Sorry it took so long to write this chapter, I very grateful thank you for
not sending me any hate mail.
Okay so I told a little white lie, this is NOT the FINAL chapter. When I sat down and actually planned out the rest of the story, I realised I had so much more to write than one chapter could accommodate. Sorry about that.
I have references to the episodes "48 Hours" and "Proven Ground", both episodes I just recently bought on video and have watched at least 50 times in the space of a week (sad I know).
In "Proven Ground", Lieutenant Grogan was one of the trainees (along with Lieutenant Elliot, Captain Hailey and Lieutenant Satterfield); he was known by Colonel O'Neill as a "fine target, he's good at getting shot." (Yes that is a quote.)
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CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SGC 1744
General Hammond was pacing the floor of his office. Feelings of anger, disbelief and worry continued to circle around him like the eye of a tornado sweeping him towards a court marshal for some of his best officers. It had taken many hours to restore the SGC to normal working order and he was the one that needed to answer for it. A knock came at his office door; stopping mid stride the General took a deep breath to calm down before returning to the chair behind his desk. Pushing the confidential files in front of him aside he asked the visitor to enter. When the door opened Dr Fraiser, looking slightly afraid, entered the room and stood rigidly in front of him, awaiting her inevitable punishment for being involved with SG1's unauthorised trip through the Stargate. At the time, when Jack and Teal'c had told her about Daniel and Sam being trapped off world the consequences of helping them by falsifying a medical emergency were far from her mind. But in hindsight, as always, they were very real and could end her career in the Stargate program.
"Have a seat doctor." General Hammond offered, but his tone said to Janet that it wasn't optional. Sinking down into the usually comfortable chair, Janet's hands were clasped together anxiously. The General sighed deeply before he began.
"Now that the base has returned to normal working order I would like to know what in God's name happened this morning?" He demanded, his voice rose far beyond the normal talking level. Janet mentally cringed under General Hammond's angered expression.
"Well sir." she began. "Colonel O'Neill approached me earlier this morning and informed me that we are experiencing another time loop where the day repeats itself. Also that Sam and Daniel are trapped off world with a limited amount of supplies. He needed my help in creating a distraction so the SG1 could go through the Stargate and save them." Janet explained. For a moment General Hammond sat there looking at the docter in complete confusion.
"Major Carter and Docter Jackson are on another planet? Docter, I saw them both in the Gate Room, both officers went through the Gate before Colonel O'Neill." He insisted, believing his knew what he had seen only hours before. His voice had lowered, making Janet feel more at ease.
"Yes sir, from what I could gather from Colonel O'Neill the start of the time loop began when SG1 were going on a scheduled mission. Sam and Daniel went through the Stargate first but when both Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill attempted to Gate to the planet, they were pushed back into the SGC. Now since the day began all over again, Sam and Daniel had not yet gone through the Stargate to the planet, that being the reason both of them were here." Janet clarified, not totally understanding herself what was going on, but simply reiterating what the Colonel and Teal'c had told her. General Hammond shook his head in confusion and frustration.
"Why didn't Colonel O'Neill ask for the authorisation to go through the Gate to rescue Major Carter and Docter Jackson? I would have no objections in allowing SG1 to go through the Gate." The General replied, his top team's increasingly puzzling behaviour was becoming a large headache. Janet nodded in partial agreement.
"I asked the Colonel and he said that the connection to the planet that Sam and Daniel are currently stranded on was cut off. Their plan involved gating to one of the surrounding planets and borrowing a ship to fly to the planet to save both of them. From what I could gather the planet they were going to had a large presence of Goa'uld. Teal'c said that in a previous loop they had asked your permission but you denied them authorisation." General Hammond leaned back in his chair; his 2IC's uncharacteristic behaviour was beginning to make sense. He could not willingly endanger the lives of any of his officers, sending a team to a planet controlled by the enemy would be leading the cattle to slaughter. He rubbed his temple as he saw the docter waiting for her sentence. He had to make a decision but the new developments that had just come to his attention had changed his mind about what to do.
"Docter, I'm ordering you to take leave until SG1 returns and this matter can be adequately resolved." General Hammond ordered. Janet let out a loud sigh of relief, she thanked the General and made her way towards the door of his office, but stopped before she reached it, turning back to address him.
"Sir, I just wanted to say that I have no regrets in doing what I did, I did and still do believe it was the right thing to do." Janet expressed her feelings on the situation, quickly exiting the room in case the General changed his mind.
P6Z 435 0528
The early morning rays of the sun peeked over the sands dunes of the alien planet where the members of the infamous SG1 began to stir from their fitful sleep. Jack opened his eyes, shaking away the nightmare that had plagued his dreams; he stood up slowly, his bad knee cracking to relieve the tension of being in the same position for hours. Putting his gear back on and grabbing his P90, Jack made his way out to the cockpit where Teal'c sat, ever vigilant for the possibility of an approaching enemy.
"Hey Teal'c, let's get going and find Daniel and Carter." Jack suggested. Teal'c bowed his head,
"Indeed." Standing from his seat, clutching his staff weapon in his hand. Teal'c led the way out of the ship and into the blazing hot sun, the desert terrain giving way slightly under the two men's feet. Jack pulled his cap further down his forehead and pushed his sunglasses onto his face to protect his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Teal'c scanned the area that surrounded them, in three directions they were met with desert as far as the eye could see, to the north the lush green of a thick forest expanded on both sides, widening as if to reclaim some of the desert around it.
"O'Neill I believe it wise that Daniel Jackson and Major Carter be taking shelter from the heat." Jack nodded in agreement,
"Yeah, let's take a look around those trees, see if we can get anything on our radios."
CAVES SAME TIME
The sound of birds chirping greeted the morning. As Daniel rolled over, still half asleep, his head slipped from his pillow to the very hard rock underneath.
"Ow." He grumbled, sitting up n his sleeping bag. Fumbling on the ground in the semi darkness of the cave, he grabbed his glasses out of the dirt and pressed them onto the bridge of his nose with his index finger. Pushing himself onto his arms, he pulled his whole body backwards towards the cave wall, freeing his legs from his sleeping bag. Where he had been hit by a shot from the Glider days before, his makeshift dressing was stretched and covered in dirt, the wound underneath receiving no protection from infection and subsequently no relief from the pain. Shuffling his way slowly over to where the fire had been burning the night before, Daniel reached for the last piece of fruit he had been able to collect. Turning it around in his hand he studied it like a tablet covered in writings used by the Ancients thousands of years before.
"Daniel, Carter respond." Jack's muffled voice split the stony silence of the dreary cave. Daniel snapped his head his head towards the sound, holding his breath in waiting, hoping his mind, after being stranded on a strange planet all this time, wasn't just making him hear things.
"Daniel, Carter respond." Jack voice came again through the radio. Daniel scrambled as fast as he could over to his pack and reached the radio excitedly.
"Jack, Jack is that you?" Daniel asked, his voice cracking with a mixture of happiness and relief.
"Daniel, you alright? Where are you?" Jack enquired, a hint of relief in his voice also. Daniel ley out a huge sigh of relief, he had nearly begun to lose all hope that someone would come and to take him away from the hell he had endured.
"Ah, I'm in some caves, in the middle of the forest." Daniel clarified briefly, not knowing how else to explain where he was.
"Alright get out to the entrance, Teal'c and I are to close to your position, O'Neill out." A combination of happiness and adrenalin suddenly gave Daniel the energy that the gruelling days of having little food and water had taken away. Pulling himself over to the cave wall, ignoring his muscles crying out in pain, Daniel pulled himself up onto his right leg. Packing up his gear as best he could, he hobbled out of the cave and into the dense tropical environment of the forest.
HORUS' MOTHERSHIP SAME TIME
The mirror reflected the emotions of a tortured soul, a pair of lifeless eyes stared back at her, the dazzling blue had been overshadowed by a sickly grey that had begun to tint her skin from it's usually healthy, peach glow. Adjusting the tiara in her hair, Sam felt a single tear run down her cheek. Wiping the tear away gently with the back of her trembling hand, she took a deep, steadying breath and straightened her head and shoulders, determined not to let Horus have the satisfaction of seeing her in so much grief. Sam walked out of her room and down the long hallway of the mothership. Memories of missions came flooding back from the past, the sounds of gunfire rang in Sam's ears, the voices of her team members filled the void between waves of zat blasts and the emptying of rounds of bullets. At the end of a hallway, the powerful Goa'uld system lord waited in anticipation for his Queen to join him for breakfast. As Sam came around the corner towards him, Horus felt a surge of pride as the woman dressed in a stunning gold dress approached him.
"My Queen, I trust you slept well and are refreshed and ready for your first official day as Queen of such a magnificent empire." Horus greeted her, offering her his hand to take. Sam smiled as best she could. Reluctantly placing her hand in his, Horus led her into the grand dining room where a long table was covered in plates of delicious food prepared especially for her and her husband. Sam felt a pang of guilt as she took her seat at the table. She had more food than she could possibly eat sitting in front of her waiting to be devoured while Daniel, one of her closest and dearest friends was in a cave somewhere slowly starving to death.
FOREST 0549
Jack and Teal'c made their way further into the forest,
"Daniel!" Jack yelled, hoping to follow Daniel's voice and pinpoint his location. Teal'c looked around with his usual look of distain on his face.
"Jack! I'm over here!" A distant but easily recognisable voice came from just in front of them. Jack took off towards the voice; he jogged through the trees and soon after broke through into a clearing where he saw Daniel sitting on the ground with his back against a large rock.
"Hey Danny boy, glad to see ya!" Jack smiled, walking over to him casually; not wanting to give the impression that he actually missed the little Space monkey. Daniel didn't look good; Jack could see his leg had been badly injured. His face had thinned out considerably and his eyes had become a sickly white colour and sunken into his face. His cheekbones were abnormally prominent. His glasses were cracked and covered in dirt. Daniel looked up and smiled wearily.
"Hey Jack, what took you so long?" Daniel asked in a croaky voice, his eyes half closed from exhaustion. Jack sat down on the rock, handing him the water flask. Daniel took it gratefully, emptying it in one mouthful. Teal'c stepped into the clearing and bowed his head respectfully when he saw Daniel.
"It is good to see you are well Daniel Jackson." Teal'c smiled of those very rare real smiles that the usually straight-faced Jaffa did not disclose.
"Thanks Teal'c." Daniel replied, handing the empty flask back to Jack who was busy taking a good look at Daniel's wound.
"What happened?" he nodded towards Daniel's left leg.
"We set up camp in front of the Stargate but a Glider attacked us, Sam avoided getting hit, I wasn't so lucky." Daniel joked. Daniel mentioning Sam made Jack realise that she was not with him.
"Where is Carter anyway?" Jack asked casually, reaching into his first aid kit and pulling out the necessary tools to redress Daniel's burn. Daniel shook his head in dismay, ducking his head before replying.
"Ah.I don't know exactly." Daniel answered, trying to dodge the proverbial bullet that Jack had fired at him. Jack stopped what he was doing and turned around slowly to face Daniel. He had a stunned look on his face but when he attempted to speak his mouth moved but no sound came out, at first.
"E-Excuse me?" Jack stuttered, not quite understanding what Daniel was saying. Rubbing his forehead to relieve the build of tension, Daniel attempted to explain what had happened.
"After the Gliders attacked Sam and I found this cave. Sam went off to find the Goa'uld base; she was on the outskirts of the camp when our radio contact was cut off. I went to see if I could find her but I couldn't see her among the slaves mining the Naquadah. I'm sorry Jack" Daniel apologised, feeling he was the one to blame for letting Sam go off by herself. Jack's head dropped to his chest, covering his face with his hand he sighed loudly. By this time all of them had assumed the Sam was being held by the Goa'uld in charge of the whole operation and from their experience, it couldn't be a pleasant time for her. Jack needed to do something about getting Sam out of there, and he needed to do it now.
"Do we know anything about this Goa'uld guy?" Jack asked as if the energy had been drained from his body also.
"I recognised the symbol on one of the Jaffa's foreheads, it was of the falcon god, Horus." Daniel recalled. Teal'c's head turned slightly as he recognised the name.
"Horus has just recently joined the Goa'uld System Lords in their attempt to construct a Naquadah powered weapon with the capability to destroy all the world's that oppose them." Teal'c informed Jack and Daniel, he had spoken to Bra'tac only a few days before. After hearing this Jack made an impulsive decision, standing up quickly, he swung his P90 over his right shoulder, pulling his pack onto the other.
"Teal'c, you help Daniel back to the ship and take off, I'm going after Carter." Jack ordered in his official Colonel-to-team tone.
"O'Neill, would it not be wise for me to assist you in finding Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"Just take Daniel and get to the ship, I'm going alone." Jack's voice raised a level higher than normal. He shot a glare of defiance towards both of them, daring either one to question his decision. Daniel shook his head in frustration, he knew Jack was being unreasonable and reckless but what he couldn't determine was why this time was different to any other. There had been other times when an enemy had taken Sam, or any of them captive, but Jack had never acted this way before, they had always gone in as a team. Teal'c, after a few moments of contemplation, nodded indicating he would follow Jack's orders.
"Daniel, how far away is the camp?" Jack enquired. It was a way to make sure Daniel was going to let him go with a proverbial pat on the back and a friendly good luck. Pointing behind him Daniel replied.
"It's about 5 miles from here." Jack nodded gratefully, a smile small coming to his face as a silent thank you. Soon Jack had disappeared down the path he had taken previously, leaving Teal'c to help Daniel with his wounded leg before making their way back to the ship as they were ordered.
HALF AN HOUR LATER.
Walking determinedly towards his destination, Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, United States Air Force was heading into a highly volatile situation and was ready to do whatever was necessary to rescue the most important woman in his life. After the events of the previous days Jack needed to make sure Sam was safe and that everything would return to normal. Of course there was General Hammond's threatened court marshal that he couldn't forget about. Light began to filter through the leaves in front of him as Jack stepped closer towards the edge of the woods. Looking out of the trees suspiciously, Jack raised his gun and side stepped cautiously over to take cover behind a tree. Peeking out from behind, Jack could see a sand dune just in front of him, sounds of metal against rock echoed from the ridge behind it. Spotting a small group of small shrubs at the top of the dune, Jack scanned the area in front of him for Jaffa patrols. Seeing none in sight, he ducked down and took off running towards the shrubs. Reaching the top of the sand hill Jack threw himself into a forward roll to keep himself low but still moving; he came to rest just in front of the line of shrubs. Jack pulled out his binoculars, parting the branches he gazed down into the valley below. The large, all too familiar shape of a Goa'uld mother ship sat on the far side of the large-scale camp. In the shadow of the great vessel, lines of heavily chained prisoners with picks in their hands shuffled despairingly between the caves on the far left of the site and a small depositing station to the right. Searching the area, Jack counted upwards of 40 armed Jaffa Guards in strategic defensive positions around the camp; he could only estimate how many others were inside the ship.
"Well I think we can rule out going in full bore, guns blazing." Jack muttered to himself. Taking a long look at each individual prisoner, Jack sighed with some relief and some despair, Sam wasn't being tortured by being forced to mine Naquadah but didn't bring Jack any reassurance that Sam was still alive. Turning away, Jack sat with his back to the camp contemplating what he next move should be. With the amount of Jaffa behind him there was a very slim chance that if he started a firefight he'd get out alive. Trying to sneak in without a distraction wouldn't be a viable solution either but Jack was running out of options, he was so used to having the rest of his team to back him up but now SG1's commanding officer was on his own. He only had one option, get captured, Find Carter and fight their way out.
HORUS' MOTHERSHIP 0631
"My lord, an unauthorised cargo ship has been seen landing on the planet's surface." The first prime reported to Horus. The Goa'uld was sitting pompously on his throne, his hands resting on the armrest to emphasise his power over his people.
"Take a group of Jaffa and secure the ship, make sure you dispose with any. unwelcome visitors." Horus ordered, a sly, evil smile covering his face. The Jaffa bowed obediently and left to immediate carry out his lord's wishes.
DESERT 0643
Daniel had his left arm around Teal'c's broad shoulders, using him as a crutch as they made their way slowly back to the ship. He still could not shake the confusion at Jack's unusual behaviour.
"Hey Teal'c, did anything.unusual happen back home." Daniel asked, hoping to gain information as an explanation for what had happened.
"We experienced another time loop Daniel Jackson." Teal'c answered abruptly. From his answer, Daniel got the feeling that Teal'c didn't want to discuss it further so he did not push with the hundreds of questions that suddenly came to mind. The two men stumbled to the top of a small hill just on the outskirts of the forest area; below them the small cargo ship sat in waiting. Daniel stepped with his good right leg to continue walking but Teal'c remained still, causing Daniel to fall forwards and almost lose his balance completely. The Jaffa was looking out to the left of their position with an expression of extreme concentration. He remained completely still as to avoid making any unnecessary noise. Teal'c could hear and sense a group of Jaffa coming closer towards them.
"A group of soldiers approach, most likely to secure the vessel. We must move quickly to avoid being captured." Teal'c said, taking off at a lightning down the sandy hill, dragging Daniel behind him.
"Wh-What? Teal'c!" Daniel yelled after his friend, now being forced to hop on one foot in order to keep. After only a few minutes they slid to the bottom of the incline. Suddenly a blast hitting the ground to their left sent sand in every direction. Teal'c and Daniel looked up in alarm and saw six Jaffa running down the hill towards them, another six were kneeled at the top of the hill, their staff weapons raised at the ready. Energy blasts continued to follow closely behind as the two sprinted into the relative safety of the ship. When they entered the ship, Teal'c took off towards the ship's controls while Daniel stood at the door, grabbing a zat gun; he fought off waves of Jaffa attempting to enter, narrowly dodging the staff blasts aimed directly at him. The door slid closed as the ship jolted from the planet's surface. Daniel hobbled towards the front of the ship, collapsing into the chair beside Teal'c. Through the window they could see Jaffa shooting directly at them as if the barrier wasn't there. With a burst of energy from the ship's engines, they flew out of the planet's atmosphere, leaving the Jaffa on the ground and Jack and Sam to get home on their own.
NAQUADAH MINING CAMP SAME TIME
The prisoner's had begun to move slower than what was acceptable, if they were to reach their quota for the day they would have to move twice as fast.
"You will worker faster, or you will die!" The supervisor bellowed, his announcement was accompanied by the cracking of whips from his fellow Jaffa, the screams of pain echoed eerily throughout the valley. Jack was crouched in a crevice just beside where the supervisor stood and watched over his very own production line. As the prisoners shuffled past, Jack could see their faces, legs and arms covered in dirt, with bruises and blood from the frequent whippings they received. A younger Jaffa walked up to the supervisor; he bowed before addressing his superior.
"Kalta, my lord Horus wishes to advise you that he and his new queen requests to meet with you immediately." The messenger reported. Jack's ear pricked as he heard the words "new queen", his heart skipped three beats as he imagined Sam being forced to marry the Goa'uld. But it could also be a random coincidence and Sam is being held in a cell on the lower levels of the ship, Jack knew he couldn't jump to conclusions; but his gut was telling him that it was Sam that Jaffa was referring to.
"I will go immediately." He replied, the messenger bowed and quickly walked away.
"And you can take me with you." A voice came from behind the supervisor. He whipped around to see who was speaking to him and he saw a human standing before him, a primitive weapon pointed directly at him. Backing away slowly the Goa'uld kept his eyes on the gun, as Jack continued to step closer towards him. The supervisor glanced over the human's shoulder and saw three of his men coming up behind him. In a matter of seconds, Jack felt the head of a staff weapon jab into his back; he raised his arms above his head in complete co-operation, he afford to go getting himself shot. A Jaffa behind him grabbed the P90 from his hand, pulling his arms behind him and secured them with chains. Jack did not resist, his facial expression remained one of complete calmness and control. The supervisor, after Jack had finally been disarmed, stepped forward to face their prisoner, his mouth twisted into a snarl as he frowned at the lowly man. Swiftly Kalta kicked the prisoner in the stomach, Jack doubled over as he felt one of his ribs crack, collapsing to the ground in pain. His body's first reaction was to pull his arm over his chest for protection; he tugged at the chains that bound him with no success.
"I will take him to face Horus, be on your guard for any others that maybe in the area." Kalta ordered, roughly pulling Jack to his feet by grabbing at his left shoulder. The Jaffa pushed Jack in front of him, forcing him to lead the way towards the ship, Kalta's staff weapon never too far away from being aimed at the back of Jack's head.
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SGC 0651
General Hammond sat in the briefing room with three members of SG9; Lieutenant Grogan had been shot in the left arm and was in the infirmary receiving medical attention.
"From what Captain Gellard could decipher, the tablet contained the Goa'uld Anubis' record of the planet's history dating back about 4000 years. As we were exiting the temple we were attacked by a fleet of gliders, we immediately booked for the Stargate, Lieutenant Grogan was providing cover fire; one of the blasts must have hit him before he jumped through the Gate." Colonel Drabol reported to his Commanding Officer. General Hammond nodded, satisfied with the brief.
"Captain Gellard, continue with the translation. You have a mission in three days to P8J 376. Dismissed." He reminded them, the three officers stood and left the briefing room as an SF entered with a message for General Hammond.
"General sir, Colonel Simmons is waiting in your office." The General turned in his chair and looked at the SF confused.
"Who lieutenant?" he asked.
'Colonel Simmons sir, he says it's urgent." The SF clarified. General Hammond sighed, whenever Colonel Simmons visited the SGC he always managed to cause problems to the program or his people. His target was usually Colonel O'Neill and SG1 who have a dark history with the Colonel. Leaving the briefing room, he walked into his office, a tall man with short, dark, curly hair leant against his bookcase, his eyes scanning the books that sat on the shelves as if he was enthralled by the titles.
"You have quite a collection here General." Simmons commented, hearing footsteps entering the room.
"To what do I owe this pleasure Colonel?" Hammond replied dryly, taking his seat behind his desk, asserting authority over the situation. Simmons paused and gave the General a look of innocence.
"General, I am only here on the behalf of the Pentagon." He held up his hands as if General Hammond was aiming a gun at him.
"And what exactly has the Pentagon sent you here to tell me?" General Hammond demanded, wanting the good Colonel to deliver the message and leave as soon as possible. Colonel Simmons crossed over to the chair in front of the General's desk and sat down, readjusting his navy blue blazer as he spoke.
"The Pentagon has heard about yesterday's incident involving Colonel O'Neill and the members of SG1. A number of individuals have expressed deep concern about Colonel O'Neill's total disregard for the regulations of which are essential to the continuation of the Stargate Program. Taking into account Colonel O'Neill's previous actions, they have ordered that on the Colonel's return, he be immediately removed from the Stargate Program and receive a dishonourable discharge from the Air Force, without benefits." Simmons detailed, a small but very present smile appeared on the Colonel's face, he was enjoying bringing the news in person. General Hammond lent forward onto his desk.
"They sent a convicted traitor of the United States to deliver this order?" He enquired out of interest. Colonel Simmons had been arrested when Colonel O'Neill, with the help of an old friend in Colonel Maybourne, found evidence that Simmons was helping an escaped Goa'uld. Simmons shook his head at the General,
"I have paid for my indiscretions General." He defended himself, standing from his chair and moving towards the door.
"I only hope Colonel O'Neill can do the same." He added slyly, before he closed the door behind himself, ending the conversation. General Hammond immediately picked up the receiver on the fire-red coloured phone that sat on his desk; the Presidential Line, he had a few select questions for President Lynch.
TBC
This chapter was originally much longer but I thought I'd give your poor eyes a rest. The next chapter will be coming very soon.
As always. watch this space.
O'NeillRoxMyWorld
Okay so I told a little white lie, this is NOT the FINAL chapter. When I sat down and actually planned out the rest of the story, I realised I had so much more to write than one chapter could accommodate. Sorry about that.
I have references to the episodes "48 Hours" and "Proven Ground", both episodes I just recently bought on video and have watched at least 50 times in the space of a week (sad I know).
In "Proven Ground", Lieutenant Grogan was one of the trainees (along with Lieutenant Elliot, Captain Hailey and Lieutenant Satterfield); he was known by Colonel O'Neill as a "fine target, he's good at getting shot." (Yes that is a quote.)
**************************************************************************** ******************************
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SGC 1744
General Hammond was pacing the floor of his office. Feelings of anger, disbelief and worry continued to circle around him like the eye of a tornado sweeping him towards a court marshal for some of his best officers. It had taken many hours to restore the SGC to normal working order and he was the one that needed to answer for it. A knock came at his office door; stopping mid stride the General took a deep breath to calm down before returning to the chair behind his desk. Pushing the confidential files in front of him aside he asked the visitor to enter. When the door opened Dr Fraiser, looking slightly afraid, entered the room and stood rigidly in front of him, awaiting her inevitable punishment for being involved with SG1's unauthorised trip through the Stargate. At the time, when Jack and Teal'c had told her about Daniel and Sam being trapped off world the consequences of helping them by falsifying a medical emergency were far from her mind. But in hindsight, as always, they were very real and could end her career in the Stargate program.
"Have a seat doctor." General Hammond offered, but his tone said to Janet that it wasn't optional. Sinking down into the usually comfortable chair, Janet's hands were clasped together anxiously. The General sighed deeply before he began.
"Now that the base has returned to normal working order I would like to know what in God's name happened this morning?" He demanded, his voice rose far beyond the normal talking level. Janet mentally cringed under General Hammond's angered expression.
"Well sir." she began. "Colonel O'Neill approached me earlier this morning and informed me that we are experiencing another time loop where the day repeats itself. Also that Sam and Daniel are trapped off world with a limited amount of supplies. He needed my help in creating a distraction so the SG1 could go through the Stargate and save them." Janet explained. For a moment General Hammond sat there looking at the docter in complete confusion.
"Major Carter and Docter Jackson are on another planet? Docter, I saw them both in the Gate Room, both officers went through the Gate before Colonel O'Neill." He insisted, believing his knew what he had seen only hours before. His voice had lowered, making Janet feel more at ease.
"Yes sir, from what I could gather from Colonel O'Neill the start of the time loop began when SG1 were going on a scheduled mission. Sam and Daniel went through the Stargate first but when both Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill attempted to Gate to the planet, they were pushed back into the SGC. Now since the day began all over again, Sam and Daniel had not yet gone through the Stargate to the planet, that being the reason both of them were here." Janet clarified, not totally understanding herself what was going on, but simply reiterating what the Colonel and Teal'c had told her. General Hammond shook his head in confusion and frustration.
"Why didn't Colonel O'Neill ask for the authorisation to go through the Gate to rescue Major Carter and Docter Jackson? I would have no objections in allowing SG1 to go through the Gate." The General replied, his top team's increasingly puzzling behaviour was becoming a large headache. Janet nodded in partial agreement.
"I asked the Colonel and he said that the connection to the planet that Sam and Daniel are currently stranded on was cut off. Their plan involved gating to one of the surrounding planets and borrowing a ship to fly to the planet to save both of them. From what I could gather the planet they were going to had a large presence of Goa'uld. Teal'c said that in a previous loop they had asked your permission but you denied them authorisation." General Hammond leaned back in his chair; his 2IC's uncharacteristic behaviour was beginning to make sense. He could not willingly endanger the lives of any of his officers, sending a team to a planet controlled by the enemy would be leading the cattle to slaughter. He rubbed his temple as he saw the docter waiting for her sentence. He had to make a decision but the new developments that had just come to his attention had changed his mind about what to do.
"Docter, I'm ordering you to take leave until SG1 returns and this matter can be adequately resolved." General Hammond ordered. Janet let out a loud sigh of relief, she thanked the General and made her way towards the door of his office, but stopped before she reached it, turning back to address him.
"Sir, I just wanted to say that I have no regrets in doing what I did, I did and still do believe it was the right thing to do." Janet expressed her feelings on the situation, quickly exiting the room in case the General changed his mind.
P6Z 435 0528
The early morning rays of the sun peeked over the sands dunes of the alien planet where the members of the infamous SG1 began to stir from their fitful sleep. Jack opened his eyes, shaking away the nightmare that had plagued his dreams; he stood up slowly, his bad knee cracking to relieve the tension of being in the same position for hours. Putting his gear back on and grabbing his P90, Jack made his way out to the cockpit where Teal'c sat, ever vigilant for the possibility of an approaching enemy.
"Hey Teal'c, let's get going and find Daniel and Carter." Jack suggested. Teal'c bowed his head,
"Indeed." Standing from his seat, clutching his staff weapon in his hand. Teal'c led the way out of the ship and into the blazing hot sun, the desert terrain giving way slightly under the two men's feet. Jack pulled his cap further down his forehead and pushed his sunglasses onto his face to protect his dark, chocolate brown eyes. Teal'c scanned the area that surrounded them, in three directions they were met with desert as far as the eye could see, to the north the lush green of a thick forest expanded on both sides, widening as if to reclaim some of the desert around it.
"O'Neill I believe it wise that Daniel Jackson and Major Carter be taking shelter from the heat." Jack nodded in agreement,
"Yeah, let's take a look around those trees, see if we can get anything on our radios."
CAVES SAME TIME
The sound of birds chirping greeted the morning. As Daniel rolled over, still half asleep, his head slipped from his pillow to the very hard rock underneath.
"Ow." He grumbled, sitting up n his sleeping bag. Fumbling on the ground in the semi darkness of the cave, he grabbed his glasses out of the dirt and pressed them onto the bridge of his nose with his index finger. Pushing himself onto his arms, he pulled his whole body backwards towards the cave wall, freeing his legs from his sleeping bag. Where he had been hit by a shot from the Glider days before, his makeshift dressing was stretched and covered in dirt, the wound underneath receiving no protection from infection and subsequently no relief from the pain. Shuffling his way slowly over to where the fire had been burning the night before, Daniel reached for the last piece of fruit he had been able to collect. Turning it around in his hand he studied it like a tablet covered in writings used by the Ancients thousands of years before.
"Daniel, Carter respond." Jack's muffled voice split the stony silence of the dreary cave. Daniel snapped his head his head towards the sound, holding his breath in waiting, hoping his mind, after being stranded on a strange planet all this time, wasn't just making him hear things.
"Daniel, Carter respond." Jack voice came again through the radio. Daniel scrambled as fast as he could over to his pack and reached the radio excitedly.
"Jack, Jack is that you?" Daniel asked, his voice cracking with a mixture of happiness and relief.
"Daniel, you alright? Where are you?" Jack enquired, a hint of relief in his voice also. Daniel ley out a huge sigh of relief, he had nearly begun to lose all hope that someone would come and to take him away from the hell he had endured.
"Ah, I'm in some caves, in the middle of the forest." Daniel clarified briefly, not knowing how else to explain where he was.
"Alright get out to the entrance, Teal'c and I are to close to your position, O'Neill out." A combination of happiness and adrenalin suddenly gave Daniel the energy that the gruelling days of having little food and water had taken away. Pulling himself over to the cave wall, ignoring his muscles crying out in pain, Daniel pulled himself up onto his right leg. Packing up his gear as best he could, he hobbled out of the cave and into the dense tropical environment of the forest.
HORUS' MOTHERSHIP SAME TIME
The mirror reflected the emotions of a tortured soul, a pair of lifeless eyes stared back at her, the dazzling blue had been overshadowed by a sickly grey that had begun to tint her skin from it's usually healthy, peach glow. Adjusting the tiara in her hair, Sam felt a single tear run down her cheek. Wiping the tear away gently with the back of her trembling hand, she took a deep, steadying breath and straightened her head and shoulders, determined not to let Horus have the satisfaction of seeing her in so much grief. Sam walked out of her room and down the long hallway of the mothership. Memories of missions came flooding back from the past, the sounds of gunfire rang in Sam's ears, the voices of her team members filled the void between waves of zat blasts and the emptying of rounds of bullets. At the end of a hallway, the powerful Goa'uld system lord waited in anticipation for his Queen to join him for breakfast. As Sam came around the corner towards him, Horus felt a surge of pride as the woman dressed in a stunning gold dress approached him.
"My Queen, I trust you slept well and are refreshed and ready for your first official day as Queen of such a magnificent empire." Horus greeted her, offering her his hand to take. Sam smiled as best she could. Reluctantly placing her hand in his, Horus led her into the grand dining room where a long table was covered in plates of delicious food prepared especially for her and her husband. Sam felt a pang of guilt as she took her seat at the table. She had more food than she could possibly eat sitting in front of her waiting to be devoured while Daniel, one of her closest and dearest friends was in a cave somewhere slowly starving to death.
FOREST 0549
Jack and Teal'c made their way further into the forest,
"Daniel!" Jack yelled, hoping to follow Daniel's voice and pinpoint his location. Teal'c looked around with his usual look of distain on his face.
"Jack! I'm over here!" A distant but easily recognisable voice came from just in front of them. Jack took off towards the voice; he jogged through the trees and soon after broke through into a clearing where he saw Daniel sitting on the ground with his back against a large rock.
"Hey Danny boy, glad to see ya!" Jack smiled, walking over to him casually; not wanting to give the impression that he actually missed the little Space monkey. Daniel didn't look good; Jack could see his leg had been badly injured. His face had thinned out considerably and his eyes had become a sickly white colour and sunken into his face. His cheekbones were abnormally prominent. His glasses were cracked and covered in dirt. Daniel looked up and smiled wearily.
"Hey Jack, what took you so long?" Daniel asked in a croaky voice, his eyes half closed from exhaustion. Jack sat down on the rock, handing him the water flask. Daniel took it gratefully, emptying it in one mouthful. Teal'c stepped into the clearing and bowed his head respectfully when he saw Daniel.
"It is good to see you are well Daniel Jackson." Teal'c smiled of those very rare real smiles that the usually straight-faced Jaffa did not disclose.
"Thanks Teal'c." Daniel replied, handing the empty flask back to Jack who was busy taking a good look at Daniel's wound.
"What happened?" he nodded towards Daniel's left leg.
"We set up camp in front of the Stargate but a Glider attacked us, Sam avoided getting hit, I wasn't so lucky." Daniel joked. Daniel mentioning Sam made Jack realise that she was not with him.
"Where is Carter anyway?" Jack asked casually, reaching into his first aid kit and pulling out the necessary tools to redress Daniel's burn. Daniel shook his head in dismay, ducking his head before replying.
"Ah.I don't know exactly." Daniel answered, trying to dodge the proverbial bullet that Jack had fired at him. Jack stopped what he was doing and turned around slowly to face Daniel. He had a stunned look on his face but when he attempted to speak his mouth moved but no sound came out, at first.
"E-Excuse me?" Jack stuttered, not quite understanding what Daniel was saying. Rubbing his forehead to relieve the build of tension, Daniel attempted to explain what had happened.
"After the Gliders attacked Sam and I found this cave. Sam went off to find the Goa'uld base; she was on the outskirts of the camp when our radio contact was cut off. I went to see if I could find her but I couldn't see her among the slaves mining the Naquadah. I'm sorry Jack" Daniel apologised, feeling he was the one to blame for letting Sam go off by herself. Jack's head dropped to his chest, covering his face with his hand he sighed loudly. By this time all of them had assumed the Sam was being held by the Goa'uld in charge of the whole operation and from their experience, it couldn't be a pleasant time for her. Jack needed to do something about getting Sam out of there, and he needed to do it now.
"Do we know anything about this Goa'uld guy?" Jack asked as if the energy had been drained from his body also.
"I recognised the symbol on one of the Jaffa's foreheads, it was of the falcon god, Horus." Daniel recalled. Teal'c's head turned slightly as he recognised the name.
"Horus has just recently joined the Goa'uld System Lords in their attempt to construct a Naquadah powered weapon with the capability to destroy all the world's that oppose them." Teal'c informed Jack and Daniel, he had spoken to Bra'tac only a few days before. After hearing this Jack made an impulsive decision, standing up quickly, he swung his P90 over his right shoulder, pulling his pack onto the other.
"Teal'c, you help Daniel back to the ship and take off, I'm going after Carter." Jack ordered in his official Colonel-to-team tone.
"O'Neill, would it not be wise for me to assist you in finding Major Carter?" Teal'c asked.
"Just take Daniel and get to the ship, I'm going alone." Jack's voice raised a level higher than normal. He shot a glare of defiance towards both of them, daring either one to question his decision. Daniel shook his head in frustration, he knew Jack was being unreasonable and reckless but what he couldn't determine was why this time was different to any other. There had been other times when an enemy had taken Sam, or any of them captive, but Jack had never acted this way before, they had always gone in as a team. Teal'c, after a few moments of contemplation, nodded indicating he would follow Jack's orders.
"Daniel, how far away is the camp?" Jack enquired. It was a way to make sure Daniel was going to let him go with a proverbial pat on the back and a friendly good luck. Pointing behind him Daniel replied.
"It's about 5 miles from here." Jack nodded gratefully, a smile small coming to his face as a silent thank you. Soon Jack had disappeared down the path he had taken previously, leaving Teal'c to help Daniel with his wounded leg before making their way back to the ship as they were ordered.
HALF AN HOUR LATER.
Walking determinedly towards his destination, Colonel Jonathan O'Neill, United States Air Force was heading into a highly volatile situation and was ready to do whatever was necessary to rescue the most important woman in his life. After the events of the previous days Jack needed to make sure Sam was safe and that everything would return to normal. Of course there was General Hammond's threatened court marshal that he couldn't forget about. Light began to filter through the leaves in front of him as Jack stepped closer towards the edge of the woods. Looking out of the trees suspiciously, Jack raised his gun and side stepped cautiously over to take cover behind a tree. Peeking out from behind, Jack could see a sand dune just in front of him, sounds of metal against rock echoed from the ridge behind it. Spotting a small group of small shrubs at the top of the dune, Jack scanned the area in front of him for Jaffa patrols. Seeing none in sight, he ducked down and took off running towards the shrubs. Reaching the top of the sand hill Jack threw himself into a forward roll to keep himself low but still moving; he came to rest just in front of the line of shrubs. Jack pulled out his binoculars, parting the branches he gazed down into the valley below. The large, all too familiar shape of a Goa'uld mother ship sat on the far side of the large-scale camp. In the shadow of the great vessel, lines of heavily chained prisoners with picks in their hands shuffled despairingly between the caves on the far left of the site and a small depositing station to the right. Searching the area, Jack counted upwards of 40 armed Jaffa Guards in strategic defensive positions around the camp; he could only estimate how many others were inside the ship.
"Well I think we can rule out going in full bore, guns blazing." Jack muttered to himself. Taking a long look at each individual prisoner, Jack sighed with some relief and some despair, Sam wasn't being tortured by being forced to mine Naquadah but didn't bring Jack any reassurance that Sam was still alive. Turning away, Jack sat with his back to the camp contemplating what he next move should be. With the amount of Jaffa behind him there was a very slim chance that if he started a firefight he'd get out alive. Trying to sneak in without a distraction wouldn't be a viable solution either but Jack was running out of options, he was so used to having the rest of his team to back him up but now SG1's commanding officer was on his own. He only had one option, get captured, Find Carter and fight their way out.
HORUS' MOTHERSHIP 0631
"My lord, an unauthorised cargo ship has been seen landing on the planet's surface." The first prime reported to Horus. The Goa'uld was sitting pompously on his throne, his hands resting on the armrest to emphasise his power over his people.
"Take a group of Jaffa and secure the ship, make sure you dispose with any. unwelcome visitors." Horus ordered, a sly, evil smile covering his face. The Jaffa bowed obediently and left to immediate carry out his lord's wishes.
DESERT 0643
Daniel had his left arm around Teal'c's broad shoulders, using him as a crutch as they made their way slowly back to the ship. He still could not shake the confusion at Jack's unusual behaviour.
"Hey Teal'c, did anything.unusual happen back home." Daniel asked, hoping to gain information as an explanation for what had happened.
"We experienced another time loop Daniel Jackson." Teal'c answered abruptly. From his answer, Daniel got the feeling that Teal'c didn't want to discuss it further so he did not push with the hundreds of questions that suddenly came to mind. The two men stumbled to the top of a small hill just on the outskirts of the forest area; below them the small cargo ship sat in waiting. Daniel stepped with his good right leg to continue walking but Teal'c remained still, causing Daniel to fall forwards and almost lose his balance completely. The Jaffa was looking out to the left of their position with an expression of extreme concentration. He remained completely still as to avoid making any unnecessary noise. Teal'c could hear and sense a group of Jaffa coming closer towards them.
"A group of soldiers approach, most likely to secure the vessel. We must move quickly to avoid being captured." Teal'c said, taking off at a lightning down the sandy hill, dragging Daniel behind him.
"Wh-What? Teal'c!" Daniel yelled after his friend, now being forced to hop on one foot in order to keep. After only a few minutes they slid to the bottom of the incline. Suddenly a blast hitting the ground to their left sent sand in every direction. Teal'c and Daniel looked up in alarm and saw six Jaffa running down the hill towards them, another six were kneeled at the top of the hill, their staff weapons raised at the ready. Energy blasts continued to follow closely behind as the two sprinted into the relative safety of the ship. When they entered the ship, Teal'c took off towards the ship's controls while Daniel stood at the door, grabbing a zat gun; he fought off waves of Jaffa attempting to enter, narrowly dodging the staff blasts aimed directly at him. The door slid closed as the ship jolted from the planet's surface. Daniel hobbled towards the front of the ship, collapsing into the chair beside Teal'c. Through the window they could see Jaffa shooting directly at them as if the barrier wasn't there. With a burst of energy from the ship's engines, they flew out of the planet's atmosphere, leaving the Jaffa on the ground and Jack and Sam to get home on their own.
NAQUADAH MINING CAMP SAME TIME
The prisoner's had begun to move slower than what was acceptable, if they were to reach their quota for the day they would have to move twice as fast.
"You will worker faster, or you will die!" The supervisor bellowed, his announcement was accompanied by the cracking of whips from his fellow Jaffa, the screams of pain echoed eerily throughout the valley. Jack was crouched in a crevice just beside where the supervisor stood and watched over his very own production line. As the prisoners shuffled past, Jack could see their faces, legs and arms covered in dirt, with bruises and blood from the frequent whippings they received. A younger Jaffa walked up to the supervisor; he bowed before addressing his superior.
"Kalta, my lord Horus wishes to advise you that he and his new queen requests to meet with you immediately." The messenger reported. Jack's ear pricked as he heard the words "new queen", his heart skipped three beats as he imagined Sam being forced to marry the Goa'uld. But it could also be a random coincidence and Sam is being held in a cell on the lower levels of the ship, Jack knew he couldn't jump to conclusions; but his gut was telling him that it was Sam that Jaffa was referring to.
"I will go immediately." He replied, the messenger bowed and quickly walked away.
"And you can take me with you." A voice came from behind the supervisor. He whipped around to see who was speaking to him and he saw a human standing before him, a primitive weapon pointed directly at him. Backing away slowly the Goa'uld kept his eyes on the gun, as Jack continued to step closer towards him. The supervisor glanced over the human's shoulder and saw three of his men coming up behind him. In a matter of seconds, Jack felt the head of a staff weapon jab into his back; he raised his arms above his head in complete co-operation, he afford to go getting himself shot. A Jaffa behind him grabbed the P90 from his hand, pulling his arms behind him and secured them with chains. Jack did not resist, his facial expression remained one of complete calmness and control. The supervisor, after Jack had finally been disarmed, stepped forward to face their prisoner, his mouth twisted into a snarl as he frowned at the lowly man. Swiftly Kalta kicked the prisoner in the stomach, Jack doubled over as he felt one of his ribs crack, collapsing to the ground in pain. His body's first reaction was to pull his arm over his chest for protection; he tugged at the chains that bound him with no success.
"I will take him to face Horus, be on your guard for any others that maybe in the area." Kalta ordered, roughly pulling Jack to his feet by grabbing at his left shoulder. The Jaffa pushed Jack in front of him, forcing him to lead the way towards the ship, Kalta's staff weapon never too far away from being aimed at the back of Jack's head.
CHEYENNE MOUNTAIN SGC 0651
General Hammond sat in the briefing room with three members of SG9; Lieutenant Grogan had been shot in the left arm and was in the infirmary receiving medical attention.
"From what Captain Gellard could decipher, the tablet contained the Goa'uld Anubis' record of the planet's history dating back about 4000 years. As we were exiting the temple we were attacked by a fleet of gliders, we immediately booked for the Stargate, Lieutenant Grogan was providing cover fire; one of the blasts must have hit him before he jumped through the Gate." Colonel Drabol reported to his Commanding Officer. General Hammond nodded, satisfied with the brief.
"Captain Gellard, continue with the translation. You have a mission in three days to P8J 376. Dismissed." He reminded them, the three officers stood and left the briefing room as an SF entered with a message for General Hammond.
"General sir, Colonel Simmons is waiting in your office." The General turned in his chair and looked at the SF confused.
"Who lieutenant?" he asked.
'Colonel Simmons sir, he says it's urgent." The SF clarified. General Hammond sighed, whenever Colonel Simmons visited the SGC he always managed to cause problems to the program or his people. His target was usually Colonel O'Neill and SG1 who have a dark history with the Colonel. Leaving the briefing room, he walked into his office, a tall man with short, dark, curly hair leant against his bookcase, his eyes scanning the books that sat on the shelves as if he was enthralled by the titles.
"You have quite a collection here General." Simmons commented, hearing footsteps entering the room.
"To what do I owe this pleasure Colonel?" Hammond replied dryly, taking his seat behind his desk, asserting authority over the situation. Simmons paused and gave the General a look of innocence.
"General, I am only here on the behalf of the Pentagon." He held up his hands as if General Hammond was aiming a gun at him.
"And what exactly has the Pentagon sent you here to tell me?" General Hammond demanded, wanting the good Colonel to deliver the message and leave as soon as possible. Colonel Simmons crossed over to the chair in front of the General's desk and sat down, readjusting his navy blue blazer as he spoke.
"The Pentagon has heard about yesterday's incident involving Colonel O'Neill and the members of SG1. A number of individuals have expressed deep concern about Colonel O'Neill's total disregard for the regulations of which are essential to the continuation of the Stargate Program. Taking into account Colonel O'Neill's previous actions, they have ordered that on the Colonel's return, he be immediately removed from the Stargate Program and receive a dishonourable discharge from the Air Force, without benefits." Simmons detailed, a small but very present smile appeared on the Colonel's face, he was enjoying bringing the news in person. General Hammond lent forward onto his desk.
"They sent a convicted traitor of the United States to deliver this order?" He enquired out of interest. Colonel Simmons had been arrested when Colonel O'Neill, with the help of an old friend in Colonel Maybourne, found evidence that Simmons was helping an escaped Goa'uld. Simmons shook his head at the General,
"I have paid for my indiscretions General." He defended himself, standing from his chair and moving towards the door.
"I only hope Colonel O'Neill can do the same." He added slyly, before he closed the door behind himself, ending the conversation. General Hammond immediately picked up the receiver on the fire-red coloured phone that sat on his desk; the Presidential Line, he had a few select questions for President Lynch.
TBC
This chapter was originally much longer but I thought I'd give your poor eyes a rest. The next chapter will be coming very soon.
As always. watch this space.
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