Chapter Five

"Atê was the Greek goddess of evil and misfortune, more specifically confusion and delusion, and the personification of error, ruin, and blind folly. She was the daughter of Zeus and Eris—Eris being the goddess of discord and strife. Atê was banished from Olympus by Zeus for deluding him.

"She led both gods and men to do rash, inconsiderate things. She was said to have delicate feet because she walks over the heads of men bringing them harm. She was followed by the Litai, which are prayers, mending and healing the trouble she caused."

Daniel finished his mythology lesson and sat down next to Sam. Teal'c was sitting on his other side, with Colonel Browning across from them, next to Freya and Jacob.

"Thank you, Dr. Jackson, that was…enlightening," General Hammond said, trying to sound interested, "Selmak?"

Jacob stood up and took the place at the front of the room the anthropologist had just vacated. Jacob bowed his head, and Selmak took control. "Colonel O'Neill is being held at a Goa'uld base on the planet SG-1 visited a week ago, Han'gine, which you have dubbed P8X-345.The base is about ten kilometers from the Stargate. Our operative has informed us that Colonel O'Neill is subject to a new form of torture. The nature of this torture is unknown. Colonel O'Neill has been kept in his cell since he was revived. We do not know the exact location of the cell in the complex."

Selmak's head bowed, and Jacob was back. "Now, the UAV showed that there are several Jaffa guarding the Stargate. We'll send a shock grenade through to disable them. Then SG-1, accompanied by Colonel Browning and myself, will 'gate to Han'gine, infiltrate the complex, and find an access terminal to the main computer. From there, we should be able to find out where Jack's being held."

Browning raised his finger to get the former general's attention, "I don't like the idea of leaving Jaffa at our back."

"Of course, that would be suicide," Jacob conceded, "Once we're in and we've got Colonel O'Neill, all we have to do is find the Tok'ra tunnels that our operative set up on his infiltration. They will take us back to the Stargate, but from a different direction than expected. We'll have the element of surprise on our side, if the Jaffa have awoken by then."

"All we have to do is find the tunnels?" Daniel asked, eyebrows dancing up and down in confusion.

"I know all the usual places, so it shouldn't be too difficult," Jacob said with a shrug.

Daniel's brows stayed down at this. "The usual places?" He exchanged a look with Sam, "I'm confident," he said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Me, too," Sam agreed unconvincingly.

"As am I," Teal'c spoke up.

"I'm not," Browning declared cynically.

"Relax, all of you. Selmak assures me that she'll be able to find them," Jacob chided them.

"Now, your secondary mission will be to take out the base itself," General Hammond said. "Retrieving Colonel O'Neill is your top priority, so if, for any reason, you are discovered, or Colonel O'Neill is too severely injured, scrub the secondary mission and get out. You'll be leaving in one hour. Any questions?" There were none. "Good, dismissed."

"Chevron seven…locked."

"Send the grenade through," Hammond ordered. Jacob walked up to the top of the ramp, Freya holding the shock grenade. Taking it from her, he threw it through the shimmering pool. "Deactivate the wormhole!" Hammond said.

The gate technician tapped at his keyboard as Jacob and Freya hurried off the ramp and as far away from the Stargate as possible. Everyone waited to see if Sergeant Davis could get the wormhole to shut down before the shock wave reached them. The event horizon cut out, and everyone let out the breath they were holding.

"Send the MALP," was the General's next order.

"Yes, Sir."

The probe was sent through and they started to receive telemetry.

"Looks like all the Jaffa were hit by the blast," Sam said, looking at the monitors as the MALP directed its camera at the unconscious enemies.

"SG-1, you have a go," Hammond said. Daniel, Sam, Teal'c, and Colonel Browning joined Jacob in the gate room. "Bring Colonel O'Neill home," Hammond ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" Sam replied, a little more enthusiastically than she had intended.

From where he lay against the wall, he stirred a little. It took a minute for him to remember where he was—in darkness. How had he gotten here? He couldn't remember; he'd been in the dark so long he was beginning to forget what light was like.

Suddenly, a face popped into his head—Light, crystal blue eyes; short, blonde hair; and a smile that lit up her face and sent his heart into palpitations.

"Sam…" He opened his eyes, peering into the dark. He'd been leaning against the wall—sometimes lying and sometimes sitting—since he'd stumbled across it. He needed the physical contact it provided to keep himself from going crazy in the empty darkness.

Sitting up, he thought he saw something in the dark. There it was again! It came slowly into focus and he realized it was a person. The figure stood looking at him, blurred beyond recognition, but it became more visible as the minutes passed. The first thing he noticed about the person was that it had blonde hair, cut short, and was wearing a black shirt and army green pants.

A familiar voice said his name, "Jack."

"Sam!" She suddenly came completely into focus, her blue eyes reflecting light that wasn't there. The darkness didn't seem to touch her; he couldn't see his hand in front of his face, but she was perfectly visible.

"Hello, Jack." He tried to stand, but failed again, dropping to his knees. "Don't try to get up."

"I've never been so happy to see you in my life," he said, his voice a little hoarse from exhaustion.

Sam smiled at him.

"Where're Daniel and Teal'c?"

"They're not here, Jack."

"Why not?"

She smiled again, taking a few steps closer. "I'm not here either."

"You're…not?"

"Not what?" Sam asked, sitting down next to him.

"Not here?"

"I'm here, Jack. You can sleep now." Sam put her head on his shoulder.

He smiled. "I knew you'd come, Sam."

"Shh …Sleep."

"Shouldn't…we…be…getting out of…here?" he asked her tiredly.

She lifted her head and turned toward him. Then she reached up and caressed his cheek lightly.

"I love you, Sam," he told her sincerely.

Author's Note: Here is a list of the quotes used in chapter four.

"Hello, Jack...Welcome back." - Daniel – Children of the God

"Colonel? I'm sorry, Sir, it's just so dark." - Sam – Serpent's Lair

"It isn't dark, we're blind, and we've failed." - Daniel – Serpent's Lair

"He's telling you the truth! Please, Jack! No, Jack, please! Don't leave me! Please! Give me a chance! Don't leave me like this! Please!" -Sam/Jolinar – In the Line of Duty

"I offer my knowledge of the Goa'uld. I offer my skills as a warrior to defeat them. I pledge my honor and my life to this world." - Teal'c – The Enemy Within

"Colonel? Sorry, Sir, it's just so dark." - Sam – Serpent's Lair

"I'm here, Jack." - Sam – Solitudes

"It's all right. You can sleep now." - Sam – Solitudes

The only person who got them all right was sekkii. Nice work! Thanks for all the great reviews, everyone! I'm putting up this chapter and chapter six today. Tomorrow will be seven and eight...maybe nine if I feel like it. Here's a little tidbit: There are eleven chapters not counting the prologue and the epilogue; thirteen in all.