Spoilers: None really
Archive: SJD yes SJ Fic yes sure sure sure
Rating: R just in case
Disclaimer: Not mine don't sue me!
AN: Wow thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback! Sorry it took so long for another chapter to come out. Thanks to Lauretta for beta-ing me again!! Feedback loved!!
"What's going on in there?" Jack asked the first rebel Jaffa that approached him.
"Everything is going according to the plan. Major Carter is approaching Ba'al as we speak. Were you not to stay with her?" the Jaffa asked Jack, knowing that was the only part of the plan that was not in order.
"Yeah, well, Major Carter had a different plan." No one missed Jack's clenched teeth and clipped tone.
"The tunnels are open once again?" Teal'c asked to remind everyone of the plan they had to follow. The arguments about who did what to whom could come after they were finished.
"Yes, we can enter now." Jack nodded before he took off, jogging to the entrance. He may be mad at Sam, but he wasn't going to give Ba'al another chance to take her prisoner again.
Ba'al rubbed the back of his head where Sam hit him with her gun. Looking behind him, he saw one pissed off blond with said gun pointed at him. The gun was familiar, which made him laugh.
Sam drew her eyebrows together in confusion. Ba'al climbed to his knees, and shakily stood up. Sam clutched the gun tighter, not liking the change in his attitude. Ba'al didn't try to advance on her, and she knew he wouldn't for the time being. If he was laughing, that meant he was going to mock her for a little while.
"Something funny Ba'al?" Sam asked coldly.
"I'm experiencing something that there is a Tau'ri word for. De'ja vu I believe it's called." Sensing that she was not going to speak, he continued after a pause.
"There was another time that a blond heroine thought she was going to kill me and shut down the empire I was going to create, the empire of a true god. And this silly blond came close to succeeding. She created a weapon that could penetrate a personal shield and kill the Gou'ld within. I'm surprised you don't remember, Jolinar." He laughed when she paled at his words.
"However, I'm not surprised at her choice of host. You do look most similar to her earlier one. The blond hair, the determined look in your eyes. It must be like looking into a looking glass for the Tok'ra. I enjoyed the time she spent with me, and I will enjoy the time you spend with me as well. The chance to crush another proud Tau'ri spirit will be exhilarating." Involuntarily, she shivered at the sound of his voice. Sam couldn't believe that she had no memories of Jolinar doing this once before. If the gun didn't work for Rosha, who was originally human like Sam, and had the Tok'ra in her, how could Sam operate the weapon? Ba'al started to approach Sam while she was thinking over the plan.
"Don't move," she ordered, activating the gun. The powering up process made Ba'al's eyes go wide, and he almost looked scared.
"Something bothering you Ba'al?" she asked. He masked his shocked expression as soon as she spoke.
"The gun will not work. Do not waste your time with me. If you come with me willingly, it will be much easier for you," he offered. Sam thought it almost sounded like he was trying to bargain with her.
"Well you don't mind if we test it out then, do you?" The third voice startled both of them, but Sam did not waver from her target. She knew without a doubt who it was. Jack sauntered into the room, as if he was joining a friend for lunch, not barging in on a standoff. As if he didn't know someone was going to die.
"You! You turned my Jaffa against me!" Ba'al hollered, raising his hand to point at Jack.
"No, you did that yourself. I mean, crappy hours, bad pay, and what are the benefits? It was only a matter of time before they joined a union. And Norma Rae here, she's the ring leader. She's got the 'shooting gun' attitude of the bunch." Jack took another step closer, but was still to the left of Sam, much further behind her.
"You will not leave with you life this time! I've already played with both of you, you both will perish for good this time!" Ba'al boasted. Using his hand device, he flung Sam into the wall behind her, knocking the wind out of her. Without missing a beat, Jack whipped out his pistol and fired off half of the clip at Ba'al in vain. The personal shield went up as soon as the situation started.
"Shit," he swore under his breath. He fired off the rest of the clip, knowing they wouldn't have an effect. Sometimes he just hoped that, maybe if he popped a hole in the shield, it would burst like a balloon. Sam had laughed at him when he told her his theory.
He was backed into a corner; there was no way out. Jack felt his death approaching like a cold hand snaking up his back and resting on his neck, making him shiver.
"The time has come. It was fun while it lasted," Ba'al said. Maybe Jack's sarcasm did rub off on people. Slowly, Ba'al raised his hand to Jack's head, preparing to use his hand device on him. That's when they heard it.
"NO!" Sam yelled from across the room, gun in her hands. Without hesitation, she shot at Ba'al. The energy that flew from the gun was yellow, different from the blue of the zat. Hurtling itself towards Ba'al, the noise sounded more like a speeding race car rather than an alien weapon. Within a second, the personal shield dissipated, leaving him completely vulnerable. Ba'al had the grace to look surprised for a second before Sam shot again.
He let out the most painful roar either of them had ever heard. Gasping, he fell to his knees in front of Jack. Jack, who never turned down a presented opportunity, punched Ba'al in the face as hard as he could manage, and smiled as he fell to the ground and landed on his back. Sam would've winced if it was someone else. But she knew they both wanted to do worse than that to the Goa'uld. Shaking, Ba'al raised his hands above his chest and pressed a button on his hand device. Immediately, a panel near the controls lifted and started beeping. Wanting to be careful around Ba'al, they both walked over slowly. They both knew what the beeping was.
"It's a bomb."
"Yep," Jack answered.
"That's not good."
"Nope." They both took another second to decipher the technology.
"Can you do anything? This is more your boat than mine," Jack asked.
"If we can make it out of here fast enough, it doesn't matter. We don't need the ship."
"True, but you need the Stargate." They whipped around simultaneously to see Ba'al looking at them from the ground.
"What?" Jack demanded.
"The bomb is connected to one on each chevron on the Stargate." He smiled at them, knowing he was still going to win.
"How do we stop it?"
"I won't tell you," he said to Jack, "but I'll tell you," he informed them, looking pointedly at Sam.
"Tell me now or you die. How does that sound!?" Jack yelled as he pulled out the other Beretta he had on him.
"Then I'll be dead anyway. I only wish to say good bye to Jolinar, and thank her for the time we spent together," Ba'al drawled out, smiling at the couple who were disconsolate with the entire situation.
"Sir, I'll fix it and be down," Sam said to him quietly.
"Like hell Carter!"
"Well what else are we going to do? I can fix this, you can't. You can still make it."
"No Sam. Not gonna happen." She felt it when he used her first name. He was getting emotional, and that was really bad for the situation they were in and they both knew it.
"Jack, I have to. No one else can," she whispered back. Turning to him, she reached for his hand and loosely held it.
"I already killed one Carter today, I'll be damned if I kill two," he whispered, tightening his hold on her hand.
"Later. I'm going to shut this down, and we can discuss everything after that. I can't do that if you're here. Ba'al won't tell me. You have to make the right choice for everyone." He snapped his head from the floor to her face. She hit the right nerve with him. He was leading this operation, and he wanted as many people to survive this as possible.
"And you make sure you do just that." She nodded at him as he walked away. Passing Ba'al, who was laughing at him, Jack kicked him in the ribs.
"Carter?" he said as soon as he made it to the entrance of the room. He was facing away from her, but he looked over his shoulder. She raised her head, silently answering. "Make it quick. There's a hockey game on tonight I don't wanna miss." She smiled at him as he left.
"Now we're all alone, once again Jolinar. Don't you remember our times alone?" Ba'al teased.
"Listen, I'm not Jolinar. She's dead. Now tell me how to stop this or I'll kill you in the most painful ways possible, over and over." Her voice was so low she was almost shocked. She could almost feel her eyes darken.
"How will you manage that?"
"I'm smart Ba'al, don't you worry about me. You really don't want to mess with me, and you've already gone too far. Tell me now," she demanded.
"You're right, you're right! But don't you want to know how we came to know each other?" He was trying to buy time, and she saw right through it.
"I couldn't give two craps. Are you going to tell me or not?"
"I was actually much younger, before I had the god within me. I was another lord's slave, and she wanted to stop my master. She used me! Made me think she loved me to get inside of the ship. I saw the master fall with that weapon. I never thought I would see it again when I found her years later. I guess my Ashrack did finish her off, once and for all." If it wasn't Ba'al she was listening to, she would have felt bad for him. Which was a little scary, because it was the second time she found that happening. Maybe Jolinar was responsible for making Ba'al as bad as he was.
"Wait, the Ashrack was sent by Cronus." Ba'al smirked at her.
"And who do you think told him to send it?" He laughed at her again, enjoying the moment the realization dawned on her face.
"You knew about us the entire time," she muttered.
"Yes. I was waiting for the opportune moment. After meeting your colonel, I knew it was the right time."
"Rule number three, let your enemies come to you." Sam stood in disbelief. He was planning this all along.
"How does it feel? To be used? Do you know now?"
"For the last time, I'm not Jolinar. I'm Samantha Carter!"
'Yeah,' she thought to herself, 'I'm Carter. I figure this stuff out all of the time.'
"I don't need you." Picking up the gun from where she rested it on the ground, she shot him one more time, and didn't feel one bit of sympathy. With a new determination, she walked over to the panel and checked over the bomb. After switching a few crystals around, she was positive that the bombs were no longer attached to the Stargate. Unfortunately, she had to re-route the bombs to another target, so she picked the exits once again. And they went off much quicker than she thought. Two seconds after she switched them quicker.
"I knew I didn't shoot the wall panel for a reason," she said as she ran out of the room. She only had about eleven seconds to get out of the ship before the majority of it blew up. Pulling out the zat Daniel gave her, she shot Ba'al one more time, just for good measure. If he didn't die from all of that, the explosion would do it for sure.
'Let's just hope I make it in time,' she thought, running down the halls faster than she ever remembered running before.
TBC… haha cliff hanger!! Feedback loved!