Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in ages, guys, but I started another story (bad author!) and it wouldn't let me write anything else for a while. I'll try and get back on track with this one from now on.
Cheeky.
The Hunt for Babylon:
By cheekychaos
Chapter Thirteen:
Sam and Jack looked down on the control room below them. After getting inside the tower Daniel had pointed out, the pair had progressed quietly upwards, heading for the top floor, where Sam had thought the control room would be located. Barely having avoided a group of armed men, the pair had been forced out onto a balcony. Luckily it had led to a higher platform on which the pair was now crouched, looking in on the control room and the men inside it.
The pair had also noticed the new location of the stargate inside the room and speculated about the move. Sam had suggested convenience, to which Jack had to agree. But what had surprised Jack the most was the sight of Senator Kinsey standing in the corner of the room. At least, now they knew how the documents had been leaked.
"Dammit!" Jack swore as he saw two familiar figures being led into the room at gun point, not long after the pair had started watching.
"I don't see the others, sir." Sam whispered. "There's a chance that they weren't all captured."
"I don't know about that." Jack replied, just as quietly. "They were probably waiting inside the temple."
Sam and Jack continued to watch the scene below. Sam had already told Jack that she didn't think that the group of terrorists and mercenaries below had figured out how to use the Ancient's systems, even though Anna Espinosa appeared to have the Ancient gene that triggered the technology into wakefulness.
Below them, Sam and Jack watched as Terry Sheridan and a group of goons led Sydney and a pale-looking Lara into the control room. Arvin Sloane was looking over a panel of buttons and screens in the middle of the room, with Anna and Sark at either side of him. More armed goons were stationed along the walls and they were all armed.
Shifting slightly, Jack strained to hear the words said below him, but they were too far away from the open balcony doors to pick up what everyone was saying. Jack hissed in frustration, before moving closer to the doors.
"What are you doing, sir?" Sam asked in a soft whisper.
"Moving so I can hear." Jack whispered back.
Sam nodded and followed her CO as he moved closer to the doors and picked up what was being said in the control room. They sank into position just in time to see Terry leading a grim faced Lara out of the room and Sydney demand an explanation from Sloane.
"What do you want, Sloane?" Sydney snapped.
Sloane just smirked at her. Sydney glanced around as Lara left. "Where is he taking her?" she demanded.
"Terry expressed a wish to renew his acquaintance with Lady Croft." Sloane replied mildly, causing Jack to swear under his breath.
"She knows Sheridan?" he muttered under his breath.
Almost growling in annoyance, Sydney fixed Sloane with a hard glare. "What do you want, Sloane?" she asked through gritted teeth.
So far during the exchange, both Anna and Sark had turned around. Anna was watching the conversation with a condescending stare, periodically turning around and fiddling with the buttons again. Sark, on the other hand, was making no secret of his amusement at the conversation between his employer and nemesis. He was even smirking amusedly at Sydney, although Jack could have sworn he was more amused at Sydney's defiance than his boss's advantage.
"I would have thought it was obvious Sydney." Sloane said in a condescending tone. "I'm here to show you Rambaldi's greatest work and give you the knowledge that you will never destroy it."
"You know, for someone who's into all that Rambaldi stuff," Sydney broke in, annoying Sloane. "You don't put much faith in his prophecy."
"The prophecy will not matter if you can do nothing but watch." Sloane insisted.
Sydney rolled her eyes at his dramatics. "That's a stupid plan, if ever I heard one. How do you know I won't escape?"
"Because you are a part of his greatest work." Sloane said. "The sacrifice."
Sydney blinked in surprise and for a second, Sark's smirk slipped a notch or two. "The sacrifice?" Sydney echoed, as if wondering who was more crazy: Sloane or Rambaldi.
"You will give life to the Reawakening." Sloane said, something akin to religious fervour in his eyes.
"No thanks." Sydney snapped. "I'd just as soon rather not."
"Now, Sydney." Sloane chided, almost gently but the light of religious fervour was still in his eyes. "You cannot fight your destiny."
"I can." Sydney muttered. "And I will."
Sloane just let out a slightly maniacal laugh. "Oh, Sydney." He said, as if to a child. Then he shifted his gaze to Anna. "Bring her!" he snapped out the order.
Nodding, Anna drew her gun and walked over to Sydney, where she jabbed the automatic painfully into Sydney's ribs. "Now, Sydney." Anna said, almost conversationally. "You're going to be a good girl, aren't you?"
Sloane turned to Senator Kinsey. "It's all yours." He said. "Just remember our deal."
"Don't worry." Senator Kinsey said. "You'll get your reawakening."
"And you'll get your city." Sloane added.
Jack cursed again. This was more serious than he had originally thought. It seemed Senator Kinsey had not only leaked sensitive documents, but made a deal to come into possession of an Ancient city – no doubt to use as a base of operations fro his rogue NID. As he looked on, Sloane walked out of the control room just behind Anna and Sydney, with Sark a few steps behind him.
"Carter, follow Sloane." He ordered softly. "Find out where he's going and try to stop him."
"Yes, sir." She replied quietly, before adding. "Where will you be?"
"Someone has to stop Kinsey." Jack answered. "He's probably the only one down there who knows how to use Ancient technology properly."
"Be careful, sir." Sam said. "There are at least ten men down there."
Jack gave his 2IC a soft smile. "I will." He said. "Now go!"
Quietly and carefully, Sam crept along the balcony and back into the building. Luckily, Sloane had not gone too far and Sam saw them all entering the elevator. Suddenly noticing movement to her right, Sam spun and brought up her weapon, hoping she hadn't just been discovered. Thankfully, it was only Lara.
"Are you all right?" Sam asked, taking in the other woman's battered appearance.
"I'll live." Lara replied.
"Do you know what happened to Daniel and Teal'c?" Sam asked.
"They're still locked up downstairs." Lara answered.
Sam nodded, keeping her eye on the elevator Sloane and Sydney had entered. "Will you be alright to go and let them out?" Sam asked. "I'll keep following Sloane."
Lara nodded. "Of course."
"Good." Sam replied. "Do you have any idea where your radio and weapons are?"
Lara grimaced. "I spotted them in the control room."
"Great." Sam frowned. "See what you can do. Bring Daniel and Teal'c back up here. Jack is going to try and stop Senator Kinsey."
Lara raised an eyebrow at the mention of Senator Kinsey. She had heard about him back at the SGC. "How many men?"
"About ten." Sam answered.
Sam noticed the elevator had stopped at the ground level and she waited a moment before calling it. The two women rode down in silence, with Lara getting out at the appropriate floor. She gave Sam a small wave as the doors closed, before turning and creeping down the corridor.
She stopped just around the corner from the room where Daniel and Teal'c were being held. Thankfully, she only noticed one guard standing watch. Considering her current state, one might be all that she could reliably handle.
Lara peered around the corner and watched the guard for a moment, before the man turned his head away slightly to cough. Taking her opportunity, Lara crept forward. Obviously sensing movement, the guard turned back. "Hey…" he began, but that was all he got out before the butt of Lara's gun hit him in the temple. He crumpled to the floor.
Stepping over the guard's prone body, Lara pressed the button to open the doors. When they opened, she looked cautiously inside, not knowing what to expect. "Lara!" Daniel cried when he saw her. "What happened? Are you alright?"
"I'll live." Lara answered. "Terry Sheridan and I had a…fight. He was a friend, once."
Daniel walked towards her, before gently cupping her chin and tilting her face so he could see her injuries better. "And now?" Teal'c asked from where he stood behind Daniel.
"He's dead." Lara answered flatly.
"Good." Daniel replied, somewhat vehemently.
Lara raised an eyebrow. Daniel didn't usually condone death like that. "I know." He said sheepishly, with a small wry smile. "Not very humanitarian, huh?"
"Maybe not." Lara replied. "But nice to hear."
This time Daniel gave her a genuine smile, his eyes warm. Lara returned the smile. "So, what is the plan, Lara Croft?" Teal'c asked, interrupting them.
"Sloane took Sydney somewhere." Lara relayed the information. "Major Carter is following them. She said she'd radio the Colonel when she finds out where they're going. She wants us to help him. He's upstairs in the control room trying to stop Senator Kinsey."
"Senator Kinsey is here?" Daniel asked.
"It seems he was the one to leak the documents and involve the NID." Lara replied.
Daniel muttered something under his breath. "Let's go." He said.
The trio stopped only briefly to grab weapons from the unconscious guard, before heading back upstairs to the control room. From outside the room, the three could hear bursts of gunfire and they hastened into action. All three took relatively covered positions on either side of the doors and Lara slammed the button to open them.
But it was almost as if they needn't have bothered. Inside the room, Jack had already taken care of seven of the armed goons and was engaged in a gunfight with the remaining three while Senator Kinsey cowered behind a console. Lara, Daniel and Teal'c quickly helped Jack dispose of the lingering three goons. Jack then drew his zat gun and shot Senator Kinsey, before walking over and trussing the man up like a turkey.
"That should hold him for a bit." Jack muttered. Then he turned to his friends. "Hey guys."
"Hey Jack." Daniel replied.
Spotting their gear, Lara walked over to it as Teal'c spoke. "It seems that perhaps you did not need out help, O'Neill." He commented.
"Maybe not. But I'm always grateful for it, T." Jack replied, slapping his friend on the shoulder.
Teal'c inclined his head as Lara returned and handed out everyone's gear. It was then that Jack's radio crackled.
"Sir." Came Sam's voice. "Sloane's taken Sydney to some sort of workshop. Its in the next building over, third floor."
"Copy that, Carter." Jack replied. Then he sighed. "There's no rest for the wicked. Let's go, kids."
To be continued…