STARGATE SG-1: The Grandfather Paradox
Summary: The Tok'ra enlist Jack's help to track down a Goa'uld who has mastered time travel.
Season: Any.
Spoilers: None.
Pairing: None.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Stargate SG-1! (Shame really!).
Author's Note: OK, here we go, the end is fast approaching. Sorry this took so long to write/post, I got caught up in exams so had no time for my fanfics. But, as promised, the last two parts are being posted together, so I won't leave you hanging on this one for much longer!
Big thank you to Shona for helping me with the festival. Your suggestion was PERFECT!
Anyway, enough of me. R&R as always! Thanx. Enjoy!
The Grandfather Paradox – Part 3
Sometime in Ancient Egypt...
Jack as unsure as to what time frame he ha to work with here. Was he supposed to be in and out again within a matter of minutes or was it a case of taking as much time as he needed to do the job properly?
He sincerely hoped it was the latter, since that was the approach he had naturally fallen into when he agreed to help Ayesha in her 'crusade'. He still wondered at the wisdom (or lack thereof) of him helping out with THE rebellion, but it was his only chance at getting close to Wadjet.
That's why he was coming up on his fifth day in palace service.
Five days, and still no sign of his 'target'. He had seen just about every other snakehead wondering around from time to time, but nothing of Wadjet (not that he would know what she looked like, mind you, he was hoping gut instinct would point her our instead). Of course, the five days hadn't been a complete dead loss. He now had every nook and cranny of the palace perfectly mapped out in his head. He was even beginning to think up tactics for the rebels to use when they finally got going.
Ayesha had assured him that he would meet the rest of the rebel leaders soon enough, but they were a little paranoid when it came to revealing their plans and meeting places to total strangers (and for good reason too).
"Human!" a Jaffa called from behind him. Jack obediently stopped in his tracks and turned to face his 'hailer'. He kept his eyes downcast (as Ayesha had instructed).
"Yes my lord?" he said in a subservient tone.
"Your goddess Wadjet requires these be sent to her personal chambers." He shoved a tray of gold and jewelled finery into Jack's hands before striding off down the corridor.
Jack suppressed a grin as he gazed at what he had been presented with. He had quite literally been handed the access he wanted on a plate! With any luck, Wadjet wouldn't be in her chambers when he arrived, giving him plenty of time to scope out possible ways of attacking.
As it happened, his luck stayed with him – for the most part at least. The chamber was deserted when he arrived, but he still did a quick check around the whole room – purely out of habit.
The chamber was much like all the other Goa'uld private quarters in the palace – white washed walls with brilliant red and gold drapes hanging down. This chamber also had several more modern Goa'uld developments – no doubt all the things Wadjet had managed to bring with her to help with her hostile take over bid.
As for gaining a foothold into the chamber, there wasn't any entrance other than the main door that was in plain view to just about every corner of the room, so a surgical attack was out of the question. The large window was another problem, as it left the whole chamber wide open to the world outside – something that Wadjet herself was probably cursing her luck about.
Other than that, the chamber was fairly standard. He knew all he needed. Apart from one thing – he still didn't know what Wadjet looked like!
#
Jack followed Ayesha down the narrow back streets, twisting and turning their way around the houses. He could barely see her ahead of him in the nonexistent light that filtered down from the evening sky and was trapped by the buildings around him. As they continued, their passage became narrow and darker as the town closed in around him. There was barely a foot between one house and the next. Wherever he looked there was darkening sandstone pushing its way towards him.
Ayesha was completely gone from sight by now. She wasn't far off, though. He could still hear her foot steps ahead of him, echoing blessedly in his ears, proving there was still some sensation left in him.
He stretched out his hand and watched as it disappeared from his sphere of vision. He fumbled as his fingers groped for something to latch onto, to act as his eyes. They hit stone. The rough texture of the houses comforted his mind in the enclosed environment.
"This way," she whispered from ahead of him. "It's not far now."
He felt her fingers wrap around his as she guided him further and further into the labyrinth of houses.
They turned one last corner and Jack was almost blinded by the dim candle light that shone from a single window in the house opposite them.
As they approached, a soft murmur rose like a tide and reached Jack's senses. A slight pang of nerves hit him as Ayesha raised her hand to knock on the door.
As soon as her fist made contact with the dusty decaying door, all activity stopped within. The silence that followed sent an eerie chill through Jack.
A pair of cautious eyes appeared through the shutters by the candle. A moment later, the door opened and the two of them were hurried inside.
"We were beginning to worry," the man said to Ayesha, in a hushed conspiring sort of tone. "This him?" He indicated Jack.
"Yes," Ayesha replied. "He can help us."
The young men stepped up to Jack and took in his entire appearance before speaking to him.
"Ayesha says you have come to slay the gods?" he enquired.
"Not all of them, but that's the general idea. Yeah," Jack replied.
The young man smiled. "Understand we are a simple people and have lived in fear for many years now. You may have Ayesha's trust, but others may not be as receptive. We have to be careful you realise?"
Jack nodded his response. It was perfectly understandable that these people were paranoid. It wasn't easy going up against the Goa'uld.
They were led through another door to where the main rebel meeting was taking place. Jack felt himself being watched intently as he followed Ayesha to the two empty seats on the opposite side of the room. Once they were settled, the meeting continued.
Jack took a moment to survey his surroundings. The tiny room was crammed full of people, all of whom were looking rather forlorn and defeated. The mass of candles and oil lamps scattered around didn't so much as illuminate the room, as they did throw the shadows into sharp relief, making each face look much older and sadder than he imagined they would have been otherwise.
He could see in their eyes the ever present sense of defeat, but also a strong determination. These people had been defeated once too often, it seemed, but they were willing to bounce back even stronger.
It was this look in their eyes that made the whole room buzz with a sense of purpose and conspiracy. It inspired hope in Jack too. Perhaps this wasn't as hopeless as he thought.
"...then we must fight back!" one man was saying, causing Jack to refocus on the meeting itself.
"But how?! Everything we have done has been thwarted. And now she has returned –" the second man was cut off when the leader of the meeting – an elderly gentleman with long white hair and an age-creased face – raised his hand to silence him.
Everyone in the room turned towards him, each full of expectation.
For e moment he didn't say anything, as if he was contemplating his response.
"It is true," he said eventually. "Wadjet's return is an unfortunate set back for our cause, and those who gave their lives to see her banished seem to have died in vain. But we must not allow her to divide us."
There was a slight murmur of whispers that rose in a wave at what he had said. Ayesha leaned over to jack to explain.
"That is Adapa, our leader," she informed him. "He has led our cause since I was a child, though nowadays he never leaves this hut. The gods have placed a bounty on his head, so he is in hiding. That is why we only meet here when it is absolutely necessary."
"What's the occasion tonight?" Jack asked as the meeting continued around him.
"Many months ago, a group from our number died exposing Wadjet's plan to expand her domain. As a result, Ra banished her. It was a great victory for us. But since her return, she had proven she is much stronger than before. We need to act quickly to stop her."
Jack nodded, understanding their situation.
The murmur that had arisen was soon muted by Adapa's calm voice drifting over the room.
"We have among us tonight someone who can aid us." He was looking straight at Jack. Soon the rest of the rebels realised the significance of his gaze and in turn, turned their attention to Jack, who was steadily feeling the sting of nerves working its way through his body. He felt his mouth turn drier than the vast desert around the city. He awkwardly surveyed his audience trying to determine whether he was meant to say something.
Once again, he was saved by Ayesha.
She stood up, drawing attention away from him. It was only then that he realised she was the only woman present.
"Friends," she said. "This man has come from another time with the sole purpose of slaying Wadjet." This stirred a little interest in her listeners. "With his help, we may finally be able to rid ourselves from our oppressors and live freely and in peace."
At the back of the room, a voice rose to challenge her. "And what makes you so sure this stranger is any better than the countless brave souls who have fallen before him?"
Jack rolled his eyes. 'There always had to be one!' he thought.
"I have seen his skills," she replied. "He has weapons that rival those of the gods. Weapons of great power."
"Then how do we know he won't try and rule in their stead?"
At this, Jack decided to fight his own corner.
"Hey!" he said standing up next to Ayesha. "If I was going to take their place, I'd have killed them myself without your help." He fixed the man's gaze to emphasise the seriousness of his statement, before turning to the rest of the group.
"My mission here is to kill Wadjet, yes. But I wouldn't have come to you if I didn't need your help to do that... So, will you help me or not?"
He waited with baited breath for someone to respond, but once again, all attention had turned to Adapa.
"Please," jack continued, addressing the leader. "If I don't succeed, the whole future of humanity will be in jeopardy."
Adapa thought for a long moment, all the time staring at Jack with his strong dark eyes. Soon a smile spread across his features. The old man bowed his head, picked up the staff weapon that had been laid ceremoniously in front of him throughout the meeting and offered it to Jack.
"What's happening?" Jack whispered to Ayesha.
"Adapa is recognising your authority here. Take the weapon from him."
Jack did as she said, but was till none the wiser as to the significance of the gesture.
"Now what?" he queried.
"Now, you lead us to victory."
Jack's mouth fell dry once again.
#
For the next five days, Jack and a number of the rebels carefully smuggled Zats out of the Jaffa armouries around the various palaces. News of the proposed uprising was quickly spreading to everyone who could be trusted not to betray them – which was actually all of the slaves and most of the other higher ranking human attendants.
Finally, the day arrived when everyone had agreed to launch their attack.
It was the first day of the Festival of Opet. Most of the 'gods' were gathering in the temple at Luxor for the eleven day festival. It was the perfect opportunity to launch their rebellion.
The temple itself had been lavishly decorated with the same red gold and blue that adorned the royal chambers of the Goa'uld.
The whole place was packed full of people and Jaffa alike, all brimming with excitement – though not all for the same reasons.
Somewhere in the middle of the crowd, Jack scanned the perimeter of the temple, satisfied that everyone was in place, but still double and triple checking as his nerves began to build up and the narcotic-like kick of adrenaline began to course through his veins.
Soon, the procession of the Gods was well under way and the entire temple erupted in a wave of carnival colour and jubilation at their entrance. All the same, Jack got the impression that at least some of the fever-pitch atmosphere could be attributed to anticipation of the impending attack. He certainly knew this to be true of his own jittery state.
Even so, he watched the entering procession with the kind of intensity he had seen Carter apply to her science experiments.
It still worried him that he hadn't been able to identify Wadjet from the other system lords. But seeing them all paraded in front of him didn't help as there were several he didn't recognise.
That is, until he saw it.
The Cobra Hand device – exactly the same as the one he was trying so hard to keep hidden from those around him. He glanced at the wearer.
She was a beautiful young woman, made even more so by the ornate, yet delicate jewellery that she wore.
Jack couldn't help but notice the slightly sly smile that sparkled in her eyes and was just beginning to tug at the corner of her lips. She knew what was going to happen.
This instantly put Jack at a disadvantage as it took the surprise element away. An element that was pretty much vital in a 'surprise attack'!
Jack was so busy trying to rethink his plan that he didn't notice Wadjet glance across the crowd at him. Nor did he see the flicker of recognition that briefly played across her face as she spotted him.
A little while before the signal for attack was to be given, Jack noticed her slip out of line from the procession.
He quickly forced his way through the expectant crowd.
"Where are you going?" Ayesha stopped him with a forceful hand on his shoulder. "We need you."
"It's Wadjet," he replied, nodding to where the woman was gracefully making her way to one of the side chambers. "I can't let her out of my sight. She's why I'm here."
Ayesha still wasn't convinced. She pleaded with her eyes, conveying to him the reminder of their deal to help each other out.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," he said reassuringly. "Until then, you can do your best, which I know should be enough without me."
Ayesha smiled gratefully for the encouragement and finally let him go, watching anxiously as he disappeared in to the swelling crowd ahead of him.
#
As soon as Jack was out of view of the carnival crowd, he discarded his outer sandy robes, thankful for the added freedom of his SGC fatigues beneath them. He cautiously pulled his 9-mil from the back of his trousers and carefully traced the path he had seen Wadjet take.
Every so often, a cheer rose up from the main chamber indicating the celebration was in full swing. But not for long, he knew. The signal would come soon, as they had agreed.
The corridor he was following twisted and turned, taking him deeper into the temple. It was getting narrower and darker, indicating a burial chamber was most likely at its end.
As Jack was feeling more and more sunk into the darkness, he saw the soft glow of torch light flicker up ahead. He strode towards it, his confidence growing as he went.
The door to the lit chamber was slightly ajar, enabling him to peer around for a preliminary search of the immediate vicinity. From what he could see, it was empty. This instantly set his nerves on edge.
With as much caution as he could muster, jack edged around the door, trying his damnedest not to make any noise.
He looked around to the side of the room that had been shielded by the door. There, he saw and alter type shrine set out with candles, jewellery along with a number of canopic jars, all set and ready for a burial ceremony.
In front of the alter, with her back to the door, was Wadjet.
Jack raised his gun, ready to fire. To complete his mission. But before he could fire, she spoke.
"It's good to finally meet you, Colonel O'Neill."
His name seemed to get wrapped around her tongue as her thick Eastern- European accent spoke it aloud. There was no artificial, metallic edge to it at this point, but it wasn't the host talking either.
Wadjet was simply playing to Jack's weakness towards the host. And for a moment, it worked. He hesitated – undecided as to follow through or hear what she had to say. Before he could decide, she turned to face him, her deep green eyes almost piercing his flesh, and that was before they burned white hot, adding to the intensity of her stare.
"Your reputation precedes you," she said, this time not hiding her harsh, artificial voice with her host's.
"I'm sure it does," jack replied, not lowering his gun and slightly annoyed at his seeming inability to fire it. He had the advantage after all. "What do you know?" he demanded, stalling for time as he willed his finger to squeeze the trigger. But he couldn't move and couldn't understand why.
"Oh, I know everything," she answered, taking a step towards him. "I think you will find a lot has changed about me since my banishment."
"I'm sure they have, but seeing as how I only heard of you a week ago, I'm gonna have to take you're egotistical word for it, aren't I?"
The malicious smile slipped from Wadjet's face. Her pride clearly taking a beating from his comment. Anger began to play across her face as she advanced towards him.
Suddenly, the torches n the chamber flickered, sending harsh, lurid shadows dancing across the walls. The whole of the room shook and dust spiralled towards the floor from where it had been dislodged in the ceiling. There was a series of loud crashes – almost like explosions – that accompanied the disruption.
Jack glanced around, checking the integrity of the chamber.
It had begun. He knew it. The rebels were attacking, and from the sounds of things, they were off to a good start.
This momentary lapse in concentration cost Jack dearly, though.
Before he could even register that Wadjet was stood directly in front of him, she threw him across the room with the jolt of her hand device. (Not the Cobra Device, that was on the alter at this point, exchanged instead for the standard hand device that had been residing there).
Jack collided hard with the far wall. His gun spinning helplessly out of his reach. As he collapsed to the wall, he checked his own Cobra Device was still in tact. It was, after all his only way home. Luckily, it was unscathed.
He scrambled to his feet, just in time to defend himself from a more focused assault from her. All previous inhibitions towards fighting her were quickly lifted out of the simple need for self-defence against her aggressive and relentless attacks.
There was no way jack could think of to get to his gun. It was too far away from him and there was no way Wadjet would let her guard down long enough for him to lunge for it.
Hand-to-hand combat was the only option left to either of them. All the time, their battle was echoed and often drowned out by the open battle raging above them in the main temple. They seemed to fight for hours – neither one gaining any real territory, neither one holding back in the slightest.
It was a fight to the death and which ever one won would determine the future of the entire human race on earth and across the galaxy.
Even so, Jack was beginning to tire; fatigue was slowly taking hold of his lungs, making it almost impossible for him to block more and more of Wadjet's expertly timed blows.
Blood was streaming from his nose, as well as from other gashes across his face and body. It seeped into his overshirt and mixed painfully with the dust on the floor every time he was struck down.
But something in his mind always brought him back to his feet. He had to win this one. It didn't matter if he died in the process, as long as he took her with him. It just didn't matter.
This conscious realisation of the insignificance of his own life in the situation seemed to be the release he needed.
He struck back with more force than he realised he possessed. He continued to strike back, completely oblivious to the agony it was causing his already broken body. He was growing closer and closer to a state of berserker-rage with every blow he dealt.
Finally, Wadjet dropped onto her knees, weakened by Jack's relentless, persistent attack.
By now, he was so riled up he could have killed her with his bare hands.
"Jack!"
Without thinking, he spun round to see who had interrupted him. Rage blazed in his eyes when he saw Ayesha standing in the doorway.
"We've won!" she announced, so elated at the news that she didn't register the fierce glare in his eyes. "They're leaving! We are free!"
Her words seemed to rescue what shred of humanity was left in Jack's crazed state.
His demeanour softened almost instantly and he smiled genuinely glad their world was theirs again. But in doing so, he also loosened his grip on Wadjet.
She took her chance to act quickly and reached for Jack's abandoned gun. With no warning or hesitation, she fired two shots into Ayesha's chest.
The whole world seemed to grind into slow motion for.
Jack turned – feeling as if the air had taken on the consistency of molasses – and wrestled the gun from Wadjet's hand. Once again, it lay helplessly on the floor. But Wadjet still had the upper hand over Jack a his mind was divided between his battle with her and grief for Ayesha.
Wadjet back handed him away from her. She knew there was nothing she could do now but run. Her whole plan to take over was for nought without her being able to crush the rebellion herself. With the battle already lost, there was nothing left for her to win over from them. She had no choice to flee as fast as she could, before the other rebels discovered her in the depths of the temple.
Jack cradled his head as it throbbed from the final attack. Through his hands, he could see Ayesha lying helplessly on the floor. She was gasping for breath and her hand was reached out to him.
Forgetting about his headache and Wadjet, he took hold of her hand and cradled her cadaverous body in his arms. The warmth in her skin was draining fast, as was the colour in her cheeks.
"I'm sorry," she whispered through the pain in her heart and lungs.
"Sshh," Jack lulled. "It's not your fault."
She looked like she wanted to tell him something else, but before she could speak again, her body convulsed suddenly and she drew her last breath. Jack's heart sank as she died. But there was no time to grieve.
"This isn't the last you've seen of me, O'Neill!" Wadjet bragged from by the alter, where she had switched her hand device once again. "Remember, I know everything about you and your team. Next time, you'll wish you hadn't been born, mark my words!"
Jack – already immune to the empty Goa'uld rhetoric – was once again filled with rage (though not as severe as before). As Wadjet began to activate her hand device, Jack lunged for his gun. He fired at her, but she had already begun to shift out of earth's space-time – the bullets went straight through her. Before long, she would be gone forever.
There was no way he could let her out of his sight. Not after what she had done to Ayesha. Not when she knew all she did about him. About Carter, Daniel and Teal'c as well.
He quickly grabbed one of the canopic jars from the alter and dived at Wadjet.
He grabbed hold of her as the green lights began to dance around them. Soon, they were both engulfed in the agonising pull through time and space. But this time, jack didn't care about the pain and discomfort. All he cared about was that wherever she was going, he would be there to track her down.
She couldn't get away.
Or so he thought...
#####
Author's Note: Sorry if the fight seemed a little abstract, I'm not that good at big action stuff. Anyway, if you thought that was hard on Jack, just wait till you read the finale! Which, as it happens is already posted so go ahead and read it! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!