A/N: Sorry it's been so long – my thesis supervisor is back and seems to think I haven't done enough work (which is true, I've been writing this instead!) so I had to do some serious writing… not nearly as interesting as doing this fic!
Also, I would have had this posted last night but my parents are still in London and were actually on one of the trains that was evacuated yesterday… they're fine and say the only thing that was strange was a really pungent smell… but I'll be very glad when they get back home next week!
Starrgazer: amazingly enough, you're the first person to mention the fact that SG1 had no memory when they return from Togar's clutches on the show. I was wondering when someone would mention it! I have indeed taken this factor into account and am pretty sure you'll like how I do their return to the SGC (hopefully in the chapter after this one).
Thank you in general to all your nice reviews, especially Arrant Schemata, janissima, BookWorm37 and AthenaIceGoddess… I can't believe everyone's sticking with this – especially since I've been having trouble updating as frequently as I would like!
Here we go again…
Jack looked at Urgo expectantly, all the while not disengaging his hand from its comfortable grasp, his fingers intertwined with Sam's. He could feel the soft touch of her thumb as she absentmindedly stroked his. The effect was to soothe him greatly. Where in almost any comparable situation he would have Urgo pinned to the wall, instead he contented himself with a piercing glare – which was probably having the same effect.
Urgo was making small, nervous squealing noises as he tried to think how the explain everything. He recognised the look on Jack's face and practically shrank further into the couch in anticipation of an outburst. He looked to Sam, pleading with his eyes.
"Go ahead Urgo," Sam's eyes flitted to Jack's, aware that he was more than likely on the brink of losing it. "I promise we'll listen properly… won't we?" With her final words she challenged Jack to remain calm, catching his eye again and gripping his hand even tighter.
"Ok but I really didn't mean for anything bad to happen!" Urgo whined annoyingly. Seeing that Jack's expression wasn't going to soften any time soon, he began his story. "When I was implanted into Togar's head he immediately accessed the information I had gathered from you on Earth. You scared him." His eyes were wide, appealing to Sam and Jack to understand. "He monitored your activities and became even more worried! All these missions… the way you always escape… the fact that even in the face of incredible adversity you always come through, apparently unscathed…" He paused seeing the two people resting on the bed look downwards with modesty.
"We're just lucky I guess." Jack gave a perfunctory answer, his mind distracted by the thoughts of their missions over the past two years.
"Oh no, oh no!" Urgo hastily reassured them. "You are very talented to escape those horrible situations! And luck would never have got you into them!" He saw Jack give a dismissive shrug in response and chose to continue. "As I said, your capability to triumph in the most trialling of situations strongly perturbed Togar… and the fact that you knew of this planet made you the most serious of threats."
"So why all this crap about understanding our emotions?" Jack asked languidly, "What the hell does he really want?"
"I'm getting to that!" Urgo squeaked, having jumped backwards with a jolt at the Colonel's words. "He really did want to learn about your emotions at first! Before I was … made … when you arrived he sensed the differences between your species and his and so decided to monitor you." Urgo paused to look at them sideways, avoiding Jack's piercing gaze. "Your abilities convinced him he needed a method of defence against your kind… a weapon unlike any other… one you" he motioned to Sam, "wouldn't be able to diffuse. A method of defence you" he motioned to Jack, "wouldn't be able to get around."
"Oh God, this is the answer isn't it." Sam had lifted herself into a half-sitting position at the end of the bed, the pain in her head finally receding somewhat. Seeing the familiar baffled expression on Jack's face, she turned to him. "Psychological torture sir, but with the additional aspect of being able to make the subjects relive their worst experiences." She shivered unconsciously before turning to Urgo, her scared eyes looking at him through the veil of her ruffled hair. "I imagine his experiments have been successful?" she glanced at Jack, who was looking completely shocked. "I mean, we've been pretty knocked around. I'm sure he could have got any information out of us he wanted… and the side effects would probably kill us if the exposure was more long term."
Urgo looked down to the cushions in front of him, afraid to look at the people he had let down. "I'm so sorry. He would never have wanted to do this if I had just been destroyed when you returned the first time from the SGC."
"No Urgo." Jack spoke forcefully, now sure in his mind who the bad guy was. "None of this is your fault. But you can help us. We need to get out of here, and we need to get to Teal'c and Daniel."
Sam realised with a jolt that Daniel and Teal'c had probably been exposed to the same method of torture. "Urgo," she asked timidly, "They're ok aren't they?"
Urgo couldn't bring himself to meet Sam's eye. Just before breaking off contact with the main computer Togar had been preparing a particularly arduous experience for the Jaffa. He knew that if he was successful, Daniel's fate would be anything but assured.
"I'm disconnected from the main computer, so I don't know exactly what's happening…" he began cautiously, still not looking at either Jack or Sam.
"Urgo," Jack warned, his voice getting a hard edge of concern, "What do you think is happening?" He felt Sam's tight grip on him and turned to give her a small reassuring smile, but his anxiety made it look more like a grimace. He brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a feather light kiss on her knuckles. "We'll get them out." He murmured quietly before Urgo spoke.
"They… Togar… Well Teal'c proved much more difficult to affect than you simple humans." Urgo finally managed to get a sentence out. He ignored the sounds of protest from Jack at the reference to 'simple' humans. "So Togar was going to try and make his brain chemistry more… pliable."
"He's going to drug him, sir." Sam's voice was cold, she could feel the anger rising within her at the thought of Togar's actions against them all. "It will more than likely work. His symbiote can only protect him from so much, and if Togar injected some kind of neuronal suppressant straight into his central nervous system, then Junior wouldn't be able to help."
Jack swore roughly under his breath, imagining the ways he wanted to make Togar feel pain – all sorts of pain. "But Daniel's ok, right?" He looked hopefully to Urgo. "I mean, he's just … simple … like us – Togar doesn't need to do anything else?"
"I… well…" Urgo could see the look of barely concealed fear on Jack's face and couldn't respond.
"He's ok, right?" Jack asked again, this time urgently. "Carter? What's the deal?" He looked hopelessly at Sam for an explanation. Seeing the look of white horror on her face he felt his heart sink. What the hell was going on?
Daniel regained consciousness to find himself face down on a chiropractor's board. He could feel the pressure of invisible restraints on his body pinning him to the board, his only clue as his surroundings was the small view of the floor below him.
"Well this can't be good." He muttered to himself, searching in vain for something significant in the smooth grey floor below him.
"Indeed for you it is not." A voice barked at him from behind somewhere. "Your friend Teal'c proved extremely useful to me. I now need to compare the results to an equivalent study of a simple human."
Before Daniel could think, speak, or have the faintest idea as to what was happening, he heard the chilling sound of something mechanical approaching. The sound was reminiscent of a dentist's tools. The cool breeze on his back made him realise that his spine was exposed. Realising that something was going to happen, he tried to tense his muscles in preparedness but remembered that yet again he was immobilised. Arching his back in his mind, but unmoving in reality, he felt a needle enter his spine through the fog of the anaesthetic effect of the paralysis. Immediately a sense of calm enveloped him and his mind became rather cloudy. Reality was mingling with the random thoughts that filled his head. The floor in front of him seemed to wobble slightly as he fought to keep him self fully awake and aware.
With the power of a heavy blow, he felt as if his limbs were being torn in every which direction. The grey floor in front of his face spun rapidly before his eyes to be replaced by a cascade of images following the same spiral pattern, causing him to completely lose his grip on reality. The images abruptly stopped, leaving him with an intensely dizzy feeling. His head started pounding with a specific jabbing near the base of his neck as the image in front of him focussed. He felt as if his heart was being wrenched from his chest as he saw the woman he once loved stand before him, her golden curls looking so healthy, in contrast with the sickening sight of the glowing eyes that indicated the goa'uld presence within her. He saw those eyes flash, again and again. He hadn't been able to save Sha're… she was dead. And now he was going to lose Sarah to this parasitic curse as well. The pain in his head increased exponentially as he cried out in anguish. Unable to exit the nightmare, he felt the sobs rack his immobilised body. Trying with all his might but unable to exit from this hell he felt the pain in his head filter from the base of his neck and around the side of his head until it felt like his whole brain was on fire. His eyes rolling in the back of his head he still couldn't purge the image of the goa'uld standing before him as he crashed into unconsciousness.
Sam ignored the still considerable pain jabbing into her head as she got up from the end of the bed and moved towards Urgo. Grabbing him by the shoulders she shook him slightly as she spoke. "We have to get out of here NOW! D'you hear me!" Her voice was full of emotion as she started shouting at him. "If Daniel's given the same concentration of drugs as Teal'c…" she looked wildly to Jack, who seemed to finally be grasping the situation – he had now risen to his feet and was pacing agitatedly at the base of the bed. "It could kill him almost instantly… while he's being tortured." The last words were barely audible as they exited her lips. She flopped down on the couch and fixed her eyes on Urgo's, aware that the tears welling would compel him even more to help them.
"I know! I know!" Urgo wailed hopelessly. "That's why I've come here… I need your help – to help… you." He looked to them with hope. "I don't want you to die! I don't want Togar to succeed! I can't believe you left me here with him! That was such a horrible thing to do!"
Jack stopped and looked at the oversized potato, now shivering in the couch. He glanced at Sam worriedly, not knowing whether he should offer what he was about to. "Um Urgo… we don't remember in what circumstances we left you here last time… but if you manage to get these things out of our heads and get us back home, we'll try to take you with us."
He closed his eyes quickly after saying the words as a voice in his head started screaming at him about how he'd just doomed himself to years of insanity with Urgo around every corner.
"You would really do that?" Urgo looked at Jack with the utmost respect. "Thank you!"
"Don't mention it." Grumbled Jack, flopping back on the bed and slamming his hand into his forehead, already regretting the offer. His chivalrous nature made him realise, however, that Sam and Daniel had been right – he was a sentient being, no matter how annoying, and didn't deserve to die just because he only existed within technology.
"Urgo," Sam felt almost as much dread as she could sense in Jack's defeated body at the prospect of years of Urgo, but tried valiantly to hide it. "We don't know how we'd do it yet – we don't want these processors in our minds anymore, and you can't exist to us without them. We just said we'd try."
At this comment Urgo seemed to have an epiphany as he literally jumped into mid air and off the couch. Sam jolted backwards in surprise before looking at Jack, who seemed mildly curious, although not so much that he would lift his head of the bed.
"Oh but this is fantastic! I know how I can go with you and extract your microprocessors!" He looked cheekily to Jack, who seemed ready to listen to the alternatives to sharing his brain with Urgo for the rest of his life. "I can switch positions with Togar…" his voice took on a slightly sinister edge as he made the suggestion. "I can leave him trapped in the computer here and take his place."
Jack sat up at this possibility, the idea of confining their torturer in a series of machines, alone in his lab, was infinitely appealing. "You can do that?"
"Sir wait, I don't think we should." Sam couldn't believe she was saying it, but her experience with the entity made her very wary about such manipulation of body and mind. "I don't have any sympathy for this bastard," she added hastily, "but I just don't want to wish that kind of thing on anyone.
Jack felt himself sink into the bed slightly, remembering how Sam had essentially been through exactly what Urgo was proposing for Togar. Seeing the pained look on her face, he peeled himself off the bed with some effort and moved to the couch next to where Sam was now sitting, contemplating her hands. He tried vainly to ignore Urgo, who was hovering near the coffee table in front of them, squealing slightly with excitement at the prospect of leaving.
Sam felt Jack move closer to her and cup her cheek with one hand as he gently stroked her knee with another. Looking up slowly she saw his wide eyes filled with concern as he silently apologised for what had happened and what they may be forced to do with Togar.
"I don't want to do anything that you think is too much Sam," he said softly, gently rubbing his thumb on her cheek, relishing the feel of her soft skin nestling into his palm. "But look at what this guy's done to us – what he's doing to Daniel… don't you think-"
Sam cut him off mid-sentence. "You don't understand," her voice was rough and very quiet with the emotion. "Being inside the computers… it was so horrible…" she found herself unable to speak again, remembering how everything had seemed so black – how everyone was so distant. How she was screaming but they didn't seem to hear her. She felt a lone tear streak down her face, she didn't want anyone to experience that, even if it was Togar. She felt Jack's arms wrap around her and pull her close. She rested her head against his chest before looking up at him as his mouth moved closer to hers.
"Huh hum."
The sound of Urgo standing not three feet away from them made Jack and Sam disengage their lips and move away from each other slightly.
"It's ok Sam. We'll do what you think is best." Jack whispered to her.
Sam looked into his eyes with overwhelming gratitude for his understanding. At the same time, she felt an increasing unease at the fact that they were essentially talking about Urgo's fate. Looking slowly to her side she forced herself to meet his eye. Seeing the pathetic look on his face, she felt her heart sink.
"Please?" Urgo's voice was high pitched and urgent in its tone. "I don't want to be here anymore… you're right – it's not fun being inside the systems. Let me get out."
Sam looked at him intently inwardly grappling with her conscience as she considered the possibilities. Realising with a start that Urgo was currently in the position she had so dreaded, she found her mind made up rather easily.
"Ok." Her voice was flat, but perfectly clear.
Urgo didn't seem to have heard her, he had a far off look on his face for a moment before he suddenly snapped back to attention and jerked forward abruptly.
"We must go now!" he squealed, making Sam and Jack jump. "He has started it! There is not much time! Dr Jackson is nearly gone!
TBC
A/N: So there you go! The great escape (queue the music) is on! I won't have a chance to give it to you until next week though – I'm so sorry! I'm going up to the snow this arvo to get a nice bit of skiing in this weekend. (In Australia it's winter…) There's no internet up there so I'll be out of action until Sunday night.
Please review so that I've got some nice messages waiting for me when I get back! I'll finish the story off ASAP then! I promise!