The witch walked up and knelt on both knees next to the Archeologist. "You're hurt." She stated removing the pack from her shoulders to get at the first aid kit.
"My leg." He verified, gripping his right thigh. Jack moved to check the wound.
"It went all the way through." He diagnosed after a quick assessment, then took the antiseptic Willow handed him. "Are you gon'na be able to walk on this?"
"Ah yeah." Daniel gritted with pain as Jack poured the liquid into the wound.
Where's Dr. Lee?" Willow asked passing some cotton packs and a roll of gauze bandages over to Jack.
"Hiding. Back that way." He nodded the direction.
"We'll get him when we've patched you up." Jack suggested as he wrapped his friend's leg.
A shotgun blast caused all three to whip their heads around to see a man coming towards them. Bullet holes clearly riddled his shirt and his eyes were vacant and lifeless.
"Tel'chek's device reanimates dead tissue." Daniel quickly explained as Jack grabbed his arm to help him up.
Willow stood raising her hand. The dead rebel's next shot peppered her shield, causing it to shimmer with a reddish tint, protecting herself and the two men while they took cover behind the tree.
Stepping from his cover, Jack fired back, creating numerous new holes in the zombie's chest. The man staggered but stayed on his feet.
Before either Jack or Willow made another move, they heard Burke call out. "Hey, Get down!" as he blew a bubble and raised his rifle firing one of his grenades.
The zombie exploded in a plume of flesh.
Jack and Willow stepped out from behind the tree supporting Daniel between them as Burke walked up. "What's with the guy from evil dead?" He asked.
"Ahhh." Jack searched for a plausible answer.
"Classified?" Burke guessed.
"Yeah."
"You guys are into some crazy crap man." The grenade-launching soldier laughed.
*** *** ***
Making their way to the nearest exit, Jacob went to work on the door controls to bypass the security lock down, leaving Sam to guard the way they had just come while Teal'c and Kennedy took the opposite end of the corridor. "Hurry up dad!" Sam urged.
"I almost got it! --- There!" The doors slid open allowing them to get through.
The Tel'tak landed at the far end of a bridge spanning over a large chasm. The team took of running with three warriors in pursuit.
Ahead of the pack, Kennedy looked over her shoulder checking on her teammates and saw the warriors coming. Stopping, she turned around, letting the others run past her. Taking aim, she fired at the closest pursuer. The bolt hit the center of the warrior's chest knocking him flat. The slayer smiled at the results but her face fell turning into an 'uh-oh' expression when the remaining warriors each raised an arm preparing to fire their wrist-mounted weapons. She turned tail and ran. The warriors opened fire, continuing their chase. Kennedy zigzagged successfully avoiding the first several shots until one grazed her upper left arm. The brunette cried out in pain but kept running.
Sam stood at the open door, "Come on! Come on!" She urged and watched the slayer get hit then opened up with her own fire to give the girl some cover. The bullets hit true but to no avail. The Major kept firing until Kennedy was inside then quickly shut the door before the closest warrior could get in. The two women headed to join the others.
The instant they entered the bridge, Sam ordered, "GO!" to Bra'tac who was at the controls.
A banging noise came from outside the ship.
"What was that?" Jacob asked worriedly,
"Can't be good." His daughter answered. Just punch it!" She yelled to Bra'tac.
The small ship took off as several twin blasts from the base's heavy guns soared past barely missing their target.
"Someone has opened the rear engine access hatch." Bra'tac informed them of what his instruments showed.
"From this height?" Sam couldn't believe it. The sound of an inner door opening gave her an answer. The Major spun around as a warrior entered the bridge and let loose with her MP-5.
The warrior simply walked right up to her, completely unconcerned about the numerous 9mm projectiles bouncing off his chest, and delivered a powerful backhand across the woman's face sending her sailing through the air slamming her shoulder into a wall.
The warrior then turned to Teal'c who dove for cover as several shots came his way, one managing to graze the jaffa's right ribs.
Kennedy, not wanting to be left out, pulled out her new stake and rushed the alien from behind jumping on his back just as he came to the entrance to the cargo bay where he was firing at Jacob, who retreated to the rear of the ship. The slayer wrapped her left arm around the black-clad alien's head and brought the stake down with her right one aiming for the seam where the helmet and shoulder pads met hoping to hit the spine or the symbiote directly. Unfortunately the warrior twisted with a raised arm throwing the small girl off into the cargo bay. The stake missed the mark, instead sinking through the pads and into the meaty part of the shoulder next to the shoulder blade.
The warrior reached around with his opposite hand and pulled the stake out as Kennedy picked herself off the floor. She watched him briefly study the weapon that had penetrated his armor, and then toss it aside. He raised his left arm and fired at the woman that injured him.
Kennedy dove forward tucking herself into a tight ball and rolled under the shot then sprung to her feet in front of her opponent grabbing his wrist. Holding firm, she forced his arm to the side, pointing the weapon away from her.
He tried to punch her in the face with his other fist but she caught it and held it just like the other one. He snapped his knee up into the girl's midsection.
Kennedy let out a painful "Oomph!" but still held on. She hooked her left heel behind his right knee, pulling forward forcing his knee to bend and using his arms to twist his body.
The warrior fell on his back with the slayer straddling his waist and his arms pinned to the floor.
The combatants struggled in this position a few seconds as the warrior tried to free his hands. Failing this, he hooked his leg around Kennedy's ankle and bucked his hips rolling the two over so that he was on top. He didn't stay there long.
Kennedy positioned her feet between her and the warrior's thighs and lifted up throwing him over her head and across the cargo hold. The slayer crab-flipped to her feet and whirled around to see the other fighter begin to get up only more slowly. Glancing around she spotted her stake.
The warrior, once on his feet, pointed his weapon at her as he stepped toward her into the center of the cargo hold.
The Slayer dove for her stake also avoiding two shots that passed through the space she had just been. She came up, stake in hand, just in time to see four metallic rings come out of the floor around her adversary. There was a flash of white light within the rings before they retracted back into the floor. The warrior was gone. Confused, she looked around and saw Bra'tac standing at a control panel built into the entrance's doorframe. "Where'd he go?"
Beneath the ship, the transport rings and supersoldier materialized then flew backwards away from the ship, falling to the planet's surface.
"Oh you got to be kiddin' me." Kennedy laughed at Bra'tac who smiled before heading back to the bridge.
The older jaffa knelt next to the younger one and asked with concern. "Teal'c, are you hurt?"
"Indeed."
"Where?"
"My pride." Teal'c grinned and held to his right side as Bra'tac pulled him to his feet. "The old man did what I could not."
Bra'tac chuckled. "Do not forget our new friend." He looked at Kennedy.
"Well thank you kind sir," She graciously accepted with a deep bow. Then smiled.
Jacob reached his daughter and knelt next to her with worry. "Sam. Sam." He gently patted her cheek then cradled her head with his hand. Sam opened her eyes and tried to raise her head, a trickle of blood from a cut lip running down her cheek. "No don't move, just lie still." She laid her head back down letting out a breath. "What hurts?"
"Everything."
"That's a good sign." He smiled caressing her head.
She retuned the smile
"Is she o.k.?" Kennedy asked coming up to the Major's other side."
"I will be." Sam answered for herself. "What happened to the supersoldier?"
"Bra'tac here gave him a flying lesson." The other girl answered with a grin.
Sam started to chuckle but it hurt too much causing her to groan.
"She needs medical attention." Jacob advised.
"We will go to the nearest stargate; then take her to Earth." Bra'tac offered and headed to set a course.
*** *** ***
"Removing the device triggered some trap that flooded the temple." Daniel explained what had happened to them while using a long wooden pole as a crutch as the group minus Burke, who was sweeping the perimeter for any more hostiles, entered the rebel's camp. "We barely got out alive. The rebels were waiting for us. After they brought us here they wanted to know what the device was."
"First they starved us for two days then offered us food if we talked. When that didn't work they resorted to more painful means of interrogation." Dr. Lee continued.
"What did they do?" Willow asked dreading the answer.
"Electrocution. They used a pair of jumper cables an---."
"O.K. We get the picture." The witch waved off the rest of the description.
What else?" Jack didn't want to ask but needed to know.
"I couldn't take it." Dr. Lee confessed sounding disappointed with himself. "I broke, told them everything I knew about the device."
"The leader turned it on and it drove him insane. Made him feel ---."
"Euphoria." Willow finished for him.
"Yeah, how di ---?"
"I felt the same thing on the way in."
"Really? How far out?" Daniel worried about the range of the devices effect.
"I'm not sure, at first I just felt a little energized. I thought it was a natural 'runner's high'. But the closer I got I could tell that it was coming from an outside source and it was making me feel too good to be healthy."
"Yeah, I saw how Raphael, that was the rebel's leader." Daniel answered the questioning looks. "He was the one to turn the device on and spent most of the time with it. He said that it made him feel strong. Then shot his own man for threatening to turn it off. After that he just got worse, more unstable."
"Where is the device now?" Jack wanted to know.
"In that shack." Daniel pointed to a ramshackle building at the edge of the camp
Why don't we turn it off now?" Willow suggested.
"The perimeter's clear. Just heard from air rescue, they got the guide." Burke's voice was heard as he approached the group.
"Rogelio?" Daniel was surprised the man was still alive.
"Yeah, he's gon'na be fine. They'll be here soon." Burke elaborated.
Daniel looked to Dr. Lee and motioned toward the shack with his head. Dr. Lee led the way with Daniel hobbling behind him leaving Willow with Jack and Burke.
"Hey, nice back up." Jack complimented.
"Sure thing buddy anytime, anywhere."
"You know, --- I think I should recommend that you be posted to a nicer place."
"A temperate zone? Not too hot not too cold, with fine lookin' women who put out like broken candy machines?"
Willow snorted with amusement catching the men's attention. "Men." She shook her head.
"Hey, you can come too." Burke invited. "I'm sure that we could find something for you too. Just ---."
"Just what?"
"Well, --- Can I watch?"
"Typical. And also NO." Willow rolled her eyes and walked away.
"Well, you can't blame a guy for asking!" He called out to the witch's retreating back.
"Asking What?" Daniel wondered as he and Dr. Lee came back with a dark colored, intricately carved, open-ended, metal box that Dr. Lee held with both hands.
"Ah, -- nothing. Hey, is that the thing that made that guy do that thing?"
"Yeah, it's o.k. It's off now.
"Good, that's good." Jack said.
"At least we think it's off. It's not glowing any more." Dr. Lee theorized.
"Glowing really gives it away so if it's not glowing anymore then it shouldn't be on anymore." Daniel said unsure of his logic.
"You want to hold it?" The other scientist offered holding the artifact out to Daniel.
No." He answered quickly to Lee's disappointment, and then took two hops away from his colleague.
Burke started laughing. "It's crazy."
"Excuse me I hate to interrupt this little bonding moment but how soon can we get out'ta here?" Willow butted in. "Some of us have a bet to win."
"What bet is that?" Jack asked.
*** *** ***
Kennedy, wearing a small bandage wrapped around her burned arm, emerged from Earth's stargate behind the rest of the team to see General Hammond, Colonel O'Neill, some guy with glasses using a pair of crutches, and "Awww man!" Willow was also there with a very happy smile as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
Sam, with her right arm in a makeshift sling, led the others down the ramp where the others greeted them. Kennedy stepped around Bra'tac's left side to get to her girlfriend. "O.K. fine you win." She conceded with a quick kiss. The varied strange looks from the people in the room including Teal'c's raised eyebrow went unnoticed by the couple. Willow beamed at that admission.
"So, did you miss me?" Jack asked them bringing everyone attention away from the girls.
"Of course, sir." Sam answered.
"Well It couldn't have been that bad. You're all still alive."
"As are you and DanielJackson." Teal'c pointed out with his own right arm strapped against his side.
"Daniel?" Sam checked on her friend.
"I'm fine. And we got the device from Telchek."
"Good." Jacob responded. "Hopefully we can engineer a weapon from it."
"You must. Or we will be helpless to combat these new warriors." Bra'tac warned.
"Yeah, 'cause It's gon'na take more that me and Scarlet to stop that many of these guys." Kennedy added.
"We have some bad news sir." Sam reported. "Anubus has an entire army of these supersoldiers. There are thousands of them. The best we were able to do was delay his ability to manufacture more."
"We'll de-brief fully in one hour." Hammond dictated, "Welcome home." Then the General left to tend other matters.
A brief pause passed then the others followed.
"Hey." Jack caught Sam's attention stopping her exit. "So, nice command."
"We did manage to make it out alive Sir."
"There's that." He agreed. "Lunch?" Then the two officers left the gateroom.
*** *** ***
Willow set the CD player on the dresser in their bedroom and selected the track she wanted but didn't push the PLAY button.
"Are you ready out there?" Kennedy's voice came from behind the bathroom door next to the dresser.
"Almost." Willow quickly moved over and sat at the foot of the large bed facing the bathroom. "O.K. Ready!"
The door opened revealing a very sexy slayer, dressed in a red satin front tie halter top and matching mini skirt, seductively leaning on the doorframe with one hand. "So, are you ready to collect your prize?" The brunette asked with a slight husk slowly sliding her other hand across her bare midriff.
"Absolutely." Willow confirmed.
"Good." Kennedy took a step forward reaching for the CD player and pushed PLAY then continued, seductively criss-crossing a few more steps until she stood just barely out of the redhead's reach as the sound of 'Butterfly' by Crazy Town filled the room. "Mmmm. Good choice." She approved of the music.
The girl started swaying side-to-side causing her skirt to sway tauntingly. As the music picked up, so did the girl's dancing. Her movement displayed her well-toned, agile body. Soon, she began to untie the knot holding her top together in time to the beat. Before she finished, she turned her back to her audience denying the redhead the view she wanted then slipped the material off one shoulder and looked back to watch her girlfriend's reaction to the striptease, smiling at the hungry look in the witch's eyes and her tight grip on the footboard.