A/N: My apologies for any massive delays between chapters, blame my teachers who insist on assigning too much homework. Chapter 5 Beta'd by Angw and (soon) Trickster's Queen of War.

Cameron tried to look inconspicuous. It was difficult as they walked down the road towards the heretic jail. All along the road, advanced vehicles hovered from one point to another. He'd never expected this from a culture whose people lived like Tamar had.

Once the traffic had cleared, Vala ducked into the forest. Cameron followed without hesitating. Vala stopped behind a small hill that obscured them from being seen. She peeled off the cloak and tossed it on the ground.

"They won't help us from here." Her voice serious.

"Right." Cameron peeled off his cloak and tossed it next to Vala's. "Where to from here."

"Sneaking in is out of the question. We've got to rescue them before dark."

"What happens at dark?"

Vala looked at him with a sad expression. "That's when they execute prisoners, by burning them alive."

Cameron fought to keep the bile down in his throat. "And my team's on the list of people to get executed."
"There was no one else in the jail last night."

"So how do we get in?"

She threw him an evil smile. "Do you have any C4?"

Cameron checked his pockets. He withdrew two sticks of C4 and a detonator. "It's all I've got."

Vala took the C4 and looked at it dubiously. "Let's just hope for the best." Vala set off through the woods.

Cameron followed just behind her, his P90 in hand. He had noticed one very prominent change in Vala. She seemed scarred (scarred – has scars or scared- frightened?), almost has if something terrible had happened to her. He decided it wasn't his business to bother her with it.

All around him, the forest was ominously silent. His every footstep was loud as he walked. He noticed that his leg continued to throb with an occasional spike of pain. He guessed it was because of the rapid healing it had undergone.

Of course, his mind was still bothered by the old man he'd seen in his dream or vision, he still couldn't decide which. He could reasonably call his team a fellowship, he could only imagine Daniel or Sam's reaction to that. He guessed it couldn't hurt to give Jonas Quinn a call once he got back.

Vala stopped once they reached the edge of the forest. She glanced both ways before pointing up to the guard posts on the walls of the complex. Cameron nodded and raised his P90.

Vala sprinted from the forest to the walls. Cameron kept his weapon aimed at the guard posts. Whether it was luck or skill, Vala made it to the wall and planted the C4. She quickly set the detonator and ran back across the clearing.

Cameron shielded his eyes and dropped to the ground as the C4 exploded, bringing the entire section of the wall down. Military instincts told him to move through then and there. He rose and sprinted across the clearing, Vala was only a step behind him.

The second he cleared the ruined wall, he ducked behind a building. Vala fired her zat several times before ducking behind the building as well. Cameron motioned for her to lead the way.

Vala sprinted into alleyway and followed it all the way down the row of buildings. Cameron kept glancing over his shoulder. Just before they were about to leave the buildings he saw two Ori soldiers round the corner. He didn't think, he just fired.

His shots connected with both of the soldiers, dropping them like rag dolls on the ground. He had only a second of remorse before he had to follow Vala from cover and down into a pit. Together they ducked into the cell network.

True to Vala's word, there were no prisoners in the cells. That was, until they reached his team. Cameron shot the lock off the cell door with a quick burst from his P90.

"Mitchell, where have you been?" Jack hissed.

Cameron did a quick head count, Sam was missing. "Where's Sam?"

"One of those priors took her, probably for interrogation."
"Probably torture." Vala commented. "I know where that is."

"Weapons?" Jack almost seemed optimistic now."

Vala threw Jack a smile that almost seemed sexual in nature. "I know where those are too."

"Nice." Jack returned his most trusting smile.

Cameron handed Teal'c his pistol. "Let's go." He motioned for Vala to take the lead.

"Where'd you find her?" Daniel asked as they ran down the hall.

"Married to a guy named Tamar." Cameron replied, ducking into a stairwell after Vala.

Vala led the group down to the bottom of three flights of stairs then opened the door. They were now in an underground bunker with hard stone walls. She hesitated before turning right and heading to the end of the hall.

Cameron shot the lock off the door at the end of the hall. Inside the door was an armory that stretched back farther than they could see. In a pile just inside the room was their gear.

Cameron took up a position back the way they'd came while everyone geared up. The silence of the underground bunker was way too ominous for his tastes. He glanced back as the team walked forward. Daniel was carrying Sam's flak vest and P90, two pistols were strapped around his legs.

Vala took lead again, racing down the hall. Cameron followed only a step behind with the rest of the team. They passed the stairwell door, which was still bugging Cameron as they had yet to encounter any more Ori soldiers.

He wasn't bugged for long. At the end of the hall Vala turned a corner and instantly jumped back. A massive barrage of energy blasts impacted the wall where she'd just been standing. Cameron grabbed a grenade and point to Jack and Teal'c. He tossed the grenade and readied his P90.

The grenade exploded then Jack, Teal'c, and Cameron turned the corner. They instantly opened fire at the stunned Ori soldiers all clustered at the end of the tunnel. In less than a second, it was over.

Vala kicked the door open at the end of the hall. A Prior stood in the center of a massive room, with Sam tied to a stone slab at the center. Cameron and Teal'c drifted to one side of the room; Jack, Daniel, and Vala drifted to the other side.

As they got closer, Cameron could tell Sam had indeed been tortured. Her fatigues were torn and dozen of lacerations were visible on her face alone. Cameron raised his P90 and yelled. "Freeze."

The Prior turned and held up his staff. "Hallowed are the Ori." The Prior almost seemed to be mocking him.

Cameron hoped for the best, he opened fire. Only a second later, everyone else opened fire. The Prior's staff glowed. Cameron didn't allow that to stop him. He was counting on the fact that Anubis' clone hadn't been able to stop bullets from multiple directions.

The Prior suddenly keeled over, dropping his staff. Cameron saw the distinctive marks of P90 bullets. Vala shot the Prior with her zat twice to make sure he was dead.

Jack ran up to Sam. He gentle cupped her head in his hands. "Come on Sam." He said. "Damn it Carter, I need you."

Cameron was close enough to see when Sam's eyes fluttered open. "Jack." She croaked.

Jack smiled. "That's the Sam I remember." He kissed her forehead. "Come on Sam, let's go." With two deft flicks of his knife he cut the bonds around her arms.

Sam leaned heavily upon him as she tried to regain her footing. Daniel handed her extra flak vest he was carrying and then gave her a pistol.

"I can make it." Sam said.

"You sure?" Jack asked, concern evident in the soft tone of his voice.

"Yeah." Sam nodded. "I never want to see this place again."

Cameron cleared his throat. "I know this is a bad time to ask, but how are we getting home."

"The same way we came here."

"Ahh, but do you remember the Jaffa." Daniel quipped.

"So we go to Pegasus."

"How are we supposed to do that?" Cameron said, trying to settle the matter.

"I can figure it out."

"Okay, that settles it. Vala, I'd assume you know where it is."

Vala smiled. "We need to steal a ride."
"A ride?" Jack said sarcastically.

XXX

Cameron had never thought that Vala had the ability to pilot an Ori tank. He was wrong. Vala had told them to stay put, then she had disappeared. She returned with a massive Ori hover tank.

"Get in." She yelled from the pilot's seat.

Cameron climbed in last, making sure the coat was clear. He sat down in the seat next to Vala. "I'd assume this controls the guns."

"You men always think that, but yes you're right."

Then Vala took the tank through another chunk of the wall. She turned back towards the main road, where a group of Ori tanks were already forming a defensive position. Cameron hadn't ever been a tank gunner, but shooting the Ori tank's massive gun was more like firing missiles from his F-302.

He pulled down the heads up display and was impressed. The Ori tank automatically analyzed other vehicles for weak spots. He aimed and fired. He heard a massive clunk and the entire tanks rocked backwards. The sensors went blank for a second as the projectile hit.

As the sensors came back online, Vala raced down the main road, not waiting to see what the damage had caused. Cameron spun the gun around and fired again. Another loud clunk and a shake, then the sensors blacked out.

"Having fun Mitchell?" Jack asked sarcastically.

"Yes sir." Cameron replied, spinning the gun back around to face forwards.

Vala continued driving for a few minutes before she turned to Cameron. "We've got a problem." Her voice was serious.

"And what would this problem be?" Daniel asked from just behind Cameron.

"There's only a million or more Ori vehicles surrounding it." Vala's voice held only a slight bit of sarcasm.

Cameron slid out of the gunner's chair and climbed up so he could look out the hatch. He swore, realizing just how many Ori vehicles were lined up. There was no way they could continue with the tank.

He suddenly noticed the forests that led straight up to the basin that contained the transporter. He dropped back down into the tank. "Time to go on foot." He said, unhooking his P90 from his vest.

"How are we supposed to do that?" Daniel asked.

"There's forest we can walk through. It leads straight up to the transporter."

"Wait, we got into this mess because of that same forest."

"It would appear we have little choice." Teal'c replied stoically.

"Everyone ready?" Cameron glanced around at everyone. Teal'c was impossible to read. Daniel was nervous, as was Sam. Jack had an almost cheerful glee in his eyes. Vala merely shrugged her shoulders.

Cameron nodded and climbed out of the tank. "Teal'c you're with me." He said, motioning for everyone to get into formation. He assumed a brisk jogging pace, knowing that Sam was still wounded. He held a fairly straight path, using the setting sun to orientate himself.

The forest was quiet. Oppressively so. Cameron couldn't help but feel apprehensive. So far their escape had been easy. Incredibly so. The Prior had been killed easily, he and Vala had attacked the heretic jail, and now Ori soldiers weren't pouring after them.

He stopped when they reached the hill overlooking the transporter. He shook his head. There wasn't an Ori soldier to be seen in the transporter. He could see the tanks back the way they'd came. They were either lucky or they were walking into a trap.

He glanced back at Teal'c. "Any reason they wouldn't actually defend this place."

Teal'c surveyed the area briefly. "There were guards here when we arrived. I do not believe that the Ori would leave such a strategic position unguarded."

"We're dead." Vala stated grimly.

"Shut up." Daniel snapped.

"Well," Cameron stood up, "only one way to find out. Cover me." He jogged down the slope and quickly ducked into the transporter. Just as he had seen, it was empty. He activated his radio. "Come on guys. There's no one here."

They were all in the compound when he heard the distinct sound of artillery. He instinctively ducked and screamed. "Get down!"

Explosions ripped through the air, showering Cameron with small flaming chunks of debris. He swore when one made contact with back of his neck, causing his entire back to spasm in pain. He rolled and ducked into one of the buildings.

Suddenly, a very familiar bright light enveloped them. Cameron opened his eyes to see the sun shining high in the sky. He glanced outside the entrance of yet another identical compound.

All around the compound was a vast desert. Thankfully, he glanced up and saw the stargate, or at least what looked like a stargate. He turned back to Sam. "That's a stargate right?"

"The Pegasus version of it." Sam replied. "We're in Pegasus."
"Then I guess it's time to give a certain Doctor Weir a call." Jack finished, walking towards the stargate.

However, then the stargate began to activate. As if things couldn't get worse. Cameron thought to himself raising his gun.