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Chapter Five: The Rescue

*
Isabel woke up in some kind of cave. She felt dizzy, confused, not sure of what had happened. Then, she remembered the men who accosted her and Liz in the alley behind the Crashdown. One of them...the light, from his hand. The next thing she knew, she was waking up here.

"Ah, you are awake," said a strange voice, one she had heard before.

Isabel looked to where the voice was coming from, and saw the same man who attacked her in the alley. She stood up and summoned her mental powers, and attempted to use her power to throw the man against the cave wall. But somehow, the force of her power was absorbed by some kind of force field.

"Whatever your power is, it will not work while you are in that cell," said the man. "I am Imhotep of the Goa'uld. And you. What are you? Where are you from?"

"What do you want, my address?" asked Isabel. "I'm not available for a date. Sorry."

"You are not human," said the man. "Not entirely. I have scanned you. You anatomy is human in every way, but there are strange properties to your blood. It gives you mental powers beyond that of a human. How did you come to be on Earth?"

"I don't know what you are talking about," replied Isabel. "But I would let me go, if I were you. I have friends who will be coming for me."

"More like you?" asked Imhotep. "Interesting. I shall have to have my Jaffa prepare for them, and take them alive as well. Tell me, how do you know of the Goa'uld?"

"I read a lot," said Isabel in a sarcastic tone.

"You will tell me, soon enough," said Imhotep. "I have plans for you, and they work well with the plan I have already set in motion."

**
Max, Michael, Tess, Liz, Maria, Kyle, and Sheriff Valenti, stood in the now empty Crashdown diner, while Alex and the members of SG-1 were "gearing up" in the back room. The diner was closed now, the hour late, and Liz's parents (the owners of the diner) had gone to bed.

"Should we really be trusting these people?" asked Michael. "They're military! How do we know this isn't all some elaborate trick to take us in alive?"

"With Alex in on it?" asked Maria. "No way!"

"How would you know?" asked Tess. "I mean, he tells us he is doing stuff with deep space telemetry in the Air Force, and it turns out he is a part of a special unit that travels to other worlds through something called a Stargate."

"That's a point to consider," said Valenti. "That whole story sounds pretty hokey. Maybe Whitman is working with a special unit of the Air Force, but one meant to capture you four. They have Isabel, and they are using her to get you."

"This is Alex Whitman we are talking about here," said Liz. "He has been our friend for years. I will NEVER believe him capable of something like that. Especially considering he and Isabel are...."

"Are...what?" asked Max.

"I....I shouldn't," said Liz.

"Whitman was right about one thing, Liz," said Michael. "No secrets. Spit it out."

"Alex and Isabel...made love, last night," said Liz. "She told me."

"He finally bagged her," said Kyle. "Remind me to bow before him for melting the ice maiden."

"Kyle, shut up," said Tess.

Kyle gave her an annoyed look. "You're my wife, and your telling me to shut up. Why do I put up with you?"

"Because you love me," said Tess, kissing him on the cheek to appease his hurt feelings.

"Oh, how sweet," said Michael in a sarcastic tone. "Now that this little 'Mad About You' moment is over, can we get back to the subject at hand."

"If what Liz says is true," said Max, "then it reinforces my trust in Alex. He has always loved Isabel. Ever since High School. I have trusted him up to now because not only because he is my...our friend, who has kept our secret, but he loves Isabel and would never hurt her. I have no reason not to trust that."

"So we trust Colonel O'Neill, too," said Tess. "Are you sure?"

"No," said Max. "But...they seem to be the ones who know how to find Isabel and deal with these...Goa'uld. We have to trust them."

The door to the back room opened, and Alex, O'Neill, Carter, Jackson, and Teal'c came out dressed in green military fatigues and black utility vests. Alex, O'Neill, and Carter, were all carrying P-90 assault rifles, while Teal'c was carrying a tall staff with an oval shaped top. All of them had Zat guns hanging on their hips, along with semi-automatic pistols.

"Hey, aren't those the same kind of weapons those Jaffa shot at me with?" asked Liz, pointing at the weapons hanging on their belts.

"Yes," said Carter. "They are called Zatnikitels. Zat guns, for short. We have commandeered quite a few from the Goa'uld. One shot stuns, two shots kill, three shots vaporizes."

"Wicked," said Kyle. "Can I have one?"

"No," said O'Neill.

"So, Hannibal Smith," said Michael. "What do you and the rest of the A-Team have planned?"

"Simple," said O'Neill. "We go to the spot where that body was found, and see what we can find. Whitman tells me your...powers might be useful in getting the girl back. Plus, you know the area, so you three...hybrids are coming with us. Sheriff, we need you and the others to stay here. If we don't come back in four hours, contact General Hammond at NORAD headquarters. Tell him SG-1 has not returned, and there is a foothold situation here in Roswell. He will know what to do from there."

"Will do," said Valenti.

"All right, let's move out," said O'Neill. "Max, you said you have a jeep outside?"

"Yes," said Max. "Follow me."

As they walked out of the Crashdown, Teal'c moved closer to O'Neill.

"O'Neill, who are the A-Team?" he asked.

"Long story," said O'Neill, looking at his friend. "But let's just say I...pity the fooh that messes with you."

"Hey, Alex," said Michael. "You know how to use that machine gun?"

"Its called a P-90 assault rifle, and yes, I do," said Alex.

"Man, I never thought you were the Rambo type," said Michael.

The group piled into Max's jeep and headed out of town towards the spot where the body of the man killed with a staff weapon was found. As they rode out of town, O'Neill looked over at Max, staring at him.

"What's the matter?" asked Max. "Never seen a human-alien hybrid before?"

"Yes, actually...I have," said O'Neill. "He was a little boy. Lives on another planet now. I'd like to know more about you, though. We should talk after this is all over."

"I want you to know that I am putting my trust in you because Alex trusts you, and I need your help to Isabel back," said Max. "But if you try anything to hurt us, I will kill you."

O'Neill was shocked into silence for a moment, taking in how deadly serious Max was in his statement. Finally, he replied. "Got it," said O'Neill. "But, you don't have to worry. We don't want to hurt you."

Meanwhile, Alex was sitting in the back, worrying about Isabel. His hands were gripping his weapon tightly, waiting with anticipation to get to where the Goa'uld were holding her prisoner, and kill them all for taking her from him.

"So help me, if they've hurt her," whispered Alex to himself.

"Lieutenant Whitman," said Dr. Jackson. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, sir," said Alex. "I'm just..."

"Worried about Isabel," said Jackson. "I saw...the look on your face when Miss Parker said that the Goa'uld had taken her. She...means a lot to you, doesn't she?"

"She's the only woman I have ever loved," said Alex. "We...finally got together, last night. And I...I blew it. I left her alone, this morning, because I was mad at her for something. I left her alone, and the Goa'uld took her."

"You couldn't have known," said Jackson. "It wasn't your fault, but believe me, I do know how you feel. My...wife, Sha're. The same thing happened to her. And I left her alone, and she was taken. But...we can't...keep thinking about what we could have done. We have to focus on the present, on finding her and getting her back."

"Or losing her, like you did your wife," said Alex. He looked at the widowed man, who's wife had been killed when the Goa'uld inside of her tried to kill Jackson. Teal'c had to kill her to save Daniel Jackson's life. "I'm sorry, sir. I'm just..."

"I understand," replied Jackson. "I hope...pray, that things will be better for you."

The jeep pulled off the side of the road near where the body was found. Everyone got out of the Jeep, and SG-1's members had their weapons at the ready to deal with any enemy that might be around.

"Alright, people, move cautiously," said O'Neill. "We don't know who, or dare I say what, might be out here waiting for us."

"I don't see anything, for miles," said Tess. "Just desert."

"They could have a cloaked transport ship," said Major Carter. "It could be nearby, and we wouldn't see it."

"Max," said Tess. "Reach out...in your mind. Try to sense Isabel. Maybe you can tell us where she is, if she's nearby."

Max closed his eyes, and entered into a kind of trance. He reached with his mind, tried to sense his sister's presence. Max sensed her, but somehow, her presence...her essence, was muffled, suppressed, weak. He tried to locate it, but with no success.

He came out of the trance. "She's nearby," said Max. "But...I can't sense her clearly. Something's blocking my contact with her. But...I do think she might have sense my mind reaching out to her."

Just then, they heard a loud noise, and saw a set of rings come up out of the ground in a stacked formation. Then, a bright light flashed in the middle of the rings, and four Jaffa armed with staff weapons appeared.

"TAKE COVER!" yelled O'Neill, opening fire with his P-90 assault rifle.

One of the Jaffa fell after being hit by O'Neill's fire. The others leveled their staff weapons and began returning fire.

Michael and Max jumped behind a patch of desert brush, and laid flat on the ground. "I guess those must be staff weapons," said Max.

"Duh, you think!" yelled Michael.

Alex and Major Carter also opened fire with their assault rifles, taking out another Jaffa in the process. Then, more rings popped up at another spot to the left of SG-1's position, and six more Jaffa appeared on the scene.

"Look out!" yelled Michael, who rose up and reached out with his power and blasted two of the Jaffa with destructive kinetic energy.

Max also reached out with his power and sent another Jaffa flying through the air and hitting the ground with a loud thud. The other Jaffa began firing at Max and Michael, who hit the deck to avoid the oncoming blasts.

Teal'c appeared next to them, kneeling on the ground and firing his staff weapon, killing one of the attacking Jaffa.

"Did you see that?" yelled Dr. Jackson, in between firing shots with his Zat gun. "What Michael and Max did?"

"It must be some kind of kinetic energy, focused by mental telepathy or some kind of..."began Carter.

"Not now!" yelled O'Neill, firing his assault rifle at the oncoming Jaffa.

The transport rings appeared out of the desert again, and six more Jaffa appeared and began firing. Alex took down one with his assault rifle, while Teal'c hit the other one with his staff weapon. Michael reached out with his power again and killed another one.

"Where are these guys coming from?" yelled Michael.

"They must have an underground base," said Carter. "We have to get inside, but the only way is by using those ring transports."

"The Jaffa will have the activation device for the ring transports," said Teal'c.

"Fine, Teal'c, Daniel," said O'Neill, "you hold off these Jaffa. The rest, come with me. Let's get the activation device from one of the dead Jaffa and get into the base."

"Tess," said Max. "Stay with Teal'c and Daniel."

"But..."began Tess.

"Do as I say," said Max.

O'Neill, Carter, Alex, Max, and Michael made their way over to where the first set of rings popped up out of the desert. Two of the Jaffa fired on them, but Alex blasted one with his rifle and Teal'c took out the other one. More rings popped up to the right, and eight more Jaffa appeared and attacked.

"Damned, they've got a whole army of them here!" yelled O'Neill.

"Sir, I think I've got it," said Major Carter, holding onto a device she took off of a dead Jaffa. "Here. Everyone gather close and stand here."

O'Neill, Carter, Alex, Max, and Michael stood close together. Carter activated the device, and the rings appeared out of the desert around them. A flash of light surrounded them, and before they knew it, the rings had deposited them into some kind of underground cavern.

As the rings disappeared, O'Neill, Carter, and Alex readied their weapons. "Sir," said Carter. "These look like the crystalline tunnels made by the Tokrah."

"Apparently the Goa'uld have mastered the process as well," said Alex. "That's bad."

"Hail king of the understatement," said O'Neill. "Come on."

"Hey, who are the Tokrah?" asked Michael.

"Later," said Alex.

As they rounded a corner, they came face to face with two Jaffa who had their staff weapons ready to fire. But Max stepped out in front of the group, and as the Jaffa fired, he raised his hand an a force field appeared to protect them from the attack. Michael then reached out with his powers and killed the two Jaffa.

"Wow," said O'Neill. "Not bad. You and David Copperfield should go into business together."

"Let's go," said Max, leading the group down the passageway.

They stepped into a large chamber, and found a pickup truck in the room. "This must be the truck the state troopers saw them riding here in," said Carter. "Its inconspicuous, so they can get around town easily in it."

"The Goa'uld turned Jed Clampet," said O'Neill. "Woo doggy."

The group moved through the room and into more corridors, but found no more Jaffa waiting for them. They moved forward slowly, cautiously, waiting for anything to pop out and attack them.

Finally, they came to the entrance to another large chamber, and saw a man fitting Imhotep's description speaking into a communications device.

"Fall back, you fools," said Imhotep in his inhuman Goa'uld voice. "They are too well armed. The forces of the Tau'ri have found out about our presence. We must relocate our operation."

Max stepped into the chamber.

"No," whispered O'Neill.

"Where is my sister?" asked Max.

Imhotep turned around, and smirked. "Young fool," he said. "You dare to challenge me." He raised his gauntlet. "You shall pay for this."

A burst of energy emanated from the gauntlet, but Max raised his mental force field and absorbed the blast. Max then sent a mental blast to send Imhotep flying backwards, but his attacked was blocked by a force field created by Imhotep.

O'Neill and Carter stood up and fired on Imhotep with their Zat guns, but their blasts were also absorbed by Imhotep's shield.

"You think you can challenge a god," said Imhotep. "You shall die, or become hosts to the Goa'uld who will open the way for our takeover of this miserable planet."

That's when O'Neill pulled out a knife, and threw it at Imhotep. The latter tried to avoid the incoming object, but failed. The Goa'uld's force fields are not designed to stop slow moving solid objects. The knife found its mark in Imhotep's stomach, sending the Goa'uld lurching backwards. To make sure of the kill, Major Carter fired her Zat gun twice, and Imhotep's now lifeless body collapsed to the ground.

The group stood looking at the now lifeless alien. Michael looked over at O'Neill. "A knife...he was killed by a knife when your energy weapons are our powers couldn't reach him."

"Its their weakness," said Alex. "They don't count on the primitive being able to hurt them. They're...arrogant in that way. But he didn't tell us where Isabel is."

Max closed his eyes and reached out with hid mind to find Isabel. He senses her close by, but once again, her essence is weak and suppressed somehow.

"Follow me," said Max.

The group made their way out of the chamber and back into the corridor. They walked for a good distance down the uninterrupted passage and came to another chamber at the end. There, Alex let out a sigh of relief, seeing Isabel.

"Thank God," said Alex, running over to take her in his arms.

But Isabel reached out with her hand and sent Alex flying backwards with her mental powers. He impacted on the ground with a thud, winded but still conscious.

O'Neill raised his weapon, but Michael stepped in front of him. "No," he said.

"Isabel, what the hell are you doing?" asked Max.

Then, they saw it. Isabel's eyes glowed. Then, in an inhuman voice, she said. "Tal'mac, Goa'uld. Bow before your god!"

She then raised a Goa'uld gauntlet and send a blast of energy into Max, sending him flying to the ground before he could overcome his shock and raise his force field in self-defense.

"What the hell has happened to her?!" yelled Michael.

"She's been taken as a host," said O'Neill. "She's a Goa'uld!"

End of Chapter Five. Chapter Six coming soon.

So, have I left you breathless with anticipation? Ha, ha, I love my power! You'll have to tune in for the next chapter to find out what happens. In the meantime, please keep those reviews coming. I'd love to hear what you all think of this latest chapter. I promised you action, and I hope I have delivered so far. But there's plenty more to come!