Part 7, Ready?
(Pagan Twylight, thank
you. I enjoy reading Tok'ra stories as well. There isn't enough
Martouf/Lantash stories out there. Stoko, thanks. I hope you enjoyed
my little cliffhanger.
Small warning of language for this chapter.
It's one word, but you have been warned.)
--Lantash--
Well...now what? Narim asks me as he walks back to the cave.
It's after his question that it occurs to me that Selmak never actually told us what to do. I would presume we continue to wait.
Could we fight our way in? Jacob said there were not many Jaffa.
There are not many Jaffa compared to a System Lord. That doesn't mean there is not many.
We continue to walk without further thought, and quietly gather some food. I realize how quiet Jike and Kaid are. They must he talking to each other. We reach the cave, and tell the others about Jacob/Selmak. Afterwards, Narim makes our way to the back. I wanted to be alone, but Jike follows us. Narim looks to him, waiting for him to speak, but Jike is quiet. He just...stares at us. Slightly unnerved, Narim gives me control. I frown slightly. "If you do not have anything to say, I'd prefer to be alone."
"I noticed that," Jike replies.
How do I respond to that? "At least stop staring."
Jike blinks, glancing away, and I realize he probably didn't realize he was staring. "Lantash," he says, "I have missed working with you. The Tok'ra will be happy when you return to us."
He can't know, Narim states, which parallels my own thoughts. He couldn't possibly know what Selmak and I have been hiding, yet it is odd he would bring this up now. "I..." Words jumble my brain. I see Samantha approach. "Samantha." Thank you, Samantha. I love you so much right now.
Jike looks irritated, and I have a feeling Samantha knows exactly what she interrupted. She looks so innocent as she asks, "Jike, may I speak to Lantash alone?"
Jike looks yet even more irritated, but leaves to the front.
Samantha kneels down by me, and I quickly greet her with a hug. "Thank you. Thank you," I whisper quietly.
She smiles as she pulls way. "I did want to discuss something with you." She is quiet so Jike cannot hear.
"I will discuss anything you wish."
"I wanted to discuss your fears."
Can I take back my previous statement? I think the look on my face shows my wish because she adds, "You don't have to...I think there is more to it than you realize."
"After what I went through with Zar, you do not think that is enough?" I feel slightly insulted.
"Oh, no, that is not what I meant," she says quickly. "I know he is a big part of it."
"I hate him. I...fear him." The word "fear" I say with disgust. "He has caused my...fear for all the Goa'uld." Strange how the word "fear" is so much harder to actual say. "If I can get passed...that feeling from him, then I will get passed it for all Goa'uld."
She looks doubtful, though I am not sure if she doubts what I said or what she was thinking. Samantha is about to say something but Teal'c calls for both of us. He doesn't turn to us when we approach. "Jaffa are coming. I do not know how many." He and Kaid start shooting. Shots are return immediately, and I think we were actually fired at first. The rest of us grab the bags. There is no room for us to take position and shoot. "It is clear," Teal'c says after three shots.
"We need to leave," Kaid says.
We hurry out of the cave, and head through the forest. The sound of Jaffa are close behind. From the sound of their steps, and I cannot believe how much I hate that sound, Zar might have sent his whole army after us. Thankfully, we are a much faster. I give Narim control, so I can better help his speed. We reach a small glade, and Narim nearly runs into someone. Narim pauses. "Jacob?"
"This way," Jacob points to a new direction, and doesn't stop moving. Realizing our confusion, he speaks as we continue. "I must have been followed when I went out to find you. When I came back, I overheard the Jaffa speak of finding me and the Tok'ra I spoke to. Luckily I was able to leave before they realized I was back."
"What about Anguis?" Kaid asks.
"We need to lose the Jaffa before we can help Anguis. Hopefully Zar will concentrate his efforts on us and not him."
I feel a burn of guilt boil my blood. Zar might hurt Barm and Anguis. The idea scares and angers me.
The forest become thicker, and it becomes hard to move quickly. Narim nearly trips several times over plants he can't even see. Ten minutes later, and I see why Jacob brought us this way. The forest has ended, and we find ourselves in a rocky area, perfect for cover. SG-1 quickly starts setting something up.
I think they are explosions, Narim says as he gives me control.
That makes sense. I notice Jacob starts to help.
"What are they doing?" Kaid asks me, as we were left standing alone.
"Setting up explosions," I say as if I knew that part of the plan all along. I ignore his confused look, and head to take cover. I climb/walk up high in the rocks, which proves to be a difficult. I take cover when I reach a good area, and look out below. They seem to have taken cover already, and the first of the Jaffa are coming through the forest. Due to the thickness of this part of the forest, they cannot all come out at once.
Everyone starts firing almost at once. I can hear, and sometimes feel, a blast from a staff weapon go over me. I continue firing at the small Jaffa, picking them off as they come out of the forest. However, they very quickly start coming in much larger numbers. As they approach certain areas, I learn Narim was correct in assuming Samantha had set up explosives. "Ha!" Suddenly I hear the sound of a staff weapon that is much too close. I roll over in an attempt to dodge it. The blast is coming. Ow!
Ow! My ear! Narim thinks.
It grazed enough to burn. I give Narim control so I can repair the damage. Narim instinctively moves his hand on his ear, and realizes that was a very bad idea. OW! "Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow."
On second thought, I think his action did stop his hair from catching fire.
Another blast goes over us, and we realize the Jaffa has gotten even closer. He's on a easier path to get here. One we didn't see.
Stupid... Narim aims the zat'nikatel. ...Jaffa! Narim fires.
The Jaffa is knocked back, and fall several feet before hitting sharp rocks. Narim moves up a little to fire again, and then ducks down. Another blast passes over. As the minutes pass, I pay more attention to Narim's burn than the fight. However the thoughts Is that a Death Glider? bring back my attention.
Yes, that's a Death Glider headed right for us. Our perfect cover from the Jaffa makes us a perfect target for the Death Glider. Move! Move!
Narim practically rolls off the cliff, and lands harshly on rocks below. Up on his feet, he quickly makes his way down, slipping on half the rocks. Several blasts from the Death Glider and the Jaffa hit where were just seconds before. The slipping is actually helping us move much more quickly than we otherwise could, but I'm not looking forward to reaching the bottom this way. Narim loses all footing, and falls onto his back, now completely out of control our way down. Bushes and handholds slip through his fingers, which now sting. As I feel him going airborne, I tell him to protect his head. He does, just in time for a harsh landing....and in complete view of the Jaffa.
At least no bones were broken, but he is now as the Tau'ri sometimes say, one large bruise. He also has a concussion and several small cuts on his arms, hands, and fingers. Just as Narim starts to pull himself up, Samantha comes up behind us, and drags us to her cover.
Look what I have to heal now.
Sorry. Narim closes his eyes, and I feel unconscious start to take him.
Stay awake!
He opens his eyes. I have a headache.
Which is why you can't go to sleep. I do not yet know the full extent of the damage to his head.
Tired. I see his vision blur as he seems to lose concept of his surroundings. Reality is drifting away.
Stay awake!! Talk to Samantha.
He looks to her. "Sam'tha..." He smiles as she checks on him between shots. "Lant' says I have t' stay 'wake."
She looks more worried after that statement.
"B' I 'ee' 'red."
"What?"
Concentrate on your words, I tell him, hoping that'll help him keep conscious.
"But..I...feel..." He loses conscious.
I stay retreated so I can repair the damage as quickly as I can. I can hear that fight still happening, and Samantha is saying something to my host. To be honest I feel a bit dizzy, however, I must treat Narim first. I can't fail him.
After several minutes I feel him start to wake up. Turn off, he thinks, referring to ringing in his ears, not aware of what is causing it.
I am attempting to do that by healing you.
He seems to make a mental shrug as he realizes what is causing the annoyance. Narim closes his eyes as he feels more dizzy with them open.
"Narim," says Samantha's voice.
"Sam...tha," Narim replies, which scares me. What if there is damage I cannot repair? I should have been more careful. I continue to repair the damage, afraid that I have failed another host.
Sometime after the shooting stops, though I have no idea how long it's been since his fall, Narim's vision and thoughts are normal again. "I feel better, Saman...tha" he says, still slightly out of it. I'm thrilled he was able to say that.
After a few more minutes he tries to sit up, and Samantha helps him.
"Should you be sitting up?"
"Lantash didn't tell me I couldn't."
I mentally chuckle. Narim does the same, and Samantha looks like she doesn't know if she should worry or not. Narim points to his head, which he sometimes does when referring to me. "Lantash laughed, and that makes me laugh."
At this she smiled.
Narim closes his eyes.
No more head injuries for you, Narim. You scared the shit out of me.
He chuckles at the Tau'ri expression. I hope not literally.
Soon we hear footsteps and a symbiote presence.
I bet it is Jacob and Selmak, I say.
No, Jike and Kaid were closer. It must be them. Narim opens his eyes.
I win, I mentally gloat. Jike and Kaid were closer, but getting down would take longer...unless they get down the same way we did.
Narim blushes slightly, and closes his eyes again.
"Dad," says Samantha's voice. "How many more Jaffa would be at the ship?"
Jacob seems to hesitate. "That was more Jaffa than I realized Zar had."
I have a feeling Narim and I missed most of the fight.
"That ship is our only way out," says Daniel's voice as he approaches. His words imply what we have been delaying from the start.
Jacob speaks again. "If we go in, we need to go in now, before Zar fully realizes what happened here. He probably won't know how many Jaffa he lost right away, but I'm sure he noticed the crash of his Death Glider."
Oh, was that what that big crashing noise was? Narim thinks.
"Can you walk?" Samantha's voice says.
Narim opens his eyes to confirm that question is directed at us. "Yes." Samantha helps him up, and he feels dizzy. The world seems to be spinning, and it is kind of amusing.
That's because you are on the inside, Narim thinks as he stabilizes. He keeps a hand on Samantha's upper arm as he starts walking. He frowns slightly as his legs are much sore than we realized. Can you fix that?
I'm still working on your head injury. Then I need to fix all those cuts on your arms, hands, and fingers.
He looks at his own arms as if realizing they bleeding for the first time. As we continue to walk he is quite amazed how quickly he is healing. You are better than some Tollan medical devices.
Always nice to be compared to medical equipment.
Sorry, he adds, sensing my offense to that. I did not mean that as an insult.
The walk just to the cave take half an hour, and by then Narim is mostly healed. Thank you, he thinks when his legs are no longer sore. I have managed to completely heal him by the time we reach the ship. As Narim takes cover we see several Jaffa standing outside.
"We'll need to use transport rings to get onto the ship," Jacob says, and continues talking.
My mind leaves concentration on his words, and remembers the last time I faced Zar.
--
"Where is the new Tok'ra world?"
"I don't know."
Zar lowers the ribbon device he had been using, and grabs a pain stick. I'm not tied in any way, yet I cannot move away as he brings it closer.
PAIN!!!
I catch my breath as he moves away, still unable to believe how that device makes me forget everything but it's effect. I hear elements of Elliot's thoughts. He only knows he is in pain, and I'm constantly there, so it must be my fault. Claw it out of my head, he thinks, having forgotten my name months ago. Carve it out with a knife.
Elliot, I'm sorry.
He doesn't recognize his own name. He lost his mind over a year ago.
PAIN!!!
"Where is the new Tok'ra world?"
"I..don't...know." Breathing is difficult. PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!
"Do you think I am foolish enough to believe that? Help yourself, Lantash, and tell me where the new Tok'ra base is."
"Was...in...stasis." New tears run down. I can't move. My limbs, or rather Elliot's limbs, were broken. I'm too weak and in too much pain to move even if they weren't. "Please, stop."
PAAAAAAAAAIN!!!
"I beg you to stop. I don't know. I don't KNOW." I'm glad I don't know.
"You must have some idea."
"In stasis for months, perhaps years. I don't even know...what world you found me on. Please."
PAIN!!!
He's smiling now, and I think he did that just to enjoy seeing me in pain.
PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN...........
--
I had lost conscious after that, and woke up back in that prison. Now I'm going to board his ship, and possibly going face Zar again.
To be continued...