Author's Note: Sorry this has taken so long, but I had so much homework and my tutor's are starting to give me evil looks...I so had to do it! And it hasn't helped that I almost broke my finger on the weekend and therefore cannot type! Btw, thanks for all your reviews. It's really nice to hear from you.
Cheeky.
Part Fourteen:
"There appears to be a glider squadron in pursuit." Teal'c said over the radio.
"I see them." Sam said. "Dad..."
"I'm on it." Jacob said, falling back.
Teal'c followed him. He was, by far, the most experienced glider pilot, but Jacob and Sam weren't that bad either. Sam couldn't help by smile as she piloted the glider. It felt great to be flying again.
The squadron gained on them quickly, the five gliders flying in precise formation. "Watch your backs boys and girls." Jacob said.
"Indeed." Teal'c agreed. "The pilots will try and separate us in order to destroy us one by one."
Just as Teal'c spoke, the lead glider began to fire on them. Teal'c peeled away, before coming up behind the squadron, firing as he went. "Follow me Sammie." Jacob called, following Teal'c.
Sam followed her father as the squadron split into two. Two gliders took off after Teal'c, while the other three began to follow Jacob and Sam. "Whoa." Daniel groaned as Jacob manoeuvred wildly, trying to avoid the glider fire.
"You okay, Daniel?" Jacob barked as the glider spun and weaved.
"I think we left my stomach back there." Daniel groaned.
"Just hang tight." Jacob said.
Meanwhile, Sam was ducking and weaving to avoid the glider on her tail. But he was hanging tight and she couldn't seem to shake him. "Damn it!" she muttered under her breath. "Quit it, will you?"
"Major Carter." Teal'c asked, breaking through her thoughts. "I require some assistance."
"I'm coming Teal'c." Sam said, dodging glider fire.
Quickly scanning the area, Sam spotted Teal'c chasing a glider while another followed behind. Sam sped towards Teal'c, dodging all the while. It didn't take long to reach him, and just as she did, Teal'c managed to destroy the glider he was chasing. The glider exploded in a ball of fire.
Sam began chasing the glider behind Teal'c, trying to keep both it in her sights, as well as avoid the one behind her. She drew on all the experience and training she had from her previous combat flights. Although, it all seemed a little different in space.
Grimacing as she took a hit from the glider behind her, Sam finally hit the ship that had been chasing Teal'c. "Major Carter, are you alright?" Teal'c asked.
"I'm fine." Sam said. "It was just a glancing hit. Janet?"
"I'm okay." Janet replied. "Just a little nauseous."
Teal'c dealt with the glider still chasing Sam quickly, before coming up to fly by her wind. "Where's Dad?" Sam asked.
"To the left!" Jacob's slightly harried voice snapped. "And some help would be nice!"
Sam and Teal'c raced towards him, firing at the remaining two gliders. The combination of Jacob, Teal'c and Same soon reduced them both to piles of floating debris. "Is everyone all right?" she asked.
"I am uninjured, Major Carter." Teal'c said.
"I'm fine, Sam." Jacob said. "Nice flying by the way."
"Thanks Dad." Sam replied. "Daniel? Janet?"
"I think I'm still alive." Daniel groaned. "But my stomach isn't."
Janet chuckled. "I'm fine, Sam."
"All right, let's get out of here then." Sam said.
"I suggest we head for a planet I know." Jacob said. "It's not far, and it has a stargate."
"Good idea." Sam agreed. "Why don't you lead the way?"
"So, Bastet...you finally face me at last." Kali sneered.
"No." Lara said, her voice still the inhuman one of a Goa'uld. "Now I finally kill you."
Lara watched as Kali removed her sari, choosing not to answer Lara's statement. Underneath, she wore a small, blood red sari, edged in gold. Kali also removed her sandals. When she was finished, she motioned a servant forward. The man cringed and came forward, a soft pillow held in front of him, almost reverently. As Lara watched, Kali reached over and took hold of what was on the pillow: a pair of elegant and deadly sais – three pointed daggers, favoured by the nobles of Ancient Egypt.
She twirled them in the air in front of her, and Lara noted her skill with the blades. Inwardly, she winced. This wasn't the best thing that could be happening right now. Lara was tired, sore and hungry...but she was also way beyond pissed off. Lara could feel the anger in her blood, lending her strength and clarity.
Kali motioned for another servant to come forward as well, another pillow clasped in his trembling hands. "While your knives may be efficient, Bastet." Kali said, no longer with the arrogant sneer, but instead with a steely determination. "But I think that gods should fight each other with elegant weapons."
Lara gave Kali a level and considering glare. She was telling the truth. Kali truly believed that this fight would be special...some sort of fight between gods. Lara gave a wry smile. Perhaps the fight was special, but it was hardly an epic battle between titans. It was a fight, without rules, without fairness or equality. It was a fight to the death between two mortals who bleed and died as easily as the rest – well, perhaps not as easily as some, but they were mortal all the same.
Lara gave Kali a nod and placed her knives on the pillow, before picking up the sais. The sais really were elegant weapons. They were light and graceful, perfectly balanced and so sharp they could split a hair. It had been a long time since Lara had seen a pair as good as these, though. She had always been after a pair for herself, but had never managed to find a pair she liked well enough.
"Do you remember how it was, Bastet?" Kali's voice broke through her thoughts. "Back when Ra was still King and we ruled the universe?"
Lara didn't, of course, but she knew enough about Egypt and the Goa'uld in front of her to guess. And Bastet had always been one of her favourite Egyptian gods – the cat headed Avenger, daughter of Ra. "Yes, I remember." Lara said. "I remember standing by Ra's right hand, looking down on all the petty Goa'uld trying to gain power without knowing the true meaning of it. And I remember destroying all who dared offend and attack my father, Ra."
It was then that Kali's voice turned into a mask of hatred. "You always sat there, so smug and arrogant." She sneered. "Killing for Ra, loving him. But I was known as the Destroyer too! I could have done it so easily. If not for you..."
Kali trailed off and glared at Lara. "You never knew how much I hated you. You never cared, then. You just killed and tortured for him. Never questioning why."
"He was the Father of us all, Kali." Lara snapped back, hoping it was indeed true. "He was only to be loved and obeyed. We had no other task, unless he gave us one."
Kali sneered at Lara. "Be that as it may, Bastet." She spat. "But now we will prove once and for all who is better. Who it always should have been!"
Lara merely gazed straight back at Kali, but inside she suppressed a shiver of fear. The light in Kali's eyes as she had talked of what she thought should have been hers; it had been almost fanatical in its hatred. And that was not good for Lara, because Lara would have to make sure Kali was very dead before she could walk away from this fight.
And to make matters worse, she would have to do it quickly – because Lara didn't know how long she would last otherwise. As if her day couldn't get any worse.
Jack groaned softly. Man, he was getting so tired of this. He was just sick of always finding himself in some bloody cage somewhere. And to make matters worse, Lara was out there somewhere, facing who knows what.
Just as Jack was about to start pacing his cell once more, two Jaffa walked into the room. "Lord Svarog would like to see you." One said levelly.
Jack just glared. "Oh, I just bet he would." He snapped.
"You will come with us." The Jaffa continued.
"Like hell I will." Jack muttered, but when along with the directions.
The two Jaffa escorted Jack to a room, before leaving him alone. Jack watched curiously as he spotted Svarog, who seemed to be holding something to his head gingerly as he sat on a chaise. Inwardly, Jack grinned. Lara had been busy.
"So, you are the Tau'ri all the System Lords would pay to see dead." He said. "But I fail to see why you are so important."
Jack glared at Svarog. Man, if it wasn't bad enough that he had been captured by Goa'uld, now he was being told he wasn't even important! "Then ask all the System Lords I helped destroy." Jack snapped back.
Svarog looked at him arrogantly. "Like whom?" he sneered.
Jack looked at him levelly. "Ra, Apophis, Hathor, Cronus..." Jack trailed off.
He reached behind him suddenly and pulled out a zat that he had taken from one of the guards. "...you." Jack finished as he shot him twice.
Svarog fell to the ground, dead – a look of surprise still on his face.
Right, Jack thought. That was easy enough. Now all I have to do is find the computer core... Grinning, he gripped the zat and crept towards the door...
Lara kept her eyes on Kali, but remained standing where she was, the sais held loosely by her sides.
She saw that her apparent lack of defence or even will to fight would goad Kali into attacking first. And Kali did. Whirling her blades in a rather elaborate but rather pointless way, she charged, before her blades flashed out.
Lara swept her own sais up to block the attacks, using Kali's own attacks against her. Kali kept attacking in a flurry of movement, forcing Lara to keep dodging and blocking. Finally, Lara managed to spin far enough away, and she flipped backwards a couple of times to get some space. Lara shifted her weapons, holding the trident-like daggers in a guard in front of her. It seemed the fight was on.
Kali looked at Lara with a new expression in her eyes, and Lara thought this was probably the closest to respect a Goa'uld ever felt. "It seems we will have a proper fight, after all." She said.
Oh, she's have one hell of a fight, all right! Lara thought. "Yes, Kali, we will." She said instead.
After that, the flight became a fast, intense battle between the two women, both attacking and blocking with great speed and precision, but landing no blows. As Lara moved back, slightly once again, this time circling her opponent with more caution, Lara tried to make her leaden limbs keep working. This fight was taking too long, Lara could feel it. She was getting too tired.
Glaring at Kali, Lara shook some of the hair that had escaped her braid out of her face. Her arms were sore from the constant attacking and blocking, and she has several little cuts where one of Kali's razor-sharp said had gotten too close. Then a thought struck her. Why the hell was she suddenly playing by Kali's rules? Kali wanted a traditional fight, using only her sais. But why was Lara doing that too?
Lara grinned coldly at Kali. She had never been fond of rules, and this was just another example. She must be more tired than she thought. So, maybe it was time to break some of those unspoken rules...and show Kali just how dangerous she could be.
Kali charged in again, her blades whipping through the air. Lara cocked her head to the side, waiting until Kali was just in range...before lashing out with a roundhouse kick straight into her unprotected stomach. Lara blocked the two strikes in her direction, before flipping one of the sais around and striking herself.
Kali caught is, but missed the kick Lara sent towards her knee. Kali stumbled back and Lara kicked her in the face, hard enough to break her nose. "Hassac!" Kali swore. "Do you have so little honour that you must cheat!"
"Who says I'm cheating Kali?" Lara asked, slightly taunting. "No one told me there were rules."
Kali gave a wordless screech, blood staining her white tunic, before she charged at Lara. But Lara was ready. Kali swung wildly, and Lara blocked quickly, trapping one of Kali's sais between her own. She wrenched it away, and it went spinning away.
Kali backed up and simply threw her remaining sai at Lara. Lara tried to twist out of the way, but the blade still managed to catch her on the arm, causing a Lara to wince. She felt blood begin to trickle down her arm and glared at Kali.
Kali never stood a chance once her weapons were gone. Lara stalked in, lashing put at Kali with her sais and kicks. Kali managed to twist one of the sais out of Lara grip, but it did her no good. Her eyes widened in complete horror as Lara drove the other blade home – straight into her heart.
The Goa'uld crumpled to the floor, blood once again staining her tunic red. As Lara watched in fascinated horror, the symbiote actually tried to leave its dead host to find another. But Lara wasn't about to let it. "I said you were going to die, Kali." Lara snapped. "Not just your host."
Lara snatched the sai from the body in front of her and stabbed the Goa'uld. It let off a piercing shriek which made Lara wince. She snatched up her other blade, lying a few feet away, and silenced the Goa'uld forever. Shuddering, she stood up. Out of all the things Lara had seen in her life that had to be one of the creepiest.
Suddenly Lara jerked her head up, as an alarm begin to sound. "What the hell..?" Lara trailed off.
"Lara!" a familiar voice called.
Lara spun, facing the doorway. "Jack!" she grinned, very happy to see him.
She ran the few steps to him, before kissing him soundly. When the pair broke apart, Jack gave her a grin. "What was that for?"
"Just happy to see you." Lara replied.
Jack noticed the blood and the bodies around her. "Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'll be fine." Lara replied.
"What happened?" Jack asked.
Lara smiled slightly. "Kali and I had a little chat."
"I'll say." Jack agreed. "But I'll have to hear the details later. Right now we need to get out of here."
"What's going on?" Lara asked, concerned.
"I set the self destruct on the ship. It's going to blow up in about eleven minutes."
Lara raised an eyebrow. "I see. Then let's get out of here, shall we?"
"Yes, let's." Jack agreed.