OC List:

Amaris Gotin: Aged mid-thirties, female, Scientist (think Carter) and team leader, younger sister to Keane and Harvey.

Keane Gotin: Aged late-thirties, Male, in the Aldercian army, older brother to Amaris and twin brother to Harvey.

Harvey Gotin: Deceased, Male, was in Aldercian army, twin to Keane and older brother to Amaris.

Lowell Safran: Same age as Keane, Male, small but agile and in Aldercian army, has known the Gotin's all his life.

Devon Gibson: Early thirties, female (don't let the name fool you), archeologist.

Commander Allard: Total jerk (you'll understand after this chapter is over). Male, late forties.

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Allard looked around him. No one had spoken for hours. "We have to think of a way out of here."

Keane turned from his position at the door, waiting for his sister. "We are not leaving without her."

"Now, I understand your position…"

"No sir!" Lowell spoke up. He had been sitting next to Devon, comforting her. But now he stood up. "I don't think you do. Amaris is our friend. Our leader. And she's not just Keane's sister. She's mine and Devon's as well."

Now Devon stood. "She has always waited for us, and pulled us through. We have to pull through for her." She was crying again. "If we have to think of something, it's how to save her."

Allard raised his eyebrows and, for the first time, looked over the team with a critical eye. Devon was petite, and easily frightened. Lowell was mousy. Keane was rough. And this was the front line unit?

"I hate to pull rank…"

"Then don't." That was Keane, looking at him angrily.

"We are getting out of here. Now. I don't care if it's with or without Amaris." Allard's eyes were cold. "I am clearly the only one with my head straight."

He started walking towards the door, but Keane cut him off and pushed him against the wall. "If you do this, you'll regret it."

Allard looked at him, his black eyes fearless. "The only one who will regret something is you. When we get back to Aldercy, you'll be in so much trouble. Now release me." Keane let him down and Allard continued his trip to the wall. "I'll get you out of here alive. That's all that matters."

The team watched him, eyes full of hate, as he tried to pry open the door.

"Keane, help me." The young man looked at the commander, surprised. He stayed still. Allard narrowed his eyes. "That's an order."

Keane strolled over to the door and with distain, helped the commander open the door to the prison. When they succeeded, Keane closed his eyes. Amaris, I wanted to help you. I hope you know that.

Allard snuck out the door, gesturing for the team to follow. They did so hesitantly.

"What do we do now?" Devon asked.

Allard gave her a crooked grin. "We wing it."

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SG-1 fired their guns at the approaching Jaffa patrol.

"O'Neill!" Teal'c called. "We cannot let one escape! He will alert Ba'al of our presence."

"I know!" He yelled between shots. "So much for stealth!"

The firefight continued for a few minutes. When it finally ended, the patrol was dead on the ground. Unfortunately, the chances of that being all of them were extremely slim. "Carter, find a ring device activator."

"Yes sir." Sam rummaged around a bit, then pulled off the wristband of a dead Jaffa. "I think they're over there. That's were the patrol came from, at least."

Jack nodded grimly and took point. Daniel followed him; then Sam, and Teal'c 'watched their sixes,' a job he took quite seriously.

When they reached the area, they examined the ground, looking for some clue as to where exactly they were. Jack remembered a time when he asked the Tok'ra how they knew where to stand. Ya'know, they never answered me. And that would come in handy.

"I know! I can use the naquada detector."

Jack whipped his head around to look at Sam. "Then please do, Major."

She made her 'sorry' face and dug it out of her bag, avoiding the explosive devices packed in along with it. "Sam?" she looked up to see Daniel looking at her nervously.

"What?"

He cleared his throat. "Isn't that a little dangerous?"

Jack gave him a look. "It's C-4. It's always dangerous."

"Yeah, but the naquada detector uses naquada to detect naquada."

"What?"

Sam comforted him. "Daniel, I know it's dangerous. But I was very careful with it."

"Somehow, I'm not reassured…"

Jack rolled his eyes. "Danny?"

"Jack?"

Raising his eyebrows, he told him matter-of-factly "Shut up."

"Right."

Sam smiled at her CO, and worked her magic. "It's here, sir."

"Sweet. Now what are we doing waiting around here?"

They arranged themselves in the area specified by the detector. The rings were activated, and SG-1 made it aboard the ship.

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"Just end this! Please!"

"If you tell me what I want to know, I will end it. You can die, and the pain will be gone." Ba'al picked up another blade. The first had sunk into Amaris' chest, narrowly missing her lung.

"I won't tell you anything! Why waste your time?"

Ba'al held up another blade. "What is the code I can use to access the Tau'ri stargate?"

Amaris could barely form words with her mouth. The pain was too much. "I am not a Tau'ri." With that, Ba'al released the blade. It missed her, but had shaken her again. She would die again with the next. "Please, you must believe me."

"I'll do no such thing. You are lying to me. How many times must I kill you before you surrender?" She was on her 5th time now. Amaris didn't think she could take any more. But she still didn't say anything. Ba'al only held up another blade. "You don't want me to do this."

"Yeah I do." She tried to sound brave. Begging obviously wasn't working. "Maybe this one will kill me."

Ba'al chuckled. "I will just bring you back. And we can begin again." He paced. "I have not enjoyed torture so much since O'Neill. He taught you resistance."

"I do not know anyone called 'O'Neill,' and I am no Tau'ri. How many times do I have to say it?"

"And how many times must I tell you that I don't believe you?"

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"Lowell, see that Jaffa over there?" Allard pointed at an alien standing guard outside a room."

"Oh, is that what those are called?" Lowell was trying to make this as difficult as possible. The entire team had been dragging their feet, delaying their escape.

Allard ignored him. "You're the smallest man here. I want you to sneak up on him, kill him, and steal the device on his wristband. We need to activate the rings."

Lowell blushed at his comment about his size. So he was a little on the small side…he was just as capable as the commander. Perhaps even more so, since he actually had a soul. Devon put a hand on his shoulder, a silent way of saying "don't listen to him. He's an ass."

"Sure. Anything. After, how 'bout I lick the bottom of your shoes?"

Allard turned to them. "I'm sick of this. You can think I'm a bad guy. Maybe I am. But I do what needs to be done. And I am your commanding officer. So I suggest you cut back on the snide comments, or when we get back, I'll make sure you never see the Stargate again." If I have anything to say about it, no one will see the Stargate again.

Lowell caved, worried about the future of the program for the first time. This would hardly be a good first trip. He might have a bad opinion about the whole program.

His team members were thinking the same thing. Commander Allard was a powerful man. He had so much influence on the government of their planet.

Lowell snuck up behind the Jaffa and with surprising speed, grabbed a blade from the Jaffa's boot, and slit his throat. The process was silent. He grabbed the device off the Jaffa's wrist and handed it over to Allard.

"You did well." Allard took off in the direction in which they believed the rings to be. Lowell just stood, looking guiltily over the body.

Devon walked over to him and stroked his arm. Keane looked at the man who was practically his brother with worry.

"Lowell, it was you or him. Don't feel guilty." Keane followed Allard.

Devon kept stroking his arm. "Come on, we have to go."

Lowell looked into her eyes. "Devon…I feel like a monster. That was horrible. It's one thing to kill in self-defense, but I snuck up on him….and murdered him." His voice was cracking slightly. Devon hugged him.

"I can't imagine. But you're no monster. Lowell, you're a human, but you were forced to do something ruthless." She pulled back. "And you have to remind yourself that his alien would do no different to you."

"I guess you're right…" he was still looking over at the dead Jaffa.

"Let's move," Allard hissed at the pair. They moved, reluctantly.

Devon looked at their new, self-appointed leader. Who is he, really? How can he make my team-mates to this?

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The second they saw they made it aboard the ship, SG-1 flew to the walls for some cover. Silently, they moved like a well-oiled machine, knowing what each wanted the other to do. Jack took point, followed by Daniel and Carter with Teal'c watching their collective sixes.

This ship was built no different than any other, so they knew where to go. Down the halls, ducking when they saw Jaffa patrols, they slowly but surely made their way to the engine room. Once he was sure the room was secure, Jack told Sam, "Set up the C-4"

With a dutiful nod, Sam pulled the explosives out of her bag. "Daniel, help me with this."

With some hesitation, the archeologist took some packages from her.

"Set them up at the base of that structure over there," Sam ordered and gestured to a column in the center of the room. Daniel complied.

"Jeeze, Spacemonkey." Jack laughed from his post at the door. "You're holding it like it's a ticking bomb." Daniel just threw him an annoyed glance. "Oh yeah…" Jack smiled and turned his attention to the doorway. There was no way he would let anything come through there to jeopardize the mission…

Teal'c also stood with the same determination. "Major Carter, how long do you believe this process will take?"

She looked around the engine room. "This is a pretty big room Teal'c…at least half an hour to be completely sure it will blow up the whole fleet." She walked over to Jack and took his bag off his back. "There's more C-4 in here, right sir?"

"Yeah. Do we need it? It was supposed to be extra."

Carter hesitated. "To be honest sir, the blueprint wasn't as accurate as I would have hoped. We have just enough."

Jack shivered with worry. "Well, Major, be sure to put it in all the right places. This has to work."

"Yes sir." Sam and Daniel went back to work.

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They had finally made it to the rings. Finally, after four wrong turns and 20 minutes in hiding from multiple Jaffa patrols.

Allard grinned smugly. "Alright, stand in the circle and let's get out of here."

The three others looked at each other. Having worked in such close quarters for the past year, while they walked to the rings they made silent plans. Screw their future with the program. Amaris needed them.

Keane looked into the hallway. "Commander! Look!" Allard ran to the doorway worriedly.

"What?"

At that moment, Lowell leaned forward and tackled the Commander to the ground. He pressed hard on a pressure point. Soon, Allard passed out and Lowell got off of him. "Where are we going to keep this guy?"

Keane thought for a moment. "Someone needs to stay with him." He looked right to Devon. "If we restrain him you'll be able to keep an eye on him, even if he wakes up, right?"

"I'm going to save Amaris. I'm not staying here with this son of a bitch." The two men looked at her, stunned. Not only did she offer to go into a very dangerous situation, she …cursed!

When he had regained his composure, Keane tried to talk some sense into her. "Devon, someone has to stay here."

"Lowell can. Or you. But I'm not. I flat out refuse."

Lowell and Keane looked at each other, debating in their minds. Lowell finally spoke up.

"It's going to be very dangerous."

Devon shook her head. "I don't care. It's no less than Amaris would do for me."

Lowell looked at her and nodded. "Ok, I'll stay here." Keane was stunned. Lowell walked towards Devon and held her against himself tightly. "Just be careful, ok?"

Devon squeezed him back, then they let go. She whispered to him, "I promise."

Lowell nodded and walked back over to the unconscious Allard. He took out a plastic cord from his pocket and tied the commander's hands together. "I'll find a place to hide with him." He straightened and looked into Keane's eyes. "You guys better go."

Keane looked at him like he was nuts. Devon was no good for this job. But then he saw the pleading glance Lowell was sending him. Let her come, it seemed to say. And keep her safe.

"Fine," Keane said. "Come on, Devon. We have to figure out where they took her."

The pair took off, leaving Lowell to wait and wonder if he would ever see his three team-mates again.

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10th time, Amaris thought. This is the 10th time I'll die. She didn't even listen to Ba'al anymore. She lost herself in her own thoughts. It was a new form of keeping her planet secret.

I wonder if this will ever end? She noticed the pain and cried out, but said nothing else. It probably won't. I'll spend all of eternity in this endless cycle.

Another scream.

Her mind was lost to darkness. The sarcophagus was altering her too, she could tell. The way she thought had changed. There were no thoughts of hope as there were before. Her mind was convinced Keane was dead, just like her other brother Harvey. They would never be with her again, because if she died, she wouldn't stay dead.

And Devon was dead. She couldn't grace the universe with her childlike curiosity. And Lowell's loving heart didn't love anything anymore. It was cold.

Just like her heart now.

Ba'al knew her mind was failing. She wouldn't be of any use to him soon. But there was still hope in his black heart. So he didn't stop.

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"Do you hear that?" Colonel O'Neill turned back to his team. Sam and Daniel stopped working and perked their ears up. Teal'c tilted his head expectantly.

Nothing came.

"Sir," Carter asked. "What did it sound like?"

"Like someone was screaming." Jack shivered, remembering the time Ba'al tortured him.

Daniel remembered that too. He hadn't told anyone, but he had regained a few memories from the time he was ascended. He archeologist remembered watching Jack being tortured. It had been horrible.

"Jack, I'm sure it's nothing." Just your imagination, he added silently, not wanting to embarrass him.

"No," the Colonel insisted. "There was something."

SG-1 fell silent again, waiting for the noise. And it came. A scream.

"That is a female voice," Teal'c said.

"Colonel, we have to save her." Sam said what the colonel was thinking.

"I know." Jack thought. "We'll need you and Daniel for this too. Are you almost done?"

She connected two wires and said, "Just finished, sir."

The colonel nodded grimly. "Set the timer for an hour and let's try and save her."

She looked at him, confused. "Cutting it awful close, isn't that?"

"Carter, we have to get out of here the moment we grab her. And this has to be done quickly. One hour."

"Yes sir." She set it and she and Daniel picked up their belongings.

Another scream came. The colonel abandoned all caution and ran in the direction of the scream, his team struggling to keep up with him.

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Keane and Devon had been walking in silence. It had been half an hour since they had taken off, and they still hadn't found her. But both refused to even think that they had lost her.

Keane broke the silence. "Why are you doing this?"

Devon looked at him, taken aback. "Why are you?"

Keane rolled his eyes. "She's my sister. But she's only your boss. I know plenty of people who would rejoice in your position."

She stopped in her tracks. "Amaris is so much more than a boss to me, Keane. And it hurts me that you still don't know that." They started walking again. "Do you know what she said to me in the holding cell, before they took her away?"

Keane shook his head, and Devon continued. "She told me she thought of me as a little sister. And that she would die if she ever lost me." Devon paused for a while, trying to keep her composure. "Well, I think of her as an older sister. And it would kill me to lose her."

Keane was quiet for a while, letting it sink in. "Do you want to know why I'm especially driven to save her?"

Devon shook her head, and poked her head into a door they just came across. Nothing.

"We had another sibling, Amaris and I." Keane backed against the wall, thinking her heard something. False alarm.

"What happened," Devon asked softly, almost afraid to know the answer.

"Harvey and I were twins. We were both in the military." They came across the Jaffa Lowell had killed earlier. Keane took a weapon from the holster at the alien's waist. It was the same one that had caused him pain in the cell. That was 24 hours ago. He shook the thought and focused on his story again.

"It was much like this. We were taken prisoner, and put in different locations. I was found by the rest of the battalion, but Harvey didn't make it. They found his body after the war was over."

Devon was silent, trying to process this information.

"I can't help but feel," Keane continued. "That he would have lived if I had gone against my commanding officer's decision to leave him. What if I had actually tried to save him?" He paused. "I don't want that to happen to Amaris. And even if, God forbid, we already lost her, at least I tried. That's more than I can say for Harvey."

They went back to silence. What can you say after a story like that?

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"You are in so much trouble."

"Shut up."

Allard had awoken, and was annoying the crap out of Lowell.

"You can forget about the Stargate. Hell, you can forget about anything to do with the military, because you my friend, are done." Allard spat on the last syllable. It landed on Lowell's cheek.

"At least Amaris will be alive." I hope. "Now, don't make me knock you out again." Lowell let his thoughts wander back to Devon. She had really grown up in the past year, but it was nothing compared to the past 24 hours. Has it really been that long? Damn, this is awful.

Devon was brave. Amaris had really rubbed off on her. Lowell remembered her shrinking in fear when one native tribe of a planet imprisoned them due to a simple misunderstanding. Now she was standing up in the face of danger.

Lowell was proud of her.

"…and then, I will make sure you lose your house. Don't think I'll stop there!" Allard had kept talking.

"You're going to give us away."

"Everything, everyone you love will be taken awa…" Lowell cut him off with a punch. Thankfully, Allard was unconscious again, leaving Lowell to his musings.

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Colonel O'Neill approached a door. He looked over at the Jaffa to his right. Teal'c nodded.

"That is indeed where the screaming was coming from, O'Neill," he whispered. Suddenly, another shout came from the room.

"I am not a Tau'ri!"

The eight eyes of SG-1 widened when they realized what was going on. This woman is being tortured because he thinks she's from Earth! The four of them burst into the room, genuine concern melting into guilt.

Ba'al quickly turned his head at the sound of their entry. Jack shot at him with his P-90, but the Goa'uld was already activated his shield.

"O'Neill! It's wonderful to see you again."

Jack lowered his gun and glared at Ba'al with extra-special hate.

"You taught this one well, O'Neill. She has stood up against the same things you had to endure." Almost magically, Jaffa had already surrounded the team. They all looked over at the woman against the wall. Her eyes had a faraway look in them, and they knew she would not last much longer.

"Woman! Your friends are here to save you. But they failed." Ba'al was laughing gleefully.

Amaris spoke up. "I've never seen them before."

Ba'al's amusement was quickly replaced with rage. "You cannot keep up this act anymore! I have caught you. Now tell me the code to open the barrier protecting the Tau'ri Stargate."

Amaris' lips were chapped and her throat dry. She laughed a hacking laugh. SG-1 looked at her, concerned, thinking she had gone off her rocker.

"Just kill me. I can't tell you what you want to know. And don't bother to bring me back."

Jack was impressed with this stranger's strength. She must have been killed at least… 7? 8 times? And here she was. Resilient as ever. Whoever taught that girl to withstand torture did a damn good job.

Ba'al grabbed one of his Jaffa's staff weapons and aimed at the woman's chest. Jack could hear Daniel taking a big breath, and holding it. Sam looked like she was about to cry. Teal'c looked…well, like he always did. But Jack knew he was feeling the worry that all of them were feeling.

But to everyone's surprise, Ba'al lowered the weapon. "I know. If you don't tell me, I will kill them."

He swung the weapon over to point at the Tau'ri warriors.

"I can't tell you, because I'm not Tau'ri!"

"Damn it, Bocce Ball, she's telling the truth. She's not one of us. She's not why we're here." Jack tried to stop Ba'al from shooting them, but in his heart her felt that it didn't matter. The ship was about to explode anyway.

"Then why are you here?"

Jack fell silent.

Ba'al took this as a sign that Amaris was really Tau'ri. "As I suspected."

The weapon charged, and it was pointed at Sam's chest. Jack squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see his 2IC's demise.

But the sound of the weapon going off never came. Instead, he only heard the thunk of a body, the sound of fists hitting flesh, and the sound of a zat going off. Only when the din subsided did he dare to open his eyes.

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