OK, I hope this chapter explains a few things for you. Thanks to the great reviewers! I'm glad you like the story enough to read this far. Be sure to let me know what you think through the medium of reviews LOL!

Chapter 20: Second Revelations

Sam immediately recognised Einar, tied down with restraints in the isolation room. She hesitated at the door with General Hammond and Teal'c. The Innarim wasn't struggling, or even moving much, but she could still see the blue glow of his eyes though they were barely open. Thor and Janet were standing next to him, looking at the three figures waiting by the door.

"General Hammond," Thor greeted. "Forgive my unannounced arrival."

"Don't worry about that, Commander Thor," Hammond said as he finally entered the room. "What's going on here?"

"O'Neill and Einar contacted the Asgard again several days ago at Cimmera. He gave little explanation as to his return, but we had made great progress with our earlier scans of the Innarim brain structure. With further scans, I believe I have been able to safely identify the two neurological patterns," Thor explained.

"You mean you can transfer the Colonel back?" Sam asked.

"Yes, Major Carter," Thor nodded slowly. "We only need O'Neill's physical body to complete the transfer."

"But is this creature not now a Goa'uld?" Teal'c reminded.

"We detected no Goa'uld within the Innarim body," Thor answered, looking at Teal'c dubiously. "Has something occurred that he has not divulged?"

"I witnessed Einar being implanted with a Goa'uld symbiote," Sam said, wincing at the memory. "Where did it go?"

"There is evidence that he was once a host," Thor continued. "His blood contains traces of naquadah and the unique protein marker present in yourself, Major Carter. Surely you can sense it?"

"Yes, but a Goa'uld wouldn't save the host if it was dying. The toxins should've killed Einar."

They all looked over at the Innarim, eyes now fully closed. He was still breathing, steadily as in sleep. Sam let her eyes drift to the armband he was now wearing again. The light wasn't on at all – any inhabiting minds were dormant – but she was glad it wasn't the angry crimson that had signified the symbiote. She still had many questions and fears, but one weight was lifted from her shoulders: Einar and Jack weren't an insane Goa'uld.

"So what's wrong with him at the minute?" Hammond quizzed.

"It looks like he's just physically exhausted," Janet replied. "He probably hasn't slept in a while. Other than that he seems fine… but this is the first Innarim Thor and I have ever actually come across, so there's no way of telling for sure."

"Well, we have another problem, Commander Thor," Hammond sighed. "Our teams on Stoneheim have been captured by further Innarim survivors we were previously unaware of. Colonel O'Neill's body is still in stasis at the Stoneheim lab, and I cannot send any further personnel to the planet without authorisation from my superiors."

"Yet, we cannot send Einar to Stoneheim while O'Neill's mind is still within. Would it not be possible for an Asgard transport beam to reacquire O'Neill's body from orbit?" Teal'c suggested.

"The stasis cell was integrated into the lab structure," Sam shook her head. "And I'm guessing that transporting out the Colonel straight to a normal environmental situation while he's still in suspended animation would kill him."


"Crrr…tur…"

Sam and Janet both jumped away from the medical bed, the deep Innarim voice cutting through the gentle humming of the equipment. There was a faint resonance of Goa'uld distortion behind it. Janet signalled for the SFs by the door to stay focused.

"Car…ter… hey…"

Sam didn't have to look at the armband to know who was in control. There was a sense of déjà vu, harking back to the anoxia-suffering O'Neill waving lethargically from the drifting X-301. She took a single step towards the restrained Innarim. Jack let his head fall sideways and opened his glowing eyes a crack.

"Sir?"

"Sorry about… the voice," he rasped, "and eyes… side-effect."

"Side-effect of what, Colonel?" Janet probed, hanging back.

"Goa'uld."

Janet scribbled something down on her clipboard and backed out: "Not that I don't believe Thor, but I'm ordering an MRI to be absolutely sure he's not a Goa'uld."

"Don't worry, sir," Sam gave a small smile at Jack's low growl. "She's just being thorough."

He nodded wearily, blinking rapidly in an effort to stay awake. The armband flickered to blue as Sam edged closer and took a seat next to him. Einar, now wielding control, sighed heavily.

"Sam…I'm sorry. I know how it… must have looked… but I did not betray you…"

Sam frowned and leant in closer to hear his low voice.

"You must have… hated me… for all these months."

"I did at first," Sam stated lowly. "Lately I just haven't had the energy."

Einar met her stare with deep sincerity: "There was no other way."

"What do you mean?"

"To… save your life."

Sam sat back at the admission. Yet another round of questions bombarded Sam's mind. Once again she found herself wondering who exactly was behind the actions and words. Was it Einar, ultimately proving how far he'd go to help them out? Had Jack's principle of keeping his team safe above all else rubbed of onto the Innarim? Could it be equally from both of them?

"I knew that Wotan… could have decided either way… you for your knowledge, or me from the physical advantages. I couldn't leave it to chance… Admitting O'Neill is in here too… was the only way I could be sure he'd look a fool to choose you over me."

"But why you, and what happened to the Goa'uld?"

"All Innarim have a decade of intense… mental training, strengthening our minds, and we are immune to the symbiote toxins. We attack the Goa'uld… by coaxing them into taking us as hosts. The true weapons of the Innarim are not the Vapenvulv, or our physical strength and speed. It is the fact that our consciousness… is powerful enough to destroy a Goa'uld from within."

"Then… that's why I could sense naquadah when we first got you out of the stasis cell," Sam said. "You've been a host before."

"Yes. With O'Neill's mind in combination with my own, the symbiote didn't stand a chance… It has long since decayed by now."

"So you knew exactly what you were doing the entire time."

Einar nodded: "I had to be sure I was chosen – we could beat it, where you could not. O'Neill and I were in command – getting you taken to the stargate, killing Wotan, sending the GDO signal… that was all our doing."

Sam smiled at him gratefully, squeezing his shoulder before looking away pensively. Einar was explaining everything to her, because he believed it was her right to know. Yet, she still believed it was his right to know about his true nature, no matter how badly he might take it. Especially now, after all of his effort, she owed him that.

"Einar, we found some information about the Innarim in that database we recovered. It said that," Sam swallowed nervously, "… that the Innarim were genetically engineered and created by the Hakonans to fight the Goa'uld. The strength, the speed, the mental training, the toxin immunity…"

Einar just looked at her blankly.

"You're a weapon, Einar," she summarised.

He continued his expressionless gaze, even blinking a few times, as he processed it. Yet, to Sam's surprise, the wolf was not tugging against the restraints in a vain attempt to strangle her. Einar looked almost… expectant.

"Your point being…?"