At 0930 hours almost exactly, Major Blake and his team arrived. "Major
Carter." Blake greeted briefly. "Doctor Jackson."
"Major." Sam returned. "We have a situation here."
"Yes." Major Blake interrupted. "The General briefed us on the way."
"Good." Sam said. "But what the General might not have told you is the perimeter is monitored by several Goa'uld devices that cannot be avoided or destroyed. Once we pass the, the Goa'uld will immediately know of our presence. It will take them about ten minutes to respond."
Major Blake absorbed the information. "So what's the plan?" he asked.
"We'll have to locate Colonel O'Neill and get him out." Sam said. "And because we don't have the element of surprise, we'll have to rely on speed and superior weaponry."
Major Blake nodded. "The Goa'uld is not just going to let us stroll in there." He paused. "What about his followers?"
"We let them live." Daniel answered. "They're human."
"I agree." Sam echoed. "Don't kill them unless you have to."
Blake nodded. Sam looked down the road and then at the gear SG-3 had brought. "Let's get suited up and go." She said.
Fifteen minutes later, Sam and Daniel were dressed in green BDU's like SG-3 and carried their usual weapons. Sam, Daniel and Blake were lying atop the small hill as they had before. Sam passed the binoculars to Blake. "Nothing seems to have changed." She said.
"The back door looks suspiciously empty." Blake noticed.
Sam nodded. "That was where the Colonel and Teal'c were attacked."
Blake turned his head to look at Sam. "How are we going to do this?" he asked.
"Daniel and I will head around the back while you take your team around the front." Sam said. "Once inside, we find the Colonel and take out the Goa'uld."
"You'd better take Lieutenant Peters with you." Blake said.
Sam nodded, then she and Blake began to wriggle backwards. Daniel sighed and followed, wondering what was going to go wrong next.
* * *
Jack grunted in pain as the fist connected with his abused stomach. The force of the blow made his body jerk backward, and wrenched his already excruciating shoulders. Jack's head snapped forward and he found himself staring at the rough stone floor.
"Enough." The inhuman voice of his captor said. "I will ask you once again, human." The Goa'uld said human with disdain, as if it were something inferior. But then, to a Goa'uld it always would.
"Tell me how to get into your base." He snapped.
"What base?" Jack asked, the taste of blood swirling around in his mouth.
One of the guards kicked him in the stomach. His were shoulders wrenched again and Jack couldn't stifle a groan as excruciating spears of pain shot up his arms from his shoulders.
Suddenly the Goa'uld was an inch away from Jack's face. "Do you like pain?" he asked. "Because if you do not tell me what I want to know, I will give you pain!"
Jack didn't reply, but continued to glare at the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld stared back, his eyes flashing white. "Leave us!" he snapped at the guards.
The guards left quickly and quietly, and soon Jack and the Goa'uld were alone. The Goa'uld stepped back and reached into his robe. What he drew out made Jack's blood run cold. A Goa'uld hand device. A device meant to inflict the maximum amount of pain while keeping the victim alive and conscious for as long as possible.
The blast of pain from the device was so intense all Jack could do was hang limply in his chains while his body was set on fire. Jack felt as if someone was driving large glass shards through his body and attacking his head with an axe. And then suddenly the pain stopped.
* * *
Lara snuck past the guards waiting in a small room of a long narrow corridor. From what she could tell, Lara guessed they were in the basement. Thin windows placed just below the ceiling let in the harsh light of the late morning. Or at least Lara guessed it was late morning.
A few meters up ahead, Lara saw another door. This one was shut and Lara guessed this would be where she would find Jack. As she watched, Lara saw the door open and with horror saw three guards come out. With quick reflexes Lara quietly spun and looked about for a hiding place. A split second later she was gone.
The guards walked silently towards the small room in which Lara had seen the other guards. Once they were gone, Lara carefully lowered herself from where she had braced herself near the ceiling. She shook her, once again, neatly braided hair and continued on her way, just as cautious as before. Lara was now sure Jack was in the room beyond the closed door. And because Lara had not seen the 'God' with the guards, she assumed he was still in there too.
Lara paused at the door and made sure she was alone in the corridor before flattening herself against the wall. She drew her guns and quietly opened the door. What she saw in the room beyond shocked her. Jack was hanging limply in his chains with a look of intense pain on his face. But what was so shocking was the white light that had settled on Jack's forehead, which was coming from the blonde man's palm.
Lara shivered involuntarily. She had seen some weird things in her life, but this was one of the most eerie - and the most inhuman.
With a cold look in her eye, Lara raised one of her guns and fired into the unprotected back of the man in front of her. Red spots appeared on his white robe. Lara didn't stop firing until she had emptied the entire clip. The man in front of her crumpled, the light from his palm fading instantly. Jack's head sagged forward as soon as it was gone.
Behind her, Lara heard shouts from the guards and immediately spun. There was a key sticking out from the lock on the other side of the door and she grabbed it. Lara slammed the door shut and locked it, hoping to slow the guards down. Absently she pocketed the key.
Lara knelt and checked the blonde was dead, before running towards Jack. She cupped his chin in her palm and gently raised his head. He stared at her through bleary eyes. "Can you move?" she asked softly.
"Yes." Jack replied hoarsely.
By now the guards had reached the door and were beginning to bang on it. Lara pivoted at the noise, but the door held. She blinked and turned back to Jack. She carefully untied him and helped him to stand.
After that was done, Lara stood and looked about the room. She glanced at the window and then back at Jack. He looked as battered as she felt. His jaw was swollen and the right side of his face had a large black bruise across it. From the way he held one hand protectively across his stomach and chest, Lara guessed he might also have some broken ribs. His T-shirt was torn and Lara could see large cuts along his arms just like she had on hers.
"Is he dead?" Jack asked her, motioning to the crumpled form on the floor.
"I hope so." Lara replied.
For a moment, Lara debated whether to ask Jack what was going on. The she shook her head. Now was not the time! "You owe me an explanation later." She told Jack and drew a gun.
Jack raised an eyebrow as she took careful aim and shot. The glass from the narrow window shattered. Lara holstered her gun and walked back to the body. She knelt and tore a large piece of cloth from his robe. She then tore four long strips off it and passed two to Jack. "For your hands." She explained, and wrapped the remaining two around her hands.
Jack nodded and walked to the wall, tying his own. He braced himself against the wall and bent forward to boost Lara up. She stepped onto the offered hands and with a grunt, Jack lifted her up.
With quick movements, because she was conscious of how this was hurting Jack, Lara knocked the remaining glass from the pane and slithered through. She winced as glass bit into her knees.
As soon as she was clear of the window, Lara pivoted and lay down on her stomach, facing the window. She reached down a hand inside, her other braced on the window frame. Jack grabbed the offered hand and Lara carefully dragged him up and through the window. "Thanks." He muttered when he was through.
The pair rolled to their feet and quickly brushed off their clothing. They were about to move off, when the heard a large burst of gunfire coming from the back of the building. It was quickly followed by noises of a fight near the front. Lara raised an eyebrow. "Friends of yours?" she asked.
"Sounds like it." Jack replied, smiling.
"Major." Sam returned. "We have a situation here."
"Yes." Major Blake interrupted. "The General briefed us on the way."
"Good." Sam said. "But what the General might not have told you is the perimeter is monitored by several Goa'uld devices that cannot be avoided or destroyed. Once we pass the, the Goa'uld will immediately know of our presence. It will take them about ten minutes to respond."
Major Blake absorbed the information. "So what's the plan?" he asked.
"We'll have to locate Colonel O'Neill and get him out." Sam said. "And because we don't have the element of surprise, we'll have to rely on speed and superior weaponry."
Major Blake nodded. "The Goa'uld is not just going to let us stroll in there." He paused. "What about his followers?"
"We let them live." Daniel answered. "They're human."
"I agree." Sam echoed. "Don't kill them unless you have to."
Blake nodded. Sam looked down the road and then at the gear SG-3 had brought. "Let's get suited up and go." She said.
Fifteen minutes later, Sam and Daniel were dressed in green BDU's like SG-3 and carried their usual weapons. Sam, Daniel and Blake were lying atop the small hill as they had before. Sam passed the binoculars to Blake. "Nothing seems to have changed." She said.
"The back door looks suspiciously empty." Blake noticed.
Sam nodded. "That was where the Colonel and Teal'c were attacked."
Blake turned his head to look at Sam. "How are we going to do this?" he asked.
"Daniel and I will head around the back while you take your team around the front." Sam said. "Once inside, we find the Colonel and take out the Goa'uld."
"You'd better take Lieutenant Peters with you." Blake said.
Sam nodded, then she and Blake began to wriggle backwards. Daniel sighed and followed, wondering what was going to go wrong next.
* * *
Jack grunted in pain as the fist connected with his abused stomach. The force of the blow made his body jerk backward, and wrenched his already excruciating shoulders. Jack's head snapped forward and he found himself staring at the rough stone floor.
"Enough." The inhuman voice of his captor said. "I will ask you once again, human." The Goa'uld said human with disdain, as if it were something inferior. But then, to a Goa'uld it always would.
"Tell me how to get into your base." He snapped.
"What base?" Jack asked, the taste of blood swirling around in his mouth.
One of the guards kicked him in the stomach. His were shoulders wrenched again and Jack couldn't stifle a groan as excruciating spears of pain shot up his arms from his shoulders.
Suddenly the Goa'uld was an inch away from Jack's face. "Do you like pain?" he asked. "Because if you do not tell me what I want to know, I will give you pain!"
Jack didn't reply, but continued to glare at the Goa'uld. The Goa'uld stared back, his eyes flashing white. "Leave us!" he snapped at the guards.
The guards left quickly and quietly, and soon Jack and the Goa'uld were alone. The Goa'uld stepped back and reached into his robe. What he drew out made Jack's blood run cold. A Goa'uld hand device. A device meant to inflict the maximum amount of pain while keeping the victim alive and conscious for as long as possible.
The blast of pain from the device was so intense all Jack could do was hang limply in his chains while his body was set on fire. Jack felt as if someone was driving large glass shards through his body and attacking his head with an axe. And then suddenly the pain stopped.
* * *
Lara snuck past the guards waiting in a small room of a long narrow corridor. From what she could tell, Lara guessed they were in the basement. Thin windows placed just below the ceiling let in the harsh light of the late morning. Or at least Lara guessed it was late morning.
A few meters up ahead, Lara saw another door. This one was shut and Lara guessed this would be where she would find Jack. As she watched, Lara saw the door open and with horror saw three guards come out. With quick reflexes Lara quietly spun and looked about for a hiding place. A split second later she was gone.
The guards walked silently towards the small room in which Lara had seen the other guards. Once they were gone, Lara carefully lowered herself from where she had braced herself near the ceiling. She shook her, once again, neatly braided hair and continued on her way, just as cautious as before. Lara was now sure Jack was in the room beyond the closed door. And because Lara had not seen the 'God' with the guards, she assumed he was still in there too.
Lara paused at the door and made sure she was alone in the corridor before flattening herself against the wall. She drew her guns and quietly opened the door. What she saw in the room beyond shocked her. Jack was hanging limply in his chains with a look of intense pain on his face. But what was so shocking was the white light that had settled on Jack's forehead, which was coming from the blonde man's palm.
Lara shivered involuntarily. She had seen some weird things in her life, but this was one of the most eerie - and the most inhuman.
With a cold look in her eye, Lara raised one of her guns and fired into the unprotected back of the man in front of her. Red spots appeared on his white robe. Lara didn't stop firing until she had emptied the entire clip. The man in front of her crumpled, the light from his palm fading instantly. Jack's head sagged forward as soon as it was gone.
Behind her, Lara heard shouts from the guards and immediately spun. There was a key sticking out from the lock on the other side of the door and she grabbed it. Lara slammed the door shut and locked it, hoping to slow the guards down. Absently she pocketed the key.
Lara knelt and checked the blonde was dead, before running towards Jack. She cupped his chin in her palm and gently raised his head. He stared at her through bleary eyes. "Can you move?" she asked softly.
"Yes." Jack replied hoarsely.
By now the guards had reached the door and were beginning to bang on it. Lara pivoted at the noise, but the door held. She blinked and turned back to Jack. She carefully untied him and helped him to stand.
After that was done, Lara stood and looked about the room. She glanced at the window and then back at Jack. He looked as battered as she felt. His jaw was swollen and the right side of his face had a large black bruise across it. From the way he held one hand protectively across his stomach and chest, Lara guessed he might also have some broken ribs. His T-shirt was torn and Lara could see large cuts along his arms just like she had on hers.
"Is he dead?" Jack asked her, motioning to the crumpled form on the floor.
"I hope so." Lara replied.
For a moment, Lara debated whether to ask Jack what was going on. The she shook her head. Now was not the time! "You owe me an explanation later." She told Jack and drew a gun.
Jack raised an eyebrow as she took careful aim and shot. The glass from the narrow window shattered. Lara holstered her gun and walked back to the body. She knelt and tore a large piece of cloth from his robe. She then tore four long strips off it and passed two to Jack. "For your hands." She explained, and wrapped the remaining two around her hands.
Jack nodded and walked to the wall, tying his own. He braced himself against the wall and bent forward to boost Lara up. She stepped onto the offered hands and with a grunt, Jack lifted her up.
With quick movements, because she was conscious of how this was hurting Jack, Lara knocked the remaining glass from the pane and slithered through. She winced as glass bit into her knees.
As soon as she was clear of the window, Lara pivoted and lay down on her stomach, facing the window. She reached down a hand inside, her other braced on the window frame. Jack grabbed the offered hand and Lara carefully dragged him up and through the window. "Thanks." He muttered when he was through.
The pair rolled to their feet and quickly brushed off their clothing. They were about to move off, when the heard a large burst of gunfire coming from the back of the building. It was quickly followed by noises of a fight near the front. Lara raised an eyebrow. "Friends of yours?" she asked.
"Sounds like it." Jack replied, smiling.