by ALC Punk! and Ryuu
Chapter Five: In Which It All Goes To Hell
It had started when Jones accidentally spilled Daniel's coffee. The young marine had been the receiver of a blistering lecture from a half-awake linguist who kept slipping out of his native tongue while he searched for the correct epithets to use on the hapless young man. Sam had put a stop to it, but the damage had been done. Jones wasn't pissed precisely, but he was edgy, irritated. So she sent him off with Teal'c.
And, dear God, did she wish she hadn't. She liked Daniel, she truly did. Except when he got overly excited and spent four hours explaining to her how fascinating the ruins he was photographing and studying were.
Of course, maybe she shouldn't have wished for something to happen to shut him up.
Because right then, she was missing Daniel's prattle.
Colonel Carter had taken a vantage point on the ledge above the gate, and was watching the two cargo ships below disgorge jaffa. And two Cal warriors. She wanted to close her eyes, but didn't. And a second later, she was glad.
A goa'uld stepped out of the larger shuttle, and stood there, surveying the area. Sam felt a shiver go down her back.
Ba'al.
Was he here just for the hell of it or had she missed the obvious signs and walked straight into an ambush? Sam touched the talk button on her radio and hissed into it as quietly as she could, "Teal'c, Captain, report."
"Yes, sir?" came Jones' calm reply.
"We have a situation here," she said, gritting her teeth in frustration.
"What has happened?" Teal'c's voice asked.
"Apparently the planet isn't as deserted as we thought," Sam said. "Ba'al's decided to show up with a whole bunch of his jaffa and a couple of super soldiers."
"What?" Jones yelped, fortunately quietly, adding a belated, "...sir."
"What are your orders, Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked with a calm she envied.
"Carefully make your way back to camp. Try to avoid getting caught."
"Yes, sir."
If there was sarcasm in the Captain's voice, Sam ignored it. "Daniel's already there. Get everything stowed that you can and then make your way back towards the gate. I'll stay here and watch him. Report if you need to. Carter out."
She clicked off and settled more firmly against the ridge. This was going to be long and boring. With a sigh, she started calculating pi.
This would happen to SG-1, she thought grimly. Especially on a planet that was supposed to be peaceful. She checked her watch. Two hours before the scheduled contact with the SGC. Hopefully, the General wouldn't panic and send twelve teams through the gate after them.
"Sam." Daniel's voice was soft over the radio.
Muffling the sound with her hand, anyway, Sam acknowledged him with a double click.
"I got most of the important equipment stored in the hollow outside of camp."
"Good. Teal'c and Jones are on their way to your position. Stay there."
"Right. Like I'm going to go wander off and play with the invading jaffa."
"You might not, but -" She froze and glanced down into the valley, "I'll get back to you."
"...Sam?" Daniel's worried voice piped up a second later. "Sam, what's wrong? Are you there? Sam!"
She let out a soft, inventive stream of curses that Jack would've been surprised to find that his usually elegant, composed Colonel knew as a familiar blonde head peeked out of one of the cargo ships, clearly searching for Ba'al.
"Daniel?" she managed to choke out.
"Sam! What's going on?"
She swallowed, fighting down her surge of panic, watching the Replicator walk over and speak to the goa'uld with every evidence of familiarity. "We need to get Teal'c and Jones and get the hell out of here. It looks like Ba'al and Eighth have joined forces."
Daniel was silent, and Sam figured that was because he'd either fainted, or was swearing creatively. Either way, this meant the plan changed. There was no way to hide their presence here-and going away from the stargate would merely reduce their chances of surviving. Unless the Replicator wanted new pets.
"That's not good."
"You don't say."
"How long before Jack checks in when we don't?"
"I'd say three hours."
"It's us."
"Fine. Two hours and the five minutes it will take Harriman to tell him we haven't called in."
"Sam?"
"Yes?"
Daniel sounded almost hesitant, "Can she detect our radio transmissions?"
"Probably." Luckily, the blonde and the brunette were simply having a conversation below, while the jaffa patroled the area. "Which is why in five minutes, I'm maintaining radio silence, unless there's an emergency."
There was a long, worried pause. "I'll meet you at the camp, Sam," he said at last.
"Right. Fill Teal'c and Jones in on the situation when you get there." She paused. "Be careful, Daniel. Carter out."
"You too," came the whispered reply.
She took a deep breath and rearranged her grip on her P-90, backing away soundlessly until she could make a silent retreat. Every step of the way, she mentally thanked Jack and his Black Ops training. Hopefully, it would get them through this alive.
"Why do you think they're here?"
Teal'c didn't answer the inquisitive Daniel Jackson, his body and senses focused on listening for the approach of Colonel Carter-and anything else that might decide to come for a visit.
"I mean, think about it, this is a dead planet. Sam's done some searching, but hasn't found any naquadah, so I don't -"
"Silence."
When a large jaffa asks you to be silent, you go silent. Daniel was no different. He eyed Teal'c for a moment, then glanced at Captain Jones. The Captain wasn't fidgeting or moving, he was just... waiting, was the word Daniel finally decided on. Like Jack used to wait, when he knew he needed to do something, but didn't know what.
There was a tension in the air Daniel understood. His soft questions had been a deliberate vocalization to avoid thinking about the fact that Ba'al was here. Even worse, the idea that the Replicator Fifth had made as a copy of Sam was here. Daniel hadn't met her the last time, but he'd heard enough to know that he didn't want to. And that Sam felt responsible for letting her dupe them.
He pushed away the thought that regretted not updating his will before he'd left. That thought was defeatist and ultimately unhelpful. Plus, Sam or Jack would've knocked him upside the head for giving up that easily. Or at least mocked him for it. Sam had really been influenced by Jack's command style even more than she knew.
There was a faint rustling in the underbrush behind them. The three men tensed up, then visibly relaxed as Sam's head poked up. She smiled grimly. "Good to see you three."
Before the others had a chance to respond, Daniel shifted, aiming his P-90 at her. "So, Sam. What happened the last night we were on Earth?"
She blinked once, then half-smiled. "I beat some idiot named Brad at pool."
"Good enough." He relaxed. While it was still marginally possible that the Replicator had gotten her hands on Sam, he doubted she would have had the time to break her mind and assimilate the information.
"Anyway. It's good to see you."
"Likewise, Colonel Carter," Teal'c replied, inclining his head.
"Sir?"
"Captain?" she asked, turning her head to Jones.
"What should we do?" He squared his shoulders, trying to hide his nervousness. "I mean, I'm not sure we have the firepower to take these guys on, sir."
She nodded. "I don't think we do either, Captain." She thought for a moment. "I'm open to suggestions, but I still think our best option is to see if we can get to the gate first and make a tactical retreat."
"What about Jack?" Daniel asked, "Isn't the SGC due to contact us if we fail to make our daily call?"
"Yes. Unfortunately, I'm not sure Eighth won't detect the radio waves as soon as they begin broadcasting." She shifted, "Any possibility of sending missiles through the gate could be blocked by her-she has the ability to interface with any electronics."
"Missiles?" the Captain asked.
"Like when we took out Moloc," Daniel said. "Wait, Sam, you're not thinking of destroying Ba'al, are you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind."
"Followed by, 'we don't have the manpower or firepower', right, Sam?"
Sam Carter glanced at Teal'c, "Do you think we'll be able to take the gate?"
"I do not."
"Then we hide."
"I do not believe that will suffice, either, Colonel Carter. Once Ba'al and the Replicator learn of our presence with the attempted contact by the SGC, we will become hunted."
Great." Sam closed her eyes for a moment, gathering strength. "So... any suggestions?"
"Um... is there any way to distract them away from the gate?" Daniel asked.
"Maybe one of us could act as... bait, sir?" Jones suggested reluctantly.
"No," Sam replied firmly, hearing a familiar voice insisting that no one got left behind. "That is not an option. We're all getting out of this one, Captain. That's an order."
Jones nodded. "Yes, sir."
"So, what, Sam? We don't know if there's a mothership in orbit, or how Ba'al's controlling the Replicator." Daniel paused, and blinked.
"Controlling her?" Sam frowned, "I suppose it's possible."
"Well, what do we know about Ba'al? We know he's smart, one of the most intelligent System Lords out there. He plans for the long-term, and he's good at thinking on his feet." Remembering the System Lord summit he'd attented, Daniel continued slowly, "He's good at sitting back and just watching."
"Like a spider in a web?"
"Yeah."
"And you believe this indicates Ba'al has discovered some means of controlling the Replicater?" Teal'c asked, sounding almost disturbed.
"Well, it makes a sick sort of sense."
Sam ran a hand through her hair, "But if he is, and if we could get our hands on it..."
Daniel groaned. "Jack's not going to like this."
"If it gets us out of here alive," Sam answered dryly, "I think the General will be ecstatic. It'll keep him from having to fill out more paperwork."
"And you'll get a shiny new toy for the SGC?" Daniel replied, only half-teasing.
"Possibly," she said calmly.
"We don't do anything by halves, do we?" Daniel sighed.
"Indeed not, Daniel Jackson." A smile touched Teal'c's lips.
"We're SG-1, Daniel," Sam began rummaging through her pack. "So. Anyone else but me carrying anything explosive?"
"I have some C4, sir," Jones shrugged when she looked at him. "General O'Neill handed it to me when I was speaking with him. He said we might need it."
"Nice to know Jack always prepares for the worst," said Daniel dryly.
Sam smiled, "Well, I've got C4, detonators, and a few grenades. I like to be prepared, too."
"Great," Daniel said, "So we can blow things up. What now?"
"Now, we do some more surveying, and hope that when the SGC calls, the Replicator isn't paying attention."
"If they call."
Sam eyed Jones, "You doubt the General's ability to decide we're in trouble?"
"It's not that, sir. I mean -" he paused, then straightened, "After your comments to him in the mess hall, sir, I don't know that he'd be quite so, um, over-protective."
Oh. Daniel half-smiled, "Ah, I see the base grapevine is in full swing, still."
The Captain almost flushed.
"We've got jobs to do, people," Sam replied, choosing not to answer Daniel. "Let's get to work."
"Sir, I didn't mean to-" Jones stammered a bit, mentally kicking himself.
"Don't worry about it, Captain. We've just got to focus on getting home."
"Colonel Carter, I believe that if we are to succeed, we will need more help."
"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Teal'c?"
"I believe that any jaffa who is shown the truth will rise against their master. The destruction of the false Gods has already spread to the outskirts of even Ba'al's army."
Sam tilted her head, "Do we have enough time to convert them?"
"We may."
"But can we trust them?"
"No." Daniel said, his tone derisive, "C'mon, guys, this isn't some utopia. They might join us and then betray us the first chance they have."
"Teal'c, your suggestion is valid." Sam began pulling the cameras out of Daniel's pack, "And I'll keep it in mind, but I'm not sure it's feasible at the moment."
"What are you doing to my cameras?"
"Using them for something other than pictures." She removed the batteries, checking the types as she stacked them.
"Sir, a small charge like a zat blast should be enough to set them off." Captain Jones was inspecting one of the smaller batteries.
"We don't have anything for timers, sadly."
"Would this work?" Daniel asked, holding out his watch.
Jones took it and inspected it critically. "It just might. I think I could rig something, anyway."
"But are you sure you want to destroy your watch?" Sam teased.
Daniel shrugged. "I never really liked that watch anyway."
"Okay, fine." She considered for a moment, then nodded decisively. "Teal'c, Daniel, Jones, I want you three make sure our stuff is hidden well, Daniel, if there's anything you have to have, pack it in your vest. Once that's done, wait for the gate to activate. Daniel, I want you to tell the General that our transmissions are being monitored, but if he'd like to toss some grenades through we could use the extra firepower."
"Uh, Sam?"
"I'm not finished yet. Once you're done packing, I want Teal'c to leave the two of you there and attempt to make contact with the jaffa. See if any are amenable to changing sides. If not, zat them."
"And where will you be, Colonel?" Jones was looking at her, eyes blank.
"Throwing a hammer in the works. Hopefully. But before I go off to do that, we need to divide up the C4."
A few minutes later, Jones had the C4, most of the batteries, and all of the timing devices. Sam had the rest. She pulled her radio off and fiddled with it, opening the case.
"Sam, whatcha doin'?"
"The minute the gate opens, and the Replicator picks up the SGC's transmission, they'll know they're not alone. Our element of surprise will be lost."
"Sam!"
"Daniel."
"Take Jones with you."
She sighed. "All right. Fine. I think I'm going to need his help, anyway."
There was a re-distribution of the explosives, then Sam nodded, "Let's go, people."
Sam glanced over at Jones. "How are you holding up, Captain?" she asked, keeping her voice low as they crept through the tree line.
He managed a grin. "I'm fine, sir. I'd heard about a lot of SG-1's adventures, but I never thought I'd be involved in one."
"Well, let's make sure it's not your last time, okay?" She smiled at him, then signaled to get down as they came to the edge of the tree cover.
He nodded, reflecting that Colonel Carter was a lot less scary when she smiled.
Down below them in the valley, the jaffa and super soldiers mingled, with Ba'al and the Replicator standing to one side. "What a pity we can't drop a house on the wicked witches of Oz," Sam muttered.
"I don't know about a house, sir," Theo shifted and nodded at the two cargo ships, "But what about them?"
The cargo ships sat there in the meadow, gleaming slightly in the sunlight. And Sam felt a smirk take her lips. "You know, Captain, I think I'm beginning to adore you." She glanced at her watch and briefly calculated how much longer before the SGC would try to contact them. "Okay. Here's what we're going to do."
Walter was really hoping someone else would be on their way to the General's office.
Of course, they weren't. That meant he was the one who had to inform General O'Neill that SG-1 were overdue on their daily contact.
Getting his courage in hand, he made his way up the spiral stairs. And knocked on the door. "General?"
"Walter?" The General looked up from behind the report he was currently reading.
"Um, it's SG-1, sir. They're, uh, overdue."
"What?" Jack looked at his watch. "No contact at all?"
"No sir." Walter began to sweat. "It's been about twenty minutes now."
"Ah." The General looked down at the papers he'd been signing. "Well, I'm sure they're fine, Walter. Thanks for telling me."
Walter blinked in surprise. "Uh, sir, shouldn't we try to contact them?"
"Nah, Colonel Carter probably forgot."
"She wouldn't, sir."
"Maybe she got absorbed in taking her samples."
Suddenly, Walter noticed the odd uncertainty in the man's eyes. "General, official policy is to contact a team if they're overdue by a half hour, correct?"
"Hammond wrote the policy, Walter."
"Well, sir, it's almost been a half hour."
The General threw down his pen and let out an exasperated sigh. "Fine. But it's your fault if the Colonel complains about us being over-protective."
I'll take that risk, sir, Walter thought but didn't say.
Jack watched the man leave. If a man's back could display complete disapproval, Walter's would be shouting it at him. Not that he blamed his assistant. Jack's own reaction had involved immediately going through the gate himself and checking on SG-1. But he couldn't. If Sam didn't think he trusted her to lead, then he had to show her. And the only way to do that was by not running to the rescue whenever it looked like SG-1 was in danger.
He turned his attention back the report, but dropped it back on his desk in disgust after a few minutes. He stood and began to pace, running his fingers restlessly through his hair. Maybe it was something like a radio malfunction or the team suddenly getting caught up in some project.
Yeah, right.
Jack snorted. If SG-1 was involved, it was probably more along the lines of a full-blown apocalypse.
