Disclaimer : I don't own anything and I ain't getting paid . (Stifled sob!)
Rating : Teens
A/N : Thank you once again for the reviews . So sorry this hasn't been so quick but I've been moving house and had no Internet access!Also I am urgently looking for a couple of people to beta read for me, any volunteers email me ,my address is in my profile. Thanks
I don't generally like to add a lot of explanatory notes. I prefer to credit the reader with a modicum of intelligence and sometimes allow a smidgen of confusion to creep in. There are always clues and you will spot plot markers as the story progresses. So brains in gear …. This is a flashback ! Spot the personnel change for a game of guess the correct season!
Chapter 4
Some years earlier…
The insistent ringing of the telephone awakened him. A muscular arm snaked out from under the pillow, grabbing the bulky receiver.
"O'Neill," stated the muffled voice, " No, Jonas, I wasn't, but I am now." Thrusting the scratchy blankets aside, the now irritable Colonel sat up. He ruffled his short, greying hair and looked at his watch, then frowned and checked it again.
"It's only 05.30," he said in a thoroughly bemused tone. He sighed and lay down again heavily on the hard military bed, still listening to the man on the other end of the phone. "Green," he said ominously and replaced the receiver.
Jack threw his arm over his eyes and turned over. His alarm would go off in thirty-five minutes, but that was still another thirty-five minutes left to sleep in. He attempted to doze off again.
A full ten minutes later, still trying to shut out the noises of the now awakening base, his keen ears discerned the tread of familiar footsteps, pausing outside his door, as though listening for signs of movement. He waited until his 2IC was poised ready to knock and shouted, "Go Away, Carter I'm sleeping!"
Jack listened for the tiny squeak of surprise she always gave when he made her jump. He grinned in the darkness, picturing her expression as a smile spread across her face. He loved to make her laugh.
"Er, Sir, sorry to bother you, but er," the major spoke in her best military tone. Someone was evidently walking by.
"Green, Major," he barked the words out in a suitably commanding tone.
"Thank you Sir," she replied deferentially, and went away.
He groaned as he rose out of bed and decided to hit the showers early. It was evidently going to be a long day.
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After eating breakfast, with his team in the commissary, they made their way to the briefing room. At 10.00 that day they were due out on a routine mission. 'Off to baby sit Jonas and the Major while they collected soil samples and rocks,' he thought. Those were the kind of missions he hated the most, hours of standing about scanning the horizon. As he mounted the control room stairs, Jack sighed wistfully at the thought of past missions on dusty planets with Daniel excited by ruins and artefacts, but Daniel was gone and they all had to get used to it. With that melancholy thought in mind, he strode through the briefing room door.
General Hammond was standing at the head of the briefing room table, talking to Jacob Carter.
Inwardly the colonel groaned. He liked Sam's father, but the appearance of any of the Tok'ra always spelt trouble as far as he was concerned. Throughout his recent experiences, his feelings for them had grown from a healthy dislike to a bitter hatred of them. Jack painted a smile on his face and looked at his commander for reassurance.
"General, Jacob." The colonel said, nodding to each man.
"There's been a change of plans, Jack," Hammond replied answering the silent question his 2IC had asked.
"Doh," was all he could say as he sank into his regular chair at the briefing table. He rolled his eyes, he already had that old 'this isn't going to be good' feeling.
Across the table from him, Major Carter sat down next to her father
"How are you, Dad?" she enquired lightly after kissing him on the cheek.
"Good, Sammie, and you?" Jacob replied smiling.
Sam noticed the smile hadn't quite reached his eyes. She was about to ask again when, with a gentle cough from the General, the briefing began.
"Jacob has given me some disturbing information," their commander began. "It has come to the attention of the Tok'ra that the Goa'uld, Baal, has in his possession genetic material from Earth that he intends to use in some sort of experimentation."
"Does not all the human genetic material in the galaxy come from Earth initially, Jacobcarter?" Teal'c enquired, inclining his head towards the Tok'ra.
"Therefore, how does this affect us?" Major Carter asked tentatively looking at her Father for a further explanation. She was beginning to get an uneasy feeling similar to the colonel's. Jacob's head dipped eyes glowing briefly before his face rose again.
"It concerns you all directly, because the origin of the genetic material was SG-1." Jacob spoke with a deeper voice than usual signifying Selmak was in control.
There was an uncomfortable silence, during which Sam's eyes flicked between the General, and the rest of the team. She noticed the colonel's face had drained to a pale grey and that he had a white-knuckled grip on the arms of his chair.
The Tok'ra spoke again. "The operative we have within Baal's facility had access to documents pertaining to a sample of genetic material. They stated that the."
"Well I guess we all know how they got it!" The colonel interrupted hotly. "Son of a "
"Colonel!" Hammond's tone demanded respect. The General waited until the younger man broke his eye contact and stared at the table.
From Jack's right Teal'c broke the silence, "I believe O'Neill may be correct, General Hammond. Baal had much opportunity to remove his genetic material whilst holding O'Neill prisoner."
"You're right Teal'c. He did have ample opportunity, but I am more concerned about what he intends to do with it." The General looked around the table.
Jacob, who had resumed control, stated, "The Tok'ra high council concludes the Goa'uld could be developing a genetic weapon, specifically designed to target current earth physiology."
"Well, we already know of at least one world race which has developed an independent physiology within the generations that they were on a new planet," Jonas broke off and looked at Major Carter.
"Yes," she continued with growing excitement. "Janet has often found slight differences in the blood work of seemingly human indigenous populations. Therefore, any genetic-type weapon would have to be tied to specific DNA markers of any given human sub species."
"Carter," the colonel snapped, raising a finger.
"Sorry Sir." She flushed slightly." He would need our genetic material, must have had a golden opportunity." The major broke off, suddenly aware that she had been discussing what was still a raw experience for her superior in a fairly inappropriate fashion. She chewed her lip uncertainly, watching him from under her lowered lashes.
General Hammond looked between his officers. Jack's recovery after his torture by Baal and subsequent sarcophagus withdrawal had been slow. He had passed his psychiatric evaluations and completed his 'sessions' in record time. That the colonel still had issues wasn't in doubt, but with his notoriously closed nature, engineering a discussion of that nature was difficult. The General knew Jack would handle it and for the time being it would reside within the growing list of taboo subjects. Nevertheless, he needed to make a decision.
"Jacob has advised me that he would be willing to assist SG-b1 in a covert retrieval mission to the planet, and has the Tok'ra council's promise of a ship to aid us." He paused and then looked at his subordinate. "Colonel, I can send another team, it is up to you."
O'Neill straightened himself in his chair,"No Sir, the mission is ours."
"Indeed," said his Jaffa friend. A muscle ticked in his face. At the mere mention of Baal, the mission had become a 'Jaffa revenge thing'.
"Jacob, if you will." The General gestured to the Tok'ra that he could continue and he began to explain the Intel and show them schematics of the facility.
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Several representatives of the Tok'ra met the team as they emerged from the stargate, and swiftly guided them to the waiting cargo ship. They slipped silently across the open ground in front of the stone circle like spectres and merged quietly into the long grey shadows of the growing evening gloom.
One Tok'ra accompanied them on to the ship as the other guards melted into the night. The ship rose quietly and shot away from the dark moon's gravity, the gate's event horizon burst into action. After eradicating any signs of military activity, the remaining Tok'ra entered the stargate. When the wormhole disengaged, the surface of the planet was still and quiet as if no one had ever been there.
Onboard the team began to check and recheck their equipment. The Tok'ra operative guided the ship out of the moon's orbit and activated the hyperdrive engines. With a mild jolt, the tel'tac moved across the galaxy at many times light speed.
Jacob spoke quietly to the team. "Once we exit hyperspace we will activate the ships cloaking device and then we will assess whether there are any other ships in orbit."
"I thought you said there would only be a few scientists on the planet?" Jack asked irritably. "You know I hate surprises, Jake."
"The operative assures me there is only a skeleton staff working within the facility, but it never hurts to be cautious, eh?" Jacob Carter smiled at his daughter reassuringly. She returned his smile and ventured a smaller one to the commander of SG1; he smirked and walked away to the cargo bay.
Over his shoulder he said, "Ok, Jake, Ok"
Jacob's eyes narrowed at the colonel's retreating form. In his mind Selmak spoke, soothing words, "Jacob, be patient with him, he has every right to be angry. He will come around in time; his heart has been wounded by Kanan's betrayal. He trusts you, I can see it in his eyes. He will not fail you or your daughter."
"I hope so, I hope so," he muttered under his breath.
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He pressed himself flat against the wall of the science facility as two Jaffa marched passed his position in glorious symmetry. Their armour clashed as they moved and he wondered why he was worried, they couldn't see him. They exited the room and he moved closer to the other open doorway. From there he had a better view of his quarry. Even in his current form he often wondered how she was, but as a being of light wondering took you places. So here he was, once again, drawn by her presence, watching Osiris, or rather, watching the shell of Sarah.
Often he wondered how she could look so 'Sarah', and yet with every movement and inference not be her.
She smiled, quite an evil smile and said,"How pleased my Lord Anubis will be when I bring him this evidence of Baal's treachery. Here is another secret development laboratory not disclosed to the System Lords. There will be much for them to discuss together." She turned on her heel and strode out, sweeping past just a whisker from where he stood.
He leaned once again against the stone wall and sighed heavily. He wanted to help her but was unable to, the others would prevent it.
The being was about to depart when a tiny movement caught his eye. In the centre of the room he could see a long stone table. He moved closer and his eyes began to make out a tiny hand on the table, its fingers drummed restlessly on the cold stone. His eyes moved instinctively up the limb to an ugly livid scar on the pale skin of the upper arm. He frowned and his fingers went to push up glasses he didn't need anymore, as he stared at the brand. It was the Tau'ri point of origin.
Daniel moved closer and saw that the figure concealed within the darkness, was a small child. She, for he could discern it was a she, was wearing a white robe, with nothing on her feet and had no blankets or covering to keep out the chill of the night. Yet, aside from the ceaseless movement of the fingers, she was motionless. He walked around the head of the table quickly, secure in the knowledge that her eyes wouldn't follow his movement. He saw, to his sorrow, that she was tightly restrained. Tight metallic bands lay across her ankles, wrists, waist and thighs, and somehow the combination of her fidgeting and stillness appeared ever more incongruous.
Suddenly, like the whisper of the wind in dry leaves the child spoke into the darkness.
"Am I alone?" The Goa'uld words unsettled him; they were very unexpected in a child so obviously of the Tau'ri.
Looking more closely, something stirred deep in his memory. The pale face was framed by long pale gold hair; strands of it fell over her face and as he looked at her, pity stirred in him.
"Noc tal'nowe,"(no, I am here) Daniel murmured absently.
The child turned her head sharply and looked deep into his eyes. Bright blue orbs glared at the paler blue ones, rapidly assessing the level of threat.
"Holy Hannah!" He stepped back as recognition hit him.
"Who are you?" the child whispered.
"Tal'mac Daniel,"(I am Daniel)
"Tal'mac,"(I am. ) the child's eyes clouded in confusion. "Hannah."