Consequences Pt 2
A few minutes later O'Neill and Jacob were in Hammond's office speaking with the General via the speaker on the phone. "So how long have you been out of contact with your people?"
"Six hours. I know it may seem a little soon to be concerned but the Jaffa at that base keep to a rigid schedule. We are positive our operatives have been compromised."
"So what do you need?"
"Well other than an assault force, a ton of ammunition and a lot of luck- " He stopped when he heard a snort of the other end of the line. "All right, seriously, I know you can't spare that kind of manpower on short notice, it would be nice though. I actually did have something specific in mind." His eyes locked with O'Neill's across the desk. "George, I understand your 2IC has extensive Black Ops experience which I think could be extremely helpful under these circumstances. We are dealing with a minor Goa'uld who is one of the most paranoid I've ever come across. We need to get into the complex and I'm sure we're going to run into every kind of booby trap that's ever been conceived. We need someone with the instincts for dealing with this kind of thing. I thought Teal'c might be of help too."
O'Neill nodded slightly then spoke into the speaker, "General, it's not like we've been doing much the past few days. You know how grouchy Teal'c gets when he's stuck in his quarters for too long."
"Colonel, I'm hesitant to send only the two of you off, I'd rather have all of SG-1 together, and have back up."
"Well, Daniel could go."
Jacob's eyebrow went up at the obvious exclusion of his daughter. "And Sam?"
"She's not here. Out of town, got a 'mission' of her own." O'Neill's face lost some of it's animation. "We'll be Okay without her." He turned back to the phone, "Sir, SG-14 is due to go out in less than four hours, if you weren't opposed to scrapping their mission-"
Jacob was still thinking about where his daughter might have gone off to when Hammond's voice came across the speaker. "Colonel, you have a 'go', notify Major Collins their mission has been changed to search and rescue under your command."
Jacob was pacing in the back and forth in the briefing room. In his mind this was taking too long. He didn't fault Hammond for not sending more troops but he really wanted to get going now that a course of action had been determined. He barely waited for everyone to be seated and O'Neill to begin the briefing before he spoke.
"This mission is to recover Tok'ra hostages within a compound controlled by a contingent of Jaffa. The Goa'uld they serve is Paka'a, mean anything to you Daniel?"
The archaeologist stroked his chin, "Well, that would be a minor god, maybe Polynesian, of the air or, more specifically, wind."
"You're right." Jacob answered. He didn't see O'Neill turn to Daniel and mouth the word 'gas?' and Daniel's subsequent glare of exasperation.
"And he is as changeable as the wind can be. He's one of the most paranoid we've ever dealt with. He keeps his Jaffa on a tight leash but he himself comes and goes on no set schedule whatsoever. We can only hope that he doesn't show up while we're there; if he did the number of Jaffa would be tripled."
"What have you got on the compound?" O'Neill was ready to get straight to the planning stage. Jacob set a 3-D holographic imager on the table and turned it on.
As it came to life revealing an image of the compound exterior, Jacob continued, "As you can see there are three entrance portals, here, here and here. The cells are in this wing so we'll need to go in here." He pointed to various spots on the image as he spoke.
"And you don't think the actual presence of Jaffa will be the greatest threat?"
"No, I don't. We have no operative on the inside, which puts us at a distinct disadvantage, but we know this Goa'uld is known for shoring up his forces in unconventional ways. We expect to run into a large number of traps and other obstacles but not that many guards."
"Any idea at all about these booby traps?"
Jacob smiled as he watched Teal'c's eyebrow rise. "Better than that, I brought one with me." With that he pulled a small orb out of his pocket and rolled it across the table to O'Neill. Just before it got to him it suddenly stopped by itself and split open to reveal a multitude of tiny darts inside just bristling to be released. "Holy- " O'Neill shouted as he jerked his hand back.
"Don't worry this ones been disarmed."
With his voice higher and louder than normal O'Neill responded, "Still looks a bit 'armed' to me!"
Jacob reached out and flicked one of the bristles with his finger, "See, it's not going anywhere. But if it had been active, everyone in this room would be either unconscious or dead, depending on the chemical they used."
Major Collins was seated beside O'Neill and gingerly reached past him to the device. He touched it, barely, and then slid it closer to their side of the table. "The tips look barbed, I bet they'd stick into anything with minimal force."
"Yeah, just don't go testing one." Jacob cautioned. "It's been disabled but I won't guarantee all the chemical has been removed."
Collins blew out a breath and with a grimace slid the object away and back to the center of the table.
"Okay, so we'll run into some of these little dart blasters, what else?"
"Not sure, he seems to like setting things off with motion detectors and lasers; that's why we haven't gotten in very far."
"No problem." O'Neill nodded to the two ex-Special Forces members of SG-14. Both Collins and his 2IC, Williamson had been in Iraq as well as South America, lots of experience there. "We'll kit up with some 'extra' things we don't usually bring along." Collins nodded back, already making a list in his head of the small mirrors, wires, clips and assorted hardware he'd need. This mission might actually be fun; he hadn't done anything remotely like this in years.
After a few more minutes of planning O'Neill dismissed the briefing, they would move out at 0700. As soon as he got out of his chair O'Neill grabbed Daniel by the arm, "Hold on, I got something I've got to talk to Collins about, wait for me a minute okay?" With that he turned and gestured to Collins to join him in Hammond's office.
Daniel scowled, he just knew Jack was going to pull him off this mission, too dangerous for the archaeologist, let the big boys who know what they're doing take care of it. He slammed his folders back onto the table and flopped into a chair to await his dismissal.
Collins emerged with a complete lack of expression on his face and went straight to the stairway, not even giving a nod in Daniel's direction.
"Daniel." Jack was back in the briefing room leaning forward on the heavy table with both hands. "You understand this is turning out to be a highly specialized mission. I've decided to reduce our possible losses; you and-"
"You're pulling me off the mission."
"Not just you, all the non-military personnel."
"You can't do that! I'm as able as anyone else! Just because I'm not Special Forces doesn't mean I can't handle a gun. I don't have to go in first; I can be back up. What if you run into this Paka'a?"
"You speak Polynesian now?"
"Well, no, but I know a lot about their culture."
"I don't think that's going to help us this time."
"I want to go." As their eyes remained locked O'Neill had a sneaking suspicion there was more to Daniel's request than he was letting on; it was something more personal, between them.
"Daniel," He spoke slowly, "You're not feeling sorry for me are you?"
"No!" He answered too quickly. "I'm part of the team, I should go."
O'Neill lowered his eyes to the table then back up at the younger man; he knew what this was really about. Daniel had noticed how lost he was without Carter being around all the time and wanted to let him know the whole team wasn't breaking up because of it. "You should be glad I didn't 'order' Collins to drop his two civilians, I asked him to explain the mission in great detail to them and give them the option of sitting this one out. If it had been an order I would have to hold myself to the same."
"You're gonna let me stay?"
"Call it a moment of weakness." He shrugged then pointed at him. "But you will follow orders explicitly even if I tell you to go."
He nodded quickly suddenly very much aware he was going to be in way over his head this time.
Hammond showed up in time to have a few words with Jacob and wish them Godspeed. As expected Collins' two civilians had no stomach for Black Ops and did not even show in the Gate room when their companions left. The force Jacob recruited from the SGC turned out to be a five-man team: O'Neill, Teal'c, Collins, Williamson and Jackson.
On the other side of the Gate, Jacob immediately dialed another site. They Gate-hopped one more time after that and emerged in the center of a large encampment. Though the Tok'ra living quarters were all underground, out of necessity for a place to harbor their small fleet and do some repairs tents had been set up as well. The scene was reminiscent of a temporary base often set up when the Air Force moved into an area where a landing strip was needed. Obviously General Carter had been busy explaining the finer points of military strategy to his compadres.
O'Neill stopped at the top step just beyond the event horizon and adjusted his cap to shade his eyes better. "Jake, if I didn't know better I'd swear we were on earth, Arizona maybe."
The older man chuckled, "You mean the Tel'tacs aren't a giveaway? My ship is over there." He pointed to a medium sized cargo ship off to the right of the main compound. "We'll be joined by two other smaller ships for a three sided attack wing."
O'Neill nodded. If anything he rarely could argue with Jacob's tactics, the combination of Jacob's human military background and centuries of experience from Selmac made him a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.
They didn't waste any time getting settled on Jacobs ship. They were glad they'd only brought what they could carry in packs; the hold was tight. Somehow Jacob had managed to get a glider in there.
"I thought you said three?"
"Well, three and a back up."
"You didn't forego the escape pods did you?" O'Neill eyed the standard two seated craft.
"They're here. Don't worry. " He patted the silvery blue wing of the glider, "This baby is only here so someone can go get help if we *do* go down."
Within the hour they were on the way to Paka'as planet. Major Collins was already repacking his things after having pulled his entire pack apart to make sure nothing was missing. At first Daniel stayed back but the odd assortment of items intrigued him. He scooted closer and with no further prompting Collins began to explain what each device was and why they just *had* to have one for this mission. O'Neill smiled at the exchange, Collins had three sons, all of which doted on every word he said to them. It was almost a natural thing for him to take Daniel under his wing and explain the basics of surveillance and defeating someone else's surveillance.
Jack joined Jacob in the control room, assured that Daniel was in good hands.
"Have a seat, Jack. We'll be enroute for a few hours yet. Anything new back home?"
He slid into the co-pilots seat and ran his finger over the console, careful to not activate any controls. "Oh, you know, same old same old."
"So where's Sam?"
Leave it to Jake to get right to the bare bones. "On vacation."
"As in away from work? We are talking about my daughter here, right?"
"She's, uh, expanded her interests lately."
"As in?" Jacob wasn't going to let it go and the answer popped out of Jack's mouth before he could stop it. "Tony."
Jacob just looked at him. He knew all to well how close his daughter was to her CO. Jack leaned back a bit further in the chair and clarified, now that he'd already stuck his foot in it. "His name is Tony. Ex-military, I don't know what branch, rides a Harley."
"Not someone at the SGC? You know I didn't realize how much not being able to talk about stuff cut into our father-daughter relationship until I joined up, now I can't imagine being a part of all this and not talking about it. What the hell do they have in common; what do they talk about?"
"Stuff I'm sure. Motorcycles, I don't know what else."
"Well I for one cannot see Sam getting on with someone who is very far removed from the Stargate program. She's always loved her work, I can't see her leaving it behind."
O'Neill looked down with almost a pout on his face. "Yeah." Unfortunately he could imagine it all too well. Not only was she leaving it behind, it was making her happy to boot.
The planet was heavily forested which was a good thing and a bad thing. While it concealed their landing and would give them cover on the ground they had to set down much further away than was originally planned. It was decided to leave behind two men to guard the ships and alert the others of any problems. Daniel was sure he'd be chosen for this unglamorous task but two Tok'ra volunteered before it could be discussed.
The crew from the second Tok'ra ship joined the humans as they made their way into the forest. Their entire ground force now consisted of five non-blended humans and four Tok'ra.
The camp was a good ten-mile hike with no road or even a path in sight. Like good little soldiers they all hunkered down under their packs and walked it out. They took turns at point slashing through the brush occasionally and having to 'trail blaze.'
Finally they arrived at a ridge overlooking the compound and lined up to view it. It was actually just a small base camp with only a few permanent structures. All around it were dozens of small tents. O'Neill turned to Jacob. "Visiting Jaffa?"
"No, more likely this is the standard set up of this base. Paka'a likes to move his people on short notice; it pays them to be mobile. With his paranoia you can expect him to show up anywhere at any time."
"Sweet. A delusional Goa'uld. Where do we go in?"
They had landed at night and the sky was just now beginning to lighten a little. "We'd better get down there, according to our Intel, they'll change guards in less than an hour. Right after that will be or best opportunity to get inside."
O'Neill glanced at Collins to verify he'd heard Jacob's words then motioned for the group to move out.
Jacob's Intel was right on and they were able to quickly subdue the few guards much to everyone's relief.
To get to the holding cells they'd need to move out the central part of the building and down one level. This Goa'uld was apparently one of the old school that still believed in dungeons. Once they were inside they were amazed at how much it looked like an old English castle back on earth. There were no inscriptions of any kind whatsoever on the walls; only a few heavy tapestries with golden threads woven into the designs belied the penchant for extravagance so common to the Goa'uld. For the most part the walls were simple gray stone polished smooth like glass.
O'Neill and Jacob led the small party, pausing every several feet to listen. Even though they were careful to be quiet their own footfalls echoed back at them. At one point O'Neill stopped and glared back at one of the Tok'ra who was allowing a buckle on his belt to chink softly with every step he took. He sheepishly realized he'd been making the noise and quickly adjusted his clothing to silence it.
There was a guard station at the main intersection manned by six Jaffa; not an overwhelming force but sure to make a racket if they were engaged. Collins motioned to O'Neill and gestured toward a secondary hallway. Jacob's Intel had shown a series of ventilation shafts, each with a huge fan providing airflow to the lower levels. They'd been able to hear the occasional soft whumping of the blades whenever they neared one. O'Neill moved closer to where Collins indicated and noticed there was no sound out of this particular shaft. The fan was either non functional or had been shut down for some other reason. They couldn't be certain it would stay off for long but it would be a better risk than facing the Jaffa.
Collins produced a tiny quantity of C-4 barely the size of a pencil eraser and pressed it to the latch of the fan cover. Instead of detonating it in the usual way he pulled a simple alkaline battery out of his pocket with wires soldered at the terminals at each end. He held the wires a few inches back from the exposed ends and touched them together right over the little blob of explosive. It immediately ignited with a soft fizzle and in a moment a single 'chink' was heard as the latch gave way.
As soon as Collins removed the grate one of the Tok'ra started to move in closer but O'Neill waved him back. This was just the kind of place he'd put a booby trap if he were in charge of security, an unlikely entry point that by sheer design was not easily monitored nor checked frequently by the guards.
His instincts proved correct. He slid forward on his stomach and shone a flashlight beam down the shaft. When it revealed nothing he switched over to the red laser sight of his P-90 set on wide beam. When he swept it across the opening it immediately lit up two microscopically thin wires across the shaft only inches from the end of his weapon. He grimaced at how close he'd come to touching one. He turned the flashlight back on and scanned the walls for the wire attachments. There was most likely a current applied to the wires and interrupting it would set off an alarm.
There was enough room that he really only needed to remove one of the wires. After locating both ends he attached a jumper wire to maintain the connection and then removed the original wire. The work went quickly as Collins had moved in closer and was handing O'Neill whatever he needed to complete the task. They were so precise they would have made a good surgical team.
Once the barrier was breached O'Neill let Collins take point through the shaft. They let him get several feet on down then followed single file behind him. When he got to the fan blades he slid a makeshift stop block into place to hold the blades if the fan motor did start up. Hopefully the guards would think an animal had wandered into the shaft and blocked the blade.
On the lower level Collins had to use a propane torch to cut through the latch from the inside. When it was done Teal'c slid past the others and assisted him to lower the grate to the floor without a sound.
Once all of them were clear of the shaft Jacob motioned in the direction of the cells. He took one step but was stayed by O'Neill who then pointed out a slight recess in the wall at chest height.
This time it was Williamson's turn to go first. He slid along with his back against the wall, crouching to keep himself low and stopped when he was just within reach of the recess. He glanced back at the others and seeing them ready, held his P-90 out and waved the muzzle across the opening. Immediately a long arrow shot out and lodged in the far wall.
Williamson began to stand but O'Neill waved at him to hold fast. A moment later one of the Dart Blaster Balls popped out and landed in the center of the hallway. Without a moments hesitation O'Neill pulled off his vest and lunged toward the orb landing directly on top of it with his vest now folded on itself between his chest and the device.
It detonated just as they expected but the darts found nothing but thick Kevlar in which to imbed themselves. O'Neill gingerly lifted one corner of the vest and peered beneath it to see at least sixty miniscule barbs poking out of his vest. He glanced back at Jacob and blew out a hard breath. Jacob had to smile, Jack wasn't making a sound or even moving his lips but it was obvious by the look in his eyes he was cursing to himself vehemently.
He rolled off the vest and waved the others out of their hiding places. They continued their trek down the hall very slowly, looking out for any more traps along the way. The guard station on this level turned out to be manned by only two Jaffa so O'Neill decided it would be best to just take them out with Zats. Besides it was time to give Teal'c and Daniel something to do; they both were looking decidedly left out of the Special Ops stuff. He half whispered/half gestured what he wanted them to do and gave them the go-ahead when he was sure they understood. A moment later both Jaffa were unconscious on the ground.
O'Neill nodded his approval then turned to Jacob. "Let's find your men."
They spread out, each taking a block of cells and looked for the missing Tok'ra. Williamson was the one to give a short high-pitched whistle to alert the team he had found something.
The cell was a typical castle dungeon with cold dank walls and the pervading smell of mold and decay; hopefully it was only from the rats that had crawled in then gotten trapped and died there.
There were five Tok'ra, all in rough shape with torn and bloodied clothing. And though the symbiotes had been hard at work to heal their injuries the multitude of bruises was a clear indication of what they'd been through. All but one was conscious and sitting up leaning against the hard stone walls. They barely looked up when the heavy door creaked open to Jacob's hand.
O'Neill and Collins were next in and stepped aside to allow the others entrance and to tend to the wounded. Teal'c stayed in the hallway to look out for any Jaffa that might come upon them unexpectedly.
Selmac homed in on the one prone figure in the room and frowned when he knelt beside him and saw he was barely breathing. This one was the leader of the unit and as such was the most important one to survive and report back with what he had learned.
After assessing the condition of the injured men and conferring with Jacob, O'Neill decided exiting via the shaft was no longer an option; they'd have to go out through the main hallway. Teal'c was given the task of carrying the unconscious man while the others were assisted to walk. That left O'Neill, Collins, Jacob and one of the Tok'ra to scout out their exit route and deal with any resistance they met along the way. The first task was to get past the heavily manned guard station on the main level.
O'Neill decided a diversion was in order and dug two bricks of C-4 out of his pack. He and Collins went back to the vent shaft and climbed up to the main level. Once there they planted the explosive in a hallway opposite where they'd have to go to exit. O'Neill tapped his microphone switch twice to alert his teammates to get ready to move.
When the C-4 went off it was as if an earthquake hit; the walls shook and shifted slightly allowing clouds of dust to fall from the ceiling. O'Neill and Collins had hidden in an alcove and stayed put until several Jaffa went past them then quickly moved out and down the hallway. By the time they met up with the others just arriving from the lower level Jacob and one of the Tok'ra had already moved ahead toward the exit.
All but two of the Jaffa left to investigate the explosion and they were easily neutralized by Jacob and his cohort. Now they faced the harder task of getting out of the complex and into the forest.
They paused just inside the exit to see just what they'd have to go through. Teal'c took the opportunity to rest a moment and lay the still unconscious Tok'ra on the ground. Jacob once again knelt at his side and checked his pulse. "Dammit, I knew we should have borrowed that healing device from the SGC, there were bound to be some severe injuries. Why didn't I think of it?"
O'Neill heard him grouse and crouched beside him. "How bad?" Jacob already informed him that this particular Tok'ra was extremely valuable to their cause and *must* at all costs be returned home.
"Bad enough." He noted the hesitant look that flashed across O'Neill's face and quickly added "Don't worry, Khalil can hold on for a while, we just need to get moving."
"Right." O'Neill nodded. They decided to go with another diversion while the Jaffa were still trying to figure out what the first one was all about and radioed back to the ships. The Tok'ra were not eager to get into the line of fire with their small ships but when Jacob explained how badly their teammates were injured and the fact that ten miles might as well be ten thousand miles, they relented. The plan would be to strafe the area, set down quickly, get everyone aboard and get out. Unfortunately to expedite the escape they'd have to leave one of the ships behind, there wasn't time to ferry someone back to fly it out. Even more unfortunately it would have to be Jacobs larger ship. Luckily the Tok'ra had concealed the ships in case of an aerial patrol and the ship they'd have to leave behind was well hidden.
A few minutes later on Jacob's mark the two scout ships came flying fast and low over the complex. The ships appearance took the Jaffa on the ground completely by surprise, first taking out several gliders and a cargo vessel then making a run on the main complex. As they lay down cover fire the path was cleared before them. Several of the Jaffa were able to get off blasts from their staff weapons but they were not powerful enough to penetrate the enhanced shields of the ships.
O'Neill, Collins, Jacob and the other Tok'ra ran forward and took cover behind crates and water barrels out away from the building. They were far enough out that one of the ships could land right at the entrance and be able to be protected by their cover fire. As soon as the first one came down three of the injured Tok'ra were rushed aboard and it took off again in a cloud of dust and debris from the engines.
As soon as the first ship was airborne the pilot moved off to a discrete distance and pivoted 180 degrees to be able to provide cover for the second ship.
It was becoming difficult to see on the ground; the many staff weapon discharges had initiated a number of small fires throughout the compound and the air was thick with smoke and the acrid smell of charred wood and metal. The early morning sun barely cut through the haze.
A dark shadowy shape descended almost exactly where the first ship had been. O'Neill squinted through the debris and saw it was the second scout. He turned his face away and cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. "Teal'c! Come now!"
The big Jaffa was standing just inside the entry and stooped to pick up the unconscious man. He wondered if it was really worth the effort, surely this Tok'ra would die in transport if he wasn't dead already. He certainly felt like dead weight. He ducked a close blast and ran from the building; Daniel was just ahead of him helping the last injured man.
Reinforcements arrived for the Jaffa troops and it seemed the staff weapon fire was becoming constant. When O'Neill saw them moving up with something that looked like a canon he spun around and shouted, "That's it! Move now! Jacob!"
Jacob and the Tok'ra beside him were already moving toward the ship and O'Neill stood to join them.
The moment he was out from behind his cover he felt it, the searing white-hot pain of an energy blast impacting his right flank. He went down on one knee with a grunt but caught himself before he fell all the way down. He knew if he went down he would not get up again. When he looked up Teal'c was paused at the hatch to the ship, the unconscious man still draped over his shoulder like a dead animal being brought home from a hunt.
O'Neill could easily see the hesitation on the Jaffa's face; continue to move forward and save this most likely already dead man or drop him where he was and make a run for his friend.
The colonel forced himself up and gave an encouraging nod back telling him it would be all right to go ahead, he'd be right there. In another moment Teal'c's large shadow disappeared into the ship.
O'Neill was faltering, trying to move toward the ship but having to walk backwards so he could continue to cover himself the last few feet. The twisting of his torso made him grimace as the smoldering burn in his side tore open a bit further and he could feel something hot and wet tracking down his skin. Funny how there wasn't all that much pain just yet, the nerve endings had literally been burned off the worst part. He had the odd idea that he hadn't really been shot, shot *at*, but not shot.
Suddenly the amount of flying debris seemed to triple and a wind whipped the nearby tent flaps wildly. When O'Neill took a second to glance over his shoulder at the ship he saw it was already a few feet off the ground. He had a moment of horror as he imagined them leaving without him but then the face and upper body of Teal'c appeared at the hatchway.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c was leaning as far out as he dared extending one arm in O'Neill's direction.
He was out of time and he knew it, he turned to face the ship and ran as fast as his injury allowed. His legs were still holding out at least and the adrenaline pumping in his veins was giving him the added strength and endurance he needed.
Teal'c smiled as he felt O'Neill's arm lock with his and was met with a smile in return that suddenly faded as an energy blast hit the side of the ship and the Colonel was almost jerked out of his grip. With dismay Teal'c realized the blast didn't just hit the ship, something hit O'Neill too and slammed his body mercilessly against the metal plating. The arm that was not being held by Teal'c was smashed between body and metal and the already bleeding flank wound gushed forth leaving an imprint of spattered blood on the exterior of the ship.
With one mighty heave Teal'c pulled O'Neill inside causing them both to sprawl out on the floor. At once the hatch snapped shut and the ship moved rapidly upward into the atmosphere.
Suddenly the entire ship lurched and shook sending anything that wasn't tied down flying, unfortunately this included people. When the shuddering continued Jacob knew something was very wrong. He crawled his way forward to the pel'tac and immediately started checking over the controls and sensors. He murmured to himself when he could get no reading from the port stabilization array. After the third try he was miffed enough to go to the window and try to see visually if there was any damage. He was totally unprepared for what he saw; there was a large gaping hole in the side of the ship with flames and sparks spewing from it. The Jaffa's canon had left them no choice, they'd never make it out in space, they'd have to set down.
It was an extremely bumpy ride requiring both Jacob and the pilot's full concentration to get the ship down in one piece. After several more minutes of feeling like they were in a blender the ship suddenly and completely became still as it contacted solid ground.
By the time Jacob recovered enough to go to the back and check on the occupants most everyone was already up and trying to shake off the dizziness from the ride.
Jacob's eye swept over the group and found the one he'd not yet seen conscious. He shook his head at the awkward way he was laying; he'd been tossed like a rag doll during the descent. It raised the ire in Jacob that no one had looked out for him.
"Teal'c! You had charge of Khalil, how could you leave him like this?" Before the words were out of his mouth his eyes lowered to see what had captured the Jaffa's attention away from his charge. He was kneeling beside what looked like a pile of clothing pressing his bare hands against it. There was a trickle of bright red oozing from between his fingers. Jacob's eyes moved further and he noticed the tussled head of grey hair. Even with the face turned away he instantly knew who it was. "Oh, my God." He didn't even realize O'Neil had been hit. He raised a hand up for Teal'c to stay put and continue his ministrations while he tended to Khalil.
The Tok'ra leader was barely alive, and for a symbiote that was saying something. The host had been tortured mercilessly and Khalil had come to the point of giving up on any kind of restoration. Nearly every internal system was failing. The kidneys had already shut down and he couldn't feel his legs at all. A swollen and discolored abdomen was a testament to massive internal bleeding from the rupture of his spleen. It was hopeless. His sole aim now was merely to keep the heart pumping and the lungs exchanging air. The rest was beyond his ability.
After making sure Khalil at least looked comfortable and was straightened out, Jacob left his care to one of the other Tok'ra and went to see about Jack. Daniel was there with Teal'c now assessing the damage. One look at the young man's hooded eyes and the wet streaks down his face and Jacob knew it was bad.
The amount of damage that had occurred in a relatively short time was amazing. More so was the fact that the Colonel was here at all and not tossed nameless in some mass grave back at the Paka'a's compound.
Jacob spoke very quietly as if his voice might disturb the unconscious Colonel. "What are his injuries?"
Daniel shuddered and lowered his eyes. "Staff blast right side, I think it hit an artery, there's an awful lot of bleeding. Right arm broken, probably in more than one place. At least two or three broken ribs, dislocated knee and I think a skull fracture. Who knows what kind of internal bleeding. But the worst-" His face twitched and Jacob wondered just how much more he could possibly add to the list.
Jacob motioned to one of the Tok'ra who handed him a pack of medical supplies which he tore open and began assist Teal'c with the bleeding. Once the clothing had been moved out of the way the extent of the damage was more easily seen. The wound was large but not very deep except in one area where the blood was oozing out in a steady stream. One of the items in the med kit was a coagulant –soaked square of gauze and Jacob passed it to Teal'c to apply directly to the wound. A few minutes of direct pressure should seal the breach well enough until it could be dealt with later.
"You were saying?"
"He was hit by something maybe like a staff weapon but- " Daniel looked like he was going to throw up.
Teal'c intervened. "The canon. A focused point energy weapon of great power. Although the point of impact was the hull of the ship O'Neill was close enough to be thrown against it and scorched by the intense heat. Also large pieces of plating were blown free and one of them impacted directly over O'Neill's back cutting deeply into his spine."
"Shit." Jacob could do the math. Broken bones could be knit given time. Internal bleeding could be dealt with if it wasn't too severe. Even the staff blast wound would heal although it would likely leave a gargantuan scar. A spinal cord severed by shrapnel was something different. "Where?"
"Just below the shoulder blades, center back."
Jacob closed his eyes, even Selmac grieved. If, and that in itself was a big if, the Colonel lived, his legs would never serve him again. "Dammit, Jack."
"Good to see you, too." The croaking voice shocked all three of them. How could he possibly be awake?
A few minutes later O'Neill and Jacob were in Hammond's office speaking with the General via the speaker on the phone. "So how long have you been out of contact with your people?"
"Six hours. I know it may seem a little soon to be concerned but the Jaffa at that base keep to a rigid schedule. We are positive our operatives have been compromised."
"So what do you need?"
"Well other than an assault force, a ton of ammunition and a lot of luck- " He stopped when he heard a snort of the other end of the line. "All right, seriously, I know you can't spare that kind of manpower on short notice, it would be nice though. I actually did have something specific in mind." His eyes locked with O'Neill's across the desk. "George, I understand your 2IC has extensive Black Ops experience which I think could be extremely helpful under these circumstances. We are dealing with a minor Goa'uld who is one of the most paranoid I've ever come across. We need to get into the complex and I'm sure we're going to run into every kind of booby trap that's ever been conceived. We need someone with the instincts for dealing with this kind of thing. I thought Teal'c might be of help too."
O'Neill nodded slightly then spoke into the speaker, "General, it's not like we've been doing much the past few days. You know how grouchy Teal'c gets when he's stuck in his quarters for too long."
"Colonel, I'm hesitant to send only the two of you off, I'd rather have all of SG-1 together, and have back up."
"Well, Daniel could go."
Jacob's eyebrow went up at the obvious exclusion of his daughter. "And Sam?"
"She's not here. Out of town, got a 'mission' of her own." O'Neill's face lost some of it's animation. "We'll be Okay without her." He turned back to the phone, "Sir, SG-14 is due to go out in less than four hours, if you weren't opposed to scrapping their mission-"
Jacob was still thinking about where his daughter might have gone off to when Hammond's voice came across the speaker. "Colonel, you have a 'go', notify Major Collins their mission has been changed to search and rescue under your command."
Jacob was pacing in the back and forth in the briefing room. In his mind this was taking too long. He didn't fault Hammond for not sending more troops but he really wanted to get going now that a course of action had been determined. He barely waited for everyone to be seated and O'Neill to begin the briefing before he spoke.
"This mission is to recover Tok'ra hostages within a compound controlled by a contingent of Jaffa. The Goa'uld they serve is Paka'a, mean anything to you Daniel?"
The archaeologist stroked his chin, "Well, that would be a minor god, maybe Polynesian, of the air or, more specifically, wind."
"You're right." Jacob answered. He didn't see O'Neill turn to Daniel and mouth the word 'gas?' and Daniel's subsequent glare of exasperation.
"And he is as changeable as the wind can be. He's one of the most paranoid we've ever dealt with. He keeps his Jaffa on a tight leash but he himself comes and goes on no set schedule whatsoever. We can only hope that he doesn't show up while we're there; if he did the number of Jaffa would be tripled."
"What have you got on the compound?" O'Neill was ready to get straight to the planning stage. Jacob set a 3-D holographic imager on the table and turned it on.
As it came to life revealing an image of the compound exterior, Jacob continued, "As you can see there are three entrance portals, here, here and here. The cells are in this wing so we'll need to go in here." He pointed to various spots on the image as he spoke.
"And you don't think the actual presence of Jaffa will be the greatest threat?"
"No, I don't. We have no operative on the inside, which puts us at a distinct disadvantage, but we know this Goa'uld is known for shoring up his forces in unconventional ways. We expect to run into a large number of traps and other obstacles but not that many guards."
"Any idea at all about these booby traps?"
Jacob smiled as he watched Teal'c's eyebrow rise. "Better than that, I brought one with me." With that he pulled a small orb out of his pocket and rolled it across the table to O'Neill. Just before it got to him it suddenly stopped by itself and split open to reveal a multitude of tiny darts inside just bristling to be released. "Holy- " O'Neill shouted as he jerked his hand back.
"Don't worry this ones been disarmed."
With his voice higher and louder than normal O'Neill responded, "Still looks a bit 'armed' to me!"
Jacob reached out and flicked one of the bristles with his finger, "See, it's not going anywhere. But if it had been active, everyone in this room would be either unconscious or dead, depending on the chemical they used."
Major Collins was seated beside O'Neill and gingerly reached past him to the device. He touched it, barely, and then slid it closer to their side of the table. "The tips look barbed, I bet they'd stick into anything with minimal force."
"Yeah, just don't go testing one." Jacob cautioned. "It's been disabled but I won't guarantee all the chemical has been removed."
Collins blew out a breath and with a grimace slid the object away and back to the center of the table.
"Okay, so we'll run into some of these little dart blasters, what else?"
"Not sure, he seems to like setting things off with motion detectors and lasers; that's why we haven't gotten in very far."
"No problem." O'Neill nodded to the two ex-Special Forces members of SG-14. Both Collins and his 2IC, Williamson had been in Iraq as well as South America, lots of experience there. "We'll kit up with some 'extra' things we don't usually bring along." Collins nodded back, already making a list in his head of the small mirrors, wires, clips and assorted hardware he'd need. This mission might actually be fun; he hadn't done anything remotely like this in years.
After a few more minutes of planning O'Neill dismissed the briefing, they would move out at 0700. As soon as he got out of his chair O'Neill grabbed Daniel by the arm, "Hold on, I got something I've got to talk to Collins about, wait for me a minute okay?" With that he turned and gestured to Collins to join him in Hammond's office.
Daniel scowled, he just knew Jack was going to pull him off this mission, too dangerous for the archaeologist, let the big boys who know what they're doing take care of it. He slammed his folders back onto the table and flopped into a chair to await his dismissal.
Collins emerged with a complete lack of expression on his face and went straight to the stairway, not even giving a nod in Daniel's direction.
"Daniel." Jack was back in the briefing room leaning forward on the heavy table with both hands. "You understand this is turning out to be a highly specialized mission. I've decided to reduce our possible losses; you and-"
"You're pulling me off the mission."
"Not just you, all the non-military personnel."
"You can't do that! I'm as able as anyone else! Just because I'm not Special Forces doesn't mean I can't handle a gun. I don't have to go in first; I can be back up. What if you run into this Paka'a?"
"You speak Polynesian now?"
"Well, no, but I know a lot about their culture."
"I don't think that's going to help us this time."
"I want to go." As their eyes remained locked O'Neill had a sneaking suspicion there was more to Daniel's request than he was letting on; it was something more personal, between them.
"Daniel," He spoke slowly, "You're not feeling sorry for me are you?"
"No!" He answered too quickly. "I'm part of the team, I should go."
O'Neill lowered his eyes to the table then back up at the younger man; he knew what this was really about. Daniel had noticed how lost he was without Carter being around all the time and wanted to let him know the whole team wasn't breaking up because of it. "You should be glad I didn't 'order' Collins to drop his two civilians, I asked him to explain the mission in great detail to them and give them the option of sitting this one out. If it had been an order I would have to hold myself to the same."
"You're gonna let me stay?"
"Call it a moment of weakness." He shrugged then pointed at him. "But you will follow orders explicitly even if I tell you to go."
He nodded quickly suddenly very much aware he was going to be in way over his head this time.
Hammond showed up in time to have a few words with Jacob and wish them Godspeed. As expected Collins' two civilians had no stomach for Black Ops and did not even show in the Gate room when their companions left. The force Jacob recruited from the SGC turned out to be a five-man team: O'Neill, Teal'c, Collins, Williamson and Jackson.
On the other side of the Gate, Jacob immediately dialed another site. They Gate-hopped one more time after that and emerged in the center of a large encampment. Though the Tok'ra living quarters were all underground, out of necessity for a place to harbor their small fleet and do some repairs tents had been set up as well. The scene was reminiscent of a temporary base often set up when the Air Force moved into an area where a landing strip was needed. Obviously General Carter had been busy explaining the finer points of military strategy to his compadres.
O'Neill stopped at the top step just beyond the event horizon and adjusted his cap to shade his eyes better. "Jake, if I didn't know better I'd swear we were on earth, Arizona maybe."
The older man chuckled, "You mean the Tel'tacs aren't a giveaway? My ship is over there." He pointed to a medium sized cargo ship off to the right of the main compound. "We'll be joined by two other smaller ships for a three sided attack wing."
O'Neill nodded. If anything he rarely could argue with Jacob's tactics, the combination of Jacob's human military background and centuries of experience from Selmac made him a force to be reckoned with any day of the week.
They didn't waste any time getting settled on Jacobs ship. They were glad they'd only brought what they could carry in packs; the hold was tight. Somehow Jacob had managed to get a glider in there.
"I thought you said three?"
"Well, three and a back up."
"You didn't forego the escape pods did you?" O'Neill eyed the standard two seated craft.
"They're here. Don't worry. " He patted the silvery blue wing of the glider, "This baby is only here so someone can go get help if we *do* go down."
Within the hour they were on the way to Paka'as planet. Major Collins was already repacking his things after having pulled his entire pack apart to make sure nothing was missing. At first Daniel stayed back but the odd assortment of items intrigued him. He scooted closer and with no further prompting Collins began to explain what each device was and why they just *had* to have one for this mission. O'Neill smiled at the exchange, Collins had three sons, all of which doted on every word he said to them. It was almost a natural thing for him to take Daniel under his wing and explain the basics of surveillance and defeating someone else's surveillance.
Jack joined Jacob in the control room, assured that Daniel was in good hands.
"Have a seat, Jack. We'll be enroute for a few hours yet. Anything new back home?"
He slid into the co-pilots seat and ran his finger over the console, careful to not activate any controls. "Oh, you know, same old same old."
"So where's Sam?"
Leave it to Jake to get right to the bare bones. "On vacation."
"As in away from work? We are talking about my daughter here, right?"
"She's, uh, expanded her interests lately."
"As in?" Jacob wasn't going to let it go and the answer popped out of Jack's mouth before he could stop it. "Tony."
Jacob just looked at him. He knew all to well how close his daughter was to her CO. Jack leaned back a bit further in the chair and clarified, now that he'd already stuck his foot in it. "His name is Tony. Ex-military, I don't know what branch, rides a Harley."
"Not someone at the SGC? You know I didn't realize how much not being able to talk about stuff cut into our father-daughter relationship until I joined up, now I can't imagine being a part of all this and not talking about it. What the hell do they have in common; what do they talk about?"
"Stuff I'm sure. Motorcycles, I don't know what else."
"Well I for one cannot see Sam getting on with someone who is very far removed from the Stargate program. She's always loved her work, I can't see her leaving it behind."
O'Neill looked down with almost a pout on his face. "Yeah." Unfortunately he could imagine it all too well. Not only was she leaving it behind, it was making her happy to boot.
The planet was heavily forested which was a good thing and a bad thing. While it concealed their landing and would give them cover on the ground they had to set down much further away than was originally planned. It was decided to leave behind two men to guard the ships and alert the others of any problems. Daniel was sure he'd be chosen for this unglamorous task but two Tok'ra volunteered before it could be discussed.
The crew from the second Tok'ra ship joined the humans as they made their way into the forest. Their entire ground force now consisted of five non-blended humans and four Tok'ra.
The camp was a good ten-mile hike with no road or even a path in sight. Like good little soldiers they all hunkered down under their packs and walked it out. They took turns at point slashing through the brush occasionally and having to 'trail blaze.'
Finally they arrived at a ridge overlooking the compound and lined up to view it. It was actually just a small base camp with only a few permanent structures. All around it were dozens of small tents. O'Neill turned to Jacob. "Visiting Jaffa?"
"No, more likely this is the standard set up of this base. Paka'a likes to move his people on short notice; it pays them to be mobile. With his paranoia you can expect him to show up anywhere at any time."
"Sweet. A delusional Goa'uld. Where do we go in?"
They had landed at night and the sky was just now beginning to lighten a little. "We'd better get down there, according to our Intel, they'll change guards in less than an hour. Right after that will be or best opportunity to get inside."
O'Neill glanced at Collins to verify he'd heard Jacob's words then motioned for the group to move out.
Jacob's Intel was right on and they were able to quickly subdue the few guards much to everyone's relief.
To get to the holding cells they'd need to move out the central part of the building and down one level. This Goa'uld was apparently one of the old school that still believed in dungeons. Once they were inside they were amazed at how much it looked like an old English castle back on earth. There were no inscriptions of any kind whatsoever on the walls; only a few heavy tapestries with golden threads woven into the designs belied the penchant for extravagance so common to the Goa'uld. For the most part the walls were simple gray stone polished smooth like glass.
O'Neill and Jacob led the small party, pausing every several feet to listen. Even though they were careful to be quiet their own footfalls echoed back at them. At one point O'Neill stopped and glared back at one of the Tok'ra who was allowing a buckle on his belt to chink softly with every step he took. He sheepishly realized he'd been making the noise and quickly adjusted his clothing to silence it.
There was a guard station at the main intersection manned by six Jaffa; not an overwhelming force but sure to make a racket if they were engaged. Collins motioned to O'Neill and gestured toward a secondary hallway. Jacob's Intel had shown a series of ventilation shafts, each with a huge fan providing airflow to the lower levels. They'd been able to hear the occasional soft whumping of the blades whenever they neared one. O'Neill moved closer to where Collins indicated and noticed there was no sound out of this particular shaft. The fan was either non functional or had been shut down for some other reason. They couldn't be certain it would stay off for long but it would be a better risk than facing the Jaffa.
Collins produced a tiny quantity of C-4 barely the size of a pencil eraser and pressed it to the latch of the fan cover. Instead of detonating it in the usual way he pulled a simple alkaline battery out of his pocket with wires soldered at the terminals at each end. He held the wires a few inches back from the exposed ends and touched them together right over the little blob of explosive. It immediately ignited with a soft fizzle and in a moment a single 'chink' was heard as the latch gave way.
As soon as Collins removed the grate one of the Tok'ra started to move in closer but O'Neill waved him back. This was just the kind of place he'd put a booby trap if he were in charge of security, an unlikely entry point that by sheer design was not easily monitored nor checked frequently by the guards.
His instincts proved correct. He slid forward on his stomach and shone a flashlight beam down the shaft. When it revealed nothing he switched over to the red laser sight of his P-90 set on wide beam. When he swept it across the opening it immediately lit up two microscopically thin wires across the shaft only inches from the end of his weapon. He grimaced at how close he'd come to touching one. He turned the flashlight back on and scanned the walls for the wire attachments. There was most likely a current applied to the wires and interrupting it would set off an alarm.
There was enough room that he really only needed to remove one of the wires. After locating both ends he attached a jumper wire to maintain the connection and then removed the original wire. The work went quickly as Collins had moved in closer and was handing O'Neill whatever he needed to complete the task. They were so precise they would have made a good surgical team.
Once the barrier was breached O'Neill let Collins take point through the shaft. They let him get several feet on down then followed single file behind him. When he got to the fan blades he slid a makeshift stop block into place to hold the blades if the fan motor did start up. Hopefully the guards would think an animal had wandered into the shaft and blocked the blade.
On the lower level Collins had to use a propane torch to cut through the latch from the inside. When it was done Teal'c slid past the others and assisted him to lower the grate to the floor without a sound.
Once all of them were clear of the shaft Jacob motioned in the direction of the cells. He took one step but was stayed by O'Neill who then pointed out a slight recess in the wall at chest height.
This time it was Williamson's turn to go first. He slid along with his back against the wall, crouching to keep himself low and stopped when he was just within reach of the recess. He glanced back at the others and seeing them ready, held his P-90 out and waved the muzzle across the opening. Immediately a long arrow shot out and lodged in the far wall.
Williamson began to stand but O'Neill waved at him to hold fast. A moment later one of the Dart Blaster Balls popped out and landed in the center of the hallway. Without a moments hesitation O'Neill pulled off his vest and lunged toward the orb landing directly on top of it with his vest now folded on itself between his chest and the device.
It detonated just as they expected but the darts found nothing but thick Kevlar in which to imbed themselves. O'Neill gingerly lifted one corner of the vest and peered beneath it to see at least sixty miniscule barbs poking out of his vest. He glanced back at Jacob and blew out a hard breath. Jacob had to smile, Jack wasn't making a sound or even moving his lips but it was obvious by the look in his eyes he was cursing to himself vehemently.
He rolled off the vest and waved the others out of their hiding places. They continued their trek down the hall very slowly, looking out for any more traps along the way. The guard station on this level turned out to be manned by only two Jaffa so O'Neill decided it would be best to just take them out with Zats. Besides it was time to give Teal'c and Daniel something to do; they both were looking decidedly left out of the Special Ops stuff. He half whispered/half gestured what he wanted them to do and gave them the go-ahead when he was sure they understood. A moment later both Jaffa were unconscious on the ground.
O'Neill nodded his approval then turned to Jacob. "Let's find your men."
They spread out, each taking a block of cells and looked for the missing Tok'ra. Williamson was the one to give a short high-pitched whistle to alert the team he had found something.
The cell was a typical castle dungeon with cold dank walls and the pervading smell of mold and decay; hopefully it was only from the rats that had crawled in then gotten trapped and died there.
There were five Tok'ra, all in rough shape with torn and bloodied clothing. And though the symbiotes had been hard at work to heal their injuries the multitude of bruises was a clear indication of what they'd been through. All but one was conscious and sitting up leaning against the hard stone walls. They barely looked up when the heavy door creaked open to Jacob's hand.
O'Neill and Collins were next in and stepped aside to allow the others entrance and to tend to the wounded. Teal'c stayed in the hallway to look out for any Jaffa that might come upon them unexpectedly.
Selmac homed in on the one prone figure in the room and frowned when he knelt beside him and saw he was barely breathing. This one was the leader of the unit and as such was the most important one to survive and report back with what he had learned.
After assessing the condition of the injured men and conferring with Jacob, O'Neill decided exiting via the shaft was no longer an option; they'd have to go out through the main hallway. Teal'c was given the task of carrying the unconscious man while the others were assisted to walk. That left O'Neill, Collins, Jacob and one of the Tok'ra to scout out their exit route and deal with any resistance they met along the way. The first task was to get past the heavily manned guard station on the main level.
O'Neill decided a diversion was in order and dug two bricks of C-4 out of his pack. He and Collins went back to the vent shaft and climbed up to the main level. Once there they planted the explosive in a hallway opposite where they'd have to go to exit. O'Neill tapped his microphone switch twice to alert his teammates to get ready to move.
When the C-4 went off it was as if an earthquake hit; the walls shook and shifted slightly allowing clouds of dust to fall from the ceiling. O'Neill and Collins had hidden in an alcove and stayed put until several Jaffa went past them then quickly moved out and down the hallway. By the time they met up with the others just arriving from the lower level Jacob and one of the Tok'ra had already moved ahead toward the exit.
All but two of the Jaffa left to investigate the explosion and they were easily neutralized by Jacob and his cohort. Now they faced the harder task of getting out of the complex and into the forest.
They paused just inside the exit to see just what they'd have to go through. Teal'c took the opportunity to rest a moment and lay the still unconscious Tok'ra on the ground. Jacob once again knelt at his side and checked his pulse. "Dammit, I knew we should have borrowed that healing device from the SGC, there were bound to be some severe injuries. Why didn't I think of it?"
O'Neill heard him grouse and crouched beside him. "How bad?" Jacob already informed him that this particular Tok'ra was extremely valuable to their cause and *must* at all costs be returned home.
"Bad enough." He noted the hesitant look that flashed across O'Neill's face and quickly added "Don't worry, Khalil can hold on for a while, we just need to get moving."
"Right." O'Neill nodded. They decided to go with another diversion while the Jaffa were still trying to figure out what the first one was all about and radioed back to the ships. The Tok'ra were not eager to get into the line of fire with their small ships but when Jacob explained how badly their teammates were injured and the fact that ten miles might as well be ten thousand miles, they relented. The plan would be to strafe the area, set down quickly, get everyone aboard and get out. Unfortunately to expedite the escape they'd have to leave one of the ships behind, there wasn't time to ferry someone back to fly it out. Even more unfortunately it would have to be Jacobs larger ship. Luckily the Tok'ra had concealed the ships in case of an aerial patrol and the ship they'd have to leave behind was well hidden.
A few minutes later on Jacob's mark the two scout ships came flying fast and low over the complex. The ships appearance took the Jaffa on the ground completely by surprise, first taking out several gliders and a cargo vessel then making a run on the main complex. As they lay down cover fire the path was cleared before them. Several of the Jaffa were able to get off blasts from their staff weapons but they were not powerful enough to penetrate the enhanced shields of the ships.
O'Neill, Collins, Jacob and the other Tok'ra ran forward and took cover behind crates and water barrels out away from the building. They were far enough out that one of the ships could land right at the entrance and be able to be protected by their cover fire. As soon as the first one came down three of the injured Tok'ra were rushed aboard and it took off again in a cloud of dust and debris from the engines.
As soon as the first ship was airborne the pilot moved off to a discrete distance and pivoted 180 degrees to be able to provide cover for the second ship.
It was becoming difficult to see on the ground; the many staff weapon discharges had initiated a number of small fires throughout the compound and the air was thick with smoke and the acrid smell of charred wood and metal. The early morning sun barely cut through the haze.
A dark shadowy shape descended almost exactly where the first ship had been. O'Neill squinted through the debris and saw it was the second scout. He turned his face away and cupped his hands over his mouth to amplify his voice. "Teal'c! Come now!"
The big Jaffa was standing just inside the entry and stooped to pick up the unconscious man. He wondered if it was really worth the effort, surely this Tok'ra would die in transport if he wasn't dead already. He certainly felt like dead weight. He ducked a close blast and ran from the building; Daniel was just ahead of him helping the last injured man.
Reinforcements arrived for the Jaffa troops and it seemed the staff weapon fire was becoming constant. When O'Neill saw them moving up with something that looked like a canon he spun around and shouted, "That's it! Move now! Jacob!"
Jacob and the Tok'ra beside him were already moving toward the ship and O'Neill stood to join them.
The moment he was out from behind his cover he felt it, the searing white-hot pain of an energy blast impacting his right flank. He went down on one knee with a grunt but caught himself before he fell all the way down. He knew if he went down he would not get up again. When he looked up Teal'c was paused at the hatch to the ship, the unconscious man still draped over his shoulder like a dead animal being brought home from a hunt.
O'Neill could easily see the hesitation on the Jaffa's face; continue to move forward and save this most likely already dead man or drop him where he was and make a run for his friend.
The colonel forced himself up and gave an encouraging nod back telling him it would be all right to go ahead, he'd be right there. In another moment Teal'c's large shadow disappeared into the ship.
O'Neill was faltering, trying to move toward the ship but having to walk backwards so he could continue to cover himself the last few feet. The twisting of his torso made him grimace as the smoldering burn in his side tore open a bit further and he could feel something hot and wet tracking down his skin. Funny how there wasn't all that much pain just yet, the nerve endings had literally been burned off the worst part. He had the odd idea that he hadn't really been shot, shot *at*, but not shot.
Suddenly the amount of flying debris seemed to triple and a wind whipped the nearby tent flaps wildly. When O'Neill took a second to glance over his shoulder at the ship he saw it was already a few feet off the ground. He had a moment of horror as he imagined them leaving without him but then the face and upper body of Teal'c appeared at the hatchway.
"O'Neill!" Teal'c was leaning as far out as he dared extending one arm in O'Neill's direction.
He was out of time and he knew it, he turned to face the ship and ran as fast as his injury allowed. His legs were still holding out at least and the adrenaline pumping in his veins was giving him the added strength and endurance he needed.
Teal'c smiled as he felt O'Neill's arm lock with his and was met with a smile in return that suddenly faded as an energy blast hit the side of the ship and the Colonel was almost jerked out of his grip. With dismay Teal'c realized the blast didn't just hit the ship, something hit O'Neill too and slammed his body mercilessly against the metal plating. The arm that was not being held by Teal'c was smashed between body and metal and the already bleeding flank wound gushed forth leaving an imprint of spattered blood on the exterior of the ship.
With one mighty heave Teal'c pulled O'Neill inside causing them both to sprawl out on the floor. At once the hatch snapped shut and the ship moved rapidly upward into the atmosphere.
Suddenly the entire ship lurched and shook sending anything that wasn't tied down flying, unfortunately this included people. When the shuddering continued Jacob knew something was very wrong. He crawled his way forward to the pel'tac and immediately started checking over the controls and sensors. He murmured to himself when he could get no reading from the port stabilization array. After the third try he was miffed enough to go to the window and try to see visually if there was any damage. He was totally unprepared for what he saw; there was a large gaping hole in the side of the ship with flames and sparks spewing from it. The Jaffa's canon had left them no choice, they'd never make it out in space, they'd have to set down.
It was an extremely bumpy ride requiring both Jacob and the pilot's full concentration to get the ship down in one piece. After several more minutes of feeling like they were in a blender the ship suddenly and completely became still as it contacted solid ground.
By the time Jacob recovered enough to go to the back and check on the occupants most everyone was already up and trying to shake off the dizziness from the ride.
Jacob's eye swept over the group and found the one he'd not yet seen conscious. He shook his head at the awkward way he was laying; he'd been tossed like a rag doll during the descent. It raised the ire in Jacob that no one had looked out for him.
"Teal'c! You had charge of Khalil, how could you leave him like this?" Before the words were out of his mouth his eyes lowered to see what had captured the Jaffa's attention away from his charge. He was kneeling beside what looked like a pile of clothing pressing his bare hands against it. There was a trickle of bright red oozing from between his fingers. Jacob's eyes moved further and he noticed the tussled head of grey hair. Even with the face turned away he instantly knew who it was. "Oh, my God." He didn't even realize O'Neil had been hit. He raised a hand up for Teal'c to stay put and continue his ministrations while he tended to Khalil.
The Tok'ra leader was barely alive, and for a symbiote that was saying something. The host had been tortured mercilessly and Khalil had come to the point of giving up on any kind of restoration. Nearly every internal system was failing. The kidneys had already shut down and he couldn't feel his legs at all. A swollen and discolored abdomen was a testament to massive internal bleeding from the rupture of his spleen. It was hopeless. His sole aim now was merely to keep the heart pumping and the lungs exchanging air. The rest was beyond his ability.
After making sure Khalil at least looked comfortable and was straightened out, Jacob left his care to one of the other Tok'ra and went to see about Jack. Daniel was there with Teal'c now assessing the damage. One look at the young man's hooded eyes and the wet streaks down his face and Jacob knew it was bad.
The amount of damage that had occurred in a relatively short time was amazing. More so was the fact that the Colonel was here at all and not tossed nameless in some mass grave back at the Paka'a's compound.
Jacob spoke very quietly as if his voice might disturb the unconscious Colonel. "What are his injuries?"
Daniel shuddered and lowered his eyes. "Staff blast right side, I think it hit an artery, there's an awful lot of bleeding. Right arm broken, probably in more than one place. At least two or three broken ribs, dislocated knee and I think a skull fracture. Who knows what kind of internal bleeding. But the worst-" His face twitched and Jacob wondered just how much more he could possibly add to the list.
Jacob motioned to one of the Tok'ra who handed him a pack of medical supplies which he tore open and began assist Teal'c with the bleeding. Once the clothing had been moved out of the way the extent of the damage was more easily seen. The wound was large but not very deep except in one area where the blood was oozing out in a steady stream. One of the items in the med kit was a coagulant –soaked square of gauze and Jacob passed it to Teal'c to apply directly to the wound. A few minutes of direct pressure should seal the breach well enough until it could be dealt with later.
"You were saying?"
"He was hit by something maybe like a staff weapon but- " Daniel looked like he was going to throw up.
Teal'c intervened. "The canon. A focused point energy weapon of great power. Although the point of impact was the hull of the ship O'Neill was close enough to be thrown against it and scorched by the intense heat. Also large pieces of plating were blown free and one of them impacted directly over O'Neill's back cutting deeply into his spine."
"Shit." Jacob could do the math. Broken bones could be knit given time. Internal bleeding could be dealt with if it wasn't too severe. Even the staff blast wound would heal although it would likely leave a gargantuan scar. A spinal cord severed by shrapnel was something different. "Where?"
"Just below the shoulder blades, center back."
Jacob closed his eyes, even Selmac grieved. If, and that in itself was a big if, the Colonel lived, his legs would never serve him again. "Dammit, Jack."
"Good to see you, too." The croaking voice shocked all three of them. How could he possibly be awake?
