Author's Note: Warning!!! If you really hate cliffhangers, you might want to just wait till chapter 15 is out because this one I think is one of the better ones I've come up with. :D Consider yourself warned!

beeeeeeeeep ---This has been a public broadcasting notice--- beeeeeeeeep

Author's Notes2: A big thank you to all still reading. I know this monster just keeps getting bigger, but you'll be happy to know you get a fair bit of info in this chapter. Pretty soon there'll just be the one question left to answer. :D Also a huge thank you to my beta's Dimac99 and Sealrescuer who've taken the time out of there busy lives to help me edit this creature. And happily, I think my writing's actually improving. :D

Well, enjoy!

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MacGyver slowly regained consciousness. His head throbbed with pain, and his ears felt stuffed with Kleenex. The world was dark, except for a fuzzy patch of white light directly above him. Blinking, Mac tried to get his vision to focus. The light was a dim patch of sunlight coming in from the hole in the ceiling above him. That was when he realized he was practically hanging upside down upon a rather sharp pile of rocks. At least this time the cave in wasn't on top of him.

Convincing his body to move, MacGyver rolled off the rocks with a moan. Groggily, he pushed his bruised body up into a sitting position. For a second he thought his stomach was going to protest violently to the motion, but after a moment it settled again. When he was sure it would stay that way, Mac reached up and felt his head for any wounds. From the way it was hurting, he wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion.

The light was too dim to tell if his hand came away covered in blood, and his fingers had long ago lost any sensation to the cold, but he found a spot that seemed softer than it should be. It certainly flared with pain every time his probing fingers touched it.

Letting his hand fall to his lap, Mac groaned, "Fantastic."

For a long while, he just sat there and let himself relax. He knew his eyes kept closing, but with it so dark, it was a challenge to keep himself awake. He'd have to start moving again soon if he was going to keep from passing out.

Then, like an echo, Mac heard voices. They were hard to make out at first, but as they drew closer Mac grinned.

"O'Neill, do you require assistance?"

"I'm fine, Teal'c."

"Indeed, you are not fine."

"Teal'c! Go help Daniel, he can barely walk!"

"Teal'c's already carrying me, Jack."

"Well he can't carry both of us, now can he?"

"I can."

"No you can't," Jack's voice insisted. "Besides, here's another tunnel."

"But Jack, the cave in was that way."

"How can you possibly know that?"

"DanielJackson is correct."

"We're still going this way. And then we can go back."

"But-"

"Daniel."

MacGyver chuckled. He wanted to call out to them, but the thought of yelling anything made his stomach lurch. They'd get here on their own anyway.

There were several grunting sounds, and a couple of unwilling groans, but eventually Mac heard the stones blocking the end of the tunnel being pushed out of the way. Then suddenly a spot of light appeared. It wasn't much brighter than the light coming down through the broken ceiling, but it was enough to make out the figure of a man carefully extracting himself from the hole in the wall.

"Hey, Jack," MacGyver quietly greeted the Colonel.

The man spun around, dropping the flashlight on the floor as he went. "Mac! Damn it! Don't do that, I could have shot you!" Mac could see now that Jack's silhouette was now pointing a gun at him.

"O'Neill?" The jaffa's voice quickly questioned from inside the tunnel, and then a head appeared, the odd gold tattoo more visible than anything else.

"It's all right T. Found Mac." Jack replied grimly.

"Greetings, MacGyver," Teal'c stated, exiting the tunnel. "It is good to see you are alive." And then he was reaching back into the tunnel and pulling Daniel out.

From what Mac could see, the jaffa was in the best shape out of all of them. Daniel obviously had his leg in a splint, and when Jack bent down to pick up the flashlight he remained hunched over several moments longer than necessary. Mac wasn't feeling that great either. In fact, he wasn't even planning on trying to get up without help.

Jack's exclamation only reaffirmed this. "Mac, you look like the walking dead!"

"It's probably not too far from the truth," Mac replied, cringing as Jack's sharp words seemed to drive nails through his ears. Slowly the pain faded and he was able to unclench his jaw.

"Do you know where Carter is?" Jack asked, softer this time, as if realizing how much loud noises were hurting him.

"We were both topside," Mac said, pointing to the crumbling ceiling. "Hopefully, she's on her way to town by now to get help."

"Hopefully?" Daniel repeated, worried.

Mac cringed, telling them with regret, "We ran into trouble. The same guys who killed James were waiting for us once we got out. They're still looking for the disk, key, whatever it is."

"The inscription calls them the Keys of Time," Daniel told him absently, and then turning to Jack said, "If Akh gets out before we do, we might never be able to find him again."

Jack groaned. "I know, Daniel, I know."

MacGyver asked, confused, "Ack?"

"Akh," Daniel automatically corrected.

"He's a goa'uld we found buried down here," Jack told him, griping, "Just like I knew there would be."

Then Teal'c suggested, "Perhaps we can escape using MacGyver's tunnel."

Mac looked up at the dimming spot of light above him. "It's more like a pit, really, but we might be able to climb back up," he said, a little dubious. He certainly didn't feel like climbing just yet.

Teal'c was the only one who could actually make the climb, so he went first in the hopes of finding something to help them up.

"He's taking too long," Jack grumbled several minutes later when Teal'c still hadn't returned.

"It's dark now," MacGyver offered by way of explanation, but he was worried, too. It'd been far too long.

At the other end of the room they heard the sounds of something moving around. O'Neill shone the flashlight on the tunnel's entrance and raised his gun in anticipation.

They all waited with baited breath, but soon enough, the gold emblem of Teal'c's tattoo appeared out of the darkness.

"Teal'c, what happened?" Jack quickly asked, lowering his gun.

"The Earthquake has reopened the entrance. I fear Akh has vacated the premises. I found many dead on the surface," Teal'c told them somberly.

Daniel shifted, using the pile of debris to balance himself. "Did you see Sam?"

"MajorCarter was not among them. I do not know where she is. However, Akh's previous host was also among the slain."

"Previous host?" Mac asked with a frown.

Jack groaned, and then bit out a few choice words, startling them all. "All right, kids," the Colonel sourly growled out, "Let's get out of here. Teal'c, show us the way."

"As you wish, O'Neill."

By the time they reached the surface again the sun had fully set. If it wasn't for the fact that the ruins had been so dark inside, Mac might have considered it to be no improvement. Like a bad omen, it was a new moon that night, and a thin layer of cloud hid all but the brightest of stars.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to hide the horrible sight that lay before them. Mac counted eleven bodies in total. And looking at them certainly didn't make his stomach feel any better. With a lurch of vertigo, Mac almost tripped again, but one of the jaffa's arms caught him around the middle, practically lifting him off the ground. On Teal'c's other arm was Daniel, who was looking at him in concern. "Are you okay?"

Mac nodded, not trusting himself to speak. The pain in his head was getting worse, but after a few moments, it settled back to the standard throbbing while his vision once again steadied. Thankfully, the jaffa had led them to a picnic bench, where both Daniel and Mac gratefully sank down to rest.

Jack came up to join them, his hand holding his side as if it were about to fall off. From the dark patches that coated his clothing, MacGyver wouldn't be surprised if it was. Then Jack grinned, remarking dryly, "I correct my earlier statement. We all look like the walking dead!"

"We've got to find Sam," Daniel immediately stated.

"Ya think?" Jack sarcastically bit out, but he sighed a moment later, giving Daniel an apologetic nod. "We'll find her, don't worry."

"And if the goa'uld has taken MajorCarter as his new host?" Teal'c asked, voicing all of their fears.

"We'll still find her," Jack stated, determined.

Mac hated to be the one to bring it up, but. "First we should probably see about getting help for ourselves."

Jack pulled out his phone, but judging from his expression it wasn't working. Mac told them, "We tried making a call earlier, but apparently no signal can reach here. None of the phones will work."

Right at that moment, the ringing of a phone filled the air with its obnoxious sounds. Mac cringed, but he saw Daniel turn around to find the perpetrator sitting innocently on the picnic table behind them.

"This one does," Daniel quietly commented, picking the phone up and handing it to Jack.

"Hello?" Jack answered. As they watched the Colonel, Jack's expression hardened, a dark anger growing in his eyes. Then, in a deadly quiet voice the Colonel stated, "I want to hear her."

Suddenly Mac knew what was going on. This goa'uld had not taken Carter as a host, but he had taken her.

Then the Colonel stated darkly, "That's fine with me." He hung up the phone with an angry snap, but he immediately flipped it open again. Punching in a new number, Jack stared at it hard, and then with a growl of frustration closed it. For a moment Mac thought Jack was going to throw the phone, but visibly working hard to control himself, he just slipped it inside his pocket instead.

"Not working any more?" Mac quietly guessed. Jack didn't even bother responding.

Daniel looked up at the Colonel, his eyes brimming with emotion. "Jack?"

Taking a deep breath, Jack told them, "Akh has Carter. He wants to trade her for the Key."

At first no one said anything, and then Daniel offered weakly, "As least we know Sam's not a goa'uld."

"Ya, we got lucky," Jack huffed out, glancing at Mac.

Both Teal'c and Daniel caught the exchange but as Daniel opened his mouth to question them, Mac interrupted, asking, "When does he want to make the trade?"

"He said he'd call in the morning," Jack replied absently, as if his thoughts were on something else. Mac had an idea what it was, but he wasn't sure if he should venture a guess or not. Then looking at them, Jack said, "It gives us time to get to the city, call in for backup, and get you three looked after."

"You're hurt, too," Daniel immediate reminded the Colonel.

Shaking his head, Jack automatically stated, "I'll manage."

MacGyver hesitated, but the thought was still troubling him, so he just blurted out, "Jack, you can't trade Sam for the Key. She'll just end up getting killed."

"I'm not leaving a teammate in the hands of a gould!" Jack angrily retorted, but from the pain in his eyes there was no questioning he'd been thinking the same thing Mac was.

"I'm not saying you do!" Mac argued. "But if you try to set up a trade, she'll end up dying and you know it!"

"Jack?" Daniel questioned, confused and concerned. "What's he talking about?"

The Colonel spun away, walking off a pace from them, but still staying close.

Daniel turned his question on Mac, asking him directly, "What are you talking about?"

Again, Mac hesitated. Like Jack, he didn't want to say it, but it wasn't right to pretend their abnormality didn't exist, either. Especially considering Sam's life was now at risk. With a growing regret, Mac realized Jack had been right. They shouldn't be involved in any of this, but it was too late now.

"Jack," Mac said softly.

The Colonel turned around, walking back to them. A hard expression creasing his face, he suddenly declared, "We're going to go and get her ourselves."

"What?" Daniel asked, startled.

Even the jaffa questioned, "Do you know the location of MajorCarter?"

Not loosing any bit of his conviction, Jack bluntly told them, "Yes." It wasn't exactly the truth, Mac knew, but at this point, it might as well be. Then Jack added grimly, "If we wait to do the trade we'll loose Carter. Going and getting her ourselves is the only real option we have."

"Jack-" Daniel began, but stopped short with a look from the Colonel. Mac was somewhat relieved Daniel and Teal'c were able to trust Jack so completely, but he still wished they could just come out and explain everything. The nagging sensation that things were only going to get worse seemed to be growing in the back of his mind, but it could just as easily be the concussion talking.

*****

Sam looked around at the blue walls of the office. Everything here was neat and tidy. There was even a rather intricate bouquet of flowers on the side table against the wall. She, herself, stuck out like a sore thumb. Her clothes were a mess, her hair was a dirty brown instead of the usual blond, and her arms and fingers were covered in cuts and bits of dried blood. Her one arm hurt so bad it'd begun to throb in tune with a sharp pain developing behind her left eye.

Looking across the desk, Sam watched the goa'uld rifle through the drawers as if he were searching for something. This was.had been, Nathan's office, and Sam remembered just how easily Akh had been able to march her right past Security without so much as a question. Apparently, being head of the family also meant being head of the family business. Sam didn't have a clue just what kind of business it was, but it must be something eccentric for the guards to not even bat an eye at her current appearance.

In fact, they hadn't batted an eye, blinked, or really did anything past a glance. Her mind seemed to be telling her that was important, but exactly how, she was too tired to figure out just yet.

Again looking around the office, Sam found herself chuckling. She was used to goa'ulds having something far more lavish. Silk, gold, at the very least a throne. A simple business office was far too mundane to fit the profile. Akh had yet to even flaunt his whole superiority complex routine. Sam chuckled again; now she knew she was tired.

Akh looked up at her, eyes flashing yellow as he pulled out a set of keys from the desk. "Tell me, tau'ri, how was the traitor, Ra, killed?"

"We blew him up," Sam replied, seeing no reason to withhold that bit of information. It was obvious that she knew about the Goa'uld. Perhaps letting him know that she knew that goa'ulds weren't indestructible could give her an advantage. With a hint of smugness, Sam told him, "I wasn't there myself, but I heard it was a rather spectacular explosion."

Akh smiled, a look of satisfaction creasing his face. Sam frowned. That wasn't the reaction she'd been expecting. Goa'ulds believed themselves infallible, gods, unable to be killed, didn't they?

"Good," Akh stated, again surprising Sam. "I hope he suffered much before he died." Then he stood up, motioning for Sam to get up as well. She did, stiffly. As the goa'uld led her down the hall and into an elevator, she watched him use the keys from the desk to access the top level of the office building.

The elevator opened up onto the restricted floor to reveal three rooms. One was obviously a council room, the second looked more like the beginning of a penthouse, or someone's very plush office with room to spare, the third room was the one the goa'uld was mostly interested in. It was a full sized vault, looking as secure as the vault of a four star bank.

Stepping up in front of the keypad, Akh pulled out the keys from the desk again, as well as a set Nathan must have had with him. Akh handed Sam one key and pointed to the lock a couple feet away. "They must turn at the same time. You will turn that key when I say." His tone brooked no argument.

For a moment Sam contemplated not cooperating, but if security didn't have a problem with him bringing in a captive already, setting off the alarm wasn't going to solve anything, either.

"Kree!"

She turned her key as Akh turned his, and as soon as the goa'uld had entered the combination the door to the vault beeped, clicked, and slowly began to swing open. Sam quickly stepped back, wondering just what was so important to the goa'uld for him to want to come here.

The vault was a mostly empty large metal room, but on a table at its center sat two black boxes. Akh opened them both. Inside one was the standard stack of money, petty cash for the company, no doubt. The other contained a stack of gold metal sheets covered in goa'uld, and next to them sat a device that she was sure was goa'uld in origin, but it wasn't like any they'd come across before. The top of it was round, like a goa'uld communication device, but the base of it was square with buttons around it. Plus, unlike standard goa'uld fashion, the device was silver instead of gold. If Sam had to guess, it was probably made of trinium.

"Do you know what this is?" Akh asked her as he picked the device up. Sam refrained from answering, but he didn't seem to care if she knew or not. "It will send a message to by brother, Sedet. He will come with the third Key, and once I have regained my Key, together we will find where the traitor Ra hid his and bring the Hereta back, restoring things to the way they should be."

Sam couldn't help it, she was confused. "Why didn't Ra just take your key when he buried you?"

"Ra," Akh practically hissed the name with disgust, "did not bury me. The goa'uld who had shared your body must have been rather young, tau'ri."

Young? Sam wouldn't have called Jolinar young, but if Akh knew Ra, who had been one of the oldest goa'ulds not all that long ago, than yes, perhaps the tok'ra Jolinar was young. Sam followed Akh out of the vault, asking with more bravado than she really felt, "Since you're probably going to kill me anyway, what are the Keys, exactly? And what's your connection to Ra?"

Akh's face scowled and Sam tensed herself, preparing for the reprimand she was sure he was going to give her for daring to ask a question. But he didn't, instead he told her, "The Keys are the secrets of the Hereta. Only they can unlock them. Three Keys were made and given to myself, and my brothers, Sedet, and Ra."

"But, why?" In spite of herself Sam was intrigued by this new bit of information. Only the Hereta, whoever they were, could unlock them? Was it a genetic lock of some sort?

"Our planet was dying. We had limited hosts, and a plague was killing them despite all the Hereta's attempts to prevent it. We had long ago lost the location to our first world, but we knew if we could find it again that there were viable hosts there."

"The Unas," Sam guessed.

He raised his eyebrows in question, and Sam realized she shouldn't have jumped the gun like that, but then he continued, "The Unas. Yes. Three of the shaya," and he pointed to himself to indicate he and his brothers, "were chosen to search for our first world. To preserves themselves, the Hereta took on animals for hosts and secreted themselves away to await the time when we would call for them. Only the Hereta can unlock the Keys' secrets and keep the goa'uld in power in the Universe.

"The three of us went in separate directions, searching for many years. It was some time before I discovered this planet, only to find that my brother, Ra, had already found it. Not only had he taken a tau'ri as a host, but he had betrayed us. He had no intention of giving the new hosts to the Hereta, and had convinced most of the shaya to join him."

Akh's face had darkened as he talked. His voice was practically dripping with fury now. "I would have killed him myself, if I could, but I was marooned on this planet, and before the shol'va could overtake me, my servants secreted me away, to keep me and the Key safe."

Then, suddenly, the goa'uld chuckled. "This host is the descendent of one of my servants. He no longer knew just what he was protecting, and the translation of my last orders was misinterpreted over time, but it is just as well. This world is very different now than when I first came here. You have advanced much, tau'ri."

Sam wasn't sure how to respond. Was the goa'uld giving them a compliment? But something kept nagging at the back of her mind, and she slowly asked, "You said the, Hereta, took animals for hosts?"

"Yes, to preserve themselves. The sarcophagus would no longer sustain us as we were."

"Well, the Hereta are dead," Sam blurted out, a little too tired to realize she should have used a bit more tact, or simply not said anything about it at all.

Akh's fist slammed into Sam's jaw with enough force to send her halfway across the room, but honestly, she didn't really remember the impact. It was as if one moment she was standing, and in the next she was on the floor, stunned.

"You lie!" Akh all but screamed at her.

Sam flinched, and then gingerly she felt her jaw to see if it was broken. It wasn't, but it hurt enough that it could have been. Akh had begun pacing the room, his face livid with fury. Trying to be as invisible as possible, Sam inched her way along the floor till she could lean against the wall. The last thing she needed was to be the target of a pissed off goa'uld.

*****

"Turn left here, Teal'c."

The jaffa did as O'Neill directed. After they had decided to mount a rescue for MajorCarter, they had collected the Keys from her pack, and using their temporary vehicle had headed to Portland. Since entering the city limits, both O'Neill and MacGyver had begun to give him directions, alternating as navigator after each one.

Teal'c glanced up as they passed a sign with a large 'H' on it that indicated an infirmary lay in that direction. The jaffa was tempted to make the turn and simply drop his companions off there before going for MajorCarter himself. He felt an obligation to protect them to the best of his abilities. Unfortunately, he already knew this plan would be unacceptable. If there was one thing he learned from working with the Tau'ri, it was that they highly disliked being left behind.

"Right at this next light," MacGyver stated. Teal'c turned right.

DanielJackson, who had been becoming increasingly more agitated during their travel, demanded, "So is it like a psychic thing going on? Because I simply don't understand how you can know where Sam is, and not know, at the same time."

The jaffa had to agree. MacGyver and O'Neill's behavior was truly puzzling.

"Just, trust us on this. This isn't really.," O'Neill seemed to struggle for the appropriate word.

Then MacGyver filled in for him, ".Conscious, on our part."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and glancing in the mirror saw that DanielJackson did not understand either. "But then how do you know when you've reached the right spot?" The anthropologist questioned, incredulous.

With a loud bang the vehicle jerked. Teal'c had to fight with the wheel to maintain control, but he quickly pulled to the side of the road.

Beside him the Colonel flashed Daniel a wry grin, remarking, "We're there!"

"O'Neill, we are being fired upon," the jaffa stated, wondering who had managed to damage the vehicle without him seeing it.

"Na, Teal'c. The tire just blew," O'Neill told him. They all exited the vehicle. Teal'c looked first at the tire, or rather, what was left of it, and then around the dark city streets just to be sure, but he saw no one.

"It's gotta be that place," MacGyver said coming around the side and looking up at the rather tall building across the street. A banner hung against the building's face, a picture of a man and woman holding a bunch of flowers between them on its surface and the words 'Nothing repairs relationships better than a bouquet of Hert Flowers.'

"Whoa. Jack!" DanielJackson exclaimed also looking up at the banner.

O'Neill looked at the anthropologist, annoyed. "Daniel. What?"

"Well, it's not spelt correctly, but Hereret is pronounced Hert."

The Colonel just gave him a look. Teal'c raised an eyebrow also not hearing the significance. Hert was hert, would it be anything else?

Yet somehow MacGyver seemed to know, and with lit eyes and a growing smile, the man continued DanielJackson's train of thought. "And Hereret means flowers. Plus those guys from the planet had a flower like tattoo."

"Yes, exactly," DanielJackson replied, excited. "And the Hereta.I mean, it could easily have transitioned to Hereret over the years. But how did you know this was here?"

"That's not important now, Daniel," O'Neill was quick to say. Then the Colonel ordered, "All right, you three stay here. I'm going to go in for Carter."

Teal'c stepped up to O'Neill. "I shall accompany you."

"Not this time Teal'c, you help Mac get us a new car. Or change the tire, or something, because I don't think half of us are going to be able to get away by running." He gave Daniel's leg a significant look, but the jaffa would include all three of the tau'ri in that assessment.

"Jack," DanielJackson said, holding him back. "Shouldn't we call for back up?"

Putting hand on the anthropologist's shoulder, MacGvyer said solemnly, "We can't risk involving more people in this."

DanielJackson frowned. He opened his mouth to argue the point, but O'Neill was already heading across the street. Teal'c took a half step to go as well, but restrained himself. He would do as O'Neill asked, but like the tau'ri, jaffa also disliked being left behind.

*****

Jack slipped around the corner of the office building, checking for cameras and people alike. The back of the building was vacant, but a camera sat just above the back door's entrance. Scoping out the power lines, Jack looked for the best way to cut the power, then thought better of it. That would get the cops called in, and he knew for sure he didn't want anyone else there. He really just needed a way to move the camera off the door.

Finding a sizable rock, Jack hefted it in his hand, then, taking aim, he hit the camera hard on its side. Thankfully it didn't completely brake off, and he'd be lucky if no one noticed it was now looking up at the sky, but that kind of luck was something he could count on.

Jogging up to the door, Jack examined the lock. It was your simple keypad security. Punching in ten different numbers at random the Colonel heard the audible click of the door opening. Grinning, he stepped into a hallway devoid of people. "Sweet."

Deciding to just walk normally past all the cameras rather than try and dodge them, Jack quickly entered the closest elevator. This was going to be easier than he thought! But as his fingers hovered over the button for the top level, he realized he wouldn't be able to get there. The level had a key lock next to it, preventing just anyone from traveling there, and he didn't think picking this lock was going to work this time round.

Jack groaned, muttering, "Sweet." He was going to have to go up from the outside. Resolutely, Jack pressed the button for the next floor down. The hall was as empty as he expected it to be. It was the middle of the night, after all. Now all he needed was a way out. Buildings like these didn't have windows that opened, or fire escapes on the outside anymore.

Trusting his instinct, Jack opened the first door that felt 'right' to him, and grimly smiled when he discovered the room beyond was under renovation. There was even a window missing, the plastic covering being all that was standing in his way. That, and the fact that he was currently thirty some floors up.

Looking around at the equipment Jack had an idea. Two confiscated hammers and one extension cord later, Jack had himself a somewhat workable grappling hook. He just hoped his knots would hold. He'd even found a roll of duct tape, and practically mummified the cord to the hammers just in case. Mac swore by the stuff, and if it held, Jack promised never to joke about it again.

Pulling the plastic off, Jack sat down half out of the window. It took a couple throws, but the hammers caught on the inside lip of the roof, snagging tightly in place. Jack held the cord experimentally in his hands, looking from the roof down to the ground.

"You won't die," Jack reminded himself, but logic quickly pointed out that being dead and incapacitated weren't technically the same thing. "Damn it, Jack. Don't think about that!"

Determined, the Colonel experimentally pulled on the cord. It seemed to be holding okay. And so, taking the real test, Jack lifted himself up. His side came to life with pain, reminding him he'd only recently been shot.again. But the cord held, and that was good enough for him.

*****

Akh was still fuming, but much quieter now. It seriously scared Sam to see the goa'uld like this, she rather preferred the yelling and throwing things phase much better, at least then she could predict his actions. Then Akh looked directly at her. Sam quickly averted her gaze, but it was too late, she could feel him approaching. He reached down and ruffly pulled her to her feet.

"How do you know the Hereta are gone?" Akh demanded coldly.

He'd already asked her that several times now, and each time her response was the same. "We found them. I'm sorry, but it's the truth. They're dead." She refused to say anything more, especially since saying that they killed them would be like committing suicide.

Sam expected the goa'uld to drop her and continue to rage in disbelief, as he had previous times, but it was as if his anger was focused now. "Tau'ri," Akh growled out, grabbing Sam by the chin and forcing her to look at him. "I will release you if you tell me who killed the Hereta."

"I don't know, we just found them that way," Sam lied. He continued to stare directly at her, and with a sinking feeling of dread, Sam realized he could tell it wasn't the truth.

Viciously, he pulled her away from the wall, and grabbing her by the neck, propelled her across the room. "The Keys are unimportant now. For your treachery, you will see the end of your world, tau'ri." Akh grabbed the communication device, and then pushed her towards a door at the back of the room. It led to a small stairwell, leading both down and up.

Pushing her ahead up the stairs, they moved up to the door that opened out onto the roof. It was freezing outside, but Sam could barely feel the cold through the fear that was rising inside her.

"What do you plan to do?" She asked the goa'uld, watching as he set the device down on the roof and pressed a few buttons. The round top began to glow a soft blue.

"I am contacting my brother, Sedet, so that he may come here, and together we may destroy this planet," Akh declared.

The fear blossomed inside her. Sam no longer cared what happened to her, she couldn't let the message be sent or Earth would be invaded, and no peace treaty would stop them. Not really thinking, just reacting, Sam snatched the device from the goa'uld and ran for the edge of building with the intention of throwing it over to its destruction.

An inhuman cry followed at her heals, and right at she reached the edge, she felt Akh's hands grabbing at her. Twisting out of his grasp, Sam fell, and kept on falling.

*****

Jack had heard them walk onto the roof, and with a sense of urgency had hulled himself up until his hands could feel the roof's top. Ignoring the pain in his side, Jack pulled himself up to safety. No sooner had he gained his feet than he heard the goa'uld's cry, and looking up he saw the man chasing after Carter.

In the next heartbeat, Jack was running after them, but it wasn't fast enough to prevent the horror that played out before him as Carter went over the edge. Jack didn't think, he just reacted, and not a second later, the Colonel dove off the roof after her.