing Patrick away and checking on Emma.
The human was unconscious, a bruise beginning to spread from her hairline down her forehead to the bridge of her nose. Osiris hissed his displeasure. This bruise would show up even with the poor resolution of the MALP. The Goa'uld kicked Emma sharply in the ribs, and the woman coughed once, trying to twist away. "I should kill you now." The creature growled. "But instead I will heal you when Daniel Jackson arrives. We shall have all the time in the world for questions and answers. When I have finished with you, I doubt you will be so willing to take on the pain of others."
Emma, still groggy, made no reply as she scrabbled around in the grass trying to figure out which way was up. Patrick sucked in his breath. The blow looked like it might have broken her nose. Deep blue bruises were forming under her eyes and blood ran from her nose, over her lips and chin. He had no idea how Osiris thought it would hide this from the SGC.
Finally, Emma managed to snag his sleeve. She shut her eyes and leaned against his arm, unknowingly smearing blood over his jacket. He made small comforting noises, trying to keep her still. He'd thought her dead on the ship, and barely restrained a huge smile as the Jaffa pushed her whole and healthy into the shuttle with him. It was hard watching Osiris abuse his civilian, but perhaps the end was in sight.
They still had the better part of an hour to wait before he would know if her signs had worked. Like Emma, he could 'speak' sign language. She had used the alphabet, the simplest form of the language, and he had been able to deduce what she was saying. It was hard watching her tell the SGC not to rescue them, declare them dead, but it was the best. They were bait in a trap, and he would be damned if he gave the Goa'uld the pleasure of springing it.
- - - - -
"You can't be serious, sir!" Jack said, swinging his chair sideways, banging his head softly against the cushioned back.
"Colonel O'Neill, I assure you, I am quite serious." General Hammond spoke calmly, refusing to rise to O'Neill's baiting tone.
"Sir." Carter spoke up. "There has to be a better way."
"Tell me what it is, Major, and I will happily do it."
"We go in hot." Jack said brusquely.
Hammond shook his head. "Against a hostile Goa'uld force with who knows how many armed and prepared Jaffa waiting in ambush? SG6, even if they are still alive, would be dead before the second chevron was locked." He sighed, pulled back and then looked seriously at the team. "Believe me, Jack, I don't like this any more than you do. SG6 is a young team, but they are one of our best. They have a distinguished service record and everyone who has worked with them speaks highly of them. I know what it means to the SGC to lose them." He sat back and looked at all of them. "Hell, son, even if they were our worst team, if everyone hated them, it is still a blow to all of us to lose them. I do not make this decision lightly."
"We don't leave people behind." Jack enunciated, jabbing his finger against the briefing room table with each word.
"No, Colonel O'Neill, we don't." Hammond pulled rank back into the conversation, to keep Jack under control. "But sometimes, rarely, we allow them to walk away. SG6 has told us that this is the option they choose. In this situation, we have no choice but to honour it."
"You're just going to leave them there to be tortured and questioned?" Jack was getting angry.
"Colonel." Hammond once again reined in his officer with only the mildest rebuke in his tone. He laced his fingers together, looked at them for a moment and sighed. "We're going to send a bomb through on our next communication. With any luck, it will spell the end of Osiris."
"Oh God." Carter whispered and looked away. "What about SG6?"
"If they are in the area, they will also be killed." His head looked from one to the other. "I'm sorry, people. If the best we can do for them is to make sure that Osiris does not get any information out of them, and that their torture is ended, then we will have to be satisfied with that."
"Emma Collier…" Teal'c said softly.
"Yes, Teal'c, I know. I also looked through the tape of our conversation with Emma. The bomb was her suggestion. We didn't translate her first two sentences while we were speaking with her. I had the techs look it over and they found three more words." He held up his fingers and he counted. "Trap. Send bomb."
Unable to speak, Jack's head sunk to the table where he buried his face in his hands.
- - - - -
For Emma and Patrick, the hour was no less painful. If Hammond had understood their message, a message Emma had signed out to Patrick in the holding cell of the shuttle as they travelled back to the Stargate, they had less than an hour to live.
While neither wanted to die, their only real regret was that Dimitri and Joe were still on board the Goa'uld mothership. Perhaps with Osiris dead, they would be able to flee and somehow find a way back home.
Emma remained groggy, but finally regained mostly full consciousness about twenty minutes into the wait. Osiris ordered some water and rags brought and cut Patrick's bindings, allowing him to clean up his wounded civilian. A healing device would have been better, the CO ruefully thought, but perhaps Osiris did not have one. The Goa'uld had also apparently decided that it could not risk being away from the Stargate if Hammond dialled back early, so no sarcophagus. Emma would have to attempt to complete the trap without letting the SGC see a bruise which was rapidly seeping from her forehead down her nose and eyes, even touching her cheeks.
Osiris had played with the MALP for a few moments, looking for a way to disable the video, without harming the audio. He had obviously given up on that without success.
As the minutes ticked down, Osiris took Emma by the collar and dragged her over to the MALP. The Goa'uld had ransacked their gear and found a sunhat, which he promptly jammed on the geographer's head. Osiris then passed Emma a notepad and pencil.
"Keep your head down, and write in this book. Appear busy. Do not look up, and if you write anything suspicious, I shall cut your friend over there into little, tiny, screaming pieces. Do you understand me?" Emma's mouth twisted as Osiris grabbed her by the chin and pressed one slim finger into the bruise on Emma's forehead. "Do you understand me?" The Goa'uld repeated.
Emma's lips disappeared into a flat line as she struggled, but she finally broke and gasped, "Yes!". Only then did Osiris release her with a disdainful chuckle.
- - - - -
"Are we ready?" General Hammond stood in the control room, looking around. The bomb, brought up in record time, was on a cart at the base of the platform. A full compliment of security guards stood against the walls. Everybody knew now that SG6 had been compromised. If they dialled in, their captors would face a lethal homecoming.
"Yes, sir." Came the Sergeant's voice. There was a heavy air in the SGC. It was not every day they had to condemn a well-liked team to death… thank God.
"Alright. Dial up P8T-119. Prepare the weapon."
"Yes, sir. Chevron one encoded." A more brisk and business-like tone now as everyone attempted to distance themselves from the events in motion. A pause. "Chevron two encoded." SG1 stood uselessly in the command room. They didn't like it, but they were out of options.
"Chevron three encoded." Jack shifted on his feet. His military heart knew that this was the only true option right now. How many times had he and SG1 done the same thing? Kited off into the unknown, invading motherships, asteroids, submarines… never expecting to return. He knew this happened in the field and that sacrifices and losses were inevitable. Destroying Osiris would be a small measure of safety for the rest of the universe… was it selfish to think that the price was too high?
"Chevron four encoded." Sam clenched her fists. Down to the last seconds, her mind raced frantically from one option to another. They hadn't missed anything on the planet… how did Osiris know that SG6 was there? Could they have used gas to rescue the team? Probably not, not without risking SG6. According to Teal'c, Osiris would likely remain unaffected by anything short of a dosage strong enough to kill SG6 and the Jaffa. What else could they do?
"Chevron five encoded." Teal'c's head lifted as he stared impassively at the bomb below them. He had failed Daniel Jackson… again. More importantly, he had failed Emma Collier. The Goa'uld were waiting for SG6. Something must have alerted them to the presence of the survey team, and SG1 were the only likely suspects. He felt keenly the responsibility for missing some vital clue, some small piece of evidence that could have saved them all this horrible conclusion.
"Chevron six encoded." It never got any easier. General Hammond maintained a strong façade for the sake of his people, but inside he shook with helpless fury. He had put together SG6 himself. The original SG6 had been disbanded following a vicious ambush that had left two dead and the remaining two unfit for duty. One of the two had lost a leg, the other was still in rehabilitation and it was unsure whether he would ever walk again. It was a dark omen for the creation of a new team… but what team hadn't suffered a death or a loss? How many full teams had they lost in the battle thus far? One knew that one had to pick up and move on. Sanchez was promoted out of SG7 to get his own, well-deserved command. Moresby was well on his way to command in a few years. Vale was the question mark for Hammond, but the young man had proven his worth a dozen times over… and finally Emma Collier. The young scientist had approached him and asked to be put on regular rotation following the death of SG9 on P3X-888. It had taken him several attempts to get her to explain why he would put her back on field duty when she earlier wanted off. Her answer had angered him… his rage directed not at Emma, but with the deceased CO of SG9. He put her back on the team out of a sense of obligation. He owed her another chance… and look where it got her… got them all.
"Chevron seven locked." The Stargate event horizon sprung into life. It was a sight that normally filled the SGC with anticipation and awe, but now it held only dread. As the horizon stabilized, Hammond touched the intercom. "Move the package into position." A soldier saluted and used the remote control to bring the 'package', the bomb up to the gate.
"MALP telemetry online… we have video."
Hammond turned to face the screen. He frowned as the viewer was filled with the image of Emma's sunhat. He pulled his head back and cocked it, trying to figure out what he was seeing. Emma's sunhat in conjunction with the tilt of her head hid most of her face, only her lips and chin visible. He could see her torso, and her tanned hands gripping a notepad and pencil.
"Doctor Collier?" He began tentatively.
In response, she lifted up her hand, the one with a pencil in it, and wagged her index finger at him, touching it briefly to her lips. Sam's heart ached. She looked like Daniel, chasing down some elusive theorem to figure out how the universe worked. A few seconds of finger wagging and she returned to her book, scribbling down some notes.
"Can you make out anything written on that book?" He asked the tech, wondering if this was another message from their captive doctor.
"No sir." The Sergeant craned his neck, squinting. "I don't think she's writing anything English on there."
"It's probably a prop, sir. She spelled out 'dead' again with her hands. Osiris is probably making her do this for some reason. Maybe he figured out that Emma was trying to signal us."
Hammond nodded and returned to the radio. "Doctor Collier." He put his most indulgent tone into the two words. He saw a grin flash over the woman's features, but it was gone before anyone could really comment on it.
"One moment, General. I had an idea here, and I, uh… I just want to follow it up before it…" She made a little circling motion with her fingertip. "Escapes."
"Doctor Collier. We have completed the arrangements with P3X-888, as you requested. Doctor Jackson will be with you in about thirty seconds." He played the game with her, but he did not wait. Emma would know that a General did not wait, and he couldn't afford to make Osiris suspicious.
"Oh good, sir. Excellent. I'm… I'm looking forward to seeing Daniel again… I think he'll like SG6." The scientist's voice broke very slightly on the last words. Sam closed her eyes. Emma had accepted her death. All that was left was to push the button. She was only dimly aware of General Hammond telling the soldiers to send the bomb up the last bit of ramp and through the gate. The trolley rumbled slowly into place.
They had a five second pause before Emma started acting oddly. She twitched and looked sideways at something. Teal'c cocked his head like he heard something the others missed. Emma's lips twisted and she shook her head. Suddenly, she pushed her sunhat back with her thumb and dropped it. She drew a deep breath. "Thank you sir. Our best to everyone. It's been a pleasure." She smiled softly, peaceful.
As she spoke, Hammond roared into the intercom, "Top speed, soldiers!" The bomb trolley sped up slightly. Releasing the button as the bomb rolled forward, he said "Oh God" softly.
Everyone in the command room could see the devastating bruise splashed across Emma's face, and knew for certain that the team was under a Goa'uld's control. This fact was confirmed as Emma abruptly disappeared from view. Sam sprang to the camera controls and found her on the ground twenty feet away. She had been hurled there by a Goa'uld hand device. The control room watched in frozen horror as she got to her knees only to be blown backwards by a trio of staff blasts. She slumped to her back, on hand out as if reaching for the gate. As Sam zoomed in, her golden eyes went wide and she smiled. The smile bled away as her body went limp, eyes still on the heavens.
Jack made an inarticulate growl of anger and turned away. "Package will arrive in ten seconds." No-one was able to move, staring at the terrible scene playing out in front of them. They caught a flash of the Goa'uld Osiris, dragging the body of Major Patrick Sanchez, lifting a hand before the MALP went dead.
"Package arrived, sir."
Hammond nodded his head rapidly. "Close the iris and detonate. I want the gate shut down after that."
Sam closed her eyes and looked away as the iris slid closed and the Sergeant pushed the red detonator. It was over.
- - - - -
TBC