Title: As the 'Gate Turns: Discovery
Author: Annerb
Email: PG-13, minor language, death
Summary: Just when things were finally getting back to normal, the Tok'ra come to stir the plot. Their information leads to a shocking discovery.
Classifications: Series, S/J Angst, Drama, Action, Mid-season 8
Season: Mid-season 8, up through End Game (AU from there)
Archive: Yes, SJD and Heliopolis
DisclaimerThe characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp. The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.
Author's Note: Here's part 3! The action kicks up a bit, and we meet some new characters. Endless thanks to Triptnx and Montage.
Feedback: Always appreciated! I tried to be as canon as possible, but who knows!
As the 'Gate Turns
Part 3: Discovery
General Jack O'Neill and SG-1 stood together watching the rotation of the Stargate with varied expressions. Teal'c, of course, being Teal'c, seemed as self-contained as always, only his lack of weapons spoke to his ease and the way his eyes looked to the spinning ring told of his curiosity. Daniel was a bit more open, his eyes bright behind his glasses, a small journal tucked under his arm and a pen circling in his free hand. He gently shifted his weight back and forth from one foot to the other, shooting speculative glances at Jack.
Sam stood between Jack and Daniel, her expression nearly as guarded as Teal'c's. But, being Sam, if you really knew her, as her companions did, you could detect an uneasy mingling of excitement and distrust. Jack, on the other hand, made no such attempt to guard his expression. He was clearly in no mood to be patient and seemed to be bracing himself for something highly unpleasant. Sam might have laughed at his expression under any other circumstance. The quartet remained standing, silently watching the alien technology at the center of their careers and lives.
An airman's voice broke through the silence, "Receiving Tok'ra IDC, sir." Jack mumbled something indecipherable about the Tok'ra under his breath.
Sam glanced at him speculatively, "Sir?" She managed to communicate a lot with that one word, not the least of which was 'open the iris unless you want to splatter my father, which wouldn't please me all that much.'
"Yeah, yeah, Carter," answered Jack, before calling out louder for the tech to open the iris. He then sighed heavily, his dislike for the Tok'ra clear.
"Maybe it's just a social call," Sam offered brightly, not believing it for a moment herself. Jack's glare told her he could read her like a book. Sam could only hope that her father would be the Tok'ra representative, both because Jack liked him and he would therefore do a marginally better job listening to whatever the Tok'ra wanted, and also because she had not seen her father since her wedding, or rather her not-wedding. The disintegration of the Tok'ra-human alliance had deprived Sam of her closest family member, not just an ally against the Goa'uld.
The first figure through the gate was Jacob and Selmak. Sam could feel Jack relax perceptibly beside her, only to quickly tense again as his worst fear materialized. A second figure stepped through the gate after Jacob.The wormhole disengaged and the two visitors came down the ramp. The tall, rather voluptuous woman that accompanied Jacob strode straight up to Jack and was the first to speak.
"General O'Neill, we were pleased to hear of your promotion as the commander of this facility. We can think of no one better suited for such a position."
Sam tried her best to focus on the poorly disguised annoyance on Jack's face rather than the way the woman stood too closely to Jack or the stupid urge Sam felt to make her step back. Almost as if she could read Sam's mind, the woman glanced at her briefly before turning her attention back to the General.
"Well…ah…thanks, Freya, but something tells me you didn't travel all this way just to congratulate me." Jack stepped back from Freya/Anise and turned his attention to Jacob. "So, what's up? Wouldn't happen to need someone to help save your collective asses again, would we?"
As inflammatory as Jack was trying to be, Jacob simply laughed and looked affectionately at Jack after winking at his daughter. "Ever the diplomat aren't we, Jack?"
"To be fair, Dad, things do tend to turn out badly whenever you guys show up," Sam offered, unaware that she was automatically defending Jack. Jacob did not seem as unaware of this habit, quickly filing the information away in his don't-think-about-it-too-much file.
"Well, Sammie, I can't say that this time will be any different," Jacob sighed.
"So then tell me this, Jacob: why aren't I just chucking you both back out of here?"
"Because this time, Jack, it's Earth's ass that's on the line."
Jack sighed heavily at this and half-heartedly gestured for them all to follow him up to the briefing room.
They managed to settle around the briefing table with only a miniscule scuffle as Sam rather elegantly shoved her way into her usual seat at the head of the table next to Jack, forcing Anise to take a seat between Sam and Teal'c. While not overtly obvious, the action did earn a displeased glare from Anise, an amused look from Jacob and a grateful smile from Jack.
Once they were all comfortably seated, Jack turned to Jacob. "Alright, Jake, let's hear it."
"Well, we managed to get an agent into one of Baal's motherships. He was pretending to be a minor Goa'uld in his service. He hadn't gained much access when he overheard something he wasn't supposed to. He managed to relay the information to us, but we think he might have been compromised because we have not heard from him since."
"How long have you been out of contact?" asked Sam.
"It's been over a month," Jacob supplied.
"I take it this is another 'sacrifice for the greater cause' and that you aren't here to mount a rescue," Jack noted sarcastically, his dislike of the Tok'ra habit of leaving people behind clear.
Jacob just gave Jack his your-way-isn't-the-only-way look. Anise took advantage of their staring match to jump into the conversation. "Ter'il is more than likely lost to us, but he did manage to collect valuable data."
Sam turned to Anise. "And what? That makes his sacrifice not in vain?" she asked, somewhat harshly, remembering a similar conversation she had with this woman as she held Martouf's lifeless body.
"Sammie," Jacob broke in with an understanding tone, "we are not here to debate the value system of the Tok'ra."
"Right," jumped in Daniel, clearly uncomfortable with the charged atmosphere that was building up between the two former allies. He turned to Anise, "So what did Ter'il overhear that he wasn't supposed to?"
Glad to get back on topic, Anise launched into an explanation. "There is another Goa'uld in the service of Baal, known as Enki." Before she could continue, all of the humans automatically paused and looked at Daniel as he began to rack his brain for references to this figure in Earth history.
"Right," he said eventually. "Enki was a lesser known Babylonian God also known as Ea. He's important as part of their creation myth. It's said that he created humans out of the blood of a fallen god. Supposedly, he made people to serve the gods, so they would never have to work again."
"Sounds about right," muttered Jack, liking the Goa'uld even less, if possible.
"Not so far off, actually, considering that Ter'il overheard Enki discussing an experiment that he is working on for Baal," supplied Jacob. "Enki was boasting that when his project was finished, Baal would be eternally grateful for being given a way to destroy the Tau'ri. He said that if successful, his project would provide the 'ultimate weapon.'"
The table was silent for a moment as this information sunk in. Jack leaned back in his chair, trying to look unconcerned. "Okay, who's to say that this isn't typical Goa'uld I'm-king-of-the-Universe crap?"
Jacob nodded in understanding, the Goa'uld were pretty big on boasts and not always as big with following through. "Ter'il wasn't able to collect much information, but he was able to break into his lab and confirm that Enki was working with human DNA."
Sam sat up straight at this information. "Human DNA?" The possibilities that this opened up swam around her head, each one more nefarious than the last. Again, almost instinctually, the humans at the table turned and looked at Sam, waiting for her to enlighten them as to what the 'ultimate weapon' could be. "It really could be anything, none of it good," Sam offered finally.
"Any guesses?" Jack asked.
"Well, worst case scenario, they could be working on developing genetic weapons like the Aschen had. But I'm not sure that they would want to take out our entire population like that. Don't the Goa'uld usually take over planets, needing more slaves and hosts, rather than wiping them out completely?"
It was Teal'c's turn to jump in with information. "That is usually true, ColonelCarter, but they have been known to destroy entire planets if the threat was big enough."
"Or annoying enough," offered Jack. They all turned to look at him. "Come on. They have been trying to get rid of us unsuccessfully for eight years! All the while, we have been thinning them out like crazy. Maybe all they care about now is removing the 'Tau'ri threat' at any cost." Everyone took a moment to absorb his insight.
Teal'c nodded stolidly. "I agree with your assessment, O'Neill."
Jack turned back to Sam. "Could they really do it? Wipe us out?"
"It's theoretically possible, sir."
"Crap."
They continued debating the possible 'ultimate weapons' for a while, but they all knew that speculation would only get them so far. The only way to be sure was for SG-1 to go check it out. Jacob had managed to delicately explain that the Tok'ra themselves had no operatives to spare at the moment. It seemed clear to Sam that he had probably had to fight tooth and nail just to get the Tok'ra high council to let him come warn them. It would be too much to hope that their former allies would lend them a hand. Sam smiled at her dad to let him know that she understood.
Duty dispatched, Jacob and Anise rose to take their leave. Jacob pulled Sam aside while the gate dialed, hoping to grab at least a few moments together.
"Sammie, I'm really sorry that-"
Sam cut him off. "Dad, our relationship with the Tok'ra is not your fault. I know you and Selmak are doing everything you can on your end."
Jacob gave Sam's hand a squeeze. "I know. I just hate that I'm here even less than I used to be. We haven't seen each other for over six months. I hated to leave you after the…" His voice trailed off and Sam smiled.
"It's okay, you can say it. It's been six months since I didn't marry Pete." Jacob flinched at her offhand way of putting it. Sam just laughed. "I know you won't believe me, but it really did end up being a good thing. It helped me realize some things about myself."
Jacob looked at her speculatively for a moment and Sam knew he was trying to gauge how truthful she was being. Eventually he shrugged, "Well, as Selmak just pointed out to me, you do seem more relaxed. I wish we had more time to talk about it, though." As he said that, of course, the Stargate swooshed into life behind them. He gave Sam a wry smile and she worked to hold back the sudden twist in her gut at the thought that she really had no idea if or when she would ever get to see him again.
Jacob pulled Sam into a hug and whispered into her ear, "Be safe. If you ever need me, send word, I'll do everything I can to get back."
Sam nodded into his neck and pulled back. "Take care of him for me, Selmak. Try to keep him out of trouble if you can."
Jacob glared teasingly at Sam as he followed Anise up the ramp. Right before he stepped through the event horizon, Jacob turned back and looked over towards Jack, Daniel and Teal'c. "Take care of my girl." Sam didn't think to protest as Jack nodded back and her father disappeared. Sam carefully swallowed the unexpected prick of tears and stared at the empty space where her father had been moments before. She gave herself one more moment of sentiment before shaking it off and turning her mind back to the mission ahead of her. Sam glanced up to find Jack watching her with an inscrutable expression.
When he didn't look away, Sam gave him a small smile to let him know that she was okay. He nodded and then turned back to Daniel and Teal'c. "Alright kids, let's spec out a mission," he said lightly and then led them back up into the briefing room.
Jack eventually, though reluctantly, agreed to let SG-1 infiltrate Baal's mothership. They decided that a small, surgical approach would probably be more successful than a larger head-on attack. They would need stealth to get in and get out in one piece. Jack, unsurprisingly, was not happy with sending them in, more than likely because he had first hand knowledge of what would happen to them if they were caught. Not that he would admit it, but he still had occasional nightmares about his time with Baal.
No matter Jack's reservations, not the least of which was the way the Tok'ra always managed to get them into more trouble than they bargained for, they all knew that the threat was too big to ignore and that nothing could be done without more information. So, permission granted, SG-1 was sent out with orders to ascertain what Enki's experiments were and to destroy any potential threats to Earth. According to Jacob's intelligence, Baal's mothership was currently orbiting a planet with no Stargate. They would be able to 'gate in directly to the ship using the planet's coordinates, but they did, of course, run the risk of the ship jumping to hyperspace while they were still on board. They would have to be quick, unless they wanted to take a nice road trip with Baal.
Jack fought the urge to follow SG-1 through the 'gate. He knew that they were the best and that Carter could take care of them all, but he was still filled with the need to be there to watch their backs. Promotions and reassignments aside, they would always be his team. Stamping down on his impulse, Jack calmly smiled and said "SG-1, you have a go."
Carter looked back at him and nodded, already in full-on Colonel mode. He knew she would bring them back, but he still silently wondered how Hammond had handled this for so long. Suddenly he felt bad that he hadn't been a little less reckless, probably would have saved Hammond some hair and stomach pain. Jack shook his head and tried to put SG-1 out of his mind by delving into the exciting realm of requisition forms.
Sam blinked at the complete darkness that engulfed her as soon as her molecules reintegrated on the other side of the wormhole. If she hadn't been a levelheaded, logical, scientist-type, she might have let herself wonder if the Stargate had finally goofed and put her back together wrong. Were the molecules that made up her eyes floating somewhere in space right now? Luckily Sam wasn't quite so whimsical, or at least not such that she would admit to it. With a soft click, her flashlight revealed a large room full of crates, quite similar to the room they had stumbled upon on Apophis' ship so many years before. Sam also didn't take the time to reflect on their good luck at finding the room unguarded. Instead, she gestured for Daniel to send the MALP back and set the rest of their plan into motion.
"Teal'c, get to the engine room and disable the hyper-drive. We don't want to take any unscheduled trips while on board. Daniel and I will start looking for the labs. Let's do our best to stay out of sight!" Teal'c nodded at Sam before slinking off towards the engine room. Daniel silently fell in behind Sam as she began a sweep of the level.
Two levels up from the gate room, Sam and Daniel stumbled into a room that served as a lab for Enki according to the intelligence provided by Ter'il. It was a large room with a bulky view screen along the back wall. Even though the room was in the typical gaudy, over-blown style of the Goa'uld, the air seemed sterile and reminded Sam of the smell of the infirmary back at the SGC. Another bank of consoles with Goa'uld writing covering it was against the wall on the right. Daniel automatically began checking out the information, looking for any clue as to what the lab was used for.
Sam wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it would have been nice for there to have been a large, suspicious looking object in the middle of the room with a large sign in clear English that said "Evil Weapon." Of course, this was never the case. With a last glance at Daniel, who was already fully engrossed, Sam turned her attention to the last wall on the left. There seemed to be some sort of mechanism in the wall. Sam pressed a glowing rune and a large pod-like structure emerged from the wall. It was about seven feet long and a couple of feet wide. Sam peered into pod through the clear cover. She did not find the scary-looking machine she had expected. Instead, she found herself staring at a human child. The child appeared to be about eight or nine years old and was sleeping or unconscious. He seemed impossibly small and out of place in the sterile, white space. Sam reached out a hand to touch the thick barrier as if to reassure herself that the ghost-like vision was actually real.
"Step away from the boy."
The low voice brought Sam out of her shock at the appearance of the young boy. She whipped around to see Daniel standing, somewhat sheepishly, with his gun being pointed at his head by a young woman. She was about the same height as Sam, with brown hair pulled back in a severe bun at the back of her head. She wore a plain, off-white, shapeless gown of what might be something like wool. The woman's appearance, however, was not what caught Sam's attention, but rather it was the icy calm in her eyes and the ease with which she held the gun against Daniel's temple. Sam's gut silently warned her not to mess with this adversary.
The woman's eyes were hard as she pressed the gun tighter against Daniel's head. "I said, step away from the boy!" To prove her intentions, perhaps, the woman easily clicked off the safety and cocked the gun with one hand. The sound made Daniel blanch and kicked Sam into action. Sam raised her hands in the air and slowly began to step away from the pod.
"Take it easy, I'll do what you say." The woman didn't seem to be inclined to relax as the gun remained where it was as she carefully mirrored Sam's movements, slowly circling around the room until she now stood between Sam and the boy. With a quick motion that removed the gun from Daniel's head for mere moments, the woman hit a button on the edge of the pod containing the boy. The gun was back on Daniel before either of them could react.
There was a slight hiss as the top of the pod retracted and the boy began to regain consciousness. Sam felt a vague feeling of relief that the small child actually lived. The boy sleepily opened his eyes to take in the scene around him. "Haley?" he asked in a weak, raspy voice that betrayed his confusion.
The woman, who Sam now presumed was called Haley, looked back briefly at the boy to give him a reassuring smile. "Shhh…Jonathan, it's okay. Just stay where you are." All gentleness left her face as she turned back to glare at Sam once more. The woman was instantly all cool, calculated hardness before she tore her gaze from Sam's to consider Daniel for a moment. "You are not Jaffa."
Daniel refrained from shaking his head, probably far too aware of the cold steel pressed into his skin. "No, we are humans from a planet called Earth."
"You are Tau'ri?" the woman asked, looking from Daniel to Sam, with not a small amount of surprise in her voice. "But this one," she nodded towards Sam, "she has been host to a Goa'uld."
Sam's eyebrows rose for a moment in surprise before she clarified. "Not anymore, and not by choice."
Haley seemed to accept this, but apparently had no intention of letting go of her hostage quite yet. "Why are you here?" It was a statement more than a question, leaving no room for Sam to misunderstand her intentions. 'Give me the information I want, or risk the consequences,' she seemed to be saying.
Sam had decided to play along, hoping for an opportunity to present itself or for Teal'c to reappear. "We received intelligence that the Goa'uld were creating genetic weapons to attack our planet. We came here to corroborate that intelligence and destroy any weapons that we found." It was perhaps too much information to provide to a complete stranger, but Sam was flying by her gut feelings at this point and there was something about the woman she couldn't quite identify.
Sam's instinct was rewarded when the woman seemed confused for a moment. "Genetic weapons? Here in this lab?"
"Yes, so you can imagine my surprise at finding a young boy here." The woman was beginning to look uncertain, and Sam took a moment to assess how she could get Daniel out of her grip. She decided to just keep her talking and maybe distract her with questions. "Is this your lab?" Granted, the woman was dressed far too subdued to be a Goa'uld, but Sam was getting all sorts of naquadah tingles, and she was fairly sure that some of it was coming from the woman holding Daniel at gunpoint.
Haley looked startled at the question. "My lab? No…only the gods work in here. I am in their care, like Jonathan."
No matter how dire the situation, Daniel didn't seem capable of holding back a snort of disbelief. "They aren't gods and they certainly don't 'care' for anyone." Daniel's voice made Haley jump, as if she had forgotten she was holding a gun to his head. Luckily for Daniel, she obviously had steely nerves and didn't accidentally pull the trigger.
Haley readjusted her grip on Daniel before replying. "I know they are not gods. Forgive me, but I have never met anyone else who understood that. They would more than likely kill me if they suspected that I knew the truth."
"The truth?" Daniel ventured to question.
"That they are nothing more than parasites who use technology and fear to enslave. But something tells me that you already knew that." Haley's expression was hard once again, clearly indicating that she would no longer be distracted. "Tell me. What is your intention here?"
Sam took in the woman's protective stance over the child. She didn't seem quite old enough to be the boy's mother, but Sam was beginning to realize that Haley's aggression seemed to stem from a perceived threat to the child. 'Time to test that theory, Colonel,' she ordered herself. "We are not here to harm you or the boy. If you have heard of the Tau'ri, then you must know that."
"Perhaps that is true, but I also know that you would not hesitate to eliminate anything you thought of as a threat."
"Other than the gun you are holding to my friend's head, you don't seem like much of a threat to me," Sam offered wryly. She wasn't sure why she felt that way, maybe it had to do with the fact that no matter Haley's apparent age, she still seemed somewhat child-like to Sam.
"But you came to this lab to destroy Enki's research, did you not?"
"Yes," answered Sam slowly as she tried to connect the dots to this surreal conversation. What exactly did one have to do with other?
"This lab is where we receive our treatments."
"Treatments?" That certainly sounded nefarious to Sam.
Haley merely shrugged. "I do not know exactly what he does to us, only that it is futile to resist." Sam didn't need to imagine the perils of defying a Goa'uld, having been party to their torture techniques more than once.
"Well, that's what we are here to figure out. Why don't you let Daniel go and then we can look at the lab files together?" Sam wasn't exactly ready to trust her, but she needed to convince her to let Daniel go. Then Sam could assess the threat-level of the Goa'uld 'lab-rats.'
"You will not harm us?" Haley asked uncertainly. Sam could tell that she really wanted to believe it.
"No," Sam reassured her. "Maybe we can even help you, get you off of this ship and away from Enki, if you would like."
Haley appeared to be considering the offer. "I will let him go and accept your help on two conditions."
Sam didn't really think Haley was in a position to make demands, but she nodded for her to continue anyway.
"You will share all the information you find in the lab notes with me."
That seemed reasonable enough; Sam knew she would want to know what had been done to her if the situation were reversed. "Okay. And two?"
Haley paused and glanced at the young boy. "You will provide care for Jonathan and, if possible, fix whatever is wrong with him."
Sam's eyes darted to the boy. He was clearly in some sort of distress, his skin slightly jaundiced and his face gaunt. "I can't promise that we can make him better, but I can give you my word that we will try."
This pledge finally seemed to be enough for Haley and she slowly lowered the gun. She removed her other arm from Daniel's neck. Daniel released a deep breath of relief and quickly stepped away from Haley. It didn't escape Sam's notice that the woman kept Daniel's Beretta, but she decided to not push the issue as she began to search the crystals for relevant data. Sam was careful to keep one eye on the woman at all times.
Sam, with the translation help of Daniel and, surprisingly, Haley, managed to find a set of encrypted lab notes that apparently dealt with Enki's experiments. "We don't have time to figure these out right now. We'll have to take them back to the SGC."
Daniel nodded his agreement while Haley watched them both from lowered eyes. She stood next to the young boy, almost absently patting his hand. "Changing your mind, Haley?" queried Sam, who was not unaware of the woman's cautious glances.
The boy chose that moment to groan softly. Sam could see gentle tremors wracking his small body. His face shone with sweat and his lips were white with pain. Haley seemed to visibly quench whatever misgivings she may have had about them in the face of the suffering of the young boy. Haley turned back to Sam and shook her head. "I am ready. We should leave quickly before someone notices I have left my quarters. They will know to look for me here."
Sam simply nodded and toggled her radio. "Teal'c?" When there was no answer, she shared a look with Daniel. "Teal'c, please come in." Still no answer.
"He couldn't have been captured, right? Wouldn't they have set off an alarm or something? They would know he wasn't alone." Daniel's eyes were wide behind his glasses, but he looked at Sam with complete trust. Sam felt a momentary clench in her gut at the weight of that trust, but quickly tamped it back down. Before Sam could even begin to formulate a plan, however, Haley had crossed the room and begun manipulating the controls under the view screen.
Sam raised her weapon in alarm. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
The woman didn't pause or even look up at Sam, but answered with her back turned, reading off of the console. "Jaffa on level 16 reported an intruder in the engine room. Three other teams have been dispatched to search every level. Strangely, they have not yet posted a guard at the Stargate nor set off the alarm."
"Any mention of where they are holding Teal'c?" Daniel asked as he came up beside Haley, squinting interestedly at the console.
Haley pressed a few more buttons and after a moment turned back to Sam. "Holding cell C on level 8." Sam considered her for a moment, wondering at her motives and her sudden readiness to help them. Haley seemed to understand Sam's hesitation and shrugged at her. "You are our way out of here and I assume you won't leave one of your own behind. I can help you get him back."
"Okay," Sam said slowly, "how can you help us?"
"I know this ship. If I can get to the relay station on this level, I will be able to cut the power to the holding cells. I can also direct you on the safest path to your friend. You should be able to avoid any patrols."
"If you know this ship so well and are so desperate to leave, why have you never tried to escape before?" Daniel asked shrewdly.
"Escape and go where? I know nothing outside of this ship. Besides, the children have always been too weak to come with me. I would never leave them behind, they need me."
"Children? Are there more?"
Haley shook her head. "Jonathan is all that is left." Daniel looked like he wanted to ask more questions, but Haley brusquely interrupted him. "If you want to save your friend, we need to act quickly. I will go to the nearest relay center and cut the power to the cell level. You should retrieve your friend and then meet me in the gate room."
Sam couldn't argue with the logic of her plan, but didn't really like the idea of their new 'friend' wandering around the ship by herself. She was still a bit of an unknown. "Fine, but Daniel goes with you."
Haley looked ready to protest, but Sam cut her off. "No. This is non-negotiable. Daniel will go with you. Besides, you will need his help to drop off Jonathan in the gate room before we put this plan in action."
Perhaps it was Sam's appeal to Jonathan's safety that finally convinced Haley because she silently nodded her assent. Sam took a deep breath and sent Daniel a reassuring glance. She couldn't be sure which of them was taking the bigger risk; she only knew that leaving Teal'c behind was not an option. They would simply have to trust Haley and hope that she really wasn't somehow a Goa'uld weapon to be used against them. Before she could delve too far into that dark thought, she set off to rescue Teal'c, the lab notes carefully ensconced in her pack.
The trip to the gate room had been uneventful, for which Daniel was immensely grateful. Between carrying the young boy and keeping an eye on their new 'friend,' Daniel wasn't sure he would be able to handle Jaffa too. But Haley was true to her word and seemed to know the ship very well. She led them in a somewhat circuitous path to the gate room, but they did not meet another soul, which was more than likely her intent. Daniel hoped that Sam had been as lucky in her trek to the holding cells.
Upon reaching the gate room, Daniel had gently laid down the child behind the gate platform. Haley had leaned over the boy and gently whispered something to him that made him smile weakly and nod his head. Daniel was somewhat taken aback at the kindness and care that she treated the boy, after all, it had not been long since Daniel was sure she was going to kill him with his own gun.
Once the boy was comfortably settled, they silently set out through the long corridors once again. After another 20 minutes of what seemed to Daniel to be aimless wandering, Haley ducked into a small room that Daniel recognized as a relay room. With ease, Haley pulled open a bank of crystals and began carefully rearranging the many colored shafts. Less than five minutes later, she sat back on her heels and nodded at Daniel. He toggled his radio twice, sending the pre-arranged message to Sam. He heard his radio quietly click twice and knew that Sam had understood. It was time to book it back to gate.
Daniel thought that he really should have known that things were going far too smoothly. It shouldn't have been a surprise that they ran into a patrol on their way back. Daniel had been quietly following Haley, his mind on Sam and Teal'c when Haley had abruptly stopped in front of him.
"Dr. Jackson! Behind you!" rang out Haley's voice.
Daniel managed to lunge to the side as one of the Jaffa fired a staff weapon from behind. He wasn't quite fast enough, however, and he felt the blast sear into his leg. Grimacing, he looked up at Haley, who, even as she shouted her warning, quickly ducked behind a column to avoid a second blast in her direction. After a volley of staff blasts, she popped back out, Daniel's gun in her hand, and rapidly dispatched the two Jaffa warriors with what seemed to Daniel was military-like precision and cool. It was something he had often witnessed in Sam and Jack.
He had no time to ruminate on this further, however, as Haley appeared by his side, evaluating his wound. She wordlessly ripped off the bottom hem of her skirt and made a passable field bandage, all the while hyper-vigilant for other approaching Jaffa. Next, she began rummaging through Daniel's vest. He grabbed her hands, trying to ignore the pain in his leg.
"What are you doing?"
"This weapon is empty," supplied Haley, briefly waving Daniel's gun.
Daniel wordlessly handed her a clip and watched her reload the gun expertly. He thought to ask where she had become familiar with earth weapons, but the sound of approaching feet forestalled any conversation.
Haley dragged Daniel up with surprising strength. She supported him with one arm, Daniel's gun occupying her other hand. Daniel grabbed his zat with his free hand and they headed as quickly as possible towards the gate room.
Haley readjusted her grip on Dr. Jackson and carefully listened for the sounds of more approaching feet. Satisfied that they weren't being followed, Haley propelled them both forward once more. She noticed Dr. Jackson grimace as he put weight on his damaged leg, but he did not complain. Haley got the impression that he wasn't actually a warrior, but he still handled himself with great dignity. His eyes were constantly darting around their surroundings, but she couldn't tell if he was looking for evidence of more patrols or if he was simply interested in their environs. Haley knew that she, too, should be paying more attention to their path than her companion. After chastising herself briefly for letting her mind wander, she increased their speed, anxious to get back to the gate room and Jonathan, who would undoubtedly be frightened by now.
Colonel Carter and her rescued friend glanced up as they finally entered the gate room. Haley felt a moment of relief that they had made it back, but it quickly changed to panic as the new Tau'ri turned around. Haley released Dr. Jackson and stepped in front of him, her gun pointed at the large man with the gold mark of his god on his forehead. "Jaffa," Haley accused in a low voice.
"Haley, put down the gun. This is our friend, Teal'c, the one you helped us rescue." Colonel Carter's voice was calm, but firm, and her eyes darted towards the open door, reminding Haley of their precarious position. The pressure to get Jonathan safely away was at war with the burning in her gut at the sight of the Jaffa. How could they be foolish enough to trust the servant of a false god?
Dr. Jackson's voice penetrated Haley's confusion. "Haley, he is on our side, I promise. He fights with us against the Goa'uld." The Jaffa nodded solemnly as if to confirm Dr. Jackson's words. Haley really wasn't inclined to trust the Jaffa, but she was uncomfortably aware of her desperate need to get off of this mothership now that a way had been offered to her. So, against her better judgment, she lowered the weapon and wrapped her arm around Dr. Jackson again, helping him towards the gate.
Colonel Carter glanced at Dr. Jackson's wound, but at a nod from him she went back to dialing the gate, the Jaffa standing guard at the door. The wormhole engaged with a whoosh and Colonel Carter gestured for the Jaffa to grab Jonathan and go first through the gate. Haley tried to ignore the queasiness she felt at the sight of Jonathan swallowed up by the arms of the Jaffa. 'You have no choice,' she reminded herself, 'if you want to get out of here you need to trust them.'
"Haley, help Daniel through, I've got your six," ordered Colonel Carter.
Haley nodded and moved to comply. Haley could hear the stamp of approaching feet in the distance, and saw Colonel Carter pull up her weapon out of the corner of her eye, slowly back-peddling after them. Haley hesitated, almost imperceptibly, at the threshold of the event horizon. Dr. Jackson gave her a smile, "Don't worry, it's safe."
Haley was chagrined to be caught showing fear and without responding, she stubbornly heaved both of them through the glistening surface. She nearly stumbled at the other side, dizzy from the trip and faltering under the weight of Dr. Jackson. As she regained her stance, the sound of weapons being tracked on her was clear. They stood in a large, gray room and no less than 20 weapons were trained on her. Someone was saying something to her, a man standing at the base of a long ramp. Haley could not make it out; her heart was beating too harshly in her chest. Had she simply left one jailer for another?
"Haley," Dr. Jackson's voice was calm and reassuring in her ear, "put down the gun."
Haley realized with shock that she was still holding his gun and that it was now pointed at the man standing talking to her a few paces away. She heard the plop of another body coming through the gate and the metallic sound of a metal wall closing over the mouth of the Stargate. She glanced back to see Colonel Carter taking in the situation, her eyes wide.
Haley finally realized what she must look like, pointing her gun and holding the wounded Dr. Jackson against her. She slowly shook her head at her own stupidity and lowered the gun. She offered it, butt-first to Colonel Carter, a small rueful smile of apology on her lips. The Colonel accepted it and moved to help her get Dr. Jackson down the ramp.
"Care to introduce our new guest, Colonel?" asked the man at the end of the ramp, even as people in white coats swarmed into the room with gurneys.
"This is Haley. Haley, this is General Jack O'Neill, he is the commander of this facility."
Haley did not give any indication that she had heard. Instead, having been relieved of her burden, she craned her neck around. "Where is Jonathan?" she demanded.
The General cocked an eyebrow at Colonel Carter. "The boy Teal'c brought through," she clarified.
"Ah, yes. He was taken to the infirmary."
Haley stiffened at this and turned accusatory eyes on the Colonel. "What are you doing to him? I thought we would be safe here."
"It's standard procedure. Everyone gets checked over by the doctor when they come back through the gate, especially new guests," supplied the General.
Haley turned to consider the Tau'ri leader. Something about him made her want to trust him, though as far as she could remember, she had never met anyone trustworthy before today. She decided to give these people a chance. It did seem a bit of a moot point, however, as she was already at their mercy. She would just have to see where this new path took her, hoping that anything was better than the Goa'uld. She nodded at the General, indicating her acceptance of this explanation, at least for now.
This seemed to amuse him, but he said nothing further to her. He turned to the Colonel. "Well, Carter, why don't you both head down to the infirmary? You can both be looked over and Haley here can see her friend. Briefing in one hour." He clearly wanted an explanation, but was willing to wait a bit for it. The Colonel nodded at her commanding officer and led Haley out of the gate room.
Haley resigned herself to being poked and prodded once she had assured herself that Jonathan was resting on a nearby bed. She was careful to note that the nurses preformed the same tests on her as they did on Colonel Carter, who currently resided in the bed on her left. So far, these Tau'ri seemed to be keeping to their word. Haley felt her eyes begin to get heavy, even though her mind moved at a fast clip, desperately reviewing her choices and wondering at the intentions of her new keepers. As if Colonel Carter was somehow aware of her misgivings, she kept giving Haley encouraging smiles to let her know everything would be okay. Haley couldn't quite bring herself to smile back, as she continued to fight her weariness.
She must have finally dozed off, because the next thing she knew, she was covered in a blanket and Colonel Carter's bed was empty. Haley sat up quickly, her heart thumping, only to release a long breath at locating the slumbering form of Jonathan. He was hooked up to machines and fluids, but seemed peaceful. Surveying the rest of the room, Haley noted two guards at the door, there for her sake no doubt. The Tau'ri seemed to trust her as much as she trusted them.
At the other end of the room was Dr. Jackson, similarly hooked up to machines, his leg heavily bandaged and elevated. With a glance at the guards, Haley eased herself from the bed. They instantly stood at attention. Haley's voice, much to her embarrassment and annoyance, refused to cooperate, so she simply pointed at Dr. Jackson, asking permission. The guards seemed unsure until Dr. Jackson's voice broke the silent standoff.
"It's okay, guys."
He smiled ruefully at Haley as she approached his bed. "Sorry about that, but we have to be careful about who or what we bring through the gate."
Haley nodded her understanding, but said, "You have nothing to fear from me, Dr. Jackson."
He seemed amused by this and Haley was forced to remember that not too long ago she had been holding a gun to his head. She blushed at the memory. "I did want to apologize for threatening you earlier. I just couldn't allow…" her voice trailed off and she looked helplessly at Jonathan.
"I understand, Haley. You thought you were protecting him. I'm just glad you asked questions first and shot later. Plus, you did save my life. That fact tends to make me want to forget about how we met."
"Thank you, Dr. Jackson. I, too, am glad I didn't have to shoot you."
He smiled at that. "Please, call me Daniel. You not shooting me makes us friends."
"Okay…Daniel." Something about this man made her feel comfortable and she was grateful that he could be so forgiving of her violent behavior earlier. Now she seemed to have at least one friend and something told her she would need them. Unbidden, her gaze traveled back to Jonathan, worry clear on her face. She turned back to find Daniel watching her.
"Do you think that your doctors will be able to help him?" she asked hopefully.
Daniel considered Haley closely for a moment, and she wondered if he could see through her carefully constructed mask. "I don't know, Haley, but we will do everything we can. We'll ask Jack and Sam when they get back from the mission briefing." As if magically summoned by mention of their names, Haley could hear voices in the corridor.
"Ah…space monkey. How many staff blasts to the leg does this make?"
Daniel was hard pressed not to roll his eyes. Jack really had to know how much he hated being called 'space monkey.' "Ha ha. I feel fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."
"Good to hear," Jack said, totally ignoring the sarcasm in Daniel's voice. They continued to banter back and forth for a bit like this, Sam looking on in affectionate amusement. Sneaking a glance at Haley, Daniel could tell that she was somewhat mystified by their conversation. Perhaps she had never seen people interacting in such a way. He imagined that the Goa'uld did not have friends, or a sense of humor for that matter. The Jaffa would probably be no better, all stoic and intent on their duties. Daniel wondered, not for the first time, what life on a Goa'uld ship would be like for a human.
Haley seemed glad to be largely ignored and was intently observing them. Daniel was glad to see that she was beginning to relax and let down that ice-cold façade that she had been hiding behind since she first stepped through the gate. Of course, it did not last as Jack chose that moment to turn to Haley, having had his fill tormenting the invalid.
"So, Haley. You feel up to telling us a little bit about you and your friend? Such as, how long have you lived with the Goa'uld?"
Haley was obviously caught off-guard, which was more than likely Jack's plan. Daniel noticed a swift change take over her. Where she had been relaxed moments before, Daniel having finally broken down some of her defenses, she was now guarded, her posture stiff. Jack had effectively backed her against a wall. Typical, sighed Daniel to himself.
Haley seemed to also sigh in defeat as Jack continued to pin her with his unwavering gaze. He was making it clear that he was in charge and that he didn't have any reason to trust her yet.
"I have always been with the Goa'uld, as long as I can remember."
"And you don't happen to be a Goa'uld yourself?" asked Jack.
This question clearly shocked Haley. "What? No, of course not!"
"I only ask because you've got Teal'c's spidey-sense tingling. Were you ever a host?"
"I assume you mean that the Jaffa can sense the naquadah in my system. I imagine Colonel Carter can as well, she herself having once been a host."
Jack and Sam shared a look. "Well," pressed Jack, "can you explain the naquadah?"
Haley was seriously defensive now, her eyes narrowed. "I am not a Goa'uld, General, nor was I ever. Surely you must have a way to confirm this."
"Yes," spoke up Sam. "If you would consent to another test. Though, it won't help explain the naquadah."
"I can't explain, either. The Goa'uld were not exactly forthcoming with what my purpose was or with what they were doing to me. Surely the information we downloaded from the lab will be able to tell us."
"We are hoping it will. But it will take time for us to decrypt and translate it."
"And in the meantime, you have two unknown security risks running around. I understand. Do the test. Then at least you will know that I am not a Goa'uld." She turned to Jack. "Lock us up, if you must. But at some point, you will have to trust me." Somehow, Daniel didn't think it would be that easy.
"Do you have the results of the MRI, Doctor?" Dr. Warner nodded and Jack gestured for him to take a seat at the briefing table with the rest of SG-1.
"The test was negative, sir. There is no evidence of a Goa'uld. Her blood tests also show no signs of the protein marker that we found in Colonel Carter, so she was more than likely not a host anytime in the past."
"Well, there's that at least. But knowing what she's not doesn't help tell us what she is."
"Sir," interrupted Dr. Warner. "There is something else that showed up in their tests." He handed out folders to everyone at the table.
Carter opened her folder and peered at the image inside. "Wait a minute, aren't those…"
Dr. Warner nodded. "Yes. I found them in both patients."
Jack, holding his image upside down, asked, "Carter, what exactly am I looking at?"
"They're Goa'uld nanocytes, sir. Quite similar to the ones you were infected with on Argos."
"Whoa, wait a minute. You mean they are both infected with the things that made me old?"
Dr. Warner was quick to jump in. "Don't worry, sir. They are inactive in both Haley and Jonathan. With no signal to give them instructions, they are dormant. I already checked Colonel Carter, Dr. Jackson and Teal'c's blood. There is no evidence that they have been infested."
"I think the real question is why are they there?" asked Carter.
"Well, Colonel, I think I may have an answer to that as well. I ran extensive tests on the boy and have found that all of his organs are failing. I ran an analysis of his DNA and found major flaws. From what I have seen, I believe that the boy was made from genetic material and then artificially aged by the nanocytes to reach full maturity."
"Are you saying that he is a clone?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Possibly, though not necessarily. He could represent an attempt to create a human being from various sources of genetic material, not just from one person."
"And you say the boy is dying," spoke up Daniel.
"Yes, I'm afraid that there is nothing I can do to stabilize him. He will continue to decline and eventually his organs will shut down. It is quite similar to what happened to the boy the Re'tu made."
"What about Haley?"
"She shows no signs of deterioration and I was unable to find the same flaws in her DNA. It could be that she is a better attempt at whatever the Goa'uld intended."
"Or she could just be a normal human."
"No, Daniel, I don't think so, not with naquadah in her system. This is beginning to make sense to me."
"Glad to hear it, Carter. Feel like enlightening the rest of us?"
Jack saw Carter smile at his thinly veiled annoyance. "Well, sir, if you remember the intelligence the Tok'ra provided us, they said that the Goa'uld were experimenting with human DNA. We thought that they were trying to make a genetic weapon, but what if they were trying to make a perfect host? A host both human and Goa'uld?"
"You think that they were trying to combine human and Goa'uld DNA?" Dr. Warner asked almost incredulously.
Carter shrugged, "Well, it is just a theory, but it would explain the naquadah in their system. We should be able to confirm or disprove it when we gain access to the files we took from the lab."
Jack was used to Carter's theories turning out to be right more often than not, but was interrupted before he could say anything.
"Dr. Warner to the infirmary, Dr. Warner to the infirmary immediately," rang out a voice over the P.A. system. The doctor dashed out the door with the rest of them right on his heels.
They made it to the infirmary to find nurses clustered around Jonathan's bed and Haley hovering nearby, her face stricken. She looked up to find them standing by the door.
One of the nurses rushed up. "Dr. Warner, his stats are dropping. He suffered a seizure but responded with one round of ativan." Dr. Warner nodded and set about giving orders.
Haley, meanwhile, had sidled closer to Daniel. "What's happening?" she asked in barely more than a whisper.
Daniel looked over at her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, wondering how much to tell her. At that point, Dr. Warner came up to them and shook his head. "It's as I feared." Haley stiffened under Daniel's hand.
"I'm sorry, Haley. But there is nothing we can do but make him comfortable."
Haley seemed to be trying to put on a brave face, lifting her chin and straightening her shoulders. "At least that is more than the Goa'uld would have given him. May I speak with him?"
Dr. Warner nodded and Haley moved back to Jonathan's bed. The boy was having trouble breathing and an oxygen mask covered most of his face. At her approach, the boy slowly opened his eyes and barely croaked out Haley's name.
Haley took his hand and made soft comforting sounds. "Shhh…Jonathan. Everything is going to be okay."
The boy continued to struggle to try and say something. "Tell…me…tell…"
Haley seemed to understand what he wanted and nodded to him. "Okay, Jonathan." She gently lifted the boy and settled behind him so that he sat on her lap. She tenderly wrapped her arms around him and began to speak in a low, soft voice. "There is a place where there is a long stretch of white sand along a wide blue ocean. It sits on the edge of a beautiful forest, full of trees and fruit and animals. Children run up and down the beach, laughing and playing and their parents sit under the trees talking gently to each other as they watch over their children. At night, they build giant fires on the beach and tell each other stories about the images in the stars above. And when the children are finally tired, their parents tuck them into warm, soft beds and kiss their foreheads and tell them that they love them.
"And so it is day after day. No one is ever hungry, scared or lonely. There are no demons in this place and no one is ever hurt." Her voice faltered for a moment here. "So when you go to sleep Jonathan, this is where you will wake up. No one will ever be able to hurt you again."
"Haley…there?"
"No sweeting, I won't be there, but all of the others will. They will take good care of you, and I will always be watching over you, even if you can't see me." She couldn't stop the tears anymore at this point, so she just let them fall.
"It hurts…Haley…"
"I know, I know. Just let go, Jonathan, just go to sleep and there won't be any more pain. Just let go."
The boy's eyes gently closed and the beeps of the heart monitor stretched further and further apart. Haley continued to gently rock Jonathan, all the while whispering words of comfort in his ear until finally there were no more beeps and his breathing stopped. Haley leaned down and kissed Jonathan's forehead. "Now you are free," she murmured.
Daniel led the others out of the infirmary to give some time for Haley to say goodbye. After about thirty minutes, she came out from behind the curtain. All tears were gone and her face was impassive once again. Daniel was the first to approach Haley, putting a hand on her arm. "I'm so sorry, Haley."
Haley shrugged off his condolences and looked up at the four people watching her. Her eyes were no longer gentle or even sad, but hard as granite. "He is the sixth such I have had to hold as they die. He is the sixth child I have lied to as they suffered an agonizing death. Someday…" her voice broke, but she seemed to roughly shake it off and continued in a stronger voice. "Someday the Goa'uld will have to pay for what they have done. I will make them pay."
Daniel shared a glance with Sam, raising his eyebrows at Haley's tone. He was beginning to realize that there were many depths to this woman: the collected warrior, the gentle caretaker and now, the hard-edged, vengeful creature. Daniel really wondered what she may have suffered in a lifetime with the Goa'uld and what her future now held.