Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter! I can't believe how many people thought Selmac would blend with Jack! Honestly, that scenario never crossed my mind! It would have been interesting though, to say the least! I guess I opted for an easier way out! Hope you enjoy this next one...it is not nearly the end though! Lots of loose ends to tie up...and what to do about that Ancient chair just sitting in the middle of the room?
Oh yeah, warning of some violence ahead!
(Previously) Beroni's look of fear quickly changed to one of anger and determination as he took in the distraction of the Ambassador and the stealthy movements of the Jaffa. He knew that he had to act quickly in order to try and salvage this terribly botched mission. Pulling his own weapon from his tunic, he made a lunge toward Sam and JJ, reaching her in a split second before anyone could react. He grabbed her roughly by the hair and hauled her up, ignoring her cries of pain and the frightened screeches of JJ.
Chapter 18 –Sounds of Fury and Love
Beroni put a slim metal cylinder toSam's neck and snarled out, "Do not move, or the lovely Colonel will receive another injection of a highly toxic compound. And this time, I will not administer the antidote."
Jack raised his left hand in a fist, commanding everyone to freeze. The fingers of his right hand itched to pull the trigger of his zat, but he wouldn't. Although it would be painful for Sam, she would recover from its blast. JJ, still held tightly in Sam's arms, was so young that a zat blast would be extremely painful, if not fatal. "Don't do this Beroni," he warned, the dangerous tone of his voice matching the steely glint in his eyes.
The High Chancellor turned to his top scientist. "Beroni, it is over. Release the Colonel and her child at once. I promised them no one would get hurt. There still might be a way to achieve what we wish."
"And you are an old fool, Chancellor! If you would have allowed me to be in charge, we would have placed the child in the chair long ago and discovered its secrets. Instead, you allowed this woman to delay us time and again; you didn't post sufficient guards at the temple's entrance, and even your most trusted assistant is not loyal to you!" He glared over at Malem who took a half-step back. " No! I am in charge now and we will see this through to the end. It makes no difference to me if one of these intruders gets hurt in the process."
He turned his glare on Jack, a sneer on his face. "Your wife is very beautiful, is she not? I am most certain you would not enjoy watching her writhe in pain should I inject her…again." At Jack's thunderous look, Beroni laughed dangerously. "Oh yes, she has felt the pain earlier, when she refused to cooperate. Of course, it was at a much lower dose, but still, she had a very strong reaction to it, didn't you my dear?" He tightened his grip on her hair, pulling her closer to him. Sam winced with pain but kept a tight grip on JJ as they were both moved closer to the chair.
"Now, you will place the boy into the chair when I say so, and step back. We will all be witness to what the great beings have planned for my people and their salvation from the evil ones," Beroni stated decisively.
Though her head ached from the angle it was forced into by Beroni, Sam was determined to foil the Makesh scientist's plans and get her son away from the madman. Keeping him tightly grasped in her left arm, she shifted her right hand slightly, signaling to Jack that she had a weapon with her. Jack, who had been watching them both intently, didn't miss her signal, neither did Jacob. Jack gave her an imperceptible nod and took small, slow steps closer to his family while Jacob distracted the scientist. Jack would be ready to act the minute Sam made her move.
Jacob called attention to himself while Jack made his slow progression around the chair. "Beroni, please wait. If you will let Dr. Jackson and myself study the chair for a short time, we might be able to provide more insight into its purpose."
Beroni looked at him and laughed. "You must think I am stupid, Jacob Carter. The minute I let you look at the chair and study it, I would most likely be killed. No, we will do things my way. If you do not cooperate, you will watch your daughter die."
Jacob's eyes flashed as Selmac took over. "There is no need to take any life, Beroni of the Makesh. If indeed the Ancients put this device here, it was meant to assist a race facing annihilation, not as a means to destroy another."
Beroni was more than a little startled by the change in Jacob. Unlike Malem, he had never seenGeneral Carter's alter ego, and was momentarily struck speechless and frozen in place. Which Sam used to her complete advantage.
Placing her hand under her tunic and into the pocket of her pants, she withdrew the awl slowly and carefully. Looking quickly at Jack to make sure he knew what she was going to do, she turned the item in her hand so that it's sharp point was aimed backward, facing Beroni's leg. Her left arm went as tightly around JJ as possible, causing him to squirm in her grasp all the while he was still crying in fear. With a sharp nod at Jack, Sam drew her hand forward, then plunged it back as hard as she could, right into Beroni's upper thigh.
The tight grip on her hair released immediately as Beroni howled in pain and staggered backward, dropping the metal cyliner in the process. Sam twisted herself away from him and was quickly pushed into Jacob's arms by Jack, who had come around with Jack the minute he saw his daughter's arm move. Jack was on Beroni in an instant.
His fists grasped Beroni's shirt by the shoulders, twisting it tightly, and then he slammed the balding man into the wall behind him. "How dare you threaten my family, you sanctimonious bastard!" He growled, all the fear and anger crashing to the surface. "A baby… you took a baby and planned to use him to your advantage, no matter what the cost!" Jack hauled back with his right hand and slammed his fist into the other man's face. A sickening crack reverberated off the walls in the circular room as Beroni's nose broke in several places.
"Ambassador, please!" pleaded the High Chancellor as he moved forward to stop the violence, holding up his hand in a placating manner. His arm wasabruptly grasped and his movements stopped. The High Chancellor looked up and gulped in fear; Teal'c glared down at him menacingly.
"I would advise against your interference in this matter," he intoned sagely. Then he pulled both man's arms behind his back, gave them a painful tug, and moved him back to the other side of the room.
Jack continued to pummel Beroni, his anger continuing to be fed by the image of Sam being pulled by the hair and JJ's frantic cries of fear. Those cries continued now, as JJ was even more afraid at seeing his beloved daddy out of control. Faintly, through his haze of rage, he heard Daniel's voice. "Jack, stop it! Come on, stop before you kill him!"
"Jack! That's enough!" came the sharper voice of Jacob as he held Sam in his arms and tried to quiet JJ down. Sam, who had spent just a few seconds enjoying the feeling of being held securely by her father, looked over at her husband and flinched as he landed another blow. Quickly, she straightened up and pushed JJ fully into her father's arms, ignoring his cries of protest for the moment.
She brushed by Daniel, who tried to hold out a hand to stop her, not wanting to see her get caught in the crossfire of Jack's flailing fists. She walked right up to him, tears in her eyes, and put her hand on his shoulder. "Jack," she said softly. "It's time to stop. JJ needs you now."
While nothing else had gotten through to him, her softly spoken words and the mention of his son did. Jack froze, his curled fist in mid-air, and he turned to look at the woman beside him. The fury on his face was quickly replaced by a look of such complete desolation, that Sam's heart squeezed painfully. It was the same look he had on his face when he recounted the full story of the loss of Charlie one quiet evening several years ago.
His eyes teared up in the recognition of seeing his wifestandingin front of him, a pleading look in her eyes,and hearing JJ's calls of "Dada" in the background. Jack abruptly released his grip on Beroni, who dropped unceremoniously to the ground in an unconscious heap. Jack then pulled Sam close, ignoring the throbbing of his right hand and the blood that dripped off his scraped knuckles as he held her tightly, burying his face in her neck.
Sam wound her arms under Jack's and clutched his shoulder blades, pulling him close as well. She buried her face in his chest and let the tears that she had been holding in check for the last 18 hours fall freely; tears that she shed not so much for herself, but for the pain and fear both her husband and son had been put through. Jack ran his hands up and down her back and softly caressed her hair as he murmured quiet words of comfort in her ear, "Shh, baby, everything's all right now. Shh."
Janet stepped quietly around the reunited couple to check on the downed scientist. Daniel tried to cover a grimace as he took in the man's bloodied face before he too went to help the man who had been an integral part of this fisaco.
Breaking the relative quiet of the room, Malem spoke, "I will go and retrieve guards to escort the High Chancellor to our holding cells. I will leave some guards posted at the entrance of the temple as well."
Janet looked up from her position on the ground. "Please send some people with a stretcher carry this man. We'll have to bring him to your medical facilities."
Malem shot a look of disgust at the unconscious man before agreeing and turned to go. As he went to pass the High Chancellor, he stopped and directly faced him. "You have done a great dishonor, not only to our people, but to these. I will see to it that you are removed from your post."
"It is you have been disloyal to your people, Malem. I only did what I felt was necessary to ensure the survival of all of us," the High Chancellor argued.
"No, I have not been disloyal High Chancellor. My only regret is that I did not act sooner when it was clear you and Beroni had nefarious plans that involved an innocent child. The true measure of a man is not in blind loyalty to another, but in doing what is right. I have done that and will see to it that amends are made to our allies." With those final words, he turned and left the room, leaving the High Chancellor staring after him in surprise.
"We will wait outside until the guards have arrived," Teal'c intoned, pushing the High Chancellor ahead of him. He didn't want the man in the room with the O'Neill's any longer than necessary. The time waiting for the guards to arrive would also provide Teal'c the opportunity toexpress his displeasure at the High Chancellor...without witnesses.
Jack pulled back from Sam and placed his hands on either side of her face. He wiped at her tears with his thumbs before leaning in and kissing her gently on the lips. "Are you okay, Sam? Did that bastard…"
"I'm fine Jack, really. We both are." They looked over at Jacob, who was struggling to hold onto JJ. The little boy was whimpering loudly and straining toward his parents, his intent to reach them clear to all. Sam chuckled softly. "I think we need to go and rescue my dad now, though."
With an arm firmly around Sam, Jack led her the few steps over to Jacob and JJ. The little boy leaned forward, crying a plaintive, "Dada!" which caused Jack to crack a smile for the first time in what felt like forever. He released Sam to take JJ into his arms, cuddling the little boy close and tucking his small head under his chin.
"Hey little man, quite an adventure you and mommy had, wasn't it?" He quietly asked his son, all the while rubbing his hand up and down the little boy's back in a soothing manner. JJ's cries quickly became muted shudders as he finally felt safe and secure. Jack brought Sam close with his right arm as he held JJ with his left. Sam leaned her forehead in to touch JJ's, whispering softly, "My brave little boy."
Jack and Jacob shared a look over the top of Sam and JJ's heads; a look filled with gratitude and love for these two very special people. Neither man felt the least bit ashamed at the tears that filled their eyes. Then Jack closed his eyes and lowered his head, kissing both his wife and his son softly and giving up a silent prayer of thanks at their safe return.