"So, General, when do we depart?" Jack asked anxiously.

"Colonel, I want to make sure that you understand my orders first. Your mission is to go there, pick up Doctor Jackson and return ASAP. But, in case you run into some danger with the Goa'uld, even the minimum one, I want you and your team back here. I appreciate Dr. Jackson as you, but I don't want to risk more lives. Is that clear at that point?"

"Yes Sir" said Jack with his teeth clenched.

"All right then. In order to help you in the mission, Major Ferretti has volunteered himself to accompany you." The General continued.

"Yeah, I wouldn't let Doc down when he helped us" Ferretti agreed.

"Well, then, SG-1, Major Ferretti, get dressed, you have a go in fifteen minutes. As Chulak is a definitely hostile planet, your iris code will be blocked down if in forty-eight hours you have not returned or we have not received any transmission from you." General finished "Dismissed"

"Sweet" Jack mumbled when he left the room.

Daniel started slipping from unconsciousness feeling a dizzy feeling on his head. What the hell had happened? Was he again on Jack's couch after having drunk a couple too much beer? Ow, he was beginning to think that Jack was a bad influence sometimes... but there was something weird... if he just had a hangover... why did his leg hurt like hell? Apophis! He had fired a staff blast! Now he remembered everything. Shau'ri was there. She, no, Ammaunet wanted him to become Apophis' new host! No way it was going to happen! He tried to sit up but the room started spinning suddenly. Surely it was because that liquor they made him drink. He rested his head on the soft pillow again. The pain on his leg was almost unbearable. With luck he would pass out and the pain would disappear. He heard a door slid open and decided to play like he was unconscious. Closing his eyes he noticed someone approaching to him.

Suddenly waves of heat hit his forehead. Before even realizing what he was doing he opened up his eyes and screamed. A hand tapped his mouth to avoid him screaming again.

"Sshhh, our beloved. It's painful but you do must not shout" Hathor whispered to him.

Daniel opened up his eyes. That damned Goa'uld! He could remember what she had induced him to do... he had betrayed Shau'ri because of her... He was in this mess because of her! He tried to fight her, but her grip was strong and she wouldn't let go.

"You must remain still if we're going to heal you!" Hathor exclaimed. That seemed to calm Daniel down. After a few moments he felt that the dizziness on his head disappeared and when he looked at what Hathor had used to help him, he found it was the same device Kendra had used to heal that boy there, in Cimmeria.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked when finally Hathor realized the grip of his mouth.

"We're not going to let Apophis take what is ours" she just stated.

"I am not yours" Daniel replied as coldly as possible.

"You once were and you will be again"

"No way" Daniel said.

"It is true that our scene will not affect you this time because I had to give you too much last time, but we're your only hope to escape from here" she replied gently passing her hand up and down his chest. He dismissed her hand abruptly.

"Do you want me to trust you? You must be kidding" he said

"You can choose your destiny now: trust us and come with us, or wait here until Apophis takes you as his new host. You do decide" she stated smiling cruelly.

Daniel looked at her. He knew perfectly that he couldn't trust her. But he couldn't let Apophis took him too. Sighing he made his decision.

"Alright. I trust you" he said "now, could you heal my leg?"

"You don't think we're such a fool" she said.

"How do you expect me to trust you if you do not trust me?" Daniel tried.

"Because your injury is the only thing that now gives us advantage on you" she said "Once we are out of here and in our new planet, your leg will be healed."

"So, how do you expect me to get out of here?" Daniel asked her quizzically.

"We'll help you." And with that she passed Daniel's arm over her shoulders and helped him to stand up. Daniel looked amazed as this woman was able to support him. Of course, the symbiote was helping.

"In a trusting act we give you this" she said giving Daniel a zat gun "I hope you don't aim it to us"

"What is this" Daniel asked looking at the gun suspiciously

"It's a zat-ni-cetel."

"How does it work?"

"You must shoot this twice if you want to kill your opponent." Hathor simply replied. "Let's go"

Jack stepped out of the wormhole with his head covered with a hood. Sam and Ferretti were dressed as him, like Chulak monks. Teal'c was wearing his Serpent guard uniform.

"Stop!" said one of the three Jaffa that were guarding the gate. "Jaffa, which purpose have you come here with?"

"I'm escorting these monks that have been requested by Lord Apophis" Teal'c replied. Jack tried to remain as calm as possible, but under his robes he had tightened the grip on his MP5.

"You have come to the implantation ceremony, so" said the guard. "You've come early. You weren't expected until tomorrow"

"We thought the ceremony was to be today" Teal'c answered.

"No. Lord Apophis is afraid Hathor will try to kidnap his future new host and has called an Ashrak to kill her. We are also waiting for him."

"Why would Hathor kidnap his future new host" asked Teal'c after noticing the surprised looks that exchanged Jack and Sam.

"It seems that Lord Apophis' future host was brought to Chulak by Hathor." The guard replied.

Jack and Sam looked at each other. Teal'c thanked the information to the guard and all of them departed to the village. After getting changed and ready behind some bushes, they started walking again.

"Sir, do you think Apophis wants Daniel as his new..." Carter started.

"I don't give a dam about what Snakey-head wants. He is not going to possess Danny."

"I can't understand why Apophis wants Daniel..." Ferretti sighed.

"Maybe it's because his Queen" said Teal'c

"What do you mean?" Jack asked looking at the Jaffa confused.

"Apophis' Queen is Daniel Jackson's wife. Maybe the host's feelings has become also the Goa'uld's feelings" Teal'c stated.

"Are you saying that there are probably two Goa'uld that have a crush on Danny-boy!" asked Jack with his eyebrows raised

"Indeed" just said Teal'c.

"Sweet." Replied Jack. "Just remember me when we come back home to tell Daniel how to make Goa'ulds hate him"

"Yes Sir" said Carter almost grinning.

The two people walked with caution by the large corridors on Apophis palace. They hadn't been discovered yet, and the ceremony was so close! It was their only chance to kill Apophis. When the symbiote would leave his actual host they would kill him. No matter that they would get killed in the action. Suddenly the woman grabbed her companion by the arm and made him hide with her as she listened to footsteps approaching to where they were hiding.

The man took a little mirror from under his tunic and focused it to the corridor. What he saw definitely surprised him. After a moments he decided that the danger was over and motioned her companion to follow him to the corridor again.

As he started walking towards the same direction where they had come from the woman talked for the first time in a very Goa'uldish voice.

"Lantesh, we have come from here"

"I know, Jolinar, but I've just seen Hathor walking in that direction. She was with the new chosen by Apophis"

"So finally she has kidnapped him. What are we going to do?" Jolinar demanded

"I don't know. We cannot return this Tau'ri to Apophis. We accepted this mission only with the condition that the Tau'ri would not get harmed."

"If the Tau'ri escapes there will no be ceremony of implantation, and if Apophis found he has tried to escape again he will have him killed" Jolinar stated.

"Yes, my love. I guess we will have to help the Tau'ri"

"Hathor is with him"

"We'll try to kill her" Lantesh stated.

"At least we'll try to destroy a Lord of the System" Jolinar smiled as she and her companion lead towards the exit of the palace.

Hathor was now almost carrying Daniel. The wound on his leg had started bleeding again and the man was traveling in and out of conscience. They were so close the exit... Hathor was glad her beloved was in that shape. It would be easy for her to go with him to a primitive planet. There, she would have plenty of time to turn the men of that planet under her control and to...convince Daniel to become her pharaoh. Of course, the symbiote that she was carrying under her robes, waiting to be implanted on her beloved as soon as they were somewhere safe.

Suddenly two Jaffa stepped in front of her way. 'it would have been too easy' she thought bitterly.

"Lady Hathor, nobody is allowed to leave the palace until the ceremony is over." One of them said.

"I'm the mother of all the Gods and nobody will tell me what to do!" Hathor said with proud.

"Lady Hathor, Lord Apophis has ordered us to kill you if you resist to go back to your chambers. We will return the Tau'ri to his accommodations"

"Apophis won't stop me!" Hathor yelled aiming her ribbon device and knocking one of the guards to a wall. The other guard aimed his staff weapon but suddenly he disappeared. Hathor looked at him with a strange expression and then at her side, where Daniel was still aiming the zat that he had just fired.

"So, two shots kill, three..." he said

"Three shots disintegrate" Hathor finished. "We're pleased to see that you have protected us, our beloved" she said grinning.

"Don't fool yourself. I was acting in my own benefit" Daniel managed to say before his last strength disappeared and he lost conscience once again.

Hathor bit her lip in frustration. Maybe it would be more difficult to take this Tau'ri to the new planet without his cooperation. Maybe she would have to implant the Goa'uld there, in Chulak, once they had left the palace...