Previously:
There was no time. The Asgard weapons were down. The Laughter was too close to be stopped.
Loki's Laughter fired again.
Before Ella's eyes, the image in the view screen shattered into static only to be replaced by the image of Loki's weapon carving through the hull of the other ship. "Daniel!" she screamed, hoping, praying for some response from the speaker. All she heard was a soft, menacing snicker.
"Kiss your lover goodbye, Ella." Loki moved to fire again.
"NO!" Without thinking, Ella launched herself at the alien, knocking Sam free but pulling all three of them to the ground. She landed on top of her target and attacked. She would rip that sonofabitch parasite from her husband's body herself, if she had to, but she wouldn't let him hurt another person she loved.
Sam, finding herself free for the first time in days, scrambled to her feet and threw herself at the two men who were coming to their leader's aid.
Ella was by no means a trained fighter, but Daniel had schooled her in self-defense. This was the first time she had ever used it to attack someone. Before Loki got his bearings, she grabbed his hair and slammed his head into the floor. She wanted to hurt him. He had taken so much from her. He would not take Daniel, too. She went to punch him in the face but he captured her hand with his own and started to squeeze.
Sam had been caught in a clumsy half nelson. She turned the advantage to herself by using the added leverage to deliver a deep kick to the stomach of the man who was not holding her. The she shook herself free from her captor and floored him with a knee to his groin. She never saw the Zat gun aimed at her back.
Crushing the bones of Ella's hand until she screamed, Loki flipped Ella onto her back with him on top of her. Unconscious, Samantha crashed to the ground next to them, still twitching from the electricity that had ripped through her body. Loki got to his knees, as he continued to hurt her hand. "What the hell were you thinking?" He sounded winded from the surprise of her attack. "Couldn't bear to see your dear little Daniel get blown straight to hell?"
Ella suppressed further screams of pain. "What the fuck did you do to Sam?"
Loki was handed the serpentine weapon. "First shot stuns, second shot kills." He pointed it at her abdomen. "Would you like to see the effect it has on human fetuses?"
Ella was done with this; his threats, his abuse. She was done. "If you're gonna kill me, kill me" Her voice was flat and cold; furious but not defeated. Daniel might be dead; her husband was more lost to her than ever. She was finished with his games. He would not win this one. "I am through being scared of you."
"Really?" he sneered in response. "What a pity. I have just started being scary." Loki climbed to his feet, reached down and grabbed Ella's shoulders. Then he yanked her up and threw her into the arms of his guards. "Bind her hands. Beam the weapon back on board," he bellowed out orders. "If anyone on that ship survives long enough to get back to Earth, they'll get there just in time to see the charred mess of their planet. I want Thor to see the extent of his failure to protect Earth. Chart a course and get us there, fast. And as for you, Ella…you have no idea how scared you can be."
OoOoOoOoOoOo
Daniel wandered aimlessly down the halls of the SGC. A lullaby was echoing through the air, leading him into a VIP room. On the bed Ella lay on her back, dangling a Goa'uld symbiote in her hands. She was not singing but Daniel continued to hear the lullaby. Ella rolled her eyes in Daniel's direction.
"Isn't she beautiful, Big Brother?"
He tried to yell at her; Put it down, it will kill you! But he could make no sound. The music in his head got louder.
"Daniel, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?" Ella nuzzled the parasite to her cheek as the fanged creature hissed. "Come say hello to your niece."
Fluidly, she rolled into a sitting position. The Goa'uld twined itself around her arm and slithered up to her neck. Unhesitatingly, Ella bowed her head. Releasing a final, bloodthirsty hiss, the Goa'uld dove into the tender flesh at the base of Ella's skull. Daniel was helpless to save her or look away.
Ella blinked up at him and her eyes flashed with hellish fire. "What's wrong, Big Brother?" Only now her voice had the metallic timbre of a Goa'uld. "Why are you looking at me like that? Daniel? Jackson? Jackson, what's wrong? Open your eyes, please. Come on, Jackson. Open your eyes!"
Reality returned to Daniel in a rush of pain and confusion. Where was Ella? Why was Cameron Mitchell leaning over him?
"Ella," he gasped. "Where is she?" Daniel tried to sit up too quickly and the world spun around him in sickening loops.
Cam placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "Easy there, Jackson. You've been out almost twenty minutes.
Daniel blinked hard, trying to understand what Cam was saying. The bridge was filled with smoke and sparks spewed from several boards. "Where did they go?" His voice was rough from inhaled fumes.
Sitting back on his heels, Cam's shoulder's sagged. "A few moments after firing on us, the Laughter was beamed onto the ship. They opened a hyperspace window and jumped."
"Dammit. Dammit!" Slowly this time, Daniel pushed himself up. Cam helped him lean against the wall. His eyes fell on Jack and Teal'c in the corner. The general was wrapping clean gauze around the larger man's head, covering Teal'c's eyes. Even with the smoke impairing his view, Daniel could see the burn marks on Teal'c's dark skin.
The colonel followed his gaze. "When the Laughter fired on us…Thor's shields just could not stand up to the attack. They collapsed. The console next to Teal'c exploded. He says he will heal…but Gen. O'Neill does not want to take chances. That piece of pipe fell on you," Cam indicated a small and heavy looking metal chunk that lay at Daniel's feet. "The rest of us got tossed around pretty hard." He held up his right hand and Daniel could see that it was swollen to twice its normal size. "Broken or at least badly sprained. I don't know, but it hurts like hell. How are you feeling?"
Daniel's battered mind was not thinking clearly yet. He had heard everything that Cam said, but it did not really register. He just repeated his question: "Where did they go?"
"Earth," Jack O'Neill joined the conversation, leaving Teal'c to rest among the chaos. "As near as Thor can tell, they were headed in the direction of Earth. Seems that Loki wants to finish the game on his old playing ground." Jack prepped two chemical ice packs and handed them to his team, one for Cam's hand and one for Daniel's head.
"But, sir, that doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he just finish us off here? We were an easy target after that first blast." Cam asked.
"Honestly, I don't know," the general replied. "But my guess is that Loki wants Thor and us to see the destruction he had planned for Earth. Thor told me that the planet that just got hit was where Loki was originally captured and turned over to the High Council. I think some of this is personal. And I think he's probably hoping we will get back there just in time to see the fireball and then destroy us. But it ain't gonna happen."
The pain in Daniel's head made him nauseous but he managed to ask another question. "How is the ship?"
"Not good," Jack answered bluntly. "And the real bitch is that no human knows these ships as well as Sam."
"Sir," Cam offered, "I can't pretend to be as good as her, and I am kinda one-handed at the moment, but Col. Carter taught me some basic Asgard tech stuff, ship first-aid if you will. I can go down there with you and with Thor's help we should be able to jury-rig something together."
"Okay. Thor also thinks that if we can get the ship running again, we have at least one advantage. The Al-Kesh just isn't designed to haul anything as heavy as that weapon seems to be. It will slow them down. We hope. This is gonna be tricky as hell. They will know we are coming so we have to be fast. If we arrive too soon, there is a good chance that he will kill the women." Jack shook away his grim thoughts. "We have to get to work. Daniel," Jack looked at his friend. Daniel's eyes were still clouded with pain. "I'm going to leave you up here to keep an eye on T, okay?"
"Jack," Daniel's eyes met Jack and then the wounded man was unable to say more. But, his thoughts were written across his face.
It was rare these days that Daniel's emotions were so close to the surface. He'd built up a pretty thick layer of defense over the years. Jack knew it was partly Daniel's concussion that was bringing the man so close to breaking. But it was also the fact that it was Ella who was at risk. Ella, the one true constant in Daniel's life. Jack saw Daniel's fear and guilt, the need to protect someone he loved. And Jack knew that his own eyes told the same story. There was nothing that Jack could say to make the situation any better but he had to try. He gripped Daniel's shoulder firmly. "I know, Daniel. But the best chance we have is to get this ship running again."
The words managed to penetrate the fog of Daniel's pain. Jack was right. "Go."
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Loki shook with rage. By the time Samantha had woken from her Zat induced sleep, he had realized that the Al-Kesh was not moving at the correct speed. He had not thought to consider the effect of the Laughter's weight. He ordered Sam to do something to the engines and she refused. So he did something he had not done before; he hit her. And still she refused. So he hit her again. And again. And still she denied him.
Anger mounting, Loki turned on Ella. After all, threatening her had always worked in the past to get Sam to follow his orders. But no matter how hard he struck the pregnant woman's face, Sam's answer did not change. And Ella just glared up at him and calmly told him that she had met scarier monsters than he when she was twelve. That was when he backhanded her to unconsciousness.
Now he had his back to the women as he gripped the control console. He was so close to killing one of them he could almost taste it, but he needed them both alive. His desire for Ella's baby had grown, as had his desire for Sam as his mate. What was he supposed to do with these damn women? Was he wrong to keep them alive at all? Loki was not comfortable with second guessing his actions. He was a god. His actions were never wrong. However…
He had known as soon as the other ship entered hyperspace. His enemies had gotten back on their feet far faster than he had expected them to and they were in pursuit. It had been a miscalculation to leave the other ship intact. A mistake…?
No. No! Mentally, Loki shook himself. It had not been a miscalculation. This just increased the challenge. He thrived on challenge. Things had just become more fun, he told himself. Things might be working out differently than he planned, but he would still win. It's what he did.
Loki turned back to face the bridge. His men were manning their stations, charting their progress as well as the other ship. Samantha Carter was sitting in the middle of the floor, cradling Ella's unconscious body to her. When she saw him looking at the two of them, Sam's arms tightened and her jaw clenched. The soldier's impotent fury tickled Loki and he began to laugh. Everything was going to work out just fine. He had nothing to worry about.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
In Jack's mind, it had taken an eternity to get the engines back on-line. But they finally managed. The ship that was stealing Sam and Ella from them had at least a 90-minute lead. Weapons were unsalvageable, shields were shaky, but every man on Thor's ship was determined to catch the enemy they hunted. Thor most of all. The Asgard had given Jack a little history regarding the planet that Loki had attacked. The planet's inhabitants were simple humans, peaceful. They followed the legends of Thor. The only strife that had ever been on the planet had occurred the first time the Goa'uld posing as Loki had gone there. And now, ages later, the Goa'uld had taken his revenge. Thor would see him die for these actions.
Injuries slowly healed. Daniel got back on his feet only to realize he had nothing to do but wait. Teal'c's pain was improving, but Jack would not let him remove his bandages. Conversely, Cam's injured hand just got worse. Everyone realized that the final confrontation would come down to Cam, Teal'c and Thor staying on the ship while Jack and Daniel beamed over for a direct assault.
The rest of the plan would break down to timing and no small measure of luck. Jack wanted to exit hyperspace close enough to the other ship that Daniel and he could beam directly over. This would require the shields to be down. The only time that this was likely to happen would be when the Laughter was being beamed into orbit over Earth. So Thor suggested that they initially came out of hyperspace on the dark side of Earth's moon. Using their sensors, they would know when the other ship's shields were dropped. After that, it was anyone's guess what would happen. Jack was fully prepared to pilot this ship right in front of the Laughter's beam if that was the only way to save his planet. He knew that he would not have enough time to contact the SGC and get any support. Once again, it came down to SG1 to save the planet. Some things never got old.
OoOoOoOoOoOo
He had been right, of course, when he said she had no idea how scared she could be. Now, as Ella gazed down on Earth, her insides had frozen in terror.
When the ship had first stopped, the view of her home had awed Ella with its beauty. Earth from orbit was a sight that the vast majority of humanity would never see. And yet here she was, so close to it's blue, white and green majesty, she felt she could almost touch it. Tears filled her eyes and she forgot all of her pain. A deep, emotional pull emanated from her womb, almost like an ache. "Oh baby," she whispered, laying her bound hands on her belly. "Look at that."
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Alex's voice broke through her reverie.
Against her will, her heart skipped. It was Alex's voice. Had he – somehow – She turned to look at him. His beautiful gray eyes flashed with the hated light. He smiled.
"We're home, darling." Loki continued to use her husband's voice. It was salt on an unhealed wound.
"Please don't do this," Ella pleaded, softly.
"Don't do what?" was the innocuous reply.
Ella glanced back at the planet. It was her home. Every person she had ever loved, every child she ever cared for, every memory she had was here. She would sacrifice everything she was if she must but she could not let him unleash his Laughter on Earth.
"Please – Lord Loki - " god, that almost choked her, "I'll do whatever you want, I'll stop fighting, just don't use your weapon on Earth." A tear spilled down her cheek before she could catch it.
"Oh my darling," his lips pressed against the salty trail of her tear and then he resumed his regular voice, "you'll be doing that anyway. Come." He dragged her wrists and dragged her towards the console.
"No! Please don't do this!" Ella's frantic struggles increased, but his hold on her was like iron. Sam tried to fight as well, but a guard held her back, her hands strapped behind her. Nether woman was able to break away.
Loki slapped a button on his console and Ella saw the Laughter materialize in space. Slowly it rotated toward the planet's surface. Heart pounding, Ella's vision began to gray and she feared that she might faint.
"Sir! We have - " the shouted alarm was silenced as the man was hit with an electrical charge. Loki wrapped his arm around Ella's neck and roughly pulled her to him as Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson stormed onto the bridge. Finally seeing an opening, Sam dropped all of her weight to the floor. The surprised guard lost his grip and Jack knocked him out with a Zat blast. Neither Jack not Sam noticed that the remaining guard was hiding behind the door until Jack was also felled by a Zat blast. Before the man could fire a second time, Sam kicked the gun out of his hand and then pivoted and kicked the man's legs out from underneath him.
Daniel was in a face off with Loki. The Goa'uld was aiming a handgun at Daniel and was gripping Ella as a shield, cutting off a good amount of her oxygen.
"Lower your weapon, Dr. Jackson," the Goa'uld smiled broadly, but his flashing eyes promised death.
"I don't think so."
"And if you don't, you'll be wiping pieces of your girlfriend from your glasses." He turned the gun to Ella's head. "Don't think I won't do it."
Ella met Daniel's eyes and she saw his struggle. He could not just let her die. She knew he couldn't. But she also knew that the snake-shaped gun in Daniel's hand was the only thing standing between Loki and Earth. No, Daniel, she wanted to yell as she saw his hand begin to shake, just a little. Don't you dare. It's not worth it! I'm not worth it. Knowing that Daniel couldn't do it, Ella made the decision for him.
Relying on the most basic self-defense Daniel ever taught her, Ella lifted her right foot and crunched it onto Loki's toes. The idiot never wore shoes. Then she slammed her elbow deep into her enemy's solar plexus. Mimicking Sam, Ella dropped her weight downward, breaking free. Daniel's Zat blast screamed over her head, singing the tips of her hair.
Hand's stinging from hitting the ground, Ella scrambled over to her husband's insensate body. "Alex? Alex!"
Before she could do more than touch his hair, Daniel grabbed her back. "No. It's not Alex, yet. But it will be."
"First shot stuns, second shot kills, right?" She remembered.
"Yes."
She couldn't tear her eyes away from the man on the floor. Her husband, her terror. The father of her child. It was almost more than she could bear. "Don't shoot him again."
"I won't. I promise. But I am going to sedate him." Daniel released her shoulders and knelt down, finding the hypodermic needle that Dr. Lam had provided him. Injecting the sedative into Alex's arm, Daniel looked back up at his friend. He saw the fresh bruises on her face, marks that had not been there when they had spoken through the view screen. He noticed her injured hands, scabbed, bruised and swollen. "Let's get these things off of you." He pulled a small knife from his vest and sliced through the plastic straps that were cutting into her wrists. The he gently took her hands into his own. "It's over Ella."
She looked deep into his eyes. "Can you get him back for me?"
"Yes, we can."
"Then it will be over." Daniel pulled Ella into his arms and rested his chin on her hair. Slowly, Ella wrapped her arms around her friend and tried to remember what it felt like to be safe.
"Oh, god," Jack's groan cut through the heavy silence. "I'd almost forgot how much that hurt."
Daniel and Ella turned around. Sam was standing on the neck of the man she had kicked over. Jack was slowly getting back on his feet.
"So, did we save the planet? Everybody live?" Jack asked the room in general.
Everyone looked at Ella who silently looked down at her husband. Daniel tightened his arms around her.
"Jack," Sam said, smiling beautifully at him, "let's go home."
TBC