Damage
Part 21 of the Asgard Sequence
Sequel to 'The Key'
By Gumnut
Nov 2003
As Ambassador O'Neill collapsed to the council chamber floor, several things happened at once.
Three human forms appeared out of nowhere, and methodically decimated the Jaffa population of the room. None of the enemy soldiers, still stunned by the defeat of their god, even managed to fire a single shot.
In orbit, several Furling starships suddenly opened fire on the Goa'uld vessel, their spider legs painting flame in the darkness of space. The enemy vessel vainly attempted to defend itself, but it was outnumbered and out gunned, not to mention uncaptained.
It rained Goa'uld on Othalla that day.
The Furling fleet attempted to herd the rogue Asgard vessels away from the vulnerable planet. Of the six, five complied without protest, the presence of the Goa'uld must have brought some epiphany to their occupants.
One craft, however, proved defiant.
Caught between the planet and the Furlings, it was cornered, and chose to threaten the planet in order to blackmail its way out of its difficulty. It attempted to fire on the Council Chambers.
It was a mistake.
The Furling ships were slightly smaller than the Asgard vessels for a reason. They were more atmospherically capable. Three red spider ships were suddenly between the rogue and the planet, their defense shields deflecting the attack, their own weaponry targeting and tracking.
It only took a couple of pot shots from the ten or so Furling ships now surrounding it to convince the rogue of its ineffectiveness.
The Othallan situation was quickly contained.
But there was another situation desperately in need of attention.
*********
Thor woke to the sound of people. A lot of people.
Someone touched his shoulder, and he flinched. The movement caused his head to spin, lurching sickeningly.
By Nithhogg, his head hurt.
He opened his eyes cautiously, daring any light in the room to blind him.
His entire field of vision was filled with the face of Samantha Carter.
"Thor?"
"Major Carter?" He attempted to sit up, probably not a good idea, but he tried it anyway. Human hands helped him, and he found himself sitting back against the Council Chamber wall.
The world slowly stopped spinning.
Mostly.
The room was a picture of chaos. Dead Jaffa lay everywhere. Asgard medics hovered in small groups, assessing those they would be able to save, and those they wouldn't. By far the largest group was in the centre of the room. A pair of human boots stuck out of the huddle. O'Neill?
Thor staggered to his feet, Major Carter protesting but ignored, and made his way towards the converged figures. Vaguely he acknowledged Teal'c and Doctor Jackson in the background, but all of his attention was focused on the body on the floor.
It was O'Neill.
One arm lay awkwardly, its hand bent in a direction that even he knew it wasn't meant to go. His face was flushed, and Thor desperately looked for some sign of breathing.
"What has happened?"
No-one spoke to him, all intent on their patient's need, and, before he could say another word, O'Neill was whisked away. Taken from him, questions unanswered. He moved to follow.
"Commander Thor?" A medic brushed his elbow.
He turned to face the man, but was confronted by two of him, both dancing in his vision. The world suddenly tipped sideways, and Thor found himself falling to the floor.
Samantha Carter caught him and lowered him safely to a reclining position.
The medic hovered.
O'Neill! What had happened to O'Neill?
"What happened?"
"Sir, you will just need to lie still for a moment, you have been injured."
"I have?"
"Yes, sir."
"What happened to O'Neill? Anubis..."
Anubis!
He struggled to rise. Anubis was on his planet, a planet that he should have been able to defend.
Hands held back his struggle, forcing him to the floor. "Sir! Everything is well. Anubis is gone."
He stopped struggling. "Gone?" He stared up at the medic, and tried to stop both of him from dancing.
"Colonel O'Neill stopped him, sir. You should have seen it."
Stopped him?
The medic applied a device to his forehead, and there was a soft hum. His mind slowly cleared and reason set in. His vision became one, and he found himself once again looking into the strangely blue eyes of Major Carter.
"Commander?"
"Major Carter?"
"You okay?"
Thor's eyes flickered to the medic, and he answered the question for him.
"I recommend rest, sir. Several blood vessels were damaged, and you may experience a recurrence of symptoms if you place too much stress on the system. I expect to see you tomorrow at the Medical Centre for a follow up exam."
Thor glanced back at the Major. "It seems that I am."
Major Carter's eyes suddenly looked anxious. "There is a problem, Commander. We need your help."
"O'Neill?"
"No, sir, Earth. Anubis sent a fleet."
He swore, and Major Carter's eyes widened, leaving him briefly wondering if she had understood the obscenity. He hoped not, it was anything but diplomatic.
Questioning her succinctly he gathered as much information as he needed, of that she could provide, his mind tripping over the events that led to the apparent destruction of Anubis and O'Neill's collapse. But he had to hurry, much was at stake and they had little time.
Pushing himself to his feet, and ignoring the protests of the medic, he stormed from the room.
His worry for O'Neill would have to wait.
He had a planet to save.
**********
Major General George Hammond almost caused himself permanent injury as he flew down the stairs to reach the control room.
"What have we got?"
"Twelve Goa'uld ships on an intercept course, General."
Damn.
"How long do we have?"
"A matter of hours, sir. They appeared almost on top of us."
"Notify the Alpha site, and Alpha Group. Prep the evacuation teams."
He grabbed the phone.
The time had come to defend the planet.
He just hoped they were ready.
**********
Thor stood on the bridge of his commandeered ship, the 'Falkris', and stared out at hyperspace as if his will could make the ship go faster. They had to be in time. O'Neill had once again helped save the Asgard people, he could do no less for the human.
He snarled out a command to the helmsman. The reply was negative. The crew was doing all it could.
Behind Thor's ship fanned out a fleet of mixed Asgard and Furling vessels. As soon as the rogue Asgard had been removed from their position around Othalla, the Council had ordered them evacuated and re-crewed. Thor had seen to the task being completed in record time. A short discussion with Niikrahl had resulted in ten Furling vessels accompanying the Asgard fleet to Earth. They had no idea how many Goa'uld ships had been sent, Thor had decided to err on the side of caution.
He couldn't risk anything else.
The hyperspace in front of the ship still ignored him as he stared into it.
They couldn't be too late.
They couldn't.
**********
Jack O'Neill woke to the sound of soft breathing that wasn't his.
And hair tickled his nose.
Opening one eye, he was confronted by a mass of golden strands that twitched each time he breathed out. Carter?
He forced himself to wake up fully, squinting his eyes as if to brush away sleep with his eyelashes. Where was he? And why was Carter asleep in a chair beside his bed, her head almost on his pillow?
A crowd of thoughts converged on his head all at once. Anubis. Earth. Thor!
He sat up abruptly, and found the world spinning - at this point for him - not unexpectedly. Crunching his face up he groaned to himself. Not again! Damnit!
He felt the bed move slightly and a sleepy voice enquired, "Colonel?"
He raised a hand to his head to cover his eyes, but was surprised when instead of encountering the softness of his palm, his head clunked into something hard. What the?
Not knowing, and not wanting to try to find out, why his hand was encased in something hard, he settled for just sitting and squinting his eyes shut until the world stopped spinning.
"Colonel, how are you feeling?"
"Carter?" His voice croaked as if he hadn't used it for a century or two, and the pain in his throat warned him off speaking again.
"Yes, sir?"
He vainly attempted to clear his throat, causing his head to spin even more. Oh, god. "How do you think I'm feeling? Do I look okay? I'd look myself if the frickin' world would stop doing its happy dance." He needed water, something to douse the sandpaper that was his throat.
She didn't answer him, but laid a hand on his, and for that, part of him was grateful.
He sat there for awhile, his only real sensations being the feel of the bed beneath him and the soft hand on his, and eventually the world did stop spinning, and he was able to open his eyes and tentatively move himself into a comfortable reclining position supported by pillows. He was in a room with a view this time. A breeze wafted in from open doors that led onto a balcony overlooking, from what he could see from the bed, part of the Garden. If he listened intently, he could here the distant chimes of the plants. Finally, though, he got to look his second-in-command in the eye.
And all he found there was pain.
"Carter? You okay?" He coughed, his throat rebelling against movement, and of course, that sent the world teetering again. God, sometimes his life sucked.
She handed him a small glass of water, before looking away from him as if hesitant to say something. She bit her lip.
Uh, oh, this couldn't be good.
He quickly swallowed a mouthful of god-given fluid before attempting to speak. "Where are Daniel and Teal'c?"
Her eyes flickered back to him as if she had found herself suddenly on solid ground once again. "They have gone to see if they can contact General Hammond, sir. Thor has taken a fleet of ships to Earth to defend us against the Goa'uld."
"Is Thor okay?" The sudden replay of the last time he had seen the Asgard - a small crumpled body in the corner of the Council Chamber flashed across his mind, and he coughed again. God damnit!
"Yes, but he was injured, at least the Asgard version of a concussion. He received treatment, and seemed okay when he left. He said to give you his good wishes for your welfare, and he promised to do his best."
Jack had no doubts in the Asgard's intent. "And Anubis?" He had a vague memory of a tornado of black smoke, and then nothing.
Carter was cut off before she could answer. "That is exactly what we are trying to ascertain at the moment, Colonel."
The Asgard High Councillor walked into the room, his robes once again neatly pressed, his stance confident.
"High Councillor." Carter bowed her head in respect. O'Neill would have done the same if he could guarantee that the world would stay in one place.
The Asgard bowed his head at Jack. "I am glad to see you awake, Colonel. You had us worried you would not recover."
"That bad, huh?" He looked up at Carter just in time to see her swallow uncomfortably. "So am I fixed?"
Carter smiled slightly. "Just about, sir."
"What do you mean 'just about'?" He coughed again, and her smile disappeared, replaced with the haunted look she had had on her face when he awoke. She didn't answer. He looked at the High Councillor, clearing his throat. "I thought you guys were great at fixing me."
This time even the High Councillor smiled. "Yes, Colonel, we are quite capable of 'fixing' most problems encountered by the human body. However, " and he sobered, "you have developed a lung condition brought on by the fluid you were submerged in by the subversive Kalta." His expression soured. "The liquid has certain properties we use in our genetic procedures. Had the procedure been completed, it would not have been a problem, however it was interrupted, and now we have the result."
"Had the procedure been completed, I would be dead, Councillor." In the corner of his eye he saw Carter flinch, what was wrong with her?
"And thankfully it wasn't." The Asgard moved closer to the bed. "But, Colonel, due to those properties we have been unable to fully repair the damage done to your lungs. They will need to heal by themselves." At O'Neill's expression, he quickly continued, "We do expect a full recovery, but you will need to be patient."
He swore he heard a snort of laughter at that statement from Carter's direction, but when he glanced at her, her face was turned away from him, so he couldn't see.
At any rate, they were interrupted.
"Colonel Jaaaaaaaaaaack!"
A tiny hurricane in the form of an Asgard came tearing into the room. "Eelyn?"
He was followed by two other very harried looking Asgard bobbing their heads like they were about to fall off. "We are so sorry, Councillor, sorry, Colonel O'Neill. He slipped out of our grasp."
Eelyn came barrelling up to the bed, and ran into it, hitting it so hard it shook. "Colonel Jack, did you get hurt?"
Jack looked down into the little guy's face, no longer seeing the drooping muscles, or the blind eye, he just saw the worry. "I'm fine, Eelyn. They fixed me up."
But the Asgard's eye had fallen on the intricate cast protecting his arm. That eye widened. "You still hurt?" O'Neill could see the keen building in his eyes.
"No, Eelyn, I'm fine." He lifted the arm and waved it gently in the air. "See?"
Eelyn tracked the arm as it moved, as if it might fall off or something. Jack sincerely hoped it wouldn't, for both their sakes.
"Eelyn, come here." The Asgard perked up at Sam's voice.
"MaajorCarter?" Seeing her, he dashed across the room. Colonel Jack immediately forgotten.
Carter was eventually herded by Eelyn into a corner of the room to be introduced to the two Asgard who had followed him in. The High Councillor took the opportunity to speak closely with Jack.
"Colonel, in regards to your question about Anubis, we are unsure. We suspect that the shield disruptor actually may have interfered with his electrical field, or if he had some personal shield operating it may have disrupted that. There is no sign of him, however, and we can only hope that at the very least, we may not see him for a long while."
"I suppose we can always hope." He yawned, and found himself coughing - again. God, this was getting tiresome. He shut his eyes momentarily, waiting for the world to steady itself.
The High Councillor immediately looked contrite. "I am sorry, we have tired you, and you need rest." He called to Eelyn and his friends, motioning them towards the door. "I wish you well, Colonel. Should you need anything, do not hesitate to call me. We are in your debt yet again."
O'Neill moved to protest, but they were out the door before he could find the words.
Carter moved to leave him also. "Sam?" She flinched. He seldom used her first name, and this time it had just slipped out. "What is wrong, Major?"
She hesitated, only half turning back to him, as if wishing to be somewhere else, but suddenly something in her eyes snapped, and she wilted. The haunted look returned. "Major?" She turned to him, and he swore she looked broken. "What's wrong, Sam?"
She flinched again. Oh, god, what was going on?
She took a deep breath, and saw her determination kick in, as if pushing herself to do something. "Sir, if and when we return to the SGC, and if we are still able to operate as SG-1, I would formally like to request a transfer."
His ability to breathe left him. "Why?"
Her eyes were empty, vacant and desperate. "Because I can't take this anymore."
**********
Hammond's phone call was echoed around the world.
Nellis Airbase came alive. From hidden places appeared a fleet of never before seen aircraft. Gray, sleek jets with wings so arched they almost touched the tarmac as they taxied. One by one they lined up and launched, dark eagles reaching for the sky.
Not far away another group of X-302's launched from Vandenburg, joining the squadron from Nellis far above the desert.
A parade of F-15's arrowed beneath them. Back up. Support.
Government spoke to government, and across the globe similar fleets of fighter aircraft shot into the sky, coasting the atmosphere in preparation.
Planetary defense systems tracked for targets. Missiles, long left dormant in silos, stirred, electronics shunting through last minute checks.
It was time for the Tau'ri to defend themselves.
Or die trying.
**********
The Asgard Fleet shot out of hyperspace almost on top of the enemy fleet - they were already launching death gliders.
Thor didn't bother to give the 'this is a protected planet' speech. The Goa'uld knew that, and they had blatantly defied it. So they came in firing.
The 'Falkris' shot between two of the enemy ships, spitting flame as it flew. The plan? Divide and conquer.
It soon became apparent that the defensive shields of the enemy were superior. It took concentrated fire to disable a single ship's defensive capability, and the Asgard were not impenetrable.
They also had debris to consider. Thor was very aware of Earth's lack of transporter technology, lack of defensive weaponry. One large dying ship could decimate millions of earth-bound humans.
He couldn't allow that to happen.
They were depending upon him.
There was a huge explosion as the Furlings took out the first Goa'uld vessel, sending pyramidal fragments spinning off in the direction of the sun. Thor was chasing another around the planet's sole moon, their speeding arc so close to the ball of rock, he could see the flags planted by human explorers. As they came out of the dark side into the glaring sun, the Goa'uld only had moments to register the two blood red Furling ships directly in its path before their, and Thor's, combined firepower shattered its shields, carving the pyramid in two.
Shards of ship littered the moon.
Two down. Ten to go.
**********
"Sir! NASA reports that the Goa'uld have broken formation!"
"Why?"
"Unknown, sir. However there have been a number of bursts of energy in the vicinity of several of the ships, they may be under attack."
Davis brought the images up on screen for Hammond to view. An array of the familiar motherships was scattering, darting about like pigeons disturbed by a cat. For a moment he wondered if it was a tactical maneuver, but suddenly as one erupted in an explosive flower of flame, the shadow of another ship, previously unseen, was outlined by fire.
The eerie shape of a spider.
What the hell was going on?
*********
Thor's ship skimmed along the top of Earth's atmosphere, streaking flames of heated air. He spat an order and the ship abruptly shot upwards, avoiding the enemy fire directed at them from behind. The Asgard ship flipped in place and came back down again, the inertial dampeners screaming.
But the maneuver worked.
The enemy ship was sandwiched between the 'Falkris' and another Asgard vessel. The two opposing ships' shields touched briefly and there was a crackle of energy across the space between the two vessels.
The touch was all they needed. Science grabbed the data on the shields, Defense calibrated their weaponry to match, and Thor gave the order.
The Goa'uld ship shattered apart like a tiny star gone nova.
Thor signalled his counterpart on their sister ship, and they spun off in search of further enemy prey.
The battle was going well. Thor scanned his tactical display, seeing most of the Goa'uld either damaged or contained with little injury taken by his fleet. Two Furling vessels had been disabled, but had managed to crawl out of range of the majority of the battle. An Asgard ship and one other Furling vessel were maintaining their defense.
His eye caught something at the edge of the display. What the...?
Suddenly the screen was lit up by an explosion, and Thor quickly glanced up to see the Furling vessel he had been momentarily tracking, explode into a cloud of fiery fragments. The Goa'uld ship responsible, now finding itself free of hindrance, set out on a direct course for the planet's atmosphere.
They had managed to slip through - there was nothing between them and Earth.
Thor swore under his breath as he gave chase. They were too close. Too close to the planet, too close to the atmosphere.
But not close enough to prevent anything.
The 'Falkris' darted along the curvature of the atmosphere desperate to intervene, but was suddenly attacked from behind. Not by weapons' fire, but by the death throes of another Goa'uld vessel desperately attempting to escape the three Furling vessels carving it into pieces.
Thor had just a moment to register its existence before it collided full force into the 'Falkris'.
The Asgard's shields buckled under the strain, and metal met metal.
The two ships, locked together in destiny, tumbled end over end, and trapped by the planet's gravity, began their long descent towards oblivion.
**********
FIN.
Part 21 of the Asgard Sequence
Sequel to 'The Key'
By Gumnut
Nov 2003
As Ambassador O'Neill collapsed to the council chamber floor, several things happened at once.
Three human forms appeared out of nowhere, and methodically decimated the Jaffa population of the room. None of the enemy soldiers, still stunned by the defeat of their god, even managed to fire a single shot.
In orbit, several Furling starships suddenly opened fire on the Goa'uld vessel, their spider legs painting flame in the darkness of space. The enemy vessel vainly attempted to defend itself, but it was outnumbered and out gunned, not to mention uncaptained.
It rained Goa'uld on Othalla that day.
The Furling fleet attempted to herd the rogue Asgard vessels away from the vulnerable planet. Of the six, five complied without protest, the presence of the Goa'uld must have brought some epiphany to their occupants.
One craft, however, proved defiant.
Caught between the planet and the Furlings, it was cornered, and chose to threaten the planet in order to blackmail its way out of its difficulty. It attempted to fire on the Council Chambers.
It was a mistake.
The Furling ships were slightly smaller than the Asgard vessels for a reason. They were more atmospherically capable. Three red spider ships were suddenly between the rogue and the planet, their defense shields deflecting the attack, their own weaponry targeting and tracking.
It only took a couple of pot shots from the ten or so Furling ships now surrounding it to convince the rogue of its ineffectiveness.
The Othallan situation was quickly contained.
But there was another situation desperately in need of attention.
*********
Thor woke to the sound of people. A lot of people.
Someone touched his shoulder, and he flinched. The movement caused his head to spin, lurching sickeningly.
By Nithhogg, his head hurt.
He opened his eyes cautiously, daring any light in the room to blind him.
His entire field of vision was filled with the face of Samantha Carter.
"Thor?"
"Major Carter?" He attempted to sit up, probably not a good idea, but he tried it anyway. Human hands helped him, and he found himself sitting back against the Council Chamber wall.
The world slowly stopped spinning.
Mostly.
The room was a picture of chaos. Dead Jaffa lay everywhere. Asgard medics hovered in small groups, assessing those they would be able to save, and those they wouldn't. By far the largest group was in the centre of the room. A pair of human boots stuck out of the huddle. O'Neill?
Thor staggered to his feet, Major Carter protesting but ignored, and made his way towards the converged figures. Vaguely he acknowledged Teal'c and Doctor Jackson in the background, but all of his attention was focused on the body on the floor.
It was O'Neill.
One arm lay awkwardly, its hand bent in a direction that even he knew it wasn't meant to go. His face was flushed, and Thor desperately looked for some sign of breathing.
"What has happened?"
No-one spoke to him, all intent on their patient's need, and, before he could say another word, O'Neill was whisked away. Taken from him, questions unanswered. He moved to follow.
"Commander Thor?" A medic brushed his elbow.
He turned to face the man, but was confronted by two of him, both dancing in his vision. The world suddenly tipped sideways, and Thor found himself falling to the floor.
Samantha Carter caught him and lowered him safely to a reclining position.
The medic hovered.
O'Neill! What had happened to O'Neill?
"What happened?"
"Sir, you will just need to lie still for a moment, you have been injured."
"I have?"
"Yes, sir."
"What happened to O'Neill? Anubis..."
Anubis!
He struggled to rise. Anubis was on his planet, a planet that he should have been able to defend.
Hands held back his struggle, forcing him to the floor. "Sir! Everything is well. Anubis is gone."
He stopped struggling. "Gone?" He stared up at the medic, and tried to stop both of him from dancing.
"Colonel O'Neill stopped him, sir. You should have seen it."
Stopped him?
The medic applied a device to his forehead, and there was a soft hum. His mind slowly cleared and reason set in. His vision became one, and he found himself once again looking into the strangely blue eyes of Major Carter.
"Commander?"
"Major Carter?"
"You okay?"
Thor's eyes flickered to the medic, and he answered the question for him.
"I recommend rest, sir. Several blood vessels were damaged, and you may experience a recurrence of symptoms if you place too much stress on the system. I expect to see you tomorrow at the Medical Centre for a follow up exam."
Thor glanced back at the Major. "It seems that I am."
Major Carter's eyes suddenly looked anxious. "There is a problem, Commander. We need your help."
"O'Neill?"
"No, sir, Earth. Anubis sent a fleet."
He swore, and Major Carter's eyes widened, leaving him briefly wondering if she had understood the obscenity. He hoped not, it was anything but diplomatic.
Questioning her succinctly he gathered as much information as he needed, of that she could provide, his mind tripping over the events that led to the apparent destruction of Anubis and O'Neill's collapse. But he had to hurry, much was at stake and they had little time.
Pushing himself to his feet, and ignoring the protests of the medic, he stormed from the room.
His worry for O'Neill would have to wait.
He had a planet to save.
**********
Major General George Hammond almost caused himself permanent injury as he flew down the stairs to reach the control room.
"What have we got?"
"Twelve Goa'uld ships on an intercept course, General."
Damn.
"How long do we have?"
"A matter of hours, sir. They appeared almost on top of us."
"Notify the Alpha site, and Alpha Group. Prep the evacuation teams."
He grabbed the phone.
The time had come to defend the planet.
He just hoped they were ready.
**********
Thor stood on the bridge of his commandeered ship, the 'Falkris', and stared out at hyperspace as if his will could make the ship go faster. They had to be in time. O'Neill had once again helped save the Asgard people, he could do no less for the human.
He snarled out a command to the helmsman. The reply was negative. The crew was doing all it could.
Behind Thor's ship fanned out a fleet of mixed Asgard and Furling vessels. As soon as the rogue Asgard had been removed from their position around Othalla, the Council had ordered them evacuated and re-crewed. Thor had seen to the task being completed in record time. A short discussion with Niikrahl had resulted in ten Furling vessels accompanying the Asgard fleet to Earth. They had no idea how many Goa'uld ships had been sent, Thor had decided to err on the side of caution.
He couldn't risk anything else.
The hyperspace in front of the ship still ignored him as he stared into it.
They couldn't be too late.
They couldn't.
**********
Jack O'Neill woke to the sound of soft breathing that wasn't his.
And hair tickled his nose.
Opening one eye, he was confronted by a mass of golden strands that twitched each time he breathed out. Carter?
He forced himself to wake up fully, squinting his eyes as if to brush away sleep with his eyelashes. Where was he? And why was Carter asleep in a chair beside his bed, her head almost on his pillow?
A crowd of thoughts converged on his head all at once. Anubis. Earth. Thor!
He sat up abruptly, and found the world spinning - at this point for him - not unexpectedly. Crunching his face up he groaned to himself. Not again! Damnit!
He felt the bed move slightly and a sleepy voice enquired, "Colonel?"
He raised a hand to his head to cover his eyes, but was surprised when instead of encountering the softness of his palm, his head clunked into something hard. What the?
Not knowing, and not wanting to try to find out, why his hand was encased in something hard, he settled for just sitting and squinting his eyes shut until the world stopped spinning.
"Colonel, how are you feeling?"
"Carter?" His voice croaked as if he hadn't used it for a century or two, and the pain in his throat warned him off speaking again.
"Yes, sir?"
He vainly attempted to clear his throat, causing his head to spin even more. Oh, god. "How do you think I'm feeling? Do I look okay? I'd look myself if the frickin' world would stop doing its happy dance." He needed water, something to douse the sandpaper that was his throat.
She didn't answer him, but laid a hand on his, and for that, part of him was grateful.
He sat there for awhile, his only real sensations being the feel of the bed beneath him and the soft hand on his, and eventually the world did stop spinning, and he was able to open his eyes and tentatively move himself into a comfortable reclining position supported by pillows. He was in a room with a view this time. A breeze wafted in from open doors that led onto a balcony overlooking, from what he could see from the bed, part of the Garden. If he listened intently, he could here the distant chimes of the plants. Finally, though, he got to look his second-in-command in the eye.
And all he found there was pain.
"Carter? You okay?" He coughed, his throat rebelling against movement, and of course, that sent the world teetering again. God, sometimes his life sucked.
She handed him a small glass of water, before looking away from him as if hesitant to say something. She bit her lip.
Uh, oh, this couldn't be good.
He quickly swallowed a mouthful of god-given fluid before attempting to speak. "Where are Daniel and Teal'c?"
Her eyes flickered back to him as if she had found herself suddenly on solid ground once again. "They have gone to see if they can contact General Hammond, sir. Thor has taken a fleet of ships to Earth to defend us against the Goa'uld."
"Is Thor okay?" The sudden replay of the last time he had seen the Asgard - a small crumpled body in the corner of the Council Chamber flashed across his mind, and he coughed again. God damnit!
"Yes, but he was injured, at least the Asgard version of a concussion. He received treatment, and seemed okay when he left. He said to give you his good wishes for your welfare, and he promised to do his best."
Jack had no doubts in the Asgard's intent. "And Anubis?" He had a vague memory of a tornado of black smoke, and then nothing.
Carter was cut off before she could answer. "That is exactly what we are trying to ascertain at the moment, Colonel."
The Asgard High Councillor walked into the room, his robes once again neatly pressed, his stance confident.
"High Councillor." Carter bowed her head in respect. O'Neill would have done the same if he could guarantee that the world would stay in one place.
The Asgard bowed his head at Jack. "I am glad to see you awake, Colonel. You had us worried you would not recover."
"That bad, huh?" He looked up at Carter just in time to see her swallow uncomfortably. "So am I fixed?"
Carter smiled slightly. "Just about, sir."
"What do you mean 'just about'?" He coughed again, and her smile disappeared, replaced with the haunted look she had had on her face when he awoke. She didn't answer. He looked at the High Councillor, clearing his throat. "I thought you guys were great at fixing me."
This time even the High Councillor smiled. "Yes, Colonel, we are quite capable of 'fixing' most problems encountered by the human body. However, " and he sobered, "you have developed a lung condition brought on by the fluid you were submerged in by the subversive Kalta." His expression soured. "The liquid has certain properties we use in our genetic procedures. Had the procedure been completed, it would not have been a problem, however it was interrupted, and now we have the result."
"Had the procedure been completed, I would be dead, Councillor." In the corner of his eye he saw Carter flinch, what was wrong with her?
"And thankfully it wasn't." The Asgard moved closer to the bed. "But, Colonel, due to those properties we have been unable to fully repair the damage done to your lungs. They will need to heal by themselves." At O'Neill's expression, he quickly continued, "We do expect a full recovery, but you will need to be patient."
He swore he heard a snort of laughter at that statement from Carter's direction, but when he glanced at her, her face was turned away from him, so he couldn't see.
At any rate, they were interrupted.
"Colonel Jaaaaaaaaaaack!"
A tiny hurricane in the form of an Asgard came tearing into the room. "Eelyn?"
He was followed by two other very harried looking Asgard bobbing their heads like they were about to fall off. "We are so sorry, Councillor, sorry, Colonel O'Neill. He slipped out of our grasp."
Eelyn came barrelling up to the bed, and ran into it, hitting it so hard it shook. "Colonel Jack, did you get hurt?"
Jack looked down into the little guy's face, no longer seeing the drooping muscles, or the blind eye, he just saw the worry. "I'm fine, Eelyn. They fixed me up."
But the Asgard's eye had fallen on the intricate cast protecting his arm. That eye widened. "You still hurt?" O'Neill could see the keen building in his eyes.
"No, Eelyn, I'm fine." He lifted the arm and waved it gently in the air. "See?"
Eelyn tracked the arm as it moved, as if it might fall off or something. Jack sincerely hoped it wouldn't, for both their sakes.
"Eelyn, come here." The Asgard perked up at Sam's voice.
"MaajorCarter?" Seeing her, he dashed across the room. Colonel Jack immediately forgotten.
Carter was eventually herded by Eelyn into a corner of the room to be introduced to the two Asgard who had followed him in. The High Councillor took the opportunity to speak closely with Jack.
"Colonel, in regards to your question about Anubis, we are unsure. We suspect that the shield disruptor actually may have interfered with his electrical field, or if he had some personal shield operating it may have disrupted that. There is no sign of him, however, and we can only hope that at the very least, we may not see him for a long while."
"I suppose we can always hope." He yawned, and found himself coughing - again. God, this was getting tiresome. He shut his eyes momentarily, waiting for the world to steady itself.
The High Councillor immediately looked contrite. "I am sorry, we have tired you, and you need rest." He called to Eelyn and his friends, motioning them towards the door. "I wish you well, Colonel. Should you need anything, do not hesitate to call me. We are in your debt yet again."
O'Neill moved to protest, but they were out the door before he could find the words.
Carter moved to leave him also. "Sam?" She flinched. He seldom used her first name, and this time it had just slipped out. "What is wrong, Major?"
She hesitated, only half turning back to him, as if wishing to be somewhere else, but suddenly something in her eyes snapped, and she wilted. The haunted look returned. "Major?" She turned to him, and he swore she looked broken. "What's wrong, Sam?"
She flinched again. Oh, god, what was going on?
She took a deep breath, and saw her determination kick in, as if pushing herself to do something. "Sir, if and when we return to the SGC, and if we are still able to operate as SG-1, I would formally like to request a transfer."
His ability to breathe left him. "Why?"
Her eyes were empty, vacant and desperate. "Because I can't take this anymore."
**********
Hammond's phone call was echoed around the world.
Nellis Airbase came alive. From hidden places appeared a fleet of never before seen aircraft. Gray, sleek jets with wings so arched they almost touched the tarmac as they taxied. One by one they lined up and launched, dark eagles reaching for the sky.
Not far away another group of X-302's launched from Vandenburg, joining the squadron from Nellis far above the desert.
A parade of F-15's arrowed beneath them. Back up. Support.
Government spoke to government, and across the globe similar fleets of fighter aircraft shot into the sky, coasting the atmosphere in preparation.
Planetary defense systems tracked for targets. Missiles, long left dormant in silos, stirred, electronics shunting through last minute checks.
It was time for the Tau'ri to defend themselves.
Or die trying.
**********
The Asgard Fleet shot out of hyperspace almost on top of the enemy fleet - they were already launching death gliders.
Thor didn't bother to give the 'this is a protected planet' speech. The Goa'uld knew that, and they had blatantly defied it. So they came in firing.
The 'Falkris' shot between two of the enemy ships, spitting flame as it flew. The plan? Divide and conquer.
It soon became apparent that the defensive shields of the enemy were superior. It took concentrated fire to disable a single ship's defensive capability, and the Asgard were not impenetrable.
They also had debris to consider. Thor was very aware of Earth's lack of transporter technology, lack of defensive weaponry. One large dying ship could decimate millions of earth-bound humans.
He couldn't allow that to happen.
They were depending upon him.
There was a huge explosion as the Furlings took out the first Goa'uld vessel, sending pyramidal fragments spinning off in the direction of the sun. Thor was chasing another around the planet's sole moon, their speeding arc so close to the ball of rock, he could see the flags planted by human explorers. As they came out of the dark side into the glaring sun, the Goa'uld only had moments to register the two blood red Furling ships directly in its path before their, and Thor's, combined firepower shattered its shields, carving the pyramid in two.
Shards of ship littered the moon.
Two down. Ten to go.
**********
"Sir! NASA reports that the Goa'uld have broken formation!"
"Why?"
"Unknown, sir. However there have been a number of bursts of energy in the vicinity of several of the ships, they may be under attack."
Davis brought the images up on screen for Hammond to view. An array of the familiar motherships was scattering, darting about like pigeons disturbed by a cat. For a moment he wondered if it was a tactical maneuver, but suddenly as one erupted in an explosive flower of flame, the shadow of another ship, previously unseen, was outlined by fire.
The eerie shape of a spider.
What the hell was going on?
*********
Thor's ship skimmed along the top of Earth's atmosphere, streaking flames of heated air. He spat an order and the ship abruptly shot upwards, avoiding the enemy fire directed at them from behind. The Asgard ship flipped in place and came back down again, the inertial dampeners screaming.
But the maneuver worked.
The enemy ship was sandwiched between the 'Falkris' and another Asgard vessel. The two opposing ships' shields touched briefly and there was a crackle of energy across the space between the two vessels.
The touch was all they needed. Science grabbed the data on the shields, Defense calibrated their weaponry to match, and Thor gave the order.
The Goa'uld ship shattered apart like a tiny star gone nova.
Thor signalled his counterpart on their sister ship, and they spun off in search of further enemy prey.
The battle was going well. Thor scanned his tactical display, seeing most of the Goa'uld either damaged or contained with little injury taken by his fleet. Two Furling vessels had been disabled, but had managed to crawl out of range of the majority of the battle. An Asgard ship and one other Furling vessel were maintaining their defense.
His eye caught something at the edge of the display. What the...?
Suddenly the screen was lit up by an explosion, and Thor quickly glanced up to see the Furling vessel he had been momentarily tracking, explode into a cloud of fiery fragments. The Goa'uld ship responsible, now finding itself free of hindrance, set out on a direct course for the planet's atmosphere.
They had managed to slip through - there was nothing between them and Earth.
Thor swore under his breath as he gave chase. They were too close. Too close to the planet, too close to the atmosphere.
But not close enough to prevent anything.
The 'Falkris' darted along the curvature of the atmosphere desperate to intervene, but was suddenly attacked from behind. Not by weapons' fire, but by the death throes of another Goa'uld vessel desperately attempting to escape the three Furling vessels carving it into pieces.
Thor had just a moment to register its existence before it collided full force into the 'Falkris'.
The Asgard's shields buckled under the strain, and metal met metal.
The two ships, locked together in destiny, tumbled end over end, and trapped by the planet's gravity, began their long descent towards oblivion.
**********
FIN.