Something invisible and incredibly sharp slashed through Jack's upper
thigh, causing him to yelp in pain. Obviously, he didn't have hold of the
assassin's hand like he thought, because the man had just stabbed him with
God only knew what kind of knife. The yelp drew the attention of Jaffer,
who realized for the first time that Jack was in the room, and the big
black lab rushed from his own fight to join O'Neill's.
The dog leaving was good for Sam and the Marine. They'd been having trouble dodging Jaffer's teeth, which had seemed to be everywhere at once. With the lab gone, Sam broke off from the fight and rolled to the side, grabbing up the zat that the Marine had dropped. Knowing it was going to hurt, she reached out and grabbed the invisible assassin in a one-handed grip, and fired it anyways, stunning herself, the Marine, and the Ashrak.
The three of them went still. Jack didn't notice immediately. He and Shawn were suddenly dodging not only assassin's invisible knife, but also Jaffer's very visible fangs.
"Sam!"
Janet's call of concern broke the attention of both Shawn and Jack, and the two men turned at the call, and saw Carter laying still, sprawled in a heap with Roberts close at hand. Unsure of what had happened, Jack opened his mouth to ask Fraiser, and immediately paid for his lack of attention to the Ashrak he was battling.
The invisible knife slashed out again, this time opening a long gash along Jack's ribs. The Colonel gasped in pain and rolled to the side to avoid the next one, which he just assumed was coming, since he couldn't actually see it. He heard Shawn yelp in pain, saw a bloody stripe appear across the young man's shoulder, and heard Jaffer snarl again. Jack jabbed out with an elbow, trying to keep the Ashrak from attacking Shawn again. All he could think of was keeping them away from the boy, and to do that he needed to keep the assassin's attention on himself.
He rolled onto the assailant once more, the man struggling under him and Jaffer as Shawn tried to find an opening in the battle to throw himself once more. The Colonel and his dog were all over the guy, though, completely committing themselves to this battle to keep the assassin down on the floor where he couldn't hurt anyone else.
There was a bolt of energy from the assassin Sam had shot with the zat. Obviously the man was down, but far from out. He'd sent off a wild shot that had still come very close to hitting Shawn, and the young man ducked and rolled that direction, lashing out with a foot and kicking hard. He felt contact with something invisible, which told him it was the assassin, and kicked again, giving Sam and the Marine a chance to recover and get clear.
"Move!" Shawn yelled, as Jaffer yelped and was tossed aside. Whatever had hurt the dog wasn't serious, though, because with another snarl he was launching himself back into the attack, teeth flashing. Jack swore as he was hit with the invisible blade once more. He didn't have any defense against it; he couldn't see it to avoid it, and he couldn't back out of range because he didn't dare leave the assassin free to level his primary weapon at him or any of the others. He and Jaffer were losing this fight, and they both knew it. But neither was willing to give up. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.
Shawn got to his feet and reached down and grabbed a handful of Sam's shirt and started pulling her away from the Ashrak, while Janet Fraiser did the same with the Marine that had so vainly tried to protect her. Both Carter and the Marine were still feeling the affects of the zat, but luckily, so was the assassin, and they had a moment to get clear. Shawn stepped between Carter and the Ashrak once more, and was about throw himself on the guy to keep him from getting up and going after someone when there was a flash of light brown and suddenly Jack was there, snarling and ready to join the fray.
The yellow lab wasn't fettered like the German shepherds. He wasn't held back from the battle with a leash like the Military dogs were. As soon as the door to level 27 had opened, the dog had heard the sounds of fighting and the snarls that were coming from Jaffer, and he'd pelted down the corridors towards it, anxious to come to the rescue. Teal'c and his Marine weren't far behind, and the rest of S-2 who'd went down the main staircase and joined up with S-5 had heard the shouting as well. These men all had the Heftarii devices – even though none of them knew they were called that. Jack had called them Atarii thingies, and as far as they knew, that was the name. As a group, the men had rushed towards the sound of the struggle, although they were careful to watch their sixes and make sure nothing was sneaking up behind them as they ran.
Shawn watched, almost mesmerized, as Jack jumped at the assassin he couldn't see. Knowing that the dog wouldn't be able to fight him alone, Shawn started to join in, and then gave a startled exclamation as the assassin suddenly came into full view. Teal'c and his device were close enough that it was starting to work, and the cloaking devices on the Ashrak armor were being countered. Shawn reached down and grabbed Jack's collar, pulling the snarling dog back. The yellow lab could see his opponent, now, and he wasn't about to let him go, though. Teeth ripped at him as Jack got in a few last minute slashes to bare skin and it was the assassin's turn to yelp in pain and surprise. Shawn raised his zat, trying to move Jack before he fired, but having a lot of trouble controlling dog and assassin both.
O'Neill and Jaffer were equally surprised when their Ashrak suddenly became visible as well. The knife the man was holding was a short bladed weapon, but it had already done a lot of damage. Jack and Jaffer were both bleeding profusely. As soon as he saw what was happening, though, Jack didn't hesitate. Hand to hand, there were very few who could beat O'Neill in a fight, and Jack's knife came down hard, right between the Ashrak's eyes. The assassin hadn't even realized he had been seen, and the shock was plain to see, even as he died.
"Jack!"
O'Neill wasn't sure who'd called, or if they were calling him. He rolled off the Ashrak, and looked around, breathing heavily as he wrapped his arm around Jaffer to pull him away from the dead assassin. It was a measure of just how exhausted and hurt he was that he didn't see the arrival of the third assassin - even though the man was as visible as everyone else in the room. This Ashrak was the one Jack and Fang had attacked, and even though his true target was Shawn, the assassin had a personal score to settle with O'Neill. He muttered something in Goa'uld as he raised his B'kedricti and pointed it at Jack, and O'Neill looked over at the words, surprise on his face when he saw the weapon pointed at him and the bleeding, scratched face of the assassin looking down at him.
He was too hurt to care, though. Definitely too hurt to try and dodge. Not too hurt to try one last, desperate chance, though. He pushed Jaffer away, just to make sure that when the Ashrak fired at him and killed him, the black lab wouldn't get hurt, then Jack reached out and snatched the knife from the dead Ashrak's forehead. In a fluid motion, he threw the weapon, and had the pleasure of seeing it bury itself deep in the man's belly just as the B'kedricti fired.
At the same time Jack was throwing the knife, another weapon was coming up to bear, and a powerful blast echoed through the room as Teal'c fired his staff weapon at the remaining assassin. The force of the blow to the man's side knocked him to the left, and the final shot he got off went wild, missing O'Neill and striking the far wall of the infirmary. The man fell, dead, and Jack fell as well, unable to hold himself up any longer.
Teal'c ignored O'Neill for the moment, taking aim at the Ashrak that Jack was still struggling to get to. Shawn wasn't having any luck holding dog and zat, but when he looked up and saw Teal'c aiming the staff weapon, Shawn dropped the zat and put both arms around Jack, pulling hard and dragging the dog away, still struggling. Teal'c fired, and the assassin died. It was really very easy to kill them when they were visible.
Looking for anyone else that might need to be neutralized, Teal'c didn't see anyone. He lowered the weapon, and knelt next to O'Neill. Shawn released the yellow lab, who came bounding over the dead assassin and joined Teal'c, and Jaffer nuzzled O'Neill, who was sprawled painfully on the floor.
"Are you badly injured, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, reaching out and pulling the shredded shirt aside to look at the knife wound to Jack's side.
"Take the teams and clear the SGC," Jack whispered, pulling away from the touch.
Fraiser came over and knelt beside Jack as well, pushing Jaffer aside as the dog tried to lick O'Neill's face. She, too, focused on the knife wounds, and Jack tried to move away, wincing.
"Please don't..."
He was starting to pass out, and he knew it. Shock or pain – or both – were beginning to take its toll, and try as he might, he couldn't fight it. He looked over to make sure Sam was okay, then saw that Shawn was standing as well, bleeding from the shoulder wound he'd taken, but very much alive and well.
Daniel came rushing into the room as Teal'c stood up. There could be more assassins, and he needed to make sure the rest of the SGC was cleared before he took the time to worry about his friends. The archeologist took in the mess, and the scattered bodies of the Ashrak in one glance, then knelt next to Fraiser and Jack, running a hand over Jaffer's glossy black hide when the black lab came over to greet him.
"Is he all right?" Daniel asked, looking down at Jack, who looked like hell.
"He will be." He was breathing, and his heart rate was about right. It was more than Janet could have hoped for. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but she knew it wasn't all Jack O'Neill's. Fraiser looked over at Daniel and saw blood on his hand.
"What happened to you?"
"Me?"
She pointed at the blood, and Daniel looked down at his hand, suddenly aware that it was smeared with crimson. It wasn't his, though. He looked at Jaffer. Really looked at him, this time, and saw that the black lab was as battered as his owner. The dog had several shallow knife wounds running along his side – an obvious indicator of the vicious battle fought when the Ashrak had been invisible.
"Oh, God, look at him."
The dog leaving was good for Sam and the Marine. They'd been having trouble dodging Jaffer's teeth, which had seemed to be everywhere at once. With the lab gone, Sam broke off from the fight and rolled to the side, grabbing up the zat that the Marine had dropped. Knowing it was going to hurt, she reached out and grabbed the invisible assassin in a one-handed grip, and fired it anyways, stunning herself, the Marine, and the Ashrak.
The three of them went still. Jack didn't notice immediately. He and Shawn were suddenly dodging not only assassin's invisible knife, but also Jaffer's very visible fangs.
"Sam!"
Janet's call of concern broke the attention of both Shawn and Jack, and the two men turned at the call, and saw Carter laying still, sprawled in a heap with Roberts close at hand. Unsure of what had happened, Jack opened his mouth to ask Fraiser, and immediately paid for his lack of attention to the Ashrak he was battling.
The invisible knife slashed out again, this time opening a long gash along Jack's ribs. The Colonel gasped in pain and rolled to the side to avoid the next one, which he just assumed was coming, since he couldn't actually see it. He heard Shawn yelp in pain, saw a bloody stripe appear across the young man's shoulder, and heard Jaffer snarl again. Jack jabbed out with an elbow, trying to keep the Ashrak from attacking Shawn again. All he could think of was keeping them away from the boy, and to do that he needed to keep the assassin's attention on himself.
He rolled onto the assailant once more, the man struggling under him and Jaffer as Shawn tried to find an opening in the battle to throw himself once more. The Colonel and his dog were all over the guy, though, completely committing themselves to this battle to keep the assassin down on the floor where he couldn't hurt anyone else.
There was a bolt of energy from the assassin Sam had shot with the zat. Obviously the man was down, but far from out. He'd sent off a wild shot that had still come very close to hitting Shawn, and the young man ducked and rolled that direction, lashing out with a foot and kicking hard. He felt contact with something invisible, which told him it was the assassin, and kicked again, giving Sam and the Marine a chance to recover and get clear.
"Move!" Shawn yelled, as Jaffer yelped and was tossed aside. Whatever had hurt the dog wasn't serious, though, because with another snarl he was launching himself back into the attack, teeth flashing. Jack swore as he was hit with the invisible blade once more. He didn't have any defense against it; he couldn't see it to avoid it, and he couldn't back out of range because he didn't dare leave the assassin free to level his primary weapon at him or any of the others. He and Jaffer were losing this fight, and they both knew it. But neither was willing to give up. Stubborn dog, stubborn owner.
Shawn got to his feet and reached down and grabbed a handful of Sam's shirt and started pulling her away from the Ashrak, while Janet Fraiser did the same with the Marine that had so vainly tried to protect her. Both Carter and the Marine were still feeling the affects of the zat, but luckily, so was the assassin, and they had a moment to get clear. Shawn stepped between Carter and the Ashrak once more, and was about throw himself on the guy to keep him from getting up and going after someone when there was a flash of light brown and suddenly Jack was there, snarling and ready to join the fray.
The yellow lab wasn't fettered like the German shepherds. He wasn't held back from the battle with a leash like the Military dogs were. As soon as the door to level 27 had opened, the dog had heard the sounds of fighting and the snarls that were coming from Jaffer, and he'd pelted down the corridors towards it, anxious to come to the rescue. Teal'c and his Marine weren't far behind, and the rest of S-2 who'd went down the main staircase and joined up with S-5 had heard the shouting as well. These men all had the Heftarii devices – even though none of them knew they were called that. Jack had called them Atarii thingies, and as far as they knew, that was the name. As a group, the men had rushed towards the sound of the struggle, although they were careful to watch their sixes and make sure nothing was sneaking up behind them as they ran.
Shawn watched, almost mesmerized, as Jack jumped at the assassin he couldn't see. Knowing that the dog wouldn't be able to fight him alone, Shawn started to join in, and then gave a startled exclamation as the assassin suddenly came into full view. Teal'c and his device were close enough that it was starting to work, and the cloaking devices on the Ashrak armor were being countered. Shawn reached down and grabbed Jack's collar, pulling the snarling dog back. The yellow lab could see his opponent, now, and he wasn't about to let him go, though. Teeth ripped at him as Jack got in a few last minute slashes to bare skin and it was the assassin's turn to yelp in pain and surprise. Shawn raised his zat, trying to move Jack before he fired, but having a lot of trouble controlling dog and assassin both.
O'Neill and Jaffer were equally surprised when their Ashrak suddenly became visible as well. The knife the man was holding was a short bladed weapon, but it had already done a lot of damage. Jack and Jaffer were both bleeding profusely. As soon as he saw what was happening, though, Jack didn't hesitate. Hand to hand, there were very few who could beat O'Neill in a fight, and Jack's knife came down hard, right between the Ashrak's eyes. The assassin hadn't even realized he had been seen, and the shock was plain to see, even as he died.
"Jack!"
O'Neill wasn't sure who'd called, or if they were calling him. He rolled off the Ashrak, and looked around, breathing heavily as he wrapped his arm around Jaffer to pull him away from the dead assassin. It was a measure of just how exhausted and hurt he was that he didn't see the arrival of the third assassin - even though the man was as visible as everyone else in the room. This Ashrak was the one Jack and Fang had attacked, and even though his true target was Shawn, the assassin had a personal score to settle with O'Neill. He muttered something in Goa'uld as he raised his B'kedricti and pointed it at Jack, and O'Neill looked over at the words, surprise on his face when he saw the weapon pointed at him and the bleeding, scratched face of the assassin looking down at him.
He was too hurt to care, though. Definitely too hurt to try and dodge. Not too hurt to try one last, desperate chance, though. He pushed Jaffer away, just to make sure that when the Ashrak fired at him and killed him, the black lab wouldn't get hurt, then Jack reached out and snatched the knife from the dead Ashrak's forehead. In a fluid motion, he threw the weapon, and had the pleasure of seeing it bury itself deep in the man's belly just as the B'kedricti fired.
At the same time Jack was throwing the knife, another weapon was coming up to bear, and a powerful blast echoed through the room as Teal'c fired his staff weapon at the remaining assassin. The force of the blow to the man's side knocked him to the left, and the final shot he got off went wild, missing O'Neill and striking the far wall of the infirmary. The man fell, dead, and Jack fell as well, unable to hold himself up any longer.
Teal'c ignored O'Neill for the moment, taking aim at the Ashrak that Jack was still struggling to get to. Shawn wasn't having any luck holding dog and zat, but when he looked up and saw Teal'c aiming the staff weapon, Shawn dropped the zat and put both arms around Jack, pulling hard and dragging the dog away, still struggling. Teal'c fired, and the assassin died. It was really very easy to kill them when they were visible.
Looking for anyone else that might need to be neutralized, Teal'c didn't see anyone. He lowered the weapon, and knelt next to O'Neill. Shawn released the yellow lab, who came bounding over the dead assassin and joined Teal'c, and Jaffer nuzzled O'Neill, who was sprawled painfully on the floor.
"Are you badly injured, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked, reaching out and pulling the shredded shirt aside to look at the knife wound to Jack's side.
"Take the teams and clear the SGC," Jack whispered, pulling away from the touch.
Fraiser came over and knelt beside Jack as well, pushing Jaffer aside as the dog tried to lick O'Neill's face. She, too, focused on the knife wounds, and Jack tried to move away, wincing.
"Please don't..."
He was starting to pass out, and he knew it. Shock or pain – or both – were beginning to take its toll, and try as he might, he couldn't fight it. He looked over to make sure Sam was okay, then saw that Shawn was standing as well, bleeding from the shoulder wound he'd taken, but very much alive and well.
Daniel came rushing into the room as Teal'c stood up. There could be more assassins, and he needed to make sure the rest of the SGC was cleared before he took the time to worry about his friends. The archeologist took in the mess, and the scattered bodies of the Ashrak in one glance, then knelt next to Fraiser and Jack, running a hand over Jaffer's glossy black hide when the black lab came over to greet him.
"Is he all right?" Daniel asked, looking down at Jack, who looked like hell.
"He will be." He was breathing, and his heart rate was about right. It was more than Janet could have hoped for. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but she knew it wasn't all Jack O'Neill's. Fraiser looked over at Daniel and saw blood on his hand.
"What happened to you?"
"Me?"
She pointed at the blood, and Daniel looked down at his hand, suddenly aware that it was smeared with crimson. It wasn't his, though. He looked at Jaffer. Really looked at him, this time, and saw that the black lab was as battered as his owner. The dog had several shallow knife wounds running along his side – an obvious indicator of the vicious battle fought when the Ashrak had been invisible.
"Oh, God, look at him."