PART SEVEN

This time their progress was much quicker and they reached the gate within half an hour.

'Oh wonderful!' Jack mumbled from behind the tree where he hid.

Having checked the area surrounding the gate from their position in the forest, they found it to be guarded by a lot more Jaffa.

'We need to set up a distraction.' Ryan whispered from a tree to his left.

'Really?' came the sarcastically whispered reply. Jack wanted nothing more than to get back home and have a hot shower.

Ryan glared at him before noiselessly climbing his tree and noting the Jaffa's positions. His task complete, he dropped back down to the forest floor earning himself several surprised winces. He spared a quick glance for the branch he'd just vacated 20ft above, before getting back down to business.

'I'll distract them whilst you get back to the gate.' He reached for his wrist, earning several curious glances from various people.

'Well that's not much of a plan.' Jack told him. 'We didn't just rescue you so that you could be recaptured.'

'Don't worry I won't get caught.' Ryan told them confidently as a small black, boxed shaped object appeared on his wrist.

'What's that?' asked Sam, curiosity burning in her eyes.

'You'll see. Just get ready to dial out.' Abruptly, Ryan vanished, leaving the rest of them looking around in confusion. 'I'm off to do some distracting.' Ryan's disembodied voice made them all jump. Even Teal'c looked startled.

'What the...?' Jack spun in the direction of the voice but saw nothing.

'Sir, we could really use some of their technology.' Sam told him.

'Not to worry Major. I plan on trying to get an agreement with the Gondolians. I'm sure the General will agree.

'O'Neill!' Teal'c warned them.

Following his gaze, they saw the commotion near the gate. For several minutes they watched. Obviously Ryan was holding up his end of the bargain. The Jaffa were running around in confusion as Ryan took out several of them. He then suddenly reappeared gaining the Jaffa's attention and began to lead them away from the gate.

'Let's go!' Jack ordered, as he began running towards the gate.

Daniel followed and began dialling in Earth's address on the DHD. Hearing the familiar and welcome sound of the gate opening, Jack turned to his companions. 'Carter!'

'Done sir!' came the reply as she entered the last digit of the IDC code.

'Go then.'
Carter ran for the gate, closely followed by Teal'c with Lucy still unconscious in his arms. Daniel hesitated looking at Jack, not happy about leaving until his friend did.

'Go Daniel!' Jack ordered and turned back to watch Ryan once Daniel had gone through.

Ryan vanished once again and circled back towards the gate. Reaching Jack's position, he reappeared. 'Come on!' he urged pulling on Jack's arm. They both turned and ran through the gate.

'Close the iris!' yelled Carter as they came through.

'SG-1 we debrief in one hour, I suggest you take our guests down to the infirmary.' The General told them gaining their attention.

Teal'c lay Lucy on the waiting gurney before following the other in to the infirmary.

'Can anyone explain to me what happened?' asked Janet Frasier, the bases CMO, as she began to examine Lucy.

'Uh...she healed me,' Daniel spoke up, when noone else seemed forthcoming.

Seeing the look on Janet's face, Ryan decided he'd better explain. 'Healing people uses up a lot of energy, which is why Lucy's unconscious. She'll be fine in a few hours or so after some rest.'

Having not found anything wrong with her young patient, Janet decided to follow his advice. 'Ok, so maybe now you could explain how she did that.'

'Well... she sorta laid her hands on him and hey presto, next minute Danny-boy here's in perfect health.' Jack explained in his own unique fashion.

'She didn't use a healing device?' Janet looked surprised.

'No, no device.' Ryan confirmed.

Janet gave him a sceptical look.

'She's not human.' He informed her.

'But her blood is identical to that of a human, her x-rays too.' Janet looked even more confused.

'Oh...she's definitely not human.' Jack drawled unhelpfully.

Seeing the look that now adorned Janet's face, Ryan decided the quicker he gave her an explanation the better off he'd be.

'We're from a planet called Gondolia, but I'm half-human. Gondolia is more advanced than earth so I'm guessing your devices won't be able to pick up the slight differences in our genetic structures, physically we're almost identical to humans.'

Janet sighed, 'Ok I need you all to be checked out before you see the General.'

Leaving the various members of SG-1 for her staff to deal with, she turned her attention to Ryan. 'Ok, sit down.'

'But I'm fine.' He favoured her with a grin.

'I'll be the judge of that.' She gave him the same look she used on a certain Colonel when he was being stubborn.

Ryan glared at her, but sat anyway.

15 minutes later she'd finished with him. 'Well I can't find anything wrong with you...'

'Told ya.' He grinned.

Seeing the look Janet gave him, Ryan wisely kept his mouth shut.

'I'll get the Colonel. He can escort you to the briefing room.

A few moments later Janet came back in with Jack in tow. 'You ready to get out of here?' he asked.

'Oh yeah!'

Ryan was out of the door before Janet could comment. 'I see you've made a great impression on him.' Commented Jack and quickly began to make his way out of the infirmary.

Unfortunately, Daniel chose that moment to come in and check on Lucy.

Unprepared for the Daniel-shaped wall blocking his escape route, Jack found himself sprawled on the floor. 'Damn it!' Jack muttered under his breath from where he now lay on the floor.

He glared at Daniel who'd somehow managed to stay on his feet. Daniel gave his friend a hand up, as he tried in vain to smother the smile that threatened to show itself.

'Maybe that'll teach you to watch what you say.' Janet didn't try to hide her own smile.

Ryan popped his head around the door, interrupting his reply. 'Jack?'

Jack sighed and brushed himself off.

He turned to Daniel, 'Coming?'

The archaeologist shook his head.
'I'll be there in a minute, I just wanted to see how Lucy's doing.

Jack nodded and followed Ryan out of the door.

At the briefing, once they'd given all their reports, they were left with the problem of how to get Ryan and Lucy back to their home planet.

'Will you be able to get through the Stargate?' asked Carter. 'Lucy told us it was guarded.'

'Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem. We just need to let Vicky know what time we're coming through and she'll create a diversion so that we're not detected.'

'How will you tell her of your plans?' asked Jack.

'I'm a telepath, remember?' a young voice piped up from the doorway.

'Lucy, shouldn't you be in the infirmary?' Daniel asked in concern.

'I'm fine.'

The General waved away the guard who'd tried to follow her. 'Where's Doctor Frasier? Does she know you're here?'

Lucy shrugged, looking innocent but fooling noone, 'Don't know what you're talking about.'

The phone rang before anything else could be said. The General picked up.
'Yes, she's here...ok, I'll let them know.'

'That was Dr Frasier. She wants one of you to bring Lucy back to the infirmary when we've finished.'

Jack nodded indicating that he would do so.

Lucy sat down on a spare chair and closed her eyes. Before anyone could ask her what was wrong she opened them again. 'Vicky will create a diversion at 17.00 hours.' She informed them.

Carter looked at her watch, 'That's in 5 hours.'

'Very well. Colonel, I'd like you to take Lucy back to the infirmary. In the meantime I'd like to discuss an exchange of technology with Ryan.' Jack led Lucy out of the room.

'You probably won't get much.' She told him as they walked down the corridor. 'The resistance don't have much to spare.'

When the others entered the infirmary a short while later, they found Lucy squirming on her bed whilst Janet tried to examine her.

Seeing that Janet was rapidly losing patience, Ryan decided that it would be best if he stayed well back behind the others before the good Doctor found a reason to perform some more tests on him.

'Can I go now!' Lucy asked impatiently, as Janet finally removed the thermometer from her mouth.

'You don't have anything wrong with you as far as I can tell, so I guess I can let you go...' Lucy leapt from the bed and had gotten halfway down the corridor before anyone thought to stop her.

'Lucy!' Jack yelled after her.

Ryan ran after her.

'What?' she stopped and turned round to face him.

'You can't go running round the base unescorted.' Jack explained.

'Then come with me I want to go to the surface.'

'No, we can't.' Jack wondered how she knew that they were underground. 'We're confined to base.

Lucy's face fell.
'You mean I'm stuck here!'

'Yup, General's orders.'

'We'll see about that!'
She stormed off down the corridor.

SG-1 exchanged looks before hurrying after her.

'I'm not staying here!' they heard as they approached the General's office. They didn't catch the General's reply, but Lucy's rising voice came back to them loud and clear. 'You think I don't know anything about keeping secrets? I've spent my whole life hiding who I am...'

Against his better judgement, Jack came in and interrupted before she could continue. 'Uh, General, Sir. I'll take responsibility for her if you'll allow us some time topside. She's not really used to being underground.'

'Colonel, I cannot allow her to leave the base. In a few hours she'll be going home, surely she can wait that long.'

Lucy interrupted,
'Hey, I'm here! Talk to me.'

Jack turned to her.
'Lucy, go wait outside.' He ordered firmly, in the same tone that he'd used on Charlie. She glared at him but left all the same. He turned back to the irate General to explain. 'General, I've seen some of her memories. They're not very nice. She's also told me that she was part of an experiment, being on an airforce base is probably stirring up those memories. I strongly suggest you let SG-1 take her out for a while, her brother too.' Jack saw the General take his argument into consideration. 'She's also spent most of her life on Earth with her older sister, so it's not like she hasn't already seen our planet.'

Hammond sighed,
'Very well Colonel, but your to stay on the mountain and your responsible for her. Understood?'

'Yes Sir. Thanks General.'

'Dismissed.'

Jack left to find the others waiting for him in the corridor.

'Well?' Lucy looked at him hopefully.

'Yeah, we can go up but we have to stay on the mountain. First though I'm getting something to eat. Anyone hungry?' A chorus of affirmatives greeted him, so he led them to the mess.