Yes, I was using "The Song That Never Ends." But I learned it from the Sherry Lewis - Lamb Chop Show. My mother used to hate that song.
Previously: Apophis focused his eyes on Jack's. "He does not know. He does not know if you are real, if this is real, or not. If he should obey me or not. He has to learn. Real or not, it does not matter!" Apophis plunged the knife into Jack's heart.
Through his cry of pain, Jack thought, Oh, god, here we go again!
He watched his daughter stare out the window of the ship. He had never seen her like this, not even when her mother died. Her face was a blank slate, her eyes frozen blue ice. But he knew that under her mask was the terrible rage and grief he had glimpsed in George's office.
Talk to her, Jacob, Selmak whispered in his head.
Stay out of it Sel, Jacob hissed back. Aloud he said, "Sam?"
Returning from her dark solitude, Sam slowly turned and looked at her father, "What?"
"Sam, what are you doing?" he asked.
Her blank stare hardened. "I'm keeping a promise to a friend," she turned back to the window.
"It wasn't your promise, Samantha," Jacob replied.
She turned to her father. "What the hell does that mean? That because Col. O'Neill is dead, that because he died trying to save Daniel, Daniel doesn't matter anymore? That promise became mine the moment that the Colonel died. I have to find out what happened to Apophis. And if he is still alive and still using my friend's body – then it is up to me to stop him."
"Even if it means that you have to kill him? Even if it means that you end Daniel's life? Are you ready for that?" Jacob was relentless. He had to make sure that she knew what she was signing up for.
The sight of Daniel's body with a knife in his neck, O'Neill's hand covered in Daniel's blood flashed across Sam's memory. The vision pierced through her anger and laid open her grief. "What would you rather I do, Dad?" she yelled. "Leave Apophis alive? Let him keep Daniel's body and soul? Let Apophis keep killing Daniel over and over and over and over –" Sam started to cry, hysteria rising in her voice. "I won't do it! I won't let that happen to him!"
Jacob took his daughter into his arms. "No Sam. I'm not saying anything like that. But I don't want you to be the one who does it. Stay up here with the ship. Let Martouf and I be the ones who go down there. "
"No, Dad. No," she pulled away and composed herself. "It has to be me. It's my promise."
"Samantha, I understand why you are taking these actions," Selmak joined the conversation "But your father is worried about what these actions might do to you."
Sam looked back at them, "What do you mean?"
"In my life, I have had to make choices that have led to the deaths of friends. The Tok'ra view these as acceptable losses and heroic deaths. But from my time with your father, I know that your culture views it differently. Will you be able to live with yourself if you cannot save the life of Daniel Jackson?"
"This trip is more about saving Daniel's soul than his life." Samantha resumed staring out the window. To her, the matter was settled.
This time, Jacob and Selmak left her to her thoughts.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOo
After much debate, it had been decided that Martouf and Sam would ring down to the castle grounds. There was a greater chance of immediate discovery but they all knew there was no way that a captured Apophis would be dragged ten miles to the Stargate. Jacob would stay behind on the cloaked ship ready to ring them back.
As soon as the rings dispersed, Sam and Martouf broke for the cover of the woods. They had come down at nighttime hoping to use the darkness as a shield. The basic plan was to go in through the back door. During Sam's frantic escape she had gotten briefly lost in a maze of dungeons. It seemed the easiest way to get back in. They were carrying a lethal combination of P-90s, handguns, Zats and C-4. One way or another, this was all going to stop.
Beneath her numbness, Sam marveled at the audacity of two people (three counting Lantash) stealing into a Goa'uld stronghold to kidnap a System Lord. It was absurd. But, she figured, she had left the land of rational thought days ago. The feeling of unreality that had plagued her earlier was back. Her body was almost twitching from anxiety and adrenaline.
They crept in shadows to the castle. The absence of Jaffa bothered Sam. This is wrong, she thought. Surely they figured out how I escaped. Why aren't they guarding it? From the look in Martouf's eyes, he was wondering the same thing.
Martouf silently broke the lock on the ancient door. The shriek of hinges pierced the night air and Sam tensed, ready to shoot the first thing that moved. After a few moments, they both breathed again and set off down the dark hallway. They had agreed to rely on Tok'ra night vision rather than court discovery by using a flashlight.
After ten minutes of feeling their way though the darkness, they heard Jaffa approaching. About time! Sam thought. Never in her life could she remember craving violence like she did right now. She ducked into a crevice; signaling to Martouf, Take them out!
The Jaffa never knew what hit them. When they walked between Sam and Martouf, they were clubbed in the head with weapons. Sam stood over the unconscious Jaffa, her finger on the trigger of her P-90. She wanted to kill a downed enemy even though it went against everything she was as a soldier. Her finger tightened.
"Samantha!" Martouf whispered. He pointed at a door she had not noticed, indicating they should store the bodies in there. There was an old-fashioned pad-lock holding the door closed.
A pad-lock? Sam puzzled, patting the guard down for the key ring. She found the key and dashed over to the door. Opening it, she saw the last thing she expected to see.
"Jack?" she breathed.
O'Neill was no less surprised to see her. "Sam?" He jumped to his feet, forgetting that his arm was still chained to the wall, and fell back down.
Sam forgot about everything and ran over to him. She threw her arms around him, feeling him give her a one-armed hug in return. "I saw you die!" she whispered. "How are you here?"
"Sarcophagus," he muttered as he lost himself, just for a moment in the smell of her, the feeling of holding her. Some small, ravaged part of his heart began to heal.
"I'm not alone anymore," she said, so quietly that he almost did not hear it. He tightened his arm around her in response.
Martouf was dragging in the Jaffa, "It is good to see you, O'Neill," Lantash said, quietly. "Are you well enough to move?"
"Is there a choice?" O'Neill asked as he and Sam separated.
Sam examined his face. There were no visible bruises or marks, but there was something in his eyes that told her that the Colonel's time in this castle had been almost more than he could bear. "Where's Teal'c? Did he go into the sarcophagus as well?"
"No, Sam, Tealc's dead," O'Neill looked up at her. "I buried him behind the courtyard." She didn't reply, just examined the chain the held him to the wall and found the proper key to unlock him. "And Apophis? Is he still…?" He said nothing, just nodded his head.
Jack carefully stood. The last time in the box had healed most of his wounds but he was still exhausted, dehydrated, and starving. But he would deal with that later. "Okay, Carter, Marty, what's the plan? If you're here to rescue us…me…whatever…where's the rest of you? Are there other SG teams outside?"
Sam did not want to tell him about the secret that General Hammond had revealed to her. But she needed to. "Sir, there is no one else. This isn't an official mission. Officially, our goal would be to capture Dan-Apophis and turn him over for interrogation by Maybourne or someone. Nothing that has happened here or will happen here will ever go on record. If we're successful."
"A Scorpion Situation," O'Neill muttered, earning surprised looks from Carter and Lantash.
"You know about that, sir?"
"I heard a rumor. Once. Should'a believed him," O'Neill mused. He shook his thoughts away. "Something you should know, and Marty, maybe you can explain this, I don't think that Apophis is entirely…Apophis. I think Daniel is fighting back and really making Apophis crazy. And dangerous." He unconsciously rubbed over his heart where a thin ghost of a scar still itched.
Martouf spoke, "It is not impossible for a host to resist takeover, but…over time it will affect the mental stability of both host and symbiote. It takes a tremendous amount of will power. It is almost easier if the host just submits. The few successful separations we have done have had less residual damage when the host did not fight back."
"When has Daniel ever done something the easy way?" O'Neill asked. "As long as Daniel can fight, he will fight. He is protecting something" O'Neill and Carter made eye contact. Neither was sure what all the Tok'ra knew about Shifu and now was not the time to go into it.
"Sir, we're going to get him out of here," Carter stated. "One way or another." She did not have to elaborate.
'Then we're off," O'Neill took a step forward and swayed badly. Carter kept him from falling.
"Sir, you need to get back to the ship. Dad's keeping it cloaked in orbit."
"Jacob's here? Well, everyone turned out for my party," O'Neill said wryly. "Carter, I am not letting you go against him alone. You don't know what he's capable of right now."
"I'm not alone." She gave a slight smile. "Not now," she replied. "And you're in no condition to face him again. Martouf and I will do it."
"We will, O'Neill," Martouf backed her up, handing the Colonel a Zat weapon and a Tok'ra communicator. "I do not think that you will see any guards. There do not seem to be many around. But just in case."
O'Neill took the weapon and looked at his 2IC. "Go sir, please. Here," She handed him a small explosive. "Leave a little something on your way out." Samantha watched him disappear into the darkness. One down, one to go.
TBC