The familiar sound of impacts on the iris resounded in the 'gateroom. "No IDC, sir," Walter assured them. Suddenly, Ba'al appeared on the ramp.
"It's just a hologram," Sam said, watching the image go fuzzy for a moment before focusing. Ba'al looked around, obviously confused as to why the jaffa he'd just sent through weren't already taking over the 'gateroom. Then he saw the iris and made a face, he would never admit it but he had forgotten a key element of the SGC's defenses.
"General O'Neill!" He said, looking up into the control room. "I am here to negotiate your surrender."
"Not going to happen."
"I'm afraid it will be happening, very soon."
Behind them, jaffa could be heard firing at the blast doors. The evacuees that hadn't made it out with the last wormhole stepped together, away from the noise of the jaffa and away from the projection of Ba'al; most still didn't even understand where they were.
"How much time do we have till the 'gate shuts off?" Jack faced Sam, going into 'General running the base' mode.
"Thirty-two minutes… thirty one minutes," she told him, checking her watch.
The jaffa beyond the door chose that minute to break through; staff blasts went everywhere, the leftover personnel desperately defending the control room. The number of jaffa that were still in the service of Ba'al was amazing; the fact that the jaffa had gained their freedom on a planet that Ba'al was supposed to be lording over hadn't hurt Ba'al's ranks as much as they had suspected.
Jack looked around, he had a zat and was making use of it when he could, but he was far enough inside the control room that most of the jaffa were already dead when they reached him. Sam and Teal'c were shoulder to shoulder in the doorway leading to the stairs, nothing was getting past them. He couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt when he watched his friends fighting; he should be there with them. Especially since it was Ba'al that they were fighting; he had a special hatred for Ba'al. Daniel was closer to him, standing to one side of the doorway that led to the hall that lead to the 'gateroom. He was surrounded by airmen and marines, most of the jaffa were coming from this hallway.
The next half an hour passed excruciatingly slowly.
The jaffa were fought off, they retreated shortly before Sam called the two minute mark for the 'gate. Jack took her place by Teal'c so that she could sit at the computer and make sure that it dialed correctly and before Ba'al could redial.
Their plan was successful; Sam achieved an outgoing wormhole before Ba'al managed to dial in. Jack immediately began yelling at the dignitaries to go through, they did so after a moment's hesitation. "I want all personnel through the 'gate five minutes ago!" Jack yelled, the airmen and marines that had been defending the control room immediately followed their orders, providing cover fire for each other as they made their escape. Within seconds it was just Jack and SG-1 defending the control room. "You're turn- get outta here!"
"No way, Jack," Daniel glared at him, disintegrating another jaffa. Jack shook his head.
"No, its not the time for this loyalty crap, I want you three through that 'gate."
"Wild equines would not move us from this position, O'Neill," Teal'c told him.
"Horses, Teal'c, its horses, and if you like your job, you'll get your ass through that 'gate!"
"I believe that our jobs depend on us staying here at this moment," Jack thought about it for a moment before realizing his friend was right, that didn't make it okay though.
"Carter! Get out of here!"
"No, sir," she said, looking a little sheepish at obeying a direct command. "We're not letting you go down with the ship alone."
Touched as he was by these sentiments, it was the fact that they all knew his plan that scared him the most. He had been planning to go down with the planet, just like any other good commander- now they weren't letting him. If he had wanted one thing out of his death, it would be his teammates' lives. Especially Sam, but he would never say that. He had appreciated her presence all the more since they'd taken the second symbiote out. Again, he would never say this, especially not to her. He glared at them. "Fine," he turned back to their current state of affairs. Before he could do much strategizing, however, the radios crackled.
"General, are you and SG-1 headed through?" Colonel Reynolds, commander of SG-3, asked. He had been one of the last to go through the 'gate and was next in line to lead the military personnel that were now at the alpha site, right after Jack and Sam.
"No, colonel, we're going to stay and see if we can't get Ba'al to bounce in some other direction…"
"General, we should've stayed to help…"
"Don't question my command, colonel," his voice was stern even across the radio. Unlike with SG-1, who knew him too well, he could still force the other soldiers of the SGC to following his commands without question. "You're going to be needed getting all those egg heads on their feet again on that side- especially if we don't pull through on our end."
"Since when was the last time SG-1 didn't pull through?"
"Well, when what the last time Earth was attacked by the goa'uld?" Then, as an afterthought he added, "At least in this dimension…"
"Point taken, sir."
"Good, SGC out," he nodded down to Sam, who shut the wormhole down before Colonel Reynolds could protest further.
…………………………………..
An hour later, Jack was feeling really stupid for not allowing more personnel to stay and help. Ba'al had dialed the 'gate again, but the iris was holding with ease. Unfortunately, the four of them were having trouble keeping all the jaffa away from the significant systems, especially when they kept breaking through all the doors.
This was when things turned in their favor. Thor seemed to realize what Jack had done, and had done something to the doors. Even Sam couldn't figure out how he'd done it, but the doors would only open if one of them pressed their hand to it; they were shielded or something, neither bullets nor staff blasts seemed to have any effect. Thanking their lucky stars, the four of them made their way cautiously secured the immediate area
Thor suddenly appeared before them in holographic form, berating Jack for letting the rest of the other soldiers leave. "I didn't want to endanger any more lives than necessary," all the people present glared at him; understanding why he had ordered them all away, but not approving of it. Thor pursed his lips in his Thor-like way.
"Very well," Thor didn't press the matter. "Be aware that the Tok'ra have arrived to assist; they have a small fleet of alkesh.
"Alright then, watch who you're shooting at up there."
"Do not worry, O'Neill… Do not do anything stupid…" his hologram disappeared before Jack could retort.
"Hey! I never do anything stupid… I think of plenty of stupid things to do but I have Carter to tell me off before anything actually happens…" He was rambling, with a sigh he redirected his attention to his friends. "Fine. Daniel, Teal'c, you go that way, kill off the rest of them within this containment section, meet back here in twenty. Sam, you're with me."
"Yes, sir," Sam said, Daniel and Teal'c just nodded and headed in the direction Jack had pointed.
…………………………………..
The surface was in turmoil. Important people from multiple countries had disappeared in flashes of light, scaring those who were supposed to be protecting them. The alien ships had multiplied and now seemed to be at war with each other. Were they protecting Earth and attacking?
The population was in mass panic- most people could only see the ships on the television, but that was enough. Those who could see the ships in person were trying not to; they hid in basements, churches, storm protected areas, anyplace where they weren't alone.
Emmitt Bregman's documentary on the SGC had served as an explanation for the world as to why the aliens were attacking Colorado Springs instead of the capitols of the world. This didn't make them any more comfortable with the idea of aliens in ships above their planet.
I know, its short - - - I'm working on it :)