Chapter 4
O'Neill watched the birds sitting in the brush outside the entrance. They sang happily, their lives untouched by the injured goa'uld. O'Neill looked at the crackers in his hand. He broke off a piece and put it in his mouth. While searching for more bandages, he'd come across a box full of field rations and bottled water, enough for one person for a month. He looked at Michelle when she whimpered. She had slept restlessly all night, waking him with muttering. He got up and retrieved a bottle of water.
"Is that water?" Michelle asked.
He turned. She watched the bottle in his hands.
"Yes." He sat down next to her, as he twisted off the lid. O'Neill lifted her head and helped her drink some. She pulled away, laying her head back on the blanket under it. He capped the bottle, watching her.
"These wounds don't look so deep. Why aren't you healing them?" he asked.
"I can't."
"Why?"
Her eyes drooped. "I can't concentrate on keeping the body alive and healing it. I was only able to heal it the first time because it was on life support."
O'Neill sat the bottle in his lap. "What did you mean Michelle died ten years ago?"
"That's a theological answer."
O'Neill smiled. "We've got time."
She stared at him, as if his response was a surprise. "I don't."
"Tell me the answer," O'Neill urged.
"Michelle was brain dead. The person that was in here died ten years ago, probably when she was beat up."
O'Neill shifted, looking away. "And you consider that dead?"
"There isn't anything of them left, Jack. It's like... Like entering a house where there's been a party. There's bits and pieces of the party everywhere, you know it was there, but the party is long gone."
"And what bits and pieces of Michelle exist?"
"Occasionally a feeling that's not mine, a memory. But there wasn't much when I took over."
"And your previous host?"
Michelle smiled. "Did you know there are people in the world that haven't had cheese?"
The remark threw O'Neill off. "Cheese?"
"She was from a tribe in the Amazon and she had fallen from a tree. The tribe wasn't real keen on her revival and the fact I didn't know their language right away. They chased me out of the village and on my way to Rio de Janeiro, I was hit by a truck. Then I was put in this body, Michelle."
"And the woman had never had cheese?"
"Never. I craved it the whole time I was in her body. That happens a lot."
"Cravings?"
"Yes." Michelle closed her eyes. "I'm tired."
O'Neill brushed her bangs back. "You have a fever."
She didn't reply. He hugged his knees, staring at the cave wall. She was right that she didn't have much time. Bleeding as heavily as she was, her time was quickly running out. Which meant he had little time to understand her race of goa'uld or Michelle.
Landry walked into the conference room. Carter had a laptop set up and was pouring over data. Daniel had books scattered across the table and was copying something from one onto a notepad.
"The Russians don't know anything about the gate and have never seen the address," Landry told them, sitting down in a chair.
"I didn't think they would," Daniel said.
"You don—"
"The signal was interrupted by another gate dialing to the same address at the same time we were," Carter said.
Landry turned his attention to her. "What does that mean?"
"Someone intentionally dialed to that gate to cut us off, and then probably transmitted a code to lock the DHD."
"Dialed from where?"
"Here. When General O'Neill and I were gated to the gate in Antarctica, we were found because of seismic activity. When I reviewed the data later, I also found there was a slight feedback when both gates opened at the same time. There wasn't any seismic activity this time, but I did find the same feedback signature. Someone here on Earth dialed out to disconnect us. And the signal to the DHD wasn't automatic. It was sent digitally from twelve different routers via an IP phone."
"Can you trace it to the source?"
"No. Whoever it was covered their tracks very well."
"I don't think Michelle is a bad guy," Daniel said, looking up from his writing. "I've been researching Koshare, the name she gave in the interrogation. I'd heard it before, but presumed it was in Egyptian mythology because the system lords are the basis of Egyptian mythology. But," Daniel grabbed a book, "Koshare is Hopi."
"Hopi? North American Hopi?"
Daniel retrieved a book and opened it to a bookmarked page as he turned it to show Landry. The picture depicted a Hopi village with several Hopi in a religious ceremony. Daniel pointed excitedly at figures separated from the ritual. The figures were dressed in black and white striped costumes, with hats that had two long ears that ended with tassels. They were climbing a ladder in the most contorted ways Landry had ever seen. Landry looked up at Daniel.
"Koshare is a clown?"
"Actually, the name translates to 'mud heads'. They are sort of comic relieves in Hopi rituals and the only ones allowed to touch the Kachinas during ceremonies. Their purpose is to teach the audience important moral lessons through their dramatized antics."
Landry contemplated what Daniel was saying for a second. "How many system lords have you ever known to use names associated with Native American?"
"None. And based on the name she chose, I really don't think she's harmful, sir."
Landry mulled over the information. This entire situation was making less and less sense.
"I know Doctor Michelle Russell by reputation, sir," Carter added. "I know some of the advances she's made in deep space imaging and observation. I have to agree with Daniel. I don't know what she is, but even Ba'al hasn't tried to benefit, let along protect, humanity. She has."
Landry sighed. Now it was time to confess.
"I don't disagree with you, but we need to get General O'Neill back, and wherever she is, it's likely so is he. So you can understand the urgency?"
Carter looked away. Daniel nodded.
"Then find me a way to open that gate and get him back, people. This goa'uld is innocence or lack there of, has no bearing on the orders we've been given, and that's to get the head of Homeworld Security back alive at all costs. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," both of them answered.
Landry stood and continued on to his office. He believed Daniel's assumption, but that didn't erase the fact his friend had to be rescued, regardless of his kidnapper's intentions.
O'Neill knew what kind of pain Michelle must be in. When he had been tortured in the Iraqi prison, he discovered there were gradients of pain, and with several of the wounds being infected, Michelle was discovering the same thing. She tried to lie still for him, tried to keep from crying. O'Neill had torn off one of his sleeves to use as a rag. He'd used an empty carton to get water from the lake and an empty ration tin to boil water for cleaning her wounds and drinking.
Michelle tried to roll over. O'Neill stopped her, holding her shoulder down.
"It hurts. I can't..."
"Lay still."
She relaxed under his hand.
"It hurts to breath."
O'Neill didn't say anything. The skin around the wounds on her chest was red, indicating the infection was spreading.
"Lay still," O'Neill repeated.
He picked up a pan of cooled water, lifted her head and helped her drink a few sips. He sat the pan aside.
"What are your people called?" O'Neill asked.
She didn't answer.
"Does it matter if we never get back that you tell me?" O'Neill asked. He scrubbed his hand across his chin. In four days he had begun growing a full beard. He hated beards, but he didn't feel like trying to shave with a combat knife.
"Thu'lo," she whispered.
"Thu'lo? What does that mean?"
"The last."
"The last of what?"
"Probably goa'uld at the rate things are going with the system lords and Tok'ra."
O'Neill smiled. "And Jaffa."
"Yes. Mustn't forget the Jaffa, mustn't we?"
"No. They have it rough lately."
"And then the Priors. I heard about them two weeks ago. I guess they're pretty scary."
"No. The Ori are really the scary ones. The Priors are just sort of scary. Or so Daniel keeps telling me."
"Oh."
O'Neill sat down next to her, tearing open a ration package. "Spaghetti is the chef's special today."
She shook her head. "I can't eat."
"You haven't eaten all day."
"I can't hold it down, Jack. Please don't make me."
O'Neill frowned at the rations. "How about just the crackers?"
"I'll try that."
He pulled out the package of crackers and tore them open. He broke off a piece and put it in her mouth. His missed a breath when her lips closed around his finger. He pulled away, brushing the sudden attraction off.
"And what to the thu'lo do?" O'Neill asked.
"Nothing."
"The system lords try to take over the universe, the Tok'ra fight the system lord, so what do the thu'lo do?"
She smiled, looking up at him. "Watch the others try to get themselves killed."
"So the thu'lo don't like the system lords?"
"No."
"Or the Tok'ra?"
"What did say about them? Tolerate. We tolerate them."
O'Neill smiled. "I deserved that."
"I understood that, even if I didn't let on."
O'Neill smiled.
Michelle's hand brushed his. He looked down, taking it. He met her eyes again.
"Tell me, Jack, what does your ideal woman look like?"
"Why?"
"Just tell me."
O'Neill looked toward the opening. The sun shone brightly in the late afternoon.
"Tall. As tall as me."
"Why?"
O'Neill looked at her, laughing quietly. "Because when I dance with her, I don't want to have her towering over me or be too short."
Michelle smiled. "And? What else does she look like?"
"Dark hair and dark eyes. She likes to spend time outdoors. She can cook."
"Is she rich?"
"She doesn't have to be."
"Does she have children?"
"No."
"Does she steal the remote from you?"
"Only if she wants to fight for it."
Michelle whimpered, her face pained.
O'Neill wanted to reassure her, but he couldn't. he didn't know when they were getting off the planet and he had serious doubts that she'd make it until they did.
"Jack?"
"What?"
"When I die, don't try to take me back. I don't want to be cut up."
O'Neill reached down, stroking her face. She looked at him.
"I won't."
"And Jack?"
"Yeah?"
"If I do make it back, I'm going to come find you."
"Why?"
She looked up at him and smiled. O'Neill returned it. He knew why, he hadn't really needed to ask.
"I'm holding you to it," O'Neill told her.
She nodded as her eyes closed. She drifted into restless sleep.
The gate dialing and the alarms going off startled everyone. Carter and the gate technician were again working in the control room. Daniel was back in his office. Landry had just left his office to joining Carter in the gate room. Teal'c and Mitchell were in the dining room.
The gate technician pushed himself in front of the gate controls. "We're receiving an iris code. It's the Nox, Colonel Carter."
Carter got up and hurried out of the room. She came into the gate room as Lya walked out of the gate. The two women smiled at each other.
"This is unexpected," Carter said.
Lya stopped before her. "Can you ask my world to be dialed? I only came to deliver a message about Jack O'Neill."
Carter's breath caught. Why was Lya bringing a message? She looked up at the gate technician, nodding to him. The gate shut down and then began spinning to dial out.
"What about him?"
"He is safe and will be returned by days end. His going through the gate with the thu'lo has delayed his return, but he is safe and will not be harmed in any way."
The gate burst open and Lya turned to leave.
"Who are the thu'lo?" Carter asked.
Behind her Landry and Daniel ran in through one door. Mitchell and Teal'c came through the opposite one.
Lya turned back to her, smiling her heavenly, innocent smile. "They are the good goa'uld. They protect potential hosts from those that would harm them. They are few and they want only to survive as a race."
"Then... Michelle has a goa'uld in her?" Carter asked. "How does that make them different from the Tok'ra or the system lords?"
Lya walked up to Carter, holding her gaze. "They do not hold hostage a soul because none exists when they enter a host, the soul is gone."
"They use corpses?" Daniel asked.
Lya barely shook her head. "No. I must leave."
Lya turned and left them. The gate shut behind her.
"Shouldn't we go after her?" Mitchell asked.
"No," Carter shook her head. "The Nox... Aren't capable of lying. If she says he'll be returned safely, he will be."
